Transactional Perspective Research Articles

Rhetoric and Events

Abstract Rhetoric is an art that finds its habitation in events. Rhetoric emerges within growing points of opposition and struggle, using language to constitute facts that stand out from situations in order to give to an audience the burden of judgment. This article seeks to provide a framework for articulating the relationship between rhetoric and events through the writings of John Dewey and his collaborator Arthur Bentley, who found in the term “event” a way of advancing their transactional perspective on human action that they believed could function as a corrective to pervasive social pathologies. Using their vocabulary, it advances a definition of rhetoric as an art that reacts to events by constituting meaningful situations in which judgments of character are possible. But it also claims that the ethics of transaction requires a more subtle and long-term effort to show how our own characters as “individuals” are themselves formed in transaction with rhetoric and events.

Interventions in Chronic and Severe Neglect: What Works?

In 1984, a paper published by Wolock and Horowitz in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry drew attention to what they described as ‘the neglect of neglect’ in the prevailing understandings of and responses to child maltreatment. Thirty years on, this expression still resonates even though child neglect has moved out of the shadows and become a central concern for child welfare practitioners and policy makers, and the focus of much research activity. But, while considerably more is now known about the aetiology, identification and assessment of neglect, effective interventions have proved harder to develop. Why is this so, and what can we do about it? The papers in this special issue help us to consider these two questions in more detail. We take as a starting point that child neglect is a complex phenomenon with a range of possible inter-connecting ‘causes’, and that continuing chronic neglect has been shown to have a range of adverse effects on children’s health, development and wellbeing. These effects are wide-ranging, cumulative and damaging over the long-term. If neglect is unlikely to be mono-causal, it seems equally unlikely that any one intervention is going to be successful across the board. Therefore, a variety of intervention responses will be needed, including early intervention strategies that attempt to engage families as soon as neglect is identified, but also encompassing later intervention responses that can be used with families where early identification has not been possible and/or where neglect has become entrenched. This special issue gives us a chance to draw together some reflections on current knowledge and some new ideas about ‘what works’ in practice with families where neglect is a feature of family dynamics. The challenges of developing appropriate responses to neglect are perhaps most usefully understood from a transactional ecological perspective (Brandon et al., 2008) that recognises the complex interplay of factors that can compromise parents’ abilities to offer satisfactory care to their children. Such an approach can also help to make sense of the relational difficulties of this work, in terms of engaging parents in the intervention process. While we know that the long-term effects of neglect are pernicious, practitioners need also to be aware that neglect can be fatal. In the paper that opens this special issue, Brandon et al. (2014) present the results of a study that re-analysed data from 800 serious case reviews (where deaths or very serious maltreatment are examined in detail) in England, interrogating in-depth anonymised information

The Impact of Language on Building the Internal Market: The Consumer Transactions Perspective

By the introduction of Directive 2011/83/EU the European Union is trying to achieve full harmonization of consumer law in the Member States. It is hoped that this will boost cross-border online sales, which constitute a very low percentage of all consumer transactions at the moment. In this paper the author points out some language issues that may hinder the harmonization process, and tries to find and briefly characterize solutions that would prevent the negative effect of language divergence in EU Member States.

An Ethnographic Analysis of a Church Supper in New England

This ethnographic study uses a transactional perspective to explore and explicate the co-occupation of preparing and serving of church suppers. Findings illustrate the importance of understanding how individual and group relationships, habits and routines, and the cultural, social, and historical context shapes the occupational experience of those involved. One conclusion drawn from this research is that although the observed church suppers are unique because of their situated nature, a careful and clear ethnographic analysis helps uncover aspects which may be used to understand other community co-occupations.

