Pathways to sector selection: A conceptual framework for social enterprises

As hybrid organizations with financial and social objectives, social enterprises must balance competing logics for governance, stakeholders, and outcomes when considering organizational design and structure. The existing legal landscape for organizations exacerbates this dilemma by forcing social enterprises to incorporate as either a nonprofit or for‐profit organization. This research examines the entity formation process for social enterprises by presenting sector choice as an interaction among four factors: equity financing, organizational lineage, human capital, and funding environment. Using a qualitative comparative case analysis, this research demonstrates that contingent factors drive sector choice when legal incentives and institutional pressures are unclear. For those choosing nonprofit forms, the status of the parent organization—the organizational lineage—is determinative. For those operating in the for‐profit context, human capital is predictive. The resulting conceptual framework contributes to existing organizational theory on hybrid organizations by presenting the sector selection process as independent of the motives or legal incentives typically associated with sector choice. This research concludes with a discussion on the advantages of delaying the formal sector declaration process.     

Autoethnography: The story of applying a conceptual framework for intentional positioning to public relations practice

This autoethnography is an exercise in reporting, recording and reflecting on the process of attempting to apply a public relations theoretical construct to a practice environment. I take a social constructionist approach where the practice of autoethnography presumes that reality is socially constructed and where I, as the autoethnographer, can contribute to the social construction of what is known as public relations practice. I applied an analytical autoethnographic approach and used my own experiences, reflections and memories to construct myself in my writing as an academic and practitioner working within the context of a pro bono public relations consultancy project. The aim of this research was to ascertain whether the Framework for Intentional Positioning in Public Relations could assist practitioners to develop positioning strategies for future programs and campaigns. I applied the positioning framework to the design of a positioning strategy for a small university-affiliated environmental organization. My work indicated that the framework could aid in designing a positioning strategy, however, applying the framework to organizational circumstances could be challenging. The framework was found to have two distinct sections to it when applied to practice and this was not evident in previous analytical work. The project also indicated that further research is needed on how to adapt the framework to the concept of emergent strategy. My hope is that this autoethnography shows that even seasoned practitioners/academics can be challenged in practice situations.     

Land markets and public policy: A conceptual framework

This paper presented a conceptual framework to analyse the nature and effectiveness of land policies in a broad context of national policy-making. Special attention was given to the way in which explicit and implicit land-use policies affect land-use decisions. A classification system of land-use policies was developed and the concepts of dominance and consistency were presented. The system and concepts can be usefully applied for empirical investigations.     

Work functioning: a conceptual framework

Adequate and reliable methods for evaluation of clients with work disabilities are crucial for both the individuals who are assessed and for society as a whole. Sound and precise work assessments are needed to guide clients to suitable interventions using a minimum of rehabilitation resources. Occupational therapy literature contains evidence that work function assessments are complex and that there is confusion over work assessment concepts. Therefore, further development and evaluation of adequate concepts and theoretical models within the area of work assessment is needed. This article proposes a conceptual framework for different dimensions of work functioning and points out important factors for work assessment. The concepts proposed and defined in the article are: work functioning, work participation, work performance, and individual capacity.     

Building community: a conceptual framework for child protection

This paper proposes a community-building framework as an innovative strategy to begin to re-claim children and families at risk. It is a strategy that identifies a purpose, a value base, knowledge and theoretical dimensions, and methods of practice that present as an approach for child welfare systems to consider shifts in thinking in order to meet what is considered the most important challenge of the next century: that of rediscovering community. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diversity training for the community aged care workers: A conceptual framework for evaluation

Older Australians are an increasingly diverse population, with variable characteristics such as culture, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and physical capabilities potentially influencing their participation in healthcare. In response, community aged care workers may need to increase skills and uptake of knowledge into practice regarding diversity through appropriate training interventions. Diversity training (DT) programs have traditionally existed in the realm of business, with little research attention devoted to scientifically evaluating the outcomes of training directed at community aged care workers. A DT workshop has been developed for community aged care workers, and this paper focuses on the construction of a formative evaluative framework for the workshop. Key evaluation concepts and measures relating to DT have been identified in the literature and integrated into the framework, focusing on five categories: Training needs analysis; Reactions; Learning outcomes, Behavioural outcomes and Results The use of a mixed methods approach in the framework provides an additional strength, by evaluating long-term behavioural change and improvements in service delivery. As little is known about the effectiveness of DT programs for community aged care workers, the proposed framework will provide an empirical and consistent method of evaluation, to assess their impact on enhancing older people’s experience of healthcare.     

