In-work poverty: reversing a trend through business commitment

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 3-11
Author(s):  
Antonios Panagiotakopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Small Firm ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Working Poor ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Firm Owners

Purpose This study aims to explore whether employer action may contribute towards reducing in-work poverty. Essentially, the study examines the extent to which small firm owners accept as being among their core responsibilities the support of the working poor both from an ethical and financial perspective. It further explores the impact of employee-friendly policies to support the working poor on the organizational performance of small enterprises. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted consisting of 60 responses from 30 small firm owners and 30 employees. More specifically, the study draws on the empirical data collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with the firm owners of 30 low-paying enterprises operating in Greece and 30 employees working in those firms. Findings The findings reveal that employer measures to reduce in-work poverty such as systematic training, travel allowance, provision of free meals and retail vouchers, bonus schemes and other indirect financial rewards do enhance overall employee well-being, which, in turn, makes employees more engaged with their work and motivate them to “go the extra mile” for their employer. As a result, organizations appear to enjoy several benefits including less absenteeism and staff turnover, reduced errors in production and increased productivity. Practical implications The present analysis argues that a narrow focus by policymakers on both direct and indirect governmental measures (e.g. an increase of the minimum wage, childcare and housing support) to reduce in work-poverty could be problematic as there are employer instruments that could also have a direct and indirect impact on employee income that could be useful when thinking about how in-work poverty can best be addressed. The empirical work showed that the above-mentioned measures have the potential to bring various organizational benefits including increased staff loyalty, less absenteeism, improved customer service and increased productivity. Such findings indicate that there is a strong business case for employers to combat in-work poverty and provide “better” jobs to individuals. Originality/value The emphasis of research around in-work poverty has been placed predominantly on welfare state measures to support the working poor, whereas the contribution of employers has been ignored. The present study fills this knowledge gap by leading to a better understanding of whether there is a business case for employers to fight in-work poverty.

Exploring the link between management training and organizational performance in the small business context

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 245-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonios Panagiotakopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Context ◽  
Services Sector ◽  
Training Interventions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Firm Owners ◽  
Business And Management

Purpose This study aims to explore the impact of management training on organizational performance in the small business context to evaluate whether formal management learning interventions bring organizational benefits to small enterprises. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted consisting of 100 interviews with small firm owners/managers and employees working in 50 Greek small enterprises operating in the manufacturing and services sectors. Participant firms consisted of 25 small enterprises (9 manufacturing firms and 16 firms in the services sector) whose owners/managers have completed various formal training interventions (i.e. accredited seminars and workshops, business and management courses, etc.,) and 25 small enterprises (16 manufacturing firms and 9 firms in the services sector) whose owners/managers have not completed any sort of formal business training and have never attended formal management courses. Findings The findings revealed that management training in small businesses had a positive impact on organizational performance. In particular, those respondents that completed formal training interventions argued that their firms achieved increased profitability during 2017 and 2018; improved staff productivity; very low staff turnover rate; and enhanced staff satisfaction and motivation compared with the less-trained owners of small firms in the same sector. The participants pointed out that their formal education in business and management has enabled them to realize the importance of employee learning and job design for staff motivation, whereas it has helped them to manage change more effectively. Practical implications The present findings have major implications for practitioners (i.e. small firm owners/managers), as they point to a positive link between management training and organizational performance, thus encouraging them to invest in their self-development. Originality/value The existing evidence around the impact of management training on firm performance has been based mostly on quantitative research in large organizations. However, the available empirical studies fail to explore in-depth how formal management training can help smaller enterprises achieve improved organizational performance. Against this background, the present study sheds new light on this area.

scholarly journals Retired men and Men’s Sheds in Australia

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 972-989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amie Southcombe ◽  
Jillian Cavanagh ◽  
Timothy Bartram
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Style ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Value Congruence ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Charismatic Leadership ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of charismatic leadership style and value congruence on the social connectedness of retired men in Australian Men’s Sheds. This study also explores the impact of social connectedness on well-being outcomes, such as employment and training, improved family relationships and access to health and welfare services. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is a qualitative approach using focus groups (yarning circles) and semi-structured interviews with Shed leaders, men members and healthcare workers. Findings – The findings suggest that a charismatic leader enhances the value congruence between leaders and their members through empowering, envisioning and empathy, which also contributes to the social connectedness of members and enhances well-being of retired men. Originality/value – The study provides insights into the factors that contribute to successful leadership, participatory and leadership practices in the Groups/Sheds, and addresses a gap in the literature in the area of leadership and Men’s Sheds.

