Anjum Naweed, Joshua Trigg, Matthew Allan and Janine Chapman
The rail driver workplace is full of challenges for effective health management. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how known barriers in rail driving may be overcome by…
Abstract
Purpose
The rail driver workplace is full of challenges for effective health management. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how known barriers in rail driving may be overcome by seeking enablers of positive health status and lifestyle.
Design/methodology/approach
Five focus groups were conducted with 29 rail drivers from four rail organisations across three Australian states. Transcribed data were analysed using directed content analysis and thematic coding to develop health enabler themes and categories.
Findings
Formal initiatives to manage health were piecemeal. Efforts to maintain health involved countering deteriorative, and promoting restorative, health factors. Themes systematically illustrated work environmental, adaptational, and autonomous features of health management. Participants expressed many different approaches to enabling positive health status, and how these connected to known barriers.
Research limitations/implications
Discussion of personal health issues within the rail industry is considered a taboo topic by some, therefore participants who took part in this study data may be more representative of health-conscious drivers.
Practical implications
Occupational health in rail can be enabled in multiple ways, including: improving social support, scheduling certainty, and cross-communication around health behaviours; increasing flexibility and environmental support for health behaviours; and directly promoting dietary control and physical activity engagement. Given the diversity and global representativeness of rail systems found within Australia, the findings have international application.
Originality/value
This study uses a strength-focussed approach to highlight multiple leverage points for organisational rail-driver health interventions across three levels of the system, helping improve health intervention efficacy despite the intractable nature of their environments.
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Paul Lever, 45, has been appointed managing director of Crown Paints. Mr Lever is chairman and managing director of Darius Industrial Investments which specialises in venture and…
Abstract
Paul Lever, 45, has been appointed managing director of Crown Paints. Mr Lever is chairman and managing director of Darius Industrial Investments which specialises in venture and development fund management prior to which he was, for six years, managing director of the Tower Housewares Division of Tube Investments PLC.
BASF Coatings + Inks has announced the management team for this newly formed company. All members have extensive experience of the coatings and inks industry and were previously…
Abstract
BASF Coatings + Inks has announced the management team for this newly formed company. All members have extensive experience of the coatings and inks industry and were previously senior management members of companies within the BASF Group.
This paper overviews work on a computer based consultation system, which uses artificial intelligence principles, and has been designed to aid the non‐specialist engineering…
Abstract
This paper overviews work on a computer based consultation system, which uses artificial intelligence principles, and has been designed to aid the non‐specialist engineering designer or production engineer in the domain of design for assembly.
For more than 12 years Prestige, one of the country's biggest names in the manufacture of kitchen products, and Crown Paints Industrial Finishes have enjoyed a successful…
Abstract
For more than 12 years Prestige, one of the country's biggest names in the manufacture of kitchen products, and Crown Paints Industrial Finishes have enjoyed a successful association in the development of non‐stick bakeware. In that time the companies, both with strong roots in the North West, have been involved in the outstanding growth of the Prestige Skyline non‐stick bakeware range, recognised for many years as one of the best sellers on the market, and, more recently, the development of high quality and distinctively coloured ‘own brand’ ranges for major superstores and departmental stores with premises in every High Street.
Allan H. Church, Matthew Del Giudice and Alyson Margulies
Formal assessment and development of executives have become standard practices in organizations. There is a need, however, to determine what levers are available to maximize the…
Abstract
Purpose
Formal assessment and development of executives have become standard practices in organizations. There is a need, however, to determine what levers are available to maximize the impact and return on investment of initiatives. The purpose of this paper is to present outcomes and learnings from a multi-method approach to evaluating behavior change following the implementation of PepsiCo’s Senior Leader Development Center, a comprehensive process designed to accelerate capability at the executive level.
Design/methodology/approach
Learnings are presented based on analyses from three independent data sources collected throughout the 18-month program: behavioral change ratings from managers, direct reports, and peers via a 360 survey; attitudinal measures from participants’ post-program completion; and third-party observations by an internal facilitator.
Findings
Overall, findings indicate that while program rigor and content do matter as baseline components, principles of participant engagement and commitment emerged as most essential to delivering programs with sustained impact.
Research limitations/implications
This case is based on leaders in a high-touch multi-trait multi-method assessment and development program in one organization. Additional research is needed to explore in other settings.
Practical implications
Results and implications are organized by each of the four key stages of the assessment and development process: conduct data-based assessments, deliver feedback and insights, build the development plan, and take action to implement the plan. Findings and recommendations for practice regarding each stage are discussed.
Originality/value
Few case studies or applied research exist that focus on the execution and outcomes associated with senior executive assessment and development programs in major corporations. This paper offers findings regarding the overall impact of such a program and key learnings from its sustained effort in a complex multi-national organization. The discussion and implications in this paper may directly influence how other organizations design and manage future talent management interventions with similar types of senior-level populations.
