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Article
Publication date: 2 May 2017

Anita Kit-Wa Chan, Lucille Lok-Sun Ngan, Anthony K.W. Wong and W.S. Chan

Cross-border students – children who are permanent residents of Hong Kong but live on the mainland and travel across the border to school every day – have been an important…

Abstract

Purpose

Cross-border students – children who are permanent residents of Hong Kong but live on the mainland and travel across the border to school every day – have been an important social, educational and political issue in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, current discussions regarding this issue focus mainly on the group of students whose parents are Chinese residents and seldom examine the wider contribution of social, geo-political, global-economic and policy changes to the phenomenon. These shortcomings have limited the understanding of the role of the state and the varied needs of these child migrants from diverse family backgrounds. This paper aims to address these gaps.

Design/methodology/approach

It proposes to bring changing border and immigration policies in Hong Kong back into the current analysis and offers a case study of border history. It revisits publications on Hong Kong’s immigration and migration policies, official statistics and government policy papers and (re)constructs the border changes that took place during the period from 1950 to 2013, which led to the rise and complexity of cross-border students.

Findings

This critical historical review offers two important findings: First, it reveals how the government, through its restrictive and liberalized border regulations, has constrained and produced different types of cross-border families. Second, it shows that cross-border students come from diverse family configurations, which have adopted cross-border schooling as a family strategy.

Originality/value

These findings underscore the importance of historical perspective, the wider context in migration studies, the centrality of the state in migrant families and a differentiated understanding of child migrants.

Details

Social Transformations in Chinese Societies, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1871-2673

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 March 2023

Nicola Yelland, Clare Bartholomaeus and Anita Kit-wa Chan

This article reflects on the adaption of Sarah Pink's video re-enactment methodology for exploring children's out-of-school lifeworlds.

Abstract

Purpose

This article reflects on the adaption of Sarah Pink's video re-enactment methodology for exploring children's out-of-school lifeworlds.

Design/methodology/approach

Video re-enactments originate in the work of Sarah Pink who developed the methodology to study everyday routines, including activities associated with people's energy consumption at home. This article discusses the adaption of this methodology for exploring 9–10-year-old children's out-of-school lifeworlds in their homes in the global cities of Hong Kong, Melbourne and Singapore.

Findings

The article reflects on the practical ways in which the video re-enactment methodology was adapted to explore children's out-of-school activities in the three different locations. In terms of activities, the findings highlight that children's out-of-school lifeworlds included regular routines across a week that contribute to and constitute their everyday activities, with varying time spent on leisure, homework and scheduled activities.

Originality/value

The authors discuss and reflect on the implications of adapting a methodology in order to make it relevant and innovative in a new research context. The use of video re-enactments with children to explore their out-of-school activities gives greater insights into their lifeworlds and their engagement in various activities and the opportunity for children to reflect on their everyday lives.

Details

Qualitative Research Journal, vol. 23 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1443-9883

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2004

Anita Kitwa Chan

This paper, based on forty in‐depth interviews with teachers and principals in Hong Kong, utilizes the insights of feminist organization studies to explore the persistence of…

Abstract

This paper, based on forty in‐depth interviews with teachers and principals in Hong Kong, utilizes the insights of feminist organization studies to explore the persistence of gender inequalities in primary school teaching. Two common practices, namely the assignment of women and men to teach lower and higher grades respectively and the monopoly of men in positions of disciplining and authority, are centered. The data suggest that schools and teachers actively construct and reproduce gender inequalities by trivializing teaching of young children as babysitting, naturalizing women as natural caregivers, and normalizing the use of threat in disciplinary control. My analysis also argues that these routine and pervasive gendering processes are not often acknowledged or challenged, which have the effects of marginalizing caring work, overlooking the emotional labor of women, valorizing a masculine view of authority, encouraging men and boys to compete for power via aggression, and hence producing a masculinist workplace.

Details

Equal Opportunities International, vol. 23 no. 3/4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0261-0159

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 January 2010

Jennifer Anderson, Kit Wa Chan, Cathy Walsh and Mervyn London

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the clinical practice for management of opiate dependence in a general hospital in‐patient population based on agreed standards and…

343

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the clinical practice for management of opiate dependence in a general hospital in‐patient population based on agreed standards and changes of clinical practice after the introduction of a guideline.

Design/methodology/approach

A complete cycle of audit was carried out based on the agreed guideline, which was introduced after the first cycle. Data were obtained, using a standardized audit form, over two one‐year periods, by cross‐sectional analysis of case notes for patients identified as having been dispensed methadone whilst an in‐patient.

Findings

There were significant increases in: referral to the specialist service whilst an in‐patient (p=0.01); referral to the addiction services on discharge (p<0.001) and providing information about the addiction diagnosis to GP (p<0.001). However, there was no improvement in the documented history and examination related to aspects of addiction, some of which were consistently low. Of most concern were significant decreases in the history documented for opiate withdrawal symptoms and alcohol consumption.

Research limitations/implications

The method used may not reflect actual clinical practice, only captures opiate‐dependent patients prescribed methadone and does not establish the extent of awareness of the new guideline.

Practical implications

The paper identifies a variation in clinical practice of management of patients with opiate dependence in the general hospital. Though there were some significant improvements, further improvement and continual evaluation are needed.

Originality/value

The paper identifies the need to study how co‐morbid opiate dependence is managed in the acute hospital setting.

