Search results

The study aims to explore job demands experienced by employees and managers in micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Drawing on the job demands framework, the study discusses the experienced demands from the perspective of challenges that create opportunities for learning and achievement and hindrances that create obstacles for work. The study builds on the idea that the same demand can be perceived both as a challenge and a hindrance. That approach opens a path to responding to challenges by reformulating working practices and removing hindrances by designing, developing and crafting jobs and tasks.

The authors analyzed open-ended survey responses (N = 306) to study experienced job demands in 50 micro-enterprises and SMEs, how the perceived demands differ between employees and managers and whether they represent challenge or hindrance demands.

The authors identified 17 job demand categories most including both challenge and hindrance demands. Time management and prioritization was the most central challenge and hindrance category for both employees and managers. For employees, sales and stakeholder relationships represented the second largest challenge category and communication and information flow was the second largest hindrance category. For managers, the second largest challenge and hindrance categories were organization and management of activities and the fragmentation of work, respectively.

By focusing on employee experience, the achieve a more nuanced understanding of the SME context, which has been dominated by managerial evaluations. The study also advances the discussion on job demands by extending our knowledge of demands that may be experienced both as a challenge and a hindrance.

Based on a “Fill-the-Bottle” (FTB) challenge, this research explores how experiential design can help cause-related marketing. This study aims to show that experiences designed as anti-structural and anti-functional can raise awareness through action.

The authors study a corpus of 52 introspective journals and 60 pictures about the challenge, which entails filling empty bottles with cigarette butts from the streets as quickly as possible, then sharing pictures of the bottles on social media.

The anti-structural design of the experience activates the participants’ experiential system, and the social interactions between the participants and pedestrians construct meaning for the experience. The results further indicate that as follows: individuals’ frames of reference can explain whether they perceive the experience as liberatory or stochastic; anti-structural design can serve cause-related marketing by focusing on three stages: doing, showing and sharing; and experiential marketing can serve societal and social causes.

This research involved a single field. Further research with more heterogeneous participants would be insightful. The power of experiential marketing to serve meaningful and collective causes should be encouraged. Further research should be conducted to understand and conceptualize these collective attempts to fight the dark sides of consumption.

In line with Pine and Gilmore’s (1999) advice to stage memorable experiences by working cautiously on cues, the FTB challenge analysis indicates that by focusing on material evidence and staging a specific sequence of doing something about it, showing everyone what is being done and expanding visibility by sharing artifacts of the action on social media, one can actually make people think about and remember the action.

The “do-show-share” design that the FTB challenge uses can be relevant for many cause-related marketing efforts because it operates on both individual and collective levels.

This research offers a new perspective on experiential marketing by studying how experiences designed to be anti-structural can renew social, cause-related marketing tools.

This study aims to investigate emerging perspectives and challenges which teaching staff and students in the Faculties of Business and Accounting, Health and Education as well as Computing encountered in using Virtual Collaborative Learning during their classes in one accredited institution of higher education in Maseru district Lesotho. Previously conducted studies reveal that although similar studies to the current one have been conducted in different countries across the globe, conducting them in another different country such as Lesotho and in a different context might provide new information.

The study draws on Lev Vygotsky’s social constructivism as the theoretical framework because it is relevant and appropriate. The study was buttressed by constructivism paradigm, qualitative design as well as a qualitative case study. A purposive sampling technique was used in this study. A sample of 35 students and 11 teaching staff from the 3 respective faculties were used as participants of the study. This qualitative case study was based on online questionnaires issued to the participants using emails for data collection. Data were generated based on the themes which emerged.

The findings of the study suggest that majority of students found Virtual Collaborative Learning helpful and a user-friendly tool. However, lack of resources, clear instructions from the teaching staff and cooperation, internet connectivity issues, as well as data expenses have been identified as stumbling blocks that discourage students’ satisfactory engagement in Virtual Collaborative Learning. The findings further revealed various strategies including encouraging students to cooperate, grading students’ participation on online platforms and consultations could be used to overcome the challenges encountered in using Virtual Collaborative Learning. For generalisability and understanding of the breadth of the students and teaching staff experiences and challenges of Virtual Collaborative Learning, the authors recommend further study to be conducted on a larger representative sample, using the established themes of the current study.

