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11 – 20 of 160Udayangani Kulatunga, Dilanthi Amaratunga and Richard Haigh
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of performance measurement (PM) within construction research and development (R&D) activities to enhance its efficiency…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of performance measurement (PM) within construction research and development (R&D) activities to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
A comprehensive literature review is used as the methodology of this paper where it will look into two main areas. First, the paper discusses R&D work in construction industry with particular reference to its role, main contributors, and the issues which hinders its successfulness. From this section the paper arrives at a definition for construction R&D and the scope of the study. The second section of the paper defines PM and identifies the importance of it in general. Finally, the paper justifies how the issues within construction R&D could be minimised by implementing PM system.
Findings
The paper justifies the implementation of PM within construction R&D and identifies how PM could enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of construction R&D through: identifying requirements of the parties involved within the research process; defining clear aims and objectives; evaluation of the successfulness of activates/confirmation of milestones; providing information for the research funders regarding the utilisation of resources; improving the communication and coordination of the parties involved; and providing feedback for future improvements of the research work.
Originality/value
The paper reveals the impact and influence of PM towards the construction R&D activities.
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This research paper aims to examine how organized criminals rescript their identities to engage with entrepreneurship discourse when authoring their biographies. From a…
Abstract
Purpose
This research paper aims to examine how organized criminals rescript their identities to engage with entrepreneurship discourse when authoring their biographies. From a sociological perspective, stereotypes and social constructs of the entrepreneur and the criminal are subjects of recurring interest. Yet, despite the prevalence of the stereotype of the entrepreneur as a hero-figure in the entrepreneurship literature and the conflation of the entrepreneur with the stereotype of the businessman, notions of entrepreneurial identity are not fixed with constructions of the entrepreneur as a rascal, rogue or villain being accepted as alternative social constructs.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative approaches of “biographical analysis” and “close reading” adopted help us draw out discursive strategies.
Findings
The main finding is that a particular genre of criminal biographies can be re-read as entrepreneur stories. The theme of nuanced entrepreneurial identities and in particular gangster discourse is under researched. In this study, by conducting a close reading of contemporary biographies of British criminals, the paper encounters self-representations of criminals who seek to author an alternative and more appealing social identity as entrepreneurs. That this re-scripting of personal biographies to make gangster stories conform to the genre of entrepreneur stories is of particular interest.
Research limitations/implications
This study points to similarities and differences between criminal and entrepreneurial biographies. It also presents sociological insights into an alternative version of entrepreneurial identity and sociological constructions of the criminal as entrepreneur.
Practical implications
This research provides an insight into how criminals seek to legitimise their life-stories.
Originality/value
This research paper is of value in that it is the first to consider contemporary biographies of British criminals as entrepreneurship discourse. Understanding how criminal biographies and entrepreneur stories share similar socially constructed themes, storylines and epistemologies contribute to the development of entrepreneurship and sociological research by examining entrepreneurship in an unusual social setting.
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The nations of the world are linked together by increasingly fast, efficient and sophisticated means of communication. Satellites, cable, and other telecommunication methods are…
Abstract
The nations of the world are linked together by increasingly fast, efficient and sophisticated means of communication. Satellites, cable, and other telecommunication methods are used to implement this mass communication. The mass media forms, radio, television, newspapers, magazines, film, etc., have influenced not only their resident population, they have the potential to influence all of us. The reference sources in this article are concerned with this global aspect.
Lyn Courtney and Neil Anderson
This paper aims to address the mechanisms of, and barriers to, knowledge transfer between Australia and China in the tertiary sector.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to address the mechanisms of, and barriers to, knowledge transfer between Australia and China in the tertiary sector.
Design/methodology/approach
Individual focused interviews are conducted with one Chinese and ten Australian senior academics engaged in supervisory roles at all levels of knowledge transfer. Content and sociolinguistics analysis is conducted on the questions: How is knowledge transferred between key academic/research staff? What is the potential for commercialization of research findings between Australia and China? What role does information and communication technology (ICT) play in knowledge transfer?
