Perceived unfairness in appraisal: Engagement and sustainable organizational performance

This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here (http://chesterrep.openrepository.com). Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - See more at: http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/authors/writing/author_rights.htm#sthash.tY84QLVR.dpuf DOI - 10.1108/EMJB-06-2013-0034Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the contribution of appraisal systems to sustainable organizational effectiveness. It argues that competitive advantage is increasingly reliant on discretionary effort. As the emphasis of appraisal has shifted from a developmental to a performance focus, perceived unfairness in both procedures and outcomes threatens to undermine commitment and, therefore, sustainable performance. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on a range of theoretical frameworks, current practices and experiences are examined and future trends considered. Empirical research includes a ten-year study of practising managers and ethnography, questionnaires and interviews in two large organizations. Findings – Appraisal frequently creates actual and perceived injustice in terms of both procedures and rewards. It also generates tensions between managing performance and encouraging engagement. Research limitations/implications – This study indicates that further research in other sectors will contribute to the development of greater understanding of sustainable strategic approaches to HRM. Practical implications – Emphasis on performance in appraisal devalues developmental aspects and sometimes affects employee well-being. Separation of the two through mentorship schemes may help to address the paradox, whereby the performance management element of appraisal undermines rather than enhances organizational effectiveness. Originality/value – The conventional wisdom of the appraisal culture is challenged. We argue it is essential to expand the discourse between performance, justice and ethical value systems if sustainable competitive advantage and well-being are to be achieved

Teaching managers: Learning, research and workplace practice

This is the author's PDF version of an article published in Journal of Management Development ©2010. The definitive version is available at www.emeraldinsight.com.This article explores the way in which professional management programmes are informed by research and workplace practice. The focus is on the areas of motivation, appraisal and the management of change. A longitudinal study using a mixed methods approach was used. Middle and senior managers engaged on professional management programmes were surveyed on workplace practice. Literature reviewed included syllabus guidelines from professional bodies and selected core textbooks. A content analysis revealed that there was a lack of congruence between what is taught to managers and workplace practice. However, research was found to have an impact on teaching and indirectly it influenced individual beliefs if not organisational practice. Conclusions indicate that professional management programmes are still failing to bridge the gap between syllabus content current research and workplace practice. There is little to show that the needs of Business are being satisfied compared to successful models embedded in other professions

Creating Interactive Facilities Management Capabilities through Building Information Modelling as a tool for Managing the Irish Public Sector Estates

The Irish Government manages estates that are faced with increased pressure on their greenhouse gas emissions, as well as, poorly managed assets that leave it increasingly difficult for an effective Facilities Management (FM) process to be operated. The FM processes represents the most costly stage in the life-cycle of a building and must now take priority in the design process, as the operating and maintenance costs can be up to five times the capital costs, with the business operating costs reaching up to two hundred times the capital costs over the life of the building. In order for Ireland to realise a smarter and better equipped public estate that can respond to increased staffing demands, it is critical that a new dimension of FM be explored through Building Information Modelling (BIM). BIM could benefit decision-making in FM task by task and can be used as an FM tool specifically in relation to public estates to integrate digital descriptions of a built asset. BIM can increase performance, utilisation and financial information in the maintenance phase, as all the design and built asset information is still present in a single BIM model. The data collation methodology adopted by the authors in this paper included the use of a questionnaire survey that was designed and distributed in collaboration with the Irish Facilities Property Management sector. In addition the UK Government’s BIM and Soft Landings Policy will be investigated together with its applicability in the Irish AEC / FM sector. The research findings will strongly advocate that BIM can ensure a unique FM approach which can reduce life cycle costs and provide the Irish Government with a more enhanced estate

Minimum city? The deeper impacts of the ‘super-rich’ on urban life

This chapter offers an analysis of the spatial distribution of the wealthy in London and considers how their pronounced growth has affected neighbourhood life and the social politics of London. These changes entwine with ideological commitments to welcome capital and the rich, while at the same time, investments and commitments in the public sphere diminish. We thereby consider the lived impacts of these shifts at a time when the city faces one of the worst social crises in generations. We describe this political conjunction and its associated socio-spatial formations as a ‘minimum city’ in which growing abundance among the few moves the city away from collective provision, social justice and inclusive urban spaces.Peer reviewe

A computer‑based simulation of childbirth using the partial Dirichlet–Neumann contact method with total Lagrangian explicit dynamics on the GPU

During physiological or ‘natural’ childbirth, the fetal head follows a distinct motion pattern—often referred to as the cardinal movements or ‘mechanisms’ of childbirth—due to the biomechanical interaction between the fetus and maternal pelvic anatomy. The research presented in this paper introduces a virtual reality-based simulation of physiological childbirth. The underpinning science is based on two numerical algorithms including the total Lagrangian explicit dynamics method to calculate soft tissue deformation and the partial Dirichlet–Neumann contact method to calculate the mechanical contact interaction between the fetal head and maternal pelvic anatomy. The paper describes the underlying mathematics and algorithms of the solution and their combination into a computer-based implementation. The experimental section covers first a number of validation experiments on simple contact mechanical problems which is followed by the main experiment of running a virtual reality childbirth. Realistic mesh models of the fetus, bony pelvis and pelvic floor muscles were subjected to the intra-uterine expulsion forces which aim to propel the virtual fetus through the virtual birth canal. Following a series of simulations, taking variations in the shape and size of the geometric models into account, we consistently observed the cardinal movements in the simulator just as they happen in physiological childbirth. The results confirm the potential of the simulator as a predictive tool for problematic childbirths subject to patient-specific adaptations

Training and development: challenges of strategy and managing performance in Jordanian banking

