Employer engagement: a human resource management perspective

This paper asks which types of employers, under which conditions, are most likely to engage with active labour market policy (ALMP) initiatives that seek to reduce unemployment. With reference to strategic human resource management theory, it is proposed that: i) organisations that rely heavily on a large supply of low wage, low-skill labour for their core operations are most likely to engage; and ii) of such organisations, those that place a strategic premium on customer service are more likely to develop strategies to retain and internalise the long-term unemployed as core employees. The paper tests this theoretical proposition by drawing on secondary data to map out the general picture of UK employer engagement, and by analysing a small number of interviews with employer engagement managers in welfare-to-work organisations. The paper finds strong support for the first proposition, but more qualified support for the second. Related to the second proposition, the paper suggests that, in practice, employers implement three principal engagement strategies: i) new facility resourcing; ii) decentralised externalisation; and iii) mid-range internalisation

The contingent role of management and leadership development for middle managers: cases of organisational change from the public services

This thesis investigates the contribution of management and leadership development (MLD) for middle managers. Its central hypothesis is that MLD plays an important role in enabling strategic change through middle managers, but that greater contextualisation is required to understand the precise nature of its effects and its limitations. The thesis builds on organisational contingency theory (Mintzberg 1979) to develop and test a model of changes to middle management roles and associated outcomes of MLD. The thesis differentiates between the MLD options of management development, leader development and leadership development (Day 2001) and hypothesises a range of MLD outcomes across organisational types. For its empirical base, the thesis focuses on public service organisations (PSOs), in which substantial investments in MLD have been made at all levels of management in recent years. Three case studies show how, as PSOs seek greater flexibility, the devolution of a broader range of responsibilities to middle managers creates various development needs according to different directions of organisational change. The thesis finds that: i) when the machine bureaucracy divisionalises, investment in line management training makes a significant contribution to organisational stability, while leader development is most effective in the customer-facing divisions of the business; ii) when the safety bureaucracy professionalises, investment in competence-based management development and leader development can successfully promote more participatory forms of management, but that the potential for political obstacles to MLD is accentuated; and iii) when the professional bureaucracy adhocratises, investment in MLD makes a significant contribution to balancing ongoing organisational effectiveness with the building of adaptive capacity for the future. The thesis adds to academic knowledge of MLD options and their expected outcomes. The thesis also develops the academic literature by contextualising changes to middle management roles and explaining the contingent role of MLD in organisational change

The deregulation of airline employment in the USA and Europe: an emerging comparison

This thesis seeks to examine the deregulation of airline employment within Europe, by relating that change to the US experience. A historical/political economy approach is adopted which locates the process of deregulation with a context of changing product market conditions, bargaining power and regulatory influence. The regulated regime where labour conditions were protected is contrasted with one in which labour has come under pressure to concede premium terms and conditions. Analysis of labour costs and productivity assume that these terms and conditions will simply evaporate under the pressure of competition and privatisation. The thesis provides evidence that this may not be the case. It is argued that failure to examine employee concerns and perceptions underestimates employee responses, and overestimates the power of airline management, given the considerable bargaining power of key labour groups. Airline workers, especially those in large and successful, formerly state owned carriers, have expectations of wages and conditions based upon the regulated era. This regulatory overhang is examined in a detailed questionnaire of British Airways as a major European carrier, previously state owned, but not privatised. A number of models of labour market deregulation and case studies are introduced to analyse the nature and extent of these deep seated changes and their implications for labour, management and the state

Apprenticeships in England: impoverished but laddered

Current discussion among federal policy makers regarding the expansion of the U.S. apprenticeship system draws on the example of apprenticeship expansion in England. Often, this does not reflect a clear understanding of the current English Apprenticeship system. This paper aims to inform federal and state administrative policy makers and legislators, program administrators, and the staff of training and apprenticeship organizations who are interested in understanding the features and performance of the current English system. This paper describes the English apprenticeship system and summarizes current research on the outcomes of that system

Genetic analysis of tendon development and musculoskeletal integration in the vertebrate head

We investigated zebrafish mutants that affect craniofacial development to examine how those mutations affect the musculoskeletal patterning of the jaw. We discovered that loss of function in cyp26b1 caused musculoskeletal patterning defects related to tendon condensation. Subsequently, we decided to use reverse genetics to interrogate regulation of tendon development in the vertebrate head and body. Needing ways of evaluating tendon and myotendinous junction phenotypes, we devised a protocol for inducing muscle strain in vivo. We generated mutants for scxa and xirp2a, determined whether homozygous mutants had developmental defects, and tested their muscle attachment stability under strain. In conjunction with our mutagenesis efforts, I developed a software program that would aid in the identification of mutant alleles in the F1 offspring of CRISPR mutagenized animals.Cellular and Molecular Biolog

Writing in Britain and Ireland, c. 400 to c. 800

No abstract available

Citation marks in early Latin manuscripts. (With a list of citation marks in manuscripts earlier than A. D. 800 in English and Irish libraries)

McGurk Patrick. Citation marks in early Latin manuscripts. (With a list of citation marks in manuscripts earlier than A. D. 800 in English and Irish libraries). In: Scriptorium, Tome 15 n°1, 1961. pp. 3-13

Two notes on the Book of Kells and its relation to other insular gospel books

Mac Gurk Patrick. Two notes on the Book of Kells and its relation to other insular gospel books. In: Scriptorium, Tome 9 n°1, 1955. pp. 105-107

Developing “middle leaders” in the public services? The realities of management and leadership development for public managers

Purpose – This paper aims to assess the actual contribution to organisational change of management and leadership development (MLD) activity for middle managers (MMs) in public service organisations (PSOs). Design/methodology/approach – Using the case study approach, the paper compares the content and outcomes of management and leadership training interventions for MMs in two large PSOs. The organisations, a fire brigade and a train operating company, are leaders in their sectors with respect to management development and “modernisation” of their services. Findings – The paper demonstrates how, in one case, MM development was largely an exercise in regulatory compliance, with little effect on individual MMs' performance or organisational outcomes. The second case demonstrates how MMs were effectively trained to enforce specific human resource policies which contributed to the successful implementation of top-down strategy yet paid little attention to the potential leadership role of MMs. Research limitations/implications – The paper highlights the need for further contextualised research at organisational level into the outcomes of MLD, especially in terms of different public service contexts. Practical implications – The paper demonstrates the dangers of designing and implementing development programmes without sufficient regard to professional practice and the realities of managerial discretion in PSOs. Originality/value – The paper provides an in-depth and contextualised insight into the conditions for success and failure in management development interventions in PSOs