A conceptual framework for the study of human ecosystems in urban areas

The need for integrated concepts, capable of satisfying natural and social scientists and supporting integrated research, motivates a conceptual framework for understanding the role of humans in ecosystems. The question is how to add humans to the ecological models used to understand urban ecosystems. The ecosystem concept can serve as the basis, but specific social attributes of humans and their institutions must be added. Learning and feedback between the human and natural components of urban ecosystems are key attributes of the integrated model. Parallels with familiar ecological approaches can help in understanding the ecology of urban ecosystems. These include the role of spatial heterogeneity and organizational hierarchies in both the social and natural components of urban ecosystems. Although urban watersheds are commonly highly altered, the watershed approach can serve as a spatial basis for organizing comparative studies of ecosystems exhibiting differing degrees of urbanization. The watershed concept can also spatially organize the hierarchically scaled linkages by which the integrated human ecosystem model can be applied. The study of urban ecosystems is a relatively new field, and the questions suggested by the integrated framework can be used to frame ecosystem research in and associated with urban and metropolitan areas.     

Pragmatic ex-ante evaluation using an innovative conceptual framework: The case of a high-tech entrepreneurship program for women

Program designers at local project level usually design interventions under conditions of scarce resources and bounded rationality lacking sufficient information about the process and impact mechanisms of the complex social programs they design and implement. This paper proposes a model for pragmatic ex ante evaluation using an innovative conceptual framework for practitioners working in the field to improve gender equality in research and innovation.The presented and applied model is pertinent to the theory-oriented evaluation tradition using a logic frame and a theory of change approach adapted to the special requirements of ex-ante evaluation. The model is illustrated by the case study of a program for the promotion of women entrepreneurship in the STEM fields.It is concluded that in a setting with limited resources and information, ex-ante evaluations should aim at defining clear conditions of proportionality and need to take into account the extent to which contextual factors hinder or facilitate the implementation of a program, and the specific institutional and system mechanisms at play, in order to enable proactive risk management from the beginning.     

A framework for treating partner aggressive women

Women are increasingly referred to intervention programs to address their use of physical violence against intimate partners. This article reviews the scant treatment outcome and attrition literature for partner aggressive women and describes important characteristics of partner aggressive women that must be taken into consideration in designing treatment. Recommended treatment modules are described in detail and include skill-building to enhance safety planning, conflict management, emotional regulation, communication and negotiation, and stress management. Additional modules should be included for some women based on individualized needs. These may include parenting skills and education and referral for treatment of conditions that undermine emotional stability, such as posttraumatic stress symptoms, substance abuse, and mood disorders. Treatment structure is outlined and pragmatic issues regarding the implementation of treatment are discussed. Interventions for partner aggressive woman must be designed to address women's victimization experiences as well as their perpetration.     

Assessing outcomes for sufferers of severe mental disorder: A conceptual framework and review

A conceptual framework is presented for classifying the outcomes of services for sufferers of severe mental disorders. The proposed classification framework contains three dimensions: (a) the respondent type; (b) the social context; and (c) the domain of treatment outcomes. Respondent types include the client, the family, the extended social network, the clinician and the scientist. Social contexts include the individual, the family, work/school and the broader community. Domains of treatment outcome include “clinical status,” “functional status,” “life satisfaction and fulfillment,” and “safety and welfare.” This multidimensional framework is used to organize an illustrative review of existing outcome measures. It is concluded that: (a) measures of safety and welfare raise important social and policy questions and these measures require considerable development in order for utility to be realized; (b) although a good beginning has been made, more attention needs to be focused on defining and measuring “life satisfaction and fulfillment” and combining this domain with others to produce “well being” or “quality of life” scales; (c) the functional status area requires additional research and development especially when measurement is conducted in contexts other than work/school; and (d) although measures of clinical status are relatively well developed, the family perspective and context must be integrated into these measures.     

