bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Online medical education: determinants and development prospects with reference to Indian institutions
Authors: Reddy Malini , Sengupta Shankha
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an initial discussion on issues related to imparting medical education through the e‐learning mode in India.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach takes the form of the authors' observations as well as reflections on discussions with medical practitioners.

Findings

Online medical education has the potential to address the issue of shortage of medical professionals in India. This study provides insights into the receptiveness of the faculty members regarding the paradigm shift from traditional classroom to online learning environment. It describes the apprehensions, the hurdles and the probable way forward to aid e‐learning in medical education. The discussion can influence policy makers with regard to required accreditation systems for offering and acceptance of online degrees. It can also aid the cause of increasing the doctor‐population ratio, which may lower the deficiency of skilled professionals in the rural regions, thereby ensuring the availability of quality medical education and service to all strata of society at affordable options.

Originality/value

This paper draws on the knowledge, experiences and insights of medical practitioners and trainers in India who regularly interact with faculty, administrators, students and policy makers. As an initial work in this crucial area, the paper raises several questions and identifies areas in need of immediate examination.
Book Review: Creativity: what's next?
Authors: Abeles Tom P.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This viewpoint paper aims to review the book Imagine: How Creativity Works, by Jonah Lehrer.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a review of a book on creativity.

Findings

There are significant advances in understanding the brain and areas of functionality but while areas are better understood it is still no clearer on how creativity becomes manifest. In the second half of the book there is a nod towards creativity, in part, being a function of the community in which individuals operate. Concentration in cities becomes a driver and an environment for allowing individual and group creativity to emerge

Originality/value

There is much which we do not as yet understand about how the mind functions, particularly in the area of creativity and it is a struggle to make sense even with modern tools for studying the mind/brain and observing human habitation patterns.
Michael Beer – higher ambition leadership
Authors: Leavy Brian
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an interview with Professor Michael Beer of Harvard Business School, whose recent book is Higher Ambition: How Great Leaders Create Economic and Social Value, to learn what methods these leaders use.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses his book, in whihc Beer and his co‐authors studied 36 corporate leaders who are recognized for inspiring their firms to create superior and lasting economic and social value. Beer calls this “higher ambition” management and says it is the key to transforming companies into high commitment, high performance organizations.

Findings

Beer and his co‐authors found evidence that creating social value unlocks the dormant creative energies that exist in all employees. Creating both social and economic value directly reinforces the primary motivators of people, purpose, autonomy and mastery.

Research limitations/implications

The authors did not systematically investigate leaders and companies who did not fit the higher ambition (HA) definition. Thus it is impossible to conclude definitively that the HA practices described in the book are distinctive – that they do not also exist in companies that do not fit the HA definition. The authors did, however, use their consulting experience with many companies over many years and interviews with a few CEOs who were not HA leaders to contrast HA leadership practices with “common” and “best practice.”

Practical implications

Beer's advice for rising executives aspiring to become higher‐ambition leaders: find your anchor, choose your teachers and company, learn from experience, and engage in honest conversations.

Originality/value

Beer explains why a leader's higher ambition is essential to creating a resilient and sustainable enterprise and how top CEOs do it.
Disruptive innovation: a new model for public sector services
Authors: Eggers William , Baker Laura , Gonzalez Ruben , Vaughn Audrey
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This article aims to provide examples of opportunities to implement disruptive innovation and offer a framework to introduce it in the public sector – proposing a way to use innovation to make public programs radically cheaper without slashing services.

Design/methodology/approach

By focusing on the public sector job to be done – promoting public safety through incarceration vs electronic monitoring – can illuminate how to accomplish the core goals of an existing process in a different way.

Findings

The paper finds that the best place to start disruptive innovation tends to be in a market segment that is vastly over‐served or not served at all by the current, dominant model of delivery.

Practical implications

Government has an array of tools and channels that can be used to foster the growth of disruptive technologies.

