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Paper Draws (paper + draw)
Selected AbstractsDemocratic Republic of the Congo: undoing government by predationDISASTERS, Issue 4 2006Edward B. Rackley Abstract This paper draws on two periods of field research, conducted in 2004, to consider the state of governance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The first measures the paralysing impact of illegal taxation on riverine trade in the western provinces; the second documents civilian attempts to seek safety from violence in the troubled east, and evaluates third-party efforts to provide protection and security. Analysis of study findings suggests that the DRC's current governance crisis is neither historically novel nor driven exclusively by mineral resources, extraction rights or trafficking. Rather, government by predation is an endemic and systematic feature of the civil and military administration, ensuring the daily economic survival of soldiers and officials, who are able to wield their authority in a ,riskfree' environment, without oversight or accountability. The paper's conclusion tries to make sense of the persistence of corruption in social and political life, and assess the capacity of ordinary citizens to reverse their predicament. [source] Uncovering Local Perspectives on Humanitarian Assistance and Its OutcomesDISASTERS, Issue 2 2000Oliver Bakewell This paper draws on a study of Angolan refugees in Zambia to suggest ways that the perspectives and interests of the local population can be included in the assessment of relief interventions. Taking an actor-oriented approach, the paper suggests stepping back from the categorisation of the situation as an emergency and particular groups of people as the beneficiaries. Such categories are imposed from outside and may not reflect local people's outlook on the situation. In the case of Angolans in Zambia, the category of refugees had dissolved in the border villages to the extent that it was practically impossible to distinguish between refugees and hosts. This was in contrast to the official settlements where people were marked out as refugees and the label was maintained and reproduced over many years. Investigating outcomes in the border villagers in terms of refugees and the refugee problem would have been futile. The paper calls for evaluations of humanitarian assistance in complex emergencies to look beyond the ,beneficiaries' and to investigate the wider context of ,normality'. Neglecting the life and world of local people will make it impossible to understand the process by which external interventions are mediated at the local level to give particular outcomes, and valuable lessons which could help alleviate suffering will be lost. [source] A new role for MSY in single-species and ecosystem approaches to fisheries stock assessment and managementFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 1 2001In 1977, Peter Larkin published his now-famous paper, ,An epitaph for the concept of maximum sustained yield'. Larkin criticized the concept of single-species maximum sustained yield (MSY) for many reasons, including the possibility that it may not guard against recruitment failure, and the impossibility of maximising sustainable yields for all species simultaneously. However, in recent years, there has been a fundamental change in the perception of the fishing mortality associated with MSY (FMSY) as a limit to be avoided rather than a target that can routinely be exceeded. The concept of FMSY as a limit is embodied in several United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) agreements and guidelines, and has now been incorporated into the US Magnuson,Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. As a result, the United States now requires the development of overfishing definitions based on biological reference points that treat the FMSY as a limit reference point and must also define a lower limit on biomass below which rebuilding plans with strict time horizons must be developed. This represents a major paradigm shift from the previously mandated (but often unachieved) objective to simply maintain fishing mortalities at levels below those associated with recruitment overfishing. In many cases, it requires substantial reductions in current fishing mortality levels. Therefore, the necessity of the new paradigm is continually questioned. This paper draws on examples from several fisheries, but specifically focuses on the recent US experience illustrating the practical difficulties of reducing fishing mortality to levels below those corresponding to MSY. However, several studies suggest that even more substantial reductions in fishing mortality may be necessary if ecosystem considerations, such as multispecies interactions, maintenance of biodiversity and genetic diversity, and reduction of bycatch and waste, are taken into account. The pros and cons of moving beyond single-species assessment and management are discussed. A US plan for improving stock assessments indicates that even a ,basic' objective such as ,adequate baseline monitoring of all managed species' may be extremely costly. Thus, the suggestion of Larkin (1983, 1997) that the costs of research and management should not exceed 10,20% of the landed value of the catch may preclude comprehensive ecosystem management. More importantly, neither single-species nor ecosystem-based fisheries management is likely to improve appreciably unless levels of fishing capacity are aligned with resource productivity, as is currently being promoted by FAO and several individual nations. [source] THE INTERSECTIONS OF GENDER AND GENERATION IN ALBANIAN MIGRATION, REMITTANCES AND TRANSNATIONAL CAREGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2009Russell King ABSTRACT. The Albanian case represents the most dramatic instance of post-communist migration: about one million Albanians, a quarter of the country's total population, are now living abroad, most of them in Greece and Italy, with the UK becoming increasingly popular since the late 1990s. This paper draws on three research projects based on fieldwork in Italy, Greece, the