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Article
Publication date: 11 November 2014

Joana Kuntz and Abigail Roberts

The purpose of this study was to investigate the unique contributions from social (i.e. trust climate, departmental integration) and organisational factors (i.e. managerial…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the unique contributions from social (i.e. trust climate, departmental integration) and organisational factors (i.e. managerial recognition, goal clarity and technology support) to work engagement and identification with the organisation in a human resource offshoring (HRO) context.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were recruited from a large Australian financial institution with an HR centre located in the Philippines. Ninety-one members of the captive HR centre completed the anonymous online questionnaire consisting of quantitative items and open-ended fields. Regression analyses were conducted to ascertain the relationships hypothesised.

Findings

The findings suggest that goal clarity is a key predictor of both engagement and identification with the organisation, and that technology support and managerial recognition also influence offshore staff members’ motivation and workplace attitudes.

Research limitations/implications

The cross-sectional, self-report nature of the study, along with the small sample obtained, are noted as limitations of the study. Nevertheless, the high response rate (91 per cent) and availability of qualitative data provide valuable insight into the key factors that impact HRO operations and performance.

Practical implications

The study uncovers social and organisational variables that affect staff motivation and attitudes in an HRO context, and offers a number of guidelines for practitioners operating in these settings, focussing on goal clarity, managerial recognition and technology support.

Originality/value

The study contributes to a growing body of research into the organisational and human capital factors that account for HRO performance and sustainability, and offers preliminary evidence for their unique contributions to key performance drivers. Guidelines for future research and business practice are proposed, namely, the consideration of multilevel and temporal approaches to the management and investigation of HRO operations.

Expert briefing
Publication date: 13 December 2018

The Republicans lost control of the US House of Representatives to the Democrats for 2019-21 in the midterms, while Democrats also made gains at state-level. Yet there is…

Details

DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB240556

ISSN: 2633-304X

Keywords

Geographic
Topical
Article
Publication date: 2 October 2023

Kate Van Haren and Abigail Stebbins

Film has long been an instructional tool in social studies education; however, most research and methods for using film to teach social studies are situated at the secondary…

Abstract

Purpose

Film has long been an instructional tool in social studies education; however, most research and methods for using film to teach social studies are situated at the secondary level. As such, the purpose of this study was to extend and expand what is known about using film in elementary social studies classrooms. More specifically, this qualitative content analysis study explored how and why elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs) used film clips from Molly of Denali to design critical Indigenous studies lessons. The data offer insight into the possibilities of using film as a strategy to teach anti-oppressive elementary social studies education.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used qualitative content analysis in this study. Data for this study included 17 lesson planning assignments and corresponding written rationales completed by PSTs in an elementary social studies methods course. Data collected as a result of convenience sampling, given both the authors were the instructors of the methods course. To analyze the data, the authors used a multi-step coding process and a combination of inductive and deductive coding.

Findings

Grounded in a framework of anti-oppressive and anti-colonial education, PSTs designed elementary social studies lessons that used film clips from Molly of Denali to increase representation, center a counter-narrative and serve as a motivator. PSTs also infused other sources into their lesson plans, thus extending their lessons beyond the film.

Originality/value

Given the lack of research on how film can be used in elementary social studies classrooms, this study fills a void in the literature. Results of this study suggest that similar to the benefits of using film in secondary classrooms, film can be an engaging and motivating source of information for elementary students. Moreover, when used within a critical pedagogical framework like Sabzalian's (2019) critical orientations of Indigenous studies, film can increase representation and teach anti-oppressive counter-narratives in the elementary classroom.

Details

Social Studies Research and Practice, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1933-5415

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 November 2008

Abigail McBirnie

This paper aims to present selected findings of a recent study of serendipity in information seeking, exploring the paradox of control inherent in the concept of “seeking…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present selected findings of a recent study of serendipity in information seeking, exploring the paradox of control inherent in the concept of “seeking serendipity”.

Design/methodology/approach

After providing an overview of the research study, the paper locates the research findings in the context of the literature. The discussion explores the research findings in relation to both the paradox of control and the related concept of “seeking serendipity”.

Findings

The definition/description of serendipity is examined, the concept of process‐perception duality is introduced, and links with the literature are explored. The discussion reassesses the paradox of control in light of the research findings, raising the possibility that information literacy educators have a role to play in developing the perception aspect of serendipity.

