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1 – 10 of 34Fernando Núñez Hernández, Carlos Usabiaga and Pablo Álvarez de Toledo
The purpose of this study is to analyse the gender wage gap (GWG) in Spain adopting a labour market segmentation approach. Once we obtain the different labour segments (or…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyse the gender wage gap (GWG) in Spain adopting a labour market segmentation approach. Once we obtain the different labour segments (or idiosyncratic labour markets), we are able to decompose the GWG into its observed and unobserved heterogeneity components.
Design/methodology/approach
We use the data from the Continuous Sample of Working Lives for the year 2021 (matched employer–employee [EE] data). Contingency tables and clustering techniques are applied to employment data to identify idiosyncratic labour markets where men and/or women of different ages tend to match/associate with different sectors of activity and occupation groups. Once this “heatmap” of labour associations is known, we can analyse its hottest areas (the idiosyncratic labour markets) from the perspective of wage discrimination by gender (Oaxaca-Blinder model).
Findings
In Spain, in general, men are paid more than women, and this is not always justified by their respective attributes. Among our results, the fact stands out that women tend to move to those idiosyncratic markets (biclusters) where the GWG (in favour of men) is smaller.
Research limitations/implications
It has not been possible to obtain remuneration data by job-placement, but an annual EE relationship is used. Future research should attempt to analyse the GWG across the wage distribution in the different idiosyncratic markets.
Practical implications
Our combination of methodologies can be adapted to other economies and variables and provides detailed information on the labour-matching process and gender wage discrimination in segmented labour markets.
Social implications
Our contribution is very important for labour market policies, trying to reduce unfair inequalities.
Originality/value
The study of the GWG from a novel labour segmentation perspective can be interesting for other researchers, institutions and policy makers.
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Julia Stranzl, Christopher Ruppel and Sabine Einwiller
Since research has already shown that social distance affects the relationship between employees and the organization, this study (1) examines job-related resources that…
Abstract
Purpose
Since research has already shown that social distance affects the relationship between employees and the organization, this study (1) examines job-related resources that contribute to teleworkers’ organizational commitment and (2) works out how internal communication professionals can strategically address them.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 50 problem-centered, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with teleworkers from Austrian and German organizations between March and June 2021.
Findings
The interview data resulted in eight job-related resources that contribute to teleworkers’ organizational commitment. By pointing out the communicative aspects of these resources, we discuss how internal communication professionals can strategically engage to maintain the connection between teleworkers and the organization despite the distance. It highlights the communicators’ role as a strategic communicators and networkers, as enabler and as key speaker for employees’ needs.
Research limitations/implications
The data were collected during a health crisis (COVID-19 pandemic) in the context of Austrian and German organizations and refers to the perspective of employees for whom teleworking israther new.
Originality/value
The study provides in-depth insights into teleworkers’ expectations and entails clear implications for the practice of internal communication professionals to strengthen teleworkers’ commitment.
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Álvaro Melón-Izco and Arkaitz Bañuelos Campo
This paper aims to analyse the gender wage gap (GWG) in the board of directors at the executive-director level. The authors aim to answer two questions: (1) Is the GWG explained…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyse the gender wage gap (GWG) in the board of directors at the executive-director level. The authors aim to answer two questions: (1) Is the GWG explained by differences between males and females, by discriminatory causes or by both? and (2) what are the main factors that cause or increase the existence of GWGs? Specifically, the authors pay special attention to compliance with good governance codes as a fundamental variable in explaining the GWG.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a sample of directors in Spanish companies listed on the continuous market from 2013 to 2021 and uses Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition and unconditional quantile regressions to analyse the GWG.
Findings
The findings demonstrate both discriminatory reasons and differences between individuals when explaining the GWG and showing that compliance with remuneration practices issued by good governance codes considerably reduces the GWG for all remuneration components.
Practical implications
The study confirms adequacy of regulator remuneration recommendations but highlights GWG persistence within boards. To counter this, enforcing pay transparency aids female directors’ advancement, reducing bonuses’ impact on wage disparity, necessitating monitored laws for fairer compensation systems and meeting 40% of women directors’ proposals.
Social implications
Primarily, this study significantly influences public attitudes towards GWG. Specifically, it calls for companies to not only increase female leadership representation but also to ensure equitable remuneration aligned with their male counterparts, conduct regular pay equity assessments, implement pay transparency policies and support work-life balance through flexible hours and parental leave. Furthermore, the work serves as a crucial resource for female directors, empowering them to advocate for their rights in the context of GWG.
Originality/value
This research offers nuanced insights into the GWG in corporate boards, corrects the main limitations of previous studies and calls for regulatory reinforcement and the active involvement of female directors and firms in creating equitable policies.
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Ashly H. Pinnington, Hazem Aldabbas, Fatemeh Mirshahi and Mary L. Brown
This study investigates the relationship between women’s networks perceptions and job satisfaction. It also examines the mediating effects of perceived organizational support…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the relationship between women’s networks perceptions and job satisfaction. It also examines the mediating effects of perceived organizational support (POS) for women’s work contributions on the relationship between networks perceptions and job satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
The participants are female employees working in Scotland (n = 247). The data were collected using a survey questionnaire. PROCESS macro (model 4, Hayes, 2018) was used to test the proposed model.
