2821 research outputs found
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An adaptive approach to reconceptualizing corporate social responsibility and corruption in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta
No full textSignaling the fundamental tensions in the conceptualization of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corruption has simply lost its capacity to inspire. Like an emperor without clothes, both concepts are estranged from comprehension. This paper therefore examines these deeply contested conceptions of corruption and CSR frameworks as they relate to Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta. It seeks to test the competing notions within institutional and operational corruption on the one hand and CSR frameworks on the other hand. The idea is to establish a fundamental nexus between the inconsistent narrative conception of the above forms of corruption and the incoherent framing of CSR within institutional settings in Nigeria. This paper maintains the view against the voluntarist conception that sees corruption as the offshoot of cultural disposition wrapped into the logical frames of CSR. As a result, the study seeks to resolve the question of whether corruption is incidental to or a function of framework and systems design. The aspects of relativist, nonrelativist, and communalist analytical methods provide a context for an examination of the competing notions of corruption and its relationship with the incoherent CSR framework in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. It argues that the intentionality of gaps created within the CSR framework provides the basis for corrupt activities. Initial findings reveal a strong connection between defective systems design and a high tendency for institutional and operational corruption within the CSR framework in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. This has implications for associated and connected institutional systems in Nigeria, Africa, and across the world
The ripple effects of suicide: a personal account of dealing with the death of an adult sibling
Get PDFPurpose – This opinion piece documents the experience of losing an adult sibling to
suicide and explores the experience of personal and family grief.
Design/methodology/approach – The narrative is written from an autoethnographic
perspective and utilises the current evidence base to support a personal reflection.
Findings – The paper identifies the complex nature of bereavement following death
from suicide and considers those factors which support more positive outcomes for
those grieving.
Research limitations/implications – The piece focuses on autoethnographic data but
is supported by findings from the wider evidence base.
Practical implications – The importance of seeking positives as part of the healing
process when processing complex grief.
Social implications – Disclosure has been identified as an important part of
processing complex grief associated with suicide bereavement and yet suicide
remains a taboo subject for many.
Originality/value – This autoethnographic piece details the experience of dealing with
a sibling suicide and the importance of creating the opportunity for positive reflection
to process complex grief
Post-adversarial appreciation: a novel re-conceptualisation of posttraumatic growth
Get PDFThis paper explores current inconsistencies within the theoretical framework of current Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) literature in support of the suggestion for an alternative novel phenomenon labelled ‘Post-Adversarial Appreciation’.
This re-conceptualisation has developed from the findings of empirical research conducted by the authors and their understanding of posttraumatic growth.
Significant inconsistencies persist across the PTG literature in relation to the parameters required for PTG to manifest. It appears that PTG or an alternative concept labelled Adversarial Growth (AG) does take place following adverse/traumatic events, but that a separate phenomenon may better explain positive improvements in perceived personal appreciation during such events. This phenomenon is theorised by the authors as ‘Post-Adversarial Appreciation’.
This paper suggests the existence of a novel phenomenon which may address many of the inconsistencies and present within the current PTG literature. This highlights a significant need for further research within the field of trauma and adversity in relation to positive outcomes which may result from such negative experiences
A novel approach of machine learning application in astrophysics: morphological feature wrapping based ensemble method for galaxy shape classification using GAMA dataset
No full textThe numerous strategies for the automated morphological categorization of galaxies, which uses a variety of supervised machine learning techniques, have not been well examined or compared. As the majority of star galaxy classifiers in use today use condensed summary data from catalogues, rigorous feature extraction and selection are required. With the aid of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), a development in machine learning, it may automate the process of feature detection from data by a computer, therefore lowering the demand for qualified human input. Low-level artificial classification has made great progress. While this is the case, Deep Learning consistently outperforms traditional computers. analyzing large datasets while learning. We examine three machine learning techniques for categorizing morphological galaxies: Support Vector Machines (SVM), Random Forests (RF), and Naive Bayes (NB). We examine the efficacy of several machine learning algorithms on each feature representation of a galaxy using a collection of morphological features produced by image analysis as well as the raw image pixel data compressed using PCA (Principal Component Analysis) into PCA features. According to our experiments, RF outperformed SVM and NB. The remainder of the time, morphological features outperformed our PCA features in performance. Thus, the current mechanism is not extremely scalable. A probabilistic classifier that can scale, is based on source data, and requires the least amount of human interaction is essential to resolving these problems
Effectiveness of an online acceptance and commitment therapy programme for perfectionism in soccer players: a randomized control trial