Practical implications

The paper proposes that, despite the possibly uncomfortable challenges presented by the paradox of control, serendipity deserves more recognition in professional practice. Increased acknowledgement and understanding of serendipity may enable professional practitioners to function more effectively in the unpredictable, dynamic environment that informs the reality of information seeking.

Originality/value

The paper adds to the limited existing empirical research investigating serendipity, increasing both academic and practical understanding of the phenomenon. In particular, the introduction of the concept of process‐perception duality provides a useful grounding for future research.

Details

Aslib Proceedings, vol. 60 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0001-253X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 August 2013

Abigail Gregory, Susan Milner and Jan Windebank

The purpose of this editorial is to provide an overview of the wider debates concerning the evolution of work‐life balance practice and policy since the onset of the “Great…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this editorial is to provide an overview of the wider debates concerning the evolution of work‐life balance practice and policy since the onset of the “Great Recession” of 2008 and to draw out some comparisons of the issues raised by the papers in the special issue by focusing particularly on the example of the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

The editorial analyses how the direction and pace of changes in work‐life balance practice and policy varies between different national contexts and welfare regimes and also asks whether, within the same national context, the changes taking place are always consistent.

Findings

The special issue draws together an international overview of work‐life balance measures which focuses particularly on measures for fathers, an EU‐wide analysis of the use of flexible employment and its relationship with work‐family conflict and a number of specific country case studies from Southern Europe where recession has been particularly severe (Spain and Italy) and the Southern hemisphere (Australia) where the recession has been less deep. It finds that economic crisis and austerity have resulted in a variety of labour market changes and policy responses in different national settings, some but not all of which map onto existing welfare regime typologies. The articles raise a wider set of questions about what type of policy best promotes employees' work‐life balance. The editorial argues in favour of legislative support for work‐life balance to help address structural inequalities.

Originality/value

This editorial and special issue is one of the first to review the small but growing literature on the effect of recession on individuals' experience of work‐life balance, organisations' approach to work‐life balance and reconciliation policy since 2008.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 33 no. 9/10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1987

Abigail Gregory

There are evident similarities in the way large‐scale grocery retailing has developed in Britain and France, and in the manpower planning problems confronting managers in the two…

Abstract

There are evident similarities in the way large‐scale grocery retailing has developed in Britain and France, and in the manpower planning problems confronting managers in the two countries. In France, however, significantly lower levels of part‐time work appear to be employed in this sector. This article investigates how different approaches to manpower utilisation in the two countries may relate to the way in which part‐time work has developed nationally. Specifically, it presents background data relating to the growth and utilisation of part‐time work both nationally and within food retailing. It then outlines some of the main results emerging from the author's PhD research into working patterns in this sphere. The article is edited from a paper recently presented to NEDO's Part‐time Employment Group.

Details

Retail and Distribution Management, vol. 15 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-2363

Article
Publication date: 1 September 2000

Jonathan C. Morris

Looks at the 2000 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference held at the University of Cardiff in Wales on 6/7 September 2000. Spotlights the 76 or so presentations within and…

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Abstract

Looks at the 2000 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference held at the University of Cardiff in Wales on 6/7 September 2000. Spotlights the 76 or so presentations within and shows that these are in many, differing, areas across management research from: retail finance; precarious jobs and decisions; methodological lessons from feminism; call centre experience and disability discrimination. These and all points east and west are covered and laid out in a simple, abstract style, including, where applicable, references, endnotes and bibliography in an easy‐to‐follow manner. Summarizes each paper and also gives conclusions where needed, in a comfortable modern format.

Details

Management Research News, vol. 23 no. 9/10/11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0140-9174

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 September 2023

Kingsley Konadu, Abigail Opoku Mensah, Samuel Koomson, Ernest Mensah Abraham, Joshua Amuzu and Joan-Ark Manu Agyapong

Senior executives and leaders of public sector institutions (PSIs) are responsible for the development, preservation or restoration of employee integrity (EI). This conceptual…

Abstract

Purpose

Senior executives and leaders of public sector institutions (PSIs) are responsible for the development, preservation or restoration of employee integrity (EI). This conceptual paper aims to address the direct impact of EI on work performance (WP). It also explores the interceding effects of job satisfaction (JS) and employee organisational identification (OI) and the context-conditional impact of purposeful leadership (PL).

