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1 – 10 of over 6000Introducing immunity or vaccine passports is one non-pharmaceutical intervention that governments are considering to exempt immune, vaccinated or otherwise risk-free individuals…
Abstract
Purpose
Introducing immunity or vaccine passports is one non-pharmaceutical intervention that governments are considering to exempt immune, vaccinated or otherwise risk-free individuals from lockdowns and other public health restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. The primary objective of these documents would be to begin reopening societies, restarting economies and returning to a pre-pandemic normalcy. This article aims to present the start of a conceptual documentary analysis of (proposed and existing) COVID-19 immunity passports in order to more fully center their documentary status within research, considerations and conversations about their potential roles, impacts and implications.
Design/methodology/approach
Inspired by Paula A. Treichler's argument for the importance of theoretical thought for untangling the socio-cultural phenomena of epidemics, and drawing upon interdisciplinary theories of documentation, identity and public health, combined with recent news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, this article provides a contemporary overview and conceptual analysis of emerging documentary regimes of COVID-19 immunity verification involving immunity or vaccine passports.
Findings
Three major interconnected objectives could be fulfilled by immunity passports. First, they would establish and materialize an official identity of COVID-19 immune for people possessing the formal document. Second, they would serve as material evidence establishing and verifying individuals' immunity, vaccination or risk-free status from the coronavirus that would, in term, determine and regulate their movements and other privileges. Third, they would create tangible links between individuals and governments' official or recognized identity category of COVID-19 immune. Immunity passports would, therefore, help enable and enforce governmental authority and power by situating individuals within documentary regimes of COVID-19 immunity verification.
Research limitations/implications
In the expanding interdisciplinary literature on COVID-19 immunity passports, sometimes also called certificates, licenses, or passes, there appears to be only minimal reference to their documentary instantiations, whether physical, digital, and/or hybrid documents. As yet, there is not any specific documentary approach to or analysis of immunity passports as kinds of documentation. A documentary approach helps to illuminate and emphasize the materiality of and ontological considerations concerning the coronavirus pandemic and its associated kinds of immunity or vaccination.
Social implications
By beginning an exploration of what makes immunity passports thinkable as a public health response to the coronavirus pandemic, this article illuminates these health and identity documents' material implications for, and effects on, individuals and societies. This article, therefore, helps shed light on what immunity passports reveal about the complicated and contested intersections of identity, documentation, public health and socio-political control and discipline.
Originality/value
This article contributes the start of a documentary analysis of (proposed and existing) COVID-19 immunity passports in order to more fully center their documentary status within research and conversations about them.
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Alexander Trautrims, David B. Grant, Ann L. Cunliffe and Chee Wong
This paper aims to examine the use of a qualitative data analysis technique, the documentary method, in the development of knowledge in logistics. The value of the method is…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the use of a qualitative data analysis technique, the documentary method, in the development of knowledge in logistics. The value of the method is illustrated through an example of its application in a study of in‐store logistics processes at six leading European retail stores.
Design/methodology/approach
Extant literature is outlined regarding philosophical underpinnings of the documentary method and is followed by an explanation of the method and its application. Finally, an illustration is provided of its adaptation and use in a logistics research project.
Findings
Drawing on a social constructionist approach, the documentary method can add to the development of logistics research by providing rich descriptions of actual practice, problems and issues in logistic processes – compared with the stated goals of such processes.
Research limitations/implications
The documentary method is not suitable for all areas of logistics research and will need certain adaptations and adjustments when transferred into particular research contexts. In addition, the research question, philosophical stance, and knowledge of qualitative methodologies will ultimately determine the appropriateness of the technique.
Originality/value
The paper presents the first application of the documentary method in the field of logistics.
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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the major development of global citizenship education (GCE) as part of Hong Kong’s secondary school curriculum guidelines, which reveals…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the major development of global citizenship education (GCE) as part of Hong Kong’s secondary school curriculum guidelines, which reveals how it has developed from, first, asking students to understand their responsibilities as citizens to now challenging injustice and inequality in the world. Hong Kong’s curriculum guidelines started to teach GCE as a result of the last civic education guideline issued just before the return of sovereignty to China in 1997. Through documentary analysis, this paper examines how GCE has developed against the backdrop of globalization in Hong Kong’s various secondary school curriculum guidelines.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used documentary analysis to examine the developments in the teaching of GCE via Hong Kong’s official secondary school curriculum guidelines. It has studied the aims, knowledge and concepts that are related to GCE by coding the GCE literature and categorizing the findings from the curriculum guidelines.
