International Staff Research Articles

How Petroleum Industry Young Professionals Can Survive the Oil Price Volatility

Soft Skills Never mistake a lack of volatility for stability. Due to many influencing factors, the oil and gas industry has experienced several cycles of meteoric rises and plunges in oil price. With the volatility of oil prices comes key business decisions in the industry, which may or may not directly affect the career of young professionals (YPs). Fig. 1 shows the monthly crude oil prices from 1946 to November 2014, adjusted for inflation. Following significant oil price peaks, for example, in 1979 and 2008, were the declines. Below are some of the historically consistent reactions during downturns in oil prices: An increased drive to develop alternative (and cheaper) sources of energy Increased employment in industries other than the oil and gas industry* Enrollment in petroleum engineering education decreased, but after staying steady for a few more years near the peak Job cuts in organizations directly or indirectly related to the oil and gas industry Job restructuring, such as giving international staff new roles in their home countries, within the oil and gas industry Knowing that oil price is cyclic in nature and very volatile, how can one apply the past lessons today? Be a High Performer It is true that at USD 30/bbl no job is indispensable. Nonetheless, being a high performer improves your chances of surviving the volatile times while actively advancing your career. High performers are characterized by their ability to deliver consistent and excellent results with a reputation for being competent and trustworthy. They master technical challenges, continually refine their leadership skills, and act as role models with a positive attitude that enthuses the company culture.

Surgery in low‐income countries during crisis: experience at Médecins Sans Frontières facilities in 20 countries between 2008 and 2014

The global burden of trauma and surgical conditions fall disproportionately on lowand middle-income countries (LMICs) [1, 2]. Inopportunely, developing countries are least equipped to provide essential surgical care [3]. As a result, LMICs have a significant burden of unmet surgical needs [4]. When these fragile health systems are disrupted by conflict, a natural disaster or an epidemic the capacity for and quality of surgical care decreases even further [5]. In response, M edecins Sans Fronti eres (MSF) provides surgical humanitarian assistance in countries affected by crisis through one of the five operation centres; one of these is Operations Centre Brussels (OCB). Describing the epidemiology of surgical care at MSFOCB projects improves planning for humanitarian assistance and provides a unique opportunity to examine surgical needs that were otherwise unmet by national healthcare systems [6]. From 2008 through 2014, MSFOCB performed 119 524 operations at 45 projects in 20 countries. The majority of operations were obstetric (range 28–42% of operations by year), general surgical (e.g. hernias, appendicitis; range 15–49%) and unintentional trauma-related (e.g. road traffic crash, burn; range 10– 42%). Violence was also a common cause of surgical need (e.g. land mine or bomb injury, gunshot wound; range 7– 15%) (Table 1). MSF-OCB teams provided safe anaesthesia, often by task sharing, in the face of complex care needs evidenced by low perioperative death rates (i.e. death from time of anaesthesia care to discharge from the recovery ward; 0.2–0.3% of operations). From 2008 through 2014, the orthopaedic care capacity was deliberately improved to meet the needs of conflict-related projects (Figure 1). This was done by developing fracture care guidelines for nonorthopaedists, as well as recruiting expatriate orthopaedic surgeons. More detailed operative epidemiology of these sites has been reported previously [6–8].

Critical voices against the Bologna Process in Turkey: Neo-liberal governance in higher education

AbstractThis article analyzes critical voices raised against the Bologna Process by various stake-holders of higher education in Turkey, such as rectors, professors, international office staff, students, and civil society organizations. The data collected through in-depth interviews were analyzed using the discourse analysis method on the basis of the interlocutors’ reflections on the Bologna Process. It is claimed in the article that most universities in Turkey have attempted a process of internationalization and institutionalization, but that there have been several impediments during the implementation of the Bologna Process. Rising Euroskepticism in Turkey has also changed the process of Europeanization in the universities. It is revealed that the structural changes made in line with the Bologna Process are perceived by several different stake-holders as neo-liberal acts, and are presented as activities of internationalization, but not of Europeanization.

