Search results

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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 30 August 2021

Catriona O’Toole and Venka Simovska

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the functioning of education systems in a multitude of ways. In Ireland schools closed on March 12th and remained closed for the remainder of…

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Abstract

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the functioning of education systems in a multitude of ways. In Ireland schools closed on March 12th and remained closed for the remainder of the academic year. During this time educators engaged with students, families and colleagues in new and diverse ways. The purpose of this study was to explore educators' experiences during the closures, particularly regarding the impact of the pandemic on the wellbeing of students, school staff and wider school communities.

Design/methodology/approach

A series of one-to-one interviews, lasting approximately one hour, were conducted in July 2020 with 15 education professionals online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Participants occupied various roles (classroom teacher, school leader, special educational needs coordinator, etc.) and worked in a diverse range of communities in Ireland. Qualitative data from interviews were transcribed and emergent themes identified through an inductive followed by deductive analytic approach.

Findings

The interviews highlighted the central role that schools play in supporting their local communities and the value teachers place on their relationships with students and families. Many teachers and school leaders found themselves grappling with new identities and professional boundaries as they worked to support, care for and connect with the students and families they serve. There was considerable concern expressed regarding the plight of vulnerable or marginalised students for whom the school ordinarily offered a place of safety and security.

Originality/value

The findings reveal how COVID-19 has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities and the central role of schools in promoting the health and wellbeing of all its members.

Details

Health Education, vol. 122 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 9 December 2021

Patrick Sven Ulrich, Alice Timmermann and Vanessa Frank

The starting point for the considerations the authors make in this paper are the special features of family businesses in the area of management discussed in the literature. It…

1368

Abstract

Purpose

The starting point for the considerations the authors make in this paper are the special features of family businesses in the area of management discussed in the literature. It has been established here that family businesses sometimes choose different organizational setups than nonfamily businesses. This has not yet been investigated for cybersecurity. In the context of cybersecurity, there has been little theoretical or empirical work addressing the question of whether the qualitative characteristics of family businesses have an impact on the understanding of cybersecurity and the organization of cyber risk defense in the companies. Based on theoretically founded hypotheses, a quantitative empirical study was conducted in German companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The article is based on a quantitative-empirical survey of 184 companies, the results of which were analyzed using statistical-empirical methods.

Findings

The article asked – based on the subjective perception of cybersecurity and cyber risks – to what extent family businesses are sensitized to the topic and what conclusions they draw from it. An interesting tension emerges: family businesses see their employees more as a security risk, but do less than nonfamily businesses in terms of both training and organizational establishment. Whether this is due to a lack of technical or managerial expertise, or whether family businesses simply think they can prevent cybersecurity with less formal methods such as trust, is open to conjecture, but cannot be demonstrated with the research approach taken here. Qualitative follow-up studies are needed here.

Originality/value

This paper represents the first quantitative survey on cybersecurity with a specific focus on family businesses. It shows tension between awareness, especially of risks emanating from employees, and organizational routines that have not been implemented or established.

Details

Organizational Cybersecurity Journal: Practice, Process and People, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2635-0270

Keywords

Abstract

Purpose

This conceptual, multi-voiced paper aims to collectively explore and theorize family entrepreneuring, which is a research stream dedicated to investigating the emergence and becoming of entrepreneurial phenomena in business families and family firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Because of the novelty of this research stream, the authors asked 20 scholars in entrepreneurship and family business to reflect on topics, methods and issues that should be addressed to move this field forward.

Findings

Authors highlight key challenges and point to new research directions for understanding family entrepreneuring in relation to issues such as agency, processualism and context.

Originality/value

This study offers a compilation of multiple perspectives and leverage recent developments in the fields of entrepreneurship and family business to advance research on family entrepreneuring.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 July 2018

Malene Gram, Anette Therkelsen and Jacob Roesgaard Kirkegaard Larsen

This paper aims to explore mixed emotions experienced by parents and children on holiday, how they are dealt with and how they influence the way “family” is “staged” and “done”.

1968

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore mixed emotions experienced by parents and children on holiday, how they are dealt with and how they influence the way “family” is “staged” and “done”.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on 24 qualitative interviews with Danish parents and a questionnaire study reporting answers from 66 Danish children (11-15-year-old).

Findings

Problems external and internal to the family are identified and the latter are associated with more unease particularly among parents. This paper shows that parents invest significant narrative efforts in transcending gaps between ideals and practices. Also children are aware of the gaps between ideals and practices; they seem more matter-of-fact, however, regarding critical aspects of holidays.

Research limitations/implications

The informants of the study solely represent two-parent hetero-sexual families of Danish origin, and so inclusion of a wider range of families would have added interesting perspectives. Furthermore, children’s perspectives on critical holiday incidents need further research.

Practical implications

Creators of family holiday products and marketing should present a more nuanced imagery taking a more diverse approach to what “family” on holiday looks like. They could take up the challenge of depicting a broader range of family situations, also showing less harmonious moments, using humour, and showing opportunities for some “alone time” for both parents and children should relational overload happen. Also occasional “wifi-free” moments seem to be much appreciated by all family members, and development of offline family experiences would seem to strike a chord.

