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Article
Publication date: 11 June 2018

Martin Bassett and Nicholas Shaw

Middle leaders play an important role in the education landscape, first and foremost as teachers, and second as leaders. The purpose of this paper is to identify the expectations…

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Abstract

Purpose

Middle leaders play an important role in the education landscape, first and foremost as teachers, and second as leaders. The purpose of this paper is to identify the expectations and challenges experienced by first-time middle leaders in New Zealand primary schools, and identify the leadership development and support they were provided with.

Design/methodology/approach

This was a small qualitative study designed to collect data from the perspectives of first-time middle leaders and principals in New Zealand primary schools. Three methods were employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six middle leaders who had been in the role for one to three years. These participants were identified through an analysis of recent public appointment records and then e-mailed with an invitation. Four principals from a local principals’ association were invited to comprise a focus group and relevant documents were analysed.

Findings

The findings from this study are presented in three sections: expectations, challenges and leadership development and support. Whilst the principals described wide and varied role expectations the middle leaders highlighted the importance of their teaching role with leadership responsibilities as secondary. From both perspectives time to do the administrative work was an overwhelming difficulty. A key finding was related to a lack of confidence to undertake the role in spite of efforts to provide and receive support. Overall, there was agreement that further development for new middle leaders was essential.

Research limitations/implications

This small, limited study highlights the central role that middle leaders play in leading learning and teaching, and the existence of a lack of confidence. Further research is needed to delve into conditions that would enable new middle leaders to manage the challenges of time and confidence.

Practical implications

The research recommends that practitioners who are new to a middle leadership role be allocated dedicated time for performing the administrative tasks and participating in an ongoing induction programme. The middle leaders themselves and their schools would benefit from efforts to strengthen middle leadership development.

Originality/value

Although a great deal has been written about middle leadership, there is only a small amount of research about primary schools. This research adds valuable new information in a primary school context and breaks new ground in researching early career, first-time middle leaders in this context.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 July 1969

ROGER BEARD

Britain's educational publishers, for too long the laggards in educational development, are at last responding to the changes wrought by successive education acts and curriculum…

Abstract

Britain's educational publishers, for too long the laggards in educational development, are at last responding to the changes wrought by successive education acts and curriculum reform. Previously the sleepy refuges of tired (or failed) teachers, in the past decade the publishing houses have undergone a quiet revolution. Out has gone Mr Chips, to be replaced by a brand of publishing executive owing more to management accounting than to those money‐spinning Latin primers and grammar‐school texts.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 11 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Article
Publication date: 3 January 2017

Dmitry Brychkov and Christine Domegan

The purpose of this paper is to present retrospective, current and prospective aspects of social marketing and systems science integration.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present retrospective, current and prospective aspects of social marketing and systems science integration.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a periodization methodology, based on turning points of conceptual integration between social marketing and systems science.

Findings

The paper identifies three periods of integration between social marketing and systems science: initialization of marketing and systems science integration; further conceptualization of the link between marketing and systems science, coupled by permeation of systems thinking into social marketing; and deep integration of social marketing with systems science. The latter period is ongoing and focuses on the origination of strategic systems-based theories and practices for sustainable social change.

Research limitations/implications

The use of a periodization methodology might be biased by subjectivity, as chronological sequences of conceptualization-related events can be hard to decipher and can be reluctant to structural analysis. The necessity to examine the link between marketing and systems science, in so far as social marketing draws upon marketing theory regarding integration with systems science, has social marketing overshadowed by marketing at some points in time.

Practical implications

Historical research of social marketing and systems science integration provides a robust platform for large-scale practical manifestation of system-based strategic projects in social marketing.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates that the permeation of systems thinking into the social marketing paradigm is gaining momentum and describes the trends, prospects and complexities associated with the accelerating integration.

Details

Journal of Social Marketing, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6763

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 February 2018

Rhoda Ansah Quaigrain and Mohamed H. Issa

Support at the organizational and managerial levels defines the degree to which construction workplaces can accommodate disabled and injured workers. There is little empirical…

Abstract

Purpose

Support at the organizational and managerial levels defines the degree to which construction workplaces can accommodate disabled and injured workers. There is little empirical evidence about the indicators and practices that can be used by construction organizations to evaluate disability management (DM). This paper aims to develop and validate key indicators and practices of disability/injury management within construction.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve this, the research used a two-phase sequential exploratory review of literature, followed by a quantitative phase, using analytic hierarchy process. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) involved recruiting eight health and safety and DM experts to conduct pairwise comparisons of these indicators.

