Search results

1 – 10 of 121
Article
Publication date: 29 July 2022

Jo Conlon

Organisations are investing in systems such as product lifecycle management (PLM) to support product development, collaboration across complex supply chains and to provide a…

Abstract

Purpose

Organisations are investing in systems such as product lifecycle management (PLM) to support product development, collaboration across complex supply chains and to provide a framework for digital transformation. Graduates of apparel programmes would benefit from a knowledge of PLM to help realise the opportunities that PLM offers. The purpose of this paper is to report on an educational research project that used PLM as a context for practice-based learning and as a mechanism to update the learning experience and stimulate the development of future practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reports on the experiences, critical reflections and data from an action research study to establish a learning community through an educational partnership for PLM software within an undergraduate fashion business course. The cohort of the first year of the intervention (n = 28) is the main study population.

Findings

The findings indicate that PLM provided a stimulating learning context supportive of a detailed understanding of current industry practice, critical and innovative thinking and the development of a professional identity.

Research limitations/implications

The opportunity for the development of both industry and educational practice is outlined.

Practical implications

A general introduction to PLM provides important information to support and advance Fashion Industry 4.0. Educational partnerships can reduce barriers to the integration of advanced technologies into the higher education curriculum.

Originality/value

Applications of PLM are under researched in textiles and apparel. The paper contributes to the broadening of the knowledge base of PLM and its potential to achieve strategic transformation of the sector.

Details

Research Journal of Textile and Apparel, vol. 28 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1560-6074

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 March 2024

Luisa Fernanda Manrique Molina, William Fernando Durán and Carlos Augusto Valencia

The purpose of this study is to generate knowledge about assessment methods in blended business education, which have become increasingly important to establish sustainable…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to generate knowledge about assessment methods in blended business education, which have become increasingly important to establish sustainable assessment practices that support knowledge acquisition for undergraduate students in business administration at a Colombian university.

Design/methodology/approach

For the analysis, a two groups comparison was performed using a nonequivalent control group design with a sample of 420 students. As this study wants to find insights to improve the knowledge on assessment topics in marketing research (MR) education, it was focused on the students from the business administration program. This study also uses individual scores from the state test as prior cognitive scores and the high school classification provided by the National Ministry of Education in Colombia (2012).

Findings

It was found that the variables that best predict performance on the MR course examinations were the mathematics skills and reading comprehension scores on the state test. The study also showed a better performance of female students on both assessment methods. There were no significant differences between the assessment methods or among the high school levels.

Research limitations/implications

One of the limitations of this study is the limited number of items on the tests. Additionally, the authors recommend conducting an analysis of the differences between the testing items to provide a detailed explanation of students’ performance when comparing computer-based testing and paper-and-pencil testing.

Practical implications

Further design of teaching material and assessments online and offline, based on local and regional marketing problems, is suggested. As the current text and readings are more oriented to the English-speaking contexts, most of the problems presented are oriented to multinational companies and brands.

Social implications

Insights into the skills required for future jobs provide valuable guidance (World Economic Forum, 2020). Essential skills for emerging roles, like data scientists, can find robust support within the MR course. To further enrich in-class and online exercises with Excel and SPSS, Colombian educators can leverage data sets obtained from sources like the national statistics office and international market intelligence databases available through the university’s library, including Passport and Statista. Engaging with authentic data sets provides students with a more profound understanding of practical applications in MR.

Originality/value

This approach facilitates the identification of key variables, such as assessment and cognitive abilities in math and reading, which predict students’ knowledge acquisition in MR. It not only offers insights into the relevant factors influencing learning in MR but also provides valuable feedback. Additionally, it suggests potential avenues for future research in this field.

