In Defense of Engineering Sciences

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mieke Boon ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Philosophy Of Technology ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Scientific Practices ◽  
Engineering Sciences ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Relationship

This article presents an overview of discussions in the philosophy of technology on epistemological relations between science and technology, illustrating that often several mutually entangled issues are at stake. The focus is on conceptual and ideological issues concerning the relationship between scientific and technological knowledge. It argues that a widely accepted hierarchy between science and technology, which echoes classic conceptions of epistêmê and technê, engendered the need of emancipating technology from science, thus shifting focus to epistemic aspects of engineering design and design methodology at the cost of in-depth philosophical analysis of the role of scientific research in the engineering sciences. Consequently, the majority of current literature on this topic in the philosophy of technology presents technology as almost completely divided from and independent of science, thereby losing sight of the epistemic relations between contemporary scientific practices and technology.

The Mediating Role of New Ecological Paradigm between Value Orientations and Pro-Environmental Personal Norm in the Agricultural Context

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kean Boon Chua ◽  
Farzana Quoquab ◽  
Jihad Mohammad ◽  
Rohaida Basiruddin
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Value Orientation ◽  
Value Orientations ◽  
New Ecological Paradigm ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Personal Norm ◽  
Ecological Paradigm ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Environmental awareness became a crucial agenda for both academicians and practitioners. Effect of the individual’s value, belief and norm on their environmentally significant behaviour is vital on subsequent purchase decision of the consumers. Considering this, the present study aims to examine the relationships among value orientations, New Ecological Paradigm (NEP), and pro-environmental personal norm. Moreover, this research intends to investigate the mediating role of New Ecological Paradigm between value orientations and pro-environmental personal norm. Design/methodology/approach This study has utilized questionnaire survey among 277 paddy farmers at the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) area in Malaysia. Data was analyzed using Partial Least Squares technique in order to test study hypotheses. Partial Least Square technique was utilized to analyze the data to test the study hypotheses. Findings Results reveal that biospheric value, altruistic value and egoistic value positively and significantly affect NEP. It is also found that NEP positively and significantly affect pro-environmental personal norm. Data also supports the links between altruistic value and pro-environmental personal norm (PPN). However, the relationship between other two value-orientations (biospheric value and egoistic value) and PPN is not supported by the data. Additionally, NEP mediates the relationship between biospheric value and PPN as well as between egoistic value and PPN. Contrary to this, NEP does not mediate the relationship between altruistic value and PPN. Practical implications The findings of this study will guide the agrochemical industry to understand how to enhance consumers’ behavioural aspect towards the environmental welfare. As handling of agrochemical is hazardous to health and environment, the knowledge on the effect of value orientation, belief and norm holds the key to inculcate good agricultural practice. Originality/value The present study is among the pioneers to consider NEP as the mediator between three types of value orientation and personal norm. Additionally, this study examined the relationship between NEP and PPN as well as between value orientations and PPN which are comparatively new to the existing body of literature. Nevertheless, this study considers NEP as a multidimensional constructs which is relatively new. Last, but not the least, the findings elaborate the existing knowledge of individual’s environmental concern in the context of agrochemical purchase.

Managing different forms of distances in Dutch healthcare organizations

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1080-1097
Author(s):  
Annemiek Stoopendaal
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Healthcare Organization ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Healthcare Executives ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – Dichotomous “gap” thinking about professionals and managers has important limits. The purpose of this paper is to study the specific ontology of “the gap” in which different forms of distances are defined. Design/methodology/approach – In order to deepen the knowledge of the actual day-to-day tasks of Dutch healthcare executives an ethnographic study of the daily work of Dutch healthcare executives and an ontological exploration of the concept “gap” was provided. The study empirically investigates the meaning given to the concept of “distance” in healthcare governance practices. Findings – The study reveals that healthcare executives have to fulfil a dual role of maintaining distance and creating proximity. Coping with different forms of distances seems to be an integral part of their work. They make use of four potential mechanisms to cope with distance in their healthcare organization practices. Originality/value – The relationship between managers and professionals is often defined as a dichotomous gap. The findings in this research suggest a more dynamic picture of the relationship between managers and professionals than is currently present in literature. This study moves “beyond” the gap and investigates processes of distancing in-depth.