Originality/value

From homeland security to education, from health care to defense, what is needed are innovations that break traditional trade‐offs, particularly that between price and performance. Disruptive innovation offers a proven path to accomplish this goal and in the process transform public services.
Global leadership teams: diagnosing three essential qualities
Authors: Thomas Robert J. , Bellin Joshua , Jules Claudy , Lynton Nandani
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Companies that operate globally have to be adept at managing certain tensions: between global and local, between differentiated and integrated and between many cultures and one organizational culture. So the authors aim to interview top managers to study how global leadership teams are coping with these challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

Over the past year, Accenture researchers interviewed more than 40 CEOs and top leaders at multinational companies to shed light on how they handle the “creative tensions” of competing on a global scale.

Findings

Three attributes were repeatedly cited as enhancing the performance of top teams and their companies: a clear charter and operating principles; the need to be agile about the way they think and whom they draw into the decision‐making processes; and the ability to “change ahead of the curve,”

Practical implications

The article describes how successful firms address each of the three challenges the leaders identified.

Originality/value

The article includes a diagnostic that leaders can use to see how they compare with highly successful global firms.
Beyond stage‐gate: restoring learning and adaptability to commercialization
Authors: Hutchins Nate , Muller Amy
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The authors of this paper contend that too many firms' innovation initiatives are shackled with archaic budgeting and planning methodologies that are intended to protect managers from the embarrassment of blown budgets, missed deadlines, or market flops but instead suppress learning and adaptability, both critical to achieving successful commercialization of unique ideas. This paper aims to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose that the first step to rid myopia and rigidity from the stage‐gate approach is to re‐conceive it as an assumption‐driven process centered on learning, rather than simply a sequence of activities marching towards a pre‐determined outcome.

Findings

The authors suggest that firms should adopt assumption‐driven learning in a series of sequential divergent‐convergent cycles – one cycle per stage – each centered on testing the major assumptions for that stage.

Practical implications

Continuous learning and unlearning is essential to the process of developing raw ideas into viable commercial applications. The key to success is to test assumptions through real‐life experiments – for example, market assumptions should be tested in‐market, manufacturability assumptions should be tested in production.

Originality/value

Firms should adopt assumption‐driven learning in a series of sequential divergent‐convergent cycles – one cycle per stage – each centered on testing the major assumptions for that stage.
The impact of a computerised consolidation accounting package (CCAP) on student performance
Authors: Kanapathippillai Sutharson , Shamlee Hasheem Ahamed , Dellaportas Steven
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between the use of a computerised learning tool (specifically designed to teach consolidation accounting) and student performance in the final examination of an undergraduate accounting unit on Corporate Accounting.

Design/methodology/approach

A regression model was developed to analyse 1,103 observations of assignment and examination scores, collected over three semesters, to test the central proposition that computer assisted learning enhances student learning outcomes and performance in the exam.

Findings

The results show a positive and significant relationship between the computerised accounting assignment on consolidated accounting (linked to usage of the computerised tool) and the consolidation question in the final examination. The findings suggest that the computerised consolidation accounting package (CCAP) assists students to understand the concepts underpinning consolidation accounting.

Research limitations/implications

The data were collected from a single institution, which may not represent the population of accounting students. Due to ethical obligations, the study lacked a control group that would have allowed meaningful comparison and assessment of student performance. Furthermore, whilst the findings in this study were able to demonstrate a positive association between the CCAP and exam performance, it is unable to determine the quality and depth of the learning experience from using the CCAP.

Practical implications

The present study found that a CCAP and its usage has the potential to positively impact student performance on assessment tasks on subject matter similar to concepts contained the computer package. Such findings may encourage instructors to seek ways of incorporating learning technologies in the pedagogical design.

Originality/value

This is believed to be one the few papers that has exclusively studied the impact of a specific CCAP and a specific segment in accounting education (consolidation accounting) using direct measures, CCAP assignment score and the final examination score for a question dedicated to consolidation accounting.
Institutionalization of communication management
Authors: Grandien Christina , Johansson Catrin
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Development and expansion of the communication management function in organizations has recently been discussed in relation to the concept of institutionalization. Empirical evidence has illustrated that the role of communication executives and communication managers varies between organizations, and could also be subjected to change within an organization. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize institutionalization of communication management as a process. It aims to develop a theoretical framework that integrates important factors that influence and regulate this process.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review resulted in a number of factors potentially influencing the institutionalization process. These factors were attributed to three main theoretical areas and four different levels of analysis, using institutional theory as a guiding framework. The theoretical areas and analysis levels, were proposed to be mutually interdependent, and were compiled in a theoretical framework, illustrated in a model.