Occupation to Maintain the Family as Ideology and Practice in a Greek Town

Discussions of the cultural relativity of occupation and the potential hegemony of Western conceptualisations have included increasing awareness of a dominant focus on the individual and individual agency. Recognition of the importance of understanding occupation in diverse contexts led to an ethnographic study exploring occupation in a Greek town. A transactional perspective underpinned the emergent understanding of occupation as a multidimensional and fluid process occurring within and between individuals, the family and the community, from each moment to across the life-span. This paper presents part of the findings of that study, focusing on the family as ideology and as practice. Values and beliefs around the ideal family, occupation for the maintenance of the household, and the network of family occupation, transacted in an ongoing process that constructed and reconstructed each element. Family was embedded in memories and stories, the embodied experience of growing up in the town and in the ongoing family occupation that predominated throughout the days and weeks. Family was part of who one was, but also an inextricable part of what one did. The study supports expanding conceptualisations of occupation beyond the individual to include the family as an important part of everyday life.

Measuring the Europeanization of Everyday Life: Three New Indices and an Empirical Application

ABSTRACTThis article seeks to conceptually clarify the measurement of Europeanization from a transactional perspective. Following Karl Deutsch, we regard cross-border practices and sense of community as constitutive for an emerging European society. But we critically reassess how this approach has been put into empirical practice by contemporary scholars. Typically, too much attention is paid to absolute Europeanization, and too little to relative Europeanization. In order to properly investigate the European society as situated between the nation-state and the world society, we argue that Europeanization involves both national openness (the salience of Europe compared to the nation-state) and external closure (the salience of Europe compared to the world). Three indices are suggested to capture relative Europeanization and its major components. Recent Eurobarometer and European Values Study data on practices and attitudes of EU citizens is used to illustrate our approach empirically. The results demonstrate that external closure adds a new layer of information for understanding everyday life Europeanization. We also find a bifurcation between practices for which Europe is the more relevant reference frame (as compared to the world) and attitudes for which it is not.

Knowledge Integration in ISD Project Teams: A Transactive Memory Perspective

Many organizations frequently establish information system development (ISD) project teams in order to solve specific problems. Knowledge tends to be stored within individuals who are often dispersed over time. However, knowledge integration is required to solve new types of problems. The transactive memory system (TMS) has been suggested as a critical mechanism for facilitating knowledge integration as part of the team’s processes. TMS can help the knowledge team to recognize the presence of individuals with diverse knowledge and optimize their value. In this paper, we use TMS and the concept of “collective mind” to explain how the team members’ heedful inter-relations and mindful comprehension function within the social system. We also discuss in detail how antecedent factors affect TMS. Drawing on data from a study of 339 part-time MBA students who were members of knowledge teams, the findings of this research showed that all our hypotheses were statically significant. Discussions and implications for academics and practitioners are provided.

Understanding performance of joint ventures

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the existing knowledge about joint ventures (JV) by modeling the interactional strength of fit between JV partners. The paper integrates different constructs from three theoretical perspectives most widely used in JV studies – trust and commitment from the relational perspective; opportunism and specific investments from the transaction cost perspective; and assesses the moderating role of fit from the contingency perspective. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative data from JVs were collected using the survey method. Relationships in the moderated mediation model were tested using complex sets of hierarchical regression steps. Findings – Relational intentions of partners influence specific investments between the partners. The two together drive JV performance and their impact is moderated by the extent of fit between the partners. Thus, it is concluded that the strength of fit, as perceived by partners, influences the role of other constructs from the relational, transactional and contingency perspectives, which together can help us understand performance of JVs better. Research limitations/implications – An assessment of longitudinal view of the relational variables and subsequent performance can be captured in future. This research assesses fit based on compatibility, which assesses similarity as well as complementarity, primarily by way of harmony in different aspects. Future research could differentiate complementarity from similarity to further assess the impact of fit. Practical implications – The relational behavior of JV partners, or their rational approaches to resource seeking, will be optimally effective only when the fit between partner characteristics is high. While the relational or transactional approaches can evolve in JVs, the partners should assess the extent of fit before getting into a JV relationship. Originality/value – The research presents a holistic framework that draws from various theoretical perspectives. The results establish that contrary to its peripheral treatment in the literature, fit plays an important role and can modify the influence relational variables and specific investments can have on the performance of JVs.

