The living wage as an income range for decent work and life

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 875-887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Yao ◽  
Jane Parker ◽  
James Arrowsmith ◽  
Stuart C. Carr
Keyword(s):  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Capabilities Approach ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Living Wage ◽  
Sustainable Livelihood ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Subjective Perceptions ◽  
Development Goals

Purpose A “living” wage (LW) is conventionally defined as enabling meaningful participation in society above subsistence through, for example, recreation, supporting a family, and savings. There is increasing debate over LWs due to growing inequality, rising living costs and welfare reform but this remains largely framed by the econometric cost-benefit parameters that apply to minimum wage regulation. The capabilities approach advocated by Sen (1999) offers a different perspective that is inclusive of choice, contingencies and the inter-connections between quality of (paid) work and private life. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts this framework and utilises a qualitative exploration of the narratives of 606 New Zealand employees to understand perceived wage effectiveness. The results suggest that a focus on a specific LW rate might be conceptually limiting, in comparison to a LW range. Findings First, the findings indicate that there is a pivot range in which people move from self-assessed “survival” to “decent” income. Second, a LW may have more than a simply monetary effect in better meeting employees’ living costs; it can also improve well-being through subjective perceptions of valued freedoms to do with job satisfaction, equity and security. Originality/value The results thus draw attention to a wider notion of a LW in terms of personal and family well-being, utilising a capabilities approach, with implications for organisational practice, policy and theory concerning sustainable livelihood and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

scholarly journals Decent work: what matters most and who can make a difference?

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 845-861
Author(s):  
Stephen Gibb ◽  
Mohammed Ishaq
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Living Wage ◽  
National Context ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Work Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
What Matters

PurposeWhat matters most for improving work quality and who can make a difference are perennial topics in employee relations research. The literature on work quality provides answers to these with regard to various constructs on a continuum from “soft” to “hard” variables and stakeholders seeking to influence employers who fall short of reasonable expectations with regard to these. A construct of “decent work” with both soft and hard variables was adopted for research and methods which were collaborative and participative with stakeholders in one national context.Design/methodology/approachThe “decent work” construct was operationalised from the literature and refined by collaborative and participative research. Exploring the relative importance of the constituent parts of decent work involved research with a range of stakeholders; employees, employers and advocates. The study involved most prominently low-paid workers, with employers and advocates also engaged through interviews.FindingsPrimarily hard “decent work” variables were identified among employees, primarily soft variables among employers and a mix of hard and soft among advocates. There are some common priorities across these stakeholders.Research limitations/implicationsThe main implication is that to engage a range of stakeholders requires a combination of soft and hard variables to be included in research and policy development. However, generalisation about what matters most and who makes a difference to work quality is intrinsically limited in context and time. In this research, the extent of employer engagement in the collaboration initiated by advocates and concerned most with the experiences of low-paid workers is a limitation.Practical implicationsWhat matters most are a set of soft and hard priorities to engage across stakeholders. Pay is an abiding priority among these and the priority most prominent for many advocates seeking to make a difference through influencing low-paying employers to provide a living wage. While the living wage is a significant focus for work quality, it is not in itself sufficient, as other soft and hard variables in the workplace matter as well. Those who can make a difference are the employers falling short of benchmark standards. Influence on these may emerge through decent work knowledge and skills in management and professional development programmes as well as in initiatives advocating wider adoption of the living wage.Social implicationsProblem areas of work quality, and problem employers, can be influenced by strategies shaping “hard” factors, including legislation. This needs to be complemented and integrated with strategies on “soft” factors, including identifying positive role models on themes of well-being, work–life balance and precarious forms of employment, as well as pay.Originality/valueThe identification of what matters and who can make a difference is based on an original, collaborative, research project, in one national context, offering analytical generalisability about “decent work” and an experience of collaborative research.