UK and Albania. These projects have involved in-depth interviews with Albanian migrants in several cities, as well as with migrant-sending households in different parts of Albania. In this paper we draw out those findings which shed light on the intersections of gender and generations in three aspects of the migration process: the emigration itself, the sending and receiving of remittances, and the care of family members (mainly the migrants' elderly parents) who remain in Albania. Theoretically, we draw on the notion of ,gendered geographies of power' and on how spatial change and separation through migration reshapes gender and generational relations. We find that, at all stages of the migration, Albanian migrants are faced with conflicting and confusing models of gender, behavioural and generational norms, as well as unresolved questions about their legal status and the likely economic, social and political developments in Albania, which make their future life plans uncertain. Legal barriers often prevent migrants and their families from enjoying the kinds of transnational family lives they would like. [source] ,We're moving out': Youth Out-Migration Intentions in Coastal Non-Metropolitan New South WalesGEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2008DANIELLE DROZDZEWSKI Abstract This article discusses youth out-migration on the non-metropolitan New South Wales Eastern Seaboard. High levels of in-migration and counter-urbanisation, typical of many coastal non-metropolitan towns in NSW, mask the out-migration of youth. There are relatively few 15,24 year olds in the coastal communities of non-metropolitan New South Wales, because many youths out-migrate to larger centres, for a range of reasons. Out-migration also demarcates a life transition away from school life, adolescence and the parental home. This paper draws from research with senior high school students in one coastal town , Coffs Harbour , where such trends have been particularly apparent. It examines the propensity for youth out-migration and discusses how young people articulate their migration intentions. Young people's perceptions of their current and future prospects feature prominently in their discourses about intended migration, although this research also demonstrates that the life courses of regional youth are unorthodox and diverse in nature. [source] Reform in a Cold Climate: Change in US Campaign Finance LawGOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION, Issue 4 2005Dean McSweeney The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002 was the first major change in US federal campaign finance law in a quarter of a century. Many attempts at reform had failed in that period. Few members of Congress were enthusiasts for reform, the two parties and two chambers had conflicting interests to protect, successive presidents did not promote the issue and public pressure for reform was weak. When reform was achieved in 2002, many of these formidable obstacles remained in place. This paper draws on the literature of public interest reform and policy innovation to attribute the change to a policy entrepreneur whose resources had undergone a sharp increase, the neutralization of opposition, the impact of an event (the bankruptcy of the Enron Corporation) and membership turnover in Congress. The substantial support for the bill in Congress from Democrats, the party with most to lose from reform, is attributed to the inescapability of past commitments. [source] Disabled children (0,3 years) and integrated services , the impact of Early SupportHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 3 2008Alys Young PhD MSc BA(Hons) CQSW Abstract Early Support (ES) is the flagship government programme aimed at improving multi-agency working with, and supporting enhanced outcomes for, children with a disability 0,3 years and their families. This paper draws on results from the recently completed Department for Education and Skills commissioned national evaluation of ES involving 46 pathfinder projects throughout England. Data were collected by survey at two points in time (9 months apart), by focus groups with service providers and parents, and through secondary data analyses, including exploratory economic evaluation. This paper outlines some of the key findings pertaining to the relationship between integrated children's services and the impact of ES. As such, we address three concerns: what the evidence from ES can tell us about the relationships between universal and targeted provision within integrated children's service structures, the relationship between specific short-term initiatives and their longer-term sustainability within integrated children's services structures and the potential costs and benefits of ES looking forward to its implementation on a national basis within an integrated children's services environment. Although focused primarily on children with a disability in the early years, implications will be drawn for the implementation of Lead Professional Guidance and the Common Assessment Framework more generically. [source] Perspectives of UK Vice-Chancellors on Leading Universities in a Knowledge-Based EconomyHIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2010Lynn Bosetti This paper draws upon the experiences and perceptions of ten university vice-chancellors in the United Kingdom on the challenges they face in providing leadership and strategic direction for their institutions into the twenty-first century. The paper reveals the perceptions and spoken words of these leaders as they identify the key challenges shaping higher education, their strategies for addressing these challenges, their struggle to maintain the core mission of universities and finally, implications for the future of higher education. [source] Lupita's Dress: Care in TimeHYPATIA, Issue 4 2004Colin Danby Carol Gilligan's temporally embedded caring subjects reason in terms of relationships with and forward-looking responsibilities to others, and consider how their decisions will shape future ties. Subsequent work in philosophy and economics has had difficulty developing these