Paul Boreham

Indetermination: professional knowledge, organization and control

This paper is a critique of the tradition of sociological writing which has emphasized the ability of occupations organized on the professional principle to gain for their members an occupational monopoly and a position in the division of labour which provides them with autonomy to determine occupational tasks and functions. It is argued that theories which seek to account for the conditions which provide the framework for successful resistance to rationalization and codification in professional work have not adequately articulated the concept of power. The theoretical discourse on professional and managerial power has therefore tended, with few exceptions, to locate the determination and exercise of power as though it were a zero sum commodity deriving from social relations of organizations. Theories predicting the emergence of professional rather than mangerial forms of control therefore have little explanatory ability other man for a particular mode of rationality within a limiting theoretical framework. This analysis represents an attempt to propose a mediation between structuralist theories of power and organization and those theoretical reflections on the professions which locate the determination of occupational authority in a broader matrix of social processes.

Problem gambling and the circumstances facing older people : a study of gaming machine players aged 60+ in licensed clubs.

Local gambling venues are an important contemporary context for older people’s gambling in many parts of the world typically being more accessible to this segment of the population than traditional, centralised gambling venues, such as casinos. This study, undertaken in South East Queensland, analyses older people’s electronic gaming machine (EGM) behaviour and motivations, specifically in the context of licensed social and recreational clubs—a popular local gambling venue in many parts of Australia. The study gathered data via a postal survey of 80 managers of licensed clubs, interviews with Gambling Help services and a survey of 414 people aged 60+ who regularly play EGMs, self-administered on site at local clubs. The analysis undertaken suggests that certain age-related circumstances of older people—such as being without a partner, having a disability that impacts on everyday activities, having a low annual income, and no longer participating in the workforce—are associated with higher overall levels of motivation for playing EGMs and greater reliance on EGMs to meet social, recreational and mental health needs. Over a quarter of the older people surveyed (27%) reported drawing on their savings to fund their EGM gambling. Certain categories of older people, including those who were without a partner and those with a disability, were more likely to report drawing on their savings to fund EGM play and betting more than they could afford to lose, pointing to age-related vulnerabilities older people may experience to the negative impacts of gambling given the greater likelihood of their dependency on smaller, fixed incomes. The explanatory contribution of a range of demographic and motivational variables on problem/moderate risk gambling status was computed via a logistic regression model. Younger age (60–69), male gender, single marital status and being motivated to play EGMs to experience excitement and to win money all emerged as significant predictors in the model.

From Casual to Permanent Part-Time? Non-Standard Employment in Retail and Hospitality

Abstract As the proportion of the Australian labour force accounted for by full-time, permanent employees continues to decline, the conditions of non-standard work have become increasingly important aspects of industrial negotiation and regulation. In this article we investigate the potential to enhance the conditions of non-standard work through the conversion of part-time positions from ‘casual’ to ‘permanent’ status. While this strategy formally addresses the insecurity of casual employment, our research suggests some limits to the capacity to impact on the broader process of ‘casualisation’ of employment conditions. In the sections of retail and hospitality industries which we investigate, not only has negotiation of a transition from casual to permanent part-time employment proved difficult, there is little indication that permanent part-time status confers significant improvements. Moreover, in the current industrial relations environment, the potential to address more fundamental aspects of the con...

Are policy-makers interested in social research? Exploring the sources and uses of valued information among public servants in Australia

Abstract This article explores the use of research and expertise within a selection of government agencies at state and federal levels in Australia. A recent survey of public officials provides new data on the reported use of evidence and expertise sourced from within the public service and from external sources. The survey instrument targeted the policy, program and evaluation staff in human service agencies and central policy coordination agencies. The survey findings provide new information on public servants’ policy skills and organisational context, their attitudes to non-government sources of expert evidence and knowledge, and their perceptions of the relevance of academic social research. Data are reported on the relative importance assigned by public officials in state and federal agencies to various sources of expert information. Factors that hinder and facilitate the uptake of external research by policy-related officials are canvassed, with special attention to organisational cultures and practices. Some similarities and differences between types of agencies are noted, especially those between state-level and federal agencies. The broader political context of policy work is also highlighted.

