Search results

1 – 10 of over 31000
Book part
Publication date: 17 March 2020

Roni Reiter-Palmon, Salvatore Leone, Vignesh Murugavel and Joseph A. Allen

Debriefs are a type of workplace meeting that often use after events and critical incidents. Debriefs are used to review performance, promote shared learning and understanding…

Abstract

Debriefs are a type of workplace meeting that often use after events and critical incidents. Debriefs are used to review performance, promote shared learning and understanding, and improve future team performance. Similarly, reflexivity refers to the extent to which team members reflect upon and openly discuss group processes, procedures, and actions to improve future team performance. In this chapter, the authors review the separate literatures and explore the relationship between debriefs and reflexivity. While the debrief literature does focus on aspects of reflection, what occurs between the aspects of reflection, planning, and action is left unexplored. The concept of reflexivity fits well with the successful use of debriefs, as reflexivity ensures that reflection results in outcomes and moves beyond just an overview or discussion during debriefing. Additionally, important constructs such as psychological safety and sensemaking are relevant to both debriefs and reflexivity such that open and honest discussion as well as developing shared understanding are necessary for effective debriefing and reflection. Using the constructs of psychological safety and sensemaking, the authors propose a model that situates both reflexivity and effective debriefs in the context of team learning. This model integrates team reflexivity with team debriefs, provides a better understanding of how teams can carry out more effective debriefs, and explains how more effective debriefing and greater team reflexivity lead to enhanced learning and improvement in team performance.

Details

Managing Meetings in Organizations
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-227-0

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 3 December 2014

Douglas H. Constance, William H. Friedland, Marie-Christine Renard and Marta G. Rivera-Ferre

This introduction provides an overview of the discourse on alternative agrifood movements (AAMs) to (1) ascertain the degree of convergence and divergence around a common ethos of…

Abstract

This introduction provides an overview of the discourse on alternative agrifood movements (AAMs) to (1) ascertain the degree of convergence and divergence around a common ethos of alterity and (2) context the chapters of the book. AAMs have increased in recent years in response to the growing legitimation crisis of the conventional agrifood system. Some agrifood researchers argue that AAMs represent the vanguard movement of our time, a formidable counter movement to global capitalism. Other authors note a pattern of blunting of the transformative qualities of AAMs due to conventionalization and mainstreaming in the market. The literature on AAMs is organized following a Four Questions in Agrifood Studies (Constance, 2008) framework. The section for each Question ends with a case study to better illustrate the historical dynamics of an AAM. The literature review ends with a summary of the discourse applied to the research question of the book: Are AAMs the vanguard social movement of our time? The last section of this introduction provides a short description of each contributing chapter of the book, which is divided into five sections: Introduction; Theoretical and Conceptual Framings; Food Sovereignty Movements; Alternative Movements in the Global North; and Conclusions.

Details

Alternative Agrifood Movements: Patterns of Convergence and Divergence
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-089-6

Book part
Publication date: 16 May 2024

Mohammad B. Rana and Matthew M. C. Allen

The changing roles of the United Nations (UN) and national institutions have made addressing climate change a critical concern for many multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) survival…

Abstract

The changing roles of the United Nations (UN) and national institutions have made addressing climate change a critical concern for many multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) survival and growth. This chapter discusses how such institutions, which vary in their nature and characteristics, shape firm strategies for climate change adaptation. Exploring different versions of institutional theory, the chapter demonstrates how and why institutional characteristics affect typical patterns of firm ownership, governance, and capabilities. These, in turn, influence companies’ internationalisation and climate-change strategies. Climate change poses challenges to how we understand firms’ strategic decisions from both an international business (IB) (HQ–subsidiary relations) and global value chains (GVC) (buyer–supplier relations) perspective. However, climate change also provides opportunities for companies to gain competitive advantages – if firms can reconfigure and adapt faster than their competitors. Existing IB and GVC research tends to downplay the importance of climate change strategies and the ways in which coherent or dysfunctional institutions affect firms’ reconfiguration and adaptation strategies in a globally dispersed network of value creation. This chapter presents a perspective on the institutional conditions that affect firms’ climate change strategies regarding ownership, location, and internalisation (OLI), and GVCs, with ‘investment’ and ‘emerging standards’ playing a significant role. The authors illustrate the discussion using several examples from the Global South (i.e. Bangladesh) and the Global North (i.e. Denmark, Sweden, and Germany) with a special emphasis on the garment industry. The aim is to encourage future research to examine how a ‘business systems’, or varieties of capitalism, institutional perspective can complement the analysis of sustainability and climate change strategies in IB and GVC studies.

