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1 – 10 of over 7000This paper is based on insights from philosophy of science, centered in Gilbert Ryle’s notion of “category mistakes”. A category mistake occurs in a science when scholars have…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper is based on insights from philosophy of science, centered in Gilbert Ryle’s notion of “category mistakes”. A category mistake occurs in a science when scholars have been thinking of a phenomenon as of a certain sort, when it is really nothing of the kind. This paper aims to claim that regarding sustained enterprise innovation (SEI) as a strictly operational problem commits such a category mistake. Instead, SEI is an aspirational problem and thus requires scholars to examine it from that perspective as well.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper begins by explicating Ryle’s notion of a category mistake. It develops the suggestion that innovation scholars have made such a mistake by thinking of innovation as a strictly operational problem. In reality, it is as much an aspirational problem. The paper then builds on the metaphor made famous by Isaiah Berlin, distinguishing between hedgehogs and foxes. A hedgehog is a leader who copes with the non-predictive nature of innovation. The paper builds on the findings from positive psychology and virtue epistemology to highlight how humans can act rationally in the face of non-predictive outcomes. Four virtues of hedgehog leadership are proposed and defined.
Findings
The paper concludes that hedgehog leadership is necessary for sustained enterprise innovation. It also concludes that hedgehogs can act rationally in pursuit of non-predictive outcomes by practicing a set of governing virtues.
Research limitations/implications
Further research needs to be conducted to validate the proposed governing virtues, to illuminate the optimal hedgehog/fox balance within the enterprise, and to validate through longitudinal work the impact of hedgehogs on sustained enterprise innovation.
Practical implications
Based on the continuing interest in innovation expressed by enterprise leaders around the world, hedgehogs are in increasing demand. Fortunately, hedgehogs can be made (and self-made) via deliberate practice of the governing virtues. Aspiring and current hedgehogs can be confident that practicing these virtues and becoming increasingly adept at their application will promote and effect enterprise innovation.
Originality/value
Very little research has been conducted on the aspirational aspect of SEI. This is an insidious gap in the literature, as it affects scholars and practitioners alike. Scholars are trapped in the “normal science” paradigm that treats the innovation problem as if it can be solved through operational techniques. This paper contends that this ubiquitous category mistake has led scholars down a blind alley. Instead, it is important for scholars and practitioners alike to view SEI as an aspirational problem that requires vastly different research frameworks and practitioner prescriptions.
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A longstanding question of American constitutionalism emerges out of the fact that constitutions demand fidelity. By virtue of what is the American Constitution binding? Zevit…
Abstract
A longstanding question of American constitutionalism emerges out of the fact that constitutions demand fidelity. By virtue of what is the American Constitution binding? Zevit contends that many of the explanations of constitutional fidelity offered today fail to reconcile Americans’ submission to a Constitution written and ratified by generations of long ago with their claim (or aspiration) to be self-governing as a People today. Zevit introduces one type of explanation (the aptness explanation) that does not contain this flaw, and, drawing on an expansive definition of culture as a notion that encompasses the legal-political, offers the concepts of legal-political culture and baseline community as a framework for assessing the Constitution’s aptness while maintaining the People’s self-rule. She argues that constitutional aptness secures the foundations of constitutional legitimacy.
John Harrison and David Rooney
Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the roles of ethics and wisdom in knowledge economies and specifically the place of ethics and wisdom in social research in…
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the roles of ethics and wisdom in knowledge economies and specifically the place of ethics and wisdom in social research in knowledge economies.
Approach – It does this through examining traditional theories of ethics, their application in the context of research ethics, and the origins of the current institutional ethics approval regimes. The limitations of consequentialist and deontological approaches to ethics in social research are articulated, as is the rise of neo Aristotelian virtue ethics – to which wisdom is integral. Questions are posed about several high-profile cases of past social research, and the extent to which these might be considered both unethical and unwise. Attention is then given to the place of wisdom in the practice of social research. Aristotle presents practical wisdom as an executive virtue that coherently integrates intellectual and ethical virtues to create deliberative excellence.
