The Mission of the American Board in Syria

The work of Christian missions in past centuries has persistently been viewed in a negative light, although missionaries did not always act with cultural imperialist or colonialist intent. This volume presents a more nuanced interpretation of mission work, illuminating the significance of interpersonal interactions within the mission field. The Syria Mission of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM), which was active in the Ottoman Province of Syria (present-day Lebanon) between 1819 and 1870, provides the study's central focus. The study analyzes cultural exchange between the Ottoman Empire and the United States through the example of four important protagonists whose significance has been neglected in previous historical scholarship on missions: the missionaries Eli Smith and Cornelius Van Dyck, as well as the Syrian Protestants Butrus al-Bustani and John Wortabet

The New Normal of Virtual Team Cohesion – a Qualitative Study to Investigate the Impact of COVID-19

A strong sense of virtual team cohesion can have a variety of positive effects, such as increased performance or self-esteem. For several decades information systems researchers have been studying both task and social cohesion and how to maintain such cohesion in the virtual. However, since one of the major challenges of the pandemic is dealing with feelings of social isolation, research outlines that COVID-19 had and still has a significant impact on virtual team cohesion. Our study examines the “new normal” of virtual team cohesion i.e., how virtual team cohesion strengthening measures have changed in times of the pandemic. To this end, our study presents the findings of a qualitative study with 26 individuals. We were able to shed light on how such measures changed on-the-job, in breaktimes, and after work. Therefore, we provide insights in the “new normal” of virtual team cohesion, which can inform research and practice

To be or not to be stressed:Designing autonomy to reduce stress at work

BACKGROUND: Many organizations are undertaking efforts to reduce the stress of (oftentimes overworked) employees Information Technology (IT) (e.g., smartphones) has the potential to be a key instrument for reducing stress One design-relevant factor considered to reduce stress is the concept of autonomy Unfortunately, little research exists using autonomy as a characteristic of technology design OBJECTIVE: Against this background, this study aimed to investigate specific autonomy-related design options with the potential to prevent stress METHODS: In a factorial survey, this experimental study tested three design options in an overwork scenario: 1) autonomy (no intervention by design), 2) nudge ('nudging' by design), and 3) enforcement (hard stop by design) 51 participants (mean age 38 years, 50% women, mean work experience 18 years) from the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Germany participated in the experiment for 330 seconds on average To test our hypothesis, we used a two-step approach First, a multiple linear regression was applied Second, we carried out a one-way ANCOVA comparing the effects of our design options RESULTS: Our results indicate that autonomy can be manipulated through technology design and is negatively correlated with stress Additionally, the design options autonomy and nudge were associated with lower levels of perceived stress than was enforcement CONCLUSION: The study proposes a careful use of IT and policies that limit the perceived autonomy of employees Overall, this study offers a set of design recommendations arguing that organizations should implement technology that helps employees prevent overwork and maintain their autonomy.</p

Becoming Fanny – Becoming Eugénie: Who Is the Revolutionary? - Jane Austen versus Marquis de Sade

Jane Austen’s writings are often interpreted as socially conservative, whereas the Marquis de Sade claimed to be revolutionary. However, Sade’s Philosophy in the Boudoir (1795) proposes to perpetuate male aristocratic privilege at the expense of other classes, especially women. Conversely, Austen’s Mansfield Park (1814) challenges patriarchal structures through Fanny Price’s confrontation with Sir Thomas Bertram and the system he represents. Sade endorses ancient inequalities while Austen demands a new social justice

The sweet escape - A research agenda on escapism in information systems research

Escapism is often defined as temporally getting away from unpleasant situations or thoughts. Since technology creates new opportunities to escape from something unpleasant, the interest in studying escapism has recently increased in information system (IS) research. However, despite growing interest on escapism, research is still in its very beginning stages. To explore IS phenomena more comprehensively this paper proposes a research agenda that highlights current shortcomings and the need to address these shortcomings. Thus, this paper provides a point of departure for future research on escapism and encourages IS-research to further investigate the effects of escapism in IS-related settings

The Mission of the American Board in Syria

The work of Christian missions in past centuries has persistently been viewed in a negative light, although missionaries did not always act with cultural imperialist or colonialist intent. This volume presents a more nuanced interpretation of mission work, illuminating the significance of interpersonal interactions within the mission field. The Syria Mission of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM), which was active in the Ottoman Province of Syria (present-day Lebanon) between 1819 and 1870, provides the study's central focus. The study analyzes cultural exchange between the Ottoman Empire and the United States through the example of four important protagonists whose significance has been neglected in previous historical scholarship on missions: the missionaries Eli Smith and Cornelius Van Dyck, as well as the Syrian Protestants Butrus al-Bustani and John Wortabet.Im Zentrum der Untersuchung steht die Syrienmission der protestantischen Missionsgesellschaft American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM), die sich von 1819 bis 1870 in der Osmanischen Provinz Syrien, d.h. auf dem Gebiet des heutigen Libanon, etablierte. Die Analyse des kulturellen Austausches zwischen dem Osmanischen Reich und den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika setzt bei vier wichtigen Protagonisten an, die in der bisherigen missionsgeschichtlichen Forschung nicht ausführlich bzw. gar nicht Beachtung fanden: Die Missionare Eli Smith und Cornelius Van Dyck sowie die syrischen Protestanten Butrus al-Bustani und John Wortabet. Die Syrienmission des ABCFM ist ein Beispiel dafür, wie zwei verschiedene Kulturen in der sogenannten contact zone der Missionsstationen aufeinander trafen und trotz Konflikten und Meinungsverschiedenheiten zu einem fruchtbaren Dialog gelangen konnten

Die Mission des American Board in Syrien im 19. Jahrhundert

The focus of this study is the “Syria Mission”, directed by the Protestant missionary society American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) from 1819 to 1870 in the Ottoman province of Syria, operating mainly within the territory of present-day Lebanon. The analysis of the cultural transfer between the Ottoman Empire and the United States of America undertaken in this study focuses on four relevant protagonists, whose contributions have not yet been sufficiently explored in missiological studies: The missionaries Eli Smith and Cornelius Van Dyck as well as the Syrian Protestants Butrus al-Bustani and John Wortabet. As a result, the Syria Mission of the ABCFM demonstrates how two different cultures met in a so called contact zone in the mission field and how these dialogue partners, despite many conflicts and disagreements, succeeded in contributing towards a fruitful dialogue.Im Zentrum der Untersuchung steht die Syrienmission der protestantischen Missionsgesellschaft American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM), die sich von 1819 bis 1870 in der Osmanischen Provinz Syrien, d.h. auf dem Gebiet des heutigen Libanon, etablierte. Die Analyse des kulturellen Austausches zwischen dem Osmanischen Reich und den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika setzt bei vier wichtigen Protagonisten an, die in der bisherigen missionsgeschichtlichen Forschung nicht ausführlich bzw. gar nicht Beachtung fanden: Die Missionare Eli Smith und Cornelius Van Dyck sowie die syrischen Protestanten Butrus al-Bustani und John Wortabet. Die Syrienmission des ABCFM ist ein Beispiel dafür, wie zwei verschiedene Kulturen in der sogenannten contact zone der Missionsstationen aufeinander trafen und trotz Konflikten und Meinungsverschiedenheiten zu einem fruchtbaren Dialog gelangen konnten