Philosophical Stance Research Articles

A bibliometric review on the implications of renewable offshore marine energy development on marine species

The growing global demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly energy has stimulated the rapid adoption of renewable offshore energy. However, infrastructure needed for green energy production ironically impacts upon marine species and biodiversity. Consequently, this positional review paper seeks to comprehensively synthesise the prevailing body of knowledge on the impact of offshore energy development on a broad range of marine species. An interpretivist philosophical stance and inductive reasoning was adopted using scientometric analysis to conduct a rich synthesis of extant literature. From an operational perspective, the Scopus database was utilised to search for key terms on the phenomena under investigation and using the VoS Viewer software for the identification of trends using scientometric maps. The analysis reveals that research in this area of science has increased significantly over the last decade but private sector involvement is conspicuous by its absence. Primary concerns among the research community include the impact of energy development on the abundance of species, pollution and biodiversity behaviour and migration. At present, researchers have extensively focused on the impact of offshore wind farms on fish and marine mammals. However, the literature reveals no significant long-term impact upon energy development on most marine species albeit, short-term interference has raised concerns (from sound, disruption of navigation and foraging patterns, and damage of habitat). To minimise short term disruption, researchers have recommended the use of acoustic deterrence during construction, enforcement of protected areas and continued research.

Barriers hindering acceptance of earth construction in the urban context of the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT Earth material is environmentally more sustainable than traditional building materials, such as bricks and blocks. The benefits of earth construction are multiple, especially with regard to the uniqueness as a way of preserving the artisanship and cultural values of architectural heritage. Unfortunately, construction professionals in the United Kingdom are unfamiliar with many aspects of earthen architecture. A number of interrelated barriers inhibit the acceptance of earth-based material and make it an unpopular choice among construction professionals in the UK. The aim of this study is to develop an understanding of such barriers by identifying and analysing them in light of perceptions held across societies, cultures, and acceptability among professionals. To get to the aim, an interpretivist philosophical stance was taken in this research and a critical analysis of up-to-date literature on various barriers was carried out. The Delphi technique and in-depth interviews were then overseen to substantiate which barriers hindering the acceptability of earth-based material in UK urban construction. A series of interconnected barriers such as, absence of supply chain networks, prejudicial conflict, reticence to changing familiar methods of construction as well as lack of knowledge, skill, and training were identified by experts as the key factors hindering the acceptability of earth-based construction material in the UK.

The Disputed Middle Ground: Tibetan Mādhyamikas on How to Interpret Nāgārjuna and Candrakīrti

By the twelfth century, a broad consensus had developed among Tibetan Buddhists: The Middle Way School (Madhyamaka) of Nāgārjuna (c. 2nd century), as interpreted by Candrakīrti (c. 600–650), would be normative in Tibet. However, Tibetans had inherited various trajectories of commentary on Madhyamaka, and schools of thought developed, each with a particular reading. This article will examine some of the major competing philosophical stances, focusing on three figures who represent particularly compelling interpretations, but whose understandings of Madhyamaka are profoundly divergent: Daktsang Sherap Rinchen (1405–1477), Wangchuk Dorjé, the 9th Karmapa (1556–1603), and Purchok Ngawang Jampa (1682–1762). The former two contend that Nāgārjuna’s statement “I have no thesis” (nāsti ca mama pratijñā) means exactly what it says, while the latter advocates what could be termed an “anthropological” approach: Mādhyamikas, when speaking as Mādhyamikas, only report what “the world” says, without taking any stance of their own; but their understanding of Buddhism is based on insight gained through intensive meditation training. This article will focus on how these three philosophers figure in the history of Tibetan Madhyamaka exegesis and how their respective readings of Indic texts incorporate elements of previous work while moving interpretation in new directions.

The Impact of Behavioural Biases on Stock Volatility: Evidence From Pakistan Stock Exchange

The main purpose of the current study is to investigate the impact of behavioural biases such as confidence, optimism, and pessimism on stock volatility evidence from Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). Prospect theory and overconfidence theory formed the foundation of this study. The methodology composed of positivist philosophical stance, deductive approach and quantitative methods with secondary data. Data analysis involved the use of descriptive statistics, correlation and regression. The study consists ofa 10-years analysis from June 2008 to June 2018 and includes daily trading volumes KSE-100 index in PSX. Results reveal that behavioral biases such as confidence have a positive impact on stock volatility. Similarly, optimism bias has also a positive impact on stock volatility. While pessimism bias has recorded a negative impact on stock volatility. Therefore, it is concluded that behavioural biases have an impact on stock volatility. The current study has a contribution to the body of knowledge on the ground that it attempts to change the traditional notion of society who believes in the efficient market hypothesis. The study has implications for different stakeholders of stock markets.

