Sex Differences in Responsiveness to Organizational Career Management

This is a study of differences between women and men in their responsiveness to formal organizational career management. Questionnaire data from 272 men and 101 women were analyzed. It was found that women's individual career variables were mostly similar to men's, but their responsiveness to organizational career management was higher than men's. Women's career effectiveness (performance, attitudes, identity, and adaptability) and career planning increased when the level of perceived organizational career management was high. The sex difference remained even when the effects of two other responsiveness-reducing factors, managerial position and tenure, were controlled. The results are interpreted in terms of women's cognitive construction of organizational reality. It is suggested that human resource managers have to distinguish between two different objectives: enhancing women's effectiveness vs. enhancing their career progress. To attain the first objective, formal career management systems should be developed. To attain the second, it is argued that women need to relate differently to the informal organizational system.     

Towards redressing historical inequities?

Abstract

This article examines women's positions at senior management levels of South Africa's civil service given its affirmative action policy that attempts to tackle women's historical marginalization in public sector organizations. It examines ‘women's empowerment', gender and race inside the public service within the context of South Africa's historical inequities within the civil service, and the post-apartheid government's attempts to correct these. It concludes that women's positions inside the civil service have improved gradually since the demise of apartheid, an initial step towards substantive equality with their male counterparts, but recognizes that much still needs to be done if women are to be represented proportionately in senior civil service positions. It argues that this might help to improve the implementation of gender sensitive programs at various policy levels. Information for this article was gathered from various sources including interviews with civil servants in selected national and provincial departments.     

Women at workequality versus inequality: barriers for advancing in the workplace

This study aimed at identifying the factors that working women in Cyprus are faced with which lead to experience discrimination, examining possible barriers that affect women's advancement and identifying organizational practices that assist them in achieving work–life balance. The data were collected by the distribution of a questionnaire, which was on a voluntary, anonymous and confidential basis and targeted women of four different occupational levels. Several barriers were identified, preventing them from advancement such as stereotypes, conflicting work and family obligations, lack of women role models and low levels of self-confidence. This research enhances women's awareness of the existence of gender discrimination at work and the barriers in their career advancement. It highlights the creation of company programs such as mentoring programs, refresher courses, flexible work hours and on-site childcare, which could help women in developing and advancing their careers as well as achieving work–life balance.     

Don't rely on public investment to save the day

• ▀ We think public investment in the advanced economies should be increased, but we're also sceptical that, on its own, it can save economies from recession in the event of further negative shocks.
• ▀ Deteriorating infrastructure and low bond yields make a compelling case for sustained increases in public investment. And given the shortage of safe assets and the global savings glut, higher government borrowing seems unlikely to have big negative repercussions for private sector borrowers.
• ▀ But the scope for a sustained and aggressive rise in public investment to counter shocks is limited. Even when funds are plentiful, governments often struggle to meet capital spending targets due to other constraints.
• ▀ Spikes in public investment during downturns typically dry up the capital pipeline, leading to falling investment further ahead. As a result, it's harder to sustain increases in investment, compared to other government spending.

     

Women Managers’ Careers in China: Theorizing the Influence of Gender and Collectivism

This article is concerned with developing an understanding of the careers of women managers in China. Existing literature suggests that while women in China are comparatively well represented in management roles, they face distinctive pressures and barriers to their progress arising from entrenched patriarchal and collectivist aspects of the Chinese cultural tradition. However, little is known about how these aspects impact on women's orientations towards their careers and to what extent influential Western career theories are adequate in interpreting their experience. Drawing on interviews with 20 women managers in China, the article interprets women's orientations towards their careers in relation to their adherence to traditional gender roles and collectivist values. Using this framework, a fourfold taxonomy is developed which identifies “conformist,” “revolutionary,” “soloist,” and “dissident” orientations. The article suggests that Western career theories fail to capture the collective dimension, and thus do not account fully for the range of experience and orientations of Chinese women managers that are captured in the taxonomy. Implications, both practical and theoretical, are discussed. Recommendations are also made as to how management and career development policies might be developed in organizations in China in order to address the diverse needs and preferences of women managers. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The effect of household appliances on female labor force participation: Evidence from microdata

