Sustaining competing professional identities: Measuring action learning 'outcomes' in an educational context.

This paper builds on an initial investigation of the process of action learning in a university Management School in New Zealand, where the focus is on sustainability and innovation. Students are encouraged to engage with entrepreneurial practice and develop critical thinking skills. In this study, we recognise the impact of the organisational context both on our own professional practice as teaching staff and on learning outcomes for staff and students. The emergent nature of action learning outcomes makes the measurement of their effectiveness problematic. Research questions cannot be determined at the outset but are generated in consultation with the research participants. Despite aiming to be collaborative, our focus groups and interviews made explicit the tensions existing in the professional identities of staff. Their expert knowledge as researchers and teachers was challenged by an action learning approach. Consequently, this paper is an example of ongoing critical reflective practice. We conclude that measuring the effectiveness of action learning outcomes is context-dependent and consider the implications for the teaching of critical management studies. The process of action learning must be considered a key outcome. Individual reflection on professional identity and practice may be as important as the organisational learning and explicit knowledge gained

Building an excellent foundation for research: Challenges and current research needs

The delivery of research-informed education is a fundamental principle held by universities and is a principle that work-integrated education (WIL) should not be exempt from. In the 1980s and 1990s, critical reviews of the WIL literature suggested WIL research required significant development. Since these reviews were conducted a significant, well-developed body of literature has formed and increasingly WIL models of delivery are relying on research findings to inform program design. However, despite these successes, significant challenges and research gaps still exist. Authors in this APJCE special issue have given attention to a number of areas that present as challenges. The area of negative and neglected research findings are highlighted and the reexamining the nature of the relationship between the student and workplace supervisor has been discussed. A model of enabling transformative learning is presented and an investigation of the influence of WIL experiences on undergraduate student study direction choices has been reported. Other areas in need of further research attention are also discussed

Expatriates’ influence on knowledge sharing: an empirical study with International portuguese companies

Despite the abundant literature in knowledge management, few empirical studies have explored knowledge management in connection with international assignees. This phenomenon has a special relevance in the Portuguese context, since (a) there are no empirical studies concerning this issue that involves international Portuguese companies; (b) the national business reality is incipient as far as internationalisation is concerned, and; (c) the organisational and national culture presents characteristics that are distinctive from the most highly studied contexts (e.g., Asia, USA, Scandinavian countries, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Germany, England and Russia). We examine the role of expatriates in transfer and knowledge sharing within the Portuguese companies with operations abroad. We focus specifically on expatriates’ role on knowledge sharing connected to international Portuguese companies and our findings take into account organizational representatives’ and expatriates’ perspectives. Using a comparative case study approach, we examine how three main dimensions influence the role of expatriates in knowledge sharing among headquarters and their subsidiaries (types of international assignment, reasons for using expatriation and international assignment characteristics). Data were collected using semi‐structured interviews to 30 Portuguese repatriates and 14 organizational representatives from seven Portuguese companies. The findings suggest that the reasons that lead Portuguese companies to expatriating employees are connected to: (1) business expansion needs; (2) control of international operations and; (3) transfer and knowledge sharing. Our study also shows that Portuguese companies use international assignments in order to positively respond to the increasingly decaying domestic market in the economic areas in which they operate. Evidence also reveals that expatriation is seen as a strategy to fulfill main organizational objectives through their expatriates (e.g., business internationalization, improvement of the coordination and control level of the units/subsidiaries abroad, replication of aspects of the home base, development and incorporation of new organizational techniques and processes). We also conclude that Portuguese companies have developed an International Human Resources Management strategy, based on an ethnocentric approach, typically associated with companies in early stages of internationalization, i.e., the authority and decision making are centered in the home base. Expatriates have a central role in transmitting culture and technical knowledge from company’s headquarters to the company’s branches. Based on the findings, the article will discuss in detail the main theoretical and managerial implications. Suggestions for further research will also be presented

Cosmopolitans and Locals: Status Rivalries, Deference, and Knowledge in International Teams

Drawing on sociological role theory, this chapter introduces and explains the distinction between cosmopolitan and local role orientations as status categories in international teams. Qualitative data from a multi-method field study conducted at a leading international development agency illustrate that the high status of cosmopolitans and locals in this setting was based on expectations that these team members would enable their teams to more effectively interpret knowledge obtained from outside sources. The possible dynamics of status rivalry and deference in teams with cosmopolitan and local membership are explored, and their implications for team performance are addressed. Status in groups thus is viewed as both contested and contingent on the situation

Publishing cooperative and work-integrated education literature: The Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education

The Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education (APJCE) was founded in 1999, with the first volume published in 2000. The journal strongly adhered to the philosophy of having freely and readily accessible information, and opted to be a free, fully online, open access journal. Over the last 12 years, the journal has grown and has become well-established in the cooperative (co-op) and work-integrated learning (WIL) community. The number of publications per year has steadily increased and the number of submissions has shown strong growth, especially in the last three years. APJCE articles are increasingly cited in other journals and significant book publications, and both its author and user bases have become more international. This article will discuss the advantages from the APJCE perspective of being an open access journal and provide an analysis of the growth of APJCE. The article will also discuss the performance of the journal in the context of co-op/WIL literature internationally and discuss some recent developments for the journal

