Corporate social responsibility and the identification of stakeholders

As a management problem the identification of stakeholders is not easily solved. It comprises a modelling and a normative issue, which need to be solved in connection with each other. In stakeholder literature knowledge can be found, e.g. on various stakeholder categorizations, that could be useful for the modelling issue. However, the normative issue remains unresolved. Furthermore, the modelling of the so-called stakeholder category “the affected” is even more difficult. Nevertheless, this group holds justified interests in aspects of organizational activity and are, for that reason, legitimate stakeholders. In this article it is explored to what extent Critical Systems Heuristics can help resolving the managerial problem of identifying stakeholders, particularly the affected. Critical Systems Heuristics can be viewed a modelling methodology. The normative aspect of modelling is crucial in this methodology. Using the distinction between “the involved” and “the affected” a variety of boundary judgments is discussed. Special attention is given to the so-called “witness” as a representative of the affected.

Improving organizational sustainability using a quality perspective

This article derives lessons from the quality approach for further developing the organizational sustainability approach. Taking a responsibility perspective on organizational sustainability, four issues emerge that need to be resolved, i.e. what is the responsibility?, what is the responsibility area?, who is involved in determining responsibilities and area?, and, in what way is the organization able to take care of these responsibilities?. The article explores in what way the quality approach has been dealing with these issues, which is the basis for some lessons for the sustainability approach. An important lesson is that the who is involved question should be leading. The stakeholder who is willing to pay for sustainability dominates answering the other three issues. With respect to the accounting practices, sustainability programmes could be inspired by the same need for protective and accountable behaviour as quality programmes, if the well-known negative aspects are minimized.

Instagramin hyödyntäminen brändin rakentamisessa, Case: Glossier

Tämän opinnäytetyön tavoitteena on kuvata Glossierin brändiä tukeva sisällöntuotanto Instagramissa, sekä analysoida sen onnistumista ja esittää kehitysehdotuksia. Opinnäytetyön tietoperustassa käydään läpi brändin rakennuksen peruskäsitteitä brändistä visuaaliseen identiteettiin ja brändinhallintaan. Lisäksi tarkastellaan Instagramia sosiaalisen median kanavana sekä brändäyksen näkökulmasta. Tietoperusta pohjautuu brändäystä käsittelevään kirjallisuuteen, blogijulkaisuihin sekä kirjoittajan omakohtaisiin kokemuksiin ja havaintoihin Instagramista. Tutkimus toteutettiin keväällä 2018 havainnoimalla Glossierin Instagram-julkaisuja ja -tarinoita. Havainnointijakso ajoittui aikavälille tammi-toukokuu 2018 ja sen aikana tehtyjä huomioita havainnollistamaan opinnäytetyössä käytetään Glossierin Instagram-tilistä otettuja kuvakaappauksia. Tehtyjen havaintojen perusteella voidaan todeta, että Glossierin brändiä tukeva sisällöntuotanto palvelee asiakkaita, on vuorovaikutuksessa näiden kanssa, luo luottamusta, sekä tukee brändin visuaalista identiteettiä. Päällimmäiseksi kehitysehdotukseksi nousee Instagram live-lähetyksien hyödyntäminen, sillä Glossier ei toistaiseksi ole ottanut irti kaikkia hyötyjä ominaisuuden tarjoamista mahdollisuuksista. Päätösluvussa opinnäytetyö on kiteytetty yhdeksään neuvoon, joita erityisesti B2C-yritykset voivat hyödyntää suunnitellessaan omaa brändiään tukevaa sisältöä Instagramiin

