Journal articles on the topic 'Employee-friendly policy'

PurposeThe objective of the study is to identify the themes of “family friendly practices” and to perform a literature review. The research aims to identify the emerging trends in the area of “family friendly practices” by carrying out an exhaustive literature review.Design/methodology/approachThe study synthesizes the literature between the years 2010 and 2019. First of all, 150 research articles were identified by keyword search, bibliography and citation search, out of which 57 research articles were selected on the basis of the most sound theoretical background and maximum literature contribution. The citation analysis method was performed on these studies in order to study the journals, authors by using Google Scholar, ResearchGate, the international database Science Citation Index and SCImago Journal Ranking.FindingsThe author citation count shows that the research topic is still getting recognition and the research in this area is increasing. The finding of the research is that the current research in family-friendly practices has focused mainly on seven topics: availability and usability of family-friendly policy, job satisfaction, organizational performance, supervisor or manager support, work–life conflict, employee turnover employee retention and women’s employment.Originality/valueThe study may provide valuable inputs to the HRD practitioners, managers, research scholars, to understand the recent trends in the field of family-friendly policy. As per the best knowledge of the author, this is the first study on family-friendly practices using citation analysis.

This study aims to analyze the implementation of Regional Arrangement Policy according to Regional Regulation No. 4 of 2016 in Realizing the Effectiveness of Organizational Design of South Buru Regency based on four indicators: 1) excellent communication demonstrated by friendly employee behavior, polite to the people who need services, but still constrained by the low awareness of the community to follow and obey the required provisions, 2) employee resources are sufficient in terms of quantity, but even need to improve discipline in terms of time and suitability and consistency with the requirements set out in completing service tasks to ensure accountability employee performance, 3) disposition has been implemented well as indicated by the high awareness of all elements of the leadership and employees of the duties, responsibilities and authority as a public servant and 4) bureaucratic structures running In accordance with the main tasks and functions, indicated by the application of the rules relating to the provisions of service activities in accordance with work procedures in each field.

Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) has become a primary strategic practice for major businesses with human resource divisions involved in greening the workplace. Green Human Resources Management (GHRM) is described as a set of techniques, plans, strategies, procedures, and practices aimed at encouraging green Employee behavior in ways that promote an environmentally friendly, resource-sustainable, and socially responsible workplace and organization. The phrase Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) refers to an organization's commitment to a broader environmental policy in its business policies and human resource management activities. It necessitates the use of any employee to enhance environmental performance and raise employee involvement and participation to sustainable development. This research will be conducted to determine the relationship and how green HR practices can affect an organization's environmental performance.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to use the case of an international luxury hotel chain in Hong Kong to illustrate general environmentally-friendly practices in housekeeping. Six in-depth interviews were conducted with the housekeeping department staff to evaluate the effectiveness of the Hotel’s environmental sustainability practices by analysing their benefits and limitations. Results reveal that all informants acknowledged the environmental sustainability strategies adopted by the Hotel, which can benefit stakeholders. Despite multiple green practices in hotel housekeeping, several strategies may not be as significant as expected with misaligned expectations from the management and the actual practices may create excessive workload for frontline room attendants with a lack of policy enforcement and supportive policies. Therefore, hotels should keep a mutual communication between the management and frontline employees prior to conducting environmentally- and employee-friendly practices. Given the labour-intensive nature of the hotel industry, the housekeeping department should ensure employment equality policy is in place with adequate environmentally friendly support for employees.

This is an exploratory study that examines federal employee’s satisfaction with work–life balance or family-friendly policies. We rely on intersectionality as a theoretical framework to examine how gender, race, and class interact in the formation of their views. Drawing from the 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, we examine how minority women compare with non-minority women regarding their perception of fairness of programs and policies aimed at the promotion of work–life balance. This topic is significant because satisfaction and participation in work–life balance programs can have implications for overall job performance and satisfaction. Our findings suggest that race, education, and proximity to retirement all play a role in work–life balance (family-friendly) policy satisfaction.

Some organizations frequently strive to foster friendly working relationships between their leaders and their employees. The goal of this journal study is to discover the Organizational Communication Pattern that occurs when increasing Employee Work Motivation at PT. Inalum. Several employees from PT. Inalum in Kuala Tanjung, Kecamatan Sei Suka, Kabupaten Batu Bara, North Sumatra, Indonesia participated in this study. This study's research method is descriptive research with a qualitative approach. According to the findings of these studies, organizational communication as a whole has a positive and significant effect on employee motivation at PT. Inalum.

This article investigates the extent to which existing workplaces assist women to balance employment and elder care responsibilities. Two sources of data are used in this article. Interview data of 246 women who are caregivers to elderly kin and who work in 37 workplaces in Nova Scotia, Canada are analyzed to obtain the employee's perception of elder care policy. In addition, content analysis of the 80 policy documents in these workplaces is conducted. Findings reveal a child care bias in family-friendly policies, a gender bias in policy formulation, and a focus on workplace productivity rather than employee well-being. This analysis suggests that current workplace policy does not take into consideration the complex needs and diverse situations of employed women providing care for elderly kin.

The pandemic situation has exposed the need for employer companies to provide value support to employees. The one of the mechanisms for achieving this may be the integration of a family-friendly policy into the corporate culture of the organization. Embedding such a policy in the social responsibility of business is considered as one of the competitive advantages of the employer’s brand and is especially relevant for key areas of the labor market. However, it should be noted that Russian business is at the beginning of this path. The implementation of such initiatives is not complex and systematic; the tools for creating and implementing such corporate cultures have not been formed. The purpose of the article is to develop proposals for the best employee family-friendly policy in the corporate culture of the organization that contributes to the implementation of value support for employees. To achieve this goal, on the rise of the case of a Siberian company, the task of systematizing the measures of the corporate demographic policy of the organization and analyzing its corporate culture based on a high policy focused on the family of employees is being solved. Based on the data obtained, a model for integrating family-friendly policies into the corporate culture of the organization. The authors develop specific measures that can be implemented at two levels of corporate culture – the level of cultural artifacts and the level of organizational values. It seems that the implementation of the developed model will lead to a more systematic and comprehensive nature of the implementation of the family-friendly policy in a particular Siberian organization, will strengthen its competitive advantages, and will also contribute to the replication of this aspect of social responsibility in Russian business.

Due to rapid industrial developments and the effects of the economic revolution such as high production rates and non-ecofriendly supply systems, environmental pollution has been observed in recent years and environmental issues are increasingly becoming a concern on the planet. For this reason, there is little doubt that business organizations have been forced more and more to implement green business strategies for stakeholders, facing the necessity to improve their employees’ environmental performance. Using 461 US employees in the environmental related industries, we found empirical evidence between employees’ green performance, organizational culture and adaptability capability. Finally, the present study suggests two main corporate elements for green policy makers in eco-friendly organizations that the alignment of firm environmental strategy with strategic human resources (HR) should include (1) an organizational culture that supports employee green practices and (2) employee adaptability competency that enables workers to respond to the evolving environmental challenges as main component of analysis.

In response to suboptimal breastfeeding rates, North Dakota added a provision to SB 2344 (public indecency legislation) creating an Infant Friendly business designation for employers providing specified lactation accommodations to employees. However, there has been no evaluation of this designation to determine effectiveness. The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of the Infant Friendly business designation in North Dakota on breastfeeding continuation rates within the context of the social ecological model (SEM). Between November 2016 and March 2017, an 85-item online questionnaire, designed using the SEM, was distributed to working women across the state using various sampling methods. T tests, analysis of variance, and regression were used to analyze results. Designated (intervention) and nondesignated (control) businesses were targeted. There was no statistically significant difference in breastfeeding duration between designated and nondesignated businesses. There was a 2-month difference in duration between continually designated businesses and those with lapsing designations. Twenty-eight percent of the women working for Infant Friendly businesses were aware that their businesses were designated, indicating a lack of awareness regarding the designation. The designation is a starting point for worksite breastfeeding support. A policy promotion plan based on the SEM targeting individual awareness and employee education may improve the designation’s effectiveness.

The purpose of writing this thesis is to analyze employee performance in the Era of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Public Services for making E-KTP and Family Cards at the Rantau Pulung District Office. The research focus in this thesis discusses the quality of work results, quantity of work results, initiatives, job satisfaction, work knowledge. Data collection techniques used by making observations, in-depth interviews and documentation, for informants taken using purposive sampling techniques, this type of research is descriptive and will be analyzed qualitatively. The results of the study obtained by the author that the quality of the work of employees of the Rantau Pulung District Office in making E-KTP and Family Cards in Rantau Pulung was not in accordance with the SOP during the pandemic and there were errors in this writing. The quantity of work results has not reached the target to be achieved. The initiative of still employees is lacking in providing services for making E-KTP and Family Cards. Employee job satisfaction is already good, as can be seen from the friendly attitude of employees. Job knowledge is quite good, it can be seen from the education and ability of each employee. Supporting factors for employee performance include ability and knowledge as well as factors inhibiting employee performance, namely the lack of sophisticated technology, unstable internet networks and the lack of infrastructure available at the Rantau Pulung District Office.

This study critically examines the problems of newly appointed Elementary School Educators in Punjab. For this purpose a critical review of existing literature was carried out. On the basis of deeper and critical investigation into the literature, the study found that Primary School Science Educators are most depressed group after being selected as Science Educators they poorly managed without considerations of their gender differences. The Policy of Recruitment & Selection is not employee friendly, but only to fill the vacancies. There is no concept of proper transport and house facility even for young females Educators who can’t make daily comeback nor live at their work places The System of monitoring is weak and traditionally characterized having no effect and blamed as biased mechanism. The study recommended that the problems of Science Educators can be solved by making the policy more Convenient for local Educators then the vacancy filling from far-flung residents.

Green HRM involves a variety of organizational policies, practices, and processes that encourage the use of environmentally friendly methods that could be advantageous to the individual, business, and the environment. Based on the systematic review of empirical articles collected from Scopus, the study identified and analyzed 31 empirical studies published since 2010. The current study was undertaken to identify various factors and measuring tools of GHRM. Based on the Ability–Motivation–Opportunity (AMO) theory and the review methodology, the study identified various factors and measuring tools of GHRM. A few identified factors include Green Recruitment and selection, Green Training and Development, Green compensation management, Green performance management, Green Employee empowerment and participation, and Green Employee relations. The present research has thus opened fresh avenues for future studies. In addition, the study presents different perspectives and suggestions for future research that could facilitate the inclusion of sustainability initiatives in the organizational agenda.