Details

Journal of International Education in Business, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-469X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 April 2024

Sofyan Abu Shriha, Moh’d Anwer AL-Shboul and Samer Abaddi

The purpose of this study is to assess the correlations between the e-entrepreneurial intentions, attitude toward e-entrepreneurship, subjective norms, perceived behavior control…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to assess the correlations between the e-entrepreneurial intentions, attitude toward e-entrepreneurship, subjective norms, perceived behavior control, attitude toward risk and entrepreneurial knowledge of Jordanian business students to start an online business and the e-entrepreneurial intention.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 392 undergraduate business students from different Jordanian public and private universities participated in the study. Data were collected using an online survey-based questionnaire (i.e. Google Forms) using emails and social media platforms (i.e. WhatsApp, Facebook, etc.); reliability and validity tests were ensured. This study employs a 50-item questionnaire (distributed online via Google Forms and in two languages) to collect data, utilizing 5-point Likert scales; correlation analysis, linear regression analysis, and structural equation modeling are used to analyze the data.

Findings

The results showed that the e-entrepreneurship intentions of Jordanian business students are significantly predicted by their attitude toward e-entrepreneurship, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and entrepreneurial knowledge. One’s attitude toward risk does not influence the ambition to launch an Internet company much. Furthermore, their affiliation does not significantly impact the students' plans to pursue e-entrepreneurship.

Practical implications

The study has important real-world implications, particularly for Jordan. The country could create more jobs and boost the economy by encouraging students to start online businesses and helping small businesses grow. This is especially important in Jordan, where many people, particularly young adults, struggle to find work. Therefore, true need for interventions to foster e-entrepreneurship among business students in emerging economies like Jordan.

Originality/value

The goal of this research is to examine Jordanian business students' aspirations to launch Internet businesses in developing nations throughout the digital age. The results offer valuable information on the elements influencing the e-entrepreneurial intents of Jordanian business students. This information may be utilized to create programs and policies that effectively encourage e-entrepreneurship in Jordan.

Details

Management & Sustainability: An Arab Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2752-9819

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 April 2024

Chi-Jung Huang, Ling-ling Kueh, Hsiang-Wen Wang, Hsuan Hung and Hui-Hsin Wang

This study explores the extent of undergraduate students' engagement in interdisciplinary learning experiences across their academic journey and its potential correlation with…

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores the extent of undergraduate students' engagement in interdisciplinary learning experiences across their academic journey and its potential correlation with elevated levels of self-efficacy in learning. Furthermore, the research investigates how the clarity of career decisions and future goals contributes to the perception of relevance, value and alignment of interdisciplinary learning experiences among undergraduate students.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire in a longitudinal survey administered annually to undergraduate students at a university in northern Taiwan over four waves from 2018 to 2021. The sample analyzed for this study consisted of 123 undergraduate students who willingly and continuously participated in the research throughout the specified period.

Findings

The results showed that self-efficacy within interdisciplinary learning experiences could be classified into three clusters: high efficacy, moderate efficacy and fluctuating efficacy. The determinants influencing these clusters include career decisions and years spent in university. Undergraduate students who have determined their career decisions and are in their latter two years of undergraduate studies demonstrate higher self-efficacy in interdisciplinary learning. Conversely, students who have yet to determine their career decisions exhibit a fluctuating pattern of self-efficacy across the three interdisciplinary learning categories.

Research limitations/implications

Two key limitations of this research include a small sample size and a confined university-specific context, potentially constraining the applicability of the results to a broader population.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the interdisciplinary learning experience in higher education by explaining the significance of undergraduates' self-efficacy and career-related factors. Whereas most research has focused on the effects of self-efficacy, this study investigated the factors that influence undergraduates' self-efficacy.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 July 2022

Juan P. Perez, Izaias Martins, Maria Dolores Mahauad and Paul Oswaldo Sarango-Lalangui

The purpose of this study is to test the effect of entrepreneurship education programs (EEPs) on the individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) by considering the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to test the effect of entrepreneurship education programs (EEPs) on the individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) by considering the innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking dimensions of undergraduate students and the role of these dimensions on the relationship between program inspiration (PI) and entrepreneurial intention (EI).

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a pre- and post-test analysis with data from 1,423 undergraduate students from two emerging countries in Latin America: Colombia and Ecuador. To verify the effect of the EEP on innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking at two-time points, the analysis of median for the difference of two paired populations (Sign Test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test) was used. In addition, structural equation modeling analysis under the covariance and multigroup approach was applied to test the relationship between PI, IEO and EI.