Erityistä tukea tarvitsevan lapsen vanhempien jaksaminen arjessa

Opinnäytetyössä tutkittiin vanhempien arkea ja jaksamista silloin, kun perheessä on erityistä tukea tarvitseva lapsi. Opinnäytetyön toimeksiantajana oli erityisosaamiskeskus Olavin koulu Ulvilassa. Olavin koulun oppilaiden vanhempia haastateltiin opinnäytetyötä varten. Opinnäytetyö toteutettiin laadullista tutkimusmenetelmää soveltaen. Opinnäytetyötä varten haastateltiin Olavin koulua käyvien oppilaiden vanhempia puolistrukturoitua haastattelumenetelmää hyödyntäen. Lisäksi opinnäytetyötä varten kerättiin tutkimuksen kannalta oleellista tietoa kirjallisuudesta. Haastatteluihin osallistui neljä vanhempaa. Haastattelemalla erityistä tukea tarvitsevien lasten vanhempia hankittiin tietoa siitä, millaista on arki erityislapsen kanssa, sekä mikä haastaa erityislasten vanhempien jaksamista arjessa. Lisäksi opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli selvittää haastattelujen avulla vanhempien keinoja selviytyä arjessa, ulkopuolisen tuen merkitystä sekä koulun merkitystä vanhempien jaksamisen kannalta. Opinnäytetyössä havaittiin, että arki erityistä tukea tarvitsevan lapsen kanssa voi olla haastavaa. Keskeisiksi arjen haasteiksi koettiin aikatauluttaminen ja ulkoapäin tulevat odotukset. Erityistä tukea tarvitsevan lapsen koettiin myös vievän tavallista enemmän aikaa ja huomiota vanhempien päivistä. Opinnäytetyön tuloksissa perheen omat sisäiset voimavarat, ulkopuolinen tuki sekä koulun henkilökunta nähtiin keskeisinä vanhempien jaksamista tukevina tekijöinä. Oma osaaminen, kuten korkea koulutus ja lapsen hoidossa vaadittavien taitojen opettelu nähtiin arkea helpottavina tekijöinä. Arkea helpottamaan auttoivat myös perheenjäsenten, kuten isovanhempien antama sosiaalinen tuki ja koulun osaava henkilökunta. Koulun merkitystä vanhempien jaksamisen kannalta voidaan haastattelujen perusteella punnita kahdelta kannalta. Toisaalta haastatteluissa koettiin, että koulu tuo tukea ja turvaa. Toisaalta kuitenkin koettiin, että toistuvalla negatiivisella palautteella on jaksamista horjuttavia vaikutuksia. Opinnäytetyön tuloksia voidaan käyttää Olavin koulussa koulun ja kodin välisen yhteistyön kehittämiseen.The purpose of this thesis was to study an everyday life and strength of parents who have children with special needs. The client of this thesis was Olavin koulu in Ulvila. Thesis was executed with qualitative research method. Parents were interviewed with the method of half-structured interview. In addition, a relevant information was collected from literature. The purpose was to find out what is everyday life like with a special child and also what challenges parents, parents’ means to cope, the meaning of outside support and the role of the school. It was noticed that everyday life with children who have special needs can be challenging. Making schedules and being pressured by the people from outside the home were the crucial challengers. Parents also experienced that it took more time and attention to take care of a child with special needs. The results show that the resources of the family, outside support and the staff from the school are important positive factors in the everyday life of the parents. The knowhow like high education and nursing skills are things that help parents to cope. Also support from family members like grand-parents was important. The school where the special children go to was seen as a support but also as a challenge. The results of this thesis can be used to develop the cooperation between Olavin koulu and the parents

Persepsi Stakeholders Terhadap Kesiapan Kerja Sebagai Manajer Katering di Kodya Yogyakarta

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk : 1) mengetahui kesiapan kerja yang harus dikuasai oleh manajer katering; 2) Mengetahui persepsi stakeholders terhadap kesiapan kerja yang dibutuhkan sebagai manajer katering di Kodya Yogyakarta. Penelitian ini termasuk dalam penelitian deskriptif. Populasi penelitian adalah katering yang termasuk dalam golongan A3 di wilayah Kodya Yogyakarta. Sampel penelitian diambil dengan cara sampling purposive. Teknik pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan metode angket. Untuk kesahihan butir kisi-kisi menggunakan uji validitas dan reliabilitas instrumen. Analisis data menggunakan statistik deskriptif. Hasil penelitian menemukan bahwa : 1) kesiapan kerja yang dibutuhkan sebagai manajer katering adalah kesiapan kerja hard skill dengan aspek keterampilan teknis (Technical Skills) dan kesiapan kerja soft skill yang meliputi aspek keterampilan kemanusiaan (Human Skills) dan keterampilan konseptual (Conceptual Skills). 2) Persepsi stakeholders terhadap kesiapan kerja hard skill yang dibutuhkan sebagai manajer katering di Kodya Yogyakarta dengan indikator keterampilan teknis menunjukkan skor 3,54 untuk aspek perencanaan termasuk kategori sangat dibutuhkan, skor 3,31 untuk aspek pengorganisasian termasuk kategori sangat dibutuhkan, skor 3,23 untuk aspek pengawasan termasuk kategori dibutuhkan, dan skor 3,05 untuk aspek penyusunan termasuk kategori dibutuhkan. Persepsi stakeholders terhadap kesiapan kerja soft skill yang dibutuhkan sebagai manajer katering di Kodya Yogyakarta dengan indikator keterampilan konseptual menunjukkan skor 3,46 untuk aspek kecakapan berpikir termasuk kategori sangat dibutuhkan dan indikator keterampilan kemanusiaan menunjukkan skor 3,43 untuk aspek kecakapan bekerjasama termasuk kategori sangat dibutuhkan serta skor 3,4 untuk aspek kecakapan berkomunikasi termasuk kategori sangat dibutuhkan. Kata Kunci : Persepsi, Kesiapan Kerja, Katerin

Expanding Identities and Advancing Global Citizenship of Underrepresented U.S. Higher Education Students Through International Virtual Exchange

