Should we bother improving students’ attendance at seminars?

This study uses action research intervention to improve students’ attendance at seminars. Specifically, the study asks the question: will students’ attendance improve if they drive their own learning by running their own seminars? Records of lecture and seminar attendance at a module and comparative ones were used. Focus group interviews provided additional feedback, with students in support of student-led seminars. Students identified running their own seminars as beneficial, but suggested some modifications. Findings also revealed that, relative to comparable modules, seminar attendance on this module was improved. Moreover, attendance at seminars, but not at lectures, was significantly correlated with and a significant predictor of academic performance. The article highlights ideas for future research

Understanding the causes and consequences of work-family conflict: an exploratory study of Nigerian employees

Abstract Purpose - An important theme for a 21st century employee is a desire for work and family balance which is devoid of conflict. Drawing on detailed empirical research, this article examines the multi-faceted causes and consequences of work-family conflict in a non-western context (Nigeria). Methodology - The paper uses qualitative data gleaned from the semi-structured interviews of 88 employees (44 university lecturers and 44 medical doctors) in cities in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. Findings – The findings showed that work pressure, heavy familial duties, poor infrastructural facilities, and a lack of suitable and practicable work-family balance policies are the main causes of work-family conflict in Nigeria. Juvenile delinquencies, broken marriages/families, and an unhappy workforce are among the grave consequences of work-family conflict among Nigerian employees. Originality/value – This article suggests that the availability of basic infrastructural facilities, more governmental support, practicable work-family policies, inter alia, will reduce the level of work-family conflict for Nigerian employees and will also results in positive spill-over from the work domain to the family domain and vice-versa

Flexibility, compromise and opportunity: Students' perceptions of balancing part-time work with a full-time business degree.

Amidst the growing importance of employability in higher education, this study explores and identifies the motivations behind full-time university students engaging in part-time employment during term time, how students cope with simultaneously managing the two activities and how part-time working influences their career aspirations. Semi-structured interviews are used to obtain data from a sample of 30 business degree students at a UK university. The findings confirm previous studies, that financial necessity is a primary driver of part-time work, but also reveal a complex set of supplementary reasons, that either satisfies a long-term vision, or a more immediate need for development or self-gratification. Furthermore, most students compromise the longer-term benefit of study against the more immediate financial gains offered by work, resulting in an accepted lowering of academic performance as a consequence. The majority of the students did not see a connecting opportunity between their part-time work and future career, and were uncertain regarding future career direction. This study extends the use of qualitative methods in this area, which is dominated by survey research, while also extending extant findings to the career aspirations of students, which is hitherto largely unexplored

The Implications of Work-Family Balance Among Dual-Earner Couples: The Case of Medical Practitioners in Nigeria

Purpose – The implications of the work-family balance (WFB) of dual-earner couples are well known, however, the extant literature on this topic has failed to adequately explore the context of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), specifically Nigeria. This article examines the implications of the WFB of dual-earner couples in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – This article employs a qualitative methodology in order to explore the effect of couples’ dual-earner status on their WFB in an African context by using Nigerian medical practitioners as the empirical focus. Findings – The findings reveal that the dual earner status provides some respite from financial hardship and improves family finances, which subsequently enhances WFB. However, the dual earner status also has negative impacts on WFB in terms of work performance, dysfunctionality, and associated societal problems. Originality/value – This paper provides insights into the WFB of dual-earner couples in the non-western context of SSA, highlighting the previously unexplored implications of dual-earner status in the context of SSA

Understanding self-efficacy and the dynamics of part-time work and career aspiration

© 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: Building on the self-efficacy theory and self-theories, the purpose of this paper is to investigate students working part-time whilst pursuing full-time higher education in Cambodia. It explores individuals’ part-time working activities, career aspirations and self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected in a cross-sectional survey of 850 business and social sciences degree students, with 199 (23.4 per cent) usable responses, of which 129 (65.2 per cent of the sample) indicated they currently have a job. Findings: Multiple regression analysis confirmed part-time work as a significant predictor of self-efficacy. There was a positive recognition of the value of part-time work, particularly in informing career aspirations. Female students were significantly more positive about part-time work, demonstrating significantly higher career aspirations than males. Results also suggest that students recognise the value that work experience hold in identifying future career directions and securing the first graduate position. Practical implications: There are potential implications for approaches to curriculum design and learning, teaching and assessment for universities. There are also clear opportunities to integrate work-based and work-related learning experience into the curriculum and facilitate greater collaboration between higher education institutions and employers in Cambodia. Social implications: There are implications for recruitment practices amongst organisations seeking to maximise the benefits derived from an increasingly highly educated workforce, including skills acquisition and development, and self-efficacy. Originality/value: It investigates the importance of income derived from part-time working to full-time university students in a developing South-East Asian country (Cambodia), where poverty levels and the need to contribute to family income potentially predominate the decision to work while studying

