David Pollitt and Colin Mellors
Since Britain joined the European Community, there has been growingrecognition of the importance of foreign‐language training to helpcompanies make a success of their closer links…
Abstract
Since Britain joined the European Community, there has been growing recognition of the importance of foreign‐language training to help companies make a success of their closer links with Europe. But many British businesses appear to be under‐prepared. Reports on a survey of what 435 universities and colleges across Britain are doing to rectify the situation. The institutions offer business language training in almost 70 languages and a wide range of specialisms. Also provides a checklist, drawn up by the Association of Language Export Centres, which should help businesses to ensure that they get quality language training.
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The paper sets out the reasons for the opposition of the Guild of British Newspaper Editors to the imposition of privacy legislation. In doing so, it first examines five recent…
Abstract
The paper sets out the reasons for the opposition of the Guild of British Newspaper Editors to the imposition of privacy legislation. In doing so, it first examines five recent stories arguing that the publication of each in the press can be justified as being in the public interest. It then considers the effect of any new privacy legislation which would in the view of the Guild not only probably fail to prevent stories from being released but also be damaging to the working of an open society.
David Pollitt and Colin Mellors
Explores the increasing co‐operation between higher education andindustry in the area of research and development and concludes thatsuccess is more likely, if both parties agree…
Abstract
Explores the increasing co‐operation between higher education and industry in the area of research and development and concludes that success is more likely, if both parties agree on the benefits of co‐operation as opposed to each working separately.
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David Pollitt and Colin Mellors
Makes the point that many UK small and medium‐sized business areprobably misguided in supposing the single European market will notaffect them significantly. The DTI provides…
Abstract
Makes the point that many UK small and medium‐sized business are probably misguided in supposing the single European market will not affect them significantly. The DTI provides information but trade associations and professional bodies have a key part to play. Reports on a survey of such bodies and their “readiness” for guiding their members into 1992 by: publishing bulletins, providing advice, setting up a document “bank” and training.
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This paper examines the historical and contemporary background to the vexed question of control of the press. Consideration of the Younger Report on Privacy (1972) and the Royal…
Abstract
This paper examines the historical and contemporary background to the vexed question of control of the press. Consideration of the Younger Report on Privacy (1972) and the Royal Commission on the Press (1977), both of which were critical of the role of the Press Council, is set against the circulation battles of Fleet Street in the 1980s. Some of the worst excesses of recent cases are considered and the whole put into the context of the Calcutt Report (1990). The role of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) is considered and the advantages and disadvantages of a statutory restriction on the press through legislation is examined. It is concludcd that, despite weaknesses in the present system, the preferred option is for self‐regulation.
Andre Renzaho and David Mellor
Migration from third‐world and low‐income countries to high‐income Western countries presents significant challenges for individuals and families, and for health service providers…
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Migration from third‐world and low‐income countries to high‐income Western countries presents significant challenges for individuals and families, and for health service providers in the receiving societies. Cultural conflicts related to preferred body size/shape and parenting practices, together with differential intergenerational rates and styles of acculturation, can affect nutritional and lifestyle choices and be associated with high rates of childhood obesity. Using African cultures as an example, this paper examines these issues. It concludes that, in designing and implementating obesity prevention programmes, health service providers need to understand these factors and how they play out.
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In this paper, the author traces the historical evolution of the use of methods by the police and the executive to undermine the protective effects of the right to silence. He…
Abstract
In this paper, the author traces the historical evolution of the use of methods by the police and the executive to undermine the protective effects of the right to silence. He argues that the introduction of greater protections for accused persons in the provisions of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 has resulted in an increase in costs of the administration of summary jurisdiction with the commensurate reduction in the numbers of persons being convicted. Hence political initiatives are being undertaken to find an effective way to remove the effects of the right to silence, contained in these protections. He examines the effects of the so‐called s. 2 powers to compel answers to questions, possessed by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The paper ends by examining the proposals in the recent Report of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice and argues that the recommendation to extend the exercise of s. 2 powers to the police is merely another step towards the introduction of an increasingly authoritarian regime of criminal justice.
Zhong Ming Benjamin Siong, David Mellor, Kathleen A. Moore and Lucy Firth
Models of workplace turnover are rarely assessed in contexts other than that in which they were developed. This reduces their generalizability and their usefulness in providing…
Abstract
Purpose
Models of workplace turnover are rarely assessed in contexts other than that in which they were developed. This reduces their generalizability and their usefulness in providing managers with guidance as to what they might do to reduce workers intentions to quit. The purpose of this study is to test a model derived from a study of shop floor retail salespeople in the call centre environment.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire measuring the variables in the model was completed by 126 call centre representatives recruited from 11 call centres in Melbourne, Australia.
Findings
Although the model was supported, the interactions among the variables differed. In particular, stressors played a bigger, albeit indirect, role in the intention to quit.
Practical implications
Call centre managers need to consider carefully the aspects of the work environment that may be stressful. If appropriately addressed, turnover may be reduced, and productivity increased.
Originality/value
This paper demonstrates that the model of turnover derived from shop floor salespeople is generally robust in the call centre setting. It provides management of call centres with some guidance as to the factors associated with turnover and areas that can be addressed to reduce it.
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This study compares the strategies and impact of six British activist groups, as documented in 1997, with data gathered on the same groups in 2000. These groups, Voice of the…
Abstract
This study compares the strategies and impact of six British activist groups, as documented in 1997, with data gathered on the same groups in 2000. These groups, Voice of the Listener and Viewer, Campaign for Quality Television, Deaf Broadcasting Council, Consumers Association, National Consumers Council and National Listeners and Viewers Association, attempted to build a public sphere for generating debate around and catalysing changes to broadcasting policies and programming. They were tracked in 2000 in order to identify those issues, relationships and groups that had endured. The research design provided a telescopic look at their interactions with their targets and with each other during a period of rapid technological and industry change. In a multichannel broadcasting environment where convergence and globalisation are buzzwords, activists used public relations to create a broader public forum for a wide range of significant issues with which to engage demographically, psychographically and geographically diverse publics. The ensuing media education, media advocacy and relationship building, although elite in origins, strengthened democratic discourse, thus reaffirming broadcasting’s invaluable role in civil society.
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Lucy Firth, David J. Mellor, Kathleen A. Moore and Claude Loquet
This paper reports on an investigation of the variables that may be predictive of intentions to leave a job, and tests a model that includes mediating variables. A total of 173…
Abstract
This paper reports on an investigation of the variables that may be predictive of intentions to leave a job, and tests a model that includes mediating variables. A total of 173 retail salespeople completed questionnaires measuring commitment to the organization for which they worked, job satisfaction, stress, supervisor support, locus of control, self‐esteem, the perceived stressors in the job and their intention to quit. Path analysis was used to test the relationships hypothesized in the model. The majority of hypotheses were supported, with the variables included accounting for 52 per cent of the variance in intention to quit. Emotional support from supervisors and self‐esteem mediated the impact of stressors on stress reactions, job satisfaction, commitment to the organization and intention to quit. It is suggested that to ameliorate intention to quit and in turn reduce turnover, managers need to actively monitor workloads, and the relationships between supervisors and subordinates in order to reduce and manage stress. Managers also need to monitor both the extrinsic and intrinsic sources of job satisfaction available to employees. These activities could assist in maintaining and increasing job satisfaction and commitment to the organization.