Maltese secondary school heads in the making

The key purpose of this paper is to present the findings of the Maltese study which is part of a collective research project involving four island states: Cyprus, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malta. The views and perspectives that a small group of secondary school heads bring to their life and work are outlined. The study adopts a biographical/portrait-based approach to understanding headship and thus provides us with new insights into the growing literature in the field. As such the paper briefly explores the career paths of the heads interviewed and focuses on the first two stages of their personal and professional lives – formation and accession. The views of heads are represented and the issues and concerns identified with leading schools in times of change are outlined. The study shows that family, family experiences and the community have an important part to play in influencing the lives of prospective leaders. The study also highlights the link between vicarious learning, continuous professional development and personal reflection.peer-reviewe

The research management profession within universities in small island states

The past fifty years have witnessed a widespread increase in the study of small states, including island studies; and the rise of the research management profession and its associated literature. Within a small island state context, the profession cannot be taken for granted, owing to smallness and other inherent characteristics of small island states. These characteristics may potentially re-shape the profession in a unique fashion and may influence the manner in which the roles of university research managers and administrators evolve in a small island state. So far, studies investigating the profession in the context of islands and small states have been lacking. This paper aims to instigate a discussion that hopefully inspires further studies about how the research manager’s role and profession may be re-shaped within small island states.peer-reviewe

Zbalji ortografici komuni fi-ezami tal-Malti tal-matrikola ordinarja

Ir-ricerka li pprezentajna fit-tezi Analizi tal-lzbalji, i-Aktar Dawk Ortografici, fl-Ezami tal-Malti I Matrikola Ordinarja, Gunju 1983, flimkien ma' l-istatistika u l-analizi dwar il- kitba bil-Malti fl-Ezami tal-Malti Matrikola Ordinaria (Mejju/Gunju 1983), jagntu njiel tal-livell u l-mentalita taz-zgnazagn fil-lingwa materna tagnhom.peer-reviewe

An examination of the relationship between authentic leadership and psychological well-being and the mediating role of meaningfulness at work

Previous studies have examined the relationship between charismatic-types of leadership and well-being but not specifically authentic leadership which gives importance to how leaders are intrinsically composed rather than mere behaviours. This study explored whether authentic leadership and well-being are related and whether meaningfulness of work mediates this relationship. Well-being was measured from two perspectives namely hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. 123 participants completed a questionnaire survey while correlational and mediation analyses, using the Sobel Z test with bootstrapped samples, were used to answer the research questions. Results revealed that authentic leadership is both related to subjective well-being and to flow. In addition, meaningfulness of work partially mediated the relationship between leadership and subjective well-being but fully mediated the relationship with flow. The results are discussed in view of their theoretical and practical implications. Finally, a series of limitations are provided to secure the interpretative boundaries of the results obtained.peer-reviewe

The public service as a 'performing organisation'

As Malta’s term to lead the EU Presidency between January and June 2017 is under way, the main political issues that are on the political agenda and that are ultimately discussed by the EU citizens are the immigration crisis and Brexit. Both issues are undermining the foundations of the European Union and had stalled the EU project of becoming stronger and more unified, at least for the foreseeable future. There is another fundamental issue that is a growing concern amongst the EU member states, that of detachment between the political class, the public administrations and the citizens. Although this issue is now defined as a major challenge to the EU, there is no clear focus on how to overcome this problem. Dealing with such a massive task is not easy especially when considering the long list of factors and the continuum of stakeholders at play. One silent reform that could bring a real change in the day-to-day lives of EU citizens is the way public services are offered and managed. Public services are expected to meet the aspirations and the needs of the various spectra of groups within a society in a timely manner. Red tape and bureaucracy have become commonly used ‘buzz words’ and such a perception is weakening the good work done by the respective public administrations of the EU member states. A holistic performance management approach incorporating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) could be the answer to streamline and improve the quality of public services while strengthening the efficiency and effectiveness in the way the services are offered to the citizens. This document was prepared between September 2016 and March 2017. It includes a literature review (Section 1) and an analysis of a survey conducted with all the European Commission and EU member states (Section 2) regarding the implementation and use of KPIs. The questions asked are detailed in the Appendix. The aspiration of the authors is that the theoretical and practical underpinnings outlined in this document be a channel to bring the citizens closer to the public administrations, the political class and ultimately the European Union.peer-reviewe

Start-up Success in a Small Island State: A Study among Entrepreneurs in Malta

This study focuses on entrepreneurs in the small island state of Malta and investigates whether starting up and running an enterprise is facilitated or hindered by being in a small island environment. Specifically it asks (1) whether being on a small island, on the periphery of a major market facilitates or hinders entrepreneurship and start-up success; (2) whether Malta’s cultural context and enterprise environment affect entrepreneurship and start-up success; (3) what the key success factors among Maltese start-ups are; and (4) how are creativity and innovation reflected in Maltese start-ups. Qualitative research among 13 start-ups is supported by telephone-based research among a sample of 90 respondents. Findings contribute to the pool of business expertise and context-specific information from small island states that is often missing from the international literature