Findings
The results revealed that (controlling for work time, age and sector) there is a significant relationship between women’s networks perceptions and job satisfaction. In addition, POS for women’s work contribution mediates the relationship between networks perceptions and job satisfaction. These findings show the significant effects of networks perceptions on employees’ job, satisfaction directly and through POS for women’s work contributions. Therefore, understanding the networks perceptions of employees and organizational factors will assist in improving job satisfaction.
Originality/value
This study is unique for examining the role of POS for women’s work contribution in the relationship between employees’ networks perceptions and job satisfaction. It addresses gender inequality in the workplace in terms of women’s career advancement and job satisfaction. In addition, this research offers insight into the development of a seven-item measurement scale related to networks perceptions.
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Anil K. Narayan and Marianne Oru
This study aims to investigate accounting practices within a non-Western (indigenous) context and provide insights into alternative accounting approaches and perspectives.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate accounting practices within a non-Western (indigenous) context and provide insights into alternative accounting approaches and perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts an interpretive research approach to gain an in-depth insight into the functioning of accounting in Solomon Islands’ unique cultural and social-political context. In-depth interviews were conducted to gain insights into the perceptions and meanings held by participants concerning Western accounting practices and their limitations.
Findings
The findings provide unique insights into different interpretations of accounting and accountability through two distinct cultural lenses – Western and non-Western. The complimentary and rival explanations on what accounting and accountability are doing and what accounting and accountability should be doing will help close the gap in knowledge and contribute to shaping a better world for indigenous people.
Practical implications
Implications for practice involve fostering collaborative efforts among individuals, communities, leaders and institutions to harness cultural strengths through accounting. Additionally, continuous capacity building and education are essential to develop accounting skills, enhance financial literacy, promote professional expertise and build a pool of skilled accountants with local knowledge to support indigenous communities.
Originality/value
This study is original and provides novel insights supporting the need for accounting to recognise the importance of indigenous perspectives, adapt to cultural sensitivity and integrate cultural norms and values into accounting practices to make an impact and achieve greater social and moral accountability.
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Syam Narayanan S., Rajalakshmi Pachamuthu, Alex T. Biju and Srilekha Madupu
This study aims to discuss the mathematical modelling of a compliance-assisted flapping mechanism and morphable structures for an UAV.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to discuss the mathematical modelling of a compliance-assisted flapping mechanism and morphable structures for an UAV.
Design/methodology/approach
A compliance-assisted flapping wing was designed and modelled mathematically, and signals for the corresponding curves were calculated. The actual wing tip trace of a hummingbird was taken, and variables a, b, h and k were calculated from the image. This data was given to the mathematical model for plotting the graph, and the curve was compared with the input curve. The wing frame and mechanism for control surfaces using morphing is modelled along with single pivoted spine for centre of gravity augmentation and flight orientation control.
Findings
The model efficiently approximates the 2D path of the wing using line segments using the muscle and compliance mechanism.
Practical implications
Using a compliance-assisted flapping mechanism offers practical advantages. It allows us to synchronize the flapping frequency with the input signal frequency, ensuring efficient operation. Additionally, the authors can enhance the torque output by using multiple muscle strands, resulting in a substantial increase in the system’s torque-to-weight ratio. This approach proves to be more favourable when compared to conventional methods involving motors or servos, ultimately offering a more efficient and robust solution for practical application.
Social implications
This model focuses on creating a flexible and tunable mechanism that can at least trace four types of wing traces from the same design, for shifting from one mode of flight to another.
Originality/value
Conventional ornithopter flapping mechanisms are gear or servo driven and cannot trace a wing tip, but some can trace complicated curves, but only one at a time. This model can trace multiple curves using the same hardware, allowing the user to program the curve based on their needs or bird. The authors may vary the shape of the wing tip trace to switch between forward flight, hovering, backward flying, etc., which is not conceivable with any traditional flapping mechanism.
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This article explores in a qualitative manner the motivations of women entrepreneurs who start and run ethnic food businesses in London.
Abstract
Purpose
This article explores in a qualitative manner the motivations of women entrepreneurs who start and run ethnic food businesses in London.
Design/methodology/approach
Our approach is qualitative and deploys phenomenographical analysis of interview narratives around categories of motivation.
Findings
We find that women ethnic food entrepreneurs are driven by a combination of desire for self-actualisation, identity-maintenance and community considerations. We demonstrate that women ethnic food entrepreneurs often go against the logic of the market, and they do so not because they lack other options, but for reasons that have to do with their (self-)identification as women and professionals, their prerogatives as mothers and daughters, their ethnic heritage, their emplacement in urban and global communities and their need to contribute. Our findings enrich understanding of female-led ethnic food entrepreneurship not as a demanding, overall unproductive undertaking for women with no other options, but as a realm of inspiration, community engagement and female-led innovation.