Theorising the impact of COVID-19 on the fraud victimisation of older persons

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassandra Cross
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Current Response ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fraud Risk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how COVID-19 may alter the vulnerability levels of older persons, and how this may change their potential for fraud victimisation. This is particularly focused on the government’s use of isolation, restrictions on activity and physical distancing to combat the virus. Design/methodology/approach In the absence of statistics, this paper examines what is currently known about older persons and fraud, as well as the recent knowledge of COVID-19-related fraud. On this basis, the paper hypothesises the conceivable changes to vulnerability that potentially expose older persons to fraud. Findings This paper argues that COVID-19 has not seen “new” fraudulent approaches, rather offenders have used COVID-19 as a context to their existing schemes. Further, the current response to COVID-19 can substantially increase the number of older persons experiencing levels of vulnerability, and therefore increase their fraud risk. Research limitations/implications The current paper applies existing knowledge into the current circumstances of COVID-19 and lays the foundations for empirical work to be conducted in this area. Practical implications This paper provides an impetus to target the well-being and connectivity of older persons, (regardless of the COVID-19 context), to reduce their vulnerability to fraud victimisation. Social implications This paper highlights the importance of connectivity for older persons, and the need to focus on overcoming social isolation and loneliness. Originality/value This paper is the first to hypothesise the effects of COVID-19 and its associated government responses to the overall vulnerability of older persons, with a focus on the potential for fraud victimisation.

Displacement through incarceration: an opportunity for personal re-engagement

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-45
Author(s):  
David N. Eades
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Interpersonal Relations ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Significant Other ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Formerly Incarcerated ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Carceral Geography ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight that interpersonal relations within a visits venue in a carceral space can be restorative. This provides implications for staff working in institutions to support a visits programme to assist those incarcerated. Design/methodology/approach The experiences of those formerly incarcerated are captured through an ethnography of engagement by way of semi-structured interviews and field notes. In methodology it draws upon the fields of criminology and prison sociology, and in particular using an ethnographic approach within the field of Carceral Geography. Findings Interpersonal relationships developed, with a “significant other” within the liminality of displacement, are therapeutic in nature and potentially contribute to ongoing healthier relationships than previously experienced, once a person is released from incarceration. These also assist those incarcerated transition into the community when released. Research limitations/implications The sample within the study was only small, did not include the impact of family members, nor the impact of not having visitors upon people who are incarcerated. The feedback received was all positive. Other people might have had alternative experiences that were not captured in this study. Practical implications A practical outcome of this research is to encourage the development of interpersonal relationships and the reconstruction of social networks for those incarcerated as a means of early intervention for their recovery and future progress reintegrating back into society. Social implications The impact of a significant other helps those formerly incarcerated to value the importance of close supportive relationships in contributing to the lives of others socially. Originality/value Assisting those incarcerated develop a relationship with a significant other provides a unique protective element as a social intervention. Staff within institutions have a unique role within their service to facilitate visitors and to encourage those incarcerated to connect with a significant other so as to help their mental health, support their general well-being and give them hope for the future.

