A comparison of theory and practice in market intelligence gathering for Australian micro-businesses and SMEs

Recent government sponsored research has demonstrated that there is a gap between the theory and practice of market intelligence gathering within the Australian micro, small and medium businesses (SMEs). Typically, there is a significant amount of information in literature about 'what needs to be done', however, there is little insight in terms of how market intelligence gathering should occur. This paper provides a novel insight and a comparison between the theory and practices of market intelligence gathering of micro-business and SMEs in Australia and demonstrates an anomoly in so far as typically the literature does not match what actually occurs in practice. A model for market intelligence gathering for micro-businesses and SMEs is also discussed

A comparison of theory and practice in market intelligence gathering for Australian micro-businesses and SMEs

Recent government sponsored research has demonstrated that there is a gap between the theory and practice of market intelligence gathering within the Australian micro, small and medium businesses (SMEs). Typically, there is a significant amount of information in literature about 'what needs to be done', however, there is little insight in terms of how market intelligence gathering should occur. This paper provides a novel insight and a comparison between the theory and practices of market intelligence gathering of micro-business and SMEs in Australia and demonstrates an anomoly in so far as typically the literature does not match what actually occurs in practice. A model for market intelligence gathering for micro-businesses and SMEs is also discussed

Case Advocacy: A Study of the Interventive Process in Child Advocacy

This is an exploratory study of the practice of case advocacy on behalf of children. The objectives of the study were to identify and classify the major components of case advocacy, to generate hypotheses describing the basic dynamics of this process, and to analyze the implications of these findings for the theory and practice of advocacy. The study was carried out during 1972-1973. Data were collected from 39 practitioners of child advocacy who had varying levels of education and work experience and were employed in eight different types of agencies located throughout the country. The respondents submitted 163 incidents of case advocacy over a five-month data collection period. The critical incident technique was the primary research instrument. Respondents were asked to submit brief written questionnaires describing the first incident of case advocacy they engaged in each week. Data collected in this manner were supplemented by site visits to each of the sample agencies, background information questionnaires on the respondents, and findings from a baseline study of child advocacy. The incidents were analyzed in an inductive manner to identify the major components of case advocacy and to develop a classification scheme delineating these variables. The incidents were then coded by the conference method so that frequencies and associations among variables could be computed. Finally, these findings were analyzed to generate hypotheses describing the major dynamics of the advocacy process. Case advocacy was revealed in this study as a complex, dynamic process in which there are a number of interrelated variables. To describe this process briefly, the study identified five major modes of direct intervention in child advocacy: intercession, persuasion, negotiation, pressure, and coercion. In addition, it was noted that indirect modes of influence are employed frequently. The advocate's use of one or more of these modes of intervention is determined by his analysis of the problem, objective and sanction for the intervention; his resources; and the receptivity of the target system. These variables also influence his decision as to the level and object of his intervention. It appears, however, that there is constant interaction and feedback among these components of the advocacy process so that the change agent constantly reassesses his approach in relation to his changing understanding of these various factors. And after the initial intervention has been completed, the advocate's evaluation of the outcome influences his decision as to whether to terminate his activity, adopt a different strategy, or initiate additional advocacy. It was noted that the advocates were reluctant to employ adversarial techniques, making extensive use of collaborative and mediatory strategies. Also, the respondents tended to employ a rather limited interventive repertoire and to engage in a relatively low level of intervention. The change agent and the target system appeared to be the primary determinants of the advocacy process. However, it was noted that the stronger the sanction for a particular intervention, the more options the advocate had in regard to object, level, and method of intervention. Although there was no conclusive evidence, it seemed that the resources of the change agent and the receptivity of the target system were the primary factors related to outcome. The findings have implications for the organization and practice of child advocacy. Also, it is hoped that the conceptual framework presented here will contribute to the development of a theory of advocacy practice

INTERGENERATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND ONTOLOGICAL CHANGE