We estimate the effect of household appliance ownership on the labor force participation rate of married women using micro-level data from the 1960 and 1970 U.S. Censuses. In order to identify the causal effect of home appliance ownership on married women's labor force participation rates, our empirical strategy exploits both time-series and cross-sectional variation in these two variables. To control for endogeneity, we instrument a married woman's ownership of an appliance by the average ownership rate for that appliance among single women living in the same U.S. state. Single women's labor force participation rates did not increase between 1960 and 1970. We find evidence in support of the hypothesis that the diffusion of household appliances contributed to the increase in married women's labor force participation rates during the 1960's.     

Economic Freedom and Women's Emancipation in the MENA Region

The position of women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is a complex topic, difficult to comprehend without allowing for socio‐cultural norms, legal frameworks and the global gender context. In thinking about a practical framework for action, the free market perspective is relevant and necessary. However, this alone does not seem to provide a complete answer to the problem of promoting women's economic status. This article makes the case for the importance of market‐friendly, but also gender‐sensitive, policies to promote women's economic freedom and hence women's emancipation in the MENA region.     

Why levelling-up is unlikely to solve regional disparities

• ▪ Under the UK government's plan to “level up” the regions, the Budget delivered an increase in capital spending on under-performing places. However, we think the overall impact is unlikely to be large.
• ▪ The extent to which regional imbalances have worsened in recent years is unclear. In fact, the large gap in productivity between London and the rest of the UK widened the most during the 1997–2010 Labour government. Disparity with the rest of the UK is largely due to London's special characteristics.
• ▪ At the local level, austerity policies have damaged many areas, while Brexit is posing new challenges. Other problems are very deep-rooted. Previous governments have struggled to address them and we expect this one will too

     

Management Women in the Corporate Workplace: Possibilities for the Year 2000

This article considers what corporations' attitudes toward women will be in the year 2000, and what women's attitudes toward corporations will be at that time. Women's current position in the workforce is characterized. Consideration is given to the direction today's workplace is taking as it transitions to the start of a new century. Based on current observations and trends, the article explores the needs and desires of the twenty-first century woman. Four major tools available to U.S. corporations preparing to enter the next century are discussed, including family issues, a commitment to innovation, training, and women's contributions to the management of transition.     

Women as philanthropists: Leading the transformation of fundraising

This paper provides an overview of women's motivations and potential as philanthropists. It includes demographic information that can help fundraisers approach and communicate with women of different generations and life stages. The conclusions are based on qualitative research conducted by the author and others. It explores some of the barriers to women's giving and offers specific recommendations for involving more women as donors. Finally, it explains how women as donors will help transform the fundraising profession and prepare nonprofit institutions for a changed funding environment in the future.     

The Twenty‐First‐Century Quest for Feminism and the Global Urban

The purpose of this essay is to initiate a conversation about the production and analysis of knowledge on women and the urban. Starting with a brief overview of how women have been addressed in the field of urban studies, I turn to their treatment in works by critical urban scholars, revealing how women fall away from urban theories. The dismissal of women from theory construction and the impact on women's lives of the imbrication of the gendered subject into neoliberal discourses about the city adds urgency to a feminist intervention. A feminist analytic requires the promotion of a new kind of global urban studies that takes seriously women's struggles, strategies and everyday desires.     

The final gift: targeting the potential charity legator

• Although legacy income is of enormous importance to many of the UK's fundraising charities, little reliable information exists to assist practitioners in targeting potential legators with appropriate messages. In particular, the motives for making a legacy gift and the differences between those doing so and the general supporter base are unknown. This makes segmentation and the subsequent development of strategy problematic.
• This exploratory study seeks to address these issues and compare the motives of individuals who support charities during their lifetime with the motives of individuals who, in addition, pledge a legacy. The authors conclude that fundraisers looking to increase legacy income should target their older supporters, particularly those in their mid to late 60s', as well as users of their services. The findings also suggest that communications to these groups should stress organizational performance and service quality commitments.

Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Between the traditional and the contemporary: careers of women managers from a developing Middle Eastern country perspective

Informed by Institutional Theory, this study adopts an exploratory, qualitative, in-depth interviews-based approach as it explores the self-reported career paths of 32 women managers in Lebanon. The results indicate that in contrast with the majority of Western-based literature, the traditional-organizational career path in comparison to contemporary career patterns is still relevant, and continues to exist for Lebanese women managers as they progress in their managerial careers. At the same time, the findings suggest that women selectively adopt some aspects of contemporary, flexible careers to navigate their career paths amidst the macro-national economic and sociocultural factors and institutional challenges. The overall results and the implications for various stakeholders are further discussed in light of the related literature. This study suggests that scholars interested in women's careers in under-researched developing nations need to further integrate the agentic process – and the role played by women's individual agency in constructing their careers as they respond to institutional mandates – into their career models in more details. Similarly, multinational companies currently operating or interested in expanding their operations to the developing Arab Middle East region should incorporate these factors into their management and human resource practices.     

Why the UK saving ratio is unlikely to flip anytime soon

• ? With inflation down and wages rising, the outlook for consumer spending in the UK is brightening. But should households opt to boost savings, the mood could darken.
• ? We think a meaningful rise in the saving ratio from its recent record lows is unlikely, though. Austerity may be easing, but the drag from fiscal policy is still set to limit households’ savings resources, while the durability of the current expansion may reduce the motivation for precautionary saving.
• ? What's more, any rise in interest rates on savings accounts will probably be even slower than the modest pace we expect for Bank Rate. And with the demographic shift toward an older, less thrifty, population, the appetite of households to save looks set to remain subdued.

     

An examination of factors impacting athlete alumni donations to their alma mater: a case study of a U.S. university

• It has been suggested that athlete alumni do not give as generously as they could to their alma maters. Athlete alumni may feel they have given enough to their schools by playing sports, and they may feel greater loyalty to their former sports teams than their alma maters. Drawing on social exchange theory, this study investigated whether such attitudes among athlete alumni at a U.S. university were related to lifetime donations. Results indicate:
  • the quality of alumni's athletic experience and the perception that they have already given to their school by playing sports are predictive of giving amount.
  • similar to the general alumni donor, the variables of age, income, and geography were also found to be related to giving level.
• Universities and colleges may need to develop specialized marketing communications programs to mitigate athlete alumni's perceptions of not needing to donate because they competed for their school. Implications for universities and other nonprofit organizations are offered.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The MPC is on the verge,but a hike would be a mistake

• ? In light of the MPC's recent signalling, we now think that November's meeting will deliver a 25 basis points rise in Bank Rate. But the case for tighter monetary policy is weak even by the Committee's own criteria. This article sets out six reasons why we think that the MPC is on the verge of making an error.
• ? A chorus of hawkish comments from MPC members suggests that the Committee's next meeting on 2 November will announce a rise in Bank Rate, a 10‐year first. Granted, the MPC has ‘cried wolf’ before. But this time around the rhetoric has been much stronger. And the Committee has set the bar for a hike very low. Moreover, with inflation likely to peak soon and then decline through 2018, November would offer a good opportunity, presentationally at least, to go for a hike.
• ? But caution should temper the Committee. The MPC cites “a continued erosion of slack and a gradual rise in underlying inflationary pressure ” in support of its view. However, while the unemployment rate has fallen below the Bank's ‘equilibrium’ estimate, the Bank has history in being compelled to progressively cut that estimate. With the jobless rate still well above post‐war lows and worker power cowed, joblessness could fall further without threatening inflation.
• ? Meanwhile, the rise in underlying inflationary pressure that should follow from diminishing slack is absent. The MPC's claim that pay growth is picking up is tenuous and conflicts with recent survey evidence from the Bank's own regional Agents. In any case, the idea that faster pay growth threatens higher inflation has surprisingly weak foundations.
• ? Admittedly, a small rate rise, in itself, would slow growth only modestly. But the message sent by such an action risks pushing the economy further into a low growth expectations trap. And the Bank has alternative tools for dealing with the adverse side‐effects of ultra‐low rates. A rate rise in November would be a mistake.

