This chapter explores the development of an individual-level measure of decent work. It draws on a recent article written by the authors, which was part of a larger international…
Abstract
This chapter explores the development of an individual-level measure of decent work. It draws on a recent article written by the authors, which was part of a larger international project to validate a cross-cultural self-report measure of decent work within the context of the Psychology of Working Theory (Dodd et al., 2019). It discusses the importance of a psychological perspective on decent work to better understand working lives; summarizes the findings from the validation studies Decent Work Scale (DWS) in eight countries; outlines potential uses of the DWS; and considers the limitations of the DWS as well as challenges to conceptualizing decent work more generally.
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This paper aims to consider the role of the bank clerk in the Victorian era and to provide insights into clerical life in a London bank during the period.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to consider the role of the bank clerk in the Victorian era and to provide insights into clerical life in a London bank during the period.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on the archival records of Hoare and Company. Founded in the seventeenth century, it is the oldest surviving independent bank in the UK.
Findings
Drawing on the company's archival records, the paper examines issues such as recruitment, house rules, acts of paternalism and the overwhelming concern with maintaining respectability. While Hoare's clerks humorously referred to themselves as the Association of the Sons of Toil, the records support the literature in revealing the relatively cosseted career of the bank clerk within Victorian clerical circles. He generally enjoyed a higher salary, longer holidays and more favourable working conditions than his clerical counterparts. It was therefore a highly sought after position. Only those of impeccable character however, were recruited into its ranks.
Practical implications
The paper suggests the potential significance of Victorian values to the recruitment and general working conditions of contemporary members of the financial community.
Originality/value
The paper's value lies in supplementing the existing literature with further insights into the life of the Victorian bank clerk.
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After briefly raising questions about the data, information, knowledge debate, the problems of the Web as a source of authoritative information are reviewed using historical…
Abstract
After briefly raising questions about the data, information, knowledge debate, the problems of the Web as a source of authoritative information are reviewed using historical equivalences and metaphor. Secure Web searching is described and placed in the context of current cultural and intellectual concerns. Two important characteristics of significant Web information are then identified ‐ respect and trust. The importance of these qualities in the electronic context is then explored.
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Angela Russo, Andrea Zammitti, Carlotta Catania, Paola Magnano and Giuseppe Santisi
Sustainable development must address the challenge of ensuring decent work for all (SDG 8) and promoting good health and well-being (SDG 3). This study aims to assess the…
Abstract
Purpose
Sustainable development must address the challenge of ensuring decent work for all (SDG 8) and promoting good health and well-being (SDG 3). This study aims to assess the relationship between decent and meaningful work and their impact on work engagement and job satisfaction among adult workers. Decent work goes beyond mere employment, encompassing standards for a fulfilling life, including fair compensation and workplace security, while fostering personal development and social integration. Following the psychology of working theory (PWT), decent work is a prerequisite to the attainment of meaningful work, viewed as a positive belief system about one’s work and its potential positive impact on life and the world.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 276 adult workers, aged 21–70 years (M = 43.55, SD = 11.76), was surveyed to explore the association between decent and meaningful work and the following impact on work engagement and job satisfaction. Structural equation modelling was employed.
Findings
The study identified meaningful work as a crucial mediator between decent work and the outcomes of work engagement and job satisfaction.
Practical implications
The findings highlight the importance of cultivating meaningful work experiences to enhance workplace well-being.Organisations should prioritize interventions to promote both decent and meaningful work to align with sustainable development goals and improve employee satisfaction and engagement.
Originality/value
Our findings emphasize the pivotal role of decent work and, consequently, meaningful work in shaping employees’ well-being.
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Indu Sudarsan, Karen Hoare, Nicolette Sheridan and Jennifer Roberts
This article aims to explore the meanings of positionality and demonstrate how reflective memos can illustrate positionality in a constructivist grounded theory (CGT) study.
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to explore the meanings of positionality and demonstrate how reflective memos can illustrate positionality in a constructivist grounded theory (CGT) study.
Design/methodology/approach
Acknowledging the positionality of the researcher through a reflective approach is an essential element of CGT studies. The first author (IS) used reflective memoing in her CGT study on Indian immigrant children's asthma to practice reflexivity and make her positionality explicit. Through memos, IS acknowledges her knowledge, beliefs, practices, experience and pre-existing assumptions about the research topic. This article is a compilation of the reflective memos that IS wrote during the initial phase of her research and draws on her motivations as they relate to the topic under study in the context of current literature.
Findings
The reflective accounts of a researcher's background and experience can act as a lens for understanding the research question and the choice of methodology.
Practical implications
This article may be useful to novice qualitative researchers who are struggling to define and establish their own positionality. John Dewey's and David Schon's works on reflective thinking serve as valuable tools to practice reflexivity. Philosophically underpinned reflections in the form of memos, employed from the outset and throughout the study, can enhance the study rigour by making research decisions transparent.
Originality/value
This article provides practical guidance on how to outline positionality at the outset of a CGT study.
