Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. This unique Research Agenda addresses salient current issues in evaluation research, offering a broad perspective on the role of evaluation in society. International expert contributors explore how evaluation research is not only academic research engaged in practical problem-solving, but is also research that takes a critical look at this engagement, providing inspiration for reflexivity among evaluators. Drawing on a range of perspectives, including sociology, organization theory, psychoanalytic theory, and feminism, chapters analyse examples of how evaluation works in a number of arenas, such as education, research, and voluntary work. Taking a critical look at evaluation as a social phenomenon, this Research Agenda will be a useful resource for scholars and students of evaluation, public administration and management, and public policy. It will also be beneficial in helping practitioners and researchers to understand the major emerging issues within the field of evaluation.

We live in a multilingual, transforming society in which language plays a dynamic and central role. We use it every day for communication and it is not possible to imagine life without it - it is generally recognised as a mark of what makes us human. But how often do we think about exactly what language is and how we actually use it? Language, society and communication introduces established and new linguistic concepts and theories, and links these to contemporary issues in society and the media, including new social media, with a particular focus on southern Africa. Language, society and communication explores how language is intricately bound up with issues of power, status and identity. It explores the tension between the diverse nature of everyday language practices, on the one hand, and the societal pressures towards managing and containing this diversity, on the other. It also demonstrates the relevance of linguistic study (e.g. phonology and syntax) to real world problems (e.g. analysis of a child's acquisition of language), within a southern African context. Study questions and case studies, which relate the theoretical ideas discussed to current research, are provided at the end of each chapter. Language, society and communication is aimed at undergraduate students studying linguistics, language and communication and related fields such as language education.

This stimulating and challenging book provides a guide to reflexivity and reflexive practice, explaining its relevance to research in management, organisation studies and the social sciences. Rooted in the latest research, case studies and the author's personal experience, the book builds a new perspective on reflexive practice involving bodily, emotional, rational and relational insights. Paul Hibbert draws on personal experience, using the examples of his doctoral research and an advanced collaborative research project as case studies, to demonstrate how reflexive practice plays out in a range of research contexts. Each chapter includes dialogue points to encourage the reader to form their own opinions in response to the author's point of view. Offering prospects for research that incorporates personal learning, growth and development, How to be a Reflexive Researcher also explores avenues of future research on reflexivity and reflexive practice. The book concludes that reflexive practice is not simply a research skill but is instead integral to the scholarly way of life. Providing a comprehensive treatment of reflexive practice, this book will be a useful guide for scholars and students of business and management and the social sciences more broadly, especially those with an interest in qualitative and interpretive research approaches.

Drawing together international experts on research methods in International Relations (IR), this Handbook answers the complex practical questions for those approaching a new research topic for the first time. Innovative in its approach, it considers the art of IR research as well as the science, offering diverse perspectives on current research methods and emerging developments in the field. Empirical chapters are split into five distinct parts guiding the reader through the research process, covering the key topics including scope and methods, concepts, data and techniques and tools and applications. Highlighting the wide-ranging differences in the topic, the illustrative case studies and research models also provide guidance on how and when to use these tools, including how to evaluate research at the start and end of projects. Furthermore, it examines how to publish research and provides advice on how to manage a research team. This informative read will provide an excellent resource for established researchers taking on new projects, rethinking their approach to IR or those interested in learning new methods. Students and scholars of international politics and public policy as well as social scientists will also find this illuminating and instructive.

Since the advent of the internet, online communities have emerged as a way for users to share their common interests and connect with others with ease. As the possibilities of the online world grew and the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the world, many organizations recognized the utility in not only providing further services online, but also in transitioning operations typically fulfilled in-person to an online space. As society approaches a reality in which most community practices have moved to online spaces, it is essential that community leaders remain knowledgeable on the best practices in cultivating engagement. Community Engagement in the Online Space evaluates key issues and practices pertaining to community engagement in remote settings. It analyzes various community engagement efforts within remote education, online groups, and remote work. This book further reviews the best practices for community engagement and considerations for the optimization of these practices for effective virtual delivery to support emergency environmental challenges, such as pandemic conditions. Covering topics such as community belonging, global health virtual practicum, and social media engagement, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for program directors, faculty and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, students of higher education, business leaders and executives, IT professionals, online community moderators, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. This insightful Research Agenda takes a thematic approach to analysing reform in regional and local government, exploring central concepts such as devolution, Europeanisation and globalisation. Expert contributors address key trends in structural change and reorganisation, subnational autonomy and decentralisation, metropolitan governance, and multi-level governance. Chapters explore managerial innovations and reform, democratic participation and leadership, and populism at local and regional levels. Identifying promising research avenues in these fields, the Research Agenda reflects on the effects of the 2008 global financial crisis, and potential lessons that are arising for subnational governments following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. It concludes that although the 2008 crisis has had some impact on territorial governance, there is greater continuity than radical change. Addressing particular themes and trends from a comparative perspective, this Research Agenda will be critical reading for scholars and students of international politics, urban studies and regional studies.