Modeling relationship between success factors (policies) and critical success criteria (goals) for sustainable housing in developing countries

Policymakers worldwide seek to adopt sustainable housing strategies/policies to achieve sustainable development in cities and beyond. Securing such policies is more exigent in most developing economies especially in sub-Saharan Africa, considering rampant urbanization, frequent power outages, the housing unaffordability crisis and a proliferation of slum in cities. However, empirical studies on investigating the impact of policies on goals for sustainable housing are sparse. This study models the relationship between success factors and critical success criteria for sustainable housing development in Ghanaian cities. A positivist philosophical stance and deductive reasoning were adopted to conduct deterministic modelling of primary questionnaire data collected via a cross-sectional time horizon. Questionnaire data was garnered from respondents employed by regulated institutions responsible for the Ghanaian housing market. Subsequent analysis utilized partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings revealed that ‘developers enabling’ factors and ‘mixed-use development’ factors had significant impacts on sustainable housing. ‘Household-enabling’ factors, though not significant, have high performance/index value on sustainable housing. Aside their insignificant impact, land-use planning factors had low-performance value. Essentially, while pointing out the crucial factors for sustainable housing, the findings also caution policymakers on possible counterproductive policies and serve to engender wider polemic debate and discussion. Highlights Developers’ enabling success factors have a significant impact on sustainable housing. Mixed-use development success factors also have a significant impact on sustainable housing. Households’ enabling’ success factors could have rebound effects on sustainable housing. Land-use planning success factors do not have a significant impact on sustainable housing. The findings caution policy-makers on possible inefficient and counterproductive policies.

Young children’s agency with digital technologies

AbstractThis paper examines the evidence of children's agency in research about infants, toddlers and technologies. It finds that an implicit reliance on technological determinism as a theoretical perspective for positioning technologies relative to young children's development tends to shape research in terms of understanding the impact of technologies on young children. Drawing on critical constructivism as a philosophical stance on technologies, this paper argues that children's agency with technologies may be further investigated in terms of practice architectures to better understand the social mediation of infant and toddler interactions and engagements with technologies.

Muhammadiyah Māʻūnic Philosophy and Financial Inclusion: A Maqasid Perspective

Muhammadiyah’s al-Maun philosophy is a religious and social outlook developed by this organization, and underlies social programs, activities, and works it carries out in order to achieve an ideal form of human life organizing, i.e. what is called “a true Islamic society.” Inspired by the philosophical stance of existential dualism, while giving emphasis on the relative importance and significance of worldly life, this largest Muslim social association in Indonesia, in contradistinction to the the Sufis’ attitude, sees the world as a divine gift onto humankind and it is, therefore, good and innocent, as well as malleable and capable of recieving human conduct to construct it for the common benefits of humankind. This philosophy takes five principle as its bases: the doctrine of tawḥīd; the societal nature of human; the primacy of ethical values of justice, trustworthiness, fraternity, and solidarity; observance of divine law; and the importance of organization. Extracted out of sūrat al-Māʻūn in the Quran and hence its name, this philosophy aims to actualize the social dimension of maqāṣid al-sharīʻa, i.e. to realize the good interests of society’s members as a whole including, and primarily, the vernarable segment among them.

Antecedents of Organizational Culture in its Relevance with Change Management, Moderating Role of Transformational Leadership and Employee Empowerment An Analysis of HEI of Peshawar Region

The rationale of the research is to investigate the importance of organizational culture in a Dynamic era of 21st century where only those organizations remain triumphant who transform change in their business. Whenever organization focused on change they encounter intense resistant from their employees as well as for conceptualizing of organization, culture conceived either as a variable or as a root metaphor. Philosophical stance of research was based on positivism and follows more deductive approach for this study. Cross sectional data of ten private sector organizations of Peshawar region were chosen. The findings of the study were moderately interesting in terms of change management with the important role of leadership found insignificant p> 0.051 and but shows weak relevance. However the results of organizational culture and change management were found significant P< 0.01 at 1% level of significance. Recommendation portion of the study suggest us that for the success of an organization culture play pivotal role in the dynamic parameters of change. On the other hand the role of empowerment played significant role for producing better organizational culture. Keywords: Organizational Culture, Organizational change, Leadership, Empowerment.

