title: Positive effects of nonwork-to-work facilitation on well-being in work, family and personal domains

authors: Allis, Pam

subjects: family

abstract: Purpose – The paper seeks to examine whether spillover from “nonwork” to work contributes to individuals' well-being.

Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was administered to New Zealand local government employees. Positive (facilitation) and negative (conflict) spillover from two “nonwork” domains (family and personal benefit activities) to work were investigated. The survey also assessed psychological involvement (in work, family and personal benefit activities), time devoted to each domain, and self-reported well-being in each area.

Findings – Levels of nonwork-to-work facilitation were moderate, and significantly higher than nonwork-to-work conflict, and well-being was moderately high (although greater for the family and personal benefit domains than for work). There were significant positive relationships between psychological involvement in the nonwork domains and levels of facilitation from these domains to work, and nonwork-to-work facilitation was associated with higher well-being. Time invested in family and personal activities was not linked with greater nonwork-to-work conflict. Mediation analyses indicated that psychological involvement (in family and personal activities) was associated with increased facilitation, which in turn enhanced well-being.

Practical implications – Engagement in family and personal benefit activities yields positive outcomes for individuals, in terms of their psychological well-being and facilitation of work-related outcomes. Encouragement to engage in these areas can therefore be beneficial for both individuals and their employing organizations.

Originality/value – The main contribution of this research is that involvement in personal benefit activities (as another component of the “nonwork” domain, in addition to family activities) can have positive outcomes for individuals, resulting in facilitation of work outcomes and positive well-being.

text: Positive effects of nonwork-to-work facilitation on well-being in work, family and personal domains Purpose – The paper seeks to examine whether spillover from “nonwork” to work contributes to individuals' well-being.

Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was administered to New Zealand local government employees. Positive (facilitation) and negative (conflict) spillover from two “nonwork” domains (family and personal benefit activities) to work were investigated. The survey also assessed psychological involvement (in work, family and personal benefit activities), time devoted to each domain, and self-reported well-being in each area.

Findings – Levels of nonwork-to-work facilitation were moderate, and significantly higher than nonwork-to-work conflict, and well-being was moderately high (although greater for the family and personal benefit domains than for work). There were significant positive relationships between psychological involvement in the nonwork domains and levels of facilitation from these domains to work, and nonwork-to-work facilitation was associated with higher well-being. Time invested in family and personal activities was not linked with greater nonwork-to-work conflict. Mediation analyses indicated that psychological involvement (in family and personal activities) was associated with increased facilitation, which in turn enhanced well-being.

Practical implications – Engagement in family and personal benefit activities yields positive outcomes for individuals, in terms of their psychological well-being and facilitation of work-related outcomes. Encouragement to engage in these areas can therefore be beneficial for both individuals and their employing organizations.

Originality/value – The main contribution of this research is that involvement in personal benefit activities (as another component of the “nonwork” domain, in addition to family activities) can have positive outcomes for individuals, resulting in facilitation of work outcomes and positive well-being.

year: 2008

title: Hypoxic resistance training in elite Rugby Union athletes

authors: Mayo, Brad

subjects: hypoxic

abstract: Limited research suggests that muscle adaptations may be enhanced through resistance training in a hypoxic environment. Altitude training has been integrated into athlete preparation strategies for the past five decades by elite athletes, with the goal of improving performance. Simulated altitude modalities allow athletes the ability to live low (sea level) and train high (completing training sessions at altitude) to enable, intermittent hypoxic exposure (IHE) training paradigm to optimize adaptation and performance. The first part of this thesis reviews the literature on different methods of hypoxic training and how this may be implemented into the sport of Rugby Union. Part two of the thesis includes an original investigation whereby 17 professional Rugby Union athletes (age [mean ± SD], 24 ± 3 years; body mass, 98.7 ± 12.8 kg, height; 188.9 ± 7.9 cm), performed 12 resistance training sessions over a three-week period. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: HYP (n=8) where resistance training sessions were performed in an environmental chamber with O₂ concentration maintained at ~14.4% (~3000m simulated altitude), or CON (n=9) identical resistance training sessions were performed without the simulated altitude (O₂ = 20.9%, at sea level). The research assessed pre and post-test measures of strength, power, endurance, speed and body composition. Analysis revealed a small positive effect for bench press (d = 0.24), weighted chin-up (d = 0.23) and bronco endurance tests (d = -0.21) in the HYP group when compared to the CON. In conclusion, resistance training in a hypoxic environmental chamber may lead to small improvements in upper body strength and endurance compared to the same training performed at sea-level. These findings are somewhat novel, given the short timeframe of the study and the elite population sampled. This study adds new practical information for athletes, coaches and practitioners on the effects of resistance training in a hypoxic environment on strength trained, professional team sport athletes.

