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Article
Publication date: 25 July 2008

Hartmut Huebner, Richard Varey and Laurie Wood

Rational modes of decision‐making, followed by communication of the decision to stakeholders, leading to implementation of the decision is taken as a given in most management…

3170

Abstract

Purpose

Rational modes of decision‐making, followed by communication of the decision to stakeholders, leading to implementation of the decision is taken as a given in most management theories. The role of corporate communication managers in many cases is to support this process via standard communication tools. This study aims to challenge the efficacy of this model by drawing on discourse and strategy‐as‐practice perspectives in order to explain the link between managed communication and performance in terms of enacting decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

Following an ethnographic case study approach, the research analyses communication discourse at Intech, a major international conglomerate based in Germany. Data was collected over a period of 15 months, structured and thematic analysis conducted, supported by ATLAS.ti computer‐aided qualitative data analysis software. Methods of discourse analysis were applied in order to explain concrete practices.

Findings

A key contribution is to provide a framework that enables researchers and practitioners to understand in‐depth the setting in which decision‐related communication takes place, as recently demanded by Suchan and Charles (2006). Three critical fields of action for effective communication and strategy implementation are identified: giving decisions voice; facilitating the legitimisation process for decisions; and developing alternatives to cascading as a mode of decision implementation.

Research implications/limitations

Researchers may adopt the alternative view of corporate communication proposed and test or apply it in further case studies or in more large‐scale, perhaps quantitatively oriented research projects across companies and cultural boundaries.

Practical implications

For practitioners, a key challenge lies in implementing modes of legitimisation into managed communication.

Originality/value

This paper makes the case for an alternative approach to enacting decisions via practices of managed communication, based on the insights gained from the Intech case.

Details

Journal of Communication Management, vol. 12 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-254X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 6 December 2018

Janet Mifsud and Cristina Gavrilovici

Big Data analysis is one of the key challenges to the provision of health care to emerge in the last few years. This challenge has been spearheaded by the huge interest in the…

Abstract

Big Data analysis is one of the key challenges to the provision of health care to emerge in the last few years. This challenge has been spearheaded by the huge interest in the “4Ps” of health care (predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory). Big Data offers striking development opportunities in health care and life sciences. Healthcare research is already using Big Data to analyze the spatial distribution of diseases such as diabetes mellitus at detailed geographic levels. Big Data is also being used to assess location-specific risk factors based on data of health insurance claims. Other studies in systems medicine utilize bioinformatics approaches to human biology which necessitate Big Data statistical analysis and medical informatics tools. Big Data is also being used to develop electronic algorithms to forecast clinical events in real time, with the intent to improve patient outcomes and thus reduce costs.

Yet, this Big Data era also poses critically difficult ethical challenges, since it is breaking down the traditional divisions between what belongs to public and private domains in health care and health research. Big Data in health care raises complex ethical concerns due to use of huge datasets obtained from different sources for varying reasons. The clinical translation of this Big Data is thus resulting in key ethical and epistemological challenges for those who use these data to generate new knowledge and the clinicians who eventually apply it to improve patient care.

Underlying this challenge is the fact that patient consent often cannot be collected for the use of individuals’ personal data which then forms part of this Big Data. There is also the added dichotomy of healthcare providers which use such Big Data in attempts to reduce healthcare costs, and the negative impact this may have on the individual with respect to privacy issues and potential discrimination.

Big Data thus challenges societal norms of privacy and consent. Many questions are being raised on how these huge masses of data can be managed into valuable information and meaningful knowledge, while still maintaining ethical norms. Maintaining ethical integrity may lack behind in such a fast-changing sphere of knowledge. There is also an urgent need for international cooperation and standards when considering the ethical implications of the use of Big Data-intensive information.

This chapter will consider some of the main ethical aspects of this fast-developing field in the provision of health care, health research, and public health. It will use examples to concretize the discussion, such as the ethical aspects of the applications of Big Data obtained from clinical trials, and the use of Big Data obtained from the increasing popularity of health mobile apps and social media sites.

