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Article
Publication date: 1 June 1939

A.G. Pugsley

AERONAUTICAL research has until recently been conducted by men trained in other and varied branches of science and engineering. Mathematicians and physicists, civil and mechanical…

Abstract

AERONAUTICAL research has until recently been conducted by men trained in other and varied branches of science and engineering. Mathematicians and physicists, civil and mechanical engineers, have all taken part from time to time, and their work has naturally borne the imprint of their several outlooks. Structural research, which has hitherto been largely overshadowed by aerodynamic and engine work, has suffered particularly from a continual changing of personalities and a confusion of interest. As a result it has in many respects failed either to adopt the traditions of the general body of structural engineers or to build up a fully ordered tradition of its own. And so we may sometimes see on the one hand, for example, the anomaly of an approach to the local buckling problems of monocoque construction as though Stephenson had never built and experimented upon his Britannia Tubular Bridge; and, on the other hand, a growth of stressing methods inadequately linked by generally accepted basic principles.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 11 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0002-2667

Article
Publication date: 18 July 2018

Hongxia Li and Xiugang Yang

The argument that work engagement enhances job performance has gained wide acceptance among practitioners and human resources management literature. There is consensus in…

1086

Abstract

Purpose

The argument that work engagement enhances job performance has gained wide acceptance among practitioners and human resources management literature. There is consensus in management literature that job crafting can affect work engagement. The concept of callings from theology has been resurrected in job behavior and continues to garner growing attention from practitioners in recent years. However, few studies examine how and why living a calling influence job crafting and work engagement. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between living a calling, job crafting and work engagement for knowledgeable employees through questionnaires.

Design/methodology/approach

The part-time MBA students were asked to reflect on present jobs. In total, 390 effective questionnaires were collected from part-time MBA students of four universities in Chongqing, China for finance, administration, manufacturing, service, technology, medication, education and others. Results were analyzed using SPSS and Amos. The measurement scale is given in Appendix.

Findings

First, the author explicitly proposes and validates the direct relationship between living a calling and job crafting. Second, this study confirms that crafting challenging job demands are significant to vigor subdimension and dedication subdimension of work engagement, whereas crafting challenging job demands not significant to absorption subdimension of work engagement. Third, this study indicates that crafting hindering job demands are nonsignificant to vigor, dedication and absorption about three subdimensions of work engagement. Fourth, this study showed living a calling can enhance work engagement for employees. Fifth, this study finds three groups (eight items) of mediation effect between living a calling, job crafting and work engagement.

Practical implications

These insights may help managers to focus on living a calling and encourage beneficial job crafting behaviors in China. The sample is original and has the potential to contribute to debate on work life balance and particularly the meaning of work/careers in China.

Social implications

This study is an interesting revisit to the old workplace sociology and organizational psychology which has become somewhat neglected these days.

Originality/value

This study has provided insight in the relationships between living a calling, job crafting and work engagement.

Details

Journal of Chinese Human Resource Management, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8005

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 May 2011

Sonja Gallhofer, Catriona Paisey, Clare Roberts and Heather Tarbert

Men and women are now being admitted to membership of the major UK professional accountancy bodies in approximately equal numbers. This trend has focused attention on the ways in…

4154

Abstract

Purpose

Men and women are now being admitted to membership of the major UK professional accountancy bodies in approximately equal numbers. This trend has focused attention on the ways in which professional accountants combine careers and family life, particularly when women have children. Recognising the limitations inherent in the widely‐used term “work‐life balance” that polarises life and work, this paper instead seeks to consider the “work‐lifestyle choices” made by female accountants. Work‐lifestyle choices refer to the ways in which people place different emphases on the work and private spheres, according to their individual circumstances. Feminist researchers have argued that women's work‐lifestyle choices have been limited by structural constraints. Over the past decade, a newer argument, preference theory, has emerged, suggesting that women's choices owe less to inequalities in the workplace and more to the preferences of individuals, particularly, but not exclusively, women. The purpose of this paper is to explore the work‐lifestyle choices made by female members of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), in terms of both structural constraints and preferences, in order to present a more holistic understanding of the work‐lifestyle choices made by this particular group of well‐educated, middle‐class women.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper combines feminist theory and preference theory in the context of the results of a questionnaire survey of female members of ICAS and 14 interviews with female members of ICAS.

Findings

The responses of these accountants suggest that, while structural constraints are evident, many work‐lifestyle choices were driven by a desire to spend more time with children, and by women's perceptions of their mothering role. Most women, while recognising the opportunities forgone, were nonetheless happy with the choices that they had made.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the literature by examining the voices of female accountants in order to explore how perceived gender roles impact on career decisions and work‐lifestyle choices.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. 24 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2016

Carlo Gabriel Porto Bellini, Rita de Cássia de Faria Pereira and João Luiz Becker

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the structural design of customer teams (CuTes) working with external teams to implement customized information systems (IS). Design…

2998

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the structural design of customer teams (CuTes) working with external teams to implement customized information systems (IS). Design consists of theoretically based measures and a first set of real-world, empirical values.

