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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1983

Kathleen W. Craver

In the 1970s, the United States Congress enacted two statutes that have had dramatic and far‐reaching effects on the education of handicapped children by public schools. These two…

Abstract

In the 1970s, the United States Congress enacted two statutes that have had dramatic and far‐reaching effects on the education of handicapped children by public schools. These two laws, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Education For All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (known as Public Law 94–142), have required local public school agencies to provide new eductional programs for thousands of handicapped children not previously served by the public schools. Counselors, principals, and teachers were quickly informed of the law's requirements and willingly began the task of main‐streaming and assimilating these children into various curricula. Their physical needs were attended to rapidly; their societal and emotional needs, unfortunately, lagged behind. Within the past seven years, there has been an increase in books, articles, and films specifically addressed to counseling the handicapped. Unlike past literature which focused only on the vocational aspect of rehabilitation counseling, current writing emphasizes personal counseling meant to assist a disabled child to participate fully in the problems and joys of daily living.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Article
Publication date: 12 October 2010

Bharat Mehra, Vandana Singh and Hannah Parris

The purpose of this paper is to address the following questions: How are members of the Tennessee's regional library system (TRLS) in the USA using open source software (OSS…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address the following questions: How are members of the Tennessee's regional library system (TRLS) in the USA using open source software (OSS) applications and collaborating to further their missions and overcome some of their debilitating information‐related circumstances? What kind of partnerships can be explored in order to further use of OSS in the state?

Design/methodology/approach

The paper highlights findings from an exploratory website study to identify key trends, practices, and applications of use of OSS in the TRLS.

Findings

OSS applications in the TRLS are presented in terms of their current use as well as their future directions of development and opportunities. Study of collaborations in OSS use and website development by public libraries in the TRLS reveals that the OSS infoscape is more complex than previously understood.

Originality/value

Minimal research has been done involving the TRLS that has been in existence for over 60 years and comprises 12 multi‐county regions serving 211 small‐ and medium‐sized public libraries. Use of OSS has tremendous potentialities to overcome the harsh conditions of information poverty, lack of information resources and technology, and unique cultural, social, economic, and environmental challenges experienced in Tennessee that have prevented significant growth of information and communications technologies in the state.

Details

Library Review, vol. 59 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 July 2015

Anja Svejgaard Pors

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of e-government reforms on street-level bureaucrats’ professionalism and relation to citizens, thus demonstrating how the…

1976

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of e-government reforms on street-level bureaucrats’ professionalism and relation to citizens, thus demonstrating how the bureaucratic encounter unfolds in the digital era.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on an ethnographic study of frontline work at a citizen service centre in a Danish municipality, and draws on empirical material generated through observations, field notes, interviews and policy documents.

Findings

The paper shows that e-government changes the mode of professionalism in citizen service from service to support. An ethnographic account of how digital reforms are implemented in practice shows how street-level bureaucrat’s classic tasks such as specialized casework are being reconfigured into educational tasks that promote the idea of “becoming digital”. In the paper, the author argues that the work of “becoming digital” in client processing entails two interconnected changes in frontline agents’ practice: de-specialization of the task and intensified informality in relation to citizens. As a result, the frontline agent works as an explorative generalist whose professional skills and personal competencies are blurred.

Originality/value

The study contributes to ethnographic research in public administration by combining two separate subfields, e-government and street-level bureaucracy, to discern recent transformations in public service delivery. In the digital era, tasks, control and equality are distributed in ways that call for symmetrical and relational approaches to studying street-level bureaucracy. The argument goes beyond technological or social determinism to find a fruitful intermediary position pointing at technological change as having both constraining and enabling effects.

Details

Journal of Organizational Ethnography, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6749

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 August 2020

Mitchell Scovell, Connar McShane and Anne Swinbourne

Cyclone preparedness activities can significantly reduce household-related property damage and the negative knock-on effects. Research has found, however, that many people do not…

Abstract

Purpose

Cyclone preparedness activities can significantly reduce household-related property damage and the negative knock-on effects. Research has found, however, that many people do not perform these behaviours. It is, therefore, important to understand why some people do, and others do not, perform such behaviours. This paper aims to investigate whether a commonly applied psychological theory of behaviour change can explain cyclone-specific preparedness behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a cross-sectional survey design to examine the relationship between demographic factors, cyclone experience, psychological factors and preparedness behaviour. Informed by the protection motivation theory (PMT), it was hypothesised that perceived efficacy, perceived cost and self-efficacy would be the strongest predictors of preparedness behaviour. Data from 356 respondents living in a cyclone-prone region were analysed using multiple regression and mediation analysis with the PROCESS macro in SPSS.

Findings

In support of the hypothesis, it was found that perceived efficacy and perceived cost were the strongest psychological predictors of preparedness behaviour. Contradicting the hypothesis, however, self-efficacy was not a significant predictor of preparedness behaviour. Subsequent analysis indicated that people who have experienced cyclone damage perceive that preparedness measures are more effective for reducing damage, which, in turn, increases preparedness behaviour.

