Crossing the Same River Multiple Times

Every year, the editors of Pharmaceutical Technology Europe conduct a survey (1) designed to measure the state of the bio/pharma industry. The editors selected several intriguing areas of opportunities for participants to choose between, and as shown in Figure 8, just under half (47.3%) chose cell and gene therapies. In addition to cell and gene therapies, machine learning and artificial intelligence (22.3%) also drew significant interest from the survey population.

Antecedents and consequences of telecommuting on public organizations in Iran: the case of west Azerbaijan province

PurposeTelecommuting can reduce traffic congestion, energy consumption, prevalence and a death toll of COVID-19 among employees due to less transportation and fewer physical contacts among employees, on the one hand, and efficiently develop their use of information and communications technology, on the other hand. In this regard, the present study aims to explore antecedents and consequences of telecommuting in public organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a descriptive survey method to collect data. The statistical population includes all employees of government organizations in West Azerbaijan province in 2020, which according to the collected information, their number is equal to 63,079 employees. Based on Cochran's formula, a sample size of 686 people was obtained;stratified random sampling was used to select sampling. The process of calculating the sample volume was such that after referring to the preliminary sample and processing the collected data, the variance of the given answers was approximately 0.446. After obtaining the variance of the data, assuming a maximum acceptable error of 5% and a significance level of 0.05, the Cochran's formula calculated the sample size to be 686 people. In order to collect and measure data for the study, a standard questionnaire and the collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsFindings indicate that there is no meaningful relationship between the employees' physical job conditions or the quality of their life with telecommuting and that telecommuting does not have a significant effect on their life. However, job burnout, training and telecommuting experience have a significant positive effect on telecommuting, which in turn has a positive and significant effect on job security, job flexibility, organizational performance and overall productivity of employees.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is a cross-sectional study, and its data have been collected in a certain period of time, while longitudinal research can provide a richer result. Future research can benefit from the impact of employee isolation and telecommuter organizational commitment.Originality/valueThis study hopes to contribute to the increase of the scientific knowledge in the telecommuting field and to allow organizations to rethink the telecommuting strategies to optimize resources and costs and to improve the organization's productivity without harming the quality of life and well-being of their workers.

Editorial Introduction: Special Issue: Time, Urgency, and Collaboration in the Corporate University

Elite universities saw huge gains on their endowments while community colleges are struggling to survive4 and lipservice to "diversity" does not translate into job security.5 We began this work with the conviction that transnational, intersectional collaborative strategies are urgently needed in response to the global rise of neo-nationalism within a persistent system of neoliberal racial capitalism: violence, poverty and displacement are escalating while wealth disparities continue to increase. Productivity translates into numbers and speed, resources are distributed based on seemingly neutral algorithms, while teaching and scholarship are assessed in terms of numerically measurable outcomes. [...]while right wing movements frame academia as a hub of subversive, radical thinking and activism, innovation and collaboration in the service of transformation often face institutional obstacles. The emphasis in the essays in this volume is not just on identifying injustice and violence but on creating paths for alternatives to emerge, to, with cover artist Althea Murphy-Price, position anew, create new spaces and paces, new materials, notions of beauty, and forms of resistance, to build communities and collaborations that will "imagine otherwise" (Sharpe 2006, 115)7 and make different collaborations and worlds possible. On Our Cover Art Althea Murphy-Price received her B.A. in Fine Art from Spelman College before completing her Master of Arts in Printmaking and Painting at Purdue University and her Master of Fine Arts at Tyler School of Art, Temple University.

Business and Human Rights in Asia: Duty of the State to Protect

This book examines the State's duty to protect human rights in Asia amidst rising concern over the human rights impact of business organisations in the region, a topic which has hitherto been understudied. It analyses a range of inter-connected issues: the advent of international standards, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the challenges inherent in the formulation of National Action Plans on business and human rights, the need for improved legislation and policies, access to remedies, and conflicts with indigenous peoples over business activities. The book also covers innovative themes such as BHR in the era of smart cities, ethical consumer behavior, and a human rights management system, which are emerging areas of enquiry in this field concluding with a range of critical issues to be addressed, including the need for an assessment of COVID-19 pandemic's impact on BHR in Asia and beyond. This book is part of Asia Centre's exploration of the nascent regional human rights architecture that is facing significant obstacles in protecting human rights and showcases the progress achieved and the ongoing challenges across Asia. © Asia Centre 2021.

Person-environment fit: a luxury good for those who can afford it?

