bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reforming further education: the changing labour process for college lecturers
Authors: Mather Kim , Worrall Les , Seifert Roger
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to examine how the labour process of further education lecturers has changed as a result of legislative reforms introduced in the early 1990s.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on labour process theory and emergent perspectives on “the new public management” to provide theoretical frameworks. Evidence is derived from research carried out at three FE colleges in the English West Midlands involving interviews with managers and lecturing staff, documentary material and a survey of lecturing staff employed in the colleges.

Findings

Market‐based reforms in this sector have resulted in the intensification and extensification of work effort for lecturers. This paper argues that these changes have been driven by the ideological underpinning of the reform process. Individual and collective acts of lecturer resistance have been insufficiently strong to prevent change from occurring and worker alienation has increased.

Research limitations/implications

The case study method renders generalisability of findings difficult. Comparative studies in other localities and sectors are needed.

Practical implications

The research indicates that the “new managerialism” – which has developed in the public sector – has created an increasingly alienated workforce and that the processes of change in many institutions have had negative outcomes.

Originality/value

The research demonstrates and application of labour process theory, supported by empirical evidence, as a means for examining the changing experiences of a group of public sector workers and assessing the effect of the “new managerialism” on workers' experiences.
National History Day: an opportunity for K‐16 collaboration
Authors: Manuel Kate
Published: January 2007

Purpose

For more than 25 years, the National History Day (NHD) program has a number of distinctive features that make it a uniquely powerful collaborative vehicle for information literacy instruction. By requiring that student participants do in‐depth research using primary source materials, NHD strongly encourages integrated learning of historical content and information‐seeking processes, and thus partnerships between history teachers and librarians. Because few middle and high schools have extensive collections of primary source materials, NHD also promotes partnerships between K‐12 schools and academic libraries, public libraries, and museums in making primary source materials available to students. This case study aims to draw on one academic library's three‐year experience of partnering in NHD events in its community.

Design/methodology/approach

Describes the NHD program, highlighting the commonalities between NHD learning goals; theNational Standards for History: Historical Thinking Standards(Grades 5‐12); the American Association of School Libraries'Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning; and the Association of College and Research Libraries'Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.

Findings

Shows how one academic library was able to successfully implement NHD programming, especially in the area of library instruction, to engage students in their own learning.

Originality/value

NHD participation by higher education librarians, collaborating with their K‐12 counterparts, can be a powerful learning vehicle for elementary and secondary students to learn historical content knowledge, historical thinking skills, and information literacy skills.
Who says we're not busy? Library web page usage as a measure of public service activity
Authors: Welch Jeanie M.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the viability of web server statistics for library‐generated web pages as measures of public service activity. For years librarians have gathered, reported, and analyzed traditional measures such as reference transactions, patron visits, book and reserve item circulation, and interlibrary loan transactions. Since the advent of web‐based databases and services, some traditional usage statistics have declined. Such declines can have political and financial implications for libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

The author did a literature review, studied a suggested revision to the NISO Z39.7‐1995 Library Statistics standard that includes counting usage of library‐generated web pages, participated in a task force on web statistics, and analyzed library web site statistics at a university library.

Findings

The recommendations of a task force on reporting web page usage statistics in an academic library are discussed. The reporting of the usage of library‐generated web pages can be a useful indicator of increased patron contacts and provide a more complete picture of public service activities.

Research limitations/implications

This is a new area for library statistics, and its impact on the perceptions of libraries as sources of information in the digital age has yet to be proven.

Originality/value

This paper is useful to libraries which wish to integrate web page usage statistics into their output measures and reporting procedures.
Search and discovery: news that matters
Authors: Mitchell Eleanor , Barbara Watstein Sarah
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on two announcements from The Library of Congress and OCLC, the Online Library Computer Center, with immediate, long‐lasting and profound impact on search and discovery.

Design/methodology/approach

Announcements from two organizations are explored for implications to libraries and users.

Findings

Libraries need to consider service implications of changes implemented in series authority cataloging by the Library of Congress, and to explore what the impact on access will be. The enhancements to search and access through WorldCat's search box will provide our users with improved discovery and information management.