scholarly journals Expatriates’ withdrawal intentions

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1852-1869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Helena Pinto ◽  
Carlos Cabral Cardoso ◽  
William B. Werther Jr
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Goal Orientation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Business Goals ◽  
Culture Characteristics ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of perceived home and destination organizational culture characteristics and general satisfaction with the assignment as antecedents of expatriates’ withdrawal intentions. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through a web survey of an international sample of expatriates with a broad representation of industries, organizations and countries of origin and destination. Findings The results indicate that home and destination organizational cultures affect expatriates’ withdrawal intentions, after controlling for demographics and national cultural differences, namely: home organizational culture has a stronger influence on withdrawal intentions from the organization, while host organizational culture affects withdrawal intentions from the assignment. Further, the relationship between host organizational culture and expatriates’ intentions to withdraw from the assignment is mediated by expatriates’ satisfaction with the assignment. Evidence was also found supporting a stronger and negative influence of the goal orientation dimension of organizational culture, thus suggesting that a collective orientation toward common business goals (i.e. solidarity) may help retain expatriates. Originality/value This study seeks to fill a gap in the literature by exploring the influence of organizational culture on expatriates’ withdrawal intentions, and the mediating role of expatriates’ satisfaction with the assignment, on that relationship.

scholarly journals Discursive Contextures of Science: Euro/West-Centrism and Science and Technology Studies

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Prasad
Keyword(s):  
Network Theory ◽  
Science And Technology Studies ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Scientific Practices ◽  
Technology Studies ◽  
Knowledge And Practice

Science and Technology Studies (STS) by the very act of showing the multiplicity, contingency, and context-dependence of scientific knowledge and practice, provincialized modern science. Postcolonial interventions within STS have pursued this goal even further. Nevertheless, Euro/West-centrism continues to inflect not only scientific practices and lay imaginaries, but also sociological and historical analyses of sciences. In this article, drawing on my own training within STS – first under J.P.S. Uberoi, who was concerned with structuralist analysis of modernity and science, and thereafter under Andy Pickering, when we focused on material agency and temporal emergence and extensively engaged with Actor Network Theory - I emphasize the continuing role of Euro/West-centric discourses in defining the “self” and the “other” and in impacting epistemological and ontological interventions. More broadly, building on a concept of Michael Lynch’s, I call for excavation and analysis of discursive contextures of sciences. In the second section of the article, through a brief analysis of embryonic stem cell therapy in a clinic in Delhi, I show how with shifting transnational landscape of technoscience certain discursive contextures are being “deterritorialized” and left “stuttering.”

Mindfulness, indigenous knowledge, indigenous innovations and entrepreneurship

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celine Capel
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indigenous Innovation ◽  
New Business ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Indigenous Innovations ◽  
New Entry

Purpose – This paper aims to highlight the role of mindfulness in the development of indigenous knowledge (IK), indigenous innovations and entrepreneurship or new entry. Design/methodology/approach – Through an extensive analysis of extant mindfulness and indigenous entrepreneurship literatures, the paper argues for the facilitating role of individual mindfulness in IK, indigenous innovations and entrepreneurship and generates several propositions as a result. Findings – The paper argues that mindfulness encourages the appreciation of other forms of knowledge and practices distinct from the more prevalent Western forms, and by so doing, promotes indigenous innovation and indigenous entrepreneurship (or indigenous new entry or new business venture). Research limitations/implications – It is reasoned that indigenous communities around the world have rich experiences and accumulated knowledge that have enabled them develop explanations of their environments and economic development and sustainability, and by recognizing and valuing such knowledge and experiences, mindfulness facilitates innovations and entrepreneurship. Social implications – The facilitating role of IK in developing indigenous innovations and indigenous entrepreneurship is clearly evident, at least in indigenous societies; however, researchers are yet to recognise and explore this dynamics as deserved. Mindfulness not only opens up the mindset of researchers to further explore this phenomenon but also helps society to recognise the contributions and value of IK. Originality/value – This work is a pioneer in the effort to integrate mindfulness concept into the indigenous entrepreneurship research. By using mindfulness lens to view the relationship between IK, indigenous innovations and entrepreneurship, the study locates mindfulness as both antecedent to and moderator of these relationships.

scholarly journals Individual Expectation: An Overlooked, but Pertinent, Factor in the Treatment of Individuals Experiencing Musculoskeletal Pain

2010 ◽  
Vol 90 (9) ◽  
pp. 1345-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel E. Bialosky ◽  
Mark D. Bishop ◽  
Joshua A. Cleland
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Musculoskeletal Pain ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Physical Therapists ◽  
Clinical Perspective ◽  
The Relationship

Physical therapists consider many factors in the treatment of patients with musculoskeletal pain. The current literature suggests expectation is an influential component of clinical outcomes related to musculoskeletal pain for which physical therapists frequently do not account. The purpose of this clinical perspective is to highlight the potential role of expectation in the clinical outcomes associated with the rehabilitation of individuals experiencing musculoskeletal pain. The discussion focuses on the definition and measurement of expectation, the relationship between expectation and outcomes related to musculoskeletal pain conditions, the mechanisms through which expectation may alter musculoskeletal pain conditions, and suggested ways in which clinicians may integrate the current literature regarding expectation into clinical practice.

