scholarly journals Access Over Ownership: Case Studies of Libraries of Things

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 7180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Baden ◽  
Ken Peattie ◽  
Adekunle Oke
Keyword(s):  
Public Support ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Equitable Access ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Individual Ownership

Over the last decade there has been increasing interest in the concept of the sharing economy, which replaces the focus on individual ownership with a focus on access to goods and services through borrowing, hiring or sharing. This study investigates the efficacy of extending the library concept to include more items, such as those that are used infrequently. The aim is to explore how Libraries of Things (LoTs) operate and the potential to broaden their appeal, reach and sustainability. This study adopts a multiple case study method to provide a snapshot of six LoTs in the UK. Findings indicate that all LoTs shared common environmental and social values, with the most prevalent values being to use the library concept to reduce resource use and waste and to enable more equitable access to goods. All relied on volunteers and public support, in the form of free or discounted space and none were yet economically self-sufficient. This poses important questions about the future for LoTs and whether they could or even should, transition towards the mainstream to make a more substantive contribution to creating a more socially equitable and environmentally sustainable economy.

scholarly journals Participative decision making in schools in individualist and collectivist cultures: The micro-politics behind distributed leadership

2021 ◽  
pp. 174114322110013
Author(s):  
Mor Hodaya Or ◽  
Izhak Berkovich
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Distributed Leadership ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Extreme Case ◽  
Public High Schools ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Case Selection ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Shed Light

Despite the popularity of distributed leadership theory, the investigation of the micro-political aspects of such models have scarcely been explored, and insights on the cultural variety of distributed practices in schools are limited. The present study aimed to explore what micro-political aspects emerge in participative decision making in collectivist and individualist cultures. To this end, a multiple case study method was adopted, focusing on four Israeli public high schools. Schools were chosen to represent an ‘extreme’ case selection rationale: two non-religious urban schools representing individualist cases, and two communal schools in religious kibbutzim representing communal schools. The analysis shed light on three micro-political points of comparison between the prototypes of participative decision making in collectivist and individualist cultures related to control, actors, and stage crafting. The findings and implications are discussed.

Towards a multi-level servitization framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 810-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sambit Lenka ◽  
Vinit Parida ◽  
David Rönnberg Sjödin ◽  
Joakim Wincent
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Theoretical Concept ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Service Orientation ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multi Level

Purpose The dominant-view within servitization literature presupposes a progressive transition from product to service orientation. In reality, however, many manufacturing firms maintain both product and service orientations throughout their servitization journey. Using the theoretical lens of organizational ambivalence, the purpose of this paper is to explore the triggers, manifestation and consequences of these conflicting orientations. Design/methodology/approach A multiple case study method was used to analyze five large manufacturing firms that were engaged in servitization. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 respondents across different functions within these firms. Findings Servitizing firms experience organizational ambivalence during servitization because of co-existing product and service orientations. This paper provides a framework that identifies the triggers of this ambivalence, its multi-level manifestation and its consequences. These provide implications for explaining why firms struggle to implement servitization strategies due to co-existing product and services orientations. Understanding organizational ambivalence, provides opportunity to manage related challenges and can be vital to successful servitization. Originality/value Considering the theoretical concept of ambivalence could advance the understanding of the effects and implications of conflicting orientations during servitization in manufacturing firms.

Mechanisms adopted by social enterprises for effective volunteer-based operations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliana Ávila ◽  
Marlene Amorim
Keyword(s):  
Economic Value ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Formal Structure ◽  
Volunteer Management ◽  
Volunteer Work ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Structured Approach

Purpose This paper aims to describe an exploratory study aiming to identify the mechanisms adopted by social enterprises for effective operations based on volunteer work. Design/methodology/approach An inductive multiple case study method was used addressing three social enterprises whose operations rely on a volunteer workforce. Findings Volunteer-based operations benefit from the establishment of a formal structure, involving different levels of volunteering complemented with other mechanisms, namely, educate and train, empower and connect. Special attention must be given to first-level volunteers, reinforcing the range of practices to motivate and engage them, as they serve as intermediaries between the paid employees and lower-level volunteers. Practical implications The study provides valuable insights for managers for the implementation of effective operations, building on volunteer work, aiming at the generation of social and economic value. Social implications Due to their innovative character, social enterprises are well-positioned to mobilize more and more qualified volunteers for a significant change in their communities. Adopting a more strategic and structured approach to volunteer management can enable these organizations to take advantage of it. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on social enterprise by identifying a set of mechanisms adopted for effective volunteer-based operations. It also contributes to the literature on volunteer management by addressing an underexplored context.

ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION, MARKET ORIENTATION AND NETWORKING: IMPACT ON INNOVATION AND FIRM PERFORMANCE

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (04) ◽  
pp. 1550024 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROUMA BUCKTOWAR ◽  
AKIN KOCAK ◽  
KESSEVEN PADACHI
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Market Orientation ◽  
Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽  
Incremental Innovation ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Intangible Resources ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Multiple Case

The study examines the relationships among entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation and networking on firm performance with radical and incremental innovation as the mediator. The present study draws on the resource-based view theory to provide insights about intangible resources and capabilities among SMEs. The study adopts a subjectivist approach and is based on multiple case study method by conducting interviews with 7 SMEs purposively operating in different sectors. The research findings seem to support both proactive and responsive market orientation (PMO, RMO), entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and networking have positive relationships on firm performance with radical and incremental innovation as the mediator. It appears firms initiating radical innovation take longer for new product performance because of lack of information about customer needs in the market but networking assists in providing market information that enables commercialization of new products. Further, networking among firms drives performance while strong ties are practiced to a lesser extent.

E­commerce structures for retail and service franchises

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhanna Kremez ◽  
Lorelle Frazer ◽  
Scott Weaven ◽  
Sara Quach
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Preliminary Model ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Order Fulfilment ◽  
Franchise Networks ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth investigation of e-commerce strategy implementation in mature franchise organisations from both franchisor and franchisee perspectives.Design/methodology/approachThis research employed a multiple case study method where the e-commerce strategies of two mature franchise organisations were investigated in depth. Franchising experts were interviewed to provide an additional dimension to this study.FindingsThis research found that e-commerce must be integrated with the overall business strategy for optimal franchise performance. Since all parties to the franchising relationship are affected by the introduction of e-commerce, both the franchisees’ and the franchisor’s interests must be considered when the strategy is being developed. In addition, the consumer’s perspective is central to how e-commerce is structured, and franchisees are best placed to know their customers’ needs because they are directly involved in operating their business and interfacing with customers.Practical implicationsA preliminary model for e-commerce structures in service and retail franchising has been developed that depends on the nature of the business, the distribution arrangements and the order fulfilment arrangements. The two main avenues in e-commerce structuring were centralisation and decentralisation.Originality/valueThis study contributes to knowledge through an in-depth investigation of the internal process of e-commerce implementation in franchise networks from both franchisor and franchisee perspectives.

Understanding Empowerment Practice: Building on Practitioner-Based Knowledge

1995 ◽  
Vol 76 (9) ◽  
pp. 534-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine M. Gutiérrez ◽  
Kathryn A. Delois ◽  
Linnea Glenmaye
Keyword(s):  
Human Service ◽  
Human Services ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Empowerment Theory ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Convergence And Divergence ◽  
Empowerment Practice ◽  
Elusive Concept

The concept of empowerment has become popular within the human service professions, but little agreement about its meaning or dimensions has been displayed. The authors describe an effort to clarify this elusive concept by integrating theory with practitioner perspectives. A focused, multiple-case-study method was used to gather the perspectives of human services workers on empowerment practice in the field. The authors identify areas of convergence and divergence between empowerment theory and practice.

scholarly journals (Re)imagining the ‘Backstreet’: Anti-abortion Campaigning against Decriminalisation in the UK

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pam Lowe
Keyword(s):  
Public Support ◽  
International Health ◽  
Moral Regulation ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Parliamentary Debate ◽  
Serious Injury ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Uk

The risk of death or serious injury from ‘backstreet abortions’ was an important narrative in the 20th century campaign to liberalise abortion in the UK. Since then, clinical developments have reduced the overall health risks of abortion, and international health organisations have been set up to provide cross-border, medically safe abortions to places where it is unlawful, offering advice and, where possible, supplying abortion pills. These changes mean that pro-choice campaigns in Europe have often moved away from the risks of ‘backstreet abortions’ as a central narrative when campaigning for abortion liberalisation. In contrast, in the UK, anti-abortion activists are increasingly using ideas about ‘backstreet abortions’ to resist further liberalisation. These claims can be seen to fit within a broader shift from morals to risk within moral regulation campaigns and build on anti-abortion messages framed as being ‘pro-women’, with anti-abortion activists claiming to be the ‘savers’ of women. Using a parliamentary debate as a case study, this article will illustrate these trends and show how the ‘backstreet’ metaphor within anti-abortion campaigns builds on three interconnected themes of ‘abortion-as-harmful’, ‘abortion industry’, and ‘abortion culture’. This article will argue that the anti-abortion movement’s adoption of risk-based narratives contains unresolved contradictions due to the underlying moral basis of their position. These are exacerbated by the need, in this case, to defend legislation that they fundamentally disagree with. Moreover, their attempts to construct identifiable ‘harms’ and vulnerable ‘victims’, which are components of moral regulation campaigns, are unlikely to be convincing in the context of widespread public support for abortion.