Findings – Practical wisdom is thus seen as a way of performing as an educated, skilled, and ethical social actor with carefully constructed predispositions which automatically seek excellence and well-being. Furthermore, a wise social researcher considers the needs of others carefully to try to find the right thing to do, but in understanding others emotionally, intellectually, or otherwise, is not manipulative. The conclusion poses the question as to how practical wisdom might be developed applied to the practices of contemporary social research.
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In this chapter, the author explores the principles of responsible management education through the lens of Taoism. This chapter begins by introducing the concepts of…
Abstract
In this chapter, the author explores the principles of responsible management education through the lens of Taoism. This chapter begins by introducing the concepts of knowledge-inquiry and wisdom-inquiry and highlights the differences between the two in the context of management education. The author emphasizes the importance of wisdom-inquiry in management education, arguing that it allows individuals to not only understand and analyze information but also to apply ethical considerations when making decisions. This chapter delves into how to synthesize knowledge and wisdom in education, highlighting the need for a balance between technical skills and ethical awareness in management education. This chapter concludes with an examination of the principles of managing talent by balancing competence and character. The author discusses how to hire for character and train for competence in human resources management and development. This approach involves focusing on developing individuals' character traits, such as integrity, compassion and empathy, in addition to their technical skills. This chapter demonstrates the value of incorporating Taoist principles into management education. When the importance of wisdom-inquiry, balancing competence and character, and developing ethical leaders is emphasized, management education can prepare individuals to navigate the complexities of the modern business landscape while promoting responsible business practices.
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This chapter examines the role of phrónēsis in the context of research ethics, noting how it is often contrasted with the proceduralist approach associated with ethical…
Abstract
This chapter examines the role of phrónēsis in the context of research ethics, noting how it is often contrasted with the proceduralist approach associated with ethical regulation. The meaning of the term in the writings of Aristotle is outlined. This is followed by an examination of some of the ways in which the concept has been applied more recently, for example in relation to professionalism and professional ethics. Here, it is often combined with similar ideas, such as Polanyi’s notion of tacit knowing. These more recent applications of the concept involve some deviation from the original sense of the term, but it is argued that there are good reasons for this, arising from changes in prevailing values and social conditions since the time of Aristotle. Furthermore, there are complexities with which he did not deal, notably the Machiavellian idea that in some circumstances unethical actions may be necessary to achieve desirable goals. The chapter ends by considering whether phrónēsis always leads to good ethical judgements. This seems to be true by definition on Aristotle’s formulation, but he assumes a greater degree of harmony amongst virtues or values than seems to be the case. And this is a particular problem in the case of social research, since its goal is in dispute.
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Andrew Crowden and Matthew Gildersleeve
This paper is a brief reflection on teaching bioethics to students and practitioners in science and other applied disciplines. After identifying relevant key questions and…
Abstract
This paper is a brief reflection on teaching bioethics to students and practitioners in science and other applied disciplines. After identifying relevant key questions and acknowledging that a variety of approaches to the teaching of applied ethics can be successful, the authors outline why interdisciplinary collaboration between philosophers and discipline experts is our preferred way to teach (and practice) bioethics (and applied ethics). The authors suggest that the reason for the effectiveness of sensible collaborations can be explained by reference to a virtue ethics ‘philosophy of place’ influenced ‘distinct ethics’ approach to understanding the nuanced nature of applied ethics and its relationship to moral philosophy.
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The purpose of this paper is to assess the role of hedge fund administrators, particularly in relation to valuing complex and/or illiquid financial instruments.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the role of hedge fund administrators, particularly in relation to valuing complex and/or illiquid financial instruments.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper proceeds by way of an analysis of key trends and developments within the hedge fund administration industry in relation to the regulatory challenges posed by complex and/or illiquid instruments.