Curriculum development in the higher education literature: A synthesis focusing on construction management programmes

This research first contextualises curriculum development in higher education institutions (HEIs) before focusing specifically on construction management programmes in order to engender wider polemic discourse and new insights into current provisions. The overarching epistemology adopts both interpretivist and pragmatist philosophical stances, couched within inductive reasoning, to critically analyse extant literature as a secondary data source, with each publication representing a unit of analysis. Thematic groupings of research activity are then clustered and interconnections between researchers and research themes are identified using bibliometrics. The findings illustrate that while curriculum development in HEIs has received increasing scrutiny and attention, there is a notable lack of connectivity among the studies conducted. This lack of a cohesive body of knowledge is exacerbated by the prevailing academic notion of ‘individualism and self’ vis-a-vis the ‘collective team’. This leads to an emergent working hypothesis, namely, that bespoke curriculum development occurs within an ‘every person for themselves’ mentality. Cumulatively, these issues reported upon serve to illustrate a fundamental absence of a clear agenda for curriculum development in construction management programmes. In turn, this finding underscores the urgent need for a more prominent collaborative and global community of practice to optimise future educational provisions.

Performance management within the Dutch steel processing industry

PurposeA comprehensive literature review of performance management within the Dutch steel processing industry is presented. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the motives for companies to become excellent performers in their field of expertise. These internal and external motives (refined by quantitative analysis of bibliographic data) sought to reveal the common factors that impact company performance.Design/methodology/approachInductive reasoning was adopted using an interpretivist philosophical stance to generate new theoretical insight. A mixed-methods analysis of pertinent extant literature afforded greater synthesis of the research problem domain and generated more valid and reliable findings. The software visualisation of similarities viewer was used to conduct a qualitative bibliographic analysis of extant literature to yield greater clarification on the phenomena under investigation.FindingsFour thematic groups of past research endeavours emerged from the analysis and were assigned appropriate nomenclature, namely: industry internal motives; industry external motives; excellent performer and incremental working method. To further expand upon the continuous improvement process (CIP – embodied within performance management), the paper describes the virtuous cycle of improvement, which consists of the consecutive steps of “planning”, “doing”, “checking” and ultimately of “acting” accordingly to the previous steps. It can be concluded that a high-performing company acts according to its mission, plans in line with the vision do as defined in the strategy and checks by reflection.Originality/valueThis unique study provides invaluable insight into the performance management of Dutch steel processing companies. Although the research context was narrowly defined, the findings presented are equally applicable to clients, contractors and sub-contractors active in other sectors of the construction industry. The research concludes by prescribing factors of mitigation strategies to support chief executive officers to focus on the optimum distribution of their scarce resources.

Unravelling the Factors Influencing Construction Organisations’ Intention to Adopt Big Data Analytics in South Africa

The construction industry has been producing massive data that can be transformed for improved decision-making and better construction project delivery. However, the industry has been adjudged as a slow adopter of digital technologies such as big data analytics (BDA) to improve its service delivery. The implication of this slow adoption is the lack of innovativeness and unsustainable project delivery that has characterised the industry in most countries, particularly in developing ones like South Africa. Therefore, this study assessed the intention to adopt BDA by construction organisations using the unified theory of technology adoption and use of technology (UTAUT) model. A post-positivism philosophical stance was employed, which informed the use of quantitative research with a questionnaire designed to solicit information from construction organisations in South Africa. Data analysis was done using Cronbach alpha to test for reliability and Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation to evaluate the impact of the different constructs of the UTAUT on the adoption of BDA by construction organisations in South Africa. The study found that variables relating to facilitating conditions, performance expectancy, and social influence will significantly impact an organisation’s intention to adopt BDA. However, issues surrounding effort expectancy, resistance to use, and perceived risk cannot be overlooked as they also have high impact levels. The study provides an excellent theoretical and practical contribution to the existing discourse on construction digitalisation.

Philosophical remarks about educational materials

The connection between a non philosophical work and its reception in education through its transformation into a learning/teaching material and a possible philosophical reading, in order to recognize and define the philosophical stance of this very material, could not but be a challenge for philosophy of education itself, namely, in its relation to (or as) practical philosophy. This kind of reduction to the state of material could instrumentalize the latter raising practical, ethical and methodological issues about the pedagogical intention itself; subsequently, the art, literature, philosophy, and science lying behind materials become equally instrumentalized and evacuated. This article attempts, on the one hand, to circumscribe and describe this movement of “becoming material” as a question philosophically and pedagogically challenging and, on the other, to reflect about a critical understanding of this very question as an example of research in practical philosophy.