A Transactional Perspective on Space

This paper draws on philosophical pragmatism, especially the work of John Dewey, to develop a transactional perspective on space. Transaction suggests co-constitutive, ongoing relationships between humans, non-humans, objects and environments (relationships which are in process and on a continuum, rather than sharply distinct) that involve dispersed rationalities attuned to different situations. I suggest how ideas of spatial quality might be both the medium and the outcome of these more dispersed rationalities in transactional space. The paper explores the connections between the idea of transactional space and the existing body of research on social learning, deliberative planning and urban design.

Study of large shareholders’ behavior after non-tradable shares reform: A perspective of related party transactions

Purpose: This paper explores the behavior choice of large shareholders in the related party transactions which occur between the large shareholders and listed companies by using the data of shares from 2007 to 2010. Design/methodology/appraoch: Based on the classical research paradigm (that is, LLSV), we analysis controlling shareholders’ propping and tunneling behaviors aiming to make sure their impacts to the medium and small shareholders in theory. Findings: We get the following findings: After our capital market entering the era of full circulation, we find that the relationship between the ratio of controlling shareholders and the related party transactions present (RPTs) an inverted “U” shape curve, which means that it exits a typical “Grab-synergy” effect. we should take different measures to the transactions occurred between the large shareholders and listed companies according to the property nature of the large shareholders. State-owned shareholders choose to realize their private benefits by means of RPTs, while the non state-owned shareholders conduct RPTs with an expectation of reducing costs. Practical implications: Since Guo Shuqing, the Chairman of China Securities Regulatory Commission, took office, he has taken a lot measures to curb the related party transactions harshly. Under this circumstance, it is just the right time to have a research on large shareholders’ behavior. It has important significance both in theory and practice. Originality/value: Considering the Chinese special national conditions, this paper added lots of comprehensive facts to study large shareholders’ behavior including the rate of the share held by indirect controller, the probability of thievish behaviors have been discovered, and the strict punishment regulations. The discussions in this paper help to bring into focus a highly topical issue within the context of the large shareholders’ behavior after Non-tradable Shares Reform.

Dynamics of Male–Female Multimodal Signaling Behavior across the Estrous Cycle in Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

AbstractGiant panda courtship behavior includes multimodal signaling assemblages consisting of olfactory, vocal, and postural elements. While signaling is generally conspicuous, successful copulation is inconsistently achieved in captivity, even when female behavioral and physiological data indicate that ovulation is imminent. We set out to characterize these complex patterns of social behavior by observing interactions between 26 unique pairs of giant pandas housed in adjoining pens throughout the females' reproductive cycle. We categorized social behaviors from a transactional perspective and examined social exchanges via analyses of the relative frequency of social behaviors, and via the sequential relationship between male and female social behavior. From non‐estrus to peak‐estrus, we found that the relative frequency of female affiliative and sexual behavior increased and that the relative frequency of ambivalent and aggressive behavior decreased. Male behavior was fairly constant, except for sexual behavior, which increased during peak‐estrus, when it was facilitated by female sexual behavior. Sequential analysis of social interactions showed that preceding behavior had a significant influence over the other panda's response behavior primarily during peak‐estrus, suggesting that pandas are most responsive to conspecific signaling during the peri‐ovulatory period. However, behavioral momentum was a dominant feature of the intra‐individual transitions. Females maintained sexual, ambivalent, and neutral behavior during interactions significantly more than would be expected by chance, with male behavior bearing little influence once the behavior was initiated. A similar pattern was also observed in males, who maintained affiliative, interested, and neutral behaviors. Overall, our data suggest that the multimodal signals used by giant pandas during courtship do not consistently evoke a discrete, immediate response from receivers. Instead, signals appear to advertise reproductive condition and influence potential mates over longer timeframes, suggesting the potential tonic role of communication.

