Following a number of recent developments in terms of skills in the Employer Related Services (ERS) sector the purpose of this paper is to contextualise the introduction of a…
Abstract
Purpose
Following a number of recent developments in terms of skills in the Employer Related Services (ERS) sector the purpose of this paper is to contextualise the introduction of a higher apprenticeship (HA) for the ERS sector. The paper will showcase how the new HA is helping to formalise a skills framework and professionalize the sector.
Design/methodology/approach
Information presented in the paper is drawn from the organisation's own work in developing an HA. It builds on information incorporated in the original bid and project plan, as well as ongoing evaluation of how the programme is progressing.
Findings
The skills landscape of the ERS sector is evolving and there is a strong desire amongst employers to professionalize the sector. An HA has recently been developed as part of the qualification framework for the sector. Rolling out the HA, a consortium of specialist providers is hoping to provide much needed skills and knowledge for future and existing employees. In examining these developments and current progress, the impact of the programme on professionalizing the sector is noted.
Originality/value
The paper is based on the author's own experience and presents a case study of an apprenticeship programme specific to the author's organisation.
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Confidentiality in adoption has been the norm in this country since the 1930s. Traditionally, it has been perceived as beneficial to all sides of the adoption triangle: the…
Abstract
Confidentiality in adoption has been the norm in this country since the 1930s. Traditionally, it has been perceived as beneficial to all sides of the adoption triangle: the adoptive parents, the adoptee, and the birth parents. Adoption agencies have supported the policy of confidentiality, and as a result the practice of concealment is almost universal in the United States. Alaska, Hawaii, and Kansas are the only states that allow adult adoptees access to their birth and adoption information.
Stuart Cooper, Carole Parkes and John Blewitt
Neo-institutional theory suggests that organisations change occurs when institutional contradictions, caused by exogenous and endogenous dynamics, increase over time to the point…
Abstract
Purpose
Neo-institutional theory suggests that organisations change occurs when institutional contradictions, caused by exogenous and endogenous dynamics, increase over time to the point where change can no longer be resisted. Human praxis will result, but only when sufficiently powerful interests are motivated to act. This paper aims to examine the role that the accreditation of business schools can play in increasing institutional contradictions and hence fostering organisational change towards stakeholder engagement and engagement with social responsibility and sustainability issues. Numerous accreditations are promulgated within the higher education and business school contexts and a number of these relate to, or have aspects that relate to, ethics, social responsibility and sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper first analyses the take up of accreditations across UK business schools and then uses a case study to illustrate and explore stakeholder engagement and changes related to ethics, social responsibility and sustainability linked to accreditation processes.
Findings
Accreditations are found to be an increasingly common interest for UK business schools. Further, a number of these accreditations have evolved to incorporate issues related to ethics, social responsibility and sustainability that may cause institutional contradictions and may, therefore, have the potential to foster organisational change. Accreditation alone, however, is not sufficient and the authors find that sufficiently powerful interests need to be motivated to act and enable human praxis to affect change.
Research limitations/implications
This paper draws on previous research that considers the role of accreditation in fostering change that has also been carried out in healthcare organisations, public and professional bodies. Its findings stem from an individual case study and as such further research is required to explore whether these findings can be extended and apply more generally in business schools and universities in different contexts.
Practical implications
This paper concludes by recommending that the newly established UK & Ireland Chapter of PRME encourages and supports signatory schools to further embed ethics, social responsibility and sustainability into all aspects of university life in the UK. This also provides an opportunity to engage with the accrediting bodies in order to further support the inclusion of stakeholder engagement and issues related to this agenda in their processes.
Originality/value
This paper contributes by introducing accreditation as an institutional pressure that may lead indirectly to organisational change and supports this with new evidence from an illustrative case study. Further, it draws on the role of institutional contradictions and human praxis that engender organisational change.
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The purpose of this article is to consider how project leadership knowledge and behaviour influence project team trust and social capital development and use in the context of a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to consider how project leadership knowledge and behaviour influence project team trust and social capital development and use in the context of a global HR information systems project.
Design/methodology/approach
A comparative interpretive case study approach was used, including interviews (n=45) and participant observation with members at all levels of the two examined projects. Interpretive patterns from situated activities enabled inferences to be drawn about different types of project leader (PL) knowledge and behaviours and trust and the bridging and bonding aspects of social capital.
Findings
PLs need to apply knowledge in three areas in order for trust to develop within the project team (external leadership, internal leadership and hybrid leadership), which in turn is a necessary pre‐condition for the development and exploitation of social capital, a significant influence on project success.
Research limitations/implications
The choice of two extreme cases (one where trust did not develop and one where trust did) means that further research is needed to corroborate the findings in order to make generalisations.
Practical implications
The study highlights ways in which a PL can foster the development of trust in the context of complex cross‐cultural, cross‐functional IS project teams. The study identifies how there are different types of trust that need to be generated and how this depends on good internal, external and hybrid PL leadership.
Originality/value
The study highlights the importance of different types of trust for being able to exploit social capital at the project level that has not been studied explicitly in the literature.
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Examines the mature market, defined as consumers age 50 years orolder, and reviews 33 segmentation methods for the mature market andidentifies five key segmentation criteria…
Abstract
Examines the mature market, defined as consumers age 50 years or older, and reviews 33 segmentation methods for the mature market and identifies five key segmentation criteria: discretionary income, health, activity level, discretionary time, and response to others. Integrates methods devised by other researchers and provides marketers with a step‐by‐step, actionable segmentation method based on these five criteria. Offers implications for managers.
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Michelle Bauml and Sherry L. Field
Notable Social Studies Trade Book (NSSTB) lists include books selected annually by the Book Review Committee of the National Council for the Social Studies in conjunction with the…
Abstract
Notable Social Studies Trade Book (NSSTB) lists include books selected annually by the Book Review Committee of the National Council for the Social Studies in conjunction with the Children’s Book Council. These lists are excellent resources for teachers who use children’s literature to support social studies instruction in their classrooms. We report our analysis of award-winning titles for primary grades published from 2001-2011. Biographies and books that address topics about families are featured as a starting place for primary grades teachers to begin incorporating NSSTB into their social studies instruction. We conclude by suggesting ways for primary grade teachers to utilize the book lists each year.
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The university research environment, the broader context where academics produce research, is changing rapidly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study looks at the role of…
Abstract
Purpose
The university research environment, the broader context where academics produce research, is changing rapidly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study looks at the role of the research environment and organisational learning mechanisms with respect to the capacity of accounting academics to achieve research outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
The theoretical concepts of research environment and organisational learning mechanisms are used as a basis for analysing documentary and qualitative interview evidence. Interviews were conducted with accounting academics and higher degrees research accounting students based at Australian universities.
Findings
A key finding is that COVID-19 restrictions are affecting the capacity of accounting academics to conduct research. The restrictions are affecting meaningful interactions and engagement amongst accounting academics which are essential in maintaining and developing networks, research dialogue and debate, and research culture. Significant and deliberate efforts and innovation are required in attempts to replicate traditional face-to-face engagement and interaction benefits in online settings.
Originality/value
The study explains how and why the research environment and organisational learning mechanisms are changing as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions. In doing so, it highlights the implications on the capacity of accounting academics to achieve research outcomes.