Exploring stakeholder roles in the management of indoor environmental quality of higher education institutes in South Africa

PurposeThis study aims to explore the influential role stakeholder play in the management of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in facilities of higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa. By defining the indoor environmental challenges facing HEI's, an alternative redress to these challenges can be achieved through stakeholder management.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a quantitative survey approach which was informed by a post-positivism philosophical stance. The closed-ended questionnaire survey was used to gather views from academic and administrative staff who were employed in various HEIs across South Africa. The literature review revealed 13 influential stakeholder management roles which were explored. The gathered data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics that evaluated the influential role stakeholder play in the management of IEQ in HEIs.FindingsExploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed three core categories of stakeholder management roles to being community engagement and awareness, organisational commitment and objective function. These roles play an integral part of overhauling the current IEQ conditions in HEIs, which subsequently improves the quality of education through efficient academic and administrative performance.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the body of knowledge as it reveals that HEI, particularly in developing countries like South Africa, can improve their current IEQ conditions through adopting critical stakeholder management roles. Also, this study provides further theoretical background for future research in the area of stakeholder management which has been lacking in previous IEQ studies.

The cancer puzzle: Welcome to organicism

During the fifty years since President Nixon declared the “War on Cancer”, those inside and outside the cancer community have witnessed the systematic moving of the goalposts attitude to accommodate evidence into an inadequate theory, that is, the Somatic Mutation Theory (SMT). This sorry state promoted a renewable yearly promise that at the end of the next 10-year period the promises uttered in 1971 would become reality. Each failure triggered calls to do more of the same research under the same theory, routinely using more and more sophisticated technology. Meanwhile, in the last few years, an unambiguous general consensus has emerged acknowledging that this overall long, intensive effort has failed, and that it is likely that the solution to the cancer problem resides elsewhere, namely, in alternative theoretical principles of biology. In this essay we concentrate, first, on the big picture, from the philosophical stance (reductionism versus organicism) to the need to adopt rigorous theories. From this novel perspective we conceptualize cancer as a disease of tissue organization akin to development gone awry. Finally, having identified both a promising stance and a useful theory, i.e., the tissue organization field theory (TOFT), we call for abandoning the SMT and for adopting the more promising TOFT.

Institutional stakeholders\u2019 perceptions of a sustainable neighbourhood in metropolitan Lagos

Understanding the term urban sustainability continues to dominate discourse in the built environment as societies explore how cities can be considered sustainable. Due to the increasing rate of urbanization, scholars argue that the battle for sustainability will be won or lost in cities; recognizing the crucial role that neighbourhoods can play as building blocks of urban areas. However, while the context-specificity of the several approaches to sustainability at the neighbourhood level has been recognised, no single accepted understanding of a sustainable neighbourhood has emerged. This paper explores institutional stakeholders’ understanding of a sustainable neighbourhood using questionnaire data from metropolitan Lagos. This aligns with the critical realism philosophical stance which believes that knowledge can be sourced through the perception of people with respect to an underlying structure based on their reality. The findings show variations in the perceptions with institutions having similar responsibilities differing in their understanding of the concept. It was unclear why a single common understanding was missing and why certain elements were more emphasised than others even in institutions having similar roles. Further research should explore the mechanisms at play in influencing these understandings and how they may differ in various urban contexts in Sub-Sahara Africa.

Philosophical Exploration of Absurdism and Existentialism: A Comparative Study of Kafka's Work The Metamorphosis and The Trial

The philosophical stance about the existence of being and the meaning of life has been a widely discussed subject among philosophers and critics. Existentialism says that a man can construct his own meaning of life by making judicious use of his awareness, free wills and personal responsibilities, but absurdism believes that there is no meaning of life out there. The focus of this study is to explore the absurdist and existential aspects in Kafka's fiction The Metamorphosis (1915) and The Trial (1925). This is qualitative comparative research, and the data which have been collected for this purpose is through purposive sampling techniques. In this study, Camus' theory of absurdism and theory of existentialism has been adopted as a theoretical framework. The study explores in what ways the traces of absurdism and existentialism are present in Kafka's fiction The Metamorphosis and The Trial. The findings show that characteristics of absurdism and existentialism are found in both the works of Kafka and are comparable with each other. For future recommendations, a comparative stylistic analysis of these selected novels can be carried out.

