Work matters: formerly incarcerated men’s resiliency in reentry

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 583-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catrina Palmer ◽  
Johnna Christian

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how formerly incarcerated men remained resilient in the face of adversity while searching for and maintaining employment. Design/methodology/approach Grounded theory analysis is used to answer the following research questions: What challenges do formerly incarcerated men encounter in finding and maintaining employment? What strategies do they devise in the face of these barriers? The research entailed 24 face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews at a Reentry Center in a northeastern state between February 2016 and July 2017. Findings The authors present a model of resiliency in the job-seeking and maintaining process. It illustrates the non-linear and complex nature of employment experiences, in which men encountered cycles of anxiety and pressure, and yet also devised resilience strategies fostering growth and adaptation. These processes required adept management of adversities such as involvement with the criminal justice system and the attending social stigma. Shifting mental and behavioral frameworks, adapting and refining expectations for work and adopting a future orientation were essential for participants’ growth. Finally, findings revealed participants’ resiliency strategies were bolstered by pro-social outcomes. Originality/value The challenges and barriers to employment for formerly incarcerated men are well documented, but less is known about the processes men employ in order to gain legitimate employment. This paper explores an understudied area of the criminal justice and employment literature – how men demonstrate agency and tenacity in the reintegration process, specifically related to seeking and maintaining work.

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 438-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Ater ◽  
Christine Gimbar ◽  
J. Gregory Jenkins ◽  
Gabriel Saucedo ◽  
Nicole S. Wright

Purpose This paper aims to examine the perceptions of auditor roles on the workpaper review process in current audit practice. Specifically, the paper investigates how an auditor’s defined role leads to perceived differences in what initiates the workpaper review process, the preferred methods for performing reviews and the stylization or framing of communicated review comments. Design/methodology/approach A survey was administered in which practicing auditors were asked about workpaper review process prompts, methods and preferences. The survey was completed by 215 auditors from each of the Big 4 accounting firms and one additional international firm. The final data set consists of quantitative and qualitative responses from 25 audit partners, 33 senior managers, 30 managers, 75 in-charge auditors/seniors and 52 staff auditors. Findings Findings indicate reviewers and preparers differ in their perceptions of the review process based on their defined roles. First, reviewers and preparers differ in their perspectives on which factors initiate the review process. Second, the majority of reviewers and preparers prefer face-to-face communication when discussing review notes. Reviewers, however, are more likely to believe the face-to-face method is an effective way to discuss review notes and to facilitate learning, whereas preparers prefer the method primarily because it reduces back-and-forth communication. Finally, reviewers believe they predominantly provide conclusion-based review notes, whereas preparers perceive review notes as having both conclusion- and documentation-based messages. Research limitations/implications This paper advances the academic literature by providing a unique perspective on the review process. Instead of investigating a single staff level, it examines the workpaper review process on a broader scale. By obtaining views from professionals across all levels, this work intends to inspire future research directed at reconciling differences and filling gaps in the review process literature. The finding that reviewers and preparers engage in role conformity that leads to incongruent perceptions of the review process should encourage the consideration of mechanisms, with the potential to be tested experimentally, by which to reconcile the incongruities. Practical implications Results support recent regulator concerns that there are breakdowns in the workpaper review process, and the findings provide some insight into why these breakdowns are occurring. Incongruent perceptions of review process characteristics may be the drivers of these identified regulatory concerns. Originality/value This is the first study to examine current workpaper review processes at the largest accounting firms from the perspective of both preparers and reviewers. From this unique data set, one key interpretation of the findings is that workpaper preparers do not appear to recognize a primary goal of the review process: to ensure that subordinates receive appropriate coaching, learning and development. However, workpaper reviewers do, in fact, attempt to support preparers and work to create a supportive team environment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-187
Author(s):  
Stig-Börje Asplund ◽  
Héctor Pérez Prieto