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Lama Blaique, Hussein Nabil Ismail and Hazem Aldabbas
This paper aims to explore the relationship between organizational learning (OL) and work engagement (WE) in the Middle East region amid the COVID-19 pandemic and to test the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the relationship between organizational learning (OL) and work engagement (WE) in the Middle East region amid the COVID-19 pandemic and to test the mediating role of employee resilience (ER) and psychological empowerment (PE) on this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample size was 208 respondents working in the Middle East area during COVID-19. Hypotheses were tested using regression analysis with bootstrapping.
Findings
The findings indicate a significant positive impact of OL on WE. Moreover, both constructs – ER and WE – were identified as mediators for this relationship.
Practical implications
Practical implications within this study call for organizations to focus on promoting a learning culture in order to adapt and respond effectively to unprecedented external challenges.
Originality/value
The current study extends previous research and strengthens the antecedents of WE, namely, OL, ER and PE in the Middle East region while controlling for COVID-19 perceptions.
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Mahesh Subramony and Mark S. Rosenbaum
The purpose of this study is to address United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) 8 and 9 from a service perspective. SDG 8 is a call to improve the dignity of service…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to address United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) 8 and 9 from a service perspective. SDG 8 is a call to improve the dignity of service work by enhancing wages, working conditions and development opportunities while SDG 9 calls upon nations to construct resilient infrastructures, promote inclusivity and sustainability and foster innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a bibliometric review to extract important themes from a variety of scholarly journals.
Findings
Researchers tend to investigate policy-level topics, such as national and international standards related to working conditions, while ignoring the experiences or well-being of workers occupying marginalized and low-opportunity roles in service organizations. Service researchers, educators and practitioners must collaborate to improve the state of service industries by conducting participatory action research, promoting grassroots organizing/advocacy, implementing digitized customer service and addressing workforce soft skills deficiencies.
Research limitations/implications
The authors consider how service work can be transformed into respectable employment and present four specific ways nations can enhance their service industries.
Practical implications
Economic planners can view SDGs 8 and 9 as a framework for understanding and promoting the well-being of service employees and accelerating the productivity and innovation levels of the service sector.
Originality/value
The United Nations’ SDGs are examined from a services perspective, which increases their significance in service-dominated economies.
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In his explication of nationalist activity in Scotland since 1707, Tony Dickson, although falling into the realms of economic expressivism, must be commended for raising a number…
Abstract
In his explication of nationalist activity in Scotland since 1707, Tony Dickson, although falling into the realms of economic expressivism, must be commended for raising a number of important issues which have until recently been elusive, or, at least, never considered together. It is the inter‐relation of these issues which, for the first time, allows us to begin to develop a specific theory of Scottish Nationalism. These issues may be compartmentalised into three broad pre‐requisites:
Yunsoo Lee, Ji Hoon Song and Soo Jung Kim
This paper aims to validate the Korean version of the decent work scale and examine the relationship between decent work and work engagement.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to validate the Korean version of the decent work scale and examine the relationship between decent work and work engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
After completing translation and back translation, the authors surveyed 266 Korean employees from various organizations via network sampling. They assessed Rasch’s model based on item response theory. In addition, they used classical test theory to evaluate the decent work scale’s validity and reliability.
Findings
The authors found that the current version of the decent work scale has good validity, reliability and item difficulty, and decent work has a positive relationship with work engagement. However, based on item response theory, the assessment showed that three of the items are extremely similar to another item within the same dimension, implying that the items are unable to discriminate among individual traits.
Originality/value
This study validated the decent work scale in a Korean work environment using Rasch’s (1960) model from the perspective of item response theory.
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This chapter provides a critical analysis of the literature on individuals in cultural transitions in higher education, namely, international students in culturally unfamiliar…
Abstract
This chapter provides a critical analysis of the literature on individuals in cultural transitions in higher education, namely, international students in culturally unfamiliar contexts; teachers of international students and culturally more diverse classrooms; and local students in increasingly culturally diverse classes. All these individuals are actors exposed to new and shifting cultural experiences expected to impact their motivation and engagement. Two broad perspectives emerging from the literature were used to organize the chapter: a perspective of adaptation representing research grounded in unilateral, bilateral or reciprocal conceptualizations, and a perspective of transformation, capturing experiential learning research leading to personal and academic development. The analysis highlights how motivation is a critical, yet under-examined construct. This leads to numerous suggestions for future research including: addressing the neglected role of agency in research on international students' sociocultural adaptation and the lack of research on successful processes of adaptation; examining the confounding issue of socialization into new cultural-educational environments and level of proficiency in the medium of instruction, which impacts on engagement; and scrutinizing the posited link between deep-level motivated engagement in cultural transitions and the emergence of transformative experiences. A case is made for research on individuals' engagement and motivation in cultural transitions to be conceptually and methodologically stronger and broader, moving from studies of single groups of individuals in need of adaptation, to investigations of the co-regulated, reciprocal adaptations of actors and agents operating in complex sociocultural contexts where power dynamics related to knowledge and language affect participation and engagement with cultural 'others'.