Findings

The results of this study show that the EEP enhances innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking whose effects are more prominent in Ecuadorian students. Equally importantly, the EEP benefits represented in PI translate into higher EI through the mediating effect of the IEO dimensions for both the Colombian and Ecuadorian contexts, where the findings suggest no significant differences between two groups.

Originality/value

The findings of this study contribute to a better understanding of entrepreneurship education's role in entrepreneurial competence's development and intention by revealing the role of IEO dimensions. This study is one of the first studies that applies the IEO to contribute to the literature on the relationship between entrepreneurship education and intention from an emotional entrepreneurial perspective.

Details

Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4604

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 30 April 2024

Linda M. Waldron, Danielle Docka-Filipek, Carlie Carter and Rachel Thornton

First-generation college students in the United States are a unique demographic that is often characterized by the institutions that serve them with a risk-laden and deficit-based…

Abstract

First-generation college students in the United States are a unique demographic that is often characterized by the institutions that serve them with a risk-laden and deficit-based model. However, our analysis of the transcripts of open-ended, semi-structured interviews with 22 “first-gen” respondents suggests they are actively deft, agentic, self-determining parties to processes of identity construction that are both externally imposed and potentially stigmatizing, as well as exemplars of survivance and determination. We deploy a grounded theory approach to an open-coding process, modeled after the extended case method, while viewing our data through a novel synthesis of the dual theoretical lenses of structural and radical/structural symbolic interactionism and intersectional/standpoint feminist traditions, in order to reveal the complex, unfolding, active strategies students used to make sense of their obstacles, successes, co-created identities, and distinctive institutional encounters. We find that contrary to the dictates of prevailing paradigms, identity-building among first-gens is an incremental and bidirectional process through which students actively perceive and engage existing power structures to persist and even thrive amid incredibly trying, challenging, distressing, and even traumatic circumstances. Our findings suggest that successful institutional interventional strategies designed to serve this functionally unique student population (and particularly those tailored to the COVID-moment) would do well to listen deeply to their voices, consider the secondary consequences of “protectionary” policies as potentially more harmful than helpful, and fundamentally, to reexamine the presumption that such students present just institutional risk and vulnerability, but also present a valuable addition to university environments, due to the unique perspective and broader scale of vision their experiences afford them.

Details

Symbolic Interaction and Inequality
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83797-689-8

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 March 2024

Thao-Trang Huynh-Cam, Long-Sheng Chen and Tzu-Chuen Lu

This study aimed to use enrollment information including demographic, family background and financial status, which can be gathered before the first semester starts, to construct…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to use enrollment information including demographic, family background and financial status, which can be gathered before the first semester starts, to construct early prediction models (EPMs) and extract crucial factors associated with first-year student dropout probability.

Design/methodology/approach

The real-world samples comprised the enrolled records of 2,412 first-year students of a private university (UNI) in Taiwan. This work utilized decision trees (DT), multilayer perceptron (MLP) and logistic regression (LR) algorithms for constructing EPMs; under-sampling, random oversampling and synthetic minority over sampling technique (SMOTE) methods for solving data imbalance problems; accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve and area under ROC curve (AUC) for evaluating constructed EPMs.

Findings

DT outperformed MLP and LR with accuracy (97.59%), precision (98%), recall (97%), F1_score (97%), and ROC-AUC (98%). The top-ranking factors comprised “student loan,” “dad occupations,” “mom educational level,” “department,” “mom occupations,” “admission type,” “school fee waiver” and “main sources of living.”

Practical implications

This work only used enrollment information to identify dropout students and crucial factors associated with dropout probability as soon as students enter universities. The extracted rules could be utilized to enhance student retention.

Originality/value

Although first-year student dropouts have gained non-stop attention from researchers in educational practices and theories worldwide, diverse previous studies utilized while-and/or post-semester factors, and/or questionnaires for predicting. These methods failed to offer universities early warning systems (EWS) and/or assist them in providing in-time assistance to dropouts, who face economic difficulties. This work provided universities with an EWS and extracted rules for early dropout prevention and intervention.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 March 2024

Yin Ma, P.M. Nimmi, Maria Mouratidou and William E. Donald

This study aims to explore the impact of engaging in serious leisure (SL) on the well-being (WB) and self-perceived employability (PE) of university students while also…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the impact of engaging in serious leisure (SL) on the well-being (WB) and self-perceived employability (PE) of university students while also considering the role of career adaptability (CA) as a mediator.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 905 domestic undergraduate students from China completed an online survey.