Details

Walking the Talk? MNEs Transitioning Towards a Sustainable World
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83549-117-1

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 26 November 2014

Rebecca Schiff and Charles Z. Levkoe

Academic and popular literatures have addressed growing concerns about the ways we produce, harvest, distribute, and consume food; manage fisheries and inputs to agriculture; and…

Abstract

Academic and popular literatures have addressed growing concerns about the ways we produce, harvest, distribute, and consume food; manage fisheries and inputs to agriculture; and deal with waste. Throughout the 20th century, a series of issue-specific frames emerged that explicitly addressed issues of social justice, the environment, and human health in the food system. During the mid-1990s that comprehensive master frames were established in attempts to bring disparate ideas and actions together into a more inclusive food movement. In this chapter, we explore the development of these collective action frames and turn to Canada as a case study to examine the key moments that have brought together diverse actors through collaborative networks to assert their place within a broader social movement. We argue that recognizing the increasing development of food networks and making these relationships visible opens new theoretical and practical possibilities for food system transformation.

Details

Occupy the Earth: Global Environmental Movements
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-697-2

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 December 2019

Mansoor Ahmad, Muhammad Mustafa Raziq, Wali ur Rehman and Matthew M.C. Allen

Research on the relationship between high-performance workplace practices (HPWPs) and organizational performance has largely focussed on western settings, limiting the knowledge…

Abstract

Purpose

Research on the relationship between high-performance workplace practices (HPWPs) and organizational performance has largely focussed on western settings, limiting the knowledge of how these systems influence performance in other countries, including Pakistan. Universalistic assumptions underpin the HPWP paradigm; to examine the validity of these assumptions, the purpose of this paper is to study the links between HPWP and performance in Pakistan, a country with different cultural norms and institutional settings to those in which most research has been conducted.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors draw on a unique survey of 392 establishment managers in the banking, pharmaceutical and information technology sectors. The authors include managers of foreign-owned multinational subsidiaries and domestic firms to ensure the sample represents firms in Pakistan.

Findings

The authors find that some individual HPWPs (recruitment and training) are associated in a statistically significant way with lower labour turnover, higher productivity and higher financial performance. Employee involvement is associated with lower labour turnover and higher labour productivity. Compensation is associated with higher financial performance. None is linked to higher labour turnover, lower productivity or lower financial performance in a statistically significant way. Performance appraisal was not statistically significantly associated with any of the three outcome variables.

Originality/value

The results provide some relatively strong support for universalistic assumptions, but also highlight the need for future research to examine the variable links of some HPWPs and the lack of any association for the performance appraisal measure.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 41 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 13 February 2024

Rosie Allen and Chathurika Kannangara

The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the student mental health crisis in Higher Education (HE), and how resilience and grit, two important positive psychological…

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the student mental health crisis in Higher Education (HE), and how resilience and grit, two important positive psychological constructs, can be beneficial for university students’ success and wellbeing. As part of a discussion around some of the current approaches to intervening in wellbeing in universities, the chapter provides evidence for the use of PPIs for wellbeing in university students, alongside some of the challenges of implementing these in HE. It also provides an overview of the Thriving Students Framework and presents a case for a multicomponent approach to monitoring and improving educational success. In particular, a wellbeing framework that, alongside resilience, also recognises the importance of strengths, persistence in the face of difficulty, a growth mindset, self-control and mental wellbeing; Academic Tenacity. The implications of utilising this framework for educational attainment in university students are discussed. The Bolton Uni-Stride Scale (BUSS), a single short measure of academic tenacity that combines the attributes enabling measurement and intervention to support university students to thrive, is also presented for educators to use.

