Lynette Browning, Kirrilly Thompson and Drew Dawson
The purpose of this paper is to describe organisational strategies that support early career researchers in building a successful track record which can lead to a successful…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe organisational strategies that support early career researchers in building a successful track record which can lead to a successful academic research career.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on more than a decade of experience designing, implementing and evaluating professional development programmes for early career researchers in universities.
Findings
If an early career researcher is to achieve long-term success, the first five years after graduating with a doctorate are critical in establishing long-term career success. Professional development programmes for early career researchers are more successful if they are supported by organisational strategies around workload, performance management and accountability.
Originality/value
If implemented, these organisational strategies can assist early career researchers to build a successful track record, which can lead to a successful research career and contribute towards increasing aggregate institutional research performance for universities.
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Lynette Browning, Kirrilly Thompson and Drew Dawson
The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel strategy for building research capability in a young university with an emerging research culture. Investment in building research…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel strategy for building research capability in a young university with an emerging research culture. Investment in building research capacity is essential for universities to remain competitive, but one of the challenges for younger universities is developing the research capability of individuals in an emerging research culture.
Design/methodology/approach
To gain a better understanding of how leading researchers become research leaders and how universities can design strategies to attract, retain, develop and promote researchers, we carried out a study of 30 research leaders in Australia. We then designed and implemented a cohort-based career development programme for early career researchers.
Findings
From our research, and the programme we developed, we have found that developing early career researchers does not mean teaching them how to do research – it means teaching them how to build a track record, which can lead to a research career. A development programme for early career researchers is a short-term investment for longer-term returns, but these programmes do have immediate impact on research productivity for the individual researchers and for the organisation.
Practical implications
We consider the success of the Early Career Researchers Programme is due to the regular face to face workshops, the development of the research career plan and the supportive research environment provided by the me.
Originality/value
The investment in this programme clearly demonstrates the value of researcher development on research outputs and research careers. These methods could be applied to researcher development training programmes elsewhere.
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Julie Nichols, Lynette Newchurch, Ann Newchurch, Rebecca Agius and David Weetra
Country and cultural heritage are inextricably linked for First Nations peoples. This chapter explores those relationships in the context of repatriating cultural heritage…
Abstract
Country and cultural heritage are inextricably linked for First Nations peoples. This chapter explores those relationships in the context of repatriating cultural heritage materials back to Country and conceptualising a place for its ‘awakening’ for the Ngadjuri community of Mid-North South Australia. These materials in the context of this book ‘interpreted’ as a form of data curation, requiring potentially unique information systems designs to achieve accessibility, recoverability, and durability in remote communities with limited internet and mobile phone coverage. On the other hand, it is critically important to note, that the processes, challenges and repatriation of culturally sensitive materials and remains, are dependant here on the limitations of language. The reference to the notion of ‘data’ as a descriptor, and an inadequate term on some level, does not, and is not intended to, diminish any of their cultural significance and gravity. These are challenges that are worth the intellectual and technological investment to realise a return to Country for generationally displaced peoples and their cultural property that also needs to make it home.
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As the volume and complexity of employment legislation increases, small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) without access to internal human resource expertise are increasingly…
Abstract
As the volume and complexity of employment legislation increases, small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) without access to internal human resource expertise are increasingly vulnerable to litigation and its associated costs. The disproportionate impact of employment regulation on the small firm has long been a concern of SME owner‐managers and is expected to increase as a result of the recent rapid expansion of labour law in the UK. This paper will consider evidence from a recent survey of small businesses, which examined their main employment concerns and the sources of advice they use on employment relations matters. The survey’s findings illustrate the particular challenge increased employment rights presents to the smaller organisation. It identifies a need for more intensive support tailored to the specific circumstances of individual firms in developing proactive approaches to human resourcing which not only comply with but also reflect the spirit of the legislation.
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Lynette Mei Lim Goh, Agnes Xiao Yan Wong, Gary Yee Ang and Audrey Siok Ling Tan
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of delivering healthy eating messages through an interactive health corner (HC) on improving healthy dietary habits in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of delivering healthy eating messages through an interactive health corner (HC) on improving healthy dietary habits in participants.
Design/methodology/approach
Self-administered questionnaires were administered to participants after the education session. In total, 5,292 valid questionnaires were obtained, yielding a response rate of 93.3 per cent. In the last three months of the pilot study, a random sample of 305 from 1,493 participants was chosen and followed up six months later. Bivariate analysis was used to study the association of knowledge gained and attitude. Behavioural change was measured in terms of whether participants had reported an increase in their consumption of healthier food.
Findings
Majority (>98 per cent) of participants reported that the HC corner was useful, and had helped increase their awareness and knowledge of creating healthier meals and making healthier food choices. 95.7 per cent were willing to make changes after visiting the HC. At six months follow-up, 84 per cent of the participants reported positive changes in their dietary habits. Those who made positive changes were younger (mean age: 58.0 years) compared with those who did not (mean age 61.0 years, p=0.035).
Research limitations/implications
Incorporating cooking demonstrations as part of nutrition education is effective in inculcating healthy eating practices and changing self-reported eating habits in the short term. Further research is needed to verify actual change in eating habits and to determine if this change is sustainable in the long run.
Originality/value
Currently, no similar initiative has been implemented and studied to evaluate the effectiveness of this mode of health promotion in a primary care setting. This study will help the authors to evaluate if the intervention was effective in changing attitudes and behaviours after an education session at the HC.
