Add the woman and stir: abstract masculinity in case study research

Case study research has a practical versatility in its agnostic approach (Rosenberg and Yates, 2007). Philosophically, it can be orientated from a realist or positivist perspective where the researcher holds the view that there is one single reality, which is independent of the individual and can be apprehended, studied and measured, through to a relativist or interpretivist perspective. Such philosophical versatility provides the researcher with the opportunity to decide the methodological orientation used in the conduct of the case study. Yet within such versatility, the assumption of objectivity, defined as the separation between knower and known, speaks of an "abstract masculinity". Case study research, this contribution contends, even when about women, obviates the experience of women, an experience that is always situated, relational, and engaged. In other words, ontologically, it is argued here, the lived reality of women's lives is absent from the domain of case study research because the language adopted when framing case study research is still very much a language that talks about women, but it does not allow women to speak. This contribution emphasises the multiplicity of female expressions and preoccupations so that from the intersection of these differences is possible to discover a standpoint for women that does not collapse the differences among women into the "Universal Woman" (Kristeva, 1981). Of course, any such program of action will not get very far unless the differences among women are fully explored. And, as Tong (1992) put it, because feminist thought is kaleidoscopic, a closer inspection will always reveal new visions, new structures, new relationships for personal and political life, all of which will be different tomorrow than today. These are the strengths and the value of challenging the ‘add the woman and stir’ approach in case study research. Feminist’s contribution to case study research goes further than highlighting the woman’s perspective as it helps to promote case study research as a distinctive form of empirical enquiry by challenging the common claim that case study research provides little basis for scientific research (Simons, 2009)

Quantitative and qualitative evaluations of impacts and benefits of nine INHERIT case studies

The INHERIT report Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluations of Impacts and Benefits of Nine INHERIT Case Studies documents the findings relevant to potential impacts and benefits of nine case studies for health, equity and a more sustainable environment. It uses a mixed method approach with quantitative methods augmented in some cases by written responses to survey questions, or by focus group discussions on impacts, as appropriate. Each case study evaluation was led by a different INHERIT partner. In each case, partners formulated the research design appropriate to their case studies and the associated research questions identified within the framework of INHERIT. The coordinating partner, University College London (UCL), developed an evaluation framework to suit the range of case studies examined for impacts and benefits, the case specific logic models developed, and the research questions identified. The nine chapters describe the impact evaluations and findings from the nine case studies using the following format: Background; Overall aims; Context; Research Questions; Methodology; Results; Discussion; Limitations; Learning points for future research; Learning points for potential scale up and transferability

Personality and content preferences on social network sites in South Africa

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Strategic Marketing Johannesburg, 2016Worldwide, visual content, such as photos and videos, have increased dramatically on social network sites (SNS), with South Africa being no exception. Due to these developments, marketers are increasingly interested in the factors that impact the usage of these sites, in order to develop branded content that will attract and engage users. However, there is a lack of academic research revealing how individual consumer factors, such as personality, influence SNS users’ preferences for different types of content on SNS, particularly within an emerging market such as South Africa. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between two personality traits – need for cognition (NFC) and need for affect (NFA) – and visual and verbal content preference on SNS in South Africa. The study also briefly examined whether demographic variables (gender and age) and SNS usage factors had an impact on the relationships between these variables. An online survey and pen-and-paper questionnaire were conducted. 307 social network site users were obtained primarily from two South African universities through convenience sampling. Data was analysed using correlation analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and standard multiple linear regression on SPSS. The main findings showed that personality does have an influence (albeit small) on SNS users’ preference for visual or verbal content, and warrants consideration by marketing organisations in the design of SNS content. Visual content preference on SNS was found to have a positive relationship with NFA and a negative relationship with NFC. Verbal content preference had a positive relationship with NFC but no significant relationship with NFA. Demographic and SNS usage variables showed mixed results in their impact on SNS content preference. It was recommended that future studies include other variables that could affect SNS content preference, as well as use more objective measures (rather than self-reporting) to determine SNS users’ actual behaviour. Key words: Social network sites, personality traits, need for cognition, need for affect, visual content, verbal content, South Africa, emerging marketGR201

