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While satisfaction, engagement and retention of academics has been widely discussed, there is less acknowledgement that a university must first convince high-quality academic talent of the benefits of joining their institution. This paper sought to identify the key factors that influence early-career and aspiring academics to choose employment with a university. Fifty early-career academics or PhD scholars aspiring to academic careers gave their perspectives on this critical issue. The key findings point to five key factors that enhance the attractiveness of universities in the eyes of this next generation of talent, including reputation, organisational culture, role characteristics, career development and growth, and physical characteristics. We argue that universities, regardless of size, location or ranking, must strive to differentiate themselves and their offerings and focus on some key messages when recruiting academics.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the use of blended learning in the workplace and questions whether interpersonal interaction facilitates learner engagement (specifically behavioral, cognitive and/or emotional engagement), and if so, the means by which this occurs. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was taken to this exploratory study, a single-case study design was utilized, and data collection methods involved interviews with facilitators and past participants of a blended workplace learning (BWL) program. Findings: Human interaction in the BWL program included learner-facilitator, learner-learner and learner-colleague interaction. Where human interaction was present, it was reported to be linked with more active behavioral engagement, higher cognitive engagement and stronger and more positive emotional engagement than where human interaction was absent. Research limitations/implications: The single-case study design does not allow for generalizability of findings. Reliance on self-reported data through interviews without cross-validation from other forms of measurement is a further limitation of the study. Practical implications: Effective blended learning programs for workplaces are those that provide opportunities for learners to engage through human interaction with facilitators, other learners and colleagues. The findings advance current knowledge of BWL, and have implications for human resource development professionals, and designers and facilitators of blended learning programs for workplaces. Originality/value: The study contributes to existing literature on blended learning in the workplace and emphasizes the importance of ensuring that human interaction is still an element of blended learning to maximize the benefits to learners and organizations.

Purpose: This paper aims to provide a synthesis of the contributions to this special issue focusing on organizational unlearning. Design/methodology/approach: The papers were examined in depth to identify the key contributions and areas of ongoing concern for those researching unlearning. Findings: Each paper was noted as making a unique contribution to the unlearning debate, and the authors' understanding of this critical issue, however, areas of divergence or contradiction remain. Although the special issue called for a range of disciplines to engage with the topic, it is clear that some disciplines and contexts have embraced the concept of unlearning more than others, and that there are some key issues that remain problematic for advancing research of this phenomenon. Two key imperatives include clarifying and aligning terminology and advancing stronger underpinning empirical research of unlearning. Originality/value: The paper identifies the current contradictions and questions relating to organizational unlearning and argues that it is time for clarity and more empirical research about this critical topic.

This study aims to identify and categorize barriers to e-learning adoption and the relative impact of those barriers on learners. It contributes to the understanding of learner perceptions of barriers, the different types of barriers and their relative importance. This study used a quantitative methodology grounded in previous literature. The study is based on a self-administered questionnaire conducted with employees in a rail organisation. This research demonstrates there are three key factors that represent barriers to e-learning: the nature of e-learning as a learning approach, the use of technology, and concerns about lack of time and potential interruptions when trying to complete e-learning. (Contains 4 tables.)

This study explores the state of undergraduate human resource management (HRM) curricula worldwide in an effort to understand the extent to which there is an agreed-upon body of knowledge underpinning the field of HRM. We reviewed the undergraduate curricula for all business schools that were accredited by either the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business or European Quality Improvement System in 2014-2015. Of the 281 HR programs that we identified, programs require an average of 3.4 HR classes. The most common required courses were Human Resource Management (239 schools), Compensation (or Compensation & Benefits; 123 schools), and Staffing (or Recruitment & Selection; 113 schools). Although we did find similarities between programs, we also find that there are significant differences in the required courses of HRM programs worldwide. We additionally examine institutional pressures from major professional HRM associations, and find evidence that these organizations do influence HRM curricula toward greater similarity. In particular, schools in regions with a major professional HRM organization are more similar than schools in other regions. Additionally, schools in the United States that are aligned with Society for Human Resource Management curriculum guidelines are more similar than schools that are not Society for Human Resource Management aligned.