text: Hypoxic resistance training in elite Rugby Union athletes Limited research suggests that muscle adaptations may be enhanced through resistance training in a hypoxic environment. Altitude training has been integrated into athlete preparation strategies for the past five decades by elite athletes, with the goal of improving performance. Simulated altitude modalities allow athletes the ability to live low (sea level) and train high (completing training sessions at altitude) to enable, intermittent hypoxic exposure (IHE) training paradigm to optimize adaptation and performance. The first part of this thesis reviews the literature on different methods of hypoxic training and how this may be implemented into the sport of Rugby Union. Part two of the thesis includes an original investigation whereby 17 professional Rugby Union athletes (age [mean ± SD], 24 ± 3 years; body mass, 98.7 ± 12.8 kg, height; 188.9 ± 7.9 cm), performed 12 resistance training sessions over a three-week period. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: HYP (n=8) where resistance training sessions were performed in an environmental chamber with O₂ concentration maintained at ~14.4% (~3000m simulated altitude), or CON (n=9) identical resistance training sessions were performed without the simulated altitude (O₂ = 20.9%, at sea level). The research assessed pre and post-test measures of strength, power, endurance, speed and body composition. Analysis revealed a small positive effect for bench press (d = 0.24), weighted chin-up (d = 0.23) and bronco endurance tests (d = -0.21) in the HYP group when compared to the CON. In conclusion, resistance training in a hypoxic environmental chamber may lead to small improvements in upper body strength and endurance compared to the same training performed at sea-level. These findings are somewhat novel, given the short timeframe of the study and the elite population sampled. This study adds new practical information for athletes, coaches and practitioners on the effects of resistance training in a hypoxic environment on strength trained, professional team sport athletes.

year: 2017

title: What do New Zealand picturebooks tell us about New Zealand national identity?

authors: Daly, Nicola

abstract: Jeffries (2004, p. 4) defines national identity as ' ... a shared sense of belonging of a group of people that depends on a common area of named place, a common set of beliefs and values, and positive feelings for a specific named geographical area'. In her examination of how New Zealand culture is portrayed in picturebooks published between 2000 and 2005, McNeur (2006) suggests that the visual and textual messages in children's picturebooks are an important contributor to the development of children's national identity. This paper describes the process of choosing a collection of 22 New Zealand children's picturebooks (known as the New Zealand PictureBook Collection) to reflect and represent diversity in New Zealand national identity, and analyses what these books tell us about the New Zealand national identity.

text: What do New Zealand picturebooks tell us about New Zealand national identity? Jeffries (2004, p. 4) defines national identity as ' ... a shared sense of belonging of a group of people that depends on a common area of named place, a common set of beliefs and values, and positive feelings for a specific named geographical area'. In her examination of how New Zealand culture is portrayed in picturebooks published between 2000 and 2005, McNeur (2006) suggests that the visual and textual messages in children's picturebooks are an important contributor to the development of children's national identity. This paper describes the process of choosing a collection of 22 New Zealand children's picturebooks (known as the New Zealand PictureBook Collection) to reflect and represent diversity in New Zealand national identity, and analyses what these books tell us about the New Zealand national identity.

year: 2016