Design/methodology/approach

A search in the organizational literature suggested that the adhocracy is the preferred structure for CuTes. Adhocracy-like measures were then developed and applied to a high-performance CuTe to reveal a first benchmark for a team’s adhocratic design.

Findings

High-performance CuTes do not necessarily implement the adhocratic principles to the highest degree.

Research limitations/implications

It is still open whether all the structural measures described here are necessary and sufficient to describe the adhocracy-like structural design of CuTes.

Practical implications

The CuTe is highlighted as the key incumbent of cooperation with the technology supplier and consultants in terms of project authority and responsibility. A psychometric instrument and real-world values are proposed as a reference for the structural design of high-performance CuTes.

Social implications

The performance of IS projects is a social concern, since IS products should be aimed at serving people better both inside and outside the organization. Professionals who work in CuTes to develop better IS should receive institutional recognition and management attention.

Originality/value

This study seems to be the first to discuss the structure of CuTes in customized IS projects from a theoretical and applied perspective.

Article
Publication date: 16 March 2020

Akilou Amadou and Tchamsé Aronda

Recent works on the structural transformation of developing countries usually include only a few countries because of the availability of data. Beyond the resulting lack of…

Abstract

Purpose

Recent works on the structural transformation of developing countries usually include only a few countries because of the availability of data. Beyond the resulting lack of representativeness, these works also hit a strong disparity between the labour reallocation patterns of sub-regions. This paper devoted to sub-Saharan Africa, evaluates the performance of sub-Saharan Africa, as a whole, in structural transformation using a more exhaustive database and highlights key disparities that exist between the performances of sub-Saharan African sub-regions.

Design/methodology/approach

With a database covering 43 sub-Saharan African countries classified into 4 sub-regions, the paper uses the shift-share method over the period 1991–2012 with sub-periods of 1991–2000 and 2000–2012.

Findings

Results show that labour reallocation in sub-Saharan Africa occurred, though weakly, towards more productive activities over the period 1991–2012. Results also show a significant disparity between sub-regions' labour reallocation pattern. While East Africa has experienced a labour reallocation towards more productive activities, West Africa has seen a labour reallocation towards activities experiencing an increase in productivity. Central Africa and Southern Africa experienced a labour reallocation towards less productive activities, and these activities know, moreover, a decrease of productivity.

Practical implications

Findings suggest that any political strategy purposing to coordinate structural transformation in sub-Saharan Africa will result in a failure if countries' peculiarities are not taken into account.

Originality/value

This paper offers a representative picture of sub-Saharan Africa's structural transformation and illustrates disparities between its sub-regions' performances.

Details

African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-0705

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 April 2019

Esmée Sinéad Hanna and Steven Markham

The construction industry has high rates of work-related ill health. Whilst there have been more recent calls for a “health like safety” narrative within the industry, health has…

1166

Abstract

Purpose

The construction industry has high rates of work-related ill health. Whilst there have been more recent calls for a “health like safety” narrative within the industry, health has still predominantly been viewed via health risks rather than a more holistic conceptualisation of health and well-being. The workplace is viewed as a fruitful site for health promotion work, yet we know little about the possibilities and promise of health promotion within the construction industry. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper explores the views of stakeholders with health-related roles and responsibilities within the UK construction industry. From the 21 semi-structured qualitative interviews, thematic analysis was conducted and two key themes emerged: the construction industry as anti-health promoting and understanding industry-specific health issues.

Findings

The construction industry faces significant constraint in attempting to promote better health and well-being due to its makeup, yet the health and well-being issues of the industry notably stress, and early retirement are major issues for both the industry and individuals.

Practical implications

The authors argue that only through understanding the structural constraints of the industry in this way can the possibilities and potentials for undertaking health promotion work be fully embedded within the industry in order to help create meaningful change for both employees and the industry as a whole.

Originality/value

This paper offers insight into the challenges that exist within construction for promoting positive employee health and well-being and takes an in-depth approach to exploring why health promotion may not be occurring within the industry.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 12 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2004

Alan Brown

Employers attempt to shape employees' work identities through the organisation of work. However, they are partly constrained by employee expectations related to education and…

1437

Abstract

Employers attempt to shape employees' work identities through the organisation of work. However, they are partly constrained by employee expectations related to education and training, the occupational structure and the labour market. Employees, individually and collectively, also attempt to influence how their work is performed and play an active role in shaping their own work identities. Work identities are therefore influenced both by structural factors and the agency of employers and employees. This article concentrates upon how individuals working in engineering seek to shape their own work identities. An overview of the broad structural context of working in engineering and metal working in France, Germany, Spain and the UK is given, followed by an outline of how employers sought to shape work identities.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 June 2021

Mohan J. Dutta

The purpose of this manuscript is to examine the negotiations of health among low-wage migrant workers in Singapore amidst the COVID-19 outbreaks in dormitories housing them. In…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this manuscript is to examine the negotiations of health among low-wage migrant workers in Singapore amidst the COVID-19 outbreaks in dormitories housing them. In doing so, the manuscript attends to the ways in which human rights are constituted amidst labor and communicative rights, constituting the backdrop against which the pandemic outbreaks take place and the pandemic response is negotiated.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is part of a long-term culture-centered ethnography conducted with low-wage migrant workers in Singapore, seeking to build communicative infrastructures for rights-based advocacy and interventions.

