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Article
Publication date: 5 July 2024

Giuseppe Modarelli, Christian Rainero and Stefano Amelio

The purpose of this study is to provide a bidimensional perspective to study the role that diversity and occupation play in corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to provide a bidimensional perspective to study the role that diversity and occupation play in corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Design/methodology/approach

Five big American companies were selected from a ranking carried out by a globally recognised website for finding flexible and inclusive jobs (www.flexjob.com). After a gap evaluation, content analysis and click analysis were carried out on the institutional websites.

Findings

This analysis provides insight into best practices for inducing employees to select inclusive and non-toxic working environments.

Research limitations/implications

Owing to its original application of game-based inclusiveness, the limited cases and exploratory research approach should be considered as limits of the study.

Practical implications

The research illustrates the internal relevance of sustainability and diversity, creating best practices for bidimensional CSR by matching the offer of and demand for social-inclusive recruitment and employment.

Originality/value

In pursuit of Sustainable Development Goal No.10, regarding reduction of inequalities, games as an inclusive practice could be used to avoid toxic work environments and promote well-being in the workplace.

Details

Social Responsibility Journal, vol. 20 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-1117

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 18 September 2024

Mohamad Syahrul Nizam Ibrahim, Shazali Johari, Amirah Sariyati Mohd Yahya, Rosmiza Mohd Zainol and Suziana Hassan

Gunung Mulu National Park (GMNP) is one of the two protected areas with UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) status in Malaysia. Until now, this area can only be accessed by tourists…

Abstract

Gunung Mulu National Park (GMNP) is one of the two protected areas with UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) status in Malaysia. Until now, this area can only be accessed by tourists via air and water transportation only. Recently, the government has proposed the construction of a road connecting GMNP to several areas, including Miri City through a high-impact infrastructure project. However, this project might instigate the potential benefits and challenges in terms of tourism development and community well-being. As custodians of the park, their support for this initiative needs to be dismantled so that the management of the national park can still be implemented holistically and does not jeopardise the current UNESCO status of WHS. WHS is UNESCO-designated area of cultural, historical, scientific, or other significant value, legally safeguarded by international agreements, and preserved for the benefit of future generations due to its exceptional value to humanity. Thus, this study aims to examine challenges and socioeconomic impacts of the proposed road among key informants' perspectives at Long Terawan Village, Long Iman Village, Batu Bungan Village and GMNP Headquarters. The study was conducted via in-depth interviews with 10 community members residing in the settlement, including a tribal chief, boatman, lodging operator, park guide and farmer, all of whom are professionals and representatives of the local community. They were designated as key informants on account of their extensive engagement and development within the community. Through a thematic analysis, their perspectives on the proposed roads to be built in the area were elucidated. The study offers pragmatic understanding of socioeconomic impact assessment, which could inform strategic decision-making by incorporating information regarding potential benefits and challenges of the proposed road construction to an isolated protected area.

Details

The Emerald Handbook of Tourism Economics and Sustainable Development
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-709-9

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 September 2024

Gabrielle Oliveira, Carolina Barbosa Lindquist, Estela Sato Shiratori and Leila Baptaglin

This study aims to show the complexities of engagement between students - Venezuelan and Brazilian - and their teachers. This qualitative ethnographic study documents the everyday…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to show the complexities of engagement between students - Venezuelan and Brazilian - and their teachers. This qualitative ethnographic study documents the everyday pedagogies and practices that take place in elementary schools with high levels of refugee and immigrant children. While Brazilian law ensures the basic right to public education, forbidding discrimination based on nationality or immigration status (Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação, 1996), the barriers remain. Through the frameworks of multicultural (USA) and intercultural (Brazil) education, this paper shows how Brazilian teachers and students of Venezuelan and Brazilian backgrounds engage, learn from one another and build welcoming spaces, but also how stereotypes are reinforced inside classrooms and schools.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study uses ethnography to understand how recent Venezuelan migratory flow influences Brazilian and Venezuelan children’s educational experiences in elementary education. Participants were Venezuelan (N = 57) and Brazilian (N = 76) children in two elementary schools in the city of Boa Vista. Data sources for the study are school observations in four elementary classrooms (1st and 2nd grade) and semi-structured interviews with caregivers, teachers, administrators and other educators. This paper also collected children’s drawings and writings and documents like curricula, strategic planning, guidelines, policies, grades, reports and any other textual or photographic material made available at the city level.

