Sacred activism through seva and khidmat: Contextualising management and organisations in South Asia

What if our actions were imbued with the sacred? What if activism in organisations evokes better local society and responsible global community? What if sacred activism signals the performance of a deeper understanding and mindful actions for contextualising management and organisations in South Asia? These are some of the questions we pose to scholars and practitioners as we seek to present the multiplexities and singularities that epitomise South Asia. We address the braided realities and opportunities presented by religion, culture, ethnicity, gender and governance to contextualise organisations and management among the 1.67 billion people who constitute South Asia. We calligraph our interpretations and future possibilities based on historical traditions and extant data, mindful that some parts of this vast region are grappling with religious radicalisation, East-West tensions, underdevelopment, low literacy rates, violence against women, and international debts and handouts. This heterogeneous region also has a major BRICS country (i.e., India), provides CEOs to the world, scientists to NASA, outsourcing facilities to global corporations, has a young population, a huge middle class, and is actively participating in mergers and acquisitions in the global corridors of commerce. Our poignant hope is to inform and suggest possibilities for constructing enriching engagements and research in this region

The Links Between Culture and OHS: A Literature Review

There is growing recognition that as workplaces become more culturally and ethnically diverse, OHS prevention and investigation must be seen within the context of a cross-cultural milieu. In particular, investigations into workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses have indicated that many of the root causes are the lack of communication or the inability to make sense of the communication and where cultural diversity factors are at play. The focus of this paper, therefore, is: ''What evidence is there in the literature on the links between culture and OHS?” In particular, this paper identifies the key debates, strengths and weaknesses of the research on the topic. Finally it is argued that more attention is required on the subject of cultural diversity and its impact on OHS and employment relations in general which has implications for power relations between different groups/individuals in the workplace. Hence, further exploration of the significance of cultural diversity and communication and OHS is encouraged

Harmful Traditional Practices in the Workplace – New Zealand context: Guidance for Best Practice.

Organisations have become increasingly aware that their staff, and the people who use their services, are multidimensional. Employees and service-users bring to an organisation their skills and abilities as well as their personal relationships and problems. For employers to address harmful traditional practices (HTPs), an important first step is to understand what these are, why they take place, and who is affected. For instance, it is important to know that worldwide, every social grouping has specific traditional practices, often spanning generations, that reflect the values and beliefs held by members of a community. While some are beneficial, others are harmful. The term HTPs is used to describe specific forms of abuse committed primarily against girls and women. However, HTPs occur across all sexes, sexual identities, and genders, and are not unique to any one culture, country, or religion. Honour Abuse Research Matrix (HARM) is an international consortium of researchers, practitioners, policy makers and support agencies, working to research and pioneer strategies to eliminate harmful practices, including ‘honour’ abuse, forced marriage, and female genital mutilation (FGM). HARM, UK version was funded by Research England to produce this jargon free, evidence-based, workplace guidance for best practice so organisations and their employees feel motivated, confident, and empowered to respond appropriately when they suspect or encounter HTP

Muslim Diaspora in the West and International HRM

Interest in Islam and how Muslims organise themselves within the so-called Western world has largely stemmed from the flow of Muslim immigration since the 1960s and the 1970s (Loobuyck, Debeer, & Meier, 2013). Many of these immigrants have come to these new lands in the hope of making a better life for themselves economically, or to escape the political or religious pressures of their homeland (Lebl, 2014). Initially, deeming the influx of these foreigners to be largely irrelevant, there was little interest in their presence by the different governments across many jurisdictions. Typically, scant interest was shown towards entering into dialogue with the Muslim immigrant community. Indeed, until the 1990s, it was not uncommon for Islam to be perceived as a strange, foreign religion that was best managed through outsourcing to respective consulates (Loobuyck et al., 2013). Yet, migration and work-based mobility has a significant influence on the world of work and societies in which organisations are embedded. Many individuals migrate for better employment perspectives, as well as due to chain migration, betterment in the quality of life and based on fleeing famine, war and terror zones globally (Sharma & Reimer-Kirkham, 2015; Valiūnienė, 2016). Migration could involve upward as well as downward mobility/ wages, depending on the country and organisation. For example, minimum wages differ from € 184 in Bulgaria up to € 1923 in Luxembourg (Valiūnienė, 2016). Migration also contributes to the lived religion of diasporic communities as they navigate their faith at work (Sharma & Reimer-Kirkha

Our bodies, our minds, our men: working South Asian women

Purpose – This paper is a guest editorial piece in the Special Issue of the Gender in Management journal on “Gender equality at work in South Asia”. In this paper, the authors aim not only to introduce the papers selected for the Special Issue but also to offer an overview of the current state of female employment, economic activity and gender equality at work in countries in South Asia. Design/methodology/approach – The paper offers a review of extant literature and macro-economic data on gender equality in employment and management in South Asia. Findings – Four stories emerge: firstly the pervasive existence of structural and institutional barriers such as patriarchal ideologies reinforced by gender inegalitarian interpretations of holy texts; secondly women's limited access to education and skill development; thirdly lack of non-agricultural employment and economic resources resulting in economic dependence on men and sex-based division of labour; and fourthly the development and joy of agency where there is facilitation and nurturance of women. Originality/value – This Special Issue is probably the first ever collection of journal articles focused on gender equality at work in the South Asia region

Ethnic Imprint? Career Conversations with Indian women

Abstract This paper seeks to explore the multi-textured career experiences of ethnic minority Indian women in New Zealand. Indians currently make up 2.46% of the population of New Zealand, and Indian women number 51,648 based on the 2006 census. Utilizing information from ten in-depth semi-structured interviews as the data set, the career trajectory of Indian women in the medical professions is described and analyzed, through the lens of scholarship pertaining to ethnic minority women and careers. Detailed conversations with the ten women are foregrounded against a background of interviews with one hundred Indian women across New Zealand. Tentative conclusions point to the success of the bridging program introduced for nurses, the ongoing dilemmas for doctors who were trained overseas, and the continuing impact of visible diversity discriminators in the client/professional and employee/organisational relationship. The paper's contribution lies in highlighting the tensions and paradox of the ethnic imprint through 'otherness' in New Zealand

A diagnostic model of learning: three case studies

This paper proposes a Diagnostic Model of Learning based on open systems theory, conceptualising learning processes as the complex interplay of variables such that a change in any one of these requires a change in the rest of the system in order for effective learning to occur. The paper illustrates the utility of the model with three case studies drawn from management education subjects in universities in Australia, New Zealand and Dubai