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1 – 10 of over 1000Khristin Fabian, Ella Taylor-Smith, Sally Smith and Andrew Bratton
The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the degree apprenticeship labour market and employers' strategies for apprenticeship recruitment using job advertisement data…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the degree apprenticeship labour market and employers' strategies for apprenticeship recruitment using job advertisement data. Specifically, this study identifies the skills, attributes, experience and qualifications that employers look for in IT apprentices. The study also identifies the salaries and responsibilities of apprentices and considers the alignment between the advertised jobs and apprenticeship definitions.
Design/methodology/approach
Degree apprenticeship job adverts (n = 290) were collected from the official websites used by employers in England and Scotland to advertise apprenticeship roles, between March 2019 and March 2020. Data was analysed using content analysis to systematically elicit salaries, candidate requirements in terms of skills, qualifications and experience and specific job details from these adverts.
Findings
A wide variation in advertised salary was found. Entry routes were similar to the traditional high school qualifications (A-levels or Highers) sought by universities. The skills and attributes being sought at recruitment were the same skills that employers were seeking in graduates and the same skills that the apprenticeships were designed to develop. Most adverts focused on the training that the apprentices would be receiving, rather than work tasks, which were rarely specified.
Originality/value
This is the first study of how apprenticeship roles are advertised to potential candidates and thus contributes to ongoing research into this new work/degree-level education model. By analysing job adverts we share insights into how employers position apprenticeships to attract candidates.
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Tracey Bowen, Maureen T.B. Drysdale, Sarah Callaghan, Sally Smith, Kristina Johansson, Colin Smith, Barbara Walsh and Tessa Berg
This study identifies gendered disparities among women students participating in work-integrated learning and explores the effects of the disparities on their perceptions on…
Abstract
Purpose
This study identifies gendered disparities among women students participating in work-integrated learning and explores the effects of the disparities on their perceptions on perceived opportunities, competencies, sense of belonging, and professional identity.
Design/methodology/approach
A series of semi-structured focus groups were run with 59 participants at six higher education institutions in four countries (Australia, Canada, Sweden, United Kingdom). All focus groups were designed with the same questions and formatting.
Findings
Thematic analysis of the transcripts revealed two overarching themes, namely perceptions of self and interactions with others in work placements. Theme categories included awareness of self-presentation, sense of autonomy, perceived Allies, emotional labour, barriers to opportunity, sense of belonging, intersections of identity, and validation value.
Originality/value
This study fills an important gap in the international literature about gendered experiences in WIL and highlights inequalities that women experience while on work placements.
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Ella Taylor-Smith, Sally Smith, Khristin Fabian and Andrew Bratton
The partnership which underpins degree apprenticeships is a tripartite collaboration between apprentices, employers and universities. This study aims to investigate the lived…
Abstract
Purpose
The partnership which underpins degree apprenticeships is a tripartite collaboration between apprentices, employers and universities. This study aims to investigate the lived experiences and reflections of the apprentices at the centre, to inform effective collaboration.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative, longitudinal study, spanning four years, in which 13 apprentices studying apprenticeship degrees at a Scottish University were interviewed in their first and final years about their experiences of the apprenticeship (26 interviews). Data was analysed via a framework matrix, which focussed on the collaborations between the apprentice, employer and university, also surfacing changes between the apprentices’ first and final year.
Findings
The tripartite collaboration is not only logistical but also, like learning, social. Apprentices require interest and support from their employers and colleagues to promote meaningful integration between their work and studies. Further, collaboration between apprentices extends from peer support into meaningful friendships and feeds into their work, as well as their studies. The university plays a key role in facilitating these essential connections.
Practical implications
Apprenticeships can be highly effective in upskilling the workforce and sharing knowledge and skills between academia and the workplace in both directions, while specifically enabling workers to gain degree qualifications relevant to their roles. Recommendations for future work practices, including collaborations, are made.
Originality/value
While the tripartite collaboration has been discussed theoretically in the literature, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first longitudinal investigation based on the lived experience of cohorts of apprentices, from the start of their degree to the final six months.
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Sally Smith, Thomas N. Garavan, Anne Munro, Elaine Ramsey, Colin F. Smith and Alison Varey
The purpose of this study is to explore the role of professional and leader identity and the maintenance of identity, through identity work as IT professionals transitioned to a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the role of professional and leader identity and the maintenance of identity, through identity work as IT professionals transitioned to a permanent hybrid role. This study therefore contributes to the under-researched area of permanent transition to a hybrid role in the context of IT, where there is a requirement to enact both the professional and leader roles together.
Design/methodology/approach
The study utilised a longitudinal design and two qualitative methods (interviews and reflective diaries) to gather data from 17 IT professionals transitioning to hybrid roles.
Findings
The study findings reveal that IT professionals engage in an ongoing process of reconciliation of professional and leader identity as they transition to a permanent hybrid role, and they construct hybrid professional–leader identities while continuing to value their professional identity. They experience professional–leader identity conflict resulting from reluctance to reconcile both professional and leader identities. They used both integration and differentiation identity work tactics to ameliorate these tensions.
Originality/value
The longitudinal study design, the qualitative approaches used and the unique context of the participants provide a dynamic and deep understanding of the challenges involved in performing hybrid roles in the context of IT.