Findings

In the field of education, there is a critical need for understanding children’s education experiences. This paper focuses on the experiences of teachers and students in two elementary schools in Brazil. This paper focus on two findings: first that teachers promote the learning of Portuguese to show care toward their Venezuelan students. Second, children in the classroom show solidarity with one another and resist some of the more rigid Portuguese-only practices enacted by teachers. This work uses the frameworks of intercultural (more commonly used in Brazil) and multicultural education to inform the analysis.

Research limitations/implications

In this study, this paper puts these frameworks of interculturalism, multiculturalism, language use and solidarity into conversation to understand the dynamics of two elementary classrooms in the city of Boa Vista, Brazil. While this paper shows the shortcomings of a seemingly multicultural and multilanguage classroom, it also shows how children actively resist the rigidity of teaching and learning in elementary schooling.

Originality/value

This study is a response both to the increasing South–South migration trend in Latin America and its consequences on public education systems. Through multicultural and intercultural lenses, this research highlighted the complexity of interactions within multicultural classrooms by delving into a two-year ethnographic study conducted in Boa Vista, Brazil, focusing on Venezuelan and Brazilian children in two local elementary schools. This paper focused on two main observations this paper refers to as “Teaching Portuguese as a Way of Caring” and “Children's Solidarity Work.” Teachers primarily centered their instruction on teaching Portuguese to migrant children, believing it to lead to quicker integration in the classroom and beyond – thus as a way of caring for their migrant students.

Details

Journal for Multicultural Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-535X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 December 2022

Kesavan Manoharan, Pujitha Dissanayake, Chintha Pathirana, M.M.D.R. Deegahawature and Renuka Silva

Studies highlight that poor labour supervision and inadequate labour training facilities are the primary factors that result in labour skill shortages and productivity-related…

Abstract

Purpose

Studies highlight that poor labour supervision and inadequate labour training facilities are the primary factors that result in labour skill shortages and productivity-related challenges among construction firms. This study aims to assess the construction supervisors’ abilities in providing work-based training elements and evaluating labour skills in construction.

Design/methodology/approach

A construction supervisory training programme was newly designed with a set of labour training exercises using comprehensive approaches. A total of 64 construction supervisors were trained to deliver the labour training components for more than 250 labourers working on 23 construction projects in Sri Lanka. The supervisors’ competencies were assessed using a detailed marking guide developed through expert discussions and literature reviews.

Findings

The results show the detailed cross-section of a wide range of competencies of the construction supervisors in providing labour training elements with the levels of standards/descriptions. The generalisability of the study applications and the reliability of the results were ensured using statistical tests and expert reviews. The findings further describe the impacts of the well-improved competencies of construction supervisors on labour working patterns and work outputs.

Research limitations/implications

Though the study findings were limited to the Sri Lankan construction sector, the study applications can have a considerable impact on the current/future practices of the construction sector in developing countries as well as other developing industries.

Social implications

The study outcomes may contribute to a rapid increase in the number of construction supervisors becoming certified assessors of National Vocational Qualifications up to certain levels. This paper describes the further extensive implications and future scopes of the study elaborately.

Originality/value

The study adds new characteristics and values to construction supervision practices that can be remarkable in achieving higher levels of performance and productivity in labour operations. Importantly, the study contributes to adorning the job role of construction supervisors with the title of “labour training expert”.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. 22 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 16 May 2024

Kesavan Manoharan, Pujitha Dissanayake, Chintha Pathirana, Dharsana Deegahawature and Renuka Silva

The sustainability of the construction industry is associated with the productivity, profitability and competitiveness of the firms, which are significantly affected by…

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Abstract

Purpose

The sustainability of the construction industry is associated with the productivity, profitability and competitiveness of the firms, which are significantly affected by inefficient site supervision and labour management approaches. This study aims to use a case study with mixed methods to evaluate the site supervisory characteristics in labour management, labour performance assessment and labour productivity measurement towards developing meaningful guidelines in polishing construction supervision attributes.

Design/methodology/approach

Well-developed modern apprenticeship elements were applied to 62 construction supervisors who were selected using the snowball sampling method, and their relevant competency characteristics were assessed using a comprehensively developed grading mechanism connected with useful training manuals/tools. Academic reviews, experts’ consultations and other meticulous mixed approaches were applied at different stages of the research plan’s sequential layout.

