‘Developmentalism – from here to there – is heutagogy the way there for HR?’

There have been suggestions in recent times that the traditional criteria for defining professions is outmoded and inappropriate particularly in relation to the new professions, such as Human Resource Management (HRM). Evans (2008b) has suggested that a more appropriate evaluation is in terms of a commitment to professional development and has identified that this commitment be referred to as ‘developmentalism’. There are a number of ways in which professional development can occur and while traditionally this involved almost exclusively, formal experiences, such as courses, current thinking is now moving towards utilising more accessible, practice based, non-formal mechanisms. The research presented in this thesis investigates how non-formal learning is used to contribute to a climate of developmentalism by Human Resource (HR) practitioners. For this purpose, 17 in-depth semi-structured-interviews with a purposively selected sample of HR practitioners were conducted. The transcripts were analysed based on the four step process of phenomenographic analysis suggested by Marton (1994) cited by Schroder et al (2005) and Soon and Barnard (2002), to discover the qualitatively different ways in which HR practitioners describe, experience, understand and analyse their professional development and the use of non-formal learning in that development. What emerged from the analysis were two sets of categories of description; one for each of the phenomena namely professional development and non-formal learning. In addition, an outcome space for each of the phenomena emerged, illustrating the hierarchical relationship within each set of categories of description as well as the dimensions of variation relating to the phenomena. Also emerging from the analysis was a conceptualised model for professional development comprising non-formal learning using a heutagogical approach in conjunction with the empirically developed HR professionality continuum as a record of achievement. This model is offered as a means of encouraging HR practitioners to participate in professional development. Several recommendations arose from this research, and it is anticipated that these recommendations will be of interest to HR practitioners, their employers, HR educators, and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

Ethical consumers: an exploratory investigation of the ethical food consumption behaviour of young adults in the North East of Scotland.

This study aims to explore the motivation as well as barriers for ethical food consumption behaviour by focussing on the food consumption pattern of young adults in the North East of Scotland. Considering the recent involvement of young adults in environmental activism, consumption behaviour of young adults in the North East of Scotland, an oil-based community, presents essential research interest to understand whether young adults often contemplate the consequences of their lifestyle. Design/methodology/approach:- The authors explored the perceptions of ten purposive recruited young adults using semi-structured interviews to understand factors underpinning consumer's decision-making towards ethical food products. Findings:- The study reveals three key factors influencing ethical food consumption behaviour among young adults. The findings show that personal health and well-being are the main reasons why consumers engage in ethical food consumption. Also, it is observed that information facilitates decision-making by raising awareness regarding the social, environmental and health consequences of food production and consumption. Further, the findings show that situational attributes, such as product price and product availability, are creating dissonance when engaging in ethical food consumption. Originality/value:- This study contributes to sustainability research and the ongoing debate on consumerism by exploring ethical food consumption behaviour and highlights the need to address situational challenges, such as product price and availability. The study suggests that interventions to address current consumption patterns should also emphasise the social and personal benefits of food consumption rather than the environmental benefits that have been the focus of prior research

Improving access to service charities for female veterans.

To date, considerations of improving access to and quality of care for veterans often emphasise male perspectives. This may not reflect the needs of female veterans, nor anticipate the needs of the increasing numbers of female service personnel as they leave service. In the work reported here we aimed to investigate public and charitable sector (service and nonservice) perspectives on the challenges and enablers female veterans face in accessing service charities, to inform and prioritise recommendations for tangible improvements in access to veteran specific services for female veterans. We achieved this aim by conducting a literature review, followed by a qualitative research study. This qualitative study comprised profiling the evolution of conditions for military service for females in UK Armed Forces, 38 stakeholder interviews, and website analysis. Findings and recommendations were discussed with an expert panel and the Project Advisory Group, and disseminated to a range of stakeholders over the course of the project. This report presents the findings of this research, discusses them in the context of previous work, and makes recommendations for service provision, policy and research

Developing a Culture of Publication: a joint enterprise writing retreat

Purpose: Many students irrespective of level of study produce excellent course work which, if given support and encouragement could clearly be of a publishable standard. Academic staff are expected to produce quality publications meeting peer review standards although they may be relatively novice authors. All are engaged in some aspects of academic writing practices but not as frequently involved in co-production of publications emanating from student work. This activity is still at the margins of much of the student experience. Design/methodology: Mindful of these issues, we designed and offered a writing programme including a writing retreat. This brought together undergraduate and postgraduate students from a range of applied disciplines (health and art, design and architecture) and their supervisors with the aim of co-producing publications and participating in a community of scholarly practice. The project was delivered over nine months. It involved four days ‘compulsory’ attendance and included a preparatory workshop, a two day off campus writing retreat and a dissemination event. Student and supervisors applied to participate as a team. Kirkpatrick’s (2006) four-stage classic model: reaction, learning, changes in behaviour and real world results was used as a framework for the educational evaluation. Key findings organised thematically were: Supervisor-supervisee relationships; space and time; building confidence enabling successful writing and publication. Originality/Value: This paper will provide an overview of the design, content and approaches used for successful delivery of this innovative project. It will draw on examples that illustrate the different types of joint enterprise that emerged, illuminate experiences of co-production and co-authorship along with recommendations for future ventures

Journals and jottings on entrepreneurial learning journeys.