Originality/value

This editorial offers a reflection on the importance to our users of both series authority work and access to the collections of the world's libraries.
Collaborations for success: high school to college transitions
Authors: Burhanna Kenneth J. , Lee Jensen Mary
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to provide an overview of innovative high school to college collaborations and initiatives at Kent State University Library. These collaborations and initiatives may serve as models and resources for future academic library high school to college programs.

Design/methodology/approach

New and innovative collaborations and initiatives aimed at fostering successful high school to college student transitions are discussed.

Findings

Provides overview of the K‐12 educational environment in Ohio, the collaborative environment, and opportunities for outreach and collaborative information literacy programming with high schools. Discusses new and innovative initiatives, lessons learned and provides practical considerations.

Practical implications

This paper may serve as a guide and point out considerations and resources to both academic and high school libraries interested in exploring, expanding or establishing high school to college transition programming.

Originality/value

Academic and high school libraries will find value in this paper's discussion of the K‐12 educational environment, which identifies strong points of alignment and potential opportunities for collaboration. In addition, these libraries will find value in this paper's discussion of lesson learned and its overview of model programs and freely available online resources.
Creating collaborative partnerships: building the framework
Authors: Jackson Lydia , Hansen Julia
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to explore the nature of a collaborative relationship among school and academic librarians in order to enhance the information literacy skills of students as they matriculate to college.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses collaboration among school librarians in Madison County, Illinois and one academic library. The major reasons for creating these partnerships and the critical success factors of the project are also discussed.

Findings

The academic library's role in facilitating collaboration may be challenging but building partnerships with local school libraries is mutually beneficial.

Originality/value

Extracts the valuable lessons learned which will help others to effectively build similar relationships between school and academic librarians.
Footholds and foundations: setting freshmen on the path to lifelong learning
Authors: Byerly Gayla , Downey Annie , Ramin Lilly
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to provide an empirical study demonstrating the value of one‐shot instruction assessment, and student learning, with the software, LISA.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an outcome‐based quantitative study, using performance‐based software for assessment.

Findings

The University of North Texas librarians developed Library Instruction Software for Assessment (LISA) to assess one‐shot library instruction sessions. The study used a pre‐test, post‐test and post‐post‐test to test freshmen in English classes. The pre‐test revealed that students had more difficultly using some tools more than others, namely the catalog. The post‐test showed that student performance searching the catalog and Academic Search Premier improved with library instruction. However, students' ability to find the “Help page” decreased. This decreased number was attributed to the importance of teaching navigation skills in library instruction sessions. The post‐post‐test taken at the end of the semester demonstrated that students were retaining the skills taught.

Research limitations/implications

One‐shot library instruction sessions are valuable and can be assessed using LISA. The study shows LISA can provide meaningful results about students' library skills.

Originality/value

The paper introduces a unique software tool, Library Instruction Software for Assessment (LISA), which can be used for assessing instruction sessions – even one‐shot sessions. The findings indicate that one‐shot library instruction can have a positive effect on the information literacy level of students, and offers insight into areas of improvement for instruction sessions.
The benefits of buy‐in: integrating information literacy into each year of an academic program
Authors: Harrison Justin , Rourke Lorna
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the integration of information literacy into each year of a Bachelor of Arts and Science (BAS) program at the University of Guelph, Ontario, and to explain the role of librarian mentors in this program.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews the literature related to mentoring and librarians, explains the BAS program, and outlines the library's integration into the BAS curriculum. It discusses mentoring, assessment, and future goals, and provides some librarians' observations and advice.

Findings

The paper demonstrates the benefits of librarian‐student mentoring and of integrating information literacy into each year of an undergraduate degree program.

Practical implications

Since the mentoring of students by librarians is rarely mentioned in the literature, this description of our mentoring program may inspire other librarians to set up librarian‐student partnerships at their institutions. Our successful application of information literacy into every year of a degree program and our partnerships with faculty and students may serve as models for other libraries.

Originality/value

The experience of the University of Guelph library may show other libraries how to integrate information literacy into a program efficiently and effectively.
Structuring organizational value statements
Authors: Wenstøp Fred , Myrmel Arild
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose is to propose a structure for corporate value statements, which is useful as an underlying organizing principle that makes them more comprehensible, and at the same time identifies values that can serve as criteria for strategic decision‐making.

