Alternative Theoretical Perspectives Research Articles

Natural clues to danger: attachment behavior in threatening situations

ABSTRACT A fundamental principle of attachment theory is that threatening situations give rise to individual differences in the extent to which people seek proximity to close others. The current research examines the way in which attachment styles predict individual differences in attachment-relevant behavior during threatening events. We tested alternative theoretical perspectives concerning the association between adult attachment (specifically, attachment avoidance) and attachment behavior in the presence of natural clues to danger by observing couples (N = 204) when they were watching horror vs. control film excerpts. Results suggest that highly avoidant people engaged in less attachment behavior across both threatening and non-threatening situations. These findings have implications for the understanding of attachment-related processes and how working models of the self and others facilitate (or inhibit) the expression of attachment behavior.

Operations In Critical Waiting Processes

This paper offers an alternative approach to the essential matter of the factors involved in the process of waiting, especially in critical contexts such as civil emergencies. Some categories for the analysis of waiting are developed here, taking an alternative theoretical perspective, where waiting processes are conceived of as operational and institutionalised in nature, rather than mere temporal phenomena. Importantly, this paper contributes to research in the field of anthropology studying processes of waiting, as it presents a unique perspective of analysis. This perspective shifts the focus of these processes from temporalities to institutions and highlights the essential importance of operations in their analysis. In order to exemplify the proposed perspective, empirical waiting processes in crisis will be analysed. These examples of critical waiting have been selected with consideration to their historical, political or social impact. The demand for operational behaviour among the people waiting has also been considered in these examples. These processes will be analysed using categories established from an institutional and operational approach based on the materialistic philosophical approach of the Spanish philosopher Gustavo Bueno Martinez, sometimes called Discontinuous Materialism.

Book Review: Developing Evaluative Judgement in Higher Education: Assessment for Knowing and Producing Quality Work

In the current landscape marked by the emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), our educational methods and assessment strategies are confronting unprecedented challenges. A prevailing worry centers on the possible erosion of a vital educational endeavor – the cultivation of evaluative judgment. This concern stands out as one of the most significant issues in contemporary education, as the insufficiency of students’ ‘capability to make decisions about the quality of work of self and others’ (Tai et al., 2018, p.471). To elucidate the concept of evaluative judgment, this volume, edited by Boud and colleagues, stands as the inaugural work exclusively centered on the theory and practices pertaining to this subject. The book is structured into four sections, including ‘conceptualising evaluative judgement’, ‘alternative theoretical perspectives on evaluative judgement’, ‘approaches to developing evaluative judgement’, and ‘evaluative judgement for practice and work’.

Listen up! Listening skills in accounting education: gaps and proposed new research and teaching agendas

ABSTRACT Utilising a systematic literature review, this paper synthesises alternative theoretical perspectives on listening and studies of accounting students’ listening skills. It identifies gaps in the conceptualisation of listening within accounting education research. Research and teaching agendas are then developed which provide a framework for more effectively fostering the development of listening skills in accounting education. We identify the need for research and teaching around: why listening matters; the elements of effective listening; and developing listening skills. Greater focus on the interpersonal, social, and reflexive aspects of listening is needed, going beyond an existing focus on comprehension and information acquisition. There is also a need to explicitly address the role and benefits of listening in facilitating an ethical organisational culture, recognising the ethical dimensions of professional responsibility and active listening as part of empathetic leadership.

Problematizing Strategic Alliance Research: Challenges, Issues and Paradoxes in the New Era

AbstractStrategic alliances have attracted substantial attention from industry and academia over the past three decades. However, due to rapid technological evolution, saturated marketplaces, globalisation of businesses on the one hand and de‐globalisation of the market on the other (as marked by Brexit and the trade war between US and China, COVID‐19 pandemic and the Ukraine war), the strategic environment of businesses is changing quickly. Fundamental and rapid changes in the wider environment necessitate the review of theoretical and practical insights of earlier and emerging studies ‐ to examine the new challenges, issues and paradoxes of strategic alliances. This special issue attempts to provide a forum to allow researchers to question the assumptions underlying existing theory a little further beyond just “gap‐spotting” or “gap‐filling”. This special issue includes four very interesting literature review pieces, which venture deeper into the phenomenon, and explore the opportunities, issues and paradoxes of strategic alliances while adopting alternative theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches and interpretations to address issues of managing strategic alliances and maximising returns from them in the new strategic context.

