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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 3 August 2023

Celestin Mayombe

There is a global concern about the effectiveness of vocational education and training (VET) programmes in developing job-related skills and competencies for real-world…

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Abstract

Purpose

There is a global concern about the effectiveness of vocational education and training (VET) programmes in developing job-related skills and competencies for real-world environments for disadvantaged and unemployed youths. Experiential learning (EL) is a major component of VET programmes. This article aims to examine the effects of facilitating VET through EL theory to promote youths' skills acquisition. The study looks at the effects of material resources on the use of experiential learning theory (ELT), the types of EL and the contribution of ELT to VET programmes.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design mainly entails a qualitative research design and research method to allow the researcher to view the reality as is experienced from the inside out by the trainees and training centre managers on important data for a thorough understanding. The study participants were 512 young trainees who completed different training courses from the VET programmes and 24 centre managers in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.

Findings

The findings reveal that the use of ELT in VET programmes helped the trainees to gain real-world skills, hence contributing to their empowerment in terms of work experience and competence for their future employment. Based on the findings, the study concludes that ELT is an effective instrument to promote VET programmes for disadvantaged and unemployed youths.

Practical implications

The practical and social implications of the findings are that, while disadvantaged youths cannot access and afford higher education, public and private sectors can remedy their situation by providing non-school-based technical and vocational training to help such youths enter the labour market. The findings will motivate the providers of skills development for unemployed youths to use ELT in designing course curricula, planning resources and directing teaching-learning approaches to help trainees to acquire skills and competencies to perform tasks close to real-work situations.

Social implications

The socio-economic implication of the article is that skills development plays an important role in poverty reduction. Investing in the skills development of citizens is vital to raise the incomes of poor groups and to reduce poverty (ILO, 2018). Although the causes of unemployment have also to do with economic factors in a country, skills development is an essential ingredient in developing capacities for labour market entry and increased income generation of a vulnerable group of people.

Originality/value

The article is significant because the study provides new insights into the use of ELT in VET programmes to improve their effectiveness in developing job-related skills and competencies for real-world environments for disadvantaged and unemployed youths. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by establishing a solid base for the evidence-informed practice of the effects of facilitating the VET programme through ELT to promote skills acquisition for the employment of unemployed and disadvantaged youths.

Article
Publication date: 8 February 2024

P. Arun Kumar and V. Lavanya

This study investigates how performance pressure affects feedback-seeking and innovative work behaviors. The study also examines the effect of extraversion on the performance…

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates how performance pressure affects feedback-seeking and innovative work behaviors. The study also examines the effect of extraversion on the performance pressure–FSB relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypotheses in this study were tested by analyzing two-wave data collected from a sample of employees in the information technology sector in India using the PLS-SEM approach.

Findings

Our findings revealed that individuals possessing extraverted personality traits exhibited a positive response to performance pressure, thereby enhancing their FSB. Moreover, our results demonstrated that FSB mediates the relationship between performance pressure and IWB.

Research limitations/implications

The results underscore the importance of individual variations in personality traits, particularly extraversion, in influencing how employees respond to performance pressure. By providing insights into the mediating mechanism of feedback-seeking behavior, our study contributes to a deeper understanding of the interplay between performance pressure, feedback-seeking behavior and innovative work behavior.

Practical implications

Managers should consider extraversion as a factor in the relationship between performance pressure and FSB, adapting strategies and support systems accordingly. Creating a feedback-oriented culture and providing resources for extroverts during high-pressure periods can enhance their coping mechanisms.

Originality/value

Previous research has provided a limited exploration of the mechanisms that establish the connection between job demands and innovative work behaviors. This study contributes by uncovering the previously unexplored relationship between performance pressure, extraversion, feedback-seeking behavior and, subsequently, innovative work behavior.

Details

Management Decision, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 February 2024

Nancy Sobh, Nagla Elshemy, Sahar Nassar and Mona Ali

Due to herbs and plants’ therapeutic properties and simplicity of availability in nature, humans have used them to treat a variety of maladies and diseases since ancient times…

Abstract

Purpose

Due to herbs and plants’ therapeutic properties and simplicity of availability in nature, humans have used them to treat a variety of maladies and diseases since ancient times. Later, as technology advanced, these plants and herbs gained significant relevance in some industries due to their suitable chemical composition, abundant availability and ease of access. Aegle marmelos is a species of plant that may be found in nature. Yet, little or very little literature was located on the coloration behavior of this plant’s leaves. This study aims to focus on the effect of different parameters on the extraction of colorant from Aegle marmelos leaves.