Khaya Dlanga has established himself as one of the most influential individuals in South African media, particularly social media, a platform he uses to promote discussion on topics that range from the frivolous to the profound. In to quote myself, Khaya recounts entertaining and moving stories about his roots and upbringing in rural Transkei, how he made his mark at school as well as his time spent studying advertising and as a stand-up comedian. He also shares his political views, how he overcame homelessness to become one of the most influential marketers in South Africa and he gives the reader a dose of the truly weird and wonderful that is routinely a part of his life.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. As the world faces extreme economic, environmental and political crises, this bold and accessible Advanced Introduction argues for a future-facing approach to the creative economy and creative innovation. The book analyses contemporary and historical arts and culture whilst assessing historical shifts from national to global cultures; analogue to digital technologies; and individualist to systems thinking. Key features include: A new approach to the creative industries based on complex systems and evolutionary dynamics Combining humanities-based analysis with economics of innovation A critique of important theorists and intellectual traditions involved in the study of modern mediated creativity Reconceptualizing arts, copyright, cities, time, global media and social agency A thought-provoking reassessment of modernity to pivot creative enterprise for the challenges of the Anthropocene era. Scholars and students of media and communications studies, political economy and economics will benefit from the new approach to creative media and culture, and its proposals to rethink the economics of creativity and innovation. This book will be a helpful guide for policy-makers, consultants and freelancers who work across the borderlines of art, media, technology, business and regulation.

While the Western was dying a slow death across the cultural landscape, it was blazing back to life as a video game in the early twenty-first century. Rockstar Games' Red Dead franchise, beginning with Red Dead Revolver in 2004, has grown into one of the most critically acclaimed video game franchises of the twenty-first century. Red Dead Redemption: History, Myth, and Violence in the Video Game West offers a critical, interdisciplinary look at this cultural phenomenon at the intersection of game studies and American history. Drawing on game studies, western history, American studies, and cultural studies, the authors train a wide-ranging, deeply informed analytic perspective on the Red Dead franchise-from its earliest incarnation to the latest, Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018). Their intersecting chapters put the series in the context of American history, culture, and contemporary media, with inquiries into issues of authenticity, realism, the meaning of play and commercial promotion, and the relationship between the game and the wider cultural iterations of the classic Western. The contributors also delve into the role the series' development has played in recent debates around working conditions in the gaming industry and gaming culture. In its redeployment and reinvention of the Western's myth and memes, the Red Dead franchise speaks to broader aspects of American culture-the hold of the frontier myth and the "Wild West" over the popular imagination, the role of gun culture in society, depictions of gender and ethnicity in mass media, and the increasing allure of digital escapism-all of which come in for scrutiny here, making this volume a vital, sweeping, and deeply revealing cultural intervention.

In a globalized world full of noise, brands are constantly launching messages through different channels. For the last two decades, brands, marketers, and creatives have faced the difficult task of reaching those individuals who do not want to watch or listen to what they are trying to tell them. By producing fewer ads or making them louder or more striking, more brands and communications professionals are not going to get those people to pay more attention to their messages; they will only want to avoid advertising in all media. Examining the Future of Advertising and Brands in the New Entertainment Landscape provides a theoretical, reflective, and empirical perspective on branded content and branded entertainment in relation to audience engagement. It reviews different cases about branded content to address the dramatic change that brands and conventional advertising are facing short term. Covering topics such as branded content measurement tools, digital entertainment culture, and government storytelling, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for marketers, advertising agencies, brand managers, business leaders and managers, communications professionals, government officials, non-profit organizations, students and educators of higher education, academic libraries, researchers, and academicians.

In the Fourth Edition of this bestselling book, John W Creswell and new co-author Cheryl N Poth explore the philosophical underpinnings, history and key elements of each of five qualitative inquiry traditions: narrative research, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography and case study - putting them side by side, so that we can see the differences. They relate research designs to each of the traditions of enquiry and provide strategies for writing introductions to studies, collecting data, analyzing data, writing a narrative and verifying results.

What will it take to create truly contemporary learning environments that meet the demands of 21st-century society, engage learners, and produce graduates who are prepared to succeed in the world? What skills and capacities do teachers and leaders need to create and sustain such schools? What actions are necessary? Bold Moves for Schools offers a compelling vision that answers these questions-and action steps to make the vision a reality. Looking through the lenses of three pedagogies-antiquated, classical, and contemporary-authors Heidi Hayes Jacobs and Marie Hubley Alcock examine every aspect of K-12 education, including curriculum, instruction, assessment, and the program structures of space (both physical and virtual), time, and grouping of learners and professionals. In a new job description for teachers, Jacobs and Alcock highlight and expound on the following roles: Self-navigating professional learner. Social contractor. Media critic and media maker. Innovative designer. Globally connected citizen. Advocate for learners and learning. With thought-provoking proposals and practical strategies for change, Bold Moves for Schools sets educators on the path to redefining their profession and creating exciting new learning environments. The challenge is unprecedented. The possibilities are unlimited.

Political Problems and Personalities in Contemporary Maryland provides a comprehensive rhetorical analysis of contemporary politics and political communication in Maryland at both the state and local levels. Theodore F. Sheckels and Carl Hyden approach rhetoric in a broader sense, arguing that actions by political players - including decisions on housing policy, urban redevelopment policy, and transportation policy-are not in a separate category from their messages. In many cases, they argue, actions are messages, often with important material consequences. Rather than focusing solely on previous or upcoming elections, as political communication has traditionally been examined, Sheckels and Hyden give considerable space to non-election topics, responding to current shifts in political communication scholarship and encouraging others to examine political communication at the local and state levels elsewhere in the United States. Scholars of communication, political science, rhetoric, and history will find this book of particular interest.

This edited collection explores the malleability and influence of body image, focusing particularly on how media representation and popular culture's focus on the body exacerbates the crucial social influence these representations can have on audiences' perceptions of themselves and others. Contributors investigate the cultural context and lived experiences of individuals' relationships with their bodies, going beyond examination of the thin, ideal body type to explore the emerging representations and portrayals of a diverse set of body types across the media spectrum, paving the way for future research on this topic. Scholars of media studies, popular culture, and health communication will find this book particularly useful.