Findings

The theoretical framework includes three main areas: organizational structure, social capital, and perceptions of the profession; and four levels of analysis: the societal, the organizational field, the organizational and the individual levels.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the study of institutionalization of communication management in organizations by providing a theoretical framework, which can be used to further investigate the development of the communication function and the role of communication executives and communication managers in organizations. By conceptualizing institutionalization of communication management as a process, and exploring and defining the important elements that influence and regulate this process, an important theoretical contribution to the field is made.
Consumer attitudes toward false representation
Authors: Tseng Lu‐Ming , Shih Mei‐Fang
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Misrepresenting the nature of an accident to obtain insurance money for a loss not covered by the insurance policy is definitely unethical and will cause serious harm to insurers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate this issue and examine the impacts of insurance coverage and fraud sizes on the consumer attitudes toward the false representation.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaire surveys were collected with 210 adults in Taiwan.

Findings

Results indicated that insurance coverage affected ethical judgment and perceived fairness, and ethical judgment and perceived fairness related to the false representation. Perceived fairness is related to ethical judgment (the more people feel it is fair to cheat, the higher propensity they have to deem the cheating as ethical).

Originality/value

Concern for claim fraud in the insurance market has dramatically increased over the past few years. However, very little research has examined the impacts of coverage and fraud sizes on such behavior. This paper takes a further step in testing the effects of the two factors on individuals' intentions to commit false representation. The results suggest that coverage does affect the intention to misreport claim amounts.
Re‐defining stewardship?
Authors: Ali Shazeeda A.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine the concept of stewardship within the context of the financial services industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explores the historical and current significance of stewardship in the field of financial services through an analysis of the obligations and liabilities of those responsible for other people's money.

Findings

A key finding is that stewardship should represent the touchstone for reform in the financial industry.

Originality/value

The paper provides an innovative examination of the concept of stewardship and its application to the financial industry. The paper should be of value to those interested in and/or involved in financial services regulation.
Corporate letters of credit and their usage as an instrument for fraud
Authors: Polat Ali
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine the differences between traditional documentary credits and corporate issued documentary credits and to show the effects of these differences on the application of documentary credits within a fraud context.

Design/methodology/approach

The objective of the paper is achieved by analysis of relevant documents of related institutions together with some examples of works done by the authors from the field.

Findings

It is found that the documentary credits issued by corporations can be a tool for financial fraud due to lack of information in classifications and lack of experience for this product.

Practical implications

Companies dealing with international trade can benefit from the risk involved in that type of transactions. It is also possible that a new classification can also be arranged including corporate letters of credits.

Originality/value

The paper covers a topic which is almost untouched. As the number of documentary credits that are issued by corporates are rare and this is not also well documented in the theory was shown by this research. The absence of the information in theory and practice gives room to the fraudster.
A tough pill to swallow?
Authors: Fan Di , Lo Chris K.Y.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impacts of voluntary Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) certification (i.e. OHSAS 18001) on fashion and textiles‐related companies’ financial performance.

Design/methodology/approach

From all US‐listed fashion and textiles‐related companies, 44 companies that obtained OHSAS 18001 certification were used as samples. A long‐horizon event study was conducted to estimate the sample companies’ abnormal changes of sales and return‐on‐assets (ROA) over non‐OHSAS 18001 adopters in the same industry.

Findings

The authors found that OHSAS 18001 adoption has a positive impact on fashion and textiles‐related company’s sales performance. Nevertheless, the OHSAS 18001 adoption has a negative impact on the company's ROA performance.

Originality/value

Because of the increasing fashion customers’ attention on the occupational health and safety (OHS) issues on personal goods, such as fashion, apparel and beauty products, major fashion brands and retailers often require their suppliers to implement a voluntary OHSMS, in order to avoid any OHS scandal, such as sweatshops and child labour. However, the impacts of OHSMS on fashion and textiles‐related manufacturers have never been examined empirically. The paper provides the first empirical evidence of impacts of OHSAS 18001 on fashion and textiles‐related companies’ financial performances.
Best practices as an assessment for crisis communication
Authors: Veil Shari R. , Husted Rebekah A.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This study aims to use the now‐classic case study of American Red Cross's response to Hurricane Katrina to demonstrate the utility of the best practices in risk and crisis communication as an assessment tool.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative case study methodology is used to provide a thick description of the case based on media analysis and internal and external evaluations. The best practices in risk and crisis communication are then used to assess Red Cross's response efforts.

