Strategic flexibility analysis of HRD research and practice post COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

While governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-profits, corporations are all aware that disruptions through pandemics and other natural bio-disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic can happen, barely are we proactive about them. Instead, we are always reactive. In a virtual Town Hall meeting of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) held on 9 April 2020, on the theme ‘How is the pandemic a game-changer for HRD?,’ the President of AHRD, Laura Bierema, challenged HRD scholars to determine the possible futures of HRD scholarship post-COVID-19 Pandemic. This article proposes the use of the Strategic Flexibility Framework (SFF) to determine the possible futures of HRD post-COVID-19 pandemic. I first discuss the SFF as a scenario planning and analysis tool. I then developed four scenarios of possible futures for HRD Research and Practice post-COVID-19 pandemic. These scenarios include the ‘Meaning of work,’ ‘Leadership,’ ‘Contactless Commerce & Education,’ and ‘Volunteerism.’ I conclude by discussing the important opportunities that can serve as intervention points for post-COVID-19 HRD theory, research, and practice.     

内部人控制和国有企业的所有权改革

改革以来,我国国有企业的改革经历了“放权让利”到股份制、公司制改造的过程。目前,国有企业的治理结构普遍呈现出“行政干预下的内部人控制”的特点,这是现实国有企业改革的起点。国企改革的下一步应是逐步消除“行政干预下的内部人控制”,在改革的过程中,不同的国有企业处在不同的发展阶段需要不同安排的所有权改革,而不能“一刀切”。     

面向产品生命周期的部分柔性技术选择

本文研究随机需求下产品生命周期不同阶段的部分柔性技术选择与生产能力规划问题。部分柔性技术是相对于完全柔性技术而言的,一种生产技术的柔性程度定义为能生产一产品类中产品个数多少的能力。不同柔性强度的生产技术,其投资成本和运行成本不同。本文首先建立了以计划期上总成本最小为目标的技术选择和生产能力规划模型,然后根据产品在其生命周期不同阶段的特点与市场需求的特点,应用所建立的模型进行仿真并总结产品导入期和成熟期技术选择的特点。     

How does information sharing affect first-tier suppliers’ flexibility? Evidence from the automotive industry in Sweden

This study addresses the critical research issue of how supplier delivery performance can be enhanced by integrating information sharing into volume and delivery flexibility. This study developed a research model to relate information sharing on demand forecasts and inventory data between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and first-tier suppliers. Based on a sample of 52 suppliers from automotive industry in Sweden, partial least squares structural equations modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to assess the model. The results confirm that sharing demand forecasts is a key enabler of supplier volume and delivery flexibility while sharing inventory data is not. The study contributes to enlarging the knowledge about supply chain management from the suppliers’ perspective. It also contributes to knowledge by validating the conceptual model and operationalisation of constructs. The study also has practical contribution in which management should focus on improving communication and collaboration practices with OEMs for effective sharing of demand forecasts.     

刍论弋阳腔的特点和影响

弋阳腔是明代戏曲中的四大声腔之一,形成于江西东部一带。其特点表现为:保留了徒歌与帮腔,出现了滚调,曲牌联套具有民间音乐的灵活性和随意性。明代以来,弋阳腔流传到全国许多地方,并与当地的方言土语、民间腔调相结合,形成了川剧、湘剧、赣剧、婺剧、潮剧,安徽的四平腔、福建的闽剧、江苏的淮剧等许多新的地方剧种。     

Photographs of young generations on the Dutch labour market

In the light of the decline of “standard” employment relationships in many countries and its particular effect on young people, this article provides a detailed analysis of the labour market trajectories of early-career workers in the Netherlands between 1985 and 2014, adopting the approach of the sequence analysis of life-course events. Using two indicators for instability (entropy and turbulence), the authors find that cohorts that entered the labour market after 2000, and particularly in 2008, experience greater employment status instability despite the flexicurity policies applied. Transitions into stable employment are the exception rather than the rule.     

From social protection to vulnerability: Argentina's neo‐liberal reforms of the 1990s

This article examines the neo‐liberal reforms introduced in Argentina in the 1990s, focusing on labour policies and their consequences for labour market dynamics and the welfare of households. To put this period in historical context, the authors first provide a brief summary of the strategies applied both during the preceding import‐substitution phase and in the aftermath of the political, economic and social crisis of 2001–02. The latter, in effect, served as the tipping point for the emergence of a new set of social and economic policies aimed at promoting social cohesion and inclusion through employment.     

Scheduling challenges among workers in low-wage hourly jobs: similarities and differences among workers in standard- and nonstandard-hour jobs

Work schedules are a central theme in the work–family challenges of low-wage hourly workers. Yet, research on scheduling patterns among this worker population has primarily focused on nonstandard schedules. We know very little about the scheduling patterns of workers in hourly jobs with standard fixed schedules. Knowledge about the key scheduling challenges by schedule type is necessary to develop targeted workplace solutions, such as flexible work arrangements, to enhance work–life fit among workers in low-wage hourly jobs. Using the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce, bivariate and multivariate analyses were employed to determine (1) the prevalence of rigid, unpredictable and unstable work schedules among low-wage hourly workers employed in jobs with standard and nonstandard schedules and whether there is variation in these scheduling practices among full- and part-time workers; and (2) the individual or job characteristics that influence the odds of experiencing rigid, unpredictable or unstable work schedules. Results indicate that rigid and unpredictable schedule practices are most prevalent among low-wage hourly workers in full-time standard-hour jobs and part-time nonstandard-hour jobs, while unstable scheduling practices are most prevalent among hourly workers in full- and part-time nonstandard-hour jobs. Implications and limitations of the research are discussed.     

Self-employment and family life: constructing work–life balance when you're ‘always on’

This study explores how men and women who are self-employed and have children living at home construct work–life balance. Guided by the concept of work–life fit, in-depth interviews were conducted with 22 parents who were self-employed and had at least one dependent child. Using thematic analysis, the first theme, ‘in control,’ related primarily to schedule flexibility but also extended to income opportunities and, sometimes, to job security. Feelings of control were experienced and expressed in relation to shortcomings of previous job experiences, business location, and preferences for raising children. The second theme, ‘always on,’ meant that parents expected to be both readily accessible to children and available to clients, while continually pursuing income opportunities. This contributed to time pressure, although some viewed participation in volunteer and children's activities as a form of business networking. Work–life balance was described in terms of time, activity, or experience. Most participants believed self-employment contributes positively, but some questioned whether work–life balance is possible. Parents mostly followed traditional gender role patterns. Some fathers resisted this arrangement and saw self-employment as a way to participate more actively in family life. Implications and directions for further research are discussed.