Webinar-Based Capacity Building for Teachers: “Lifeblood in Facing the New Normal of Education”

Webinars as an avenue for professional development training remain to be scarcely explored, impeding the innovations in human resource development, which, if left unresolved, could have detrimental consequences to the professionals and ultimately, the economy. This study responded to this gap by exploring and examining the meanings around webinars as capacity-building for professionals from the point of view of the teachers. Guided by the post-modern, constructivist philosophical stance, interpretive hermeneutic phenomenology research design, and the interpretive analysis of qualitative data, the virtual face-to-face interview of the purposively selected 35 teachers revealed four overarching themes: (1) Webinars as vital space for formal professional deliberations; (2) Webinars as matters of personal, environmental, technical, and financial tolls; (3) Webinars as prevue of what lies ahead in the new normal of education; and (4) Webinars as the lifeblood in facing the new normal of education. Overall, the themes purport that despite the different issues that teachers encountered in the navigation of webinar complexities, their learning and discovery, cultivated connections, and developed hope for the newer education system and continued professional growth in the future, are what makes webinars their lifeblood in facing the new normal of education. These findings can help human resource development personnel craft webinar training plans and protocols that are congruous to the present situations, common interests, and nature of professional teachers.

Stance and Belief System of a Researcher in Qualitative Research: Philosophies and Paradigms

This paper provides an idea on why novice researcher needs to understand the basic philosophy and paradigm of their underlying research problem. The paper aims to provide insights into research philosophies and paradigms so that a researcher could locate his/her research in a qualitative inquiry. To draw on the idea, the paper exemplarily utilizes my qualitative study of the doctoral program as an example which makes a needy researcher clearer in his/her philosophical arguments and worldviews and makes him/her position in a qualitative study. Methodologically, the paper is the product of a series of texts written centering onthe qualitative research published by internationally renowned publishers, and the texts were selected by the discussion and talk about the philosophical texts during the doctoral student’s seminars.The paper basically argues that a researcher needs to become clear about the research problem he/she is undertaking about research philosophy – ontology, epistemology, and methodology – and the paradigm in which his/her research problem rests. By this understanding, a researcher expectedly locates his/her research study appropriately with his/her underlying philosophical stance and belief system in a qualitative study.

Respect in Conservation Ethics: A Philosophical Inquiry

ABSTRACT International conservation codes ask practitioners to treat historical objects and buildings with ‘respect’. What does this mean? The question has received comparatively little theoretical treatment in conservation literature. Taking a philosophical stance on the issue, this paper suggests that we cannot grasp how respect delineates ethical obligations for professionals in the field if we do not unearth the sources of these obligations, i.e. what counts as respectful behaviour and to whom respect is owed in the first place. Questioning the widespread understanding of respect as ‘preservation of the object’s integrity’, it proposes a model in which respect is interpreted as a form of preservation of meaning. On this model, respect is directed not so much to the artefact itself, but to the person, community, or culture that take interest in it, those for whom the object is especially meaningful.

A Case Study of a Negotiated Tender within a Small-to-Medium Construction Contractor: Modelling Project Cost Variance

This research explores the failure of competitively tendered projects in the UK construction industry to procure the most suited contractor(s) to conduct the works. Such work may have equal relevance for other developed nations globally. This research seeks to teach clients and their representatives that “lowest price” does not mean “best value”, by presenting a case study of a successfully negotiated tender undertaken by a small-to-medium enterprise (SME) contractor; SME studies are relatively scant in academic literature. By applying the “lessons learnt” principle, this study seeks to improve future practice through the development of a novel alternative procurement option (i.e., negotiation). A mixed philosophical stance combining interpretivism and pragmatism was used—interpretivism to critically review literature in order to form the basis of inductive research to discuss negotiation as a viable procurement route, and pragmatism to analyse perceptions of tendering and procurement. The methods used follow a three-stage waterfall process including: (1) literature review and pilot study; (2) quantitative analysis of case study data; and (3) qualitative data collection via a focus group. Our research underscores the need to advise clients and their representatives of the importance of understanding the scope of works allowed within a tender submission before discounting it based solely on price. In addition, we highlight the failings of competitive tendering, which results in increased costs and project duration once the works commence on site. These findings provide new contemporary insight into procurement and tendering in the construction industry, with emphasis on SME contractors, existing relationships, and open-book negotiation. This research illustrates the adverse effects of early cost estimates produced without first securing a true understanding of project buildability and programming. Our work concludes with a novel insight into an alternative procurement option that involves early SME contractor involvement in an open-book environment, without the need for a third-party cost control.