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1 – 10 of over 87000
Book part
Publication date: 8 October 2018

Kelly L. Markowski and Richard T. Serpe

The purpose of this paper was to empirically integrate the structural and perceptual control programs in the identity theory. This integration involved examining how the structural

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to empirically integrate the structural and perceptual control programs in the identity theory. This integration involved examining how the structural concepts of prominence and salience moderate the impact that the perceptual control process of nonverification has role-specific self-esteem.

Methodology/approach

We use survey data from normative and counter-normative conditions in the parent and spouse identities to test a series of structural equation models. In each model, we test the direct impacts of prominence, salience, and nonverification on worth, efficacy, and authenticity. We also test interaction effects between prominence and nonverification as well as salience and nonverification on the three self-esteem outcomes.

Findings

Out of the 24 possible interaction effects, only three were significant. By contrast, the expected positive effects of prominence on worth were supported among all identities, while the expected positive effects of salience on self-esteem were supported only among normative identities. Also as expected, the negative effects of nonverification on self-esteem were supported, though most strongly among counter-normative identities.

Practical Implications

Our findings indicate that the structural and perceptual control concepts have independent effects on self-esteem. Thus, future research should incorporate both programs when examining identity processes on self-esteem. However, depending on the normativity or counter-normativity of the identities of interest, research may find it useful to focus on concepts from one program over the other.

Originality/value of Paper

This paper is a test of integration of the two research paradigms in the identity theory, which addresses the micro–macro problem in a unique way.

Details

Advances in Group Processes
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78769-013-4

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 1 October 2013

Rebecca Moran, Julie Hollenbeck and Cassandra Phoenix

This chapter proposes a way to deepen our understanding of the health impacts of climate change. It explores how and why individuals and communities may experience the climate…

Abstract

Purpose

This chapter proposes a way to deepen our understanding of the health impacts of climate change. It explores how and why individuals and communities may experience the climate change-human health interface in different ways.

Design/methodology/approach

We suggest that the concepts of structural vulnerability and narrative inquiry can provide a thick (ethnographic) description of how and why individuals and communities experience and give meaning to the health impacts of climate change. We begin by defining the two concepts before bringing them together to explore the relationship between climate change and health.

Findings

The combination of these two concepts offers the potential to advance our knowledge in two key ways. Firstly, they facilitate a critical and interpretive approach to both the notion of agency and the public health paradigm of the ‘rational-actor’. Secondly, they reveal how vulnerability to climate change is embodied at the level of the mundane and everyday.

Social implications

These concepts, when applied to the climate change–human health interface, can help demonstrate how vulnerability is often a social construction, and, with sufficient political will, may be ameliorated. We see the combination of the concepts discussed here as an opportunity for research to address inequality and justice.

Originality/value

This paper takes two innovative and established concepts in medical anthropology (structural vulnerability) and social science (narrative inquiry) and invites their application to our understanding of climate change and human health. Research analysed via these concepts will provide a clearer understanding of the impacts of climate change and experiences of vulnerability.

Details

Ecological Health: Society, Ecology and Health
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-323-0

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2015

Keng Hoon Gan and Keat Keong Phang

This paper aims to focus on automatic selection of two important structural concepts required in an XML query, namely, target and constraint concepts, when given a keywords query…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on automatic selection of two important structural concepts required in an XML query, namely, target and constraint concepts, when given a keywords query. Due to the diversities of concepts used in XML resources, it is not easy to select a correct concept when constructing an XML query.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a Context-based Term Weighting model that performs term weighting based on part of documents. Each part represents a specific context, thus offering better capturing of concept and term relationship. For query time analysis, a Query Context Graph and two algorithms, namely, Select Target and Constraint (QC) and Select Target and Constraint (QCAS) are proposed to find the concepts for constructing XML query.

Findings

Evaluations were performed using structured document for conference domain. For constraint concept selection, the approach CTX+TW achieved better result than its baseline, NCTX, when search term has ambiguous meanings by using context-based scoring for the concepts. CTX+TW also shows its stability on various scoring models like BM25, TFIEF and LM. For target concept selection, CTX+TW outperforms the standard baseline, SLCA, whereas it also records higher coverage than FCA, when structural keywords are used in query.

Originality/value

The idea behind this approach is to capture the concepts required for term interpretation based on parts of the collections rather than the entire collection. This allows better selection of concepts, especially when a structured XML document consists many different types of information.

