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1 – 10 of 185Mingyan Han, Maolong Zhang, Enhua Hu and Hongmei Shan
This study aims to examine how Chinese rural-urban migrant workers' socio-economic status was associated with their decent work.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine how Chinese rural-urban migrant workers' socio-economic status was associated with their decent work.
Design/methodology/approach
Grounded in the psychology of working theory (PWT), this study tested the path from rural-urban migrant workers' socio-economic status to decent work via work volition, with this path moderated by environmental uncertainty and trade union support. 470 rural-urban migrant workers from four manufacturing enterprises were investigated.
Findings
Results indicated that rural-urban migrant workers' socio-economic status was positively associated with rural-urban migrant workers' decent work through work volition. In addition, environmental uncertainty weakened the impact of socio-economic status on work volition while trade union support strengthened the relationship between socio-economic status and work volition.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the growing research on the PWT by testing its utility among rural-urban migrant workers in the Chinese context. The study also identifies the crucial effects of environmental uncertainty and trade union support, which are distinctive characters of contemporary China, in the formation process of rural-urban migrant workers' decent work. A detailed explanation of the results and implications is discussed in the end.
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Mahesh Subramony and Mark S. Rosenbaum
The purpose of this study is to address United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) 8 and 9 from a service perspective. SDG 8 is a call to improve the dignity of service…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to address United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) 8 and 9 from a service perspective. SDG 8 is a call to improve the dignity of service work by enhancing wages, working conditions and development opportunities while SDG 9 calls upon nations to construct resilient infrastructures, promote inclusivity and sustainability and foster innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a bibliometric review to extract important themes from a variety of scholarly journals.
Findings
Researchers tend to investigate policy-level topics, such as national and international standards related to working conditions, while ignoring the experiences or well-being of workers occupying marginalized and low-opportunity roles in service organizations. Service researchers, educators and practitioners must collaborate to improve the state of service industries by conducting participatory action research, promoting grassroots organizing/advocacy, implementing digitized customer service and addressing workforce soft skills deficiencies.
Research limitations/implications
The authors consider how service work can be transformed into respectable employment and present four specific ways nations can enhance their service industries.
Practical implications
Economic planners can view SDGs 8 and 9 as a framework for understanding and promoting the well-being of service employees and accelerating the productivity and innovation levels of the service sector.
Originality/value
The United Nations’ SDGs are examined from a services perspective, which increases their significance in service-dominated economies.
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Kim-Lim Tan, Adriel K.S. Sim, Steffi Sze-Nee Yap, Sanhakot Vithayaporn and Ani Wahyu Rachmawati
Meaningful work is gaining importance in the core domains of human resources research. However, there is confusion regarding what constitutes meaningful work and its determinants…
Abstract
Purpose
Meaningful work is gaining importance in the core domains of human resources research. However, there is confusion regarding what constitutes meaningful work and its determinants and outcomes. Earlier studies have conflated conceptual and empirical arguments. Hence, researchers lack clear insights into factors related to employees' experiences of meaningfulness. This study aims to discuss the aforementioned issue.
Design/methodology/approach
The authorsconducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of 88 studies (2000–2020) meeting relevant criteria to identify dominant trends and significant gaps in the authors’ understanding of meaningful work.
Findings
This review identified six aspects to conceptualize meaningful work. At the same time, the authors highlighted the dominant theory and the instrument used to explain and measure meaningful work. Based on the same, the authors identified different groups of individual and organizational-level determinants and outcomes of finding meaning in work. The analysis also indicates that the comprehension of meaningful work was restricted because most data were obtained from the USA, Europe and certain regions of Asia. During this assessment, the authors observed that several studies emphasized individual-level effects, self-reporting and cross-sectional studies, which restricted the ability to make causal inferences.
Originality/value
This study extends earlier works where the authors stock-take existing research for the past 20 years and build on past trajectories to enrich the authors’ understanding of meaningful work. Unlike earlier works that focused on a specific domain, such as human resource development, this work differentiates by taking an integrated framework-based approach leveraging the antecedents, decisions and outcomes (ADO) and the theories, contexts and method (TCM) framework to consolidate and advance knowledge in the field thoroughly.
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Shravani Guduru, Nivethitha Santhanam and Nancyprabha Pushparaj
This paper aims to quantitatively explore the trends and patterns of the existing literature in the gig economy.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to quantitatively explore the trends and patterns of the existing literature in the gig economy.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a total of 1,707 documents retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, bibliometric analysis using R-Biblioshiny and VOSviewer software was performed to map the studies in the gig economy.