The globalisation of higher education and the sojourner academic: Insights into challenges experienced by newly appointed international academic staff in a UK university

The increasingly diverse nature of the higher education academic community in the United Kingdom is under-researched and under-theorised. This article presents an exploratory study of the lived experiences of newly appointed international academic staff as expressed in their written reflections on their professional practice and interpreted by the author using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Challenges identified as resulting from individuals’ enculturation in a different system of education from that in which they are currently operating may form the basis of a larger scale study.

International staff mobility in higher education: To what extent could an intra-European entrepreneurial approach be applied to Sino-CEE initiatives? *

The promotion of international staff mobility is a founding principle of the ‘Bologna Process’, designed to create a converged system of higher education across Europe, the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), and in which CEE countries are implicated. Meanwhile, the Chinese government encourages Chinese universities to internationalise and exchange staff, while focussing on Central and Eastern Europe to develop relationships in the EU. A unique, two-phase research methodology was devised to investigate the effects of culture on implementing staff mobility through strategic entrepreneurship and the feasibility of the transfer of such an approach from intra-EHEA mobility to Sino-EHEA mobility. A first-, second and third-person Insider Action Research (AR) approach was used to organise and implement an international staff exchange between universities within the EHEA. Data generated were subjected to a double process of analysis, including a meta-cycle of enquiry. This was followed by a series of in-depth interviews with Chinese academics on exchange in Europe. Data collected were subjected to thematic analysis and then triangulated with the Phase One data. Results showed the importance of individuals in the implementation of strategy. There were marked similarities in the importance of an ‘eco-system of collective interest’, often provided by the exchanger’s family, and in institutional attitudes to supporting these networks. Differences in entrepreneurial intensity between institutions as a result of organisational and national cultures affected the behaviour of individuals and this determines the strategy used to implement the exchange. Evidence of the paradoxical behaviour pattern in China and the significant cultural differences within the EHEA is presented as a starting point for Sino-CEE mobility strategy development: an entrepreneurial intra-EHEA strategy cannot simply be transferred to a Sino-EHEA context.

"That's your patient. There's your ventilator": exploring induction to work experiences in a group of non-UK EEA trained anaesthetists in a London hospital: a qualitative study.

BackgroundEuropean health systems depend increasingly on the services of health professionals who obtained their primary medical qualification from other countries. There has been a significant increase recently in fully qualified specialist doctors arriving from the European Union to provide short term or longer-term solutions to health human resources needs in the UK National Health System. These doctors often take up senior consultant positions. As a result, the NHS has had to learn to deal with both expatriation and repatriation of EU doctors as a constant dynamic characteristic of its own ability to deliver services. We conducted a qualitative study to explore the acclimatisation experience of EU doctors with qualifications in anaesthesia arriving in the United Kingdom to take up clinical employment in the NHS. The question we ask is: how do specialty registered anaesthetists who trained in other European countries experience the process of acclimatisation to practice in the United Kingdom in a large hospital in London?MethodsWe did individual interviews with non-UK, EU-qualified doctors with Certification of Completion of specialty Training who were registered with the General Medical Council in the UK and could practice in the NHS as specialist anaesthetists. The doctors were all interviewed whilst working in a large NHS teaching hospital in London, UK. We analysed qualitative data from interview transcripts to identity themes and patterns regarding senior doctor’s acclimatisation to the British system.ResultsAcclimatisation conceived of as transfer of clinical expertise was problematic for doctors who felt they lacked the right kind of support. Doctors sought different opportunities to share wider perspectives on care deriving from their previous experience.ConclusionsHospital conceptions of acclimatisation as a highly individual process can offer an idealized view of clinical work and learning in the new system. Socio-cultural theories suggest we create regular learning opportunities for international staff to critically reflect on practice with local staff to acclimatise more effectively.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12909-015-0331-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Professionalism in library and information science

