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1 – 10 of over 87000Wenxiong Wang, Lihong Yu, Wei Zhou, David W. Marcouiller and Bin Luo
Effective farmer participation in the rural land consolidation process has become increasingly important because it improves results in rural land consolidation and land use…
Abstract
Purpose
Effective farmer participation in the rural land consolidation process has become increasingly important because it improves results in rural land consolidation and land use efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mechanism of farmers’ effective participation in Chinese rural land consolidation.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors empirically assess farmers’ effective participation in the rural land consolidation process in ten counties of China’s Hubei province. Focusing on an effective decision-making model, the authors comprehensively evaluated farmer participation using surveys that incorporated an index system and analyzed survey results using a structural equation model to examine factors that influenced farmer’s effective participation.
Findings
The results of the study suggest that the correlations between farmers’ effective participation and the impacting factors the authors proposed were particularly strong. In addition, participation ability, participation opportunity and participation incentive are strongly associated with effective farmer participation. Thus, the authors highlight that incentives should be provided to encourage farmers’ effective participation in rural land consolidation.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the chosen approach and the set of the research object, the geographic context of the empirical survey work was limited; furthermore, the authors only studied the influencing factors at the individual level, leaving the interaction effects between governmental factors and farmer individual factors inadequately explained.
Originality/value
Despite those limitations, these results serve as an important reference for government agencies and stakeholder groups in rural land consolidation decision making.
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The objective of this research is to find out the barriers to people's participation for good governance in developing countries. The specific objective is to explore the attitude…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this research is to find out the barriers to people's participation for good governance in developing countries. The specific objective is to explore the attitude of stakeholders responsible for ensuring people's engagement with local development programs.
Design/methodology/approach
Two rural development projects in each of three local government institutions in Bangladesh were selected for this research study. Qualitative methods were used to investigate how actors related to these projects valued people's participation while implementing and using outcomes of these projects.
Findings
The findings showed that the meaning of the notion of good governance through effective people's participation that has been imported from the developed democratic economies through international aid agencies remains somewhat unclear and ambiguous in a country such as Bangladesh.
Practical implications
This study has revealed that one of the major barriers to people's participation in local government affairs is the traditional attitude of related stakeholders. This study thus, unlocked the practical knowledge about making people's participation effective in implementing development programs, specifically in the developing countries.
Originality/value
This paper offers originality and new insight into the participatory governance in developing countries.
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This paper sets out to describe a small case study which aimed to unravel the complexity of pupil participation in secondary schools.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper sets out to describe a small case study which aimed to unravel the complexity of pupil participation in secondary schools.
Design/methodology/approach
A secondary school in the south of England was selected as the case. Four group interviews, one individual interview and collection of relevant Healthy School documents provided data from which to begin to understand the mechanism, context and outcome of pupil participation in the case school.
Findings
The paper attempts to illuminate the theoretical underpinning for pupil participation with comments made by staff and pupils from the case study school. The mechanisms of participation are discussed briefly; however, it is recognised that individual schools will select initiatives according to their preference. Tentative evidence of a positive outcome for pupils who participate in school decision making is revealed. By exploring the context, or conditions, under which involvement occurs possible strategies for effective pupil participation are elicited.
Practical implications
The paper offers a framework for effective pupil participation.
Originality/value
The paper attempts to go some way towards illuminating the theory and practice of effective pupil participation.
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Nour Mohammad and Yasmin Farjana
The purpose of this chapter is to explain the concept of right to participation from the viewpoint of development and tries to establish nexus between participation and right to…
Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to explain the concept of right to participation from the viewpoint of development and tries to establish nexus between participation and right to development in context of human rights-based approach and try to establish the co-existence between the two terminologies. The term participation is closely associated with the traditional democratic system; under this system people are entitled to participate in governance system directly or indirectly, which can be dated back from the ancient Greek civilization (Faruque, 2002a). In a democratic system, participation is people central and can be treated as “an valuable module of any system that considers itself a democracy” (Kweit & Kweit, 1981) “corner stone of democracy” (Sherry, 1969) or “instrument of legitimacy of government” (Falk & Strauss, 2000). Participation means a right by which one can exercise his/her function in the society and express his/her view or behavior toward the political system and governance. So the notion of participation is “effective in mobilizing and natural resources and combating inequalities, discrimination, poverty and exclusion” (UN.DOC, E/CN.4/1990/9/Rev. 1, 1990, Ch. 7). However, the concept of participation “should be viewed both as a means to an end and as an end itself” (UN.DOC, E/CN.4/1990/9/Rev. 1, 1990, Ch. 7, para 150). In environmental level, public participation has played a vital role in decision-making for measuring the protection of environment. Public participation in decision-making that affects the environment is recognized in the Aarhus Convention (Convention on Access to Information, 2001).