Findings

The findings reveal that participation in SL positively influences WB and PE. Additionally, the results indicate that CA mediates the SL-WB relationship but not the SL-PE relationship.

Originality/value

The theoretical contribution of this research comes from advancing our understanding of sustainable career theory through empirical testing of SL, PE, and CA on WB outcomes within a higher education setting. The practical implications of this study involve providing universities with strategies to support domestic Chinese undergraduate students in enhancing their WB and PE through active engagement in SL pursuits and the development of CA. Moreover, our findings serve as a foundation for future research investigating whether insights gained from domestic Chinese undergraduate students can provide solutions on a global scale to address the persistent challenges of improving student WB and PE.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 11 April 2024

Robin Alison Mueller, Harrison Campbell and Tatiana Losev

The purpose of our research is to better understand inquiry-based pedagogy in the context of leadership education. Specifically, we sought to learn about how leadership learning…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of our research is to better understand inquiry-based pedagogy in the context of leadership education. Specifically, we sought to learn about how leadership learning is characterized in an immersive inquiry course, and how inquiry-based pedagogy is experienced by students engaged in interdisciplinary leadership learning.

Design/methodology/approach

We used a case study approach as an overarching methodology. The research methods employed to collect data were World Cafe and episodic narrative interview. Further, we used collocation analysis and systematic text condensation as analytical strategies to interpret data.

Findings

Our findings led us to four primary conclusions: (1) inquiry-based learning helps to foster an inquiry mindset amongst leadership education students; (2) the challenges and tensions associated with inquiry-based learning are worth the learning gains for leadership students; (3) the opportunity to learn in relationship is beneficial for leadership development outcomes and (4) students’ experiences of inquiry-based learning in leadership education often included instances of transformation.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of the research were: (1) it is a case study situated within a unique, particular social and educational context; (2) demographic data were not collected from participants, so results cannot be disaggregated based on particular demographic markers and (3) the small sample size involved in the study makes it impossible to generalize across a broad population.

Practical implications

This research has enabled a deep understanding of structural and relational supports that can enable effective inquiry-based learning in leadership education. It also offers evidence to support institutional shifts to inquiry-based pedagogy in leadership education.

Social implications

Our research demonstrates that use of inquiry-based pedagogy in leadership education has long-lasting positive effects on students' capacity for applied leadership practice. Consequently, participants in this type of leadership learning are better positioned to effectively lead social change that is pressing in our current global context.

Originality/value

There is scant (if any) published research that has focused on using inquiry-based pedagogies in leadership education. This research makes a significant contribution to the scholarship of leadership education.

Details

Journal of Leadership Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1552-9045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 April 2024

Matthew Smith, Spiros Batas and Yasaman Sarabi

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused a slowdown of economic activity across the globe, which has resulted in high levels of disruption to labour markets. This study seeks to…

Abstract

Purpose

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused a slowdown of economic activity across the globe, which has resulted in high levels of disruption to labour markets. This study seeks to examine how the outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted the search strategies of students seeking for an internship, and whether these have changed since the start of the pandemic. The study utilises the strength of weak ties hypothesis, social capital theory and status attainment theory to explore the changes in securing a position since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Design/methodology/approach

This study draws on data from two cohorts of MBA students seeking to secure internships: one before the outbreak and one during. A multinomial regression is employed to examine how students have used network ties to secure internships and how this has changed since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Findings

The multinomial regression results indicate that there was little difference in the strategies employed by students before the crisis compared to those that secured them during, potentially indicating that students are unwilling to deviate from typical job search strategies, especially in times of uncertainty.

Originality/value

This study provides insights into how network ties are used by job seekers during a period of economic and environmental uncertainty.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

1 – 10 of 121