Wendy Doyle

Canadian accountants: examining workplace learning

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine workplace learning strategies, learning facilitators and learning barriers of public accountants in Canada across three professional levels – trainees, managers, and partners.Design/methodology/approach – Volunteer participants from public accounting firms in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick completed a demographic survey, a learning activities survey, a learning barriers survey, and a learning facilitators survey. Quantitative analysis provided total scores for key variables and compared these across the three levels.Findings – The paper finds that accountants across different levels use a variety of formal and informal learning strategies, although informal strategies predominate. Accountants encounter numerous facilitators and barriers. There are variations in strategies, barriers and facilitators based on professional level; for example, trainees make more use of e‐learning than do either managers or partners.Research limitations/implications – Future research could ...

Workplace learning strategies, barriers, facilitators and outcomes: a qualitative study among human resource management practitioners

Recently the role of human resource management (HRM) practitioners has become more professionalized and more strategic. Consequently, HRM practitioners have had to develop new competencies in areas such as change management, influence and technology. Workplace learning, which is important for professional development, is examined for 13 HRM practitioners in government, healthcare, post-secondary education and business organizations in the Halifax Regional Municipality area. Of particular interest were learning strategies, barriers to and facilitators of learning and outcomes of learning. To obtain rich data, practitioners were interviewed face to face using an interview guide. Results indicated that these practitioners are mostly similar to other professional groups in terms of workplace learning, with a few key differences. The similarities and differences are presented, and implications of these findings for HRM practitioners and future directions for research are discussed.

Workplace learning issues of hotel employees: examining differences across management status and gender.

The purpose of the authors in this study is to examine workplace learning in hotels. Specifically, they compare differences in learning strategies, outcomes, facilitators, and barriers between men and women, and managers and non-managers. Participants—151 employees of eight hotels in the Halifax Regional Municipality—completed four learning-oriented surveys and one demographic survey. Results indicated significant differences across genders for various strategies for, outcomes of, facilitators of, and barriers to workplace learning. There were no significant differences between managers and non-managers nor were there any significant interactions between gender and managerial status. Implications for managing human resources in the hotel industry are discussed.

Entrepreneurial Networks in the Micro-Business Sector: Examining Differences Across Gender and Business Stage

Abstract In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 entrepreneurs from a variety of micro businesses in Nova Scotia to explore entrepreneurial networks. Results indicate womens networks are no more formal than mens, however, informal network members such as family and friends and those in other businesses were more frequently cited by women than by men. Both those in the startup and ongoing stages rely more on informal than formal networks. Participants tended not to belong to formal networking organizations. Overwhelmingly, participants viewed their networks as successful with benefits seen largely in terms of advice and sales. Micro entrepreneurs tend not to have a clear view of their networks which are small and not particularly diverse. Implications are discussed.

Public accountants' field dependence: Canadian evidence.

The cognitive styles of 113 practicing, professional accountants from Nova Scotia, Canada were examined using the Group Embedded Figures Test. They completed a demographic survey for descriptive information as well as their rank in the firm and preferred area of professional practice. Analysis suggested professional accountants tend to be more analytical than intuitive in cognitive style and, consistent with recent findings in other fields, men and women in accounting do not appear to be different in cognitive style. No statistically significant differences were found on the embedded figures scores across ranks of trainee, manager, and partner or across select, preferred areas of professional practice.

Entrepreneurs: Relationships Between Cognitive Style and Entrepreneurial Drive

Abstract The research described below investigates the relationship between cognitive style and entrepreneurial drive and the effect of gender, ownership type, and performance factors. The Cognitive Style Index and the Carland Entrepreneurship Index were administered to 117 entrepreneurs in the manufacturing sector in Nova Scotia. Results indicated that those who are higher in entrepreneurial drive tend to be more intuitive than analytical in cognitive style. Men and women entrepreneurs did not differ in terms of their cognitive styles or in terms of their entrepreneurial drive. Novice, serial, and portfolio entrepreneurs did not differ in terms of cognitive styles, but did differ in terms of entrepreneurial drive. Relationships between cognitive style and entrepreneurial drive and numbers of employees in the firm were found. Implications of these results are discussed.

Canadian Chefs' Workplace Learning.

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the formal and informal workplace learning of professional chefs. In particular, it considers chefs’ learning strategies and outcomes as well as the barriers to and facilitators of their workplace learning. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is based on in-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with 12 executive chefs from a variety of restaurant types. Chefs were asked questions that focused on how they learned, the learning outcomes that they experienced and factors that inhibited or facilitated their learning. Findings – Findings suggest that the strategies, outcomes, barriers and facilitators experienced by professional chefs are similar in many respects to those of other occupational/professional groups. However, there were some important differences that highlight the context of chefs’ workplace learning. Research limitations/implications – The sample, which is relatively small and local, focuses on one city in Canada, and it is limited in its...

Introduction: Perspectives on women in management research

an increase of 46.3%, (Women in the Labour Force, 1987), the advancement of women in management has not kept pace. An ever-increasing number of researchers are investigating the reasons for this slow advancement of women in management as well as the growing phenomenon of female entrepreneur ship. On April 27, 28, and 29, 1988, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia in co operation with the Canadian Federation of Deans of Management and Administrative Studies hosted six workshops which reviewed the existing research in various women in management areas. The appropri ateness of the methodology used in this research was reviewed and future research directions were also explored. The symposium brought together researchers from across Canada as well as from other countries.