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1 – 10 of over 1000
Article
Publication date: 1 May 1975

PETER CLARK

The actual shape of organisations is very much an unintended affair, not a conscious design by any group of managers, of union representatives, or any other single group. We…

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Abstract

The actual shape of organisations is very much an unintended affair, not a conscious design by any group of managers, of union representatives, or any other single group. We should try to imagine that organisations contain several major groupings, some of which are members of coalitions, and others who represent an opposition. All play their part — albeit unintended. Further, the organisation is shaped by both past decisions and by the images which people have of the future.

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Industrial and Commercial Training, vol. 7 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0019-7858

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 13 May 2019

Jiří Šubrt

Abstract

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Individualism, Holism and the Central Dilemma of Sociological Theory
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78769-038-7

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 March 2024

Elgazzar Iman Mahmoud Khalil

At the beginning of the 21st century, a new class of information workers, the “information have-less” has risen. This class of workers alleviates the influence of information and…

Abstract

Purpose

At the beginning of the 21st century, a new class of information workers, the “information have-less” has risen. This class of workers alleviates the influence of information and communication technologies (ICTs) revolution on poverty and unemployment. The purpose of this study is to investigate the presence of this class of workers in Egypt and assess the size and potential growth of this category of workers.

Design/methodology/approach

The study clarifies the conceptual framework of the new division of labor, in the information age. The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Information and Decision Support Center websites provided secondary data for this study. These data are used to assess the size of “the information have less” in Egypt.

Findings

The division of work and class, in the 21st century, depends on the level of skills possessed to work with ICTs. So, class and labor nowadays could be divided into self-programmable labor (Innovators). Information have-less labor class, adding value to the economy by learning skills and presenting repetitive work. Generic labor class, who cannot work with ICTs, and work in jobs, that do not need computers or other ICTs. The study has shown that the “information have-less” labor class is present in Egypt since the beginning of the 21st century, in all its categories; entrepreneurism, the service sector and the manufacturing sector. There are approximately 50% of this labor class in the service sector and only 13% of the information have-less works in manufacturing sector despite the great opportunities that Egypt has to expand manufacturing to absorb more employment. The inclusion of information technology (IT), in all domains, has not decreased employment in Western countries but has reallocated information have-less employment toward the service sector, and there would probably be the same effect in Egypt.

Practical implications

The study highlights the need for Egyptian policymakers to encourage the manufacturing and service sectors to provide huge working opportunities. The Egyptian government has to change the educational policies, at all stages, to include digital learning skills so IT can be incorporated in a wide range of economic activities. Further research includes: conducting a survey to measure the contribution of the entrepreneurial part of the information have-less employment in Egypt. In addition, a model may be developed, by the researcher to examine the reallocation of employees in Egypt.

Originality/value

Studying employment, in Egypt, using the conceptual framework of the information age is rarely being done.

Details

Review of Economics and Political Science, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2356-9980

Keywords

Abstract

Details

The Perspective of Historical Sociology
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78743-363-2

Abstract

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Beyond the Digital Divide: Contextualizing the Information Society
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-548-7

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2003

Branka Mraovic´

A characteristic of the electronically operated global capitalism is that it is structured with the help of information networks integrating capital interests at the global level…

1600

Abstract

A characteristic of the electronically operated global capitalism is that it is structured with the help of information networks integrating capital interests at the global level. The environment in which the selfness realises itself in the informational society is the global networks and computer communications, creating a wide range of virtual communities imposing a new type of logic – the network logic. In the new network landscape, information technologies, including the Internet, provide a technical support for a greater justice and equality on the virtual highways, thus affirming the voice of an individual. In this way, Foucault’s thesis that power relations are rooted into the entire network of society comes into realization. Corporate behaviour is in line with the dominant social norms, values and expectations, but at the same time it can be significantly modified by social pressures and changes. The same goes for the ways in which information technologies are implemented within organisations, which means that a continual evaluation of IT management programmes is needed, not only from the point of view of its technical effectiveness but also from the point of social audit and accountability in management.

