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1 – 10 of over 19000The paper aims to present a historical overview of the use of information communications technology (ICT) tools and platforms, particularly e‐mail and the internet, as tools of…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to present a historical overview of the use of information communications technology (ICT) tools and platforms, particularly e‐mail and the internet, as tools of cyber‐activism by the labour movement in South Africa. The paper also aims to give some consideration to constraints and challenges facing unions in the South Africa in the effective deployment of such cyber tools.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on the experience of a participant observer, incorporating analysis of historical examples of the application of the key ICT tools, and supported by reference to relevant documentation and related literature. The use by unions in South Africa of e‐mail and the internet as tools of organisation and mobilisation is examined against the background of both access barriers and organisation constraints, and in relation to union strategies to address such challenges.
Findings
Despite recognition by the South Africa labour movement of the possibilities of e‐mail, the internet and other tools of cyber‐activism, the ability of unions to exploit these tools has been limited, characterised by both successes and failures.
Research limitations/implications
The paper has a relatively narrow focus on the experiences of specific unions in a single country, leading to conclusions which are not necessarily susceptible to generalisation. The lack of availability of both relevant primary documentation and secondary analysis makes it difficult to assess the accuracy of observations and conclusions.
Practical implications
The paper suggests the possibilities and opportunities for unions in similar environments to exploit ICT tools, as well as the barriers and constraints facing their deployment.
Originality/value
The paper presents the analysis and reflections of a uniquely placed participant observer regarding how unions in South Africa have been able to exploit e‐mail and the internet as tools of cyber‐activism. The analysis reveals both possibilities and limitations of cyber‐activism in South Africa.
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Media power plays a role in determining which news is told, who is listened to and how subject matter is treated, resulting in some stories being reported in depth while others…
Abstract
Media power plays a role in determining which news is told, who is listened to and how subject matter is treated, resulting in some stories being reported in depth while others remain cursory and opaque. This chapter examines how domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is reported in mainstream and social media encompassing newspapers, television and digital platforms. In the United Kingdom, newspapers have freedom to convey particular views on subjects such as DVA as, unlike radio and television broadcasting, they are not required to be impartial (Reeves, 2015).
The gendered way DVA is represented in the UK media has been a long-standing concern. Previous research into newspaper representations of DVA, including our own (Lloyd & Ramon, 2017), found evidence of victim blaming and sexualising violence against women. This current study assesses whether there is continuity with earlier research regarding how victims of DVA, predominantly women, are portrayed as provoking their own abuse and, in cases of femicide, their characters denigrated by some in the media with impunity (Soothill & Walby, 1991). The chapter examines how certain narratives on DVA are constructed and privileged in sections of the media while others are marginalised or silenced. With the rise in digital media, the chapter analyses the changing patterns of news media consumption in the UK and how social media users are responding to DVA cases reported in the news. Through discourse analysis of language and images, the potential messages projected to media consumers are considered, together with consumer dialogue and interaction articulated via online and social media platforms.
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The thirtieth anniversary of the first e‐mail was celebrated recently, but no one knows the exact date or what the original message was. This lack of certainty is typical of…
Abstract
The thirtieth anniversary of the first e‐mail was celebrated recently, but no one knows the exact date or what the original message was. This lack of certainty is typical of research on e‐mail – there is now a substantial body of knowledge, but little attempt has been made to co‐ordinate it. This article looks at the origins and features of e‐mail and brings together findings on such issues as information overload, aggression and unsolicited commercial e‐mail (“spam”). Information storage and retrieval issues are covered, as are the results of user‐impact studies. The article identifies scope for further research on human‐computer interaction.
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Using the backdrop of an (apparently) extended visit to the West Indies, analogies with key concerns of internal audit are drawn. An unusual and refreshing way of exploring the…
Abstract
Using the backdrop of an (apparently) extended visit to the West Indies, analogies with key concerns of internal audit are drawn. An unusual and refreshing way of exploring the main themes ‐ a discussion between Bill and Jack on tour in the islands ‐ forms the debate. Explores the concepts of control, necessary procedures, fraud and corruption, supporting systems, creativity and chaos, and building a corporate control facility.
