Can We Still be Friends? The Role of Exit Conversations in Facilitating Post‐Exit Relationships

Organizations might benefit from maintaining relationships with former employees, who could be rehired later or encouraged to refer job applicants and customers. We integrate the management literature on voluntary resignations and the communication literature on relationship dissolution to explore how conversations between an exiting employee and his or her manager facilitate (or constrain) post‐exit relationships. Employees who had recently resigned from full‐time jobs described their exit experiences in semistructured interviews with the research team. The results suggest two dominant patterns. When employees exited for external reasons (e.g., to pursue a program of study), they engaged in very direct communication strategies, elicited positive responses from their managers, and left with high interest in a post‐exit relationship. But when employees exited for internal reasons (problems within the employment relationship), they engaged in multiple exit cycles and moved from indirect communication strategies toward increasingly direct ones. Managerial responses to these strategies failed to capitalize on opportunities to nurture post‐exit relationships and sometimes generated a “vendetta effect” among exiting employees. The results suggest that managers might benefit from training in how to conduct effective exit conversations, particularly with employees who are leaving for internal reasons. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Sustainable rural livelihoods? Evaluating the potential of small‐scale aquaculture in the Western Cape

Rural unemployment is exacerbated by the decrease in demand for farm labour on commercial farms; therefore, alternative livelihood opportunities for rural dwellers require investigation. The production of fish inform dams offers such an opportunity. A research project was undertaken to evaluate the potential of small‐scale aquaculture to create sustainable rural livelihoods. An existing aquaculture project in De Dooms in the Western Cape was evaluated in terms of its ability to provide an alternative source of income and a cheap animal protein source. A needs assessment of the local community and an evaluation of the pilot project in terms of its potential to meet the identified needs were carried out. The results indicated that, subject to the implementation of the recommendations, the project has the potential to create sustainable livelihoods, but that sociopolitical issues should be accorded equal consideration to biotechnical and economic feasibility.     

Socio-economic Decline and Adaptation: South Yorkshire's Former Coalfields

Two decades after the year-long miners' strike of 1984/5, this paper presents a contemporary account of the social and economic situation faced by ex-miners in South Yorkshire, uncovering those factors that continue to inhibit new employment and adaptation following the contraction of the coal industry. Forty-one in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with men who had worked in the region's coal mining industry for varying periods of time. The interviews were designed to examine many of the problems that have emerged following deindustrialisation and assess appraisals of retraining provision and prospects for employment. Findings increase understanding of issues endemic to many former pit villages including continuing high levels of localised unemployment and disproportionately high numbers of incapacity benefit claimants. A greater understanding of the reluctance of individuals to adapt, retrain and seek new, alternative employment will lead to more successful methods of dealing with the problems associated with continuing economic inactivity in the region's former coalfield communities and has many important consequences for existing regeneration programmes and employment initiatives.     

EXAMINING ACCOUNTABILITY DIMENSIONS IN STATE‐OWNED ENTERPRISES

This paper examines accountability in the context of New Zealand's state‐owned enterprises (SOEs), and considers an accountability framework which extends beyond traditional (upward and outward) dimensions. While traditional accountability dimensions are clearly detailed in the legislation, less clear are the dilemmas and contradictions faced by SOEs, balancing multiple interests, and at times, conflicting objectives. These issues are explored through interviews conducted in two phases over a two year period with senior executives from 12 of the then 17 SOEs operating in New Zealand. Findings reveal a number of dimensions of accountability that extend beyond current conceptualisations of accountability in the public sector, often including multiple directions of accountability. Implications suggest the need for a more explicit framework of accountability relevant to the SOE context, which may serve useful in identifying potential pathways to conflict mitigation.     

Accounting for SGARAs: Towards Comparability and Consistency

The objectives of this study were to examine whether consistency and comparability has been achieved through the introduction of AASB 1037 and the subsequent adoption of AASB 141. We find that consistency in measurement methods has not been achieved through the introduction of a prescribed accounting method under AASB 1037 and is not likely to be achieved through the application of AASB 141. Consistency was found however in the application of measurement methods over time and, in particular, in these SGARA types of native forests and plantation timber. The study contributes to an understanding of the issues faced by Australian firms surrounding the processes leading to the introduction of a new accounting standard.     

Sustainability reporting by local government in Australia: Current and future prospects

Sustainability reporting research has historically focused on the corporate sector, with public sector research still very much in its infancy. This exploratory study extends such research in considering the current and future state of local government sustainability reporting in Australia. We utilized a mail survey instrument to collect data. We found that local government in Australia reports on aspects of sustainability, with 50% of respondents indicating that they report on at least one area of sustainability with social reporting being most prevalent. Reporting existed across an array of reports, with no standout reporting focus found. The future of sustainability reporting in local government looks promising, with almost 40% of current non-reporters indicating that they are likely to report in the future.