Use of mixed methods designs in substance research: a methodological necessity in Nigeria

The utility of mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) is becoming increasingly accepted in health sciences, but substance studies are yet to substantially benefit from such utilities. While there is a growing number of mixed methods alcohol articles concerning developed countries, developing nations are yet to embrace this method. In the Nigerian context, the importance of mixed methods research is yet to be acknowledged. This article therefore, draws on alcohol studies to argue that mixed methods designs will better equip scholars to understand, explore, describe and explain why alcohol consumption and its related problems are increasing in Nigeria. It argues that as motives for consuming alcohol in contemporary Nigeria are multiple, complex and evolving, mixed method approaches that provide multiple pathways for proffering solutions to problems should be embraced

Co-evolution of institutional complexity and multinational enterprise: Transformation of pharmaceutical industry

This thesis explored changes in the international business (IB) environment as a co-evolution of institutional complexity and multinational enterprises (MNEs). Institutional complexity refers to the often contradictory and overlapping pressures from the business environment that require a response from an MNE. Co-evolution on the other hand refers to a perspective that views changes in the business environment as arising from the interaction of two or more jointly evolving entities, the institutional complexity and the MNE in this study. The interaction of MNE and its’ environment has been the focus of the MNE embeddedness studies. Earlier research on this has focused on understanding the influences of the multiple contexts of MNEs and the types of responses MNEs have in the form of strategies and structures. Although we have gained valuable insights from earlier studies, we need to further understand the complexity of changes in the business environment. Thus, this study focuses on the interplay between MNEs and institutional complexity. This study concentrates on industry-level changes and their linkages to global and organisational developments. Empirically the study focuses on the transformation of the pharmaceutical industry. The industry has emerged from a simple craftsmanship type of business into a high-technology industry dominated by MNEs with a global presence. As a highly institutionalised environment, the pharmaceutical industry offers an interesting context for studying contextual complexity on an industry level. The pharmaceutical industry is strongly regulated at nearly all levels of operations, limiting companies' legitimate strategic options. In addition, this industry has relatively stable structures and well-defined actors. Therefore, it can be viewed as a mature sector, offering a different context for study compared with more traditional institutional studies in IB focusing on emerging markets in which regulative institutions are usually underdeveloped. This study applied a multi-methodological approach by triangulating three methodologies. First, stemming from the need to understand change at multiple levels, the study applied a historical research approach to examine past events and identify change trajectories of institutional complexity. Second, to examine the variety of institutional complexity, the thesis applied a qualitative comparative analysis focused on the present characteristics of institutional complexity at the industry level. Third, to investigate institutional change as a co-evolution in multiple related industries, the thesis applied futures research tools and aims to further understand the different elements of institutional change. As its main theoretical contribution, this study presents a co-evolutionary model of institutional change building from the interaction between changing institutional complexity and MNEs. The findings illustrate that in this co-evolutionary process, the varieties of institutional complexity offer different types of opportunities for agency. This brings forward a more integrated view of institutional change. Furthermore, the study extends the current knowledge on embeddeness of MNEs and