Everyday Dealings Research Articles

Doing Community Amid Tension and Vulnerability: Involvement and Control in Older Adults’ Accounts of Their Neighbourhood

Rather than fixed entities, urban communities are in a constant process of making: They are practised in and through everyday relational settings and are therefore necessarily tension‐laden. Drawing from focus group interviews with older adults living in the third‐largest city in Finland, we aim to further the understanding of “doing community” amid tensions and vulnerability. We analyse older people’s accounts of their everyday dealings and doings in their neighbourhood with an emphasis on the intensities of involvement and control when relating with others. As a result, four types of relational settings are identified: being‐with others; cooperation with others; contesting and being contested by others; and ruling and being ruled by others. Through close reading of each type, we illustrate the variety in which older adults negotiate involvement and control. To conclude, we propose that, in addition to previously identified privacy and access, involvement and control are significant dimensions of the relational settings of belonging in an urban community. We suggest that focusing on involvement and control may particularly well illuminate the position of neighbourhood residents in vulnerable circumstances. Therefore, involvement and control offer a useful extension for analyses of doing community through everyday encounters and practices.

Hand Motion: Mapping Gestures Through Recognition

Abstract: In our everyday dealings with friends, family and co-workers, gestures are crucial as they offer an easy and innate way of communicating. From simple hand movements to greet someone or acknowledge friends from a distance, gestures form part of our daily engagements. Everybody, recognizes gestures as the extension of our body language. If this concept is applied to human-computer interaction, it becomes possible to have hand gesture detection through vision-based technology. In this case, certain movements are performed before a camera with each movement corresponding to specific actions.

Inclusive Waldorf schools today: what can we build on and what is necessary in the 21st century?

In this article we deal with questions of inclusion or inclusive educational requirements in schools and pay special attention to Waldorf schools. In doing so, we are first concerned with the question of how inclusive Waldorf education is in its foundations in order to then look more closely at the situation in Waldorf schools today and explore what potential Waldorf education has. A contribution to this is the research we are doing on the methodology of perception vignettes. For four years we have been using this methodology to develop an approach of “understanding” diagnostics for our students and future Waldorf teachers, so that they can consult different perspectives in their everyday dealings with children and adolescents and learn to ask the appropriate questions.

A Sociological Perspective on Pidgin's Viability and Usefulness for Development in West Africa

This essay examines the viability and usefulness of pidgin for development in West Africa. Pidgin in West Africa has endured as a unifying medium of communication among people who do not share a common language. It has been lauded as a neutral language that facilitates trade, commerce, and everyday dealings among people of all walks of life. Some have proposed supplanting English, which is the official language in most of the West African countries where the use of pidgin is prevalent, with either pidgin or some other indigenous language. Contrarians, however, consider pidgin to be a limiting factor, in that, it is a barrier to speaking, reading, and writing standard English, and thus impedes upward mobility. They argue that projecting pidgin or some other indigenous language may create some political backlash, and strife among the people. Using qualitative analysis, we examine this debate from a sociological perspective.

EU democracy projection in the Southern Mediterranean: A practice analysis

ABSTRACT This special issue expands on the existing literature on the international dimension of democratization by focusing on democracy projection, defined as the projection of (democratic) norms in the every-day practice of interactions, beyond any donor-recipient relationship, between states and foreign civil society actors on issue areas where both have interests to defend. The SI examines the issue areas of trade, anti-corruption, applied research, gender and LGBTI, focusing on EU practices in its everyday dealings with civil society in the Southern Mediterranean. The authors conclude, based on comparative case studies relying on extensive interviews, direct observations and content analysis, that democracy projection varies according to four main factors: EU’s perceived interest, its ideational commitment to norms of dialogue and inclusion, the degree of institutional inertia and discourses/structures of meanings dominating in some policy areas which preclude EU engagement on substance.