Findings
From the coding and categorizing processes employed, it has been found that GCE in Hong Kong’s official curriculum guidelines has evolved from learning about rights and responsibilities in the 1990s to challenging injustice, discrimination, exclusion and inequality since the late 1990s. Indeed, understanding the world and especially globalization, in terms of comprehending the processes and phenomena through which people around the globe become more connected, has presented challenges for the teaching of civic education. For example, categories of GCE have developed from the simpler expression of concerns about the world to encompass moral obligations and taking action. Similarly, the concerns for the maintenance of peace that were studied initially have since grown and now include work about challenging inequalities and taking action on human rights violations.
Originality/value
This study would have implications for the understanding of GCE in Hong Kong as well as other fast-changing societies in this age of globalization, as civic education curricula need to respond to the impacts of globalization. GCE is an under-researched area, but topics concerning world/international/global affairs have been covered in Hong Kong secondary school curriculum guidelines for several decades.
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Susana Alves Pereira, Nuno Rebelo dos Santos, Leonor Pais and Salvatore Zappalà
This paper aims to describe and characterise the actions carried out by Italian organisations participating in the Economy for the Common Good (ECG) movement and to analyse these…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe and characterise the actions carried out by Italian organisations participating in the Economy for the Common Good (ECG) movement and to analyse these actions through the lens of decent work (DW), identifying patterns leading to a typology and conceptual propositions on the subject.
Design/methodology/approach
A documentary analysis was conducted on 14 reports describing the actions taken by Italian organisations that belong to the ECG movement. Qualitative content analysis was performed using QSR-NVivo12. The descriptive analysis of the codes was made, as well as a cluster analysis based on coding similarity.
Findings
A total of 1,497 actions were coded, and four clusters, grouping sets of the common good reports, were identified. Results suggest that Customers, Business Partners and Staff and Owners are the most addressed stakeholders, human dignity and environmental sustainability are the most addressed values and Fulfilling and Productive Work and Fundamental Principles and Values at Work are the most addressed DW dimensions. Additionally, all clusters are intensive in environmental concerns but have differentiated priorities. Cluster analysis suggests three drivers: recognition, core business closeness and social common good impact. A total of five conceptual propositions are being made useable by organisational leaders who intend to adhere to the ECG movement.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation is the low number of organisations participating in the ECG movement in Italy, which restricts the scope of the conclusions.
Practical implications
The results are helpful as inputs for designing interventions in organisations that intend to start or strengthen their involvement in the ECG movement.
Originality/value
Identifying DW aspects related to common good indicators and the four approaches to the ECG adhesion corresponding to the four clusters.
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Ragna Kemp Haraldsdottir and Johanna Gunnlaugsdottir
Many organizations are challenged by different and, perhaps, opposite, registration and protection obligations of information regarding their employees. The purpose of this paper…
Abstract
Purpose
Many organizations are challenged by different and, perhaps, opposite, registration and protection obligations of information regarding their employees. The purpose of this paper is to explore how organizations balance the registration obligations of the Icelandic equal pay standard (EPS) and the protection requirements of the general data protection regulation (GDPR). It aims to raise awareness of how information professionals can ensure that documentation on the education and skills of employees is authentic, traceable and secure.
Design/methodology/approach
The analytical framework covered multiple-cases and semi-structured interviews with various professionals and comprehensive documentary analysis.
Findings
The findings indicate that the organizations were not properly prepared for the implementation of the EPS and were hesitant regarding further registration of personal information due to GDPR. Documentary analysis also revealed critical attitudes towards the legal endorsement of the standard and its potential success.
Originality/value
There is a lack of studies explaining the juxtaposition of information and records management and the legal and regulatory environment. This paper provides a unique description of how information and recordkeeping practices function with the requirements of the EPS whilst complying with GDPR. The results could bring valuable opportunities for the information profession regarding the development, implementation, administration and maintenance of documentary evidence regarding the requirements of international and national standards and legislations and advance their collaboration with other professionals in the management of information.
