Carolyn Dickie

Innovation in postgraduate teaching: mixed methods to enhance learning and learning about learning

Growing pressure to restructure and reform tertiary education is encouraging university academics to use innovative practices that assist students to develop ‘employable’ skills. The hybrid approach described in this paper stimulated students to be self‐directed adult learners who maximized their learning of content and skills by means of problem‐based learning and action research strategies. The lecturer also operated as a reflective practitioner and role model by using an action research approach. This paper demonstrates the value of student empowerment, communication and leadership in autonomous learning groups. It outlines methods by which academic teaching staff can build continuous improvement into a university unit’s curriculum design and processes. These can be powerful additions to lecturers’ teaching strategies and to students’ learning experiences.

A New Zealand and Australian overview of ethics and sustainability in SMEs

There is a dearth of research on ethics and sustainability related to SMEs in New Zealand and Australia. This paper begins by giving a definition of SMEs in New Zealand and Australia, which both differ somewhat from international definitions. The role of SMEs in New Zealand and Australian society is discussed and a description of one study in each country covering SMEs and sustainability is presented. Both studies found that owner-managers undertake a number of triple bottom line activities, without overtly identifying these actions as sustainable practice. At the same time, both studies showed that an over-riding focus on the financial bottom-line may be a significant barrier to SMEs adopting further sustainability practices. The paper concludes with a call for additional research in the area of ethical and sustainable business practice in SMEs in Australia and New Zealand, identifying some promising areas of future investigation.

A 2009 perspective of HR practices in Australian mining

Purpose – Mining organisations operate with a finite resource, often in remote locations, require specialised skills, with high capital intensity and are subject to political, social and environmental global issues. Mining is among the most technologically advanced of all heavy industries but it relies on both employees and contractors for operational success. The aim of this paper is to focus on the human resource (HR) challenges facing the West Australian mining industry.Design/methodology/approach – This is a discussion paper, detailing the challenges that the HR function in the West Australian mining industry has faced in the recent past and is facing in the years ahead.Findings – The resource sector of the economy in 2009 had been hit hard with plunging commodity prices and falling demand and most HR challenges identified in earlier years as being relevant during boom years became even more critical. The key HR challenges facing the West Australian mining industry for the next few years are considere...

Integrating the Work-Life Interface During Expatriation: A Case Study of Expatriate Mining Professionals

The global mining industry is characterized by increasing demands for international mobility. With growing calls for more work-life balance across many professions, therefore, it offers a potentially important context in which to explore the impact of international mobility on the interface between work and personal life. Drawing on a study of 60 expatriate mining professionals, this chapter reports widespread perceptions that during expatriation ‘work’ and ‘life’ become more integrated – particularly in situations where organizational support systems are limited. Specifically, it will report how interviewees relied on work colleagues for support and how that reliance created more integration between work and non-work domains. It will also report the perceived impact of financial status and job security on the work-life interface– a relatively unexplored theme in the current literatures. Drawing the findings of the chapter together, we will suggest that this increased integration encourages a reordering of the work-life interface during expatriation.

The Organizational Self-Intiated Expatriate: A Case Study of a Professional Services Firm

Scholarly and practitioner research on the assigned expatriate (AE) is extensive and continues to evolve as global business practices adjust to the changing economic climate. Over the past 15 years or so, and particularly more recently, there has been increasing scholarly interest in what is now widely known as the “self-initiated expatriate” (SIE). The study of expatriates who self-initiate (i.e., rather than being sent by an employer) has emerged in a number of disciplines (Farrer, 2010; Fechter & Walsh, 2010; Korpela, 2010; Leonard, 2010) and reflects the increasing complexity of movement and mobility in the twenty-first century (McKenna & Richardson, 2007). One of the first studies in the field by Inkson, Arthur, Pringle, and Barry (1997) investigated New Zealanders undertaking overseas experience and identified differences from the AE model (Inkson et al., 1997; Inkson & Myers, 2003). Their study makes an important contribution by highlighting a different kind of independent expatriate experience rather than being sent as part of a corporate assignment.

New Zealand & Australia: A New Zealand and Australian Overview of Ethics and Sustainability in SMEs

There is a dearth of research on ethics and sustainability related to SMEs in New Zealand and Australia. This paper begins by giving a definition of SMEs in New Zealand and Australia, which both differ somewhat from international definitions. The role of SMEs in New Zealand and Australian society is discussed and a description of one study in each country covering SMEs and sustainability is presented. Both studies found that owner-managers undertake a number of triple bottom line activities, without overtly identifying these actions as sustainable practice. At the same time, both studies showed that an over-riding focus on the financial bottom-line may be a significant barrier to SMEs adopting further sustainability practices. The paper concludes with a call for additional research in the area of ethical and sustainable business practice in SMEs in Australia and New Zealand, identifying some promising areas of future investigation.

A taxonomic approach to supplier intelligence in manufacturing: managing components of strategic procurement planning

This paper is used to explore requirements for achieving sustainability and survival of manufacturing organisations by means of ensuring continuous supplies for production. Under the current environmental uncertainty due to the global financial crisis and consequent demise of many companies, the contention is that manufacturers require more information and data regarding their suppliers and use supplier intelligence (SI) to reduce supply risk. Current research literature indicates there is little information regarding supplier intelligence; in the context of the suppliers supplier, suppliers financial health in terms of capital investment, debt, share market performance, financial reporting, accounting practices, auditing, corporate governance and operating environment. Consequently, a conceptual framework is proposed for gathering supplier intelligence to improve supplier relations and their management. The impetus for a planned approach to increasing information about a trading partner has become more critical since the collapse of well-known and stable MNCs and the demise of tier 2 suppliers. Supplier intelligence enables the buyer to advance their operations and long term strategies to succeed with more certainty, less supply risk, increased competitive advantage and greater innovative capabilities. Finally, a taxonomy for collecting SI data and information is proposed.