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1 – 10 of 145Sharon Bird and Melissa Latimer
The purpose of this paper is to examine two types of departmental interventions focused on creating healthier and more equitable academic departments as well as enhancing faculty…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine two types of departmental interventions focused on creating healthier and more equitable academic departments as well as enhancing faculty members’ capacity for collective dialogue, goals and work. Both interventions were informed by the “dual-agenda” approach and focused on targeted academic units over a prolonged period.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a variety of qualitative and quantitative data (including National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE indicator data) to assess the potential of dual-agenda informed interventions in reducing gendered structures and gendered dynamics.
Findings
The authors outline essential components of a dual-agenda model for maximizing success in creating more gender equitable work organizations and discuss why the authors are more optimistic about the dual-agenda approaches than many past researchers have been in terms of the potential of the dual-agenda model for promoting more equal opportunities in work organizations.
Originality/value
Most previous dual-agenda projects referenced in the literature have been carried out in non-academic contexts. The projects examined here, however, were administered in the context of multiple academic departments at two medium-sized, public US universities. Although other NSF ADVANCE institutional transformation institutions have included extensive department-focused transformation efforts (e.g. Brown University, Purdue University and Syracuse University), the long-term benefits of these efforts are not yet fully understood; nor have systematic comparisons been made across institutions.
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Jessie DeAro, Sharon Bird and Shermaine Mitchell Ryan
Supporting the advancement of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in ways that help to ensure the health, prosperity, welfare and security of the nation has…
Abstract
Purpose
Supporting the advancement of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in ways that help to ensure the health, prosperity, welfare and security of the nation has been central to the mission of the US National Science Foundation (NSF) since 1950, the year Congress created the agency. Preparing a highly qualified and diverse STEM workforce plays a central role in supporting this mission. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Over the past several decades, many positive steps have been taken throughout the US education system to help ensure a more diverse STEM workforce. Even so, women remain underrepresented among STEM faculty in higher education, especially at the upper ranks. Contributing to women’s underrepresentation are systemic obstacles to the recruitment, retention and promotion of women of different racial, ethnic, disability, sexual orientations and nationality statuses.
Findings
The NSF ADVANCE Program is designed to address these barriers. Success for ADVANCE is, therefore, best defined in terms of the changes made to the structures and climates of academic workplaces, rather than in numbers of women hired, retained or promoted in any one institution at a given point in time.
Originality/value
This introduction briefly examines the origins of ADVANCE, key transitions in the program over time, its reach nationally and internationally, and its future.
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Research in gender and development (GAD) remains largely preoccupied with women's issues and ignores the gendered nature of masculine experience. While exposing this inconsistency…
Abstract
Purpose
Research in gender and development (GAD) remains largely preoccupied with women's issues and ignores the gendered nature of masculine experience. While exposing this inconsistency in gender research, the present paper highlights the gendered nature of men, and sets an agenda for their inclusion in gender research and planning.
Design/methodology/approach
To engage with the issue, the paper resists an unproblematic understanding of men as a singular formation, and instead builds on cultural and historical approaches which locate masculinity within modes of production.
Findings
Instead of casting men in the problem mode and theorizing masculinity as an ahistorical universal, an attempt is made to delink men from patriarchy. For development to be truly transformative, men's issues should be addressed not just as instruments for women empowerment, but also as subjects in themselves.
Practical implications
The paper, at a very broad level, pleads for a need to re‐vision and “men” stream development that does not ignore women, but accommodates men as gendered subjects.
Originality/value
In this context, power may be seen as embedded in specific modes of production, and not inherent in patriarchy. The paper argues that development agenda should go beyond categorical thinking, include men in gender planning, and create conditions for social justice.
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Throughout the many decades of Bond films, 007’s patriotism is much assumed and never questioned. However, how does the English male spy display devotion to Queen and Country…
Abstract
Throughout the many decades of Bond films, 007’s patriotism is much assumed and never questioned. However, how does the English male spy display devotion to Queen and Country? James Bond is an invaluable source when questioning the attitudes towards patriotism and identity over the last 50 years. For example, is his display of manliness patriotic? More importantly, how has the exhibition of the subjective nature of patriotism adapted from an imperial to a more modern British identity? This chapter will examine how the actors who have depicted Bond have worked within the ever-changing British patriotic codes of these international movies.
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Bilal Abu-Salih, Pornpit Wongthongtham and Chan Yan Kit
This paper aims to obtain the domain of the textual content generated by users of online social network (OSN) platforms. Understanding a users’ domain (s) of interest is a…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to obtain the domain of the textual content generated by users of online social network (OSN) platforms. Understanding a users’ domain (s) of interest is a significant step towards addressing their domain-based trustworthiness through an accurate understanding of their content in their OSNs.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a Twitter mining approach for domain-based classification of users and their textual content. The proposed approach incorporates machine learning modules. The approach comprises two analysis phases: the time-aware semantic analysis of users’ historical content incorporating five commonly used machine learning classifiers. This framework classifies users into two main categories: politics-related and non-politics-related categories. In the second stage, the likelihood predictions obtained in the first phase will be used to predict the domain of future users’ tweets.
Findings
Experiments have been conducted to validate the mechanism proposed in the study framework, further supported by the excellent performance of the harnessed evaluation metrics. The experiments conducted verify the applicability of the framework to an effective domain-based classification for Twitter users and their content, as evident in the outstanding results of several performance evaluation metrics.
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited to an on/off domain classification for content of OSNs. Hence, we have selected a politics domain because of Twitter’s popularity as an opulent source of political deliberations. Such data abundance facilitates data aggregation and improves the results of the data analysis. Furthermore, the currently implemented machine learning approaches assume that uncertainty and incompleteness do not affect the accuracy of the Twitter classification. In fact, data uncertainty and incompleteness may exist. In the future, the authors will formulate the data uncertainty and incompleteness into fuzzy numbers which can be used to address imprecise, uncertain and vague data.