provides further analytical tools to enrich contextuality in IB studies. The study also has important implications for managers and policymakers, enabling them to make more informed decisions and to navigate complex institutional environments better.Institutionaalisen kompleksisuuden ja monikansallisen yrityksen yhteisevoluutio: Muuttuva lääketeollisuus Tämä väitöskirjatutkimus tarkastelee kansainvälisen liiketoimintaympäristön muutoksia institutionaalisen kompleksisuuden ja monikansallisen yrityksen yhteiskehityksenä muuttuvan lääketeollisuuden kontekstissa. Institutionaalinen kompleksisuus viittaa usein ristiriitaisiin ja päällekkäisiin liiketoimintaympäristöstä nouseviin paineisiin. Yhteisevoluutio puolestaan viittaa näkökulmaan, jonka mukaan muutos johtuu sekä liiketoimintaympäristön paineiden kehityksestä että monikansallisten yritysten aktiivisesta toiminnasta. Aiemmat tutkimukset monikansallisten yritysten sitoutumisesta ympäristöönsä ovat keskittyneet ymmärtämään eri kansallisten kontekstien vaikutuksia näihin organisaatioihin ja siihen, millaisia reaktioita monikansallisilla yhtiöillä on liiketoimintaympäristön luomiin paineisiin niin strategioiden kuin rakenteiden muodossa. Vaikka olemme saaneet arvokasta tietoa aikaisemmista tutkimuksista, on tarpeen ymmärtää paremmin liiketoimintanympäristön muutoksen kompleksisuutta. Näin ollen tämän väitöskirjatutkimuksen tavoitteena on ymmärtää paremmin institutionaalisen kompleksisuuden ja monikansallisten yritysten dynamiikkaa. Tässä tutkimuksessa keskitytään toimialatason muutoksiin ja näiden muutosten yhteyksiin globaalin ja organisaatiotason kehitykseen. Tutkimuksen empiirinen konteksti on lääketeollisuuden muutos. Lääketeollisuus on kehittynyt perinteisestä käsityötaitoalasta globaaliksi korkeanteknologian teollisuudenalaksi. Tätä alaa hallitsevat monikansalliset yritykset globaalien arvoketjujen verkossa. Lääketeollisuus erittäin institutionalisoituneena ympäristönä tarjoaa mielenkiintoisen tutkimuskohteen kontekstuaalisen kompleksisuuden tutkimiseen teollisuudenalan tasolla. Lääketeollisuus on vahvasti säänneltyä lähes kaikilla toiminnan tasoilla rajoittaen yritysten strategisia vaihtoehtoja. Lisäksi tällä toimialalla on melko vakaat rakenteet ja selkeästi määritellyt toimijat, ja siksi sitä voidaan pitää täysin kehittyneenä sektorina. Täten se tarjoaa erilaisen kontekstin tutkia instituutioiden ja monikansallisten yritysten vuorovaikutusta verrattuna perinteisempiin tutkimusasetelmiin, joissa usein keskitytään vertailemaan kehittyvien ja kehittyneiden markkinoiden institutionaalista ympäristöä. Kehittyvissä maissa sääntely on usein alikehittynyttä verrattuna kehittyneisiin maihin. Tutkimus hyödyntää monimenetelmällistä lähestymistapaa, jossa tutkittavaa ilmiötä tarkastellaan kolmen eri metodologian avulla. Ensinnäkin tutkimuksen tavoitteena on ymmärtää muutosta useilla tasoilla, joten tutkimuksessa sovelletaan historiallisen tutkimuksen lähestymistapaa menneiden tapahtumien tarkasteluun ja institutionaalisen kompleksisuuden muutospolkujen tunnistamiseen. Toiseksi, ymmärtääksemme institutionaalisen kompleksisuuden vaihtelua, hyödynnetään kvalitatiivista vertailevaa analyysiä (Qualitative comparative analysis), joka keskittyy toimialan tasolla institutionaalisen kompleksisuuden nykyisiin ominaisuuksiin. Kolmanneksi, tarkastellaan institutionaalisen kompleksisuuden kehittymistä tulevaisuudentutkimuksen työkaluja hyödyntäen pyrkien ymmärtämään paremmin institutionaalista muutosta toisiinsa liittyvinä kehityspolkuina. Keskeisenä teoreettisena kontribuutiona tämä tutkimus luo yhteisevolutiivisen institutionaalisen muutoksen mallin, joka rakentuu muuttuvan institutionaalisen kompleksisuuden ja monikansallisten yritysten vuorovaikutuksesta. Tulokset osoittavat, että tässä yhteisevoluutioprosessissa institutionaalisen kompleksisuuden vaihtelut tarjoavat erilaisia toimijuuden mahdollisuuksia. Näin tämä tutkimus kehittää integroidumpaa näkemystä institutionaalisesta muutoksesta. Lisäksi tutkimus kontribuoi osaltaan kansainvälisten liiketoiminnan tutkimuksen kontekstuaalisuuden syventämiseen hyödyntämällä eri tutkimusmenetelmiä. Tutkimus antaa myös työkaluja johtajille ja päättäjille kehittää tiedostavampaa päätöksentekoa ja navigoida paremmin kompleksisessa institutionaalisessa ympäristössä

