Michael Dickmann and Ashley Helen Watson
The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors which influence individuals to take up international assignments in hostile environments (HEs). Using an intelligent careers…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors which influence individuals to take up international assignments in hostile environments (HEs). Using an intelligent careers (IC) perspective, an expanded framework of expatriation drivers to work in hostile contexts is developed that comprises individual, organizational and location-specific factors. In addition, the understanding of career capital acquisition and transfer is refined.
Design/methodology/approach
A “deviant” case study method to challenge the underlying assumptions of career capital maximization and transfer in global careers is used. To investigate the case, 25 individuals in an international development organization who had to decide whether to work in HEs were interviewed.
Findings
Five insights into decision drivers and career capital effects associated with postings to HEs are presented. These span all three levels of individual, organizational and location-specific decision factors.
Research limitations/implications
Due to the case study approach, the usual limitations of qualitative case-based research with respect to generalizability apply. In the conclusions three theoretical implications for the IC framework with respect to career capital acquisition, utilization and temporal effects are outlined.
Practical implications
A range of practical implications in relation to the selection, talent management, performance and reward approaches as well as repatriation and family considerations in global mobility are explored.
Social implications
The insights help organizations to design global mobility policies for HEs. In addition, individuals and their families benefit from greater clarity of global mobility drivers in the context of high risks.
Originality/value
The drivers of individuals to accept assignments to HEs are under-researched. This paper operationalizes and applies a holistic decision to work abroad framework, expands the literature on of the motivations of individuals and develops valuable insights to nuance the IC framework.
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Migrant women face unique difficulties, such as labour discrimination, limited sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, obstacles to family reunification, gender-based…
Abstract
Migrant women face unique difficulties, such as labour discrimination, limited sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, obstacles to family reunification, gender-based violence (GBV) and human trafficking.1 The European Commission's labour integration approach currently fails to account for these difficulties. Civil society organisations (CSOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) attempt to fill these gaps but lack capacity and funding. The European Commission's current approach does not respect human dignity and impedes the migrant community's integration and inclusion. This chapter discusses sexual assault and gender-based violence, which may be disturbing to some readers.
This issue is relevant and important because migrant women comprise a large portion of the migrant population 2 and are a vital part of the migrant community. The methodology used in this chapter is a human security framework with a people-centred approach to policy that empowers those impacted by it. Research for this chapter was conducted using news articles, academic articles, UN reports and publications. Based on this, the European Commission must take a holistic and binding approach that protects the rights and dignity of migrant women.
There are multiple approaches that the European Commission can take to incorporate human dignity into its policies towards women and migration, such as applying international conventions and implementing policies that account for migrant women. All approaches must be realistic and required of all member states.
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Helen E. Watson, Margaret A. McKenna and G.M. McLean
Examines the developing importance of the quality issue in theservice sector and highlights common barriers to the successfulimplementation of total quality management principles…
Abstract
Examines the developing importance of the quality issue in the service sector and highlights common barriers to the successful implementation of total quality management principles (TQM). Such information provides managers in complex service organizations such as the National Health Service (NHS) with valuable lessons for improving quality standards. Illustrates how TQM principles could and in a few cases are already being applied to the NHS in the light of the 1989 Government proposals for reform. Such efforts are in the early stages of development and therefore guidelines are proposed to assist management in sensitive areas for implementing change.
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Martin O’Neill, Helen Watson and Margaret McKenna
The international demand for products and services no longer happensautomatically; it has to be created. Consumers are increasingly becomingmore sophisticated in the standards…
Abstract
The international demand for products and services no longer happens automatically; it has to be created. Consumers are increasingly becoming more sophisticated in the standards which they expect and more vocal about products and services which do not meet their requirements in terms of choice and quality. This applies to a whole range of products and services including those provided by the hospitality industry. Managements are constantly striving to meet customer requirements and in an effort to fulfil this objective have turned to a wide continuum of theories and practices such as quality circles, etc. Total quality is one of the latest concepts to have found favour in the world of management as a means to maintain, increase and consolidate market share. Examines the importance of the quality issue in the service sector of the economy. Commences with an exposition of the main principles of quality management and goes on to discuss two examples of particular importance to the hospitality industry in Northern Ireland by focusing on two cases located in different sectors of the industry.
