Identifying competencies for communication practice: A needs assessment for curriculum development and selection in New Zealand

A hierarchical needs assessment model used to identify the competencies required by communication management practitioners in the New Zealand workplace generated three key findings. First, there was evidence of a perspective of CM as a distinct discipline founded on an agreed body of knowledge, skills and values. Second, despite an identified lack of consensus about required CM competencies in the literature, we found high levels of agreement between practitioners and academics. Third, there was, however, a significant difference in views between these two groups about the importance of the competency managing client reputation. As this was rated as one of the two most important competencies by respondents, there are implications for changing the focus of tertiary curricula to ensure graduates are appropriately prepared for the reality of workplace practice.     

THE "CONSULTING-YOUR-CONSULTANTS INTERVIEW": A FINAL NARRATIVE CONVERSATION WITH GRADUATING FAMILY THERAPY MASTERS' STUDENTS

In this article, we discuss a Masters' exit interview in which we use questions adopted from narrative therapy to celebrate the transition of Masters' students into the world of marital and family therapy professionals. We are finding that this process helps us underline our students' agency and competence. Also, since the process elevates students to the level of consultants during the interview, it invites them to see themselves as experts in their own right.     

The Intrusiveness of Home-Based Work on Family Life

This research is intended to ascertain factors related to intrusion of home-based work into the life of the family, and identify the relative impact of characteristics of the home-based worker, his or her family, and the business on intrusions. Logistic regression was used to examine three types of intrusions. Seeing clients at home more than once a week is almost exclusively a function of the characteristics of the work; receiving telephone calls daily and frequently sharing space are functions of the characteristics of the work and of the worker. Understanding the nature of intrusions can help advise families contemplating home-based work and help home-working families find a balance between family demands and work.     

Work–Family Conflict and the Senior Female International Manager

The particular focus of this paper is on the workÐfamily conflict experienced by senior female international managers within a European context. This research is particularly relevant as existing European studies have not specifically addressed issues pertaining to the senior female international manager. For the purpose of this study 50 senior female expatriate managers were interviewed, representing a wide diversity of industry and service sectors. The study establishes that work–family conflict still prevents many female managers from progressing to senior management. The results of the study show that the senior international career move has largely been developed along a linear male model of career progression, a development which, together with gender disparity both in organizations and family responsibilities, frequently prevents women employees from reaching senior managerial positions. The study extends work primarily in the international human resource management literature, while also contributing to the research literatures on women in management and career theory.     

Delivering Health Care to Aborigines

The people have the right and duty to participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of their health care.¹     

A self-validating numerical method for computation of central and non-central F probabilities and percentiles

A self-validating numerical method based on interval analysis for the computation of central and non-central F probabilities and percentiles is reported. The major advantage of this approach is that there are guaranteed error bounds associated with the computed values (or intervals), i.e. the computed values satisfy the user-specified accuracy requirements. The methodology reported in this paper can be adapted to approximate the probabilities and percentiles for other commonly used distribution functions.