Search results
1 – 10 of 34Virginia Snodgrass Rangel, Jerrod A. Henderson, Victoria Doan, Rick Greer and Mariam Manuel
The purposes of this study were to describe the roles mentors enacted as part of an afterschool science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program and how those roles…
Abstract
Purpose
The purposes of this study were to describe the roles mentors enacted as part of an afterschool science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program and how those roles varied across three sites and to explain those differences.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a comparative case study design and collected data primarily from interviews with program mentors and observations of the sessions.
Findings
The authors found that the mentors played four roles, depending on the school site: teachers, friends, support and role models. Mentors interpreted cues from the environment in light of their own identities, which ultimately led them to construct a plausible understanding of their roles as mentors.
Research limitations/implications
The authors identify four mentoring roles that are somewhat consistent with prior research and demonstrate that the roles mentors enact can vary systematically across sites, and these variations can be explained by sensemaking. This study also contributes to research on mentoring roles by elaborating each identified role and offering a framework to explain variability in mentor role enactment.
Practical implications
The authors recommend that mentoring program directors discuss the roles that mentors may enact with mentors as part of their training and that they engage mentors in identity work and also recommend that program managers create unstructured time for mentors to socialize outside STEM activities with their mentees.
Originality/value
This study contributes to mentoring research by using sensemaking theory to highlight how and why mentoring roles differ across school sites.
Details
Keywords
María José Ruiz-Ortega, Mateo Manuel Córcoles-Muñoz, Gloria Parra-Requena and Pedro Manuel García-Villaverde
The purpose of this study is to understand how sustainability orientation influences economic, environmental and social sustainability performance and the moderating role of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand how sustainability orientation influences economic, environmental and social sustainability performance and the moderating role of environmental hostility on these relationships. This study aims to deepen the consequences of the strategic commitment to sustainability of tourism firms located in the World Heritage Cities of Cusco, Lima and Arequipa in Peru.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical analysis was conducted on a sample of 238 tourism firms. The authors implemented structural equation modelling technique to contrast the hypothesis.
Findings
The results shows that sustainability orientation has a positive effect on social and environmental performance mainly, but also on both financial and non-financial economic performance. The authors also detect a significant negative moderating effect of environmental hostility, which is accentuated in the case of social and economic-financial performance.
Practical implications
This study provides interesting practical implications in the tourism sector. Firms should develop a strategic commitment to sustainability, even in hostile environments, to improve their competitive position while reducing the negative impact of their activity on the natural and social environment. Institutions should encourage firms to commit to sustainability to achieve more sustainable and competitive urban tourism destinations.
Originality/value
This study advances the controversial debate on whether sustainability orientation of tourism firms leads to better economic performance. Moreover, from triple bottom line approach, it provides a holistic view of how sustainability orientation affects sustainability performance in all its dimensions. Finally, this paper delves into the complexities and challenges of sustainable urban tourism.
Details
Keywords
Effective leadership at the grassroots level can make a crucial difference to disaster risk reduction (DRR) at the local level. Guidance, however, is often not provided through…
Abstract
Purpose
Effective leadership at the grassroots level can make a crucial difference to disaster risk reduction (DRR) at the local level. Guidance, however, is often not provided through the visible structures of local government but through alternative means of articulating power that is no less real and frequently more effective than more formal agencies. The purpose of this paper is to present a biography of one such community leader and his influence in the Philippines and how he is able to foster resilience and reduce risk. These “small men” stand in direct contrast to the more authoritarian, materialistic and reputedly corrupt nature of governance in general.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts an historical-sociological approach, utilising archival sources as well as fieldwork to explore the relationship between consensual leadership, social capital and DRR in the Philippines.
Findings
Social capital and consensual forms of local leadership have their origin in the challenges posed by daily living in the Philippines. At the grassroots level, Filipino civil society can exhibit a vibrancy, self-reliance and innovation that has not been given proper recognition. In fact, local leadership, social capital and DRR are not unrelated aspects of culture but part of the “mutuality” that exists between people and environment in the archipelago.
Originality/value
This paper employs an innovative historical-sociological approach to explore the much maligned and often neglected nature of local unofficial leadership in the Philippines in the context of DRR.
Details
Keywords
José Ignacio Conde-Ruiz, Manu García and Manuel Yáñez
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the functioning of a non-sanction “soft” gender quota policy structure (a simple recommendation), using the case of Spain. In the first…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the functioning of a non-sanction “soft” gender quota policy structure (a simple recommendation), using the case of Spain. In the first part of the paper, the authors have reported the dismal improvement regarding the increase of female percentage presence in the companies’ boards of members.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors provide a detailed sectorial analysis and a classification of board members by type (executive, proprietary, independent and other external). In the second part, the authors exploit the fact that since 2013, the stock-listed companies are legally obliged to respond to a series of questions on gender diversity issues in their annual reports. Using this requirement, the authors perform an analysis using text processing techniques. The authors find that “self-plagiarism” is common in the responses – i.e. they copy responses from previous years – as well as “plagiarism” – i.e. they copy responses from other companies in previous years.
Findings
The insufficient progress in respect to the goals of the Law of Equality of 2007 (enacted by Spanish authorities) and the lack of interest that can be inferred from the companies’ responses included in their annual reports lead the authors to consider the necessity of changing the law on the corporate policies gender quotas in Spain.
Originality/value
It is the first study that realizes this type of analysis for Spain.
Details
Keywords
Verónica Marín Díaz, Begoña Esther Sampedro, Inmaculada Aznar and Juan Manuel Trujillo
The beliefs about this subject of N = 223 secondary education teachers were collected through an ex post facto research method using a descriptive and correlational design and a…
Abstract
Purpose
The beliefs about this subject of N = 223 secondary education teachers were collected through an ex post facto research method using a descriptive and correlational design and a 27-item questionnaire.
