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Article
Publication date: 1 March 2000

Kurt Thurmaier

How analysts make recommendations to the budget director and governor depends partly on the nature of the state budget office (SBO). This paper contrasts the development of a…

Abstract

How analysts make recommendations to the budget director and governor depends partly on the nature of the state budget office (SBO). This paper contrasts the development of a budget recommendation in an office with a strong policy orientation with recommendations fashioned in an office with a strong control orientation. One important difference is that control oriented analysts focus almost exclusively on the technical and legal facets of budget problems, whereas their policy oriented counterparts spend considerable time on the social, legal, and political (SLP) facets. The SLP framework enables the policyoriented analysts to apply economic rationality to evaluate requests and make recommendations that are consonant with the governor’s policy agenda.

Details

Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1096-3367

Article
Publication date: 8 April 2014

Megan Woods and Morgan Parker Miles

The aim of this paper is to integrate an augmented version of the Thompson et al. model of enterprise policy, delivery, practice and research with services marketing models…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to integrate an augmented version of the Thompson et al. model of enterprise policy, delivery, practice and research with services marketing models including SERVQUAL and strategic conversations; and demonstrate a practical application of the analysed through the application of N-Vivo qualitative data classification software to create more satisfying enterprise policy recommendations that better reflect the voices of SMEs and other stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

A five-stage iterative process model to integrate stakeholder input into enterprise policy recommendations is developed through integrating services marketing theory and the Thompson et al. model into a field study of community conversations hosted by the Tasmanian Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts, Regional Development Australia's Tasmanian committee, and local governments.

Findings

The five-stage iterative model leverages strategic conversations, analysis (through N-Vivo), comments and revisions, recommendation co-creation, and policy assessment using SERQUAL to craft more satisfying policy recommendations.

Research limitations/implications

The first limitation was the time and costs associated with conducting the community consultation workshops and analysing the data. The second limitation was the inability to craft policy quickly in response to a changing environment due to the time taken to collect and transcribe the data, undertake the analysis, and develop and report policy recommendations. The third limitation was the complexity of coordinating three levels of government, which took time and effort because each level had different interests and time frames and were at times distracted by other priorities.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to better enterprise policy by providing a process model developed using both theory and a field study to illustrate how policy makers can co-develop policy that is more satisfying to policy stakeholders.

Details

International Journal of Public Sector Management, vol. 27 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3558

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 August 2023

Moulay Othman Idrissi Fakhreddine and Yan Castonguay

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are currently showing an increasingly open innovation (OI) approach. Public policies supporting the adoption of OI by SMEs are becoming a…

Abstract

Purpose

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are currently showing an increasingly open innovation (OI) approach. Public policies supporting the adoption of OI by SMEs are becoming a priority for policymakers. Therefore, the aim of this article is to contribute to the literature by mapping scholars' policy recommendations for implementing OI among SMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a systematic review of the literature (SRL) on the topic to achieve this purpose. A total of 99 academic articles were selected from the Web of Science and Scopus databases to suggest the main scholars' policy recommendations to implement OI among SMEs.

Findings

Results indicated that scholars' policy recommendations for OI adoption in SMEs can be organized into: research and development (R&D), networking, collaboration, knowledge and intellectual property rights (IPR), ecosystem, managerial capabilities, funding and incentives and sustainability policies.

Research limitations/implications

Only relevant articles about this topic have been included due to the reliance on the interpretations of the authors. The analysis of the literature revealed that the authors did not always distinguish policies dedicated to SMEs and those dedicated to large companies. Moreover, policies are not matched according to each OI dimensions (e.g. inbound, outbound and coupled OI).

Originality/value

The article uses a systematic literature review method that combines qualitative and quantitative analyses. This method contributes to theoretical development of OI policies dedicated, in particular to SMEs. This paper also provides policymakers and researchers with insights on the scope of OI policies that could support economic growth.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 April 2020

Qiaoling Zhou

English original movies played an important role in English learning and communication. In order to find the required movies for us from a large number of English original movies…

Abstract

Purpose

English original movies played an important role in English learning and communication. In order to find the required movies for us from a large number of English original movies and reviews, this paper proposed an improved deep reinforcement learning algorithm for the recommendation of movies. In fact, although the conventional movies recommendation algorithms have solved the problem of information overload, they still have their limitations in the case of cold start-up and sparse data.

