Learning from the experts: exploring playground experience and activities using a write and draw technique

Background: Qualitative research into the effect of school recess on children’s physical activity is currently limited. This study used a write and draw technique to explore children’s perceptions of physical activity opportunities during recess.

Methods: 299 children age 7–11 years from 3 primary schools were enlisted. Children were grouped into Years 3 & 4 and Years 5 & 6 and completed a write and draw task focusing on likes and dislikes. Pen profiles were used to analyze the data.

Results: Results indicated ‘likes’ focused on play, positive social interaction, and games across both age groups but showed an increasing dominance of games with an appreciation for being outdoors with age. ‘Dislikes’ focused on dysfunctional interactions linked with bullying, membership, equipment, and conflict for playground space. Football was a dominant feature across both age groups and ‘likes/dislikes’ that caused conflict and dominated the physically active games undertaken.

Conclusion: Recess was important for the development of conflict management and social skills and contributed to physical activity engagement. The findings contradict suggestions that time spent in recess should be reduced because of behavioral issues.

Towards an integrative attachment-based model of relationship functioning

Based on attachment theory, this study developed a theory-based model of heterosexual relationship functioning that examined both proximal and distal factors and both actor and partner effects. A particular focus was on the underexplored issue of double-mediated effects between attachment orientation and relationship satisfaction. Data were collected from a community sample of 95 cohabiting and married couples with a mean age of 39.30 years. Participants completed measures of attachment, commitment, provision of partner support, trust, intimacy, destructive conflict management, and relationship satisfaction. The hypothesized model was largely supported. The association between attachment orientation and relationship satisfaction was mediated through a series of actor and partner variables. No gender differences were found across actor paths; however, differences were found in partner effects for men and women. The model has important implications for relationship researchers and practitioners. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

Community‐based reconciliation in the Middle East

IntroductionWith the turn of the twenty first century, the Middle East has witnessed an unprecedented turmoil since the post‐colonisation era. The occupation of Iraq by the United States and its allies has triggered internal tensions and violence in Iraq that swept across the region. The US propagated establishing a pro‐western, functional, representative democratic system in Iraq that was expected to be a model for other countries in the region towards democratisation and economic growth. Since 2011, Some Arab states embraced democratic and political changes and, simultaneously, encountered some socio‐political unrest brought by the “Arab Spring”. Various strata of conflict can be recognised in this context driven by political, ideological and sectarian agenda; or, driven by mere struggle for freedom and against repression and dictatorship. Regardless of the trigger of strives, it is obvious that reconciliation and conflict management in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Egypt and other countries in conflict is still an issue. Yet, the concept of community‐based reconciliation in the Arab World is still nuanced. The social ties in Arab societies are strong. Some of these ties are significantly noted to be recognised in kinship of various familial hierarchies: nucleus family, extended family and tribes. This paper will discuss whether familial affiliations can contribute to community‐based reconciliation in the Middle Eastern Arab countries.

Managing intragroup conflicts in construction project teams : case studies in Sri Lanka

Conflict is intrinsic to individuals, teams and organisations. Due to the unique and complex nature with various parties, conflict is inevitable in most construction projects. According to the general management literature, three distinct types of intragroup conflicts can be identified: task, process and relationship conflicts. However, very little consideration has been given in the literature addressing the three types individually in a construction project team setting. Therefore, this study has explored the existence of types of intragroup conflicts and their management in this context. This research was approached through case studies of six construction projects, which were operating under the traditional procurement method in Sri Lanka. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three distinct participants from each team. The findings revealed that both process and relationship conflicts offer disruptive effects to construction projects and teams, while task conflicts offer positive effects when they exist at low levels. Based on the most critical sources identified within the cases, suggestions are offered here to construction project team managers on how to manage intergroup conflicts proactively. Since the research is based on six case studies on traditional procurement arrangement in Sri Lanka, further research is required to generalise the findings across different contexts.

Wrestling with `conflict of interest` in sport management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the relationship between sport and business has increased the complexity of ethical issues affecting contemporary sport management. Specifically, this paper seeks to define conflict of interest and how it is manifested in both business and sport.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a conceptual discussion of the issue of conflict of interest as it relates to the management and governance of sports organizations. Relationships between business ethics, governance and sport management are examined in the quest to understand conflict of interest and its prevalence in and relevance to sport management.
Findings – Conflicts of interest within the sport industry may have the same structural elements as those occurring in mainstream business, such as benefits, obligations and issues of trust, but it is the higher societal expectations and values placed on sport and sporting organizations that provide the key points of difference.
Practical implications – Through collaboration with sport management practitioners, via inductive in-depth research, a clearer definition of conflict of interest and the range of situations in which it may occur can be developed. It is through a continued research effort in this area that sport managers will be better able to both identify and manage conflicts of interest as they occur.
Originality/value – It is the lack of definitive examples or guidelines for recognition of an actual or a potential conflict of interest that appears to cause the greatest confusion within sport management. By drawing together the key concepts found within the extant literature, a clearer understanding of what constitutes a conflict of interest is provided by this paper.