Findings

This study provides contextual support for the best practices in risk and crisis communication and demonstrates their usefulness in post‐crisis assessment. Lessons learned specific to the case outline the importance of: maintaining flexibility in the crisis plan; developing a crisis communication protocol with partners; considering the affects of response procedures on the emotional and psychological health of crisis victims; and establishing connections with diverse populations and the communities in which the organization works.

Practical implications

As an assessment tool in the post‐crisis stage, the best practices provide an outline for organizations to question whether their planning was sufficient and their strategies and responses met the needs of their stakeholders.

Originality/value

This study provides reason for continuing to develop, study, and apply best practices in risk and crisis communication across organizations and industries. By using the best practices as an assessment tool post‐crisis, organizations can look at each specific practice through the lens of the crisis to stimulate organizational learning.
Understanding strategy in communication management
Authors: Raupp Juliana , Hoffjann Olaf
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide a new perspective on the relationship between communication management as a strategic process and corporate strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper compares approaches of the prescriptive and the descriptive branch of strategy research and highlights how these seemingly contradictory strategy concepts are interrelated. It integrates decision‐making and interpretive perspectives on strategy in management and transfers those perspectives to strategy in communication management. Two areas of communication management, problem definition and the identification of stakeholders, serve as examples to illustrate the conceptual framework.

Findings

A conceptual model of strategic decision making in communication management is developed. Strategy in communication management is understood as deliberately creating decision‐making situations. Strategic decisions in communication management are part of both retrospective and prospective sensemaking processes in organizations.

Originality/value

This paper points to fruitful tensions between different strategy concepts and suggests ways to resolve this tension partly. It offers further insights into the role of strategy in communication management by providing a comprehensive view on strategies of communication management from the perspectives of strategy content and strategy process research.
The integration of CSR into corporate communication in large European companies
Authors: Pollach Irene , Johansen Trine S. , Ellerup Nielsen Anne , Thomsen Christa
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to shed light on corporate practices regarding the integration of CSR into corporate communication in large European companies.

Design/methodology/approach

An e‐mail survey was conducted among large European companies in a total of 14 European countries. The questionnaire focuses on the organization of corporate communication activities, the organization of CSR activities, and the cooperation between the two.

Findings

The authors find that CSR is managed most frequently by CSR departments, but also by communication departments to a small extent. Whichever organization is chosen, the communication departments frequently engage in cooperation with the CSR departments. The more frequently the two cooperate, the more likely they are to have formalised their cooperation. The authors also conclude that the communication department is generally aligned to the strategic management of the organization, whereas this is not always the case for the CSR department.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation of the study is clearly the sample size, which could have been larger. However, corporate policies against survey participation pose an obstacle to large‐scale surveys among companies in general.

Originality/value

The question of whether and how companies integrate CSR and communication responsibilities is an under‐researched area. This paper provides empirical evidence of how large companies manage the two functions in their organizations.
The Sense of Community in School Scale (SCSS)
Authors: Admiraal Wilfried , Lockhorst Ditte
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Teacher communities might create excellent conditions for teacher learning in schools, such as a teacher dialogue. The way teachers perceive and interpret these conditions seems to be crucial for their effects on learning. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop and test the Sense of Community in School Scale (SCSS).

Design/methodology/approach

The SCSS was completed by a sample of 271 Dutch school teachers and student teachers and related to self‐reported opportunities for teacher dialogue. It was hypothesized that sense of community and teacher dialogue were related, that teachers showed a stronger sense of community than student teachers, and that their sense of community was stronger related to teacher dialogue for teachers than for student teachers.

Findings

Teachers showed higher scores on two of the six scales of the SCSS (group identity and meaningful relationships). For both teachers and student teachers, three aspects of sense of community (shared interaction repertoire, tolerance of individual differences, and meaningful relationships) were positively related to teacher dialogue, with stronger relations with two other aspects (group identity and shared domain) for teachers than for student teachers.

