This paper reports the findings of a participatory mixed methods study into the perceptions of Fair Access students on the factors which led them to consider accessing Higher Education. The study consisted of focus groups with thirteen first year Fair Access Students (female n=9, male n=4) studying at the university. The data from which was analysed thematically, identifying five themes (what others say, going to university to escape, influence of habitus, location and what the university offered). These five themes formed the basis of a Likert type questionnaire which was completed by 239 students (n=168 Fair Access, n=71 non-Fair Access). It was evident that students from Fair Access backgrounds have the same high aspirations as their non-Fair Access counterparts, as do their families. However they can be discouraged and disadvantaged in the application system due to a variety of reasons; within compulsory education (perceptions of teachers as well as a lack of careers advice and support), intuitional habitus of Higher Education Institutions (provision of pre-access information and support) as well as not identifying themselves as coming from a widening participation background, thus reducing the likelihood of a contextual offer. All of these could impact on the ability of an individual from a WP background being successful in obtaining a place to study in Higher Education.
Purpose This study aims to examine the interrelationship between the employee public service motivations (PSM), organisational corporate social responsibility (CSR) objectives and employee organisational commitment amongst accounts department staff in public service organisations. Design/methodology/approach Survey data is taken from tax accountants and accounts administration staff (n = 285) across seven South Korean state-owned enterprises involved in the provision of various public services (utilities, infrastructure, energy and housing). Structural equation modeling techniques are used to conduct mediation and moderated-mediation analysis. Findings Results show that both employee PSM and organisational CSR are significant in determining organisational commitment, especially where they result in value congruence. The authors also find that perceived levels of internal and external CSR are significant in moderating the impact of different dimensions of PSM. Practical implications As accounting in public service organisations faces growing professional and commercial demands to address stakeholder needs, the need for organisations to retain accounts staff with the necessary motivations is vital. The findings highlight the importance of value congruence in achieving long-term employee organisational commitment and the need for the CSR objectives of organisations to take account of both external and internal stakeholders. Originality/value Little research has examined the relationship between PSM and organisational commitment amongst accounting staff in the quasi-public/private state-owned enterprise sector. This despite the level of organisational (e.g. introduction of new public management approach) and professional change (e.g. regulatory changes) experienced over the past two decades and the importance of the sector in public service provision.
This paper reports the results of a case study investigating the importance and awareness of national student survey (NSS) improvement initiatives in one department at a university in the South of England. The paper is motivated by the observation that despite many initiatives that the Department put in place since 2011 in response to poor NSS results, the overall students' satisfaction remained below the national average for the period 2011-2015. This situation raises two questions. First, are the initiatives put in place really important for students' satisfaction when it comes to responding to the NSS questionnaire? Second, are the students even aware of these initiatives? To answer these questions, 57 initiatives that the Department put in place from 2011 to 2015 were documented using the minutes of various education committees. Through a questionnaire survey, the final year students in the Department were asked to rate on a 5-point Likert scale the importance and their awareness of the initiatives. Descriptive, correlation analysis and t-tests are used to determine the importance and awareness of the initiatives. The data analysis was followed by two focus groups with selected students to gain further insights into the findings. The main results of the study are that many of the 57 initiatives are considered important but the students are not aware of the majority of the initiatives. These results have important implications for UK university departments trying to improve their NSS results.
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