Why I said #MeToo: An Exploration of the Purpose of Disclosure Among Indian Women

The surge of sexual abuse disclosures by women during the #MeToo movement raised awareness about an important social issue that has garnered much attention. However, apart from the changes the movement initiated, the issue of why women chose to disclose in the context of the movement has not been extensively examined. Why women disclose such a sensitive topic in the public domain, often via social media, within the Indian cultural context, where matters such as sexual abuse are considered taboo, warrants further examination. This article explores the reasons for disclosure among Indian women participating in the #MeToo movement, through qualitative research, using the interpretative phenomenological approach. The emergent themes include reactions to the injustice, expectations of validation and closure, addressing stigma, initiation of dialogue and social change, as well as expression of solidarity, as the purpose for which disclosures were undertaken.

An Exploratory Study into Entrepreneurial Motivation in Changing Contexts

<p>The purpose of this research is to explore entrepreneurial motivation and its relationship to change. It does this through providing insight into what entrepreneurial motivation is, and how it is affected by change. An interpretative phenomenological approach is taken in the exploration of the nature of entrepreneurial motivation and change, in order to understand the phenomena in terms of the lived experience of seven entrepreneurs from New Zealand. The key finding in this research was that entrepreneurial motivation is an internal drive that provides entrepreneurs with the energy to deal with obstacles and push forward in an effort to satisfy their need for achievement. Some insights into the nature of entrepreneurial motivation across changing contexts are provided. An improved understanding of what entrepreneurial motivation is and how it is affected by change provides implications for both practitioners and scholars. This provides value in terms of predicting individual propensity and viability of entrepreneurship.</p>

An Exploratory Study into Entrepreneurial Motivation in Changing Contexts

<p>The purpose of this research is to explore entrepreneurial motivation and its relationship to change. It does this through providing insight into what entrepreneurial motivation is, and how it is affected by change. An interpretative phenomenological approach is taken in the exploration of the nature of entrepreneurial motivation and change, in order to understand the phenomena in terms of the lived experience of seven entrepreneurs from New Zealand. The key finding in this research was that entrepreneurial motivation is an internal drive that provides entrepreneurs with the energy to deal with obstacles and push forward in an effort to satisfy their need for achievement. Some insights into the nature of entrepreneurial motivation across changing contexts are provided. An improved understanding of what entrepreneurial motivation is and how it is affected by change provides implications for both practitioners and scholars. This provides value in terms of predicting individual propensity and viability of entrepreneurship.</p>

‘I thought it would be a very clearly defined role and actually it wasn’t’: a qualitative study of transition training for pharmacists moving into general practice settings in Wales

ObjectivePharmacists are increasingly contributing to the skill mix of general practice surgeries to help alleviate pressures faced by UK doctors working in primary care. However, they need support in overcoming barriers to their integration. The purpose of this work was to evaluate a programme designed to support pharmacists’ transition to working in general practice settings. We explored the learning needs of pharmacists’, the barriers and enablers to their integration and provide recommendations based on our results.InterventionA qualitative evaluation of a 1-year transition programme in Wales starting in September 2018 to support pharmacists’ transition to working in general practice settings.Design and settingWe employed an interpretative phenomenological approach involving 10 pharmacists across Wales enrolled on the transition to general practice training programme, and their tutors. Data were collected across two sequential phases: in phase 1 telephone interviews were held with pharmacists midway through their training; in phase 2, focus groups were conducted with both pharmacists and tutors towards the end of the programme.ResultsPharmacists enter general practice settings with a variety of prior experience. The programme provided a framework that pharmacists found helpful to map their experience to but the programme needed to be flexible to individual learning needs. The tutor role was typically regarded as the most valuable component, but interaction with the wider general practice team was critical to ease the transition. Pharmacists encountered a lack of clarity about their role which impeded their integration into the workplace team.ConclusionsA formal programme with a designated tutor can support pharmacists’ transition into general practice settings. The programme’s competency framework facilitated reciprocal understanding of the pharmacist’s role in the team, helped to manage expectations and enhanced collaborative practice. Recommendations to facilitate pharmacist integration into general practice settings are provided.

