Top university managers and affirmative action
- Authors: Carvalho, Teresa , White, Kate , Machado-Taylor, Maria
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Vol. 32, no. 4 (2013), p. 394-409
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- Description: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyse if the existence of equal opportunity legislative frameworks and affirmative action programs make any difference to the way senior managers perceive the role of top university managers in influencing women's position in their institutions. A comparative study was therefore undertaken between a country with traditions in implementing AA in universities - Australia - and another which has no tradition in this domain - Portugal. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative methodology was chosen to collect and analyse data. A total of 44 interviews with male and female university senior managers - 21 in Australia and 23 in Portugal - were conducted by the principal researcher in each country. Findings - When describing the role of top managers, gender equality was not often mentioned, suggesting that it may not be a topic on the current institutional political agenda either in Australia or in Portugal. When specifically asked about gender, respondents considered that Rectors and VCs in the two countries took opposite positions with Australian VCs being more aware of their role in improving gender equality. The study therefore concluded that the existence of equal opportunities frameworks and AA policies may have an influence in increasing top managers' awareness of their roles in improving women's representation in management teams. Research limitations/implications - The research was restricted to public universities. In Portugal the system is more diverse and comparing HE with private and polytechnic institutions could provide important insights about senior managers' roles in relation to improving women's position in HE. More in-depth qualitative studies are needed, to obtain top managers' perceptions of the variables that impact on their views and attitudes to women in senior management. Practical implications - This study provides new and innovative contributions to knowledge about the perceptions of senior managers of their top managers and their roles in eliminating gender discrimination and the influence of affirmative action in HE in these perceptions. Originality/value - This paper contributes to the discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of using affirmative action programmes by analyzing a dimension which has not been explored - its impact on senior managers' perceptions of their role in promoting gender equality in HEIs.
Exploring predictors of job satisfaction in call centres - The case of Australia
- Authors: Annakis, John , Lobo, Antonio , Pillay, Soma
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Corporate Ownership and Control Vol. 8, no. 3 D (2011), p. 376-395
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- Description: In this paper we examine predictors of job satisfaction within the call centre industry. Using a qualitative methodology, we investigate the nature and extent of job satisfaction of customer service representatives in two large Australian call centres. The findings from the study confirm that monitoring, personal privacy and flexibility correlate to workers' wellbeing and job satisfaction.
A review of twenty years of competency-based training in the Australian vocational education and training system
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Training and Development Vol. 14, no. 1 (2010), p. 54-64
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- Description: In this paper, the author reflects, both as an academic researcher and as a senior practitioner, on the experience of competency-based training (CBT) in the Australian vocational education and training system. She seeks to draw conclusions about the Australian experience using a typology drawn from the academic literature which focuses on the philosophical, educational, technical and market aspects of CBT. She concludes that, despite many improvements over the past 10 years, some potential problems remain. The system is controlled overly tightly by the interests of industry and it also exhibits some inflexibilities. Both of these act to disadvantage some groups of learners. Teachers and trainers do not have adequate skills to work skilfully and critically with CBT, leading to thin pedagogy and a narrow focus on assessment of individual items of performance. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
OHS professionals : Are personal and professional characteristics linked to strategic influence?
- Authors: Pryor, Pam
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Health, Safety and Environment Vol. 26, no. 1 (2010), p. 21-23
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- Description: Analysis of the data collected from a survey into what OHS professionals do in practice indicated that they are not strategically influential with senior managers and that this lack of influence may be limiting workplace health and safety improvements. This article revisits the survey data to investigate the potential links between the personal (gender) and professional (education and experience) characteristics of OHS professionals, the industry and the size and geographical location of the organisation in which they work, and their involvement in strategic activities. The analysis indicates that the profile of OHS professionals who are strategically influential includes the following: they are male; they have worked in OHS for six to 10 years; and they are employed by large organisations, particularly in the mining and construction industries. The data regarding the role of education were contradictory to expectations and other reports. While this analysis has provided a profile of OHS professionals in Australia, it has added little to our understanding of the interactions and dynamics of factors that might impact on the strategic influence of OHS professionals.
