bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hunter S. Thompson and Gonzo Journalism: a guide to the research
Authors: Hoover Steven
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and annotate resources related to Hunter S. Thompson and Gonzo Journalism.

Design/methodology/approach

Numerous searches are performed in online library catalogs, online databases, and web search engines to identify monographs, journal articles, multimedia titles, and web sites relevant to the topic. Resources located in the searches are then reviewed and annotated by the author and selected for inclusion in the paper based on their relative quality.

Findings

A great deal of popular work has been devoted to Thompson and Gonzo Journalism, but also a surprising amount of scholarly analysis. Most primary source material is now available in monographic form, and critical literature is fairly evenly distributed between journal articles and monographs. Search results for Thompson and Gonzo Journalism are often complicated by a number of factors, but these can be compensated for by using search limiters.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the sheer volume of work, scholarly and popular, devoted to Thompson and Gonzo Journalism, it is not possible to provide a comprehensive evaluation of all of the materials on the topic. While every attempt is made to be inclusive, the goal of the guide was to include the best sources on the topic, and some resources are reviewed but not included because of quality issues. A number of un‐annotated bibliographies are referenced that would be helpful in directing readers to additional resources not included here.

Originality/value

Although there are bibliographies of Thompson's work, none are annotated or prepared with academic researchers in mind. In addition, none of the bibliographies located in the course of researching the paper attempted to identify academic journal literature related to Thompson or Gonzo Journalism.
Assessing information literacy skills in the Technological Education Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece
Authors: Korobili Stella , Malliari Aphrodite , Christodoulou George N.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate student information literacy skills in the Technological Education Institute (TEI) of Thessaloniki, Greece, and examine whether courses and/or library seminars make any difference and contribute to the development of information literacy skills.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey is conduct with students from all the departments of TEI that are enrolled at the sixth or seventh semester of their studies. The instrument of the survey is a structured questionnaire that included 12 questions, and measured a total of 73 variables.

Findings

A significant percentage of the students have not completed an assignment in the previous semester, are not acquainted with the scientific sources available in the library, and have not attended an information literacy course and/or a library seminar. However, there is a slight difference between those respondents who have “attended an IL course integrated in the curriculum” and those who have not.

Originality/value

The approaches described here may be helpful to librarians when they prepare guidelines for a program that assesses the level of students with regard to information literacy skills.
An information support service for moderators of SME company networks
Authors: Thimm Heiko , Boye Rasmussen Karsten
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the management process in company networks. A new information support service can assist network managers in the complex task of orchestrating members of the network to so‐called network actor sets (NAS) that deliver the “best fit” for incoming inquiries.

Design/methodology/approach

A corresponding conceptual framework and system approach is developed. The proposed system employs a pragmatic two‐phase multi‐criteria scoring scheme for orchestrating NAS under consideration of the specific needs of inquiries and, too, the company network as a whole.

Findings

The research indicates that the orchestration of NAS may be effectively performed by a corresponding information technology (IT) support service. Through the service orchestration decisions may become less influenced by human factors. The service will also lead to better transparency, traceability, and analytical possibilities regarding the inquiry management process. Networks with a high number of members and with many overlaps in company profiles and competences will find this service useful.

Research limitations/implications

Further orchestration criteria will be explored in the future by a simulation study.

Practical implications

The paper presents recommendations for structuring the inquiry management process in company networks to improve effectiveness by the use of IT. Also, it contains a sound framework for the implementation of the proposed service as part of IT infrastructures for company networks.

Originality/value

The paper presents major insights, concepts, and a system approach for a novel information support service for network moderators.
Diversified business groups and corporate restructuring in China
Authors: Zhao Jun
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the roles different ownership structures, the joint effect of related and unrelated diversification strategies, and previous performance levels have on the restructuring strategies of such firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Annual reports of publicly traded firms in the two Chinese stock exchanges are used to collect data. Multiple regression and ANOVA analysis are used to examine the impact of ownership structure types, match between diversification strategies, and previous performance on the change of business scopes of the sample business groups.