aspects because of an underlying social ontology that excludes them. This paper draws on a heterodox tradition, post-Keynesianism, to develop an alternative social ontology and an analysis of material life that takes time fully into account. [source] In Search of the Audit Society: Some Evidence from Health Care, Police and SchoolsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 1 2000Mary Bowerman Claims that we are moving towards an ,audit society' (Power 1994, 1997) are fuelled by the emergence of a wealth of audit and other performance monitoring initiatives. To date, however, very little empirical evidence has been gathered on the precise nature, role and scope of this ,society'. This paper draws on academic literature, official and unofficial reports and interviews with auditors, inspectors and auditees across three major public service organisations. The paper argues that audit is just one aspect of a broader, but rapidly evolving, ,performance measurement society'; other important elements of which include the growth of inspection and self-assessment. Public sector audit emerges as an increasingly questionable function. The remainder of the paper dismantles some of the myths associated with its practice, particularly regarding its public visibility and contribution in terms of enhancing processes of public service delivery, management and accountability. [source] An ethnographic study of three mental health triage programsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2004Margaret Grigg ABSTRACT:,,Triage processes are commonly used to manage the interface between demand for, and supply of, health services. This dimension of service provision is particularly pertinent for mental health services in Australia, where demand outweighs services available. This paper draws on the experiences of using participant observation to explore mental health triage processes. Findings highlight the complexities of the researcher role and benefits of using an ethnographic approach to explore mental health triage patterns. Insider participant observation brings many challenges but also, in this study, enabled the researcher to uncover some roles and processes underpinning triage decisions in mental health services. [source] Philanthropy, social capital or strategic alliance?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NONPROFIT & VOLUNTARY SECTOR MARKETING, Issue 3 2002The involvement of senior UK business executives with the voluntary sector, implications for corporate fundraising Although corporate fundraising is popular there has been very little discussion in the voluntary sector literature of its context. Using questionnaire data from senior executives representing one-third of the FTSE350 companies, and in-depth interviews with a number of top level business men, this paper reports the first UK survey of the personal involvement of senior executives with charities, voluntary and community organisations,[Walker, C. and Pharoah, C. (2000) ,Making time for charity: A survey of top business leaders' involvement with voluntary organisations', Charities Aid Foundation, Kent.] and pinpoints messages about corporate involvement which may help fundraisers develop corporate fundraising strategies. The data give the first indications of how many of the UK's top business executives give time to charity, how much time they give and what they do. It also addresses what there is to gain for and from the charity, the senior executive and their company. The results present a picture of widespread and enthusiastic involvement of senior executives with the voluntary sector; a picture of both a deep personal commitment and of a strong sense of corporate benefit. The survey also raises several important issues and implications for corporate fundraising: should charities be doing more to attract top executives into an active relationship with them? How can they do this? What are the pros and cons of an alliance between corporate figureheads and charitable organisations; how might this relationship be viewed by the public; and how might it best be managed? This paper draws on the results of the survey to illustrate and discuss these issues. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications [source] The influence of service performance and destination resources on consumer behaviour: a case study of mainland Chinese tourists to KinmenINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH, Issue 3 2009Chien Min Chen Abstract This paper draws upon the responses of 603 mainland Chinese tourists in Kinmen and attempts to understand their consumer behavior on the aspects of intentions, preferences, decision-making process, satisfaction, and willingness to revisit. Variables such as service performance and destination resources that affect visitor's satisfaction are also tested. The findings reflect a ,myth of mysteriousness' of mainland Chinese visitors to the destination and suggest that it is essential for the market segmentation to participate in the tourism planning of Kinmen to develop an integrated policy for promotion and marketing, in order to enhance consumers' interest. In addition, this research has implications for tourism planning in Kinmen and provides references for other destinations striving for tourists from mainland China. