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The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of employer-sponsored workforce training on employee productivity in the Australian transport and logistics industry. It challenges the quantitative notion of the ratio of input–output per labour hour as the single most important measure of productivity.

The study utilised a mixed-method approach, involving online and on-site survey questionnaires and on-site semi-structured interviews of employers, employees and students within the industry. Survey questionnaires were administered to Vocational Education and Training (VET) learners to determine the dimensions of productivity gains, while qualitative interviews were conducted specifically to capture employers’ perceptions and expectations of the benefits of training.

Results show that the relationship between employer-sponsored training and workforce productivity is multi-dimensional where, ideally, all essential dimensions must be fulfilled to effectively achieve sustainable productivity level. One dimension is the quantitative measure of increased performance as an outcome of enhanced knowledge, skills and competencies. Another relates to the increased self-confidence, job satisfaction and pride. The third dimension is the cost savings that come with increasing employees’ overall awareness and appreciation of occupational health and safety. The results show that, aside from the dominant theories on training and labour productivity, the perception of the benefits of training on workplace productivity is not merely limited to the conventional understanding of productivity as a simplistic relationship between resource inputs and tangible outputs.

Firms should consider redefining the benefits of training to include employee well-being and individual contribution to common team and organisational goals. Organisations therefore should broaden the notion of productivity to incorporate intangible benefits.

The use of multi-method approach to investigate the views and perceptions of employees, employers and trainers about the productivity benefits of training and key concerns and challenges for the industry.

This paper used Zikic’s (2015) integrated framework for managing diversity to review the skilled migrant literature and explore reasons non-English-speaking background (NESB) skilled migrants (SMs) are disadvantaged in the host country recruitment market. This research examines organisations’ role in attracting and facilitating the entry of NESB SMs to their organisations and embracing diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

The authors conducted a systematic literature review following the integrated framework combining the intelligent career theory and the resource-based view. This framework allows the exploration of the challenges NESB SMs face with their career capital in the host country concerning the people management systems and processes organisations often use in recruitment.

This review revealed multiple challenges NESB SMs face when negotiating their workplace transition in the host country destinations. The study shows that the underutilisation and underemployment among NESB SMs are partly caused by these SMs’ foreign experiences but mainly by the host countries’ “NESB SM-unfriendly” recruitment practices. It also uncovers gaps between macro, meso and micro levels in SM recruitment.

A limitation inherent in a systematic literature review is that the effectiveness of the search is contingent upon the quality of the search strings used. Second, the core themes in the synthesis were identified following Zikic’s (2015) integrated framework and focused only on individual/micro factors of SMs and meso/organisational factors. Many other structural and contextual factors were not included in the review. This review is also limited to NESB SMs’ recruitment. Nonetheless, this process helps us achieve the core aim set for this review, to explore the reasons behind the hardships NESB SMs face when searching for ways to enter the host professional job market and the role of organisations in attracting and facilitating NESB SMs’ labour market entry.

This research connected NESB SMs’ micro-level difficulties to the meso layer of organisations’ HRM policies. This review clarified the role of organisational strategic HRM in attracting and welcoming NESB SMs into their organisation before leveraging their career diversity. The findings from the review also assisted in extending Zikic’s (2015) integrated framework.

It is widely reported that there is a competence deficit between graduating from Australian higher education (HE) and becoming work ready and that the deficit is becoming more pronounced. The purpose of this paper is to examine the work readiness competencies of Australian HE and vocational education (VE) graduates. The reported competence deficits, the causes of these deficits and the potential strategies to overcome these deficits are discussed.

A qualitative, inductive research design was used to examine Australian graduates’ work readiness competence, potential deficits, their causes and possible solutions to gain some preliminary insights and help shape future research. A multiple case design was used comprising key stakeholders’ in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. In-depth semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted to gain insights from the key stakeholders.

The stakeholders reported that the Australian VE and HE sectors do not sufficiently prepare graduates in terms of their work readiness skills. Self-management skills, communication (written and expression), team-work skills, cognitive skills, system thinking and innovation and creativity were the main work readiness competency deficits reported by the stakeholders.

The research has its limitations in terms of the limited sample and time frame, and the absence of input from graduates. The results of the study indicate the deteriorating state of the Australian graduate labour market and emphasise that an integrated approach is urgently required from all stakeholders to facilitate the transition and reduce the time taken from graduation to employment.