Purpose>The study integrates organizational demography theory into person-environment fit theories to question the assumption that all employees can afford to strive for person-environment fit. The ethnic/racial diversity in organizations is investigated as a boundary condition in order to develop implications to mitigate the challenges of employees with precarious jobs, especially persons of color (POCs), in the society.Design/methodology/approach>Publicly accessible and objective data from organizations in the S&P 1500 index were collected through Compustat, ExecuComp, the Bloomberg Terminal and the websites of Fortune, the United States Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Labor. A path analysis of time-lagged data was performed to support causal relationships between the examined constructs while controlling for alternative explanations.Findings>Unsafe working conditions moderate the U-shaped relationship between ethnic/racial diversity and turnover and turn it into an inverted U-shaped relationship because employees in precarious jobs, especially POCs, cannot afford to leave unsafe working conditions. Organizations with unsafe working conditions are more likely to invest in sustainability initiatives. However, organizations' financial performance does not benefit from this investment.Originality/value>The circumstance that not all employees can afford person-environment fit and its organizational outcomes are identified and empirically tested. Scholars can integrate this boundary condition in future research. Implications for practice and policy are also derived.

Liberty or protection? Making law for employment and social security

Recent disruptions to the usual working conditions, such as the pandemic, highlight the insecurity of the minimum waged, casually employed working poor;they also point up the precarity of the heavily indebted, over-worked middle-class. Contrasting the cause of social protection with that of market liberty, this study examines the terms of the security debate to see how the cause of protection seeks to counter the cause of liberty. It reviews three recent regulatory events to see what success the cause of protection has had: the industrial relations reform process, the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the agenda setting for women’s economic security. It notes the reforms that the new Labor government proposes. The study recommends, if reforms are to be effective, the cause of protection must move beyond the particulars of the labour contract to address the structures of power in the political economy of law making. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Griffith Law Review is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Job insecurity and employees' safety voice behavior – a managerial dilemma caused by COVID-19

Purpose>The world is witnessing enormous changes due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic. One of the unkind changes is the increased downsizing and layoffs, which has led to a situation of job insecurity. Moreover, due to the unavailability of a cure for the pandemic, the businesses have started their operations with added safety measures that demand a high level of employee safety behavior. But how job insecurity and safety voice may stay in one sheath is an area that requires attention. Hence, this study investigates the impact of job insecurity on employees' safety voice behavior in a COVID-19 outbreak, through serial mediation mechanisms of organizational support and trust.Design/methodology/approach>Data has been collected through a structured questionnaire from the sample (N = 213) of employees of service organizations.Findings>Findings of the study reveal that job insecurity is not directly linked with safety voice behavior, and therefore full mediation through perceived organizational support and trust is supported is proved.Originality/value>This study covers the investigation of job insecurity, during pandemic COVID-19, and its effects on safety voice. It also explains the mechanism between the variables of interest through perceived organizational support and trust in the organization. The study is a timely contribution to the existing literature and offers both theoretical and managerial implications.

PREDICTING JOB SATISFACTION AND WORK ENGAGEMENT BEHAVIOR IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES THEORY APPROACH

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced organizations to impose physical distancing restrictions on employees and to practice teleworking on a large scale. Adapting to the new context has generated an increase in job insecurity, and a decrease in employee productivity concerning task completion, boosting stress and counterproductive work behavior. Although the challenges employees face when carrying out their activities and work-related responsibilities, together with an understanding of the factors generating counterproductive work behaviors and job insecurity have been intensely studied in the literature, their manifestation and impact within organizations in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is barely covered. This paper aims to fill this research gap by evaluating the way internal vision communication, employee reward systems, knowledge, and skills capitalization, and the maintaining of task performance can diminish counterproductive work behaviors andjob insecurity generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, influencing employee satisfaction and behavior in this stress-inducing context. The responses collected from 863 Romanian employees are modelled with the help of structural equations in SmartPLS. The results show that in the case of counterproductive work behavior, employee satisfaction diminishes, while efficient performance of tasks and responsibilities, knowledge and skills capitalization, internal vision communication, and the existence of an employee reward system for employee input can all generate greater organizational attachment. Job satisfaction mediates the influence of performance, internal marketing, and counterproductive work behavior in employees' attachment towards their respective organizations. The paper contributes to the development of the Conservation of Resources Theory, highlighting, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, ways in which employee satisfaction and work engagement behavior can be enhanced, thus contributing to diminishing counterproductive work behaviors, and fostering a pleasant and safe work environment.