Sustainable development goals: transportation, health and public policy

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vahid Mohamad Taghvaee ◽  
Abbas Assari Arani ◽  
Mehrab Nodehi ◽  
Jalil Khodaparast Shirazi ◽  
Lotfali Agheli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Network ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Ruling Elite ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals

Purpose This study aims to assess and decompose the sustainable development using the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Iran in 2018, for proposing agenda-setting of public policy. Design/methodology/approach It ranks the SDGs not only in Iran but also in the region and the world to reveal the synergetic effects. Findings Based on the results, subaltern-populace generally suffers from the hegemonic domination of ruling elite-bourgeois, lack of strong institutions, heterogeneous policy networks and lack of advocacy role of non-governmental organizations, due to no transparency, issues in law or no rule of law, no stringent regulation, rent, suppression and Mafia, all leading to corruption and injustice. Practical implications To stop the loop of corruption-injustice, Iran should homogenize the structure of the policy network. Furthermore, the failed SDGs of the three-geographic analysis are the same in a character; all of them propose SDG 3, good health and well-being as a serious failed goal. Social implications In this regard, strong evidence is the pandemic Coronavirus, COVID 19 since 2019, due to its highly-disastrous consequences in early 2020 where the public policymakers could not adopt policies promptly in the glob, particularly in Iran. Originality/value In Iran, in addition to this, the malfunction of health is rooted in “subjective well-being” and “traffic deaths,” respectively. Concerning the transportations system in Iran, it is underscored that it is damaging the sustainable development from all the three pillars of sustainable development including, economic, social and environmental.

Towards a responsible talent management model

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 279-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Anlesinya ◽  
Kwesi Amponsah-Tawiah
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Talent Management ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Responsible Management ◽  
Organisational Justice ◽  
New Research

Purpose This study aims to critically examine talent management practices and strategies from ethical and responsible management perspectives. Design/methodology/approach It achieves its aim through conceptual analysis by theorising through the lenses of talent philosophies, the organisational justice theory, the stakeholder theory and extant literature. Findings A responsible talent management construct and mode to guide the practice of talent management in a socially responsible way is developed. It argues that inclusivity; corporate responsibility; and equity and equal employment opportunity are the key underlying principles of a responsible talent management system. This study further argues that responsible talent management practices promote achievement of multilevel sustainable outcomes such as decent work, employee well-being and organisational well-being. Practical implications Emphasising responsible management and ethical concerns in organisational talent strategies and practices is non-negotiable, given the current level of interest in sustainable work and employment and in the quest to achieve sustainable human and organisational outcomes through management and organisational practices. Originality/value The development of a responsible talent management construct and model is original and novel and is expected to shape thinking and drive new research directions in the field of talent management. It further contributes directly to knowledge and practice by demonstrating how organisations can manage their talents in a responsible way.

Towards economic sustainability: how higher education can support the business operations of emerging clothing manufacturing micro enterprises

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariette Strydom ◽  
Elizabeth Kempen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Sustainability ◽  
Related Field ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Operations ◽  
Sustainable Consumption And Production ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Micro Enterprises

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the business operations of informal clothing manufacturing micro enterprises (CMMEs) and identifies ways to support owners to achieve economic sustainability. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach applying a case study design was used to study the business operations of 13 informal CMME owners at a business incubation hub (IH). Findings The study found that emerging CMME owners need ongoing generic business and fashion-related field-specific support particular to their business. Such support can be offered through the collaboration between higher education (HE) institutions and business IHs. Social implications Starting a clothing manufacturing business offers women in Africa the opportunity to improve both their personal and community well-being contributing to three sustainable development goals, namely, to end poverty, gender equality and empowering women, as well as sustainable consumption and production patterns. Partnering with existing business IHs, HE can influence skills-specific training that may contribute to the economic sustainability of emerging entrepreneurs and reduce poverty. Originality/value The study proposes in-house apparel apprenticeships to ensure the economic sustainability of the CMME, contributing to apparel entrepreneurship literature and fashion-based entrepreneurship education.