Anti-Muslim behaviour in everyday interaction: evidence from a field experiment in Paris

ABSTRACT No other form of group antagonism affects the fate of so many people in France as anti-Muslim racism. While negative attitudes toward Muslims and Muslims’ experience of discrimination are well documented, studies of anti-Muslim behaviour are rare, especially in the context of everyday interpersonal encounters. To fill this void, we conducted a field experiment on platforms of the Paris metro (n = 270) in which a bearded confederate asked for help to randomly selected passengers giving additional indirect cues of being Muslim in the experimental condition. The outcomes under investigation were the probability of helping the confederate and various behaviours indicative of interpersonal warmth or involvement. Interactions were videotaped, the outcomes objectively measured, and the data analysed using Generalized Linear Models estimated with Bayesian inference. Passengers were found to offer help less often and to show lower interpersonal warmth in the experimental condition. Also, when considered in isolation the young turn out to discriminate but not the middle-aged. Given that these negative effects were observed despite the use of a minimal stimulus, the results probably underestimate the actual level of anti-Muslim discrimination that Muslim men face in their everyday dealings with non Muslims.

The Concrete Notion of the Ready-To-Hand Equipment: A Dialectical View on the Existential Analytic

The article explores one of the aspects of Heidegger's existential analytic – everyday dealings with ready-to-hand equipment (tools). The author’s aim is to analyze the phenomenon of equipment in a broader perspective to widen the borders of everyday being-in-the-world characterized by routine nonthematic dealings with things that distract man from his true being. The author claims that in everyday use man discovers only functionality of equipment which cannot be considered its genuine grasp. The actual knowledge of things is accessible mainly to their creators for whom they are not ready-to-hand tools but the aim of their thematic investigative thought. The concrete notion of a thing is developed by those who know the origin and formation of things. Accordingly, Dasein’s everyday concern for the world is not the primary mode of being-in-the-world. The primary one is the master's non-daily creative work in his being-in-the-world which allows him/her to discover true being of things.

Standard Terms Incorporation in The Global Market: A Holistic Analysis

Abstract Corporations operate in the global market by employing standard terms to govern their dealings in a uniform and protective manner. Because of differences among jurisdictions, incorporating standard terms can be problematic, especially if companies decide to adopt a cost-effective holistic approach for a high number of their everyday dealings instead of fragmenting their policy. This paper first examines theoretical issues related to the incorporation of standard terms. It then assesses and compares methods of incorporation developed in practice to identify the ‘Legally Advisable Solution’. These methods are also tested in the main jurisdictions. In conclusion, an international model for the incorporation of standard terms is proposed.

Ontology and Technology in the Everyday

In this paper I try to discover a common thread which links issues discussed by various authors that may at first glance have little commerce with one another. The authors deal with different relations to reality that, I argue, inform our everydayness and technologies that permeat it. I consider the ontological issue of the real to be the unifying notion. Also, a tendency to disavow the human-centered stance on both theoretical and practical terms alongside abolishing the distance between man, or culture, and nature is apparent. The notion that technology does not have to be exploitative or destructive seems to also be an outcome of the mentioned shift in ontological terms. Our everyday dealings can be informed by notions that avoid dualisms such as different forms of anthropocentrism versus realism.

Generic Baggage: Encountering Other People in "À une passante" and "Les veuves"

Baudelaire's exploitation and challenging of generic conventions have implications for readers' impressions of a text, including their perceptions of the other people with whom the speaker comes into contact. This article explores these issues in relation to two short texts: "À une passante" (a sonnet evoking one of the most celebrated Baudelairean encounters) and "Les veuves" (a poème en prose in which an apparently similar subject is treated very differently). I conclude that generic baggage can be as problematic as the heuristic assumptions we bring to our everyday dealings with other people.