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the current trends, needs and opportunities of professionalism in librarianship in Nigeria. The broad purpose of the paper was to investigate the level of professionalism in librarianship and to ascertain the current status, trends and opportunities within the profession among academic librarians in Nigeria. Five specific research questions were formulated which are: to examine how librarians value librarianship as a profession, to elicit the efforts made by librarians with regards to professional development, to ascertain methods of acquiring current competencies within the profession, to investigate the role of professional bodies in promoting professionalism and excellence within the library and information science (LIS) profession and to proffer strategies to enhance professionalism and excellence among librarians in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – Descriptive survey design was adopted in the study across both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The area of the study was the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State and the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka Anambra State. Population of the study comprised a total of 63 librarians in the two universities. All librarians were sampled because of the small sample size. The instrument for data collection was oral interview and questionnaire which contained 53 items derived from the research questions and built on a four-point scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree, (A) Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD). The criterion mean was 2.50. Therefore, any calculated mean below 2.50 was adjudged a negative score, while any mean from 2.50 and above was regarded as a positive score. Findings – The study revealed the challenges facing professionalism and excellence within the LIS field as lack of funding for professional development, lack of sponsorship to workshops and conferences, lack of uninterruptible internet facility and a dearth of professional mentors in the South East zone. Other problems gathered from a scheduled interview with some senior professionals in the institutions revealed that most librarians are still facing the challenge of imbibing and utilizing emerging skills in the LIS professions such as digital archiving and data mining skills for their day-to-day activities. Originality/value – Recommendations arising from the study were proffered such as the creation of staff development programmes by management; collaboration and partnership by libraries within the zone; acquisition of training through workshops and conferences irrespective of sponsorship by the institutions; and teaming of academic librarians to enhance their visibility and publication output. International staff exchanges and opportunities for sabbatical leave, which hitherto was not common in the South East Zone, were recommended. Among other recommendations also were building of consortia with libraries in the country; LIS professional bodies helping to create visibility and prestige of the LIS profession; and, finally, to scale up the image of the profession the marketing of library products through profiling of patrons and furnishing them with required information has not only become necessary but critical.

Team Learning in a Multinational Military Staff Exercise

International operations have become one of the main tasks for the Swedish Armed Forces (SAF). The SAF and Swedish National Defence College organize annual international staff exercises with the purpose of training officers to carry out effective staff work. This study analyzed a staff exercise using Edmondson’s team learning model in a military setting. The model was developed by including group cohesion. As defensive routines are a threat to team learning behavior, the possible presence of these was examined. The results indicate that team leader coaching is crucial to support all the variables in the model. The added variable of group cohesion contributed with insights on how the commander used task solving to create group cohesion. Some examples of defensive routines were also revealed but there seemed to be challenges in identifying such routines in this type of exercise setting.

International staff mobility in higher education: To what extent could an intra-European entrepreneurial approach be applied to Sino-CEE initiatives?

The promotion of international staff mobility is a founding principle of the ‘Bologna Process’, designed to create a converged system of higher education across Europe, the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), and in which CEE countries are implicated. Meanwhile, the Chinese government encourages Chinese universities to internationalise and exchange staff, while focussing on Central and Eastern Europe to develop relationships in the EU. A unique, two-phase research methodology was devised to investigate the effects of culture on implementing staff mobility through strategic entrepreneurship and the feasibility of the transfer of such an approach from intra-EHEA mobility to Sino-EHEA mobility. A first-, second and third-person Insider Action Research (AR) approach was used to organise and implement an international staff exchange between universities within the EHEA. Data generated were subjected to a double process of analysis, including a meta-cycle of enquiry. This was followed by a series of in-depth interviews with Chinese academics on exchange in Europe. Data collected were subjected to thematic analysis and then triangulated with the Phase One data. Results showed the importance of individuals in the implementation of strategy. There were marked similarities in the importance of an ‘eco-system of collective interest’, often provided by the exchanger’s family, and in institutional attitudes to supporting these networks. Differences in entrepreneurial intensity between institutions as a result of organisational and national cultures affected the behaviour of individuals and this determines the strategy used to implement the exchange. Evidence of the paradoxical behaviour pattern in China and the significant cultural differences within the EHEA is presented as a starting point for Sino-CEE mobility strategy development: an entrepreneurial intra-EHEA strategy cannot simply be transferred to a Sino-EHEA context.

