This article contributes new theoretical perspectives and empirical findings to the conceptualization of occupational liminality. Here, we posit ‘occupational limbo’ as a state distinct from both transitional and permanent liminality; an important analytic distinction in better understanding occupational experiences. In its anthropological sense, liminality refers to a state of being betwixt and between; it is temporary and transitional. Permanent liminality refers to a state of being neither-this-nor-that, or both-this-and-that. We extend this framework in proposing a conceptualization of occupational limbo as always-this-and-never-that, where this is less desirable than that. Based on interviews with 51 teaching-only staff at 20 research-intensive ‘Russell Group’ universities in the United Kingdom, the findings highlight some challenging occupational experiences. Interviewees reported feeling ‘locked-in’ to an uncomfortable state by a set of structural and social barriers often perceived as insurmountable. Teaching-only staff were found to engage in negative and often self-deprecatory identity talk that highlighted a felt inability to cross the līmen to the elevated status of ‘proper academics’. The research findings and the new conceptual framework provide analytic insights with wider application to other occupational spheres, and can thus enhance the understanding not just of teaching-only staff and academics, but also of other workers and managers.\ud \ud Keywords academic careers, limbo, organizational theory, liminality, work environmen

Using a tried and tested measure of management practices that has been shown to predict firm performance, we survey nearly 250 departments across 100+ UK universities. We find large differences in management scores across universities and that departments in older, researchintensive universities score higher than departments in newer, more teaching-oriented universities. We also find that management matters in universities. The scores, particularly with respect to provision of incentives for staff recruitment, retention and promotion are correlated with both teaching and research performance conditional on resources and past performance. Moreover, this relationship holds for all universities, not just research-intensive ones.'There is a lot of difference in managing a group of employees in a plant and (managing) faculty members,… Trying to manage faculty members is like herding cats' 'The reason why disputes in academia are so bitter is because the stakes are so low'The publication of the latest national and international university league tables typically makes UK newspaper headlines. The performance of universities, in both research and teaching, matters. Higher education is a strategically important sector and there is evidence that investments in research-type education pay-off in areas, which are close to the world technological frontier (Acemoglu, 2006;Aghion et al., 2010). In a number of countries, government funding for universities is explicitly linked to performance metrics, including research outputs (in the UK) and negotiated performance targets (in the Netherlands). Many universities now compete in global markets for both students and staff, who are likely to pay close attention to how different institutions perform.This raises the important question of what contributes to universities' success. Beyond the obvious importance of resources, Aghion et al. (2010) identified the external environment, as measured by the degree of competition and autonomy from central government control of decision-making, faced by universities in the US and

Lactogen-dependent Nb2 lymphoma cells, widely employed for studying prolactin (PRL) mitogenic mechanisms, are also useful for investigations of apoptosis in T-lineage lymphocytes. Utilizing PRL-dependent Nb2-11 cultures, apoptosis-regulatory genes were evaluated for participation in dexamethasone- (DEX) provoked cell death or its inhibition by PRL. Treatment of lactogen-starved, G1-arrested Nb2-11 cells with DEX (100 nM) activated apoptosis within 12 h evaluated by flow cytometric analysis of fragmented DNA. This effect was not associated with altered expression of bcl-2, bax, or pim-1. PRL (10 ng/mL), coincubated with DEX-treated cells, completely blocked DEX-induced apoptosis. This inhibition was associated with increased expression of bcl-2 and pim-1 mRNAs, genes reported to suppress apoptosis, within 2-6 h after addition of the hormone. Moreover, the increased transcription of bcl-2 and pim-1 was coupled to increases in their protein levels. The results suggest that bcl-2, bax, and pim-1 do not play a critical role in DEX-induced apoptosis in Nb2 cells. However, expression of bcl-2, together with pim-1, may have a role in mediating the antiapoptotic actions of PRL.

The process of globalisation, that is, the increasing interdependence of world society, is a controversial movement supported by some because of the potential cross-national benefits, but criticised by others because of the fragmented or uneven distribution of those benefits. As many social workers interact with clients who may be affected by globalisation processes, we were interested to investigate their practice views on this topic. Sixty-six social workers completed a questionnaire that explored the relationship between local and international issues. Practitioner responses indicated a strong interest in the topic and widespread agreement that, in their daily practice, there is a link between local and global issues affecting clients. How this perspective is incorporated into practice, however, was not so clear, and there was some variation within the group of respondents. The paper concludes with some suggestions to further enhance the knowledge on this topic among social workers.

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