Music CD in development and consumer value in the Thai music industry

While the digital market, especially the music streaming market, has rapidly grown in recent years, however the physical music segment still remains relevant in the Thai market. The Thai music market has inimitable characteristics within the market in terms of the physical music record offers, recorded musical works, and a growth trend in physical sales. Moreover, the behaviour in physical music consumption is opposite to that in world markets. Music consumption practices in the Thai market and why physical music, and CDs in particular, remain relevant to the Thai music industry are an enigma. The music industry itself has suggested that the physical music market needs to be revamped and its physical products redeveloped. In addition, the major record companies have also refocused into developing physical markets. However, precisely how this is to be achieved has not been specified. The twin aims of this study are to more fully comprehend Thai music consumption practices in today’s market and to examine how the concepts of product development could be effective in responding to consumer needs and desires. Consumer-led product development is the main concept of this study used to create ideas to enhance music CDs. This study combined many perspectives related to consumer-led product development and then applied them to construct the conceptual framework named “The Seminal Framework for CD Development”. The framework is a roadmap to create a new set of features for a new form of music CD based on the input of the music industry’s representatives and consumers. A new form of music CD which includes a new set of features is named in this study as the “prototype CD”. Also, the framework is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the prototype CD; how the prototype CD is responsive to consumer needs as far as functional and psychological perspectives are concerned. Bearing in mind the aim of this research, the researcher considered the interpretive paradigm to be the most appropriate approach for capturing consumers’ experiences in music consumption practices and for studying the opinions, points of view and ideas derived from the consumers, and the experts in music CD development. In the data collection process, this study employed the technique of purposive sampling for selecting from the population. The purposive sampling technique allows the researcher to judge and select people or prospective participants who: 1) are available to participate I in conducting the research, 2) are knowledgeable about the industry, 3) have experience related to the context of the study, and 4) can provide the reliable and detailed information required to understand the focal themes of the study. This study conducted nine interviews with the music industry’s experts, 60 one-on-one interviews and four group interviews with consumers. For the data analysis, this study adopted the manual coding analysis. The Seminal Framework determined the coding structure, and sets of data could be organised into distinct themes, such as the new features of music CDs or future positive possibilities for music consumption. This enabled, at the end of the process, an easier and more efficient identification of the experiential values derived from prototype music CDs. In addition, in more fully understanding the needs and expectations inherent in music consumption practices, such careful coding analysis helps to re-define the typology of music consumers. The typology and the concepts also facilitated the identification of music consumption behaviour in today’s environment. This study contributes a wider concept in consumer-led product development that has been applied to the context of music consumption practices and music product (CD) development

Designing for STEM E-Mentoring for Young Women: the Saudi Context

PhD ThesisThe underrepresentation of women in the STEM workforce is a global issue. In Saudi Arabia, women constitute 48% of undergraduates in STEM. This is in large part a result of the unique cultural context, gender segregation in educational institutions and the perceived prestige associated with studying a STEM subject for both women and men. However, these high levels of educational participation have not translated into a significant increase in the number of women in the STEM workforce. The exposing of girls to female role models and mentors in STEM, and raising awareness of their achievements and successes, is an approach that has been developed by previous research to address perceptions that girls are less likely to succeed in a STEM field than boys. In Saudi Arabia, the lack of female role models and the absence of mentoring and support programmes are likely some of the factors that have contributed to the low levels of progression of female graduates into STEM professions. In this research, I explore the current state of e-mentoring, seek to understand the requirements in designing STEM e-mentoring platforms for teenagers and young women in the Saudi context and understand how mentors and mentees interact within an e-mentoring relationship. I conducted four studies that aimed to understand, design and evaluate e-mentoring in the Saudi context. First, I deployed a structured STEM e-mentoring program, with the aims of understanding the applicability of e-mentoring in Saudi Arabia. The findings from this study led to carrying out two co-design studies to explore the perceived barriers to, and opportunities for, alternative and more flexible forms of e-mentoring. The findings from the three studies have led to the design of Qudwa based on four design requirements: 1) flexibility and control; 2) visibility; 3) integration of e-mentoring with daily internet activity; and 4) a trusted connection between mentors and mentees. Finally, I discuss the deployment and evaluation of Qudwa. This research makes three contributions, first it is the first systematic investigation of e-mentoring in Saudi Arabia. While I aimed to understand the role of cultural norms, the studies show that the findings are affected less by cultural norms and more by the traits of the participants’ age group. The second novel contribution of this research is the application of co-design methods to help address the gap in understanding the needs and opportunities in designing e-mentoring for young people. The results point to a need for a shift in the design of e-mentoring models for younger generations into less committed and more flexible relationships. Finally, it presents the design and evaluation of Qudwa, which facilitates e-mentoring through existing social media technologies and practices (un-platforming)

A cloud-based collaborative virtual learning environment for the higher education institutions in the Sultanate of Oman.