Interactive Effects of CEOs’ Firm-Specific Experience and Versatile Experiences on Pursuit of New Growth Opportunity

Prior research has opposing views about the merits of firm-specific managerial experience, and empirical findings are mixed. To address this problem, we ask when firm-specific managerial experience is helpful versus harmful in pursuit of new growth opportunities. We propose that when CEOs’ firm-specific experience is combined with versatile managerial experiences, its growth-constraining effect is alleviated due to increased adaptability of CEOs' human capital to support growth in new business domains. We find support for this argument in a sample of U.S. food firms and their pursuit of the organic food opportunity during 1997 to 2007. We also find that CEOs’ versatile experience by itself is not sufficient for the pursuit of new growth, but it is when the two types of experience are combined synergistically that firms can achieve higher rates of opportunity pursuit. In this vein, our research reconciles the alternative theoretical perspectives on firm-specific experience and invites further consideration of experience combinations where both positive and negative synergies drive the ultimate impact of key managerial experiences.

English

This paper aims to expand and investigate the existing intersection parameters of daily life rituals in seven Muslim women’s academician public and private spheres by including alternative theoretical perspectives of COVID-19 social isolation phenomena that have not been socially explored before. Autoethnography is the methodology applied to answer how and to what extent these intersections have affected living space, time, and tools. The study has revealed a significant intersection of women-related obligations in the public sphere with private sphere responsibilities affected by COVID-19. Moreover, the study re-evaluated the existing literature on the public and private sphere, female gender, especially related to the concepts of discipline, surveillance, and self-censorship. Finally, it has revealed possible intersectionality relations to the metaphors of post-traumatic experiences of these seven Muslim academicians.   Key words: COVID-19, Muslim female academician, public/private sphere, Foucault, autoethnography.

Is it time to change the approach of mental health stigma campaigns? An experimental investigation of the effect of campaign wording on stigma and help-seeking intentions

Mental health stigma causes a range of diverse and serious negative sequelae. Anti-stigma campaigns have largely aligned with medical theories and categorical approaches. Such campaigns have produced some improvements, but mental health stigma is still prevalent. The effect of alternative theoretical perspectives on mental health within anti-stigma campaigns has not been tested. Moreover, we do not know their effect on help-seeking intentions. We conducted an online experimental pre-post study comparing the effects of two anti-stigma campaign posters on mental health stigma and help-seeking intentions. One poster adhered to the medical, categorical approach to mental health, whereas the other poster portrayed mental health problems in line with a non-categorical, continuous perspective. After controlling for familiarity with the campaign poster, country of residence and pre-test scores, we found no significant between-group differences in terms of help-seeking intentions and all stigma attitudes except for danger-related beliefs. That is, those who viewed the non-categorical poster reported an increased perception that people with mental health problems are dangerous. Our largely null findings may suggest the equivalence of these posters on stigma and help-seeking intentions but may also reflect the brevity of the intervention. Our findings concerning danger beliefs may reflect a Type I error, the complexities of stigma models, or the adverse effects of increased perceived contact. Further research is needed to test the effects of differing mental health paradigms on stigma and help-seeking intentions over a longer duration.

When the Music Stops: Examining the Timing of Firm Response Following Awareness of Product Defects

Considering the hazard posed by defective products, we know relatively little about how firms determine when to recall products once they are known to have defects. Yet, theoretically, examining this issue opens opportunities to examine strategic aspects of signaling dynamics pertaining to when such negative signals are released to the public. Drawing on two competing perspectives: threat rigidity and stealing the thunder, this study examines the contingencies that determine when firms choose to recall a product following their awareness of a defect. We find that firms are more likely to recall product earlier when the defect is more severe. Moreover, this relationship is moderated by firm age and firm size, showing that older and larger firms tend to announce product recall earlier. Our study demonstrates that stealing the thunder i.e., pre-empting bad news by announcing it quickly, dominates firms’ behaviors in the circumstances of product recall, over alternative theoretical perspectives such as threat rigidity.

