Macro Themes Research Articles

Leadership during crisis: a multi-sector exploration of perceptions of leadership in Australia

Purpose This paper aims to extend our understanding of the concept of crisis leadership based on perceptions of 48 Australian leaders drawn from various sectors including Australian politics, higher education, not-for-profit and corporate sectors. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study employed semi-structured virtual interviews of 48 leaders from Australian politics, higher education, not-for-profit and corporate sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Leximancer text analytics program was used for data analysis. Findings Participants perceived effective leadership during a crisis as encompassing four macro themes: leadership as power, leadership as emanating from people, leadership as management and leadership as specific to the organization. While these findings reinforced extant literature on facets of effective leadership, leaders from different sectors differed on the relative importance of some leadership themes and their relevance to specific sectors. Research limitations/implications While the data were collected from a convenient sample, our findings from multiple sectors in Australia extend our knowledge on crisis leadership by revealing differences in sectorial perspectives of crisis leadership. Further, these findings help refine the extant traditional explanations of leadership and especially offer an enhanced understanding of leadership during a crisis. Consequently, our findings support future research that could help identify specific attributes of leaders navigating organizational crises. Such future research could subsequently help develop a theory on crisis leadership based on a valid and reliable measurement for assessing crisis leadership effectiveness in diverse organizational settings. Originality/value Our study is based on multi-sector data and consequently lays a solid foundation for extending the conceptualization of leadership during crisis, and the need to reconceptualize effective leader attributes useful in crisis contexts. Theoretically, the current study extended recent research on crisis leadership, by examining the conceptualizations of crisis leadership within specific Australian sectors.

Health through the eyes of youths: a qualitative study.

Emerging definitions of health have suggested a shift in focus to one's ability to manage their health condition, function, and social determinants of health. The construct of health for youths with mental health and substance use disorders (MHSU) is complex and multi-dimensional with interplay between biological, behavioral, and social conditions. Expanding definitions of health is crucial in the measurement of health and evaluation of integrated youth services (IYS) systems for people with MHSU disorders. Hence, it is critical to understand the construct of health from the perspective of a young person living with a MHSU disorder. This study was conducted using inductive thematic analysis. Three focus groups were conducted from July to August 2017. A total of 22 youths (17-24 years) took part in this study. Results showed that health is a multidimensional construct situated in the ecosystem of a person's environment. Health can be understood from two macro themes: Individual health and Determinants of health. It consisted of physical health, mental health, day-to-day functioning, and being in control of your own health condition. Systemic and social factors were factors that influenced the state of health. This study contributes to a conceptualization of good health in youth with MHSU disorders. This conceptualization can aid in the development of more accurate measures of health and functioning and the evaluation of mental health services for youth with MHSU.

Future Space Tourists’ Motivations, Constraints, and Negotiation Strategies: A Grounded Theory Approach

Space tourists’ decision-making would be far more complicated than general tourism, but limited research has investigated the process. This research explored potential space tourists’ decision-making process, grounded in the constraint–effects–mitigation (CEM) model. Through in-depth interviews with 10 individuals who experienced extensive space tourism activities, the grounded theory approach revealed four underlying themes of motivations, constraints, negotiation, and future intention along with nine macro themes, identifying relevant tourism-based theories (e.g., leisure constraints, push-pull motivation). Negotiation was further found to be a complicated process, including appraisal, involvement, and strategies. Furthermore, future intentions ranged from abstract to concrete, as depicted by construal level theory. Lastly, an extended CEM model was developed with a compelling description of the decision-making process, theoretically enhancing the ability to explain each variable in detail. Space tourism companies are suggested to consider the key attributes and their relationships in developing marketing strategies and training programs.

Research Perspectives on Buildings’ Sustainability after COVID-19: Literature Review and Analysis of Changes

The concept of sustainability introduced in 1987 has characterised the world of research in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) sector, directing it to try to tackle the problems inherent to the impacts of climate change on buildings. In addition, the advent of COVID-19, disrupting the world and people’s habits, has obviously also strongly affected the academic world. Indeed, this paper aims to analyse the changes and differences between the pre- and post-pandemic periods through a two-stage hybrid literature review. First, through a systematic literature review, 90 articles were selected, filtered through different keywords (sustainability, climate, architecture, and buildings). Once the reasoned selection of papers had been made, it was possible to proceed to the second phase, which involved a thematic analysis according to the three classic macro themes of sustainability (Environment, Social, and Economic) and the inclusion of a fourth macro theme (Management and Development), which made it possible to reintroduce a holistic view of the problem. The results of this literature review revealed the presence of a growing interest in the topic analysed and a more homogenous distribution across all continents, with no distinction between developed and developing countries. Economic sustainability interests emerge post-COVID-19 through the deepening of the themes of clean energy and direct control of consumption. At the level of Environmental sustainability, on the other hand, COVID-19 replaced the house at the centre of people’s lives. In addition, the Management and Development macro theme highlighted the need for an integrated view of the problem and the unexpected return of researchers preferring new constructions, which, despite alternative green approaches and renovations, can guarantee better performance.