Social implications

The contemporary paradigm of intensive parenting along with strong ideals for family holidays make it essential for parents to narratively deal with and legitimize and transform less happy moments. To take pressure off contemporary families, it is important to bring to the fore the less glossy aspects of family holidays.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper is to illustrate the strong efforts applied by families to keep up a certain front to be the family that “ought to be” by nurturing and narrating positive emotions in relation to family holidays. The inclusion of children’s voices gives insights into children’s annoyance with parents’ rowing, relational overload and parents’ occasional lack of attention to children, for example through parental use of mobile phones during holiday togetherness.

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 3 April 2023

Natalie Tye

Prior to Covid, family involvement was on a forward movement of becoming a more involved, collaborative relationship between teachers and families of students. Just as family

1386

Abstract

Purpose

Prior to Covid, family involvement was on a forward movement of becoming a more involved, collaborative relationship between teachers and families of students. Just as family involvement was beginning to gain momentum with student-led conferences, in and out of school volunteer opportunities and families being seen as a valued perspective regarding student learning, Covid happened. This one event changed how families were seen within the school system. Through reflection with clinical candidates experiencing the effects of Covid and engagement experiences with families in the classroom, two different themes emerged regarding how schools have moved forward since Covid. Some schools found families to be a valued partner in student learning where other districts chose to use Covid as a reason for shutting the doors to family involvement. This article aims to address the family engagement timeline beginning prior to Covid, the perceptions of clinical candidates based on their experiences in classrooms, and innovative strategies for supporting future engagement with families.

Design/methodology/approach

The work provides a summary of family involvement pre-existent to Covid, during the pandemic and post-Covid through a review of the literature and emerging from teacher candidate experiences in the school setting.

Findings

After a careful review of literature and reflection of current teacher candidate experiences in the school system, two clear movements have emerged as Covid restrictions have been lowered. Where some districts are relieved by a lowering of visitor restrictions with the increased involvement of families in the building, other schools have tightened restrictions on families, causing increased tension on parent-teacher relationships. These schools are left caught in the pandemic, unaware or unsure of how to proceed in a post-pandemic world. This article provides key aspects to include in creating a plan for engaging with families and creating strong reciprocal relationships.

Originality/value

Valuing families in the school setting is crucial for developing strong relationships among teachers, students, student supports and the families who are raising these children. With increased social emotional needs in students, post-Covid, allowing families to contribute to discussion and planning regarding their children is mutually beneficial. Including families in school learning, planning and opportunities leads to positive family engagement and overall increased success in students, extending to the value educators place on involving these families. In addition, modeling how to postively engage families in school learning supports clinical partnerships with area universities. Where schools and classrooms are developing intergrated plans to include families in school learning experiences, future educators are able to better see and value the role of the family in education. When clinical candidates are not able to observe positive interactions between schools and families, there is a disconnect between school learning and home life that may never be explored.

Details

PDS Partners: Bridging Research to Practice, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2833-2040

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 21 July 2023

Ilaria Boncori and Kristin Samantha Williams

This article explores memory work and storytelling as an organising tool through family histories, offering theoretical and methodological implications and extending existing…

Abstract

Purpose

This article explores memory work and storytelling as an organising tool through family histories, offering theoretical and methodological implications and extending existing conceptualisations of memory work as a feminist method. This approach is termed as impressionist memory work.

Design/methodology/approach

To illustrate impressionistic memory work in action, the article presents two family histories set during Second World War and invite the reader to engage in the “undoing” of these stories and dominant ways of knowing through storytelling. This method challenges the taken-for-granted roles, plots and detail of family histories to uncover the obscured or silenced stories within, together with feminine, affective and embodied subjectivities, marginalisation and social inequalities.

Findings

This study argues that impressionistic memory work as a feminist method can challenge the silencing and gendering of experiences in co-constructed and co-interpreted narratives (both formal and informal ones).

Originality/value

This study shows that engagement with impressionistic memory work can challenge taken-for-granted stories with prominent male actors and masculine narratives to reveal the female actors and feminine narratives within. This approach will offer a more inclusive perspective on family histories and deeper engagement with the marginalised or neglected actors and aspects of our histories.

Details

Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, vol. 18 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5648

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 February 2019

Luciana Padovez-Cualheta, Candido Borges, Altair Camargo and Lucas Tavares

This paper aims to identify if entrepreneurship as a career option is related to job satisfaction and family satisfaction by comparing entrepreneurs with non-entrepreneurs. To do…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to identify if entrepreneurship as a career option is related to job satisfaction and family satisfaction by comparing entrepreneurs with non-entrepreneurs. To do so, a tool was used to measure job satisfaction, family satisfaction and the existence of interrole conflicts.

Design/methodology/approach

Cluster analysis and linear regression models were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Results indicate that there is a positive relationship and that entrepreneurs have higher rates of job satisfaction than non-entrepreneurs. Contrary to what the literature suggests, this study found that entrepreneurs have a higher rate of family satisfaction than non-entrepreneurs, and that there is no difference between men’s and women’s levels of satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

Among the limitations of the research, the authors cite the fact that there was no randomness in the designation of the respondents and the fact that the answers were obtained by self-report. Also, the research was cross-sectional, making it impossible to compare answers between the same individuals at different points of time.