Design/methodology/approach

The main approach is theoretical development of value categories. It is followed up by an empirical investigation of value statements on corporate web pages to see if the proposed principles are applicable.

Findings

The paper proposes a comprehensive value system that consists of three main value categories juxtaposed on the same level: Core values prescribe the attitude and character of the organization. They are often found in sections on code of conduct, values statement, or credo. Protected values are protected through rules, standards and certificates. They are mostly found in sections concerning health, environment and safety. Created values are the values that stakeholders, including the shareholders, expect in return for their contributions to the firm. They are often found in sections on objectives and always in the annual report.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical research is limited to companies listed on two stock exchanges. Further research should include other types of organizations.

Practical implications

It is hoped that the proposed value system can contribute to making corporate value statements more comprehensible and useful for strategic decision‐making.

Originality/value

It is believed to be a new idea to propose a holistic value system for value communication that can incorporate all values.
TQM practices, service quality, and market orientation
Authors: Samat Nusrah , Ramayah T. , Mat Saad Norizan
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The main purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between total quality management (TQM) practices and service quality as well as the relationship between TQM practices and market orientation.

Design/methodology/approach

Structured questionnaires were distributed to managers of 175 service organisations in the northern region of Malaysia; 101 were returned.

Findings

The results show that employee empowerment, information and communication, customer focus, and continuous improvement had a significant effect on service quality whereas only employee empowerment and customer focus had a significant effect on market orientation.

Research limitations/implications

A wider sample can be used for any future study, which can be generalized to the service industry with multiple responses from different individuals and management levels. The same study can also be completed by including more TQM practices as well as other mediating variables like environment, culture, and control within the organization.

Practical implications

This study contributes significant knowledge to the service industry since there is still a lack of studies that have been done in relation to TQM in service organizations due to its origin, which is more related to manufacturing organizations. It helps towards understanding the improvement in quality efforts in service organizations in the context of Malaysian practitioners.

Originality/value

This study adds to the literature by bridging the gap and showing the importance of TQM practices in service organizations. It also provides some theoretical contributions to the TQM development, in relation to market orientation.
Technology decentralization and knowledge‐related competitiveness for Asia Pacific MNEs
Authors: Manolopoulos Dimitris
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to advance understanding for the nature and essence of Asia Pacific multinational enterprises' (MNEs) knowledge‐related competitiveness in the Balkans.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire‐based survey was carried out in 56 Asia Pacific MNEs located in the Balkans. By using descriptive statistics the extent of technology centralization is identified, the sources of technology MNEs use in their operations and the essence and roles of decentralized research and development (R&D) departments are evaluated.

Findings

Technological demand‐side influences and the traditional centripetal forces in Asia Pacific MNEs are still quite strong. Among all countries under investigation, only in Greece and Slovenia are signs found of some original product development work and creative activities.

Research limitations/implications

In order to have a better understanding for knowledge‐related competitiveness of Asia Pacific MNEs in the Balkans regional economic and labor conditions, more sophisticated industry characteristics and the strategic orientation of MNEs towards the region should also be considered.

Practical implications

A useful source of information for academics, business people and local governments that seek to promote value added investments in their countries.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils an identified gap in the literature by investigating MNEs' technology strategies in an EU peripheral region. To the extent of one's knowledge there are no relevant studies that survey the extent of technology (de)centralization of Asia Pacific MNEs in the Balkan countries from the perspective of empirical reality.
Investigating work‐family policy aims and employee experiences
Authors: McDonald Paula , Guthrie Diane , Bradley Lisa , Shakespeare‐Finch Jane
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This study seeks systematically to investigate the extent to which the documented aims of formal work‐family policies are being achieved at the level of individual employees.

Design/methodology/approach

Consistency between policy and practice in the case study organization was explored via an analysis of organizational documents which described work‐family policies and 20 interviews with employed women with dependent children.

Findings

Results show that the use of flexible work arrangements was consistent with aims related to balance and productivity. However, women’s experiences and perceptions of part‐time employment conflicted with policies aiming to support the same career opportunities as full‐time employees.