Findings
The paper provides information on the most productive authors, countries and journals, as well as the emerging themes in gig research. It highlights the most prolific authors, with a notable presence from the USA and the UK, which are also the countries with the most publications and citations. China has also emerged prominently, both in terms of the number of publications and its involvement in thematic clusters and trending topics. Through co-word analysis and thematic clustering, the study provides information about emerging themes in gig economy studies, such as labor, technology, management and precarity. The results provide insightful information for comprehending the effects of gig labor in the contemporary workforce.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides a comprehensive overview of the scholarly literature related to the gig economy, exploring the key insights by highlighting the evolving trends in gig research.
Originality/value
By mapping thematic clusters, tracking research evolution and identifying trending topics, it provides a unique perspective on the field's development and emerging areas of focus. It serves as a valuable means for addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by the gig economy.
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DorisAnn McGinnis, Jae Young Kim, Ain Grooms, Duhita Mahatmya and Ebonee Johnson
Education policies in the United States reinforce social stratification by prioritizing and normalizing middle-class whiteness in schools (Leonardo, 2007; Picower, 2009). The…
Abstract
Education policies in the United States reinforce social stratification by prioritizing and normalizing middle-class whiteness in schools (Leonardo, 2007; Picower, 2009). The teacher labor market has also become more feminized, making white middle-class women paragons of exemplary educators (Rury, 1989; Tolley & Beadie, 2006). These sociopolitical and historical factors continue to play out in the current U.S. education workforce where 80% teachers are white and 76% of teachers are female (Hussar et al., 2020). Meanwhile, student demographics are shifting with students of color comprising over 50% of the public student population (de Brey et al., 2019). Diversifying the educator pipeline is a well-documented strategy to improve educational outcomes for all students, specifically students of color, and to achieve greater equity and inclusion in public education. However, the retention and promotion of educators of color remains a critical and complex issue.
Thus, looking at the intersection of race and gender in the education workplace, the purpose of this chapter is to highlight the experiences and expertise of women K-12 educators of color to identify best practices for career development. Applying Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) and utilizing modified meta-synthesis methodology, the chapter highlights the experiences of Black, Latinx, Asian American, and Indigenous/Native American women K-12 principals and superintendents to (1) thematize and conceptualize how women of color define their work in education spaces through a PWT lens and (2) understand how PWT themes can illuminate ways to build more diverse and inclusive career pathways for women of color leaders.
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Luisa Helena Pinto, Emilia Fernandes and Li Xinyan
To date, research on migration and entrepreneurship has rarely focused expat-preneurs. Based on recent developments in both fields, this paper aims to investigate the…
Abstract
Purpose
To date, research on migration and entrepreneurship has rarely focused expat-preneurs. Based on recent developments in both fields, this paper aims to investigate the under-researched phenomenon of Chinese self-initiated expatriates who choose to temporarily live and do business abroad on their own volition.
Design/methodology/approach
To address this research gap, 15 in-depth semi-structured interviews with Chinese expat-preneurs living in Portugal were conducted, exposing their narratives about their multiple challenges.
Findings
The findings corroborate the theoretical need to look beyond narrow economic explanations for why individuals engage in transnational entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial itinerancy. A collective identity and ethnic community are important because they influence how opportunities are identified and pursued.
Research limitations/implications
This is a qualitative and interpretative study in a limited geographical area, which does not intent to ensure generalizability. More research is needed to further understand the phenomenon of entrepreneurial itinerancy in Europe and among other ethnic communities.
Practical implications
The findings provide insightful inputs to Portuguese policymakers and locals on how to support ethnic entrepreneurship. Chinese expat-preneurs also benefit from understanding how to strength their ethnic social ties in connection with local communities.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the entrepreneurship and international mobility literatures by providing new insights into the nature and dynamics of Chinese “expat-preneurs”, including their entrepreneurial itinerancy, necessary to properly understand entrepreneurs’ diversity and assist in extending transnational entrepreneurial theory.
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Aubid Hussain Parrey and Gurleen Kour
Career adaptability is emerging as an important research area in today's uncertain, volatile world of work created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study focuses on career…
Abstract
Purpose
Career adaptability is emerging as an important research area in today's uncertain, volatile world of work created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study focuses on career adaptability research post-COVID-19 by scientifically capturing the literature evolution, hotspots and future trends using bibliometric analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
The Scopus database, due to its vast and quality literature, was used to search the papers from the period 2020 to 2023. Bibliometric data were extracted and analyzed from the relevant literature. For further scientific mapping, VOSviewer and Biblioshiny software tools were used.