GLOBAL PRACTICES OF STUDENTS’ RESEARCH

The aim of the study is to consider the problem of students’ research both worldwide and in Russia. Methods. The methods involve review and analysis of the foreign and Russian scientific literature on studied subjects; surveys on the management and realisation of student’s scientific activity in different countries; comparative analysis of the data received during surveys. Results and scientific novelty. At the first stage literature concerning the question of doing research in different countries is analyzed. Then the problems existing in the sphere of students’ research worldwide are identified. Among them are students’ motivation, supervisors’ motivation, developing friendly scientific environment at various levels, communication in science. Then, two surveys were held to support the theoretical issues. The first concerned general aspects of students’ research internationally such as when they start doing it, how they are motivated, what are the relations with supervisors etc. The second included questions about general age of getting scientific degrees (bachelor, master, and PhD), and was divided into two parts: for international and Russian staff. Procedures and results of the surveys undertaken for revealing of scientists’ opinion on quality and features of the specified kind of students’ activity in different countries across the world are described. It is shown, that some problems are common for Russia and global scientific society. Practical significance. On the basis of world experience, some solutions on development of scientific activity of the Russian students have been proposed by the author.

How International NGOs Protect Expatriate Staff During Crises

Multinational organisations of all kinds are facing increasing challenges to ensure that their international operations and staff are safe from threat of physical and psychological danger. This is ...

Competition for talent. Country and organizational-level effects in the internationalization of European higher education institutions

This paper analyzes the competition for skilled human resources between European higher education institutions (HEI) through a multi-level model predicting their ability to attract foreign researchers. Predictions of the model are tested on a dataset on internationalization of 601 HEIs in 8 European countries. We show that (1) the model is able to explain a large proportion of the variance in the levels of internationalization of academic staff between HEIs; (2) country factors are more important than HEIs’ characteristics in driving internationalization; (3) research-oriented HEIs in attractive countries have a larger share of international staff, whereas this happens only to a limited extent with similar HEIs in low attractive countries; (4) the association of research orientation with internationalization is mediated by the HEI's international network. These results have relevant implications for HEI's hiring strategies, as well as for national policies concerning careers and the mobility of researchers. We suggest that policies should be tailored to structural conditions of HEIs and countries, whereas imitating the approaches of highly attractive places might be damaging. Less-attractive countries should rather focus on training and career opportunities for young national researchers, as well as on instruments to keep linkages with national expatriates.

Perceptions of Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) Staff about Water Privatization in Developing Countries

b Almost a billion people globally lack access to potable water. In the early 1990's, attempts to improve potable water access in the global south included a massive push for water services privatization, often involving the transfer of public water services to private companies. Critics of water privatization claim it rarely improves access to water, and in most cases, unfairly affect poor people. Proponents on the other hand argue that it is necessary for efcient management and capital investment in the water sector. Although development NGOs play an important role in developing country water provision, hardly any studies have sought to understand their perceptions about the potential role of water privatization towards improving access to potable water in developing countries. We interviewed the key staff among 28 international and national NGO staff about water privatization, its opportunities and constraints. Their perceptions were mixed. While most criticized water privatization as increasing water costs to the poor, some noted that privatization is necessary for improving water access through increased capital investment. We present the ndings and discuss larger implications for water policies and reforms in developing countries.

Community Health Global Network: “Clustering” Together to In-crease the Impact of Community Led Health and Development

Background: Community Health Global Network (CHGN) was founded to strengthen collaboration between community-based health programs - many of which are faith based initiatives. It seeks to address this in two ways: through its global network of players in community health and in the formation of ‘Clusters’. The CHGN Clusters are networks of community health programmes and individuals in specific geographical locations. This case report outlines the formation of the Kenya Cluster.Aims: To describe the steps in the formation of the Kenya Cluster and to outline the primary outcomes and potential impact of the network. To discuss how learnings from the Kenya Cluster may assist other established Clusters and the initiation of new Clusters.Method: Information for this case report was gained from meetings and consultations with various individuals including: leaders and members of the Kenya Cluster, other national community health experts, CHGN International staff and advisors to CHGN Uttarakhand Cluster in India. In addition, information was gained from personal observation during in-country field work.Results: The Kenya Cluster is emerging as a platform for community health programs to connect and network. These connections have led to transfer of information – through stories, best practice, training, contacts and opportunities amongst Cluster members. The Cluster has also established links with Government and multilaterals enabling greater access to support at the community level.Conclusions: There is early indication that the formation of the Kenya Cluster is supportive of the Cluster model as a unique way of strengthening collaboration between community health programs. Of significance, the Cluster has the potential to improve the link between faith-inspired initiatives and secular and multilateral development organisations. These learnings from the Kenya Cluster can progress the development of other Clusters. Further evaluation will be conducted to assess the impact of the Kenya Cluster and the overall impact of the Cluster approach.

