Towards predicting employee turnover using a relational perspective: Adapting mixed-methods from marital research

Although workforce changes can have beneficial aspects, organisations with high turnover are significantly outperformed by rivals. Indeed, employee turnover can have adverse effects on both the employing organisation and the leaving employees. The exte nsive literature on turnover has identified many factors leading to unwanted employee turnover, however existing methods of predicting if and when turnover will occur rarely offer accuracy greater than 50%

The use of grounded theory in research: knowledge sharing in the Australian Film Industry

Selecting the most appropriate research method is one of the most difficult problems facing a researcher. Grounded Theory is presented here as a method of choice as it is. This paper tracks a Grounded Theory research project undertaken to study the phenomena of collaboration and knowledge sharing in the Australian Film Industry. The detailed, rigorous, and systematic approach of the theory Grounded Theory also permits flexibility and freedom rendering Grounded Theory suitable for the investigation of complex multifaceted phenomena. Grounded Theory is also well equipped to explore socially related issues. This cha pter describes the techniques, utility, and ease of use of grounded theory, discussing them in a practical sense to assist potential users in applying the method

Embedding MOOCs in academic programs as a part of curriculum transformation: a pilot case study

The University of Wollongong’s first locally developed and hosted Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) “The Reluctant Mathematician” was a highly scaffolded MOOC designed to support stressed and low-efficacy maths learners. It was developed to lift maths skills at our university and also in the community – where maths skills continue to be a challenge and in some cases a source of stress. Internally the MOOC provided an alternative online way to support students who struggle with mathematics at university level, and as a complement to the existing face to face services. This paper describes a successful approach to using MOOCs not only for addressing skills shortage among university students, but also to engage staff in the hybrid learning aspects of curriculum transformation. Based on a small-scale pilot, the paper describes the narrative of engagement of academics, and highlights the main elements which were conducive to their engagement in selecting and using the MOOC as a support for an assignment in their curriculum. A framework is proposed educators who are interested in using MOOCs for a similar purpose

APPLYING ATTRIBUTION THEORY TO IS RESEARCH AS A PRACTICAL METHOD FOR ASSESSING POST-ADOPTION BEHAVIOUR

Researchers and practitioners alike see great valu in understanding the implementation, adoption, and use of technology, and acknowledge the need to better understand post-adoption behaviour. Among theories that explain and predict human behaviour, attribution theory is recognised for its extensive investigation of behaviour´s antecedents and consequnces. This paper provides an overview of the theory, suggests a practical method for using it in IS contexts, and shows evidence that this method provides meaningful results. In order to address the complexities encountered in field-work, this paper argus that system-usage can be treated as an interpersonal relationship between the user and the system. This perspective allows us to draw on extensive knowledge gained in the field of interpersonal relationships research, in particular a relationship diagnostics method that uses interview data, followed by an analysis of the attributions mentioned in the interviews. The paper provides evidence from a study that successfully used attribution theory in this way to investigate a non-interpersonal relationship “ an employee-organisation relationship. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research in IS based on this method

Rights, Respect and Responsibilities Online - Reflections and Efficacy

Demands for moral development are increasing in business and professional training. Mixed results of diversity training programs in the higher education sector suggest that innovative approaches are required for preparing students to become morally upright leaders and teachers. This research looks at the implementation of an online interactive tutorial that focuses on students working and learning together with others from a variety of diverse backgrounds. The study comprises a three-year investigation on the attitudes and understandings of students prior to a group work assessment task, and after completing the online tutorial. First year primary education students (n=594) completed pre- and post-surveys on their perspective of working with others, with a moderating educational intervention. Results revealed mixed views about the value of the program to this generation of students. We make suggestions for institutions of higher education to consider when creating diversity training and support for university students

Unhappy workplaces look a lot like unhappy marriages, new research shows

Not all negativity in the workplace is a bad sign. Common sense says employees who describe their workplace in negative terms are the ones that are more likely to leave it, but new research shows this isn\u27t the case

Attribution theory: untangling the relationship between management and workers

Attribution theory deals with how and why people form an opinion about the reasons for an event or observation (Winkler 2010). This theory is based on the idea that perception is the foundation of human understanding, sensemaking, and behaviour. This theory claims that people develop explanations for the behaviours of others, similarly to how scientists try to understand the world. The theory asserts that people\u27s opinions are formed based on how they perceive the behaviour and the reality surrounding it. This explanation, the attribution, is based on how the observing person perceives a cause for the actor\u27s behaviour

Guiding the use of Grounded Theory in Doctoral studies – an example from the Australian film industry

Selecting the most appropriate research method is one of the most difficult problems facing a doctoral researcher. Grounded Theory is presented here as a method of choice as it is detailed, rigorous, and systematic, yet it also permits flexibility and freedom. Grounded Theory offers many benefits to research in Information Systems as it is suitable for the investigation of complex multifaceted phenomena. It is also well equipped to explore socially related issues. Despite existing criticism, it is a rigorous and methodical research approach capable of broadening the perceptions of those in the research community. This paper provides detailed and practical guidelines that illustrate the techniques, utility, and ease of use of grounded theory, especially as these apply to information systems based research. This paper tracks a Grounded Theory research project undertaken to study the phenomena of collaboration and knowledge sharing in the Australian Film Industry. It uses this to illustrate and emphasize salient points to assist potential users in applying the method. The very practical approach shared in this paper provides a focused critique rendering it a valuable contribution to the discussion of methods of analysis in the IS sphere, particularly grounded theory

Suggesting a practical agenda for Green IS - recent solutions within a framework of efficiency, information, and effectiveness

Awareness of environmental sustainability and ecological issues is growing, and different industry sectors are seeking ways to address them effectively. The Information Systems (IS) community is in a position to make a significant contribution to environmental efforts, not only by mitigating its own impact, but also by guiding the activities of other communities. To support environmental efforts, or to become more ―Green‖, several Green fields and research streams have emerged. Previous Green IT research focused on mitigating and reducing the impact of IT production and manufacturing, whereas Green IS research has the ability to re-design modern activities to support environmental efforts. This abstract reviews the state-of-the-art of Green IS research, and lists categories of IS solutions for environmental issues. A major contribution of this abstract is a suggested research agenda for Green IS

Informing implementers of lean strategy in process industries - the central role of schedulers

Lean strategy has been recognized for its benefits to discrete manufacturing industries world-wide. However, implementing Lean strategy in process industries has proven difficult. In an at-tempt to address this problem, this paper identifies scheduler’s decisions as crucial to the success-ful execution of Lean strategy. The paper examines existing descriptions of schedulers and their roles, in search of their potential impact on this execution. Using a case study from the Austra-lian steel industry, empirical evidence shows that schedulers are critical to the success of Lean strategy. Two paths of impact are suggested: (1) schedulers’ role as negotiators and facilitators of business operations, and (2) schedulers’ discretion and prioritization of business needs. The pa-per concludes with suggestions for further research on ways to support schedulers’ execution of Lean strategy