Nonprofit entrepreneurial orientation: A systematic literature review and conceptual framework

The purpose of this study is to propose a set of factors that characterize the manifestation of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in nonprofit organizations (NPOs), and we performed a systematic review of the literature. Initially, 17 studies were identified in different databases, and after a full reading of the documents that met the objective of this study, we selected and qualitatively analyzed 14 theoretical and empirical studies about EO in the nonprofit context. The studies analyzed allowed us to understand the characteristics of organizational entrepreneurship in NPOs, through the dimensions of innovativeness, proactivity, risk‐taking, autonomy, and competitive aggressiveness, in addition to the reciprocity dimension, which emerged from the literature. By adding reciprocity as the sixth dimension of the EO construct, it was possible to group a set factors related to each dimension which, after being refined, supported the proposition of a conceptual framework for an empirical analysis of entrepreneurial behavior in different contexts of NPOs. This study contributes to the systematization of factors that configure the manifestation of EO in the nonprofit sector, by proposing a conceptual framework entailing six dimensions of EO and propositions for future studies.     

Inter-organisational collaboration in family-centred practice: A framework for analysis and action

Inter-organisational collaboration in the human services is challenging because of the multiple and complex nature of the inherent potential sources of conflict. In this paper, a conceptual framework is advanced for assessing the sources of conflict at five levels of analysis: (i) inter-organisational; (ii) intra-organisational; (iii) inter-professional; (iv) inter-personal; and (v) intra-personal. While yet to be systematically tested, this conceptual framework may assist practitioners, managers and policy makers in the human services to enhance collaboration across organisational and sectoral boundaries.     

An ecological perspective on family policy: A conceptual and philosophical framework

This article develops a conceptual framework that places family policy within an ecological perspective. The ecological perspective is particularly useful in providing a means both to understand why diversity exists among families and to analyze how human-created rules disparately affect the environments faced by families within and across different societies. Examples are provided of how family policy is conceptualized by organizations and groups that are concerned with family issues, and these examples are critiqued from the ecological perspective. Finally, the article suggests that the values on which an ecological perspective of family policy are grounded can serve as a beginning point to develop a philosophical basis for the development of family policy. Her research interests include family policy and research at the national and international levels. She received her Ph.D. in Social Work and Economics from the University of Michigan.     

Existential social work and the quest for existential meaning and well-being: A conceptual framework

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to conceptualize “existential social work.” A greater understanding of what existential social work means may enable social workers and those studying social work to see how its practice can reveal “the truth” about human existence and how they, as professionals, can enhance existential meaning and existential well-being among their clients. In such work, existential social workers have at their disposal tools such as the Frankl therapeutic approach to existential analysis (i.e., logotherapy) as well as spiritual-sensitive modalities (prayer and mindfulness). To interpret and understand apparent phenomena in the therapy is the ultimate goal with existential social work practices, thus providing clients with the opportunity to discover the meaning that exists in themselves. In addition, these practices pave the way for existential well-being.     

Strategic leadership in public relations: An integrated conceptual framework

Although scholars have recognized the importance for public relations executives demonstrating strategic leadership in facilitating effective public relations practice, few have attempted to explain the multi-faceted nature of the leadership construct. In this paper, the author proposes an integrated conceptual framework to explain the leadership construct and its key dimensions. In addition, the author also proposes that leadership effectiveness can be mediated by a core set of organizational structure and culture as well as the social culture within which the organization operates. The paper also offers suggestions for future research to better understand how leadership influences public relations effectiveness.     

Genre colonization as a strategy: A framework for research and practice

Discourse colonization has become a central public relations strategy in major national and international communication campaigns. The practical, theoretical and ethical implications of this strategy have, however, yet to be worked through in the public relations literature.In this article we outline a method for analyzing one form of discourse colonization, which we term ‘genre colonization’. We then apply this new method to a specific case in order to illustrate both the method in practice and the mechanisms used to effect genre colonization within discourse. In the process, a framework for undertaking genre colonization emerges. Some aspects of the ethics of employing this strategy are raised but further research is required to support a full discussion.     

Veterans-by-proxy: A conceptual framework of ambiguous loss among children of combat veterans

There are tens of millions of children (youth and adult) of parents who are veterans. These individuals can experience traumatic injury alongside the parent who is a combat veteran. It is a parallel process called “veterans-by-proxy.” A proxy is an individual that acts on behalf of another individual. The proxy witnesses how combat traumatizes their parent and vicariously experience the trauma themselves. When a proxy suffers secondary trauma, ambiguous loss, and insecure attachment, one or more ego functions fail to adequately develop. This article proposes a conceptual framework of the proxy’s loss as it relates to the parent’s trauma and discusses research-based resiliency-focused interventions critical to healing the relationship between the proxy and the parent who is a combat veteran.