Findings

Compared to other ownership types, government owned business groups tend to increase their business scope during asset restructuring, while private business groups tend to decrease their scopes through divestitures and spinoffs. Poor previous performance is also found to be negatively related to change in business scopes. The “match” between related and unrelated diversification strategies of the business groups leads to increase in business scopes, while “mismatch” between these two strategies tends to lead to decrease in business scopes.

Practical implications

This study provides some recommendations to managers and public policy makers in emerging economies. There is a need to monitor the changing institutional environment a firm operates in. It is up to the managers of business groups to determine the degree of market imperfections they are facing and the need to compensate with internal market mechanism and social exchange mechanism within the group structure. As China opens its door further to private ownership and foreign ownership, the pressure to increase efficiency and effectiveness along with the continuous improvement of the institutional environment will require that managers adopt strategies that can enhance the competitiveness of the firms, whether it is through further diversification or scope reduction.

Originality/value

This research deepens our understanding of restructuring strategies of Chinese business groups, by linking factors such as ownership structure, diversification strategies, and past performance to scope changes in these groups. It can broaden our understanding of corporate restructuring in transitional economies, such as China and India.
Performance management systems in an Indian manufacturing sector
Authors: Sripirabaa B. , Krishnaveni R.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The functions of a performance management system in any organization encompass diverse activities, which include the performance appraisal process. In order to design appraisal systems and appraise employees appropriately, organizations may enter into partnerships with external consultants. In addition, organizations are required to allocate financial resources to support not only the performance management system itself but also incentives for employees with superior performance. The purpose of this paper, using a model, is to investigate the influence of partnering and financial support on the functions of a performance management system. The capacity of the system to align its functions to help achieve an organization's strategic goals is also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey elicited responses from middle‐level employees using a validated instrument. The variables included in the study were based on prevailing practices in performance management, which include partnering (or collaborating) with professionals external to the organization, the financial support made available to the system and the alignment of the functions of a performance management system with the strategic goals of the organization. The sample comprised 165 respondents selected from six organizations manufacturing automobile components in Coimbatore, India. Partial least squares, a structural equation modeling technique, was used to estimate the influence of the latent variables.

Findings

The results indicated that partnering has a negative significant impact on: the functions of the performance management system; and alignment. Financial support has a negative impact on alignment, whereas the performance management system's overall functions has a significant positive impact on alignment. Likewise, financial support has positive significant impact on the performance management system's functions.

Originality/value

Employees feel that appraisals are a continuous internal assessment process best conducted by those inside their organizations. External members can appraise employees at particular points in time but these appraisals do not reflect accurately an employee's overall performance across time. Hence, employees implicitly reject external appraisers and partnering in the performance appraisal process. The appraisal process was found to have financial support by way of incentives, pay increases and the allocation of bonuses based on performance. The paper usefully confirms that organizations must strive continually to design and implement HR practices that are organization specific and employee friendly.
Structuring organizations across industries in India
Authors: Singh Sanjay Kumar
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate structural patterns across industries in India. Organizational design is posited as a form of competitive advantage, which also helps Indian organizations build excellence.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a questionnaire to investigate the structural patterns of organization in 32 enterprises in India. The sample consisted of 1,532 participants across six industries. The data were analyzed usingSPSS v.15.0.

Findings

The findings suggest that the outward picture of structural patterns remains the same across industries but significant difference emerge in the inner core of the structural architecture of Indian organizations. For example, the inner core of the banking industry was found to be different from the other five industries studied.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that the links between organizational structure and national culture should be harmonious. Simultaneously, the structure of the organizations should be aligned with both the task and general environment of the business.

Originality/value

There is a scarcity of research into this domain of knowledge in India and the paper provides additional insights into the organizational structures of Indian enterprises across the major industrial sectors.
Supply chain management for SMEs: a research introduction
Authors: Thakkar Jitesh , Kanda Arun , Deshmukh S.G.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the key areas that influence managing the supply chain in the small‐ and medium‐sized enterprise (SME) sector. It outlines in an informative and explorative manner the research environment of supply chain management (SCM) in SMEs in India.

Design/methodology/approach

Initially, the paper scans the environment of Indian SMEs using a self‐developed framework with the acronym immunity‐infection‐net resistance‐offerings and code of conduct (I2NOC). Having outlined the key characteristics of SMEs, the paper focuses on exploring selected issues for SCM in the SME sector.

