Does studying the past help us understand the future? an examination of the expectations of Gen X knowledge workers

Abstract

Three demographic realities (large baby boom cohort, increasing longevity, declining birthrates) are driving unprecedented global shifts in population age distribution and require organizations wishing to attract, retain and engage mid-career, potentially disenfranchised talent in the 35 to 45-year-old age bracket (i.e. ‘Gen X’) to rethink management practices. This situation motivated the present research – a multi-method case study of Gen X knowledge workers that theoretically develops and uses objectivist grounded theory data analysis methodology to empirically test a typology describing possible subgroups within this cohort of employees who differ in terms of their formative experiences in the labor market. Analysis of data identified four subgroups within our sample of Gen X knowledge workers which share various similarities but also differ dramatically concerning what they expect from and how they view their current employer. Findings support the idea that different formative labor market experiences can result in generational sub-cohorts who want different things from employers and perceive the world differently. These findings can be used by researchers to launch further study of other potential subgroups in Gen X and other generational cohorts, and to organizations and practitioners in developing more effective recruitment and retention strategies for Gen X knowledge workers.     

Transformative service research and service design: synergistic effects in healthcare

ABSTRACT

This conceptual paper answers the question: How do we design service experiences in whole to increase the well-being of all participants in the healthcare system – patients, families, and caregivers? In order to do so, we position service design as an essential tool and even a mindset needed for transformative service research success. We discuss the transformative role service design plays in improving service and consumer entities’ well-being with a focus on how this approach can lead to improved healthcare service outcomes. We also add to the conversation surrounding service and consumer entities’ well-being by broadening the concept and application of service design to consider social, existential, psychological, and physical well-being. We particularly explore how healthcare services can benefit from further consumer engagement and collaborative patient–provider relationships, two key factors essential for redesigning the industry.     

Smart specialization in regional innovation systems: a quadruple helix perspective

This article explores Robotdalen, a smart specialization initiative in the region of Mälardalen, Sweden, and its impact on regional innovation systems (RIS). The Robotdalen initiative, with the goal to create a regional center for robotics, was established based on the triple helix innovation systems model of industry, university, and government interaction. This paper aims to understand the dynamic interactions of the smart specialization strategy in relation to the RIS. It also includes the perspective of the fourth helix, which contains civil society and users. To date, there has been a scarcity of research which explores the challenges of quadruple helix models from a micro perspective to understand their complexity. To address this, a single case study approach is taken, which includes a longitudinal perspective of 10 years (2007–2016). The analysis includes micro activities explored from a strategizing perspective. The research contributes by identifying three strategic practices that have evolved over time for Robotdalen. It also presents an empirical operationalization of the fourth helix, as well discusses the arrival of the fourth helix perspective.     

Undergraduate business students’ perceptions about engagement

Student perceived engagement and student perceived learning are important concepts in today’s higher education classroom environment. Examining engagement from the students’ perspective is an important aspect to understand more about this multidimensional construct as a tool for active learning. A survey was administered to undergraduate business students to gain insight into multiple factors influencing perceived engagement. Students felt that engagement was enhanced by discussion of current events, positive instructor demeanor, and putting effort into course content. The survey revealed four groups of variables: student connection, pedagogical methods, classroom environment, and student motivation. Multidimensionality of this construct was supported, as well as the need to understand engagement from the learners’ perspective.     

Power logics of consumers’ gendered (in)justices: reading reproductive health interventions through the transformative gender justice framework

ABSTRACT

Global gender asymmetries in marketing and consumer behavior were recently exemplified by the Transformative Gender Justice Framework (TGJF). The TGJF, however, lacks an explicit reference to power – an aspect that becomes apparent when it is used to assess a consumer phenomenology. In this article we augment the TGJF by building out the power logics and by empirically testing it through an assessment of the reproductive market in Uganda. We capture macro-, meso-, and micro-level power asymmetries, and explore how bio-power and control over resources melds with local gender relations and agentic practices that (i) leave social marketing efforts misaligned with embodied realities, and (ii) result in dichotomies and tensions in the reproductive health market as the North–South strive to define the modern-traditional, medical-pleasurable, and women-men nature of contraceptives.     

There is power in a union? Union members' preferences and the conditional effect of labour unions on left parties in different welfare state programmes

This article studies the effect of labour unions on policy-making in six different parts of the welfare state (passive and active labour market policy, employment protection, old-age pensions, health care and education) in OECD countries after 1980 with a two-level strategy: At the micro-level, we investigate union members’ preferences. Ordered logit regression analyses indicate that union members favour generous social policies more strongly than non-members. Moreover, this effect is stronger for programmes closely related to the labour market than for programmes without a strong labour market link. At the macro-level, we investigate the conditional effect of unions on left parties expecting the former to push the left towards more generous labour market-related (but not towards less-labour market-related) programmes. Regression analyses essentially provide evidence for such a relationship. Overall, unions have been powerful in promoting their members’ social policy preferences via left parties in government but their power is recently vanishing.     

Can Empathy Explain Gender Differences in Economic Policy Views in the United States?

This paper shows that different levels of empathy of men and women explain the well-documented gender differences in interventionist government economic policy views in the United States. Using the Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to measure empathy, the study finds that more empathic people support more interventionist policies. While greater empathy leads both men and women to support more government action, there is no gender difference in the effects of empathy on policy views. When policy views are separated by area, gender differences on policies concerning poverty, inequality, and social welfare disappear once empathy is accounted for, though they persist in views on free markets.     

The impact of firm size on bank debt use

I use a sample of US firms to examine the determinants of the concentration of bank debt in total debt. The results indicate that the factors vary by size of the firm. A small- to medium-sized firm has a high concentration of bank debt when it has a low level of discretionary spending. In contrast, a large firm has a high concentration of bank debt when it is difficult for outsiders to observe. The results support the Diamond [J Polit Econ 99 (1991) 689] reputation view that a firm faces different debt choices as it grows. When evaluating bank regulations, policymakers should consider the importance of the reputation-building services, which a bank provides to businesses.     

'We're all Human Resource Managers Now': Local Government Middle Managers

In the context of the much-publicised moves within local government from traditional Personnel Management to new Human Resource Management (HRM) systems, this article explores the extent to which line managers' day-to-day people management practices had changed as a consequence of their local authority's formal adoption of HRM policies. While many of these managers had made real and substantial changes in their people management activities, it was nevertheless clear that barriers remained to the full realization of the HRM ideal, with potentially adverse consequences for the managers' motivation and performance levels and for overall organizational effectiveness.     

The Reverse Favourite–longshot Bias and Market Efficiency in Major League Baseball: An Update

Racetrack and sports betting markets have been researched extensively with respect to the question of market efficiency. In contrast to the consistently observed favourite–longshot bias found in racetrack betting markets, it has been shown that gamblers in the market for Major League Baseball games reveal the opposite behaviour. This paper updates the previous study with ten years of additional data for the 1990–99 seasons. The strength of the reverse favourite–longshot bias is virtually identical to the original paper. The result suggests that, contrary to most reported inefficiencies in gambling markets, this bias appears to be permanent.