Liderança no processo de inovação colaborativa no setor público: uma revisão integrativa

Abstract Increasingly interconnected contemporary societies face complex problems that impact people’s lives and demand collaborative innovative solutions. In the public sector, managers have shown a growing interest in collaboration to stimulate the development and implementation of innovative solutions. Despite this, the field of research on the role of leadership in this process is still incipient. This work aims to build a synthesis of the literature on the role of leaders in collaborative innovation processes in the public sector. The generation of a thematic map reveals two macro themes - roles and actions of leaders - associated with six themes: meta-governance, three-dimensional performance, observing basic requirements, restructuring the organization, overcoming obstacles, and exploring the drivers. This framework outlines how public leaders can act to engage in the development of more effective collaborative innovations for society. To review the evidence, it is also recommended that the profile of public leaders indicated to stimulate collaborative innovation processes to be more proactive and less attached to formalisms, should act as a meta-governor to convene, orchestrate, facilitate, regulate, mediate, and catalyze the processes of innovation.

Exploring the perspectives of Asian American parents on their musically talented children in instrumental education

ABSTRACT This qualitative study employed Gagné Integrative Model of Talent Development as a conceptual framework to explore the perspectives of nine Asian American parents on their musically talented children in Western classical music culture in the United States. Musically talented children, defined by [Gagné, François, and Gary E. McPherson. 2016, September. “Analyzing Musical Prodigiousness Using Gagné’s Integrative Model of Talent Development.” In Oxford University Press EBooks, 3–114. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199685851.003.0001], as individuals who rank within the top 10% of their age peers. This distinction is made to differentiate talent from giftedness, which pertains to exceptional natural abilities or aptitudes. The analysis yielded five macro themes: (1) children's innate abilities and importance of hard work; (2) parental sacrifice and investment; (3) benefits and challenges; (4) influence from Asian culture; and (5) future expectations. This study offers deeper insights into the complex interplay between children's individual abilities and parental investment, which can be influenced by cultural identity and work ethics, especially in Asian American communities. The findings illuminate the intricate process of nurturing gifted and talented young children from a parental perspective and provide implications for how parents can support their children’s talent development.

Experiencing Authenticity of the House Museums in Hybrid Environments

The paper presents an existing scenario related to the advanced integration of digital technologies in the field of house museums, based on the critical literature and applied experimentation. House museums are a particular type of heritage site, in which is highlighted the tension between the evocative capacity of the spaces and the requirements for preservation. In this dimension, the use of a seamless approach amplifies the atmospheric component of the space, superimposing, through hybrid digital technologies, an interactive, context-driven layer in an open dialogue between digital and physical. The methodology moves on the one hand from the literature review, framing the macro themes of research, and on the other from the overview of case studies, selected on the basis of the experiential value of the space. The analysis of the selected cases followed as criteria: the formal dimension of the technology; the narrative plot, as storytelling of socio-cultural atmosphere or identification within the intimate story; and the involvement of visitors as individual immersion or collective rituality. The paper aimed at outlining a developmental panorama in which the integration of hybrid technologies points to a new seamless awareness within application scenarios as continuous and work-in-progress challenges.

A Corpus-Based Study on the Identity Discourse of Chinese and American New Energy Vehicle Companies

This paper uses the 2020-2021 social responsibility reports and influence reports of BYD and Tesla respectively, two leading companies in the world’s electric vehicle production field, which rank among the world’s top 500 companies, as data. Starting from the identity of social constructivism, combined with the discourse-historical approach, and with the help of the corpus tool Wmatrix, the corporate responsibility reports and impacts of Chinese and American new energy vehicle companies are compared from the three dimensions of macro themes, meso communication strategies and micro language characteristics. Individuality and commonality in the construction of identity discourse in power reports. The study found that Chinese companies highlight themes such as industry rankings, development history, fairness and justice; they focus on corporate capability communication strategies, use quantitative markers and advanced adjectives to highlight the company’s strong strength, and actively construct industry leaders; while American companies emphasize employee care, global vision and sustainable development concepts, tend to communicate corporate social responsibility strategies, and use active verbs to present specific corporate activities and construct the identity of social contributors. This study has reference value for improving the ability of Chinese enterprises to construct international discourse.