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Lufeng Wu, Guangshe Jia and Puwei Zhang
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how to improve the effectiveness of public participation in public infrastructure megaprojects (PIMs). Conflicts among stakeholders and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how to improve the effectiveness of public participation in public infrastructure megaprojects (PIMs). Conflicts among stakeholders and uncertainty disrupt the success of PIMs when public participation is ineffective.
Design/methodology/approach
Secondhand data are collected to study the effectiveness of public participation in the Beijing–Shenyang High-Speed Rail (China) and the California High-Speed Rail (USA). The employed research method is an inductive case study.
Findings
Ineffective public participation can cause schedule and cost overruns and increase uncertainty in PIMs. The ambiguity of meaningful public participation, ineffective participatory approaches and overburden of public participation in environmental impact assessment are the causes of ineffective public participation in PIMs.
Research limitations/implications
Public participation has become an essential part in PIMs management. This study looks at the understanding of the relationship between public participation and the success of PIMs.
Practical implications
Legislative bodies should perfect the laws to guarantee meaningful public participation. Lead agencies should adopt additional effective participatory approaches to solicit public comments and identify critical voices. A dispute solution mechanism is necessary to solve public participation disputes in PIMs in practice.
Originality/value
Stakeholder and uncertainty management are important to the success of PIMs. This study reveals methods to improve the effectiveness of public participation to alleviate the conflicts among stakeholders and reduce uncertainty in PIMs.
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Karen Philip and Jim Arrowsmith
The strategic human resource management (HRM) literature emphasises the importance of employee involvement and participation for outcomes such as job satisfaction, employee…
Abstract
Purpose
The strategic human resource management (HRM) literature emphasises the importance of employee involvement and participation for outcomes such as job satisfaction, employee retention and organisational performance. Situational factors identified as conducive to employee participation in decision-making include small size, via less hierarchical, proximate and informal workplace relations. Ownership and mission are also important, with not-for-profit (NFP) organisations generally having more collectivist, commitment-based cultures that support open decision-making. However, such organisations often have weak HRM policies and practices. This paper examines the process and outcomes of employee participation in a small NFP through in-depth case study research.
Design/methodology/approach
Single case study utilising longitudinal participant observation, interviews, reflective diary, documentary analysis.
Findings
Operating as a collective, the organisation was bound by time and capacity limitations in its ability to plan strategically or even to make routine decisions. Basic HR policies and practices in areas such as staff recruitment and performance management were sub-standard or unobserved. Consequences included poor management, inconsistent training, staff burnout, high labour turnover and sub-optimal performance. The results suggest that weak managerial coordination and the absence of a dedicated HR function subvert effective people management. In such circumstances, strong forms of employee participation fail to deliver anticipated equity and efficiency outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
Single case study.
Practical implications
Small organisations need HR policies and dedicated support to ensure that employee involvement and participation are effective.
Originality/value
The findings demonstrate how employee involvement and participation can be subverted by inadequate HR processes, adding qualitative evidence to support theories of HR “bundling” in high-involvement work practices. The research also contributes to the neglected area of HRM in small NFPs.
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Jerome Choy, Darcy McCormack and Nikola Djurkovic
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between leader-member exchange (LMX) and job performance and the utility of delegation and participation as mediators of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between leader-member exchange (LMX) and job performance and the utility of delegation and participation as mediators of the aforementioned relationship.
Methodology
A survey approach was used in this research. Regression analyses, including mediation analyses, on data from 268 employees in a large public sector organisation were conducted.
Findings
The findings revealed that both delegation and participation were significant mediating variables of the relationship between LMX and job performance.