Work environment, health and the international development agenda

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Hyde ◽  
Töres Theorell
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
International Development ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Psychosocial Working Conditions ◽  
Development Agenda ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Impact

This chapter reviews the current debates on the role of work and working conditions in the discourse on international development and explores the impact of vulnerable work and poor psychosocial working conditions on health. The launch of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 is a welcome addition in the fight to secure decent work and ensure health and well-being in developing countries. For decades research from Europe and North America has consistently shown that being exposed to poor psychosocial working conditions, such as not having sufficient control to meet the demands at work or being inadequately rewarded for one's efforts, can have serious negative health consequences. The extent of poor working conditions in these countries today demonstrates just how big a task the UN and associated agencies face in tackling this issue. This in turn raises the question of how Sustainable Development Goal 8, of ensuring decent work for all, will be realised.

Securing well-being with the advent of climate hazards

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Loh Chia ◽  
Anne Marie Tiani ◽  
Denis Jean Sonwa ◽  
Alba Saray Perez-Teran ◽  
Berenger Tchatchou
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
The Face ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Resource Systems

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the contribution of forests resource systems to the different aspects of community well-being, the implications of climate variability on the different sources of well-being and further identifies direct and indirect social and policy opportunities relevant for communities to enhance their capabilities in the face of climate variability and change in the Tri-National de la Sangha landscape of Cameroon. Design/methodology/approach – It illustrates on data collected from focus group discussions and from 151 households randomly selected in three villages to operationalize the conceptual links between community well-being and vulnerability. Findings – The study shows that vulnerability to climate change interferes with community strategies to achieve well-being, in addition to non-climatic processes which are both internal and external to communities. The study further indicates that healthy forest ecosystems provide opportunities for the local folks to build assets, improve food security, improve health and reduce risks. However, this requires capacity building and the channeling of resources to the local level, in addition to win–win sectoral policy amendments. Research limitations/implications – Biophysical methods required to complement community perceptions on the suitability of forest resource systems to climate variability. Practical implications – This paper argues that appropriate strategies which aim at improving well-being needs to capture the role of forest ecosystems, climate change risks and uncertainty and macroeconomic and social processes. Originality/value – This study contributes to the literature on the relationship between climate risk and the well-being of forest communities. This is relevant for practitioners and policy makers to reflect on the risk of climate change and the rationale for conserving forest resources for community well-being in the post-2015 Millennium Development Goals conclusions.

scholarly journals AMO perspectives on the well-being of neurodivergent human capital

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Maria Szulc ◽  
Julie Davies ◽  
Michał T. Tomczak ◽  
Frances-Louise McGregor
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Natural Phenomenon ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Human Capital Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Capital Development

PurposeExisting management research and management practices frequently overlook the relationship between the above-average human capital of highly functioning neurodivergent employees, their subjective well-being in the workplace and performance outcomes. This paper calls for greater attention to the hidden human capital associated with neurodiversity by mainstreaming implementation of neurodiversity-friendly policies and practices.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the ability, motivation and opportunity (AMO) framework, this conceptual paper integrates research on employee neurodiversity and well-being to provide a model of HR-systems level and human capital development policies, systems and practices for neurodivergent minorities in the workplace.FindingsThis paper illustrates that workplace neurodiversity, like biodiversity, is a natural phenomenon. For subjective individual psychological and organisational well-being, neurodivergent employees require an empathetic culture and innovative talent management approaches that respect cognitive differences.Practical implicationsThe case is made for neurodivergent human capital development and policy-makers to promote inclusive employment and decent work in a context of relatively high unemployment for neurodivergent individuals.Originality/valueThis paper extends current debates on organisational equality, diversity and inclusion to a consideration of workplace well-being for highly functioning neurodivergent workers. It calls for more equitable and empathetic approaches to investing in employees with neurodevelopmental and cognitive disabilities.