Get PDFThere is currently limited understanding of how to reduce perfectionism in sport. With research outside of sport as impetus, in the current study we evaluated the effectiveness of an online ACT-based intervention for reducing perfectionism and improving pre-competition emotions in soccer players. Following a pre-registered protocol, eighty-one female soccer players (M age = 24.28 years, SD = 6.77) were randomly allocated to either an intervention group (n = 41) or a waitlist control group (n = 40). The intervention group had access to a set of online ACT-based modules for 8-weeks. Athletes completed measures of trait perfectionism, perfectionism cognitions, and pre-competition emotions pre-intervention and post-intervention. A 2 (group) x 2 (time) ANOVA revealed significant interaction effects for trait perfectionism, perfectionism cognitions, and pre-competition emotions. Following the intervention, the two groups displayed significant mean differences for trait perfectionism, perfectionism cognitions, and almost all pre-competition emotions. However, due to lower reliability of some instruments, findings regarding post-competition emotions were discounted. The findings suggest that online ACT-based interventions may be a viable and effective way to reduce perfectionism in soccer players (but not necessarily improving pre-competition emotions)
Entrepreneurial Leadership: A Study of Black Minority Ethnic SMEs in the UK
Get PDFLeadership is a field of study in management, but it remains elusive (Harrison, 2018). This
justifies the need for further research in the area. Entrepreneurial leadership has been identified
as the form of leadership style for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) because it is suited to
address the situational environment of SMEs. Scholars have researched entrepreneurial
leadership; however, it has not been examined in Black Minority Ethnic (BME) SMEs in the
UK. This study would examine leadership and small and medium enterprises independently
and further explore the entrepreneurial leadership phenomenon. In this paper, entrepreneurial
leadership is assessed from the small and medium enterprises context, and the most effective
entrepreneurial competencies suitable for SMEs. The researcher aims to develop this study
addressing entrepreneurial leadership from BME SME perspectives in the UK
The application of games to engage citizens in climate change policy development
Get PDFThis paper introduces the Games Realising Effective and Affective Transformation (GREAT) research and Innovation
project. The project will examine the emerging ways Applied Games could be used to facilitate the social engagement of
European citizens in determining future policy priorities and policy interventions to the existential challenge of climate
change. This full paper is a provides detail of the work in progress but moreover provides a a conceptual analysis of the
methodologies applied to this emerging domain of study. The project is funded by the EU Horizon programme with UK
Associate partners funded through UKRI and coordinated by the DIPF, Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in
Education, Frankfurt and involves seven partners located across Europe, Serious Games Interactive (SGI) Denmark, Centre
for Social Innovation (ZSI) Austria, International University of Rioja (UNIR) Spain, Frederick University, Cyprus, Playmob and
The University of Bolton (UoB) as UK associate partners. The project incorporates collaborative design and citizen science
methods and brings together researchers with expertise in the areas of games, data analytics, and policy development. This
integrated investigation will be articulated by case studies of the use of games in facilitating dialogue between citizens and
policy stakeholders including policy makers, policy implementers, political parties, campaigning organisations and affected
citizens. This will be achieved by leveraging the central role of games in contemporary culture by combining academic studies
with practical experimentation of novel applications of games. The context for the research is the global challenge of climate
emergency, and each case study incorporates a research cycle addressing a policy issue and research questions, using
multiple pilots to generate both quantitative and qualitative and data to further inform research activity
The transition of industry practitioners new to higher education: examining personal and institutional factors in the professional development and practice of new academics
Get PDFUK universities have responded to government, employer and student demand for teaching and
degree programmes which will improve academic and employability outcomes for learners. One
of the tactics used in the UK higher education sector has been the recruitment of industry
practitioners into universities. Whilst such appointments can provide the desired expertise and
credibility for teaching programmes and departments, research suggests that such career changes
can provide challenges for both the new academic and the employing institution.
The thesis aims to (1) investigate the development of the identity of early-career academics who
embark on their new career in academia from well-established business professional
environments. It also aims to explore (2) how professional practitioners from industry negotiate
their expectations about their new roles and how they respond to perceived tensions and
contradictions in formal institutional policies, structures, and procedures and in less formal
collegial support environments. The research questions focused on identifying (1) what
motivated the professional practitioners to join the academia; (2) how they perceived the
transition to their newly developing/acquired identity and (3) how formal institutional
procedures, policies, and structures, including (4) (less formal) communities of practice shaped,
strengthened and/or hindered the process of this transition to a new professional identity
formation of the early-career academics.
The research adopted a singular case study approach. It was conducted at a management school
in a post’92 UK university with participants who were early-career lecturers with different levels
of industry experience. To generate data, a multi-method research strategy was chosen, consisting of questionnaires (N = 8) and semi-structured interviews (N = 10). The research
design is predominantly qualitative, based on an interpretivist research paradigm.
Activity Theory was used as a tool for understanding and interpreting the contextual and
situational complexities, which new academics encounter in their new work context. Activity
System was used as a critical site for observing the construction of cultural environments, which
can facilitate norms, values and knowledge, which in turn influence the development and
practice of those participating within the Activity System (Trowler and Knight, 2000).