Research limitations/implications

The nature of the organization and its policies as well as certain characteristics of the sample may limit the generalizability of findings to other sectors and groups of employees.

Practical implications

The research highlights the need to assess whether work‐family policies are experienced as intended, a process which may contribute to future policy development and assist human resource specialists to promote genuine balance between work and non‐work responsibilities.

Originality/value

The results inform the current understanding of how organizational policy translates into practice.
Decision of union workers to participate in employee involvement: an application of the theory of planned behaviour
Authors: Dawkins Cedric E. , Frass John W.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the ability of the theory of planned behaviour to predict worker intent towards an employee involvement (EI) programme, and the impact of union identification on workers’ decision making.

Design/methodology/approach

Union workers at a small manufacturing company in the Midwestern United States completed two questionnaires. The first questionnaire provided measures of the attitudinal, normative, and behavioural control components of the theory of planned behaviour and the degree to which they identified with their labour union. In the second questionnaire, the same respondents answered questions to measure their intention to support or oppose an employee involvement (EI) programme.

Findings

Intentions to support EI were accurately predicted from attitudes, normative support, and perceived behavioural control (0.05 level). Level of union identification moderated the impact of attitudes on intention to support EI for workers that did not identify heavily with the labour union (0.05 level), but did not moderate the effect of normative support on intention for workers who identified heavily with the labour union.

Research limitations/implications

The results indicate that the theory of planned behaviour has the potential to be an effective tool in predicting the behavioural outcomes of union members in the workplace, and that the level of union identification affects decision making. Research is limited by same source methodology and no direct measure of behaviour.

Practical implications

Leaders, labour and management, who intend to implement new programmes, should give strong consideration to how workers’ social cohorts influence their decision making and plan for this contingency when considering programme changes.

Originality/value

The level of union identification influences perception and decision making but has not been considered in models of member decision making. EI research has tended to center on EI as the antecedent to outcomes such as job satisfaction, cooperation, retention, and quality of work life. This paper addresses the role of union identification in support for EI programmes, and uses a well‐established behavioural theory to explain workers’ decision‐making process.
Dilute to taste? The impact of the working time regulations in the hospitality industry
Authors: Hurrell Scott A.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To investigate the impact of the working time regulations (WTR) in the hospitality industry and dynamics of the employment relationship within the case study firms.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative case study approach was used, interviewing 18 respondents over two case study organisations. Line managers, personnel specialists, employees and trade union representatives were interviewed in each case.

Findings

Both case studies were largely unaffected by the WTR. This was due to both the high amount of numerical and temporal flexibility afforded by large part‐time workforces and to harmonious employment relations. The design of the Regulations also brings the Government’s commitment to the WTR into doubt. On rare occasions where there was a departure from the basic regulations these were generally accounted for by the many derogations contained within the legislation and were with the full consent of employees.

Research limitations/implications

It is hard to generalise from this research alone which is relatively small‐scale. The study suggests reasons for the unproblematic nature of the WTR which could be tested using large‐scale statistically representative methods. The occurrence of “accidental compliance” is of particular interest for future research.

Practical implications

Identifies the way in which the WTR allow “accidental compliance” and would be useful for review by policy makers.

Originality/value

The WTR remains relatively under‐researched and the study draws interesting comparisons with earlier research. The qualitative approach allows the role of the actors to be identified in determining the effect of the dynamics of the employment relationship on compliance patterns, which covers an empirical “gap” in the literature.
The GPMU and graphical and paper trade unions in central and eastern Europe
Authors: Hayward Geoff
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper aims to provide an insight into the psychic of working people in the immediate aftermath of the 1989 changes, especially with regards to their perception of the new free trade unions, how this perception changed and the role that education and training has played in helping them develop free and effective trade unions capable of operating in Market Societies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper has used extensively the archives of the GPMU and UEG to piece together 15 years experience of a international trade union federation's efforts to assist its new affiliates in Central and Eastern Europe adapt to operating in a market economy.

Findings

The paper suggests that attitudes, perceptions and aspirations have changed, both amongst the newly democratised trade unions of the CEEC countries, and the trade unions in the West. Trade union education and training over the past 15 years has created confident and capable trade union organisations who now stand on equal terms with their Western European counterparts.