Findings
Findings of the analysis suggest a positive research trend related to career adaptability research post-Covid. Keyword analysis revealed noteworthy clusters and important themes. Bibliometric visual networks regarding authors, sources, citations, future themes, etc. are also presented from the 441 analyzed publications with comprehensive interpretation.
Research limitations/implications
The literature for carrying out the bibliometric analysis was confined to the Scopus database. Other databases in combination with different software can be used for future niche research. From the analysis, future research avenues and practical interventions are presented which have significant implications for future researchers, career counselors and managers.
Originality/value
The study summarizes the recent literature on career adaptability in the aftermath of the pandemic and makes a novel contribution to the existing literature. A reliable study has been provided by the authors using the scientific bibliometric technique. The study highlights emerging research trends post the pandemic. The results are concluded with further suggestions which can guide future research related to the topic.
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Curt Adams and Olajumoke Beulah Adigun
This study addressed a relatively understudied process of school leadership: the principal-teacher conversation about instructional change. Two distinct conversation structures…
Abstract
Purpose
This study addressed a relatively understudied process of school leadership: the principal-teacher conversation about instructional change. Two distinct conversation structures were examined: controlling conversation and transformative leadership conversation (TLC). Self-determination theory (SDT) was used to make the case that TLC is a better fit for instructional change than controlling conversation. Hypotheses were developed on the relationship between principal-teacher conversation and teacher trust in the principal, teacher autonomy and teacher vitality. These mental states were identified for empirical testing because of their influence on change processes.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical study used a correlational research design with survey data. The data came from a random sample of 2,500 teachers from the population of certified teachers in a southwestern state in the USA. Useable survey responses were obtained from 1,615 teachers, for a response rate of 65 percent. Teachers in the sample averaged 15 years of teaching experience, with 7 years in their current school. Around 81% of teachers identified as female and 18 percent as male and 79% of teachers listed a racial identification as white. Hypotheses were tested in a path model using AMOS 28.0 with robust maximum likelihood (MLR).
Findings
As hypothesized, TLC had moderate to strong positive relationships with teacher trust in the principal, teacher autonomy and teacher vitality. Controlling conversation had small, negative relationships with teacher trust in the principal and teacher autonomy. Controlling conversation was not related to teacher vitality in the path analysis. Compared with controlling conversation, TLC had stronger relationships with teacher mental states.
Originality/value
The results of this study begin to reveal useful evidence on the inherent social-psychological mechanisms active in principal-teacher conversations. With results indicating that conversation structure has consequences for positive teacher mental states, the study directs attention to a ubiquitous yet understudied leadership process.
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Danni Wang and Catherine Cheung
This study aims to present the evolution of decent work studies. Findings point to several directions for future research efforts, including conceptualizing decent work and the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to present the evolution of decent work studies. Findings point to several directions for future research efforts, including conceptualizing decent work and the pandemic’s associated impact. Results will help to guide government authorities to promote decent work by delivering fair income, increasing the stability and security of employment and monitoring employees’ work-life balance.
Design/methodology/approach
This review consists of knowledge mapping based on keywords from multidisciplinary studies on decent work and the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) model on tourism and hospitality studies. First, keyword knowledge mapping was conducted in VOSviewer, resulting in 667 papers. Then, a PRISMA model generated a systematic review of the literature in tourism and hospitality based on 41 papers.
Findings
Knowledge mapping revealed six thematic clusters, namely, Labor Rights and Gender Equality, Sustainability and Health, Psychology of Working Theory, Conceptualization of Decent Work, Marginalized Groups and Unemployment and Job Quality. According to the PRISMA model, the conceptual evolution of decent work in tourism and hospitality can be divided into three stages: initial (1999–2008), emerging (2009–2018) and development (2019–present).
Research limitations/implications
Based on the findings, further interdisciplinary research into decent work is recommended. Scholars in the tourism and hospitality sector can incorporate other fields of decent work, such as psychology, to broaden the lens of studies to discover the role of meaning and purpose in the workplace and to promote the concept to its fullest extent. Furthermore, employees’ assessments of decent work might help businesses improve human resources management via corporate social responsibility measures.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first systematic review of decent work in tourism and hospitality. It shows that this notion is in its infancy, as most studies on the topic thus far have been empirical and descriptive. Nonetheless, most findings contribute to knowledge and practice by clarifying industry employment conditions.
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