Education through smoke and ash: thinking without method and the argument for a post-growth education

AbstractThis paper speculates as to the material consequences of the ecological crisis for the current objectives of the education system in the State of Victoria. Drawing upon new materialist thought, it presents a post-qualitative inquiry into the lead author’s experiences as an educator during a 2014 fire event in the Latrobe Valley region of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, known as the Hazelwood Coal Mine Fire. By engaging in thinking without method it unfolds an argument that a political preference for certain theories has resulted in economic growth becoming a key objective of Victoria’s education system. It explores alternative theoretical perspectives, including the theory that there are limits to growth. This theoretical shift implies that any meaningful response to the ecological crisis will require a transition to a post-growth society. The paper considers the implication of this alternative theory for the current objectives of the education system in the State of Victoria. In so doing, it considers what it might mean if we accepted our response-ability to educate for a post-growth society rather than for a society surrounded by smoke and ash.

Adoption of enterprise mobile systems – An alternative theoretical perspective

Enterprises nudge the usage of mobile devices to ensure business continuity, although this tends to amplify corporate security risks. Consequently, corporations adopt Enterprise Mobile Systems (EMS) to facilitate employees working from home, ensuring security and privacy. Notwithstanding the business benefits of EMS, the adoption rate of these solutions by employees is significantly low. Traditional theories on technology adoption do not explain why some employees choose to use EMS through their mobile devices to access official applications, while others refrain. This study uses construal level theory and rational choice theory to examine the role of use contexts and intention to comply with EMS policy on employees' decision to adopt EMS. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was applied. A mixed approach was followed for this study and analysis was done based on country-wide cross-sectional survey of 330 professionals engaged with reputed information technology companies. The results highlight that employees’ use contexts and intentions to comply with the EMS policy are strong antecedents of adapting to new systems. The results also reinforce that policy awareness positively affects the intention to comply with EMS policies, impacting employee engagement and task performance.

Small Firm Growth: The Unfolding of a Trigger Point

This study combines the concept of trigger points, events preceding bursts of growth, with a linguistic approach to show how firm growth unfolds through a process of translation. By marrying theories and methods rooted in the linguistic turn with firm growth theories, this study brings new insights on growth contributing to both the advancement of the trigger point concept and the wider understanding of entrepreneurial activities as complex and contextually bound processes dependent on human interaction. In doing so, the study also adheres to the current demand for advancing firm growth theory by relaxing the outcome-focussed approach and static life-cycle paradigm, and complementing it with alternative theoretical and methodological perspectives.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Disclosures in Group Affiliated Firms and Politically Connected Family Firms: Empirical Evidence From a Traditional Society

This paper explores whether the political connections in group-affiliated firms and family firms have any impact on the corporate social responsibility disclosure (CSRD) practices in a traditional society. Using a total sample of 792 company year observations from the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) from 2010-2018, this paper documents that the firms, which are group affiliated and which are family controlled, are positively significant to CSRD, indicating more disclosure of CSR information. However, when the family firms are politically connected, the CSRD is negatively significant. Without denying the benefits of alternative theoretical lenses adopted in disclosure studies, this paper tries to identify whether elements of “traditionalism” such as display of loyalty to master, domination and control, as characterized by (Weber, 1978), can be used to explain the determinants of social and environmental disclosure in developing/ traditional economy. This paper contributes to the CSR literature by providing an alternative theoretical perspective for traditionalist societies and connecting political affiliation and ties of family firms and group affiliated firms with CSR disclosure. It provides a deeper insight into the dynamics and interplay between group affiliated firms and family controlled firms, its ownership structures and governance mechanism with the disclosure practices in a traditional setting.