Details

Ethics and Integrity in Health and Life Sciences Research
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78743-572-8

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1935

OUR readers need no apology from us for the attention given to Library Training in these pages. The amount of dissatisfaction with the present state of affairs, if it may be…

Abstract

OUR readers need no apology from us for the attention given to Library Training in these pages. The amount of dissatisfaction with the present state of affairs, if it may be judged from the gossip and letters that reach us, is of some proportions. It is not to be supposed that complaints are necessarily justified. They may be made in the natural chagrin of disappointment by candidates who have failed. Alternatively, there may be reasons which have a disinterested origin. The record of passes and failures shows that in December there was a dêbacle in candidates in the subject of cataloguing, which at least merits thought. In earlier issues it has been suggested by our writers that examinations twice yearly encourage experiments in sitting. There has also been the suggestion that librarians place too much stress on qualifications for their juniors and urge them to struggle with subjects for which they cannot be ready. To pass in cataloguing a student must be able to catalogue anything from a novel to an academic thesis in Anglo‐Norman French on Phlogiston, supposing that to be possible!

Details

New Library World, vol. 37 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1960

W.A. MUNFORD

From whichever point of view we consider it, Edwards's Memoirs of Libraries is a remarkable work. Its two volumes provide a total of two thousand pages of text It is at once a…

Abstract

From whichever point of view we consider it, Edwards's Memoirs of Libraries is a remarkable work. Its two volumes provide a total of two thousand pages of text It is at once a history of libraries—and a history on a world scale—and a manual of library administration. It can, of course, be criticised on that score. Would it not have been better to have issued the history separately, in two still sizeable volumes, and to have presented the practical manual as a separate work? As published by Trubner in 1859 the manual occupies the second half of the second volume which itself consists of rather more than 1,100 pages. But to Edwards the history and the administration were by no means so clearly divisible. The practical chapter on book‐binding, for example, approaches the subject historically; prints a small selection of Roger Payne's bills; and is illustrated, inter alia, with lithographs of sixteenth century bindings.

Details

Library Review, vol. 17 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

Article
Publication date: 1 September 1936

MID‐OCTOBER sees the activities of the library world in full swing. Meetings, committee discussions, schools at work, students busy with December and May examinations in view, and…

Abstract

MID‐OCTOBER sees the activities of the library world in full swing. Meetings, committee discussions, schools at work, students busy with December and May examinations in view, and a host of occupations for the library worker. This year—for in a sense the library year begins in October—will be a busy one. For the Library Association Council there will be the onerous business of preparing a report on State Control; for libraries there will be the effort to retain readers in a land of increasing employment and reduced leisure; and for the students, as we have remarked in earlier issues, preparations for the new syllabus of examinations which becomes operative in 1938. It is a good month, too, to consider some phases of library work with children, “which,” to quote the L.A. Resolutions of 1917, “ought to be the basis of all other library work.”

Details

New Library World, vol. 39 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Book part
Publication date: 24 November 2022

Khara Lukancic

In interviews, Jamie Lee Curtis positions Halloween (2018) as a #MeToo film. As merely self-serving publicity, this reading is far too simplistic. In Halloween (1978) Laurie…

Abstract

In interviews, Jamie Lee Curtis positions Halloween (2018) as a #MeToo film. As merely self-serving publicity, this reading is far too simplistic. In Halloween (1978) Laurie Strode is victimised; she then assumes the role of quintessential Final Girl as described by Carol J. Clover, providing the template for the entire sub-genre of horror slasher films birthed in its wake. However, in the similarly titled 2018 film, Laurie is no longer a victim. Instead of following the role of the stereotypical Final Girl of slasher films, she falls more in line with one of Yvonne Tasker's Warrior Women.

This chapter investigates Laurie Strode's transformation throughout the Halloween franchise. Once passive and victimised, Laurie has evolved: No longer the Final Girl – or victim – her position and behaviour in this film is much more in line with the neoliberal Warrior Woman of action films. Thus, the film assigns her the role of action heroine as a vehicle for responding to the concerns of the #MeToo era – and in this era, women are no longer victims. Women can and will fight back.

Details

Gender and Action Films 2000 and Beyond
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-518-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 1906

THE first of the Islington Public Libraries, opened on September 21st, has proved a phenomenal success, and, at the same time, has thrown an interesting light on several modern…

Abstract

THE first of the Islington Public Libraries, opened on September 21st, has proved a phenomenal success, and, at the same time, has thrown an interesting light on several modern theories in librarianship. It is, as our readers know, the fust of a system of five libraries, towards the erection of which Dr. Carnegie has given £40,000. The building itself is, as many librarians had an opportunity of judging at the “private view” described in our last number, of an exceedingly well‐lighted and attractive character. The arrangement and accommodation provided present several novel features. On the ground floor, opening from the Central Hall, is the Children's Lending Library and Reading Room. This is stocked with about 3,000 volumes for lending purposes, including French and German juvenile literature, and the reading room portion has seating accommodation for about a hundred children. A representative selection of children's magazines are displayed here, and there are special study‐tables for girls and boys equipped with suitable reference collections. A feature of this room is a striking dado of pictures illustrating scenes from English history, which goes far to make the room interesting and attractive.

