Search results

1 – 10 of 10
Open Access
Article
Publication date: 2 June 2023

Solveig Cornér, Lotta Tikkanen, Henrika Anttila and Kirsi Pyhältö

This study aims to advance the understanding on individual variations in PhD candidates’ personal interest in their doctorate and supervisory and research community support, and…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to advance the understanding on individual variations in PhD candidates’ personal interest in their doctorate and supervisory and research community support, and several individual and structural attributes potentially having an impact on the profiles.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors explored the interrelationship between personal interest – social support profiles, and nationality, gender, research group and study status and the risk of dropping out. A total of 768 PhD candidates from a research-intensive university in Finland responded to a modified version of the cross-cultural doctoral experience survey. Latent profile analysis was used to explore the individual variations in PhD candidates’ interest and support from the supervisor and research community.

Findings

Three distinctive PhD interest-social support profiles were detected; the high interest–high support profile (74.4%, n = 570), the high interest–moderate support profile (18.2%, n = 140) and the moderate interest–moderate support profile (7.4%, n = 56). The profiles exhibited high to moderate levels of research, development and instrumental interest. Individuals in the high interest–moderate support and in the moderate interest–moderate support profiles were more prone to consider dropping out from their PhD than in the high interest–high support profile.

Originality/value

The results indicate that by cultivating PhD candidates’ interest and providing sufficient supervisory and the research community offers a means for preventing candidates from discontinuing their doctorate. Hence, building a supportive learning environment that cultivates a PhD candidate’s personal interest is likely to reduce high dropout rates among the candidates.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

Open Access
Book part
Publication date: 21 May 2024

Christine Teelken, Inge van der Weijden and Stefan Heusinkveld

Although an increasing number of PhD holders will continue their careers outside academia, we know little about their further career prospects. To develop a better understanding…

Abstract

Although an increasing number of PhD holders will continue their careers outside academia, we know little about their further career prospects. To develop a better understanding of how this group constructs and justifies a successful career outside academia, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 47 PhD graduates from different disciplines (humanities, social and beta sciences) who have obtained elaborate experience working outside academia.

Drawing on a multi-career perspective, we explored the motivations of the PhD holders when making such career transitions. The findings from the interviews demonstrated how PhD holders’ main motivations were associated with their perceived organizational, community and cognitive careers. Our data analysis revealed that these motivations related to PhD holders and can be grouped along four key tensions:

  • distanced from real life (academia) versus appreciating the practical impact of their research (currently);

  • competition and performance orientation (academia) versus enjoying their current multidisciplinary collaboration towards a common goal (current);

  • Individualism and loneliness were typically experienced in academia versus autonomy and intellectual stimulation in their current work; and

  • lack of stable career perspectives in academia versus current options for competence-based development and personal growth.

distanced from real life (academia) versus appreciating the practical impact of their research (currently);

competition and performance orientation (academia) versus enjoying their current multidisciplinary collaboration towards a common goal (current);

Individualism and loneliness were typically experienced in academia versus autonomy and intellectual stimulation in their current work; and

lack of stable career perspectives in academia versus current options for competence-based development and personal growth.

Thus, while discontinuation of an academic career may easily hold a pejorative connotation, the analysis of the PhD holders’ motivations revealed important and rewarding opportunities in pursuing a career in other sectors. Overall, from our study, we can conclude that while a major gap may exist between careers in academia and ‘the corporate world’, shifting careers between these worlds is not as ‘unthinkable’ as commonly believed.

Article
Publication date: 2 December 2022

Jairo Salas-Paramo, Diana Escandon-Barbosa and Agustin Ramirez-Urraya

A large part of the most recent studies in innovation focuses on the need to investigate the cultural differences between countries. Many of the approaches used focus on Hofstede…

Abstract

Purpose

A large part of the most recent studies in innovation focuses on the need to investigate the cultural differences between countries. Many of the approaches used focus on Hofstede as the most recognized perspective in international business. The Hofstede perspective requires a deeper analysis of the most profound components in the countries, such as values and beliefs. The purpose of this study is identify the drivers in creating innovation trajectories over time, focusing on different values that influence the innovation processes. These trajectories allow investigating the comparability in the innovation performance of the countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Time-series analysis is performed to achieve the research’s goal, considering the innovation inputs and people’s values and influence on innovation output. The Global Innovation Index and the World Value Survey (WVS), which comprise data from countries on different continents, were used in this investigation. The trajectories analysis technique examines differences in innovation trajectory among countries with cultural orientations toward traditional, secular, survival and self-expression values.