Talent Retention: Analysis of the Antecedents of Talented Employees' Intention to Stay in the Organizations

Given the today's hypercompetitive labour market and the lack of human capital and talents, which is exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, retaining talented employees is a big challenge for organizations. Human resources managers generally know that recruitment of talented and high performing employees is crucial for survival and sustainable competitiveness. There is a lot of academic research and discussions on which factors are the most effective in talent retention. The aim of this study was to analyse the antecedents of talented employees' intention to stay with the organizations with an accent on selected demographic characteristics. The research sample consisted of 391 respondents - employees who have been identified as organizational talents (possibly included in the talent pool, if such exists in the organization). Data was collected using a questionnaire which, in addition to demographic characteristics, contained statements focusing on individual aspects of remaining in the organization. One of the aims of the study is to find out the deeper connections between the examined variables - to find out how and why the variables are correlated with each other through factor analysis. In order to determine the significance of the factors, inference statistics methods such as the Bartlett's Test of Sphericity, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test and the principal component analysis (PCA) were used. The influence of significant independent variables (demographic factors - gender, age, education, position held and length of employment in the organization) on the value of extracted factors was examined by means of ANOVA (Analysis of Variance).

How job insecurity affects emotional exhaustion? A study of job insecurity rumination and psychological capital during COVID-19

Drawing on conservation of resources theory (COR), this study takes a nuanced approach to understanding job insecurity by proposing rumination as a mediator in its relationship with well-being during the COVID-19 global pandemic. The moderating role of psychological capital as a resource to buffer this negative relationship is also explored. A cross sectional study of employees in Ireland during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic found that job insecurity rumination mediated the relationship between affective job insecurity and emotional exhaustion. There was no support for the hypothesis that psychological capital could moderate the relationship between job insecurity and emotional exhaustion. Thus, this research advances the job insecurity literature by identifying a potential mediator and moderator in the process of how employees may experience job insecurity particularly during a global pandemic.

Employability and training: public attitudes, the labour market and vocational training policies

One of the main challenges in modern labour markets is to improve the mobility and employability of workers among workplaces, jobs and roles. This paper explores the factors that might influence people’s beliefs about and attitudes towards the mechanisms for improving employability through training. We develop a research model and test it in Israel using surveys that were distributed at two points in time – before and during an acute crisis in the labour market – the Covid-19 pandemic. Perceptions about personal mobility and employability and prior educational experience play a major role in explaining citizens’ attitudes towards training. Beliefs about the effectiveness of government training providers as well as employment security are relatively marginal in explaining the demand for training. Policy implications follow. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Vocational Education & Training is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

THE ETHICS OF CONSUMERISM

The definition of consumerism is multifaceted, extending from the consumption of goods and services (which may be perceived as advantageous to the growth of the economy, both localized and global) to its more negative connotations: the obsessive consumption of goods, exploitation of the people who create them and greed. In a society heavily influenced by consumerism, we find ourselves manipulated by social media and targeted advertising to buy goods or to cultivate a certain lifestyle, raising important ethical questions about responsibility and our autonomy to make decisions. How has the nature of how we create and consume goods evolved and how is this linked to moral responsibility and autonomy? Can it also be argued that there is aesthetic appreciation to be gained from some of the items that we create and consume?

Authentic Leadership and Psychological Well-being at the Workplace: Exploring the Mediating Role of Perceived Job Security

