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1 – 10 of over 226000Pródromos-Ioánnis K. Prodromídis
The purpose of this paper is to study the allocation of time to paid work, unpaid work and non-work by women in Britain in 1998-1999. To infer the labor supply from the other…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the allocation of time to paid work, unpaid work and non-work by women in Britain in 1998-1999. To infer the labor supply from the other time-use expressions.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses weekly diary data to estimate the unpaid work and non-work functions. It infers the (residual) paid work expression. As the latter is recovered from uncensored regressions, it makes direct use of the complete set of observations. Hence, it contains more information than the conventional labor supply functions that are estimated from the data obtained from paid work participants via the Tobit and Heckit or selection-bias correction (SBC) techniques.
Findings
The women surveyed generally allocated 69 percent of their time toward non-work, 18 percent to unpaid work, and 13 percent to paid work. The non-work function is dominated by the autonomous component, and all three functions depend on subjects’ age, wage, non-labor income, household composition, the unpaid work contributions of adult relatives and region of residence. The unpaid work and non-work functions are more consistent with the SBC rather than the Tobit version of the labor supply. Moreover, the Tobit predicts unrealistic paid work allocations for women engaging in very little non-work.
Research limitations/implications
The unpaid work and non-work functions are regressed separately, as often the case in the literature. Their consideration within a seemingly unrelated regression framework necessitates a reduction in the number of observations to match those considered in the Tobit and SBC versions of the labor supply. Nuances may arise when the time reported in the diaries does not add up to 24 daily hours for all respondents. Knowledge of the recovered regional, age, household member and other effects on women time allocation might had come handy to economic development authorities who sought to attract women out of the household into market production, and from part-time to full-time employment in the context of the 2000-2010 Lisbon Strategy. Similar lessons may be valid today.
Originality/value
The data set derives from a survey that has not been used before. It relies on week-long diaries in order to avoid the occurrence of many zeros in a good number of activities (which is the norm in short diaries), and to ensure the study of a censored time-use function through its uncensored complements. The findings are compared to those of a weekly diary survey conducted in 1987 that solicited similar information. Hence, the study fills a gap in time-use analysis. Identifying the factors which influence the number of hours that women engage in work (both paid and unpaid) and non-work is useful for economic policy purposes. The study exposes a limitation in the conventional estimation of the labor supply which, in turn, casts doubt on the reliability of empirical results for policy making.
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This paper aims to discuss the challenge for the classical idea of professionalism in understanding the Chinese software engineering industry after giving a close insight into the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to discuss the challenge for the classical idea of professionalism in understanding the Chinese software engineering industry after giving a close insight into the development of this industry as well as individual engineers with a psycho‐societal perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
The study starts with the general review of the sociological concept of profession, professional and specialization of knowledge. Together with revealing the critical challenge from the empirical field of software engineering industry regarding its professionalization, a critique of the neglect of subjective agency in classical conception of professionalism in sociology theory and methodology is set out.
Findings
A case study with interpretation of the subject's continuously developing identification with their specialization in knowledge and occupation from their narration of career experience reveals the dynamics in this development process relating to individual, social practice and societal factors.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to empirical research of analyzing the professionalization process of software engineering and software engineers in relation to the concept of professionalism, and it contributes theoretically by discussing the challenge of this process to the development of professionalism within this highly knowledge‐based industry in a Chinese societal context.
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Agneta Häll, Stefan Tengblad, Margareta Oudhuis and Lotta Dellve
The purpose of this paper is to critically study the implementation and contextualization of the human resource transformation (HRT) management model within the human resources…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to critically study the implementation and contextualization of the human resource transformation (HRT) management model within the human resources (HR) function of a global industrial company group.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case study that includes two data collections.
Findings
Implementation of the HRT model led to tensions and conflicting interpretations of the mission of the HR function, and a “tug of war” about the distribution of work both within HR and between HR and line management. Splitting the HR function into three legs made the HR function's learning cycles more difficult. The corporate group had a decentralized and diverse business culture, and contextualization of the HRT model to this setting highlighted the model's embeddedness in the American business culture of centralization and standardization. Implementation of the model also entailed a transition from an employee to an employer perspective within HR.
Research limitations/implications
For an assessment of HR's total work other parts of the HRT model (Ulrich and Brockbank, 2005) need to be involved since HR professionals in the insourced or outsourced shared service center (SSC) and Center of Expertise (CoE) and the e-HR tools are equally important for executing the total HR's mission. Further studies of the problematic human resource business partner (HRBP) role are needed and also what the development of e-HR solutions means for the HR profession.
Practical implications
The authors argue for a continuous development of HR work, along with closer professional contact both with line managers (LMs) and within the HR function, for improved learning cycles and a need for contextualization when implementing management models.
Social implications
The paper discusses the HRT model's impact on HR practitioners’ and LMs’ work practice.