Findings

In the literature, it can be found that in more socially open societies, the results in innovation are higher than in societies with opposite values, as is the case of traditional vs secular rationale. On the other hand, societies with a tendency toward self-expression will be characterized by a constant search for individual liberties that promote the search for scientific and technological alternatives for problem-solving, contrary to those with survival characteristics.

Research limitations/implications

Considering the results obtained in the study about the values and their relationship with innovation at the country level, the main limitation is the WVS information. This limitation is based on the need to complement the information obtained with other sources of information that allow comparisons to be made from the different cultural approaches that exist.

Practical implications

The findings allow us to contemplate a more general vision of the cultural factors that affect the social dynamics and, therefore, the industrial and commercial dynamics of a country. The managers can use this type of results in the design of strategies that allow them to contemplate adaptation processes that are more appropriate to the cultural contexts in which they operate are worked on in this research.

Social implications

One of the main contributions is related to the possibility of understanding the relationship between the cultural dynamics of a country and the results in innovation, especially in the time.

Originality/value

The trajectory analysis, specifically Inglehard’s perspective concerning cultural dimensions and innovation, has not been used in the literature. This type of analysis will make it possible to have studies that allow subsequent comparisons to be made with other perspectives, especially at the country level.

Details

International Journal of Innovation Science, vol. 15 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-2223

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 April 2023

Sara E. Cavallo, Laura E. Cruz, Jamie Kim and Chas Brua

The purpose of this study is to explore how the phenomenon of academic professional development looks through the eyes of graduate students navigating the increasing complexity of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore how the phenomenon of academic professional development looks through the eyes of graduate students navigating the increasing complexity of postgraduate careers. This study pays particular attention to how current students navigate the interplay between their beliefs, intentions and behaviors when it comes to making choices regarding their engagement in professional development.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a qualitative study, based on a phenomenological analysis of seven in-depth interviews with advanced PhD students from the earth sciences college at a large, public, research-intensive university located in the mid-Atlantic area of the USA (Penn State).

Findings

Framed in the Theory of Planned Behavior, the findings of this study suggest that the interviewees varied across all aspects of Theory of Planned Behavior: in their beliefs about valued career paths, in their convergence or divergence from the departmental or institutional norms they perceived and in their sense of control over their career pathways. They all shared, however, a strong desire to successfully navigate the widening array of possibilities to achieve a range of personal and professional goals, but they often lacked the ability to align those intentions with actions related to professional development.

Originality/value

This study suggests that institutions may wish to rethink their positionality in the professional development of graduate students, moving away from centralized models of direct support and towards more indirect, informal and co-created means of exerting influence and building community.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 September 2023

Robert Faff, David Mathuva, Mark Brosnan, Sebastian Hoffmann, Catalin Albu, Searat Ali, Micheal Axelsen, Nikki Cornwell, Adrian Gepp, Chelsea Gill, Karina Honey, Ihtisham Malik, Vishal Mehrotra, Olayinka Moses, Raluca Valeria Ratiu, David Tan and Maciej Andrzej Tuszkiewicz

The authors passively apply a researcher profile pitch (RPP) template tool in accounting and across a range of Business School disciplines.

Abstract

Purpose

The authors passively apply a researcher profile pitch (RPP) template tool in accounting and across a range of Business School disciplines.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors document a diversity of worked examples of the RPP. Using an auto-ethnographic research design, each showcased researcher reflects on the exercise, highlighting nuanced perspectives drawn from their experience. Collectively, these examples and associated independent narratives allow the authors to identify common themes that provide informative insights to potential users.

Findings

First, the RPP tool is helpful for accounting scholars to portray their essential research stream. Moreover, the tool proved universally meaningful and applicable irrespective of research discipline or research experience. Second, it offers a distinct advantage over existing popular research profile platforms, because it demands a focused “less”, that delivers a meaningful “more”. Further, the conciseness of the RPP design makes it readily amenable to iteration and dynamism. Third, the authors have identified specific situations of added value, e.g. initiating research collaborations and academic job market preparation.

