Perspectives of learners and teachers on school dysfunctions in South Africa

The aim of this article is to develop and test a systematic framework for conceptualising and analysing dysfunctions in schools. Based on the Explanatory Model of School Dysfunctions (EMSD) developed by Bergman, Bergman and Gravett (2011), dysfunctions as experienced by teachers and learners were analysed. Data for this research are non-representative and include 40 essays written by teachers and approximately 1 500 open-ended responses by recently matriculated students. It was found that the EMSD is suitable for modelling the problem domains experienced by teachers and learners. Perceived causes and consequences of dysfunctions relate to their proximal contact zone, i.e. the agents and behaviours with which they are most familiar. This article includes a discussion on theoretical and empirical limitations, recommendations for future research in this field, as well as policy recommendations to address some of the problems experienced by teachers and learners in South Africa

The influence of context and culture on corporate responsibility expectations in South Africa

Our primary aim with this article is to explore the foundational role of context and culture on corporate responsibility expectations in South Africa. The secondary aim is to develop an assessment and analysis tool that captures adequately the influence of context and culture on corporate responsibility expectations, which may be adapted to study corporate responsibility issues between different contexts, cultures, business sectors, stakeholder groups, regions, nations, etc. Overall, this article contributes to the empirical study of corporate responsibility within international policy and business applications. To explore context and culture in a specific environment, we studied advanced, i.e. post-BA economics and management students in South Africa, who provided written essays on their corporate responsibility expectations. This data collection strategy allowed respondents to use their own words, logic, and understandings about the issues under investigation. We analyzed the data using content configuration analysis and multidimensional scaling within a Hermeneutic Content Analysis framework. The main findings are that our respondents bypass or transcend the mainstream academic literature on corporate responsibility. Their responses are more akin to the debates around sustainability. Economic and social development are the main spheres within which corporate responsibility is conceptualized among our South African advanced economics students, while environmental issues are mostly absent. The two spheres are related in that the dimensions that form the spheres are interconnected: the economic sphere is interdependently tied to social development. A finer analysis of the MDS structure reveals close ties between the respondents' expectations of the responsibilities of corporations, the historical context, and cultural dimensions prevalent in South Africa

esg2go: A Method to Reduce Bias, Improve Coherence, and Increase Practicality of ESG Rating and Reporting

Rating agencies that assess a company’s environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) impact have been subject to public and academic scrutiny due to divergent and often biased rating outcomes. Concurrently, an evolving regulatory environment mandates publicly listed companies to report on ESG and climate emissions, taking into account supply chain risks as well. As a result, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly asked as suppliers to present a credible sustainability certificate. The esg2go rating and reporting system aims at improving the credibility and practicality of corporate sustainability assessment. It was jointly developed with its users and relevant stakeholders and is based on a calibrated benchmarking system from verifiable data. The rating method enables the measurement and comparison of sector- and firm size-specific sustainability performance. Its underlying adaptive parametrization is derived from a coherent and pragmatic definition of SME sustainability as the ‘ability to co-exist’. Our data analyses indicate that our scoring function is able to minimize bias and deliver a fair comparability between SMEs. We conclude that esg2go represents a pragmatic and innovative approach to enhance the fairness and accuracy of corporate sustainability assessment