Using face-to-face interviews and classroom observations for data collection would have been more suitable for a qualitative methodology. However, due to COVID-19 regulations that restrict contact and limit lessons on online platforms, an online questionnaire was used for data collection.

This research reveals emerging perspectives and challenges which are encountered by teaching staff and students while using Virtual Collaborative Learning in one institution of higher education in Maseru Lesotho.

The importance of e-government projects has been realized in the developed as well as in the developing countries of the world. The successful implementation of e-government projects is a challenging task. Public sector organizations are facing different sorts of challenges while executing e-government initiatives. The purpose of this paper is to explore issues/challenges related to e-government project implementation.

A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to understand the challenges of the e-government project, as mentioned in past research. The findings of this SLR helped in developing a proposed framework for e-government challenges. The proposed framework encompasses challenges and issues related to four main aspects such as technological, organizational, project management and enabling environment. These aspects need to be further explained for their remedial measures. For this purpose, an exploratory case study was conducted. The unit of analysis was one of the e-government projects of the ministry of IT. The interviews of the senior and middle management involved in the implementation of this project were conducted and transcribed.

The case study findings endorse a framework proposed. The findings of this research reflect the importance of creating a shared vision, adequate funding and good project management practices as an essential aspect of e-government implementation. Further, the importance of user-related issues such as involvement, capacity building and technical skills was also found critical in successfully executing and sustaining such initiatives in the organization. Further study findings provide necessary guidance for the senior management, which may help to develop effective strategies for the e-government projects in the organization.

The current study focused on developing a better understanding of the challenges commonly faced by organizations during e-government adoption and implementation related to organizational, project management, enabling environment and technological aspects.

The purpose of this methodology is to categorise the challenges into cause and effect group. The modern scenario of customization, personalization and multi-restrictive working because of pandemics has affected the operations of manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In the new normal, the digitalization of manufacturing SMEs can be the path breaker. Modern digitalization includes a mix of technologies such as the industrial internet of things (IIoT), the internet of things, cyber-physical system and big data analytics. This digitalization can help in achieving new design changes, efficient production scheduling, smart manufacturing and unrestricted on-time delivery of quality products. This research paper aims to recognize and analyze the challenges faced while implementing IIoT technologies in manufacturing SMEs and tries to find the possibility of mitigating challenges by blockchain technology.

There were ten challenges of IIoT implementation identified from the literature review and experts’ opinions. To collect information from Indian manufacturing SMEs, a survey tool was formed in the form of a questionnaire. On the fundament of responses received from industrial experts, the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique has been used for categorizing these challenges into cause and effect groups. Further, the authors tried to mitigate observed challenges with the help of blockchain technology.

With the implementation of IIoT technologies, the manufacturing processes become conciliatory, effective and traceable in real time. Observation of the current study states that the top effect group challenges such as the security of data and reliability of technologies can be mitigated by enabling blockchain technologies. The authors conclude that blockchain-enabled IIoT technologies will be highly beneficial for the Indian SMEs strategically and practically in the current scenario.

Methodology of DEMATEL focuses on responses received from experts. The broader approach of survey from manufacturing organizations is compromised due to small sample size in this methodology. Experts approached for survey were from manufacturing SMEs of Delhi National Capital Region only. Broader survey-based techniques may be applied covering different sectors of SMEs in future work.

Technologies such as blockchain can facilitate advanced security in the application of IIoT and other such practices. While dealing with significant issues and challenges of new technologies, blockchain gives an edge of balance in the current scenario. Its properties of fixity, temper evident and circumvent fraud make this technology ideal for the digitalization of the manufacturing systems in SMEs.