The mobility paradigm in higher education: a phenomenological study on the shift in learning space

The study, through the framework of mobility and space, explores the phenomenon of multiple shifts in learning spaces induced by COVID-19. The Interpretative Phenomenological Approach (IPA) is adopted to document the experiences and perceptions of learners caught within these spatial shifts—physical, online, and hybrid. Online interviews were conducted with six first-year undergraduate and three first-year postgraduate students enrolled at the department of English and Cultural Studies in a Southern Indian University. Some of the dominant patterns emerging from the accounts of the participants are (1) the changing perception of conducive learning space, (2) the changing perceptions and roles of various classroom actors, and (3) the evolving nature of the learners and the learning process. The study utilizes the framework of mobility to locate the stage of embodied skill acquisition of the participants within the online learning space and illuminates the possibilities offered by this paradigm within the context of higher education. Some of the insights gained through the study include a changing perception of the conventional built classroom space, a notable preference towards a complete online or offline mode as opposed to the hybrid mode, and a transition towards self-directed learning. The study argues that these implications are highly pertinent and can significantly shape the way pedagogues and researchers engage with the various modes of learning—physical, online, and hybrid—and the future of higher education that is shaped by technology-enabled learning.

Sound sellers: musicians' strategies for marketing to industry gatekeepers

PurposeThe relationship between musicians and the music industry has often been depicted as a dichotomy between creativity and commerce with musicians conflicted between their roles as artists and their roles as marketers of sound. Recently, marketing researchers have problematized this dichotomy and suggested musicians perceive these roles as inevitable and indivisible. However, the processes of how musicians market their sound to the industry gatekeepers remain unclear. This study seeks to find the key industry gatekeepers for musicians and how musicians sell their personal sound to them.Design/methodology/approachUsing an interpretative phenomenological approach, ten interviews with professional musicians across different music genres provided insight into the strategies musicians use to market their sound to industry gatekeepers.FindingsIn total, three key gatekeepers and the five strategies that musicians use to sell their sound are identified. The gatekeepers are record labels, other musicians and consumers. Musicians sell their sound to these gatekeepers through the externally directed strategies of using social media to build relationships, defining their personal sound through genre and creating a unique sound, and through the internally directed strategies of keeping motivated through sound evolution and counting on luck.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are limited by the small number of musicians interviewed and the heterogeneous representation of music genres.Originality/valueThe study contributes to theoretical understandings of how musicians as cultural producers market their sound in a commercial industry.

The impact of study abroad experiences on international students’ employability: a preliminary study on Chinese engineering students in US

This study aims to examine how study abroad experiences influence Chinese engineering students’ employability. Employability in this study is defined as capabilities, processes and performances before job search, during job search and after job search. This study aims to explore how study abroad experiences contribute to engineering students’ global competencies; how study abroad experiences influence engineering graduates’ job search process; what the long-term impact of study abroad experience on engineering graduates’ early careers are. This study adopts interpretative phenomenological approach via semi-structured interview. The preliminary findings include: firstly, study abroad experience is a premise for Chinese engineering students for being screened during job search both in China and abroad; secondly, study abroad allows students to discover their real interests which decided their career directions; thirdly, students kept learning and self-reflecting which contribute to their capabilities building; fourthly, study abroad trained engineering students with soft skills. Moreover, recommendation from professors and alumni facilitate the job search. Lastly, personal value and family reason influence graduates’ career decisions in working in China or abroad. Conclusion was drawn that study abroad experiences have positive impact on engineering students’ employability building, job search process and their early careers.

Understanding the childbirth experiences of childhood sexual abuse survivors: a phenomenological study

This study describes the childbirth experiences of survivors of childhood sexual abuse using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Data collection involved in-depth, semi-structured interviews of four women who gave birth to a baby within the last five years. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, three superordinate themes emerged: control, anxiety, and detachment. This contributes to the current body of research by extending knowledge on what it means to experience childbirth for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, told by the woman herself. These findings are especially important in understanding what is required in providing safe, sensitive care for all childbearing women, and has important implications for practice, education, and further research.