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] From September 11th, 2001 to 9-11: From Void to Crisis,INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Jack Holland This paper draws on interviews conducted in the days and weeks after the events of September 11th, 2001, analyzing the transition from "September 11th, 2001" to "9-11." That is, from the discursive void that immediately followed the acts of terrorism in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania to the apparently self-evident crisis that the events came to represent in the following days and weeks. First, the paper redresses persistent oversights of discourse-oriented work by recognizing and investigating both the agency of the US general public and the context that official responses were articulated in. Second, the paper serves to denaturalize the construction of 9-11 as crisis, questioning the first and pre-requisite stage of the emerging discourse of the "War on Terror." Theorizing void, crisis and their relationship enables an understanding of how the War on Terror was possible and opens a critical space for its contestation. [source] Livelihood diversification and implications on dryland resources of central TanzaniaAFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 2009Emma T. Liwenga Abstract The concern over sustainable livelihoods in African drylands is an issue that has received considerable attention from researchers and policy makers alike. Over the past two decades African rural areas have undergone rapid changes, whereby, rural income diversification has become the most salient feature. With a particular focus on dryland ecosystems, among the major challenges facing communities in these areas is recurrent drought leading to conditions of food insecurity. This paper draws on experience on coping mechanisms for food insecurity from an agro-pastoral community in Mvumi, located in the semiarid areas of central Tanzania. An understanding of livelihoods of people in this area has involved examining how communities have managed to adjust their livelihood in the midst of challenges resulting not only from drought but also from various forces such as socio,economic, political and ecological factors. It has been found out that, despite profound food crisis in this area, people are not always desperate and that there are possibilities for realizing some hidden potentials of dryland resources for livelihood diversification. The issue of sustainable natural resource management in such areas is, however, questionable because of some adverse environmental effects associated with some of the coping mechanisms. [source] The self-efficacy model of medication adherence in chronic mental illnessJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 11c 2008Terence V McCann BA Aim., In this position paper, the self-efficacy model of medication adherence in chronic mental illness is presented, and its application to antipsychotic medication adherence is considered. Background., Poor adherence to antipsychotic medications is common in chronic mental illness. Major implications of this are relapse and re-hospitalisation. Several conceptual frameworks have been developed about adherence and, in some instances, have been incorporated in medication taking studies, but have resulted in inconsistent outcomes. Method., This paper draws on a review of literature from databases to inform the development of the self-efficacy model of medication adherence. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed from primary and secondary research questions. Results., The model places the person with chronic mental illness as an active participant central to the process of medication taking. It has three components: core factors, contextual influences and a continuum. The factors comprise a central factor, self-efficacy and four interrelated supporting influences: perceived medication efficacy; access to, and relationships with, health professionals; significant other support and supported living circumstances. The factors are affected by three broad contextual influences , personal issues, medication side-effects and complexity, and social stigma , which affect the way individuals take their medications. A continuum exists between adherence and non-adherence. Conclusion., The model positions service users at the heart of adherence by giving prominence to self-efficacy, medication efficacy and to immediate social, psychological and environmental supports. Further work is needed to validate, refine and extend the model. Relevance to clinical practice., For practitioners involved in prescribing and medication management in people with chronic mental illness, the model provides a theoretical framework to strengthen adherence. It highlights the need to consider broader influences on medication taking. Moreover, it places the person with chronic mental illness as an active participant at the centre of strategies to enhance adherence. [source] Pharmaceutical company influences on medication prescribing and their potential impact on quality use of medicinesJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 5 2008G. J. Kyle BPharm MClinPharm Summary Background:, Pharmaceuticals are big business, reporting strong market growth year after year. The ,gatekeepers' of this market are prescribers of medicines, who are the major target of pharmaceutical companies, utilizing direct and indirect influences. Methods:, This paper draws on previous research investigating pharmaceutical company prescribing influences to develop a qualitative model demonstrating the synergism between commercial influences on prescribing. The generic model was used to explore a realistic but hypothetical scenario to ascertain the applicability of the model. Results and Discussion:, A generic influence model was developed. The model was readily able to be adapted to reflect a realistic practice scenario. Conclusion:, Prescriber awareness of the linkages between various seemingly separate marketing techniques could potentially improve medicines usage in an evidence-based practice paradigm. [source] Parental negotiations of the moral terrain of risk in relation to young people with intellectual disabilitiesJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Kathryn Almack Abstract This paper draws upon parental accounts from a study of the process of transition for a cohort of 28 young people with relatively severe intellectual disabilities who left special schools in 2004 and 2005 in two adjacent English localities. This paper examines how parents negotiate these boundaries and position themselves in relation to risk. A primary concern identified by parents during this transition period focuses on the risk of harm facing these vulnerable young people (whether through accidents or through sexual, emotional, physical or financial abuse) as they move into the adult world. These concerns are juxtaposed with discourses that increasingly promote the possibilities for people with intellectual disabilities to express and follow their own wishes and aspirations. For example, the policy agenda in England and Wales actively endorses the start of adult life as a time of opportunity for young people and promotes the values of independence and choice. In accounting for the management of risk in the young people's lives, we conclude that parents navigate complex boundaries between being seen to be over-protective and ,letting go'; between trusting others to act in the young adults' best interests and allowing these young people the autonomy to negotiate risk. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Community as practice: social representations of community and their implications for health promotionJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Christine Stephens Abstract Health promotion researchers and practitioners have increasingly turned to community-based approaches. Although there has been much work around the diverse understandings of the term in areas such as community psychology and sociology, I am concerned with how such understandings relate directly to community health research and practice. From a discursive perspective ,community' is seen as a socially constructed representation that is used variously and pragmatically. However, from a wider view, community can be seen as a matter of embodied practice. This paper draws on social representations theory to examine the shifting constructions of ,community', the functional use of those understandings in social life, and the practices that suggest that it is important to attend to their use in particular contexts. Accordingly, the paper argues that meanings of community in the health promotion or public health context must be seen as representations used for specific purposes in particular situations. Furthermore, the broader notion of embodied practice in social life has implications for community participation in health promotion. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Towards a sustainable theory of health-related stigma: lessons from the HIV/AIDS literatureJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2006Harriet Deacon Abstract Stigma has been identified as a major barrier to health care and quality of life in illness management. But unfortunately there is no common theoretical perspective on stigma. We need a sustainable theory of health-related stigma. This would start with a coherent definition of stigma that brings together both individual and social dimensions of this complex phenomenon. It would reassesses the existence of ,types' of stigma and explain how stigma relates to disadvantage. A sustainable theory would help researchers to move from theory into practice: to develop a comprehensive measurement tool for stigma and related disadvantage, and inform design, monitoring and evaluation of anti-stigma interventions. This paper draws on two recent literature reviews on HIV/AIDS stigma to introduce several key issues in developing a sustainable theory of stigma. We suggest limiting the definition of stigma to the process of othering, blaming and shaming (often called symbolic stigma). We argue that there is value in analytically separating stigma from discrimination in order to better understand the relationship between them. We also suggest the need to understand discrimination caused by stigma as only one element of stigma-related disadvantage. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The global financial crisis of 2008,2009: an opportunity for development studies?JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2010James Copestake Abstract This paper draws upon the five other papers presented in this volume, along with other presentations made at the 2009 Development Studies Association Conference, to reflect on the relationship between development studies and the 2008,2009 global financial crisis. It first analyses antecedents to the crisis by relating the papers presented by Gore (on long waves of capitalism) and Fischer (on China's integration into the world economy) to a Polanyian analysis. It then considers immediate policy responses with particular reference to India (based on the conference presentation by Mehrotra), China (based on the paper by de Haan) and the 2009 DFID White Paper. Third, it considers two possible additional sources of finance for developing countries: South Korean aid (discussed by Chun et al.) and new forms of international money (discussed by Hudson). The paper concludes that while the crisis is a reminder of structural global economic interconnectedness a challenge for development studies is to combine this fact with analysis that is also interdisciplinary, multi-tiered and policy relevant. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Diffusion of Management Innovations: The Possibilities and Limitations of MemeticsJOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 8 2007Joseph O'Mahoney abstract This paper applies a theory of memetics to help explain the diffusion of management innovations as a dynamic evolutionary process. Existing analyses of diffusion frequently note the variation, selection or replication of management innovations, yet few have linked these together with the common observation that some innovations seem to ,evolve'. This paper draws on qualitative evidence from two case-studies of BPR implementation to illustrate that the replication, selection and variation of management innovations can form evolutionary algorithms (,memes') which support diffusion processes, and, in doing so, clarifies the ways in which innovations contribute to their own replication and explains how the high ,failure' rates associated with BPR can sometimes improve its chances of reproduction. [source] Middle-earth Meets New Zealand: Authenticity and Location in the Making of The Lord of the Rings*JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 5 2005Deborah Jones abstract In focusing on the making of a specific cultural project, The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) film trilogy, this paper draws out the tensions between two sometimes divergent strands