STREAM Journal, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp 1-18. January-March 2004

CONTENTS: Creating understanding and ownership of collaborative research results through ‘learning by doing,’ by Robert Arthur and Caroline Garaway. Fish culture, farming, markets and promotion: an integrated, sustainable approach to aquaculture and rural development, by Pen Rotha and Brendan Boucher. Fisheries policy reform impact assessment in Cambodia: understanding policy and poor people, by Philip Townsley and Sem Viryak. “Shrimp Hero” Phan The Phuong, by Ngo Minh Khoi. Coral farming in Vietnam, by Nguyen Viet Vinh. The global fisheries market: can rural poor people benefit? Issues raised by STREAM Media Monitoring Reports, by Paul Bulcock

Energizing entrepreneurs: Resourceful communities and economic pathways

INTRODUCTION This paper illustrates the relevance for the non-profit sector of moving beyond its traditional roles into entrepreneurial community economic development. Its approach aligns with conceptualizations of sustainability through the self-help galvanization and development of enterprise opportunities, education pathways, and labour market outcomes for the community, by the community. METHOD It develops the concept of social entrepreneurship as a hybrid form between private, non-profit, and public sectors, in line with examples of non-profit organizations with entrepreneurial offshoots, generating revenue for the organization’s social objectives. ANALYSIS The article operationalizes these ideas through the design, creation, roll-out, and achievement of a community enterprise incubation program for urban Polynesians in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It examines the challenges, how they were resolved, and analyzes how both challenges and reforms contribution to the body of knowledge. RESULTS Through the project’s demonstrable initial successes, the authors argue that it offers clear signposts to government, the public sector, and the private sector in how to move beyond simple capacity building to sustainable enterprises and by entrepreneurs in the community who have been created, energized, and given experience by participation in the process. They present the project as a prototype on how to resource community groups and organizations embarking on their community economic development journeys and how to liberate the self-motivating entrepreneurial energies of communities

Integrated reporting: A structured literature review

This paper reviews the field of integrated reporting () to develop insights into how research is developing, offer a critique of the research to date, and outline future research opportunities. We find that most published research presents normative arguments for and there is little research examining practice. Thus, we call for more research that critiques ’s rhetoric and practice. To frame future research we refer to parallels from intellectual capital research that identifies four distinct research stages to outline how research might emerge. Thus, this paper offers an insightful critique into an emerging accounting practice

Exploring good practice knowledge transfer related to post tsunami housing re-construction in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka was badly affected by the tsunami that occurred on 26th December 2004. The tsunami destroyed about two-thirds of the Sri Lankan coastline and affected more than 1,000,000 people. It does not only affected the lives of the community, but also had a devastating effect on their housing and livelihoods. The overall loss of 100,000 or more houses due to the tsunami proved to be a major challenge to the emergency response teams and disaster planners. Although several major disasters of varying magnitudes have occurred in the world, the body of knowledge related to post-disaster housing reconstruction and rehabilitation appears fragmented and poorly integrated. This paper attempts to fill this theoretical gap by focusing on the extent to which good practice knowledge transfer helps in overcoming this problem for more effective and efficient delivery of post-tsunami housing in Sri Lanka. The paper applied knowledge transfer principles within the context of the two housing reconstruction strategies employed in post-tsunami housing reconstruction in Sri Lanka; namely donor-driven housing and owner driven housing. The results of this study reveal that the knowledge transfer within this context cannot be simply copied and inserted from one context without any localisation. Therefore, the paper proposes a high-level abstraction of the core principles of community engagement through participatory techniques associated with appropriate capacity and capability building techniques that will enable the various stakeholders to create a new application to suit the appropriate context of the transfer destination (post-tsunami context in Sri Lanka)

Unlocking inhibitors to women’s expatriate careers: can job-related training provide a key?

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine what job-related training interventions female expatriates seek and can access in order to build necessary knowledge and skills to progress into further career-enhancing expatriate positions. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a cross-sectional qualitative research approach, drawing upon semi-structured interviews in respect of organisational training practice with 26 current female expatriates and nine Human Resource, International Assignments and Training Managers in two oil and gas exploration firms. Findings Budgets, time and travel restrictions, and competitive business pressures constrain on-the-job training provision for expatriates. Assignees require specific knowledge and skills ahead of appointment to subsequent expatriate positions. HR personnel believe training provides appropriate knowledge and capability development supporting women expatriates’ career ambitions. Women assignees view training available within their current roles as insufficient or irrelevant to building human capital for future expatriate posts. Research limitations/implications Longitudinal research across a wider spectrum of industries is needed to help understand the effects of training interventions on women’s access to future career-enhancing expatriation and senior management/leadership positions. Practical implications Organisations should ensure relevant technical skills training, clear responsibility for training provision, transparent and fair training allocation, positive communication regarding human capital outcomes, and an inclusive culture that promotes expatriate gender diversity. Originality/value Set within the framework of human capital theory, this study identifies the challenges that female expatriates experience when seeking relevant job-related training to further their expatriate careers. It identifies clear mismatches between the views of HR and female assignees in relation to the value of job-related training offered and women’s access to it