Supporting Actors Research Articles

Ideal Workers, Supporting Actors, or Thrill Seekers? How Coworker Demands Influence Ambulance Volunteers’ Experiences of Freedom and Meaningful Work

AbstractFor nonprofit organizations (NPOs) struggling to attract adequate numbers of volunteers, examining what makes nonprofit engagement meaningful is essential because disenchanted volunteers can simply quit. Yet, the assumption that freedom is a core aspect of the volunteer experience and of meaningful work may not hold true in high-stakes environments where volunteers must demonstrate high levels of commitment and expertise. This study aims to analyze how freedom plays out in high-stakes volunteering and its impact on meaningful work. Drawing on interviews with volunteer and paid ambulance crew working in nine stations in Aotearoa New Zealand, the study explores how “super-volunteers” talk about freedom in the context of their on-road work and how coworkers communicatively attempt to influence volunteers’ freedom. Three volunteer profiles emerged from the analysis: ideal workers, supporting actors, and thrill seekers. Most paid staff encouraged ideal workers to strive for self-realization, a form of positive freedom in work, which led to optimal clinical performance. Supporting actors privileged self-determination or positive freedom at work, although coworkers successfully pushed them to contribute to basic emergency work. Because thrill seekers demanded freedom from boring or dirty jobs, appeals to teamwork failed to sway them. The study makes two key contributions. First, the diversity of freedoms volunteers evoked and resisted underscores the importance of nuancing the assertion that volunteering is a “free” act. Second, although the meaningful work literature is drifting in the pro-freedom direction, it shows that the freedoms enacted by volunteers or promoted by coworkers were arguably “mistaken”—for volunteers, patients, and the NPO itself.

Five years of discourse related to Indonesia tobacco control reform: a content analysis of online media coverage

BackgroundIn 2017, Indonesia initiated the amendment of its 11-year-old tobacco control regulation (PP 109/2012) to reduce smoking among youth, but the process was stalled. The proposed changes in the regulation...

The Velvet Revolution's Best Supporting Actors: Shirley Temple Black and U.S. Embassy Prague, 19891

Abstract This article discusses the contours of U.S. diplomacy in Czechoslovakia before and during the Velvet Revolution of 1989, showing how the U.S. embassy in Prague, in collaboration with the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) and State Department, crafted U.S. policy. Drawing on recently available primary materials (including declassified U.S. telegrams, Czechoslovak archival documents, unpublished memoirs, and original interviews), this article highlights the role of the U.S. embassy during the period from August to November 1989, including how key officials, above all Ambassador Shirley Temple Black, analyzed political developments, assisted Czechoslovak dissidents, and pursued extensive engagement with the Communist government. The article provides the first scholarly, granular account of U.S. diplomacy in Czechoslovakia during the November 1989 upheavals and contributes to the historiography on U.S. foreign policy and the end of the Cold War.

Actor Roles in the Service Development Process

The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of the different actors participating in the service development process, the roles they play, and the resources they contribute to the process. The public transport system in Sweden is a complex setting in which many actors control a variety of resources. Using the established tripartite network model (actors, activities, and resources), the present study identifies eight groups of actors: (1) the Strategic Creators; (2) the Competing Actors; (3) the Deciding Actors; (4) the Supporting Actors; (5) the Prime Movers; (6) the Suppliers; (7) the Service Performers, and (8) the Users. The primary contribution of this paper is to identify this novel typology of actors in the service development process. The study also proposes a conceptual model of the relationships among these various actors and their functions.

B Cells on the Stage of Inflammation in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Leading or Supporting Actors in Disease Pathogenesis?

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a term that collectively refers to a group of chronic childhood arthritides, which together constitute the most common rheumatic condition in children. The International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) criteria define seven categories of JIA: oligoarticular, polyarticular rheumatoid factor (RF) negative (RF-), polyarticular RF positive (RF+), systemic, enthesitis-related arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and undifferentiated arthritis. The ILAR classification includes persistent and extended oligoarthritis as subcategories of oligoarticular JIA, but not as distinct categories. JIA is characterized by a chronic inflammatory process affecting the synovia that begins before the age of 16 and persists at least 6 weeks. If not treated, JIA can cause significant disability and loss of quality of life. Treatment of JIA is adjusted according to the severity of the disease as combinations of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), synthetic and/ or biological disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Although the disease etiology is unknown, disturbances in innate and adaptive immune responses have been implicated in JIA development. B cells may have important roles in JIA pathogenesis through autoantibody production, antigen presentation, cytokine release and/ or T cell activation. The study of B cells has not been extensively explored in JIA, but evidence from the literature suggests that B cells might have indeed a relevant role in JIA pathophysiology. The detection of autoantibodies such as antinuclear antibodies (ANA), RF and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) in JIA patients supports a breakdown in B cell tolerance. Furthermore, alterations in B cell subpopulations have been documented in peripheral blood and synovial fluid from JIA patients. In fact, altered B cell homeostasis, B cell differentiation and B cell hyperactivity have been described in JIA. Of note, B cell depletion therapy with rituximab has been shown to be an effective and well-tolerated treatment in children with JIA, which further supports B cell intervention in disease development.

