Wages, career progression, training and work family policies : an integrated approach to explaining gender discrimination

While the Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) literature suggests that considerable progress has been made towards addressing gender-based discrimination (primarily through legal instruments), direct and indirece forms of discrimination persist and tend to be perpetuated through organisational practices (Tomaskovic-Devey 2001). Women are still receive less remuneration than men and are disadvantaged with respect to fundamental entitlements such as promotion and training and education. Furthermore, as more women enter employment the issue of work and family balance has become an organisational priority. There is a large body of research literature in the disciplines of economics, sociology, industrial relations, human resource management, organisational studies and public administration that examines the sources, nature and extent of gender-based discrimination in labour markets. This paper seeks to integrate this literature by taking a multi-disciplinary approach to the problem of women, EEO and discrimination. It is argued that our understanding of discrimination is greatly enhanced by theories and models that incorporate both economic and organisational explanations. Furthermore, it is argued that discrimination in terms of promotion, pay and training are endogenous. That is, the interrelationship between these variables needs to be taken into account simultaneously to accurately estimate the degree of direct and indirect discrimination that women face. The paper provides a review of the literature on the key themes of pay equity, career progression, education and training and work-family policy, and seeks to provide a synthesis of key themes. Emerging from this literature are a number of testable hypotheses. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research.

What is the on-campus experience? Engineering student study and work

Accreditation for off-campus engineering programmes has proven to be problematic. In Australia, off-campus programmes are compelled to contain mandatory residential sessions so that offcampus students can have an `on-campus experience'. This paper explores the nature of modern oncampus undergraduate engineering study, and finds that it now typically involves at least part-time employment and has more in common with off-campus study than the on-campus experience enjoyed by most of the current institutional (education and professional) administrators when they completed their undergraduate studies. Rather than ignore student term-time work, engineering programmes should use it to enhance the development of desirable graduate attributes.

Work choices : Increasing productivity, job creation and work-family balance? Not likely!

The introduction of the Workplace Relations (Work Choices) Amendment Act 2005 (Cth) has resulted in one of the most contentious changes to federal labour law in Australia’s history. There is considerable debate as to whether it has fulfilled the government’s expectations of giving ‘flexibility’ and ‘choice’ to both employees and employers or if there has been an overall deterioration in working conditions. In order to identify the impact of this legislation in the workplace, Deakin University surveyed 11,000 AHRI members throughout Australia. Preliminary results are reported in the paper but, even at this early stage, there is sufficient material to critically comment upon the changes to Australia’s industrial relations system. It appears that the vast majority of AHRI members felt that there had been no change in productivity, job creation or work-family balance and that only a few expected an improvement over the next 3 years.

Women, words, and work : a study of change and reconstruction in adult TESOL

My dissertation asserts that the discourses which at the present time construct the world of work for teachers in adult TESOL, are no longer adequate to represent the field in these new and rapidly changing times. For the last forty years the discourses that have constructed the field present a totalising, gender free, liberal humanist view of TESOL, rendering women's experience invisible, no longer speaking to or for women teachers who make up more than ninety percent of the teachers in Victorian adult TESOL programs (Cope & Kalantzis 1993, Brodkey 1991, Fine 1992, Peirce 1995). I begin by exploring the work of women teachers in adult TESOL, focusing on women teaching in the fast growing de-institutionalised settings of adult TESOL programs, which remain marginalised from the central programs in terms of administrative policy and practice. I report the findings of a series of projects undertaken by the teachers and the researcher by which new insights and understandings of teachers beliefs about their work and the changes which are currently reconstructing the field of adult language and literacy education in Australia, have been gained. I questions the discourses of applied linguistics which have for the past forty years constructed the field of adult TESOL in Australia and suggests that these lack a social theory (Candlin 1989). From the research findings I questions the possibility of continuing to work in the ways of the past, in the current climate of reconstruction of the field, rapid policy change and continued erosion of resources. I suggest that the previously loose system which held this field of work together, the ways of working, the understandings of practice, have in the light of these new times, been stretched to the limit and are in real danger of collapse. For the women working in TESOL this continued incursion of the systems into their work and the changes that have taken place, the denial of their ways of working, their local knowledge and gendered experiences, can be read against Habermas' concept of the colonisation of the lifeworld of language teaching (Habermas 1987).