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Agnieszka Sobolewska, Amy-Louise Byrne, Clare Lynette Harvey, Eileen Willis, Adele Baldwin, Sandy McLellan and David Heard
The purpose of the paper is to explore how the national, state and organisational health policies in Australia support the implementation of person-centred care in managing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to explore how the national, state and organisational health policies in Australia support the implementation of person-centred care in managing chronic care conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative content analysis was performed regarding the national, state and organisational Queensland Health policies using Elo and Kyngas' (2008) framework.
Findings
Although the person-centred care as an approach is well articulated in health policies, there is still no definitive measure or approach to embedding it into operational services. Complex funding structures and competing priorities of the governments and the health organisations carry the risk that person-centred care as an approach gets lost in translation. Three themes emerged: the patient versus the government; health care delivery versus the political agenda; and health care organisational processes versus the patient.
Research limitations/implications
Given that person-centred care is the recommended approach for responding to chronic health conditions, further empirical research is required to evaluate how programs designed to deliver person-centred care achieve that objective in practice.
Practical implications
This research highlights the complex environment in which the person-centred approach is implemented. Short-term programmes created specifically to focus on person-centred care require the right organisational infrastructure, support and direction. This review demonstrates the need for alignment of policies related to chronic disease management at the broader organisational level.
Originality/value
Given the introduction of the nurse navigator program to take up a person-centred care approach, the review of the recent policies was undertaken to understand how they support this initiative.
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Karen M. Peesker, Lynette J. Ryals, Gregory A. Rich and Lenita Davis
The purpose of this study is to identify and explain how leadership behaviors of sales managers can enhance the development of salespeople within the context of those…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify and explain how leadership behaviors of sales managers can enhance the development of salespeople within the context of those interpersonal connections and interactions that is the sales ecosystem.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected and analyzed qualitative data from in-depth interviews with a sample of 36 sales professionals. Over 47 hours of interviews were transcribed and analyzed via NVivo. The statements were labeled as particular leader behaviors using the Miles and Huberman (1994) coding system.
Findings
The study identifies coaching, customer engaging, collaborating and championing as the four key leader behaviors that are relevant to the sales ecosystem. Specifically, coaching and customer engaging enhance the individual microsystems of salespeople; and collaborating and championing enhance the corresponding mesosystems. Analysis of the interview statements further revealed that trust, confidence, optimism and resilience are four relational elements that tend to coexist with these leader behaviors in the sales ecosystem.
Practical implications
This study provides a structure for sales organizations to strengthen their sales ecosystem through targeted interventions and training for those that manage salespeople. Past research finds that sales organizations too often neglect this type of managerial training.
Originality/value
This is the first study to examine sales leadership through the lens of Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory. Further, the qualitative methodology, which is relatively unique in sales research, provides rich data that is particularly useful for exploring how and why things have happened.
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How did gays in the military go from being characterized as dangerous perverts threatening to the state, to victims being persecuted by the state, to potential heroes fighting on…
Abstract
How did gays in the military go from being characterized as dangerous perverts threatening to the state, to victims being persecuted by the state, to potential heroes fighting on behalf of the state? What implications does this shift have for understanding the means by which the liberal state uses law to include the previously excluded? Offering a critical account of the inclusion of gays in the military, I argue that while the lifting of the ban can be seen as an important step in a classic civil rights narrative in which the liberal state gradually accommodates the excluded, pop culture allows us also to see state and minority group interest convergence as well as divergence, revealing the costs of inclusion.
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Lynette M. McDonald and Sharyn Rundle‐Thiele
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and customer outcomes.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and customer outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reviews the literature on CSR effects and satisfaction, noting gaps in the literature.
Findings
A series of propositions is put forward to guide future research endeavours.
Research limitations/implications
By understanding the likely impact on customer satisfaction of CSR initiatives vis‐à‐vis customer‐centric initiatives, the academic research community can assist managers to understand how to best allocate company resources in situations of low customer satisfaction. Such endeavours are managerially relevant and topical. Researchers seeking to test the propositions put forward in this paper would be able to gain links with, and possibly attract funding from, banks to conduct their research. Such endeavours may assist researchers to redefine the stakeholder view by placing customers at the centre of a network of stakeholders.
Practical implications
An understanding of how to best allocate company resources to increase the proportion of satisfied customers will allow bank marketers to reduce customer churn and hence increase market share and profits.
Originality/value
Researchers have not previously conducted a comparative analysis of the effects of different CSR initiatives on customer satisfaction, nor considered whether more customer‐centric initiatives are likely to be more effective in increasing the proportion of satisfied customers.
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Irene Mok, Lynette Mackenzie and Kate Thomson
The purpose of this paper is to understand the experience of human resource (HR) professionals in managing career development for older workers. It focuses on the influence of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand the experience of human resource (HR) professionals in managing career development for older workers. It focuses on the influence of personal, social and organisational experiences of HR professionals on (1) their approach to career development of older workers and (2) their organisation's career development practices for older workers.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with 14 HR professionals from large organisations with at least half of their workforce aged 45 and above. The transcripts were analysed thematically, with the coding process informed by Ricoeur's theory of interpretation.
Findings
Three main themes emerged within the HR professionals' narratives. They identified with (1) the protagonist mindset in career development stories, (2) the enabling enforcer of individualised career development practices and (3) the agent for change in career development practices.
Practical implications
This study shows that a narrative thematic analysis can be used to explore how the experiences of HR professionals can affect the design and implementation of career development strategies for this cohort of workers. Further, recruiting HR professionals with a protagonist mindset can generate organisational practices inclusive of older workers.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to focus on the role of HR professionals in managing career development practices for older workers and the influence of supportive managers on their attitudes and actions with older workers.