Originality/value
Our main contributions are the qualitative interrogation of perceptions and experiences of identity and difference in urban entrepreneurship from the point of view of our interviewees; providing concrete empirical evidence for it through our sample and proposing an approach to thinking women-led ethnic food entrepreneurship as a vehicle for translating urban superdiversity into social interactions across barriers of difference. We speak to the field of women entrepreneurship studies but specifically to the understudied realm of women-led food entrepreneurship, and to the cross-disciplinary field of (im)migrant entrepreneurship.
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Muhammad Ashraf Fauzi, Syed Radzi Rahamaddulla, Chia Kuang Lee, Zuraina Ali and Umi Nabila Alias
The purpose of this study is to review the work–life balance (WLB) among academics. Academics are the pillars of higher education institutions’ (HEIs) mission to provide quality…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to review the work–life balance (WLB) among academics. Academics are the pillars of higher education institutions’ (HEIs) mission to provide quality education to students and the community, supporting socioeconomic development. Most academics today are overworked and overburdened with duties, forcing them to work longer hours on weekends and at odd hours. This eventually affects their work–life balance and causes boundary conflicts between work and personal life.
Design/methodology/approach
This study proposes a bibliometric analysis to investigate the underlying knowledge structure of this phenomenon by uncovering the past and present themes and predicting future trends of WLB in academia. This review adopts two analyses (bibliographic coupling and co-word analysis), presenting the knowledge structure network. A total of 307 journal publications were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database, revealing significant clusters and themes.
Findings
Findings identified central themes, including the issue of women in academia, predictors and the impact of WLB in academia.
Research limitations/implications
Implications towards research and practice relevant to scholars and practitioners are discussed, particularly in balancing academics, professional work and personal life.
Originality/value
This study presents a state-of-the-art bibliometric analysis by uncovering the knowledge structure of academics’ work–life balance in HEIs.
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Fouzia Sadaf, Shermeen Bano and Rahla Rahat
The central aim of this study is to advance understanding of the influence of university practices and structures on shaping female academics’ paths to reach the position of…
Abstract
Purpose
The central aim of this study is to advance understanding of the influence of university practices and structures on shaping female academics’ paths to reach the position of professor in Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
About 30 qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with female professors to examine key enablers and barriers to their promotion trajectories towards reaching the position of professor in public universities in Punjab, Pakistan.
Findings
This study presents an analysis of promotion biographies and has identified a combination of personal, interpersonal and structural factors as enablers and barriers to the promotion trajectory from junior academic positions to the level of professorship among female professors in public universities in Pakistan. Three main kinds of promotion trajectories were identified, which represent three different configurations of elements relating to (1) personal credentials and strategies to manage delays, (2) workplace relations and (3) university promotion systems.
Originality/value
The findings of this research may be helpful in terms of (1) offering ideas regarding support for women who are making career decisions and achieving inspiring successful careers; (2) informing university governance to address the barriers that curtail women’s accomplishment of their career goals and (3) devising/improving strategic plans to address the entrenched gender disparity in academic leadership and broader society.
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Kamesha Spates, Na’Tasha Evans, Jordan Smith, Richa Gairola, Rebecca Jindra, Parishma Guttoo, Cedric Mubikayi Kabasele, Chelsey Kirkland and PraiseGod Aminu
The prevalence of Congolese refugee women seeking asylum in the USA has recently garnered substantial attention. Many women have fled the Democratic Republic of Congo due to…
Abstract
Purpose
The prevalence of Congolese refugee women seeking asylum in the USA has recently garnered substantial attention. Many women have fled the Democratic Republic of Congo due to trauma and loss. Likewise, the resettlement process, particularly acculturative stress, may exacerbate mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. By recognizing the centrality of family within Congolese culture, this study aims to investigate cultural beliefs about family among Congolese refugee women in the USA, using acculturative theory as an interpretative lens.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors’ study centered on understanding the resettlement experiences of 20 Congolese refugee women living within an urban area of Midwest America after their arrival in America since 2011. Through using convenient sampling methods, the authors chose these particular activists as they could provide insight into their stories concerning their journey from Congo to settling down as refugees within Northeast America. During interviews, semi-structured questioning was used to gather responses from participants which were later analyzed through implementing a thematic interpretation process.
Findings
Three themes emerged encapsulating cultural beliefs about family: supporting one another; the importance of togetherness; and disciplining our children. These findings provide culturally tailored resources to support Congolese refugee women and their families upon resettlement optimally.
Research limitations/implications
The authors’ work provides health equity researchers with an opportunity to better understand cultural beliefs among Congolese refugee women. Findings from this study provide an increased understanding of how to provide culturally specific tools to better aid Congolese refugee women and their families upon arrival.
Practical implications
The authors’ research offers insights for health equity researchers seeking to understand the cultural beliefs of Congolese refugee women. The findings contribute to an enhanced understanding of how to provide culturally specific resources better to support Congolese refugee women and their families upon arrival.
Originality/value
The authors verify that, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper was written completely independently, and neither the entire work nor any of its parts have been previously published. The authors confirm that the paper has not been submitted to peer review, nor is in the process of peer reviewing, nor has been accepted for publishing in another journal. The authors confirm that the research in their work is original.
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