Design/methodology/approach

Some factors that affected on the extraction processes were examined and found to have significant impacts on the textile dyeing such as the initial dye concentration, extracted temperature, extracted bath pH and extracted time were all changed to see how they affected color extraction. The authors report a direct comparison between three heating methods, namely, microwave irradiation (MWI), ultrasonic waves (USW) and conventional heating (CH). The two kinetic models have been designed (pseudo-first and pseudo-second orders) in the context of these experiments to investigate the mechanism of the dyeing processes for fabrics under study. Also, the experimental data were analyzed according to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms.

Findings

From the result, it was discovered these characteristics were found to have a substantial effect on extraction efficiency. Temperature 90°C and 80°C when using CH and USW, respectively, while at 90% watt when using MWI, period 120 min when using CH as well as USW waves, while 40 min when using MWI, and pH 4, 5 and 10 for polyamide, wool and cotton, respectively, were the optimal extraction conditions. Also, the authors can say that wool gives a higher absorption than the other fabric. Additionally, MWI provided the best color strength (K/S) value, and homogeneity, at low temperatures reducing the energy and time consumed. The coloring follows the order: MWI > USW > CH. The adsorption isotherm of wool could be well fitted by Freundlich isotherm when applying CH and USW as a heating source, while it is well fitted by the Langmuir equation in the case of MWI. In the study, it was observed that the pseudo-first-order kinetic model fits better the experimental results of CH with a constant rate K1 = −0.000171417 mg/g.min, while the pseudo-second-order kinetic model fits better the experimental results of absorption of both MWI (K2 = 38.14022572 mg/g.min) and USW (K2 = 12.45343554 mg/g.min).

Research limitations/implications

There is no research limitation for this work. Dye was extracted from Aegle marmelos leaves by applying three different heating sources (MWI, ultrasonic waves [USWW] and CH).

Practical implications

This work has practical applications for the textile industry. It is concluded that using Aegle marmelose leaves can be a possible alternative to extract dye from natural resource by applying new technology to save energy and time and can make the process greener.

Social implications

Socially, it has a good impact on the ecosystem and global community because the extracted dye does not contain any carcinogenic materials.

Originality/value

The work is original and contains value-added products for the textile industry and other confederate fields.

Details

Pigment & Resin Technology, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0369-9420

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 February 2024

Giammarco Marras, Matteo Opizzi and Michela Loi

The aim of this study is to systematise the entrepreneurial coaching (EC) literature by understanding how the phenomenon has been investigated along four dimensions inspired by…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to systematise the entrepreneurial coaching (EC) literature by understanding how the phenomenon has been investigated along four dimensions inspired by Gartner’s (1985) conceptualisation of entrepreneurship: entrepreneurial process, context, target and outcomes. In so doing, this study will provide a frame of its multifunctional role and identify relevant gaps and suggestions for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted a systematic literature review to collect existing works on EC. We analysed 85 selected papers with a qualitative content analysis that allowed us to highlight relevant research themes for the entrepreneurial process, context, outcomes and target.

Findings

Our results demonstrate that EC has a multifunctional role in entrepreneurship that can be summarised in five different typologies, depending on the stage of the entrepreneurial process in which it is applied, the context, the target and the outcomes.

Originality/value

As one of the first attempts to systematise studies on EC, this work extends previous conceptualisation of EC by detailing different typologies of this intervention, thereby contributing to reduced fragmentation and conceptual ambiguity.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 December 2023

Deep Jyoti Gurung and Vanessa Gowreesunkar

This research addresses the pressing need for comprehensive studies in the rapidly evolving field of city tourism. This study aims to understand the overall performance of the…

Abstract

Purpose

This research addresses the pressing need for comprehensive studies in the rapidly evolving field of city tourism. This study aims to understand the overall performance of the International Journal of Tourism Cities (IJTC), the structure of knowledge in city tourism research and the prevalent themes and trends arising from IJTC.

Design/methodology/approach

A bibliometric analysis was conducted to scrutinize the publication patterns in IJTC. This involved examining parameters such as the annual count of published articles, the keywords used in them and their respective authors.

Findings

The findings reveal that IJTC has a growing and diverse publication output, establishing itself as a reputable and influential publication within urban tourism research. The results reflect various aspects and themes in city tourism research.

Research limitations/implications

The study has certain limitations. The data used for analysis was obtained exclusively from the Scopus database. The analysis was conducted using only one software package, Bibliometrix. Other software packages may offer different features for bibliometric analysis. The study relied exclusively on quantitative methods for data analysis. Qualitative methods could have provided more nuanced interpretations of the data.

