Business Commons^™

Analysing The Performance Of Economic Discourses, Joseph Fitzgerald, Brendan O'Rourke

Conference papers

We focus on the methods used in analyzing broadcast interviews with economists on Morning Ireland, a prominent Irish radio news programme. Few would doubt that economists have taken a prominent role as experts on policy issues (Carrick-Hagenbarth and Epstein 2012, p.45) and some contend that no other social science discipline has gained such prominence (Schneider and Kirchgassner 2009, p.324). This paper comes from a larger research project, which uses a tailored methodological approach, incorporating a number of analytical methods. Keller (2011, p.63) has argued that a tailored methodological approach is often required to give special consideration to the ‘knowledge side’ …

Performing Economics: How Economics Discourse Gets Enacted In Radio News Interviews, Brendan O'Rourke, Joseph Fitzgerald

Conference papers

This paper analyses the performance of economics expertise on the main radio news show in Ireland. It does this through an analysis of the discourse used by known economics experts. This analysis will illustrate how the expert constructs a societally-legitimised economics discourse that builds their identity as an economics expert, constructs a particular representation of the economy, and gains societal legitimacy.

In advance of the Great Recession, the media played a key role in the prominence of economics expertise in public discourse (Mercille 2013, p.1). Both the lack of warning of impending economic crash and the elite nature of experts …

Education In A Technological Era: The Eu Digital Agenda Policy - More Optimistic Than Realistic?, Philomena Hanlon

Conference papers

Both the potential opportunities and risks for higher education providers in the digital education space are enormous. The EU in its policy paper The Digital Agenda for Europe (2010) sets out interalia targets for the development of the digital economy.

This paper examines The Digital Agenda for Europe (2010), focusing on Pillar VI: Enhancing digital literacy, skills & inclusion. The growth of massive open on-line courses (MOOCs) in particular have generated a lot of interest in digital education. This paper takes a broad look at the digital arena, the aforementioned Digital Agenda for Europe and other key reports on the …

Modeling Behaviour Of Nurses In Clinical Medical Unit In University Hospital: Burnout Implications, Wael Rashwan, Amr Arisha

Conference papers

High demand of healthcare services due to changes in population demography, technological and medical advancements, budget limitations have direct effect on medical staff and medical organizations in particularly hospitals. One of the major issues confronting the healthcare system is staff behavior when they get close to 'burnout' level. This study identifies factors affecting nurses' behavior and its impact on patients experience time using system dynamics. A particular focus is given to nurses in one of the medical clinical units in one of the largest hospitals in Ireland. Armed with a comprehensive system dynamic model that revolves around the staff stresses, …

The Phenomenon Of Online Reviews - Digital Headache Or Golden Opportunity For The Tourism Sector?, Jennifer Lawlor, Geraldine A. Gorham, Colin O'Connor

Conference papers

This conceptual paper presents a research agenda for tourism operators by examining the literature pertaining to the phenomenon of online reviews in the tourism sector. The objective is to examine tourist motivations for posting online reviews and their potential impact on the consumer decision making process. Furthermore, this paper seeks to explore how tourism operators may respond to, and act upon, this source of customer word-of-mouth.

Religious Tourism Product Bundling An Innovative Approach To Destination Marketing And Visitor Experience Management: The Case Of Early Christian Sites In The East Of Ireland, Vreny Enongene, Kevin Griffin

Conference papers

Innovation has emerged as a re-occurring theme for the sustainability and competitiveness of the tourism and hospitality industry, and for faith-based tourism, the many and on-going changes within the demographics and purchasing behavior of the religious market in the past 10-20 years (Leisure Travel Group, 2013) calls for innovative approaches to enhancing the visitor experience, and attracting visitors. As Manson suggests, either you ‘innovate or die’. In so doing, Ireland is determined to foster an innovation culture for the sustainability of the tourism industry (Failte Ireland, 2009) based on the vision that the tourism industry is expected to continually play …

Taking A Step Back From The Individual Social Entrepreneur, Ziene Mottiar

Conference papers

An investigation of how a national tourism policy resulted in the emergence of new social entrepreneurs in destinations across Ireland.

