Resulting changes to employment and welfare provision in the last two decades have led to disparate outcomes globally. In this context, contemporary career discourse invites us to take responsibility for personal well being and offers practical steps to achieve this. (Contains 30 references.) (GCP)

University academic staff do complex work in an increasingly demanding environment. Traditionally, universities have defined the role of academic staff according to the three domains of teaching, research, and service, with primary emphasis placed upon the teaching and research aspects and secondary emphasis upon service or administration. Recent…

Studies have highlighted the influence of how students perceive their learning environment in shaping their attitudes to learning, their approach to learning and ultimately with the quality of their learning outcomes. Although far less extensively researched, it appears that how academics perceive their teaching environment influences both what…

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to contribute to an understanding of how diverse groups of employees perceive their workplaces as learning environments, and to cast light on the learning processes of these diverse groups of employees. Design/methodology/approach: This study was designed to examine employee perceptions of: the extent to…

Reports an analysis of a 10-hour collection of conversations in a New Zealand factory office. Computer software was used to determine the content and vocabulary of the conversations. Discusses possible applications of the study for teachers of pre-employment English for specific purposes courses. (Author/VWL)

Drawing on a database of over 300 interactions collected in a range of New Zealand professional workplaces, this article identifies some potentially problematic areas for those who are expected to communicate in English at work when English is not their first language. Discussion focuses on small talk and social talk in the workplace. (Author/VWL)

This study analyzed tape-recorded workplace small talk collected in New Zealand workplaces, including workplaces employing workers with intellectual disabilities. The topics, the distributional patterns, and the functions of small talk are described, and aspects of the management of small talk which may present problems to workers with…

This article reports the results of a survey of 168 New Zealand early childhood workers and describes their health status, behaviours and concerns. The respondents included 73 childcare teachers, 58 kindergarten teachers and 37 home-based educators. Although 92 per cent of respondents reported that they had good or excellent health, statistically…

Since New Zealand introduced the Tomorrow's Schools reform in 1989, concerns have arisen about its effects on the school principalship. The main concerns relate to increased workload for principals, especially in small rural schools, and the potential for conflicts between the principal and rural community members. It was feared that such problems…

An intellectually handicapped man was studied in a workshop where he was employed to "detip" ear tags. Productive behavior was reinforced on either a variable ratio (VR) schedule or a variable duration (VD) schedule. Results indicated lower time on task and higher detipping rates under the VR schedule. (Author/PB)

A study investigated the variety of ways in which managers use language in sociolinguistically sensitive ways to get things done at work. Drawing on a database of over 300 interactions in a range of New Zealand workplaces, aspects of power (how things are accomplished), politeness (the importance of small talk), and solidarity (the difference…

During 1989, the administration of the New Zealand education system underwent the most dramatic change since its inception as a national system in 1889. The changes affected principals, who took on greatly expanded managerial responsibilities while continuing their traditional role of professional leadership. Principals were also responsible to…

The age of globalization requires an understanding of intercultural communication and diversity issues in workplaces. This is especially so in a country such as New Zealand, which has recently been experiencing the phenomenon of recruiting and attracting skilled, professional immigrants from China, India, and other parts of Asia and the Middle…

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore the interaction between organisational affordances for the development of individuals' capability, and the engagement of workers at various levels with those opportunities. Design/methodology/approach: A case study of a large New Zealand wine company, using in-depth interviews. Interviews were…

Draws on ongoing case studies of women's initiations of elementary collaborative principalships to discuss dilemmas encountered within the contradictory environment of "centralized decentralization" in New Zealand. Accountability issues have emerged as significant in one school, as the women and their board have been radically…