scholarly journals EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS AND MEANING OF WORK: A RESEARCH WITH HIGHER EDUCATION PROFESSORS

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
HÉLIO ARTHUR R. IRIGARAY ◽  
LUCIA B. OLIVEIRA ◽  
ELAINE S. T. BARBOSA ◽  
ESTELLE M. MORIN
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Labor Relations ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Meaning Of Work ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Employment Relationships ◽  
Different Types

ABSTRACT Purpose: To explore the meaning of work, analyzing and comparing how it is experienced by workers who are subject to different employment relationships. Originality/value: The research is important because it advances in the discussion about the flexibilization of labor relations and its impact on how professionals experience and attribute meaning to their work. In addition, we found a gap in empirical research relating to the meaning of work and different types of employment relationships. Design/methodology/approach: We conducted qualitative and exploratory research with professors from the same higher education institution that work under different employment relationships. Forty-five professors participated in the study, whose reports were submitted to discourse analysis. Findings: Initially, the results reinforced the six categories proposed by Morin (2001): work that 1. generates results; 2. is intrinsically satisfactory; 3. morally acceptable; 4. source of satisfactory relationships; 5. guarantees security and autonomy, and 6. keeps the person occupied. In addition, three new categories associated with the professors' work have been identified: "work as a calling", "work as identity construction", and "work as a masochistic practice". Our results point to the complexity of maintaining professionals working side by side but under different employment relationships. Resentment, anguish, and frustration were some of the feelings that we consider to be associated with this reality, and represent a challenge to be faced by organizations.

Innovation-centric courses in hospitality management education in Dubai

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-172
Author(s):  
Sanjay Nadkarni ◽  
Stephanie Morris
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Hospitality Management ◽  
Iterative Approach ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policy Level

Purpose This paper aims to provide an overview of how a Dubai-based higher education institution in hospitality management has leveraged the enabling macro-environment for building innovation-centric courses in hospitality pedagogy. The policy-level initiatives focusing on innovation adopted by the UAE, and Dubai, in particular, are analyzed along with their impact on the higher education landscape. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory research design with an experimental component based on iterative approach has been adopted in this paper. Findings The synthesis of the exploratory analysis with the outcome of the experiment for developing innovation-centric courses and assessments which integrates elements of sustainability underscores the necessity for a scalable roadmap for developing an innovation-driven ecosystem. Implications for stakeholders in deploying the proposed roadmap are discussed. Originality/value The experience curated from the design development and delivery of innovation-focused courses with the mandated framework in a specific geography (in this case Dubai, UAE) attests to the originality. The research adds value by proposing an implementable roadmap for stakeholders to foster an innovation-driven socio-economic ecosystem that encompasses elements of sustainability.

Transnational degree program franchising and the challenge of commercial franchisees

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katariina Juusola ◽  
Lee Rensimer
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Organizational Development ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Degree Program ◽  
Higher Education Research ◽  
Mba Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transnational Higher Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the interrelationship of branding practices and legitimacy-building of commercial degree program franchising within transnational higher education (TNHE). It aims to understand how commercial franchisees’ branding practices employ discursive and symbolic strategies for building legitimacy, and how these practices impact both organizational development and stakeholder perception. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study uses document and visual content analysis, supported by discourse analysis, as the methods in analyzing commercial franchisees’ branding practices of their franchised programs. The sample of the study consists of five commercial franchisees offering primarily Western MBA programs in the United Arab Emirates. The data were obtained through franchisees’ websites, marketing materials, student prospectuses, visiting campuses and their marketing events, and through interviews with franchise managers. Findings The findings of this study indicate that growing a sustainable brand for a commercial franchisee requires successful building of its legitimacy in the host country. Legitimacy in such arrangement however involves two paradoxes: the “self-promoter’s paradox” where the franchisees often engage in legitimacy-building practices that decrease their legitimacy, and the “legitimacy-borrowing paradox” that happens when the commercial franchisee initially borrows its legitimacy from the franchised program, but simultaneously this borrowing of legitimacy prevents it from becoming a fully legitimate higher education institution. Originality/value This study contributes to the research on management of TNHE by exploring the branding practices of franchised programs, which so far has been a neglected area in research. Furthermore, interconnections of legitimacy-building and branding practices are underrepresented within the broader higher education research.

scholarly journals Features of providing the efficiency of social and labor relations of university personnel by its outsourcing

2019 ◽  
pp. 25-29
Author(s):  
Kseniia KOVTUNENKO ◽  
Oleksandr KOVALENKO ◽  
Olena STANISLAVYK
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Labor Relations ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Achievement Level ◽  
Labor Management ◽  
Higher Education Institution ◽  
Management Personnel ◽  
University Personnel ◽  
Additional Costs

