Employee Assistance Programmes areexplained and their potential in meeting theconcerns of female employees is described inthe framework of the issues confrontingworking women in…
Abstract
Employee Assistance Programmes are explained and their potential in meeting the concerns of female employees is described in the framework of the issues confronting working women in the US. Employee Assistance Programmes and women in the workforce are both relatively recent occurrences. Women began entering the workforce en masse at the turn of the century. Employee Assistance Programmes began in the United States in the early 1940s, but have only developed and been adopted in the 1970s and 1980s. The ways in which they offer a special source of support and help to women in the workforce are explored. Although some of the content may not be relevant to women in Great Britain, in the authors′ opinions the readers will probably see more similarities than differences since a woman′s role is, for the most part, universal.
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Despite recent gains, women still face the“glass ceiling” – an invisible barrier thatblocks their entry into top executivepositions. Explanations for women′s lack ofsuccess range…
Abstract
Despite recent gains, women still face the “glass ceiling” – an invisible barrier that blocks their entry into top executive positions. Explanations for women′s lack of success range from blaming men for discrimination to blaming women themselves. Rather than blaming the people in organisations, it is useful to analyse the task facing women managers. It is argued that understanding the inherent difficulties in women′s work can provide a new perspective on why women have difficulty in achieving top positions. Recent work in cognitive psychology is helping us learn more about the processes involved in reaching high levels of performance. Using these theories and concepts to analyse the task facing women managers, new ways can be developed to help women develop higher levels of managerial skill.
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Ana Oliveira, Filipa Teixeira, Félix Neto and Ângela Maia
Being a first responder involves facing a wide variety of stressful situations that could affect health and well-being. Peer support appears as a beneficial strategy to deal with…
Abstract
Purpose
Being a first responder involves facing a wide variety of stressful situations that could affect health and well-being. Peer support appears as a beneficial strategy to deal with work-related stress. Despite this support approach have been implemented in a variety of contexts, these interventions must to be adapted to specific needs. In this sense, the aim of this study was to explore, from a first responders' perspective, what they think about peer support and how it can be put into practice
Design/methodology/approach
The authors interviewed in-depth 14 first responders of Portuguese Red Cross branches from the north of Portugal. Data was analyzed according to Thematic Analysis procedures.
Findings
The authors found two main themes: (1) a valuable, sustainable and ongoing support and (2) overcome barriers and rooted resistances. Participants highlighted the importance of peer support along the Red Cross path, and as daily routine. Moreover, they considered that peers should have some personal characteristics, skills and training in order to provide support to colleagues more effectively. Additionally, they made suggestions to overcome some anticipated barriers.
Practical implications
By considering mental health and well-being of workers, a priority and by being developed based on international recommendations and professionals testimonies, peer support appears as a valuable tool possible to be implemented and able to tailor the emergency branches' needs.
Originality/value
This is the first qualitative study about the first responder's perceptions of peer support.
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Affirming Diversity R.R. Thomas in Vol. 68 No. 2 of Harvard Business Review, in an article entitled From affirmative action to affirming diversity', argues that affirmative action…
Abstract
Affirming Diversity R.R. Thomas in Vol. 68 No. 2 of Harvard Business Review, in an article entitled From affirmative action to affirming diversity', argues that affirmative action in the recruitment of women and minorities is based on premises no longer appropriate. White males are no longer dominant at every level of the corporation (statistically, they are merely the largest of many minorities), while decades of attack have noticeably weakened racial and gender prejudices. At the intake level, affirmative action sets the stage for a workplace that is gender‐, culture‐, and colour‐blind. But minorities and women tend to stagnate, plateau, or quit when they fail to move up the corporate ladder, and everyone's dashed hopes lead to corporate frustration, usually followed by a crisis and more recruitment. The traditional American approach to diversity has been assimilation and the author suggests that this is no longer valid. Companies are faced with the task of managing unassimilated diversity and getting from it the same commitment, quality, and profit they once got from a homogeneous workforce. To reach this goal, organisations need to work not merely toward culture and colour‐ blindness but also towards an openly multicultural workplace that taps the full potential of every employee without artificial programmes, standards, or barriers. The author gives his own ten guidelines for learning to manage diversity by learning to understand and modify the company's culture, vision, assumptions, models, and systems.
Mariasole Bannò, Emilia Filippi and Chiara Leggerini
The introduction of gender quota laws in many countries has garnered significant attention in the literature and in the political discourse. Proponents of this solution emphasise…
Abstract
Purpose
The introduction of gender quota laws in many countries has garnered significant attention in the literature and in the political discourse. Proponents of this solution emphasise its potential to bolster opportunities for women, foster their participation on boards of directors and improve corporate governance, market value and firm performance. Conversely, opponents express concerns regarding the possibility of appointing less-qualified women, thereby diminishing board effectiveness and potentially leading to negative consequences on firm market value and performance. This study aims to address this ongoing debate by examining the impact of gender quota laws on firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The impact of gender quota laws on firm performance, measured through ROE, ROA and ROI, is evaluated using a database of 27,977 Italian firms and adopting a two-stage traditional treatment effect model.