Purpose: Interest in the topic of unlearning has grown in recent years, fueled by rapid changes in the business environment and resultant organizational change. This change challenges individuals and organizations to unlearn past knowledge and practice to embrace new organizational realities. However, much of the unlearning literature focuses on either individual or organizational factors that enable or hinder unlearning. This paper aims to look beyond the organizational boundary to question whether there are tensions between professionals and the organizations in which they work that influence organizational unlearning. Design/methodology/approach: This is a conceptual paper analyzing how professions are established to identify the implications for organizational unlearning. The critical elements of a profession are explored to identify the potential impact that professionals within the organization may have on organizational learning and unlearning. Findings: The paper argues that to facilitate unlearning, organizations must recognize not only internal factors but also external pressures on individuals and groups. In particular, professions with a strong identity may represent a significant force that can either engender or resist attempts to learn and unlearn by the organization. Originality/value: Within the existing unlearning literature, individual and organizational factors that facilitate or hinder unlearning have been widely canvased. However, little attention has been given to the factors beyond organizational boundaries that may also impact unlearning, particularly for individuals and groups with strong professional identities. This paper offers some unique insights into this potential factor for consideration by those seeking to enhance organizational unlearning.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors affecting employees' overall acceptance, satisfaction and future use of e-learning, specifically exploring the impact that age has on the intended future use of e-learning relative to the other potential predictors. Design/Methodology/Approach: The project developed an online survey and invited employees of one Australian rail organisation to participate. Questions were structured around the factors that affect acceptance and future use of e-learning. Statistical analysis was used. Findings: The findings from the study suggest that, despite the often espoused stereotype, age is not a significant factor impacting either future use intentions or satisfaction with e-learning. In contrast, three variables were found to be useful predictors of intention for future use of organisational e-learning; low complexity, authenticity and technical support. Research Limitations/Implications: The study did not consider other moderating effects related to demographic data other than age, such as educational experience. Further, the case presented is a single organisation and therefore is not necessarily representative of other industries. Future studies should adopt a mixed methods approach. Practical Implications: This study has emphasised that attention needs to be focussed on factors over which organisations have control when adopting and using e-learning. Employee age should not be seen as an obstacle to e-learning implementation, rather attention needs to turn to effective and user-friendly e-learning interventions along with sufficient technology support. Originality/Value: Perceptions within industry and indeed in some literature, suggest that employee age stereotypes still exist in relation to technology uptake. This research has demonstrated that this stereotype is an erroneous assumption and emphasised the importance of other factors.

This chapter describes a Reading and Study Skills program and course that are offered to first-year students who are underprepared or reluctant and who may be at risk for failure in other courses as well as at risk for long-term retention and graduation. The course is discussed with respect to its parallels to the MVP model, and initial evidence of its success is provided. The MVP cycle is reflected in course design and process and in a textbook created specifically to accompany the course.

Purpose: Many organisations are reconsidering their investment in formal education and training, in favour of more informal approaches to learning such as mentoring, temporary assignments, stretch assignments, and job rotation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which managers have developed capabilities for their roles thus far and their preferred approaches for future development with particular consideration given to a comparison of formal and informal learning. Design/methodology/approach: This paper reports on a case study conducted within an Australian nonprofit organisation focussing on the extent to which managers attribute their current level of management skills to formal or informal learning and the extent to which they would prefer formal or informal learning (or a combination) for future development. Findings: Findings indicate a large part of the managers' current management capabilities were acquired through informal means, and these are seen as desirable for ongoing development, however, there is also a desire for formal learning methods to complement informal methods. Originality/value: Management development is a critical HRD activity however there is limited knowledge about how managers have built their current capabilities and their preferences in terms of the mix of formal and informal learning for the future.

Those who serve in military organizations typically develop a strong sense of identification with the defense force and those with whom they serve. However, when these individuals leave military service, they can experience a sense of displacement or culture shock, making transition into a civilian career a difficult prospect. This paper sought to explore veterans' experiences during the transition into civilian work and, in particular, the impact of this transition on their identity as they are socialized in a civilian organization. The stories of 31 Australian Defence Force veterans were gathered via semi‐structured interviews to provide insight into the experiences during transition and the changing nature of their identity as they began working outside a military environment. The findings identify three stages of identity adjustment through which veterans pass during their transition: realizing, relinquishing, and reconceptualizing. While some encountered more struggles than others depending on their individual circumstances, the findings provide unique insights for HRD theory and practice to enhance the transition of serving military to a civilian workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide description and analysis of how a traditional industry is currently using e-learning, and to identify how the potential of e-learning can be realised whilst acknowledging the technological divide between younger and older workers. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory qualitative methodology was employed to analyse three key questions: How is the Australian rail industry currently using e-learning? Are there age-related issues with the current use of e-learning in the rail industry? How could e-learning be used in future to engage different generations of learners in the rail industry? Data were collected in five case organisations from across the Australian rail industry. Findings: Of the rail organisations interviewed, none believed they were using e-learning to its full potential. The younger, more technologically literate employees are not having their expectations met and therefore retention of younger workers has become an issue. The challenge for learning and development practitioners is balancing the preferences of an aging workforce with these younger, more "technology-savvy", learners and the findings highlight some potential ways to begin addressing this balance. Practical implications: The findings identified the potential for organisations (even those in a traditional industry such as rail) to better utilise e-learning to attract and retain younger workers but also warns against making assumptions about technological competency based on age. Originality/value: Data were gathered across an industry, and thus this paper takes an industry approach to considering the potential age-related issues with e-learning and the ways it may be used to meet the needs of different generations in the workplace. (Contains 1 table.)