Findings

A literature review identified gaps in the research and a set of investigative questions were derived from the review. These questions help define the premise behind the research approach outlined in the paper. Investigative questions were further grouped to identify specific issues and/or areas of concern. Finally, the paper constructs a generic research problem, a tentative research methodology, projects outcomes of the research and sets out a critical path method (CPM) schedule for the time management of a research project.

Practical implications

SMEs in India vary in outputs, productivity and organizational characteristics. Since the late 1990s, globalization has forced many organizations in the engineering sector to enter the Indian market. Their low‐cost high‐quality products challenged Indian SMEs. The need to become competitive is now a matter‐of‐fact for all SMEs in India. This paper provides contemporary researchers in the areas of SMEs and SCM with knowledge that will help them (i) comprehend key research issues related to SCM for SMEs and (ii) define constructs, research variables and the nature of their research (that is, either exploratory or explanatory) with logical coherence.

Originality/value

Initially, the paper proposes a new framework (I2NOC) for understanding the competitive advantage of SMEs. Subsequently, the paper introduces the central themes of SMEs and SCM, supported by various arguments and positions from the literature. The paper offers guidance to management researchers in developing, defining and presenting their research (especially in the case of business or management students undertaking doctoral research) in a systematic and convincing manner.
Theory development in humanitarian logistics: a framework and three cases
Authors: Jahre Marianne , Jensen Leif‐Magnus , Listou Tore
Published: October 2009

Purpose

There is a need for theory development within the field of humanitarian logistics to understand logistics needs in different stages of a crisis and how to meet these. This paper aims to discuss three dimensions identified in logistics and organization theories and how they relate to three different cases of humanitarian logistics operations – the regional concept of the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies, the development and working of the United Nations Joint Logistics Centre and coordination challenges of military logistics in UN mandated peacekeeping operations. The purpose is to build a framework to be used in further studies.

Design/methodology/approach

A framework for the study of humanitarian logistics along three dimensions is developed, followed by a discussion of the chosen cases in relation to these dimensions. The framework will be used as basis for the case studies to be undertaken for the purpose of understanding and identification of new questions and needs for other or revised concepts from theory.

Findings

The paper shows the relevance of a wide literature to the issues pertinent to humanitarian logistics. There is considerable promise in extant literature on logistics, SCM and coordination, but this needs to be confronted with the particular issues seen in the humanitarian logistics setting to achieve further theory development.

Originality/value

The major contribution of the paper lies in its breadth of theoretical perspectives presented and combined in a preliminary theoretical framework. This is applied more specifically in the three case studies described in the paper.
Volatility, unpredictability and asymmetry
Authors: Carroll Alan , Neu Jens
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to develop the tentative hypothesis that common effective dynamics generate asymmetry volatility and unpredictability in the business, military and humanitarian logistics sectors.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines collaborative supply chain management (CSCM) concepts which integrate practical comparator cases to develop and justify the theoretical framework.

Findings

The humanitarian logistics sector can take “best practice” from business and military LSCM developments, but has specific problems of potential instability which require sector‐specific attention.

Research limitations/implications

Humanitarian logistics' “present state” is a zero sum model because of the fragmented nature and number of disparate actors, which generate the logistics system volatility, unpredictability and asymmetry common to unstable operations, and which formed the research rationale for this paper.

Practical implications

The development gap identified can be resolved, and synthesis achieved, with the application of an intelligent system infrastructure.

Originality/value

This paper provides a development framework for a comprehensive set of universal techniques and a commonality in humanitarian logistics and supply chain management.
Advocacy to promote logistics in humanitarian aid
Authors: Whiting Michael C. , Ayala‐Öström Beatriz E.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to examine some of the more effective means of advocacy focused on promoting the unique role of logistics in the delivery of much needed humanitarian aid, and outlines some of the challenges as experienced in the outcomes of recent disasters such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws from the limited literature available in humanitarian relief, the authors' first hand experience, input from colleagues in humanitarian logistics performance measures, attitudes in both the private sector and the humanitarian aid sector and other management factors to discuss how the role of logistics is still undervalued and under resourced.

Findings

Strategic investment in logistics for humanitarian aid will impact positively on the delivery of humanitarian aid. Efforts are being made by NGOs, United Nations Agencies and to a lesser extent the donor community, but these efforts are fragmented.