Trade Union Strategy in Contemporary Capitalism: The Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Implications of Political Unionism

Trade union movements in advanced capitalist economies pursue different strategies and draw on different organizational resources at both macropolitical and micropolitical levels. While the theoretical implications of industrial and political strategies have been extensively debated, the actual outcomes of political unionism have rarely been subjected to rigorous empirical investigation. Utilizing data drawn from three different surveys of union strategies and measures of industrial and economic democracy in seven capitalist economies since the mid-1970s, this paper examines the microeconomic and macroeconomic implications of political unionism. The evidence suggests that while political unionism results in both macroeconomic and microeconomic outcomes favourable to labour, at the level of the labour process these achievements are registered in the empowerment of collective actors (unions and works councils) rather than individual actors (workers).

Perspectives of academic social scientists on knowledge transfer and research collaborations: a cross-sectional survey of Australian academics

This paper reports results from a survey of academic social scientists in Australian universities on their research engagement experience with industry and government partners and end-users of research. The results highlight that while academics report a range of benefits arising from research collaborations,there are also significant impediments to research translation and uptake, including organisational processes within universities. Using the scale of research utilisation, we examine research transfer and uptake and explore a range of variables to understand factors influencing the use of academic social science research by policy makers and practitioners.

New Technology @ Work

This book is about the ways in which new information and communication technologies have enabled changes in the way work is organised in contemporary society. The book takes up two major themes about new technologies that may be briefly summarised as follows: a critical response to those accounts that accord to technology an independent role in determining workplace change; an emphasis on the social processes that influence the way that technology is utilised in the workplace; and a focus on the manner in which technological developments have been applied in quite different ways to different segments of the employed population.

Research Utilization in the Social Sciences: A Comparison of Five Academic Disciplines in Australia

Social science disciplines generate diverse forms of research utilization, given the various contexts in which disciplinary knowledge is produced and translated for the fields of policy and practice. We examine this issue from the perspective of academic researchers in the social sciences across education, economics, sociology, political science, and psychology. We use survey data from a study of university-based social science researchers in Australia to examine factors that influence perceptions of the policy uptake of social research. Our results show that disciplinary and methodological context matters when it comes to understanding the translation, dissemination, and utilization of academic social research.

Two Paths to Prosperity?: Work Organisation and Industrial Relations Decentralisation in Australia

The shift of an industrial relations system from the centralised settlement of pay and work conditions to the encouragement of enterprise-level bargaining presents industrial relations actors with the opportunity to influence the organisation of work in one of two ways. Drawing on a range of theories of work organisation and production we contrast profitability enhancement strategies and productivity enhancement strategies. The recent dramatic shift in the Australian industrial relations system from a highly centralised and regulated regime towards one characterized by an enterprise focus provides an illuminating case study. Utilising data drawn from a survey of Australian workplaces which have recently concluded enterprise-level bargains, we examine the apparent effect of those agreements and assess the emerging trends in terms of the two contrasting strategic orientations. We conclude that while elements of each strategy are present in Australian industry, the dominant tendency is oriented more toward short-term profitability and cost minimization than long term productivity enhancement. Further, we use the findings as a basis for evaluating critically the utility of conceptualising paths of development in terms of two competing strategic orientations.

Reducing work-to-life interference in the public service: The importance of participative management as mediated by other work attributes

Research suggests an association between participative management and lower work-to-life interference. We extend these findings to the public sector and examine possible pathways which link them, hypothesizing that participative management reduces work-to-life interference through its impact on other work attributes. Using a survey of public sector employees in Queensland, Australia and structural equation modelling, the results show that participatory management consistently reduces work-to-life interference via a number of pathways: by increasing flexibility of work hours, increasing meaningful work, reducing workload, and reducing work uncertainty. Although females with dependents work fewer hours on average, they are still more likely to have higher work-to-life interference. Overall, however, the main way participative management can reduce work-to-life interference is by reducing workloads. Participative management is normally employed to increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness; however, it can also reduce work-to-life interferences for its employees and thus assist an organization in meeting its social responsibility obligations.