Details

International Journal of Web Information Systems, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-0084

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 August 2008

Achintya Haldar and Ali Mehrabian

Structural engineering as a part of civil engineering has over 5,000 years of distinguished history, as documented in this paper. An attempt is made in this paper to define…

2187

Abstract

Purpose

Structural engineering as a part of civil engineering has over 5,000 years of distinguished history, as documented in this paper. An attempt is made in this paper to define structural engineering as it exists at present, then some historical structures are identified.

Design/methodology/approach

The advances of structural engineering are discussed in chronological order, encompassing the development of the concept, analysis, the use of innovative construction materials, and construction. The developments which necessitated the change of design philosophies are presented, and the current status of structural engineering is discussed in terms of several specific topics. Opportunities and challenges in the new millennium in structural engineering are then presented in terms of education, service to society, and research.

Findings

In the past, structural engineering always met the challenges it faced. It helped to improve our quality of life, and its role in society is not expected to change in the near future.

Originality/value

The paper has provided an over‐view of this important profession – from ancient history to the present day. Based on research over several decades it offers a prediction of the direction in which this profession and the academic research that underpins it is likely to take in the future.

Details

Structural Survey, vol. 26 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-080X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 October 2009

Ching‐Chieh Kiu and Chien‐Sing Lee

The purpose of this paper is to present an automated ontology mapping and merging algorithm, namely OntoDNA, which employs data mining techniques (FCA, SOM, K‐means) to resolve

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an automated ontology mapping and merging algorithm, namely OntoDNA, which employs data mining techniques (FCA, SOM, K‐means) to resolve ontological heterogeneities among distributed data sources in organizational memory and subsequently generate a merged ontology to facilitate resource retrieval from distributed resources for organizational decision making.

Design/methodology/approach

The OntoDNA employs unsupervised data mining techniques (FCA, SOM, K‐means) to resolve ontological heterogeneities to integrate distributed data sources in organizational memory. Unsupervised methods are needed as an alternative in the absence of prior knowledge for managing this knowledge. Given two ontologies that are to be merged as the input, the ontologies' conceptual pattern is discovered using FCA. Then, string normalizations are applied to transform their attributes in the formal context prior to lexical similarity mapping. Mapping rules are applied to reconcile the attributes. Subsequently, SOM and K‐means are applied for semantic similarity mapping based on the conceptual pattern discovered in the formal context to reduce the problem size of the SOM clusters as validated by the Davies‐Bouldin index. The mapping rules are then applied to discover semantic similarity between ontological concepts in the clusters and the ontological concepts of the target ontology are updated to the source ontology based on the merging rules. Merged ontology in a concept lattice is formed.

Findings

In experimental comparisons between PROMPT and OntoDNA ontology mapping and merging tool based on precision, recall and f‐measure, average mapping results for OntoDNA is 95.97 percent compared to PROMPT's 67.24 percent. In terms of recall, OntoDNA outperforms PROMPT on all the paired ontology except for one paired ontology. For the merging of one paired ontology, PROMPT fails to identify the mapping elements. OntoDNA significantly outperforms PROMPT due to the utilization of FCA in the OntoDNA to capture attributes and the inherent structural relationships among concepts. Better performance in OntoDNA is due to the following reasons. First, semantic problems such as synonymy and polysemy are resolved prior to contextual clustering. Second, unsupervised data mining techniques (SOM and K‐means) have reduced problem size. Third, string matching performs better than PROMPT's linguistic‐similarity matching in addressing semantic heterogeneity, in context it also contributes to the OntoDNA results. String matching resolves concept names based on similarity between concept names in each cluster for ontology mapping. Linguistic‐similarity matching resolves concept names based on concept‐representation structure and relations between concepts for ontology mapping.

Originality/value

The OntoDNA automates ontology mapping and merging without the need of any prior knowledge to generate a merged ontology. String matching is shown to perform better than linguistic‐similarity matching in resolving concept names. The OntoDNA will be valuable for organizations interested in merging ontologies from distributed or different organizational memories. For example, an organization might want to merge their organization‐specific ontologies with community standard ontologies.

Details

VINE, vol. 39 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0305-5728

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 June 2014

Joan I.J. Wagner, Sharon Warren, Greta Cummings, Donna L. Smith and Joanne K. Olson

The purpose of this paper is to test a model linking physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) practitioners’ perceptions of resonant leadership, structural empowerment…

1080

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test a model linking physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) practitioners’ perceptions of resonant leadership, structural empowerment and psychological empowerment to their experiences of spirit at work (SAW), job satisfaction and organizational commitment within the Canadian workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors tested the model using LISREL 8.80 and survey data from 101 OTs and 169 PTs, randomly selected by the Alberta professional licensing associations. Content analysis of responses to the open-ended comments section provided additional depth and insight.