of authenticity: creative authenticity and national authenticity. This study is located in New Zealand, a small post-colonial country which was the location for LOTR and home to its key film-makers. The case is based on a discourse analysis of published texts on LOTR and New Zealand's film and tourism industries, exploring the paradoxical concept of ,fabricating authenticity' (Peterson, 1997) and its importance to cultural industries. In reviewing the media discourse of the LOTR project we ask: how are creative and national authenticity constructed? Creative authenticity refers to the claims of artistic integrity and merit that are made for the film. National authenticity is predicated on the idea of a national identity. In terms of LOTR, national authenticity is based on claiming the trilogy as a local ,New Zealand' product. We highlight the theme of ,location' by linking LOTR with a national tourism campaign which has been developed side-by-side with the film project, forging connections between the Middle-earth of the LOTR trilogy, and the New Zealand of the present. We argue that LOTR has both shaped, and been shaped by, ideas of national identity, and that the success of LOTR as a flagship of the ,new' creative industries is central to emerging visions of nationhood. [source] Strategic Practices: An Activity Theory Perspective on Continuity and ChangeJOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 1 2003Paula Jarzabkowski abstract This paper draws upon activity theory to analyse an empirical investigation of the micro practices of strategy in three UK universities. Activity theory provides a framework of four interactive components from which strategy emerges; the collective structures of the organization, the primary actors, in this research conceptualized as the top management team (TMT), the practical activities in which they interact and the strategic practices through which interaction is conducted. Using this framework, the paper focuses specifically on the formal strategic practices involved in direction setting, resource allocation, and monitoring and control. These strategic practices are associated with continuity of strategic activity in one case study but are involved in the reinterpretation and change of strategic activity in the other two cases. We model this finding into activity theory-based typologies of the cases that illustrate the way that practices either distribute shared interpretations or mediate between contested interpretations of strategic activity. The typologies explain the relationships between strategic practices and continuity and change of strategy as practice. The paper concludes by linking activity theory to wider change literatures to illustrate its potential as an integrative methodological framework for examining the subjective and emergent processes through which strategic activity is constructed. [source] Changing Organizational Forms and the Employment RelationshipJOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 5 2002Jill Rubery This paper draws upon new research in the UK into the relationship between changing organizational forms and the reshaping of work in order to consider the changing nature of the employment relationship. The development of more complex organizational forms , such as cross organization networking, partnerships, alliances, use of external agencies for core as well as peripheral activities, multi-employer sites and the blurring of public/private sector divide , has implications for both the legal and the socially constituted nature of the employment relationship. The notion of a clearly defined employer,employee relationship becomes difficult to uphold under conditions where employees are working in project teams or on-site beside employees from other organizations, where responsibilities for performance and for health and safety are not clearly defined, or involve more than one organization. This blurring of the relationship affects not only legal responsibilities, grievance and disciplinary issues and the extent of transparency and equity in employment conditions, but also the definition, constitution and implementation of the employment contract defined in psychological and social terms. Do employees perceive their responsibilities at work to lie with the direct employer or with the wider enterprise or network organization? And do these perceptions affect, for example, how work is managed and carried out and how far learning and incremental knowledge at work is integrated in the development of the production or service process? So far the investigation of both conflicts and complementarities in the workplace have focused primarily on the dynamic interactions between the single employer and that organization's employees. The development of simultaneously more fragmented and more networked organizational forms raises new issues of how to understand potential conflicts and contradictions around the ,employer' dimension to the employment relationship in addition to more widely recognized conflicts located on the employer,employee axis. [source] The discipline of improvement: something old, something new?JOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2004Charlotte L. Clarke BA, PGCE In response to calls to improve the efficacy of health care services, there is an increasing focus on the processes of achieving a continuous improvement of services and practices. One specific response is that of the NHS Modernization Agency and National Health Service University in relation to the Discipline of Improvement in Health and Social Care. This paper draws on a study that explored the underpinning knowledge base of the Discipline of Improvement and focuses on describing the framework that was developed. The two-dimensional framework is composed of five primary categories, which cross-link to 11 competencies. The study concludes that the Discipline of Improvement draws together a group of ideas that together cohere to form a distinctive model to aid the improvement of health care. While some of these ideas are well-established, the way in which the Discipline of Improvement makes connections