Case analysis of capability deployment in crisis prevention and response

The topic of effective crisis prevention and response is attracting significant interests from corporations and governments. It is evident that the nature within any crisis is unpredictable, erratic and difficult to prevent. Organizations are therefore preparing for unexpected events by outlining their crisis response strategies. The fact that crises may not repeat themselves and a given crisis solution might not be directly applicable to another crisis represents radical shifts in routines. As such, an organization may have to improvise when putting together a set of resources and capabilities for a response. This case study complements existing crisis management research that emphasizes both prevention and response by focusing on how an organization may adapt and deploy resources and capabilities accordingly. To meet the objective, the research draws upon an in-depth case study of Singapore's response tothe Asian Tsunami disaster in 2004. Our findings offer a useful contribution to organizations’ knowledge of mobilizing resources and capabilities during dynamic crisis situations. The case concludes with several research and practical implications.     

Innovating strategically in information and knowledge management: Applications of organizational behavior theory

A business school declares its strategy as becoming a leading European institution. As main vehicle for achieving recognition is the implementation of a top-down strategy naming five academic fields as key – (a) finance, (b) economics, (c) marketing, (d) law, accounting, and auditing, and (e) organizational behavior (OB). Top management allocates resources for research, academic activities, and positions to these five strategically chosen areas. Academic areas that are not strategically named must generate their own income through educational programs and research grants. Can OB serve as the platform to ensure the survival of IS/KMS? In our analysis, we found no other business school formulating a strategy along these lines; dominating strategic themes are internationalization, research excellence, and student environment. No academic field is singled out as strategic. We argue that selecting a few academic areas as a strategy is dysfunctional. We also found that OB is not very actively employed in research, be it positioning, theory, research model, analysis, or discussion. Hence, we do not find that OB offers any theorizing help to IS/KMS – this in contrast to innovation and change theories, for which we propose an framework as a means of defining IS/KMS research projects.     

工作满意度与组织公民行为关系的研究综述

近年来很多专家学者开始关注工作满意度与组织公民行为的关系,并且成为了研究热点,同时取得了相应的研究成果。本文系统地梳理了中外学者关于工作满意度和组织公民行为的概念、维度,并重点对工作满意度和组织公民行为关系进行了整理。     

第30届奥运会中外男篮攻防能力比较研究

运用数理统计等方法对中国男篮在伦敦奥运会上的攻防技术统计进行统计分析,研究表明:中国男篮身高优于对手,但队员年龄结构不合理,体重和克托莱指数仍处于劣势;在进攻方面,中国男篮存在投篮次数的不足的问题,特别是3分球投篮数与对手差距较大,助攻能力上与对手的差距也较大;在防守方面,中国男篮在盖帽、抢断技术上与对手差距不显著,而篮板球总数上具有显著性差距。并对中国男篮存在的问题提出针对性建议,旨在为中国篮球竞技能力的提高提供参考。     

‘To honor and glorify God’: the role of religion in one intercollegiate athletics culture

Numerous events have provided evidence that the cultural values and assumptions of intercollegiate athletic departments are often incongruent with those of their host institutions. This discrepancy has even been evident in Christian institutions which seek to integrate faith into the learning experience. Using the organizational culture perspective, this study sought to determine how religion influenced the culture of one intercollegiate athletics department. The study took place at a highly selective evangelical Christian college with a nationally competitive athletic department. Data were collected through interviews with 19 campus leaders, observation of cultural events and document analysis. Analysis occurred qualitatively through a process of theorizing. The results indicate that evangelical Christianity played a significant role in the athletic department's culture by constraining its membership, influencing its pedagogy and guiding department decisions. As a result, its values and assumptions were consistent with those of the overall campus culture. The reasons underlying this cultural integration offer coaches and administrators of all institutional affiliations the possibility that the organizational culture perspective can be used to create athletic programs that are more consistent with institutional values.     