Practical implications

If logistics in humanitarian relief is supported and valued the effectiveness and predictability of humanitarian response will improve. Even small improvements in efficiency in logistics will result in significant savings in logistics costs.

Originality/value

There is little published in logistics for humanitarian relief and disseminating the importance of logistics in humanitarian aid and the challenges it faces will assist the donor community, the NGOs and the field logisticians in raising the profile of logistics.
The financial crisis and employee relations
Authors: Gennard John
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the response of industrial relations systems to the current financial crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

This editorial outlines the effect of the financial crisis on industrial output, unemployment and redundancies. It then examines the impact in the banking and manufacturing sectors of the single European market before looking more closely at the impact on individual European countries. There is also a look at public policy, labour market mechanisms design to protect employment levels and workers incomes.

Findings

The financial crisis has led to large rises in unemployment and redundancies and to large falls in industrial output. Collective bargaining has played an important problem‐solving role in achieving a peaceful adjustment at the workplace to falls in product demand. Collective agreements have been concluded designed to preserve jobs by providing for shorter working time with the state providing compensation for the corresponding fall in income.

Originality/value

The paper offers insights into the financial crisis and employee relations.
Organizational reactions to UK age discrimination legislation
Authors: Parry Emma , Tyson Shaun
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use neo‐institutional theory to examine organizational responses to the age discrimination at work legislation, recently introduced in the UK. The paper examines reasons managers advanced for the introduction of human resource (HR) policies about age discrimination, in addition to legal compliance.

Design/methodology/approach

A longitudinal survey of HR managers and four case studies within a range of UK organizations are used to elicit data on organizational responses.

Findings

Unsurprisingly, the introduction of the new legislation has created strong coercive pressure on organizations. However, the results also provide evidence of mimetic and normative pressures within organizations. There is a complex range of factors that influence changes to policies and practices. In addition, the impact of organizational context, manager stereotypes and public and private sector differences are examined. The implications for explaining coercive change in organizations in terms of different legal philosophies and for future research are discussed.

Originality/value

This paper adds to a currently sparse literature on the introduction of age discrimination policies by organizations and uses a neo‐institutional framework to examine the forces that may affect the introduction of these policies over and above legislation.
It takes two to tango: evidence of a decline in institutional industrial relations in New Zealand
Authors: Foster Barry , Murrie John , Laird Ian
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the attitudes of employers in a de‐regulated institutional industrial relations framework, and whether they are still willing to engage in collective bargaining (CB).

Design/methodology/approach

A cross‐sectional survey design using a self‐administered postal questionnaire, seeks information on employers' attitudes to a range of issues. Included are employers within all 17 standard industry classifications used by previous New Zealand researchers.

Findings

The paper quite convincingly shows that unless employers are prepared to engage in dialogue with employees or third parties and unless the benefits to be gained from such a dialogue are more widely accepted it is unlikely they will engage in CB. Therefore, involvement would appear to be limited to those areas that do not hinder managerial freedom.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies in New Zealand of employers' attitudes to CB since the 1990s. The paper provides valuable data for policy makers, unions, employers and employment relations researchers.
Reconceptualising absorptive capacity to explain the e‐enablement of the HR function (e‐HR) in organizations
Authors: Martin Graeme , Reddington Martin
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to ask why some organizations might be better than others at continuous innovation in the field of e‐enablement of human resource (e‐HR).

Design/methodology/approach

To answer this question, the notion of absorptive capacity (ACAP) is applied to explain some of the problems faced in moving from face‐to‐face HR to a technology‐mediated model.

Findings

Dynamic ACAP models are adapted to produce a more realistic, iterative framework in which realized capacities for e‐HR innovations contribute to, and constrain, potential capacities for further innovations.

Research limitations/implications

The model is used to offer some research propositions for academics operating in this newly emerging field of human resource management (HRM).

Practical implications

Some theory‐driven advice are also offered for HR practitioners.