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Peter Howell, Sally Smith and Mourad Labib
An NHS hospital is a complex organisation with many departments which are all inter‐dependent. The “millennium bug” can potentially affect any or all of its systems. Disruption in…
Abstract
An NHS hospital is a complex organisation with many departments which are all inter‐dependent. The “millennium bug” can potentially affect any or all of its systems. Disruption in one department, over the millennium period, is likely to affect the overall delivery of health care with potential threat to life. The NHS Executive has identified the year 2000 issue as the first non‐clinical priority and every hospital has established a business continuity plan. However, many of the critical risks are outside the hospitals’ direct control and service delivery will essentially depend on the ability of key suppliers to maintain their business continuity. Unlike in industry or profit‐making organisations, the cost of assessing the risk, testing and replacing non‐compliant equipment in hospitals cannot be passed to the consumer. Additional costs will have to be met from within existing resources which will have a major effect on the already stretched health care provisions.
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Ann Svensson, Ulrika Lundh Snis and Irene Cecilia Bernhard
Michelle Russen, Mary Dawson, Juan M. Madera, Miranda Kitterlin-Lynch and Jéanna L. Abbott
The purpose of this study is to develop a theory that explains how organizations can create a more inclusive atmosphere on the individual, organizational and societal levels. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop a theory that explains how organizations can create a more inclusive atmosphere on the individual, organizational and societal levels. The consequences of an inclusive environment were subsequently developed and explored.
Design/methodology/approach
Constructivist grounded theory methods were used to collect and analyze data from interviews with 20 hotel executives and their company websites.
Findings
The findings of this study produced a theoretical framework for inclusion in hotel leadership, leadership inclusion theory (LIT). The LIT states organizations must address individual differences, organizational policies and culture and societal norms to develop an inclusive environment. Equity follows inclusion as the value for individual differences makes equitable treatment easier. Finally, diversity increases through increased inclusion and equity.
Practical implications
The LIT describes steps for managers to take to develop an inclusive environment, establish equitable practices and increase diversity within an organization.
Social implications
The LIT highlights several unintended exclusion practices and generational attitudes that are common among organizations. By making conscious efforts, managers can take deliberate actions to establish a perceived environment of equality.
Originality/value
The LIT is a seminal theory-building effort grounded in hospitality. It explains the when and why of several phenomena related to inequality in the hotel industry and how to overcome such imbalances.
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Rod Wagner, Mike Boettcher, Lorin H. Lindsay, Sharon McCaslin, Robert S. Runyon, Peggy Brooks Smith and Sally Snyder
Nebraska libraries are involved in a variety of automation and connectivity initiatives. Libraries of all sizes and types are using information technology for internal operations…
Abstract
Nebraska libraries are involved in a variety of automation and connectivity initiatives. Libraries of all sizes and types are using information technology for internal operations as well as for connectivity with other libraries and external sources. Individual libraries and groups of libraries have had success in obtaining both public and private funding to support their technology projects. Despite these successes, ongoing support is lacking to sustain and enhance library technology. The following examples highlight several projects, but do not pretend to cover all of the many individual and cooperative initiatives underway or planned.
The purpose of the paper is to summarise the research evidence related to Fairtrade impacts on women and gender relations and propose a conceptual framework for future research on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to summarise the research evidence related to Fairtrade impacts on women and gender relations and propose a conceptual framework for future research on gender and Fairtrade.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on a meta‐analysis of research studies on Fairtrade impact, including over 20 case studies from a range of countries and sectors. It proposes a conceptual framework for understanding and researching Fairtrade gender impacts, including direct, indirect and combined impacts.
Findings
There is a need to situate analysis of Fairtrade gender impacts within concepts of the gendered economy, including attention to gender biases in income opportunities, intra‐household gender relations, organisational and network dynamics, and socio‐cultural, legal and political contexts. The available evidence suggests that Fairtrade has mixed impacts for women ‐ in some situations and contexts it supports women to improve their income, wellbeing and status, strengthening their position within the household and organisations, while in others it exacerbates pre‐existing gender inequalities. Impacts also differ according to factors such as age, marital status, education and wealth.
Research limitations/implications
The conceptual framework should be tested and further refined through empirical work.
Practical implications
The conceptual framework identifies key mechanisms used within the Fairtrade system to bring about change, and highlights the multiple connections between Fairtrade and other influences on gender outcomes at individual, household, organisational and community levels. As such, the paper has practical implications for both researchers and practitioners working in the realm of Fairtrade.
Originality/value
A meta‐analysis of findings on Fairtrade gender impacts has not previously been done in a comprehensive way, and the conceptual framework will support future research on Fairtrade and gender.
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Purpose – Although not extensively documented, academic libraries in the United States of America have been involved in fund-raising for centuries. In more recent years, decreases…
Abstract
Purpose – Although not extensively documented, academic libraries in the United States of America have been involved in fund-raising for centuries. In more recent years, decreases in university budgets forced academic libraries to rely more heavily on philanthropy in order to operate or expand collections. However, much remains unknown about many aspects of academic library fund-raising. This study expands knowledge regarding library development efforts so that scholars and library administrators can better understand library fund-raising and become more successful in raising money.
Findings – Development work for academic libraries has shown to differ from other forms of development activities on a campus due to the fact that donors to academic libraries tend to differ from other kinds of donors on a campus. This research highlights strategies academic library development officers believe work in cultivating donors from a limited target population and how they believe this differs from or is similar to the work of other development officers in higher education.
Practical and social implications – This research sought to understand how organizational placement of the library development officer in the university has an impact on successful fund-raising.
Originality/value – This is the first research to directly study academic library development officers. This will help library administrators and those involved with academic library development efforts learn what library development officers believe works and doesn’t work in fund-raising.
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