Brokerage and governance for business networks: a metasynthesis-based discussion

This article reviews and discusses empirical literature on the micro-mechanisms of Burt’s concept of brokerage for inter-firm business networks from a governance perspective. Using a combination of a literature review and a qualitative metasynthesis, research gaps are first identified in the literature about these micro-mechanisms and then filled with interpretations, stemming from a qualitative metasynthesis of 13 in-depth case studies on brokerage for business network environments. The paper discusses three related elements and their inter-relationship in the brokerage process: the enabling factors for brokerage in business networks; the brokerage activities, particularly the combination of “bonding”, “bridging”, exclusion, and moderation/negotiation in different network configurations; and the outcomes of brokerage for business networks. We argue that network managers should take care of these elements when using brokerage to govern business networks. For example, the positional factors of agents in the network who take over brokerage functions need to be monitored and a balance of their embeddedness in the network and independence of focal firms should be safeguarded. Moreover, activities associated with brokerage should be steered and controlled in order to generate network benefits such as a higher collaborative stance of the partaking firms or learning processes amongst them.     

Midwives experiences of participating in a midwifery research project: A qualitative study

Problem and background

In an earlier research project midwives were asked to perform women-centered care focusing on the assumption that the physiological process in the second stage of labour could be trusted and that the midwives role should be encouraging and supportive rather than instructing. There is no knowledge about how midwives participating in such a research project, uses their skills and experience from the study in their daily work.

Do Parent Preferences for Child Conduct Problem Interventions Impact Parenting Outcomes? A Pilot Study in Community Children's Mental Health Settings

A pilot, doubly randomized preference trial was conducted to investigate the impact of providing parents preferences on parenting outcomes. Families with children having conduct problems were randomly assigned to a choice group in which they received their preferred treatment among the four intervention options or a no‐choice group in which they were randomized assigned to one of the four options. Results of mixed‐effects models showed that parents in the choice group who selected Parent Management Training‐Oregon Model (PMTO) had better parenting outcomes over time compared to parents in the choice group who selected child therapy. It highlights the importance of incorporating parent preferences in the delivery of evidence‐based treatments.     

Secrecy and the force of truth: countering post-truth regimes

Post-truth regimes are disconcerting to the extent that they confuse the distinction between true and false and thus obfuscate and obstruct political debate. And they dismantle the secret by imitating its habit: they constantly make claims while leaving us to guess what exactly the true content is – or whether there is any content at all. In an imagined world without secrets, there would be no curiosity or confidentiality, no sincerity or trust, and no political possibility of thinking otherwise. Analysis of the logic of secrecy, the article argues, helps us to revisit the established confidence in our culture in the force of truth, and to confront a challenge post-truth regimes pose: that to establish truth involves affective force. Contrary to the common belief that truth – and secrecy – is something to be revealed, a Foucauldian reading suggests that to mobilize truth requires both truthfulness and a moment of creation. Truth relies on the secret but will always only emerge on the surface.     

Developing an analytical framework for multiple perspective,qualitative longitudinal interviews (MPQLI)

Collecting multiple perspectives data (e.g. from related individuals) in a qualitative longitudinal design can provide rich understanding of the dynamics at play in complex relational systems, and the different perceptions of people involved. However, such approaches are inherently challenging due to the complexity and volume of data involved. So far, little attention has been paid to the methodological challenges of data analysis in multiple perspectives longitudinal research. This paper contributes to the development of a systematized analysis process for multiple perspectives qualitative longitudinal interviews (MPQLI). We present a framework for handling the complexity and multi-dimensionality of MPQLI, describing discrete steps in such analyses, and related aims and insights. We exemplify the suggested strategies with our own research on the transition to parenthood. The proposed framework can increase both traceability and credibility of analysis of MPQLI, and help to realize the potential of multiple perspectives longitudinal interviews.     

When and with whom to cooperate? Investigating effects of cooperation stage and type on innovation capabilities and success

In times of saturated markets and decreasing product life cycles, the continuous development and successful launch of innovations are essential for profit-oriented organizations of any kind. Interorganizational cooperation enables companies to get better access to knowledge and capabilities in order to generate and successfully introduce innovations. While scientific research and management practice have acknowledged the importance of cooperation, little research effort is dedicated to empirically determine the effectiveness of cooperation intensity within different stages of the innovation process (cooperation stage) and with different partners (cooperation type). This article aims to fill these gaps by empirically examining the effects of cooperation intensity with different kinds of partners (horizontal, vertical and institutional cooperation) in different stages of new product development (concept and product development as well as implementation stage) on innovation capabilities and success of individual companies. Drawing upon a sample of 154 high-tech companies from the German B-2-B sector, our results reveal that it is in general beneficial for a company to cooperate. However, cooperation in concept and product development primarily improves a company's innovation capabilities while cooperation in the implementation stage primarily enhances innovation success of a company. With respect to cooperation type, vertical, horizontal as well as institutional cooperation significantly enhance innovation capabilities and success of a company. However, cooperation with institutional partners was found to be the most important contributor throughout all stages.     

Daring to Marry: Marriage Equality Activism After Proposition 8 as Challenge to the Assimilationist/Radical Binary in Queer Studies

I analyze three case studies of marriage equality activism and marriage equality–based groups after the passage of Proposition 8 in California. Evaluating the JoinTheImpact protests of 2008, the LGBTQ rights group GetEQUAL, and the group One Struggle One Fight, I argue that these groups revise queer theoretical arguments about marriage equality activism as by definition assimilationist, homonormative, and single-issue. In contrast to such claims, the cases studied here provide a snapshot of heterogeneous, intersectional, and coalition-based social justice work in which creative methods of protest, including direct action and flash mobs, are deployed in militant ways for marriage rights and beyond.     

Well-being and Mobility: A Theoretical Framework and Literature Review Focusing on Older People

There is an increasing attention for how mobility is associated with well-being amongst people in general and older adults in particular. Comparisons across research projects and articles are, however, hampered by the different understandings and conceptualisations of well-being that are employed. We, firstly, develop a heuristic framework for understanding the concept of well-being, and secondly, use this to explore possible linkages between well-being and mobility and to critically examine the various conceptualisations of well-being in research on mobility in later life. It is argued that future work on well-being and mobility should consider both the objective and the subjective and the hedonic and eudaimonic dimensions of well-being, and should pay detailed attention to the multiple ways in which well-being and its linkages to mobility are context-dependent and shaped by the particularities of time and place.     

THE EFFECTS OF FINANCIAL AND RECOGNITION INCENTIVES ACROSS WORK CONTEXTS: THE ROLE OF MEANING

We manipulate workers' perceived meaning of a job in a field experiment and interact meaning of work with both financial and recognition incentives. Results show that workers exert more effort when meaning is high. Money has a positive effect on performance that is independent of meaning. In contrast, meaning and recognition interact negatively. Our results provide new insights into the stability of incentive effects across important work contexts. They also suggest that meaning and worker recognition may operate via the same motivational channel. (JEL C93, J33, M12, M52)