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1 – 10 of 20
Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 June 2024

Anne Karhapää, Pauliina Rikala, Johanna Pöysä-Tarhonen and Raija Hämäläinen

The purpose of this study is to explore how digital technologies at work serve as environments for informal workplace learning in knowledge work.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore how digital technologies at work serve as environments for informal workplace learning in knowledge work.

Design/methodology/approach

Digital ethnography was used to investigate the digital environments of one public sector workplace. The data included observations, interviews and participant diaries.

Findings

The digital work environment consisted of a complex network of technologies and people connected to them. The ethnographic accounts revealed both expansive and restrictive features of the digital environment. Digital technology extended learning opportunities by providing flexible possibilities for interaction, collaboration and access to a wealth of information. On the contrary, digitally mediated presence could restrict learning if the attendance and learning remained superficial. The complexity and constant change in digital workplace environments presented challenges that could potentially restrict learning. Information overload, constant interruptions and changes were burdens that required employees’ skills to manage these challenges.

Originality/value

The authors take a novel approach to view the workplace as a phygital environment in which social, physical and digital environments are combined. Because digital environments are becoming increasingly essential parts of the workplace, it is important to understand how they can support learning.

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 36 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 September 2024

Benjamin R. Tukamuhabwa, Henry Mutebi and Anne Mbatsi

The purpose of this paper is to propose and validate a theoretical model to investigate the relationship between self-organisation, information integration, adaptability and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose and validate a theoretical model to investigate the relationship between self-organisation, information integration, adaptability and supply chain agility in humanitarian organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical model was developed from extant studies and assessed through a structured questionnaire survey of 86 humanitarian organisations operating in South Sudan. The data were analysed using partial least square structural equation modelling.

Findings

The study found that self-organisation has a discernible positive influence on supply chain agility not only directly but also indirectly through adaptability. Further, information integration does not significantly influence supply chain agility directly but is fully mediated by adaptability. Together, the antecedent variables account for 53.9% variance in supply chain agility.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to providing an empirical understanding of a humanitarian supply chain as a complex adaptive system and hence the need to incorporate self-organising and adaptive dimensions in supply chain management practice. Furthermore, it confirms the centrality of the complex adaptive system feature of adaptability when building supply chain agility through self-organisation and information integration.

Practical implications

The findings provide a firm ground for managerial decisions on investment in self-organisation and information integration dimensions so as to enhance adaptability and improve supply chain agility in humanitarian organisations.

Originality/value

This study is distinctive in the sense that it uses the complex adaptive system variables to empirically validate the relationships between self-organisation, information integration, adaptability and supply chain agility in humanitarian organisations in the world’s youngest developing economy with a long history of conflict and humanitarian intervention. The mediating influence of adaptability examined in this study is also novel.

Details

Journal of Systems and Information Technology, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1328-7265

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 31 July 2024

Veronica Lucia Ahonen, Aleksandra Woszczek, Stefan Baumeister, Ulla T. Helimo, Anne Kristiina Jackson, Maria Kopsakangas-Savolainen, Juha Kääriä, Tommi Lehtonen, Mika Luoranen, Eva Pongrácz, Risto Soukka, Veera Vainio and Sami El Geneidy

Calculating an organization's carbon footprint is crucial for assessing and implementing emission reductions. Although Finnish higher education institutions (HEIs) aim for carbon…

Abstract

Purpose

Calculating an organization's carbon footprint is crucial for assessing and implementing emission reductions. Although Finnish higher education institutions (HEIs) aim for carbon neutrality by 2030, limited research exists on plans to reach a similar target in any country. This paper aims to address the shared and individual challenges Finnish HEIs have with carbon footprint calculations, reductions, resources and offsetting.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was targeted to sustainability experts in all 38 HEIs in Finland to identify key patterns and trends in the focus fields of the study. SWOT analysis was used to classify main strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats, based on which a series of policy recommendations was drafted.

Findings

Finnish HEIs are committed to carbon footprint tracking (97%, annually by 87%). The lack of standardization and the number of external stakeholders complicate accounting indirect emissions, impeding comparability and reliability. Only 39% had set separate emission reduction targets, suggesting a preference for carbon footprint over other environmental impact indicators. Insufficient monetary and human resources emerged in 23% of institutions, especially those smaller in size. Only 52% had clear offsetting plans, with shared concerns over trust and responsibility.