Employee environmental behaviour (EEB) is among the necessary conditions for implementing strategies and enhancing the performance of environmentally friendly organizations. However, there is a lack of theoretical and empirical research on the mechanism for forming such behaviours and the effects it suffers from the company’s internal environment. The article studies the relationship between the green human resources management (GHRM) practices and green organizational culture (GOC), as well as looks at the impact they have on the formation of employee environmental behaviour. The concepts of green human resource management, environmental behaviour and green organizational culture constitute the methodological basis of the study. The empirical base is the survey results of employees working in production and non-production divisions of the Russian oil and gas enterprises. Data analysis and hypothesis testing were based on structural equation modelling using the partial least squares (PLS) method. The research results show that HR practices with the mediated participation of GOC exert a strong impact on EEB demonstrated in the workplace and in voluntary initiatives and activities. The results of the study contribute to the understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships between the company’s HRM activities and EEB and can be used to develop measures to formulate and promote green organizational policy.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the clinical communication using Tamale Teaching Hospital as a case. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on the Reassure, Explain, Listen, Answer, Take Action and Express Appreciation (RELATE) model and the Four Habits models of Clinical Communication. Findings The results of the study indicate that leadership conducted staff meetings with some of the components of the RELATE model. These include staff meetings, employee rounding and communication/notice boards. The results of the study also suggest that much as some parts of the Four Habits model was used in provider–patient communication, certain aspects of the model were absent. The study identified some communication challenges including poor dissemination, lack of unity among some health workers, poor attendance in meetings and, with respect to patients, language barrier, patients’ reluctance to disclose their actual health problems to health providers, lack of privacy and lack of a friendly environment. Practical implications Providers, especially physicians, should be given training on the local languages in areas where they perform their services. Health service providers should receive as part of their learning in-depth training on the Four Habits model of Clinical Communication, especially the Medical Officers. Originality/value It is imperative to embrace evidence-based practices/models aimed at securing proper communication in all hospitals but most especially teaching hospitals.

Karachi is the world's fastest expanding metropolis, and it ranks among the world's largest cities. The disparity between public and private transportation utilization in Karachi is growing by the day. To address this imbalance, private automobile users must change to more environmentally friendly modes of transportation. A travel behavior study is required to shift people's mode of transportation from private to public transportation. As a result, the emphasis of this study is on the impact of socioeconomic determinants on employee mode choice in Karachi. A survey was done using a self-administrative quantitative questionnaire to acquire information on travel habits. To examine the data, descriptive-analytic tests were used in SPSS. The study's findings leaned more toward the use of private transportation. There is no such thing as a beneficial influence of socioeconomic characteristics on public transit use. This study might provide helpful information to stakeholders for future planning and development of sustain able transportation techniques in Karachi. The research findings will aid policy making and serve as the foundation for future research on the mode choice model for P and RS.

Recent years have witnessed a rapid development of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) as a new model of public service provision. Transitioning from bureaucrat- to market-oriented management of public services entails organizational changes that may affect employee satisfaction, and thus, PPP performance. We take sanitation services in H-City as a case study to explore the managerial factors that influenced worker satisfaction during the PPP transformation. Our research shows that motivation and transition factors influence worker satisfaction in the PPP transformation and may allow a smoother transformation of sanitation services. In particular, focusing on balancing workload and compensation, training, improving public attitudes, and adopting worker-friendly rules contribute to the satisfaction of sanitation workers. These findings will contribute to the transformation of the provision of public services in China.

The implementation of social security is regulated in Law Number 24 of 2011 on Healthcare and Social Security Agency (hereinafter abbreviated BPJS). Although it has been implemented quite well, there are still things that have not been done optimally. This study aims to determine how the implementation of Law Number 24 of 2011 at Bhayangkara Hospital, Palembang. This research method is qualitative, primary data were collected through observation and interviews. Parameters measured based on the policy implementation model developed by Edward III include communication, resources, disposition, and organizational structure. The results showed that the communication was good, both from the socialization and the existence of supporting tools for notification posters related to BPJS. Resources include friendly employee attitudes and courtesy, the services provided are satisfying and the flow is easy to follow. In the aspect of disposition, all implementers at Bhayangkara Hospital are honest, committed, and democratic. Some of the problems that exist are the lack of human resources at Bhayangkara Hospital compared to the number of patients, lack of medical equipment, the BPJS claim process is still inefficient, and the existence of arrears in payments from the BPJS.

PurposeExisting management research and management practices frequently overlook the relationship between the above-average human capital of highly functioning neurodivergent employees, their subjective well-being in the workplace and performance outcomes. This paper calls for greater attention to the hidden human capital associated with neurodiversity by mainstreaming implementation of neurodiversity-friendly policies and practices.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the ability, motivation and opportunity (AMO) framework, this conceptual paper integrates research on employee neurodiversity and well-being to provide a model of HR-systems level and human capital development policies, systems and practices for neurodivergent minorities in the workplace.FindingsThis paper illustrates that workplace neurodiversity, like biodiversity, is a natural phenomenon. For subjective individual psychological and organisational well-being, neurodivergent employees require an empathetic culture and innovative talent management approaches that respect cognitive differences.Practical implicationsThe case is made for neurodivergent human capital development and policy-makers to promote inclusive employment and decent work in a context of relatively high unemployment for neurodivergent individuals.Originality/valueThis paper extends current debates on organisational equality, diversity and inclusion to a consideration of workplace well-being for highly functioning neurodivergent workers. It calls for more equitable and empathetic approaches to investing in employees with neurodevelopmental and cognitive disabilities.

Technology is currently developing very rapidly, especially in the field of information system development, forcing companies or agencies to adapt, and must take advantage of existing opportunities to facilitate the performance of all employees. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all companies were forced to employ all employees from home. CV Manha Digital updated the employee attendance policy which was previously done manually by taking daily attendance at the company. During the pandemic, in support of government policies that require working from home to avoid physical contact between employees and reduce the spread of the corona virus, an Android-based attendance information system is needed that allows employees to take attendance using cellphones from home. The software development method uses the waterfall method starting from needs analysis, design, and implementation. testing the application using a black box shows the results are 100% running as expected. The results of the questionnaire test using the System Usability Scale method on a presence information system that is easy to use, user friendly and effective is stated by employees by 92%. It can be concluded that the application of an android-based information system during the COVID-19 pandemic is the most appropriate solution in solving problems in CV. Manha Digital

In India, Social, Economic, Demographic, Political factors are challenged the women to work equal to men and take up challenge to do male-dominated jobs like bus drivers & conductors, Railway drivers, Pilots etc. In general, male-dominated jobs are typical and troublesome to married women who are engaged in this. Work-life balance is more crucial for women especially who are doing male-dominated jobs. Green work-life balance policy will assimilate the dual role of an employee & create a congenial environment at work place.Since 1996, APSRTC started recruiting women bus conductors. The women bus conductors have a challenge to discharge their duties at work place as well as to cater the needs of their family. Their dual role as bus conductor & home maker. Sample size of 28 %of total women bus conductors in Krishna region, APSRTC has been chosen to deal with work-life balance for women. Therefore, the major objective of the present study is to examine the influencing factors at work place & family with respect to work-life balance.The study understands the correlation between work to- family conflict & family to-work conflict. To achieve this, random sample of 150 women conductors has been chosen. The current study reveals the role & responsibility at work place, odd working hours, managing family life, amenities at work place, support from management and support from family tomake the balance between work & life. Eventually, the present study recommends the management of APSRTC regarding the adoption of green work-life balance & family friendly policy for the sake of women conductors.

This study was set up to examine the place of employee’s involvement in decision making on worker’s performance in telecommunication industry in the Niger Delta. The study was carried out using a sample of 329 respondents which cut across MTN, GLO and Airtel telecommunication companies operating in the Niger Delta Region Nigeria. The study adopted the use of questionnaire as the tool for data collection and descriptive statistics in the analysis of the data collected. The result of the study showed that participation in decision making has a nexus with employee commitment to organizational goals. Workers participation in decision making will besides committing them to organizational goals also enhance their productivity, employees in the telecommunication organizations in Niger Delta Region do not participate in the decision making of their organizations and that participation in the decision making of their organization will enhance their commitment to their organization. The study also found that worker’s participation in decision making will enhance a good work environment in the telecommunication organizations in Niger Delta and that subordinates will put in their best if they contribute to the decision that concern their operation. The study therefore recommends that the telecommunication organizations should make employees participation in decision making as part of their company policy as this will enhance commitment, productivity and satisfaction as well as create a friendly working environment.

Objective. To determine the workplace needs of Western Australian midwives working in public metropolitan secondary hospitals. Method. Using a three-round Delphi approach, Round 1 incorporated focus groups and a questionnaire. Fifteen focus groups were conducted with midwives also having the option of contributing through an open-ended questionnaire. During Round 2, 38 items reflecting seven themes were prioritised with a final ranking performed in Round 3. In total, 114 midwives participated in Round 1, 72 in Round 2 and 89 in Round 3. Results. During Round 1, workplace needs identified as being met included: working across all areas of midwifery; ability to work in areas of interest; opportunity to work with low to moderate risk women; supportive colleagues; accessible parking; hospital close to home and friendly work atmosphere. Round 2 items revealed the five top unmet needs as: adequate midwifery staff coverage; access to maintained equipment; competitive pay scales; patient safety issues and opportunities to implement midwifery models. The top ranked needs from Round 3 included: recognising the unpredictable nature of midwifery services; provision of competent medical coverage, and adequate midwifery staff coverage. Conclusions. Demand for maternity services is unpredictable; however, in order to maintain a sustainable maternity workforce, WA midwives’ prioritised needs would suggest health management focus upon expanding the availability of midwifery models of care, fostering flexible working conditions and ensuring collaboration between maternity health professionals occurs within clinically safe staffing levels. What is known about the topic? Dissatisfaction with working conditions, staff shortages, and feeling undervalued or unsupported contribute to healthcare workforce attrition. However, positive practice environments and health service management and leadership can influence employee satisfaction and retention. What does this paper add? These insights into Western Australian midwives’ met and unmet needs within the context of public metropolitan secondary units provide a more practical basis for the revision of work conditions than has been reported previously. What are the implications for practitioners? Our findings reinforce the urgent need to address the midwifery workforce priorities highlighted in the Australian National Maternity Services Plan. Specifically, this study strongly underscores the requirement to expand the availability of midwifery models of care, foster flexible working conditions and ensure collaboration between maternity health professionals occurs within clinically safe staffing levels.