La calidad en los métodos cualitativos

Fragen der Qualität spielen eine wesentliche Rolle in allen Phasen des qualitativen Forschungsprozesses – vom Stellen der Forschungsfrage über die Datenerhebung bis zur Analyse und Interpretation. Dabei kann z.B. das Instrumentarium, das zur Erhebung von Daten zum Einsatz kommt, entlang von Qualitätskriterien bewertet werden, die sich von denen unterscheiden können, die für die Evaluation der Daten herangezogen werden, die mittels dieses Instrumentariums erhoben wurden. Beides wiederum mag zusätzlich anders sein als die Kriterien, die dann zur Bewertung der qualitativen Datenanalyse herangezogen werden. Ein nationales Servicezentrum kann wesentlich zur Etablierung und zum Erhalt spezifischer Qualitätsstandards beitragen. Wir werden deshalb in diesem Beitrag unterschiedliche Qualitätskriterien diskutieren und zu zeigen versuchen, wie diese mittels eines nationalen Servicezentrums für qualitative Forschung etabliert und vermittelt werden können. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0502344Quality concerns play a central role throughout all steps of the research process in qualitative methods, from the inception of a research question and data collection, to the analysis and interpretation of research findings. For instance, the type of instrument or procedure to collect data may be evaluated in relation to quality criteria, and these may be different from those which are used to judge the data obtained from such instruments or procedures. All these may yet again be different from quality criteria that may apply to the qualitative analyses of data. A national resource center for qualitative methods can contribute to the establishment and maintenance of certain quality standards. In this article, we will explore some of these quality criteria and how they can be established and maintained by a national resource center for qualitative methods. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0502344La preocupación sobre la calidad juega un papel central en todos los pasos del proceso de investigación en métodos cualitativos, desde el planteamiento de la pregunta de investigación y la colección de datos hasta el análisis e interpretación de los hallazgos. Por ejemplo, el tipo de instrumento o procedimiento para coleccionar los datos ha de ser evaluado con relación a los criterios de calidad, y éstos han de ser diferentes de los que se usan para juzgar los datos obtenidos con tales instrumentos o procedimientos. Todo ello ha de ser diferente a los criterios de calidad que aplican al análisis cualitativo de los datos. Un centro nacional de recursos para métodos cualitativos puede contribuir al establecimiento y mantenimiento de ciertos estándares de calidad. En este artículo exploramos algunos de estos criterios de calidad y la forma en que pueden ser establecidos y mantenidos por un centro nacional de recursos para métodos cualitativos. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs050234

The politics, fashions, and conventions of research methods.

The results of an empirical study of any set of phenomena, whether investigating structures, processes, or combinations thereof, are influenced by the theoretical framework as well as the research methods employed. This text examines the influence of research methods on how phenomena under investigation are conceptualized, defined, measured, and interpreted. It will be argued that qualitative, quantitative, and, by extension, mixed methods research influence how phenomena are studied, and how these methods are concurrently subject to politics, fashions, and conventions. Inconsistent and impoverished research may be the consequence, particularly for mixed methods research

The relationship between hospital patients' ratings of quality of care and communication

Objective To assess the relationship between hospital patients' quality of care ratings and their experiences with health-related information exchanges and communication during hospitalization. Design Cross-sectional multivariate dimensional analysis of data from a quality of care experience questionnaire of hospital patients comparing scores across three levels of reported satisfaction. Setting and participants Five thousand nine hundred and fifty-two patients from a Swiss University Hospital responded to the questionnaire at discharge during 2010. Main outcome measures Survey questions measuring patients' evaluation of quality of care, patient loyalty and overall satisfaction. Results Different levels of reported satisfaction are associated with differing experiences of health-related information and communication during a hospital stay. Conclusions Patients who report lower satisfaction appear to attribute to the hospital staff enduring negative dispositions from behaviours that may be due to specific situational contexts. Negative experiences appear to influence scores on most other communication and information domains. Patients who report higher satisfaction, in contrast, appear to differentiate negative experiences and positive experiences and they appear to relativize and compartmentalize negative experiences associated with their hospital sta

Auf dem Weg zu einer neuen Strategie: Wie die saguf noch transformativer wird

Die saguf macht Nachhaltigkeitstransformation zu ihrem zentralen Thema, engagiert sich für transformatives Forschen und Lernen in der Wissenschaft und intensiviert den Dialog mit der jungen Generation

The quality in qualitative methods

Quality concerns play a central role throughout all steps of the research process in qualitative methods, from the inception of a research question and data collection, to the analysis and interpretation of research findings. For instance, the type of instrument or procedure to collect data may be evaluated in relation to quality criteria, and these may be different from those which are used to judge the data obtained from such instruments or procedures. All these may yet again be different from quality criteria that may apply to the qualitative analyses of data. A national resource center for qualitative methods can contribute to the establishment and maintenance of certain quality standards. In this article, we will explore some of these quality criteria and how they can be established and maintained by a national resource center for qualitative methods. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs050234