‘Working relationships’ across difference - a realist review of community engagement with malaria research

Background: Community engagement (CE) is increasingly accepted as a critical aspect of health research, because of its potential to make research more ethical, relevant and well implemented. While CE activities linked to health research have proliferated in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), and are increasingly described in published literature, there is a lack of conceptual clarity around how engagement is understood to ‘work’, and the aims and purposes of engagement are varied and often not made explicit. Ultimately, the evidence base for engagement remains underdeveloped. Methods: To develop explanations for how and why CE with health research contributes to the pattern of outcomes observed in published literature, we conducted a realist review of CE with malaria research – a theory driven approach to evidence synthesis. Results: We found that community engagement relies on the development of provisional ‘working relationships’ across differences, primarily of wealth, power and culture. These relationships are rooted in interactions that are experienced as relatively responsive and respectful, and that bring tangible research related benefits. Contextual factors affecting development of working relationships include the facilitating influence of research organisation commitment to and resources for engagement, and constraining factors linked to the prevailing ‘dominant health research paradigm context’, such as: differences of wealth and power between research centres and local populations and health systems; histories of colonialism and vertical health interventions; and external funding and control of health research. Conclusions: The development of working relationships contributes to greater acceptance and participation in research by local stakeholders, who are particularly interested in research related access to health care and other benefits. At the same time, such relationships may involve an accommodation of some ethically problematic characteristics of the dominant health research paradigm, and thereby reproduce this paradigm rather than challenge it with a different logic of collaborative partnership.

Marketing control in international headquarters-subsidiary working relationships of industrial goods firms: the role of environmental context

The use of marketing and sales control mechanisms is a core management activity for multinational corporations. However, research on controlling marketing and sales of international subsidiaries is scarce. In particular, the influence of a firm’s economic and cultural environment on different control mechanisms has not been thoroughly examined yet. In attempting to fill these gaps, we build on Jaworski’s (J Mark 52:23–39, 1988) framework from a subsidiary perspective on marketing and sales controls, applied by the headquarters of medium-sized industrial goods corporations. Through a rival model analysis, we determine the impact of the local environmental context on marketing and sales control types exerted by headquarters on subsidiaries located in foreign countries. To analyze the proposed model, this study deploys survey data of 184 subsidiaries from different industries and different European countries with headquarters in Switzerland. The results show that while environmental factors influence the marketing and sales control configurations, the effectiveness of marketing and sales controls is not contingent on environmental factors.

Stakeholder engagement and leadership

An essential element of an event manager’s job involves the development of sustainable working relationships with a broad range of stakeholders. Event stakeholders include all of the organisations and individuals who have an interest in the staging of an event and may have some impact on event outcomes. These stakeholders may be internal or external to the event business and while the importance and influence of stakeholders varies significantly, it is essential for event managers to have a sound knowledge of their interests, needs, and potential impact. So too is the capacity of event managers to effectively, engage, communicate, and negotiate with all key stakeholders.

Managers' understanding of artificial intelligence in relation to marketing financial services: insights from a cross-country study

PurposeGiven that managers play a crucial role in developing and deploying AI for marketing financial services, this study was aimed at better understanding their awareness regarding AI and the challenges they are facing in providing the attendant technologies, as well as highlighting key stakeholders and their collaborative efforts in providing financial services.Design/methodology/approachExploratory, inductive research design. The data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 47 bank managers in both developed and developing countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Nigeria and Vietnam.FindingsManagers are aware of the prospects of AI and are making efforts to address AI as a business need but find that there often exist certain challenges in accelerating AI adoption. The study also presents a conceptual framework of AI in relation to financial service marketing, which captures and highlights the interactions among the customers, banks and external stakeholders, as well as the regulators.Research limitations/implicationsBanks must understand their business objectives, the available resources and the needs of their customers. Managers should keep the ethical implications of their working relationships in mind when selecting a team or collaborating with partners. In addition, managers should be trained and assisted in comprehending AI in relation to financial services, while the regulators must be involved in the development of AI for financial service marketing. Finally, it is critical to communicate the prospects for AI to consumers.Originality/valueThis study provides empirical insight into the opportunities, prospects and challenges pertaining to the use of AI in the area of financial service marketing. It also specifically calls into question certain preconceptions regarding AI and its role in financial services, the chatbots adopted for financial service delivery and the role of marketing managers in developing AI.

