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21 – 30 of over 2000The management of children′s literature is a search for value andsuitability. Effective policies in library and educational work arebased firmly on knowledge of materials, and on…
Abstract
The management of children′s literature is a search for value and suitability. Effective policies in library and educational work are based firmly on knowledge of materials, and on the bibliographical and critical frame within which the materials appear and might best be selected. Boundaries, like those between quality and popular books, and between children′s and adult materials, present important challenges for selection, and implicit in this process are professional acumen and judgement. Yet also there are attitudes and systems of values, which can powerfully influence selection on grounds of morality and good taste. To guard against undue subjectivity, the knowledge frame should acknowledge the relevance of social and experiential context for all reading materials, how readers think as well as how they read, and what explicit and implicit agendas the authors have. The good professional takes all these factors on board.
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Neale R. Chumbler, Smitha Ganashen, Colleen O’Brien Cherry, Dawn Garrett Wright and Jennifer J. Bute
The primary aim of this chapter is to explore stigmatization, stress, and coping among adolescent mothers and to identify positive coping mechanisms that not only resist…
Abstract
Purpose
The primary aim of this chapter is to explore stigmatization, stress, and coping among adolescent mothers and to identify positive coping mechanisms that not only resist stigmatization but also generate positive affect.
Methodology/approach
Fifty-two pregnant and parenting adolescents in an urban county in the Midwestern United States were recruited to participate. A journaling tool was developed and used to allow participants to express their thoughts and concerns in a real-time, reflexive manner. Data were coded at different “nodes” or themes. Concepts, such as stigma, stress, strength, and empowerment were operationalized into key words and “themes” based on previous published literature. Key phrases were used to code the journaling data.
Findings
Adolescent mothers used positive reappraisal of life circumstances to create a positive self-image and resist the stress of stigma and parenting. Overcoming stereotypes and success in parenting were reappraised as “strength,” which allowed the young women to feel empowered in their caregiving role.
Research implications/limitations
The chapter also contributes to the sociological literature on positive coping responses to stigma and stress. Indeed, very few studies have employed the sociological imagination of pregnant and parenting adolescents by describing not only their lives but also seeking their understanding and explaining their lives sociologically. This chapter also has direct implications for several health care providers, including nurses and social workers. For example, nurses and social workers are a vital part of the healthcare team for pregnant and parenting adolescents, and they often serve as the link between the adolescent, her family and significant others, and healthcare and social service agencies.
Originality/value
This chapter described the mechanisms that adolescent mothers use to cope with stress with a focus on how caregiving generates positive affect through the voices of these young mothers themselves. This chapter contributed to the sociological literature on stress and coping. In particular, our findings were also in line with the work of sociologist Antonovsky’s Sense of Coherence concept. SOC is a global measure that indicates the availability of, and willingness to use, adaptive coping resources as a key variable in maintaining health.
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Mohamed Mousa, Hala Abdelgaffar, Islam Elbayoumi Salem, Walid Chaouali and Ahmed Mohamed Elbaz
This study examines how far female tour guides in Egypt experience sexual harassment and how they cope with it.
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines how far female tour guides in Egypt experience sexual harassment and how they cope with it.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research method is employed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 full-time female tour guides working for several travel agencies in Egypt. Thematic analysis was used to extract the main ideas from the transcripts.
Findings
The findings show that female tour guides in Egypt would encounter annoying gender harassment mostly from tourists they serve, and they might suffer from irresponsible behavior – gender harassment, unwanted sexual harassment, and sexual coercion – from their local managers. When facing sexual harassment, female tour guides usually tend to adopt one of the following three coping strategies: (a) indifference to sexual harassment they encounter, (b) heroism by taking legal action when exposed to sexual harassment or (c) fatalism by taking inconsequential action such as complaining the harasser to his direct manager or filling in an official complaint inside their workplace. The selection of the coping strategy is usually based on the female victim's personality and the organizational and social context she adapts to.
Originality/value
This paper contributes by filling a gap in tourism, human resources management and gender studies in which empirical studies on the sexual harassment that female tour guides encounter, particularly in non-Western contexts, have been limited so far.
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In the past hundred years, the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has seen a remarkable development with various notions of “what is the right thing to do” for the…
Abstract
Purpose
In the past hundred years, the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has seen a remarkable development with various notions of “what is the right thing to do” for the corporations in that era. This paper aims to highlight the journey of CSR staring from an “abstract concept” in the early twentieth century to a well-recognised and “expected business practice” in the present.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a meta-analysis of the relevant CSR literature and finds 12 common themes emerging in different periods. This is presented in a chronological order starting from early 1920 to the present day for ease of understanding. The literature chosen is intentionally broad as not to miss a clear view of the times and the themes in CSR discourse.
Findings
The concept of CSR was viewed as a “social obligation” in the earlier literature (1920s-1960s), as the businesses were thought to operate for the well-being of a community and not for the prosperity of the sole owner(s). A little later, in the 1960s and 1970s, only adoption of socially responsible activities and practices, which were voluntary and beyond legal obligation, were deemed CSR. The 1980s saw businesses trying to find a rational and financially quantifiable justification for adopting activities that were socially responsible, thus the emphasis of “corporate social performance”. The 1990s shifted the impetus on “reporting, transparency and accountability” with numerous reporting requirements. The 2000s sought a win-win situation through the development of “creating shared value” as a result of adopting CSR initiatives. The concept of CSR became an “accepted and expected business practice” in the decade of 2000, with various governments, global entities and organisations issuing their own understanding and definitions of CSR.
