The Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing’s Director Professor Adrian Wilkinson has just released A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about employment relations, a new book that he co-wrote with colleagues Tony Dundon (University of Manchester) and Niall Cullihane (Queens, Belfast), but it is not like any of his publications before.
“This is meant to be a short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book,” Professor Wilkinson said.
“In my career, I’ve written lots of very long, fairly boring, if the sale figures are anything to go by, and quite expensive books so this is definitely a change.”
The book, as part of the ‘Very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap series’ features informal conversation, accessible yet sophisticated and critical overviews on various academic topics.
In A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about employment relations, Professor Wilkinson explains how central employment relations is to our contemporary experiences of life
Category: Griffith University Feed
Logan ambitions get a touch of Texas
The technology revolution sweeping the business world has reached Australia’s university students, who are increasingly looking at starting their own businesses as an alternative to traditional career paths.
Student’s from Griffith University’s Logan campus have just completed an intense weekend long workshop with Texas-based startup educators, 3 Day Startup (3DS). Their enthusiasm underlined by the fact the students were only a week away from exams.
The startup is an exciting option for student’s ambitions, because of the low cost of entry and development. Startups are generally internet-based, capitalising on the digital economy and capable of growing quickly or changing focus through the customer experience.
Startups grew out of the United States in the nineties and boomed following the success of businesses like Amazon, Netflixs and more recently Airbnb. When these businesses find success they can sometime disrupt their entire industry, typified by Uber’s disruption the global taxi industry.
When Griffith wanted to expand the
Research into initial teacher training challenges
Issues faced by Queensland universities involved in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) experience were in the spotlight at a recent focus group hosted by the School of Education and Professional Studies (EPS).
School staff met with representatives from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for the focus group, which forms part of a broader, global study into teaching and learning, conducted by the OECD.
EPS Head of School Professor Donna Pendergast says the study seeks to provide policy makers and practitioners with examples of effective and innovative policies to improve initial teacher preparation (ITP) programs.
“The study explores how countries attract and select the most suitable candidates into ITP programs, equip prospective teachers with the right skills, certify, select and support new teachers, and ensure effective program delivery.”
Countries participating in the study include Australia, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Wales.
The group offered insights into a range of
Get moving for your mental health
It’s official. Being active and involved with sporting clubs increases the mental health and emotional wellbeing of Australia’s university students.
New research from Griffith University has found students who participate in higher levels of physical activity and engage with sporting clubs are less inclined to suffer from mental health issues.
The study of 2300 students across five major Australian universities found 25% of participants had been diagnosed with a mental health issue by a health professional.
It found females, aged between 17 and 25, who smoke and drink more than 10 standard alcoholic drinks a week, are inactive and come from a lower socio-economic background, are more likely to be diagnosed with mental health issues.
“Such an ongoing high prevalence of mental health diagnosis among Australia’s university students provides clear evidence for this being an ‘at-risk’ population,’’ said lead researcher Dr Wayne Usher from the School of Education and Professional Studies.
“The data clearly shows those
What game theory says about dealing with North Korea
By Dr Byung-Seong Min, Senior Lecturer, Department of International Business and Asian Studies
North Korea fired its third missile in three weeks on May 29, once again drawing protests from South Korea and Japan. Tensions have been rising in the region since the start of the year when Kim Jong-Un’s regime started a series of tests, of which this is the ninth.
Senior Lecturer Byung-Seong Min
National leaders attending the recent G7 meeting in Italy agreed that deterring North Korea should be a top priority, according to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but given the reclusive nation’s belligerence, options are scarce.
One way to try to choose the best way forward is by applying game theory to the situation on the Korean peninsula.
Roll of the dice
Game theory applies to conflict and cooperation within competitive situations. It posits that a cooperative outcome is possible when the game is repeated infinitely, the number of players is small
Party Secretary visit from key Chinese Partner
On 22 February 2017, Griffith University welcomed an official visit from Shenyang University of Technology (SUT). The high-level visit saw SUT’s leader, Party Secretary, Mr Liu Zikang, visit for the first time. During discussions, Mr Liu informed Griffith colleagues of his “personal commitment to the relationship”, and, his wish to have “a deeper level of cooperation”. SUT has been a long-term partner for Griffith in China for the past 17 years.