Introduction. Under conditions of today the labor management system in the institution of higher education is tasked with finding new more effective forms of labor, how to increase the motivation of workers, material and moral interest of employees in work, reduce or even eliminate potential conflicts, how to ensure consistency in management personnel activities and performers, etc. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to investigate the features of ensuring efficiency of social and labor relations of university personnel during its outsourcing. Results. The features of ensuring the effectiveness of social and labor relations of the higher education institution personnel during its outsourcing are considered. The main problems that affect the effectiveness of social and labor relations during outsourcing the personnel of higher education institution are highlighted. The basic criteria and corresponding indicators of social and labor relations optimization and labor processes during outsourcing of the personnel of higher education institution are characterized: economic, social, psychophysiological, technical. It is noted that the results of this study may be useful to specialists dealing with the problems of increasing the efficiency of outsourcing and its use in higher education institutions under modern conditions. Conclusion. The effectiveness of social and labor relations during outsourcing the higher education institution personnel is defined as the aggregate usefulness and benefit of its implementation in relation to the additional costs of its implementation, as well as when comparing with the previous result of the activity. By its essence optimization of labor processes comes down to achieving complex of economic, social, psychophysiological and technical goals, about achievement level of which necessary to draw a conclusion on the basis of certain criteria. The concrete expression of these criteria through a system of empirical indicators needs further elaboration, so there is a need to develop the method for evaluating effectiveness of social and labor relations when outsourcing the higher education institution personnel.

The policy influence on the development of entrepreneurship in higher education

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 656-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustav Hägg ◽  
Tobias Schölin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Problem Definition ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Course Of Action ◽  
Higher Education Policies ◽  
Neoliberal Development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the foundation of higher education policies that have promoted entrepreneurship in Sweden since the mid-1990s. Design/methodology/approach To do this, the authors use Bacchi’s (1999) “What’s the problem?” approach. A central assumption of which is that perceptions of a problem affect how its solution looks. Bacchi’s approach is described as a type of discourse analysis. Findings The authors show that problem definition within policies regarding the role and importance of entrepreneurship within higher education has explicitly been directed toward equipping individuals to develop action-orientated skills in the field of entrepreneurship. The equipment of action-oriented skills has implicitly been directed to individuals’ personal initiatives to meet explicit social and collective problems, fueling a neoliberal development and fostering an enterprising culture. The authors also show how policy creates a discourse, which may be characterized as “useful, unreflective citizens.” Research limitations/implications The study addresses the implicit steering that is being exercised through policies. This steering needs to be questioned and problematized in order to avoid blindly following the implied course of action. Originality/value The study contributes to current understanding of how entrepreneurship in higher education is both governed explicitly and implicitly, by policy, through the creation of new norms in society.

The challenge of work based learning: a role for academic mentors?

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Stephens ◽  
Oran Doherty ◽  
Billy Bennett ◽  
Michael Margey
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Higher Education Institution ◽  
Undergraduate Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Knowledge ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the key challenge(s) experienced by employers, employees and academics during work based learning (WBL) programmes at undergraduate level. The idea of academic mentors is proposed as an aid to addressing the challenges common to WBL programmes. Design/methodology/approach – The case study presented in this paper involves a large multinational organisation and a higher education institution, both of which are based in Ireland. Interviews were used to explore the outcome(s) of a WBL programme. Findings – The challenges associated with WBL place demands on the design of curriculum, pedagogy and accreditation. The use of academic mentors can help translate academic knowledge into workplace practice; and address challenges which are common in WBL programmes. Practical implications – The understanding of best practice in the design of WBL programmes is enriched. A role for academics as mentors is identified and the implications explored. Originality/value – The success of WBL can be linked to the relationships that form between employers, employees and academics. There is evidence that the academic is central to the development of these relationships.

scholarly journals A Cluster Analysis of University Commuters: Attitudes, Personal Norms and Constraints, and Travel Satisfaction

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4592
Author(s):  
Marco De Angelis ◽  
Luca Mantecchini ◽  
Luca Pietrantoni
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Organizational Policies ◽  
Personal Norms ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Travel Satisfaction

Higher education institutions are recognised as settings where the community’s awareness of sustainable mobility can be strengthened or reshaped. The first objective of the present study was to identify groups of commuters based on their modal choice in a large higher education institution in Italy. The second objective was to compare the groups on socio-demographic and psychosocial variables, specifically attitudes, personal norms, personal constraints, and travel satisfaction. The cluster analysis revealed five different types of commuters: car-oriented, two-wheeled urban users, pedestrians, long-distance commuters, and regular bus users. Attitudes, personal constraints and norms, and satisfaction differed in the five groups of commuters. The present study provides insights for behavioural change programmes and organizational policies on sustainable mobility.