A Review Of Knowledge Management In The Public Sector: A Taxonomy, Paul J. Mc Evoy, Amr Arisha, Mohamed Ragab

Conference papers

Purpose – Public organisations today face management challenges to cope with current markets in what’s known as a knowledge era. They primarily face adaptive challenges. Changes in communities, markets, business behaviour, competition, and most importantly technology around the globe are forcing all organisations to clarify their strengths, develop knowledge strategies, and learn new ways of managing their human capital. Governmental organisations also exhibit tendencies towards unusual and bureaucratic cultures mired in hierarchical structures, which create peculiar challenges that confront Knowledge Management (KM) efforts within the public sector. As public firms attempt to effectively manage their knowledge, organisational culture and structure …

Understanding The Dynamic Behaviour Of Three Echelon Retail Supply Chain Disruptions, John Crowe, Mohammed Mesabbah, Amr Arisha

Conference papers

It is often taken for granted that the right products will be available to buy in retail outlets 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Challenges in achieving this continued on-shelf availability range from recession hit demand patterns to cost reduction driven strategies. Irish government initiatives to brand the country as a sustainable, reliable provider of food retail supply chains has resulted in increased importance on decision maker accuracy. The vulnerability of retail supply chain’s (RSC) to disruption is another catalyst in the complexity of the decision making process and a more robust understanding of disruption behavior is needed. …

An Integrated Lean Assessment Framework For Tyre Distribution Industry, Amr Arisha, Amr Mahfouz

Conference papers

Given the vital role of distribution units within the supply chains, this research aims to develop a comprehensive lean assessment framework that integrates Modelling and Simulation with Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to assess the ‘leanness’ level in distribution business. The framework is applied on a distribution centre of a leading European company in the tyre manufacturing and distribution business. The framework helps decision makers to evaluate the effect of two lean distribution practices – Pull Order Replenishment and Class-Based Storage Policy – on company’s performances and is also used as a leanness Self-Assessment Tool.

An Empirical Estimation Of Statistical Inferences For System Dynamics Model Parameters, Mohammed Mesabbah, Wael Rashwan, Amr Arisha

Conference papers

For system dynamics simulation (SD) models, an estimation of statistical distributions for uncertain parameters is crucial. These distributions could be used for testing models sensitivity, quality of policies, and/or estimating confidence intervals for these parameters. Assumptions related to normality, independence and constant variation are often misapplied in dynamic simulation. Bootstrapping holds a considerable theoretical advantage when used with non-Gaussian data for estimating empirical distributions for unknown parameters. Although it is a widely acceptable approach, it has had only limited use in system dynamics applications. This paper introduces an application of Direct Residual Bootstrapping (DRBS) for statistical inference in system dynamic …

The Pain Of (Organisational) Change, Philomena Hanlon

Conference papers

Abstract

Ireland is the third most globalised nation in the world - Ernest and Young 2013 report

This reflective paper addresses key drivers of organisational change (including globalisation as referred to in the quote above) and what this means at the level of the organisation and at the level of the Lacanian subject[1] (individual employee). It looks at strategies organisations are adopting to survive in a hyper competitive environment and how these strategies are interpreted / responded to by the subject. The paper utilises a Freudian / Lacanian lens to interrogate subjective responses to organisational change. For some subjects …

Conference Presentation: The Power Of Words In Tension: Enterprise/Strategy As A Dilemma In Neoliberalism’S Persistence., Brendan O'Rourke

Conference papers

We address how enterprise is related to, another important discourse, strategy. From a discourse analysis of the talk of small firm owner-managers, emerges a view of strategy and enterprise as a single, integrated entity, bound together by some commonalities but more importantly by paired opposites reminiscent of ideological dilemmas (Billig, Condor, Edwards, Gane, Middleton & Radley, 1988). This dilemmatic nature of enterprise/strategy discourse adds to explanations for the persistence of the neoliberal form of enterprise, with the entrepreneur as the heroic saviour of all, based on the entrepreneur as an empty signifier (Jones & Spicer, 2009; Kenny & …

The Power Of Words In Tension: Enterprise/Strategy As A Dilemma In Neoliberalism’S Persistence., Brendan O'Rourke

Conference papers

We address how enterprise is related to, another important discourse, strategy. From a discourse analysis of the talk of small firm owner-managers, emerges a view of strategy and enterprise as a single, integrated entity, bound together by some commonalities but more importantly by paired opposites reminiscent of ideological dilemmas (Billig, Condor, Edwards, Gane, Middleton & Radley, 1988). This dilemmatic nature of enterprise/strategy discourse adds to explanations for the persistence of the neoliberal form of enterprise, with the entrepreneur as the heroic saviour of all, based on the entrepreneur as an empty signifier (Jones & Spicer, 2009; Kenny & …

Knowledge Creating Routines: Dialogical Exchanges To Guide Repertoires Of Potential Action, Conor Horan, John Finch