between them offers something new to our understanding of change in the complex world of health care provision, and to nursing management. [source] Host country nationals as socializing agents: a social identity approachJOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, Issue 3 2007Soo Min Toh A major challenge facing Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) is finding ways to increase the success rates of managers assigned overseas. Our paper draws upon social identity theory to develop a model that focuses on the role of host country nationals (HCNs) in determining the adjustment of expatriate managers. Specifically, our model proposes attributes of the expatriate and the HCN that can increase the salience of national identity and outgroup categorization of expatriates by the HCNs. We also suggest how outgroup categorization interacts with a number of situational factors to influence the role of HCNs as socializing agents for expatriate newcomers. Finally, we propose that the socializing behaviors HCNs may display or withhold from the expatriate will affect the adjustment of the expatriate. Our model highlights the often-overlooked partners in the expatriate adjustment process and emphasizes the need for MNEs to be cognizant of the social dynamics between HCNs and expatriates in the host location. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Technology-Enhanced Learning: A Question of KnowledgeJOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION, Issue 3-4 2008JAN DERRY This paper is concerned with the human dimension of technology-enhanced learning; many suppositions are made about this but the amount of attention it has been given relative to that paid to technology is quite limited. It is argued that an aspect of the question that deserves more attention than it has received in the work on the application of technologies to education is epistemology on the grounds that the nature of knowledge and the general character of mind are critically important. As regards epistemology this paper draws on recent developments in philosophy by John McDowell and Robert Brandom that deal with the relation of mind to world and the nature of experience. From McDowell it draws on the idea of second nature and particularly the argument that human beings acquire their cognitive capacities by initiation into language and tradition. From Brandom it draws on the idea that humans stand apart from animals and machines in that they respond to reasons as well as to causes. It is argued that the implication of these ideas for education differ radically from the pedagogic models that underpin much work on technology-enhanced learning where the suppositions about experience are quite different. Indeed the nature of knowledge is usually presumed rather than examined and often what is taken for granted is awareness as a conceptually unmediated response to the world. These questions are raised in the context of so far disappointing results of the use of technologies to enhance learning. [source] Ethnography and the ethics of undertaking research in different mental healthcare settingsJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2010H. ALLBUTT rgn ba msc phd Accessible summary ,,We report our experiences of seeking regulatory approval to undertake a qualitative research study using observation and interviews in three different mental healthcare settings. ,,All users of mental health services are classified as ,vulnerable' research participants by UK regulatory research systems. We argue that this is both disempowering to users and also at odds with current health care policy to promote service user involvement in research processes. ,,Access to mental healthcare sites was difficult in spite of agreement by senior area managers. Front-line team leaders acted as gatekeepers to influence which service users could be approached to take part in the study. This type of intervention may bias research samples and dilute the knowledge claims researchers can make from research undertaken in practice settings. Abstract This paper draws on our experiences of seeking research ethics and management approval for a 1-year ethnographic research study in three mental health settings. We argue that the increased bureaucratization of research governance in the UK is paternalistic and unfit for qualitative, non-interventionist study designs. The classification of all mental health services users as ,vulnerable' is also disempowering and contrary to government calls to increase user involvement in research processes. We relate our difficulties in accessing National Health Service sites to undertake our study despite endorsement by senior managers. The current research ethics system reinforces the gatekeeping role of front-line National Health Service staff but this may work to bias samples in favour of ,amenable' service users and exclude others from having their views and experiences represented in studies over the long-term. [source] Catching life: the contribution of arts initiatives to recovery approaches in mental healthJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 8 2007H. SPANDLER phd ma ba This paper draws on a qualitative study that was undertaken as part of a national research study to assess the impact of participatory arts provision for people with mental health needs. It explores how arts and mental health projects may facilitate some of the key elements of what has been termed a ,recovery approach' in mental health. It is argued that it is precisely these elements , the fostering of hope, creating a sense of meaning and purpose, developing new coping mechanisms and rebuilding identities , which are hard to standardize and measure, yet may be the most profound and significant outcomes of participation in such projects. Therefore, in the context of a growing emphasis on recovery-orientated mental health services, while not necessarily being appropriate for all service users, arts and mental health initiatives could make an essential contribution to the future of mental health and social care provision. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||