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1 – 10 of over 19000This paper is the first in a series that reprints methodological appendices or methods chapters found in workplace and organisational ethnographic books, and provides an…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper is the first in a series that reprints methodological appendices or methods chapters found in workplace and organisational ethnographic books, and provides an opportunity for reflection by the author through an introductory commentary. Simon Down, the author of Narratives of Enterprise (Down, 2006) reflects on the writing and the research underpinning his ethnography. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The reprinting of such chapters will enhance access to key ethnographic texts, and facilitate reflection on methodological choices authors made. In so doing this paper will provide insights into methodological ethnographic writing, and show how sensibilities and fashions change over time.
Findings
Narratives of Enterprise (Down, 2006) examined how two small business managers in a single firm construct an entrepreneurial self-identity, and what this process of self-creation means for the individuals and how the firm is managed. The key topics explored in the book, self-identity as a conceptual tool and enterprise as a social and economic reality, have both grown in relevance and importance since the research was conducted. Down also reflects on that nature and dynamism of friendship in research practice.
Originality/value
Reflection on choices made at some distance can provide particular and valuable insights into the development of research practice.
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In this essay, the author explores John Paul II’s thought on human work, and argues that, just as the Jesuit Henrich Pesch and members of his study group contributed…
Abstract
In this essay, the author explores John Paul II’s thought on human work, and argues that, just as the Jesuit Henrich Pesch and members of his study group contributed directly to the preparation of Pius XI’s Quadragesimo Anno in 1931, Pietro Pavan helped advance John Paul II’s own thinking about man and work. Tondini draws our attention to Dignitatis Humanae from the Second Vatican Council wherein, he asserts, there is to be found a cultural harmony between Pavan and John Paul II.
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Mille Mortensen and Charlotte Andreas Baarts
The purpose of this paper is to explore the interplay of organizational humorous teasing and workplace bullying in hospital work life in order to investigate how workplace…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the interplay of organizational humorous teasing and workplace bullying in hospital work life in order to investigate how workplace bullying can emerge from doctors and nurses experiences of what, at first, appears as “innocent” humorous interactions.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on an ethnographic field study among doctors and nurses at Rigshospitalet (University Hospital of Copenhagen, Denmark) field notes, transcriptions from two focus groups and six in-depth interviews were analyzed using a cross-sectional thematic analysis.
Findings
This study demonstrates how bullying may emerge out of a distinctive joking practice, in which doctors and nurses continually relate to one another with a pronounced degree of derogatory teasing. The all-encompassing and omnipresent teasing entails that the positions of perpetrator and target persistently change, thereby excluding the position of bystander. Doctors and nurses report that they experience the humiliating teasing as detrimental, although they feel continuously forced to participate because of the fear of otherwise being socially excluded. Consequently, a concept of “fluctuate bullying” is suggested wherein nurses and doctors feel trapped in a “double bind” position, being constrained to bully in order to avoid being bullied themselves.
Originality/value
The present study add to bullying research by exploring and demonstrating how workplace bullying can emerge from informal social power struggles embedded and performed within ubiquitous humorous teasing interactions.
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Piero Formica and Martin Curley
In the knowledge economy, greater togetherness is the prerequisite for innovating and having more: selflessness extends scope while selfishness increases limitations. But…
Abstract
In the knowledge economy, greater togetherness is the prerequisite for innovating and having more: selflessness extends scope while selfishness increases limitations. But human beings are not automatically attracted to innovation: between the two lies culture and cultural values vary widely, with the egoistic accent or the altruistic intonation setting the scene. In the representations of open innovation we submit to the reader’s attention, selfishness and selflessness are active in the cultural space.
Popularized in the early 2000s, open innovation is a systematic process by which ideas pass among organizations and travel along different exploitation vectors. With the arrival of multiple digital transformative technologies and the rapid evolution of the discipline of innovation, there was a need for a new approach to change, incorporating technological, societal and policy dimensions. Open Innovation 2.0 (OI2) – the result of advances in digital technologies and the cognitive sciences – marks a shift from incremental gains to disruptions that effect a great step forward in economic and social development. OI2 seeks the unexpected and provides support for the rapid scale-up of successes.
‘Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come’ – this thought, attributed to Victor Hugo, tells us how a great deal is at stake with open innovation. Amidon and other scholars have argued that the twenty-first century is not about ‘having more’ but about ‘being more’. The promise of digital technologies and artificial intelligence is that they enable us to extend and amplify human intellect and experience. In the so-called experience economy, users buy ‘experiences’ rather than ‘services’. OI2 is a paradigm about ‘being more’ and seeking innovations that bring us all collectively on a trajectory towards sustainable intelligent living.
