Forms of capital and career benefits of the MBA in china and the UK

This paper sets out the results of a research project which compares benefits from the MBA in China and the UK. Drawing on and modifying Bourdieu’s forms of capital theory, it highlights areas of commonality and difference. In particular it demonstrates that some forms of capital (e.g. institutional, social) transcend national boundaries and are equally valued in both contexts. Significant differences emerge within categories of cultural capital with Chinese respondents placing a higher value on more technical and UK respondents placing a higher value on personal and interpersonal skill components. Implications for the transferability of Western based management education to China are evaluated and discussed

The evaluation of CSR and social value practices among uk commercial and social enterprises

Objective: The purpose of this article is to evaluate the scope of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and ‘Social Value Initiatives’ (SVIs) among corporations. Nowadays, CSR provides firms with an opportunity to provide community social need through discretionary corporate practices. This article contributes to knowledge on how firms approach social and environmental sustainability while maintaining economic responsibility. Research Design & Methods: This article adopts analysis based on secondary data from UK based companies. Fifty companies’ websites and policy documents (30 commercial enterprises and 20 social enterprises) were researched to identify the patterns of practices of SVIs and factors that influence the practices among companies. Findings: The findings suggest that both social and commercial enterprises focus on the adoption of the ‘CSR’ practices based on the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ (TBL) as defined in the ‘Elkington, 1997 framework’ of economic, environmental and social sustainability. The difference is that while the ‘SVIs’ of commercial enterprises develop as an operational strategy at the later stages of the business, the ‘SVIs’ of social enterprises are embedded during the enterprise creation stage. Implications & Recommendations: Based on the findings, this article develops a conceptual ‘Social Value Initiatives’ framework which forms the domain of social value practices. We suggest that future studies should focus on adopting qualitative-ori-ented primary research to explore CSR approaches, which will capture the views of management, customers, employees and shareholders. Contribution & Value Added: Despite its limitations, this article contributes to the knowledge on CSR and social value practices among social and commercial enterprises. © 2018, Cracow University of Economics. All rights reserved

Exploring the psychological contract of black British clerical workers in UK local authorities

This paper investigates the nature of the psychological contract (PC) of black Brit-ish workers in UK local authorities. Psychological contract describes an individual employee‘s perception concerning the terms and conditions of an exchange agreement between the employer and the employee (Conway and Briner, 2005). The primary focus of this research is on the individual employee‘s perspectives and not the organization‘s. The research is based on the experiences of the black British clerical workers, who have been deployed at various departments across ten UK local authorities. This research employed a qualitative method adopted from Creswell (2003). Thirty-eight interviews were conducted in ten different UK local authorities and the data was transcribed and analysed in a manner informed by the Glaser and Strauss (1990) concept of grounded theory approach. The result of this research concludes that the black British clerical workers have endorsed five distinct reasons why they joined local authorities. In addition, this research concludes that the black British clerical workers‘ response to the psycho-logical contract violations were influenced and constrained by four main societal factors, these including: (1) outside support (2) economic conditions (3) black ex-tended family and (4) educational qualification. Overall, the findings of this re-search support the notion that the black British clerical worker‘s psychological contract is uniquely different from other staff members‘, for which there has been no study done in the UK, until now.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The Influence of Organisational Culture on Leadership Style in Higher Education Institutions

Purpose – This study aims to explore the impact of organisational culture on leadership styles in Nigerian universities. The study utilises cultural dimensions theory (Hofstede’s insights) and the social exchange concept as theoretical lenses to examine the phenomena. Design/methodology/approach – Using a qualitative approach, 40 interviews were conducted with senior academics and non-teaching staff working in Nigerian universities. Findings – The findings reveal hierarchical, patriarchal, servile, and interdependent values as the underlying characteristics of organisation culture, shaping the choice of leadership styles in the management of Nigerian universities. As a result, it emerged from the study that positional, formalised exchanges, paternalism, relational approach, and gendered reactions to leadership were typically adopted in university administration in this context. Limitations/implications – The study relies on a small qualitative sample size, which makes the generalisation of findings difficult. However, the study provides a good understanding of cultural hegemony, framing leadership styles different to those of western cultures. Originality/value – The findings of this study help to bridge the research gap concerning the implications of organisational culture, and its influence on leadership behaviours in the Sub-Saharan African context. Research within this subfield in Africa is rare. Specifically, the study also enriches our understanding of cultural dimensions, informing the leadership methods adopted in higher education institutions

Transient, unsettling and creative space: Experiences of liminality through the accounts of Chinese students on a UK-based MBA