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore what conversation analysis has to offer when analysing a series of life story interviews aiming to capture how reading and texts are used in a rural working-class man’s identity construction. Design/methodology/approach The conversation analysis methodology with its explicit focus on embodied social action, activity and conduct in interaction is integrated with a life story approach when analysing and describing the identity constructing processes that take place in life story interview settings. Findings Through a close and detailed analysis of the interaction between interviewer and interviewee, and by focusing and highlighting the phenomena and identities that are oriented to in the face-to-face interaction here and now (and in relation to there and then), descriptions of the complex and dynamic identity constructing processes that are set into play in the life story interview are possible. Research limitations/implications It is argued that the approach has a lot to offer when approaching life story data, and thus is a method that can increase the transparency in life story interview research. Originality/value The paper explores the intersection of what is often seen as diametrically opposed forms of analysis: conversation analysis and narrative inquiry.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazirah Zainul Abidin ◽  
Nadia Alina Amir Shariffuddin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the practice of engaging key project consultants for the development of green projects in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach is adopted in this research using the face-to-face semi-structured interview process with 18 respondents consisting of developers and architects of green projects that have obtained green certification by the Malaysian Green Building Index. Findings The engagement of consultants is divided into three stages: engagement method; consultant selection method; and evaluation process. The engagement method can be initiated by the client or through the architect. The direct selection is the preferred strategy in engaging architects, while open strategy is commonly adopted for engaging other key consultants. The evaluation process consists of request for proposal evaluation and negotiation before appointment is awarded. In addition, there are four main criteria in selecting the consultants: client’s preference, fee flexibility, green project requirement and consultant firm’s internal strengths. Research limitations/implications The study is based on the Malaysian context and based on the engagement of main consultants in green development projects and, thus, cannot be generalised to other consultants’ engagement in conventional projects. Practical implications This research presents the process that can contribute to better planning, controlling and management of the consultants’ engagement process. The selection criteria shall form a reference in selecting the most suitable consultants for the project. Originality/value This study attempts to understand how consultants are engaged in green projects, an important management stage in project initiation, but has received little attention in the past.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 444-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Ning ◽  
Minjie Feng ◽  
Jin Feng ◽  
Xiao Liu

PurposeDrawing upon the ambivalence literature, the purpose of this paper is to explore clients’ ambivalence caused by the co-existence of trust and distrust and to investigate how clients respond to the ambivalence.Design/methodology/approachQualitative research strategies using multiple data sources were adopted. Face-to-face interviews were the major method for gathering data. Additional data sources included archival cases, official reports, regulations and rules and survey reports.FindingsThe results identified that clients’ ambivalence occurs in the face of the co-existence of trust and distrust. Clients might trust contractors on certain aspects and distrust of others or when they realize that trust and/or distrust have mixed merits and demerits. As a response strategy to the ambivalence, clients may choose to oscillate between trust and distrust in accordance with contractors’ quality and cost performance.Research limitations/implicationsOne limitation is that dwelling fit-out projects are generally small in size. Parties in small size projects might have different mindsets than large projects. Thus, it is worthwhile to extend the framework to the context of large projects.Practical implicationsManagers or clients should be aware of the double-edged sword nature of trust and distrust. To deal with the ambivalence resulting from co-existence of trust and distrust, a proper balance of trust and distrust might be effective.Originality/valueThis study contributes an ambivalence approach to the trust research in project management.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amara Malik ◽  
Kanwal Ameen

Purpose This study aims to explore the current and future employment opportunities for library and information science (LIS) graduates. It identifies future employers and emerging competitors in the information landscape. The strategies that may be used to respond to and capture the future job market are also presented for LIS schools in the light of the study findings. Design/methodology/approach The qualitative approach coupled with the interview technique was used for collecting insight into the phenomena. Face-to-face and telephonic semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 faculty members (professors, associate professors and assistant professors) from 8 LIS departments. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data to present the participants’ opinions regarding various aspects of the job market in the country. Findings It was found that the job market was still traditional (library) and would continue to be so for the next five to seven years. However, the findings also indicated the emergence of a non-traditional job market in the country. New job titles and functions relevant to the emerging job sector other than libraries in the information environment were noted. Originality/value Findings may have a direct impact on the future orientation, survival and sustainability of LIS programs in the country. The study may inform curriculum revision and updating efforts to make it more relevant and responsive to future needs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 168-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Leutwyler ◽  
Erin Hubbard ◽  
Elaine Zahnd

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss how case management can decrease recidivism for people with serious mental illness (SMI) because people with SMI are at high risk for incarceration and recidivism. Design/methodology/approach Examples of successful case management models for formerly incarcerated individuals with SMI found through a secondary analysis of qualitative data and an analysis of the literature are presented. Findings Currently, no international, national, or statewide guidelines exist to ensure that formerly incarcerated individuals with SMI receive case management upon community reentry despite evidence that such services can prevent further criminal justice involvement. Recommendations include establishment of and evaluation of best practices for case management. In addition, the authors recommend additional funding for case management with the goal of greatly increasing the number of individuals with SMI leaving the criminal justice system in their ability to access adequate case management. Originality/value Providing effective case management tailored to the needs of formerly incarcerated people with SMI improves their quality of life and reduces their involvement in the criminal justice system with clear positive outcomes for public safety and public health.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim-Shyan Fam ◽  
James E. Richard ◽  
Lisa S. McNeill ◽  
David S. Waller ◽  
Honghong Zhang