Evaluation of the use of Assessment Centre methodology to enhance development planning, work placement outcomes and work readiness for postgraduate students : a pilot

Background: Placements as a form of Work Integrated Learning are widely recognised for the positive impact they have on improving student employability and work readiness. Students can maximise strengths, improve areas of weakness, and develop a strong understanding of the requirements of their chosen field within the confines of a well monitored and rich learning environment. Assessment Centres (ACs) are commonly used in corporate settings for recruitment, selection and more recently to provide developmental feedback to participants. Based on a recent literature review, the present the present project evaluates the application of AC methodology as a developmental tool within the placement milieu. The review, which is also included the current conference proceedings details the benefits of utilising the AC process forming the impetus for the present pilot (Sturre; von Treuer & Keele 2010).
Aims: The primary aim of the paper was to evaluate the application of AC methodology as a tool for measuring and subsequently enhancing professional competencies in a sample of postgraduate students in organisational psychology (n=15).
Method: A longitudinal design was utilised with numerous evaluation points from placement stakeholders. This paper presents the first wave of findings. Students undertook a range of activities, including an in-tray exercise, role play, written report, leaderless group discussion and a personality assessment. Comprehensive feedback was provided by organisational psychologists who also fulfil the role of placement co-ordinators. With the assistance of Placement Co-ordinators, students prepared development plans relating to the competencies identified as requiring development. These plans were to be addressed and progress monitored during consecutive placements.
Results: Initial perceptions gathered from students regarding the AC process were very encouraging. Performance
evaluations collected to date, as measured by behaviourally based ratings scales completed by the students themselves and their workplace supervisors illustrate the positive effect of this methodology. The rigour and comprehensive techniques offered by the methodology enabled students to focus on and improve areas identified for development.
Conclusions: It is important to note that the present design formed a pilot study and as mentioned was undertaken with a limited sample. Future implementation is planned with larger samples, enabling a more comprehensive analysis of the methodology. Nevertheless, the methodology appears to provide a much needed strategy for the assessment and ongoing development of students prior to and during work placements. The application provides early intervention enabling students to address development needs with input from both university and organisational stakeholders based on an established, standardised process.

Study of phase transformation and work hardening phenomenon during drilling of Ti-5553 and Ti-64

Titanium 5553 is a recently developed modification of Russian near-β titanium alloy VT-22 which has applications and potential particularly in the aerospace industry for such key components as landing gear. However, indications are that Ti-5553 has poorer machinability characteristics than other Ti alloys and a comprehensive and far-reaching analysis is a necessary research imperative. This paper presents the result of phase transformation and work hardening during drilling of Ti-5553 compared with Ti-64. The aim of this research work is to optimise the machining condition for Ti-5553, in which the β to a phase transformation, together with material work hardening could be fully understood. Analysis of machinability indicators, such as subsurface micrograph and hardness of drilled samples and drilling forces and torques, demonstrated that Ti-5553 generally has poorer machinability characteristics than Ti-64 and to some extent this variation has been quantified to allow for further and more detailed investigation.

Prescribed fluid consumption and its effects on the physiology and work behaviour of Australian wildland firefighters

The present study examined firefighters' ability to consume a prescribed fluid volume (1200 ml · h-1) during a wildland fire suppression shift and compare the effect of this additional fluid prescription with self-paced drinking on firefighters' hydration status and plasma sodium concentration post shift and their heart rate, core temperature and physical activity during their shift. Thirty-four firefighters were evenly divided into two drinking groups: self paced and prescribed. Prescribed drinkers did not meet the required 1200 ml·h-1 intake, yet they consumed twice the fluid drank by the self-paced group. No differences were noted between groups in plasma sodium levels or hydration status before or after their shift. Prescribed fluid consumption resulted in significantly lower core temperature between two and six hours into the shift. This did not coincide with lower cardiovascular strain, greater physical activity when compared to the self-paced drinking group. Additional fluid consumption (above self-paced intake) did not improve firefighter activity or physiological function (though it may buffer rising core temperature). It seems that wildland firefighters, at least in mild to warm weather conditions, can self-regulate their fluid consumption and work behaviour to leave the fireground hydrated at the conclusion of their shift.

The effect of prescribed fluid consumption on physiology and work behavior of wildfire fighters

The purpose of this study was to examine 1) wildfire fighters' ability to consume the prescribed fluid volume (1200 mL h-1), 2) the effect of fluid intake on plasma sodium and hydration, and 3) the effect of fluid intake on firefighters' heart rate, core temperature and activity during emergency suppression shifts. Methods: Thirty-four firefighters were divided into ad libitum (AD, n = 17) and prescribed (PR, n = 17) drinking groups. Results: PR drinkers did not meet the prescribed fluid target, yet consumed over double the volume of AD drinkers. No differences between groups in plasma sodium or hydration were noted. PR drinking resulted in lower core temperature between 2 and 6 h. This did not coincide with reduced cardiovascular strain, greater work activity or larger distances covered when compared to AD drinkers. Conclusion: Extra fluid consumption (above AD) did not improve firefighter activity or physiological function (though PR firefighters core temperature was lower earlier in their shift). Firefighter can self-regulate their fluid consumption behavior and work rate to leave the fireground euhydrated.