McKinsey partners, Bill Schaninger, Bryan Hancock and Emily Field are championing the premise that the need for a fundamental rethink of the role of middle management in today’s…
Abstract
Purpose
McKinsey partners, Bill Schaninger, Bryan Hancock and Emily Field are championing the premise that the need for a fundamental rethink of the role of middle management in today’s organizations is now more urgent than ever.
Design/methodology/approach
So what should the new blueprint be for middle management as the crucial link between the executive level and the front line S&L interviewer Prof Brian Leavy asks the authors of Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work.
Findings
Companies with top quartile management practices can have more than three times the return to shareholders than other companies.
Practical implications
Because of middle managers’ proximity to the front line, they have a helpful, realistic perspective on how new tools like generative AI should be adopted throughout the organization.
Originality/value
The authors found that middle managers deliver the most value to the organization when they can serve as coaches, connectors, talent managers and strategists. For senior leaders to truly put middle managers at the forefront, they must give managers space to grow and the license to manage in a way that works for them and their team.
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Considers the four phases in the life of printing ink ‐ manufacture, processing, usage in printed form and disposal ‐ in relation to health and safety aspects of ink use on food…
Abstract
Considers the four phases in the life of printing ink ‐ manufacture, processing, usage in printed form and disposal ‐ in relation to health and safety aspects of ink use on food packaging. Examines the effects of legislation on the printing ink manufacturer.
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Marina Garcia-Morante, Crista Weise, Laura Karina Diaz Villalba and Montserrat Castelló
This study aims to critically assesses how Spanish PhD holders working outside academia perceive and value their past PhD training experiences within academic PhD programs…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to critically assesses how Spanish PhD holders working outside academia perceive and value their past PhD training experiences within academic PhD programs, addressing the growing need for skills applicable in various sectors.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a retrospective interpretative design, the authors collected qualitative data from 35 PhD holders who have transitioned to non-academic careers. Through multimodal interviews, the authors gathered in-depth perceptions to understand the strengths and weaknesses of existing PhD training in relation to non-academic employability.
Findings
The findings highlight a significant disconnect between academic-oriented training and the practical demands of non-academic jobs, particularly in non-research roles. While PhD training was valued in research-related non-academic positions, especially in STEM fields, it was considered insufficient for those in managerial or other non-research roles unless the training included specific industry-related projects. Participants suggested a cultural shift in PhD programs towards a more balanced academic and non-academic focus, integrating societal concerns and broader competencies like effective communication and managerial skills. These changes are seen as crucial for better-preparing PhD candidates for diverse professional environments, emphasising the need for PhD programs to evolve continually in response to the changing dynamics of the labour market and societal needs.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the ongoing discussion about the need for PhD programs to evolve by offering a unique perspective from within the Spanish context. It underscores the necessity for educational reforms incorporating comprehensive skill training, aligning more closely with the career opportunities available to PhD graduates.
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M. Abraham, P. Venter, J.F.R. Lues, O. de Smidt and I. Ivanov
This paper aims to evaluate the influence of pasteurization, ultra high temperature (UHT) treatment and sodium benzoate preservation on the LPS‐related endotoxicity of food‐borne…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to evaluate the influence of pasteurization, ultra high temperature (UHT) treatment and sodium benzoate preservation on the LPS‐related endotoxicity of food‐borne pathogens Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper sees that selected bacteria were subjected to laboratory simulations of commercially used heat treatments. In the case of sodium benzoate preservation, the bacteria were grown in the presence of a sub‐lethal dose of this preservative. Cells and debris were subjected to LPS extraction, GC‐MS analyses and endotoxicity measurement with the chromogenic Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) assay.
Findings
The heat treatments and preservation method influenced the LPS‐related toxicity of each organism in a different manner. Increases in LPS‐related toxicity were noted in the LPS liberated from UHT‐treated E. coli and S. enteritidis and pasteurized E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Toxicity of the membrane associated LPS of UHT‐treated E. coli and pasteurized S. enteritidis was also elevated. Sodium benzoate resulted in E. coli cells with LPS with related toxicity levels almost double compared to that of the control cells. S. enteritidis LPS also demonstrated an increase in toxicity, while that of P. aeruginosa was rendered less toxic.