Reviewer online engagement: the role of rank, well-being, and market helping behavior

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 464-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Mosteller ◽  
Charla Mathwick
Keyword(s):  
Critical Incident ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Ranking System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Social Relatedness ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of a retailer-managed ranking system on product reviewers’ well-being and its relationship to customer engagement. Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis of reviewers’ posts, generated over a six-month period following a critical incident involving a change in the reviewer ranking system, informs findings. Findings – Fulfilling needs for social relatedness, competency and autonomy may be critical aspects that underlie reviewer engagement. Findings explain how organic and hierarchical reviewing platform design elements may support or thwart psychological need fulfillment. Reviewers expressed positive well-being when system elements facilitated organic interactions between consumers and reviewers, fulfilling social relatedness and competency needs. Hierarchical design elements elicited mixed well-being sentiments. When reviewers used rank as a feedback mechanism to signal competency development, positive well-being emerged, whereas ranking features perceived as lacking in integrity or reducing one’s autonomy, evoked negative sentiments. A stimulus-organism-response framework, grounded in environmental psychology, provides the basis for the online reviewer engagement model. This study deepens understanding of online customer engagement by illustrating how a ranking system and social elements influence well-being and motive fulfilment, key psychological processes associated with engagement. Research limitations/implications – Highly engaged reviewers on one community platform inform findings, so results are not representative of all reviewers, but are relevant for conceptual purposes concerning critical incidents. Practical implications – Findings have implications for the design of recognition platforms created to support customer engagement in online reviewing communities. Social implications – Public ranking systems designed to recognize and reward reviewers can enhance as well as degrade consumer well-being within an online service environment. Originality/value – First empirical work to examine the value of consumer well-being as it relates to engagement within an online reviewing service context.

scholarly journals The impact of the gender composition of company boards on firm performance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teodora-Maria Soare ◽  
Céline Detilleux ◽  
Nick Deschacht
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Policy Reform ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Gender Composition ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gender Quota ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe authors estimate the effect of the gender composition of company boards on firm performance by exploiting variation in the percentage of women after the implementation of a 2011 Belgian policy reform, which introduced a gender quota for listed companies.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyze the evolution of firm performance between companies that were subjected to the quota law and compare it with the performance of similar firms that were not subjected to the law. This difference-in-difference (DiD) approach allows the authors to avoid the potential bias resulting from unobserved firm characteristics.FindingsThe authors find that the quota policy resulted in the replacement of about one male director by a female one in the average firm between 2010 and 2017. However, this increase in diversity appears to have negatively affected some firm performance indicators. The authors find statistically significant negative effects for 10 out of the 23 financial indicators included in this study, while the other 13 indicators showed no significant effect.Originality/valueThe originality of this research lies in both the methodology and the findings. The policy reform that the authors study can be regarded as a natural experiment so that the DiD method provides estimates of the causal effect of the gender composition of company boards on firm performance. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that presents causal evidence of negative effects of gender quota on organizational performance. These results cast doubts on the business case argument for gender quota and show that results from correlational studies are likely to be biased upward.

“It needs to be the right blend”: a qualitative exploration of remote e-workers’ experience and well-being at work

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Charalampous ◽  
Christine Anne Grant ◽  
Carlo Tramontano
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Change ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Work Related ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis present qualitative study explores the impact of the remote e-working experience on employees’ well-being.Design/methodology/approachForty (23 male) remote e-workers working for a British IT company were interviewed about their work-related well-being. Semi-structured interviews were framed within an existing theoretical of work-related well-being; hence, questions targeted five distinct dimensions of affective, professional, social, cognitive and psychosomatic well-being. However, data collection was not constrained by this model, allowing the exploration of other aspects interviewees considered relevant to their work-related well-being. Interview data were analysed using thematic analysis, where key themes emerged.FindingsFindings support the relevance of a multidimensional approach to understanding remote e-workers’ well-being as it provides an in-depth understanding of the inter-connectedness between relevant dimensions. Further insight into the overlooked issues of detachment from work and health-related behaviours when e-working remotely is also provided.Practical implicationsThis study proposes practical implications related to the organisational, managerial and individual level; providing individuals tailored guidance on how to remote e-work effectively and raising the importance of cultural change to support remote e-workers to be open about their working preferences.Originality/valueAn original contribution to the field of remote e-working is provided, by adopting a holistic approach to explore well-being, disentangling the interconnections between different well-being dimensions and discussing pivotal contributing factors that seemed to be understudied within extant remote e-working literature.