Details

Managerial Auditing Journal, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-6902

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 8 December 2016

Chris Batt

To investigate how the United Kingdom’s public museums, libraries and archives (collecting institutions) might, in the future, take strategic advantage of the dramatic changes in…

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate how the United Kingdom’s public museums, libraries and archives (collecting institutions) might, in the future, take strategic advantage of the dramatic changes in individual and social behaviours and expectations driven by the socio-technical determinism of the Internet since 2000.

Methodology/approach

The chapter summarises the evidence and outcomes of PhD research completed in 2015 that used the tools of hermeneutic phenomenology and systems theory to examine the current state of digital strategy within the United Kingdom’s collecting institutions and to compare this with the Internet’s fundamental drivers of change and innovation. The research sought not to predict the future, but to define the key opportunities and challenges facing collecting institutions in face of sustained socio-technical change to maintain strategic fit, delivering maximum value in the digital space.

Findings

The outcomes of the research demonstrated that libraries, like museums and archives, are ill-prepared to face continued socio-technical determinism. The key drivers of the Internet are single channel convergence, rapid innovation, instant two-way communication driving social interaction and dramatic change in the relationship between the supplier and the user. Collecting institutions, on the other hand, operate within vertically integrated silos restricting horizontal collaboration that has led to fragmentation of developments and constraints on strategy across and within the various institutional sectors. The major challenges that libraries must consider are summarised.

Originality/value

The research takes an approach that has never before been attempted, either in scope or depth of analysis. The conclusions may not make comfortable reading for practitioners, but they offer an agenda for new ways of thinking about how public institutions must change to sustain their strategic fit in a digital future.

Details

Innovation in Libraries and Information Services
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-730-1

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 September 2007

Ahmed A. Monem Ragab

The transformation of the traditional desert houses in "Al-Arish" old settlement through various cultures and civilizations is a particularly unique case. The way the traditional…

Abstract

The transformation of the traditional desert houses in "Al-Arish" old settlement through various cultures and civilizations is a particularly unique case. The way the traditional house absorbs new members and accommodates new nuclear families at the same plot area is an interesting case. Previous researches have examined configuration characteristics of the traditional houses in "Al-Arish". This paper will focus on the interpretation of morphology and social structure. It is almost a truism within space syntax research that the sociologically significant aspects of a building are directly reflected in its spatial configuration. (Sonit Pafna, 2001). In the selected area for the case study, there are different house types referring to three main time periods; 1) pre-occupation period (type-a) unchanged original house forms, 2) occupation period (type-b); and 3) post-occupation period (type-c). House plans were examined using space syntax methods, and relationships to shifts in social traditions and family structures were analyzed. Typically the guest courtyard and the family courtyard, as the central living spaces, have always been an essential part of the social life of the society, their transformation were emphasized. Results of the study related to transformation process and the feedback of the changed social structure and the impact of the Islamic inheritance roles on the house forms were simulated and discussed for further research into accommodating solutions for contemporary needs of the inhabitants as guidelines for current housing practices.* The research aims to sketch a way of understanding the impact of the social rules and traditions on the spatial pattern, in other words detecting the society's impact on space. The paper intends to examine and explore the transformation process of Sinai's traditional houses and the changed social behavior from living within complex family structure to nuclear family structures with segregated household.

Details

Open House International, vol. 32 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0168-2601

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Article
Publication date: 8 June 2015

Jennifer Erica Duyne Barenstein

This paper aims to examine people's strategies to regain control over the socio-spatial organisation of their villages and transform their agency-built houses in culturally…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine people's strategies to regain control over the socio-spatial organisation of their villages and transform their agency-built houses in culturally meaningful places post-disaster. In the aftermath of a disaster, building processes are often taken over by external agencies whose approach towards reconstruction is governed by considerations such as safety, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and – in some cases – also by an explicit will to trigger social transformations. As a result, reconstruction often entails dramatic changes in settlement location and morphologies, housing designs, building materials and construction processes.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on an ongoing interdisciplinary empirical research project focusing on communities’ patterns of adaptation to post-disaster relocated settlements in India, the paper examines people’s strategies to regain control over the socio-spatial organisation of their villages and to transform their agency-built houses in culturally meaningful places.