The role of salesperson brand selling confidence in enhancing important sales management outcomes: a social identity approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bashar S. Gammoh ◽  
Michael L. Mallin ◽  
Ellen Bolman Pullins ◽  
Catherine M. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sales Management ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Social Identity Approach

Purpose The purpose of the study is to address the gap in understanding how the brand influences sales outcomes by focusing one’s attention on the salesperson perceptions of the brand and the salesperson brand selling confidence. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a cross-section survey of professional salespeople. SmartPLS was used to estimate the measurement model and test the hypothesized path relationships. Findings The study’s results indicate that salespeople who believe in the strength of the brands they represent are more likely to identify with the brand, are more confident in selling the brand and, overall, tend to perform better, have higher job satisfaction and are more committed to their companies. Originality/value This paper contributes to the sales literature by further exploring the relationship between the brand and sales function in the firm. This area has recently received academic attention but has not yet considered the mediating processes that connect the two areas. This study identifies perceptions of brand strength and brand selling confidence as mechanisms that mediate the impact of brand on sales outcomes.

The role of brand personality in the formation of consumer affect and self-brand connection

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin F. McManus ◽  
Sergio W. Carvalho ◽  
Valerie Trifts
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Brand Personality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Within Subjects ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Brand Personality Traits

Purpose This study aims to explore the role of brand personality traits in explaining how different levels of brand favorability evoke affect from and forge connections to consumers. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a quantitative approach consisting of within-subjects (Study 1) and between-subjects (Study 2) experimental designs. Mediation analyses were tested using OLS regression with the MEMORE and PROCESS macros. Findings Findings suggest increases in brand excitement and sincerity to be related to differences in positive affect evoked by favorable and unfavorable brands; decreases in brand sincerity to be related to differences in negative affect between favorable and unfavorable brands (Study 1); brand competence and excitement to be related to the relationship between brand favorability and self-brand connection; and brand competence and excitement to best distinguish favorable brands from unfavorable brands (Study 2). Originality/value These results support the importance of brand personality traits that are considered to be universally positive and provide managers with an initial roadmap for which brand personality traits should be prioritized when communicating with consumers.

Employee loyalty during slowdown of Covid-19: Do satisfaction and trust matter?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
I Nengah Aristana ◽  
I Wayan Edi Arsawan ◽  
Ni Wayan Rustiarini
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Employee Loyalty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hotel Employees ◽  
Leader Support ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Quantitative Design ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This research aims to test employee loyalty in the hotel industry, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study examines the relationship between leader support in building job satisfaction, trust and employee loyalty. Also, this research aims to test and explain the role of satisfaction and trust as mediator variables. Design/methodology/approach This research used a quantitative design by distributing questionnaires to 206 employees of the 97 hotels in Bali, Indonesia, particularly during pandemic Covid-19. The research data were then analyzed by using WarpPLS software. Findings The results revealed that leader support did not have a significant effect on loyalty. Satisfaction and trust act as double mediators in leaders’ support and loyalty relationships. Research limitations/implications Employees need leaders’ support to remain loyal to their organization in a slowdown situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its various challenges. Originality/value Research on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on various sectors has been comprehensive. However, the research that invests in employee loyalty in the hospitality industry is still rare. This study analyzes the loyalty of hotel employees, particularly when the tourism sector is experiencing a slowdown. This study also examines the role of trust and satisfaction as mediating relationships between leaders’ support and loyalty, which have not been widely analyzed in previous studies.

The moderating role of previous venture experience on breadth of learning and innovation and the impacts on SME performance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanhaiya K. Sinha ◽  
Chad Saunders ◽  
Simon Raby ◽  
Jim Dewald
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Leadership Team ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of previous venture experience on the relationship between learning breadth and innovation breadth, defined as the range of innovation types within a firm, and the impacts on SME performance.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical model was developed, and hypotheses were tested using step-wise multivariate regressions on survey data from 509 North American SME respondents.FindingsThe results demonstrate that the previous venture experience of a firm's top management plays a key role in enhancing the innovation breadth for a given level of learning breadth. There is a curvilinear relationship between innovation breadth and learning breadth, and increases in innovation breadth lead to increases in firm performance.Practical implicationsThe results indicate that organizations seeking higher performance returns by expanding their breadth of innovations need parallel attention on higher learning breadth in order to adequately capture the value from this broader set of innovations.Originality/valueThe paper contextualizes learning and innovation in the SMEs and argues that the consideration of diversity (breadth) of learning and innovation can help us understand their performance implications across industries. It also extends the effect of previous venture experience (PVE) of the leadership team in explaining performance. Beyond their ability to address external factors, PVE has a moderating effect on the relationship between learning and innovation breadth across the organization. Previous venture experience serves as both a guide and catalyst for investments in learning activities that lead to a broader range of innovation activities across the firm.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document