Originality/value

By including both research universities and universities of applied sciences, the findings provide an unprecedented outlook into the entire Finnish HEI sector. The policy recommendations guide HEIs both locally and globally on how to improve their transparency and scientific integrity, reflect on core successes and weaknesses and how they complete their objectives of education, research and social impact while promoting stronger sustainability.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 25 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Open Access
Book part
Publication date: 23 September 2024

Leopold Ringel

Organizational sociology and organization studies have a long history together, while also sharing a proclivity to self-diagnose crises. Instead of taking these assessments at…

Abstract

Organizational sociology and organization studies have a long history together, while also sharing a proclivity to self-diagnose crises. Instead of taking these assessments at face value, this paper treats them as an object of study, asking what conditions have fueled them. In the case of organizational sociology, there are indications of a connection between rising levels of discontent and community building: self-identified organizational sociologists have progressively withdrawn from general debates in the discipline and turned their attention to organization studies, which, they suspect, has seen dramatic levels of growth at their expense. Organization studies, on the other hand, are still haunted by “a Faustian bargain”: leaning heavily on the authority of the social sciences, business school faculty were able to facilitate the emergence of a scholarly field of practice dedicated to the study of organizations, which they control. However, in doing so, they also set organization studies on a path of continued dependence on knowledge produced elsewhere: notably, by university disciplines such as sociology.

Details

Sociological Thinking in Contemporary Organizational Scholarship
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83549-588-9

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Social Constructions of Migration in Nigeria and Zimbabwe: Discourse, Rhetoric, and Identity
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83549-169-0

Article
Publication date: 3 July 2024

Anne-Marie Sassenberg and Cindy Sassenberg

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of sport scandals on consumer perceptions of the associated sponsors and sport and to provide a typology of sport celebrity…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of sport scandals on consumer perceptions of the associated sponsors and sport and to provide a typology of sport celebrity scandals to guide management response tactics.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducted four focus groups that were followed by social media data mining. A total of 8,289 consumer comments were collected from 147 websites, and a total of 224 comments were analyzed in terms of themes and frequency.

Findings

The research found the impact of sport scandals on consumer perceptions of sponsorship evaluations depended on whether the scandal was gender related scandal, recreational drug use, gender violence, unplanned and planned on-field scandals. Gender violence and planned on-field scandals can have an overwhelmingly negative impact on sponsorship evaluations, while unplanned on-field scandals may result in positive effects. Consumer empathy may influence the impact of recreational drug use, and the gender of the sport celebrity can influence the impact of unplanned on-field scandals.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to sponsorship theory by indicating the type of scandal affects consumer perceptions of associated sponsors and sport.

Practical implications

The findings may guide management to develop response tactics to sport scandals. The response tactics may be based on consumer perceptions of the impact of the scandal on the associated sponsors and sport. Sponsor and sport management response tactics may be perceived as a differentiation of the sponsor and sport brands. It may be necessary that sponsorship agreements included pre-determined response tactics that contribute to value formation in the local community.

Originality/value

This study contributes to sponsorship theory by indicating the type of scandal affects consumer perceptions of sponsorship evaluations. Two additional factors may impact these influences: consumer empathy and the gender of the sport celebrity.

Details

International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, vol. 25 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1464-6668

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 September 2024

Kristin S. Williams

This paper aims (1) to create a sense of resonance with Maida Herman Solomon and her ideas, (2) to inspire a reconsideration of current management history (the unquestioned block…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims (1) to create a sense of resonance with Maida Herman Solomon and her ideas, (2) to inspire a reconsideration of current management history (the unquestioned block box of dominant figures, dominant foci and dominant practices), (3) to bring Solomon’s contributions to clinical social work into present discourse in management and organizational studies and (4) to foster recognition for Solomon in her own field of social work, as forerunner in a developing profession. Guiding this study is the question: “What are Solomon’s key contributions and why is she overlooked?”

Design/methodology/approach

This paper features a novel methodology, ficto-feminism. The feminism in ficto-feminism is presented as ontology, epistemology, method and mode of writing. Ficto-feminism combines polemical (or prowoman writing) with aspects of collective biography, autoethnography and fictocriticism. As such, the paper contributes to the emerging feminist tradition of writing differently. The approach is an embodied and reflexive approach that engages with history to investigate the absence of women.

Findings

Maida Solomon was an educator, researcher, practitioner and advocate. Her contributions to the development and practice of clinical social work spanned over 60 years, and yet, she is little more than a footnote in the history of the field. Her contributions include authoring and implementing graduate programming, which continues to be the taken for granted training; penning some of the most seminal works and advancing theory; introducing academic and scientific approaches, which saw the field professionalize and adopt new standards; and helping to change the way that society thought about mental health and sexual health. A confluence of factors contributes to her marginalization and neglect: gender, ethnicity, the feminized field of social work and the stigmatized focus for her practice.