Findings

Analysis of results culminated in minor modifications to the original theoretical model, creating separate PT and OT models. Both models revealed a good fit with the observed data. Several SAW concepts accounted for moderate to large amounts of variance in both PT and OT models, indicating that SAW is a comprehensive workplace outcome.

Research limitations/implications

Theory was derived from business and nursing research literature due to limited rehabilitation research literature. Discussion of OT results must consider the small sample size. This study is initial exploratory research.

Practical implications

Each discipline-specific model provides professionals, health care leaders and policy makers with a rich body of information upon which to base beneficial workplace decisions. SAW will guide leaders in the holistic development and enrichment of the work environment.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the substantive knowledge of the OT and PT disciplines, particularly in the areas of leadership, workplace structural organization and indicators of healthy work environments such as SAW, empowerment, job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 28 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Sociological Theory and Criminological Research
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-85724-054-5

Article
Publication date: 9 November 2010

C. Clifford Defee, Theodore P. (Ted) Stank and Terry Esper

The purpose of this paper is to develop the concepts of supply chain leadership (SCL) and supply chain followership (SCF) from the literature, and propose a theory of leadership…

4216

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop the concepts of supply chain leadership (SCL) and supply chain followership (SCF) from the literature, and propose a theory of leadership in supply chains using a strategy‐structure‐performance theory framework.

Design/methodology/approach

Constructs are defined and valid and reliable scales are developed for SCL, SCF, and three structural elements (information availability, communication, and rewards). Proposed SCL and SCF theoretical relationships are tested using data collected from an interactive simulation and analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Findings

Transformational SCL and SCF are inter‐related constructs that can be linked to the creation of the three forms of supply chain structure examined in this research to varying degrees. A finding of significance is that supply chain follower organizations may actually have greater influence over operational performance than the supply chain leader.

Research limitations/implications

This research presents an initial test of supply chain‐related constructs not tested in previous research. These represent significant organizational constructs that may benefit future supply chain research efforts.

Practical implications

Transformational supply chain behaviors of leaders and followers can be perceived and measured. Managers may utilize this knowledge to better understand the type of supply chain relationships their organization should most effectively pursue.

Originality/value

The paper introduces the concepts of SCL and SCF and empirically tests these concepts and the structural constructs of information availability, communication, and rewards.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 40 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 October 2003

Hartger Wassink, Peter Sleegers and Jeroen Imants

The complexity of the work of school leaders has intensified in recent years. The basic assumption underlying this article is that school leaders should develop a coherent vision…

1060

Abstract

The complexity of the work of school leaders has intensified in recent years. The basic assumption underlying this article is that school leaders should develop a coherent vision of the school to effectively cope with the increased complexity of their work. In order to develop such a coherent vision, integration at a cognitive level is needed. In order to gain insight into both the complexity and integrity of the visions of school leaders, their tacit knowledge is studied using cause maps. More specifically, a method to elicit and interpret cause maps is explored and the analysis of the tacit knowledge, as expressed in the structure and content of their cause maps, indeed shows them to differ with regard to the level of cognitive integrity and balance within their cognitive repertoires.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 41 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 May 2009

Bernadette Andreosso‐O'Callaghan

Economic structural complementarity between country A and country B, or the way the two countries specialize in different industries is a useful tool for the analysis of the…

1820

Abstract

Purpose

Economic structural complementarity between country A and country B, or the way the two countries specialize in different industries is a useful tool for the analysis of the likely impact of trade liberalization. Although implicit in earlier work on economic integration, this concept has been overshadowed subsequently, probably because of the “econometrization” of the studies on trade liberalization. This paper aims to discuss first the relevance of the concept of structural complementarity between two economies in the context of regional integration. Second, since the EU and Korea are on the verge of signing a free trade agreement (FTA), it aims to show that measuring economic structural complementarity in the case of these two countries is all the more desirable.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper applies a number of indices such as the trade complementarity index and the Kreinin‐Finger similarity of export index to the manufacturing sector.

Findings

On the whole the EU and Korea are structurally complementary, implying large potential gains from the FTA. However, the existence of two critical industries, namely road vehicles and electrical machinery are revealed.

Practical implications

The FTA poses some sectoral challenges to the industries, in particular for the EU, and it calls for appropriate strategies in these areas.

Originality/value

This article both clarifies and measures economic structural complementarity, a concept connected with, but not reduced to that of competitiveness. By using several indicators, the present study shows that the manufacturing sectors of the EU and of Korea are on the whole complementary.

Details

Journal of Economic Studies, vol. 36 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3585

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 87000