Quality-in-Doing: Competence and Occupation

This paper explores the connection between occupation and competence, or “quality-in-doing,” through an exploration of competence across a number of disciplines and theorists. John Dewey's concepts of functional coordination, habit, and imagination, Lev Vygotsky's views on cultural-historical development, intermentality, and fossilization, and Pierre Bourdieu's ideas on habitus, field, and capital are presented as part of an argument for a more robust theoretical underpinning of the basic sociocultural features, development, and consequences of competence as an undeniable function of occupation from a transactional perspective. I contend that competence creates essential space for describing skillfulness and effectiveness in doing, being and becoming (Wilcock, 1998) and mends dichotomies between social/individual, internal/external, and action/condition which are central to a transactional understanding of occupation (Dickie, Cutchin, & Humphry, 2006). Competence is deserving of clear articulation and attention because it illuminates how the ongoing reflexivity between knowing how to act and knowing why to act (Beckett, 2004) impacts perceptions of how well we act, which are essential features in determining if, when, and to what degree a client has responded to intervention, a student has responded to instruction, or a practitioner has responded to job requirements.

Analyzing Students’ Learning in Classroom Discussions about Socioscientific Issues

ABSTRACTIn this study, the purpose is to develop and illustrate a method that facilitates investigations of students’ learning processes in classroom discussions about socioscientific issues. The method, called transactional argumentation analysis, combines a transactional perspective on meaning making based on John Dewey's pragmatic philosophy and an argument analysis based on Toulmin's argument pattern. This analytical method consists of three steps. In the first step, we analyze the direction of the students’ meaning making, that is, the relations construed in and by action. In the second step, we use a functional interpretation of Toulmin's argument pattern to clarify the meanings in terms of argumentative elements. Finally, we investigate the students’ learning progress, both in terms of the way the arguments are constructed and the knowledge content used, by comparing each student's arguments over time. The empirical material consists of a video‐recorded lesson in a Swedish upper secondary school. Two examples of learning processes identified during the classroom discussion are described: learning to specify the conditions for one's claim and learning to find new solutions. These examples show that the suggested method can be used to identify the different kinds of learning progressions that take place during students’ argumentative discussions. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 97:594–620, 2013

A Narrative of Agency Enacted within the Everyday Occupations of an Older Swedish Woman

This article explores how agency is enacted in everyday occupations with others and evolves over time. Agency is a complex concept that is closely linked to human occupation. By using a transactional perspective and a narrative approach, our ambition was to explore agency beyond individual acts or responsibilities. To achieve this, we used a story of an older woman in the context of being widowed and living with late-life depression. Data were generated over time using interviews and by taking part in the participant's everyday occupations. Narrative analysis was used to create a contextualized in-depth story. The findings show how resources embedded in enacted stories can challenge one's view of oneself as a victim and create possibilities to be an agent, thereby illustrating how agency becomes enacted in the context of acting together in everyday occupations. In light of these findings, we reflect on how a transactional perspective can contribute to exploring the concept of agency as contextually situated and embedded in occupations. Further, we reflect on how the transactional dimensions of everyday occupations can be explored through a narrative approach.

Beyond Independence: Introducing Deweyan Philosophy to the Dialogue on Occupation and Independence

The concept of independence is often explicitly stated or subtly implied to be a human ideal in occupational science literature. While that assumption has been critiqued as culturally-specific, scholars of occupation have yet to firmly critique independence as an ideal within Western culture. There is a taken-for-granted assumption that independence is good because it is traditionally valued in Western societies. Drawing on the philosophy of John Dewey, this paper introduces a critique of the valuation of independence within Western culture as it relates to occupational science and argues that (a) idealizing independence undercuts the connected nature of life, (b) independence is not an end that can be achieved and maintained, and (c) independence and interdependence in fact co-exist in occupation. This argument extends recent trends in occupational science towards a transactional perspective. Dewey's concepts of freedom and growth—when framed as occurring through occupation—can provide guidance for moving beyond independence.

