The generation game

Purpose – Explores the limited value of concepts such as Baby-Boomer, Generation X and Generation Y and advances the view that life course is more valuable. Design/methodology/approach – Examines how young adults in Britain, born between 1975 and 1982, conceptualized the notion of work-life balance as they were about to leave university and enter full-time paid employment. Findings – Reveals that the notion of individual choice strongly underpins young adults’ conceptualization of work-life balance and expectations of work-life balance support; while young British and Asian adults largely considered it to be a matter of individual choice, there were variations in their preferences for how to prioritize their impending employment and personal lives; and four emerging patterns of work-life balance orientation preferences were found – balancer, careerist, career-sacrificer and integrator. Practical implications – Provides support for the argument that the work-life balance perceptions of young adults who would belong to the so-called Generation Y cannot be generalized and simplified as being either work-centric or life-centric. The picture is a lot more complex given the diversity within this group of young adults. Social implications – Highlights how, instead of looking for generational differences (or age-related differences) which can be divisive, it is more useful to look at the issue of multi-generations in a broader way. Originality/value – By using a life-course approach instead of a generational approach, is able to take into account how past transitions have shaped the way work-life balance was discussed by the young adults and how anticipated future transitions were expected by the young adults to change their needs and therefore expectations of employer and government support

The systemic pathogenesis of enterovirus

In recent years, EV-D68 outbreaks have been associated with severe respiratory illness and extra-respiratory complications, of which neurological complications occurred most frequently. However, how EV-D68 infection results in the development of severe disease and the underlying mechanism are largely unknown. This thesis aims to expand our knowledge on the systemic pathogenesis of EV-D68-associated disease focusing on the systemic dissemination and neurotropism of EV-D68 as well as to improve diagnostics for of EV-D68 associated CNS diseases. In Chapter 1, I discussed the different stages in the pathogenesis of EV-D68 infection – infection of the respiratory tract, systemic dissemination and infection of the CNS – based on observations in humans as well as experimental in vitro and in vivo studies. As the systemic dissemination of EV-D68 via the homogenous route is essential for the systemic spread, I explored in Chapter 2 the potential role of immune cells in the systemic disseminations in EV-D68 infection. During the 2014 outbreak, multiple clades were circulating of which subclade B1 was the most prevalent, and therefore associated with the development of neurological complications. In Chapter 3, I investigated whether the ability of EV-D68 viruses to replicate in cells of the CNS is a clade specific feature, and which viral factors are important for virus replication in vitro. Acute flaccid myelitis is the most common CNS complications associated with EV-D68 infections, while encephalitis and meningoencephalitis are infrequently reported. In Chapter 4, I investigated the cell tropism and replication efficiency of different EV-D68 isolates from before-and after-2014 in spinal motor neurons and cortical neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells as well as the associated effect of virus infection on motor neurons. Diagnostics of EV-D68-associated CNS diseases are challenging because virus antigen or viral RNA are rarely detected in CSF. In Chapter 5, I evaluated use of a quantitative EV IgG ELISA in combination with Reiber diagram analysis and AI-calculation as a diagnostic tool for EV-associated CNS disease, including EV-D68. Finally, the findings presented in this thesis are evaluated in the summarizing discussion (Chapter 6). Enhancing our understanding of the pathogenesis of EV-D68 will offer insights for developing therapeutic interventions and vaccines, as well as improving patient outcomes.<br/

Entitled or misunderstood? Towards the repositioning of the sense of entitlement concept in the generational difference debate

This paper contributes to debates in the broad area of generational differences at work. Specifically, we locate this study within the literature of the work values and expectations of the ‘Millennial generation’, also known as ‘GenMe’ (Twenge, 2006; 2010). Much has been made in the media and popular practitioner literature about how the latest generation of workers have a ‘sense of entitlement’ and therefore expect more from the workplace than previous generations. In this paper, we argue that this mainstream view of the sense of entitlement as a concept is problematic and requires a more critical examination. We consider two divergent bodies of literature on the sense of entitlement in relation to generational differences at work – a manageralist approach, which conceptualises sense of entitlement to work-life balance (WLB) as a negative trait, and a second body, based on the seminal work by Sue Lewis and colleagues, that treats sense of entitlement as a situated process rather than an internal characteristic. We use data from a study of young adults leaving university in the UK, inspired by Sue’s work. Our analysis challenges the notion of today’s younger workers as more ‘entitled’ than previous generations. This study extends existing research by providing a contextualised analysis of young people’s situated accounts of sense of entitlement at work