The perceived value of work placements and part-time work and its diminution with time

This paper explores the perceptions of degree students at two UK universities regarding their work placement and part-time working activities, to assess if the two activities converge. The research comprises three stages: interviews for preliminary exploration of students’ perceptions towards work placement and part-time work; interviews to examine how placement opportunities link with career aspirations; a survey of students who had completed a placement, and those currently on placement. Students acknowledged part-time working helped their placement activity, providing transferable skills beneficial to both study and career aspirations. A significant finding was with respect to time: the closer to the placement activity the data was collected, the stronger the impact of appreciating the value of placement. The paper therefore highlights the value of timing in the assessment of work placement. It also offers value for universities’ by providing insight into students’ perceptions regarding embedded external work activities that can enhance graduate employability and career prospects

The Influence of National Culture on Consumer Buying Behaviour: An Exploratory Study of Nigerian and British Consumers

Despite the considerable body of literature investigating the influence of National Culture (NC) dimensions on consumer behaviour, there is a lack of studies comparing the influence of NC in Africa with Western European countries. This study is intended to fill the vacuum in knowledge by exploring how NC affects consumer buyer behavior in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. The primary data were collected through in depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with three groups of individuals: British students, Nigerian students in the United Kingdom, and Nigerian-based students. This approach and new frontier to analyze culture and consumer behaviour could help understand residual cultural threads of people (that are ingrained in their being) irrespective of exposure to other cultures. The findings of this study show that Nigerian and British consumers differ remarkably in cultural orientations such as symbols, values and psychological standpoints. This ultimately affects the choices made at every stage of the decision building process, and proves beneficial for international retail marketing

In Search of Perfect Boundaries? Entrepreneurs’ Work-Life Balance

Purpose – Does the self-employed nature of entrepreneurs’ business ventures mean that they have perfect boundaries between their work and nonwork lives? Drawing on border theory, this study examines entrepreneurs’ work-life balance (WLB) in terms of how they construct and manage the borders between their work and nonwork lives. Design/Methodology/Approach – A qualitative research approach is adopted to enhance understanding of entrepreneurs’ WLB using border theory. The study benefits from its empirical focus on Nigerian migrants in London who represent a distinct minority group living in urban areas in the developed world. Data for the study was collected over a three-month period, utilising semi-structured interviews as the primary method of data collection. Findings – Our findings indicate that entrepreneurs prioritise ‘work’ over ‘life’ and reveal that entrepreneurs have little desire for boundaries as they work everywhere, which makes long working hours prevalent among them. Furthermore, the findings bring to the fore a prevalent social variance of these entrepreneurs preferring to be unmarried, single, and even divorced as a result of or associated with the entrepreneurs’ boundaries creation and management. Research Limitations/Implications – The extent to which the findings of this research can be generalised is constrained by the limited and selected sample of the research. Theoretical Implications – The article highlights the fluidity and permeability of the boundaries between entrepreneurs’ work/nonwork domains and the frequency of border crossing, which is almost uncontrollable, especially from the work domain to the nonwork domain. We describe this as work/nonwork border blurring. Practical Implications – Research on human resource management (HRM) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or businesses in which entrepreneurs operate is evolving. The issue of the size and the nature of an organisation (i.e. labour or product market influences, ownership structures, etc.) have profound implications for human resources (HR) structures, policies, and practices and the quality of the WLB of entrepreneurs. As research on HRM and entrepreneurship is still developing, HRM practice in entrepreneurial business ventures is often organisationally fluid and adhoc. The main implication is that there may be little structure in HRM policies and processes in place to support self-employed entrepreneurs in comprehensively managing border crossing and achieving WLB. Originality/Value – This article provides valuable insights into entrepreneurs’ work/nonwork boundaries, which are hugely influenced by the commodification of time and money. It also enriches work-life border theory and its social constructionist perspective