Originality/value
This research paper provides an account of the evolution in the concept of CSR in the past century which has seen numerous changes in the manner businesses conduct their operations. The identified themes are reflective of the journey of CSR. This is an informative paper which is very topical in today’s climate of stakeholder scrutiny of business’ working.
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Dongliang Qi, Dongdong Wang, Like Deng, Xiaolan Xu and Cheng-Tang Wu
Although high-order smooth reproducing kernel mesh-free approximation enables the analysis of structural vibrations in an efficient collocation formulation, there is still a lack…
Abstract
Purpose
Although high-order smooth reproducing kernel mesh-free approximation enables the analysis of structural vibrations in an efficient collocation formulation, there is still a lack of systematic theoretical accuracy assessment for such approach. The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed accuracy analysis for the reproducing kernel mesh-free collocation method regarding structural vibrations.
Design/methodology/approach
Both second-order problems such as one-dimensional (1D) rod and two-dimensional (2D) membrane and fourth-order problems such as Euler–Bernoulli beam and Kirchhoff plate are considered. Staring from a generic equation of motion deduced from the reproducing kernel mesh-free collocation method, a frequency error measure is rationally attained through properly introducing the consistency conditions of reproducing kernel mesh-free shape functions.
Findings
This paper reveals that for the second-order structural vibration problems, the frequency accuracy orders are p and (p − 1) for even and odd degree basis functions; for the fourth-order structural vibration problems, the frequency accuracy orders are (p − 2) and (p − 3) for even and odd degree basis functions, respectively, where p denotes the degree of the basis function used in mesh-free approximation.
Originality/value
A frequency accuracy estimation is achieved for the reproducing kernel mesh-free collocation analysis of structural vibrations, which can effectively underpin the practical applications of this method.
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Further research on sexual harassment at work is necessary to persuade management to implement policies and grievance procedures covering this area in the workplace…
Abstract
Further research on sexual harassment at work is necessary to persuade management to implement policies and grievance procedures covering this area in the workplace. Superior/subordinate harassment is the most serious problem for women in “feminine” occupations, the real problem being posed by middle‐class men with higher occupational status. Co‐worker harassment is more of a problem for middle‐class women in management and professions, these women being in direct competition with middle‐class men who cannot use occupational power over them. Harassment of women in factories (or other non‐traditional women's work) is a problem when women
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The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Shaun Hunt.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Shaun Hunt.
Design/methodology/approach
Shaun provides a short biographical description of his life. Shaun is then interviewed by Jerome.
Findings
Shaun tells us about the long journey of recovery that he has made to the point where he is now a University Lecturer.
Research limitations/implications
In large group studies the individual gets lost in statistical tables and the lived experience is absent. Single case studies provide us with stories to nurture and encourage us all.
Practical implications
Shaun says that we often miss the obvious question in our interactions with people with lived experience. “What happened to you?” seems a simple but telling conversation opener.
Social implications
As Shaun says there are some amazing people who work in mental health services, but they are the ones who spoke to him and not to a “schizophrenic”.
Originality/value
As Shaun also says, “Never, ever give up hope, no matter how dark and bad things become, there is always a way back”.
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Leadership and music are two topics that are rarely mentioned together. However, their universal, intriguing, and complex nature allows a unique framework for helping individuals…
Abstract
Leadership and music are two topics that are rarely mentioned together. However, their universal, intriguing, and complex nature allows a unique framework for helping individuals learn leadership concepts. In this paper several songs have been selected from various music genres. Each demonstrates elements of leadership. Aspects of popular culture such as music can create opportunities to learn about leadership and contribute to the development of one’s leadership style. General leadership concepts, along with the transformational approach and emotional intelligence, will be explained as we study each song. Additionally, the paper will discuss effective teaching methods and applications for using music to teach leadership.
The purpose of this paper is to emphasize and provide some insights into the changes occurring in the library field, focusing on the need to become multi‐culturally competent to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to emphasize and provide some insights into the changes occurring in the library field, focusing on the need to become multi‐culturally competent to address these changes and in helping to bridge gaps between diverse communities.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper investigates various learning, teaching and communicating styles among cultures. It focuses on using the human experience in general to highlight and bring to the forefront the similarities that humans share rather than what drives them apart.
Findings
Many libraries, grassroots and more established organizations are struggling to achieve common ground and inclusiveness as a sustainable institutionalized work environment. Libraries, by nature, can play a leading role in these steps towards progress.
Research limitations/implications
The nature of the topic and the fact that it is unproductive to treat new views and social changes with old styles of thinking, approaches and solutions, results in difficulties when conformity to style or research methods is mandatory. Trying to box the human experience in scientific or quantified measures negate change and inclusion.
Originality/value
This paper suggests ways by which libraries and other organizations, in multicultural societies, can adapt their view points, work styles, by being open to change and valuing and respecting the different in order to devise new institutionalized measures that encompass all view points and values.
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