scholarly journals Are STEM Syllabi Gendered? A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Parson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research University ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Higher Education Institution ◽  
Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
And Gender

This study explored the gendered nature of STEM higher education institution through a feminist critical discourse analysis of STEM course syllabi from a Midwest research university. I explored STEM syllabi to understand how linguistic features such as stance and interdiscursivity are used in the syllabus and how language and discourses used in the syllabus replicate the masculine nature of STEM education. Findings suggest that the discourses identified in the syllabi reinforce traditional STEM academic roles, and that power and gender in the STEM syllabi are revealed through exploration of the themes of knowledge, learning, and the teaching and learning environment created by the language used in the syllabus. These findings inform and extend understanding of the STEM syllabus and the STEM higher education institution and lead to recommendations about how to make the STEM syllabus more inclusive for women.

scholarly journals Impression management within the recruitment interview: Narratives of employees at a South African higher education institution

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vuyelwa Dondolo ◽  
Willie T. Chinyamurindi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Impression Management ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Higher Education Institution ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Higher Education

Orientation: Job interviews remain a popular platform on which organisations source talent. Interviewees seek to make an impression in interviews to influence the decision to be hired.Research purpose: The study explores why and how impression management manifests within the recruitment interview setting.Motivation for the study: Calls exist within the local and international literature for studies that explore the concept of impression management further as a basis to improve activities such as recruitment and selection.Research approach, design/method: An interpretivist research paradigm using the qualitative approach and the exploratory research design was utilised. In-depth interviews with 20 employees at a South African higher education institution were conducted. Narrative analysis formed the basis of the data analysis by adopting the three levels of the meaning-making approach used in previous studies.Main findings: Two major narratives emerged. Firstly, when exploring why impression management occurs in the recruitment interview, the strategising behaviour was identified. Secondly, when exploring how impression management occurs in the recruitment interview, the switching behaviour was identified.Practical/managerial implications: The study provides information that organisational strategists and recruiters can use to enhance not only the recruitment process but also the decisions informed by such processes.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge in an area of study that has received scant empirical focus locally and internationally. This can be a catalyst for future research on impression management.

scholarly journals THE AGENCY SEARCH: THE MEANING OF WORK FOR APP DRIVERS

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
MARCIA C. VACLAVIK ◽  
LIANA H. PITHAN
Keyword(s):  
Labor Markets ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Meaning Of Work ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Porto Alegre ◽  
Theoretical Assumption ◽  
Financial Autonomy ◽  
Digital Labor

ABSTRACT Purpose: This study aims to investigate how app drivers are giving meaning to their work, taking as a theoretical assumption the model proposed by Rosso, Dekas, & Wrzesniewski (2010). Originality/value: Internationally, the volume of empirical research involving digital labor markets is considered to be low. Nationally, research in the context of Sharing Economy rarely focuses on the labor perspective. Despite being a growing phenomenon, no studies were found on the production of meanings and meaningfulness of work by app drivers. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative and exploratory research was carried out with 37 app drivers between May and September 2017, in Porto Alegre (RS, Brazil). Randomly selected, respondents were called to a work route by the transport application. The interviews’ content was categorized and analyzed according to the framework of Rosso et al. (2010). Findings: Elements that refer to all the model quadrants were found: “self-connection”, “individuation”, “contribution”, and “unification”. The predominant meaning, however, is desire, seeking and valuing by the agency, in the mechanisms of self-efficacy and self-management, especially in the financial, autonomy and flexibility perspectives. This research contributes to the intersection of the study of the labor world transformations and the construction of meanings and meaningfulness, using a framework little used in Brazilian research. It also collaborates to broaden the understanding of digital labor markets, especially their impact on workers.

scholarly journals An investigation into the extent to which the National Senior Certificate equips university finance students with required skills

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-50
Author(s):  
Annelie Oosthuizen ◽  
Riëtte Eiselen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
South African ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
First Year ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
University Finance ◽  
University Studies ◽  
Critical Skills ◽  
South African Higher Education

Higher education institutions have an obligation to provide graduates with the necessary knowledge and skills to enter the workforce and contribute effectively to the financial and economic development of the country. After 1994, the South African educational system was redesigned. One of the major events in this process was the replacement of the Senior Certificate (NATED 550) by the National Senior Certificate, awarded for the first time in 2008. Questions have been raised as to whether the National Senior Certificate curriculum prepares learners adequately for success in university studies. The purpose of the exploratory research reported on in this article was to investigate the perceptions of students on the skills acquired in the National Senior Certificate, as well as the skills required to succeed in their university studies. The study was conducted amongst the first-year B.Com (Finance) students during the 2009 academic year at a South African higher education institution. The results of the study indicate that these students felt that they lacked some of the critical skills required for academic success at university.

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