Originality/value

The specific contribution is to introduce the concept of ACAP to HRM scholars and practitioners interested in the field of e‐HR and Web 2.0 social media.
All powerful voice? The need to include “exit”, “loyalty” and “neglect” in empirical studies too
Authors: Allen Matthew , Tüselmann Heinz‐Josef
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to set out and justify a broader, systemic typology that encompasses, and is built around, the notion of voice. This leads to the development of a number of insights that can result in the generation and testing of more accurate hypotheses on the links between voice mechanisms and workplace outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on different aspects of the concept of “power” and arguing that these are central to the notion of “voice”, the paper illustrates how “exit”, “loyalty” and “neglect” are also underpinned by power. A corollary of this is that these other concepts should routinely be included in studies of the links among voice and workplace outcomes.

Findings

The paper develops hypotheses that can enhance the understanding of the likely impact of voice policies on employees' attitudes and behaviour as well as on firm performance.

Practical implications

The hypotheses suggest that, if employees perceive voice mechanisms in a negative way, they may respond in a variety of ways that can have a detrimental effect on firm performance. Understanding these different responses and the likely reasons for them can lead to more appropriate policy responses by managers.

Originality/value

The paper specifies the conditions under which relationships between voice, exit, loyalty and neglect will affect workplace outcomes in greater detail. This leads to a re‐examination of factors that should be included in empirical assessments. Research findings may need to be re‐evaluated as a result.
Crossing the line: boundaries of workplace humour and fun
Authors: Plester Barbara
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to present exploratory, empirical data from an ethnographic study into workplace humour and fun. It explores the notion that workplace humour and fun are influenced by the creation of boundaries that either enable or constrain activities.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative data were gathered from four New Zealand companies within different industries. Mixed methods were used and included semi‐structured interviews, participant observation and document collection.

Findings

The findings suggest that organisational culture is influential in boundary creation. In three formal companies, boundaries for humour and fun activities were narrower, and this constrained humour activities. In an informal company, wider boundaries resulted in humour activities that were unrestrained which created an unusual and idiosyncratic company identity.

Research limitations/implications

It would be useful to replicate this exploratory research in different workplace sectors and environments.

Originality/value

Boundaries constructed through social processes are assuming greater importance in modern organisations. However, research has not investigated boundaries around workplace humour and fun. Understanding boundaries may assist work groups when creating (and promoting) fun. This original research considers both managerial and employee concerns, and findings extend theory on workplace fun and humour.
Fun and well‐being: insights from senior managers in a local authority
Authors: Renee Baptiste Nicole
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to critically examine the dynamics of fun and well‐being at work, as experienced and perceived by senior managers in a public sector context.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on research into well‐being with a British Local Authority, focusing on 12 senior managers through verbal accounts of their own experiences and perceptions of fun initiatives.

Findings

The data reveal that managers were not having “fun”. However, well‐being at work emerged as central to influencing and enabling “fun at work” and was strongly linked to eight organisational factors (Working Time Arrangements; Stress Management; Communication Strategies; Reward Strategies; Management Development; Team Working; Relationships with Stakeholders; Clarification and Reduction in Change Initiatives). Thus whilst “Fun at work” prescriptions are common in the literature, findings from these accounts indicate people might be happier to experience better well‐being at work.

Research limitations/implications

Senior managers’ accounts of well‐being identified salient issues, thus providing a basis for broader research in this area.

Practical implications

Attention to the material aspects of employment relations is recommended over ‘silly hat day’ prescriptions. Organisations wishing to enhance fun at work could focus efforts on creating organisational conditions that encourage well‐being through the eight identified factors. This has relevance for the employment relationship, and for practitioners and academics alike.

Originality/value

This study makes a distinctive contribution to the fun at work literature by providing rich empirical data, and extending the “tenets of fun” to consider an alternative conceptualisation of “well‐being at work” instead of the organised/managed fun activities presently embraced in the literature.
Rituals of fun and mischief: the case of the Swedish meatpackers
Authors: Strömberg Susanne , Karlsson Jan Ch.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This article seeks to analyse rituals of humour and joking practices among two groups of meatpacking workers, to better understand the organic dynamics of workplace fun.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an ethnographic study of two groups of meatpacking workers within a Swedish food preparation company. Data were collected using multiple methods including observations, field notes, and individual and group interviews.

Findings

This study uncovers ample evidence of joking practices among the workers studied. These are presented on a continuum of pure to applied humour in five types: jokes, physical joking practices, clowning, nicknaming and satire.