The focus of the study is located in the Australian labour market in terms of the competencies that reportedly are present upon graduation and the competencies that employers are looking for on recruitment. The requisite competency list and the deficits are examined through the lens of four stakeholder groups; government representatives, industry representatives and VE and HE representatives.

The purpose of this paper is to outline a process to assist adult learners and researchers to capture, streamline and retrieve data for the analysis of content from various resources of information encountered in research.

The system is described, including a rationale for its benefit to qualitative researchers utilising multiple sources of data.

The system is designed mainly to assist the academic expedition of postgraduate students predominantly engaged in qualitative research. It covers theoretical aspects of adult learning principles combined with a systematic method for managing qualitative data.

Working from the assumption that adult learners are time‐poor and likely to be working full‐time, the paper discusses these learners’ need for an efficient method of recording and retrieving information and provides a straightforward, cataloguing process which the author developed when conducting postgraduate research.

SOMETIMES WHEN the printer is waiting for an article which really should have been sent to him the day before, I sit at my desk and wonder if there is any subject in the whole world upon which I can possibly find anything to say.

Human resource management (HRM) processes are increasingly artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, and HRM supports the general digital transformation of companies' viable competitiveness. This paper points out possible positive and negative effects on HRM, workplaces and workers’ organizations along the HR processes and its potential for competitive advantage in regard to managerial decisions on AI implementation regarding augmentation and automation of work.

A systematic literature review that includes 62 international journals across different disciplines and contains top-tier academic and German practitioner journals was conducted. The literature analysis applies the resource-based view (RBV) as a lens through which to explore AI-driven HRM as a potential source of organizational capabilities.

The analysis shows four ambiguities for AI-driven HRM that might support sustainable company development or might prevent AI application: job design, transparency, performance and data ambiguity. A limited scholarly discussion with very few empirical studies can be stated. To date, research has mainly focused on HRM in general, recruiting and HR analytics in particular.

The four ambiguities' context-specific potential for capability building in firms is indicated, and research avenues are developed.

This paper critically explores AI-driven HRM and structures context-specific potential for capability building along four ambiguities that must be addressed by HRM to strategically contribute to an organization's competitive advantage.

In recent years there has been a tremendous amount of material published concerning the relationship of diet to the development of certain diseases. As a result many local health authorities have begun to develop their own food and health policies, designed to provide information and encourage healthier eating habits. The following article by Sue Montague is based on her report published by Food Policy Research at Bradford University. It looks at the development of these policies, their content and strategies, and some of the problems being encountered by those responsible for promoting the change

The strategic management literature emphasizes the concept of business intelligence (BI) as an essential competitive tool. Yet the sustainability of the firms’ competitive advantage provided by BI capability is not well researched. To fill this gap, this study attempts to develop a model for successful BI deployment and empirically examines the association between BI deployment and sustainable competitive advantage. Taking the telecommunications industry in Malaysia as a case example, the research particularly focuses on the influencing perceptions held by telecommunications decision makers and executives on factors that impact successful BI deployment. The research further investigates the relationship between successful BI deployment and sustainable competitive advantage of the telecommunications organizations. Another important aim of this study is to determine the effect of moderating factors such as organization culture, business strategy, and use of BI tools on BI deployment and the sustainability of firm’s competitive advantage.

This research uses combination of resource-based theory and diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory to examine BI success and its relationship with firm’s sustainability. The research adopts the positivist paradigm and a two-phase sequential mixed method consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches are employed. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. The chapter presents a qualitative field study to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. The study includes a survey study with sample of business analysts and decision makers in telecommunications firms and is analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling.

The findings reveal that some internal resources of the organizations such as BI governance and the perceptions of BI’s characteristics influence the successful deployment of BI. Organizations that practice good BI governance with strong moral and financial support from upper management have an opportunity to realize the dream of having successful BI initiatives in place. The scope of BI governance includes providing sufficient support and commitment in BI funding and implementation, laying out proper BI infrastructure and staffing and establishing a corporate-wide policy and procedures regarding BI. The perceptions about the characteristics of BI such as its relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, and observability are also significant in ensuring BI success. The most important results of this study indicated that with BI successfully deployed, executives would use the knowledge provided for their necessary actions in sustaining the organizations’ competitive advantage in terms of economics, social, and environmental issues.

This study contributes significantly to the existing literature that will assist future BI researchers especially in achieving sustainable competitive advantage. In particular, the model will help practitioners to consider the resources that they are likely to consider when deploying BI. Finally, the applications of this study can be extended through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.