Originality/value

The authors access to the primary materials in the archives of the British Print Union and the European Federation for graphical workers provides a unique insight which demonstrates that the help and assistance given after 1989 was systematic, well planned, adequately funded and has provided tangible outcomes.
Changes in the role of the trade union in the Hungarian printing industry
Authors: Aczel Janos
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper sets out to describe the experiences of the Hungarian Trade Unions as they adapted to the political and economic changes of the post‐communist period. The paper lucidly explains how and why the trade union movement in Hungary made the transition from being a major player in every aspect of political, economic and social life in the old regime, to being a mere shadow of its former self in the early.

Design/methodology/approach

The author paints a vivid picture of “how” and “why” the trade unions were perceived in the “golden age of Socialism”. He then explains why dissatisfaction and disillusionment of the workers grew as living standards and real income declined and Western Capitalism became more attractive. After the initial aphorism following the overthrow of communism, the Author analyses why many Hungarian workers by the late 90s yearned for a return to the securities and paternalism of the Kádár era.

Findings

This Paper systematically traces the steps from Socialism to Capitalism in Hungary and the impact this had on organized labour. The author notes the paradox that at exactly the time that trade unions were rationalizing and merging into mega trade unions in the West, the newly freed trade union movement in Hungary and elsewhere in the CEE countries fragmentized and formed a multitude of small unions many of which would fold in months rather than years. The point is made that the transition to a neo‐liberal economic and political system led almost immediately in Hungary to falling standard of living and rising job insecurity.

Research limitations/implications

The account given in this paper of the changing nature of employee relations in Hungary spanning the communist and post‐communist periods provides researchers with a sound base to explore further the paradoxes to which the author has referred.

Originality/value

This paper provides a welcome, human account of what the changes and their consequences were for ordinary working people and their families and – most important – what they meant for organized labour in terms of its ability to enhance working peoples quality of life in Hungary.
“Change and continuity” – the experience of trade unions in the cultural sector of the former Soviet Union
Authors: Kamen Vladimir
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to map the critical changes in the history of trade unionism in the countires which until the late 80s early 90s formed the USSR, and spans a period from 1905 to 2005.

Design/methodology/approach

The author has chosen to assess the role of trade unions in the former Soviet states by placing them into their historical context. The diversity of their development in the various states is discussed and the painful transition journey they made in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union is described as a means of explaining the structure and role they play in the newly created democracies within the region.

Findings

The paper emphasizes the powerful and influential role that trade unions enjoyed under the old regime when they were very much – de facto – an arm of the state machine. Their role as overseers of social and welfare benefits and enforcers of health and safety regulations and guardians of the Labour Code is compared with that in the post‐communist period when the new governments throughout the region quickly transferred those functions back to the state and in most cases consciously set out to marginalize the unions. The paper summarizes the state of play of the trade unions in the region as they seek to adapt to the new conditions and establish a new raison detra.

Research limitations/implications

The existing literature contains few accounts of trade union activity and how it changed as a result of the collapse of communism in the former Soviet territories. This study of the Cultural Workers Union provides a sound base from which to launch further research into the development of free trade unions in other sectors of the region in the post‐communist period.

Originality/value

This paper's primary value is that it starts to fill a gap in our understanding of employee relations in the new democracies of what was the USSR and in particular the form that trade unions have taken, the role they play and the challenges that they face.
Does excellence have a gender?
Authors: van den Brink Marieke , Brouns Margo , Waslander Sietske
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to show that upward mobility of female academics in regular selection procedures is evolving extremely slowly, especially in The Netherlands. This paper aims at a more profound understanding of professorial recruitment and selection procedures in relation to gender differences at Dutch universities.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper explores the recruitment of university professors as a gendered process and is mainly based on the analysis of selection committee reports between 1999‐2003 from six large Dutch universities (n=682).

Findings

The research findings give a clear indication of gender differences in selection and recruitment procedures. Although not in all disciplines, the paper observes a disparity in the percentages of male and female applicants who were successful in the selection procedure. There is no confirmation of the predicted relationship with the nature of the procedure (open/closed), but there is a correlation with the number of women on the committee.