Design/methodology/approach

To solve the aforementioned problems of conventional movies recommendation algorithms, this paper proposed a recommendation algorithm based on the theory of deep reinforcement learning, which uses the deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm to solve the cold starting and sparse data problems and uses Item2vec to transform discrete action space into a continuous one. Meanwhile, a reward function combining with cosine distance and Euclidean distance is proposed to ensure that the neural network does not converge to local optimum prematurely.

Findings

In order to verify the feasibility and validity of the proposed algorithm, the state of the art and the proposed algorithm are compared in indexes of RMSE, recall rate and accuracy based on the MovieLens English original movie data set for the experiments. Experimental results have shown that the proposed algorithm is superior to the conventional algorithm in various indicators.

Originality/value

Applying the proposed algorithm to recommend English original movies, DDPG policy produces better recommendation results and alleviates the impact of cold start and sparse data.

Details

International Journal of Intelligent Computing and Cybernetics, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-378X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 29 September 2022

Barbara Orser

Most feminists policies are aspirational. Deficiencies include vague terms of what constitutes ‘feminist’ within policy, ambiguous investment criteria, lack of consultation and…

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Abstract

Purpose

Most feminists policies are aspirational. Deficiencies include vague terms of what constitutes ‘feminist’ within policy, ambiguous investment criteria, lack of consultation and the use of the binary definition of gender negating gender-diverse people (Tiessen, 2019). The purpose of this study is to identify parameters that characterize feminist entrepreneurship policies and to advance recommendations to operationalize these policies.

Design/methodology/approach

The COVID-19 pandemic has unveiled fragilities in the socio-economic gains that women entrepreneurs have achieved. Gender-regression is, in part, the product of entrepreneurship policies that fail to recognize the nature and needs of women entrepreneurs. To inform recovery measures, this article considers two research questions: what are the parameters of feminist entrepreneurship policies? and how can parameters of feminist entrepreneurship policy be operationalized in pandemic recovery measures? To inform the questions, the study draws on the academic literature and thematic analysis of three collective feminist action plans to operationalize ten parameters that characterize feminist entrepreneurship policy.

Findings

Supplanting ‘feminist’ for women in the construction of entrepreneurship policies, without specifications of how parameters differ dilutes government's efforts to achieve gender quality and women's economic empowerment. To inform policy, recommendations of three feminist recovery policies clustered under seven themes: importance of addressing root causes of inequality; need to invest in social and economic outcomes; economic security; enhancing access to economic resources; investment in infrastructure; inclusive decision-making; and need for gender disaggregated data to inform policy. Differences in policy priorities between collective feminist recovery plans and the academic literature are reported.

Research limitations/implications

The parameters of feminist entrepreneurial policy require further interpretation and adaptation in different policy, cultural and geo-political contexts. Scholarly attention might focus on advisory processes that inform feminist policies, such as measures to address gender-regressive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research is also needed to understand the impacts of feminist policies on the lived experiences of diverse women entrepreneurs. Limitations: The study design did not incorporate viewpoints of policymakers or capture bureaucratic boundary patrolling practices that stymie feminist policies. Thematic analysis was limited to three feminist recovery plans from two countries.

Practical implications

Recommendations to operationalize feminist entrepreneurship policies in the context of pandemic recovery are described.

Originality/value

Ten parameters of feminist entrepreneurship policy are explored. The conceptual study also advances a framework of feminist entrepreneurship policy and considers boundary conditions for when and how the parameters are applicable.

Details

International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-6266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2022

Joshua K. Bedi and Shaomeng Jia

The finding that immigrants are more likely to self-employ than natives has been consistently shown by different researchers. At the same time, many call for the prioritization of…

Abstract

Purpose

The finding that immigrants are more likely to self-employ than natives has been consistently shown by different researchers. At the same time, many call for the prioritization of high-skilled immigration as they believe low-skilled entrepreneurs are not particularly innovative or high-growth-oriented. The purpose of this study is to critically review and synthesize the current literature on immigrant self-employment, paying particular attention to low-skilled immigrant entrepreneurship and the popular policy recommendation that high-skilled immigrants should be prioritized.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors survey the existing literature on immigrant self-employment and discuss recurring data issues, how those issues have or have not been addressed, as well as how these data issues impact the validity of policy recommendations that favor high-skilled immigrants and disfavor low-skilled immigrants. In particular, the authors examine how length of stay in the host country and host country institutions impact immigrant self-employment, especially low-skilled immigrant self-employment. The authors also point out unintended consequences of low-skilled immigration.