Design/methodology/approach
The arrival of online learning, in this case m-learning, to secondary education, has made educators in this stage incorporate digital resources, such as Smartphones or mixed reality (MR), to their classroom methodologies. The present study describes the results obtained in the project design, implementation and evaluation of MR materials in learning environments (PID2019-108933GB-I00). The starting general objective is to determine the perception of Compulsory Education teachers-in-training from the areas of Experimental Sciences, Engineering and Architecture, and Health Sciences, on the use of MR as a teaching tool under the m-learning modality.
Findings
The main conclusion obtained was that neither sex nor age had an influence on the use of MR in the classroom, and its use was determined by elements associated with the classroom methodology, such as collaborative work and attention to diversity, which took place in the education center.
Research limitations/implications
The main obstacle found when conducting the research was being able to access the general population of teachers-in-training in the aforementioned Master's program.
Originality/value
The value of the article lies in publicizing the knowledge that secondary school teachers have of MR and giving clues to create training actions that encourage its incorporation into the classroom methodology.
Details
Keywords
Alexis A. Halley and Bayard L. Catron
This study examines the significance of time as a paradoxical factor and value in 21st century public policy, management, and planning. Five areas are considered: (1) time as a…
Abstract
This study examines the significance of time as a paradoxical factor and value in 21st century public policy, management, and planning. Five areas are considered: (1) time as a strategic and moral concern, (2) examples of planning and time in public environments ranging from the individual level to the agency, policy, process, and contextual levels, (3) time in recent social and administrative theory, (4) time as a cognitive capability, and (5) the connection between time, planning, and learning. Conclusions and implications are developed to highlight the paradoxical status of planning and time in todayʼs public environment, and to suggest that, for public administrators, serving the public interest, near-term and long-term, is the heart of assuring that time becomes a central strategic and moral concern for public administration today.
Anel Flores-Novelo, Ana Laura Bojórquez Carrillo and María Cristina Mata Castro
This chapter is about an analysis and reflection on the actions, programs, and regulatory frameworks of the Mexican government for the promotion of entrepreneurial activity during…
Abstract
This chapter is about an analysis and reflection on the actions, programs, and regulatory frameworks of the Mexican government for the promotion of entrepreneurial activity during the twentieth century. A documentary review is presented based mainly on the presidential reports available in the virtual legal library of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the Center for Documentation, Information, and Analysis of the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados), and various publications of experts on economic history, considering the twentieth century: from the year 1900 with the end of the Porfiriato until the six-year term of Ernesto Zedillo that ended in 2000. The public policies of these 100 years were reviewed and based on this, was analyzed the importance assigned to the creation, development, and consolidation of companies and their importance in public policies. Special emphasis is given to instruments for the creation of new businesses or the development and strengthening of small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Details
Keywords
Brian Vo, Elif Kongar and Manuel F. Suárez Barraza
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, a case study on the application of lean production principles in a manufacturing facility is presented to demonstrate the impact of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, a case study on the application of lean production principles in a manufacturing facility is presented to demonstrate the impact of frequent and systematic use of a Kaizen event on quality and delivery performance. Second, the detailed description and analysis of the Kaizen event and its impact are provided, including a comprehensive analysis of the role of Kaizen events on employee participation and motivation.
Design/methodology/approach
The study utilizes a Kaizen event’s case study data with the help of various waste detection and elimination tools and techniques. Changes in overall productivity along with potential long-term improvements in the delivery process are also analyzed and documented.
Findings
Pre- and post-quality measures are provided to demonstrate the results of the event on the production quality and on the performance of the overall manufacturing processes. Qualitative findings regarding performance measurements and the impact on the employees are reported.
Research limitations/implications
The Kaizen team applied analytical techniques to one manufacturing site in North America of a company that has a manufacturing presence in 20 different countries.
Originality/value
Kaizen studies involving packaging operations are quite limited. This study fills this gap by detailing the Kaizen event implementation in a packaging delivery and dispensing systems manufacturer for the cosmetic industry. The implementation of this Kaizen event is detailed along with the data and techniques utilized for process improvement. The study also reports findings regarding the impact of the Kaizen event on employee participation.
Details
Keywords
Enrique Sánchez-Rivas, Manuel Fernando Ramos Núñez, Magdalena Ramos Navas-Parejo and Juan Carlos De La Cruz-Campos
The aim of this paper is to explore whether the use of an active learning methodology implemented through a mobile phone can help future teachers to develop more effective reading…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to explore whether the use of an active learning methodology implemented through a mobile phone can help future teachers to develop more effective reading promotion activities than those based on traditional learning methodologies.
Design/methodology/approach
A study was conducted based on the comparison of perceptions of two groups of teacher training students. The experimental group was trained in an active methodology to promote reading on mobile phones, whilst the control group was trained in a classical methodology also using the same devices. Variables were observed using a self-administered questionnaire, and the scores obtained were analysed from their descriptive statistics of the comparison of means of Kruskal–Wallis H test.
Findings
The results showed that students perceived significant improvements associated with active learning methodology. The variables with the most remarkable results were those related to better use of the class, participation and satisfaction. However, the ubiquitous variable obtained the fewest differences, maybe because both learning methodologies were applied using mobile devices.
Originality/value
The conclusions of this study clearly suggest that combining active learning methodologies and the use of mobile phones to promote reading could lead to better results than applying traditional learning methodologies. The value of this study paves the way for future research to move forward in the discovery of effective teaching strategies based on active methods and mobile devices.
Details