“The Thing Is, We Are Now Expected to Think Like Business Managers”: Academics’ Perceptions of Corporate Practices in a South African University

Purpose-The purpose of the present study is to examine the influence of internal marketing (IM) dimensions (i.e. academic staff development, rewards, internal communication and empowerment) on academic job satisfaction (AJS) in higher education. Design/Methodology/Approach - A survey of 236 faculty members of Jammu division from the UT of J&K higher education institutions was done. To analyse the data SEM has been used. Findings - The results of the study indicated that all the four dimensions of internal marketing significantly influence academic job satisfaction. Empowerment plays the foremost critical part in determining AJS, there after internal communication, academic staff development and rewards. Practical Implications - By highlighting the influence of these four dimensions of IM on AJS, this study offers valuable experiences into the fundamental forms through which job satisfaction among the staff can be improved. The results of this study will demonstrate to be of incredible assistance to academicians and policymakers. They can give their energies and assets towards devising strategies pointed at maximizing faculty satisfaction level through the proper implementation of IM practices. Originality/Value -This study includes to the exceptionally little number of researches that have explored the individual influence of the above mentioned four dimensions of IM in determining AJS.

This study investigates how academics’ self-concept, disciplinary background, and institutional context shape their professional identities at a South African university. This qualitative case study research conducted semi-structured interviews with eight university lecturers. The academics were chosen using convenience sampling based on accessibility and willingness to share their experiences. Thematic analysis was applied to identify patterns and themes related to the academics' professional identities. The reciprocal determinism theory framed the study. The study found that a positive self-concept, including confidence, motivation, and engagement, encourages academics to pursue their professional roles ambitiously, while self-doubt hinders professional growth. It also found that meeting disciplinary and institutional expectations, such as administrative workload, H-Index publication pressure, and adapting to new technologies, creates tension as academics balance multiple responsibilities while striving to meet institutional standards. These factors interact to shape how academics see and fulfil their professional roles. The study emphasises the importance of creating supportive institutional environments that recognise and address the various factors influencing academics' professional identities. By promoting a positive work environment, fair compensation, and professional development opportunities, institutions can improve the work-life quality and commitment of academic staff, ultimately contributing to the development of their professional identities.

Although South African higher education institutions experienced a surge in technology use since apartheid, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted adjustments to technology policies and the adoption of emerging technologies, impacting academics’ teaching roles, research initiatives, and community services due to unfamiliarity with online learning technologies and potential shifts in future roles. This study employs a qualitative interpretivist single-case study to explore academics’ perceived attitudes toward the influence of emerging technologies on their future roles and professional identities. Using Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour as a lens, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 academics purposively selected based on their technology usage. Thematic analysis of the data reveals three inductive themes. The study highlights academic attitudes toward emerging technology, focussing on embracing innovative technologies to improve efficiency and continuous professional development. The study also reveals academics’ apprehensions about their potential replacement by artificial intelligence and robots. However, academics recognise the irreplaceable human essence of critical thinking abilities and empathy in education. Despite challenges, academics acknowledge the positive impact of technology tools like Turnitin on research integrity and academic practices. The recommendations made included integrating technology-focused courses into academic programmes, prioritising research funding for projects exploring supportive emerging technologies, establishing mechanisms to evaluate technology integration initiatives, and collecting feedback for informed decision-making by policymakers and higher education stakeholders. This study contributes to scholarship on academics’ perspectives on their acceptance of and uncertainties about the impact of ongoing emerging technologies on their future roles and professional identities. Keywords: Academics’ Professional Identities, Emerging Technologies, Perceived Attitudes, Professional Roles, Artificial Intelligence

The job satisfaction of academics and researchers has been investigated recently, but the influence of different levels of social identification (organizational, workgroup and professional identification) has never been examined. The aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between different levels of social identification, work engagement and job satisfaction. Our study involved researchers from a French public institute who responded to an online survey (N = 383). The results show that different levels of social identification are positively correlated with researchers’ job satisfaction, and that workgroup explains the most variance, followed by professional and finally organizational identification. This study is also the first to show the mediating role of the dedication dimension of work engagement on the relationships between professional identification and job satisfaction. The implications of the findings for future studies in research institutes and universities are discussed.