Findings
The econometric analysis reveals a negative impact of the gender quota law on firm performance.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the academic debate on the pros and cons of imposing gender quota laws by providing empirical evidence on their impact on firm performance.
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Naceur Jabnoun and Aisha Juma AL Rasasi
This paper investigates the relationship between transformational leadership and service quality in UAE hospitals. The paper first determined the level of satisfaction of patients…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates the relationship between transformational leadership and service quality in UAE hospitals. The paper first determined the level of satisfaction of patients with the service quality they received. The paper also analyzed how hospital employees perceived the dimensions of transformational and transactional leadership of their leaders. Finally, the relationship between the dimensions of service quality and those of transformational and transactional leadership was investigated
Design/methodology/approach
Two questionnaires were administered. The first questionnaire addressed service quality using an adapted SERVQUAL. The second one addressed transformational and transactional leadership using the multi‐level leadership questionnaire. The first questionnaire was distributed to patients of six major UAE hospitals while the second one was distributed to employees of the same hospitals. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS.
Findings
The paper found that UAE patients were generally satisfied with the service quality rendered by their hospitals. It however found that hospital employees had a low rating of their leaders in terms of the transformational leadership and contingent reward. Finally, service quality was found to be positively related to all dimension of transformational leadership and the transactional leadership dimension of contingent reward. The two dimensions of active exception and passive avoidant leadership were negatively related to service quality.
Originality/value
This paper bridged an important gap in the literature by addressing the relationship between service quality and transformational leadership. It provided important guidelines for managers on the dimensions of leadership that needed to be enhanced in order to improve service quality.
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Giuseppe Galassi and Richard Mattessich
The paper offers a survey of major Italian accounting scholars and their work for the period from 1900 to 1950. Apart from the late works of Rossi and Besta, the main focus is on…
Abstract
The paper offers a survey of major Italian accounting scholars and their work for the period from 1900 to 1950. Apart from the late works of Rossi and Besta, the main focus is on the contributions by Zappa, who undoubtedly dominated the scene. In this period, as well as later, most Italian accountants and “aziendalisti” adopted the so‐called “income system”. Although its premises originated with Fabio Besta, master of the so‐called “patrimonial or proprietorship system”, the Italian School under Zappa gave this system a new theoretical basis that differed fundamentally from that of Besta. Zappa also developed the dynamic aspect of accounting and business economics that still prevails in Italy. The paper also devotes attention to other Italian scholars, less well‐known abroad. In the area of cost accounting it concentrates on the views of De Minico and his disciple Amodeo, but also mentions other contributors. The final Section deals with Italian contributions to accounting history during this period
The words in the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) have become short‐hand buzz words for describing how firms foster a 360‐degree review of the customer lifecycle. The…
Abstract
The words in the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) have become short‐hand buzz words for describing how firms foster a 360‐degree review of the customer lifecycle. The primary goal of this study is to provide a synopsis of innovative CRM concepts that can assist entrepreneurial small firms develop a process to effectively communicate with their customers, such as an e‐newsletter and CD‐ROM direct mail campaign. A practitioner‐oriented model is developed that depicts the CRM process of using multiple communication channels, building loyalty, establishing customer retention tactics, and changing service offers to foster the customer experience.
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Presents a special issue, enlisting the help of the author’s students and colleagues, focusing on age, sex, colour and disability discrimination in America. Breaks the evidence…
Abstract
Presents a special issue, enlisting the help of the author’s students and colleagues, focusing on age, sex, colour and disability discrimination in America. Breaks the evidence down into manageable chunks, covering: age discrimination in the workplace; discrimination against African‐Americans; sex discrimination in the workplace; same sex sexual harassment; how to investigate and prove disability discrimination; sexual harassment in the military; when the main US job‐discrimination law applies to small companies; how to investigate and prove racial discrimination; developments concerning race discrimination in the workplace; developments concerning the Equal Pay Act; developments concerning discrimination against workers with HIV or AIDS; developments concerning discrimination based on refusal of family care leave; developments concerning discrimination against gay or lesbian employees; developments concerning discrimination based on colour; how to investigate and prove discrimination concerning based on colour; developments concerning the Equal Pay Act; using statistics in employment discrimination cases; race discrimination in the workplace; developments concerning gender discrimination in the workplace; discrimination in Japanese organizations in America; discrimination in the entertainment industry; discrimination in the utility industry; understanding and effectively managing national origin discrimination; how to investigate and prove hiring discrimination based on colour; and, finally, how to investigate sexual harassment in the workplace.
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Times are indeed a‐changing. Once, the night‐owl, roistering the hours of darkness away, could claim that he “came home with the milk!”, but not any more.