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“Economists on the catwalk” provides an analytical review of the book Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations by David Warsh, with suggestions for a more comprehensive and…
Abstract
Purpose
“Economists on the catwalk” provides an analytical review of the book Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations by David Warsh, with suggestions for a more comprehensive and accurate approach to the issues involved. Its purpose is to track the changes in economic thinking leading up to, and beyond, the theory of “Endogenous New Growth Theory” put forward by Paul Romer between the mid‐1980s and the mid 1990s, analyzing the part played by the current systems of peer‐review, academic funding and recruitment in university economics departments.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper discusses the book in the context of modern economic theories and developments in the field of economics from a broad‐based historical, global, multi‐cultural twenty‐first century perspective.
Findings
There has been a radical transformation in economic thinking over the past decade that is forcing a re‐evaluation of economic theory and teaching. A different approach to the subject is required to ensure that it remains relevant and applicable in the rapidly changing modern world.
Originality/value
The paper introduces the “waltz motif” theory of economist Peter Jay as a methodology for tracking trends in national economies; the concept of the “Battle of Ideas” in academic disciplines and in our lives; the process of knowledge acquisition; and the impact of the changing social contract. The paper is of particular value to teachers of economics and professional economists interested in an innovative, thought‐provoking approach to their subject and in the future of economic research as it is currently conducted in academic environments.
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Paul Wach, Gerald Fischer, Bernhard Tilg and Robert Modre
Ventricular surface activation time maps are estimated from simulated and measured body surface potential (BSP) maps and extra‐corporal magnetic field maps. In a first…
Abstract
Ventricular surface activation time maps are estimated from simulated and measured body surface potential (BSP) maps and extra‐corporal magnetic field maps. In a first step the transfer matrix, relating the primary cardiac sources to the measured potential and/or magnetic field data, is calculated applying the boundary element method. Activation times are determined by minimizing a cost function which is based on this transfer matrix. This optimization method is solved by a quasi Newton method. The critical point theorem is used in order to estimate the starting column matrix.
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This article profiles CornerHouse, an organisation that has played a key role in facilitating the emergence and development of a large number of mental health services and…
Abstract
This article profiles CornerHouse, an organisation that has played a key role in facilitating the emergence and development of a large number of mental health services and self‐help groups in West Surrey. CornerHouse takes a community development approach, facilitating and empowering small local mental health groups, and building an active and sustainable local mental health community.
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Challenges the position that high and persistent unemployment necessarily leads to the formation of socially excluded groups. Presents evidence drawn from studies of…
Abstract
Challenges the position that high and persistent unemployment necessarily leads to the formation of socially excluded groups. Presents evidence drawn from studies of people in former communist countries. Suggests that unemployment, even when high will not lead to exclusion except under three conditions, paid work is concentated within standard (permanent, full time) official jobs, job seekers are arranged in “queues” and that the unemployed are regarded by others, and regard themselves as a group apart. States these conditions do not apply in the countries reviewed and therefore the original assumption needs to be reassessed.
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Khurshid Ahmad, Zheng JianMing and Muhammad Rafi
The purpose of this study is to provide a bibliometric analysis of knowledge management (KM) literature published in the field of library and information science. KM is a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide a bibliometric analysis of knowledge management (KM) literature published in the field of library and information science. KM is a systematic process of acquisition, extraction, organization and dissemination of knowledge in any organization. This study will help identify trends, emerging concepts and innovations in this particular field.
Design/methodology/approach
The data set of the study consists of 6,088 published documents the authors obtained from the ISI Web of Science database during 1900 and 2017. The analysis of literature about the library and information science consisted of five categories including productive institutions, prolific authors, annual publications, citations and highly cited articles. The documents included in this study include research papers, conference papers, reviews, book reviews and editorials.
Findings
The study found that the USA leads the world regarding the number of research publications in the area of KM in the field of library and information science. Considering the publication period, 2007, 2012 and 2016-2017 are the most productive years regarding publications in this particular field; the number of citations has been increasing over the years. The study also found that Nanyang Polytechnic University is the most productive research institution and Blanca Martins from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia is the most prolific researcher in this specific field.
Originality/value
This study provides a detailed bibliometric analysis of KM literature published in the field of library and information science. This study is an excellent example for researchers who are interested in conducting bibliometric studies.
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The paper seeks to make reflections on some ethnographic work undertaken with dying patients. The reflections cover the practical and social implications of carrying out…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to make reflections on some ethnographic work undertaken with dying patients. The reflections cover the practical and social implications of carrying out this work but, also the emotional impact it had on the author.
Design/methodology/approach
Although this paper is a viewpoint paper, the verbatim quotes and observations are taken from an ethnographic review of end of life services in one London borough in 2009.
Findings
The main findings are to consider the use of open‐minded, independent researchers to undertake reviews and assessments, even if it does seem outside their area of “expertise”. This is because their impartiality from the area may be beneficial. Second, the paper suggests that multi‐agency “politics” can be detrimental with regard to commissioning work which directly informs policy. Last, the paper appeals for there to be greater consideration of ways of allowing frontline workers to listen to patients' and carers' concerns about death and dying.
Originality/value
As far as the author can see, there has been little work which has made practical, social and emotional reflections on the area of death and dying.
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