Findings

The results found return-to-work and disability and injury management practices to be the most important indicators and physical accessibility and claims management practices to be the least important.

Practical implications

The development of these indicators should help construction organizations develop DM programs that better meet their needs, and benchmark and improve related performance.

Social implications

The results could also be useful for all stakeholders in general and decision makers in particular involved within construction.

Originality/value

Such prioritization helps organizations to prioritize their DM practices thereby optimizing performance.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 May 2010

Veronica Martinez, Marko Bastl, Jennifer Kingston and Stephen Evans

The purpose of this paper is to present challenges experienced by UK manufacturing companies undergoing a servitization journey to becoming product‐service providers.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present challenges experienced by UK manufacturing companies undergoing a servitization journey to becoming product‐service providers.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses an exploratory single‐case study approach based on semi‐structured interviews, and archival data. A total of 22 senior managers were interviewed from the product‐service provider and its two suppliers, resulting in more than 400 pages of interview data. Data were analysed through an inductive research analysis by an emergent identification of patterns.

Findings

This research identifies critical and frequent challenges experienced by UK manufacturing companies undergoing a servitization journey to becoming product‐service system (PSS) providers. They are condensed into five pillars, which constitute the architecture of challenges in servitization. The architecture of challenges in servitization provides a full description of the strategy and operations of PSSs.

Research limitations/implications

This is qualitative research based on a single case study. Given the nature of research design, the identified patterns cannot be used as a predictive tool.

Practical implications

This research provides a framework to understand, analyse and plan the strategic transformations to more highly servitized organisational forms.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to knowledge with a new model called “the architecture of challenges in servitization”. This is the only model that explains the importance of the strategic, operational and social tests that organisations confront when adopting servitization strategies. If companies understand these challenges, they have the potential to create unique sets of values for a variety of stakeholders.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 September 2007

Ben Johnson and Charles Oppenheim

The purpose of this paper is to report an investigation into the social and citation networks of three information scientists: David Nicholas, Peter Williams and Paul Huntington.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report an investigation into the social and citation networks of three information scientists: David Nicholas, Peter Williams and Paul Huntington.

Design/methodology/approach

Similarities between citation patterns and social closeness were identified and discussed. A total of 16 individuals in the citation network were identified and investigated using citation analysis, and a matrix formed of citations made between those in the network. Social connections between the 16 in the citation network were then investigated by means of a questionnaire, the results of which were merged into a separate matrix. These matrices were converted into visual social networks, using multidimensional scaling. A new deviance measure was devised for drawing comparisons between social and citation closeness in individual cases.

Findings

Nicholas, Williams and Huntington were found to have cited 527 authors in the period 2000‐2003, the 16 most cited becoming the subjects of further citation and social investigation. This comparison, along with the examination of visual representations indicates a positive correlation between social closeness and citation counts. Possible explanations for this correlation are discussed, and implications considered. Despite this correlation, the information scientists were found to cite widely outside their immediate social connections.

Originality/value

Social network analysis has not been often used in combination with citation analysis to explore inter‐relationships in research teams.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 63 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 5 September 2018

Ethan W. Gossett and P. D. Harms

Acute and chronic pain affects more Americans than heart disease, diabetes, and cancer combined. Conservative estimates suggest the total economic cost of pain in the United…

Abstract

Acute and chronic pain affects more Americans than heart disease, diabetes, and cancer combined. Conservative estimates suggest the total economic cost of pain in the United States is $600 billion, and more than half of this cost is due to lost productivity, such as absenteeism, presenteeism, and turnover. In addition, an escalating opioid epidemic in the United States and abroad spurred by a lack of safe and effective pain management has magnified challenges to address pain in the workforce, particularly the military. Thus, it is imperative to investigate the organizational antecedents and consequences of pain and prescription opioid misuse (POM). This chapter provides a brief introduction to pain processing and the biopsychosocial model of pain, emphasizing the relationship between stress, emotional well-being, and pain in the military workforce. We review personal and organizational risk and protective factors for pain, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, optimism, perceived organizational support, and job strain. Further, we discuss the potential adverse impact of pain on organizational outcomes, the rise of POM in military personnel, and risk factors for POM in civilian and military populations. Lastly, we propose potential organizational interventions to mitigate pain and provide the future directions for work, stress, and pain research.