Review of relevant literature highlighted that entrepreneurs need help to reflect on, and make sense of, the challenges and opportunities that occur during the entrepreneurial process. For students who are unfamiliar with the entrepreneurial process, the notion of reflection can be even more daunting. The project outlined in this paper was set up to explore the design and development of learning resources to help students make sense of the complexities of an entrepreneur's learning environment, and to develop effective reflection habits as a means to improving their own entrepreneurial practice. A guided approach to reflective practice was devised for students for use as they enact the entrepreneurial process during their venture creation projects. Although a full evaluation of the project is not yet complete, initial results indicate that students are finding the approach helpful, their fluency in reflection is increased and their understanding of the value of 'chewing over' entrepreneurial challenges and opportunities has grown. The breadth and depth of their learning environment seems to be clearer to them, and the importance of developing the habit of reflection is taken on board. Wider application of the project outcomes and outputs is envisaged among nascent entrepreneurs in mentoring / business advisory contexts.;\\$aEntrepreneurship education; Experiential learning; Informal learning; Incidental learning; Professional development; Learning journal; Reflective practice; Enactmen

How companies use customer insight to drive customer acquisition, development and retention

In theory, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology and processes should help firms to identify the ‘right’ customers, understand their needs, predict their behaviour and develop tailored propositions. Yet numerous studies have found that CRM projects have failed to deliver the expected benefits. Academics and practitioners have begun to refer to a key resource required to fulfil the promise of CRM as ‘customer insight’. Project one explores how companies use customer insight to drive customer acquisition, retention and development and proposes a theoretical framework for actioning customer insight. Five case studies with UK-based large companies were undertaken, involving 25 in-depth interviews. Companies were found to be synthesising data from five areas: competitors, customers, markets, employees and channel partners. From this data they are generating four types of customer insight: market predictions, customer segments, propensity models and customer analytics. This insight is guiding strategy, operations, marketing, sales, product portfolio management and customer service. Project two explores a particularly promising area of practice uncovered in project one, namely how customer insight is used in inbound service call centres to drive crossselling, up-selling and retention. Empirical research into this practice of sales through service is sparse. A cross-sector multiple-case exploratory study of six UK-based organisations was undertaken, using interviews and agent observation. Customer insight in the form of predictive models delivered to agents’ screens appears to improve the effectiveness of sales through service. Contrary to common practitioner concerns, insight-based sales offers can have a positive impact on satisfaction, and introducing sales through service does not necessarily increase average handling time. Agents are more likely to make successful offers if they believe that they are ‘doing the right thing’ for the customer. A balanced set of targets covering productivity, satisfaction and sales seems important for agents combining sales and service roles. Further research is needed to validate and refine the seven propositions generated.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Building online learner communities: an activity theory perspective.

In recent decades there has been a considerable growth in the delivery of professional education in online mode. To support this mode of learning, educators now have at their disposal an array of tools, with recent additions comprising tools for collaborative working and asynchronous learning. Learners undertaking courses in a face-to-face delivery environment typically forge close ties with their peers, and also build rapport with academic staff through lectures, tutorials and one-to-one or small group consultations (Lam, 2004; Singh et al, 2009). These ties tend to lead naturally to opportunities for collaborative working. It is widely acknowledged that this collaboration can have a positive impact on learning performance. By contrast, learning in an online environment can leave some learners feeling isolated from their educators and their peers, leading to a decline in motivation and ultimately performance. Others actively seek to operate in isolation, are reluctant to engage with others, and have to be persuaded of the benefits of forming links with others during their online study. The challenge for the educator is to design online learning programmes in such a way that a spirit of collaborative working is fostered and a productive learning community is established. It was against the backdrop of this challenge that the project presented in this paper was initiated in a UK Higher Education establishment in which there has been a significant increase in the number of professional, vocational and post-experience programmes delivered in online mode. The aims of the project were to explore the approaches being taken, and the tools being used, by colleagues to foster interaction and build learning communities in their online programmes; to gain insights into their students' experiences of online learning; and to capture areas of good practice which could be shared more widely. Following a literature review examining key themes in online learning, an examination of available tools was undertaken. This was followed by an observation study and series of semi-structured interviews with academic staff, relevant support staff and learners. Drawing on activity theory, findings were analysed to identify issues in current practice. These findings highlighted needs for training in online learning design, rather than simply 'technology use' for the academics, and also a need to educate learners about collaborative working and learning. The practical outcomes of the project were twofold: first, using aspects of activity theory, a number of illustrative cases of good practice were constructed for use in training academics. Second, learning guides were devised, again drawing on activity theory, to help students understand the nature and scope of an online learning community and their role as an interacting participant within it. These cases and guides, informed by activity theory, represent an important aspect of the contribution of this project to the wider professional learning community