The phenomenological concept of ontological change, or change in self-understanding, is used to structure an analysis of the experiential impact of a college-based, intergenerational service-learning project. The semester-long project aimed to create interpersonal, intergenerational situations in which students (N = 12) could experience for themselves the lack of fit between their inherited assumptions regarding aging and the actual meaning of aging as experienced by elders. Content analysis of students\u27 journals indicated that students experienced four temporally distinct types of experiences during the project. Students entered the project with an understanding as to how they should interact with their companions based on inherited assumptions regarding aging and the elderly (anticipation experiences). In the presence of their companions, however, the students\u27 assumptions were revealed as inappropriate and incapable of adequately guiding them in their interactions (personal-confT.ict experiences). To alleviate the awkwardness experienced in the field, students had to reevaluate their understanding of themselves and their role in their intergenerational relationship and identify changes they could make to improve their intergenerational relationships (reevaluation experiences). Ten of 12 students reported effecting positive changes in their relationships afrer redefining their role vis-a-vis their companions (transposition experiences). Phenomenological theory provides (a) insight into the type of intergenerational relationships conducive to combating ageism and (b) a framework (journal content analysis) for assessing the experiential impact of program participation

The sociological significance of Gadamer\u27s hermeneutics

This study is a social-theoretical analysis of Hans-Georg Gadamer\u27s philosophical hermeneutics. Special attention is paid to Gadamer\u27s analysis of the nature of interpretation, which is based in part on Martin Heidegger\u27s concept of the fore-structure of understanding. This Heideggerian concept, which implies that interpretation cannot proceed without a prior understanding of its object, reappears in Gadamer\u27s work in his notion of the prejudiced condition of interpretation. According to Gadamer, interpretation is prejudiced because it involves the application of preconscious linguistical concepts the truth status of which is assumed during their moment of application. Gadamer rejects a strictly pejorative view of prejudices, however, viewing them as necessary preliminary judgments of meaning that may be true or false. For Gadamer, the task we all face is to experience prejudices consciously by bringing into discourse their tacit semantical content. This process is defined by Gadamer as the experience of hermeneutical reflection, which yields an effective-historical consciousness, a consciousness that is aware of the anterior and meaning-constitutive effect of one\u27s existence within a linguistic tradition. It is argued that Anthony Giddens and Jurgen Habermas fail to understand the meaning of Gadamer\u27s notion of the universality of hermeneutics and consequently fail to grasp the full significance of his hermeneutics for sociology. In the case of Giddens, the implications of Gadamer\u27s hermeneutics are limited to the theoretical realm; in Habermas, the implications are taken to be strictly methodological. It is argued that the sociological significance of Gadamer is topical, as well as theoretical and methodological. This means that Gadamer\u27s hermeneutics may be used to introduce new topics and research questions within sociology. It is proposed that sociologists begin studying the distribution of prejudices across groups and the stratification and differentiation of situational opportunities conductive to hermeneutical reflection. The interpretive-sociological contributions of Max Weber, Alfred Schutz and G. H. Mead are also discussed and contrasted with Gadamer\u27s analysis of the prejudiced nature of interpretation

Flower production and effect of flower harvest on berry yields within six American elderberry genotypes

Field of study: Natural resources.Andrew L. Thomas, Thesis Supervisor.Includes vita."December 2017."Cultivation of American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is increasing in North America for its use in dietary supplements. While the flowers of European elderberry (S. nigra) are commonly consumed as an anti-viral in Europe, the horticultural production of American elderberry flowers is nascent. A large field experiment with American elderberry was established in 2015 in southwest Missouri, U.S.A to evaluate flower production and to determine the impact of a partial flower harvest on fruit yield and quality in addition to plant morphology. The study concurrently compared four promising new genotypes to two established cultivars. In 2017, 96 randomized plots of six genotypes were assigned treatments of 0, 15, 39, and 100 percent flower harvest, with four replicated plots per genotype/treatment. Flower and fruit production data, pest and disease incidence, phenology, plant growth response, and fruit quality data were determined. All six genotypes showed differences in flower cyme number, total flower dry matter produced, mean cyme size, bud break, fruit ripening date, fruit yield, berry size, and plant height. Pocahontas and Rogersville showed promise in terms of flower and fruit productivity, and produced taller plants compared with standard cultivars Bob Gordon and Wyldewood. While total fruit yields were correspondingly reduced in plots that received 15 and 39 percent flower cyme harvests, these differences were not statistically significant. Likewise, mean fruiting cyme weight, berry size, soluble solids in fruit, and plant height were not affected by the various flower cyme harvest treatments. While these results are preliminary, up to 39 percent harvest of flower cymes did not significantly reduce elderberry fruit yields, but neither did it improve berry size or fruit quality as was expected.Includes bibliographical references