Originality/value
This article shows the need for contextualization when implementing management models. The lack of such contextualization led to severe tensions, and the intentions of an efficient and respected HR function were not achieved. The study contributes an evaluation of the tensions between HRT as a normative and standardized model in business settings accustomed to variety and decentralized decision-making.
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PROFOUND CHANGES are taking place in every major working place, whether in factories or offices. These changes are by no means dependent upon or even caused by the advent of what…
Abstract
PROFOUND CHANGES are taking place in every major working place, whether in factories or offices. These changes are by no means dependent upon or even caused by the advent of what has come to be termed the new technology. That, it is true, has provided a fresh attitude to work. It has brought — there are no two ways about this — great unemployment and a reluctance that is very understandable to rush into strike action on some small pretext.
Kristina L. Guo and Jennifer D. Company
The purpose of this research is to provide an overview of the management skills and competencies required by a director of social work as they perform their multiple roles and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to provide an overview of the management skills and competencies required by a director of social work as they perform their multiple roles and functions in order to effectively manage a medical social work team to better serve the needs of patients through the new hospital‐based case management model.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual paper that reviews the literature on managerial roles, management functions, and skills and competencies of directors of social work. Management frameworks that are applicable under the case management model are discussed. Interviews with five directors of social work and their perceptions are described.
Findings
Managing a department that is going through continuous changes is often difficult.
Practical implications
This paper has practical implications for general health care managers and specifically, directors of social work, to develop skills and gain competencies to be successful in today's evolving health care environment. This research also has practical implications for social workers to gain insight into productive and effective ways to collaborate with members of an interdisciplinary team.
Originality/value
This paper is original and of value to those working in social work and in the health care field to develop their skills and competencies as they perform new roles and functions in the complex health care environment.
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Nguyen Luong Hai and Ngo Anh Tuan
The planning function is a central component of management principles, enabling the success of construction project management. Many works have been highlighting the topic of…
Abstract
Purpose
The planning function is a central component of management principles, enabling the success of construction project management. Many works have been highlighting the topic of critical success factors within construction organizations, yet the results have rarely covered planning behaviors within public construction work management; these less investigated areas were the aims of this study.
Design/methodology/approach
To fulfill this research aim, seven attributes of planning function were first derived through focus group studies, a focused literature review and focal interviews with industry practitioners. Then, a regression analysis design was employed with data collected from 139 professionals who are involved in public construction works management in Vietnam. The structural equation modeling technique with partial least-squares estimation was utilized to analyze the data.
Findings
The results revealed seven behavioral dimensions (i.e. Goals planning (PL1), Planning guidance (PL2), Strategic planning (PL3), Financial mobilization (PL4), Action plan (PL5), Expenditure planning (PL6) and Responsibility assignment (PL7)) to measure planning function management in terms of public construction works. The study also reveals that Goals planning (PL1), Financial mobilization (PL4), Expenditure planning (PL6) and Responsibility assignment (PL7) have significant effects on management effectiveness. At the same time, Goals planning (PL1) acts as the mediator of Planning guidance (PL2) and Strategic planning (PL3); while Action plan (PL5) specifies an indirect influence through the mediator of PL4, PL6 and PL7.
Originality/value
The success of this approach is expected to reinforce the contribution of the planning function and suggest a useful tool for supporting the professionals in managing public construction works.
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Sarah Bankins, Maria Tomprou and ByeongJo Kim
Although the physical environment provides an important context for employees' work, there remain divergent findings regarding how different spatial settings, such as more open or…
Abstract
Purpose
Although the physical environment provides an important context for employees' work, there remain divergent findings regarding how different spatial settings, such as more open or more closed workspaces, impact employees. Employing research on the functions of the physical work environment, we contribute to a growing body of research on employees' interactions with their workspace by developing and measuring the notion of person–space fit (P-S fit). This construct affords examination of the multi-dimensional nature of employees' interactions with their workspaces, to understand how their perceived fit with the key functions of their workspace impacts their experiences and social network activity at work.
Design/methodology/approach
We first develop a new P-S fit scale and test its factorial, convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity over other person–environment fit concepts (N = 155). Next, in a naturally-occurring, quasi-field experiment of a workspace change intervention moving employees from predominantly closed workspace to more open workspace (N = 47 pre-move; N = 37 post-move), we examine how changes in both workspace layout and P-S fit impact workers' experiences of their workspaces (needs for task privacy and spaciousness) and collaborative behaviors (social network activity).
Findings
Our P-S fit scale consists of theoretically and empirically validated dimensions representing fit with four workspace functions: aesthetic fit; identity fit; instrumental fit; and collaboration fit. Instrumental fit is positively associated with experiences of task privacy, whereas aesthetic fit and identity fit positively associated with experiences of spaciousness, but no forms of fit were related to social network activity. However, the findings show that work-related social network ties tended to decrease, and new ones were less likely to form, in open office spaces.