Job Satisfaction of Turkish Academics According to a Set of Occupational and Personal Variables

Academic staff is a key resource in higher education institutions (HEIs) and therefore has a major role in the achievement of the objectives of these institutions. Satisfied and well-motivated academic staff can build a national and international reputation for themselves and their institutions. Moreover, the performance of academic staff impacts student learning. In this context, the study of academic staff job satisfaction and motivation to perform their professional activities becomes crucial, especially as higher education is traversed by multiple changes. The purpose of this paper is to present and analyze the findings of a nationwide study on satisfaction and motivation of academics. All academics working in Portuguese HEIs were invited to complete a survey online. The data obtained from 4529 academics were extensively analyzed and findings are presented here along with their implications for HEIs in Portugal.

Research examining teachers’ professional identity in the online context has recently increased; however, there have been few attempts (if any) to design a scale to assess foreign language teachers’ professional identity integrated with technology use in the flipped context. There have also been no extensions to the professional teacher identity model for flipped language teaching incorporated with psycho‐emotional factors. The current study first developed and validated an instrument for English teachers’ professional identity of technology integration in the flipped context (ETITF) to fill in the research gap that the majority of existing instruments for teachers’ professional identity have not considered the characteristics of technology integration in the flipped teaching environment in the subject area of English. Additionally, this present research also attempted to extend the professional teacher identity model by investigating the influence of the psycho‐emotional factor, namely, perceived anxiety of flipped teaching on professional teacher identity coped with technology in the flipped context by English teachers. Grounded by the identity theory and technology acceptance model, 233 in‐service English teachers from mainland China served to explore the constructs of the ETITF and the model extension with perceived anxiety. Results of exploratory factor analysis, first‐order, and second‐order confirmatory factor analysis supported a three‐dimension scale with 15 items: task perception (TP), motivation (M), and teacher self‐efficacy (SE). The results of the study revealed that the ETITF is valid and reliable that could be used by researchers, educators, and education institutions to gain a greater understanding of English language teachers’ professional development and can serve as a tool to support the procedures of developing teacher identity integrated with technology in the flipped context with specific items related to English teaching. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that task perception significantly predict English teachers’ motivation, while motivation showed positive influence on in‐service teachers’ self‐efficacy. This developed tool of ETITF and the extended professional identity with technology incorporation model may contribute to the development of flipped language teaching, which may provide implications for English educators and researchers to facilitate teachers’ effective technology integration in flipped English teaching.

Job satisfaction among nurses and physicians in an Army hospital: A content analysis

The study constructs a theoretical framework for how the academic environment and job satisfaction affect the turnover intention of high-skilled science and technology talents (STPs), based on academic ecology theory and job satisfaction theory. Conducting a quantitative analysis based on survey data collected from 482 national-level STP recipients across 14 first-class universities, the study integrates descriptive statistics, ANOVA, OLS regression, and bias-corrected bootstrap mediation analysis to examine the relationships between these variables. Findings reveal that STPs exhibit relatively low overall turnover intention; however, significant regional disparities exist, with higher turnover intentions observed in central and western regions. Academic environment shows moderate overall positivity, with competition receiving the highest mean score. Both academic environment and job satisfaction significantly and negatively predict turnover intention. Furthermore, job satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between collaboration/democracy and turnover intention. Based on the findings, the study recommends that universities strengthen the institutional development of the academic environment to provide a favorable environment for talent development and scientific and technological innovation.

Background:Faculty members are crucial elements of an educational institution, and their job satisfaction is likely essential for success of the educational process. Leadership support, work conditions and perceived job security could be factors affecting academic job satisfaction.Objective:The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of leadership support, work conditions and perceived job security on the overall academic job satisfaction of faculty.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional survey, using a structured questionnaire, was conducted to determine the effect of leadership support, work conditions and perceived job security on academic job satisfaction among faculty and teaching staff at the College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the significance of these relationships at 95% confidence interval and P < 0.05 level of significance.Results:Leadership support (β = 0.187, t = 2.714, P = 0.007), work conditions (β = 0.199, t = 2.628, P= 0.009) and perceived job security (β = 0.264, t = 3.369, P = 0.001) were found to be significantly associated with overall academic job satisfaction.Conclusion:The results of this study support the hypothesis that faculty and teaching staff working with supportive leaders and favorable work conditions as well as having an optimized sense of perceived job security demonstrate significantly higher levels of overall academic job satisfaction. These findings provide input for policymakers, and their implementation could enhance an institution's vitality and performance, and thus enable it to fulfill its goals.