A CONCEPTUAL PAPER ON THE INFLUENCE OF MUTUAL RESPECT ON LEADER-SUBORDINATE RELATIONSHIP IN THE MALAYSIAN PUBLIC SERVICES

Respect has a crucial role in a dyadic relationship, especially between leader and subordinate, because of the reciprocal costs in the relationship when respect is gained or earned. Leaders can be respected because of their position or fair treatment given to their subordinates. Respect has been featured in the leadership literature; however, few touches on the perspective of mutuality in respect, especially in a dyadic leader-subordinate relationship. The impact of the leader-subordinate relationship is significant in the Malaysian public services, as the scheme of grades determines the employees’ hierarchy. The Malaysian public services organizations' issues often arise from employees’ behavior and working relationships that affect their delivery. A high exchange of the dyadic leader and subordinate relationship correlated with desirable outcomes such as positive performance and attitudinal outcomes. One of the significant elements of the subordinates’ response is the attitude of respect towards the leader. Hence, this paper aimed to investigate the influence of mutual respect on the leader-subordinate working relationship in the public services that has implications for performance and service delivery.

Wounded Healers: Coping with Vicarious Trauma among Mental Health Professionals

Mental health professionals have been experiencing vicarious trauma due to their exposure to trauma-related cases. This study explored the coping strategies used by mental health professionals in dealing with vicarious trauma. A purposive sample of five (5) mental health professionals participated in this study. The study utilized Narrative Inquiry and Thematic Analysis to explore the stories of handling trauma cases and construct the central themes of coping strategies from vicarious trauma among mental health professionals. Findings of the study generated six central themes: a) recognition of experienced vicarious trauma symptoms, b) healthy personal and working relationships, c) fulfilling self-preserving needs, d) regulation of thought processes, e) professional competence and due care, and f) fate and faith. The results provided a holistic approach to vicarious trauma that targeted all dimensions of an individual; emotional, physiological, cognitive, occupational, and spiritual.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Applying Bioecological Theory to School Relationships and Grandparent Needs

This paper examines the development, sustainability and importance of positive working relationships between grandparents raising grandchildren (“grandparents”) and school district staff through the application of Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory of human development. Grandparents have unique needs and often lack adequate resources, knowledge, and support when engaging in their new and often sudden role as primary caregiver of a grandchild. Access to educational resources, adequate information, and school district support is critical as a grandchild transitions into their grandparent’s home. This inquiry aims to develop a conceptual framework for understanding how forming and maintaining positive working relationships between grandparents and school district staff will systematically and adequately address the educational needs of grandparents and their grandchild’s academic success. Tenets of the bioecological model include the application of proximal processes that outline the need for frequent and regular interactions between a person and their environment over extended periods of time. The purpose of this study is to develop positive pathways of support through the application of the interconnected elements of proximal processes of the bioecological theory including process, person, context, and time, and the five bioecological interactive (micro-, meso-, exo-, macro-, chrono-) systems of human development. More specifically, educational needs of grandparents as caregivers are addressed through tenets of the bioecological theory to inform school districts and encourage the development of positive working relationships and effective education navigation protocols to better serve this unique and growing population.

The Role of Gender in the History of the Professional Development of South African Nursing and Nursing Organisations

Historically, female nurse leaders endeavoured to make nursing a profession by establishing nursing organisations that could act as agents of change. They were hampered by sociocultural notions of gender: men dominating society, politics, and the economy. Nurses therefore needed positive working relationships with male leaders. In South Africa, such gender dynamics led to the South African Nursing Association (SANA), being influenced by a political system, that is, apartheid, which had dire consequences for the profession. This article illustrates that historically the emerging nursing profession was intimately connected with a changing society: female nurses strove for economic and professional independence but were confined by a male-dominated (medical) society. South African female nurse leaders never openly challenged the political status quo. It is recommended that current South African nursing organisations advocate for gender equality and clarify how they can foster a health-care environment in which gender diversity is the norm.