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Using the backdrop of an (apparently) extended visit to the West Indies, analogies with key concerns of internal audit are drawn. An unusual and refreshing way of exploring the…
Abstract
Using the backdrop of an (apparently) extended visit to the West Indies, analogies with key concerns of internal audit are drawn. An unusual and refreshing way of exploring the main themes ‐ a discussion between Bill and Jack on tour in the islands ‐ forms the debate. Explores the concepts of control, necessary procedures, fraud and corruption, supporting systems, creativity and chaos, and building a corporate control facility.
Details
Keywords
‘'E'S ASLEEP,’ said Jock and nodded towards the enquiry desk. Ciderman looked up from the evening paper, which he now knew by heart, having already that day memorised the Daily…
Abstract
‘'E'S ASLEEP,’ said Jock and nodded towards the enquiry desk. Ciderman looked up from the evening paper, which he now knew by heart, having already that day memorised the Daily mirror, Sun, Daily mail and Daily express. He had some of the Guardian, Times and Daily telegraph off pat too, and even though his politics denied him such intimacy with the Morning star, he was pretty hot on current affairs. His dreams, when he was sleeping the ‘Strongbow’ off in the hostel were as much like Henry Kissinger's as anybody's, though perhaps it was as well for the world that he wasn't in the same position to realise them when he woke up. He looked at the enquiry desk and saw the librarian's grey head cradled on his arms.
More and more full‐text daily newspapers are becoming available online. This increase in supply, led by the English‐speaking press, whose language is spoken or at least read by…
Abstract
More and more full‐text daily newspapers are becoming available online. This increase in supply, led by the English‐speaking press, whose language is spoken or at least read by the largest number of people, is linked to several factors. The first of these, naturally, is the development of processing capability which enables large volumes of data to be stored and increases the speed of processing; secondly there is the introduction of new technologies in the newspaper business (photocomposition etc.) which has facilitated the formation of this type of databank. In presenting the online availability of full‐text daily newspapers, the author first identifies the characteristics of the international market, then defines the different components of the reader/newspaper relationship and finally provides a survey, by country, of the titles available throughout the world, analysing the differences between hosts.
26, 27, May; 21 June, 1971 Redundancy — Dismissal — Pensions fund providing for deferred pensions if “retiring with the consent of the company” — Whether employees entitled to…
Abstract
26, 27, May; 21 June, 1971 Redundancy — Dismissal — Pensions fund providing for deferred pensions if “retiring with the consent of the company” — Whether employees entitled to deferred pensions if dismissed as redundant — Terms of contract of employment entitling to certain payments under house agreement in case of redundancy — Whether house agreement still in force — Whether plaintiffs entitled to payments as contingently “earned”.
Desirée H. van Dun and Celeste P.M. Wilderom
Why are some lean workfloor teams able to improve their already high performance, over time, and others not? By studying teams' and leaders' behaviour-value patterns, this…
Abstract
Purpose
Why are some lean workfloor teams able to improve their already high performance, over time, and others not? By studying teams' and leaders' behaviour-value patterns, this abductive field study uncovers a dynamic capability at the team level.
Design/methodology/approach
Various methods were employed over three consecutive years to thoroughly examine five initially high-performing lean workfloor teams, including their leaders. These methods encompassed micro-behavioural coding of 59 h of film footage, surveys, individual and group interviews, participant observation and archival data, involving objective and perceptual team-performance indicators. Two of the five teams continued to improve and perform highly.
Findings
Continuously improving high lean team performance is found to be associated with (1) team behaviours such as frequent performance monitoring, information sharing, peer support and process improvement; (2) team leaders who balance, over time, task- and relations-oriented behaviours; (3) higher-level leaders who keep offering the team face-to-face support, strategic clarity and tangible resources; (4) these three actors' endorsement of self-transcendence and openness-to-change work values and alignment, over time, with their behaviours; and (5) coactive vicarious learning-by-doing as a “stable collective activity pattern” among team, team leader, and higher-level leadership.
Originality/value
Since lean has been undertheorised, the authors invoked insights from organisational behaviour and management theories, in combination with various fine- and coarse-grained data, over time. The authors uncovered actors' behaviour-value patterns and a collective learning-by-doing pattern that may explain continuous lean team performance improvement. Four theory-enriching propositions were developed and visualised in a refined model which may already benefit lean practitioners.
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