Research and Applications of the Processes of Performance Appraisal: A Bibliography of Recent Literature, 1981-1989

[Excerpt] There have been several recent reviews of different subtopics within the general performance appraisal literature. The reader of these reviews will find, however, that the accompanying citations may be of limited utility for one or more reasons. For example, the reference sections of these reviews are usually composed of citations which support a specific theory or practical approach to the evaluation of human performance. Consequently, the citation lists for these reviews are, as they must be, highly selective and do not include works that may have only a peripheral relationship to a given reviewer\u27s target concerns. Another problem is that the citations are out of date. That is, review articles frequently contain many citations that are fifteen or more years old. The generation of new studies and knowledge in this field occurs very rapidly. This creates a need for additional reference information solely devoted to identifying the wealth of new research, ideas, and writing that is changing the field

Qualitatively-driven mixed methods approaches to counselling and psychotherapy research

Many researchers and clinicians take an ‘either, or’ position regarding factors responsible for change when conducting research. Qualitatively-driven mixed methods privilege the qualitative approach and offers the opportunity to generate multi-dimensional material, permitting a more holistic insight into experiences that can be understood from a combination of epistemological and ontological stances. A qualitatively-driven mixed methods applies a ‘both, and’ position when exploring the elements that produce change or that are under investigation, which can be of particular value to counselling and psychotherapy research. There are various ways of engaging with qualitatively-driven mixed methods. Some designs include both qualitative and quantitative components, where the former is the core element. The secondary component may also be qualitative, known as a multimethod design. Yet other designs mix different qualitative approaches, through the application of different qualitative analyses to the same data (pluralistic qualitative research). This paper discusses the application and value of qualitatively-driven mixed methods in counselling and psychotherapy research through the presentation of two research case studies; one which mixes both qualitative and quantitative components to investigate the experiences of pain alleviation following a CBT pain management programme; and one which applies a pluralistic approach to a counselling psychology doctorate exploring the experiences and meanings attached to self-harming. Through illustration and discussion of the case studies’ mixed methods approaches, this paper demonstrates that qualitatively-driven mixed methods produce a more enhanced and holistic understanding into phenomena, and therefore a more balanced perspective to counselling and psychotherapy research

Development of a regionalized implementation strategy for smart automation within assembly systems in China

Companies struggle to overcome the difficulties stemming from the dynamic environment of global production due to the specific conditions in different regions. Particularly, insufficient know-how about a regionalized implementation strategy of smart automation (SmAu) technologies is one significant difficulty for enterprises. Thus, developing a key performance indicator (KPI) oriented, regionalized implementation strategy for smart automation technologies is increasingly important. In this context, a new approach is exposed to systematically investigate and identify the interdependencies among location factors, smart automation technologies, and KPIs. Firstly, the environment consisting of location-related factors, KPIs and smart automation technologies is defined in detail. Further, a Catalog quantifies the influence of different regions in China. Secondly, important aspects to model the qualitative and quantitative interdependencies in a multimethod simulation are introduced. Subsequently, an approach to analyze suitable implementation strategies is presented. A case study based on a production line for digitalized production technology is used to validate the proposed approach

Breaking Barriers with Qualitative Multi-method Research for Engineering Studies: Pros, Cons and Issues

The purpose of this article is to investigate how contemporary studies about engineering are breaking down boundaries of knowledge. This study uses a systematic literature review to show how the application of qualitative multi-method approaches may offer reliable results and provide greater emphasis to the dimensions of development, triangulation and complementarity. The article offers new insights on the role of qualitative researches for the engineering domain, an area which has been largely unaddressed in the literature.O objetivo deste artigo é analisar como os estudos contemporâneos sobre a engenharia estão a quebrar as fronteiras do conhecimento. Este artigo utiliza uma revisão sistemática da literatura para mostrar como a utilização de abordagens qualitativas multi-método pode oferecer resultados fiáveis e dar maior enfase às dimensões de desenvolvimento, triangulação e complementaridade. O artigo discute as novas dinâmicas que as investigações qualitativas oferecem ao domínio da engenharia, área que que tem sido amplamente negligenciada pela literatura.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Time to care: why the humanities and the social sciences belong in the science of health