Conference papers

We substantiate how generative routines, from a dialogical exchange perspective, guide repertoires of potential actions. Research on generative and emergent qualities of organisational routines, and their ability to assist actors arriving at new distinctions in practice, remains underdeveloped. Researchers have established that routines have the qualities of being generative, emergent and producers of ideas. Recent contributions argue for a dialogical approach to creating new organisational knowledge. This paper further develops the explanatory power of routines by combining dialogical exchanges within the ostensive-performative theory of routines. We examine the power of dialogical exchanges using words, understood as imaginal others within schemas, …

Exploring Economists & Society: Constructing Expert Identity, Joseph Fitzgerald, Brendan O'Rourke

Conference papers

The recent economic crisis has created a heightened interest in economics and greater demand for economics experts. The media has played an important role in meeting this demand as mediated expertise is relied upon to understand the complex relationships within society (Albaek, Christiansen and Togeby 2003; Beck 1992; Boyce 2006; Giddens 1990). Such interactions of experts with media are a key element of the knowledge flows within society (Sturdy et al. 2009) and so have attracted research attention (Ekstrom and Lundell 2011; Hutchby 2006; Montgomery 2008). This paper contributes to this literature by focusing on the under-researched area of the …

A Discourse Analytical Approach To Understanding Institutional Changes In The Irish Advertising Industry, Rosie Hand, Dalvir Samra-Fredericks Professor, Polly Pick

Conference papers

The central objective of the research upon which this paper draws is to establish how technological, economic and socio-cultural change has impacted the structures, roles and processes of the Irish Advertising Industry. Institutional theory provides the central theoretical framework. The research takes an interpretivist, constructionist and inductivist perspective and employs the methodological approach of discourse analysis to explore how institutions are being shaped and arguably changed by social actors. It draws on a growing body of literature which suggests that language is central to the structuring of organisations. The empirical data and its fine-grained analysis has begun to reveal the …

Optimization Of Resources To Improve Patient Experience In The New Emergency Department Of Mater Hospital Dublin, Heba Habib, Waleed Abo-Hamad, Amr Arisha

Conference papers

Healthcare systems globally are facing capacity issues due to the increased demand of health services, the high cost of resources and the level of quality anticipated of service providers. Emergency Departments (ED) are the most pressurized unit in healthcare systems due to uncertainty in demand and limited resources allocated. Mater Hospital (one of leading hospitals) in Dublin has built a new (state-of-the-art) unit for ED yet faced an issue in resourcing the unit to optimize performance. This paper presents an integrated solution to optimize the capacity of the new ED before opening to public and examine improvement interventions in the …

Integrating Simulation Modelling And Value Stream Mapping For Leaner Capacity Planning Of An Emergency Department, Esmat Swallmeh, Ayman Tobail, Waleed Abo-Hamad, James Gray, Amr Arisha

Conference papers

Recently, the application of lean thinking in healthcare has grown significantly in response to rising demand, caused by population growth, ageing and high expectations of service quality. However, insufficient justifications and lack of quantifiable evidence are the main obstacles to convince healthcare executives to adopt lean philosophies. This paper presents a real application of the successful implementation of a methodology that integrates Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and simulation modelling to improve an emergency department (ED) of a University hospital in Dublin. Appling lean approach in operations will minimize the patient waiting time and improve service time. VSM points out to …

Work-Family Balance Practices Among Irish Hotel Employees In A Human Resource Management Context, Kathleen Farrell

Conference papers

The study explored work-family balance among Irish hotel employees. Employees of a 5*, 4* and 3* hotels were surveyed in a unionised hotel group, a non-unionised hotel group and two family-run hotels, including a 4* and a 3*. Two thirds of those surveyed were front-line employees and a total of 246 (22%) returned questionnaires were used for data analysis. Regarding work-family supports, there was a considerable range varying from hotels with no supports, hotels with one support and hotels with all eight supports available. Company benefits were not associated with numerical flexibility, but company benefits were associated with functional flexibility …

The Performativity Of Objects: The Sociomaterial Role Of 'Imaginal Others', Conor Horan, John Finch, Emma Reid

Conference papers

In this paper we assess how objects can provide us with a clearer understanding of performativity especially when these objects become accounted for and calculated among actors as they review relationships. We assert that objects carry with them, and are associated with generalized others, understood here as imaginal others which as a concept used n this paper also contributes to objects’ performativity.

