Wendy Johnston and Brian H. Kleiner
There have been several new developments in overtime pay within the last decade. The term “overtimepay” was born when congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938…
Abstract
There have been several new developments in overtime pay within the last decade. The term “overtimepay” was born when congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938. All new developments in overtime revolve around this Act. Immediately after this Act was passed, reform measures were underway. The recent issues that surround overtime include: Whom is exempt from overtime pay?; If employers dock employees for partial day absences does that entitle them to overtime pay?; Can employers give compensatory time in lieu of overtime pay?; And is it time to reform the 40‐hour work week?
Kathy Lee Wright, Karen Verney, Daryl Brennan, David Lindsay, Daniel Lindsay and Wendy Smyth
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the long-term conditions affecting the administration workforce of a regional Australian health service, and their self-management of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the long-term conditions affecting the administration workforce of a regional Australian health service, and their self-management of these conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional survey design was used. The sample consisted of all administration staff members employed in 2018 across a large regional health service in Northern Australia.
Findings
Of the 328 respondents, 167 (51 per cent) reported having at least one long-term condition. Of these, 136 (81.4 per cent) indicated a single main condition for which management strategies were used. Musculoskeletal conditions were the most commonly nominated category (59.6 per cent), followed by mental health (10.3 per cent). Respondents with musculoskeletal conditions were statistically more likely to have a co-existing mental health long-term condition, χ2(1) = 95.64, p<0.001. There was also a statistically significant association between respondents reporting a mental health condition and being overweight, χ2(1) = 54.27, p< 0.05.
Research limitations/implications
The response rate of 35 per cent, whilst relatively low, is a slight increase on similar surveys within this organisation. The reliability of the self-report data, presence of study bias and a weakening of the study’s external validity is acknowledged.
Practical implications
Targeted workplace intervention strategies, such as holistic wellness programs, should complement personal approaches, promote an ergonomic environment and create opportunities for increased dialogue between employees and their line managers, particularly regarding the complex interplay between long-term physical and mental health.
Originality/value
This is the first study of self-reported long-term conditions among administration staff within a health service, and augments findings from previous studies involving health professional groups in the same organisation.
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Douglas M. Lambert and Matthew A. Schwieterman
Increasingly, supplier relationship management (SRM) is being viewed as strategic, process‐oriented, cross‐functional, and value‐creating for buyer and seller, and a means of…
Abstract
Purpose
Increasingly, supplier relationship management (SRM) is being viewed as strategic, process‐oriented, cross‐functional, and value‐creating for buyer and seller, and a means of achieving superior financial performance. This paper seeks to describe a macro level cross‐functional view of SRM and to provide a structure for managing business‐to‐business relationships to co‐create value and increase shareholder value.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to identify the sub‐processes of SRM at the strategic and operational levels as well as the activities that comprise each sub‐process, focus group sessions were conducted with executives from a range of industries. The focus groups were supplemented with visits to companies identified in the focus groups as having the most advanced SRM practices.
Findings
The research resulted in a framework that managers can use to implement a cross‐functional, cross‐firm, SRM process in business‐to‐business relationships.
Research limitations/implications
The research is based on focus groups with executives in 15 companies representing nine industries and multiple positions in the supply chain, including retailers, distributors, manufacturers and suppliers. While all companies had global operations, only one was based outside of the USA. Nevertheless, the framework has been presented in executive seminars in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia with very positive feedback.
Practical implications
The framework can be used by managers and has been successfully implemented in large corporations. The view of SRM presented involves all business functions, which extends the current thinking.
Originality/value
The framework includes all business functions and was developed with input from executives representing major corporations with global operations.
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Wendy van der Valk, Finn Wynstra and Björn Axelsson
The purpose of this paper is to develop theory on effective buyer‐seller interaction for different types of business services. A classification of business services which…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop theory on effective buyer‐seller interaction for different types of business services. A classification of business services which identifies four service types based on how they are used by the buying company is used.
Design/methodology/approach
Propositions based on earlier work in this area and validate these empirically by studying interaction in nine ongoing service exchanges at two different buying companies are developed.
Findings
For the three service types that could be identified in the case companies, the extent to which companies display a pattern of interaction that is in line with the proposed pattern has a positive effect on service exchange success has been largely found. Some aspects of the proposed patterns, however, seem less critical for success than others, leading to minor revisions in the effective patterns of interaction.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this study is that only the interaction patterns for three of the four service types could be empirically validated in this paper. Further studies, exclusively aimed at testing the effectiveness of the revised interaction patterns, need to encompass all four service types.
Practical implications
The research eventually holds valuable implications for buying firms regarding the explicit and effective differentiation in interacting with their external service providers. Conversely, service providers should think about how their customers use their service to involve the appropriate seller representatives and address the right issues in the ongoing interaction.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the body of knowledge in operations management by focusing on the design and management of a series of service encounters in business‐to‐business relationships. It is a first step towards empirical validation in an area with scant theoretical development.