Findings

The mean performance scores of supervisors indicate proficient-level grades in the competency characteristics related to applying efficient labour management procedures and developing-level grades in designing productivity measurement tools, performing assessments on efficiency and productivity and proposing enhancement practices on efficiency and productivity for site operations. The findings point to a modern generalised guideline that establishes the ranges of supervisory attributes within the scope of the study. The validity, reliability, adaptability and generalisability of the findings were assured by using pertinent statistical tests and professional assessments.

Research limitations/implications

Though the study’s conclusions/findings are primarily applicable to the construction environment of a developing country comparable to the Sri Lankan context, they will considerably impact current/future industrial practices in various other countries and emerging industries.

Originality/value

The research has produced a conceptualised modern tool that guides determining the capacity levels of supervisory attributes for carrying out labour management, labour performance assessment and labour productivity measurement aspects in construction. The research has opened a pump that inflows new values of highly workable supervision features for strengthening the site management structures and filling the industry’s knowledge vacuum in the methodical execution of apprenticeships.

Details

Journal of Responsible Production and Consumption, vol. 1 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2977-0114

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 May 2024

Hung-Tai Tsou, Yu-Hsun Lin and Pui Yan Loo

Social live streaming services (SLSS) have infused gamification into interface design and feature applications. Firms adopt gamification mechanisms to win customer loyalty in the…

Abstract

Purpose

Social live streaming services (SLSS) have infused gamification into interface design and feature applications. Firms adopt gamification mechanisms to win customer loyalty in the live streaming and SLSS markets. Based on the mechanics-dynamics-aesthetics (MDA) framework and uses and gratifications 2.0 theory (UGT 2.0), this study aims to investigate the effects of game mechanics (mechanics) on enjoyment and user retention (aesthetics) through rewards and social interaction (dynamics) in the context of SLSS.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used an online survey via Google Forms, SurveyCake and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Line to collect data from 232 SLSS users in Taiwan. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was adopted to analyze the data.

Findings

The results validated the relationships between game mechanics and dynamic elements (rewards and social interaction) that triggered aesthetic elements (enjoyment feelings) among users. In addition, users experienced a sense of enjoyment that led to usage retention when using the gamified SLSS. Further, this study found enjoyment crucial for users to stay interactive with gamified services.

Originality/value

Driven by UGT 2.0, this study closed the gaps by integrating the MDA framework into the SLSS context and better understanding how game mechanics are connected to rewards and social interaction, leading to enjoyment and user retention when using SLSS. This study provides fresh insights into gamification-oriented SLSS practices. It offers significant theoretical and managerial implications and provides guidelines for SLSS platform operators on fostering user retention.

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 26 January 2024

Nannan Xi, Juan Chen, Filipe Gama, Henry Korkeila and Juho Hamari

In recent years, there has been significant interest in adopting XR (extended reality) technologies such as VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality), particularly in…

4615

Abstract

Purpose

In recent years, there has been significant interest in adopting XR (extended reality) technologies such as VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality), particularly in retail. However, extending activities through reality-mediation is still mostly believed to offer an inferior experience due to their shortcomings in usability, wearability, graphical fidelity, etc. This study aims to address the research gap by experimentally examining the acceptance of metaverse shopping.

Design/methodology/approach

This study conducts a 2 (VR: with vs. without) × 2 (AR: with vs. without) between-subjects laboratory experiment involving 157 participants in simulated daily shopping environments. This study builds a physical brick-and-mortar store at the campus and stocked it with approximately 600 products with accompanying product information and pricing. The XR devices and a 3D laser scanner were used in constructing the three XR shopping conditions.

Findings

Results indicate that XR can offer an experience comparable to, or even surpassing, traditional shopping in terms of its instrumental and hedonic aspects, regardless of a slightly reduced perception of usability. AR negatively affected perceived ease of use, while VR significantly increased perceived enjoyment. It is surprising that the lower perceived ease of use appeared to be disconnected from the attitude toward metaverse shopping.

Originality/value

This study provides important experimental evidence on the acceptance of XR shopping, and the finding that low perceived ease of use may not always be detrimental adds to the theory of technology adoption as a whole. Additionally, it provides an important reference point for future randomized controlled studies exploring the effects of technology on adoption.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 34 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

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