Karriere durch Auslandsentsendungen?

Generally, working abroad is considered to be beneficial for a career. Using the example of the German chemical industry it is shown that international assignments are not as widespread as could be assumed in view of the plethora of literature about expatriates. They are beneficial for a career in the sense that they provide the experience of working independently, and that is why expatriates retrospectively see their time working abroad as an important building block for their career. However, these assignments do not automatically result in promotion within the internal hierarchy after their return. Yet, the disappointment linked with this does not lead to an increased resignation quota. Expatriates remain loyal to their companies. Their careers are organization oriented, there is no question of boundaryless careers.     

Looking Forward,Looking Back: British Journal of Management 2000–2015

This paper reflects on 16 years of the British Journal of Management (BJM) and discusses what the future holds. The paper analyses publication statistics and submission figures, as well as Special Interest Group (SIG) affiliation of submissions over the more recent period of 2007–2015. It is found that human resource management has a clear dominance among the SIGs. Other fields that are well represented include strategy, work psychology, corporate governance and performance management. The paper also highlights that submissions to BJM are predominantly made by UK‐based authors, possibly reflecting the concentration of UK‐based academics among the pool of associate editors and the editorial board members.     

Ambivalenzen spätmoderner Identitäten: Vom proteischen Selbst in den neuen ArbeitsweltenAmbivalences of late modern identities: Thoughts on the protean self in the new work environments

This article of the journal “Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation.” sheds light on the consequences of the new economy for the identity of its employees. The new work environment opens up new prospects for the individuals, but at the same time increases the risk of failure. The flexible capitalism glorifies the “protean career” and implies an image of man that encourages people to internalize a circle of escalation which can lead to burnout and depression. Health promotion and a critical reflection of the neo-liberal idea of man are needed to escape from this fatal circle. What is needed is a critical social diagnosis. Leadership and management are responsible for the sustainable implementation of health-promoting working conditions.     

Das DIN-Interview

The regulation of standardized social surveys by a German national and an international norm, distributed by the Deutsche Institut für Normung, Berlin, is presented, regarding general out-lines as well as important details. Furthermore, three perspectives are dealt with in which these regulations are important not only for market and opinion research institutes, but for the academic discipline of sociology as well. Firstly, sociology is a client of the institutes. Drawing upon regulations, it is better equipped to negotiate with the institutes and to justify specific demands. Secondly, sociology and the institutes are equally interested in public opinion. Both live from the trust of people in market and opinion research which is sustained through the regulations. Thirdly, sociology educates graduates to be employed by the institutes and should therefore know and teach the regulations. As for the future, the internationallization of the institutes and technical advances as online surveys require the permanent revision of the regulations.     

Elbow torque ellipses: investigation of the mutual influences of rotation, flexion, and extension torques

Most strength tests are restricted to measuring joint torques only in main directions like flexion or pronation. However, for an advanced strength prediction model, information about maximum possible joint torques in intermediate directions also has to be known. This paper concentrates on obtaining functions for maximum joint torques in arbitrary directions in the elbow. Therefore, isometric joint torque measurements have been conducted with 20 young males applying joint torques in eight different directions in one posture (90 degrees elbow flexion, 0 degrees shoulder flexion, neutral forearm rotation). It turns out that the appearance of the resulting shape can be best predicted using ellipse segments. Furthermore, a standardized ellipse could be obtained for the measurement posture. This helps to predict maximum joint torques in any other direction by knowing only one of the main joint torques.