Details

New Library World, vol. 9 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2000

Linda Miller, Tracey Ann Wood, Jackie Halligan, Laurie Keller, Claire Hutchinson‐Pike, Diana Kornbrot and Julie deLotz

The rise of all forms of information systems has been one of the major factors affecting the nature of work over the last decade. This article reports on research that suggests…

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Abstract

The rise of all forms of information systems has been one of the major factors affecting the nature of work over the last decade. This article reports on research that suggests that whilst females may now gain more experience of computers and information systems at an earlier age, this does not appear to lead to more favourable evaluations of jobs involving computers. If women overcome initial negative perceptions of jobs involving computers then the particular style, manner, skills or approach that are seen as prerequisite for success, can constitute an additional barrier over and above that of the “glass ceiling”. The study looked at factors influencing initial attitudes towards computers, female attitudes to jobs involving computers and factors influencing self‐selection into gender‐typical and atypical jobs, including IT‐based jobs. The article considers the actions required from managers in many roles, including those with responsibility for staff development, marketing and recruitment.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 5 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 June 2021

Laurie Wu, Alei Fan, Yang Yang and Zeya He

Taking a mixed-method approach, this research developed and validated a novel, value-centric experience framework delineating robotic involvement in the service encounter and its…

2592

Abstract

Purpose

Taking a mixed-method approach, this research developed and validated a novel, value-centric experience framework delineating robotic involvement in the service encounter and its subsequent impact on customers' experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

Focused on robotic restaurant businesses where robots are mainly involved in food production processes, this research utilized online customer review data and a multistage, mixed-method design for empirical examination. Automated thematic analysis was first adopted to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the empirical reality as reflected in online customer reviews. Following an analytic induction process, a theoretical framework was developed integrating prior literature with the empirical reality to uncover the relationships across robotic involvement, experiential values and evaluative outcomes. A theory-driven, dictionary-based content analysis together with path analysis further enabled empirical validation of the developed theoretical framework.

Findings

The current research developed and validated a value-centric experience framework to theorize robotic involvement in the service encounter and its downstream impact on customers' experiences. Specifically, this framework conceptualizes robotic involvement as a five-dimensional composition of robotic visibility, competency, performanism, co-creativity and prominence. In addition, the framework specifies seven dimensions of experiential values revolving around high-tech–high-touch robotic service encounters, namely sensorial, utilitarian, hedonic, social, agentic, epistemic and aesthetic values. Following empirical validation, this framework sheds light on robotic involvement and experience design for high-tech–high-touch service businesses aiming to incorporate robots in their service encounters.

Originality/value

Drawing on classic service role theory and consumption value theory, this research developed and validated a novel theoretical model connecting robotic involvement dimensions with experiential consumption values and downstream customer evaluative outcomes. This research and theoretical framework open an exciting avenue for future research in robotic services and customer experiences.

Details

Journal of Service Management, vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-5818

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 29 October 2021

Gergana Todorova, Kenneth Tohchuan Goh and Laurie R. Weingart

This paper aims to add to the current knowledge about conflict management by examining the relationships between conflict type, conflict expression intensity and the use of the…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to add to the current knowledge about conflict management by examining the relationships between conflict type, conflict expression intensity and the use of the conflict management approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors test theory-based hypotheses using a field study of new product development teams in an interdisciplinary Masters program (Study 1) and an experimental vignette study (Study 2).

Findings

Results show that people are more likely to respond to task conflict and conflicts expressed with less intensity using collectivistic conflict management approaches (i.e. problem-solving, compromising and yielding), and to relationship conflicts and conflicts expressed with higher intensity through forcing, an individualistic conflict management approach. Information acquisition and negative emotions experienced by team members mediate these relationships.

Practical implications

Knowing how the characteristics of the conflict (type and expression intensity) affect conflict management, managers can counteract the tendency to use dysfunctional, forcing conflict management approaches in response to high intensity conflicts, as well as to relationship conflicts and support the tendency to use collectivistic conflict management approaches in response to low intensity conflict, as well as task conflicts.

Originality/value

The authors examine an alternative to the prevailing view that conflict management serves as a moderator of the relationship between conflict and team outcomes. The research shows that conflict type and intensity of conflict expression influence the conflict management approach as a result of the information and emotion they evoke. The authors open avenues for future research on the complex and intriguing relationships between conflict characteristics and the conflict management approach.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 33 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

1 – 10 of 287