Kajian ekonomi politik selepas gabungan negara-bangsa Iraq selepas perang dan gabungan neoliberal 19902014 adalah mencabar. Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK) di Iraq telah turun naik secara mendadak sepanjang sepuluh tahun yang lalu, dengan semua sektor terjejas. Memandangkan kepimpinan tulen dan keselamatan kerja adalah pembolehubah organisasi yang penting, lebih banyak kajian tentang pembolehubah kritikal seperti kesejahteraan psikologi di tempat kerja dijangkakan. Persekitaran kerja yang mencabar dan waktu kerja yang panjang telah membawa kepada peningkatan keperluan kesihatan psikologi di tempat kerja moden. Kami berhasrat untuk memahami sejauh mana pembolehubah kepimpinan dan persepsi keselamatan pekerjaan dikaitkan dengan kesejahteraan psikologi jururawat. Data dikumpul daripada 250jururawat. Kesan tidak langsung telah diperiksa dengan model proses Hayes. Mengikut dapatan kajian, kepimpinan tulen memberi kesan kepada kesejahteraan psikologi jururawat. Selain itu, pembolehubah pengantara (keselamatan pekerjaan yang dirasakan) mempengaruhi kesejahteraan psikologi. Hasil kajian ini menyokong dakwaan dan menyokong konsep kepimpinan tulen dalam penjagaan kesihatan, yang membolehkan jururawat mendapat lebih jaminan pekerjaan dan seterusnya meningkatkan kesejahteraan psikologi mereka. Pemimpin mesti menunjukkan kepimpinan yang tulen dengan menjadi yakin, optimistik, penuh harapan, dan boleh menyesuaikan diri.Alternate :The study of political economy after the concatenation of Iraq's post-war nation-state and the neoliberal conjuncture of 1990-2014 is challenging. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Iraq has fluctuated dramatically over the past ten years, with all sectors being affected. Since authentic leadership and job security are essential organizational variables, more studies about critical variables such as psychological well-being at the workplace are to be expected. A challenging work environment and long working hours have led to increased psychological health requirements in the modern workplace. We aim to understand how well broad variables of leadership and perceived job security are correlated with nurses ' psychological well-being. The data were collected from 250 nurses. The indirect effects were examined with the Hayes process model. According to the findings of the study, authentic leadership has an impact on the psychological well-being of nurses. Moreover, the mediator variable (perceived job security) affects psychological well-being. The results of this study support the claim and substantiate the concept of authentic leadership in healthcare, which enables nurses to have more job security and consequently improves their psychological well-being. Leaders must demonstrate authentic leadership by being confident, optimistic, hopeful, and adaptable.

The effect of technostress on the teachers’ willingness to use online teaching modes and the moderating role of job insecurity during COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of technostress on the teachers’ willingness to use online Teaching Modes, with the moderating role of job insecurity in Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachHolistically, this study collected 242 samples using the convenient sampling technique for data collection. The response rate was 69.1%. The respondents of the study are academic staff working in private colleges and universities. The data are essentially collected by using the scales of technostress, job insecurity and willingness to utilize online teaching modes.FindingsThe results reveal a significant and negative relationship between technostress and the teachers’ willingness to use online modalities. Interestingly, job insecurity moderates the relationship between technostress and the teachers’ willingness to use online modalities.Research limitations/implicationsOnly academic staff of colleges and universities is considered in this study. In later studies, researchers may consider the school teachers as their potential respondents.Originality/valueThe results of the study provide important insight for the higher management of the academic institutes to motivate their employees to use online resources by using effective leadership and management skills during unforeseen events in the future.

A Study of Work Insecurity, Work Stress, and Organizational Commitment of University Staffs under the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 outbreak has an impact on the world. Activities in all walks of life have been suspended to avoid risks to the masses. School organizations are also facing a lot of changes and challenges. Previous studies have not yet discussed the work stress and insecurity of school staffs in response to the increased workload of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purposes of this study are to examine the relationships between work insecurity, work stress, and organizational commitment during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study employed online survey method to collect data from staffs of universities in Kaohsiung and Pingtung and used structural equation modelling to analyse data. The results indicated that male has more work stress than female;the older and the longer the staff have higher organizational commitments;married staffs have higher organizational commitments than unmarried staffs. Work insecurity has significantly positive influences on work stress. Work insecurity and work stress have significantly negative influences on organizational commitment. This study provides suggestions for educational organizations and future research.

Psychological impact of the state of emergency over COVID-19 for non-permanent workers: a Nationwide follow-up study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused mental health problems and increased unemployment due to the economic recession. This survey aimed to assess the psychological impact of the state of emergency. We estimated changes in mental health, quality of life, and unemployment experience for general workers during the first COVID-19 outbreak in Japan. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide follow-up study. During the periods of March 26 to April 6, 2020 and June 26 to July 2, 2020, we used the internet to survey general workers aged 15 to 59 years in Japan. The questionnaire items covered employment status and socioeconomic factors, and we used the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and EQ-5D-5L to assess depression and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL), respectively. The differences in outcomes of permanent and non-permanent workers were analyzed using propensity score analysis. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between unemployment and CES-D scores. RESULTS: We included 2351 subjects in the analysis. Changes in both CES-D scores and utility were not significantly different between the two groups. However, a significant difference was found regarding the rate of unemployment, which was associated with higher CES-D scores. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated that the mental health of non-permanent workers was not negatively affected following the state of emergency due to COVID-19 in Japan. Unemployment is an important factor that influences the mental health of general workers.