Practical implications
This study proposes a practical framework comprising significant implications for a variety of business-related applications, such as the voice of customer/voice of market, recommendation systems, the discovery of domain-based influencers and opinion mining through tracking and simulation. In particular, the factual grasp of the domains of interest extracted at the user level or post level enhances the customer-to-business engagement. This contributes to an accurate analysis of customer reviews and opinions to improve brand loyalty, customer service, etc.
Originality/value
This paper fills a gap in the existing literature by presenting a consolidated framework for Twitter mining that aims to uncover the deficiency of the current state-of-the-art approaches to topic distillation and domain discovery. The overall approach is promising in the fortification of Twitter mining towards a better understanding of users’ domains of interest.
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To address the high level of autistic unemployment it has been recommended that autistic individuals be supported to own and lead social enterprises. This paper aims to discuss…
Abstract
Purpose
To address the high level of autistic unemployment it has been recommended that autistic individuals be supported to own and lead social enterprises. This paper aims to discuss what is required to create an enabling environment for autistic social entrepreneurship.
Design/methodology/approach
By referring to the autism, entrepreneurship and complexity theory literature, it is argued in this conceptual article that to create the required enabling environment for autistic social entrepreneurship, business advisors need to adopt a business development approach that aligns with autistic ways of thinking. It is also agrued that a place-based autistic social enterprise support ecosystem based on a landscape of practice approach is required to bring together diverse support individuals and organisations who have different approaches to practice. Examples including personal reflections are used to support these claims.
Findings
Challenges and barriers to creating the required enabling environment are identified. Two theories of change, one focused on creating integrated service delivery and one focused on enabling the landscape of practice to transition to a more effective state, are proposed for addressing the identified challenges and barriers.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, for the first time this article identifies what is required to address the challenges and barriers in creating an enabling environment for autistic social entrepreneurship. Without addressing these challenges and barriers there is a risk that nascent autistic social entrepreneurs will be set up for failure.
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Sharon J. Williams, Lynne Caley, Mandy Davies, Dominique Bird, Sian Hopkins and Alan Willson
Quality improvement collaboratives (QICs) are a popular approach to improving healthcare services and patient outcomes. This paper evaluates a QIC implemented by a large…
Abstract
Purpose
Quality improvement collaboratives (QICs) are a popular approach to improving healthcare services and patient outcomes. This paper evaluates a QIC implemented by a large, integrated healthcare organisation in Wales in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
This evaluation study draws on two well-established evaluation frameworks: Kirkpatrick's approach to gather data on participant satisfaction and learning and Stake's approach to gather data and form judgements about the impact of the intervention. A mixed methods approach was taken which included documentary analysis, surveys, semi-structured interviews, and observation of the QIC programme.
Findings
Together the two frameworks provide a rounded interpretation of the extent to which the QIC intervention was fit-for-purpose. Broadly the evaluation of the QIC was positive with some areas of improvement identified.
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited to a QIC conducted within one organisation. Further testing of the hybrid framework is needed that extends to different designs of QICs.
Practical implications
A hybrid framework is provided to assist those charged with designing and evaluating QICs.
Originality/value
Evaluation studies are limited on QICs and if present tend to adopt one framework. Given the complexities of undertaking quality improvement within healthcare, this study uniquely takes a hybrid approach.
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In April we celebrate Pets Are Wonderful Month (PAW) to honor the companion animals that bring joy and love to their owners' lives. Humans have lived with animals as companions…
Abstract
In April we celebrate Pets Are Wonderful Month (PAW) to honor the companion animals that bring joy and love to their owners' lives. Humans have lived with animals as companions for thousands of years and during that time our knowledge about the animals we choose as pets has grown enormously. Recent research involving pet therapy indicates that not only do pets give us love and companionship, but they also are beneficial to our physical and mental health. Pets are used in nursing homes, prisons, and mental health institutions, with autistic children, and in many other capacities.
Bronwyn Eager, Sharon L. Grant and Alex Maritz
The purpose of this paper is to explore whether descriptions of functional coping strategies among entrepreneurs vary along temporal dimensions, from reactive or present oriented…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore whether descriptions of functional coping strategies among entrepreneurs vary along temporal dimensions, from reactive or present oriented, to anticipatory or future oriented. Future-oriented coping is largely unexplored in stress and coping studies in the entrepreneurship literature, despite evidence that a future time perspective is advantageous for entrepreneurs.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts an exploratory, qualitative approach: interviews were conducted with 22 entrepreneurs and coping strategies were classified, via thematic analysis, according to function, then time orientation.
Findings
Results confirmed that entrepreneurs’ coping strategies can be classified according to conventional functional taxonomies of coping that emphasize form (affective, behavioral, cognitive) and direction (change, adapt, disengage), but additionally suggested that time orientation may be an important dimension for classifying coping strategies in the entrepreneurship context.
Practical implications
The findings inform the assessment of coping strategies in future research on stress, coping and strain among entrepreneurs. In particular, researchers should assess temporal dimensions of coping alongside the functional dimensions which have been emphasized in past research. Assessment of meaningful dimensions of coping is necessary to identify adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies in future research. Knowledge of adaptive coping strategies among entrepreneurs can inform coping skills interventions for stress resilience.
Originality/value
This study makes a unique contribution to the emergent body of literature on stress and coping among entrepreneurs by utilizing both functional and temporal coping taxonomies to identify relevant dimensions of coping for study in this context.
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