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1 – 10 of 611Zhu Yunxia and Herbert W. Hildebrandt
This paper aims to compare the Greek and Chinese rhetorical traditions and explore their influences on today’s business and marketing communication across relevant cultures. In…
Abstract
This paper aims to compare the Greek and Chinese rhetorical traditions and explore their influences on today’s business and marketing communication across relevant cultures. In particular, it uses the Aristotelian persuasive orientations as reference points to introduce the Chinese rhetoric, and interpret cultural differences in persuasion from a historical and sociocultural perspective. It has been found that Greek and Chinese rhetoric and persuasion were developed to meet the needs of the social and cultural environments and this rule still applies to today’s business communication. The logical approach has been emphasised in the English rhetorical tradition while both qing (emotional approach) and li (logical approach) are the focus of persuasion in the Chinese tradition. This difference is also the root of cultural differences in modern business communication. Findings from both English and Chinese texts and data are examined to substantiate our focal argument.
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Helmut Hildebrandt, Timo Schulte and Brigitte Stunder
The purpose of this article is to share emerging evidence about the qualitative and economic benefits of integrating care, based on an innovative population‐based approach across…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to share emerging evidence about the qualitative and economic benefits of integrating care, based on an innovative population‐based approach across a small region of Germany. The article aims to discuss the features that have similarities to the international discussion around managed care and accountable care, e.g. the use of a “gain share” model to incentivise all the main partners, and the quite unique approaches derived from a public health background. The operation of Gesundes Kinzigtal could be considered as a benchmark for the “Clinical commissioning groups” that are in development as a result of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
A regional health management company in cooperation with the physicians' network in the region and two health insurance providers has reorganized the delivery of care across all sectors towards improving the health of the population. The key features of the approach are summarised in the paper. Administrative and medical data obtained from the health insurance providers and from routine management monitoring are used to evaluate the benefits of the approach compared to control groups.
Findings
The project is beginning to demonstrate that this model of integrated care can be effective, with cost benefits and savings for the partners, and improved health outcomes for the population.
Research limitations/implications
The project started in 2006, and only early results of the first three to four years are reported here because of the use of claims data of health insurers.
Originality/value
The approach is an innovative model of integration in its combination of logistical re‐engineering of care processes, IT integration, public health and prevention measures. Its evaluation through an ambitious series of studies may have long‐term relevance for the organisation and management of care services internationally.
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The situating of pimatisiwin as a framework for spatial justice and self-determination aids educators in strengthening their understandings of Indigenous knowledges to support an…
Abstract
The situating of pimatisiwin as a framework for spatial justice and self-determination aids educators in strengthening their understandings of Indigenous knowledges to support an authentic inclusion of Indigenous students with disabilities. Through the sharing of Canada’s colonial history, and by critically examining the principles of care within special education, the author exposes its relationship with ableism, normalcy, eugenics, and white privilege to show how Indigenous peoples continue to be marginalized in the twenty-first century. This justice work asks educators to shift their perspectives of inclusion and wellness through the insertion of an Indigenous lens, one to help them see and hear the faces and voices of disabled Aboriginal children and their kinships. The chapter discusses the social model of disability, the psychology of Gentle Teaching, Indigenous ethics, and principles of natural laws through the voices of Nehiyawak and other knowledge keepers, in order to suggest an agenda for educators to come to an understanding of an emancipatory and gentle education. Spatial justice and Indigenous epistemologies merge as synergistic, inclusive, and holistic entities, to support Aboriginal children and youth as both they and those who teach learn to celebrate disabled ontologies. The chapter concludes by presenting how Gentle Teaching and Indigenous ways of knowing should be honored in this quest of creating an equitable, caring, and inclusive society for all disabled Indigenous children and youth.
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TOGETHER with other interested bodies, the “Arbeitseinsatzverwaltung” (Labour Utilization Administration), has (or long been devoting increasing attention to the problem of…
Abstract
TOGETHER with other interested bodies, the “Arbeitseinsatzverwaltung” (Labour Utilization Administration), has (or long been devoting increasing attention to the problem of supplementary training in the metal working industries. Formerly, these measures for the schooling and training of metal‐workers had been directed principally at improving the personal standard of efficiency of the individual; recently they have assumed a wider importance on account of the shortage of labour in certain of the metal‐working trades. The Labour Exchanges have concerned themselves directly with these schemes; in past years, with financial support, in collaboration with other agencies. Between 1933 and 1938, the training schemes sponsored by the Retch Labour Administration (Reichs‐Arbeitsverwaltung), dealt with a total of some 390,000 workers.
Consumer-generated online product reviews (OPRs) have become a crucial source of information for consumers; however, OPRs are increasingly being incentivized. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
Consumer-generated online product reviews (OPRs) have become a crucial source of information for consumers; however, OPRs are increasingly being incentivized. The purpose of this paper is to find a method of sponsorship and disclosure that could be considered ethically sound.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a quasi-experimental approach to clarifying how the method of sponsorship impacts reader perceptions of OPRs in terms of helpfulness, credibility and purchase intention. Two experiments were performed on an online platform using data from 480 participants. Hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance.
Findings
Meaning under the premise that sponsorship information is disclosed and not withheld from the readers, Study 1 revealed that experiential sponsorship is the best sponsorship. Study 2 revealed that featuring reviewers with greater influence in the online community increases the positive influence of disclosing experiential sponsorship on OPR persuasiveness.
Originality/value
The findings in this study provide rational incentives for firms to disclose sponsorship information, i.e. demonstrate high ethical standards in marketing. This was shown to create a win-win-win situation for consumers, firms and reviewers. Managerial implications for online marketing managers are also discussed.