Occupational therapy students’ perception on mental health recovery: A descriptive qualitative exploration

Introduction: In occupational therapy, emphasis is placed on the complex interplay between the client, the occupation and the environment, providing an opportunity for its practitioners to adopt recovery-oriented outcomes in interventions for people with mental health conditions. In this study, we seek to understand occupational therapy undergraduates’ perceptions of recovery for people with mental health conditions. Method: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted at a university in Singapore, which provides a pre-registration occupational therapy programme. Seventeen undergraduates were recruited (year 1, n = 5; year 2, n = 7 and year 3, n = 5). A semi-structured interview guide was used during the interview. Data collection took place from June to August 2022. Results: Using thematic analysis, two macro themes were discerned: the understanding of mental health conditions and the meanings of recovery. Sub-themes were created under each grouping to describe the data. Conclusions: This study explored the perceptions of mental health recovery among occupational therapy undergraduates. Occupational therapy students appeared to be well-aligned with personal and functional recovery perspectives when providing support for people with mental health conditions. However, there seems to be a need to emphasise the more nuanced aspects of delivering care within the culturally diverse setting of Singapore.

Addressing Health Disparities in Public Health Through the Application of Data Science Software in the Last 5 Years: A Preferred Reporting Items for Structured Review and Meta-Analyses Structured Review.

The application of data science resources can enhance our ability to reduce health disparities affecting communities across the country. In this paper, we use the Preferred Reporting Items for Structured Review and Meta-Analyses methodology to conduct a thematic analysis of selected studies and identify micro and macro themes within the literature. The authors of this analysis reviewed articles that included data science software applications and their role in focusing efforts to address health disparities affecting the health of citizens in specific communities across the country. Abstracts were reviewed for research relevance after duplicates were removed, and documents were eliminated from consideration during the screening based on the exclusion criteria. At the conclusion of the structured literature review, the results emphasized the strong utility of geographically directed assessment. This highlights the need for the integration of geo- and statistical methodologies in the use of data science software for healthcare applications, which can be a useful means to identify locations where health disparities are present and can focus efforts to resolve these health disparities. Nurses, physicians, and health educators can be dispatched to the geographical areas where health disparities are most prevalent.

Sexual needs of people with schizophrenia: a descriptive phenomenological study

BackgroundSexual health is one of the main areas of health and basic human rights which has been paid less attention in schizophrenia. Most studies have focused on sexual dysfunction rather than the sexual needs of people with schizophrenia. This study explores the sexual needs of people with schizophrenia and identify factors hindering sexual activities.MethodsWe carried out a qualitative study using a descriptive phenomenological approach. Data were collected at a psychiatric hospital in China. In total, 20 patients with schizophrenia were recruited through purposive sampling. Face to face semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with them. Interview recordings were transcribed by the research team, and transcripts were analyzed by two independent coders with Colaizzi’s descriptive analysis framework by using NVivo 11 software. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research checklist was used for reporting.ResultsThe data analysis revealed 10 subthemes categorized into 3 macro themes: (1) multiple barriers hinder sexual activity; (2) significance of sex; and (3) conditions for fulfilling sexual needs.ConclusionA poor sexual quality of life may be found in patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, people with schizophrenia did not lose interest in maintaining an active sex life. Mental health services should address this issue in three areas: sexual knowledge, sexual space, and sexual objects.

In-between: The Simultaneity of the Non-simultaneous

ABSTRACT At a given time, the sum of the layers that make up the phenomenon of society, “consist” of distinct attributes that emerged in different epochs; for example, different generations or indigenous and natural science knowledge. This is the normal state of affairs in modern societies. Society lacks, in this respect, distinctiveness. First, I am describing the twin concept as the idea of the simultaneity of the non-simultaneous as a cultural phenomenon itself, including many specimens, for example, Werner Sombart’s stimulating reflections about the social complexity of the social organization of capitalism. Next, I illustrate the concept in more detail, assisted by a brief description of three well-known social science phenomena: (1) the emergence, present and importance of generations as a macro sociological phenomenon, (2) the moralization of the markets as a mix of micro- and macro themes and what I designate as the (3) compartmentalization in everyday that allows for the presence of contradictory beliefs and activities as a genuine micro sociological topic. The discovery of layers of social phenomena as essential attributes of social reality. In closing the paper, I refer to many of the persisting virtues of the in-between concepts in theorizing and in mobilizing methodological caution in social science reasoning.