PurposeThis paper explores how consumer psychographics impact responses to sales promotions (SPs), and specifically whether equity sensitivity (ES) moderates attitudes towards sales promotion in the retail purchase experience (PE).Design/methodology/approachThe study examines data from a survey of 284 Hong Kong consumers, using a shopping mall-intercept method. Every third person walking past the researchers was asked to participate in the survey. After obtaining their permission, those agreeing to take part in the study were surveyed either inside or outside of the shopping complex. The face-to-face intercept surveying method also increases confidence in sample and response reliability.FindingsThe study finds that ES has a significant positive relationship with evaluations of the retail PE. Consumers identified as “Benevolents” were significantly more positive towards SPs and reported significantly higher satisfaction with the PE. In contrast, consumers identified as “Entitled” were less positive towards SP and less satisfied with the PE. In addition, noncash SPs significantly positively influenced Benevolents' PE.Research limitations/implicationsThe current study extends and expands equity theory and ES research by applying these concepts to consumer SPs. The study is limited to an examination of common consumer purchases, across different product categories and SP types. While this allows us to examine the relationship between SP attitudes, ES and purchase satisfaction, future comparisons between individual sales promotion techniques (SPTs) and specific consumer profiles are recommended.Practical implicationsFrom a retail perspective, it is important to understand individual differences and what influences and motivates the consumers' retail PE. Retail managers are advised to track customer purchases and satisfaction levels linked to SPs as this would allow for the identification of which customers are more likely to fit the Entitled or Benevolent psychological profiles and predict their likely responses to SP offers.Originality/valueTo date, there has been little research on individual psychological differences between consumers when offered SPs at retail stores. The current study contributes to the marketing literature by extending the price fairness equity model to the retail PE, thereby addressing a prominent gap in the literature.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Brannigan

Purpose Have we grown closer and closer apart? Imagine the plight of our elders. Their history is linked with their geography, where they lived, loved and labored. The purpose of this paper is to explore how, though they have earned their “place” in the world, a world now under the hegemony of accelerated time and blurring of distance, many of them feel displaced, “unseen” and irrelevant. Design/methodology/approach The paper’s methodology is in narrative structure, at times referring to contemporary philosophical and art sources. The author’s commentary addresses this loss of place and face for today’s elders within the context of our failure, in the USA and much of the West, to construct a consistent, coherent philosophy of life stages. Put simply, the thoroughly pragmatic and future-driven culture of youth and productivity assigns no intrinsic value to getting old. Findings Place unfolds in particularities – my place, our home, etc. – and is critically distinct from space. As we squeeze together time and space through worldviews and technologies, we have erased the importance of place. This poses unique problems for elders for whom place, in particular home, carries special meaning involving time and relationships. Originality/value For elders, in particular, meaning comes through lived, embodied experiences. The author argued that our embodied encounters enable moral meaningfulness, and that it is the face which is the centerpiece of such engagement. Face reveals a moral invitation to authentic person-to-person communication. And in light of this communication, understanding the importance of place and need for face-to-face interaction helps to ground us in our conversations with elders. With our seniors, for whom the greatest gift is our time and attention, it is not only what we say, but how we are with them, through our presence, that matters.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique-Javier Díez-Gutiérrez ◽  
Katherine Gajardo Espinoza

PurposeMarch 14, 2020, marked the beginning of an unexpected state of emergency in Spain due to the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). From that moment on, the educational system had to adapt so that millions of students could continue their education at home. Through a descriptive study, the reality and perceptions that Spanish families have about the educational actions that took place during the compulsory lockdown of the Spanish population is presented.Design/methodology/approach3,400 representatives of family units from 17 autonomous communities answered a survey, the data were analyzed using descriptive and frequency statistics.FindingsRelevant conclusions were drawn from the results. Despite the efforts of the authorities, the economic, cultural, social and digital divides leave many households without access to the fundamental right of education; families value the support of technologies but consider that they should not replace the face-to-face education that is necessary for the development process of minors; it is necessary to adapt the school content for a future postpandemic, discriminating the expendable from the essential in the school curriculum; priority must be given to the integral well-being of people in educational policies and also to the most vulnerable ones.Originality/valueThe study allows progress in the analysis of educational policy proposals in the face of future crisis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M Halushka

AbstractBased on 17 months of ethnographic fieldwork and 45 in-depth interviews with formerly-incarcerated men, this article explores how former prisoners navigate criminal justice and welfare bureaucracies in their daily lives. Formerly-incarcerated men must repeatedly engage with parole, public assistance agencies, transitional housing facilities, and community-based service providers to maintain freedom and access food, shelter, and rehabilitative services. Accessing resources requires the men simultaneously to manage multiple, overlapping entanglements across a fragmented network of bureaucracies. This runaround exacerbates the stress of poverty, breeds distrust of state authorities, and, in some cases, precipitates recidivism. Former prisoners learned how to cope with the runaround by treating systems navigation as a full-time occupation, but these skills did not translate into long-term economic security. Most study participants recurrently cycled between low-wage jobs, transitional housing facilities, and public assistance programs for years after release. This article illustrates the need to theorize prisoner reentry as a process that unfolds across a network of criminal justice and welfare bureaucracies and demonstrates how formerly-incarcerated men experience citizenship not only through coercive encounters with the criminal justice system but also through their simultaneous entanglements with safety-net bureaucracies.


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