Institutionalizing Industrial Development: The Cases Of Ireland And Taiwan, Paul Donnelly

Conference papers

Both Ireland and Taiwan are considered to have experienced “economic miracles” that, ex ante, could not have been predicted when the two countries started along the road of industrial development in the late 1940s / early 1950s through to the end of the 1960s. Taking the view that industrial development does not appear as a ready formed institution, as an essence that always-already existed, what is of interest in this paper is the work of institutionalizing or institutionalization as an on-going process. Accordingly, and through the lens of actor-network theory (ANT), the paper follows how both countries structured/organized themselves to …

An Indigenous Women Perspective Of Work And Organisation: The Maya Way, Jennifer Manning, J. Miguel Imas, Paul Donnelly

Conference papers

Western literature in management/organisation studies focuses primarily on gender issues that affect inequalities experienced by women at work. Adopting, in some cases, critical and feminist theoretical positions, the gender debate unfolds questions on the prevailing male discourse that is dominant in management and business organisations. Most of these theoretical assumptions tend to influence, subsequently, the way in which we understand the experiences of women in the developing or under-developed world. That is, these theoretical positions occupy a privileged voice upon which to write, describe and analyse the experiences of women in contexts where these Western discourses seem either alien or …

Mirrors: 'Bleeding' The Creation Of Alternative Organization Through A Liberating Ideology Of Transformative Humanism, Alia Weston, J. Miguel Imas, Paul Donnelly

Conference papers

In this paper, we propose a new way of explaining the everyday practices of communities who socially organize to create sustainable grass-roots engagement. We discuss how this collective engagement is based on principles and values of socio-economic engagement that are fundamentally different to those associated with capitalism. We theorise that these community engagements are sustained by an organizational ideology of 'transformative humanism' that is founded on an ongoing struggle for emancipation. Our perspective is constructed through a combination of Frantz Fanon's ideas on humanism, Manfred Max-Neef's barefoot economics, and Paulo Freire's pedagogies of hope and transformation. We suggest that movements …

Reducing Conflict And Violence In Hospitality Establishments., James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

Bar owners and staff members must be more concerned about safety and security issues. This is the result of a variety of factors, most notably recent legislative changes at national and international level and the subsequent high costs of assaults (including costs relating to litigation and compensation). Poor health, safety and security standards place staff members and customers at risk of serious injury if not death; employers suffer in terms of lost productivity and potentially higher premiums and the morale of the staff, as well as the industrial relations climate in the bar, can be adversely affected. At a minimum, …

Waste Management And Energy Recovery: A Significant Business Issue, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

Waste Management and energy recovery has become a significant business issue for hospitality establishments in recent years. Hospitality establishments have to be more concerned about waste in their businesses and be able to adopt systems to reduce, reuse and recover waste. This challenge is the result of a variety of factors, most notably the charges involved in waste removal and cost of every businesses energy needs. Costs have grown dramatically, landfill capacity has become increasingly scarce and expensive. Stringent legislation has been introduced around the world to ensure optimum waste management and energy recovery practices in hospitality businesses. Opportunities have …

Developing Craft Beer Sales Opportunities: The Beer Tasting Experience, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

The aim of this special presentation was to offer advice to delegates and members of the hospitality and retail licensed trade industries, amateur beer appreciation clubs and tasting groups, in relation to what preparations are necessary and what pitfalls to avoid when you are organising beer tasting events for their businesses.

Seeing Others As Others See Us, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

The many challenges to the bar industry today include increased competition from a variety of entertainment sources, Bar owners recognize that other establishments are providing a similar offering sometimes at lower prices. This realization has brought about an increased focus on the care of customers and their viewpoints. Customers encounters can include attitudes of indifference from staff and poor overall service. Dissatisfied customers usually talk to others about their dissatisfaction and the negative effect of this outcome can paralyze, all your best pro-active customer and marketing efforts. It costs, on average, five times as much to win a new customer …

Cocktails: Profitable Assets Or Expensive Beverage Offerings, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

Cocktails have become very popular in the majority of hospitality and licensed premises in recent years. Customer demands for contemporary and classic cocktails has driven demand. The training, innovation, equipment, new brands and exotic glassware, have all contributed to the overall success and interest in these drinks. It is crucial before you decide to enter into the cocktail area of your overall drinks offerings to ensure that you have all the elements required to build success and maintain a healthy business. Many establishments in the past have entered in the cocktail area only to exit after a short space of …

Are Your Cellars Safe?, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

Bar owners have to be more concerned about health, safety and security issues. This is the result of a variety of factors, most notably recent legislative changes at national and international level and the subsequent high costs of accidents (including costs relating to litigation and compensation). Poor health, safety and security standards place staff members and customers at risk of serious injury if not death; employers suffer in terms of lost productivity and potentially higher premiums’ and the morale of the staff, as well as the industrial relations climate in the bar, can be adversely affected. At a minimum, bar …