Design/methodology/approach

This research builds a research framework coupled with suppositions by integrating literature from both theoretical and empirical works in the fields of integrity management, human resource management, performance management and leadership using a systematic literature review approach. Firstly, the authors explicitly express the authors’ list of goals through replicable design. Secondly, the authors find all research papers that would satisfy the requirements for inclusion. Thirdly, the authors evaluate the truthfulness of the results from the incorporated research, and, finally, the authors offer a summary and synthesis of the features and outcomes of the incorporated research.

Findings

This study finds that EI will be favourably linked to WP, and this encouraging connection will be favourably interceded by JS and OI, both independently and together. Also, PL will favourably moderate the EI–JS connection as well as the EI–OI linkage.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides a novel framework for specialists and academics in four multidisciplinary fields for improving the EI and WP of employees using JS and OI as strategic devices. It also considers the conditional influence of PL, which has been underexploited in the academic sphere. Thus, this research sets the stage for forthcoming academics to investigate this research framework empirically in diverse PSIs worldwide.

Practical implications

To guarantee that PSIs draw, grow and preserve workers who symbolise the beliefs of the institution, their leadership must uphold a “values-grounded approach” to all facets of its human resource practises – comprising recruitment, performance appraisals, training, leadership development platforms and promotions.

Social implications

This study reveals the importance of improving integrity in PSIs and the diverse mechanisms through which EI translates into WP. It also highlights the possible benefits that purposeful leaders can offer as well as the problems that they can potentially help mitigate.

Originality/value

This research adds to the sparse literature on the construct of PL within PSIs’ settings and offers a new conceptual model for boosting employee WP through the facilitating roles of JS and OI, both separately and together.

Details

International Journal of Ethics and Systems, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9369

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 22 December 2016

Kristen McIntyre and Ryan Fuller

The chapter focuses on how engaging undergraduate and graduate students at a metropolitan university through community-based experiential learning can help them make a difference…

Abstract

Purpose

The chapter focuses on how engaging undergraduate and graduate students at a metropolitan university through community-based experiential learning can help them make a difference in their personal relationships, in their workplaces and in their communities.

Methodology/approach

The chapter explores the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Speech Communication’s integrated approach to undergraduate and graduate curriculum that focuses on four types of casing complex problems and making positive, ethical recommendations to make a difference. Specifically, the chapter explores how problem-based learning; service-learning; narrative ethnography; and research projects can be used as meaningful ways to case complex communication issues and to make ethical, theory-informed recommendations to not only do no harm but also affect positive change and promote social justice in students’ personal relationships, organizations, and communities.

Practical implications

Lessons learned from the programmatic approach are shared that include building a theoretical base for students to draw from, integrating case approaches into the curriculum, and engaging resistance and failure. Chapter recommendations promote using theory as a lever for learning, building meaningful relationships with stakeholders, and adopting a process orientation that embraces failure.

Originality/value

The chapter offers a review of four undergraduate courses and four graduate courses, with explicit applications of the four case approaches. Additionally, learning objectives, major assignment descriptions, and assessment approaches are detailed for each course.

Details

Integrating Curricular and Co-Curricular Endeavors to Enhance Student Outcomes
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-063-3

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 15 January 2021

Anna Sheppard and Emily S. Mann

Purpose: To understand how lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and asexual (LBTQA+) young women interpret the social construction of “lesbian obesity” in the context of their…

Abstract

Purpose: To understand how lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and asexual (LBTQA+) young women interpret the social construction of “lesbian obesity” in the context of their lived experiences and membership in the LGBTQ+ community.

Methodology: Individual, in-depth interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 25 LBTQA+ women, ages 18–24, to explore how participants perceive and experience dominant discourses about gender, sexuality, and weight. Interviews were analyzed using a combination of deductive and inductive coding approaches.

Findings: Participants resisted public health discourse that frames obesity as a disease and the implication that their sexual identities put their health at risk. Many participants viewed their sexual identities and membership in the LGBTQ+ community as protective factors for their health statuses in general and their body image in particular.

Implications: Our findings suggest a need to reconsider the utility of the concept of “lesbian obesity” to characterize the significance of elevated rates of overweight and obesity in this population. Public health and clinical interventions guided by body positive approaches may be of greater relevance for sexual minority women.

Originality: This study centers the perceptions and experiences of LBTQA+ young women in order to examine how the intersections of sexual minority identity, dominant cultural ideals about weight, and obesity discourse inform their health.

Details

Sexual and Gender Minority Health
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-147-1

Keywords

1 – 10 of 57