This correlation based descriptive study is designed to describe and examine the relationship between organizational environment and nurses’ job satisfaction within the private health care context in Bangladesh. The study is based on different private medical college and hospital in Bangladesh. Respondents are selected using a convenient sampling procedure of 139 nurses working at these hospitals and involved in caring patients directly. Therefore, 139 responded questionnaires are used for analysis. Data has been collected through face to face interview in 2015. Inferential Statistics like as Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis are used to test the relationship between organizational environment and nurses’ job satisfaction. The reliability of Organizational Environment and Nurses’ Job Satisfaction are 0.75. Descriptive statistics has been used to explain the demographic data of the respondent of those private hospitals. Factor analysis reveals that only four influential factors like, Organizational Structure, Organizational Responsibility, Reward& Recognition, and Organizational Standard of the organizational environment have a significant influence on nurses’ job satisfaction. On the contrary, four influential factors of nurse job satisfaction like Payment of Nurse, Interaction of Nurse, Task Requirement and Organizational Policy have an influence on the organizational environment. Confirmatory factor analysis explains that only three influential factors like, Organizational Structure, Organizational Responsibility, and Organizational Standard have influence on nurse job satisfaction and the organizational environment has been influenced by three influential factors like Payment of Nurse, Interaction of Nurse, and Organizational Policy. The findings of this study suggest that organizational environment should be employee friendly, policies should be inspiring for nurse; nurses should be allowed to make their decision and organization should ensure proper evaluation and promotion of the nurses that eventually will maximize better services.

Indonesia is the leading producer and exporter of palm oil worldwide and the world's top supplier of palm oil-based biofuel. Oil palm plantations in the Industrial Era 4.0 are required to increase production and productivity in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner in the face of global competition. Various environmental issues have become a concern on world economic growth. There is a close relationship between the environment with production and the economy. The issue of global warming has become a central issue that poses a threat to the country's economic activities, production, and economic growth. The application of “Good Agricultural Practices” in the palm oil industry is accompanied by environmental policies, both mandatory and voluntary, as an effort towards business sustainability. One of which involves managing human resources in the business process of oil palm plantations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Implementation of the company's environmental policy to preserve nature through employee involvement in innovation and commitment to the environment. This writing aims to understand the framework that explains the relationship between the variables of Green Human Resources Management (GHRM), Green Innovation, Green Commitment and Sustainability Business. This paper presents the theory of Green HRM, especially the behavior of Green Commitment and Green Innovation in an organization. This paper is obtained through library research by analyzing the relationship between variables. Focuses on the relationship between the variables of Green HRM, Green Innovation, Green Commitment and Sustainability Business which is expected to complement literacy of similar research in the future.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the motivations for and variations in terms of stock option modifications under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) 123(R). Stock options are used to motivate and retain employees. Unfortunately, when stock prices decline, existing options lose their incentive value. In response, firms look for ways to re-incentivize their employees. Their choices include issuing additional options and/or modifying existing grants. Design/methodology/approach – We investigate the economic determinants of stock option modification post SFAS 123(R), such as financial reporting cost, shareholder/political cost and employee incentive and retention. Our analysis is based on 67 sample firms that modify their stock option plans from 2005 to 2008 and 67 control firms constructed based on size, industry, year and stock price performance for the prior five years. Findings – The results show that loss firms are more likely to modify their options, which supports the argument that financial reporting costs influence the decision to modify. We find support for the shareholder/political costs hypothesis, as the overhang ratio is positively associated with the decision to modify. However, we find no evidence that modifications substitute for additional option grants. We find that politically sensitive larger firms are more likely to incorporate more shareholder friendly measures such as excluding executives from modification or providing shareholders the opportunity to vote on modification. Originality/value – This is the first paper examining the economic determinants of stock option modification under SFAS 123(R). Our findings provide some insights regarding economic determinants of SFAS 123(R) for accounting policy-makers and investors.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to find out the effect of recruitment practices on the retention of commercial pilots by the airlines in India. Often it is found that trained pilots pilfered by other airlines within/outside of India and Indian aviation industry have to rely on expatriate pilots to fly the aircrafts. Newly appointed pilots are required to be trained due to the lack of experience, which is a huge investment by the airlines. Therefore, the recruitment and retention of the commercial pilots create challenges for aviation industry in India. Design/methodology/approach Research design of the present study was exploratory and descriptive to evaluate the effect of recruitment practices on the retention of commercial pilots by airlines in India. All together, 225 commercial pilots from different Indian airlines participated in the present study. Instruments were designed to understand the practices related to recruitment, selection and retention strategies of commercial pilots used by these airlines, and how pilots perceive about recruitment practices and its relevance for retention strategies in the organization. Data were analyzed using factor analysis, Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis Findings Results of data analysis have revealed five factors of retention and selection measures, which were encouraging and employee-friendly recruitment policy, impact of external factors, organizational internal factors, employment brand and organizational growth and self-advancement opportunities. Similarly, retention strategies measures had four factors, namely, positive work culture, opportunities for individual growth, development, and salary benefit package, and opportunity for self-achievement. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient result revealed significantly positive relationship between various dimensions of recruitment and selection to retention strategies. Further regression analysis revealed the effect of those recruitment policies on retention was positive. Research limitations/implications Findings of this study could be potential bias and prejudice of the people involved and responded. As information was collected only form Indian commercial pilots, the findings might have changed if study was to be applied to a different country or economy. Random sampling error could not be ruled out. Preferred, accepted and perceived recruitment strategies and retention polices of Indian aviation sectors might be different as compare to other countries aviation sectors policies. Influence of cultural, organizational internal and external factors result might be different as compared to result of present study. Practical implications This is an important study, which will help the aviation sector to design recruitment policies and retention strategies to retain pilots to deal with a high level of attrition. Furthermore, present study will help the aviation sector in designing their policies and strategies, which forces pilots to remain with particular air carrier for longer time. It will give the same direction to other organizations, in general. Social implications The concept of recruitment and retention is applicable to each and every service sector. There could be different parameters for the same. Social implication of the present study is the same as it is for the aviation sectors. It is implied that service sectors must have appropriate recruitment policies, i.e. encouraging and employee friendly recruitment policy, conscious and continuous evaluation organizations’ external as well as internal factor, efforts shall be made to create employment branding, always focus on growth and advancement opportunities for the employees and organization. Positive work culture, opportunities for individual growth and development, salary benefit package and opportunity for self-achievement will help employees to remain with the organization for longer time. Originality/value This is an original research in the area of understanding recruitment policies and retention practices of commercial pilots in Indian aviation industry. This study is related to practical and genuine problem of attrition. Not many studies are found in this particular area.

PurposeThis paper focusses on the roles and experiences of the human resource managers and safety, health and environment managers in promoting environmental sustainability in automobile industry.Design/methodology/approachThe exploration uses the data generated from ten in-depth interviews with human resource managers as well as safety, health and environment (SHE) managers from three automobile companies.FindingsThree main themes were derived from the inductive analysis in support of environmental sustainability. They comprised environment-oriented perspectives, green human resource management (HRM) practices and supportive mechanisms. These findings served as insights for the HR managers who played a supportive role in environment sustainability. This study also found that Green HRM practices within the automobile industry were confined to green training and development, green rewards, green employee involvement and green orientation.Research limitations/implicationsThe outcome of this study carries implications for managers and businesses in designing a more sophisticated framework for Green HRM practices for their companies so as to achieve a more progressive sustainable goal. For instance, HR managers who are environment-oriented can play a more active role in environmental sustainability. They can participate directly in developing policies by co-partnering with their SHE colleagues. They can encourage and motivate their employees to apply green practices both at work and in their homes. This integration would eventually create a cascading effect that could reduce the industry's negative impact on environment, thereby developing a more environmentally-friendly society.Practical implicationsThis study provided practical implications for both the HR and SHE managers in taking up responsibilities in environmental sustainability. This study also indicated the practical implications for the top management in the automobile industry, especially in the designing of the environmental sustainability framework.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the Green HRM area by understanding and comparing the roles of the HR managers and their counterpart, the SHE managers, in support of environmental sustainability. The comparison would provide a clearer picture on how the implementation of Green HRM can be implemented within the automobile industry.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the composite influence of perceived work relationship, work load and physical work environment on the job satisfaction of librarians in South-West, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a descriptive survey design. A multi-stage sampling technique was used for this study. The instrument used for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire, and a total of 102 academic librarians responded to the questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Findings The results indicate that there is a significant linear relationship among work relationship, workload, work environment and job satisfaction. Among the variables examined, workload is not a statistically significant predictor of the job satisfaction of librarians, but work relationship and work environment have a statistically significant relative effect on the job satisfaction of librarians. Research limitations/implications Further studies should evaluate the causal link between work relationships, work load and work environment on job satisfaction using randomized control. Practical implications The important result in this study is that there is a significant linear relationship among work relationship, workload, work environment and job satisfaction; therefore, if these factors are adequately taken care of, there will be increased employee motivation, reduced staff turnover and increased job satisfaction among librarians in Nigerian universities. The university library management could take advantage of workshops and seminars on how to build and maintain work relationship and work environment (hygiene factors) to improve employees’ job satisfaction. The seminars and workshop will increase the knowledge of university library management on how to develop coherent friendly co-workers policy practices and workload policy practices to enhance the job satisfaction of librarians in public universities in Nigeria. Librarians should be assigned tasks that are moderately demanding because both overload and under load could lead to job dissatisfaction. Regarding research, this study offered a basis for a continuing debate on work relationship, organizational relationships, work environment, work load and job satisfaction. Originality/value Despite the growing global concern for workers well-being in organizations, not much attention has been given to the influence of workplace relationship, work load and work environment on the job satisfaction of librarians in Nigeria. Thus, the results of this research contribute to the body of knowledge regarding job satisfaction among librarians and provide significant evidence on the influence of work relationship, work load and work environment on the job satisfaction of librarians.

Land surface and environmental data (cadastral data) are extremely important in the functioning of the country and society. Upgrading the data is fundamental. Methods of traditional surveying (TM) or using modern remote data acquisition methods (PhM) are used for this purpose. The aim of the study is to compare the process of upgrading space and environmental data made by traditional methods and using modern remote data collection methods. The study established the following research hypotheses: (1) the election of the method of performing the cadastral data modernization process to consider effectiveness, productivity, profitability, quality (accuracy), reliability, and efficiency; (2) technical factors, as well as employee well-being and commitment, are equivalent motivators for the election of the cadastral data modernization method; (3) modern survey technologies using photogrammetric images are more efficient than traditional survey methods. The process evaluation methodology was tested on two objects located in Poland. The analyses considered both technical aspects and the comfort of the process contractors. The results showed that despite the higher unit price per cadastral plot (TM 180 PLN/cadastral plot, PhM 190 PLN/cadastral plot), the remote methods require less time commitment (TM-86 days; PhM-50 days) and involve reduced business travel (TM-65 days; PhM-29 days). The comfort of working with modern methods (PhM) is higher than with traditional measurement methods. In total, considering all the parameters studied, traditional methods required about 33% more commitment than modern remote methods of collecting surface and environmental data collection. Modern data acquisition methods are friendly to process contractors but gain less public acceptance than traditional methods (the level of border non-acceptance is higher in PhM methods than in TM (TM-3, Phm-8).