Practical implications
Toxicity could still be detected even after sterilization treatments like UHT, suggesting that viability and toxicity are not necessarily connected and that the toxicity of LPS molecules that remain in food products after treatment should be considered. Although ingestion of LPS originating from Gram‐negative bacteria is a fairly new concept, the effect that these toxins might have on members of society with compromised immune systems and individuals suffering from gastrointestinal diseases cannot be ignored.
Originality/value
The paper introduces a unique insight into food safety treatment‐induced toxicological changes related to LPS originating from food‐borne organisms, a factor that is currently unexplored in the South African food industry.
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The purpose of this study is to understand the interaction between the component domains of doctoral value to identify those which have a greater influence on overall perceptions…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand the interaction between the component domains of doctoral value to identify those which have a greater influence on overall perceptions of the value of a doctorate. This study also investigates what may lead an individual to say the doctorate was not worth doing.
Design/methodology/approach
Using Bryan and Guccione’s (2018) conceptual model of “doctoral value”, this study used a qualitative survey, to examine 261 perceptions of the value of the doctorate in a range of employment contexts.
Findings
Individual perceptions of value are dynamically influenced by the fulfilment of expectations, career achievements and the employer’s perception of the doctorate’s value. The authors found that the circumstances of respondents’ current employment are the most common predictor of overall perceived value and that those who reported that their doctorates were “not worth doing” attributed this to lack of a positive career outcome.
Originality/value
A recurring concept was that respondents considered that their doctorate had been “worth doing” for the value it conveyed to them personally, but not “worth having” because of its low value to employers. This new understanding illustrates the complexity of decision-making and the individual career timelines that influence value. This study positions the “career value” and “personal value” domains as determinant in informing individual value judgements. The findings of this study lend weight to calls for doctoral education to focus on non-academic careers and also inspire further investigation into how non-academic employers recruit, motivate and value doctoral graduates.
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Bryan Howieson and Phillip Hancock
Accountants have long sought methods by which the concept of risk can be communicated through financial statements. Traditionally, certain financial ratios such as the current…
Abstract
Accountants have long sought methods by which the concept of risk can be communicated through financial statements. Traditionally, certain financial ratios such as the current ratio and leverage ratios have been used for this purpose. Other information cues such as the variability of accounting earnings and asset size have also been employed as proxies for an entity's riskiness. Research suggests that these accounting numbers have an implicit, if not explicit, impact upon the risk expectations of financial analysts and securities markets (see, for example, Beaver, Kettler and Scholes [1970]; Eskew [1979]; Elgers [1980]; Farrelly, Ferris and Reichenstein [1985]).
Jamshid Nazari and Duncan Raistrick
Physical comorbidities of alcohol misuse are common and result in frequent attendance to hospitals with estimated £3.5bn annual cost to the NHS in England. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
Physical comorbidities of alcohol misuse are common and result in frequent attendance to hospitals with estimated £3.5bn annual cost to the NHS in England. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of the hospital in-reach team of the Leeds Addiction Unit (LAU) in reducing hospital service utilization in people with alcohol dependence.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a retrospective cohort study, with a mirror-image design. The authors included all patients who had wholly alcohol attributable admission(s) to Leeds Teaching NHS Hospitals Trust (LTHT) during a four-month period between January and April 2013 and received treatment from LAU. The primary outcome measures were changes in A and E attendance (A&E) attendances, number of hospital admissions and days spent in hospital between the three months before and after the LAU intervention.
Findings
During the four-month period, there were 1,711 wholly alcohol attributable admissions related to 1,145 patients. LAU saw 265 patients out of them 49 who had wholly alcohol attributable admissions engaged in treatment with LAU. Of those who engaged 33 (67.3 per cent) had fewer A&E attendances, 34 (69.4 per cent) had fewer admissions and 39 (80 per cent) spent fewer days in hospital in the three months after compared to three months before. There was a significant reduction in total number of hospital admissions (78 vs 41, mean=1.56 vs 0.82, p<0.001) and days spent in hospital (490 vs 146, mean=9.8 vs 2.92, p<0.001).
Originality/value
This mirror-image study suggests that an alcohol hospital in-reach team could be effective in reducing acute hospital service utilization by engaging with the frequent attenders with alcohol misuse complications.