     

Economic Background to the Coal Dispute

This Briefing Paper attempts to explain the economic forces behind the decline of the coal industry. The main findings (presented in the order in which the argument is developed) are:

• 1 Coal output has been declining throughout this century. This decline accelerated in the 1950s and 1960s when coal was faced with competition from oil.
• 2 The decline was arrested by the the oil price increases of the 1970s which have allowed coal to establish and maintain a price advantage over alternative fuels. Despite this, coal has not increased its market share over the past decade.
• 3 Because of energy conservation, in response to the price increases of the 1970s, total energy demand has fallen over the past ten years.
• 4 With coal holding a stable share of a static market, the output projections for the industry drawn up in the 1970s including those in the 1974 “Plan for Coal” are now totally outdated.
• 5 Even if total energy demand were to expand, there would not necessarily be increased demand for British coal, which is more expensive to produce at the margin than alternative sources of supply (from the US, South Africa and Australia).
• 6 Home-produced coal enjoys some natural protection from overseas competition because of high transport costs. In addition there is a tax on fuel oil and informal restrictions on imports. These partially insulate the domestic price of coal from changes in the world price.
• 7 The cost of producing coal has risen substantially in real terms since 1973-4, despite a major investment programme. Productivity has risen slightly faster than the national average, but wages and non-wage costs have risen very much faster.
• 8 The upward pressure on costs has come partly from the mineworkers' climb from twelfth to first or second place in the wages' league; and partly from the failure to close non-economic pits fast enough.
• 9 This pressure on costs meant that by 1981-2 less than half of the industry's total output was produced at profitable pits, which employed only 65,000 mineworkers.
• 10 There is a large tranche of marginally uneconomic pits which may be unprofitable one year but profitable another, and there is a strong case for keeping such pits open.
• 11 The number of pits which are profitable at the margin is very sensitive to movements in costs. I f mineworkers' wages had risen only in line with the national average for manufacturing over the period 1973-4 to 1981-2, the number of jobs in profitable pits would have been 95,000 rather than 65,000.
• 12 The subsidy per man in the most inefficient pit in 1981-2 was of the order of £14000. The subsidy per man in the marginal pit at break-even point for the industry as a whole was nearly £5000.
• 13 Under a cash limit system every pound spent on subsidising miners is a pound less available to spend elsewhere. Subsidising coal miners is a costly way of preserving jobs compared with alternatives.

     

What's in new BoE boss Bailey's in-tray?

• ▀ The new BoE governor takes the job at a time when the economy is struggling to generate momentum. His first big call will be over whether the central bank should continue its divergent stance of resisting calls to loosen policy.
• ▀ With little room to support the economy with interest rate cuts, the next downturn could force the MPC to dive deeper into the use of unconventional monetary policy tools with all the uncertainties and controversies that implies.
• ▀ Governor Bailey will also need to tackle new problems, including the run-down of the BoE's balance sheet, overseeing the financial sector's future post-Brexit, and pressures to address climate change.
• ▀ But with the new governor bound by the BoE's remit, and fiscal and microeconomic policy likely to play a bigger role in stabilising the economy, the economic significance of the position should not be overstated.

     

‘Surfing on the ironing board’ – the representation of women's entrepreneurship in German newspapers

Despite extensive attempts to enhance women's entrepreneurship in Germany, a gender gap continues to exist. This article sets out to analyse the representation of women's entrepreneurship in German media, by analysing how it is depicted in newspapers and how this changes over time. Images transported in media might regulate the nature of women's entrepreneurship, as they contain information about ‘typical’ and ‘socially desirable’ behaviour of women as well as of entrepreneurs. This article contributes to developing an understanding of the relevance of media representation of the entrepreneurship phenomenon for influencing the propensity towards entrepreneurial activity.