Metaphor use in the entrepreneurial process

Metaphor is an important part of everyday thought and language. Although we are often not aware of metaphor in everyday speech, on occasion, a particularly creative or novel use of metaphor will make us pay attention. It has been hypothesized that one of the driving cognitive factors behind the use of novel metaphor is a need to describe a new reality (as opposed to a preexisting reality) that would otherwise be difficult to convey using conventionalized metaphor. To this extent, novel metaphor use in everyday language may be more associated with episodic memory demands in contrast to conventional metaphor that is associated with semantic memory. To test this idea we analyzed novel metaphor use in the Hippocorpus --- a corpus of more than 5000 recalled and imagined stories about memorable life events in the first person perspective. In this dataset, recalled events have been shown to rely on episodic memory to a greater extent than descriptions of imagined events (i.e., narrating an event as if it happened to you but not describing an event that actually happened to you), which largely draw on semantic memory. We hypothesized that novel metaphor use during event narration should be modulated by the extent to which language users are able to draw on primary experience to describe events. We found that novel metaphor counts in recalled events were significantly higher than imagined events. Importantly, we found that factors that influence the extent to which language users are able to draw on primary experience during event narration (i.e., openness to experience, similarity to one's own experience, and how memorable or important an event was) modulated novel metaphor use in different ways in imagined compared to recalled events. The work paves the way for using large scale corpora to analyze underlying cognitive processes that modulate metaphorical language use.

Language in news writing is very important because it brings a lot of meaning and understanding when reading to every member of society. The use of correct and meaningful language and having a certain interpretation can shape the thinking of society. Language combinations in news writing have an impact on the development of socio-cultural, informational sources, education, entertainment, key points in the arena of political communication, democratic participation, ideological value communication, norms, nature, and beliefs on an issue. Therefore, this study uses the Critical Discourse Analysis approach (CDA) which emphasizes Critical Metaphor Analysis (CMA) elements to examine the use of language and phrases formed by journalists in writing news on government policy, especially the Government Transformation Program (GTP). The data used in this study were taken from three online newspapers namely Malaysiakini newspaper, Berita Harian, and Utusan Malaysia. The use of metaphorical concepts and metaphors is fully utilized to refine terms in the words, phrases, and sentences written by journalists of these three media organizations. The findings show that journalists are aware and unconscious of writing metaphorical writing and setting the concept metaphor by framing the news they have written. The conceptualized metaphor is clearly displayed in every news writing because they have an agenda set by their respective media organizations to promote or provide understanding on government policies especially in relation to the GTP and the National Key Result Area (NKRA). Their behavior and processes produce stories that have implicit meaning by using metaphors to produce strategic news. The resulting metaphors are different but coherent to confirm the GTP and NKRA as the carriers of positive economic change to the country. Implicitly pointing out that GTP and NKRA need to be implemented if Malaysia wants to become a developed nation. It gives implied meaning because it is not said directly but indirectly through the metaphor.

The present study is an analysis of the representation of the crises brought about by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) at the socio-economic front in Saudi Arabia and the world over, in two Saudi English dailies, Saudi Gazette and Arab News. The study analyses the use of metaphors in the language employed in reporting the news items or presentation of expert opinions on the virus and the disease, and the deeper significance of the use of such metaphors in writing on the pandemic and its causes. Cognitive Metaphor Theory (CMT) has been employed as framework of analysis and the data have been analysed using Pragglejaz Group’s MIP. Six news and opinionated items (two from Saudi Gazette and four from Arab News) have been analysed. The analysis shows that the crisis writing relies heavily on war metaphors, Sinophobia metaphors, and metaphors allaying fears. The metaphorical language used in the selected English dailies plays a big role in allaying the public fears on the spread of the disease and putting the government programs in the right perspective. The use of metaphorical language to talk about the pandemic and its potent causes has been quite effective in addressing the sensitive issues since human psyche displays deep-set prejudices against certain panic conditions and social formations.