This article reports on a project to embed information literacy skills development in a first-year undergraduate business course at an Australian university. In accordance with prior research suggesting that first-year students are over-confident about their skills, the project used an optional online quiz to allow students to pre-test their information literacy skills. The students' lower than expected results subsequently encouraged greater skill development. However, not all students elected to undertake the first quiz. A final assessable information literacy quiz increased the levels of student engagement, suggesting that skill development activities need to be made assessable. We found that undertaking the information literacy quizzes resulted in a statistically significant improvement in students' information literacy skills from the pre-test to the post-test. This research therefore extends previous research by providing an effective means of delivering information literacy skill development to large cohorts of first-year students. (Contains 2 tables.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which learning styles influence tertiary students' preferences for flexible delivery and assessment methods in higher education. Design/methodology/approach: A voluntary self-administered questionnaire was distributed within three core undergraduate courses. A total of 891 students responded to the survey, across a range of locations, representing a response rate of approximately 45 percent. Findings: Results reveal that learning styles do not appear to influence students level of preference overall for flexible delivery methods and assessment approaches. However, there remain a significant percentage of students who report that they do not want all course delivery to be online. The findings generally suggest that there are changing expectations of students in relation to delivery and assessment in tertiary education. Research limitations/implications: The research has been conducted at undergraduate level in business disciplines and therefore may not adequately represent the opinions of postgraduate students, or students from other disciplines. In addition over 75 percent of respondents fall within the Generation Y category, which means that these results may not be generalisable to older populations of learners. Practical implications: Demonstrates to educators the importance of considering learning styles when developing, delivery and assessing courses, and reinforces that very few students desire entirely online courses. Originality/value: The paper focuses specifically on the preferences of students in relation to assessment and delivery via technology and identifies critical considerations for course developers. (Contains 3 figures and 6 tables.)

This paper reports on the outcomes of a replication study of a survey of British employers that requested information on the qualifications sought when recruiting employees and on subsequent training and development. While the British survey was interested in the uptake and use of the British National Vocational Qualifications, the study reported in this article is primarily focused on the uptake and use of the Australian Qualifications Framework qualifications by North Australian employers. This study was prompted by the skills shortages and recruitment difficulties being experienced by organizations throughout rural and regional Australia. Previous studies have found that vocational qualifications were not valued by UK employers and few employers were encouraging employees to undertake vocational awards. If this is also the case in Australia, it may in part explain problems in recruiting skilled workers. This research clearly demonstrates that employees in regional and rural Australia are seeking to improve their knowledge and skills through vocational training and higher education qualifications. Also, employers are providing access to training and are supporting managerial and professional employees to gain higher educational qualifications. When recruiting all types of worker other than unskilled labourers, the majority of organizations prefer to recruit workers with qualifications. In rural and regional centres, however, a more pragmatic stance of recruiting unqualified employees in some areas is observed. Clearly, employers will attempt to minimize training costs by recruiting skilled employees, but in the end they will have to provide access to training and education to ensure that they have a skilled workforce that can deliver essential services and products.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the level of consideration given to unlearning during human resource development interventions and to identify the methods being used to reinforce training and development. Design/methodology/approach: A self-administered questionnaire was given to a convenience sample of employers in regional Queensland and the Northern Territory, Australia. Analysis of responses using descriptive statistics was conducted to identify whether approaches differed in relation to unlearning and reinforcement between large and small organisations, and between those with high labour turnover and those with low labour turnover. Findings: Results reveal that larger organisations give far more consideration to unlearning than smaller organisations. Those organisations with high labour turnover focus less on unlearning that those with a more stable workforce. Coaching and performance feedback were reported as the most commonly used method of reinforcement of learning and unlearning. Research limitations/implications: Low response rates mean that results are not statistically generalisable. Owing to the regional location of respondents there may be differences in findings in large metropolitan centres. Practical implications: Reinforces to practitioners the need to consider unlearning, and also indicates a need for further research in this area. From a managerial perspective the results show that managers need to employ a range of tools and techniques to ensure unlearning can occur. Originality/value: This paper reports on a study examining unlearning; and begins to address the lack of empirical research on this important concept. (Contains 6 tables.)