Engaging academically with China in Africa – the institutional approach of the University of Botswana

In 2006 the University of Botswana adopted the Policy on Internationalization which had three objectives: 1) to expand international student and staff exchanges; 2) to expand international research co-operation; and 3) to enhance the internationalisation of all curricula. As a result of the policy, the University has developed a number of academic partnerships in East Asia since 2006. The policy made a commitment to increase the number of university partnerships, not only in the traditional areas of Europe and North America, but particularly within Africa and with key economic powers in Asia, which were identified as China, India, Japan and South Korea. The most intensive academic engagement within East Asia has taken place with China and a strategic institutional approach has been adopted to develop this engagement.

Анализ факторов, влияющих на управление и передачу знаний международных сотрудников в компании

Анализ факторов, влияющих на управление и передачу знаний международных сотрудников в компании

Characteristics of international staff victims of psychiatric patient assaults: review of published findings, 2000-2012.

Psychiatric patient assaults on staff are a worldwide occupational hazard that results in human suffering and dollar cost expense. International research in the 1990s documented the frequent occurrence of these assaults. This present paper reviewed the published, international literature on staff victim assaults during the first decade of the new century. The findings indicate assaults on staff remain a serious worldwide issue as it was in the 1990s, even with new policy initiatives in place meant to reduce such violence. The findings by continents and a detailed methodological inquiry are presented.

Cultural diversity and the imagined community of the global academy

Transnational academic mobility and the ongoing push towards “internationalization” together raise challenges for the cultural climate of today's universities. This paper explores these issues from the perspective of supervisors of research degrees in an Australian university in which “internationalization” and “academic mobility” apply to supervisors as much as to students. The concepts of the imagined community and cosmopolitanism are employed to interpret a series of one-on-one and group interviews conducted with international academic staff, conversations which reported surprisingly untroubled negotiation of cultural difference. Using the insights provided by the concepts of “imagined community” and “cosmopolitanism”, we investigate the mechanisms mobilized by these supervisors in apparently backgrounding cultural diversity in the workplace, and consider the implications of the academic subjectivities they perform.

Using quantitative data in World Bank per-student funding reform projects: data, designs and dilemmas in transition countries

Since the late 1980s, education systems have increasingly moved to allocating funding for general education by means of a per-student formula. The trend started with developed economies and moved to transition and developing economies, where the World Bank has promoted the adoption of per-student funding (PSF). But promoting a particular reform, such as PSF, by including it in a package of sector-specific development projects funded by World Bank grants or loans, and employing local and international specialist staff do not guarantee successful implementation. This paper examines experience with implementing PSF to school level in transition countries, comparing varying degrees of success to date (2013) in Bulgaria, Moldova and Kosovo. The paper considers the dilemmas inherent in designing PSF formulae for schools, how this played out in each of the countries and the reasons for varying success in implementation.

Functionalism, multiple principals and the reform of the NATO secretariat after the Cold War

The literature on international organizations tells us that diverging member states’ preferences and concerns about the loss of control are major obstacles to institutional reform. But what if changes in the international environment necessitate institutional reform? This article examines such dilemma in the case of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO has faced functional pressures to adjust its machinery to the post-Cold War era, but has at the same time seen its membership and the preference heterogeneity of the membership increase. The article finds that institutional change is indeed difficult with multiple principals and uncertainty about the consequences of reform. Yet modest reform has still taken place. Firstly, strong functional pressures can help the member states to overcome their differences concerning institutional reform. Secondly, lower-level incremental reforms, beyond the control of the member states, have made NATO a more efficient organization. The empirical focus is on the development of the understudied International Staff post-1989.