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ The Author(s) 2009.This article explores the experiences of liminality through the accounts of Chinese students on a UK-based MBA programme. The transient nature of the MBA experience, as well as the international status of the Chinese student, is resonant with conceptualizations of liminality as ‘in between’ space. Based on semi-structured interviews with 20 MBA graduates who had subsequently returned to China with their qualification, we explored their perceptions of outcomes from the course and their experiences as international students on a programme imbued with western norms and values. Results support the unsettling yet creative implications of liminality, as well as the fragmented insecure nature of identities, as individuals pass through the MBA ‘rite of passage’ in terms of ‘becoming’ a manager and entering a new phase of career. Accounts suggest the creation of hierarchical structures within liminal space whereby Chinese students, through their positioning at the margin, have uncomfortable yet illuminating encounters with alterity. At the same time, they experience levels of ambiguity and uncertainty in the post-liminal phase of China-located employments, as new western-based managerial identities collide with dominant discourses of Chinese organization

The Influence of Organisational Culture on Leadership Style in Higher Education Institutions

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited allows authors to deposit their AAM under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial International Licence 4.0 (CC BY-NC 4.0). Any reuse is allowed in accordance with the terms outlined by the licence. To reuse the AAM for commercial purposes, permission should be sought by contacting [email protected]

The effect of computer software interaction on students cognitive abilities enhancement: the case of engineering educators’ perspective

In this digital age, the deployment of modern technology in the workplace to mitigate global challenges has become paramount. Therefore, the academic program, as accredited by the regulatory and accreditation bodies, is to ensure the production of quality industry-ready engineering graduates. These products are expected to be technology savvy and proficiently skilled in using computer software (CS) for productivity towards engineering activities. Unfortunately, there exists a gap in the quality of the graduates produced by tertiary engineering institutions in the developing world. This gap can be associated with the lack of computational thinking (CT) skills to meet the industry needs in this age of IR 4.0. Therefore, the paper reports the engineering educators' perceived contributions and gains achieved while employing computer software in the course of instruction towards the cognitive ability enhancement of the engineering students. It provides an in-depth exploratory inquiry into the deployment of CT and its impacts in engineering education while focusing on its integration at what level in the course of study. The research follows a phenomeno-graphic research approach explored the experiences of engineering educators from different engineering disciplines in the higher education institutions, namely chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering, to gain valuable insights. Data collected through a semi-structured, in-depth interview was coded using NVivo 12 CAQDAS and analysed for relevant themes. The findings indicate a significant potential benefit of enhanced cognitive abilities leading to the development of special knowledge, generic intellectual abilities, and personal attributes. In addition, the integration of CS should be the focus of instruction at the most appropriate level of study to allow for considerable exposure to CS to achieve the desired learning outcome. These findings have direct implications on the engineering educators and students, engineering faculties, and other stakeholders

Christocentric ecotheology and climate change

Christocentric ecotheology is a concept that examines ecological phenomena from Christian theological perspective. This research was therefore required to examine the theological implications of climate change with the aim of bridging the gaps between theological and scientific interpretation of the events. Comparative phenomenological methodology was adopted in view of the fact that theological interpreta-tions of events needed to be compared with scientific ideas so as to ascertain the meeting point. The re-search noted that the areas of variance between theological beliefs and climate change are as a result of wrong interpretation of theological events.This article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojpp.2013.31A02

Christocentric Ecotheology and Climate Change

Abstract Christocentric ecotheology is a concept that examines ecological phenomena from Christian theological perspective. This research was therefore required to examine the theological implications of climate change with the aim of bridging the gaps between theological and scientific interpretation of the events. Comparative phenomenological methodology was adopted in view of the fact that theological interpretations of events needed to be compared with scientific ideas so as to ascertain the meeting point. The research noted that the areas of variance between theological beliefs and climate change are as a result of wrong interpretation of theological events

Introduction to entrepreneurship/intrapreneurship

Understanding human behaviour is central to our understanding of the concept of entrepreneurship. Hence, entrepreneurship had variously been defined from various perspectives by many scholars through business process approach, identification and assessment of opportunities, decision making, obtaining resources and the development of business strategy. In addition to introducing the meaning of some concepts like entrepreneur or entrepreneurship, perspectives of entrepreneurship and theories of entrepreneurship, this introductory chapter conceptualize issues concerning enterprising person, opportunity creation, entrepreneurial action, and entrepreneurial spirit or behaviour. The critical learning objectives includes (1) to introduce the concept of entrepreneurship and explain the entrepreneurial process; (2) to describe the theories of entrepreneurship; (3) to highlight the factors that influence entrepreneurial behaviour; (4) to develop the Characteristics and skills required to be successful entrepreneurs; and (5) to introduce the biographies of current / past entrepreneurs in Nigeria