The hustle economy

This article deploys the conceptual frame of hustle to examine the everyday dealings associated with uncertainty and accepted informalities that pervade realms of everyday life amongst youth in precarious urban geographies. In doing so, the discussion advances the theoretical linkages between prolonged periods of ‘waithood’, alternative interpretations of work, and experiments within the everyday city more broadly. The article argues that the hustle economy is a localized but globally resonant condition of contemporary urbanism, coupling generative possibilities that emerge from everyday experiences of uncertainty and management of insecurities associated with ‘life work’ outside the bounds of normative social institutions.

Existing in Time: John Updike´s “The Music School” (1966)

The essay addresses issues of existence and time in John Updike´s short story, “The Music School”, which was published in 1966 in a short story collection by the same name. While waiting for his daughter in a music school, the writer Alfred Schweigen reflects on the complexities of life, describing his thoughts and impressions. In his everyday dealings with reality, by way of contrasting materiality to immateriality he attempts to make sense of existence as it comes into view. Especially, time not so much as an objective category but as a matter of subjective experiencing is an important aspect. Time as a musical category of rhythm, and as rhythm of life and of transience, is a topos the narrator makes a draft on, approaching an existential view of real-world issues through life philosophy. Some others of Updike´s stories of the sixties make for a thematic kinship, so that it becomes obvious that existence in reference to time provides a point of departure to gain insight into being.

Onder de radar. Alledaagse omgang als kenbron voor zorgorganisaties in transitie

Onder de radar. Alledaagse omgang als kenbron voor zorgorganisaties in transitie

Onder het oppervlak van alledaagse zorg (deel II)

Below the surface of everyday care (Part II): Working with the underwater screen in the analysis of research on interaction between lvb youth and their caregivers In our qualitative research project we look at the everyday interaction between young people with a mild intellectual disability and their caregivers, and we are interested in the institutional impact on the everyday dealings. We have developed an analysis tool that helps identify these institutional influences. In addition, we have used the research methodology Institutional Ethnography. This tool also offers opportunities for other areas of research, because it sensitizes the researchers for the ruling relations that shape the everyday interaction between people. In Part 1 of this article (KWALON 2015, 3), we describe the development of our underwater screen. In this article (Part 2), we discuss the operation of the instrument.

Onder het oppervlak van alledaagse zorg

Under the surface of everyday care. On the development of an underwater screen, an instrument that identifies institutional influences on the everyday care relationship Under the surface of everyday care. On the development of an underwater screen, an instrument that identifies institutional influences on the everyday care relationship In our qualitative research project we look at the everyday interactions between young people with a mild intellectual disability and their caregivers, and we are interested in the institutional impact on the everyday dealings. We have developed an analysis tool that helps to identify these institutional influences. In addition, we have used the research methodology institutional ethnography. This tool also offers opportunities for other areas of research, because it sensitizes the researchers for the ruling relations that shape the everyday interaction between people.

Percepção dos estudantes de um curso de odontologia sobre pacientes HIV e HTLV soropositivos

Objectives: This study is to describe the perception of the students of a private Dentistry School regarding the feelings and aprehensions through the everyday dealings with HIV and HTLV patients. Methods: An exploratory, descriptive study was realized with a qualitative approach using the Oral Theme History to collect and analyze the data. Results: The sample comprised 140 students of several semesters. The majority of students (59%) reported ever attended patients seropositive for both viruses was observed. Although HIV was more feared, 39.55% not shown knowledge about HTLV infection. 82.58% of interviewed students previously considered important to know about HIV or HTLV seropositive patients before treatment and 69.40% reported knowing the procedures performed in an accidental exposure. Conclusion: However it’s necessary to expand the knowledge about these infections and humanize the assistance to such patients.

