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11 – 20 of 31Christine Witt and Stephen F. Witt
When the theme of the conference was first announced, the term ‘Thermalisme’ was used. We wondered, ‘What is Thermalisme?’ We looked in an English dictionary, but without success…
Abstract
When the theme of the conference was first announced, the term ‘Thermalisme’ was used. We wondered, ‘What is Thermalisme?’ We looked in an English dictionary, but without success ‐ the term was not given. So we started looking further afield. We thought that thermalisme suggests thermal, which in turn lead us to think of thermal springs, which implies spas ‐ perhaps' Eventually we found an article by Cohen (1974) which asks the question ‘Who Is A Tourist?’ In this article, Cohen lists eight ‘partial tourist rôles’ (p. 541), one of which is:
Christine Anne Grant, Louise M. Wallace, Peter C. Spurgeon, Carlo Tramontano and Maria Charalampous
The purpose of this paper is to develop and provide initial validation for the new E-Work Life (EWL) Scale. This measure assesses a range of theoretically relevant aspects of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop and provide initial validation for the new E-Work Life (EWL) Scale. This measure assesses a range of theoretically relevant aspects of the e-working experience related to four main areas: job effectiveness, relationship with the organisation, well-being and work-life balance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study presents structured item development. Internal validity and reliability were tested on a sample of 260 e-workers (65 per cent female, age range 25–74). Correlations of the EWL scale with a measure of general health were tested on a subsample of 119 workers to provide initial evidence of construct validity.
Findings
Exploratory factor analysis supported a 17-item scale assessing four factors: work-life interference, productivity, organisational trust and flexibility. Individual well-being was measured and a pattern of significant correlations against four factors as indicators of general health were found, including mental health and vitality.
Research limitations/implications
A new sample would confirm the strength of the EWL scale alongside further tests of validity. Coping strategies related to the scale would aid mapping of individual competencies for remote e-working to promote e-workers’ self-management, management style and organisational policy.
Practical implications
The EWL scale helps organisations to evaluate and support the well-being of remote e-workers. It provides measurement on three levels: individual, supervisory and organisational, whereby practical strategies for improvement can be linked to the scale.
Originality/value
The EWL scale completes a gap in the research by providing a measure aiding organisations to evaluate and support remote e-worker well-being.
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Christine A. Grant, Louise M. Wallace and Peter C. Spurgeon
The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of remote e‐working on the key research areas of work‐life balance, job effectiveness and well‐being. The study provides a set…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of remote e‐working on the key research areas of work‐life balance, job effectiveness and well‐being. The study provides a set of generalisable themes drawn from the key research areas, including building trust, management style and the quality of work and non‐working life.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is an exploratory study into the psychological factors affecting remote e‐workers using qualitative thematic analysis of eleven in‐depth interviews with e‐workers, across five organisations and three sectors. All participants worked remotely using technology independent of time and location for several years and considered themselves to be experts.
Findings
The paper provides insights into the diverse factors affecting remote e‐workers and produces ten emerging themes. Differentiating factors between e‐workers included access to technology, ability to work flexibly and individual competencies. Adverse impacts were found on well‐being, due to over‐working and a lack of time for recuperation. Trust and management style were found to be key influences on e‐worker effectiveness.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the exploratory nature of the research and approach the research requires further testing for generalisability. The emerging themes could be used to develop a wide‐scale survey of e‐workers, whereby the themes would be further validated.
Practical implications
Practical working examples are provided by the e‐workers and those who also manage e‐workers based on the ten emerging themes.
Originality/value
This paper identifies a number of generalisable themes that can be used to inform the psychological factors affecting remote e‐worker effectiveness.
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Women's Plight: Bad and Getting Worse, an article in Challenge by Barbara R. Bergman, March/April 1983 in which she argues that the Reagan's administration's budget‐cutting in…
Abstract
Women's Plight: Bad and Getting Worse, an article in Challenge by Barbara R. Bergman, March/April 1983 in which she argues that the Reagan's administration's budget‐cutting in humans services will worsen the economic lot of millions of Americans. It will hit hardest at women who are not under the economic protection of a relatively affluent employed male. Perhaps it is no accident that this policy is in accord with the “family policy” of the extreme right, with its belief in strengthening the subordination of women to men within the traditional family. But the fact is that there are millions of never‐married women, millions of single mothers, and millions of older women who are without a man. The present US administration's dismantling of federal programmes is going to make their already bad position more hopeless.