Investigating vicarious trauma: dramaturgical challenges for qualitative research

PurposeThis article examines personal performances of vicarious trauma (VT) related to the Ocean Ranger Disaster. It investigates the extent to which the self is at stake in passionate storytelling about tragic consequences of extreme work.Design/methodology/approachDramaturgical concepts of self-presentation and impression management are used as a qualitative lens to provide an alternative view of published trauma stories arising from emotional research interviews.FindingsThe catastrophic disaster created secondary traumatization for families and friends of extreme workers lost at sea. This article shows that research interviews of these disaster survivors are opportunities for participants to engage in dramatic storytelling. The paper also reflects on related (problematic) storytelling by the trauma researcher.Research limitations/implicationsThe article provides a theory illustration using dramaturgy as an alternative theoretical perspective to document previously under-appreciated aspects of the Ocean Ranger case. The discussion causes us to think about research interviews in a way that past research would not normally suggest.Social implicationsThe Ocean Ranger Disaster continues to be a remarkable source of sorrow for the people of Newfoundland. This research provides a needed contrast to the numerous positivist, and overwhelmingly technological, studies of the disaster.Originality/valueThe research tradition of dramaturgy is a useful lens to apply to the expanding field of trauma studies. VT is rarely a subject of direct discussion in the management and organization studies (MOS) literature. This paper is among the first to consider storytelling interviews from a VT perspective.

The Interplay of Brand, Brand Origin and Brand User Stereotypes in Forming Value Perceptions

AbstractAlthough the importance of various brand‐related stereotypes held by consumers has been acknowledged in the marketing literature, their interplay has not yet been considered. We derive four alternative theoretical models of the relationships between brand, brand origin and brand user stereotypes and their effects on consumers’ value perceptions. The four models are subsequently tested on two nationally representative samples in Germany and Serbia, respectively. The best‐performing model in both studies predicts that brand origin and brand user stereotypes act as complementary drivers of the brand stereotype. In turn, value perceptions mediate the positive impact of the brand stereotype on purchase intent. This investigation is the first to: (a) juxtapose and empirically assess alternative theoretical perspectives on the interplay of brand‐related stereotypes; (b) reveal the combined influence of multiple stereotypes on consumers’ value perceptions and through them, on intentions to buy the brand; (c) determine the relative influence of distinct stereotype content dimensions (i.e. warmth vs. competence) on consumers’ perceptions of value; and (d) highlight the extent to which the interplay among different stereotypes in influencing consumer outcomes is stable across different market settings. Implications of the findings are considered and future research directions identified.

Design thinking as sensemaking: Developing a pragmatist theory of practice to (re)introduce sensibility

AbstractDesign thinking is based on designers’ creative ways of working and is defined as a formal method for creative problem solving aimed at fostering innovation by harnessing “the designer's sensibility and methods.” The basic premise is that design “thinking” can be extracted and separated from the situated practice of designing in the studio. This approach has given rise to a widely accepted nomenclature for describing design which has improved communication between designers and managers, leading to massive interest in adoption of design thinking in management settings. However, due to a widespread implicit cognitivism in the literature, scholars find it difficult to explain the cultural and experiential qualities of design thinking and it tends to be presented as a fundamentally cognitive, problem‐solving activity. We argue that these cognitivist tendencies preclude proper attention to and theorization of designers’ creative practice. We contend that the absence of a theory of practice prevents a deeper understanding of the contribution of design thinking to innovation, loses sight of the sensibility on which it relies, and hampers realization of the promise of design thinking. We develop an alternative theoretical perspective, grounded in a pragmatist theory of practice and the studio culture from which designers’ creative practice developed. This theoretical perspective allows design thinking to be understood as sensemaking, foregrounds imagination and improvisation as its core activities, and explains how sensibility is developed and nurtured. We review the design thinking literature through this pragmatist lens and discuss the implications for theory and practice of conceptualizing design thinking as sensemaking.

Virtual Reality in New Product Development: Insights from Prelaunch Sales Forecasting for Durables

This investigation examines how consumer durable goods producers can leverage virtual reality for new product development. First, the authors develop a prelaunch sales forecasting approach with two key features: virtual reality and an extended macro-flow model. To assess its effectiveness, the authors collect data from 631 potential buyers of two real-world innovations. The results reveal that the new approach yields highly accurate prelaunch forecasts across the two field studies: compared with the actual sales data tracked after the product launches, the prediction errors for the aggregated first-year sales are only 1.9% (Study 1a, original prelaunch sales forecast), .0% (Study 1b, forecast with actual advertisement spending), and 20.0% (Study 1b, original prelaunch forecast). Moreover, the average mean absolute percentage error for the monthly sales is only 23% across both studies. Second, to understand the mechanisms of virtual reality, the authors conduct a controlled laboratory experiment. The findings reveal that virtual reality fosters behavioral consistency between participants’ information search, preferences, and buying behavior. Moreover, virtual reality enhances participants’ perceptions related to presence and vividness, but not their perceptions related to alternative theoretical perspectives. Finally, the authors provide recommendations for when and how managers can use virtual reality in new product development.

