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1 – 10 of 666Akponanabofa Henry Oti, Peter Farrell, Fonbeyin Henry Abanda, Paul McMahon, Abdul-Majeed Mahamadu, Dingayo Mzyece, Adeyemi Ayodele Akintola and Nawal Prinja
The relatively low capital cost and contributions to mitigating global warming have favoured the continuous construction and operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs) across the…
Abstract
Purpose
The relatively low capital cost and contributions to mitigating global warming have favoured the continuous construction and operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs) across the world. One critical phase in the operation of nuclear plants for ensuring the safety and security of radioactive products and by-products is decommissioning. With the advent of digital twinning in the building information modelling (BIM) methodology, efficiency and safety can be improved from context-focus access to regulations pertaining to demolition of structures and the cleaning-up of radioactivity inherent in nuclear stations. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to propose a BIM-driven framework to achieve a more regulation-aware and safer decommissioning of nuclear power plants.
Design/methodology/approach
The framework considers task requirements, and landscape and environmental factors in modelling demolition scenarios that characterise decommissioning processes. The framework integrates decommissioning rules/regulations in a BIM linked non-structured query system to model items and decommissioning tasks, which are implemented based on context-focussed retrieval of decommissioning rules and regulations. The concept’s efficacy is demonstrated using example cases of digitalised NPPs.
Findings
This approach contributes to enhancing improvements in nuclear plant decommissioning with potential for appropriate activity sequencing, risk reduction and ensuring safety.
Originality/value
A BIM-driven framework hinged on querying non-structured databases to provide context-focussed access to nuclear rules and regulations and to aiding decommissioning is new.
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The aim of this paper is to explore the Internet as a new locus for value creation. Three value‐adding strategies ‐ content, context and infrastructure ‐ are used to analyse three…
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to explore the Internet as a new locus for value creation. Three value‐adding strategies ‐ content, context and infrastructure ‐ are used to analyse three examples of Internet ventures involving a virtual university, the restaurant business and the music industry. The establishment of a home page on the Internet creates a new context in which providers and consumers of products and services interact and transact more conveniently and cost‐efficiently. It is argued that a new context may enhance the quality of content itself. It is therefore crucial for managers to consider the effect of Internet on all the components of the value proposition, separately and in aggregation.
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Saara Nissinen, Henriikka Vartiainen, Petteri Vanninen and Sinikka Pöllänen
The digital age has provided new possibilities for the connected learning. To better understand these opportunities in the school context, the purpose of this paper is to examine…
Abstract
Purpose
The digital age has provided new possibilities for the connected learning. To better understand these opportunities in the school context, the purpose of this paper is to examine what kinds of learning communities emerge in international learning projects and how tools and technologies support students’ inquiries and peer connections.
Design/methodology/approach
The participants in this study were one Finnish 6th-grade class (n=17) and one American 7th–8th-grade class (n=16) who communicated through blogs and Skype. The main sources of deductive content analysis are transcribed Skype meetings, the students’ digital artifacts and a supplementary e-questionnaire.
Findings
The results of the study indicated that during the academic learning project, a voluntary, friendship-driven peer community emerged. The interaction in the formal contexts focused on sharing the results of local inquiries through Skype and blogs, whereas the friendship-driven community centered on the creation of social bonds through students’ personal devices and social media applications.
Originality/value
The paper models a hybrid learning system that connected academically oriented and friendship-driven participation.
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The purpose of this paper is to debate the complexities of intervening with adults with learning disabilities and support staff in the natural environment and challenges of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to debate the complexities of intervening with adults with learning disabilities and support staff in the natural environment and challenges of evaluating change.
Design/methodology/approach
A critical review of the relevance and amenability of communication partnerships for interventions that promote communication growth in context was carried out. Particular consideration was given to the mechanism for change and implications for research design.
Findings
The communication partnership is a reasonable focus for interventions aiming to promote the communication of adults with learning disabilities. Combining instructional training with in situ coaching appears to provide the most effective approach. Bringing about change within the dynamic context of communication is challenging and may benefit from an open, investigative design.
Originality/value
This paper synthesises the available evidence on intervening in the communication environment and debates the potential of realist evaluation as a context-focused research design.