A developmental ecological study of novel metaphoric language use

During conversations with families of critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs), clinicians' metaphoric language use may facilitate families' understanding, but also has potential drawbacks. We sought to obtain insights regarding how ICU clinicians use metaphors regarding patients' disease and treatment trajectory. We identified clinicians' metaphor use in N=101 audio-recorded neonatal, pediatric, and adult ICU family conversations about life-sustaining treatments. Using qualitative content analyses, each metaphor's semantic domain, disease phase, and dialogical function were coded. Overarching themes and patterns were analyzed. Journey metaphors (N = 140 in N = 54 conversations) most frequently referred to the semantic domains boundary, path and bridge. Although most functioned to convey clinical information (72 %), metaphors were mainly presented in an emotionally charged way, serving to manage families' perceptions. As patients' conditions deteriorated, metaphors more often functioned to prepare families for medical limits. Metaphors were sometimes potentially unclear. Others suggested high patient agency, starkly contrasting with patients' unconscious state. Metaphors related to ICU patients' disease and treatment trajectory are common. They may clarify information or strengthen clinicians' arguments but can also cause confusion and thereby hinder decision-making. Enhancing clinicians' awareness about their metaphor use may promote more effective information exchange and decision-making.

Contemporary cognitive linguistics views metaphor as pervasive in thoughts and conceptual in nature. Many ground-breaking facts on how human minds make use of metaphors have been revealed through research on cognitive sciences. Over the years, studies on conceptual metaphors in religious discourse have been conducted, but little is known about how orators make use of ethos (ethical appeals) and conceptual metaphors to influence their audience. This paper reports the results of a descriptive study which explores the influential Muslim thinker and theologian, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s (1877-1960) use of ethos and conceptual metaphors in his Damascus Sermon (1911). Specifically, this study identifies and interprets the metaphorical expressions used by Nursi which help him establish his ethos and strengthen his argument in the long run. The classical rhetoric theory is employed to examine the ethos while Lakoff and Johnson’s (1980) cognitive theory of metaphor is employed to analyse the conceptual metaphors in the Sermon. The analysis of the Sermon involves 3 main stages: i) the identification of selected extracts that indicate ethos, ii) the identification of linguistic metaphors and iii) the identification of the underlying conceptual mapping of the metaphorical expressions. In order to identify the linguistic metaphors, the Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP) by PRAGGLEJAZ Group (2007) has been used. The findings show how the use of metaphors in the Sermon has contributed to the effectiveness of the ethical appeals made by Nursi, adding to his persuasive power. This study sets an antecedent for future studies on conceptual metaphors in religious discourse as a mechanism for rhetorical appeals.

Pop-song lyrics are often felt to be highly stereotypical and cliched. The present paper is an exploratory attempt to shed light on the linguistic substance of these stereotypes and cliches by analysing the use of love-related metaphors in a pilot version of the Giessen-Bonn Corpus of Popular Music (GBoP; see Kreyer and Mukherjee 2007) within the framework of conceptual metaphor theory (e.g. Lakoff and Johnson 1980; Kovecses 2002). In particular, two questions are explored: 1) how much variation in the use of these metaphors do we find in GBoP, and 2) how creatively are these metaphors used in GBoP? The results are surprising in that pop songs show a fair amount of variation as well as creativity. The use of metaphors, therefore, cannot be regarded as the source of clichedness of pop song lyrics. On the basis of a brief comparison of the GBoP data with the poetry section of the British National Corpus, the paper suggests an alternative explanation along the lines of the Russian formalists' approach to poetic language.

The inherent abstractness in nature and intangibility in essence of computer programming concepts, present weak mental models that make them to be intuitively challenging to be easily understood by students. This remains a key factor in general underperformance of students in computer programming courses. Pedagogical use of metaphors is widely acknowledged as a means of addressing the challenge. As a result, the literature is replete with proposals for metaphor use to enhance understanding of various computer programming concepts, and positive results have been reported. However, the lack of a theory-driven methodological framework for appropriate pedagogical use of metaphors, has slowed progress in this direction. To fill this gap in the literature, a framework for appropriate pedagogical use of metaphors in the teaching and learning of programming concepts is proposed. The framework is developed, employing a triangulation of the theories of Conceptual Metaphor, Experiential Learning, Structure Mapping, and ontology modelling, to provide theoretical and methodological underpinnings for the framework. The result of a proof of concept using the ATM metaphor and programming concepts of Data Processing and Control Structures, stands promising.

