Job satisfaction versus office environment : influences on academic knowledge worker productivity

This research paper provides a more encompassing review of self-assessment of a variety of knowledge worker activities, as well as providing the basis for these self assessments. A novel aspect is the inclusion of motivational affects which are considered alongside work environment influences on productivity. A questionnaire was administered on 25 academics. The group was questioned for their perceptions of their productivity for a range of their everyday activities and what areas of their work environment enhanced or disrupted their productivity. Job satisfaction was also assessed. The results from a series of self-assessments show that on the whole, the sample perceive themselves to be reasonably to very productive in all tasks undertaken. Staff satisfaction measures are generally very positive with collaboration and job enjoyment being motivational factors for this group. Noise levels, thermal conditions, poor lighting and a lack of storage seem to be the biggest inhibitors of productivity. Having a window to look out of and access to natural light seem to enhance an academics view of their productivity.

Age and productivity of academics: A case study of a public university in Malaysia

This study examines the relationship between age and productivity measured based on key performance indicators (KPI) amongst academic staff at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Three models were used in the analysis: linear, quadratic and piece-wise spline. The linear model indicates that age is negatively related to KPI. The quadratic model shows an inverted-U shaped relationship where KPI peaks at age 41 years. The piece-wise spline model indicates academic staff reach the peak of their productivity between ages 46-50 years with another productive age interval between 36-40 years implying 10 golden years when KPI could be harvested fruitfully. There is a significant downtrend in the KPI after 50 years of age. Other factors that have significant influence on KPI are gender, academic rank and discipline. The sub-models show that the influence of age on KPI is more significant amongst academic staff in the arts compared to the science stream. Age influence on KPI is significant amongst female staff but not male staff. We conclude that assessing performance in the workplace with regard to age requires complex methodological engagement and also needs to be based on a wider lens which recognises and includes within the discussion, the intangible and social dimensions of performance.

Unions and productivity growth: a meta-analytic review

The impact of unions on productivity growth has received extensive
attention from researchers in industrial relations and economics. Despite
a voluminous literature, controversy continues regarding the effect of unions on productivity growth. In this paper, meta-analysis and metaregression
analysis is used to quantify the association between unions and productivity growth and to accomplish a quantitative assessment of the empirical literature. The results indicate that the overall association between unions and productivity growth is negative, especially for the U.S. The search for moderator variables revealed that most of the variation in the published results is artificial and can be attributed to specification differences.

Big change questions : can we create a form of public education that delivers high standards for all students in the emerging knowledge society?

Within many Anglophone nation states there is significant debate about
the future of public education and its ongoing capacity to provide quality
education. The new knowledge economy not only challenges the position
of educators as the primary producers, disseminators and authorizers of
what is valued knowledge, but also requires them to prepare students for
new ways of working with that knowledge. In the service economies of
post-industrial Western nations, 'knowledge work' is critical to national
productivity and international competitiveness. At the same time, the
globalization logic suggests that the nation state is under threat, and therefore its role as provider of universal services such as education is also threatened.

Scientists and the cultural politics of academic disciplines in late 19th-century Germany: Emil Du Bois-Reymond and the controversy over the role of the cultural sciences

This article is concerned with interactions between the natural and the human sciences. It examines a specific late 19th-century episode in their relationship and argues that the schism between the two branches of knowledge was due to cognitive factors, but consolidated through the social dynamics of institutionalized disciplines. It contends that the assignment of a social function to the human sciences to compensate for the self-destructive tendencies inherent in the technological society was expressed even by those, at the end of the 19th century, who were fervent advocates of a science- and technology-driven modernization.

Total factor productivity and efficiency in Australian colleges of advanced education

The former colleges of advanced education were an important component of the higher education sector in Australia. Uses the Malmquist total factor productivity index to investigate the efficiency and productivity of Australian colleges of advanced education during the 1980s. The results from this analysis indicate that these colleges recorded modest growth in technical change and total factor productivity, but did not fare all that well in terms of growth in technical and scale efficiency during the 1980s. As a group, however, the former colleges of advanced education had attained high levels of technical and scale efficiency.