Additionally, the study used Perry’s (2012) Auditioning Academic concept as a reference point
for critical comparison with the new findings and for their refinement in relation to the
professional transition of new academics entering higher education from industry.
The research identified key motivating factors that attract professionals to enter academia: the
expectation of having a better and more satisfactory work-life balance; an opportunity to be
stimulated and challenged intellectually in the subject they enjoyed; and finally, the expectation
of exercising professional autonomy. The initial engagement and socialisation of the new
academics within a clear departmental culture and stable working environment primarily served
to shape the professional identity as that of a “teacher”, however; the professional identity of the
new academics was perceived as a fluid one with the potential for change in the future. The
research findings also point to the strong role of formal and informal institutional structures and
communities of practice as playing a pivotal role in the development of new academics’
professional confidence and identity. Ultimately, the study offers new conceptual interpretations of existing theoretical work in the area of professional transition for new academics coming from
industry
Listening to other people's traumatic experiences: What makes it hard and what could protect professionals from developing related distress? A qualitative investigation
Get PDFListening to people talk about their trauma experiences involves indirect exposure to trauma (IET) and can trigger emotional distress. Existing studies about the risk factors for post‐IET distress have methodological limitations and reported inconsistent results, making their findings difficult to meaningfully synthesise. Also, most of them did not focus explicitly on trauma narratives and did not explore qualitatively the opinions and experiences of professionals who work closely with trauma survivors. The present study involved 36 professionals who worked with trauma survivors and used a qualitative design to investigate: (a) the perceived impact of the survivors' accounts, (b) the factors they deemed as important to be psychologically prepared for trauma accounts, and (c) their strategies for coping with IET. The semi‐structured interviews conducted yielded rich data that was analysed thematically and organised in 13 subordinate themes, and 4 master themes. Listening to trauma narratives was thought to lead to emotional distress when it challenges the listener's ‘basic assumptions’ of safety and justice, when the listener has reduced sense of control and operates outside their ‘window of tolerance’, when empathic responses are too strong, and psychological preparedness for trauma‐narratives is perceived as insufficient. Recommendations for future research and implications for practice are discussed
Team leader survival syndrome, tenure and management styles towards professional subordinates on construction megaprojects; sustainability and corporate governance.
Get PDFThe modern construction industry is highly competitive and cost-driven, with tangible adversarial relationships between projects’ contractual parties at individual and organisational levels; there are conflict of interest as people to survive. Accordingly, team leaders on construction megaprojects (CMPs) in multinational engineering organisations strive to survive in such competitive markets. The research aim is to investigate relationships between team leaders’ tenure and management styles toward professional subordinates on CMPs and elaborates how corporate governance can optimally address this conflict of interest and adversarial relationships.
The research methodology adopted processes of inducting theory using case studies. A qualitative approach was adopted as a primary data collection and analysis source. It involved case studies through primary data collection in semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 38 professional subordinates (interviewees) to discuss impacts of team leaders’ tenure on their management style [5-team leader, case studies]. The research methodology is based on building theories from case-study grounded theory research methodologies.
The research introduced the notion that team leader survival syndrome is pronounced, and evidenced by adversarial reactions towards new or experienced professional subordinates; where team leaders perceive professional subordinates, especially at senior technical levels, as potential risks that jeopardise their positions and employment survival possibilities. The syndrome is proven based on real-life case studies; it is constant, tangible, and serious disorder of attitudes and behaviours. Longer tenure stimulates and accelerates these phenomena and syndrome, with 58% of team leaders exhibiting such syndromes. Optimum employee tenure is between 7 to 10 years. Corporate governance provides good resolution practices.
The research implications are useful to construction industry and academia. However, the analysis is limited to the case studies considered in Canada and Qatar. Due to small sample size for both case studies and respondents to the questionnaire survey, it is recommended for future exploration to expand the scope of research to larger sample size and various demographic and geographic locations.
Corporates should acknowledge the presence of team leader survival syndrome. They should thoroughly investigate socio-political relationships behind it and seek to understand consequences on professional subordinates. Corporates should also adopt a 360-degree feedback system; they should limit trust given to team leaders in this regard to responsible trust, to eliminate manipulation. Team leaders are perceived as being not always truthful and misrepresent capabilities and performance of their professional subordinates to senior managers. Corporate governance holistic multi-dimensional perspectives are required to provide resolutions of team leader survival syndrome.
The research has discovered a phenomenon that team leaders on CMPs in AEC organisations, prompted by virtue of long tenure in corporate or by power of their managerial level in organisations, perceive their professional subordinates, especially senior technical employees, as potential risks. It is thought promoting them would put their own positions and security of tenure at risk. Hence, team leaders act adversarially, to enhance their own survival prospects. This research introduced the novel team leader survival syndrome, and introduced analyses, practical implications, and recommendations