Details

Positive Education at All Levels: Learning to Flourish
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-156-1

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 1955

EVERYONE today is busily engaged in devising new methods, bringing about economies in motions, and applying incentives, but is enough attention being paid to the maintenance…

Abstract

EVERYONE today is busily engaged in devising new methods, bringing about economies in motions, and applying incentives, but is enough attention being paid to the maintenance mechanics, from the human aspect, in these applications of work study?

Details

Work Study, vol. 4 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0043-8022

Book part
Publication date: 29 September 2021

Maria Allen

This chapter reviews work that examines the potential causes of inequality for women in employment in the UK. Amongst developed economies and based on mean hourly earnings, the UK…

Abstract

This chapter reviews work that examines the potential causes of inequality for women in employment in the UK. Amongst developed economies and based on mean hourly earnings, the UK has one of the highest gender pay gaps (ILO, 2018). The UK, therefore, illustrates some of the key theoretical and practical issues associated with greater gender equality that affect other countries to varying degrees. This chapter sets out key theoretical perspectives on gender inequality, summarizes important research, identifies research gaps and provides an agenda for future research. It highlights how there is no simple explanation for the disparities in pay between men and women; these disparities persist in the UK and elsewhere. Theories and empirical analyses, therefore, need to expand to identify other potential causes of gender inequality, extending ‘upwards’ to examine how the nature of firms varies across countries and ‘downwards’ to assess how union representatives influence equal opportunity policies in organizations.

Article
Publication date: 12 February 2018

Naveed Iqbal, Mansoor Ahmad, Matthew M.C. Allen and Muhammad Mustafa Raziq

Drawing on data from a unique, large-scale survey, the purpose of this paper is to examine the links between e-HRM and perceived labour productivity both directly and through the…

2491

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on data from a unique, large-scale survey, the purpose of this paper is to examine the links between e-HRM and perceived labour productivity both directly and through the mediating role of HR service quality amongst commercial-bank workplaces in Pakistan, many of which have introduced e-HRM.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use partial least squares structural equation modelling to examine the direct links between e-HRM and productivity as well as the mediated links between e-HRM, perceived HR service quality and productivity.

Findings

The authors show that e-HRM practices have a statistically significant, positive effect on managers’ perceptions of labour productivity. The authors also reveal that e-HRM practices influence the quality of HR service, and that the quality of HR services fully mediates the relationship between e-HRM practices and managers’ perceptions of labour productivity.

Practical implications

The results highlight the importance of designing and implementing e-HRM systems so that they support organisation workflow and enable workers to carry out a range of HR and non-HR activities more efficiently. In particular, this study suggests that managers should focus on how e-HRM impacts on HR service quality in a holistic way, as this is the “route” via which e-HRM can improve labour productivity.

Originality/value

Existing research has demonstrated a link between e-HRM and the quality of HR services; however, these studies downplay the potential impact of e-HRM on labour productivity, a key organisational outcome and one that e-HRM aims to improve. This study contributes to the HRM literature by identifying how e-HRM can improve labour productivity by enhancing the perceived HR service quality. This study, therefore, provides the basis for future theory developments in this area.

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2004

L. Djayapertapa and C.B. Allen

Transonic flutter and active flap control, in two dimensions, are simulated by coupling independent structural dynamic and inviscid aerodynamic models, in the time domain. A…

2029

Abstract

Transonic flutter and active flap control, in two dimensions, are simulated by coupling independent structural dynamic and inviscid aerodynamic models, in the time domain. A flight control system, to actively control the trailing edge flap motion, has also been incorporated and, since this requires perfect synchronisation of fluid, structure and control signal, the “strong” coupling approach is adopted. The computational method developed is used to perform transonic aeroelastic and aeroservoelastic calculations in the time domain, and used to compute stability (flutter) boundaries of 2D wing sections. Open and closed loop simulations show that active control can successfully suppress flutter and results in a significant increase in the allowable speed index in the transonic regime. It is also shown that active control is still effective when there is free‐play in the control surface hinge. Flowfield analysis is used to investigate the nature of flutter and active control, and the fundamental importance of shock wave motion in the vicinity of the flap is demonstrated.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 31000