A Boolean Analysis of Structural and Organizational Determinants of Equality and Efficiency Balance in Higher Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 791-821
Author(s):  
Reza Hemmati ◽  
Rasoul Abbasi Taghidizaj
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Organizational Determinants

Abstract Efficiency and equality are both important goals and values in higher education, and their concurrency (balance) has been one of the main concerns of higher education scholars and policy makers over the past decades. The aim of the present study is to discover the causal mechanism and contextual factors that are likely to result in concurrency of equality and efficiency in higher education. To this end, the combination of two explanatory theories of equality and efficiency were used. The theory of equality focused on three dimensions of equal opportunities, modernization, and cultural differences. Likewise, to explain efficiency, Chalabi’s three-level causal model of sustainable production of science was used. Methodologically, a multiple case study method was adopted, and the cases under study (nine countries) were selected based on purposive sampling. The findings showed that for the concurrency of equality and efficiency in higher education, a set of conditions must be present in the configurational and combinational causality. The preconditions for this concurrency is the presence of some social conditions such as productive economy, the rule of law, inter-societies competitiveness, social cohesion, democracy, universalism, egalitarianism (at macro level), meritocracy, academic autonomy, and organizational competitiveness (at the meso level) and the absence of some other conditions including fatalism (at the macro level).

Competing corporate sustainability perceptions in a global retail organization

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Elg ◽  
Jens Hultman ◽  
Axel Welinder
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Strategic Issue ◽  
Retail Managers ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThe purpose is to explore the different and often contradictory perceptions individual managers have about corporate sustainability within a global retailer.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative case study method is used, including interviews and document studies. The authors study the global retailer IKEA. In total the authors have interviewed respondents on both the global level and the country level, within the sustainability organization as well as corporate, sales and communication management. The study includes managers in Sweden, the UK and Germany.FindingsThe research is based on institutional theory, focusing upon cognitive and normative aspects; the authors propose that managers may have a proactive, forceful view on sustainability or a reactive view. These need to coexist. The authors also show how global retailers can balance sustainability goals with other business considerations, as well as about the implications of the sustainability approach for the retailer's business model.Practical implicationsRetail managers need to recognize and integrate the contradictory views on sustainability that managers hold. The authors show how sustainability can be given different impact depending on the context and the strategic issue it is linked to.Originality/valueMost studies have focused on how sustainability is managed on an organizational level and how different goals can co-exist. The authors’ focus is on individual managers and their perceptions of sustainability – what it includes, how they want to manage sustainability issues, and the priority it should be given.

scholarly journals Stages of Rural Transformation in the National Strategic Tourism Area of Borobudur

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-46
Author(s):  
Aditha Agung PRAKOSO ◽  
◽  
Eugenius PRADIPTO ◽  
Muhammad Sani ROYCHANSYAH
Keyword(s):  
Case Study Method ◽  
Tourism Planning ◽  
Tourist Destination ◽  
Rural Transformation ◽  
Units Of Analysis ◽  
Scientific Approach ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
World Class ◽  
The Government

Abstract: The Borobudur area has grown into a world-class tourist destination. With the existence of Borobudur, Mendut, and Pawon temples, the area was appointed as National Strategic Tourism Area (NSTA). The condition influences the villages surrounding it. Borobudur village, Wanurejo, and Candirejo have developed into alternative tourist villages. During their development, these villages have undergone several transformation stages, which are interesting for further observation. In this background, the study aims to identify the transformation stages of the tourist villages in the Borobudur area, from the beginning as a people settlement to become tourist villages, and what causes the development of these stages. This study used a multiple-case study method with diachronic time series analysis, with three village units of analysis: Borobudur, Candirejo, and Wanurejo. Therefore, it will produce the stages of the village's transformation, especially, those related to tourism activities in the Borobudur area. It is expected that the results of this research will provide tourism development guidelines at each stage of the transformation of tourism villages so that they can be the basic for proper tourism planning for the government in rural tourism, especially in the development of tourism villages in NSTA. In addition, it can also be the basic of a scientific approach in researching the development of tourist areas, especially tourism village.

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