Research limitations/implications

As it was not possible to make any pronouncements about the quality of the applicants, a strict measurement of gender bias is not possible.

Practical implications

The results show that academic disciplines are gendered in a different way, requiring different measures at the institutional and individual levels.

Originality/value

This is the first paper on recruitment and selection procedures that takes into account disciplinary differences and factors such as the number of applicants for each professorship and the recruitment potential by gender.
Gender and academic career trajectories in Spain
Authors: Vázquez‐Cupeiro Susana , Elston Mary Ann
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to illuminate the processes that give rise to gendered career pathways in Spanish academia, tracing how individuals might move from academic “passion” to academic “consecration” in a setting in which both visible and veiled discrimination persist. By examining academics' testimony, the paper aims to explore the production and reproduction of complex dynamics of power and gender inequalities through informal processes.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative study, drawing on semi‐structured interviews with 33 academics (16 female and 17 male) working in academic departments of psychology (17) and engineering (16) in three Madrid universities.

Findings

Although the percentage of professors in Spanish universities who are female is relatively high, compared to many European countries, this quantitative feminization does not appear to be associated with clear institutionalization of formal gender equality policies or the elimination of tacit discriminatory practices. Despite recent measures to reform the recruitment patterns in Spanish universities towards a more meritocratic model, the tradition of asistema endogámico(an “inbreeding” system) persists, under which appointments are frequently made on the basis of internal (departmental) networks. This was found to operate to the disadvantage of women in both disciplines studied.

Originality/value

Despite the limitations inherent in a small‐scale study, this paper is likely to help not only to increase awareness of gender bias, but also to contribute to the reevaluation of the current university culture in Spain which, through its ostensibly gender‐neutral recruitment practices rooted in internal networks, constrains women's career opportunities.
The early employment influences of sales representatives on the development of organizational commitment
Authors: Liu Chu‐Mei
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to assess the status of the organizational commitment construct and introduce a new way of looking at organizational commitment – especially in early stages of employment, wherein the target company seems to be having problems.

Design/methodology/approach

Change in organizational commitment is measured at two points in the early employment of new salespersons in order to isolate the effects of early employment exposure of the medical representatives, a period of 18‐month when attrition of new employees is high.

Findings

Training satisfaction and perceived reward equity were the only antecedent factors that showed significant positive relationship with organizational commitment. Manager commitment showed positive contribution, the relationship was not significant. All the three antecedents significantly contributed to organizational commitment. The strongest contributor was manager commitment.

Research limitations/implications

The sample time frame is limited to two data points. Additional research is needed to determine whether these variables have similar influence in other organizations or whether other antecedent variables can be identified.

Practical implications

Company management must pay more attention to early employment experiences. New salespersons need the training to feel competent and able to meet company mandated and/or personal objectives. Salespeople have primary contact to the organization via their immediate sales manager and need to feel like they are fairly rewarded for their efforts. Commitment to the organization partly due to a commitment to the area manager. It is important to build strong relations at the area manager level.

Originality/value

This effort is a by‐product of a research activity on the effectiveness a pharmaceutical company's training program for newly hired sales representatives.
Regulation in Australian hotels: is there a lesson for the UK?
Authors: Knox Angie , Nickson Dennis
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to compare employment relations in the hotel industry in Australia and the UK. Australian industry employment is regulated by the state and union recognition is enshrined. A substantial proportion of Australian hotel employers engage directly in firm‐level bargaining with trade unions, with unionisation rates across the industry far higher than in the UK. The analysis focuses on employment strategies emphasising numerical/temporal and functional flexibility since efforts to enhance workplace flexibility underpin employment regulation in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on interviews conducted in 13 exclusive, luxury hotels in Australia. Interviewees consisted of HR and departmental managers, employees across all hotel departments and relevant union officials.

Findings

Labour utilisation practices in Australian luxury hotels reflect relatively sophisticated and systematic endeavours on the part of employers. The specific content and effect of these strategies varies in accordance with hotels' bargaining arrangements. Whilst employee relations outcomes were not entirely without problems in Australian luxury hotels, they do signify that regulation and trade union recognition can produce substantial benefits for employers and employees.