Advances in cloud computing have made it possible for collaborative environments to be developed for educational services. However, some HEIs are still using traditional VLE tools which receive minimal utilisation by users mostly for uploading and downloading course materials. This study focuses on challenges and concerns that limit or even prohibit the use of a cloud-based collaborative virtual learning environment (CBCVLE). More specifically, this study considers the influences of Omani culture upon utilisation of CBCVLEs. A mixed methods research approach is adopted which includes a preliminary study, a questionnaire-based survey, and a set of interviews. The issues are identified by reviewing the related literature and the surveys and grouping them under five headings: (1) ICT infrastructure and services, (2) operational environment, (3) user’s experience and expectations, (4) factors affecting the use and acceptance, and (5) cultural influences. The findings indicate lack of sufficient ICT infrastructure and services, as well as insufficient financial resources in some higher education institutions for establishing their own ICT infrastructures. Moreover, the findings highlight users’ experience as an important influence for utilisation of CBCVLEs. Regarding the operational environment, a wide range of concerns and challenges are identified by participants in the surveys. A number of issues are found to have an effect on the use of VLE tools and collaborative environments. Factors affecting the use and acceptance of a CBCVLE are also identified and classified as motivators or deterrents. Most importantly, cultural influences are found to be critical and vital for the use of CBCVLE. Family, religion, language, customs and traditions and gender can have a critical effect on users’ participation in collaborative projects. The study’s findings contribute to a better understanding and promotion of high utilisation and acceptance of CBCVLEs. A novel framework is proposed which incorporates key elements and their relationships associated with a cloud-based collaborative environment. The framework aims to mitigate issues and factors influencing low utilisation and the acceptance of CBCVLEs

Women’s Fashion Consumption in Saudi Arabia

This study investigates the influence of the sociocultural factors affecting the fashion and clothing consumption of Saudi women. It is a multidisciplinary study that combines fashion and consumer behaviour approaches in order to define and explain the collective sociocultural norms that underlie the patterns of women’s fashion and clothing consumption in Saudi Arabia. It applies a mixed-method approach as a strategy for data collection, with primary data gathered through observation, a face-to-face questionnaire completed by 654 respondents and interviews with local retailers and experts in the fashion market. The analysis of the empirical data revealed significant findings related to consumption patterns and the characteristics of the local market. It identified that there are two main systems that define fashion consumption in female Saudi society. Each system operates in a different social setting (public and female-only social settings) that requires communicating or establishing a specific value or a set of values to meet social expectations. The research findings also indicate the structure of the market and its operational system used to respond to consumer demands. In the light of these findings, theoretical models were developed to define the particularities of fashion consumption in Saudi Arabia as outcomes of this study. This study could have a substantial influence in academia as it provides a broader insight into fashion consumption behaviour in Saudi Arabia compared to that available in the existing literature. It could also help retailers and investors to understand the particularities of Saudi women’s fashion consumption in more depth. This understanding could be applied to develop strategies to meet Saudi women’s fashion demands.Saudi Cultural Burea

Exploring Saudi Adolescents’ Perceptions of Emotional Eating with the Purpose of Informing the Design of an Online Health Awareness Programme

This study explores emotional eating (EE) among adolescent students in Saudi Arabia, which is defined as a change in food consumption in response to emotional triggers (Economy, 2013). Additionally, the study sets out to contribute to raising awareness about the prevalence of emotional eating among Saudi Arabian adolescents and to use this information to inform the design of an online health awareness programme that supports healthy eating and healthy behaviour for this population, the first study to do so for this population. Data were collected using a questionnaire and one-to-one semi-structured interviews. A total of 304 male and female adolescents (ages 12-15) completed the questionnaire, while 12 female students, who showed a high level of emotional eating, engaged in a one-to-one interview. The questionnaire data revealed there was a wide range of levels of emotional eating between individuals, with the males showing a lower level than the females. A variety of emotions were reported to affect eating, including boredom, anxiety and sadness, but positive emotions as well, notably happiness and comfort. The obese students reported a higher level of emotional eating than the others. The sociocultural environment of Saudi Arabia appeared to contribute to the students’ eating behaviour, mainly in respect of positive emotions, for example, during meetings with friends and relatives, weekend holidays, social and religious events, and fasting days. There was a high association of food with social occasions and festivals. Recommendations are made for the treatment for emotional eating, including mindfulness in eating, because it helps to moderate emotional eating as well as raising self-compassion. This study’s results aimed to inform the design of an online health awareness programme based on various suggestions from the female students in the light of existing literature, who provided essential inputs regarding the social networking apps, functions, features, and overall design of such a programme