Research limitations/implications

Although SCSS showed promising results, more technical research should be done to ensure its construct validity, differential validity and predictive validity.

Originality/value

Teaching is still seen as isolated work. More insight in how to ascertain collaborative workplace conditions in school might further ideas on workplace learning for school teachers.
The inservice‐teacher‐training in Flemish schools: does practice make a (more) perfect teacher?
Authors: Snoeck Iris , Struyf Elke
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The aim of this study is to analyse the experiences of student teachers and mentors regarding in‐service teacher‐training or the “Learning in the Workplace Trajectory” (LIW) in Flemish secondary schools. How is this trajectory perceived by mentors and student teachers, i.e. do their individual expectations and capacities match with the formal guidelines implemented by the teacher‐training institutes (and how)?

Design/methodology/approach

This study investigates the LIW trajectory on a pragmatic level, using qualitative research methods such as semi‐structured interviews. The focus of this study is twofold: coaching during the LIW trajectory and evaluation during and at the end of the LIW trajectory.

Findings

The majority of the respondents (mentors and student teachers) indicated that adequate communication and partnership between school and teacher‐training institute (on both organizational and individual level) is essential for a successful trajectory. The challenges which both organizations have to face in order to establish an effective partnership and to effectively guide future student teachers towards their future profession, were made transparent: invest in intensive coaching and install structural involvement of both school and institute during the trajectory.

Research limitations/implications

This study was limited to a qualitative methodology and therefore has very few universal implications. Furthermore, this study originated from a practical point‐of‐view, with no interest in finding new theoretical insights on workplace learning.

Social implications

This study shows that without sufficient financial and structural support from the government, schools and teacher‐training institutes are left facing the challenges (finding ways to invest in and increase coaching the LIW student teachers and structural involvement in the organization of the LIW trajectory of schools) on their own.

Originality/value

This study aimed to highlight the perspective of student teachers and mentors – in other words to see this “Learning in the Workplace Trajectory” through their experience, as they experience(d) it in order to get a look inside the daily practice of both LIW students and mentors during coaching and evaluation.
The vulnerability of Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs to penetration by criminal actors
Authors: Fisher Jonathan
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider whether HM Revenue & Customs systems are vulnerable to penetration by organized criminals.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a review of available material published in hard copy and on the internet.

Findings

The paper finds that HM Revenue & Customs systems are vulnerable to penetration by organized criminals in a number of ways. Theft by employees, fraud perpetrated by external criminals and money laundering are particular vulnerabilities.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is an invite to the House of Commons Public Accounts or Treasury Select Committee to investigate HM Revenue & Customs' vulnerability to penetration by organized criminals.

Social implications

The paper identifies the need to reduce monies lost by HM Treasury.

Originality/value

This is the first study, to the author's knowledge, of a holistic approach to the issue of HM Revenue & Customs systems' vulnerablity to penetration by organized criminals.
Characteristics of white‐collar criminals: a Norwegian study
Authors: Filstad Cathrine , Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This article aims to address the research question: “What are the characteristics of white‐collar criminals in Norway?”.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on data from articles in Norwegian financial newspapers for one year where a total of 67 white‐collar criminals convicted to jail sentence were identified. The sample is analysed and presented in comparison with US literature especially on characteristics of white‐collar criminals, which is believed to be both general and limited.

Findings

The paper's contribution is important, as studies of white‐collar criminals so far have focused on case studies rather than statistical analysis of a larger sample. The paper finds that the typically white‐collar criminal is male, 46 years old, involved with first time crime of the amount of 30 million US dollars and convicted to three years of imprisonment. As a contradiction to previous literature on white‐collar crime, the paper also finds that they are not part of the upper‐class and highly educated. On the contrary, even though mostly being leaders, they are not highly educated, but have a position that gives them access to money. Consequently, the paper also finds that manipulation and fraud is the most common form of white‐collar crime in Norway.