<p>Muhammad PBUH, primarily business along with his father since as early as his childhood. Whilst he grown up, he commenced to setup his own venture and also have a joint venture with Siti Khadijah based on mudharabah scheme. He is gifted with great wisdom in trading and has allowed him gaining great benefit through it. Due to his moral in trading, it leads to his marriage with Siti Khadijah. Unquestionably there were features on the ethics and morals in the trade that Muhammad PBUH has represented. A matter of concern was his morality that shown during trade leads to his marriage with Siti Khadijah who was initially his business colleague previously and what was the commercial strategy that empowers him to a vast profit during trading. Thus, this study endeavor to define and detail the ethics and morals in trading that has been shown by Muhammad PBUH prior his prophet hood. The results of this study display the conflicting fact in practices that has been applied amongst the community back at that time. His is abundant in honest, fairness, friendly and compassionate to the buyer, and never set up a high price, and also detail in transaction record consequential him loved by many people. Alongside the combination of his aptitude in negotiation and intelligence, he was proficient to “read” the market opportunities and learning cultural and geographical conditions of each target market led him to higher profits than other merchants. In addition, this study also articulated sixteen Muhammad PBUH’ universal values in commerce such; honest, trustworthy, fair, polite and affectionate in trade, buy-sell applies only based on mutual consent, not involved in usurious practices', only legitimate and permitted item that will sell, avoid argument with partners and buyers, no oath in the name of idols, hoarding the goodies (<em>ikhtisar</em>) is not allowed, damaged item’ replacement policy, avoid competition on price, small profits is acceptable, pay his employee as soon as the job is done, always record transaction, and be generous. Those ethics and values actually resemble to such practice by Islamic merchants to highlight Islamic values in commerce nowadays.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Keyword</strong>: <em>Trading Business Ethics, Muhammad PBUH, prior to prophet hood.</em></p><p><em> </em></p>

We investigate why employee-friendly firms often benefit from lower costs of debt financing. We theorize that banks use employee treatment as a screen to assess firms’ trustworthiness, which encompasses not only confidence in firms’ ability to perform well but also the belief that they will act with good intent toward their creditors. We integrate screening theory and stakeholder theory to explain the—oftentimes unintended—consequences that firms’ actions toward employees have on their relationships with other stakeholders. An analysis of U.S. firms between 2003 and 2010 shows that favorable employee treatment reduces the cost of bank loans, and this relationship is stronger when banks cannot infer firms’ intent from their relations with stakeholders other than employees. A policy-capturing study provides further support that employee treatment serves as a screen for intent. We discuss the implications of our stakeholder-screening perspective as a novel way to understand the second-order, unintended effects of a focal stakeholder relationship on firms’ relations with other stakeholders.

Family-friendly organizational policies are important for employees to manage work and family responsibilities. Besides formal policies, research has emphasized the importance of informal social support by organizational actors. The positive effects of organizational and supervisor support are already known, but findings are limited regarding family-specific support by coworkers. Taking a communicative perspective, this study tests the assumption that social support is contingent on trustworthy and open communication. To test this, 724 German employees participated in an online survey. Results confirm the relationship between family-specific support and the outcomes job satisfaction, policy use, and work-family conflict, through open and trustworthy communication. Additionally, the study illuminates the distinct roles of organizational actors’ (i.e., coworker, supervisor, organization) support on employee outcomes in the German context.

With the massive industrialization, environmental sustainability is one of major preconditions of contemporary business organizations in this century in response to the occurrence of depletion of natural resources, natural disasters, climate changes and health concerns. In order to propel an environment performance, eco-friendly human resource management practices are indeed. This study focuses on exploring the effect of green HRM practices including green recruitment and selection, green training and development, green performance management and green rewards systems on environmental performance with the mediating effect of green employee empowerment in dairy industry in Sri Lanka. This study has adopted quantitative research strategy and six hypotheses were developed based on empirical gaps identified in literature review. 210 managers were selected through random sampling method and data collection was done through self-filled closed ended questionnaire and analyzed through SPSS software tool. The findings present a considerable impact of green HRM practices on environmental performance. Study found that green employee empowerment partially mediates the relationship between green HRM practices and environmental performance in dairy industry. Further, green performance management was the most impacted green HRM practice on environmental performance. Therefore, it can be recommended that employee performance management systems should be modified with green criteria while employees are empowered to engage in green initiatives. Implication of this study highlights gaps in the human resource management systems and provides managerial policy makers fruitful insights on sustainable business operations. Future studies are mainly encouraged to construct measuring scales in the field of Green HRM. Keywords: Environmental Sustainability, Environmental Performance, Green HRM, Green Employee Empowerment, Dairy Industry

Abstract Background Although breastfeeding-friendly workplaces are provided to promote an employed mother’s breastfeeding intention, few studies have explored breastfeeding intentions and behavior after a mother returns to work on a shift work or non-shift work schedule. To explore the impact of breastfeeding-friendly support on the intention of working mothers with different work schedules to continue breastfeeding, we conducted a survey at a female labor-intensive electronics manufacturer in Taiwan from August 2011 to April 2012. Methods Female workers who met the inclusion criteria (maternity leave between January 2009 and January 2011) were invited to participate in the survey. A structured questionnaire survey was administered to 715 working mothers employed at an electronics manufacturing plant in Tainan Science Park in Southern Taiwan. The questionnaire content included female employee demographic characteristics, employment characteristics, continued breastfeeding behavior after returning to work, access to lactation rooms, and employee perception of the breastfeeding policy and support when raising their most recently born child. Results A total of 715 employed mothers’ data were collected. Of the shift workers, 90.1% breastfed during maternity leave, but the breastfeeding rates after returning to work decreased to 21.5% for one to six months and 17.9% for more than six months. Of the non-shift workers, 87.6% breastfed during maternity leave and the breastfeeding rates after returning to work were 24.1% for one to six months and 34.6% for more than six months. Using a lactation room and taking advantage of breast-pumping breaks were significant factors for continuing to breastfeed one to six months after returning to work and more than six months after returning to work among shift workers and non-shift workers. In addition, among non-shift workers, a higher education level of the mother (odds ratio (OR) = 9.57) and partner support (OR = 4.89) had positive effects toward a mother continuing breastfeeding for more than six months after returning to work. Conclusions Workplaces or employers should provide more support to encourage employed mothers to take advantage of the breastfeeding room and breast-pumping breaks, enhance the frequency of the usage of lactation rooms, and increase the rate of continued breastfeeding.

PurposeThis study aims to construct a valid hierarchical sustainable human resource management (SHRM) model with interrelationships among its attributes in terms of qualitative information.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies the fuzzy Delphi method to validate SHRM attributes and visualize the causal interrelationships among these attributes using a fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method.FindingsThis study finds that green performance management and compensation lead to human resource benefits and economic sustainability in the HRM model.Practical implicationsOpen environmental communication, green human resource planning, green training and development, employee eco-friendly behavior and organizational culture are the top five criteria supporting practical improvement in the healthcare industry.Originality/valueThe emergence of new, unprepared, and inexperienced health care entities with inadequate human resource management (HRM) potentially causing social problems within the industry, SHRM is necessary to balance the social, environment, and economic performance and must be studied by both academicians and practitioners. However, the HRM application field is still in its infancy, which limits the understanding of its potential.

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are crucial for the overall development of the country. Realising the same, there are various policy support measures introduced by the government. This paper attempts to study the gaps in the present policies available for the MSMEs with respect to the textile sector MSMEs. Through a systematic approach, based on secondary literature and stakeholder engagement, the study attempts to come up with a decision matrix based on the identified key growth determinants of MSMEs. A questionnaire was developed for collecting the responses from expert stakeholders to rank the identified list of determinants influencing the growth of MSMEs. A mix of top-down and bottom-up methodology has been adopted to identify the key determinants of MSMEs having the major influence on the sector’s growth. It was found that the top 10 determinants influencing the growth of MSMEs are profitability, quality of product, entrepreneurial behaviour, legal structure, product differentiation strategy, new/improved products produced, industry friendly policies, employee sensitiveness, ability to fund enterprise growth from profits generated. It is argued that in order to make MSMEs sustainable, policymakers should take a targeted approach focusing on these key growth determinants so as to create a conducive ecosystem for MSMEs. JEL Codes: O100, L210, L250

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the perceptions and understanding of teachers about ‘HRM practices both in public and private universities of Pakistan. Further, to explore how teachers associate the fairness of HR practices and other organizational factors, to the individual and organizational outcomes/performance. To this end, semi structured interviews were conducted to explore the perceptions of teachers about HR practices and performance. The findings of the interviews indicate that the existence of fairness of HR practices not only makes teachers work better (Teacher’s performance) but also generate a feeling of obligation to contribute towards organizational objectives (Exchange relationship). It is also evident from the interviewees’ account that among other organizational factors, organizational support is also one of the most critical factors which develops a feeling of commitment and satisfaction with the organization. However, in this context, the role of HR managers is very important not only in developing such HR systems that give employees a sense of organizational support but to implement those systems, practically giving them the signal of organizational justice. This study is unique as it is an attempt to integrate the perspective of teachers in HRM and performance literature which is a highly under-researched group in developing countries like Pakistan. This study can also help HR practitioners and educational policy makers in designing holistic and employee friendly policies if they want to be competitive and successful. The paper is concluded by discussing the limitations and implications of the study and future directions.

PurposeThis study aims to undertake an in-depth analysis of glass ceiling literature and suggest some directions for future research.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review of the glass ceiling literature was carried out using academic databases like Scopus, EbscoHost and Proquest.FindingsSocial and cultural stereotypes give rise to individual barriers in the form of lack of selfconfidence and lack of ambition for managerial posts. Social norms also create organizational barriers in the form of “think manager think male” stereotype and discriminatory corporate policies. These organizational barriers further lower the self-confidence of women and exaggerate work-family conflict. Policy barriers in the form of lack of stringent laws and policies also create glass ceiling for women employees. Glass ceiling leads to various consequences which have been further classified as organizational and individual level consequences. The study also highlights that contextual variables like level of education, age, social class, marital and motherhood status influence the perceptions towards the role of different factors in creating glass ceiling.Practical implicationsThis review highlights that though several levels of barriers exist for women aspiring for a managerial position, the main problem lies in conscious and unconscious stereotypes that often find their way in the organizations through gendered culture and gender discriminatory corporate practices. Therefore, organizations should firstly work on reorienting the attitudes of its employees towards women employees by conducting gender sensitization programmes for all the employees at the workplace. These gender sensitization programmes should aim at making people aware about the unconscious stereotypes that somehow find way in their speech and actions. Secondly, the organizations should work on extending the family friendly programmes to every employee irrespective of gender and every one should be encouraged to avail those policies so that female employees do not suffer from bias due to lack of visibility. Thirdly, organizations should work on introducing scientific procedures for performance evaluation to ensure removal of any form of bias during the process of appraisal. By creating a positive and equitable work environment for women employees, firms can combat their feelings of stress and burnout and can significantly improve their bottomline. The positive steps that will be taken by organizations will put forward a positive example for the society as well.Originality/valueEven though more than three decades have passed since the term “glass ceiling” made inroads in the management literature, till date, there has been no study that holistically reviews various dimensions of glass ceiling literature. Hence, this is the first study that systematically reviews the existing literature on glass ceiling. Based on the review, the study also proposes an integrated conceptual framework highlighting interrelationship between various causes and consequences of glass ceiling and sheds light on the directions along which future studies can be carried out.

