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Conceptual framework underpinning employability
Published in John Aliu, Clinton Aigbavboa, Wellington Thwala, A 21st Century Employability Skills Improvement Framework for the Construction Industry, 2021
John Aliu, Clinton Aigbavboa, Wellington Thwala
A conceptual framework is defined as a system of concepts, beliefs, expectations, assumptions, and theories that support one’s research (Maxwell, 2005). It is also described as a written or visual product that expounds on the key factors, variables, or concepts in a narrative form or graphical representation and the supposed relationships among them (Miles and Huberman, 1994). They further suggest that one of the aims of utilizing a conceptual framework is to provide necessary direction on how the empirical study can be conducted or undertaken. Conceptual frameworks are constructed on the basis of the researcher’s perception of the phenomenon. The adoption of existing models or theories helps to refine the researcher’s goals, develop relevant research questions, choose suitable methods, and identify potential validity threats to the deductions of the study.
Research Methodology and Theoretical Framework
Published in Pedi Chiemena Obani, Strengthening the Human Right to Sanitation as an Instrument for Inclusive Development, 2018
The terms conceptual framework and theoretical framework have been used interchangeably in the literature, while some authors rely on one of both terms (Green, 2014; Maxwell, 2012). One perspective is that theoretical framework is the appropriate term when research is based on a single theory, while conceptual framework applies when research is guided by different theories or findings (Parahoo, 2006). A second slightly different perspective is that a conceptual framework consists of different concepts built into a theory, and where the framework is based on concepts it is a conceptual framework; if it is based on theories, it is a theoretical framework (Fain, 2017). Despite the confusion over the meaning of conceptual framework vis-a-vis theoretical framework, a conceptual framework is a useful guide that identifies the researcher’s world view of the research topic and defines their assumptions and preconceptions (Lacey, 2010). Having already identified the theories I apply in my research (see 2.4), I now illustrate the conceptual framework for my research in order to explain the key concepts I use and how they relate to each other.
Business Improvement through Innovation in Construction Firms: The ‘Excellence’ Approach
Published in Ben Obinero Uwakweh, Issam A. Minkarah, 10th Symposium Construction Innovation and Global Competitiveness, 2002
Herbert S. Robinson, Patricia M. carrillo, Chimay J. Anumba, Ahmed M. Al-Ghassan
This paper reports on ongoing research funded by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (grant reference GR/R12831), which is concerned specifically with identifying and examining the factors influencing culture change and knowledge management practices across a range of related management initiatives in construction. The paper outlines the conceptual framework guiding the research and the methodology to be employed. The research sets out to explore the nature of change processes in contractors of different size (small as well as large), as well as firms engaged in different types of activity (e.g. building and engineering). The paper highlights some of the factors likely to encourage and inhibit knowledge management and culture change strategies needed to implement new management initiatives. It also draws out some of the likely key implications for human resource management strategies within the construction firm.
The management of global multi-tier sustainable supply chains: a complexity theory perspective
Published in International Journal of Production Research, 2023
Mohammad Najjar, Mahmoud M. Yasin
Drawing on literature from operations and sustainable supply chain management, an initial framework is posited to guide the research at hand. As shown in Figure 1, the conceptual framework attempts to guide the research process through identifying the main themes and to aid in the data collection. Polar-type theoretical sampling approach was utilised to select firms (Eisenhardt 1989; Voss, Tsikriktsis, and Frohlich 2002). Polar-type sampling helped in selecting firms that have different attributes to explore the context in details and allow alternative interpretations to the set of relationships and results (Marczyk, DeMatteo, and Festinger 2005), which in turn provided the basis for filling theoretical categories (Eisenhardt 1989; Eisenhardt and Graebner 2007). Therefore, firms from different industrial sectors were selected (i.e. food, textile, and chemical). Firstly, these sectors are global, dynamic, and the extent of adoption of social sustainability varies among them (Mejías et al. 2019; Govindan, Shaw, and Majumdar 2020). Moreover, they have been under increasing pressure from different stakeholder groups (Gualandris et al. 2015; Chen et al. 2017; Awasthi, Govindan, and Gold 2018; Liu et al. 2018; Zhu et al. 2018; Gong et al. 2019).
Repositioning ethics at the heart of engineering graduate attributes
Published in Australasian Journal of Engineering Education, 2021
Alison Joy Gwynne-Evans, Manimagalay Chetty, Sarah Junaid
A conceptual framework may be defined as an ‘interconnected set of ideas (theories) about how a particular phenomenon functions or is related to its parts’ (Svinkini 2010). The conceptual framework does not set out to be unique in that the individual elements are grounded in existing scholarship and literature. Instead, by deductive reasoning, the conceptual framework ‘makes explicit … knowledge already contained implicitly in the premises from which the deductions are made”, where ‘what is implicit in premises is not always apparent until it has been made explicit’ (Salkind 2010). This conceptual framework is consequently deduced from existing theory and assembled in a visual format that invites the practitioner to engage with it and to extend its reference and meaning.
Dreamcatching: introducing a reflexive tool to facilitate situated complexity in urban co-design practices
Published in Journal of Urban Design, 2023
Minna Eronen, Åsa Wikberg Nilsson
The methodological approach for this study is based on the conceptual framework analysis, proposed by Jabareen (2009). As the name indicates, conceptual framework analysis aims to construct new concepts and frameworks within a specific topic based on a variety of sources, such as articles, books interviews, and practices within the explored field. The initial literature search included academic journals, books, and electronic databases such as Scopus with keywords such as: situated design, situatedness, wicked problems, ill-defined problems, design practice, design thinking, designerly thinking, systemic design, systems design, urban design, and place design. The sources consist of books, academic refereed papers, and reports. The reason for this is that the initial research concerned how authors frame the scope of situatedness, systems, and complexity in design, and due to the publication norms of the field during some of the time, the sources were mainly books. Following the 1960–80s, more and more scholarly design journals discuss these issues. Also, different design organizations seem to have different means to share design knowledge. Some use reports or web sites. For the scope of this article, sources concerning computer systems design and engineering design have been left out. Later, the literature review was refined by detecting relevant sources from within the books, articles, and reports in the initial list. This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive review of all current literature on these issues, however, it communicates some of the perspectives of how complexity, systemic perspectives, co-creation, and situatedness are addressed within design theories and practices. In addition, findings from a case study are included in order to deepen the analysis and understanding of how these perspectives can be addressed in the urban realm.