Originality/value

The results are in opposition to existing literature and offer a fresh perspective on the characteristics of white‐collar criminals in Norway.
A suitable case for treatment: money laundering and knowledge
Authors: Murray Kenneth
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider recent UK case law on money laundering and consider how the concept of “predicate offence” continues to have a restricting influence on the scope of the relevant legislation. The paper aims to consider recent experience both in the UK and abroad and that notions of what money laundering is and how it can be prosecuted need to quickly evolve to maintain the credibility of the anti‐money laundering environment. This requires a move to accepting that the offence can be proved by reference to the way money is treated that is not dependent on a specified or predicate offence.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a review of relevant case law and commentaries thereon. It assesses of new international approaches and analyses specific UK legal provisions relating to money laundering and how they can be amended to be more effective in practice.

Findings

Nearly ten years after the advent of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA), a minor but telling amendment to the definition of “criminal property” would help to remove uncertainty as to what constitutes criminal property and increase confidence in the use of the POCA money laundering provisions as an effective weapon against offenders.

Research limitations/implications

The requirement for further legal research and debate is implied.

Practical implications

Practical implications of the paper are the improvement of the effectiveness, and encouraging more use of, the POCA money laundering provisions.

Social implications

Social implications of the paper are the protection of communities by improved effectiveness of measures taken against those who profit from crime.

Originality/value

This paper encourages debate on the topic of money laundering and knowledge.
The methodological identity of shadowing in social science research
Authors: Bartkowiak‐Theron Isabelle , Robyn Sappey Jennifer
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The research technique of shadowing is the most in‐depth type of systematic, direct observation in situ of behaviours within a particular organisational or social setting, and yet, it crucially lacks documentation and critical analysis. The origins of the under‐documenting, coupled with the mutation of the scientific method of shadowing through its adoption by many industries as a means of on‐the‐job training, have led to a misunderstanding of shadowing as a scientific technique. This is problematic at several levels for academics deeply involved in qualitative methodology. The purpose of this paper is to address, in part, this gap in the literature.

Design/methodology/approach

By defining shadowing, considering the reasons why shadowing has had little critique from social science scholars and then exploring the problems of it as a research technique, particularly within the current context of ethics regimes, the authors wish to proactively help to avoid unintentional yet delicate fieldwork situations, in which misunderstanding may happen due to the lay use of “shadowing” as a passive (non‐obtrusive) observation.

Findings

The authors argue that the research practice of shadowing implies specific systematic techniques and extensive self‐discipline by the researcher. It also caters for a need in data collection that oversteps traditional observation‐and‐interviewing techniques, by adding a new hermeneutical layer to the information gathered. It becomes an essential tool in the evaluation of public policy initiatives and programmes and in the understanding of not only the mechanics, but of the motivations behind actions and behaviours.

Originality/value

This paper addresses part of a gap in the literature and paves the way for more critical analysis of the dynamics that emerge during the shadowing of a research participant.
Solutions to sustainability: utilising art to communicate the ineffable
Authors: Grob Suzanne
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Research problems focused on sustainability, such as changes to procurement practices, are new which necessitate new approaches to research methods. The purpose of this paper is to describe the application of an arts‐based inquiry technique to supplement a mixed‐methods approach.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents an application of arts‐based inquiry techniques as part of the qualitative analysis regime to communicate the approaches adopted by Australian organisations introducing sustainable procurement utilising the medium of collage.

Findings

Arts‐based inquiry is found to offer organisational research several complementary features. It engages multiple audiences in different “ways of seeing” and engaging with research.

Originality/value

Arts‐based techniques demonstrated in this paper offer sustainability and other researchers a complementary method of inquiry, to communicate change in society by opening the discourse between art, transdisciplinarity and sustainability, and to engage with multiple audiences in the process of change.
Qualitative inquiry
Authors: Nite Calvin , Singer John N.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The academic discipline and field of sport management has become a legitimate area through which scholarship and theory development can impact sport populations. Yet it has been suggested that sport management journal articles are read by less than one percent of the population. Though it is important to build the theoretical knowledge base of the field, it could be viewed as irresponsible to not search for insightful ways to engage sport practitioners and participants with sport management research. The purpose of this paper is to argue for the use of qualitative research as a “research as praxis” in the field of sport management.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors provide a brief, critical commentary on the research process and what impact “academic” research is (or should be) having outside of the academy. Then, the authors briefly discuss the significance of qualitative research in the academy in general, concluding with a discussion of some implications for sport management research and education.

Findings

The authors emphasize the role that various forms of qualitative inquiry play in connecting researchers with study populations, in efforts to empower them, and ultimately, bring about social change.

