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1 – 10 of 23This chapter focuses on book bans in an American context via embedded power relations and overlapping cultural and political spheres. In particular, it examines how those who face…
Abstract
This chapter focuses on book bans in an American context via embedded power relations and overlapping cultural and political spheres. In particular, it examines how those who face the biggest impact, namely, public high school students, navigate their marginalized position as minors, to challenge the structures of authority represented by their parents and school administration. This chapter demonstrates the importance of personal identity claims, social networks, and the power of knowledge of one’s First Amendment rights, as mobilizing forces for students to demand social change. Case studies of protest by students to overturn book bans are examined. The purpose is to understand the effect of state prohibitions on education that strengthen a student’s symbolic power as a force in society, and in some cases, fosters resistance through community-level activism.
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The efficiency of each of an organization’s individual workers determines its effectiveness. The study aims to explore the relationship between human resource management (HRM…
Abstract
Purpose
The efficiency of each of an organization’s individual workers determines its effectiveness. The study aims to explore the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices and organizational effectiveness with employee performance as a mediating variable.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 800 police officers in the Greater Accra and Tema regions. The data were supported by the hypothesized relationship. Construct reliability and validity was established through confirmatory factor analysis. The proposed model and hypotheses were evaluated using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results show that career planning and employee performance were significantly related. Self-managed teams and employee performance were shown to be nonsignificantly related. Similarly, performance management and employee performance were shown to be nonsignificantly related. Employee performance significantly influenced organizational effectiveness. The results further indicate that employee performance mediates the relationship between HRM practices and organizational effectiveness.
Research limitations/implications
The generalizability of the findings will be constrained due to the research’s police service focus and cross-sectional data.
Practical implications
The study’s findings will serve as valuable pointers for the police administration in the adoption, design and implementation of well-articulated and proactive HRM practices to improve the abilities, skills, knowledge and motivation of officer’s to inordinately enhance the effectiveness of the service.
Originality/value
By evidencing empirically that employee performance mediates the relationship between HRM practice and organizational effectiveness, the study extends the literature.
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Timothy Anakwa Osei, Samuel A. Donkoh, Isaac Gershon Kodwo Ansah, Joseph A. Awuni and Mensah Tawiah Cobbinah
Promoted for its inclusivity, agricultural value chain (AVC) financing leverages social capital and mechanisms such as off-take agreements and forward contracts to reduce…
Abstract
Purpose
Promoted for its inclusivity, agricultural value chain (AVC) financing leverages social capital and mechanisms such as off-take agreements and forward contracts to reduce borrowing and lending costs and risks for both farmers and lending institutions. AVC financing has been defined as the flow of financial products and services to and among the various actors within the AVC to address constraints of production and distribution and fulfill the needs of those involved in the chain by reducing risk and improving efficiency. This paper investigates how farmers' involvement in AVC affects their access to credit.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected primary data from 400 crop farmers in northern Ghana through a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed the data, using the multinomial endogenous switching regression model.
Findings
Joint participation in AVC increased the amount of formal and informal credit received by 64 and 78%, respectively, compared to nonparticipation. Similarly, participation in AVC horizontal linkage and AVC vertical linkage increased the amount of formal and informal credit received by 40 and 47% and 46 and 74%, respectively, compared to nonparticipation. Irrigation farming, extension visits, knowledge of AVC in the community, access to a storage facility and trust in contract farming significantly influenced farmers' participation in AVC.
Originality/value
The authors’ work offers valuable insights into how different dimensions of value chain participation can impact smallholder farmers' access to credit. This work also underscores the importance of considering both formal and informal credit sources when analyzing the outcomes of value chain participation. The findings could enable formal financial providers to identify, liaise and/or resource informal financial players such as value chain actors to supply both formal and informal credit to farmers in AVCs.
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Ibrahim Adeshola, Dokun Oluwajana, Abraham Ayobamiji Awosusi and Olukunle Samuel Sogeke
This study examines how cultural dimensions' influence management style and organizational culture in a multicultural environment.
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines how cultural dimensions' influence management style and organizational culture in a multicultural environment.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a quantitative approach to achieve these objectives, with 270 questionnaires obtained from employees working in a multicultural environment. The resulting data was analyzed using the PLS-SEM statistical approach.
Findings
The study results suggest that organizations should prioritize their integrity using the influence of cultural diversity, management styles, organization culture and social interactivity to achieve different dimensions of human satisfaction.
Practical implications
The results in general present a statistically significant positive effect of power distance, masculinity/femininity and uncertainty avoidance on organizational culture, indicating that disposition to organizational culture has a significant role in trust development, particularly in diverse cultures.
Originality/value
The influence of organizational culture on organizational performance cannot be ignored in a multicultural workplace, especially when it is related to employee performance and commitment. As the world globalizes, many organizations are facing the challenge of cultural differences. Therefore, it is necessary to examine how cultural dimensions affect management style and organizational culture. As a result, this study further considers the empirical evidence of work engagement and its impact on employee satisfaction.
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Samuel Adusei, Dorcas Nuertey and Emmanuel Poku
This study investigated the relationship between last-mile distribution or delivery (LMD) and commodity access through the mediating role of commodity availability and commodity…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigated the relationship between last-mile distribution or delivery (LMD) and commodity access through the mediating role of commodity availability and commodity security and the moderating effect of supply chain integration (SCI).