Digitalization of manufacturing facilities is the need of the hour. Pandemic challenges have highlighted the urgency of it. This research will motivate and guide the manufacturing SMEs in planning strategies and long-term policies in implementing modern technologies and coping up with the pandemic challenges.

This paper aims to compare the American Library Association's statistics on the most frequently challenged books in the years 2000‐2010 that appear on the ALA's “Banned and Challenged Classics” list versus those that are contemporary that are found in the ALA published Banned Book Resource Guide.

Analyses were made to determine whether classics were challenged more than contemporary books, and if there has been a rise in contemporary challenged books. To find out the similarities and difference in contemporary and classic books, the reasons for challenges were broken down into the categories of: drugs, homosexuality, offensive language, parental permission, racism, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited to age group, violence, witchcraft, challenged, and “other”.

The study found that contemporary books were challenged more than classic books between 2000‐2010, but there has not been a rise in the number of challenges. The similarities and differences show that a small percentage of difference is seen in some of the reasons for the challenges, but the largest percentage for being sexually explicit, and the largest margin of difference in the percentages in racism.

Because the Banned Book Resource Guide was published in 2010, the statistics for challenged books in the year 2010 are incomplete. A suggestion for further research would be conducting the study when a later version of the Resource Guide is available and includes the 2010 statistics.

By examining patterns that have taken place in book challenges over the past ten years, the paper helps those interested in censorship and its many complications to better understand its trends.

Existing research on challenging experiences has focused primarily on the positive outcomes of these experiences for individuals and organizations. However, some studies have also highlighted the potential downsides to these experiences. This paper offers recommendations for organizations, including specific actions and interventions to foster development using challenging experiences.

The authors reviewed the academic and practitioner literature on challenging experiences to formulate their recommendations.

Based on a review of the literature, the authors offer five recommendations for organizations to manage challenging experiences effectively and, thus, foster the development of their employees.

The authors hope that the adoption of their five recommendations may assist organizations in improving their leadership bench strength.

Modeling is a potentially productive activity in which coaches can engage teachers to support teaching and learning (Gibbons and Cobb, 2017). Yet, there is a lack of empirical research that describes how coaches can productively implement this activity with teachers. The overarching purpose of this study was to explore the challenges and support coaches faced while modeling instruction for teachers.

Twenty-nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with five coaches and six elementary teachers in two different school districts in the United States. The data were qualitatively coded using a combination of literature-driven and emergent codes.

Participants identified 16 distinct challenges they faced during coaching cycles involving modeling, and 11 supports that could ultimately enhance the success of the modeled lesson for all involved parties. These challenges and support spanned the broad categories of contextual factors, management and logistics, pedagogical dilemmas and teacher learning.

Although modeling is a popular coaching activity, researchers have only an emerging understanding of the challenges associated with modeling instruction, as well as the support that can enhance the modeled lesson's success. By having a thorough understanding of such challenges and support, coaches can effectively leverage modeling to support teaching and learning at their schools. Hence, the findings from this study will importantly inform coaching practice, as well as future research directions.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges and resolution tactics of women middle managers in the South African public service.

A qualitative research approach using semi-structured interviews was used as a data collection technique. Narrative analysis was used with a sample of 20 women middle managers working within the South African public service.

Narratives of challenges faced by women middle managers in the South African public service included relational issues, with a subtle undermining of women managers, challenges rooted within the socio-cultural milieu – perversely undermining the experience of being a manager and challenges stemming from public service in general such as corruption, in turn, questioning the ability of women managers to handle such. In addressing these challenges, the women middle managers exercised three individual performative actions in response to the identified challenges. These include using direct confrontation, relying on networks for guidance and relying on indirect confrontation.

Sample size challenges feature as a notable limitation including the research being conducted in only one political province of South Africa. Caution should be exercised when seeking to generalise the findings to other contexts.

Understanding the challenges and resolution tactics of women middle managers can be a useful precursor to management development interventions.

The study answers call for more processual career and management development studies that help understand not only challenges but also resolution strategies. This study illustrates both the difficulty of this and ensures opportunity for the advancement of women in management.