Explaining the supply of home repair and renovation services in the undeclared economy: lessons from Europe

Three competing theories have been used to explain participation in the undeclared economy. A structuralist perspective asserts that workers are pushed into undeclared work because of their “exclusion” from the declared economy. Two alternative theoretical perspectives assert that undeclared operators voluntarily “exit” the declared economy. Neo-liberals depict undeclared workers as rational economic actors and institutional theorists represent them more as social actors who disagree with the formal rules. To evaluate these competing theories in relation to the supply of undeclared home repair and renovation services, data are reported from a 2019 Eurobarometer survey involving 27,565 face-to-face interviews in 28 European countries. The finding is that 9.4% did so solely due to their exclusion from declared work. 19.8% participated purely for reasons associated with the rational economic actor perspective and 28.6% only for motives associated with the social actor perspective. 42.2% did so for a mixture of motives. Using probit regression analysis, the characteristics of those supplying undeclared home repair and renovation services and doing so for each rationale are revealed. The theoretical outcome is a call to view these perspectives not as competing but complementary. The policy outcome is to reveal the different policy initiatives required to tackle each of the rationales for supplying undeclared home repair and renovation services.

HUMAN CAPITALIZATION TOWARDS ENTREPRENEURSHIP EFFECTIVENESS

With increased emphasis being placed on entrepreneurial thinking and acting in today's businesses, human capitalization growing over the last two decades. The present study provides a systematic review of the literature on the theoretical foundations, measurement, antecedents, and outcomes of EA, ESE and social support. Based on the review, an agenda for future research is developed and implications for entrepreneurship education and training highlighted. In doing so, the need to consider alternative theoretical perspectives to improve understanding of how human capitalization growing influences outcomes at different levels of analysis is highlighted. In addition, the review identifies a need to examine the success factors which drive short-term fluctuations and long-term changes in small business.

Reference state and benchmark concepts for better biodiversity conservation in contemporary ecosystems.

Measuring the status and trends of biodiversity is critical for making informed decisions about the conservation, management or restoration of species, habitats and ecosystems. Defining the reference state against which status and change are measured is essential. Typically, reference states describe historical conditions, yet historical conditions are challenging to quantify, may be difficult to falsify, and may no longer be an attainable target in a contemporary ecosystem. We have constructed a conceptual framework to help inform thinking and discussion around the philosophical underpinnings of reference states and guide their application. We characterize currently recognized historical reference states and describe them as Pre‐Human, Indigenous Cultural, Pre‐Intensification and Hybrid‐Historical. We extend the conceptual framework to include contemporary reference states as an alternative theoretical perspective. The contemporary reference state framework is a major conceptual shift that focuses on current ecological patterns and identifies areas with higher biodiversity values relative to other locations within the same ecosystem, regardless of the disturbance history. We acknowledge that past processes play an essential role in driving contemporary patterns of diversity. The specific context for which we design the contemporary conceptual frame is underpinned by an overarching goal—to maximize biodiversity conservation and restoration outcomes in existing ecosystems. The contemporary reference state framework can account for the inherent differences in the diversity of biodiversity values (e.g. native species richness, habitat complexity) across spatial scales, communities and ecosystems. In contrast to historical reference states, contemporary references states are measurable and falsifiable. This ‘road map of reference states’ offers perspective needed to define and assess the status and trends in biodiversity and habitats. We demonstrate the contemporary reference state concept with an example from south‐eastern Australia. Our framework provides a tractable way for policy‐makers and practitioners to navigate biodiversity assessments to maximize conservation and restoration outcomes in contemporary ecosystems.