Theoretical Approaches, Supporting Actors and their Roles in the Innovation Literature: A Systematic Review

This study aimed to identify how innovation support organizations are studied, as well as the influence of these organizations on the development of innovation. Academic productions were analyzed using Social Network Analysis (SNA) and Correspondence Analysis techniques. Results indicate that studies on support organizations and innovative capacity are mainly based on the approaches of Innovation Systems, Networks, Cluster Theory, and Institutional Theory, with emphasis on the interactions between different actors. The analysis revealed the importance of public organizations for the institutional security necessary for the development of innovation. Thus, such organizations contribute mainly by providing a favorable institutional environment for achieving inter-firm relationships, enabling companies to expand external sources of resources and knowledge by themselves. Business associations play an important role in the intermediation of these relationships. In addition, other support organizations contribute to the provision of resources, mainly knowledge, which are important for the development of innovation and favor obtaining and sustaining a competitive advantage if combined with those already held by the firm.

Supporting actors: reclaiming learning spaces

This keynote was given at the Improving University Teaching International Conference, Charles Sturt University, Port Macquarie, NSW, in 2018. In this presentation I explore the spaces inhabited by teaching-focused academics and how this supports or hinders their development. The keynote is based on the work I did for my PhD, which can be found in the British Library EThOS repository and University of Durham e-theses repository.

Supporting actors: The role of state policy and private programs in advancing local and renewable heating technology

This article examines policy approaches impacting the adoption of alternative energy technology. Researchers investigated the factors affecting the transition to automated wood pellet heating (AWPH) in northeastern US as an example of the early stages of an energy transition in small-scale heating. The research team applied diffusion of innovation theory and the multi-level perspective on sociotechnical transitions to develop a system-wide analysis of the AWPH transition, incorporating multiple actor groups and policy strategies. Sixty interviews were conducted across four northeastern states with adopters and informed non-adopters of AWPH, and with industry, policy, and community representatives. Using interview results and theory, surveys were developed and distributed state-wide to both adopters and non-adopters with 690 useable responses (38% response rate). Qualitative and quantitative data analysis found differences in the factors impacting AWPH adoption between those within the Model Neighborhood Project (MNP), a privately-run program aimed at accelerating the diffusion of AWPH, and those who had access to state-run programs alone. These differences and the success of the MNP suggest that policy aimed at supporting early-stage energy transitions should incorporate not only consumer financial incentives, but also build a local network of supply-side actors through community-based outreach and technical support.

The Theater of Race and Its Supporting Actors: A Tale of Two Islands

The Theater of Race and Its Supporting Actors: A Tale of Two Islands

The Roles and Involvement of Innovation Supporting Actors: Influence of IPR Ownership and IP Nature?

Innovation supporting actors (ISAs), such as technology transfer offices (TTOs) and incubators, can play important roles in university-based innovation processes, e.g., handling patenting issues and providing business advice. However, few studies have provided theoretical explanations to ISA roles and involvement. In this study, we focus on the roles and involvement of ISAs in the medical field and explore how the roles are connected to two theoretical aspects, intellectual property rights (IPR) ownership and intellectual property (IP) nature. We select four cases based on theoretical sampling in terms of IPR ownership and IP nature. We conduct a proposition generating multiple case-study and develop five propositions stating, among others, that the number of ISA roles is more connected to IP nature than to IPR ownership, the types of ISA roles are more connected to IPR ownership than to IP nature, and ISA involvement in an innovation process is more connected to IP nature than to IPR ownership. The findings contribute to the literature on commercialization of science, technology transfer and innovation by demonstrating the influence of IPR ownership and IP nature on ISA roles and involvement. We end with policy and managerial implications.

Stepping out of the shadows: Supporting actors’ strategies for managing end-user experiences in service ecosystems

In service ecosystems not all actors have direct relationships with end users, yet they are often critical for delivering better service experiences. Specific events (e.g. service failures) may require these supporting actors, who are often hidden during regular customer experience journeys, to become visible when deviations or disruptions occur. Deciding whether and when to come out of the shadows presents a complex managerial challenge for ecosystem actors providing supporting services, with important implications for end user’s experiences. We examine strategies that service ecosystem actors can adopt for managing end-user experiences in complex ecosystems, and the implications for themselves and other ecosystem actors. Based upon two dimensions, visibility and synchronization, six experience management strategies are outlined and contrasted. Using case vignettes, we explore how and when such strategies might be adopted and potential impacts on service sellers and end-user experiences during regular and atypical service journeys, and present future research propositions.