Details

Clinical Governance: An International Journal, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7274

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2005

Li‐teh Sun

Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American…

Abstract

Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American preemptive invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and the subsequent prisoner abuse, such an existence seems to be farther and farther away from reality. The purpose of this work is to stop this dangerous trend by promoting justice, love, and peace through a change of the paradigm that is inconsistent with justice, love, and peace. The strong paradigm that created the strong nation like the U.S. and the strong man like George W. Bush have been the culprit, rather than the contributor, of the above three universal ideals. Thus, rather than justice, love, and peace, the strong paradigm resulted in in justice, hatred, and violence. In order to remove these three and related evils, what the world needs in the beginning of the third millenium is the weak paradigm. Through the acceptance of the latter paradigm, the golden mean or middle paradigm can be formulated, which is a synergy of the weak and the strong paradigm. In order to understand properly the meaning of these paradigms, however, some digression appears necessary.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 25 no. 6/7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2023

Ying Kit Cherry Kwan, Mei Wa Chan and Dickson K.W. Chiu

In the 21st century, libraries are experiencing a significant decline in users due to shifting reading habits and the impact of technology, necessitating library transformation…

Abstract

Purpose

In the 21st century, libraries are experiencing a significant decline in users due to shifting reading habits and the impact of technology, necessitating library transformation and a heightened emphasis on library marketing. Special libraries, in particular, rely heavily on patrons for survival, often due to their private ownership and limited resources. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objectives.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines the Taste Library, a special library in Hong Kong, and analyzes its current practices based on an interview with its founder, website content, and social media presence. The 7Ps Marketing Mix model is employed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the library's current market position.

Findings

The Taste Library's existing practices exhibit limitations in attracting young patrons. To address this issue, we propose marketing strategies focused on enhancing social network presence, offering digitized content, and engaging in school outreach.

Practical implications

By concentrating on youth marketing, this study offers valuable insights for special libraries in developing strategic plans for transitioning and maintaining sustainability.

Originality/value

Few studies concentrate on marketing small special libraries, particularly in the East, within today's digitized economy.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2022

Kim Oi Mei Kuok, Sow Hup Joanne Chan, Hera Kit Wa Kou, Siew Huat Kong and Lancy Vai Iun Mac

Because of the nature of their work, frontline service employees are highly exposed to customer incivility (CI) and are required to perform surface acting (SA) in such…

Abstract

Purpose

Because of the nature of their work, frontline service employees are highly exposed to customer incivility (CI) and are required to perform surface acting (SA) in such circumstances. Both CI and SA have detrimental impact to a sustainable workforce. This study aims to investigate the psychological effects of CI and SA on emotional exhaustion (EE), organizational commitment (OC) and work–family conflict (WFC).

Design/methodology/approach

Data from 203 respondents who successfully completed the questionnaire is used for the analysis. Structural equation modelling and bootstrapping were performed to investigate the relationship among variables.

Findings

The study found that both CI and SA are positively related to EE. EE is negatively related to OC and positively related to WFC. EE was engaged as a mediator between CI and OC, and between CI and WFC. EE also served as a mediator between SA and OC, and between SA and WFC.

Originality/value

The findings advanced our knowledge of the impact of CI and SA on EE, OC and WFC. Based on the findings, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Details

The Learning Organization, vol. 29 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-6474

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2000

Anthony Moung Yin CHAN, Fangus Wai Wa CHU and Chi Kwong YUEN

Total quality management (TQM) has been a popular managerial topic since the 1980s. However, not too many organizations have successfully implemented it. This paper studies a…

Abstract

Total quality management (TQM) has been a popular managerial topic since the 1980s. However, not too many organizations have successfully implemented it. This paper studies a successful TQM project implemented in a manufacturing company in the People's Republic of China. It reports the TQM implementation process, the benefits generated from the TQM project, the problems that arose from the adoption of TQM for the company, and the main factors for the eventual success of the project. This case study is a reference for managers and researchers who are interested in TQM or interested in the Chinese managerial environment in general.

Details

International Journal of Commerce and Management, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1056-9219

Article
Publication date: 3 October 2016

Yuk-sik Chong

This paper aims to understand the implication of night soil selling at the public toilets for the shared interests between colonial state and business in nineteenth-century Hong…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to understand the implication of night soil selling at the public toilets for the shared interests between colonial state and business in nineteenth-century Hong Kong. More specifically, this paper attempts to look at the ways the toilets were sustained by the sharing interests over night soil profits between state and business sector.

Design/methodology/approach

It is argued from the political economy perspective that the night soil profit determined the public toilet development.

Findings

The successful emergence of the modern state of colonies was generally attributed to colonial modernization, a force that was widely recognized for having introduced hygienic modernity. It was easily assumed that the public toilets would be provided by colonial government. Instead, sanitary problems during the early colonization of this colony were addressed by the privately-owned public pail toilets provided by big Chinese landowners through the selling of night soil. Based on this quasi-commercial mode, these toilets, which served as night soil collection points, were certainly inefficient; they however survived for half a century into the early twentieth century.

Originality/value

The paper challenges the long-established assumptions of binary relations and hierarchical public roles that put them into zero-sum competition of capacity. It rather argues that the interests aligned with each other.

Details

Social Transformations in Chinese Societies, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1871-2673

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2004

Lawrence Wai‐Chung Lai and Pearl Yik‐Long Chan

This paper uses a probit model to analyse 100 observations in terms of three hypotheses about the formation of owners’ corporations in high‐density private housing estates in Hong…

1433

Abstract

This paper uses a probit model to analyse 100 observations in terms of three hypotheses about the formation of owners’ corporations in high‐density private housing estates in Hong Kong within the context of Mancur Olson’s group theory. The findings do not reject the theory, revealing that it is more likely for an older urban estate with fewer owners to form owners’ corporations. The discussion includes a brief introduction to Olson’s group theory and the development of the probit analysis. Some speculative thoughts about public participation in local level urban management and planning are offered in the conclusion.

Details

Property Management, vol. 22 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-7472

Keywords

1 – 10 of 41