Findings

The findings articulate the ways in which the outbreaks in dormitories housing low-wage migrant workers are constituted amidst structural contexts of organizing migrant work in Singapore. These structural contexts of extreme neoliberalism work catalyze capitalist accumulation through the exploitation of low-wage migrant workers. The poor living conditions that constitute the outbreak are situated in relationship to the absence of labor and communicative rights in Singapore. The absence of communicative rights and dignity to livelihood constitutes the context within which the COVID-19 outbreak emerges and the ways in which it is negotiated among low-wage migrant workers in Singapore.

Originality/value

This manuscript foregrounds the interplays of labor and communicative rights in the context of the health experiences of low-wage migrant workers amidst the pandemic. Even as COVID-19 has made visible the deeply unequal societies we inhabit, the manuscript suggests the relevance of turning to communicative rights as the basis for addressing these inequalities. It contributes to the extant literature on the culture-centered approach by depicting the ways in which a pandemic as a health crisis exacerbates the challenges to health and well-being among precarious workers.

Details

International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4902

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 11 February 2020

Komalsingh Rambaree

Environmental social work (ESW) is an approach and a perspective in social work focusing on ecological and environmental sustainability and justice within the context of…

17485

Abstract

Purpose

Environmental social work (ESW) is an approach and a perspective in social work focusing on ecological and environmental sustainability and justice within the context of sustainable development (SD). This study aims to analyse students’ reflective tasks on challenges for ESW education and practice from a critical theory perspective. The purpose of this study is to discuss the implications of the findings for accelerating the implementation of SD in social work curricula.

Design/methodology/approach

The research participants comprised 49 master level students from four different cohorts studying the course “Social Work and Sustainable Development” at the University of Gävle, Sweden. The sample comprised only those students who had completed at least one of the three non-mandatory reflective tasks that were set within the course. The reflective tasks of the research participants were gathered as data for this study. A qualitative methodological approach with the help of ATLAS-ti V8.4 was used to analyse the gathered data.

Findings

This study discusses three primary results, which are categorised as “Being Boxed”, “Safe and Saviour Sweden” and “Politics and Power”. Based on the results, this study argues for a transformative and emancipatory pedagogy (TEP) in the teaching and learning of ESW to accelerate the implementation of holistic SD within the social work curriculum.

Research limitations/implications

This study is mainly based on the analysis of “problematic” discourses of some of the students. The majority of the students and their respective discourses are not considered. Moreover, it would have been interesting, and probably enlightening to explore the background of the students (such as gender, ethnicity and religion) and any concomitant beliefs or prejudices (whether consciously held or otherwise) that would need to be addressed for an effective social work outcome. For ethical reasons, the background of the students was not recorded and analysed in this study.

Practical implications

Based on the results, this study argues for TEP in catalysing environmentalism within the social work curricula.

Social implications

Social workers have a political mandate from their professional ethics to work for the protection of the planet and for the well-being of all – including non-humans. This study therefore argues for ESW education within social work curricula in promoting SD through social work practice.

Originality/value

Within the context of SD, there is a global call for social work education to shift from an anthropocentric to an eco-centric paradigm. However, ESW education is still in its infancy stage and very few universities are focusing in this particular area. This study therefore brings an important and well-needed layer of empirical evidence in considering the implications for catalysing environmentalism within the social work curricula.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 21 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 May 2010

Nisha Nair and Neharika Vohra

There is limited research on the work alienation of knowledge workers in management studies. This paper seeks to address this gap by exploring the extent and reasons for the…

5057

Abstract

Purpose

There is limited research on the work alienation of knowledge workers in management studies. This paper seeks to address this gap by exploring the extent and reasons for the alienation of knowledge workers.

Design/methodology/approach

In the absence of a comprehensive framework for understanding the work alienation of knowledge workers, various factors such as structural elements of centralization and formalization, work characteristics of autonomy, variety, creativity, meaningfulness and self‐expressiveness, quality of work relationships and justice perceptions were examined as predictors of work alienation. Survey data were collected from six different organizations in the information technology sector (n=1,142) in India.

Findings

Around 20 percent of the sample was found to be alienated from work. The strongest predictors of work alienation for knowledge workers were found to be lack of meaningful work, inability of work to allow for self‐expression, and poor quality work relationships.

Research limitations/implications

Organizations employing knowledge workers cannot risk alienating them. The study indicates that one in every five knowledge workers is likely to be alienated. For organizations and practitioners this is a wake up call, pointing to the urgent need to try and understand the factors that are likely to cause alienation among knowledge workers and take adequate preventive steps to ensure an enthused workforce.

Originality/value

Research on alienation in present times has been somewhat limited. This is the first research of its kind across knowledge workers in the information technology industry that attempts to capture their work alienation and factors predicting it.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 48 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 121000