Originality/value
Contributing to a growing body of research linking person–environment fit literature to workspace design, this study offers a new scale assessing P-S fit and provides some empirical evidence of its importance for understanding the complexity of the employee-work environment interaction.
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– The purpose of this article is to show the foundational place that communication theory and its practice occupies in functioning work systems.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to show the foundational place that communication theory and its practice occupies in functioning work systems.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper defines the word communication in terms of the creation and interpretation of displays, describes what it means to have a theoretical foundation for a discipline, identifies and elaborates on the development driving force of human resource development (HRD), presents and explains a model of a work system in which HRD functions, and elaborates on the role, function, and place of communicative acts in the maintenance of the work system and the work of HRD professionals.
Findings
The article posits that communication theory underlies the processes and activities of both scholars and practitioners of HRD. Finally, it argues that courses in communication theory and organizational communication are essential in the preparation of both scholars and practitioners.
Research limitations/implications
Research on the vagaries of communication in work systems may need to focus on identifying the causes of more easily identified symptoms. Researchers must be constantly alert to the changing role of communication as both a symptom and a cause of effective and ineffective work system functioning.
Practical implications
Since human resource development is applied, practiced, and used predominantly in work systems, sensitivity to the fundamental role that communication plays in work systems may allow HRD practitioners to take a communicative perspective in analyzing and solving problems.
Originality/value
This article directs readers to the main, fundamental issue in organizations and highlights the central role of communication in the functioning and development of both the human resources and the work system.
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Wendy Marcinkus Murphy and Kathy E. Kram
The purpose of this study is to explore the different contributions of work and non‐work relationships that comprise individuals' developmental networks to career success.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the different contributions of work and non‐work relationships that comprise individuals' developmental networks to career success.
Design/methodology/approach
A multi‐method approach provides a rich understanding of how work and non‐work developmental relationships combine to support individuals' careers. Survey data were analyzed from 254 working adults who were also part‐time MBA students. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 37 participants.
Findings
Quantitative results indicate that non‐work developers provide more overall support than work developers. Support from non‐work developers is positively associated with career satisfaction and life satisfaction. In contrast, support from work developers is positively associated with salary level and career satisfaction. Qualitative data indicate differences in the sub‐functions and quality of support offered by work versus non‐work relationships, particularly in terms of role modeling.
Research limitations/implications
Developmental relationships from different domains emphasize different sub‐functions of support and differentially affect career outcomes. While broad functions – career support, psychosocial support, and role modeling – are identifiable across domains, non‐work relationships provide some distinct sub‐functions from work relationships.
Practical implications
Practicing managers should develop and maintain developmental networks that extend beyond the boundaries of their current organization. Human resource professionals will want to consider how well their initiatives encourage individuals to enlist a variety of potential developers into their networks.
Originality/value
The findings indicate that non‐work relationships are a critical part of developmental networks and individuals' career success.
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Evelyn H. Kroesbergen, Bernadette A.M. Van de Rijt and Johannes E.H. Van Luit
At the beginning of children's school careers, large differences already exist between children in their mathematical skills and knowledge. Preparatory math skills such as…
Abstract
At the beginning of children's school careers, large differences already exist between children in their mathematical skills and knowledge. Preparatory math skills such as counting and Piagetian operations are important predictors of later math learning disabilities. However, little research has been conducted on the underlying processes that could explain or predict these preparatory math skills. Traditionally, intelligence has been viewed, next to language (vocabulary), as an important predictor of school success in general and math performance in specific. However, recent studies suggest that other, more fluid, domain-general cognitive processes, such as working memory and executive functions, are better predictors than traditional IQ scores. This chapter reports on two studies in which the relations between early mathematics and different working memory components are investigated. In the first study, the relations between the Early Numeracy Test (ENT) and five working memory aspects have been studied in a correlational study with 240 kindergartners. The following working memory components can be distinguished: the central executive controlling system, the phonological component, and the visuospatial component. In this study, three distinctive executive functions were measured: inhibition, shifting, and planning. The results show that phonological working memory, shifting, and planning are highly related to children's early math competence. Together, these functions can explain 50% of the total variance in early math. In a second study under 111 kindergartners, it was found that the scores on the ENT are moderately related to the executive function planning. Contrary to the expectations, intelligence was more related to preparatory math skills than planning. However, in a short training study with 15 low performing children, it was found that children's planning scores could better predict their improvement than intelligence: children low in planning did not profit as much from the training as children with higher planning capacities. The results of these studies emphasize the need for further research on the relations between working memory processes and preparatory math skills. These processes seem to play an important role in the origin of math learning difficulties. The results of the second study also suggest that remediation of early math learning difficulties should be adapted according to children's cognitive profiles regarding working memory and executive functions.