Health is more than the absence of disease. It is also more than a biological phenomenon. It is inherently social, psychological, cultural, and historical. Social and personal resources are both key components and key determinants of health, as it has been recognised by major health actors for decades [1–3]. However, open questions remain as to how to build systems that reflect the complexity of health, healthy lives, disease, and sickness, and in a context that is increasingly technologized. Although we find in the literature an increasing understanding of the complexity of health [4–7], the implementation of this knowledge lags behind. Biological approaches to health and disease, as a matter of fact, dominate the development of curative and preventive interventions. We argue that an urgent change of approach is necessary. Methods and concepts from the humanities and social science must be embedded in the concepts and methods of the health sciences and of public health, if we are to promote sustainable interventions capable of engaging with the recognized complexity of health, healthy lives, disease, and sickness. This resonates with the vision expressed by UK Health Secretary and by many policy documents [8,9] from the last decades. Yet, given the difficulties associated with interdisciplinary research, integrated strategies to understand and to intervene on the complexity of health and that engage with biological, social, psychological and behavioural factors are still needed. Our vision is one of radical interdisciplinarity, integrating aspects of biological, psychological, social, and humanities approaches across areas of urgent health need. These areas include, but is not confined to, chronic conditions such as the obesity epidemic, cancer, mental health. Radical interdisciplinarity entails the practical, methodological, and conceptual integration of approaches to health, as they are developed in the health and social sciences, and in the humanities. It is the combination of cognitive resources from individuals belonging to different disciplines, who accept and respect the division of labour and the resulting epistemic dependence to tackle phenomena that would not be adequately conceptualised within any of the involved discipline alone [10]. In what follows, we describe our current understanding of these three aspects, and describe how radical interdisciplinarity would change them.Not funde

Time to care: why the humanities and the social sciences belong in the science of health

Health is more than the absence of disease. It is also more than a biological phenomenon. It is inherently social, psychological, cultural and historical. While this has been recognised by major health actors for decades, open questions remain as to how to build systems that reflect the complexity of health, disease and sickness, and in a context that is increasingly technologised. We argue that an urgent change of approach is necessary. Methods and concepts from the humanities and social science must be embedded in the concepts and methods of the health sciences if we are to promote sustainable interventions capable of engaging with the recognised complexity of health, disease and sickness. Our vision is one of radical interdisciplinarity, integrating aspects of biological, psychological, social and humanities approaches across areas of urgent health need. Radical interdisciplinarity, we argue, entails the practical, methodological and conceptual integration of these approaches to health

Introduction to the Special Issue on the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual, 2nd edition (PDM-2). The PDM. Yesterday, today, tomorrow

In this introductory essay, we review the development of the second edition of the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual. We place the first edition in historical context and note the main responses and critiques of professional colleagues to its publication. We then outline the developing process of this second, comprehensively revised edition. Finally, we preview the contributions to this Special Issue. Overall, we emphasize the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual's innovative diagnostic framework, designed to assess the depth as well as the surface of patients' emotional, cognitive, interpersonal, and social patterns and to foster in the field an integration between nomothetic understanding and the idiographic knowledge useful for case formulation and treatment plannin

Whole-school mental health promotion in Australia

Although there is increasing recognition internationally of the significance of social and emotional health and wellbeing for the healthy development of young people, the levels of support that governments provide for mental health policy and programme initiatives vary widely. In this paper, consideration is given to Australia’s approach to mental health promotion from early years to secondary school, including specific reference to the KidsMatter Primary mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention initiative. Although it is now well established that schools provide important settings for the promotion of mental health initiatives, there are significant challenges faced in effectively implementing and maintaining the delivery of evidence-based practice in school settings, including concerns about quality assurance in processes of implementation, translation, dissemination and evaluation.peer-reviewe