Originality/value

This paper provides empirical support for the application of the protective motivation theory for explaining cyclone-specific preparedness behaviour. More specifically, the results indicate that people are more likely prepare for cyclones if they perceive that preparedness activities are effective for reducing damage and are relatively inexpensive and easy to perform. The findings suggest that to promote cyclone preparedness, risk communicators need to emphasise the efficacy of preparedness and downplay the costs.

Details

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-5908

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 December 2022

Anne-Sophie Gousse-Lessard, Philippe Gachon, Lily Lessard, Valérie Vermeulen, Maxime Boivin, Danielle Maltais, Elsa Landaverde, Mélissa Généreux, Bernard Motulsky and Julien Le Beller

The current pandemic and ongoing climate risks highlight the limited capacity of various systems, including health and social ones, to respond to population-scale and long-term…

1963

Abstract

Purpose

The current pandemic and ongoing climate risks highlight the limited capacity of various systems, including health and social ones, to respond to population-scale and long-term threats. Practices to reduce the impacts on the health and well-being of populations must evolve from a reactive mode to preventive, proactive and concerted actions beginning at individual and community levels. Experiences and lessons learned from the pandemic will help to better prevent and reduce the psychosocial impacts of floods, or other hydroclimatic risks, in a climate change context.

Design/methodology/approach

The present paper first describes the complexity and the challenges associated with climate change and systemic risks. It also presents some systemic frameworks of mental health determinants, and provides an overview of the different types of psychosocial impacts of disasters. Through various Quebec case studies and using lessons learned from past and recent flood-related events, recommendations are made on how to better integrate individual and community factors in disaster response.

Findings

Results highlight the fact that people who have been affected by the events are significantly more likely to have mental health problems than those not exposed to flooding. They further demonstrate the adverse and long-term effects of floods on psychological health, notably stemming from indirect stressors at the community and institutional levels. Different strategies are proposed from individual-centered to systemic approaches, in putting forward the advantages from intersectoral and multirisk researches and interventions.

Originality/value

The establishment of an intersectoral flood network, namely the InterSectoral Flood Network of Québec (RIISQ), is presented as an interesting avenue to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and a systemic view of flood risks. Intersectoral work is proving to be a major issue in the management of systemic risks, and should concern communities, health and mental health professionals, and the various levels of governance. As climate change is called upon to lead to more and more systemic risks, close collaboration between all the areas concerned with the management of the factors of vulnerability and exposure of populations will be necessary to respond effectively to damages and impacts (direct and indirect) linked to new meteorological and compound hazards. This means as well to better integrate the communication managers into the risk management team.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 32 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 July 2018

Vivian Bynoe and Anne Katz

This paper aims to discuss the practical application of critical librarianship through a critical literacy framework using a Teaching and Learning Grant. The purpose of this…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the practical application of critical librarianship through a critical literacy framework using a Teaching and Learning Grant. The purpose of this project was to provide teacher candidates in The College of Education at Georgia Southern University-Armstrong Campus, with tools to understand and practice reading through the lens of critical literacy. The project also serves as an example of how an instruction librarian can work with students outside of the traditional one-shot instruction session.

Design/methodology/approach

Students in the Fall 2016 section of EDUC 2120, Exploring Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Diversity in Educational Contexts were introduced to the concept of critical literacy and participated in a series of interactive faculty-facilitated small group discussions with the librarian and College of Education faculty. They concentrated on an analysis of Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah (2008).

Findings

Students provided positive feedback after the project. Many stated that they learned a great deal about the reading process in general and how to read from a critical literacy perspective. Students also stated that they began to think about looking more critically at information in general. Additionally, these pre-service educators now have more tools to use to help their future students become critical thinkers who can read their world for deeper meanings and understandings.

Originality/value

This project fills a need to help college students understand how to use critical literacy skills and become critical consumers of information. The initiative also fostered meaningful collaboration between a Reference and Instruction Librarian and colleagues in the College of Education while expanding on the one-shot instruction technique.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 46 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 April 2014

Anne E. Witte

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that co-operation is a vital behavioral skill that should be developed in educational systems, particularly business and management…

1686

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that co-operation is a vital behavioral skill that should be developed in educational systems, particularly business and management programs, because it is an intangible factor that boosts productive output.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explains why co-operation is an important intangible factor for organizations and the larger economy. It recommends the development of educational designs to remediate the pedagogical lack of focus on the cooperative disposition.

Findings

Co-operation is contingent on trust – an indispensable factor to engage in distant relations, accept rule of law across nations, and confer in intermediaries the authority to arbitrate unresolved differences between organizations. In other words, without co-operation, people within organizations commit themselves to parochial concerns, inhibiting efforts to combine resources toward a collective goal. The lack of a cooperative attitude is not destiny – it can be forged through careful educational designs and organizational strategy.