Purpose The juncture of integrated care and professional identity is an under-researched yet critical intersection. This study aims to support the development of integration by gaining further understanding about the professional identity of integrated care team members. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative case study methodology using observations, semi-structured interviews and focus groups was used to explore professional identity in three UK newly integrated, community teams. The cases were nursing (n = 17), therapy (n = 13) and mental health nursing (n = 3) professions. Findings All professions identified with their own professional group. Some new identification with the integrated teams was evident, although individual professional group identity was always salient. Key themes were professional role, perceived lack of understanding, defensiveness and security. Participants employed tactics to prove their worth, strengthen their professional identity and counteract perceived threats against their profession. Practical implications Profession specific identities should be recognised and nurtured to reduce defensiveness and counteract threat. Differences between professions should be acknowledged and space given to improve understanding between professions. When individual professional identity is supported, team members can start to form a new, additional identity within their integrated team. Originality/value Identification with professional in-groups was based on security, not discrimination against other professions. Professional groups didn’t feel understood by other professional groups but still maintained respect and recognition for their expertise. Tactics employed to counteract professional identity threat included proving how busy they were.

This thesis examines the changing academic work environment in Australian universities and the impact of this change on academics. In particular, this thesis explores the lived experience and perceptions of university academics working in public universities in Australia. Across the globe, universities are facing complex issues that can lead to transformational change. The main drivers of change are globalisation, burgeoning knowledge-based economies, the rapidity of new technology adoption, and global competition. The impact of these drivers and the subsequent reforms are ultimately reflected in the changing nature of academics’ work and in their analysis. Over the past four decades since the Australian government reforms in the 1980s, public universities in Australia have been experiencing change, mainly influenced by new political and economic ideologies, including neoliberalism, corporatisation, managerialism, marketisation, and commodification of education. The consequences of these influences are reportedly having detrimental effects on academics, whereby academics’ esteem value, academic identity, academic freedom, and academic autonomy are all undermined. Academics report experiencing intimidation, bullying, mistrust, and harassment. As such there is a need and urgency for a research study, giving voice to Australian academics themselves, to investigate this problem to better understand it. The public university system in Australia is a vast industry with a large workforce, and the services it provides to the country and economy are many. University academics who play a main role in this industry need to be happy, effective, and efficient in order to be productive. It is therefore important to provide academics with a work environment that enables them to exercise academic freedom, academic autonomy, and an academic professional identity esteemed by their peers. Given the scale of the public university system and the impact of its services on, and economic contribution to the country, this study is relevant and significant. This study emphasises the importance of prioritising attention to academics to ensure that the changing nature of academic work does not result in detrimental effects on academics and that they can effectively operate in a conducive work environment. To date, there is little research that has focused on Australian academics’ lived experience and perceptions relating to their changing academic work environment. Hence this thesis is unique and significant because it explores the lived experience and perceptions of academics in Australian public universities. The study adopts a qualitative research approach, employing an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore and analyse the lived experience of the participants. To support inductive research and commence a generation of “new” thinking, the data collection method consists of 16 in-depth, one-on-one, and face-to-face interviews with academics working in eight Australian public universities who are experiencing change. The study takes the approach of standpoint theory. The thesis points to two findings. The first is the formulation of the academic predicament model (APM), which explains the erosion of academic professionalism and how the change de-professionalises academia in Australia. The second is an understanding of the conflicting forces impacting on academics. On the one hand, in the changing learning environments, academics are expected by management to be innovative, collegial and collaborative, and involved in excellent research activities. On the other hand, with changing university governance, academics’ autonomy and academic freedom are challenged. Academics’ esteemed identity is devalued and undermined. Some academics feel a sense of obligation to conform to Senior Management directives and adhere to the introduced mechanisms of accountability. They report being pressured and stressed by what they regard as undue compliance, competition, and university managements’ high expectations of innovative creativity. The key recommendations of the study call for strategies for enhancing respectfulness and collegiality, strategies to resist constraining ideologies, strategies for resolving work intensification, and strategies for improving existing processes and procedures relating to academics.