Findings

The paper shows that people are not passive recipients of external agencies’ often culturally insensitive project and that they have the capacity to transform externally imposed notions of appropriate housing to meet their cultural- and livelihood-specific needs. Based on a micro-level case study of a village in Gujarat, it is argued that underestimating communities’ capacity to rebuild their own houses and villages and the failure to recognise the inherent functionality of local housing and building culture often entail not only missing the opportunity to enhance their resilience but also, in some cases, may lead to increasing their vulnerability.

Originality/value

This paper presents a rare example of longitudinal research, calling attention to the long-term impacts of post-disaster reconstruction. It is of particular interest to scholars and humanitarian agencies concerned about the social consequences of relocation and reconstruction after natural disasters.

Details

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, vol. 6 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-5908

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 June 2019

Ahmad A. Alhusban, Safa A. Alhusban and Yamen N. Al-Betawi

The purpose of this paper is to explore the direct and indirect impacts of urban Syrian refugees on the residential urban fabric of Al Mafraq city physically and socially…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the direct and indirect impacts of urban Syrian refugees on the residential urban fabric of Al Mafraq city physically and socially. Physically means regarding architectural style and socially means regarding social cohesion and sense of community. Therefore, the research questions are: What are the main source of tensions between the urban Syrian refugees and Al Mafraq host community that hinders the social cohesion? And what is the impact of the urban Syrian refugees on Al Mafraq city socially and architecturally?

Design/methodology/approach

Different research methods were used to explore and provide a rich description of the direct and indirect impacts of urban Syrian refugees on Al Mafraq city architecturally and socially. Desk reviews, focus group discussions and semi-structured individual in-depth interviews were used to explore the social impact of the Syrian refugees on Al Mafraq city. In addition, a qualitative comparative analysis was used to explore their impact on architectural style and urban sprawl.

Findings

The results show that changes have occurred on the character of the residential environment resulting in a conversion about the urban fabric of Al Mafraq city both physically, in regard to architectural style, and socially, regarding social cohesion and sense of community. Physically, the city suffers from a decline in the uniformity of the built environment, resulting in a partial loss of its identity as a homogenous place with calm, cohesive residential neighborhoods. On the other hand, the social fabric of the city is losing its homogeneity and solidarity, causing a decline in the sense of community, social cohesion and levels of trust, and a rise in the social tension leading to severe conflicts among community members.

Practical implications

The different stakeholders should express high concern for the different sources of tensions between the urban Syrian refugee and Al Mafraq host community. They should foster formal and informal communication and promote dialogue between the two communities to improve social relations and reduce the tension between them. The consequences of Syrian asylum on hosting countries present an issue that has been vastly studied by several scholars and international agencies. Research, reports and surveys all denote the negative impact of refugees, especially in cases where resources are scarce, as is the case with Jordan. As a part of such consequences, Al Mafraq city is moving in the wrong direction as a result of the increasing flow of refugees.

Originality/value

The current discourse about the influence of urban refugees on social and architectural style among host communities lacks veracity. Therefore, the significance of this research is offering an alternative academic view to enrich current knowledge and encourage further discourse research about urban refugees. In addition, this research is a comprehensive and double focused, not just on social inclusion and tensions but on urban environment and architecture. This research is useful for architects, urban designers and planners, sociologists, policymakers and humanitarian and peace-building practitioners in the urban non-camp complex emergency setting.

Details

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, vol. 10 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-5908

Keywords

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