Research limitations/implications

There is little empirical data available to measure co-operation in a diverse environment and co-operation is an intangible concept that is difficult to pin to specific organizational habits. The concepts developed here based on broad social science data would do will to be tested in an empirical framework at the micro level.

Practical implications

Low co-operation arises in an environment which does not foster trust. Management might inadvertently reward low organizational capacity by not evaluating co-operation and monitoring narcissism. Recruiters need to adapt recruitment strategies that pinpoint individuals capable of managing the specific co-operation needs of situational organizations, especially in diverse situations. A successful managerial education program will target training that optimizes thoughtful and sustainable co-operation.

Social implications

Co-operation is a factor of sustainability for development but also for the modern organization. It is both a moral and methodological disposition that fosters collective action positively, while inhibiting in-group interests.

Originality/value

Formal management training to instill a thoughtful sense of co-operation would complement the current emphasis on teamwork and leadership. Without the moral and methodological goal of being co-operative for the greater good, organizations waste human resources and fail to reap benefits from collective productions.

Details

Journal of Management Development, vol. 33 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0262-1711

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 July 2017

Anne Kanerva, Tuula Kivinen and Johanna Lammintakanen

The organisational level and leadership development are crucial elements in advancing patient safety, because patient safety weaknesses are often caused by system failures…

2101

Abstract

Purpose

The organisational level and leadership development are crucial elements in advancing patient safety, because patient safety weaknesses are often caused by system failures. However, little is known about how frontline leader and director teams can be supported to develop patient safety practices. The purpose of this study is to describe the patient safety development process carried out by nursing leaders and directors. The research questions were: how the chosen development areas progressed in six months’ time and how nursing leaders view the participatory development process.

Design/methodology/approach

Participatory action research was used to engage frontline nursing leaders and directors into developing patient safety practices. Semi-structured group interviews (N = 10) were used in data collection at the end of a six-month action cycle, and data were analysed using content analysis.

Findings

The participatory development process enhanced collaboration and gave leaders insights into patient safety as a part of the hospital system and their role in advancing it. The chosen development areas advanced to different extents, with the greatest improvements in those areas with simple guidelines to follow and in which the leaders were most participative. The features of high-reliability organisation were moderately identified in the nursing leaders’ actions and views. For example, acting as a change agent to implement patient safety practices was challenging. Participatory methods can be used to support leaders into advancing patient safety. However, it is important that the participants are familiar with the method, and there are enough facilitators to steer development processes.

Originality/value

Research brings more knowledge of how leaders can increase their effectiveness in advancing patient safety and promoting high-reliability organisation features in the healthcare organisation.

Details

Leadership in Health Services, vol. 30 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1879

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1964

MISS ANNE SHAW's presence on the platform at the annual general meeting of the Management Consultants Association was a solid assurance that work study still lies within its…

Abstract

MISS ANNE SHAW's presence on the platform at the annual general meeting of the Management Consultants Association was a solid assurance that work study still lies within its scope. The initial impression was weakened, however, when the chairman, Mr. D. J. Nicolson, mentioned that the bulk of consultancy work was no longer concerned with work study. Instead, it gave more than half its attention to policymaking and the broad aspects of organising financial, manufacturing and marketing resources.

Details

Work Study, vol. 13 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0043-8022

Article
Publication date: 29 July 2019

Anne-Marie T. Lelkes and Thomas M. Krueger

Prior research has used computer-generated data to illustrate the benefits of the recently developed duration-based costing (DBC) and its affiliate modified duration-based costing…

Abstract

Purpose

Prior research has used computer-generated data to illustrate the benefits of the recently developed duration-based costing (DBC) and its affiliate modified duration-based costing (MDBC). The purpose of this paper is to use data from a Fortune 500 corporation to compare its traditional, or functional-based, cost allocation method with that of the recently developed DBC and MDBC models.

Design/methodology/approach

A Fortune 500 company provided one month of production data for a particular, key machine within its manufacturing process. The data were used to apply DBC and MDBC.

Findings

Variations arising from differences in the models’ cost allocation reveal the advantages of using time-based cost allocation over the traditional, mostly non-time-based allocation to estimate profit.

Research limitations/implications

By using actual data, this case study enhances prior theoretical research concerning the benefits of utilizing DBC and MDBC over the traditional costing method.

Practical implications

This case study is of benefit to practitioners who use traditional costing since it will encourage them to explore DBC and/or MDBC that tend to be more accurate in situations where the old adage of “time is money” applies. Implementing DBC and MDBC was not difficult to do for the Fortune 500 company as all of the components to run the models were readily available.

Originality/value

This is the first study to utilize actual company data to illustrate DBC and MDBC, and thus, adding to the literature concerning DBC and MDBC.

Details

Managerial Finance, vol. 46 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4358

Keywords

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