Overseas Chinese as expatriate managers in China: is their recruitment a solution to cross-cultural management problems for multinationals operating in China?

This paper examines the issue of diversity in Chinese identity and how it impacts on the operations of multinationals in China who recruit Overseas Chinese to handle cross-cultural issues. China’s rapid economic development and entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 made her a formidable player in the global economy and direct foreign investment surged. Yet it is acknowledged that for the foreign investor in China, cross-cultural issues create difficulty at every level, from the interpersonal level relating to communication and negotiation, to the organizational level relating to decision making, human resource management practices, corporate legal institutions and liaison with government institutions. Western multinationals have considered the advantages of posting Overseas Chinese from Southeast Asian countries, Taiwan and Hong Kong to their China operations as a solution to cross-cultural management issues. But has this policy been successful? In terms of language expertise this would seem to be a good strategy, yet organizational case material contradicts this in reality. Overseas Chinese, while sharing some elements of Chinese culture with mainland Chinese, the Confucian heritage and other aspects such as language and diet, nevertheless have different world views and values and behave differently from mainland Chinese in areas critical to business management. As a survival strategy, Overseas Chinese have often developed dual identities which operate simultaneously. For political and historical reasons, many of them have had to adapt to the local culture of their country of citizenship or even hide their own ethnicity in order to survive. On the other hand, the mainland Chinese are different in that their behaviour has only had to be Chinese, but overlaid with this has been the experience of participating in a communist political environment for decades, which has left its mark on mainland Chinese culture. On the basis of their different historical experiences, in the current business environment in China, cultural confusion, difficulty and conflict may occur for the Overseas Chinese.

This paper focuses attention on the subtle cultural differences between the Overseas Chinese and mainland Chinese in an organizational context. This problem has yet to be researched in depth within international business and international management studies. It provides evidence that Overseas Chinese are not often favoured by the local Chinese. It gives insights on how to manage the local Chinese for foreign multinationals operating in China.

Stakeholders and strategic planning in non-profit organisations : case studies in complexity and conflict

The experiences of two Australian non-profit member-benefit associations as they attempt to develop strategic plans are explored, with emphasis on the influence of the many stakeholders in this process. We conclude that
corporate strategic planning is a complex, conflict-ridden, and largely
unsuccessful process in non-profit member-benefit associations because of the number and commitment of stakeholders. Therefore we suggest that future research should focus on clarifying whether such corporate management techniques are actually appropriate for all non-profit organisations, and, if they are, how non-profit organisations can best manage the process, taking into account the values and needs of stakeholders.

Questioning the assumptions of management paradigms : Aboriginal development programs in Australia

All Australian Aborigines have experienced the impact of Western culture to some extent, which has resulted in the traditional cultures being irrevocably decimated. The reaction to the disintegration of traditional culture has been marked by a variety of outcomes. While some Aborigines have either accepted or reached a level of accommodation to the new order, others have responded in maladaptive ways. For some Aborigines, the disintegration of traditional culture and society has generated conflict, confusion and the disintegration of personality, which is conducive to the evolution of a dysfunctional group. It is the circumstances of, and policy responses to, dysfunctional Aboriginal groups, therefore, that are the concern of this paper.

Board directors and conflict of interest : a study of a sport league

Conflict of interest is one aspect of governance that has the potential to damage both an organisation and those who govern that organisation. Board directors of sport organisations are faced with a number of influences particular to sport business, which can impact on the process of managing conflict of interest. This research identified processes and attributes that influence directors: selection processes, outside roles, experience, regulation, education, motivation and qualifications. Directors and CEOs drawn from a sample of five Australian Football League (AFL) clubs and members of the AFL commission were interviewed. Data analysis was undertaken using a constructivist grounded theory method, and key processes (selection processes and director education) and attributes (outside roles, experience, regulation, motivation and qualifications) of non-executive directors were identified. By better understanding the influences on board directors in sport organisations, and the impact of these on managing conflict of interest, the potential for damage to the directors and the organisation may be decreased.

Impact of a fragmented regulatory environment on sustainable urban development design management

The building project development approval proces is increasingly complex and farught with conflict due to the rise of the sustainable urban development movement and inclusive decision making.  Coupled with this, government decision-making decentralisation has resulted in a fragmented and over-regulated compliance sytem.  Problems arising from the process include wated resources, excessive time delays, increased holding and litigation costs, inadequate planning coorindation, high lelves of advocacy costs and a divisive a politicised approval prcess.