Originality/value

This article gives a rich description and analysis of organic workplace humour in a contemporary food production setting and offers a typology of joking practices.
Worker centers: defending labor standards for migrant workers in the informal economy
Authors: Theodore Nik , Valenzuela Abel , Meléndez Edwin
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of day labor worker centers in improving wages and working conditions of migrant casual workers in the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reports the results of a survey of worker center executive directors and senior staff, with particular attention to the ways in which centers maintain wage rates, allocate jobs, and redress grievances.

Findings

Day labor worker centers are now an important presence in construction industry casual labor markets, performing HRM functions that benefit employers and workers.

Research limitations/implications

The research was undertaken during a time when the US construction industry was enjoying an expansion. It is unclear what a macroeconomic downturn might mean for the effectiveness of worker centers to maintain labor standards.

Practical implications

Conditions of instability and the violation of basic labor standards that occur in casual labor markets in the USA exist in other countries as well. Day labor worker centers might be a model intervention that could apply in other contexts.

Originality/value

The paper presents results from the first national survey of day labor worker centers. It highlights the key activities of these emerging labor market institutions.
Employers' use of low‐skilled migrant workers
Authors: Forde Chris , MacKenzie Robert
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the implications for HRM of employers' use of migrants in low‐skilled work in a UK‐based firm. Is the use of migrant workers for low skilled work associated with “soft” or “hard” approaches to HRM? How do employers recruit migrant workers? What career progression paths are available to these workers in firms? What are the expectations and aspirations of migrant workers?

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines these issues through a case study of a UK‐based employer using large numbers of migrant workers. The paper draws on data from a survey of migrant workers in the firm conducted in 2006, and from interviews with managers and migrant workers within this firm, conducted between 2005 and 2006.

Findings

The paper highlights the “hard” HRM strategy pursued by the company in order to maintain a competitive advantage based on low labour costs and substitutability of workers. A contradiction is noted between the desire of the firm to retain migrant workers with a strong work ethic and gain high commitment, on the one hand, and their continued attempt to compete on the basis on minimal labour costs and follow a “hard” approach to HRM, on the other.

Practical implications

The paper points to the importance of analysis of employers' use of migrants and the strategies they are adopting towards using these workers. Developing an understanding of these strategies is critical to understanding the social and economic experiences of migrant workers.

Originality/value

The paper combines qualitative and quantitative research through an intensive case study to illuminate the implications for HRM of employers' use of migrants in low‐skilled jobs.
Safeguarding the global contingent workforce? Guestworkers in Australia
Authors: Toh Stefanie , Quinlan Michael
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine occupational health and safety (OHS) and workers' compensation legal entitlements and policy issues raised by the use of foreign temporary workers under the s457 visa scheme in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

Interviews were conducted with 15 representatives of unions and employers along with written responses from government agencies and examination of government statistics, court and other documents.

Findings

The study suggests that foreign temporary workers can face significant difficulty in accessing their OHS rights and entitlements. This represents a challenge for government as well as unions and human resource professionals trying to manage workforce diversity.

Research limitations/implications

Further detailed investigation is required into the extent of problems identified in this paper in Australia and other countries.

Practical implications

The study indicates that governments making use of guestworkers need to investigate whether these workers have effective access to the protection of OHS and workers' compensation laws and, if not, as indicated by this study, to make suitable policy interventions.

Originality/value

The human resource implications of managing guestworkers have been under‐researched to date despite the global growth in numbers. The paper starts to fill this gap, identifying a number of important policy issues in relation to OHS.
Return migrant status and employment in Finland
Authors: Saarela Jan , Finnäs Fjalar
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relative employment levels of return migrants in Finland with regard to their re‐adaptation into the labour market.

Design/methodology/approach

Longitudinal census data distinguished Finns who had lived abroad and returned to Finland. These return migrants are compared with non‐migrants with regard to employment levels, using logistic regression models that account for sex, age, education, mother tongue and place of residence.