From Vicious to Virtuous Paradox Dynamics: The Social-symbolic Work of Supporting Actors

The dynamics of paradox can be vicious and virtuous. Facing competing yet interrelated demands, organizational actors may find themselves paralyzed by tensions, embroiled in a vicious cycle, or energized by and thriving amid the friction in a virtuous cycle. While studies offer insights into each type, little is known about how actors move from one to the other. Through an action research study at a multinational company, we investigate shifting paradox dynamics. Our model depicts how organizational actors transition from vicious to virtuous cycle, moving through a cycle break and a cycle reversal. Our collaborative methodology sheds light on how supporting actors can shape the social and symbolic dimensions influencing focal actors’ capacity to shift their patterned responses to paradoxical tensions. Supporting actors, positioned as insiders to the organization but outsiders to the paradox, enable this shift by breaking dysfunctional dynamics, facilitating new responses, and embedding virtuous dynamics in the organization.

RAS as Supporting Actor in Breast Cancer.

Oncogenic activation of RAS isoforms leads tumor initiation and progression in many types of cancers and is gaining increasing interest as target for novel therapeutic strategies. In sharp contrast with other types of cancer, the importance of RAS in breast tumorigenesis has long been undermined by the low frequency of its oncogenic mutation in human breast lesions. Nevertheless, a wealth of studies over the last years have revealed how the engagement of RAS function might be mandatory downstream varied oncogenic alterations for the progression, metastatic dissemination, and therapy resistance in breast cancers. We review herein the major studies over the last three decades which have explored the controversial role of RAS proteins and their mutation status in breast tumorigenesis and have contributed to reveal their role as supporting actors, instead of as primary cause, in breast cancer.

From Vicious to Virtuous Cycles: The Social Symbolic Work of Supporting Actors

The dynamics of paradox can be vicious and virtuous. Facing competing yet interrelated demands, organizational actors may find themselves paralyzed by the tensions, embroiled in a vicious cycle, or...

역할유형에 관한 연기연구 : 드라마 ‘미스터 션샤인’의 주조연배우를 중심으로

역할유형에 관한 연기연구 : 드라마 ‘미스터 션샤인’의 주조연배우를 중심으로

Hispanics in the American Political Theatre – Leading or Supporting Actors?

This article presents the impact of Latinos’ on American politics. Hispanic community living in the United States has become an important part of its society. Numbers describing Latinos are impressive as well as alarming. Data released by the U.S. Census shows a constant growth of Spanish‑speaking population in the USA. Because of these numbers, questions asked about the political power of Hispanics seem legitimate. However, Latinos do not fully use their electoral power. Their voter turnout is, among other issues, the main reason of their limited political influence. On the other hand, Hispanic activists are trying to show members of different Latino subgroups that their future in America depends on their political participation. The following article discusses these issues and shows the long way that Latinos have to go to become a real political power in the United States.

Human Resources as Leading and Supporting Actors of a Curriculum Reform

Human Resources as Leading and Supporting Actors of a Curriculum Reform

Human Resources as Leading and Supporting Actors of a Curriculum Reform

Curriculum reform involves important strategic and tactical aspects. Educational policy and its strategies are products of professionals in policy and education fields. They are subsequently realized in tactical steps implemented by other types of professionals. Learners from different generations are the human targets of curriculum reform and the. Success of educational and curricular reform worldwide appears to be overwhelmingly determined by the human factor. As a consequence we focus our attention on the way in which human resources are used within educational and curricular reform and describe the philosophy which regulates our work in this field. A clear image of the whole of curriculum reform is presented, defining steps which are functionally connected within the curriculum reform process, along with the responsibilities of responsible specified teams.

Supporting actors

Supporting actors

Cherchez la Femme: Women as Supporting Actors in the Russian Labour Market

It is well known that women have inferior labour market opportunities in post-communist Russia but little is known about their role as labour market intermediaries. This paper examines how women compare to men in this role. We base our analysis on qualitative and quantitative data gathered in the Russian city of Samara in 1999. We find that women are more effective than men in helping their contacts into jobs but that these jobs are lower paid than those provided by men. Our explanation is that while womens position in the labour market restricts their access to information about good jobs their leading role in the household implies intervention in the lives of others including as persistent labour market intermediaries. (authors)