A case study of the diversity culture of an American university athletic department: perceptions of senior level administrators

The topic of diversity has received considerable attention from scholars who study sport within the context of higher education in the USA. But despite this interest in the topic, an in-depth focus on how college and university athletic departments effectively manage diversity is missing from the literature. Therefore, we conducted an intrinsic case study of an American university athletic department in efforts to highlight its unique diversity culture (i.e. how it creates and sustains a culture of diversity and inclusion) and the potential impact this culture could have on its various educational stakeholders, and how they interact in this organizational or workplace setting. Findings from our qualitative case study with senior level administrators uncovered two major interrelated themes. First, this institution of higher education has a history and culture of valuing diversity, and this in turn has positively impacted the athletic department's commitment to diversity. Second, the integration of the athletic department into the broader university culture, particularly because of its organizational structure, has enabled this department to better embrace diversity and avoid some of the educational challenges many of its peers face. Research and practical implications are discussed in this study.     

Widening the educational capabilities of socio‐economically disadvantaged students through a model of social and cultural capital development

Widening participation programmes aim to increase the progression of students from low socio‐economic status (SES) groups to higher education. This research proposes that the human capabilities approach is a good justice‐based framework within which to consider the social and cultural capital processes that impact upon the educational capabilities of young people from low SES groups. It presents a case study which examines the developing capability set of Irish students from a representative sample of schools participating in a university‐based widening participation outreach programme aimed at increasing social and cultural capital constructs. Qualitative analysis is presented from four schools; four student focus groups with 22 student participants, and 15 individual student interviews. Findings focus on the developing capabilities of autonomy, hope, voice and identity, as well as on the relationship between specific widening participation activities and the developing capability set. The findings highlight the development of college‐focused knowledge and how this impacts upon students’ aspiration to participate in higher education. The idea of ‘widening capability’ is discussed in relation to the potential of the capability approach to contribute an additional dimension to a mainly neoliberal policy rhetoric, which emphasises the market value of higher‐education participation. In doing so, it explores how widening participation activities can influence the widening capability set of low SES students, and its relationship with what the students deem to be ‘a life of value’.     

Teachers’ capacity for organizational learning: the effects of school culture and context

This paper investigates how key elements of school culture are associated with teachers’ capacity to find and act on new information. We analyzed survey data from 3,579 teachers located in 117 schools which were a randomly selected sample from 9 states in the US. We found that school cultural components such as academic press, student support, and trust and respect among teachers promote teachers’ capacity for organizational learning. We also found that the role of teacher professional culture in molding the capacity for organizational learning is critical. In terms of school contexts, we identified that school level (elementary, middle, and high school) was associated with teachers’ capacity for organizational learning in 2 different ways. First, as the school level increases, the capacity for organizational learning tends to decrease. Second, as school level increases, the positive relation between reflective dialogue and teachers’ capacity for organizational learning is weakened. Implications of these results are discussed.     

考试组织的变革与创新：纠正考试经济扭曲发展的路径依赖

通过对我国考试经济现状的分析,指出考试经济扭曲发展的路径依赖是基于僵化的组织结构,并以新公共管理理论、组织创新理论为理论前提,提出我国的考试组织变革与创新的改革思路。     

再论文化大发展大繁荣背景下成人教育可为性

成人教育是继续教育的一种,属于特殊的再造性教育,其特殊性由于其对象所居之地位、所起之作用而获得彰显。整体意义上的继续教育对象既是两种生产和再生产的主要承担者和唯一支撑者,也是弘扬和发展民族优良传统文化、建设和创造包孕现代性引领现代化的时代文化的重要动力。在当代中国,文化大发展大繁荣是社会发展规律和人类文明进步的鲜明体现,也是客观规律积极作用于时代的内在要求,是人的现代性发展和加快现代化进程的主观诉求。作为社会建设的中坚力量,继续教育之对象对此担当重任:不仅提升、改造、强化自身,而且抚养、教育、塑造未来接班人,同时抚慰、承续、保障老年人;在其所肩负的历史重任中积极进行文化传承与创新发展意义重大。文章着重论述成人教育在当前文化建设中的五项主要功能和职责。