Research limitations/implications

Recognition of potentially positive employment relations outcomes in Australia points to the need for further research in the UK to reassess employers' attitudes to trade unions in a changing employment relations landscape.

Originality/value

The paper offers a comparison between Australia and the UK in an area that is still relatively under‐researched.
Psychological contract assessment after a major organizational change
Authors: Bellou Victoria
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This study aims to identify specific changes in the content of the psychological contract during mergers and acquisitions (M&As), looking into both the “previous” and the “current” psychological contract.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 255 non‐managerial employees who had recently gone through a MorA, participated in the study. They were asked to evaluate both their previous psychological contract (prior to the MorA) and their current psychological contract (after the MorA). Paired t‐tests provided support for the propositions stated.

Findings

Statistical analysis revealed that employee perceptions of both organizational obligations and contributions change after a MorA. Furthermore, employees with limited coping with changes ability are more likely to consider that their contract has changed after a MorA.

Research limitations/implications

The cross‐sectional character of this study may have increased common method bias. Still, no other option existed in this organizational setting.

Practical implications

These findings suggest that major organizational changes, such as MorA significantly impact on individuals' view of their employment relationship. In fact, employees that feel confident in handling organizational changes are more prone to believe that their psychological contract has replaced by a new, subordinate one. Consequently, it is important that organizational agents shield employees against M&As negative impact by fostering coping with changes ability.

Originality/value

The paper offers insights into psychological contracts after a major organizational change.
Grievance management and its links to workplace justice
Authors: Nurse Lawrence , Devonish Dwayne
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of workers' demographic characteristics on their perceptions of procedural justice from grievance management. A related aim is to determine whether procedural justice perceptions have an impact on perceptions of distributive justice.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a survey of 660 employees across the public and private sectors. Perceptions were measured with the use of a dichotomous scale, and logistic regression analysis was applied to test the relationships between the dependent and independent variables.

Findings

Except for education, demographic characteristics made no significant difference to workers' perceptions of procedural justice afforded by grievance procedures. Perceptions of procedural justice, however, had an impact on perceived distributive justice.

Research limitations/implications

The use of dichotomous response sets prevented the use of factor analysis. Logistic regression analysis compensated for the inability to use ANOVA. Further research is needed to explain why education moreso that any other demographic characteristic would influence procedural justice perceptions of grievance management. Research is also required to isolate the effects of justice perceptions on satisfaction with the trade union and organizational citizenship behaviours.

Practical implications

Failure to pay careful attention to procedural justice can create problems for managers, workers and unions.

Originality/value

This paper highlights the need to pay due attention to procedural justice. It continues a line of inquiry on workplace justice that has only recently been initiated in Barbados.
Solidarity through networks
Authors: Koster Ferry , Stokman Frans , Hodson Randy , Sanders Karin
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of task and informal networks and their interaction on cooperative types of employee behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

Two studies are used to examine the research question. The first dataset consists of book‐length ethnographies providing information at the team level. The second dataset is gathered through a survey across ten different organisations and provides information at the employee level. Both datasets are analysed using OLS regression.

Findings

Cooperative behaviour is positively affected by task and informal interdependence relationships. However, when employees have task and informal interdependence relationships with co‐workers, they may show less cooperative behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

A major limitation of this study is that it was not possible to include information about the structure of the networks in which the employees are embedded. The study provides evidence for the existence of exchange relationships between the employee and the team. Besides that, the study shows the importance of including formal and informal networks to study cooperative behaviour of employees.

Practical implications

The findings provide practical information about how to manage cooperation within teams. Cooperative relationships can be created by either creating task or informal interdependence. Besides that, managers should strike a balance between task and informal interdependence.

Originality/value

Existing research tends to focus on the effects of one type of network on behaviour. This research shows that different networks may affect employee behaviour at the same time.
The incidence and impact of flexible working arrangements in smaller businesses
Authors: Maxwell Gill , Rankine Laura , Bell Sheena , MacVicar Anna
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The aim of this article is to investigate the incidence and impact of FWAs in smaller businesses in Scotland, as an integral part of a recent European Social Fund project. From theoretical perspectives it discusses the influences on, and impacts of, flexible working arrangements. The focus is then placed on the smaller business sector as regards its distinctive features and flexible working arrangements.