The generation game

Purpose – Explores the limited value of concepts such as Baby-Boomer, Generation X and Generation Y and advances the view that life course is more valuable. Design/methodology/approach – Examines how young adults in Britain, born between 1975 and 1982, conceptualized the notion of work-life balance as they were about to leave university and enter full-time paid employment. Findings – Reveals that the notion of individual choice strongly underpins young adults’ conceptualization of work-life balance and expectations of work-life balance support; while young British and Asian adults largely considered it to be a matter of individual choice, there were variations in their preferences for how to prioritize their impending employment and personal lives; and four emerging patterns of work-life balance orientation preferences were found – balancer, careerist, career-sacrificer and integrator. Practical implications – Provides support for the argument that the work-life balance perceptions of young adults who would belong to the so-called Generation Y cannot be generalized and simplified as being either work-centric or life-centric. The picture is a lot more complex given the diversity within this group of young adults. Social implications – Highlights how, instead of looking for generational differences (or age-related differences) which can be divisive, it is more useful to look at the issue of multi-generations in a broader way. Originality/value – By using a life-course approach instead of a generational approach, is able to take into account how past transitions have shaped the way work-life balance was discussed by the young adults and how anticipated future transitions were expected by the young adults to change their needs and therefore expectations of employer and government support

The systemic pathogenesis of enterovirus

In recent years, EV-D68 outbreaks have been associated with severe respiratory illness and extra-respiratory complications, of which neurological complications occurred most frequently. However, how EV-D68 infection results in the development of severe disease and the underlying mechanism are largely unknown. This thesis aims to expand our knowledge on the systemic pathogenesis of EV-D68-associated disease focusing on the systemic dissemination and neurotropism of EV-D68 as well as to improve diagnostics for of EV-D68 associated CNS diseases. In Chapter 1, I discussed the different stages in the pathogenesis of EV-D68 infection – infection of the respiratory tract, systemic dissemination and infection of the CNS – based on observations in humans as well as experimental in vitro and in vivo studies. As the systemic dissemination of EV-D68 via the homogenous route is essential for the systemic spread, I explored in Chapter 2 the potential role of immune cells in the systemic disseminations in EV-D68 infection. During the 2014 outbreak, multiple clades were circulating of which subclade B1 was the most prevalent, and therefore associated with the development of neurological complications. In Chapter 3, I investigated whether the ability of EV-D68 viruses to replicate in cells of the CNS is a clade specific feature, and which viral factors are important for virus replication in vitro. Acute flaccid myelitis is the most common CNS complications associated with EV-D68 infections, while encephalitis and meningoencephalitis are infrequently reported. In Chapter 4, I investigated the cell tropism and replication efficiency of different EV-D68 isolates from before-and after-2014 in spinal motor neurons and cortical neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells as well as the associated effect of virus infection on motor neurons. Diagnostics of EV-D68-associated CNS diseases are challenging because virus antigen or viral RNA are rarely detected in CSF. In Chapter 5, I evaluated use of a quantitative EV IgG ELISA in combination with Reiber diagram analysis and AI-calculation as a diagnostic tool for EV-associated CNS disease, including EV-D68. Finally, the findings presented in this thesis are evaluated in the summarizing discussion (Chapter 6). Enhancing our understanding of the pathogenesis of EV-D68 will offer insights for developing therapeutic interventions and vaccines, as well as improving patient outcomes.<br/

The work-life experiences of an invisible workforce: the case of live-in women migrant domestic workers in Malaysia