Purpose This paper examines the development of green skills across firms located in an institutional context, specifically the national education and skill-formation system, of the under-researched developing country of Thailand. Design/methodology/approach This paper qualitatively explores the Thai education and skill-formation system and conducts a cross-case analysis of four firms across different industries in Thailand. The empirical findings in this paper draws on semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders; field visits to vocational colleges, universities, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) and firms across industries both in Bangkok and in other provinces in Thailand; and a review of archival documents and web-based reports and resources. Findings This paper proposes that firms across industries in Thailand must be responsible for helping their employees/workers obtain the green knowledge and skills necessary to perform green jobs through high-road human resource (HR) practices in response to the fact that the Thai education and skill-formation system is unlikely to produce a sufficient number of employees/workers who have green knowledge, skills and abilities and are industry-ready to perform green jobs, leading to a shortage of employees/workers who possess green skills in the labor market. Specifically, curricula in vocational colleges and universities in Thailand are not likely to respond to the needs of firms in producing those employees/workers. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this research concern its methodology. This research is based on the qualitative studies of the Thai education and skill-formation system and a case study of firms across industries in Thailand. Thus, this paper does not aim to generalize the findings to all other countries but to enrich the discussion on the effects of macro-level HR policies on the creation of green jobs and the development of green skills across firms in each country. Additionally, it is difficult to gain access to firms across several industries and various stakeholders to understand the development of green skills among employees in these firms. The reasons are resource constraints, time constraints and the hesitation of firms in permitting the author to access the data. These difficulties have restricted the sources of information to construct a more nuanced picture of firms across various industries in developing green skills among their existing employees. Consequently, this research does not include firms in several other industries, including the pulp and paper industry, textile and garment industry, plastic industry and agri-food industry. Thus, future research may extend the topic of the development of green skills among employees to these industries. Quantitative studies using large samples of firms across industries may also be useful in deepening the understanding of this topic, which is significant from the perspectives of the strategic human resource management (SHRM), comparative institutional perspectives on HR strategies and practices, and green economy. Practical implications This paper also provides practical implications for top managers and/or HR managers of firms in Thailand, other developing countries and other emerging market economies with deficiencies in the national education and skill-formation system. First, the top managers and/or HR managers can apply various methods to internally develop managers and employees/workers with the appropriate environmental/green knowledge and necessary skills to perform green jobs. The methods include classroom training, on-the-job training, coaching, mentoring systems, job shadowing and being role models for younger generations of employees. Second, these top managers and/or HR managers can cooperate with vocational colleges and/or universities in their countries to design educational programs/curricula related to environmental/green management to be able to produce graduates with suitable qualifications for their firms. These managers can request for assistance from universities in their countries when their firms confront sophisticated questions/problems related to environmental/green management. In this regard, universities will have an opportunity to solve real environmental/green problems experienced by industries, while firms can appropriately and accurately solve environmental/green questions/problems. Third, these top managers and/or HR managers can encourage their firms to apply for certificates of green-/environmentally friendly products or carbon footprint labels from NGOs to foster a green image among firms' consumers. These applications require the firms to pay special attention to the cultivation of green awareness and the development of green skills among their employees. Fourth, these top managers and/or HR managers can encourage their employees to express green-/environmentally friendly behaviors as well as sufficiency-based consumption behaviors. In fact, these top managers and/or HR managers can foster their employees to reduce energy consumption, including electricity and water, to conserve these types of energy for young generations. Fifth, these top managers and/or HR managers can adopt and implement green human resource management (GHRM) practices consisting of green recruitment and selection, green training and development, green performance management, green pay and rewards and green employee relations in their firms to upgrade both the environmental and social performances of firms. Finally, these top managers and/or HR managers must take serious actions regarding the implementation of environmental/green management policies and practices within their firms in order to facilitate the movement of the country toward the bioeconomy, circular economy, and green economy (BCG economy). Social implications This paper provides social/policy implications for the government, vocational colleges and universities in Thailand, other developing countries and emerging market economies where the skill shortage problem is still severe. First, the government of each country should incorporate green/environmental policies into the national education policy and the long-term strategic plan of the country. Second, the government should continuously implement such national policy and strategic plan by encouraging government agencies, vocational colleges, universities, firms and NGOs to cooperate in developing and offering environmental/green management educational programs/curricula to produce graduates with suitable qualifications for those firms. Third, the government should encourage vocational colleges and universities to equip their students with green skills to be industry-ready in a real working context. Fourth, to alleviate the skill shortage problem in the labor market, the government should foster firms, especially private sector firms, to focus on the upskilling and reskilling of their existing employees. With this action, their existing employees will have green skills, be able to effectively perform green jobs and become an important driver to help the country move toward the BCG economy. Fifth, the government of each country should encourage firms to develop green-/environmentally friendly products by offering them various types of incentives, including tax reductions or tax exemptions. Sixth, the government should encourage universities in the country to sign a memorandum of understanding with leading research institutes and world-class digital technology companies such that these institutes and/or companies admit high-potential university students to work as trainees/entry-level employees for a certain duration. This action can ultimately facilitate knowledge transfer from these institutes and/or companies to those university students who will finally return to work in their home country. Seventh, the government, especially the Ministry of Education, should encourage vocational colleges and universities to teach students in the environmental/green management program based on real case studies/problems found across firms. In this way, graduates should be industry-ready to perform green jobs. Finally, the government must pay serious attention to the implementation of environmental/green management policies across levels within the country so that the transition of the country toward the BCG economy will finally come true in the future. Originality/value This paper contributes to the SHRM, comparative institutional perspectives on HR strategies and practices, and the literature on the green economy and the development of green skills in firms in the following ways. First, this paper focuses on examining how the institutional context of Thailand shapes the development of green knowledge and skills among employees across firms in Thailand. In this regard, the paper aims to fill the gap in the literature on strategic HRM and comparative institutional perspectives on HR strategies and practices as proposed by Batt and Banerjee (2012) and Batt and Hermans (2012), who suggested that the literature on strategic HRM should go beyond the organizational context and examine how firms adopt and implement HR practices in response to the national institutional context. Second, the paper aims to extend the literature on the green economy regarding the roles played by institutional factors in shaping the development of green knowledge and skills across firms. Finally, strategic HRM, comparative institutional perspectives on HR strategies and practices and green economy studies have overlooked the under-researched country of Thailand. Most studies in these three areas focus more on developed countries. Thus, the findings of this paper should extend the literature on those areas regarding the development of green skills among employees across firms in response to the Thai institutional context.