Guarding the guardian: ‘Article 258 TFEU complaints’ before the European Ombudsman

The infringement procedure of Article 258 TFEU has been consistently viewed by the EU administration and judges as a bipolar bargaining game between the European Commission and the defaulting member state, in which individuals have no role to play. The European Ombudsman's efforts to triangularize the infraction process have resulted in the introduction of a number of soft-law, non-justiciable commitments for the Commission, which are currently set out in the 2012 Communication on its relations with complainants. This article considers the Ombudsman's contribution in the field of infringement complaints by empirically examining the application of the principal provisions of the Commission's Communication in his decision-making. The resulting finding is that Article 258 TFEU complainants have substantially benefited from the Ombudsman's creativity beyond the tight constraints of legality. Points for practitioners The analysis brings to the fore a number of key soft-law, non-justiciable commitments that the European Union administration is expected to honour in its everyday dealings with the European citizenry. The discussion also explores the transformative impact that extra-judicial means for the delivery of administrative justice can have on the ethos and praxis of supranational management. The European Commission's reaction to the European Ombudsman's investigative pressure and the resultant restraints on the former's discretionary powers are useful lessons, which transcend the European Union context and could set the tone for relevant developments in the domestic spheres of the EU member states.

Simple geoethics: an essay on daily Earth science

Abstract As research into the functioning of Earth, Earth sciences concern many subjects that influence the everyday dealings of the general population. However, these subjects often pass unnoticed and people have little chance to consider how these subjects intersect with their daily lives, thus, limiting their opportunities to develop informed insights regarding humankind's position within Earth's systems. To overcome this limitation, Earth science storylines should be part of the general public discourse, as meteorology experiences have been for some time. As examples can show, many opportunities for ‘telling Earth science storylines’ exist, including the use of social media for outreach activities. Earth science specialists should tell ‘Earth science storylines’ inspired by the founding scientists of geosciences who in their time were often called ‘physical geographers’.

The evolution of Chinese business ethics

Purpose– This article aims to present a historical overview of the evolution of business ethics in China and highlights the ways in which its ethical structure lags behind its rapid economic expansion. Understanding Guanxi, the Chinese social network of reciprocal business relations common in Confucian cultures, has long been recognized as one of the major success factors when doing business in China (Hwanget al., 2009). Recognizing the significant impact of Guanxi and its influence on everyday dealings in China is, thus, crucial for Western firms. Whereas considerable research has dealt with the growth of Chinese industries in recent years, the key relationship between changes in its economy and shifts in Chinese business ethics has been neglected although it impacts the ways Westerners, in particular, both clinch deals and judge Chinese firms. The implications of this disparity for global business are discussed.Design/methodology/approach– The discussion draws on the academic literature and the researchers’ experience in how business and business ethics are conducted between Western and Chinese firms. This paper presents a content analysis of theoretical articles and compares them to conceptual and empirical approaches, with an emphasis on a pragmatic approach to fostering a better understanding of the evolution of Chinese business ethics and its implications on business practices.Findings– Maps the evolution of business ethics in China and need to adapt to an ever changing business environment.Originality/value– This study offers a new insight to the evolution of Chinese business ethics and highlights its importance in business interactions. It illustrates the co-evolution of business ethics in parallel with the advancement of the Chinese economy. This paper is the first paper that addresses the issue of the evolution and formation of Chinese business ethics and links it to economic progress and opening up to the West.

Local Search Applications and Urban Public Space

Applications based on user-contributed geographic information are expected to re-organise the users' everyday dealings with urban space. This article presents findings from an exploratory study about users of the Austrian local search portal Where2be for students. The study applies an analytical framework to reconstruct the interdependencies of local search applications with the users' experience of urban space. Results indicate that Where2be empowers the marginalized student community for tangible appropriations of public space as a stage for identification. As the experience of the city is shaped by fragmentation, dissolution and restructuring of spatial boundaries, Where2be supports new forms of communal relationships by linking people and places. While Where2be is utilized to conceive attached symbolic meanings of businesses, the relevance of distance-driven locational factors, like visibility, might be softened in favour of findability on local search platforms. Results add to groundwork for future research hypotheses, and implications for urban socio-spatial development.