Linley Hartmann

Flexpatriate assignments: a neglected issue in global staffing

The demands of managing international assignments are major considerations within strategic IHRM theory and most frequently considered within long-term employment choices between parent-country expatriates or host-country nationals. Yet recent studies from the Centre for Research into the Management of Expatriation (CReME) (Harris, 1999 ; Petrovic, 2000 ) have highlighted the frequency of alternative types of international assignment, which they classify as ‘short-term’, ‘commuter’ and ‘frequent flyer’ assignments, which are now a regular part of global business life. This paper reports on a case study of one Austrian multinational organization and highlights management issues in terms of incidence, purpose, management and personal impact for assignments involving frequent travel without relocation (flexible expatriation) compared with traditional expatriate assignments. It begins by reviewing the emphasis on expatriate assignment before presenting evidence regarding the extent of alternative forms of international assignment. The research method and background to the study are then discussed before the findings are presented and discussed.

Gender Differences in Attitudes Toward Affirmative Action Programs in Australia: Effects of Beliefs, Interests, and Attitudes Toward Women

This research identified mediators explaining the relationship between gender and attitudes toward affirmative action programs for women. Structural equation modeling was conducted on survey data obtained from academics at an Australian university (n = 198 with listwise deletion of missing data). Findings indicated that the relationship between gender and affirmative action attitudes was mediated by (1) perceptions of affirmative actions impact on material self-interest, (2) belief in the existence of gender discrimination, and (3) traditional attitudes toward women. Implications for organizations, policymakers, and researchers are discussed.

Generalizability of Menon's Empowerment Scale Replication and Extension with Australian Data

this study tests the generalizability of the psychological empowerment model proposed by Menon in 2001 by replicating and extending the original Canadian study, using Australian samples. In phase 1 of the research, a replica of the original scale development questionnaire was administered to 266 employed individuals taking courses at a university in South Australia. Factor analysis of the scale items faithfully reproduced the original three factors from Menons study and the subscale reliabilities were: perceived control (.87), perceived competence (.81) and goal internalization (.86). In phase 2 of the research conducted with 80 employed individuals, empowerment was found to be negatively correlated with centralization and positively correlated with delegating supervisory behavior, again in line with the original results. In addition, empowerment was found to be positively correlated with Manhardts values favoring career advancement and a work environment that includes sources of intrinsic motivation.

Human resource management in Australia ‐ Prospects for the twenty‐first century

In Australia, globalization, together with economic and political developments internal to the country, has resulted in deregulation of the former institution‐based system of industrial relations. The labor force is now more qualified, casualised and diverse than at any previous point in history. Human resource (HR) practitioners have responded by placing greater emphasis on aligning HR strategy with corporate strategy, devoting greater effort to performance management and exploring new forms of flexible work arrangements, increasing their reliance on legal expertise, and increasing their adoption of computerized HR management systems.

Externalizing the workforce: Australian trends and issues for HRM

Changes in internal and external labor markets through externalization of the workforce or the development of contingent and core distinctions have been intensified in Australia by globalization, competitive pressures and political changes. An extensive literature describes and analyzes these changes and empirically assessed variables influencing the extent of externalization and the strategies associated with it. Very little attention has been given to the implications of these changes for human resource management. This article reviews some reasons for the high rate of externalization in Australia and identifies some issues which face human resource management as externalization continues to rise.

Women in Education and Early Retirement

Reports on the attitudes of a small sample of older women in education to the future options of either continuing to participate in their chosen profession or retiring early. Little interest was shown in early retirement, partly because it was not an attractive financial option for many of the sample and partly because the majority of the women expressed strong commitment to continued workforce participation. The study highlights how former discriminatory practices in access to superannuation membership have disadvantaged women by not providing them with comparable financial benefits when their organizations begin to downsize and offer voluntary separation packages. Concludes with the thought that organizations should re‐examine their stereotypes of older workers and implement policies which will use their talents more.

What Do Managers Like To Do? Comparing Women and Men in Australia and the US

The work of Mintzberg (1973) and others has inspired a substantial literature identifying the work activities conducted by managers. This article contributes to that literature by examining which of their many activities managers find enjoyable and which they find unpleasant. The data base included 1,174 subjects from Australia and the US, most of whom were working managers. Findings indicated that managers most enjoyed the activities associated with leading employees, networking and innovating. Women and men in Australia and the US showed highly similar rank‐orderings of preferred managerial activities, though some small gender and country differences in average ratings were observed.

Individual decision making: implications for decision training in TQM

This paper questions whether a decision making approach based on rational processes is appropriate considering recent developments in decision theory. The paper begins by comparing the behaviour of managerial decision makers with the expected behaviour of newly empowered employees in TQM programs. Whereas the complexity and diversity of managerial decision making is well recognised, training programs for newly empowered employees emphasise the objective use of data and rational decision strategies within a team context. This paper suggests other decision making strategies should also be included in training programs and reviews the research basis for this. The conclusion is that training for individuals which is limited to the normative models advocated within TQM ignores evidence which suggests that other decision strategies can be just as effective and that these may need to be addressed. Indeed, training in rational models may encourage newly empowered employees to discontinue their present adaptive behaviour.

Older Women: Retailing Utilizes a Neglected Workforce Resource

This investigation reports on the attitudes that a small group of older women working in retailing has toward continuing to participate in the workforce. Women aged over 50 generally have fewer formal educational achievements than their younger counterparts, and many of our sample (80%) have experi enced periods out of the workforce to raise families. As a group their access to superannuation has been low prior to the 1989 legislation and consequently the majority would anticipate little financial payout in the event of ceasing to work. Retailing has offered them both full-time and part-time employment opportunities, which, despite low wages, leads to reported high levels of job satisfaction, little consideration of the possibilities of retirement, and a sizable group (11%) willing to work beyond 65 if the opportunity were available. Other industries might also benefit from providing working opportunities to older women whose potential to contribute to the workforce appears to have been largely underrated.