Search results

1 – 7 of 7
Open Access
Article
Publication date: 20 February 2024

Almina Bešić, Christian Hirt and Zijada Rahimić

This study focuses on HR practices that foster employee engagement during Covid-19. Companies in transition economies are particularly vulnerable to crisis and downsizing and…

663

Abstract

Purpose

This study focuses on HR practices that foster employee engagement during Covid-19. Companies in transition economies are particularly vulnerable to crisis and downsizing and other recessionary practices are frequently used.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the model of caring human resource management, we utilise interviews with human resource representatives of 10 banks in the transition economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We analyse the banks at two different times to demonstrate how and why companies adapt their HR practices.

Findings

Our findings show a changing mindset in the deployment of highly context-specific HR practices. Strengthening company culture through a sense of community and communication ensure stability and continuity in work. Rather than layoffs, flexible work has become standard.

Practical implications

By highlighting the interplay between HR practices and employee engagement, we contribute to the discussion on engagement in exceptional circumstances and challenging settings and demonstrate how caring responsibilities “migrate” into HR practices in the professional context of a transition economy.

Originality/value

We propose a context-specific “protective caring approach” to foster employee engagement during crises.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 46 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 April 2024

David A. Kirby and Felicity Healey-Benson

This study aims to develop an entrepreneurial business model capable of addressing and preventing the exploitation and inequality that traditionally have resulted from…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to develop an entrepreneurial business model capable of addressing and preventing the exploitation and inequality that traditionally have resulted from entrepreneurship, particularly in emerging economies.

Design/methodology/approach

The research uses systems thinking, the first law of cybernetics, and the principles of harmony to formulate a systemic solution to the problem, which it exemplifies via six purposefully selected short cases drawn from diverse industry sectors and economies.

Findings

This paper demonstrates how the conventional model of entrepreneurship, often associated with colonial exploitation and resultant inequalities, can be transformed into a triple bottom line model—harmonious entrepreneurship – that integrates the traditional economic, eco-, humane, and social approaches and creates a synergy where profit, planet, and people are in harmony. The model challenges the profit maximisation/shareholder value doctrine of business success.

Research limitations/implications

Only six cases are presented here, and there is a need for further research in different political-economic contexts and industry sectors. Also, the way entrepreneurship is taught needs to change so that it addresses the sustainability challenge in general and the problem of inequality in particular.

Practical implications

There needs to be a change in the entrepreneurial mindset and the way entrepreneurship is taught and potential entrepreneurs are trained if entrepreneurship is to address the sustainability challenge in general and the problem of inequality in particular.

Originality/value

This is a novel approach to the study of entrepreneurship and its impact on inequality that shows how it can ameliorate and/or prevent inequality, particularly in emerging economies, by adopting a more holistic approach to business success and supplanting “having and needing” with “being and caring”.

Details

Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4604

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 September 2023

Kallaya Tantiyaswasdikul

This systematic literature review investigates the contribution of design thinking (DT) as a process and tool to drive innovation in a sustainable built environment (SBE) and…

Abstract

Purpose

This systematic literature review investigates the contribution of design thinking (DT) as a process and tool to drive innovation in a sustainable built environment (SBE) and develops a new model for sustainability research integrating DT and future thinking approaches toward achieving a unified DT and foresight notion for future research and applications.

Design/methodology/approach

This review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Open-access English articles published between 2000 and 2022 identified using the EBSCOhost, Emerald Insight, DOJA, JSTOR, Scopus and Taylor and Francis database searches were reviewed. The review framework deploys a previously proposed modified Ansoff matrix with an integrated innovation matrix to identify and analyze the challenges and opportunities for innovation growth in SBE. Additionally, a citation analysis was conducted to explore the impact of DT for innovation in SBE, and a proposed framework based on design by drawing on foresight theory was developed.

Findings

Research on DT for innovation in SBE faces the challenge of unanticipated impacts. According to the average number of citations per document, innovation associated with new solutions within a new context seems to become highly influential. Additionally, research gaps exist in the integration of foresight and DT into sustainability research to identify new contexts and solutions to SBE. A model of foresight design thinking (FDT) is proposed to guide future research and support the practical application of DT in sustainability.

Research limitations/implications

This analysis was limited by the selection criteria as only certain keywords were used and English-only articles were selected. Future research should consider the use of DT for innovation in SBE using various important keywords, which would improve research findings and expand the contribution of DT to SBE.

Practical implications

The FDT model offers a new holistic framework for the iterative process of reframing and reperception, focusing on divergent and convergent thinking with the goal of contributing to SBE practices.

Social implications

The integrated framework of DT and foresight can contribute to the study and development of sustainable innovation and a strategic shift toward a sustainable society.

Originality/value

The integration of DT, foresight and sustainability can broaden the horizons of sustainability research by systematically addressing future challenges related to SBE, which can be translated into feasible and innovative solutions. Thus, the FDT model complements the application of DT in sustainable innovation in this research field.