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Maj-Lis Hörnqvist and Eva Leffler
The purpose of this paper is to uncover the meaning of entrepreneurship in schools and a school leadership which aims to nurture an entrepreneurial attitude. The authors will also…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to uncover the meaning of entrepreneurship in schools and a school leadership which aims to nurture an entrepreneurial attitude. The authors will also discuss what challenges there could be for principals to lead activities to develop an entrepreneurial attitude to learning and teaching.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper integrates policy documents and scientific material concerning entrepreneurial attitude, leadership and school culture.
Findings
In Sweden as well as internationally there are clear policy intentions for renewal of schoolwork in a more entrepreneurial direction. The most striking challenges for principals are to be enough creative within the boarders set by school authorities when setting vision and goals for the development of their schools to enhance an entrepreneurial attitude, building trust and distributing power among staff, along with having courage to think outside “the box”.
Research limitations/implications
The point of departure is entrepreneurial attitude in education as understood in a Swedish context. International policies as well as research are discussed.
Practical implications
The paper illuminates strategic ways of thinking and acting according to leadership in an entrepreneurial learning school context.
Originality/value
The role of principals as well as the significance of culture in a school context focused on developing an entrepreneurial attitude is quite often discussed in research. School differs from business in that there are more restrictions set by school authorities. The paper shows an undeveloped area which can be useful to identify and problematize challenges for leadership.
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Jiawen Cheng, Allan H.K. Yuen and Dickson K.W. Chiu
The popularity of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has attracted worldwide research interest. This study aims to identify and summarize the research foci (e.g. themes, methods…
Abstract
Purpose
The popularity of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has attracted worldwide research interest. This study aims to identify and summarize the research foci (e.g. themes, methods, contexts, etc.) and discuss the new directions and trends of MOOC research in the context of Mainland China.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review of the published MOOC research papers in Mainland China was conducted with the following inclusion criteria: (1) papers written in English; (2) context focused on Mainland China; and (3) empirical studies. Three main issues were explored with the selected 70 papers: (1) research methods (data collection and analysis); (2) the research foci; and (3) research objects.
Findings
The results found that the major MOOC research in China was quantitative, mostly using one method to collect data. Most studies collected data through the databases of MOOC platforms and survey techniques, which was consistent with the widely used descriptive statistics for data analysis. Learner-focused themes were investigated the most, aligning with the result that learners were the most popular research objects.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that using new technology tools, such as the Big Data approach for learning analytics, may transform traditional MOOC research into new practices. Transdisciplinary research concepts may also provide an alternative evolving model for constructing collaboratively dynamic research frameworks under the changing technologies and paradigms. Meanwhile, educational research traditions, such as qualitative methods, contribute to scaffolding MOOC research for more pragmatic applications.
Originality/value
Most systematic reviews on MOOCs focus on general or regional contexts other than Mainland China, and scant MOOC review is based on published English papers about Mainland China.
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The terms rituals and routines are often conflated in everyday speech about teams, which betrays a common ontology. Yet these concepts have long been researched in two segregated…
Abstract
Purpose
The terms rituals and routines are often conflated in everyday speech about teams, which betrays a common ontology. Yet these concepts have long been researched in two segregated currents of thought: one stemming from sociology and anthropology, focused on the quality of togetherness and the other from evolutionary economics, focused on market performance. The common ontology is nevertheless present in the processual nature of rituals and routines, the underlying shared reference to the “structure-action-artifact” triad and the statement that both are sources of change as well as stability. This paper aims to assess the pertinence of a joint approach.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a historical and contrasted view on the two concepts. A comprehensive field observation of two teams in mid-term organizational change contexts, focused on collective “doings”, is reported. The tentative “binocular lens” was made of two chosen sets of variables, drawn from the theoretical fields of rituals and organizational routines.
Findings
The distinction between rituals and routines in people’s perception, though largely confused, nonetheless reveals the tension between variable and opposing demands for both change and stability from the team side and from the organization side. Their joint action is effective in enhancing the team’s feelings of confidence and control over its own performance and its future within the organization.
Research limitations/implications
This paper is supported by a comparison of only two teams, leaving room for further empirical research about the effects of endogenous rituality and localized routines on autonomy, efficiency and pride.