Career Guidance and Counseling Services in Pakistan from the Perspective of Students and Career Services Providers

Career guidance and counseling (CGC) could be helpful for career related matters of students however, there is a dearth of research evidence about several aspects of CGC services and students’ approach towards CGC is one such aspect. This qualitative research was designed to bridge this gap by using triangulation method to explore perspective of students as well as service providers. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were carried out using a self-devised interview protocol. Convenient sampling strategy was used to conduct eighteen interviews with university students (n = 10 men, n = 8 women) with age ranging from17-23 years and seven interviews with career service providers (n = 3 men, n = 4 women) working at the university level. Thematic analysis revealed two major themes, eight macro themes and thirteen micro themes. Findings of the study revealed that CGC was perceived to be valuable, multidimensional, and necessary for students at all stages. However, students’ approach to CGC was predominated by cultural and circumstantial influences. Students’ awareness was limited and their academic choices were misaligned with their personal interests. Student’s decisions were enforced or poorly made and they were largely engaged in procrastination. Expectations of students were not congruent with reality, moreover, their theoretical knowledge was detached from practice. Results were discussed and future research directions were highlighted. Research implications pinpoint that appropriate provision, awareness, access, and utilization of CGC could be beneficial for many students and their career issues.

Uncovering the City of London Corporation: Territory and temporalities in the new state capitalism

The heterogenous literature on the ‘new state capitalism’ has provoked considerable academic and popular interest in recent years, but also critique regarding how to analytically bolster the concept and enhance empirical understanding. This paper responds to Alami and Dixon’s (2020a , 2020b ) call for a fresh interrogation of the new state capitalism through an examination of the governance of the City of London. As the largest exporter of financial services in the world, the City plays a crucial role in the reproduction of financial capitalism. However, one major deficiency in debates on the political governance of the City surrounds the role of sub-state institutions. Remarkably, with limited exceptions, we know comparatively little about the main municipal authority: the City of London Corporation. As a local governing body, it conducts all the ordinary work of a public authority. But the Corporation also has many peculiar features which distinguish it from other public institutions, including vigorous support of financial services through planning law, lobbying and other promotion. This paper argues that thinking on the new state capitalism offers a vehicle for dissecting how the Corporation operates in the service of transnational financial interests. By unpacking how the Corporation is tied into a web of relations with private finance and other historically developed networks of power, the discussion problematises two macro themes on the new state capitalism: the spatial complexity of multi-scalar state governance and the temporal fluidity of legacies of the past interpenetrating with the present definition of ‘now’.

Italian nurses' COVID-19 experiences from mass media interviews: a qualitative study

SummaryIntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic is heavily hitting healthcare systems around the world, and nurses are battling in the front line. Previous studies have reported nurses’ responses to catastrophic situations, but also interviews released by Italian nurses to the main mass media channels could bear important messages for policy makers and stakeholders. This study describes Italian front-line nurses’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic through television interviews.MethodsThis is a descriptive qualitative study. Data were collected through purposive sampling from Italian front-line nurses’ interviews during the COVID-19 pandemic. Publicly available interviews between 7th and 29th March 2020 were collected from the websites of national and regional television stations. Thematic content analysis was used to describe, summarize, and classify data into macro themes. The study is compliant with Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.ResultsA total of 21 television interviews were collected from front-line clinical nurses, nursing managers, nursing trade union representatives and representatives of the Nursing Regulator. Thematic analysis yielded four macro-themes: psycho-social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health professionals; altered patient relationships; personal safety; recognition and promotion of the profession.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated some problems already present, such as the shortage of nurses, but has also turned the spotlight on the nursing profession. Highly involved and affected by the pandemic, nurses have become better known by the public and often also protagonists of public discussions. It is important that nurses’ value as allies of the public emerges stronger from this dramatic situation.

Determining the human to AI workforce ratio – Exploring future organisational scenarios and the implications for anticipatory workforce planning

There are waves of organisational adaptation challenges facing decision makers due to current time societal, systemic and pandemic implications. It is difficult to plan strategically and then act decisively towards a future that is uncertain - the cause and effect offering many scenarios, some plausible and some outliers. In this research 110 participants from 36 different organisations were invited to explore the implications of different ratios of human and artificial intelligence (AI) in future organisational operating models. Five operating models were explored using the Futures Wheel (Glenn, 1972) [1]. The Futures Wheel is a methodology to causally link the future implications of a scenarios and change. Operating models explored varied from a fully human workforce with no AI to those which had a changed ratio of AI and human workers and leaders with the outlier being an AI lead (no human) model. Three participatory workshops generated 20 futures wheels, four for each of the five organisational scenarios. This article will present the results, personally prioritised by participants, to identify which implications they thought in an anticipatory 2040 organisational context would be best avoided (stop happening) or amplified (make happen). These findings then are analysed to produce macro themes that form part of a proposed anticipatory workforce design approach (5As) for organisations strategising on what the ideal Human to AI ratio (Human:AI) ratio is within an organisational context.