This study explores the work-life (WL) experiences of live-in women migrant domestic workers (MDWs), who represent a significant proportion of migrant workers globally. MDWs play a key role in enabling the work-life balance (WLB) of others, namely the middle-class households that employ them. Yet their experiences have largely been invisible in mainstream WL literature. We draw on an intersectional approach to frame the WL experiences of this marginalized group of women at the intersection of being secondary labour segment workers, with significant legal and employment restrictions as migrant workers, who work and live in the same place as their employers. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 women MDWs from Indonesia and the Philippines working in Malaysia. The women talked about the meaning of work as MDWs, how they maintain familial connections whilst working abroad, and how they negotiate their WLB as live-in workers. Thematic analysis of the interviews focused on the intersection of the women’s multiple dimensions of disadvantage, including gender, class, and temporary migrant-foreigner status, in shaping their accounts of the WL interface. Three thematic narratives highlight that any semblance of WLB in the MDWs’ lived experience has given way to the needs of their employers and to the imperative to earn an income for their families back home. The themes are: working as MDWs enables the women and their families back home to have a life; the co-existence of WL boundary segmentation and integration in relation to ‘real’ and ‘temporary’ families; and the notion of WLB being centred around the women’s ability to fulfil their multiple duties as MDWs and absent mothers/sisters/daughters. The study is based on a small sample of live-in women MDWs in Malaysia, intended to promote typically excluded voices and not to provide generalizable findings. Accessing potential participants was a considerable challenge, given the vulnerable positions of women MDWs and the invisible nature of their work. Future research should adopt a multi-stakeholder approach to studying the WL experiences of women MDWs. In particular, links with non-governmental organizations who work directly with women MDWs should be established as a way of improving future participant access. Extant WL literature is dominated by the experiences of ‘the ideal work-life balancers’, who tend to be white middle-class women, engaged in professional work. This study offers original contribution by giving voice to a taken-for-granted group of women migrant workers who make other people’s WLB possible. Moreover, the study challenges WL research by underscoring the power inequities that shape our participants’ marginal and disadvantaged lived experience of work, life, family, and WLB

Focus group methodology in a life course approach – individual accounts within a peer cohort group

This paper explores the use of focus group methodology as part of a life course approach building on Julia Brannen’s pioneering work in these two areas. Much life course research uses individual interviews, including biographical interview techniques. It is less usual to find focus groups used within the life course perspective. This paper draws on a PhD study of young British and Asian adults’ experiences of the transition from university to full-time employment, using focus groups as part of a multi-method approach, within a life course perspective. The study drew explicitly on Julia Brannen’s approach to life course transitions. Three focus group excerpts are presented and discussed to illustrate how focus group data can further the understanding of the ways in which a group of peers discuss the transition to work and especially future work–life balance. We show how focus group discussions about individual choice for future work and ‘life’ or ‘lifestyle’ can highlight shared assumptions of this birth cohort group as well as areas of disagreement and contention, rooted in both individual experiences and societal and socio-cultural expectations. We relate this to Julia Brannen’s conceptualisation of the three different modalities which young people draw on to talk about the future

The impact of global economic crisis and austerity on quality of working life and work-life balance: a capabilities perspective

This paper draws on the capabilities approach as a framework for examining the impact of the global economic crisis and austerity on quality of working life and work-life balance. Our paper focuses on Greece, an extreme case of a country in economic crisis, characterised by a weak institutional basis. We build on the work of Barbara Hobson and colleagues who first applied the capabilities approach to explore work-life balance capabilities. Our study contributes to the development of theory by emphasising the sense of entitlement concept within the capabilities approach and by proposing a modified conceptual framework that encapsulates the link between capabilities, agency, and the sense of entitlement, where the latter acts as a cognitive ‘filter’ that enhances or weakens an individual’s perception of her/his agency to enact on her/his capabilities. Drawing on the accounts of twenty Greek professional and managerial workers, we illustrate how the crisis and austerity measures have eroded working conditions and thus the sense of entitlement, leading to the weakening of our participants’ agency and capabilities to achieve quality of working life and work-life balance