Practical implications

The RPP tool can provide the basis for developing a scalable interactive researcher exchange platform.

Originality/value

The authors argue that the RPP tool potentially adds meaningful incremental value relative to existing popular platforms for gaining researcher visibility. This additional value derives from the systematic RPP format, combined with the benefit of easy familiarity and strong emphasis on succinctness. Additionally, the authors argue that the RPP adds a depth of nuanced novel information often not contained in other platforms, e.g. around the dimensions of “data” and “tools”. Further, the RPP gives the researcher a “personality”, most notably through the dimensions of “contribution” and “other considerations”.

Details

Journal of Accounting Literature, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-4607

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 July 2023

Diana Escandon, Jairo Salas and Mauricio Losada-Otalora

This paper analyses the moderation effect of country culture in the reciprocal relationship between the strategic orientations (Organizational entrepreneurship, organizational…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper analyses the moderation effect of country culture in the reciprocal relationship between the strategic orientations (Organizational entrepreneurship, organizational innovation and Organizational learning) and the export performance of the firms in two countries with different cultural characteristics (Sociability and Performance). In the same way, it is intended to evaluate if there is a reciprocal relationship between strategic orientations and export performance.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to achieve the objectives of the research, a structural equations model is made. One of the benefits of this model is that it allows not only to analyze of the causal relationships of the study variables but also to identify of the behavior presented by the firms in their export performance activities. The database contains 400 SMEs from Colombia and Vietnam, with an export performance developed during 2022.

Findings

It was possible to verify a reciprocal relationship between the strategic orientations of organizational entrepreneurship and organizational innovation. However, the relationship between organizational learning and export performance must be validated. Similarly, it was found that countries with a cultural focus on performance will have better export performance than those with a focus on sociability.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of this study is the focus on only two countries with diverse cultural characteristics. Future research will aim to verify these relationships with a more significant number of countries and over a more extended time range.

Practical implications

According to the results, assessing the firms' strategies to prioritize product innovation is necessary. This axis is fundamental because it is the means to create value for products and develop the capacities and resources necessary to compete in the international arena.

Social implications

Among the most critical implications of a country are the social ones. Thus, to the extent that the results in innovation are more evident in the management area, this will help improve the production platform and general conditions at the country level.

Originality/value

The most significant value of this research is in studying the moderation effects of cultural approaches at the country level in the bidirectional relationships studied in this work.

Case study
Publication date: 6 December 2023

Jawaid Ahmed Qureshi and Ejindu Iwelu MacDonald Morah

The learning objectives (or expected learning objectives and outcomes) are to be achieved by linking them with particular concepts, theories and models. These include conducting a…

Abstract

Learning outcomes

The learning objectives (or expected learning objectives and outcomes) are to be achieved by linking them with particular concepts, theories and models. These include conducting a situational analysis of the social business, namely, Lilly Apartments’ Welfare Association; explaining the characteristics and mindset of the leadership, particularly the social entrepreneurial leaders; analysing the conflict among the team members; and designing strategic solutions for combating crises and attaining operations’ effectiveness.

Case overview/synopsis

Lilly Apartments’ Welfare Association Karachi was registered under the Act of 1860 of the Government of Pakistan. The members established this Association to oversee the affairs of the maintenance of the apartments, including the provision of utilities, particularly water, sanitation, lifts, generators, parking, security and a park with a small play area for children. The front-burner issue of the Association consisted of mis-governance (causing underperformance), including maintenance of buildings within apartments; recovery of funds from the past executive committee (EC) members due to their massive corruption; managing defaulters’ issues (i.e., the members who did not pay their monthly maintenance fees) and deficiency of funds; inefficient and corrupt practices of the majority of the employees, including one manager and two supervisors; and task-related and personal conflicts between the leadership members. The EC of the Association was elected every year and presently it had only four months left. The research design used for this case study involved conducting 12 interviews, four each involving EC members, former EC members and senior residents, which were analysed to learn the challenges and achievements of the Association. Moreover, pertinent records of the Association were reviewed. The canons of research ethics and soundness were applied.