Optimizing the Sustainable Aspects of the Design Process through Building Information Modeling

More than thirty years after the definition of sustainable development, the commitment to protect the planet has been renewed, and all sectors of human activity have been called to contribute to this critical challenge of our time. Therefore, the construction sector can also make an essential contribution. Designers are called upon to modify their actions to consider the environmental, social, and economic impacts during the entire life cycle of construction. The digital revolution could be a suitable opportunity for a profound renewal oriented towards sustainability. The new digital technologies and the increased computing power are useful for managing the increasing complexity in current projects and supporting collaboration between the many experts involved. The presented research analyzes the current state and identifies the signs of change and the cues to imagine possible virtuous complicity between sustainable development goals and the digital revolution’s potential, which is supported by the operational features of optimization methods. Based on this in-depth analysis, an operational strategy has been defined, combining the three macro themes usually treated separately—sustainability, digitization, and optimization. This strategy can be a valuable tool to guide designers in optimizing the process of sustainable design and regenerative construction.

Learning a palliative care approach during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study in an Infectious Diseases Unit

Background: Hospital palliative care is an essential part of the COVID-19 response, but relevant data are lacking. The recent literature underscores the need to implement protocols for symptom control and the training of non-specialists by palliative care teams. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe a palliative care unit’s consultation and assistance intervention at the request of an Infectious Diseases Unit during the COVID-19 pandemic, determining what changes needed to be made in delivering palliative care. Design: This is a single holistic case study design using data triangulation, for example, audio recordings of team meetings and field notes. Setting/participants: This study was conducted in the Palliative Care Unit of the AUSL-IRCCS hospital of Reggio Emilia, which has no designated beds, consulting with the Infectious Diseases Unit of the same hospital. Results: A total of 9 physicians and 22 nurses of the Infectious Diseases Unit and two physicians of the Palliative Care Unit participated in the study. Our Palliative Care Unit developed a feasible 18-day multicomponent consultation intervention. Three macro themes were identified: (1) new answers to new needs, (2) symptom relief and decision-making process, and (3) educational and training issues. Conclusion: From the perspective of palliative care, some changes in usual care needed to be made. These included breaking bad news, patients’ use of communication devices, the limited time available for the delivery of care, managing death necessarily only inside the hospital, and relationships with families.

The Legitimating Power of Discourse

Abstract In this article, I examine a corpus of texts that address the 1973 war; these texts cover the period from 1981 to 2011, marking the beginning and end of Hosni Mubarak’s rule. Utilizing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), I explore how Mubarak’s regime employed the war to legitimize its power and defend its policies by deploying longstanding culturally-embedded ‘macro themes’. These macro themes refer to the war as an overwhelming and undisputed ‘Egyptian victory’ and, more significantly, they portray Mubarak himself as ‘war personified/war personalized’. The analysis of linguistic and extra-linguistic features in al-Ahram newspaper (the mouthpiece of the state), among other media texts on the war, show how the discursive construction was made consistent, coherent and resonant in a managed context that characterized the political and media landscapes. Depending on unique access to those who produced, edited and even censored the texts under analysis, this method unravels a complex set of cultural messages and conventions about the war, and fills a lacuna in the literature by offering insight into the deliberate and well-coordinated process of shaping and reshaping a specific discourse for a specific purpose.

Contributions of Philosophy of Science, in the Perspective of Popper and Lakatos, for the Study of Innovation: An Analysis of the Neoclassical Schumpeterian and Neo-schumpeterian Theories

El objetivo de este artículo es investigar –a partir de dos criterios de delimitación (Popper y Lakatos) – la cientificidad de la teoría de la innovación. La innovación se analiza a partir de tres temas macro: (i) la corriente neoclásica de la teoría económica; (ii) la introducción de la teoría de la innovación y los manuscritos más recientes de Schumpeter; y (iii) las contribuciones aportadas por la corriente neo-chumpeteriana de la innovación. Se concluye que el tema de la innovación responde a los criterios para categorizar la cientificidad, encontrándose que esto tiene implicaciones en el campo de los estudios sobre el tema en aspectos como: la construcción / transmisión del conocimiento, la evasión del "sentido común", y el uso del "método" como recurso para construir el conocimiento científico.