On- and off-campus student persistence and academic performance

A study of more than 9000 unit enrolments in an Australian engineering programme found that: (a) the off-campus withdrawal rate was close to twice that for on-campus students; (b) whether a student withdrew or not was highly correlated to their mode of study; (c) the rate of withdrawal was significantly different between the two student groups; (d) the grade distribution for completing students was significantly different between the two groups; (e) the mean final grade was significantly higher for off-campus students; (f) the failure rate for off-campus students was significantly lower; and (g) the overall wastage rate (withdrawn rate plus fail rate) was significantly higher for off-campus students

Comparative academic performance of engineering and technology students at Deakin University, Australia

Students completing three-year engineering technology and four-year professional engineering undergraduate courses may undertake a number of common study units. To gain an objective understanding of the academic performance characteristics of both student groups in the engineering and technology programs at Deakin University (Australia), a study was  undertaken of close to 9000 unit enrollments. It was found that: overall the BTech withdrawal rate was about 20% higher than for BE students; the rate of withdrawal was significantly different between the two student groups; the grade distribution for completing students was not significantly different between the two groups; the mean final grade was not significantly different between the two student groups; the failure rate was not significantly different between the two student groups; and the overall wastage rate (withdrawn rate plus fail rate) was significantly higher for BTech students. Other related results are also reported.

What do unions do to productivity? A meta-analysis

The impact of unions on productivity is explored using meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis. It is shown that most of the variation in published results is due to specification differences between studies. After controlling for differences between studies, a negative association between unions and productivity is established for the United Kingdom, whereas a positive association is established for the United States in general and for U.S. manufacturing.

Developing professional expertise in the knowledge economy: integrating industry-based learning with the academic curriculum in the field of information technology

In response to the forces of globalization, organizations have had to adapt and even transform themselves. Universities have had to recognize the value of practical working knowledge developed in workplace settings, and promote the value of academic forms of knowledge making to the practical concerns of everyday learning. This paper presents a contemporary case of a designed professional curriculum in the field of information technology that situates workplace learning as a central element in the education of students. Key integrative dimensions are considered along with an analysis of the perspectives of teaching staff and students on the educational experience. (Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 2004, 5(2), 1-11)

The impact of U.S. unions on productivity : a bootstrap meta-analysis

Resampling methods are used to calculate confidence limits in a metaanalysis of the association between unions and productivity for the population of U.S. studies. The available evidence points to a positive and statistically significant association between unions and productivity in the U.S. manufacturing and education sectors, of around 10% and 7%, respectively

Comparison of multifactor productivity indicators for real estate sectors using the OECD input-output database

"Research on the international comparison of productivity has gained significant interest throughout several previous decades. Relatively little work has however been done in the real estate sector. This paper aims to develop a new productivity measurement framework for the international comparison of the real estate sector based on the newly-published OECD input-output database. Three multifactor productivity indicators are formulated using the ratio of the sectoral final demand to value added, the intermediate output to intermediate input and the total output to total input effect respectively in the input-output table. Historical analyses and comparisons are also carried out to indicate the differences of productivities of the real estate sectors in seven selected countries. Findings can improve the understanding of how technological, organisational and policy influences combine to affect productivity growth and aid the policy makers, real estate agencies and researchers in evaluating the competitive ability of the real estate sector."

Pandora`s box : academic perceptions of student plagiarism in writing

Plagiarism is viewed by many academics as a kind of Pandora's box—the elements contained inside are too frightening to allow escape for fear of the havoc that may result. Reluctance by academic members of staff to discuss student plagiarism openly may contribute to the often untenable situations we, as teachers, face when dealing with student plagiarism issues. In this article, I examine the dilemmas English for Academic Purposes (EAP) staff face when dealing with student plagiarism in the tertiary classroom. The perceptions of all 11 teachers involved in teaching a first year EAP writing subject at South-Coast University are detailed in light of the university's policy on plagiarism. My research indicates that not only is an agreed definition of plagiarism difficult to reach by members of staff teaching the same subject, but plagiarism is a multi-layered phenomenon encompassing a spectrum of human intention. Evaluating the spectrum can lead to differences in the implementation of university plagiarism policy, the result of which embodies issues of equity. The aim of the article is to encourage policy-makers and academic staff to acknowledge the concerns about implementation of plagiarism policy. Collaborative, cross-disciplinary re-thinking of plagiarism is needed to reach workable solutions.

The tangled web internet plagiarism and international students` academic writing

This study explores the notion of plagiarism and the Internet from 11 English as Second Language (ESL) teachers and 186 first-year ESL students at South-Coast University in Melbourne, Australia. Data collection was by a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, and coded using SPSS and N*Vivo software to ascertain trends in response. The most significant difference in response related to the concept of the Internet as copyrightable space. ESL teachers in this study regarded cyberspace as a limitless environment for ‘cut and paste’ plagiarism in students’ academic writing, whereas ESL students considered the Internet a ‘free zone’ and not governed by legal proprietary rights. These conflicting views, it is suggested, relate to differing notions of authorship and attribution: the Romantic notion protected by legal theory and sanctions versus literary theory and techno-literacy notions of authorship. This research highlights the need to reformulate plagiarism policies in light of global and technological perspectives of authorship and attribution of text.