IntroductionThe tagline for the 2008 Game On exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne invites visitors to “play your way through the history of videogames.” The Melbourne hosting follows on from exhibitions that have included the Barbican (London), the Royal Museum (Edinburgh) and the Science Museum (London). The Game On exhibition presents an exemplary instance of how digital games and digital games culture are recovered, organised and presented. The Science Museum exhibition offered visitors a walkthrough from the earliest to the latest consoles and games (Pong to Wii Sports) with opportunities for game play framed by curatorial plaques. This article will explore some of the themes and narratives embodied within the exhibition that see digital games technologies enrolled within a media teleology that emphasises technological advancement and upgrade. Narratives of Technological Upgrade The Game On exhibition employed a “social contextualisation” approach, connecting digital gaming developments with historical events and phenomena such as the 1969 moon landing and the Spice Girls. Whilst including thematic strands such as games and violence and games in education, the exhibition’s chronological ordering highlighted technological advancement. In doing so, the exhibition captured a broader tension around celebrating past technological advancement in gaming, whilst at the same time emphasising the quaint shortfalls and looking to future possibilities. That technological advancements stand out, particularly as a means of organising a narrative of digital gaming, resonates with Stephen Kline, Nick Dyer-Withford and Greig de Peuter’s analysis of digital gaming as a “perpetual innovation economy.” For Kline et al., corporations “devote a growing share of their resources to the continual alteration and upgrading of their products” (66). Technological upgrade and advancement were described by the Game On curator as an engaging aspect of the exhibition: When we had a BBC news presenter come in, she was talking about ‘here we have the PDP 1 and here I have the Nintendo DS’. She was just sort of comparing and contrasting. I know certainly that journalists were very keen on: ‘yeah, but how much processing power does the PDP 1 have?’, ‘what does it compare to today?’ – and it is very hard to compare. How do you compare Space War on the PDP 1 with something that runs on your mobile phone? They are very different systems. (Lee)This account of journalistic interest in technological progression and the curator’s subsequent interpretation raise a significant tension around understanding digital gaming. The concern with situating past gaming technologies and comparing capacities and capabilities, emphasises both the fascination with advancement and technological progress in the field and how the impressiveness of this advancement depends on remembering what has come before. Questions of remembering, recovering and forgetting are clear in the histories that console manufacturers offer when they describe past innovation and pioneering developments. For example, the company history provided by Nintendo on its website is exclusively a history of games technologies with no reference to the proceeding business of playing-card games from the late nineteenth century. Its website-published history only starts with the 1985 release of the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), “an instant hit [that] over the course of the next two years, it almost single-handedly revitalized the video game industry” (Nintendo, ‘History’), and thereby overlooks the earlier 1983 less successful Famicom system. Past technologies are selectively remembered and recovered as part of the foundations for future success. This is a tension, that can be unpacked in a number of ways, across current industry transformations and strategies that potentially erase the past whilst simultaneously seeking to recover it as part of an evidence-base for future development. The following discussion develops an analysis of how digital gaming history is recovered and constructed.Industry Wind Change and Granny on the WiiThere is “unease, almost embarrassment”, James Newman suggests, “about the videogames industry within certain quarters of the industry itself” (6). Newman goes on to suggest:Various euphemisms have passed into common parlance, all seemingly motivated by a desire to avoid the use of the word ‘game’ and perhaps even ‘computer’, thereby adding a veneer of respectability, distancing the products and experiences from the childish pursuits of game, play and toys, and downplaying the technology connection with its unwanted resonances of nerds in bedrooms hunched over ZX Spectrums and Commodore 64s and the amateurism of hobbyist production. (6-7) The attempted move away from the resonances of “nerds in bedrooms” has been a strategic decision for Nintendo especially. This is illustrated by the naming of consoles: ‘family’ in Famicom, ‘entertainment’ in NES and, more recently, the renaming of the Wii from ‘Revolution’. The seventh generation Nintendo Wii console, released in November and December 2006, may be been seen as industry leading in efforts to broaden gaming demographics. In describing the console for instance, Satoru Iwata, the President of Nintendo, stated, “we want to appeal to mothers who don't want consoles in their living rooms, and to the elderly and to young women. It’s a challenge, like trying to sell cosmetics to men” (Edge Online). This position illustrates a digital games industry strategy to expand marketing to demographic groups previously marginalised.A few examples from the marketing and advertising campaigns for the Nintendo Wii help to illustrate this strategy. The marketing associated with the Wii can be seen as part of a longer lineage of Nintendo marketing with Kline et al. suggesting, “it was under Nintendo’s hegemony that the video game industry began to see the systematic development of a high-intensity marketing apparatus, involving massive media budgets, ingenious event marketing, ground breaking advertising and spin off merchandising” (118). The “First Experiences” show on the Wii website mocks-up domestic settings as the backdrop to the Wii playing experience to present an ideal, potential Wii-play scenario. These advertisements can be seen to position the player within an imagined home and game-play environment and speak for the Wii. As Keith Grint and Steve Woolgar suggest, “technology does not speak for itself but has to be spoken for” (32). As part of their concern with addressing, “the particular regime of truth which surrounds, upholds, impales and represents technology” (32), Grint and Woolgar “analyse the way certain technologies gain specific attributes” (33). Across advertisements for the Wii there are a range of domestic environments and groups playing. Of these, the power to bring the family together and facilitate ease of game-play for the novice is most noticeable. David Morley’s comment that, “‘hi-tech’ discourse is often carefully framed and domesticated by a rather nostalgic vision of ‘family values’” (438) is borne out here.A television advertisement aired on Nickelodeon illustrates the extent to which the Wii was at the forefront in motioning forward a strategy of industry and gaming inclusiveness around the family: “the 60-second spot shows a dad mistaking the Wii Remote for his television remote control. Dad becomes immersed in the game and soon the whole family joins in” (Nintendo World Report). From confused fathers to family bonding, the Wii is presented as the easy-to-use and accessible device that brings the family together. The father confusing the Wii remote with a television remote control is an important gesture to foreground the accessibility of the Wii remotes compared to previous “joypads”, and emphasize the Wii as an accessible device with no bedroom, technical wizardry required. Within the emerging industry inclusivity agenda, the ‘over technological’ past of digital gaming is something to move away from. The forms of ‘geek’ or ‘hardcore’ that epitomise previous dominant representations of gaming have seemingly stood in the way of the industry reaching its full market potential. This industry wind change is captured in the comments of a number of current industry professionals.For Matthew Jeffrey, head of European Recruitment for Electronic Arts (EA), speaking at the London Games Week Career Fair, the shift in the accessibility and inclusivity of digital gaming is closely bound up with Nintendo’s efforts and these have impacted upon EA’s strategy: There is going to be a huge swathe of new things and the great thing in the industry, as you are all easy to identify, is that Nindento DS and the Wii have revolutionised the way we look at the way things are going on.Jeffrey goes on to add, “hopefully some of you have seen that your eighty year old grandparent is quite happy to play a game”, pointing to the figure of the grandparent as a game-player to emphasise the inclusivity shift within gaming.Similarly, at Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2007, the CEO of Ubisoft Yves Guillemot in his “The New Generation of Gaming: Facing the Challenges of a Changing Market” speech outlined the development of a family friendly portfolio to please a new, non-gamer population that would include the recruitment of subject experts for “non-game” titles. This instance of the accessibility and inclusivity strategy being advocated is notable for it being part of a keynote speech at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival, an event associated with the Edinburgh festival that is both an important industry gathering and receives mainstream press coverage. The approaches taken by the other leading console manufacturers Sony and Microsoft, illustrate that whilst this is by no means a total shift, there is nevertheless an industry-wide engagement. The ‘World of Playstation: family and friends’ for example suggests that, “with PlayStation, games have never been more family-friendly” and that “you can even team up as a family to challenge your overseas relatives to a round of online quizzing over the PLAYSTATION Network” (Playstation).What follows from these accounts and transformations is a consideration of where the “geeky” past resides in the future of gaming as inclusive and accessible. Where do these developments leave digital gaming’s “subcultural past” (“subcultural” as it now becomes even within the games industry), as the industry forges on into mainstream culture? Past digital games technologies are clearly important in indicating technological progression and advancement, but what of the bedroom culture of gaming? How does “geek game culture” fit within a maturing future for the industry?Bedroom Programmers and Subcultural Memories There is a tension between business strategy directed towards making gaming accessible and thereby fostering new markets, and the games those in industry would design for people like themselves. This is not to deny the willingness or commitment of games developers to work on a variety of games, but instead to highlight transformation and tension. In their research into games development, Dovey and Kennedy suggest that, the “generation, now nearing middle-age and finding themselves in the driving seat of cultures of new media, have to reconcile a subcultural history and a dominant present” (145). Pierre Bourdieu’s account of symbolic capital is influential in tracing this shift, and Dovey and Kennedy note Bourdieu’s comment around, “the subjective image of the occupational project and the objective function of the occupation” (145). This shift is highly significant for ways of understanding maturation and inclusivity strategies within digital gaming.Bourdieu’s account of the “conservative functions attached” to an occupation for Dovey and Kennedy: Precisely describes the tensions between designers’ sense of themselves as ‘outsiders’ and rebels (‘the subjective image of the occupational project’) on the one hand and their position within a very tight production machine (‘the objective function of the occupation’) on the other. (145) I would suggest the “production machine”, that is to say the broader corporate management structures by which games development companies are increasingly operated, has a growing role in understandings of the industry. This approach was implicit in Iwata’s comments on selling cosmetics to men and broadening demographics, and Jeffrey’s comments pointing to how EA’s outlook