Practical implications

Results can help individuals decide whether to start a business and to assist development agencies in the creation of incentive policies.

Originality/value

As an academic implication, results contribute to the literature on this topic by relating entrepreneurship with the quality of life and not only with financial variables. Yet, it is one of the first studies on this topic in Brazil.

Details

RAUSP Management Journal, vol. 54 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2531-0488

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 March 2015

Yoon G. Lee, Margaret A. Fitzgerald, Kenneth R. Bartkus and Myung-Soo Lee

With data from the 2003 and 2005 National Minority Business Owners Survey, we examined the extent to which minority business owners differ from nonminority business owners in…

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Abstract

With data from the 2003 and 2005 National Minority Business Owners Survey, we examined the extent to which minority business owners differ from nonminority business owners in their reported use of adjustment strategies, and the relationship between the use of adjustment strategies and perceived business success. The sample consisted of 193 African American, 200 Mexican American, 200 Korean American, and 210 white business owners. Mexican American and Korean American business owners reported higher levels of adjustment strategy use than African American and white business owners. The ordinary least squares show that reallocating family resources to meet business needs and reallocating business resources to meet family needs were negatively associated with perceived business success, whereas hiring paid help was positively associated with perceived business success.

Details

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2574-8904

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 March 2008

Matthew C. Sonfield and Robert N. Lussier

This is an empirical study of family firm size, as measured by the number of employees, and the relationship of a firmʼs size to a variety of management activities, styles, and…

2082

Abstract

This is an empirical study of family firm size, as measured by the number of employees, and the relationship of a firmʼs size to a variety of management activities, styles, and characteristics. A statistical analysis of data drawn from 159 American family businesses indicates significant differences by size with regard to the number of nonfamily members in top management, use of outside advisors, time spent engaged in strategic management, use of sophisticated methods of financial management, proportion of women family members involved in firm management, and level of conflict between family members. Implications are offered for family firm owner-managers, for those who assist such businesses, and for researchers in the field of family business.

Details

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2574-8904

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 November 2022

Pedro Victor Núñez-Cacho Utrilla, Felix A. Grande-Torraleja, Antonio Luis Moreno Albarracín and Cristina Ortega-Rodríguez

The search for competitiveness by family-owned companies has led us to research topics that may help these companies succeed. The management of human capital is undoubtedly one of…

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Abstract

Purpose

The search for competitiveness by family-owned companies has led us to research topics that may help these companies succeed. The management of human capital is undoubtedly one of the keys to success, and the practices of employee development (training, promotion, succession, career planning, mentoring and coaching) help improve the performance of these companies.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on studying a sample of 560 family companies and analyzing the relationship between performance of the family businesses and the use of employee development practices. The techniques used were confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results show that employee development has a direct effect on the indicators of performance in family companies. The authors have developed a series of practical implications for companies that justify investments in and efforts with regard to employee career development.

Research limitations/implications

Family businesses need to understand the development needs of their employees. In addition, the very processes and tasks performed. The authors have developed a number of practical implications for companies that justify the investments and efforts made in employee career development. This work validates the usefulness of the use of certain practices for the development of employees in family businesses, allowing the company to generate human capital to build a competitive position in the market.

Practical implications

The results of this study suggest that family businesses should understand the development needs of their employees and that various practices are available to help detect these needs. Family businesses should see individual development processes as an opportunity to improve the performance of employees, which could avoid conflicts in such businesses (Qiu and Freel, 2020). Companies should develop career and succession plans that enable these changes to be faced throughout the company, ensuring that when handover occurs, the candidates are sufficiently qualified in accordance with their career paths. The present research study shows that coaching is a powerful tool for improving performance. Moreover, mentoring appears to be an important part of employee development. For this reason, mentoring programs should be formally planned with designated objectives. In addition, family businesses should provide employees with real opportunities for promotion and the development of their skills and abilities, which is a way to retain nonfamily professionals (Ramankutty and Pujar, 2017).

Social implications

Family businesses are a very important part of the productive activity of a country and their continuity is necessary to maintain employment and income. The management of people in family businesses is a key aspect for their success, therefore knowing the key aspects for the development of human capital will have a positive influence on maintaining employment and income.

Originality/value

This paper addresses the study of people development processes in family businesses and proves its usefulness to improve performance, considering the formal planning of succession processes and professional careers, providing qualifications to candidates and ensuring that they are show satisfaction with their professional evolution in the company. Likewise, it is positive for family businesses to use coaching relationships, formally scheduled and employing a coach from abroad. The other tool that will favor the development of employees is mentoring, formally programmed, establishing objectives and properly studying the mentor's profile. For this tool to be applied successfully, it is necessary to get the participants to commit to the mentoring process. Finally, the organization must provide its employees with real opportunities to promote, training them and developing their skills.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 45 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 1000