This dissertation focusses on the cross-linguistic variation of metaphorical language use on promotional tourism websites in British English, German of Germany and European Spanish. Despite the economic impact of the tourism industry and the high demand for translations in this branch, only few studies have ventured into metaphor use in tourism promotion so far. Research into metaphor translation in this field is even scarcer. The present study aims to fill these voids by describing metaphorical language use of this register for each language, comparing the results with the other two languages, and by seeking possible implications of the observed variation for the translatability as well as the translation process of metaphor vehicles.

Research Summary : Much research suggests that entrepreneurial opportunities in established firms result from bottom‐up initiative in a diverse workforce, senior management's main role in the entrepreneurial process is to select among opportunities generated in the bottom‐up process, and it should refrain from directly getting involved in this process. We develop an alternative and more active view of the role of senior management in the opportunity formation process in which senior management intervenes in the entrepreneurial process to resolve coordination and collaboration problems across initiatives and decide on resource allocation. We proffer rival hypotheses concerning the effect of such senior management involvement in the entrepreneurial process. Specifically, we hypothesize that the positive relations between bottom‐up initiative/employee diversity and opportunity formation are positively (negatively) moderated by such direct involvement by senior management. We examine these ideas using two matched data sources: a double‐respondent survey of CEOs and HR managers and employer–employee register data. We find support for the view that senior management involvement positively moderates the relations between bottom‐up processes/diversity and opportunity formation. Managerial Summary : What are the processes through which entrepreneurial opportunities emerge in established companies? Research has pointed to diversity and bottom‐up initiative, but our understanding is limited with respect to what senior managers should do to optimally promote entrepreneurship in such companies. In one view, senior management should keep a distance and limit their involvement to picking the best opportunities out of those they are presented with in the bottom‐up process. In contrast, we argue that given bottom‐up initiative in the context of a diverse workforce, senior management should play a more direct role in the entrepreneurial process. The reason is that senior‐management involvement at early stages of the opportunity formation process is required to handle the management challenges arising from diversity and bottom‐up initiative. Overall, our study suggests that firms that wish to seize the potential benefits (in terms of entrepreneurial opportunities) of having a more diverse workforce and more bottom‐up initiative need senior managers that directly engage in the entrepreneurial process.

Educational assessment involves eliciting, transmitting, and receiving information concerning the level of proficiency of a learner in a specified domain. With that in mind, it is perhaps surprising that the literature seems to make very little use of the signal processing metaphor. The present article begins by making a general case for greater use of this metaphor, as a simple and intuitive thinking tool for helping to explain how educational assessment works. The main body of the article extends this argument by demonstrating the utility of the metaphor in helping to explain how educational assessment can go wrong. During the 1980s and 1990s, Samuel Messick extensively discussed two major ways in which educational assessment can go wrong via construct‐irrelevant variance and construct underrepresentation, respectively. Despite their importance, these concepts have had only a limited impact on the literature. Part of the reason for this may be a lack of clarity and comprehensiveness in their articulation. The present article aims to articulate these concepts more clearly and comprehensively, within a framework provided by the signal processing metaphor, reconfiguring them as signal contamination and signal deficiency, respectively.