Findings
Knowledge transfer between Chinese and Australian universities consists of research partnerships, collective publications, and joint degree programs. One‐way transfer of knowledge from Australia to China, rather than the desired reciprocal transfer of knowledge, appears to be most common. Barriers to bi‐directional knowledge sharing include misunderstandings surround intellectual property and cultural differences, which undermine trust between China and Australia. The participants overwhelmingly hold optimistic views about the potential of commercialization of research findings between China and Australia and report that ICT enhances communications assisted in successful knowledge transfer. However, ICT is reported to be under‐utilized because of unequal access to hardware and broadband in China as well as blocking and censorship of communication by China.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the discourse on international, intercultural and bi‐directional knowledge transfer in the tertiary sector and has implications for enhanced academic and research excellence between China and Australia. Moreover, insight into the mechanisms of successful knowledge transfer may be applicable to improve knowledge transfer between Australia and other countries.
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Eunice Maytorena-Sanchez and Courtney E. Owens
In this chapter, the authors explore emotional discomfort and the use of live polling to enable business leaders on executive education leadership programmes to move beyond their…
Abstract
In this chapter, the authors explore emotional discomfort and the use of live polling to enable business leaders on executive education leadership programmes to move beyond their emotional comfort zones, to facilitate self-awareness and enhance reflective practice. Openly acknowledging and discussing one’s leadership weaknesses produce emotions which are not always easily shared, especially among business leaders. Yet, identifying emotions and acknowledging discomfort is key for reflective practice and a common failure in many leadership development programmes (LDP). The authors reflect on their experience in designing and delivering a custom LDP commissioned by a UK-based corporate client. The authors draw on the pedagogy of discomfort, emotions in leadership development, and the use of audience response system (ARS) technology to enable and facilitate the development of learner self-awareness.
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We had a bottle of port for dinner, and drank dear Willie's health. He said, ‘Oh, by the by, did I tell you I've cut my first name William, and taken the second name Lupin? In…
Abstract
We had a bottle of port for dinner, and drank dear Willie's health. He said, ‘Oh, by the by, did I tell you I've cut my first name William, and taken the second name Lupin? In fact, I'm only known at Oldham as Lupin Pooler. If you were to ‘Willie’ me there, they wouldn't know what you meant.’
Stephanie S. Pane Haden, Courtney R. Kernek and Leslie A. Toombs
Definitions of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) abound. Unfortunately, a consensus definition and a unified description of the construct still eludes scholars in the field, as…
Abstract
Purpose
Definitions of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) abound. Unfortunately, a consensus definition and a unified description of the construct still eludes scholars in the field, as multiple frameworks of EM have been proposed without agreement on which is the most valid and what variables are critical to an EM framework. The purpose of this paper is to provide a more comprehensive definition and framework of EM.
Design/methodology/approach
Following a review of the extant literature pertaining to EM, as well as a brief review of the relevant literature regarding entrepreneurship in general, the authors identified a set of variables common and critical to this marketing approach. The authors then examined the historical case of Lillian McMurry, the founder of Trumpet Records, to provide a historical example of EM. Utilizing an abductive approach, the authors repeatedly analyzed the case alongside the salient literature.
Findings
Through a methodology of systematic combining, the authors were able to advance a more comprehensive framework and definition of EM.
Research limitations/implications
The primary limitation of most single case studies is the issue of generalizability. However, the authors accept the trade-off between limited generalizability and the conceptual understanding that this historical case provided.
Originality/value
The proposal of a comprehensive definition and process framework of the relatively nascent construct of EM, supported by a historical case example, provides a solid base upon which future research can investigate the nuances of the variables critical to this emerging marketing approach.
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Payal Kumar, Tom Elwood Culham, Richard J. Major and Richard Peregoy