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The main aim of this study is to do a comparison of Open Government Data (OGD) frameworks in Iran, Lebanon and Jordan and underscore the prospects and challenges in OGD…
Abstract
Purpose
The main aim of this study is to do a comparison of Open Government Data (OGD) frameworks in Iran, Lebanon and Jordan and underscore the prospects and challenges in OGD implementation.
Design/methodology/approach
Basing itself on two OGD models offered by Kalampokis and his colleagues (Kalampokis et al., 2011) and Sieber and Johnson (2015) and the typology of “good” and “bad” data based on factors such as “usability”, “findability” and “understandability”, the study uses a documentary analysis for generating evidences by scanning the websites linked with OGD across the three countries. Following a qualitative methodology, countries shall be classified in terms of these models and the typology depending upon their OGD nature and scope.
Findings
OGD adoption in Iran, Lebanon and Jordan is at a nascent stage, and the OGD nature is of the “bad” type. These countries have merely “aggregated data” over their Web interfaces which are incomplete, outdated and do not permit analytics. Besides, there are a number of challenges which need to be overcome for proper OGD adherence. Nevertheless, there are a lot of prospects for harnessing OGD for improved citizen–government interaction by creating a culture of transparency, collaboration and accountability.
Practical implications
The study holds immense significance for government bodies to appreciate the potential of OGD which would go a long way to add social and economic value to propel the country’s growth.
Originality/value
No study has been conducted so far which compares Iran, Lebanon and Jordan in terms of their OGD policies; this is the main contribution of the study. Also, conceding the significance of the three countries in terms of their socio-economic indices, academic research is warranted in relation to these countries.
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This study aims to examine the forms of information about the synthesis of life forms in the public sphere.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the forms of information about the synthesis of life forms in the public sphere.
Design/methodology/approach
A document‐oriented approach was used and a wide range of documents that discuss a particular technoscientific issue was sampled. The analysis of documents involved a combination of discourse and content analysis.
Findings
The study demonstrates that there is a significant growth of the diversity of document types over time. Overall, 24 document types and 21 publication formats were identified. Web‐based formats, such as blogs and news and information web sites, play a prominent role in the dissemination of information about the synthesis of life forms.
Research limitations/implications
The variety of document types identified here expands current understanding of the public documentary landscape and shows that the analysis of technoscientific debates and controversies can no longer be limited to traditional mass media documents such as news, feature articles, and editorials. However, a larger sample that includes more documents as well as non‐textual objects, such as images or even lab specimens, would expand the scope of this taxonomy and make conclusions more definitive. Further research into the specific digital types of documents identified in the study and their impact on the communication of scientific information to the public is needed.
Practical implications
Surveying and understanding the kinds of documents that circulate information about emerging technoscientific issues can help to provide better services for a variety of information users and develop better tools for access and dissemination of such information.
Originality/value
The study demonstrates that a document‐oriented approach can provide valuable insight into the circulation of information about science in the public sphere. It also offers an elaborate taxonomy of documents that can be used in further research as well as in information and science literacy instruction.
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Jemima Antwiwaa Ottou, Bernard Kofi Baiden, Gabriel Nani and Martin Morgan Tuuli
This research investigates the implementation of Six Sigma in competitive tendering processes to address persistent delays by identifying the potential benefits and challenges of…
Abstract
Purpose
This research investigates the implementation of Six Sigma in competitive tendering processes to address persistent delays by identifying the potential benefits and challenges of implementing Six Sigma in construction competitive tendering processes. The results seek to encourage practitioners to implement Six Sigma in addressing competitive tendering process delays.
Design/methodology/approach
Literature was reviewed to identify the benefits and challenges of Six Sigma implementation in construction processes and categorized under broad headings. Three case studies were used to authenticate the literature findings by applying Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control to their construction competitive tendering processes. Furthermore, quality tools and techniques together with documentary analysis, content analysis and determination of frequencies of quantitised qualitative data were employed to identify potential benefits and challenges.