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OUR issue devotes special attention this month to the subject of the library for children. There is a common inclination to regard this subject as the most over‐written in all…
Abstract
OUR issue devotes special attention this month to the subject of the library for children. There is a common inclination to regard this subject as the most over‐written in all branches of library literature. It certainly is the part of our work which leads to much sentimental verbiage. These are dangers against which we are on our guard; they may be inevitable, but we do not think they are. As a matter of fact there has been a great deal of talk about this matter by people who have ideas and ideals, but who have had no real experience in applying them. The paper by Mr. Berwick Savers, written for the Library Association Conference, points out very cogently what has been wanting in library work in this country. This question of the children's librarian has not been faced anywhere in what may be called the ultimate manner; that is, as a distinct, specialist branch of library work, requiring high qualifications and deserving good payment. There will be no really successful library work of the kind in Great Britain until this is done.
This paper aims to examine the stock market performance of knowledge-intensive employee-owned firms.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the stock market performance of knowledge-intensive employee-owned firms.
Design/methodology/approach
It constructs a portfolio comprising stocks of employee-owned wealth management companies listed in the UK Employee Ownership Index. A simple equal-weighted portfolio simulation strategy with annual rebalancing is employed and returns are analysed for the period 01.2002–12.2015.
Findings
The employee-owned firms consistently generate significantly higher returns, averaging 13% per annum. During favourable market conditions, the returns are even more significant at 16.40% higher than the market average annual returns. The outperformance persists in single-year and five-year investment periods, full and sub-sample periods, including bullish, stable and challenging economic times and even at high transaction costs and zero dividends. This superior performance is linked to a positive feedback loop created by homogeneous knowledge-workers who are incentivised to perform better in employee-owned business setting through participative decision-making and exhibiting risk aversion skills.
Practical implications
Adoption of the employee ownership model of running a business can be highly rewarding within knowledge-intensive firms. This study emphasises the need for a comprehensive database of employee-owned companies, which is currently lacking in the UK.
Originality/value
No prior study could be found to have studied the relationship between employee-owned knowledge-intensive firms and their stock market performance.
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Sirous Panahi, Jason Watson and Helen Partridge
This paper aims to explore the potential contributions of social media in supporting tacit knowledge sharing, according to the physicians’ perspectives and experiences.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the potential contributions of social media in supporting tacit knowledge sharing, according to the physicians’ perspectives and experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting a qualitative survey design, 24 physicians were interviewed. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to select the participants. Thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis.
Findings
The study revealed five major themes and over 20 sub-themes as potential contributions of social media to tacit knowledge flow among physicians. The themes included socialising, practising, networking, storytelling and encountering. In addition, with the help of the literature and the supporting data, the study proposed a conceptual model that explains the potential contribution of social media to tacit knowledge sharing.
Research limitations/implications
The study had both theoretical (the difficulty of distinguishing tacit and explicit knowledge in practice) and practical limitations (small sample size). The study findings have implications for the healthcare industry whose clinical teams are not always physically co-located but must exchange their critical experiential and tacit knowledge.
Originality/value
The study has opened up a new discussion of this area by demonstrating and conceptualising how social media tools may facilitate tacit knowledge sharing.
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Lizzie Coles-Kemp and Debi Ashenden
In this chapter, we explore to what extent storylines about the internet and social media are absent or marginal in The Archers. In particular, we examine these storylines to…
Abstract
In this chapter, we explore to what extent storylines about the internet and social media are absent or marginal in The Archers. In particular, we examine these storylines to better understand how the inhabitants of Ambridge interact online and how their online activities intersect with their real-world experiences. We compare what happens in The Archers with the moral panic that often characterises narratives of technology use and find a striking contrast that we argue supports a broader way of understanding and characterising practices of online safety and security. We analysed four social media-related Archers’ storylines from the last 24 months. Our analysis shows that The Archers storylines enable us to look at human–computer interaction in relief so that instead of only looking at how people use technology we can also see the context in which it is used and the usually unseen support structures. The Archers narratives also provide a rich picture of how the fixed space of the physical world interacts with virtual space. In the broader context, the social media storylines provide us with an understanding of how connecting, care receiving and care giving take place in both fixed space and virtual space, and how these co-connected relationships of care receiving and care giving contribute to a form of security more expansive than technologically enabled data protection.