Originality/value

The paper should stimulate critical thought and dialogue among sport management scholars.
What would I change the next time? A confessional tale of in‐depth qualitative data collection
Authors: Smith Claire
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how fieldwork impacted the author's own and one participant's positioning; the author's reflexivity, experiences and feelings of alterity; the participant's performances and conversations between the author and participant.

Design/methodology/approach

The author uses a confessional tale to describe the time spent with the participant and confesses how it impacted on the author as the researcher. The author examines her biases, feelings, and vulnerabilities, and explores some of the methodological and positioning issues with which she struggled.

Findings

The author ponders on what she learned while being in such close quarters with a participant and discusses what she should keep in mind about herself as the researcher during subsequent data collection forays. Researchers should know themselves well before attempting such closeness because when we are researchers, we can’t change who we are as people.

Originality/value

It is believed that the extreme researcher/participant closeness was unique but was, at the same time, an extremely useful form of data collection.
Whether environmental factors matter: some evidence from UK property companies
Authors: Thompson Bob , Ke Qiulin
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is test whether what property companies say they do with respect to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in general and the environment in particular has an impact on corporate value as expressed by their return on assets (ROA).

Design/methodology/approach

The annual report for any UK‐listed company is a statutory document with its contents prescribed by legislation. This paper is concerned with a comparison of how real estate companies present themselves in their annual reports with their actual performance. To extract that information systematically, word frequency analysis (WFA) was undertaken on the contents of the annual reports of the top 20 UK‐listed property companies by value using a CSR vocabulary of words and phrases. The frequency of each of these was established in each annual report between 2001 and 2010. Two indices were created: a general CSR index based on the occurrence of a CSR vocabulary; and a green index based on the environmental vocabulary. These indices were then modelled against the ROA for each company.

Findings

As expected, ROA is positively related with both indices and is statistically significant in the GREEN equation, suggesting the firms with good performance are likely to invest more in sustainability. The size of firms is positively associated with both indices, indicating larger firms have better defined CSR. Return has a significantly positive coefficient with both indices, suggesting that the “greener” companies outperform others in the stock market.

Originality/value

The research uses new content analysis techniques to identify the relative commitment of property companies to CSR and the environment. The documents analysed are statutory and therefore less likely to be used to present aspiration rather than action. Overall the paper addresses only one aspect of corporate activity and will be best viewed in coordination with other approaches.
Ethical decision making and forensic practice
Authors: Barnao Mary , Robertson Peter , Ward Tony
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This paper seeks to propose that approaching forensic practice from the vantage point of human dignity and its associated values can alert clinicians to a broader range of ethical issues than reliance on codes of ethics. The paper aims to present a practical framework for ethical reasoning based on this approach and to demonstrate its application using examples drawn from forensic practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Three case vignettes are used to demonstrate how the ethical framework can be used as a heuristic device to encourage practitioners to be alert to genuine, although often subtle, ethical problems and to think beyond the confines of ethical codes.

Findings

The ethical framework outlined in this paper can alert clinicians to a broader range of ethical issues than those flagged by codes of ethics and encourage them to think about the contribution of systemic, as well as individual variables, to ethical problems.

Practical implications

Enriching ethical codes with the concept of dignity and human rights can assist clinicians to detect ethical issues in their daily practice and improve their ethical reasoning and decision making.

Originality/value

Relatively few articles address ethical issues in a forensic mental health context and those that do focus on specific issues rather than the process of ethical decision making. This paper provides forensic clinicians with a practical framework that can assist them to recognize ethical problems and make considered decisions about them.
Group‐work therapeutic engagement in a high secure hospital: male service user perspectives
Authors: Mason Kathryn , Adler Joanna R.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss a service user perspective of factors that influence engagement in therapeutic group‐work within a high secure hospital environment.

Design/methodology/approach

An opportunistic sample of 11 male service users were interviewed, using a semi‐structured protocol. This was underpinned by social and psychological factors highlighted within the literature, and concepts drawn from the Health Belief Model (HBM). In accordance with service‐user led initiatives, interview questions were open‐ended, designed to invite and encourage exploration of themes through general discussion. Research findings were analysed through an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach to identify emergent themes of apparent influence. Themes were identified, and were categorised into emergent themes and related sub themes. Emergent themes were then considered in relation to the theories and concepts that underpinned and connected them.