Research limitation
The limitations of the study include the use of self-report and cross-sectional data. Future research could include multi-source data, and a longitudinal research design.
Practical implication
The implications of the findings for theory and management are discussed, including the use of delegation and participation as effective instruments for developing and maintaining strong manager-employee relationships to improve social capital and enhance job performance.
Originality value
This paper enhances understanding of LMX, and sheds some light on how LMX and participative decision making can influence employee job performance.
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Todd Morgan, Wesley Friske, Marko Kohtamäki and Paul Mills
This paper aims to examine how customer participation in new service development (NSD) and customer relationship management (CRM) technology can improve the NSD performance of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how customer participation in new service development (NSD) and customer relationship management (CRM) technology can improve the NSD performance of manufacturing firms. Additionally, the paper examines CRM technology usage to understand how it impacts new service performance both individually and jointly with customer participation in NSD.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is a survey of 216 manufacturing managers who are overseeing the development of new services at their organizations. For the analysis, structural equation modeling is used with Amos 22.0. Measures of all latent variables in the analysis pass the traditional tests for reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity. Furthermore, the results of a common latent factor test for common method variance and Harman’s one-factor test indicate that common method bias is not a source of endogeneity in the model.
Findings
Customer participation has a positive effect on NSD performance. CRM technology usage also has a positive effect on NSD performance. The effect of customer participation on NSD performance is enhanced by CRM technology. The results of a post hoc analysis suggest that the usage of CRM technology has the most benefit for managing the technical aspects of customer participation.
Research limitations/implications
This study has methodological limitations that may impact the generalizability of results. For instance, it is based on cross-sectional self-reported survey data, which is more subjective than longitudinal secondary data. Survey research lacks the depth and nuance of qualitative research designs, which are commonly employed to study NSD. In addition, this study focuses on large US manufacturing firms. The authors do not include small firms or international organizations in the sample. Despite these limitations, they believe the findings can provide significant contributions to the NSD literature.
Practical implications
Although prior research has shown that customer participation and CRM technology can individually influence new product development (NPD) performance, the results indicate they are equally effective factors in the development of new services. Furthermore, the authors show that customer participation can be enhanced via the use of CRM technologies. The interaction is more pronounced within the technical aspects of NSD.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the NSD literature, and it also has implications for managers leading NSD efforts in traditional tangible-product industries. The findings provide additional evidence that customer participation is an effective NSD strategy for manufacturing firms (Morgan et al., 2019). Furthermore, CRM technology is integral to NSD performance. CRM technology not only has a direct effect on NSD performance, but the interaction term of customer participation by CRM technology also has a positive effect on NSD performance.
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Nick Nykodym, Jack L. Simonetti, Warren R. Nielsen and Barbara Welling
Explains the development of employee empowerment from its beginnings asAmerican academic research to its successful adaptation by the Japanesemanagement and later US management…
Abstract
Explains the development of employee empowerment from its beginnings as American academic research to its successful adaptation by the Japanese management and later US management. In its present state employee empowerment or participation flourishes in many different methods of management and takes many different forms in its practice. Examines contingent factors affecting implementation of participative management practices and points out the various dilemmas to avoid.
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Eric K. Austin and Kelly N. Green
The purpose of this chapter is to outline the rationale for and approach to enhancing community participation in traffic safety initiatives. It describes a process that…
Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to outline the rationale for and approach to enhancing community participation in traffic safety initiatives. It describes a process that practitioners can use to engage members of the public in the development of community-based solutions to traffic safety problems. The approach used draws on contemporary social theory, historical antecedents, and demonstrated best practices for effective engagement efforts.
The implications of the ideas developed in this chapter include the need for traffic safety and related agencies to develop and deploy new or expanded capacities as they implement community-level traffic safety initiatives. One such capacity is the development of greater interdisciplinary understanding of sociopolitical dynamics that support and/or inhibit the effectiveness of behavior change efforts. Another is the ability to employ practical participatory processes that engage community members so as to draw out the tacit but critical knowledge about barriers to and avenues for supporting behavior change strategies. These increase the likelihood of developing traffic safety strategies that are effective within the specific and unique culture of each community.
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