would be influenced by the accessibility and inclusivity strategy championed by Nintendo. It may be suggested that as the occupational project of gaming is negotiated and shifts towards an emphasis on accessibility and inclusivity, the subjective image must be similarly reoriented. That previous industry models are being replaced, is highlighted in this excerpt from a Managing Director of a ‘leisure software’ company in the Staying ahead report on the creative industries by the Work Foundation:The first game that came from us was literally two schoolchildren making a game in their bedroom … the game hadn’t been funded, but made for fun … As those days are gone, the biggest challenges nowadays for game developers are finding funding that doesn’t impinge on creativity, and holding onto IP [intellectual property], which is so important if you want a business that is going to have any value. (27)This account suggests a hugely important transition from bedroom production, the days that ‘are gone’, towards Intellectual Property-aware production. The creative industries context for these comments should not be overlooked and is insightful for further recognising the shifts and negotiations taking place in digital gaming, notably, around the maturation of the games industry. The creative industries context is made explicit in creative industries reports such as Staying ahead and in the comments of Shaun Woodward (former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) in a keynote speech at the 2006 British Video Games Academy Awards, in which he referred to the games industry as “one of our most important creative industries”. The forms of collaboration between, for instance, The Independent Games Developers Association (TIGA) and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (see Gamasutra), further indicate the creative industries context to the maturation of the UK games industry.The creative industries context also presents the anchor through which tensions between a subcultural history and professional future and the complex forms of recovery can be more fully engaged with. The Game On curator’s indication that making comparisons between different games technologies systems was a delicate balance insightfully provides cautions to any attempt to mark out a strict departure from the ‘subcultural’ to the ‘professional’. Clearly put, the accessibility and inclusivity strategy that shifts away from geek culture and technical wizardry remains in conversation with geek elements as the foundation for the future. As technologies are recovered within a lineage of technological development and upgrade, the geek bedroom culture of gaming is almost mythologized to offer the industry history creative credentials and future potential. Recovering and Combining: Technologies and Memories for a Professional Future Emphasised thus far has been a shift from the days gone by of bedroom programming towards an inclusive and accessible professional and mature future. This is a teleological shift in the sense that the latest technological developments can be located within a past replete with innovation and pioneering spirit. In relation to the Wii for example, a Nintendo employee states:Nintendo is a company where you are praised for doing something different from everyone else. In this company, when an individual wants to do something different, everyone else lends their support to help them overcome any hurdles. I think this is how we made the challenge of Wii a possibility. (Nintendo)Nintendo’s history, alluded to here and implicit throughout the interviews with Nintendo staff from which this comment is taken, and previous and existing ‘culture’ of experimentation is offered here as the catalyst and enabler of the Wii. A further example may be offered in relation to Nintendo’s competitor Sony.A hugely significant transformation in digital gaming, further to the accessibility and inclusivity agenda, is the ability of players to develop their own games using games engines. For Phil Harrison (Sony), gaming technology is creating a, “‘virtual community’ of collaborative digital production, marking a return to the ‘golden age of video game development, which was at home, on your own with a couple of friends, designing a game yourself’” (Kline et al., 204). Bedroom gaming that in the earlier comments was regarded as days gone by for professionals, takes on a new significance as a form of user-engagement. The previous model of bedroom production, now outmoded compared to industry production, is relocated as available for users and recovered as the ‘golden age of gaming’. It is recovered as a model for users to aspire to. The significance of this for business strategy is made clear by Kline et al. who suggest that, “thousands of bright bulbs have essentially become Sony’s junior development community” (204). An obsolete model of past production is recovered and deployed within a future vision of the games industry that sees users participating and extending forms of games engagement and consumption. Similarly, the potential of ‘bedroom’ production and its recovery in relation to growth areas such as games for mobile phones, is carefully framed by Intellectual Property Rights (Edwards and Coulton). In this respect, forms of bedroom production are carefully situated in terms of industry strategies.The “Scarce Talent Seminars” as part of the London Games Week 2008 “Skills Week” further illustrate this continual recovery of ‘past’, or more accurately alternative, forms of production in line with narratives of professionalisation and industry innovation. The seminars were stated as offering advice on bridging the gap between the “bedroom programmer” and the “professional developer”. The discourse of ‘talent’ framed this seminar, and the bedroom programmer is held up as being (not having) raw talent with creative energies and love and commitment for gaming that can be shaped for the future of the industry. This discourse of bedroom programmers as talent emphasises the industry as an enabler of individual talent through access to professional development and technological resources. This then sits alongside the recovery of historical narratives in which bedroom gaming culture is celebrated for its pioneering spirit, but is ultimately recovered in terms of current achievements and future possibilities. “Skills Week” and guidance for those wanting to work in the industry connects with the recovery of past technologies and ways of making games visible amongst the potential industry workers of the future – students. The professional future of the industry is intertwined with graduates with professional qualifications. Those qualifications need not be, and sometimes preferably should not be, in ‘gaming’ courses. What is important is the love of games and this may be seen through the appreciation of gaming’s history. During research conducted with games design students in higher education courses in the UK, many students professed a love of games dating back to the Spectrum console in the 1980s. There was legitimacy and evidence of professing long-seated interests in consoles. At the same time as acknowledging the significant, embryonic power these consoles had in stimulating their interests, many students engaged in learning games design skills with the latest software packages. Similarly, they engaged in bedroom design activities themselves, as in the days gone by, but mainly as training and to develop skills useful to securing employment within a professional development studio. Broadly, students could be said to be recovering both technologies and ways of working that are then enrolled within their development as professional workers of the future. The professional future of the gaming industry is presented as part of a teleological trajectory that mirrors the technological progression of the industry’s upgrade culture. The days of bedroom programming are cast as periods of incubation and experimentation, and part of the journey that has brought gaming to where it is now. Bedroom programming is incorporated into the evidence-base of creative industries policy reports. Other accounts of bedroom programming, independent production and attempts to explore alternative publishing avenues do not feature as readily.In the 2000 Scratchware Manifesto for example, the authors declare, “the machinery of gaming has run amok”, and say, “Basta! Enough!” (Scratchware). The Scratchware Manifesto puts forward Scratchware as a response: “a computer game, created by a microteam, with pro-quality art, game design, programming and sound to be sold at paperback prices” (Scratchware). The manifesto goes on to say, “we need Scratchware because there is more than one way to develop good computer games” (Scratchware, 2000). Using a term readily associated with the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, the Scratchware Manifesto called for a revolution in gaming and stated, “we will strive for […] originality over the tried and tested” (Scratchware). These are the experiences and accounts of the games industry that seem to fall well outside of the technological and upgrade focused agenda of professional games development.The recovery and framing of past technologies and industry practices, in ways supportive to current models of technological upgrade and advancement, legitimises these models and marginalizes others. A eulogized and potentially mythical past is recovered to point to cultures of innovation and creative vibrancy and to emphasize current and future technological prowess. We must therefore be cautious of the instrumental dangers of recovery in which ‘bright bulbs’ are enrolled and alternative forms of production marginalised.As digital gaming establishes a secure footing with increased markets, the growing pains of the industry can be celebrated and recovered as part of the ongoing narratives of the industry. Recovery is vital to make sense of both the past and future. Within digital gaming, the PDP-1 and the bedroom geek both exist in the past, present and future as part of an industry strategy and trajectory that seeks to move away from them but also relies on them. They are the legitimacy, the evidence and the potential for affirming industry models. The extent to which other narratives can be told and technologies and memories recovered as alternative forms of evidence and potential is a question I, and hopefully others, will leave open.ReferencesDovey, John, and Helen W. Kennedy. Game Cultures. Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2006.Edge-Online. "Iwata: Wii Is 'Like Selling Make-Up to Men.'" Edge-Online 19 Sep. 2006. 29 Sep. 2006 ‹http://www.edge-online.com/news/iwata-wii-like-selling-make-up-men›.Edwards, Reuben, and Paul Coulton. "Providing the Skills Required for Innovative Mobile Game Development Using Industry/Academic Partnerships." Italics e journal 5.3 (2006). ‹http://www.ics.heacademy.ac.uk/italics/vol5iss3/edwardscoulton.pdf›.Gamasutra. "TIGA Pushing for Continued UK Industry Government Support." Gamasutra Industry News 3 July 2007. 8 July 2007 ‹http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=14504›Grint, Keith, and Steve Woolgar. The Machine at Work. London: Blackwell, 1997.Jeffrey, Matthew. Transcribed Speech. 24 October 2007.Kline, Stephen, Nick Dyer-Witheford, and Greig De Peuter. Digital Play. London: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2003.Lee, Gaetan. Personal Interview. 27 July 2007.Morley, David. "What’s ‘Home’ Got to Do with It? Contradictory Dynamics in the Domestication of Technology and the Dislocation of Domesticity." European Journal of Cultural Studies 6.4 (2003): 435-458.Newman, James. Videogames. London: Routledge, 2004.Nintendo. "Company History." Nintendo. 2007. 3 Nov. 2008 ‹http://www.nintendo.com/corp/history.jsp›.Nintendo. "Wii Remote." Nintendo. 2006. 29 Sep. 2008 ‹http://wiiportal.nintendo-europe.com/97.html›.Nintendo World Report. "Nintendo’s Marketing Blitz: Wii Play for All!" Nintendo World Report 13 Nov. 2006. 29 Sep. 2008 ‹http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=12383›.Playstation. "World of Playstation: Family and Friends." Sony Playstation. 3 Nov. 2008 ‹http://uk.playstation.com/home/news/articles/detail/item103208/World-of-PlayStation:-Family-&-Friends/›.Scratchware. "The Scratchware Manifesto." 2000. 14 June 2006 ‹http://www.the-underdogs.info/scratch.php›.Work Foundation. Staying Ahead: The Economic Performance of the UK’s Creative Industries. London: Department of Culture, Media and Sport, 2007.