Practical implications

Comparative analyses could be conducted between IJTC and other journals within urban tourism or related disciplines. Such research would yield valuable insights into the current state of the field and aid in identifying areas warranting further investigation.

Social implications

The findings from this study can inform the decisions and actions of various stakeholders involved in urban tourism. Practitioners and policymakers can draw from this research to make informed decisions. Existing and emerging authors can identify relevant topics for their research. Readers can access pertinent information for their needs.

Originality/value

This study offers a unique contribution by thoroughly comprehending the performance of IJTC between 2015 and 2023. It progresses the existing body of knowledge on city tourism research by examining its current status and future trends.

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2022

Rodolfo Baggio, Andrea Guizzardi and Marcello Mariani

By adopting network analytic techniques, this paper aims to examine interlocking directorates among firms operating in the hospitality services sector in seven major Italian…

Abstract

Purpose

By adopting network analytic techniques, this paper aims to examine interlocking directorates among firms operating in the hospitality services sector in seven major Italian tourism destinations.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected information for all the hotel corporations whose headquarters are located in the seven top Italian destinations: Florence, Milan, Naples, Rimini, Rome, Turin and Venice. Data come from the Analisi Informatizzata delle Aziende Italiane database by Bureau Van Dijk and were used to build a network where the nodes are board members (people) and corporations (hotels) and the links represent the membership of individuals in the boards. From this, with a one-mode projection, the authors obtain two networks: people and corporations. The overall networks’ structures are analysed by assessing their connectivity characteristics.

Findings

The findings indicate a relatively low number of interlocks that signals a high degree of fragmentation, showing that the interconnections (both within and between destinations) are scarce. This suggests that in absence of formalized cooperation arrangements, corporations might collaborate informally.

Research limitations/implications

This work extends previous research on complexity in business settings, focusing specifically on service companies whose output depends on multiple interactions and helps clarifying coopetition practices of hospitality service firms. Policymaking perspectives are discussed as well as managerial viewpoints.

Originality/value

Not many studies of the interlocking directorates in the hospitality domain exist. This paper uses network analysis for a better understanding of the cooperative practices and the formal social structures of the Italian hospitality industry and derives a series of implications important for both researchers and practitioners while also looking at potential future studies.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 36 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 November 2023

Brandon Mastromartino, Michael L. Naraine, Windy Dees and James J. Zhang

There remains a critical issue in sport management scholarship in that the field lacks a well-defined framework for delineating practical implications in research. This research…

Abstract

Purpose

There remains a critical issue in sport management scholarship in that the field lacks a well-defined framework for delineating practical implications in research. This research aims to answer the following research questions: (1) What types of practical implications can be identified in sport management research? (2) How can sport management research frame the practical implications of the study in a way that is both theoretically sound and useful for practitioners?

Design/methodology/approach

Through a scoping review and within the lens of Jaworski (2011)'s framework for managerial relevance, the study examined 427 articles from European Sport Management Quarterly, Journal of Sport Management and Sport Management Review published between 2000 and 2020.

Findings

This study presents a five-pronged framework that identifies target managers, organizational tasks, time horizons, philosophical impact and desired outcomes. Furthermore, the current research offers suggestions for how to present managerial implications in sport management research.

Originality/value

The findings shed light on the managerial relevance of the recent sport management body of work, developing an important framework for practical implications for the field to reflect and incorporate into future studies. With a theoretical understanding of how to frame the practical implications of sport management research, the gap between academia and industry can continue to narrow, and the relevance to the industry may be more pertinent than ever before.

Details

Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-678X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 March 2023

John Millar, Frank Mueller and Chris Carter

The paper provides a theoretical framework for interdisciplinary accounting scholars interested in performances of accountability in front of live audiences.

Abstract

Purpose

The paper provides a theoretical framework for interdisciplinary accounting scholars interested in performances of accountability in front of live audiences.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a processual case study of “Falkirk in crisis” that covers the period from September 2021 to September 2022. The focus of this paper is two-fan-Q&A sessions held in October 2021 and June 2022. Both are naturally occurring discussions between two groups such as are found in previous research on routine events and accountability. This is a theoretically consequential case study.

Findings

A key insight of the paper is to identify the practical and symbolic dimensions of accountability. The paper demonstrates the need to align these two dimensions when responding to questions: a practical question demands a practical answer and a symbolic question requires a symbolic answer. Second, the paper argues that most fields contain conflicting logics and highlights that a complete performance of accountability needs to cover the different conflicting logics within the field. In this case, this means paying full attention to both the communitarian and results logics. A third finding is that a performance of accountability cannot succeed if the audience rejects attempts to impose an unpalatable definition of the situation. If these three conditions are not met, the performance is bound to fail.