Jane McKenzie, Nick Woolf, Christine van Winkelen and Clare Morgan
The purpose of this paper is to challenge an over‐reliance on past experience as the cognitive underpinning for strategic decisions. It seeks to argue that, in complex and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to challenge an over‐reliance on past experience as the cognitive underpinning for strategic decisions. It seeks to argue that, in complex and unknowable conditions, effective leaders use three distinct and complementary thinking capacities, which go beyond those normally learned during their rise to the top.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual model of thinking capacities is justified through a review of the psychology literature; the face validity of the proposed model is supported through six in‐depth interviews with successful CEOs.
Findings
A model of non‐conventional thinking capacities describes how strategic decision‐makers make choices that are better adapted to the conditions of uncertainty, ambiguity and contradiction, which prevail in complex situations. These capacities are complementary to the more conventional approaches generally used in thinking about decisions.
Practical implications
The paper aims to stimulate awareness of the limitations of habitual mental responses in the face of difficult strategic decisions. It challenges leaders consciously to extend their abilities beyond conventional expectations to a higher order of thinking that is better suited to multi‐stakeholder situations in complex environments.
Originality/value
The paper responds to the challenge of McKenna and Martin‐Smith to develop new theoretical approaches to complex environments. It extends conventional approaches to decision making by synthesising from the literature some essential thinking capacities, which are well suited to the demands of situations dominated by uncertainty, ambiguity and contradiction.
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Kemi Adeyeye, Dino Bouchlaghem and Christine Pasquire
This paper aims to focus on hybrid projects as a type of building adaptation work. It seeks to discuss the hybrid building design process in subsets of information and resulting…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to focus on hybrid projects as a type of building adaptation work. It seeks to discuss the hybrid building design process in subsets of information and resulting decisions by highlighting the relationship between them. It also aims to present a conceptual framework which was developed by refining, or customising the RIBA Plan of Work.
Design/methodology/approach
Field theory formed the theoretical basis for the approach to mapping the hybrid project process. The conceptual framework itself evolved from a comprehensive literature review, case studies and a practice survey. In total, 11 design and construction professionals evaluated the framework and their comments and feedback are also discussed.
Findings
The discussion presents an approach which can be used to manage the delivery of hybrid projects, although it was found that the proposed framework can be applied to a wider spectrum of construction projects.
Research limitations/implications
The evaluation of the framework was limited by the number of participants involved and the limited client representation.
Originality/value
The paper makes an original contribution by further exploring an increasingly relevant area of construction activity; building adaptations. Although the research focused specifically on the design‐specific stages of hybrid project delivery, findings contribute towards process improvement by emphasising the need for early information acquisition, early and precise definition of design intent, and collaborative design decision making. These three factors contribute highly to client/user satisfaction (value) and effective project delivery.
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Edwin Thwaites and Christine Williams
The purpose of the paper is to discuss approaches to decision making used in the emergency services and to relate these to decision making in service encounters in the tourism and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to discuss approaches to decision making used in the emergency services and to relate these to decision making in service encounters in the tourism and leisure sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is a conceptual discussion paper that canvasses a range of issues in service encounters, especially the problems of empowerment and service recovery. Although a structured approach to service recovery (often involving 100 per cent guarantees) is popular in the tourism and leisure industry, this precludes spontaneity in solving customers' problems and returning them to a satisfied state. The paper notes that managers have little guidance on how such spontaneity can be effectively accomplished.
Findings
The paper argues that much can be learned from the “naturalistic decision making” (NDM) of emergency decision‐makers. The paper therefore provides an assessment of how NDM could be utilised in the services sector.
Practical implications
Training frontline staff in NDM is a means of improving service recovery, and this has implications for recruitment, retention, and staff training. It also provides a justification for trusting experienced frontline staff members.
Originality/value
The study offers a different perspective on decision making in service situations.
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