Search results

The rise of all forms of information systems has been one of the major factors affecting the nature of work over the last decade. This article reports on research that suggests that whilst females may now gain more experience of computers and information systems at an earlier age, this does not appear to lead to more favourable evaluations of jobs involving computers. If women overcome initial negative perceptions of jobs involving computers then the particular style, manner, skills or approach that are seen as prerequisite for success, can constitute an additional barrier over and above that of the “glass ceiling”. The study looked at factors influencing initial attitudes towards computers, female attitudes to jobs involving computers and factors influencing self‐selection into gender‐typical and atypical jobs, including IT‐based jobs. The article considers the actions required from managers in many roles, including those with responsibility for staff development, marketing and recruitment.

Purpose – This chapter explores my responses to Carolyn Steedman’s Landscape for a Good Woman (1986) as a historian and an educated working-class woman and considers the ‘blind spots’ in some commentary on the book. The aim of this study is to unpick understandings of subjectivity, class and education in certain kinds of academic text.

Methodology/Approach – The chapter draws on a qualitative analysis of works of history and cultural studies and reflections on the author’s own emotions and experiences.

Findings – Education and class are equally important in the experiences of educated working-class people, but there are considerable difficulties in communicating these different aspects of selfhood and in ensuring they are understood.

Originality/Value – ‘Autobiographical histories’ as a form, and the use of the first person in contexts where it is not usually accepted, provide new possibilities of identification and knowledge for marginalised peoples. ‘Vulnerable writing’ therefore has a political purpose.

Psychological capital (PsyCap) and future time perspective (FTP) are ambassadors of positivity among incumbent employees in organisations. However, remarkably little is known regarding the effectiveness of high-performance work systems (HPWS) in nurturing these constructs. The purpose of this study is to contribute and provide a complete frame of reference linking HPWS to PsyCap and FTP.

A synthesis analysis of existing literature was carried out to formulate managerial and practical propositions.

Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, affective events theory and Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, the present study proposes a research framework that links HPWS, FTP and PsyCap, with possible mediation effect of FTP in HPWS–PsyCap relationship and PsyCap in HPWS–FTP relationship.

Although this paper did not test the model empirically, it offers important practical implications in terms of PsyCap and FTP perception development through HPWS practices.

A set of propositions that explain the relationships between the study variables is presented to enrich the understanding with organisation’s HRM practices and its possible impact on employees.

This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.

How is moral legitimacy established in pluralist contexts where multiple moral frameworks co-exist and compete? Situations of moral multiplexity complicate not only whether an organization or practice is legitimate but also which criteria should be used to establish moral legitimacy. We argue that moral legitimacy can be thought of as the property of a dynamic dialogical process in which relations between moral schemes are constantly (re-)negotiated through dynamic exchange with audiences. Drawing on Boltanski and Thévenot’s ‘orders of worth’ framework, we propose a process model of how three types of truces may be negotiated: transcendence, compromise, antagonism. While each can create moral legitimacy in pluralistic contexts, legitimacy is not a binary variable but varying in degrees of scope and certainty.

The construct of “tradition” is commonly used in studies of society and culture and refers to historically patterned institutionalized practices that emphasize the “presentness of the past” in their transmission. However, there is “very little analysis of the properties of tradition” (Shils, 1971, p. 124), especially in the management literature. We draw on illustrative examples from Martha Stewart Living magazine to reveal the use and meanings of traditions and their relevance to understanding institutional micro-foundations in contemporary living. We investigate how organizations bundle various aspects of institutions in their presentation, and seek to advance theory on how institutions matter in everyday life.

Guided by social exchange theory and signaling theory, this chapter investigates the relationship between individual perceptions of high-performance work systems (HPWS), union instrumentality, and employees’ turnover intention. The results obtained from a multilevel and multisource sample of more than 1,300 employees in 37 multinational corporation based in China show that, in contrast to our hypothesis, union instrumentality is not directly related to turnover intention; rather, the results from the post hoc mediation analysis show that union instrumentality is indirectly and negatively related to turnover intention through affective organizational commitment. Consistent with our hypothesis, the results of our analysis show that union instrumentality serves as an important contingent factor in the relationship between HPWS and employee turnover intention. The relationship between HPWS and turnover intention becomes positive when employee union instrumentality is low.

Reference librarians in various library settings are often assigned responsibilities for training students, support staff, or other new professionals, a task for which they rarely have sufficient professional education. This bibliography recommends readings on topics that will assist reference librarians in understanding the philosophy of staff development. The readings listed here cover subjects such as: establishing an atmosphere that facilitates learning, assessing training needs, describing competent performance, writing clear and specific objectives, selecting appropriate training methods, maintaining skills and providing feedback, and evaluating the effectiveness of a training program.