Findings

It was found that the most substantial theme was culture of the environment, closely linked to the concepts of choice, which stem from and are greatly influenced by culture. Participants highlighted additional influential areas, namely relationships, trust, motivation, group‐work content and expected outcomes.

Originality/value

Given the complexities of need presented by service users within high secure settings, professionals recognise a range of approaches and treatment modalities incorporating individual therapy, occupational and vocational engagement and therapeutic group‐work. It is specifically service users' views of engagement in such group‐work that is considered within this paper.
Cognitive analytic therapy (CAT) within the perimeter fence: an exploration of issues clinicians encounter in using CAT within a high secure hospital
Authors: Annesley Phyllis , Sheldon Kerry
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to describe issues clinicians encounter when delivering cognitive analytic therapy (CAT) within a high secure hospital (HSH).

Design/methodology/approach

Focus groups were conducted with six staff using a semi‐structured interview. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

Findings

Five main themes emerged from the data. These were: concerns around therapy and the therapeutic relationship; issues with CAT stages and structure; issues around CAT tools; issues connected with the HSH setting; and concerns about integrating CAT and teamwork. Clinicians addressed these issues by helping others understand therapeutic relationships and adapting CAT tools and structure.

Research implications

It is recommended that HSH managers ensure that therapists are fully supported and subsidiary therapy staff members are appropriately trained. Additionally, the Association for Cognitive Analytic Therapy (ACAT) and CAT training organizations need to demonstrate sensitivity to the HSH context and fully prepare trainees for forensic work.

Originality/value

This paper describes how clinicians effectively address challenges when delivering CAT and makes recommendations for future delivery.
The violent offender treatment programme: service user consultation and evaluation
Authors: Stewart Sally , Oldfield Abigail , Braham Louise
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The Violent Offender Treatment Programme (VOTP) is a cognitive programme which aims to reduce risk of recidivism of mentally disordered offenders. Research has examined the use of various assessment tools to explore the effectiveness of the programme. Examination of service user feedback in relation to mental health service provision and violence risk has not been conducted. This study aims to explore service users' experiences of the VOTP.

Design/methodology/approach

Interpretative phenomenological analysis was utilised to explore interviews of seven service users' experiences of the VOTP, within a high secure psychiatric hospital.

Findings

Four broad themes were found: consistency, learning and application, the group experience, and programme structure. Findings indicate participants held positive views of the VOTP. They could relate to the material covered and felt this had enhanced their ability to manage violence and aggression. Recommendations to improve the programme included simplifying programme material, maintaining patient motivation, and ensuring effective communication.

Research limitations/implications

The service users whose risk had substantially reduced and thus left the hospital were not included in this study. In addition, there were restrictions on the patients available as current mental health had to be taken into account. Implications include the importance service users place on group process.

Originality/value

Examining service user feedback in relation to mental health service provision had not previously been completed. Findings may be beneficial to other treatment programmes for violence and other group based psychological treatments in similar settings.
Design information for efficient equipment supplier/buyer integration
Authors: Bruch Jessica , Bellgran Monica
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the underlying design information and success factors for production equipment acquisition, in order to support the design of high‐performance production systems.

Design/methodology/approach

The research strategy employed was an in‐depth case study of an industrialization project, together with a questionnaire of 25 equipment suppliers.

Findings

The study provides the reader with an insight into the role of design information when acquiring production equipment by addressing questions such as: What type of information is used? How do equipment suppliers obtain information? What factors facilitate a smooth production system acquisition?

Research limitations/implications

Limitations are primarily associated with the chosen research methodology, which requires further empirical studies to establish a generic value.

Practical implications

The implications are that manufacturing companies have to transfer various types of design information with respect to the content and kind of information. More attention has to be placed on what information is transferred to ensure that equipment suppliers receive all the information needed to design and subsequently build the production equipment. To facilitate integration of equipment suppliers, manufacturing companies should appoint a contact person who can gather, understand and transform relevant design information.

Originality/value

External integration of equipment suppliers in production system design by means of design information is an area that has been rarely addressed in academia and industry.