This study explored, and compared, the attitudes of student groups trained at the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy (UPDA) in 2010/2011 towards dental interprofessional education (IPE). The study population consisted of fifth-year student dentists (n = 80) from King's College London Dental Institute, second- and third-year dental hygiene and therapy (n = 38) and first-year dental nursing (n = 14) students from UPDA. A 19-item, validated and dentally modified questionnaire, 'Readiness for Inter-Professional Learning Scale (RIPLS)', was administered. RIPLS contains three subscales: teamwork and collaboration, professional identity and roles and responsibilities. Mean (x¯) and standard deviation (SD) of the scores were calculated, following reversal of negative items. All the analyses were carried out using SPSS version 20 and STATA version 11. An overall response rate of 71% (n = 94) was achieved. In reference to teamwork and collaboration, all groups strongly indicated that IPE can contribute to learning teamwork skills (x¯ = 24.98, SD = 3.5) and improving relationships with team members (x¯ = 12.93, SD = 1.63); however, the scores did not differ between the groups (P = 0.09 and P = 0.16, respectively). Concerning professional identity, student dentists had significantly higher preference for a discipline-based approach (P = 0.002); were more likely to agree that 'it is not necessary for undergraduate dental and dental care professional students to learn together' (P = 0.01); and perceived that 'clinical problem-solving skills can only be learnt effectively with other students from their own discipline' (P = 0.02) than dental hygiene and therapy students. In relation to roles and responsibilities, participants demonstrated a strong sense of their own professional role. Student dentists reported that they had 'to gain more knowledge and skills' than dental hygiene and therapy (P = 0.01) and dental nursing (P = 0.01) students. Dental hygiene and therapy students were less likely than student dentists to agree that 'the role of dental nurses and hygienists was to mainly provide support for dentists' (P = 0.001). The findings suggest that IPE was perceived as beneficial in relation to teamwork; however, the study raises issues regarding professional identity and roles. Educators should consider differing perceptions of professional roles and identities when planning and delivering interprofessional programmes.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction, professional identity and intention to leave the profession among nurses in Turkey. Although there are many studies on job satisfaction among nurses in Turkey, there is a gap in the literature in relation to professional identity, particularly for intentions to leave the profession. This cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational study was conducted with 2122 nurses from Turkey. A positive and significant correlation was determined between the nurses' job satisfaction and professional identities. It was found that 15.5% of the nurses intended to leave their profession. Intention to leave the profession was greater among the nurses with inadequate professional identity development and low job satisfaction. Professional identity is a factor affecting job satisfaction. Both professional identity and job satisfaction are important factors affecting nurses' intention leaving the profession. Given that professional identity and job satisfaction affect intention to leave the profession and professional identity affects job satisfaction, nurse managers who are mainly responsible for the quality of nursing care should develop strategies that support nurses' professional identity and increase their job satisfaction if they are to prevent nurses from leaving the profession.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the intersection of professional values and career roles in accountants’ presentations of their professional identity, in the face of enduring stereotyping of the accounting role.Design/methodology/approachThis study presents a qualitative investigation of accountants’ construction of their professional identities and imagery using a Goffmanian dramaturgical perspective. Viewing professional identity construction as a presentational matter of impression management, the investigation employs a reflexive photo-interviewing methodology.FindingsAccountants use a variety of workplace dramatisation, idealisation and mystification strategies inside and outside the workplace to counter the traditional accounting stereotype. They also attempt to develop a professional identity that is a subset of their overall life values.Research limitations/implicationsTheir professional orientation is found to embrace role reconstruction and revised image mystification while not necessarily aiming for upward professional mobility. This has implications for understanding the career trajectories of contemporary accountants with associated implications for continuing professional development and education.Originality/valueThe paper focusses on professional role, identity, values and image at the individual accountant level, while most prior research has focussed upon these issues at the macro association-wide level. In offering the first use of reflexive photo-interviewing method in the accounting research literature, it brings the prospect of having elicited different and possibly more reflective observations, reflections and understandings from actors not otherwise possible from more conventional methods.