DBS Applied Research and Theory Journal

Editorial

Rita Day — 2024-02-23

Interview with Robert Harris

Rita Day — 2024-02-23

A Thematic Analysis to Understand the Perspectives and the Level of Support Offered to Healthcare Workers During the Pandemic in Ireland

Bhuvan — 2024-02-23

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed exceptional demands on the healthcare workforce around the world (Vindrola-Padros et al., 2020). The aim of this study was to undertake an exploration of the experiences of healthcare workers (HCWs) who worked during the pandemic and their views about the support they were offered during the pandemic in Dublin, Ireland. Understanding the experiences of HCWs can help identify gaps in healthcare systems and inform efforts to strengthen them.

This primary qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with six healthcare professionals. Participants were recruited via snowballing sampling technique and included nurses and healthcare assistants. The interview discussion guide consisted of questions on COVID-19-related challenges such as the demands at the workplace, the level of stress and uncertainty to HCWs, availability and quality of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the support as well as coping strategies they received, from the management to handle the pandemic.

Braun and Clarke’s (2021) reflexive thematic analysis generated two themes with eight sub-themes. The two major themes were emotional exhaustion and inconsistent guidelines. The findings from the study indicated that healthcare workers were practising and carrying out duties outside their usual roles and reported very high levels of stress and anxiety. The second theme discusses the lack of consistency, which leads to a number of challenges for HCWs while implementing standardised practices. Understanding the perspectives of healthcare workers would facilitate the hospital administrations as well as managements in Ireland to proactively support healthcare providers during future pandemics by ensuring access to mental health programs, standardising communication and developing plans that will address equipment and supply availability. In addition to this, HCWs are key stakeholders in public health responses to pandemics, and their experiences can inform policies and guidelines related to infection prevention and control, vaccination and other public health interventions, as well as contribute to the development of evidence-based strategies to address pandemics.

Analysing the Dynamics of Supply Construction Gross Domestic Products in Malaysia

Mohd Rozie Mohd Damit — 2024-02-23

This research study serves two purposes. First, it seeks to examine the dynamics of Malaysia's supply construction sector and its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 2015 to 2023. Second, it aims to identify the key macroeconomic forces regulating this sector and their influence throughout the provided timeframe. In order to achieve these goals, the study applies a variety of research approaches, including correlation and regression analysis. The primary macroeconomic indicators examined are exchange rates, base lending rates, and inflation. The study's findings show that the Base Lending Rate (BLR) has a considerable effect on Malaysia's supply construction GDP. In contrast, exchange rates and inflation rates have modest or statistically negligible impacts. The study's regression model emphasizes the significant influence of BLR and demonstrates that it is the most powerful predictor among the investigated macroeconomic factors. The importance of this research rests in its capacity to clarify the complex link between macroeconomic data and Malaysia's supply construction sector. It emphasizes BLR's crucial role in influencing the performance of this sector and, as a result, its impact on the whole economy. Furthermore, the study provides useful insights for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and future research endeavours, enabling informed economic decision-making and strategic planning in the construction sector.

Strategic Planning on Productivity through Leadership Commitment and Employee Involvement

Tryson Yangailo — 2024-02-23

Empirical research studies that have examined the relationship between strategic planning and productivity have produced mixed results, with some studies presenting that strategic planning has a significant impact on productivity, while other studies have failed to find the relationship between strategic planning and productivity. This study attempted to clarify and understand the relationship between strategic planning and productivity by including some contingency variables considered relevant in the implementation of strategic planning namely leadership commitment and employee involvement using 156 sample data collected through questionnaire from management employees of Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority. Model fit, validity and reliability were tested using regression analysis, principal component analysis and factor analysis using Jamovi software. The study presents that strategic planning and leadership commitment have a significant impact on productivity and that leadership commitment mediates the association between strategic planning and productivity. This study provides empirical evidence on the nature of the relationship between strategic planning and productivity. This study also gives evidence that leadership commitment is very relevant in strategic planning process at all stages and that no manager should isolate him/herself from strategic planning process.

A Literature Review on High-functioning Autistic Employees

Alana Loison — 2024-02-23

This literature review aims to contribute to the field of autism and employment. It will analyse bibliographic data on peer-reviewed research on the benefits and challenges of a neurodiverse workforce. Similarly, it will examine the experiences of high-functioning autistic people in the workplace. Despite reports in popular media on the benefits of a neurodiverse workplace, including better innovation and company performance – there is very little academic research to support these claims. Of the limited existing literature, there are very few articles in business and management journals. This review gathers empirical evidence to test such claims. The research is based on high-functioning autistic people (verbal, with average or above IQ). Autism will be referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from here on, which includes Asperger syndrome under the criteria of the DSM-5.

Data from peer-reviewed research articles on high-functioning autism, employment and adults in the Social Sciences Citation Index were analysed to gauge the current trends in publication and citation. This database was chosen to limit the medical literature, which is extensive and an entirely different field. The data indicates that research on the experiences autistic employees, and their employers, up to recent years has been an understudied field. Based on the analysis used for this study, research and interest in this field began to emerge in publications in 2005. This review identified high-functioning autism as an increasingly important factor to consider in designing hiring and recruitment processes. It is also a significant consideration in conflict-resolution, communication and the training and support areas of management. Considering the steep increase in autism diagnoses over the past 30 years, coupled with the supports made available to autistic people up to third-level education; a more neurodivergent, educated talent pool is emerging which will change the way managers approach and manage diversity in the workplace.

The Perceptions of Open Educational Resources by Teaching Staff in Higher Education in Ireland

Amy Hayes — 2024-02-23

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Emergency Remote Learning on the perceptions of Open Educational Resources. This was achieved by comparing the perspectives of academic teaching staff in this research with those documented in pre-COVID-19 studies. A total of 105 participants from 16 institutions in Ireland were surveyed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative questions. The findings indicate that the shift to Emergency Remote Learning has not significantly diminished the perceived barriers to Open Educational Resources. Instead, it has brought forward fresh concerns about the implications of Open Education on conventional teaching methods. Although a national policy would grant individual institutions the autonomy to devise courses in line with their mission and strategy, the outcomes of this study highlight the need for practical assistance, training, and guidance at an institutional level.

HECA Research Conference 2023: Sharing an Open Research Landscape

Robert McKenna — 2024-02-23

National Academic and Research Integrity Conference, Ireland, 2023

Andrew Browne — 2024-02-23

Conference

Teaching Well: Unveiling the Art of Learning-Centred Classrooms

Rita Day — 2024-02-23

Teaching Well: Unveiling the Art of Learning-Centred Classrooms

“My Books are My Relation to Society”

Niamh Dowdall — 2024-02-23

This article contextualises the transition to an open access publishing future and sets it against the background of the current state of decline in arts and humanities research funding in the US and UK. It outlines the problems which have stymied and slowed the move towards open research and it highlights those issues which particularly pertain to the field of arts and humanities. It considers the demands of research assesement and to quantify value and the opportunities that open access publishing might afford to those who research in the arts and humanities.