John Blenkinsopp

The roles of transparency and trust in the relationship between corruption and citizen satisfaction

Reducing corruption and improving citizen satisfaction are important aims of government, yet the link between these two policy aims has rarely been explored. This article reports a study into the roles played by transparency and trust in the relationship between governmental corruption and citizen satisfaction with public services. The study was based on data gathered in South Korea to evaluate a specific initiative that had sought to reduce corruption and increase citizen satisfaction with public works programmes. The data indicated that the relationship between corruption and satisfaction was moderated by transparency and partially mediated by trust. Points for practitioners The study sheds light on the roles of transparency and trust in the relationship between corruption and citizen satisfaction with public services, and thus provides insights for developing policy aimed at curtailing corruption and improving satisfaction.

Under-employment among recent graduates: a review of the literature

– The purpose of this paper is to offer a systematic review of the literature that explores under‐employment among recent graduates. Literature from a range of disciplines is reviewed in an attempt to further a theoretical understanding. In doing this, the secondary aim is to identify avenues for future research., – The paper adopts a systematic literature review methodology to answer the question “What is graduate underemployment?”, – The review highlights significant issues around the conceptualisation and measurement of graduate under‐employment. It argues that individual volition and meaning making are important issues that to date remain under‐researched in relation to graduate under‐employment. The paper argues that the most appropriate basis for developing a theoretical understanding of graduate under‐employment is to draw upon relevant theoretical frameworks from career studies – specifically those on the objective‐subjective duality of career, career indecision, and career success. This approach provides a greater focus on the dynamics of the individuals experiences., – This review has implications for a range of stakeholders including students, graduates, teachers and careers advisers, parents, universities, employers, HR professionals and policy makers., – In the context of policy debates surrounding the purpose and value of higher education, this review brings together the highly fragmented perspectives on a phenomenon that encapsulates many of the issues being debated.

Do organisational factors support creativity and innovation in Polish firms

Purpose – Martins and Terblanche developed a theoretical framework of the organisational factors that support creativity and innovation, and the current study aims to provide an empirical test of this framework.Design/methodology/approach – Based on a review of existing literature on national culture and previous research into Polish organisations, we developed hypotheses as to the likely position of Polish organisations on these four dimensions. These predictions were tested via a survey of Polish managers from a diverse range of companies.Findings – The key findings related to ownership – partly or fully foreign‐owned companies operating in Poland appeared to be much more enabling of creativity and innovation than their wholly Polish‐owned counterparts.Research limitations/implications – Nicholson suggested that Polish businesses would benefit greatly from the adoption of at least some western methods, but that there would be significant constraints to their adoption. This research strongly supports thi...

Lost in translation? Culture, language and the role of the translator in international business

Purpose – Issues of language in international business have been the focus of a growing body of theoretical and empirical work. This paper aims to contribute to this literature, focusing specifically on issues of translation. The role of translator will vary depending on the language strategy adopted, with strategies linked to differing perspectives on language in international business – mechanical, cultural and political. The paper examines these perspectives through the lens of a specific problem for transnational communication – “untranslatable” words and concepts.Design/methodology/approach – Interviews were conducted with professional linguists (translators and interpreters) to explore how they dealt with issues of untranslatable but cultural salient words in their day‐to‐day work with international businesses, using the problems of translating the Farsi word tarouf into English as a case in point.Findings – The linguists agreed that tarouf was an untranslatable word, and described their strategies ...

Identity work in the transition from manager to management academic

The phenomenon of current practitioners moving into academia is generally welcomed in terms addressing recruitment problems and the perceived benefit of bringing practical experience into the academic setting. Yet the individual practitioner may encounter considerable difficulties with this career transition. This paper identifies the different sources and discourses of credibility – management experience versus academic knowledge – as particularly relevant, and considers the ways in which these “emergent management academics” manage their self‐identities in their day‐to‐day interactions.

At the heart of things: The role of the “married” couple in entrepreneurship and family business

Purpose – The paper aims to develop an expanded conceptualisation of copreneurship, locating it within the family embeddedness perspective on entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws upon entrepreneurship and family business literatures in order to identify the concept of copreneurship within both traditions.Findings – Copreneurship has been examined by researchers in both fields and, although there are limitations to the current understanding, it clearly represents an important phenomenon, and the role of spousal support in entrepreneurship being identified as particularly significant.Research limitations/implications – By locating copreneurship as a key link between the entrepreneurship and family business literatures, this paper offers a useful basis for framing subsequent work using insight from both fields.Practical implications – Copreneurship, and other forms of small family firms, represent a high proportion of new ventures and there are, therefore, considerable policy benefi...

“Hey GRINGO!”: the HR challenge of graduates in non‐graduate occupations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the phenomenon of growing numbers of graduates in non‐graduate occupations (GRINGOs), and to explore the HR issues and complexities that arise as a consequence. The article also suggests avenues for future research.Design/methodology/approach – A case study methodology was used to gather data from four companies employing significant numbers of graduates in non‐graduate jobs.Findings – The case studies suggest that GRINGOs can bring significant benefits to organisations, but are also challenging to manage: organisations which cannot offer them opportunities for career development risk having an able but resolutely uncommitted group of staff.Research limitations/implications – The research is based on a relatively limited sample, and the respondents were in management, so the findings were not triangulated with the perceptions of GRINGOs within the organisations. There is a paucity of literature examining the consequences of the GRINGO and the challenges th...

Making sense of mistakes in managerial careers

Purpose – The paper provides initial findings on the causes and consequences of problematic mid‐career work‐role transitions – self‐reported career mistakes described by individuals in terms of a mismatch between expectations and reality.Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory study uses in‐depth interviews based on critical incident technique (CIT) to elicit accounts of problematic work‐role transitions.Findings – Participants reported mismatches arose because their expectations were based on their prior experience, rather than upon information provided by the organisation during the course of the recruitment process. These mismatches stimulated very active sense making on the part of participants, largely focused on finding ways to make their continuation in the role tolerable.Research limitations/implications – The present study, which is exploratory in nature, involved a small sample size, and the use of retrospective accounts. The findings are therefore preliminary and may not be representativ...

The impact of ethics programmes and ethical culture on misconduct in public service organizations

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the relationship between ethics programmes and ethical culture, and their impact on misconduct. Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical model which posits ethical culture to be a mediating variable in the relationship between ethics programmes and misconduct was tested using data from a national ethics survey of Korean public service organizations. Findings – The data indicates the relationship between ethics programmes and misconduct is fully mediated by ethical culture. Only two of the six elements of an ethics programme had a significant effect on misconduct before ethical culture was controlled for, and when ethical culture was controlled for, none of the elements had a significant impact on misconduct. The ethics programme did however appear to strengthen ethical culture, suggesting such programmes make an important contribution to reducing unethical behaviour in organizations. Research limitations/implications – Future research should examine the interaction ...

The Ties that Double Bind Us: Career, Emotion and Narrative Coping in Difficult Working Relationships

This article examines through an autoethnographic account how career aspirations and constraints may lead individuals to endure emotionally aversive situations. It presents evidence that individuals in such situations engage in emotion‐focused coping through narrative, illustrated by the author’s autoethnographic narrative of a difficult working relationship which developed into a double bind situation. The paper suggests that narrative coping in response to a double bind can actually serve to reify and prolong such situations. The paper concludes that autoethnographic research does not lend itself to simple organisational solutions. Possible avenues for further research are outlined and discussed.