Leisure Participation and Well-being of Immigrant Women in Canada

Introduction: Migration across international borders is an identifying feature of 21st century globalization. Employment is an important criterion of integration, however, its prominence has deflected attention from other complex issues, namely how health is influenced by participation through cultural, social, and community occupations. Research on leisure participation has identified its positive impact on the well-being of various populations facing occupational disruptions, thus leisure participation and its potential role in the well-being of ‘immigrant women’ during the occupational disruption and transition of resettlement is worthy of research. Objectives: This study examined participation in leisure occupations for migrant women in the process of resettlement and experiencing changed environments. The research question was: How does the process of resettlement in Canada influence the ways women understand and participate in leisure? Methodology: This study was framed by ethnographic and critical theory perspectives. Data were collected from 14 migrant women in Canada through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. Findings: The first theme, Orchestrating the Day, illustrates occupational transitions and offers a necessary context for understanding the second theme, Socializing is the Key to Leisure. Bourdieu's concepts of capital and a transactional perspective of action helped to interpret the findings. Conclusion: The participants' daily occupations helped to reveal what constitutes leisure and how leisure fits within their lives. Many women defined leisure broadly as whatever supported their physical and emotional health.

Entrepreneurial Behaviors of Returnee Entrepreneurs and Local Entrepreneurs in China

The returnee entrepreneurship phenomenon has been given increasing attention both in policy making and research. Although previous studies have found evidence about the advantages and disadvantages of returnee in entrepreneurship, the basic issue -- what's the difference between returnee and local entrepreneurs in entrepreneurship process remains unknown. This study use comparative case study to investigate the differences between returnee and local entrepreneurs, based on ambidexterity perspective, and found that returnee entrepreneurs are more influenced by transactional perspective, while local entrepreneurs are more influenced by relational perspective. What's more, the ambidexterity of returnee and local entrepreneurs is a dynamic process.

Infancy research, infant mental health, and adult psychotherapy: Mutual influences.

This article considers the influence of infant research on psychodynamic theory and practice. Infant research highlights the dramatic effects of the early caregiving relationship on development throughout the life span. It also provides important perspectives on psychotherapeutic processes. This article highlights such elements as empathy, mutual recognition and attachment, along with elaborating the intersubjective and transactional systems perspectives. In addition, it stresses the powerful role of nonverbal, implicit communication and meaning-making, which play a greater role in human relational experience-and therefore in the therapeutic process-than previously understood. In addition to clarifying these general orientations, the article describes specific therapeutic strategies based on the expanded developmental knowledge.

Exploring the relationships between appraisals of stressful encounters and the associated emotions in a work setting

Exploring work stress using a transactional perspective requires researchers to consider not just the role of appraisal of a stressful encounter but also the relationship of this appraisal with emotions. This research sets out to explore the appraisal-emotion relationship in a work setting. Using data from 174 civic administrators from New Zealand, sequential tree analysis (which presents patterns in a system of hierarchical ordering) was used to create the pattern of appraisals of stress associated with each of three emotions: anger, anxiety and frustration. The results suggest that if we are to advance our understanding of the appraisal-emotion relationship then future research needs to explore what common characteristics bind together and help shape appraisal patterns, whether some appraisals are more complex than others, and whether some appraisals are more potent than others. The results also raise the question of how best such relationships should be investigated in order to understand the nature of a stressful encounter. In the future, work stress researchers may wish to consider the utility of more context-sensitive measures such as appraisals.

A multi-method proposal to study the Public Space in the Scale of Neighborhood from a Transactional Approach

The transactional perspective is very attractive to analyze and act on public space on the scale of the neighborhood, however, language and methodological differences between the various disciplines involved make it quite complex. In this article we present a multi-method qualitative strategy of analysis that integrates graphical work spatialisation results, as an attempt to bring together the graphic and textual languages that dominate single-discipline approaches of public space.Various techniques were triangulated and underwent the same analytical process (Grounded Theory), which supported by the processing software Atlas / ti and made it possible to link aspects Arcgis graphics (maps and images) with comments from researchers and biographical accounts of the participants, associating in this manner, specific physical spaces with the development and construction of spatial meanings and uses.