Professor Tony Travaglione

© 2015 The Braybrooke Press Ltd. The ubiquity of retail employment makes it one of the most important sectors in the economy but economic downturn, foreign competition, and looming technological developments threaten to diminish the employment opportunities it offers. In consideration of the workforce- related adjustments that retail businesses are likely to experience from changes in the sector, this study examines attitudinal differences between retail employees and the general workforce. The theoretical perspective of this study is that employees from different industries have unique attitudes toward the work environment, given industry-specific environmental and situational influences. The empirical analysis uses data obtained from a survey of over 6000 Australian workers to test attitudinal work environment variables between retail employees and non-retail employees. The findings reveal that retail employee attitudes are dissimilar from that of the general workforce, which implies that employee attitudinal profiles differ between industries, and general management programmes and practices should therefore be tailored accordingly.

© Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to focus on the implications of the gender wage gap in Australia, before considering policy responses and their effectiveness at both the government and workplace levels. Design/methodology/approach - The method concerns an extensive literature review and an examination of secondary data and reports relating to workplace gender equality and data. Findings -While the gender wage gap in most OECD countries has decreased over time, in Australia the gap has increased, with the largest contributory factor identified as gender discrimination. Consequently it is proposed that current policy responses supporting women in the workplace appear to be ineffective in closing gender wage gaps. Research limitations/implications - Further research is recommended to identify the impact of gender equality policies on hiring decisions and whether such decisions include an unwillingness to hire or promote women. As findings were based on secondary data, it is recommended that future research include workplace surveys and case studies. Practical implications - It is suggested that articles such as this one can assist in guiding public policy and workplace decisions on gender wage equality issues, in addition to providing human resource leaders with the information to make better decisions relating to gender equality. Originality/value - This paper suggests that current policy responses may not only be ineffective in closing the gender wage gap, but may even exacerbate it as employers may avoid hiring women or continue to pay them less than men, due to costs incurred when attempting to meet policy directives.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between organizational commitment, perceived organizational support (POS) and turnover intentions. The objective is to identify practical as well as theoretical implications of the relationships. Design/methodology/approach: This research was undertaken via a questionnaire in a large Australian public sector organization. Findings: The interaction between POS and organizational commitment was a significant predictor of turnover intention. Employees with low levels of commitment, but high levels of support from the organization, are less likely to leave the organization. Research limitations/implications: This is a cross-sectional study, using self-reports for independent and dependent variables. Practical implications: As POS was found to influence turnover, this provides an avenue of approach for managers struggling to retain valuable employees whose commitment alone may not be enough to prevent them from leaving. Originality/value: The paper examines the impact of POS, a neglected variable in the study of turnover intention, and in particular in its interactive effect between commitment and turnover. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Purpose - Regulatory frameworks in Australia encourage employee participation in decision making (PDM) on the basis that participation benefits work effort, job satisfaction and commitment. Although the literature supports this premise, there is little evidence that patterns of causal inference in the relationship are clearly understood. This study aims to examine for structural and causal inference between PDM and the work environment over time. Design/methodology/approach - Structural equation modeling was used to examine longitudinal, matched sample data for causal inferences. Findings - The paper finds that participation in decision making appears to promote job satisfaction and commitment, whereas task variety and work effort foster participation. Research limitations/implications - The use of quantitative, self report data, small samples and cross industry data as well as possible overlap between commitment foci may limit the transferability of the findings. It is also important to note causality is merely inferred. Practical implications - Although participation in decision making positively influences work effort, autonomy and commitment, practitioners need to be mindful of keeping a balance between employee and employer needs. Job satisfaction and commitment are at risk in the long term if participation is viewed merely as a survival strategy for coping with work effort and task variety. Originality/value - The paper examines inferred causality within a participative decision-making framework and addresses the previously neglected need for multi-site and longitudinal studies.