Findings
The most common Six Sigma benefits achievable in construction competitive tendering are Time Related benefits. Other benefits likely to emanate as ripple effects are Customer Focus Related, Quality Related, Process Improvement Related, Human Resource Related, Finance Related and Decision Related. However, implementation challenges should be expected.
Practical implications
Six Sigma implementation in construction competitive tendering promotes time efficiency. It is expected that this will encourage quantity surveyors, procurement practitioners and their institutions to implement Six Sigma in addressing persistent delays in their competitive tendering processes.
Originality/value
This paper demonstrates the use of merged approach under mixed method to identify the benefits and challenges of Six Sigma implementation in construction competitive tendering process within the Ghanaian context.
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The purpose of this paper is to provide an outline of the strengths and weaknesses of selected models of police‐based victim services. It aims to provide an overview of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an outline of the strengths and weaknesses of selected models of police‐based victim services. It aims to provide an overview of the current predominant models of police‐based victim support in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia. It also aims to advance a typology of police‐based victim services as a useful analytic tool for understanding the varying models.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was based on extensive documentary analysis supplemented by semi‐structured interviews with 17 practitioners in the USA, Canada and Australia. Sites were selected for interview based on documentary research which indicated that they had developed police‐based victim services in their organization that were either particularly representative or innovative.
Findings
Police‐based victim services can be categorized into three broad models: unit services, dedicated liaison officer services, and referral services. Each model has strengths and weaknesses in terms of service delivery and police organization. Unit services may be optimum in delivering services but are also resource‐intensive and may be beyond the financial scope of some police organizations. They also potentially risk sequestering victim services within police organizations and reinforcing a view that dealing with victims of crime is not “real policing”. Dedicated officer services require significant institutional input to achieve their goals, while referral models necessitate workable mechanisms for inter‐agency cooperation. Thus police organizations need a clear perception of their victim services delivery role and how this might best be achieved.
Originality/value
The academic literature on police‐based victim services remains scant. This paper makes a valuable contribution to the literature by providing a useful typology for the analysis of police‐based victim services and the assessment of their strengths and weaknesses. The typology will prove useful for future empirical case‐studies of individual police‐based victim services.
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Bernardo Soares Fernandes, Aurora Carneiro Zen and Vitor Klein Schmidt
This study aims at identifying how the evolution of clusters influences orchestrations. It investigates the dynamic interplay between the developmental stages of clusters and the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims at identifying how the evolution of clusters influences orchestrations. It investigates the dynamic interplay between the developmental stages of clusters and the strategic orchestrations that occur within these structures. In this regard, this work explores cluster life cycle (CLC) approaches and orchestration, analyzing their relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative, exploratory research was conducted by using a case study method on the Serra Gaúcha Wine Cluster (SGWC), the leading wine region in Brazil. Data sources included 27 interviews with winery managers and managers of organizations supporting viticulture, as well as 29 documents relevant to the cluster’s activities and development. The study used content analysis to examine the collected data, providing an in-depth exploration of the dynamic interplay within the cluster through both direct stakeholder insights and documentary evidence.
Findings
The research results revealed that the SGWC is in its fifth stage of development; the five stages are the following: emergence, first growth, first renewal, second renewal and second growth. The findings generated four key propositions: positive maturations of clusters are capable of affecting the number of orchestrations, catalyzing exogenous factors of stage changes influence orchestrations, clusters and the content of orchestrations co-evolve and fluctuations in the number of orchestrations do not linearly follow the changes in the efficiency of clusters. The results also highlight the important role of representative organizations. This study also advanced on the thematic cluster maturation, which, according to this paper, can be positive or negative.
Research limitations/implications
The study advances an approach of cluster maturation, which may be advantageous or detrimental. Additionally, this work investigates the connection between the CLC and orchestrations; in particular, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first to do so with an emphasis on cluster evolution and the quantity and nature of orchestrations.
Practical implications
The findings emphasize the need to maintain associations and support organizations to ensure effective engagement and orchestrations within the cluster, even during crises. It is crucial for managers to understand the CLC to align decisions with the cluster’s development stages. Additionally, identifying exogenous factors that influence changes is essential for planning effective strategic actions.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the understanding of how cluster development stages influence orchestrations in industrial clusters, shedding light on the dynamics of this relationship.
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