Hypothesis generation for management intelligence

Investigation of the role of hypothesis formation in complex (business) problem solving has resulted in a new approach to hypothesis generation. A prototypical hypothesis generation paradigm for management intelligence has been developed, reflecting a widespread need to support management in such areas as fraud detection and intelligent decision analysis. This dissertation presents this new paradigm and its application to goal directed problem solving methodologies, including case based reasoning. The hypothesis generation model, which is supported by a dynamic hypothesis space, consists of three components, namely, Anomaly Detection, Abductive Reasoning, and Conflict Resolution models. Anomaly detection activates the hypothesis generation model by scanning anomalous data and relations in its working environment. The respective heuristics are activated by initial indications of anomalous behaviour based on evidence from historical patterns, linkages with other cases, inconsistencies, etc. Abductive reasoning, as implemented in this paradigm, is based on joining conceptual graphs, and provides an inference process that can incorporate a new observation into a world model by determining what assumptions should be added to the world, so that it can explain new observations. Abductive inference is a weak mechanism for generating explanation and hypothesis. Although a practical conclusion cannot be guaranteed, the cues provided by the inference are very beneficial. Conflict resolution is crucial for the evaluation of explanations, especially those generated by a weak (abduction) mechanism.The measurements developed in this research for explanation and hypothesis provide an indirect way of estimating the ‘quality’ of an explanation for given evidence. Such methods are realistic for complex domains such as fraud detection, where the prevailing hypothesis may not always be relevant to the new evidence. In order to survive in rapidly changing environments, it is necessary to bridge the gap that exists between the system’s view of the world and reality.Our research has demonstrated the value of Case-Based Interaction, which utilises an hypothesis structure for the representation of relevant planning and strategic knowledge. Under, the guidance of case based interaction, users are active agents empowered by system knowledge, and the system acquires its auxiliary information/knowledge from this external source. Case studies using the new paradigm and drawn from the insurance industry have attracted wide interest. A prototypical system of fraud detection for motor vehicle insurance based on an hypothesis guided problem solving mechanism is now under commercial development. The initial feedback from claims managers is promising.

Conflict of interest in policing and the public sector

Conflicts of interest are a key factor in the contemporary decline of trust in government and public institutions, eroding public trust in government and democratic systems. Drawing on two unique empirical studies involving policing and the broader public sector, this paper explores the meaning and dimensions of conflict of interest by examining public complaints about conflict of interest and providing distinctive insights into the nature of conflict of interest as a problem for public sector ethics. The paper analyses and explores appropriate regulatory and management approaches for conflict of interest, focusing on three elements: (1) dealing with private interests that are identifiably problematic in the way they clash with the duties of public officials; (2) managing conflicts as they arise in the course of public sector work (manifested in preferential and adverse treatment, and other problematic areas); and (3) developing ethical and accountable organisational cultures. It is concluded that effective and meaningful public sector ethics in the pursuit of the public interest must be based on an ethos of social accountability and a commitment to prioritise the public interest in both fact and appearance.

Overseas Chinese as expatriate managers in China : is their recruitment a solution to cross-cultural management problems for multinationals operating in China?

The rapid economic development has gravitated businesses into the Chinese market. It’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 made her an even more formidable player in the global economy and direct foreign investment surged. Yet it is acknowledged that for the foreign investor in China, cross-cultural issues create difficulty at every level, from the intercultural level relating to communication and negotiation, to the organizational level relating to decision making, human resource management practices, corporate legal institutions and dealing with governments. Western multinationals have considered the advantages of posting overseas Chinese, from Southeast Asian countries, Taiwan Hong Kong and etc. But has this policy been successful? In terms of language expertise and cultural literacy this would seem to be a good strategy, yet organizational case material contradicts this in reality. Overseas Chinese, while sharing some elements of Chinese culture with mainland Chinese, the Confucian heritage and other aspects such as language, diet, etc, nevertheless have different world views and values and behave differently from mainland Chinese in areas critical to business management. As a survival strategy, overseas Chinese often developed dual identities operating simultaneously. For many of them, for political and historical reasons, they have had to adapt to the local culture or even hide their own ethnicity in order to survive. On the other hand, the mainland Chinese are different in the sense that their behaviour has only had to be Chinese, but overlaid with this has been the experience of participating in a communist political environment for decades, which has left its mark on mainland Chinese culture. On the basis of this, in the current business environment in China confusion, difficulties and conflict may occur for the overseas Chinese. This paper aims to provide insights of the cultural differences between the overseas Chinese and mainland Chinese. It provides evidence that overseas Chinese are not often favoured by the local Chinese. This problem has yet to be researched in depth within international business and international management studies. It draws the attention to issues on how to manage the local Chinese.