National University of Ireland, Maynooth
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Sustainable human resource management and job satisfaction—Unlocking the power of organizational identification: A cross‐cultural perspective from 54 countries
No full textSustainable human resource management is gaining importance in organizations due to its role in developing a sustainable work environment and well‐being. This paper discusses the relationship between employee perceptions of sustainable human resource management and job satisfaction in 54 countries. We propose that sustainable HRM is positively associated with job satisfaction but that this relationship is moderated by employees' identification with the organization and country‐level individualism–collectivism. Thus, we suggest national culture functions as a second‐level moderator of the relationship of sustainable HRM with organizational identification on job satisfaction. Findings from the multi‐level analyses using data from 14,502 employees nested within 54 countries provided support for our hypotheses, namely that employee perceptions of sustainable HRM were positively associated with job satisfaction and that this relationship was more pronounced for employees with lower levels compared to higher levels of organizational identification in individualistic rather than collectivistic countries. These findings bear important implications for both theory and practice
Receding-Horizon Pseudospectral Control for Energy Maximization of Oscillating-Water-Column Wave Energy Systems
No full textWave energy, harnessed by wave energy converters
(WECs), has the potential to significantly contribute to the
renewable energy mix. To improve the commercial viability
of WECs, the design of control strategies for maximizing the
produced energy is vital. This work specifically focuses on
energy maximizing control for oscillating-water-column (OWC)
WECs, using a receding-horizon pseudospectral (RHPS) optimal
control method. With pseudospectral control, the continuous
time OWC energy maximizing optimal control problem is
directly transcribed, by discretizing both state, and control,
variables, into a finite-dimensional nonlinear program. Due to
the importance of turbine performance, OWC control typically
aims to maximize turbine efficiency, albeit ignoring the impact
of rotational speed on hydrodynamic performance. With the
RHPS optimal control approach developed in this paper, a better trade-off between turbine and hydrodynamic performance
is achieved and, therefore, energy production is improve
A qualitative study to explore post-primary principals’ view of the influence of staff conflict on school culture.
No full textThis thesis explores how post-primary principals construct, interpret, and make sense of the influence of staff conflict on school culture. The research objectives are threefold: to examine the experiences of post-primary principals in Munster of staff conflict on school culture; to explore the conflict resolution strategies employed by these principals; and to develop recommendations and approaches that will contribute to more effective ways of addressing staff conflicts which can influence school culture.
Utilising a qualitative methodology, the study involved semi-structured interviews with principals to gain in-depth insights into their perspectives and practices. The findings reveal the complex nature of staff conflicts, including their causes, manifestations, and impacts. Principals identified various factors contributing to conflicts, such as personality clashes, differing values, and power dynamics. The study highlights the dual nature of conflicts, with both constructive and destructive outcomes significantly influencing school culture.
The research highlights the importance of socio-emotional support systems for principals, including counselling services, peer support networks, mentorship programs, and professional development workshops focused on emotional intelligence and reflective practices. Additionally, it calls for comprehensive data collection on staff conflicts and regular updates to policies to provide clear guidelines for conflict resolution. By integrating relational leadership and sensemaking theories, the study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the dynamic processes of leadership and conflict management. This integration emphasises the importance of building trust, fostering open communication, and adapting leadership strategies through reflective practice.
The thesis concludes with practical recommendations for educational policy, including the development of clear conflict resolution policies, mandatory training for principals and staff, and the allocation of resources for support services. The findings highlight the critical role of principals in shaping a positive and inclusive school culture through conflict management. This research contributes valuable knowledge to the field of educational leadership, offering strategies to support principals and enhance the overall school environment, ultimately benefiting both staff and students
Ethical Practice in Professional Youth Work: Perspectives from Four Countries
No full textEthical youth work is ‘good’ youth work but how do youth work
practitioners collectively determine what is ‘good’? This article
presents findings from four-country surveys of youth workers’
attitudes and understandings of what constitutes ‘good’, that is to
say ‘ethical’ practice. The article presents the principles that youth
workers say underpin ethical practice in Australia, Estonia, Iceland,
and Ireland. The first three countries have well established Codes of
Ethics and/or Practice and Professional Associations, while Ireland
does not. A survey of youth work practitioners funded by Erasmus
Plus, was conducted across the four countries (n = 405). A
comparative analysis of data across countries revealed consensus
around key characteristics of youth work practice such as the
participation, empowerment, and safety of young people. These core
principles form the basis of good and ethical action by practitioners.
In countries which have codified these principles, these Codes were
reported to be useful tools to support practitioners in their work. The
survey further suggests that reflective practice is important in the
application of ethical codes to concrete practice situations acting as
a form of collective accountability and praxis. To conclude, we
consider the implications of these findings for professionalism, and
professionalisation in youth work nationally and internationally
Combination chemotherapy: a modern approach to target cancer with dual-action Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor-Platinum based drugs.