Details

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6099

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2023

Hanna Chaikovska, Iryna Levchyk, Zoriana Adamska and Oleksandra Yankovych

The purpose of this study is to examine the formation of sustainable development competencies (SDCs) in future primary school teachers during English for specific purposes…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the formation of sustainable development competencies (SDCs) in future primary school teachers during English for specific purposes classes, and to assess the correlation between English proficiency and the development of SDCs, including Collaboration, Strategic thinking, Critical thinking, Modelling sustainable behaviour, Systems thinking and Future thinking.

Design/methodology/approach

The research experiment involved the application of content and language integrated learning and facilitation methods in three higher education institutions in Ukraine. The students’ level of English language proficiency was assessed based on the results of the online Cambridge English Language Assessment test, while the level of SDC formation was measured using research methods adapted to the Ukrainian context.

Findings

The experiment revealed positive changes in the levels of SDCs and English language proficiency through integrated learning and the application of facilitation methods.

Originality/value

The study established a correlation between the level of English language proficiency and the formation of competencies, such as Collaboration, Strategic thinking, Critical thinking, Modelling sustainable behaviour, Systems thinking and Future thinking, all of which are vital for sustainable development.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 October 2023

Tatjana Aparac-Jelušić

The main purpose of the paper is to offer a personal view on the development of documentation/information and documentation (IuD) in Germany, while pointing out the need to…

Abstract

Purpose

The main purpose of the paper is to offer a personal view on the development of documentation/information and documentation (IuD) in Germany, while pointing out the need to further investigate the specific features of its development paths. The methodology is based on critical review of the available literature sources in the German language.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses the method of critical review of published documents in journals (especially in Nachrichten für Dokumentation), books and reports of state and provincial administrations that are directly related to monitoring and/or encouraging the development of the young field of documentation.

Findings

The paper offers a review and interpretation of the most significant development phases, the contributions of individuals and the influence of the official state and information policy based on the consulted sources.

Research limitations/implications

This research is limited to the literature written in German language.

Practical implications

The paper could be of interest to researchers and professionals who are interested in the development of documentation.

Social implications

The paper covers the period after the World War II until the end of 1980s that is especially interesting from the social point of view in divided Germany.

Originality/value

To the author’s knowledge, there is no comprehensive history of documentation in German-speaking countries written in English. This paper is the result of a research project started three years ago with colleagues from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, that aims to cover all phases of the appearance and development of information science in German-speaking countries and could be understood as a kind of introduction to papers planned to follow.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 80 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 1 January 2024

Salla-Riikka Kuusalu, Päivi Laine, Minna Maijala, Maarit Mutta and Mareen Patzelt

This study aims to explore how university language students evaluate different sustainability themes and examine the overall relevance of ecological, social, cultural and economic…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore how university language students evaluate different sustainability themes and examine the overall relevance of ecological, social, cultural and economic sustainability dimensions in language education.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was designed to study Finnish university language students’ (n = 55) order of priority for sustainability dimensions and their sub-themes and the justifications for the priority orders using a mixed methods design. Qualitative content analysis was conducted using NVivo software, and weighted rankings were used to analyse the quantitative data.

Findings

The findings of the study showed that language students evaluated the social and cultural dimensions as the most relevant in language teaching. In all dimensions, students approached sustainability mainly by prioritising larger issues and advancing towards smaller ones. Most non-directional responses appeared in the economic dimension. In addition, individual prioritising and justification approaches varied between different sustainability dimensions.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous studies have examined language students’ evaluations of and justifications for all four sustainability dimensions. The results highlight the need to use multiple, holistic approaches and systems thinking to incorporate education for sustainable development.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 25 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 April 2024

Bahman Arasteh and Ali Ghaffari

Reducing the number of generated mutants by clustering redundant mutants, reducing the execution time by decreasing the number of generated mutants and reducing the cost of…

Abstract

Purpose

Reducing the number of generated mutants by clustering redundant mutants, reducing the execution time by decreasing the number of generated mutants and reducing the cost of mutation testing are the main goals of this study.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, a method is suggested to identify and prone the redundant mutants. In the method, first, the program source code is analyzed by the developed parser to filter out the effectless instructions; then the remaining instructions are mutated by the standard mutation operators. The single-line mutants are partially executed by the developed instruction evaluator. Next, a clustering method is used to group the single-line mutants with the same results. There is only one complete run per cluster.

Findings

The results of experiments on the Java benchmarks indicate that the proposed method causes a 53.51 per cent reduction in the number of mutants and a 57.64 per cent time reduction compared to similar experiments in the MuJava and MuClipse tools.

Originality/value

Developing a classifier that takes the source code of the program and classifies the programs' instructions into effective and effectless classes using a dependency graph; filtering out the effectless instructions reduces the total number of mutants generated; Developing and implementing an instruction parser and instruction-level mutant generator for Java programs; the mutant generator takes instruction in the original program as a string and generates its single-line mutants based on the standard mutation operators in MuJava; Developing a stack-based evaluator that takes an instruction (original or mutant) and the test data and evaluates its result without executing the whole program.

Details

Data Technologies and Applications, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9288

Keywords

1 – 7 of 7