Findings
The paper argues that, because of inherent problems over the attribution of value to complex and/or illiquid assets, emphasis on independent valuation by administrators is largely misplaced. Recent events concerning valuation difficulties in the subprime mortgage market illustrate these very concerns.
Originality/value
The paper questions the ability of independent hedge fund administrators to provide reliable valuations for complex and/or illiquid instruments. Independent valuation of such assets suggests a level of scrutiny that is in fact not present. Moreover, the financial market meltdown surrounding the collapse of the subprime mortgage market provides a timely and salutary reminder that independent valuations of complex and/or illiquid instruments are inherently unreliable.
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To address the much heated debate now raging in the international scene, namely between Islam and the West as two great civilization forces of mankind.
Abstract
Purpose
To address the much heated debate now raging in the international scene, namely between Islam and the West as two great civilization forces of mankind.
Design/methodology/approach
The objective is achieved by studying it in the light of rigorous analysis involving the world‐systems of the two paradigms and by subjecting the analysis to mathematical investigation as necessary.
Findings
Some specific issues, such as epistemology and the associated phenomenological model, its application for economy, markets, money and globalization are investigated to establish the arguments of the paper.
Research limitations/implications
If research is reported on in the paper this section must be completed and should include suggestions for future research and any identified limitations in the research process.
Practical implications
Some practical implications arising from the theoretical basis of the paper are shown in the areas of money and real economy, globalization and the economy.
Originality/value
Such a contrasting scientific argumentation between Islam and neoliberalism as the contrasting paradigms has not been undertaken in any paper that I know of. Thus, this is an original paper in argumentation rather than polemics.
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Mohammadreza Salehi, Nader Pourmahmoud, Amir Hassanzadeh, S. Hoseinzadeh and P.S. Heyns
Using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique, this paper aims to investigate the influence of key parameters such as throat diameter; the suction ratio on the flow field…
Abstract
Purpose
Using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique, this paper aims to investigate the influence of key parameters such as throat diameter; the suction ratio on the flow field behaviors such as Mach number; pressure; and temperature.
Design/methodology/approach
To investigate the effect of throat diameter, it is simulated for 4, 6, 8 and 10 mm as throat diameters. The governing equations have been solved by standard code of Fluent Software together with a compressible 2 D symmetric and turbulence model with the standard k–ε model. First, the influence of the throat diameter is investigated by keeping the inlet mass flow constant.
Findings
The results show that a place of shock wave creation is changed by changing the throat diameter. The obtained results illustrate that the maximum amount of Mach number is dependent on the throat diameter. It is obtained from the results that for smaller throats higher Mach numbers can be obtained. Therefore, for mixing purposes smaller throats and for exhausting bigger throats seems to be appropriate.
Originality/value
The obtained numerical results are compared to the existing experimental ones which show good agreement.
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Jon‐Arild Johannessen and Arnulf Hauan
Discusses possible future approaches to questions of industrial organization. Suggests a meta‐model of an organization producing goods which combines the information requirements…
Abstract
Discusses possible future approaches to questions of industrial organization. Suggests a meta‐model of an organization producing goods which combines the information requirements of management and control functions and critical requirements of a holographic (heterarchic) organization. Suggests a conceptual framework that provides a method of linking information and communication. Makes a distinction between information‐network organization and communication‐network organization. Discusses various architectural designs in terms of how their properties can serve the governing mechanism of the organization. Argues that synergetic effects are, ideally, optimized through fully integrated communication networks. Also discusses advantages gained through the use of communication‐related technology with the aim of shortening idea‐to‐product time‐cycles. The questions of architectural design and the technological options cannot be treated separately or extracted from the organizational context. Successful implementation of such technology is dependent on simultaneous development of high‐level “communicative competence”, i.e. the ability to create and convey metaphoric knowledge in ways that enhance the holographic qualities of the organization.
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