No full textPlatinum complexes as anticancer drugs (i.e. cisplatin, carboplatin, oxalilplatin) were
discovered decades ago and have been approved and are worldwide used to treat a
variety of tumours. Their activity is limited by dose-dependent side effects (nephro-,
neuro- and ototoxicity) and the lack of selectivity toward cancer tissue with respect to
healthy cells remains one of the major drawbacks. Combination chemotherapy is a
burgeoning strategy that consists of combining in the same molecule two different drugs
with two different mechanisms of action that can operate simultaneously, targeting
different features on the cancer cell. Tyrosine kinases (TK) are promising targets in
oncology and play a major role in cell regulation pathways (e.g. metabolism,
transcription, cell division and programmed cell death) and TK deregulation is often
related to cancer onset. Currently, the activity of platinum-based drugs against certain
tumours, is limited because resistance is often acquired after few chemotherapeutic
cycles. The aim of this project is to exploit the combination chemotherapy strategy to
develop new drugs that will target cancer, combining in one unique molecule, the DNA
damaging activity of platinum with TK inhibitors. Imatinib, Nilotinib and Sunitinib are
known TKs inhibitors that are FDA approved to treat solid tumors, such as
gastrointestinal stromal cancer and renal cell carcinoma. The two active components
(platinum(II) and TK inhibitor) are released simultaneously upon intracellular reduction
or hydrolysis, and work in cooperation to increase the overall anticancer efficacy
“I never thought about how much of a juggle it would be”: motherhood and work in contemporary Lithuanian and Irish creative industries
No full textThis article explores the experiences of Irish and Lithuanian mothers in creative work who detail challenges they face and the various strategies they develop to sustain creative work and care for their children. The study draws from 24 interviews which were carried out with mothers in both countries at various stages in their careers. Our study stresses the importance of national context in research on European creative workers, since national and localised differences feature little in creative industries literature. By assessing mothers in their national contexts, we argue that mothers may share overall experiences of juggling work and family life, of the requirement to solve childcare issues and of challenges they face while working in creative industries. However, crucially, key differences emerge in how Lithuanian and Irish mothers position their professional and maternal identities. Differences arise in the solutions that Lithuanian and Irish mothers use and in the extent to which challenges may be negated, particularly across generations. We relate each of these differences to the localised contexts in which the creative workers mother
Do sports analytics affect footballer pay?
No full textLabor economists aspire to understand how workers' productivity impacts pay. While professional football is a well-established domain to explore this relationship, so far, research has relied on basic productivity measures. Football is now awash with advanced and granular performance metrics that can allow a deeper understanding of the pay-performance relationship. We specify a salary model considering the newly available data and use sophisticated performance measures to explain contracted salaries in the English Premier League and Italian Serie A. We make a methodological breakthrough by identifying a sample of players who are in the first year of a new contract only. This results in a much tighter relationship between pay and performance. We estimate different salary equations using both basic and advanced performance statistics. Our main findings are, first, that few of our advanced performance metrics help to explain player salary and, second, that there is misalignment between individual performance determinants of team points and player salaries.
JEL codes
J41, Z2
The Effect of Eccentric or Isometric Training on Strength, Architecture, and Sprinting across an Australian Football Season
No full textThis study aimed to investigate the effect of an isometric (ISO) or Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) intervention, alongside a sprint training program on hamstring strength, architecture, and sprinting performance in Australian footballers.
Methods
Twenty-five male athletes undertook NHE ( n = 13) or ISO ( n = 12) training across a 38-wk period (including preseason and in season). Biceps femoris long head (BFlh) architecture, ISO, and eccentric knee flexor strength were assessed at baseline, at the end of preseason (14 wk), and at the conclusion of the intervention. Sprint times and force–velocity profiles were determined at baseline and at the end of preseason.
Results
After the intervention, both groups had significant improvements in BFlh fascicle length (NHE: 1.16 cm, 95% CI = 0.68 to 1.63 cm, d = 1.88, P < 0.001; ISO: 0.82 cm, 95% CI = 0.57 to 1.06 cm, d = 1.70, P < 0.001), muscle thickness (NHE: 0.11 cm, 95% CI = 0.01 to 0.21 cm, d = 0.51, P = 0.032; ISO: 0.21 cm, 95% CI = 0.10 to 0.32 cm, d = 0.86, P = 0.002), and eccentric strength (NHE: 83 N, 95% CI = 53 to 114 N, d = 1.79, P < 0.001; ISO: 83 N, 95% CI = 17 to 151 N, d = 1.17, P = 0.018). Both groups also finished the intervention weaker isometrically than they started (NHE: −45 N, 95% CI = −81 to −8 N, d = −1.03, P = 0.022; ISO: −80 N, 95% CI = −104 to −56 N, d = −3.35, P < 0.001). At the end of preseason, the NHE group had improved their 5-m sprint time by 3.3% ± 2.0%), and their maximum horizontal velocity was 3% ± 2.1% greater than the ISO group who saw no changes.
Conclusions
Both ISO and NHE training with a periodized sprinting program can increase BFlh fascicle length, thickness, and eccentric strength in Australian footballers. NHE training also improves 5-m sprint time and maximum velocity. However, both interventions reduced ISO strength. These findings provide unique, contextually relevant insights into the adaptations possible in semiprofessional athletes
The Structure, Function, and Adaptation of Lower-Limb Aponeuroses: Implications for Myo-Aponeurotic Injury
No full textThe aponeurosis is a large fibrous connective tissue structure within and surrounding skeletal muscle and is a critical component of the muscle–tendon unit (MTU). Due to the lack of consensus on terminology and the heterogeneous nature of the aponeurosis between MTUs, there are several questions that remain unanswered. For example, the aponeurosis is often conflated with the free tendon rather than being considered an independent structure. This has subsequent implications when interpreting data regarding the structure, function, and adaptation of the aponeuroses from these studies. In recent years, a body of work has emerged to suggest that acute injury to the myo-aponeurotic complex may have an impact on return-to-sport timeframes and reinjury rates. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to provide a more detailed understanding of the morphology and mechanical behaviour common to all aponeuroses, as well as the unique characteristics of specific lower-limb aponeuroses that are commonly injured. This review provides the practitioner with a current understanding of the mechanical, material, and adaptive properties of lower limb aponeuroses and suggests directions for future research related to the myo-aponeurotic complex