Design/methodology/approach

The papers presents the findings from empirical work comprising a large‐scale survey of, and series of interviews with, owner‐managers of smaller businesses in Scotland.

Findings

Part‐time work, time off in lieu, staggered working hours and shift swapping are the main types of flexible work in smaller businesses. In many incidences flexible working arrangements are requested by employees, operated informally, and centred on the business needs. There is significant scope for greater uptake of flexible working arrangements in smaller businesses, especially in services sector businesses. Positive impacts of flexible work arrangements in recruitment and retention, enhanced employee relations, commitment and loyalty are found, together with disadvantages of operational problems and administrative burdens. It is proposed that the gap between the potential for, and current practice in, flexible working arrangements may be narrowed by targeting information and guidance on such arrangements specifically to the owner‐managers of smaller businesses.

Originality/value

The literature on flexible working mainly concentrates on large organisations. With the growing economic importance and distinguishing features of the smaller business sector in the UK, there is a need to focus as much on this sector as large organisations.
Exploring the potential of high performance work systems in SMEs
Authors: Drummond Ian , Stone Ian
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Aims to explore aspects of employee relations in firms included withinThe Sunday Timeslist of the UK's “Best Small Companies to Work For”, focusing in particular on the use of high performance work systems (HPWS), and the way they impact upon performance in these businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based upon a postal survey supplemented by detailed face‐to‐face interviews with CEOs in 60 per cent of the ranked firms.

Findings

The SMEs studied are found to be highly successful in terms of sales and employment growth. Our analysis suggests that the common explanation for enhanced business performance in terms of HPWS (coherent bundles of human resource management practices that function synergistically and thus have more effect than might be expected from the sum of the parts) is a valid but partial. The bundles employed in these businesses are synergetic, but the enhanced outcomes produced need to be understood in terms of the system as a whole, not just the more concrete practices that are normally considered.

Research implications/limitations

While there is a need to explore further some of the findings through larger scale qualitative research, we contend that the deeper understanding of HPWS emerging from this approach is important to the formation of effective policy in relation to the small business sector.

Originality/value

It is suggested that the cultures, values and norms established within the businesses are necessarily part of the system and that they play a fundamental role in shaping, empowering and reproducing the practices used.
Strategies for university academic information and service delivery
Authors: Wainwright Eric J.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To review issues affecting the current development of university academic information and learning services, and to suggest strategies through which benefits for students and staff might be optimised.

Design/methodology/approach

Recent literature on university services is reviewed in conjunction with the author's considerable experience in Australian university and research libraries.

Findings

Concludes that advances in technology impacting on information services delivery, changes to university pedagogies, and recent research relating to the impact of university spatial design on learning all suggest that universities need to review their overall strategies for the effective delivery of information support for teaching, learning and research.

Practical implications

University support services planners, and in particular those responsible for university library and information services, need to take a broader view of developments impacting on student learning and information support for research.

Originality/value

This paper brings together a wider variety of recent discussions in a format convenient for those faced with the design and management of university academic information and learning support services.
Exploring the services provided by CALIS: meeting the needs of member libraries
Authors: Xiaoxia Yao , Ling Chen
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to summarize the different kinds of services China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS) developed and provided, in order to promote the general, detailed and specific levels of assistance to member libraries and other information institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper focuses on six kinds of services to meet the needs of CALIS members, including “cooperated database purchasing”, “union catalog”, “interlibrary loan and document delivery”, “virtual reference”, “digital library model designing” and “training” services.

Findings

The statistics show that these services definitely facilitate resource sharing among libraries. On the other hand, more efforts should be made to make these services go from strength to strength.

Research limitations/implications

Although many attempts have been made, CALIS is still faced with the challenge to develop and provide services to a higher level.

Practical implications

With the passage of time, the services provided attracted much attention. More and more academic libraries participated in CALIS. By now, CALIS is extending its services to more than 700 Chinese universities.

Originality/value

The insight into its services improves the understanding of the role CALIS played in China. At the same time, experiences and benefits obtained may be used as a demonstration for other consortia.