scholarly journals “I got into a very dark place”: addressing the needs of young people leaving care during the Covid-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Berni Kelly ◽  
Colm Walsh ◽  
John Pinkerton ◽  
Alicia Toal
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Young People ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Leavers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Detrimental Impact

Purpose This paper aims to report on the findings of a qualitative study that explored the views and experiences of young people leaving care during the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted involving semi-structured interviews with 24 care leavers 18–25 years old from across the region. Interviews were conducted remotely online or by telephone and explored young people’s lived experiences during the pandemic including their views on the formal support services and how best to provide ongoing for support care leavers during the pandemic. Findings Study findings highlight how known adversities for care leavers are exacerbated during the pandemic, having a detrimental impact, particularly on their emotional well-being. The response of the state as a corporate parent in mitigating the impact of the pandemic was found to be inadequate; with a need for much clearer communication, transparent and prompt decision-making and targeted specialist mental health services. The account given by the young people also highlighted the importance of participation and relationship-based practice to build on the young people’s resilience in the context of high levels of social isolation and limited access to informal support systems. Originality/value This research, based on the views of care experienced young people themselves, is the first study in Northern Ireland to report on the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on care leaving. As such it makes a contribution to this emerging international field of study and, given the persistence of the pandemic, provides empirical findings and a social justice perspective of ongoing relevance to policy and practice with young people leaving care.

scholarly journals Exploring the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on women entrepreneurs in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Faisal Mustafa ◽  
Ambreen Khursheed ◽  
Maham Fatima ◽  
Marriam Rao
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Microfinance Institutions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on micro-businesses owned by women borrowers of microfinance institutions and to provide policy suggestions to assist women entrepreneurs in managing such an unexpected crisis from a qualitative perspective within developing countries such as Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative research design to explore the impact of COVID-19 on women’s entrepreneurial activities. Seven women entrepreneurs were selected and semi-structured interviews with focused group discussion under case study research design are used. Thereby providing a contemporary view of the issues faced by women entrepreneurs in the period of huge social and economic upheaval. Findings The results provide valuable insights about how the COVID-19 crisis affected women entrepreneurs by particularly considering household income, business sales, lifestyle and mental health. The liquidation of women-led businesses indicated the necessity to reconsider creativity and digitalization for business survival. Moreover, the results also revealed that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical, mental and economic well-being of women highlights the need for considering gender gap issues in forming response policies for COVID-19 in developing countries. Originality/value As the COVID-19 crisis is a recent and existing phenomenon, this study is among the first to explore particularly the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on micro-enterprises mainly owned and managed by women. Thereby claiming that COVID-19 not only physically but also psychologically affected women entrepreneurs. Moreover, the study highlights a need of skill focused training programs for women entrepreneurs to make sure that they can protect their businesses during such difficult times.

A eudaimonic perspective on prejudice and female workers’ psychological well-being

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tala Abuhussein ◽  
Tamer Koburtay ◽  
Jawad Syed
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Workers ◽  
Gender Prejudice ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to use Ryff’s (1989) eudaimonic view to examine how prejudice toward female workers affects their psychological well-being. Design/methodology/approach Responses were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews along with open-ended questions in a paper-based survey. In total, 24 female workers across various organizations in Jordan participated in this study. Findings The results show how prejudice against female workers can affect the six dimensions of their eudaimonic psychological well-being (Ryff, 1989). Specifically, the results show that prejudice may push women to work harder to prove they are capable of achieving their goals and, as a result, it may positively enhance their self-acceptance, sense of growth, purpose in life and autonomy. However, the study also shows that prejudice against women negatively affects their environmental mastery and relationships with others. Practical implications This study may help create greater sensitivity and awareness about gender prejudice and its effects on female workers’ psychological well-being. It also highlights women’s resilience which may be deemed valuable to develop women in leadership roles in organizations. Originality/value This study offers a fresh and nuanced understanding of the impact of gender prejudice on female workers’ psychological well-being.

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