Complexity academic level

This case study is suitable for the students of social entrepreneurship or strategy or strategy and leadership. The study level is for graduates in management science, including MBA and EMBA students. This case study is suitable for teaching at any point but ideally near the middle or end of the aforementioned courses.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Details

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Case Study
ISSN: 2045-0621

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 June 2023

Fidelia Ibekwe

Celebrate Michael Buckland's impressive legacy to LIS by showing his humanity, generosity and versatility.

Abstract

Purpose

Celebrate Michael Buckland's impressive legacy to LIS by showing his humanity, generosity and versatility.

Design/methodology/approach

This article is walk through a scientific career in LIS. Through personal anecdotes and life history and building upon Michael Buckland's legacy, it summarises the author’s own work seen through the prism of her interactions with Buckland, leading to scholarly contributions articulating significant statements about the field of LIS as well as pointers to past relevant publications.

Findings

Michael Buckland has a unique way of putting an end to thorny LIS issues as well as being a documentator extraordinaire.

Originality/value

It is a personal account, as such cannot be evaluated through the classical norms of empirical research as there is no ground truth. This account shows how chance encounters with fellow scholars can have a lasting influence on one's academic career as well as wider impact in a field.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 80 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 February 2023

Wee Ming Ong and Subas Prasad Dhakal

Although the international education sector is one of the significant contributors to the Australian economy, international students continue to experience various forms of social…

Abstract

Purpose

Although the international education sector is one of the significant contributors to the Australian economy, international students continue to experience various forms of social inequalities. This paper aims to focus on overseas doctoral researchers (ODRs) – candidates and graduates – and capture their experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the adaptive capacity framework, an exploratory qualitative study was carried out based on interviews with doctoral candidates (n = 6), doctoral graduates (n = 5) and supervisors (n = 4) in various Business Schools in Australian universities. Given this study’s exploratory and interpretive nature, the research question was deliberately broad: what insights can be generated for key stakeholders by capturing the experiences of ODRs in Australia through the lens of adaptive capacity?

Findings

Findings indicate that financial pressure, social exclusion and cultural bias were the three main challenges ODRs had to overcome; female ODRs perceived that supervisors and faculties often overlooked the mental health aspects; and better pedagogy of research supervision, institutional support and national policies are needed to develop adaptive ODRs.

Research limitations/implications

If ODRs are to become an integral part of the knowledge economy, key stakeholders need to focus on support mechanisms for these researchers. That way, Australian universities can not only improve their image of treating international students only as a part of the revenue flow but also enhance the educational experiences of ODRs and set them up for future success.

Originality/value

The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, it demonstrates the utility of the adaptive capacity lens to capture the experiences of ODRs. Second, it discusses research implications for the three key stakeholders: supervisors, higher education institutions and the government.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 April 2024

Rachel Spronken-Smith, Kim Brown and Claire Cameron

PhD graduates are entering an increasing range of careers, but past research has highlighted a lack of preparation for these careers. This study aims to explore the reflections of…

Abstract

Purpose

PhD graduates are entering an increasing range of careers, but past research has highlighted a lack of preparation for these careers. This study aims to explore the reflections of PhD graduates from science and humanities and social science disciplines regarding support for career development (CD) during their study.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design and collected 136 survey responses and interviewed 21 PhD graduates from two US and one New Zealand universities to investigate their career readiness. Using the lens of Cognitive Information Processing theory, the authors explored the development of self-knowledge and career options-knowledge, and how support at the macro (institutional), meso (departmental) and micro (supervisors) levels influenced CD.

Findings

During doctoral study, there was very poor engagement with CD activities. Graduates displayed limited self-knowledge and poor knowledge about career options. Graduates reported drawing mainly on their departments and supervisors for career guidance. Although there were pockets of good practice, some departments were perceived as promoting academia as the only successful outcome, neglecting to support other possible pathways. Some graduates reported excellent supervisor support for CD, but others described disinterest or a damaging response if students said they were not wanting to pursue academia.

Originality/value

The enabling aspects for developing self- and options-knowledge are collated into a conceptual model, which identifies key factors at institutional, departmental and supervisor levels, as well as for PhD students themselves.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

1 – 10 of 10