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James Lappin, Tom Jackson, Graham Matthews and Ejovwoke Onojeharho
Two rival approaches to email have emerged from information governance thought: the defensible deletion approach, in which emails are routinely deleted from email accounts after a…
Abstract
Purpose
Two rival approaches to email have emerged from information governance thought: the defensible deletion approach, in which emails are routinely deleted from email accounts after a set period of time; and the Capstone approach, in which the email accounts of important government officials are selected for permanent preservation. This paper aims to assess the extent to which the defensible deletion approach, when used in conjunction with efforts to move important emails into corporate records systems, will meet the needs of originating government departments and of wider society.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper forms the first stage of a realist evaluation of policy towards UK government email.
Findings
The explanation advanced in this paper predicts that the routine deletion of email from email accounts will work for government departments even where business email is inconsistently or haphazardly captured into records systems, provided officials have access to their own emails for a long enough period to satisfy their individual operational requirements. However the routine deletion of email from email accounts will work for wider society only if and when business email is consistently captured into other systems.
Originality/value
The paper looks at the policy of The National Archives (TNA) towards UK government email and maps it against the approaches present in records management and information governance thought. It argues that TNA’s policy is best characterised as a defensible deletion approach. The paper proposes a realist explanation as to how defensible deletion policies towards email work in a government context.
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The purpose of this conceptual paper is to trigger a transcendental concern toward building the spiritual capital (SC) particularly focused on the highly relevant domain of work…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this conceptual paper is to trigger a transcendental concern toward building the spiritual capital (SC) particularly focused on the highly relevant domain of work. In doing so, this conceptual framework focuses on potential antecedents and outcomes of the SC.
Design/methodology/approach
Such an endeavor is premised on the Christian's teaching that advocates the need for gathering spiritual treasures (i.e. capital). Secondly, the foray into Spiritism Doctrine (SD) literature is due to the fact that this doctrine considers the spiritual construct as the cornerstone of its principles and tenets. Thirdly, it also examines the related perceptions and approaches from the fields of positive psychology, positive organizational scholarship, workplace spirituality and psychology of religion.
Findings
The model invites the individual to capitalize on salient virtues and remarkable human qualities so as to build a SC, namely: humility, compassion, forgiveness, empathy, positive emotions, connections/relationships and sense of cooperation. Finally, it is envisaged that the attempt to create a SC may lead the individual to a feeling of well-being and more resilience at work.
Practical implications
At last, the implications to develop a SC in the context of work are sizeable. After all, it implies to add more concerns to one's career much beyond those strictly functional or professional ones. Rather, it means to regard the work domain through unusual lens.
Originality/value
By bringing the conceptual framework of SC to the forefront of management, spirituality and religion studies through an interdisciplinary approach showed that it is not an elusive or mythical topic. On the contrary, this analysis revealed that this is a serious and surprisingly neglected issue that deserves further attention in light of the benefits that it can potentially yield.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the benefits and challenges of using a virtual learning community (VLC) as a vehicle for workforce development. This paper argues that VLCs…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the benefits and challenges of using a virtual learning community (VLC) as a vehicle for workforce development. This paper argues that VLCs provide a flexible vehicle for workforce development. However, workplace realities may lead to unexpected challenges for participants wanting exploit the flexibility of e‐learning technologies.
Design/methodology/approach
The case study is located in a strategic healthcare organisation in the UK. The study used a multi‐method approach to develop a rich picture of the VLC. Data were collected from a variety of sources (programme evaluation questionnaires, learning logs, discussion group messages and VLE tracking system) and analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods.
Findings
The findings indicate that while membership of a VLC offers new opportunities for collaboration, learning and working at a time and place that suits individuals it also offers many challenges. The following issues were identified as having an impact on effective participation in the VLC: motivation; time management; public/private boundaries; work/life balance; and access to ICT.
Research limitations/implications
There are limitations in generalising from a particular case study. The use of a case study provides a depth to the study that helps to illuminate the experiences of individual e‐learners.
Practical implications
The findings have strategic implications for organisations planning to use VLCs to support workforce development. The study indicates the need for facilitators to enable participants to explore time and work/life balance issues. It highlights the importance of involving the managers of e‐learners in the negotiations involved in establishing a VLC. Finally, the study identified that employers need to provide protected time for e‐learners and that access to technology is an issue.
Originality/value
The research has value to managers who are considering using VLCs as a means of enhancing workforce development.
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This chapter provides a review of existing research on learning gain and related topics in higher education. The methodology adopted is a form of systematic review. The origins…
Abstract
This chapter provides a review of existing research on learning gain and related topics in higher education. The methodology adopted is a form of systematic review. The origins and meaning of learning gain, and its relation to similar terms, are discussed. The ways in which learning gain has been applied in practice and in research are considered. The issues raised by this practice and research are examined, and the various criticisms made are reviewed. Some conclusions are then drawn.