Findings

Both male and female return migrants have odds of employment that are only about half those of their non‐migrant counterparts. The employment differential is stable over time and, consequently, not particularly sensitive to changes in the macroeconomic environment. Relative employment rates of migrants with short periods abroad and long periods in the home country are somewhat higher than those of other migrants, but still lower than those of non‐migrants. Difficulties in readapting into Finnish society are consequently associated with personal characteristics that cannot be observed explicitly but are apparently associated with job‐finding probability.

Practical implications

Considering that Finland at present has no explicit measures directed towards return migrants, it is suggested that this group should be given more policy attention.

Originality/value

The paper provides quantitative evidence that Finnish migrants have substantial difficulties in finding employment in the home country labour market subsequent to return migration, and that these problems cannot be attributed to structural factors.
What determines employer willingness to “top up” social insurance?
Authors: Smyth Russell , Nielsen Ingrid , Qian Xiaolei
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors predicting which employees receive employer‐funded commercial pension insurance contributions in Shanghai's zhenbao (town insurance) program, introduced by the Shanghai Government in 2003.

Design/methodology/approach

A series of hypotheses are developed to examine whether employees with characteristics that make them more influential constituencies will be more likely to receive voluntary commercial pension insurance contributions. The hypotheses are tested through application of a ReLogit model to data on 103,095 employees enrolled in the town insurance scheme in one district as at the end of 2004.

Findings

The study finds that only a small proportion of individuals in the sample receive commercial pension insurance. The most important determinant of whether an employee received commercial pension insurance is his or her level of education.

Research limitations/implications

The study provides support for the societal corporatist perspective that employers who place a premium on human capital and invest significant resources in the skills of their workers will favor social policies that target benefits to a selected group of workers to reward their performance and foster commitment. A limitation of the research is that it is based on data collected soon after the town insurance scheme was introduced. The low level of employee coverage may improve once employers become more familiar with the operation of the scheme.

Practical implications

Employers should consider social insurance as a labor market strategy to retain staff and enhance the human resource base of the firm.

Originality/value

Little attention has been given to the role of employer‐funded social insurance within the ambit of labor market strategies designed to enhance the human resource base of the organisation. This is the first study to use micro level data to examine the determinants of voluntary employer contributions to social insurance.
Job characteristics and voluntary mobility in The Netherlands
Authors: Gesthuizen Maurice
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address the impact of the subjective evaluation of job characteristics on voluntary mobility, the impact of voluntary mobility on changes in these job characteristics, and differential education and gender patterns.

Design/methodology/approach

Ordered and multinominal logistic regression analysis and longitudinal panel analysis.

Findings

Dissatisfaction with one's wage, the match between job content and personal capacities, working hours, and the job in general cause voluntary external mobility. The latter two also increase the odds of voluntary internal mobility. Voluntary internal and external mobility in turn decreases dissatisfaction with several job characteristics. The higher the educational level, the weaker the impact of dissatisfaction with working hours on voluntary internal mobility. For women, wage dissatisfaction has a stronger impact on voluntary external mobility than for men. Moreover, dissatisfaction with the number of working hours and the job in general more often cause voluntary internal mobility for women than for men. The revenues of changing positions within or between firms, however, do not substantially differ across education and gender.

Originality/value

This paper shows that subjectively evaluated job characteristics are important push factors and result in voluntary mobility, and in some cases for women to a stronger degree than for men. Even though it could be expected that returns to voluntary mobility are lower for women and lower educated individuals, they do not differ substantially from the returns that men and higher educated workers receive.
The influence of CEO perceptions on the level of organizational learning
Authors: García‐Morales Victor J. , Verdú‐Jover Antonio J. , Lloréns Francisco Javier
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to take an in‐depth look at the differences in learning based on the nature of the process, analysing the influence of CEO perceptions of personal mastery, shared vision, environment and strategic proactivity on the learning level.

Design/methodology/approach

This investigation drew up a structured questionnaire to better understand how CEOs face learning issues. A series of χ2, t‐tests, Harman's one‐factor tests, correlations, and regression analyses were used. The hypotheses are tested using data from 239 firms located in Spain.

Findings

This investigation shows the influence of CEO perceptions of several strategic factors and capabilities (personal mastery, shared vision, environment and strategic proactivity) in single‐ and double‐loop learning and the influence of this learning level on organizational innovation and performance. It adds theoretical and empirical arguments to the two main learning levels in the literature.

