Search Results

Based on existing studies of disasters, one can see that human capital and being on the path to growth are the two keys to recovery of the disaster-afflicted areas. If human capital outflows due to the nuclear power plant accident are also taken into account, the damage to human capital in Fukushima Prefecture has been immense, and given that the underlying trend of they economy was somewhat stagnant even before the disaster, one would expect that it will take longer to achieve recovery there than in the other two prefectures, and that it will be difficult to regain its previous population and scale of employment. On the other hand, the scale of the damage to human capital in Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures was about the same scale as that seen in Kobe as a result of the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake. It is anticipated that the post-disaster reconstruction of Miyagi Prefecture, which was on the path to growth to some extent before the disaster, will progress rather more smoothly than it will in Iwate Prefecture, where the pre-disaster economy was somewhat stagnant. In fact, if one looks solely at trends in employment, the economic climate and population, one can see that the path to recovery from the aftermath of this disaster through to the present day has followed a path that runs broadly in line with projects.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Accounting for the endogenous relationship between health and hours worked, the goal of this study was to estimate the effect of mental health on the working hours of nursing professionals. The impact of hours worked on mental health was also investigated. The data was based on the Work Outcomes Research Cost-benefit (WORC) survey conducted in Australia during 2005 and 2006. The study sample of 6086 nurses represented -15 per cent of nurses in Queensland. Analysis involved the use of simultaneous equations estimated with generalised method of moments. The analysis of the data identified an endogenous relationship between mental health and hours of labour supplied. The findings revealed that among Queensland nurses, a deterioration of mental health was associated with a reduction in hours worked and increasing hours worsened mental health. The findings imply that an effective approach to meeting nursing shortages should include strategic attempts to improve the mental health capital of nursing staff. Previous studies have shown resilience training in the workplace as effective in increasing the supply of labour.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Drawing from the resource based view of the firm (RBV) the argument developed in the paper is that in an environment characterized by increasing levels of skilled labour shortages organisations need to design employment systems that prioritize human resource development to enable competitive advantage. The literature review examines the issues associated with the attraction, retention and development of human resources, and the major contextual issues and debates underpinning skill and labour shortages. A research question is then framed to capture the [human resource] HR priorities of Australian organisations. We examine responses from 1372 Australian human resources (HR) professionals who participated in an online survey of a national HR professional association and results are interpreted with respect to HR efforts to attract, develop and retain talent.

Our findings suggest that employers are addressing issues related to attraction - recruitment and selection. However, in critical HR development areas associated with retention such as training, job design, skill development, careers management and team building, results indicate a lower level of resource allocation. We conclude that this lack of resource allocation is of concern for Australian organisations that are struggling to compete both domestically and internationally for skilled workers.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less