Proposal for the establishment of an integrated national spatial and mapping service for the Maltese islands : a phased approach for the setting up of an implementation structure of spatial information to serve all governmental and related entities with a free information function

Concept: As most mapping data processing requires updated or near real time information, which is governed by concepts and technologies that evolve rapidly, it is imperative that a solid foundation is laid to ensure Malta's readiness in all areas that deal with base and thematic mapping. Currently the state of affairs depends on dated basemaps, inter-agency charging systems, inconsistent approach to the data-cycle process, dispersed expertise, various software and isolated non-networked systems. Malta needs to bring together these entities to ensure the setting up of a central organisation that serves all the country’s needs, the creation of base and thematic spatial information system, a regularly updated and enhanced information structure that serves all entities, and the integration of expertise. This structure should ensure compliance with national and European/International legislation and commitments, simplification of procedures, free dissemination of information and inter-agency collaboration. Such a structure serves both for current requirements such as development monitoring, transport monitoring, infrastructural inventorisation, utilities' flows as well as deployment for foresight such as the realtime deployment of information in cases of emergencies. Only through an integrated information system can such be brought to a peak of excellence. This proposal seeks approval to develop a conceptual model and implementation process for the sourcing of EU ERDF funds aimed at creating the spatial entity, sourcing and integrating the players, creating information systems, acquiring in-situ and remote data harvesters, analysing the scenarios and implementing realtime and foresight contingency plans through scenario testing and disseminating the raw and processed information.peer-reviewe

The matching of motivations to affordances among Maltese elected local government volunteers : implications for sustaining civil society

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to both understand the motives for volunteering in local government (a strong/structured context) and determine how such motivation and other demographics interact with organisational contexts to influence volunteering outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a functional approach to volunteerism. The Volunteer Functions Inventory is modified to better assess the motivations of elected local government volunteers. The responses of 152 Maltese local councillors were used to answer four research questions empirically. Findings – Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the introduction of a seventh VFI dimension, namely the political function. The study provides evidence that local councillors who received greater amounts of functionally relevant benefits reported more satisfaction and a stronger intention to continue volunteering in local government. The aggregated effect of multiple motives as well as other person-based determinants (marital status and education) produced a significant impact on volunteering outcomes in this strong/structured situational context of this public sector environment. Originality/value – This study contributes to a better understanding and assessment of the motivations of elected local government volunteers. It addresses practical recommendations for sustaining civil society, while acknowledging the potential and contribution of volunteers with various demographic characteristics

Spazju

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Meditation ta’ Wallace Ph. Gulia – Iċ-ċimiteru ta’ Lazzarett ta’ Patri Mattew – Niftakar ta’ C. Cassar – Ilsna ta’ C. Cassar – Ħsieb fix-xtajta ta’ Manwel u Josephine Cassar – Imħabba dejjiema ta’ Vincent Caruana – Ir-radda taż-żmien ta’ Vincent Ungaro – “Buona Pasqua!” ta’ Ġużè Borg Pantalleresco – Spazju ta’ Vincent Caruana.peer-reviewe

Re-visiting the six-item Stanford presenteeism scale (SPS-6) and its psychometric properties

Presenteeism has often been considered as the correlate of absenteeism and associated to productivity loss. This study sought to re-examine the psychometric properties of the 6-item Stanford Presenteeism Scale (SPS-6), a popular measure which has been translated in a number of languages. The study adopted a cross-sectional design with 268 participants aged 18 - 65 working in a multinational IT company with headquarters based in Poland. The respondents participated willingly in an online questionnaire on a presenteeism health-related productivity measure (SPS-6), job resources (peer support), job demands (work-to-family conflict), engagement and burnout. Their responses were subjected to statistical analyses. Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed that the SPS-6 is better represented by two singular and independent components, namely completing work and avoiding distractions, rather than an aggregated measure of health-related productivity. In fact, the aggregated measure had convergent and discriminant validity issues. We also assessed, via Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the explanatory role of the SPS-6 within the wider well-being discourse by subjecting its’ factors as outcomes using the JD-R framework. Here, burnout was better at explaining its relationship to avoiding distractions and completing work compared to engagement, while avoiding distractions was more dominant than completing work in explaining indirect pathways. Given the convergent and discriminant validity of its two-dimensional measures, we argue that the SPS-6 is a better assessment of health-related productivity in the light of presenteeism when keeping both components separate rather than adding the scores from both dimensions to provide a global score as has been the practice so far. In addition, the SEM findings suggest that both SPS-6 components may require different theoretical explanations. This study supports a growing chorus of scholars who argue the need to look deeper into the presenteeism phenomenon, not least its measures.peer-reviewe