OHS professionals: Technicians or strategic advisors?
- Authors: Pryor, Pam , Sawyer, Neroli
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Health, Safety and Environment Vol. 26, no. 1 (2010), p. 7-20
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- Description: This article arose from a concern that OHS professionals are not strategically influential with senior managers, and that this lack of influence may be limiting workplace health and safety improvements and, in turn, hindering the progress of the national OHS improvement strategy. The article analyses data from an Australian survey into the communication patterns and activities of OHS professionals in an attempt to clarify whether their activities are likely to have a strategic influence on senior managers. While there may be a number of interpretations of the data, the results indicate that the focus of the activities of OHS professionals is mainly task-oriented. Less often, the focus of their activities is operational (such as developing the OHS management system), while a few of their activities may be considered as strategic. The Australian survey was part of a broader international study and a comparison of the results with those from other countries revealed that the limited focus on strategic activities is not unique to Australia.
Sojourners or a new diaspora? Economic implications of the movement of Chinese miners to the south-west Pacific goldfields
- Authors: Reeves, Keir
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Economic History Review Vol. 50, no. 2 (2010), p. 178-192
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- Description: Chinese gold seekers were the largest non-British group on the goldfields of Australasia and constituted the largest nationality on some diggings. In considering the movement of Chinese miners to and throughout the goldfields colonies of the southwest Pacific, this articles argues there existed a more complex pattern of migration than that suggested by the sojourner model of arrival, brief stay and departure. It examines the links between migration patterns and economic activity, and argues that economic history perspectives complement the insights offered by recent social and cultural history in the field.
Risk management and derivatives use in Australian Firms
- Authors: Batten, Jonathan A. , Hettihewa, Samanthala
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Asia Business Studies Vol. 1, no. 2 (2007), p. 37-44
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- Description: Country-specific information on risk management is increasingly important, not only for investors and decision makers in international markets but also, for those in national and regional markets. This study reports the results of a cross-sectional survey of risk management practice and derivatives use by a sample of Australian firms. Overall, the results suggest that firm-specific factors appear to have some influence on risk management practice with the industry of the respondent being the most important, while the degree of international exposure has the least. Larger and more internationally exposed firms are likely to have more frequent reporting of derivatives use, and are more likely to use swaps and options to manage risks than other types of firms. Issues and implications for international firms are discussed
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003007177
Work-life balance : 'Good weather' policies or agenda for social change?: A cross-country comparison of parental leave provisions in Australia and Sweden
- Authors: Zacharias, Nadine
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Employment Relations Review Vol. 12, no. 2 (2006), p. 32-47
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- Description: It has been suggested that work-life balance policies are good weather policies, which have been implemented in times of a favourable economic environment and/or high demand for labour but may be withdrawn once those conditions deteriorate. This paper outlines three critical limitations of the management-oriented work-life balance literature. I argue that organisational approaches alone cannot bring about more balanced work-life conditions and that the scope of the current discussion needs to be systematically broadened to incorporate insights provided by research in other disciplines.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003005219
New management practices and enterprise training in Australia
- Authors: Smith, Andy , Oczkowski, Edward , Noble, Charles , Macklin, Robert
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Manpower Vol. 24, no. 1 (2003), p. 31-47
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- Description: The widespread implementation of new management practices (NMPs) in industrialised countries has had a significant impact on employee training. Examines five NMPs: the learning organisation; total quality management; lean production/high performance work organisations; teamworking; and business process re-engineering. Focuses on the relationship between organisational change and training at the enterprise level. The research identified important findings in six key areas: small business; the use of the vocational education and training system; the importance of the individual; the nature of training; the importance of behavioural skills; and organisational change. The study confirmed that workplace change is a major driver of improved training provision in enterprises. It showed unambiguously that most NMPs are associated with higher levels of training. The integration of training with business strategy was found to be the most important factor in driving training across a wide range of training activities and appears to lead to an across the board boost to enterprise training in all its forms.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003007186