scholarly journals Role of Zakat in Sustainable Development Goals

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salman Ahmed Shaikh ◽  
Abdul Ghafar Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Quality Education ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Classification Code ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Health And Well Being

In this paper, we explore the potential of the institution of Zakāt to meet the development challenges, especially in the Muslim world. We discuss the interlinkages between the institution of Zakāt and Maqasid-al-Shari’ah. We also discuss the economic potential and effects of Zakāt by reviewing theoretical and empirical studies. Finally, we also provide our analysis which suggests that Zakāt can play an important role in meeting sustainable development goals related to poverty, hunger, global health and well-being, quality education, decent work and economic growth and income inequality. Keywords: Zakāt, Sustainable Development Goals, Poverty, InequalityJEL Classification Code: E6, H2, H3

Quality education: industry contributions to embed sustainability in a meeting and event management curriculum

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Esti Venske
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Quality Education ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Event Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Management Curriculum

PurposeWith the global adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), it has become increasingly important for educators to develop a responsive curriculum where future event practitioners understand, value and implement sustainability as a core component of meeting and event management. The purpose of this paper is to explore the viewpoints of industry to embed sustainability as part of developing a Meeting and Event Management curriculum that is responsive to industry needs, and in so doing, contribute to quality education (SDG4).Design/methodology/approachQualitative data were generated from 10 key informant interviews amongst top-level meeting and event professionals. Open questions elucidated industry viewpoints to develop content for a Meeting and Event Management curriculum at Advanced Diploma level in South Africa. Content analysis and data interpretation revealed key topics that guided the embedment of SDGs in the curriculum as knowledge, skills, values and attitudes.FindingsCurriculum content was linked to six specific, corresponding SDGs, namely: good health and well-being; quality education; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation and infrastructure; climate action and partnerships for the goals.Originality/valueThe paper contributes valuable industry insights into academic educators concerned with responsive curriculum development in the field of meeting and event management by outlining how SDGs can be integrated as competencies and learning outcomes in a tertiary qualification.

Universities as the engine of transformational sustainability toward delivering the sustainable development goals

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 1343-1357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Maria Purcell ◽  
Heather Henriksen ◽  
John D. Spengler
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Living Lab ◽  
Development Goals

Purpose Universities can do more to deliver against the sustainable development goals (SDGs), working with faculty, staff and students, as well as their wider stakeholder community and alumni body. They play a critical role in helping shape new ways for the world, educating global citizens and delivering knowledge and innovation into society. Universities can be engines of societal transformation. Using a multiple case study approach, this study aims to explore different ways of strategizing sustainability toward delivering the SDGs are explored in a university setting with an example from the UK, Bulgaria (Europe) and USA. Design/methodology/approach The first case is a public UK university that adopted enterprise and sustainability as its academic mission to secure differentiation in a disrupted and increasingly marketized global higher education sector; this became a source of inspiration for change in regional businesses and the local community. The second case is a business sector-led sustainability-driven transformation working with a private university in Bulgaria to catalyze economic regeneration and social innovation. Finally, a case from the office for sustainability in a major US research university is given to show how its engagement program connected faculty and students in sustainability projects within the institution and with external partners. Findings Each case is in effect a “living lab,” positioning sustainability as an intentional and aspirational strategy with sustainable development and the SDG framework a means to that end. Leadership at all levels, and by students, was key to success in acting with a shared purpose. Partnerships within and with universities can help accelerate delivery of the SDGs, enabling higher education to make a fuller contribution to sustaining the economic, environmental, cultural and intellectual well-being of our global communities. Originality/value The role of universities as the engine of transformational sustainability toward delivering the SDGs has been explored by way of three case studies that highlight different means toward that end. The collegiate nature of the higher education sector, with its shared governance models and different constituencies and performance drivers, means that sustainability at a strategic level must be led with leaders at all levels acting with purpose. The “living lab” model can become a part of transformative institutional change that draws on both top-down and bottom-up strategies in pursuit of sustainable development.

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