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Australian public sector organisations are faced with their greatest challenge in decades, as public sector reforms essentially re‐examine the role of the State in the economy…
Abstract
Purpose
Australian public sector organisations are faced with their greatest challenge in decades, as public sector reforms essentially re‐examine the role of the State in the economy. These changes have led to a shift away from a traditional administrative approach of public sector organisations to one that fosters managerialism and economic rationalism, the underlying philosophies of new public management. Queensland, the Northeastern state of Australia, has experienced a period of government committed to change and reform specifically related to corporatisation and a national competition policy. Aims to address this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
To understand the effect of changes in budgeting, the researcher explores the processes of change over a period of time as they occur, through the use of a case study approach. The processual approach adopted for the study is consistent with old institutional economic theory, which is used to inform the findings.
Findings
It was found that indiscriminate changes to the budgeting process, together with the introduction of a transfer pricing system, caused considerable resistance. Streamlining was introduced late in the study, which, for the most part, despite the embeddedness of the earlier system, overcame many of the obstacles identified with relation to the budgeting process, while the conflict as a result of the transfer pricing system remained an unresolved and thorny issue.
Originality/value
The implications for organisational change management suggest the consideration of embedded institutions within an organisation, while determining the processes and directions of change. The implications for reform setters and the Queensland electricity supply industry are such that the short‐term goal of cost‐efficiency may not necessarily be in the best interest of the overall long‐term benefits to the community.
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Shamim Dinani, Wendy Goodman, Charlotte Swift and Teresa Treasure
This paper reports on the first eight years of a community‐based forensic team for people with learning disabilities. The authors give an overview of current research and…
Abstract
This paper reports on the first eight years of a community‐based forensic team for people with learning disabilities. The authors give an overview of current research and government guidance regarding the prevalence, care pathway and treatment of people with learning disabilities who offend. The role and function of the community forensic team is described and an analysis of referrals to the service is given. The authors reflect on the frustrations as well as the achievements associated with providing this service.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between earnings management (EM) and subsamples of corporate environmental responsibility (CER).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between earnings management (EM) and subsamples of corporate environmental responsibility (CER).
Design/methodology/approach
KLD data are used to generate subsamples of environmental “strengths” and “concerns”. Differences in EM are studied across subsamples, using discretionary accruals to proxy for EM. The samples consist of 2,171 US firms.
Findings
Firms with at least one environmental strength do not exhibit statistically different levels of EM, relative to environmentally neutral firms, while firms with at least one environmental concern do exhibit statistically greater EM (greater income‐increasing discretionary accruals), relative to other sample firms. Further, firms with multiple environmental concerns exhibit greater EM than firms with a single environmental concern. These findings do not support the political cost hypothesis per the CER/EM literature, but they do support the institutional hypothesis (in the case of environmental strengths) and myopia avoidance hypothesis (in the case of environmental concerns) per the broader corporate social responsibility (CSR)/EM literature.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are limited to US firms; results may not be transferable to other countries. KLD data are binary, and thus may not capture the full array of CER.
Practical implications
The findings may aid interested parties in detecting EM.
Originality/value
The paper provides a new testing environment for theoretical frameworks established in the CER/EM and CSR/EM literatures. Additionally, the findings differ across subsamples, suggesting that the relationship between CER and EM is asymmetric.
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Wendy Cukier, Suzanne Gagnon and Ruby Latif
This paper examines actors and discourses shaping new Canadian legislation designed to advance diversity in corporate governance.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines actors and discourses shaping new Canadian legislation designed to advance diversity in corporate governance.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper performs a stakeholder and discourse analysis drawing on texts of parliamentary debates.
Findings
The paper illuminates tensions regarding definitions of diversity, its importance for boards of directors and the mechanisms favoured for implementation. Official discourses examined show that, unlike for other political issues, opposition was largely muted, and most stakeholders engaged in the process supported legislation advancing diversity. Nonetheless areas of debate and positioning by actors and suggest important differences, with outcomes linked to non-traditional power bases.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides insights into the discursive environments of organizations and processes relating to promoting diversity and equality in the political decision-making domain, a critical venue for understanding advancement of equity, often neglected in organizational studies.
Practical implications
By understanding the complex and competing discourses surrounding diversity and inclusion at the macro level this paper provides a context for understanding organizational (meso) and individual (micro) beliefs and behaviours.
Social implications
This study shows how advocacy shapes how policy and legislation are framed and the ways mainstream organizations, including women's groups, may advance gender equality without regard to other dimensions of diversity or intersectionality.
Originality/value
This study maps the political discourse around recent Canadian legislation designed to improve diversity on boards that must, in the Canadian context, address more than gender.