Originality/value

The paper combines assertive autobiographical and literary strategies to foreground an overlooked female leader in the field of clinical social work, namely, Maida Solomon. Drawing on biographical material, literature, media and archival material, this paper features a fictional but truthful conversation between the present-day author/writer/historian and the posthumous, historical protagonist (Maida Solomon). In so doing, the engagement with history is both one that deconstructs while reconstructing a historical account with both aesthetic and political implications.

Details

Journal of Management History, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1348

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 2 April 2024

Henriikka Anne-Mari Seittu, Anneli Hujala and Minna Kaarakainen

Integrated care (IC) is mainly studied from the perspectives of organisations or employees. However, less research is focussed on how patients themselves experience person-centred…

Abstract

Purpose

Integrated care (IC) is mainly studied from the perspectives of organisations or employees. However, less research is focussed on how patients themselves experience person-centred (PC) IC in practice. This context-specific, small-scale study examines what PC-IC means to older patients who went through joint replacement surgery (JRS).

Design/methodology/approach

The data consists of ten in-depth interviews of older patients, focussing on their experiences of care during their patient journey related to joint knee or hip replacement surgery. The data were analysed with thematic analysis.

Findings

Three central dimensions of PC-IC for older patients were identified: information sharing, continuity of care and compassionate encountering. Human validation and compassionate encountering were experienced as important aspects of PC-IC. Compassionate encountering was concretised through professionals’ very small everyday practices, which made the patient feel comfortable and respected. Instead, probably due to the medical and quite straight-forward nature of the joint replacement care process, patients seem to be pleased to trust the expertise of professionals and did not necessarily expect an active role or participation in the decision-making.

Originality/value

This Finnish case study focusses on the patients’ authentic perceptions of what is central to person-centred IC in the specific context of JRS.

Details

Journal of Integrated Care, vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1476-9018

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 24 July 2024

Gijsbert van de Waerdt, Leentje Volker, Lynn Vosman and Hans Voordijk

The aim of this research is to explore how a programmatic multi-project context influences project-based firms (PBFs) in organizing their relations with other PBFs and suppliers…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this research is to explore how a programmatic multi-project context influences project-based firms (PBFs) in organizing their relations with other PBFs and suppliers in a project-based industry.

Design/methodology/approach

A multiple case study research is conducted. Data are collected from two case studies in the construction infrastructure sector. Eleven interviews with contractors and other suppliers are the primary source of data collection. The data are complemented by procurement documents and expert consultations.

Findings

The findings show that within a programmatic multi-project context, PBFs settle relations with (1) key partners for program management capacity, PBFs establish relations with (2) main contractors to divide projects and (innovation) tasks, and PBFs intensify relations with (3) suppliers to ensure continuity and expertise.

Research limitations/implications

The study contributes to the body of project management literature by exploring PBF’s relations with other PBFs and suppliers in a multi-project context. Based on empirical data, the study provides a distinction in layers presenting distinct levels of PBF’s supplier relations. This layer structure provides an excellent starting point for future studies exploring the program perspective of PBFs in the integrated supply chain.

Originality/value

Given the increase in programmatic multi-project context for project-based domains, discussed in both literature and practice, this study explores the effect of programs on relations of PBFs with other PBFs and suppliers. The study distinguishes PBF’s relations with the different suppliers in three layers and discusses the characteristics of these relations.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 17 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 30 September 2024

Veena Mani

This chapter argues that football is central to specific regional, hegemonic masculinities within colonial histories and continuities in South India. Through ethnographic…

Abstract

This chapter argues that football is central to specific regional, hegemonic masculinities within colonial histories and continuities in South India. Through ethnographic narratives of a prominent football figure associated with the Malabar Special Police, this chapter shows how different performances of a particular mode of masculinity draw power from multiple sites such as regional class networks, colonial legacies, and postcolonial sport. This work demonstrates how a (post) colonial space shores up the powers associated with a male sporting figure. The regional format of a sport is as important as the global format in producing regional, hegemonic masculinity. Analysing the powers and aura associated with this sporting figure helps one to understand the specific meanings of desire and aspirations for status and stability among a section of men in a South Indian context.

Details

The Postcolonial Sporting Body: Contemporary Indian Investigations
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-782-2

Keywords

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