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Jamie C. Gorman, David A. Grimm and Terri A. Dunbar
Teams focus on a common and valued goal, and effective teams are able to alter their behaviors in pursuit of this goal. When teams are viewed in the context of a dynamic…
Abstract
Teams focus on a common and valued goal, and effective teams are able to alter their behaviors in pursuit of this goal. When teams are viewed in the context of a dynamic environment, they must adapt to challenges in the environment in order to maintain team effectiveness. In this light, we describe various sources of team variation and how they combine with individual-level, team-level, and dynamical mechanisms for maintaining team effectiveness in a dynamic environment. The combination of these elements produces a systems view of team effectiveness. Our goals are to begin to define, both in words and in operational terms, team effectiveness from this perspective and to evaluate this definition in the context of team training using intelligent tutoring systems (team ITS). In addressing these goals, we present an example of real-time analysis of team effectiveness and some challenges for team ITS training based on a dynamical systems view of team effectiveness.
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Josine van den Elsen and Brenda Vermeeren
Research findings are ambiguous regarding the effects of age on sustainable labour participation (SLP), defined as the extent to which people are able and willing to conduct their…
Abstract
Purpose
Research findings are ambiguous regarding the effects of age on sustainable labour participation (SLP), defined as the extent to which people are able and willing to conduct their current and future work. The purpose of this paper is to contribute by examining age effects on SLP by focusing on the moderating role of workload.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method study was conducted in 2018. First, a survey was distributed among a sample of 2,149 employees of the Dutch central government. Second, 12 interviews with public sector employees took place to gain greater insight into the quantitative data collected.
Findings
Three components that reflect an employee’s SLP were studied: vitality, work ability and employability. The quantitative results, in general, showed that SLP decreased with ageing. However, in contrast to the hypothesis, the results showed a significant positive relationship between age and energy. Moreover, relationships between an employee’s age and certain aspects of their SLP were moderated by workload. The interviews helped to interpret these results.
Practical implications
The findings demonstrate that some of the older worker stereotypes are unfounded, and the important practical implications of these are discussed.
Originality/value
Earlier research has produced conflicting findings regarding the relationship between age and (aspects of) SLP. By investigating several aspects of SLP in separate regressions within this research, the specific influences of age have become clearer. Furthermore, the research provides fresh insights into the relationship between age and SLP by including moderating effects of workload.
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Rosa M. Muñoz, Silvia M. Andrade, Isidro Peña and Mario J. Donate
Innovation is one of the most important foundations on which to create and sustain competitive advantages in companies, but at the individual level, employee innovative behavior…
Abstract
Purpose
Innovation is one of the most important foundations on which to create and sustain competitive advantages in companies, but at the individual level, employee innovative behavior has recently been jeopardized by the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. changes in workplaces, employee interaction, motivation). This study analyzes wellness programs and actions through which organizations have tried to adapt to the new situation caused by COVID-19 and their effect on employee innovation behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling by means of the partial least squares technique was used to test the study's hypotheses after collecting survey data from Spanish companies, providing evidence that wellness programs and measures to deal with COVID-19 through perceived organizational support and affective commitment encourage employee innovation behavior.
Findings
The results suggest that efforts developed by firms focused on employee well-being to overcome difficulties caused by the pandemic strengthen innovative behaviors by means of intrinsic motivation based essentially on personal commitment. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed by the paper's authors.
Originality/value
This paper corroborates and extends previous research regarding wellness programs, perceived organization support and affective commitment. It provides a comprehensive model of relationships that predicts employee innovative behavior. It analyzes the influence of enterprise wellness programs based on protective COVID-19 measures.
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The competing values model (CVM) describes organizational culture in terms of what appear to be mutually exclusive value dimensions: structural control vs. flexibility, focus on…
Abstract
The competing values model (CVM) describes organizational culture in terms of what appear to be mutually exclusive value dimensions: structural control vs. flexibility, focus on internal vs. external stakeholders, and means vs. ends. The apparent paradox in simultaneously expressing competing values has implications for a variety of organizational phenomena, including leadership, decision making, and strategic management. The CVM thus offers promise for providing a common metric for multi‐level, trans‐organizational, and cross‐cultural analyses. To date, however, underlying assumptions regarding the competing values framework as a characterization of culture have not been fully validated. This research provides a test of the competing values model with methodology that is conceptually consonant with the paradoxical nature of the theory. Using a sample drawn from 10 U.S. organizations, a Qsort and multidimensional scaling analysis produce qualified support for a structure of organizational cultural values consistent with the CVM. Further, this study elaborates the CVM by suggesting a mechanism whereby the apparent paradox of competing values might be more effectively managed.
The purpose of this paper is to provide corporate communication educators and practitioners with historical information about the origins of their field, so that they may have a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide corporate communication educators and practitioners with historical information about the origins of their field, so that they may have a greater understanding of their own roles in the continuum of communication theory and practice.
Design/methodology/approach
Research into secondary and primary literature on the development of the medieval art of letter‐writing, ars dictaminis, frames an analysis of the career and influence of Thomas Sampson, a fourteenth‐century teacher of ars dictaminis and other business subjects. Sampson's textbook, Method of Letter‐writing, is compared to another example of the genre, The Principles of Letter‐writing, written some 250 years earlier by Anonymous of Bologna and published in a widely available current textbook.
Findings
Compared to The Principles of Letter‐writing, Sampson's text is direct, concrete, and demonstrates a high degree of audience awareness. Instead of separating theory from practice, Sampson integrates the two, producing engaging model letters that also function as case studies.
Originality/value
While today's rhetoricians do not accord Sampson the kind of respect they do the authors of more theoretical letter‐writing manuals, they concede that Sampson was an influential teacher. This paper concludes that Sampson's impact as an educator is itself worth studying. Copies of Method of Letter‐writing continued to circulate long after Sampson's death, contributing to the origins of corporate communication as we know it.
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