Originality/value
This paper offers a new theoretical joint view on the two concepts and explores an endogenous potential for organizational change feeding on emotional and symbolic aspects of team work.
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In spite of the increasing awareness that standardized performance appraisal practices must fit in varied local contexts, limited research and mixed findings still cloud our…
Abstract
Purpose
In spite of the increasing awareness that standardized performance appraisal practices must fit in varied local contexts, limited research and mixed findings still cloud our understanding about how those appraisal practices are perceived and implemented in the subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs). The purpose of this paper is to examine this issue, aiming to clarify the contextual and cultural boundary of standardized appraisal practices in China.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study was conducted in an MNC subsidiary located in Southern China. Organizational performance appraisal documents were collected, and in‐depth interviews were conducted.
Findings
It has been found that the implementation of a Western standardized appraisal system was far from attaining an optimistic effect in a Chinese business setting: employees were nowhere near being able to be involved in setting objectives and developmental plans; the appraisal system was not perceived be fair enough due to the influence of a seniority‐based rewards system; and managers hesitated to take ownership of performance reviews.
Practical implications
When designing and delivering standardized appraisal system to subsidiaries, foreign investors and global human resource practitioners are expected to be more context focused. Distinct cultural values and norms in local contexts should be carefully taken into consideration.
Originality/value
The paper fills in the literature gap by providing an in‐depth study of employees' perceptions towards the actual implementation of a standardized performance appraisal system in an MNC subsidiary in China.
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Dina El-Bassiouny and Peter Letmathe
This paper aims to examine the impact of political uncertainty and instability caused by the 2011 Egyptian revolution on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the impact of political uncertainty and instability caused by the 2011 Egyptian revolution on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices of Egyptian firms. The study provides empirical evidence to support the link between political instability, financial performance, stock market uncertainty and CSR in the post-revolution context of Egypt.
Design/methodology/approach
Data on CSR practices in Egypt were collected through a survey of Egyptian firms and content analysis of annual reports from publicly traded firms. The final survey sample consisted of 99 listed Egyptian companies. Structural equation modeling was performed to examine the relationship between the variables of this study.
Findings
The results of the study show that political instability is perceived to have a significant positive effect on the CSR practices of Egyptian firms. The results also reveal that the financial performance of firms is perceived not to be affected by the political instability after the 2011 Revolution as opposed to stock market uncertainty, which is perceived to be significantly affected. However, financial performance and stock market uncertainty have a significant positive influence on the CSR practices of Egyptian firms.
Originality/value
This paper capitalizes institutional theory to capture the complex interactions between organizations and their external institutional environments. Previous studies tackling CSR in unstable political environments in the African context focused on countries with prolonged periods of violent conflict and on more localized forms of conflicts. Yet, little is known about CSR during the occurrence of different types of political instabilities in other African countries.
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Dvora Ben Sasson and Anit Somech
Despite growing research on school aggression, significant gaps remain in the authors’ knowledge of team aggression, since most studies have mainly explored aggression on the part…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite growing research on school aggression, significant gaps remain in the authors’ knowledge of team aggression, since most studies have mainly explored aggression on the part of students. The purpose of this paper is to focus on understanding the phenomenon of workplace aggression in school teams. Specifically, the purpose of the study was to examine whether team affective conflict in school teams mediates the relationship between team injustice climate (distributive, procedural, and interpersonal injustice climate) and team aggression.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from a survey of 43 school teams at different schools using questionnaires.
Findings
Results showed that team affective conflict played a role in fully mediating the relationship of team procedural and interpersonal injustice climate to team aggression.
Research limitations/implications
The present results empirically support the notion that workplace aggression can be considered not only an individual phenomenon but also a team phenomenon. Furthermore, it highlights the significance of organizational factors in predicting this phenomenon. The study should serve to encourage principals to reduce the level of team aggression and develop a supportive climate characterized by fair procedures and respect.
Originality/value
A review of the literature also reveals that little investigative effort has been made by scholars to examine aggression on the part of teachers. Evidence for this can be seen in the scarcity of publications on this topic. The current literature’s call to address this issue in schools and at the team level (Fox and Stallworth, 2010) stimulated the present study by highlighting the importance of exploring the contextual factors, rather than the individual ones, responsible for school team aggression.
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