Research limitations/implications

An important theoretical coontribution of the study is the application of Jeffery Alexander’s work on political performance to public performances of accountability.

Practical implications

The phenomenon explored in the paper (what the authors term “grassroots accountability”) has broad applicability to any situation in organizational or civic life where the power apex of an organization is required to engage with a group of informed and committed stakeholders – the “community”. For those who find themselves in the position of the fans in this study, the observations set out in the empirical narrative can serve as a useful practical guide. Attempts to answer a practical complaint with a symbolic answer (or vice versa) should be challenged as evasive.

Social implications

This paper studies an engagement of elite actors with ordinary (or grassroots) actors. The study shows important rules of engagement, including the importance of respecting the power of practical questions and the need to engage with these questions appropriately.

Originality/value

This paper offers a new vista for interdisciplinary accounting by synthesizing the accountability literature with the political performance literature. Specifically, the paper employs Jeffery Alexander’s work on practical and symbolic performance to study the microprocesses underpinning successful and unsuccessful performances of accountability.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. 37 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 December 2022

Parul Malik

Drawing on the “conservation of resources” theory, the current study examines the mechanisms by which individual-focused transformational leadership (i.e. individualized…

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on the “conservation of resources” theory, the current study examines the mechanisms by which individual-focused transformational leadership (i.e. individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation) is associated with employees' taking charge by investigating the mediating roles of psychological capital and thriving at work.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-wave research study was conducted, and the data for the study included 220 employees’-supervisors’ dyads from Indian IT (information technology) organizations. Further, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was utilized to assess the measurement model, and study hypotheses were tested using Process macro.

Findings

The study results showed that individual-focused transformational leadership (IFTL) is strongly associated with psychological capital, thriving at work and taking charge. The findings of Process macro analyses indicated that IFTL, directly and indirectly, impacts taking charge behavior via psychological capital and thriving at work.

Practical implications

The study offers significant practical implications to managers, counsellors and HRM practitioners for crafting workplace interventions to augment employees taking charge behavior. The study findings would aid HRM practitioners in designing individualized-oriented leadership programs for building employees' positive psychological capabilities and thriving experiences for taking charge.

Originality/value

This paper broadens the existing leadership literature by proposing new pathways through which IFTL encourages employees to take charge. Mainly, research studies need to shed more light on leadership characteristics that influence employees' positive psychological behavior, that is psychological capital and thriving at work. Consequently, this study examined the underlying mechanism through which leadership, psychological capital and thriving interact to stimulate employees taking charge behavior.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 73 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 April 2024

Farjam Eshraghian, Najmeh Hafezieh, Farveh Farivar and Sergio de Cesare

The applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various areas of professional and knowledge work are growing. Emotions play an important role in how users incorporate a…

Abstract

Purpose

The applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various areas of professional and knowledge work are growing. Emotions play an important role in how users incorporate a technology into their work practices. The current study draws on work in the areas of AI-powered technologies adaptation, emotions, and the future of work, to investigate how knowledge workers feel about adopting AI in their work.

Design/methodology/approach

We gathered 107,111 tweets about the new AI programmer, GitHub Copilot, launched by GitHub and analysed the data in three stages. First, after cleaning and filtering the data, we applied the topic modelling method to analyse 16,130 tweets posted by 10,301 software programmers to identify the emotions they expressed. Then, we analysed the outcome topics qualitatively to understand the stimulus characteristics driving those emotions. Finally, we analysed a sample of tweets to explore how emotional responses changed over time.

Findings

We found six categories of emotions among software programmers: challenge, achievement, loss, deterrence, scepticism, and apathy. In addition, we found these emotions were driven by four stimulus characteristics: AI development, AI functionality, identity work, and AI engagement. We also examined the change in emotions over time. The results indicate that negative emotions changed to more positive emotions once software programmers redirected their attention to the AI programmer's capabilities and functionalities, and related that to their identity work.

Practical implications

Overall, as organisations start adopting AI-powered technologies in their software development practices, our research offers practical guidance to managers by identifying factors that can change negative emotions to positive emotions.

Originality/value

Our study makes a timely contribution to the discussions on AI and the future of work through the lens of emotions. In contrast to nascent discussions on the role of AI in high-skilled jobs that show knowledge workers' general ambivalence towards AI, we find knowledge workers show more positive emotions over time and as they engage more with AI. In addition, this study unveils the role of professional identity in leading to more positive emotions towards AI, as knowledge workers view such technology as a means of expanding their identity rather than as a threat to it.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

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