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted the survey research design and employed the questionnaire instrument in collecting primary data from respondents in Eastern Regional Health Institutions in Ghana. The total number of valid responses received was 204. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was adopted to analyze the relationship between the study variables.
Findings
The findings showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between LMD and commodity availability as well as LMD and commodity security. Moreover, while the relationship between commodity availability and commodity access is positive and significant, that between commodity security and commodity access is positive but insignificant. Furthermore, there is a positive and statistically significant relationship between LMD and commodity access. The study discovered that the interaction between LMD and commodity access is insignificant and negatively affected by SCI.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, no previous studies have empirically verified the effect of LMD on commodity access in the presence of mediating factors such as commodity availability and commodity security and SCI as the moderating factors.
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Julius Samuel Opolot, Charles Lagat, Stanley Kipkwelon Kipsang and Yonah Katto Muganzi
This study aims at establishing the moderating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between organisational culture (OC) and organisational commitment in the perspective of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims at establishing the moderating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between organisational culture (OC) and organisational commitment in the perspective of institutions of higher learning in a developing country.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional design was used to obtain quantitative data from 572 academic staff in eight universities. The sample was selected following a simple random technique. The study data were analysed using SPSS version 23.
Findings
The study findings reveal that OC and self-efficacy influence organisational commitment. Further, self-efficacy moderates the relationship between OC and organisational commitment.
Practical implications
Universities should foster a culture that emphasises collaboration, open communication, inclusion, equity and staff development to increase organisational commitment. In order to build academic staff self-efficacy, universities should provide opportunities for training and development, mentoring, coaching, continuous performance evaluation, and regular feedback to stimulate academic staff's desire to remain committed to the institution. University administrators should look beyond traditional skills and competencies when recruiting future academic staff as their personal beliefs are essential to accelerating organisational commitment.
Originality/value
This study extends the current literature in organisational behaviour and provides a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between OC and organisational commitment using the Competing Values Framework. This study was also conducted in a developing country context, which can always lead to different results than studies conducted in developed countries.
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Samuel Adeniyi Adekunle, Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa, Obuks Ejohwomu, Emmanuel Abiodun Adekunle and Wellington Didibhuku Thwala
The construction industry has been traditionally referred to as slow when it comes to technological transformation. This study aims to investigate and present a scorecard of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The construction industry has been traditionally referred to as slow when it comes to technological transformation. This study aims to investigate and present a scorecard of the construction industry in the past decade, the paper adopted Bibliometrics. The study identified the various digital transformation (DT) aspects in the construction industry and future research directions are also identified.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve the aim of this research, an inductive approach was adopted through a grounded theory strategy. Secondary data was retrieved from the Scopus database and analysed using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. The data was retrieved through specific keywords related to the study focus.
Findings
The study also proposed a balanced flow model for DT discussion in the construction industry. DT in the construction industry disrupts every aspect of the industry, albeit at different rates due to the existing barriers; hence, the study identified areas that require further research. It, thus, provides a theoretical and practical basis for researchers and practitioners alike.
Originality/value
The study reviewed the DT research discuss in the construction industry. It is worthy of note that this is the first study that analyses the DT of the construction industry in the past decade.
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Jennifer Nabaweesi, Frank Kabuye and Muyiwa Samuel Adaramola
The adoption of solar energy by households is an important avenue of protecting the environment and enabling energy access in rural areas, especially in developing countries like…
Abstract
Purpose
The adoption of solar energy by households is an important avenue of protecting the environment and enabling energy access in rural areas, especially in developing countries like Uganda, where energy access is low. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the factors that influence the households’ willingness to adopt solar photovoltaic (PV) energy and how soon the households are willing to adopt solar PV energy for business use in Uganda.
Design/methodology/approach
Heckman’s two-step selection model was used to determine the willingness and urgency of adopting solar PV energy for business use in selected districts in Eastern Uganda. The respondents were selected purposively at the household level at a given point in time.
Findings
Results show that sex, household head estimated income, mode of acquisition and repayment terms of solar technology positively influence both willingness and urgency to adopt solar energy for business use in households. However, financial disclosure only influences willingness to adopt solar. Then, age and energy need only significantly influence how soon the household is willing to adopt solar PV energy for business use.
Research limitations/implications
This study’s findings essentially apply to the individual factors that determine the willingness and urgency to adopt solar PV energy for business use by households. Hence, further research is needed to understand the external and industrial factors which could strengthen the predictive potential of the elements in this study.
Practical implications
This study underscores the need for regulatory enforcement on the supply and usage of quality, reliable and affordable solar equipment which are suitable for business use. Also, the need to promote and finance the usage of solar PV as a green energy source for household businesses has been emphasized.
Originality/value
The study simultaneously examines the willingness and urgency to adopt solar PV energy for household business purposes using Heckman’s two-step selection model. This has hitherto remained unknown empirically.
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Edward C. Fletcher, Erik M. Hines, Donna Y. Ford and James L. Moore
The purpose of this study was to examine the learning experiences of high school Black males participating in an academy of engineering that was configured as a magnet school. We…
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the learning experiences of high school Black males participating in an academy of engineering that was configured as a magnet school. We followed a qualitative case study design to explore the experiences of 16 Black male academies of engineering students. We identified three recurring themes from the interviews with the Black male academy of engineering students: Promoting Interests in STEM, Drawing Connections to Core Academic Concepts, and An Affinity for Hands-on Learning through the Engineering Curriculum. The results of our study helped us to better understand how academies provide a platform for Black male students' interest in engineering as a viable college and career pathway.
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