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Meaningful work in the 21st century : terms, conditions and contexts
No full textAustralians are giving more and more time to paid work. Many draw much meaning in their lives from their paid work – whether it is from their pay, the tasks they do, the difference these tasks make to others or their communities, the skills they exercise, the things they make or learn, or the relationships, laughs or social connection work brings. What kinds of meaning do we draw from work, how much does it matter, and how does meaning vary – between people, over the life course, and compared to other things we do? How do workers and employers divide up the spoils of good jobs and bad jobs: is lower pay offset by the pleasures arising from a job in a logical way, and how can bad jobs be made better? This paper reflects on how the meaning of work varies between jobs and by socio-economic status. It considers how the terms, conditions and contexts of work add to, or detract from, the meaning of work in our lives. The paper argues that particular terms, conditions and contexts matter a great deal to the meaning we draw from work, and that what the makers of these terms and conditions do – employers, unions and governments – can help make work more meaningful in lives that are increasingly shaped by the stamp of work.
Open source software : lessons for asset lifecycle management
No full textGenerally, software used by individuals and organizations are proprietary software. Proprietary software usually provides hidden source codes, available at a specific cost, and limited flexibility on copyright licenses. On the other hand, open source software appears with some competitive features to proprietary software. The unique part of open source software is a development concept that harnesses open development from a wide community and decentralized peer review. This development process is effective in terms of software quality and the lowered software production cost. This paper presents an account of literature review to provide insights into the strengths of the concept of open source software development and to develop a case for its application in collaborative research environments to enhance and further develop the technical infrastructure to support asset lifecycle.
Through which lens? Contingency and institutional approaches to conceptualizing organizational performance in the not-for-profit-sector
No full textMeasuring the quality of dysphagia management practices following stroke: a systematic review
No full textDressing in layers: layering surface functionalities in nanoporous aluminum oxide membranes
No full textPsychosocial safety climate as a lead indicator of workplace bullying and harassment, job resources, psychological health and employee engagement
No full textPsychosocial safety climate (PSC) is defined as shared perceptions of organizational policies, practices and procedures for the protection of worker psychological health and safety, that stem largely from management practices. PSC theory extends the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) framework and proposes that organizational level PSC determines work conditions and subsequently, psychological health problems and work engagement. Our sample was derived from the Australian Workplace Barometer project and comprised 30 organizations, and 220 employees. As expected, hierarchical linear modeling showed that organizational PSC was negatively associated with workplace bullying and harassment (demands) and in turn psychological health problems (health impairment path). PSC was also positively associated with work rewards (resources) and in turn work engagement (motivational path). Accordingly, we found that PSC triggered both the health impairment and motivational pathways, thus justifying extending the JD-R model in a multilevel way. Further we found that PSC, as an organization-based resource, moderated the positive relationship between bullying/harassment and psychological health problems, and the negative relationship between bullying/harassment and engagement. The findings provide evidence for a multilevel model of PSC as a lead indicator of workplace psychosocial hazards (high demands, low resources), psychological health and employee engagement, and as a potential moderator of psychosocial hazard effects. PSC is therefore an efficient target for primary and secondary intervention.
Public participation GIS : a new method for national park planning
No full textThis paper describes research to evaluate the use of a public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) methodology for national park planning. Visitor perceptions of park experiences, environmental impacts, and facility needs were collected via an internet-based mapping method for input into a national park planning decision support system. The PPGIS method presupposes that consistent with the dominant statutory framework, national parks should be managed for both visitor enjoyment and natural and cultural resource protection. This paper: (1) describes the PPGIS method used in a 2009 park planning study conducted for national parks in the Greater Alpine region of Victoria, Australia; (2) presents and evaluates selected results of the Greater Alpine study and provides examples of how PPGIS data can be used for decision support in park planning; (3) provides a summary of lessons learned including a discussion of future implementation constraints. The results demonstrate that an internet, participatory mapping method, though not without limitations, can be effective in measuring visitor experiences, environmental impacts, and facility needs for a variety of park planning processes. PPGIS expands a park agency’s repertoire of methods to engage the public in planning and can help build and sustain trust in a park agency’s planning process and decisions.
The effect of aquatic physiotherapy on low back pain in pregnant women
No full textThis study evaluated the effect of antenatal aquatic physiotherapy sessions on low back pain in pregnant women. Thirty-three subjects (31.8 ± 4.8 years) participated in a prospective, quantitative, repeated measures, within subjects design. Low back pain was measured using a Numerical Rating Scale immediately before and after each session. The subjects significantly improved their post session pain scores by an average of 44%. Pain did not increase significantly from the beginning to the end of the course of sessions as is normally expected in this population, and the number of sessions made no significant difference. This finding suggests that attending once a week may contribute to the management of low back pain for pregnant women.