Global citizenship education (GCED) helps students thrive in the multicultural 21st century world. Yet participation in study abroad and related programs in the United States – a purported “melting pot” of races and cultures – remains, disproportionately, the domain of affluent whites (Bell et al., 2021; Seid, 2021; NAFSA, 2020; IIE, 2020; Sweeney, 2013; Salisbury, et. al., 2011). In recent years, international virtual exchange (IVE), an educational experience involving sustained interaction between geographically-separated participants using technology and trained facilitators, has emerged as an affordable and scalable complement to study abroad. Analyzed at the macro level, IVE has the potential to promote world peace among future generations by bringing students around the world together instantly for dialogue and friendship. In addition to language learning, many established IVE scholars contend these exchanges, like study abroad, can foster greater understanding of different world views and address socio-political issues in an increasingly polarized world (Beelen & Jones, 2018; Helm, 2013; O’Dowd, 2021). There is a large body of research on IVE for cultural competency development, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic (Marinoni & van’t Land, 2020). One under-explored area, however, is the potential for IVE to draw more students from underserved communities to the global world and the career and personal development opportunities affiliated with it. Against this backdrop, this study seeks to learn from the experiences of underrepresented and historically-segregated students in IVE. To achieve this, I conducted a mixed-methods study using surveys to identify and recruit IVE participants at three large universities in the South and Midwest followed by one-on-one virtual interviews with a subset of the students to attain a more nuanced understanding of their exchange experiences. In addition, exchange field notes and my own abroad experiences have informed this study. Data from the study revealed six main themes: “Virtual connections beyond the classroom,” “Bias reduction,” “Color matters,” “Equality in digital space,” “Window to the world,” and “One step closer to abroad.” Findings suggest that sustained contact and collaboration with counterparts in other parts of the world strengthens participants’ self-efficacy, identity and desire to learn more about the global world

Exploring child protection social workers' perceptions of how their experience of work and wellbeing influence each other

This qualitative study explored child protection social workers' perceptions of how their working experience and wellbeing positively and negatively influence each other. It also further considered child protection social workers' perceptions of the support currently available to them as well as any other supportive measures they require in order to cope effectively with their work demands while maintaining a good sense of well-being. The research was conducted in a Non-Governmental Organisation and permission was granted by the research site to conduct the qualitative study with child protection social workers employed by them. Purposive sampling was used to select the 20 participants and semi-structured online interviews were conducted with these participants. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and then translated from Afrikaans to English. Tesch's (1990) data analysis model was utilised in order to analyse data obtained from the interviews. The findings of this study illustrated the mutual influence that participants' work experience and wellbeing have on each other. Positive relationships with colleagues, supervision, training, time off, experience, protection of children and the unpredictability of the job were highlighted as factors positively influencing participants' wellbeing. Conversely, participants' wellbeing was also negatively influenced by certain challenges encountered at work such as changes due to Covid 19, unpredictability of the job, high caseloads, lack of resources, high level of responsibility, threats to personal safety, repeated exposure to trauma, supervision and the expectations of communities and other stakeholders. Supportive personal relationships, selfcare, spirituality, a positive attitude, boundaries and self-assertiveness enabled participants to cope with work stressors. Certain emotional health factors such as stress and low mood levels negatively influenced participants' work experience. Participants highlighted the need for certain supportive practices such as teambuilding activities, access to debriefing services and a space for reflection. Recommendations were made around the implementation of regular teambuilding activities, provision of debriefing services, continuation of time off policies as well as training opportunities. Recommendations were also made for future research

SOME MEANINGFUL AND FUN ACTIVITIES FOR TEACHING ENGLISH TO YOUNG LEARNERS

Teaching English to young learners (TEYL) is very important to do. Many benefits can be got since young learners have much potential to be developed. However, Teaching English to young learners is not easy. Most teachers feel very frustrated because they do not have experiences and knowledge how to cope with the young learners. Actually TEYL can be both a rewarding and a demanding experience if teachers do appropriate activities in the classroom. To make this experience easier, more enjoyable and meaningful for both, teachers must identify what learning a language in school requires for young children. Subsequently, teachers need to use the basic principles of teaching young learners as the bases of selecting appropriate activities as offers to the young learners. Therefore, this paper discusses young learners’ needs in learning English and provides some meaningful and fun activities as choices to be implemented

Teachers' views on students' social and emotional skills

The importance of social and emotional skills in schools contexts can be seen both in in research and in the National core curriculum for basic education in Finland. Considering the importance of social and emotional skills for students’ social, personal and academic development as well as the recent emphasis on these skills in Finnish education, the purpose of this study is to explore teachers’ experiences, views and practices in relation to students’ social and emotional learning. Social and emotional skills have a great impact on child’s development, success and future. How teachers view social and emotional skills have an effect on how they address them in their classrooms. Teachers’ ability to implement social and emotional skills education in classroom culture daily affect students’ social and emotional competence. Considering the importance of social and emotional skills in students’ learning and development and the importance of teachers’ views in shaping their practices of addressing social and emotional skills, the following research questions were asked in this study: 1. What are teachers’ views about students’ social and emotional skills? 2. How do teachers address social and emotional skills for their students? A survey design was employed as the research method in this study because it enables gathering the ideas of a large group of people about a topic or issue. The study showed that social and emotional skills are considered to be important by participating teachers. Social and emotional skills were visible in classrooms and were addressed quite often in everyday life as well as with the help of different materials such as KiVa school -materials, Lions Quest and FRIENDS -materials for social and emotional education