The visit gave both institutions an opportunity to further strengthen the current relationship. It also gave the Party Secretary an opportunity to meet with Griffith’s Vice President (Global), Professor Sarah Todd. Professor Todd was delighted that Mr Liu Zikang chose to come to Griffith on his first trip as Party Secretary at SUT. “The SUT-Griffith relationship is not only a longstanding one, it is also one that both universities are very committed to. This visit has provided the opportunity to
Walk and Talk provides path to reconciliation
A palpable spirit of togetherness energised yesterday’s inter-campus bushwalk to mark National Reconciliation Week 2017.
The first of two Walk and Talk events this week, each hosted by GUMURRII Student Support Unit, took a record number of participants from Griffith’s Mt Gravatt campus to the Nathan campus under the soft autumn sunshine.
Amidst the mix of students, staff and a 20-strong group from the Murri School was Professor Martin Betts (right), Deputy Vice Chancellor (Engagement), Griffith University.
“This important event, now in its seventh year, has developed into a platform where the university community can enthusiastically celebrate the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
“Through walking and talking, we continue to foster new understandings, new relationships that bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the broader Australian community together.”
National Reconciliation Week is an Australia-wide observance held each year, giving people the chance to come together and share in steps towards healing for the
Research finds Gold Coast light rail property value ‘sweet spot’
Property values around light rail stations on the Gold Coast have risen 30 per cent more and spiked the most during the early planning phases, new research has found.
Researchers from Griffith University, the University of Sydney Business School and the University of Queensland are uncovering new insights into how property values rise when new public transport systems are launched.
Using residential property sales data from 1996 to 2016 the research team compared what happened within 800m of light rail stations with what happened in the area just beyond 800m.
They found property values rose significantly in both locations in the 20-year period but rose 30 per cent more around the light rail stations than they did in the locations further away.
The research from the team behind the ‘Funding on the Line’ Australian Research Council – Linkage Project is being presented at the upcoming World Symposium on Transport and Land Use Research, held
Night phone use a danger for adolescent mental heath
The world’s first long-term assessment of mental health effects from adolescents’ late-night mobile use has shown some concerning results.
Research conducted by Griffith University and Murdoch University tracked changes in late-night mobile phone use, sleep, and mental health indicators over three years in a large sample of Australian teens.
They found that adolescents’ late-night mobile phone use was directly linked to poor quality sleep, which subsequently led to poorer mental health outcomes, reduced coping, and lowered self-esteem.
Lead researcher Dr Lynette Vernon, who conducted the study as part of her PhD, said this was the first longitudinal study that had investigated how night phone use and mental health were connected.
“We have demonstrated how poor sleep is the key link connecting an increase in night-time mobile use with subsequent increases in psychosocial issues,” Dr Vernon said.
Overtaking time set aside for sleep
“Heavy mobile phone use becomes a problem when it overtakes essential aspects of adolescent
Griffith engineering student awarded scholarship
An Indigenous Support Scholarship will help Kiarna Broomhead focus on her studies alleviating the worry for part-time work as she settles into life as a Griffith University first-year engineering student.
The 17-year-old has been awarded an Indigenous Support Scholarship as part of developer Grocon’s commitment to National Reconciliation Week and wants to become a role model for other indigenous students.
“Going to university and studying engineering is important to me, because I want to be a person that can help others see that their background does not influence their future,” Kiarna said.
Grocon, the builder of the Parklands Project, adjacent to the University’s Gold Coast campus, presented Kiarna with a scholarship to assist with student expenses.
Parklands partnership
Kiarna’s scholarship is the centrepiece of a partnership between Griffith University and the Parklands Project that provides work-integrated learning, graduate placement programs, professional development and industry expertise.
The former Browns Plains State High School student is now living at Southport with