Findings

The authors find data issues significantly impact the potential justifications behind calls to favor high-skilled immigrants. In particular, many researchers underestimate the positive impacts of low-skilled immigrant self-employment by not accounting for institutions and length of stay in the host country. The authors conclude with policy recommendations that prioritize high-skilled immigration should be re-examined in light of recurring omitted variable biases within previous studies and evidence of a number of positive unintended consequences associated with low-skilled migration.

Originality/value

The authors review current literature and discuss how important confounding variables, like the number of years an immigrant entrepreneur has lived in a host country and the institutions of a host country, make common policy recommendations suggesting prioritization of high-skilled immigration problematic. The authors also discuss potential solutions to these data issues, ways these issues have been solved already, and possible ways forward. Finally, after considering the literature, the authors offer our own set of policy recommendations.

Details

Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2045-2101

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 July 2005

Andrew Edgar and Lennart Nordenfelt

The Dignity and Older Europeans Research Group has produced a series of recommendations on policy. We propose that these recommendations should be considered by European…

Abstract

The Dignity and Older Europeans Research Group has produced a series of recommendations on policy. We propose that these recommendations should be considered by European legislators, national governments, professional organisations and all institutions and practitioners who provide services for older citizens.Our policy recommendations are inspired by the data gathered from focus groups, as well as by the theoretical reflections on the concept of ‘dignity’. This article introduces four core policy recommendations. The first reflects the rights of the older person, the second calls for the removal of ageism and ageist practices; the third concerns the regulatory frameworks needs in service provision and the fourth reflects the welfare entitlements of older people.

Details

Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, vol. 6 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-7794

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 July 2018

Gal Zohar

The purpose of this paper is to explore the emplotment of organizational grand-narratives of a leading international organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the emplotment of organizational grand-narratives of a leading international organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The paper includes the reconstruction of the OECD’s inclusion approach as a prototype grand-narrative. Moreover, the main goal of this paper is understanding the reciprocal relationship between the organizational narratives and other organizational domains.

Design/methodology/approach

To study the structural process of emploting grand-narratives, which combines reciprocal dependencies across organizational domains, I have used process tracing, content analysis and interviews methodologies, for each domain. These methodologies were monitored by quantitative and qualitative analyses of the interactions among these domains. These methods allowed me to explore the interdependencies in the discursive and non-discursive ordering of institutional memory as a means for identifying the development of organizational narratives.

Findings

The findings of this paper confirm the reciprocal dynamics among and within three core organizational domains, narratives, organizational-epistemological settings and organizational products. These domains evolve constantly and concurrently in a three-phased process where a former organizational constellation is challenged, a consolidation takes place, and a new narrative is institutionalized. The context I chose to demonstrate this dynamic is the OECD evolving interactions between innerorganizational units and the organizational products (i.e. its activation policy recommendations), of the OECD post-Cold War inclusive approach (1989–2002).

Research limitations/implications

The importance and complexity of the OECD as a global trendsetting organization, and the findings of this single case study are significant for their implications on trends and processes found in other complex grand-narratives. The transferability of these results would require further analysis.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper is using a transnational dynamic organization such as the OECD as the organizational model for understanding how organizations undergo emplotment processes. Moreover, this article’s analytical framework provides a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between the constraining structures and micro-level interactions.

Details

Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5648

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 September 2021

Martin Powell

Many governments stress the importance of “learning from abroad”. An analysis of official documents over a period of some 20 years examines learning from abroad in the case of…

Abstract

Purpose

Many governments stress the importance of “learning from abroad”. An analysis of official documents over a period of some 20 years examines learning from abroad in the case of funding long-term care in England through the lens of prospective policy transfer.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper analyses the eight “official” documents in England that examined funding LTC from 1999 to 2019. It uses interpretive content analysis in a deductive approach that focuses on both manifest and latent content.

Findings

Only four of the eight documents gave more than a token level of attention to other nations, and of the remaining four, none fully satisfied the criteria or followed the recommendations of prospective policy transfer. Moreover, a rather limited pool of lessons from other nations is examined. Much of the material is rather descriptive, with limited explicit attention towards goals, problems, settings and policy performance, and a clear recommendation explicitly associated with a clear lesson or policy recommendation is rare.

Originality/value

This is the first analysis of the eight official documents that have discussed funding long-term care in England.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 42 no. 11-12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

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