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a published work that appeared in final form in EuroMed Journal of Business. To access the final edited and published work see http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/EMJB-01-2016-0001Original Research published in EuroMed Journal of BusinessStructured Abstract: Purpose: This paper explores the relationship between organisational strategy, performance management and training and development in the context of the Jordanian banking sector. Design and methodology: Models of strategic human resource management developed in the West are considered for their relevance in Jordan. A mixed methods approach is adopted employing interviews with senior managers and training and development managers, employee questionnaires and documentary analysis. It examines all banks in Jordan including foreign and Islamic banks. Findings: Findings indicate that training and development is not driven by human resource strategy and that it is reactive rather than proactive. Training and development does improve skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours but there is little evidence that it increases commitment and satisfaction nor that it contributes to strategic aims in any significant way. The linkages between strategy and training and development are not explicit and strategies are not interpreted through performance management systems. Consequently there is a lack of integration in organisational HR systems and the measurable contribution of training and development to competitive advantage is minimal Practical implications: The paper offers suggestions as to how greater integration between strategy, performance management and training and development might be achieved in the Jordanian context. Originality: This paper is the first detailed empirical study of training and development in Jordan to include considerations of transferability of western models to an Arab culture

Characterization of Melan-A reactive memory CD8+ T cells in a healthy donor

Melan-A specific CD8+ T cells are thought to play an important role against the development of melanoma. Their in vivo expansion is often observed with advanced disease. In recent years, low levels of Melan-A reactive CD8+ T cells have also been found in HLA-A2 healthy donors, but these cells harbor naive characteristics and are thought to be mostly cross-reactive for the Melan-A antigen. Here, we report on a large population of CD8+ T cells reactive for the Melan-A antigen, identified in one donor with no evidence of melanoma. Interestingly, this population is oligoclonal and displays a clear memory phenotype. However, a detailed study of these cells indicated that they are unlikely to be directly specific for melanoma, so that their in vivo expansion may have been driven by an exogenous antigen. Screening of a Melan-A cross-reactive peptide library suggested that these cells may be specific for an epitope derived from a Mycobacterium protein, which would provide a further example of CD8+ T cell cross-reactivity between a pathogen antigen and a tumor antigen. Finally, we discuss potential perspectives regarding the role of such cells in heterologous immunity, by influencing the balance between protective immunity and pathology, e.g. in the case of melanoma developmen

Centimeter to decimeter hollow concretions and voids in Gale Crater sediments, Mars

Voids and hollow spheroids between ∼1 and 23 cm in diameter occur at several locations along the traverse of the Curiosity rover in Gale crater, Mars. These hollow spherical features are significantly different from anything observed in previous landed missions. The voids appear in dark-toned, rough-textured outcrops, most notably at Point Lake (sols 302-305) and Twin Cairns Island (sol 343). Point Lake displays both voids and cemented spheroids in close proximity; other locations show one or the other form. The spheroids have 1-4 mm thick walls and appear relatively dark-toned in all cases, some with a reddish hue. Only one hollow spheroid (Winnipesaukee, sol 653) was analyzed for composition, appearing mafic (Fe-rich), in contrast to the relatively felsic host rock. The interior surface of the spheroid appears to have a similar composition to the exterior with the possible exceptions of being more hydrated and slightly depleted in Fe and K. Origins of the spheroids as Martian tektites or volcanic bombs appear unlikely due to their hollow and relatively fragile nature and the absence of in-place clearly igneous rocks. A more likely explanation to both the voids and the hollow spheroids is reaction of reduced iron with oxidizing groundwater followed by some re-precipitation as cemented rind concretions at a chemical reaction front. Although some terrestrial concretion analogs are produced from a precursor siderite or pyrite, diagenetic minerals could also be direct precipitates for other terrestrial concretions. The Gale sediments differ from terrestrial sandstones in their high initial iron content, perhaps facilitating a higher occurrence of such diagenetic reactions

Leadership development for managers in turbulent times

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a published work that appeared in final form in Journal of Management Development. To access the final edited and published work see http://www.emeraldinsight.com/loi/jmd.Purpose In a turbulent economic climate, characterised by pressures to improve productivity and reduce costs, leadership and performance management have a more central role in helping to ensure competitive advantage. This paper explores current demands on leaders; and endeavours to explore linkages between management education and agile leadership Design/methodology/approach Taking a grounded theory approach, this paper uses the concepts of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) to investigate the impact on desired attributes of leaders and the extent to which this is underpinned by current management education programmes. It draws on the VUCA model of agile management to examine current practices and experiences and considers future trends. Empirical research includes case studies and analysis of management syllabuses. Findings Syllabuses do not reflect the attributes that organizations expect leaders to possess and are content driven rather than process focussed. VUCA is not yet mainstream in academic thinking. Practical implications There is a disparity between the output of Business Schools and the expectations of organizations. This may affect productivity. It is suggested that the use of live consultancies may provide a more beneficial management development experience. Originality/value This research opens an international debate that seeks to assess the relevance of current management education to the needs of organizations for agile, high performing leader

Elite formation, power and space in contemporary London

In this paper we examine elite formation in relation to money power within the city of London. Our primary aim is to consider the impact of the massive concentration of such power upon the city’s political life, municipal and shared resources and social equity. We argue that objectives of city success have come to be identified and aligned with the presence of wealth elites while wider goals, of access to essential resources for citizens, have withered. A diverse national and global wealth-elite is drawn to a city with an almost unique cultural infrastructure, fiscal regime and ushering butler class of politicians. We consider how London is being made for money and the monied – in physical, political and cultural terms. We conclude that the conceptualisation of elites as wealth and social power formations operating within urban spatial arenas is important for capturing the nature of new social divisions and changes