Details

Occupational Stress and Well-Being in Military Contexts
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-184-7

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 May 2016

Eric S.W. Chan and Cathy H.C. Hsu

The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesise 149 hospitality-related studies published in the past two decades pertaining to environmental management (EM). The review was…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesise 149 hospitality-related studies published in the past two decades pertaining to environmental management (EM). The review was divided into three main stages: 1993-1999, 2000-2009 and 2010-2014 and provided future research directions.

Design/methodology/approach

The study sample consisted of articles published between 1993 and 2014 in four leading hospitality journals. The four journals chosen were the International Journal of Hospitality Management, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management and Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research. The title, abstract and the content, as needed, of all EM-related full-length articles from these four journals were content analysed. Editors’ notes, book reviews, industry news, conference papers and research notes were excluded from this paper.

Findings

EM research in the hospitality industry during the first two stages focused on the development of environmental policies and practices, green consumerism, managers’ environmental attitudes, indoor air quality and smoke-free environments, sustainable development, environmental performance, environmental cost control and environmental management systems (EMSs). During the third stage from 2010 to 2014, topics about environmental benchmarking and indicators have surfaced. Notwithstanding this, EM in the environmental reporting, and green marketing have been pursued less enthusiastically.

Research limitations/implications

Compared with the mainstream management literature and considering the future development of EM, hospitality scholars are encouraged to extend their research to include green marketing, environmental technologies, environmental reporting, carbon footprint, employees’ green behaviour, the effects of EM on hospitality firms’ stakeholders and small- and medium-sized hospitality firms. In addition, more effort should be spent on developing hospitality-specific theories for EM.

Originality/value

Little has been done to determine the main research agendas in hospitality EM. A review of recent research on this topic provides an inventory of existing knowledge and points out areas requiring further knowledge exploration.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 24 May 2022

Jarna Pasanen

This study aims to deepen the understanding of insurers’ role within the return-to-work (RTW) process by uncovering and categorizing the multiple roles assumed by the insurer…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to deepen the understanding of insurers’ role within the return-to-work (RTW) process by uncovering and categorizing the multiple roles assumed by the insurer based on the claimant’s perceptions and identifying the underlying mechanisms that explain the relationship between perceived insurer roles and occupational rehabilitation outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

The author used a qualitative approach with theory-guided content analysis to examine 24 semi-structured interviews with occupational rehabilitation claimants who had undergone occupational rehabilitation within the earnings-related pension insurance system in Finland.

Findings

The author uncovered three perceived insurer roles in relation to other stakeholders in the rehabilitation network: financier, coordinator and leader. These roles have different perceived responsibilities and influences on rehabilitation outcomes. Additionally, the author found four perceived insurer roles in relation to the claimants, which varied according to their democracy and activity levels: ally, facilitator, enforcer or enemy. Based on this study, the author recommends that insurers adopt democratic and participatory actor roles (ally and facilitator) to promote the RTW process in occupational rehabilitation.

Originality/value

This inaugural study applied role theory to insurers within the RTW process, developing a new framework of insurer profiles. This study reveals the dynamic nature of insurers and enhances the understanding of the connections between perceived insurer roles and rehabilitation outcomes.

Details

Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1755-4179

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1987

Nicholas J. Beutell and O.C. Brenner

Retirement is a complex and important transition in an employee's life. The merits of retirement policies have been discussed from both the individual and the organisational…

Abstract

Retirement is a complex and important transition in an employee's life. The merits of retirement policies have been discussed from both the individual and the organisational perspectives. Shaw and Grubbs, for example, have emphasised the need for additional research as a guide to managing the retirement process effectively. Clearly, this need is critical in light of the extension of the mandatory retirement age to 70 (Age Discrimination in Employment Act — ADEA) and the rapid increase in the number of age discrimination lawsuits.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

1 – 10 of 455