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1 – 10 of 38The paper aims to look into the implications of urban informality in Chris Abani's Graceland as represented in slum life and urban poverty as products of over urbanization and…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to look into the implications of urban informality in Chris Abani's Graceland as represented in slum life and urban poverty as products of over urbanization and globalization, seeking to unravel multi-layers of the human side of the slum.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper examines slum life from a descriptive approach to highlight how people survive under poverty. The study of the culture of slums entails an analysis of the survival techniques and everyday practices of slum dwellers, the relations and patterns of behavior and the outcomes of the interplay between place, culture and power relations in such communities.
Findings
The urban slum dwellers utilize everyday forms of resistance which comprise a number of “low-profile techniques” to subvert state-imposed power structures and break the cycle of poverty.
Research limitations/implications
Despite the relevance of a post-colonial approach to the texts, this paper is limited to the study of the impact of urban poverty on individuals.
Practical implications
The margin, represented in the urban poor, is brought into focus and perceived in a new light of empowerment which challenges alienating discourses.
Social implications
The multidimensional vision of Nigeria in Abani's text highlights the cultural and economic impacts of multiculturalism, neocolonialism and globalization on the urban poor.
Originality/value
The paper formulates a framework for understanding the culture of the slum as a space of a peculiar nature, seeking to deconstruct a fixed view of slum life and poverty culture.
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This study explores factors that influence the initiation of leadership coaching relationships that include externally employed coaches and school administrators.
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores factors that influence the initiation of leadership coaching relationships that include externally employed coaches and school administrators.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative research study includes semi-structured interviews, observations and documents collected across three academic years within the context of a university-based leadership coaching program. Participants included six leadership coaches and six school administrators who participated in the program.
Findings
Qualitative analysis indicates that gender and race, prior professional experience, pre-existing professional relationships and the complexity of the district’s organizational structure influence the initiation of the coaching relationship.
Research limitations/implications
Confidentiality restrictions imposed by the program limit opportunities for member checking and other forms of triangulation. Additional data collection using more expansive research methods would help address this limitation.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the sparse literature about leadership coaching with school administrators by describing how different factors influence initiation coaching relationships.
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Aparna Chakravorty, Mousumi Mukherjee and Krishan Kumar Pandey
Anderson Betti Frare and Chris Akroyd
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of performance management (PM) practices on in-bound open innovation (OI) and out-bound OI. To do this, the authors examine the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of performance management (PM) practices on in-bound open innovation (OI) and out-bound OI. To do this, the authors examine the organizational effectiveness as well as the non-financial and financial performance of Brazilian startups that have had recent OI relationships with larger companies.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data collected from 103 Brazilian startups, the hypotheses were tested via partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). An additional analysis was performed using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).
Findings
The findings show that PM practices orchestrate in-bound OI and out-bound OI; however, only in-bound OI promotes organizational effectiveness in Brazilian startups. Organizational effectiveness results in good non-financial performance, which in turn improves financial performance. PM practices have an indirect effect on financial performance from the serial mediation of in-bound OI, organizational effectiveness and non-financial performance. Moreover, several combinations of conditions lead to high levels of organizational effectiveness, non-financial performance and financial performance.
Originality/value
This study provides new evidence and insights from an emerging market on the antecedents and consequences of startups' OI adoption.
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John Thomas Flynn and Lloyd Levine
A quick search of the headlines of major newspapers reveals a treasure trove of technology procurement gone wrong. While the private sector seems to adopt and implement new…
Abstract
A quick search of the headlines of major newspapers reveals a treasure trove of technology procurement gone wrong. While the private sector seems to adopt and implement new technology seamlessly and quickly to deliver for customers, the government struggles to accomplish technology purchases and integrations with the same ease. As governments in the United States are looking to retain their current workforce and attract the next generation of workers, the technological capabilities and ethos of governments will be paramount. With nearly every industry being transformed by technology and Generation T being the first generation to have an ingrained “technology first” mindset, the ability of governments to attract these workers depends, in large part, on the ability to transform their government technology culture, policies, and practices.
In this chapter, the authors examine the administrative branch and observe two key components at the root of most technology failures: poor organizational structure in the bureaucracy and the lack of an empowered Chief Information/Technology Officer. Building upon case studies from Massachusetts and California, this chapter looks at the factors related to failure or success to understand the technology procurement culture. The chapter concludes by presenting four key “best practice” principles of public policy and administration that can be implemented by almost any governmental entity to improve their acquisition and implementation of technology.
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Traditionally, the main goal of empirical research has been to test theories. Yet, theory-testing is problematical in the social sciences. Findings from empirical studies have…
Abstract
Traditionally, the main goal of empirical research has been to test theories. Yet, theory-testing is problematical in the social sciences. Findings from empirical studies have proven hard to replicate and there is a lack of progress in creating a coherent and cumulative knowledge base. There are both practical and epistemological issues that prevent effective empirical tests. It is difficult to operationalize constructs and design decisive tests of theories. The laws and regularities posited in theories in the natural sciences are independent of human actors, while theories in the social sciences describe systems and structures that are created and maintained by human actors. Nonetheless, human actors are sometimes guided by theories. They may change their behavior or make different decisions based on academically produced knowledge. This relationship is usually mediated by the use of tools of various sorts (i.e., design principles, diagrams, or stories). I discuss why scholars should conduct empirical research to test the pragmatic validity of tools that are derived from theories rather than testing the scientific validity of the theories themselves.
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