Practitioners and consultants work together in the field. Management consultants cooperate with practitioners to diagnose and solve problems, maximize growth and improve organization performance. Consultants deal with the challenge of making the message appealing to practitioners. It is therefore necessary for a consultant to build trust and demonstrate empathy to encourage practitioners to take some action. Moreover, a consultant must find creative and emotive ways of inspiring practitioners through effective communications. This challenge can be met through the use of stories and metaphors. It is proven that better story-tellers make better managers (Boje, 1991a). The use of metaphors and storytelling in business make people listen and engage. Stories and metaphors have been used for centuries by politicians, philosophers, artists, authors, and many others, to educate, convey complex ideas, engage and to elicit emotive feelings and actions. Management consultants have to revisit the power and effectiveness of these tools in the world of business. The Knowledge of utilizing stories and metaphors is an essential part of effective communications, and a skill that consultants must cultivate. This paper provides first a short review of the research on the use of metaphors and storytelling in management. It aims to utilize storytelling and metaphors to improve the communication between management consultants and clients in order to ultimately increase organizational productivity. It mainly portrays the impact of using metaphors into the socio-economic approach to management (SEAM) to stimulate richer and more productive interactions between practitioners and consultants.

The song is used to describe vocabulary composed with the purpose of singing. Language is the main medium of poetry and song. Due to the brevity unique to the song, the lyricist does not have the same freedom of language as a poet. Therefore, the use of language is a strong challenge for a lyricist. This linguistic challenge is compounded by the fact that the composition must conform to an audio medium such as a song, as well as under the relevant limitations of the song. The successful writer does not break these technical limitations but successfully overcomes them as in the use of language. The uniqueness of the language used in a high-quality lyric becomes a powerful factor in determining the overall success of the composition. Thus, a lyricist gets a great relief from the use of poetry in creating successful creations by combining a group of ideas in a limited number of words. The purpose of this research paper was to examine the nature of the use of metaphors in modern Sinhala songs. How did the use of metaphor help in creating meaningful lyrics? Is the research problem of this study. Using the works of lyricists Lution Bulathsinghala, Sunil Sarath Perera and Rathna Sri Wijesinghe as the primary source. Content analysis method has been used under qualitative data analysis method for this research and Library study method was used in data collection. The conclusion that can be reached from this study was that the use of metaphor has made a significant contribution in the creation of meaning in the art form of song as well as in providing creative excellence

Purpose– This paper aims to verify the positive impact of legislative changes aimed at decontrolling the market on the entrepreneurial process of new companies’ creation. The entrepreneurial process has been analysed in the context of innovation, risk and market opportunities, which represent the three main approaches to entrepreneurship theories. The analysis is focussed on the social service sector in Finland.Design/methodology/approach– The study is based on anex post factoresearch design. The data are based on official statistics and the data bank of legislation. The case of Finland is used as an example for explaining the determinants of new company creation.Findings– Legislative changes aimed at decontrolling the market seem to have a positive impact on the entrepreneurial process of new company creation. This influence is manifested in the form of market opportunities, risk bearing and the introduction of innovation. Of these three factors influencing the start-up process, the opportunities for market exploitation seem to have the greatest impact. In the Finnish social service sector, entrepreneurial opportunities are based on changes in the political structures that influence the market conditions. Entrepreneurs have also contributed to the opportunities by being active and innovative in filling any new gap in the market structures.Practical implications– These results might be useful in the debate on policies supporting entrepreneurship. The example of the Finnish social service sector indicates that political changes in market regulations are a very effective method of supporting the process of entrepreneurship.Originality/value– The paper is among the first to analyse both legislative changes and market changes affecting the entrepreneurial process, which indicates that the research is comprehensive. Second, legislative political actions to decontrol the market are a starting point in the discussion on the determinants of the entrepreneurial process. Third, the contribution of legislative changes in terms of market opportunities, innovation and risk bearing as avenues of influence on the entrepreneurial process is analysed.

Shakespeare's sonnets are renowned for their profound use of rich metaphors and sophisticated language to explore human emotions and experiences. In three well-known sonnets—"Sonnet 18" ("Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?"), "Sonnet 130" ("My Mistress' Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun"), and "Sonnet 116" ("Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds"—this article explores Shakespeare's use of figurative language. Shakespeare's use of metaphors, imagery, and personalization is thoroughly examined in this research using Rasinger's analytical method, revealing the many meanings and feelings that these works contain. Shakespeare's writing prowess and his ongoing relevance in examining the complexity of human existence are highlighted in this article through a thorough examination and comparison of various literary devices