Originality/value

The research provides empirical evidence that: personal mastery and a stable environment have a positive and significant impact on the generation of single‐loop learning; personal mastery, shared vision, ambiguous environment and strategic proactivity have a positive and significant influence on the generation of double‐loop learning; and both learning levels affect the generation of greater organizational innovation and performance.
The occupational domain and initial earnings of recent Irish graduates
Authors: Pontikakis Dimitrios
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the hypothesis that those with a university qualification in science and technology (S&T) enjoy favourable labour market outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Analysis is based on individual‐level data detailing the labour market experiences of Irish university graduates upon entering employment. A Gini‐Hirschman index is used to estimate the number of occupational options open to graduates of a particular educational background. Additionally, an ordered probit model of earnings is estimated, which is controlling other factors, measures the effect of S&T education on the distribution of earnings.

Findings

S&T graduates have a wider occupational domain. Additionally, tabulations indicate that on the whole they tend to earn more. Application of an ordered probit model controlling for other factors suggests that engineering graduates enjoy a clear earnings advantage; however the opposite appears to be the case for science graduates.

Originality/value

The paper presents original insights into the occupational outcomes of Irish technical graduates. The relatively lower earnings of science graduates bring into question the current preoccupation with the supply side and suggest that a closer look at the demand for such skills may be warranted. These findings may be interesting for policy seeking to influence skill structure and for further studies investigating the returns to components of skill.
Big five personality factors, hardiness, and social judgment as predictors of leader performance
Authors: Bartone Paul T. , Eid Jarle , Helge Johnsen Bjorn , Christian Laberg Jon , Snook Scott A.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the influence of psychological hardiness, social judgment, and “Big Five” personality dimensions on leader performance in US military academy cadets at West Point.

Design/methodology/approach

Army cadets were studied in two different organizational contexts, i.e. summer field training and during academic semesters. Leader performance was measured with leadership grades (supervisor ratings) aggregated over four years at West Point.

Findings

After controlling for general intellectual abilities, hierarchical regression results showed leader performance in the summer field training environment is predicted by Big Five extroversion, and hardiness, and a trend for social judgment. During the academic period context, leader performance is predicted by mental abilities, Big Five conscientiousness, and hardiness, with a trend for social judgment.

Research limitations/implications

Results confirm the importance of psychological hardiness, extroversion, and conscientiousness as factors influencing leader effectiveness, and suggest that social judgment aspects of emotional intelligence can also be important. These results also show that different Big Five personality factors may influence leadership in different organizational contexts.

Practical implications

The study identifies personality factors related to leader performance in different types of work environments or contexts. Results can be used to improve leader selection and development programs.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine the influence of psychological hardiness together with Big Five personality factors on leader performance. It identifies hardiness as an important predictor of leadership, while also showing that organizational context makes a difference for what Big Five personality factors influence leader performance: extroversion appears to be more influential in highly social and active work environments, whereas conscientiousness has greater salience in academic and business settings.
A dynamic theory of leadership development
Authors: Isaac Mostovicz E. , Kakabadse Nada K. , Kakabadse Andrew P.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to offer a dynamic theory of leadership development.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines selected leadership literature through the lens of theory building‐blocks. It identifies the role of the ideal goal in leadership and its importance in developing the psychological aspect of leadership.

Findings

The paper posits that leadership is a developmental process, which is based on the type of choice a leader makes. While choice implies that two good options are always available from which to select, one should make choices in accordance with the leader's worldview, looking for affiliation (i.e. the Theta worldview), or looking for achievement (i.e. the Lambda worldview). Consequently, leaders need to recognise that the choices they make for organisational activities have to fit their own worldview. Pursuing the fit between one's worldview and planned organisational activities ensures that leaders continuously improve their ethical behaviour. The paper concludes with the presentation of a dynamic theory of leadership, which is based on the assumption that one can only strive toward truly ethical leadership with the knowledge that this goal is beyond human capacity.

Research limitations/implications

Being a theory‐based exploration, the paper does not provide empirical examples of how this theory might be applied in practice.

Originality/value

The paper provides an example of a dynamic theory, introduces the concept of Theta and Lambda worldviews and provides a better definition of leadership strategy and tactics.