In one of the earliest films about a whistleblower, On the Waterfront (1954), the dock worker Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando), who also works for the union boss and mobster Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb), decides to testify in court against him and uncover corruption and murder. By doing so he will not only suffer retribution from Friendly but also be seen as a “stool pigeon” by his co-workers, friends, and neighbours who will shun him, and he will be “marked” forever by his deed. Nonetheless, he decides to do the right thing. Already it is clear that in most cases the whistleblowers are not simply the ones who reveal things, but they themselves are also revealed.My aim in this article is to explore the depiction of Edward Snowden and Julian Assange in fiction film and its connection to what I would like to call, with Slavoj Žižek, “Hollywood ideology”; the heroisation of the “ordinary guy” against a big institution or a corrupt individual, as it is the case in Snowden (2016) on the one hand, and at the same time the impossibility of true systemic critique when the one who is criticising is “outside of the system”, as Assange in The Fifth Estate (2013). Both films also rely on the notion of individualism and convey conflicting messages in regard to understanding the perception of whistleblowers today. Snowden and AssangeAlthough there are many so called “whistleblower films” since On the Waterfront, like Serpico (1973), All the President’s Men (1976), or Silkwood (1983), to name but a few (for a comprehensive list see https://ew.com/movies/20-whistleblower-movies-to-watch/?), in this article I will focus on the most recent films that deal with Edward Snowden and Julian Assange. These are the most prominent cases of whistleblowing in the last decade put to film. They are relevant today also regarding their subject matter—privacy. Revealing secrets that concern privacy in this day and age is of importance and is pertinent even to the current Coronavirus crisis, where the question of privacy again arises in form of possible tracking apps, in the age of ever expanding “surveillance capitalism” (Zuboff).Even if Assange is not strictly speaking a whistleblower, an engagement with his work in this context is indispensable since his outsider status, up to a point, resembles those of Snowden or Manning. They are not only important because they can be considered as “authentic heroe[s] of our time” (Žižek, Pandemic, 7), but also because of their depiction which differs in a very crucial way: while Snowden is depicted as a “classic” whistleblower (an American patriot who did his duty, someone from the “inside”), Assange’s action are coming from the outside of the established system and are interpreted as a selfish act, as it is stated in the film: “It was always about him.”Whistleblowers In his Whistleblower’s Handbook, Kohn writes: “who are these whistleblowers? Sometimes they are people you read about with admiration in the newspaper. Other times they are your co-workers or neighbours. However, most whistleblowers are regular workers performing their jobs” (Kohn, xi). A whistleblower, as the employee or a “regular worker”, can be regarded as someone who is a “nobody” at first, an invisible “cog in the wheel” of a certain institution, a supposedly devoted and loyal worker, who, through an act of “betrayal”, becomes a “somebody”. They do something truly significant, and by doing so becomes a hero to some and a traitor to others. Their persona suddenly becomes important.The wrongdoings that are uncovered by the whistleblower are for the most part not simply isolated missteps, but of a systemic nature, like the mass surveillance by the National Security Agency (NSA) uncovered by Snowden. The problem with narratives that deal with whistleblowing is that the focus inevitably shifts from the systemic problem (surveillance, war crimes, etc.) to the whistleblower as an individual. Moretti states that the interest of the media regarding whistleblowing, if one compares the reactions to the leaking of the “Pentagon Papers” regarding the Vietnam War in the 1970s by Daniel Ellsberg and to Snowden’s discoveries, shifted from the deed itself to the individual. In the case of Ellsberg, Moretti writes:the legitimate questions were not about him and what motivated him, but rather inquiry on (among other items) the relationship between government and media; whether the U.S. would be damaged militarily or diplomatically because of the release of the papers; the extent to which the media were acting as watchdogs; and why Americans needed to know about these items. (8)This shift of public interest goes along, according to Moretti, with the corporate ownership of media (7), where profit is the primary goal and therefore sensationalism is the order of the day, which is inextricably linked to the focus on the “scandalous” individual. The selfless and almost self-effacing act of whistleblowing becomes a narrative that constructs the opposite: yet another determined individual that through their sheer willpower achieves their goal, a notion that conforms to neoliberal ideology.Hollywood IdeologyThe endings of All the President’s Men and The Harder They Fall (1956), another early whistleblower film, twenty years apart, are very similar: they show the journalist eagerly typing away on his typewriter a story that will, in the case of the former, bring down the president of the United States and in the latter, bring an end to arranged fights in the boxing sport. This depiction of the free press vanquishing the evil doers, as Žižek states it, is exactly the point where “Hollywood ideology” becomes visible, which is:the ideology of such Hollywood blockbusters as All the President’s Men and The Pelican Brief, in which a couple of ordinary guys discover a scandal which reaches up to the president, forcing him to step down. Corruption is shown to reach the very top, yet the ideology of such works resides in their upbeat final message: what a great country ours must be, when a couple of ordinary guys like you and me can bring down the president, the mightiest man on Earth! (“Good Manners”)This message is of course part of Hollywood’s happy-ending convention that can be found even in films that deal with “serious” subject matters. The point of the happy end in this case is that before it is finally reached, the film can show corruption (Serpico), wrongdoings of big companies (The Insider, 1999), or sexual harassment (North Country, 2005). It is important that in the end all is—more or less—good. The happy ending need not necessarily be even truly “happy”—this depends on the general notion the film wants to convey (see for instance the ending of Silkwood, where the whistleblower is presumed to have been killed in the end). What is important in the whistleblower film is that the truth is out, justice has been served in one way or the other, the status quo has been re-established, and most importantly, there is someone out there who cares.These films, even when they appear to be critical of “the system”, are there to actually reassure their audiences in the workings of said system, which is (liberal) democracy supported by neoliberal capitalism (Frazer). Capitalism, on the other hand, is supported by the ideology of individualism which functions as a connecting tissue between the notions of democracy, capitalism, and film industry, since we are admiring exceptional individuals in performing acts of great importance. This, in turn, is encapsulated by the neoliberal mantra—“anyone can make it, only if they try heard enough”. As Bauman puts it more concretely, the risks and contradictions in a society are produced socially but are supposed to be solved individually (46).Individualism, as a part of the neoliberal capitalist ideology, is described already by Milton Friedman, who sees the individual as the “ultimate entity in the society” and the freedom of the individual as the “ultimate goal” within this society (12). What makes this an ideology is the fact that, in reality, the individual, or in the context of the market, the entrepreneur, is always-already tethered to and supported by the state, as Varoufakis has successfully proven (“Varoufakis/Chomsky discussion”). Therefore individualism is touted as an ideal to strive for, while for neoliberalism in order to function, the state is indispensable, which is often summed up in the formula “socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor” (Polychroniou). The heroic Hollywood individual, as shown in the whistleblower film, regardless of real-life events, is the perfect embodiment of individualist ideology of neoliberal capitalism—we are not seeing a stylised version of it, a cowboy or a masked vigilante, but a “real” person. It is paradoxically precisely the realism that we see in such films that makes them ideological: the “based on a true story” preamble and all the historical details that are there in order to create a fulfilling cinematic experience. All of this supports its ideology because, as Žižek writes, “the function of ideology is not to offer us a point of escape from our reality but to offer us the social reality itself as an escape from some traumatic, real kernel” (Sublime Object 45). All the while Snowden mostly adheres to Hollywood ideology, The Fifth Estate also focuses on individualism, but goes in a different direction, and is more problematic – in the former we see the “ordinary guy” as the American hero, in the latter a disgruntled individual who reveals secrets of others for strictly personal reasons.SnowdenThere is an aspect of the whistleblower film that rings true and that is connected to Michel Foucault’s notion of power (“Truth and Power”). Snowden, through his employment at the NSA, is within a power relations network of an immensely powerful organisation. He uses “his” power, to expose the mass surveillance by the NSA. It is only through his involvement with this power network that he could get insight into and finally reveal what NSA is doing. Foucault writes that these resistances to power from the inside are “effective because they are formed right at the point where relations of power are exercised; resistance to power does not have to come from elsewhere to be real … It exists all the more by being in the same place as power” (Oushakine 206). In the case of whistleblowing, the resistance to power must come exactly from the inside in order to be effective since whistleblowers occupy the “same place as power” that they are up against and that is what in turn makes them “powerful”.Fig. 1: The Heroic Individual: Edward Snowden in SnowdenBut there is an underside to this. His “relationship” to the power structure he is confronting greatly affects his depiction as a whistleblower within the film—precisely because Snowden, unlike Assange, is someone from inside the system. He can still be seen as a patriot and a “disillusioned idealist” (Scott). In the film this is shown right at the beginning as Snowden, in his hotel room in Hong Kong, tells the documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras (Melissa Leo) and journalist Glenn Greenwald (Zachary Quinto) his name and who he is. The music swells and the film cuts to Snowden in uniform alongside other soldiers during a drill, when he was enlisted in the army before work for the NSA.Snowden resembles many of Stone’s typical characters, the all-American patriot being disillusioned by certain historical events, as in Born on the 4th of July (1989) and JFK (1991), which makes him question the government and its actions. It is generally of importance for a mainstream Hollywood film that the protagonist is relatable in order for the audiences to sympathise with them (Bordwell and Thompson 82). This is important not only regarding personal traits but, I would argue, also political views of the character. There needs to be no doubt in the mind of American audiences when it comes to films that deal with politics, that the protagonists are patriots.Stone’s film profits from this ambivalence in Snowden’s own political stance: at first he is more of a right winger who is a declared fan of Ayn Rand’s conservative-individualist manifesto Atlas Shrugged, then, after meeting his future partner Lindsey Mills, he turns slightly to the left, as he at one point states his support for President Obama. This also underlines the films ambiguity, as Oliver Stone openly stated about his Vietnam War film Platoon (1986) that “it could be embraced by … the right and the left. Essentially, most movies make their money in the middle” (Banff Centre). As Snowden takes the lie detector test as a part of the process of becoming a CIA agent, he confirms, quite sincerely it seems, that he thinks that the United States is the “greatest country in the world” and that the most important day in his life was 9/11. This again confirms his patriotic stance.Snowden is depicted as the exceptional individual, and at the same time the “ordinary guy”, who, through his act of courage, defied the all-powerful USA. During the aforementioned job interview scene, Snowden’s superior, Corbin O’Brian (Rhys Ifans), quotes Ayn Rand to him: “one man can stop the motor of the world”. Snowden states that he also believes that. The quote could serve as the film’s tagline, as a “universal truth” that seems to be at the core of American values and that also coincides with and reaffirms neoliberal ideology. Although it is undeniable that individuals can accomplish extraordinary feats, but when there is no systemic change, those can remain only solitary achievements that are only there to support the neoliberal “cult of the individual”.Snowden stands in total contrast to Assange in regard to his character and private life. There is nothing truly “problematic” about him, he seems to be an almost impeccable person, a “straight arrow”. This should make him a poster boy for American democracy and freedom of speech, and Stone tries to depict him in this way.Still, we are dealing with someone who cannot simply be redeemed as a patriot who did his duty. He cannot be unequivocally hailed as an all-American hero since betraying state secrets (and betrayal in general) is seen as a villainous act. For many Americans, and for the government, he will forever be remembered as a traitor. Greenwald writes that most of the people in the US, according to some surveys, still want to see Snowden in prison, even if they find that the surveillance by the NSA was wrong (365).Snowden remains an outcast and although the ending is not quite happy, since he must live in Russian exile, there is still a sense of an “upbeat final message” that ideologically colours the film’s ending.The Fifth EstateThe Fifth Estate is another example of the ideological view of the individual, but in this case with a twist. The film tries to be “objective” at first, showing the importance and impact of the newly established online platform WikiLeaks. However, towards the end of the film, it proceeds to dismantle Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) with the “everyone has secrets” platitude, which effectively means that none of us should ever try to reveal any secrets of those in power, since all of us must have our own secrets we do not want revealed. The film is shown from the perspective of Assange’s former disgruntled associate Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl), who wrote a book about his time at WikiLeaks on which the film is partly based on (Inside WikiLeaks). We see Assange through his eyes and delve into personal moments that are supposed to reveal the “truth” about the individual behind the project. In a cynical twist, it is Daniel who is the actual whistleblower, who reveals the secrets of WikiLeaks and its founder.Assange, as it is said in the film, is denounced as a “messiah” or a “prophet”, almost a cult leader who only wants to satisfy his perverse need for other people’s secrets, except that he is literally alone and has no followers and, unlike real cult leaders, needs no followers. The point of whistleblowing is exactly in the fact that it is a radical move, it is a big step forward in ending a wrongdoing. To denounce the radical stance of WikiLeaks is to misunderstand and undermine the whole notion of whistleblowing as a part of true changes in a society.The cult aspects are often referred to in the film when Assange’s childhood is mentioned. His mother was supposed to be in a cult, called “The Family”, and we should regard this as an important (and bad) influence on his character. This notion of the “childhood trauma” seems to be a crutch that is supposed to serve as a characterisation, something the scriptwriting-guru Robert McKee criticises as a screenwriting cliché: “do not reduce characters to case studies (an episode of child abuse is the cliché in vogue at the moment), for in truth there are no definitive explanations for anyone’s behaviour” (376).Although the film does not exaggerate the childhood aspect, it is still a motive that is supposed to shed some light into the “mystery” that is Assange. And it also ties into the question of the colour of his hair as a way of dismantling his lies. In a flashback that resembles a twist ending of an M. Night Shyamalan thriller, it turns out that Assange actually dyes his hair white, witnessed in secret by Daniel, instead of it turning naturally white, as Assange explains on few occasions but stating different reasons for it. Here he seems like a true movie villain and resembles the character of the Joker from The Dark Knight (2008), who also tells different stories about the origin of his facial scars. This mystery surrounding his origin makes the villain even more dangerous and, what is most important, unpredictable.Žižek also draws a parallel between Assange and Joker of the same film, whom he sees as the “figure of truth”, as Batman and the police are using lies in order to “protect” the citizens: “the film’s take-home message is that lying is necessary to sustain public morale: only a lie can redeem us” (“Good Manners”). Rather than interpreting Assange’s role in a positive way, as Žižek does, the film truly establishes him as a villain.Fig. 2: The Problematic Individual: Julian Assange in The Fifth EstateThe Fifth Estate ends with another cheap psychologisation of Assange on Daniel’s part as he describes the “true purpose” of WikiLeaks: “only someone so obsessed with his own secrets could’ve come up with a way to reveal everyone else’s”. This faux-psychological argument paints the whole WikiLeaks endeavour as Assange’s ego-trip and makes of him an egomaniac whose secret perverted pleasure is to reveal the secrets of others.Why is this so? Why are Woodward and Bernstein in All the President’s Men depicted as heroes and Assange is not? The true underlying conflict here is between classic journalism; where journalists can publish their pieces and get the acclaim for publishing the “new Pentagon Papers”, once again ensuring the freedom of the press and “inter-systemic” critique. This way of working of the press, as the films show, always pays off. All the while, in reality, very little changes since, as Žižek writes, the “formal functioning of power” stays in place. He further states about WikiLeaks:The true targets here weren’t the dirty details and the individuals responsible for them; not those in power, in other words, so much as power itself, its structure. We shouldn’t forget that power comprises not only institutions and their rules, but also legitimate (‘normal’) ways of challenging it (an independent press, NGOs, etc.). (“Good Manners”)In the very end, the “real” journalism is being reinforced as the sole vehicle of criticism, while everything else is “extremism” and, again, can only stem from a frustrated, even “evil”, individual. If neoliberal individualism is the order of the day, then the thinking must also revolve around that notion and cannot transcend that horizon.ConclusionŽižek expresses the problem of revealing the truth in our day and age by referring to the famous fable “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, where a child is the only one who is naive and brave enough to state that the emperor is in fact naked. But for Žižek today,in our cynical era, such strategy no longer works, it has lost its disturbing power, since everyone now proclaims that the emperor is naked (that Western democracies are torturing terrorist suspects, that wars are fought for profit, etc., etc.), and yet nothing happens, nobody seems to mind, the system just goes on functioning as if the emperor were fully dressed. (Less than Nothing 92)The problem with the “Collateral Murder”, a video of the killing of Iraqi civilians by the US Army, leaked by Wikileaks and Chelsea Manning, that was presented to the public, for instance, was according to accounts in Inside Wikileaks and Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy, that it did not have the desired impact. The public seems, in the end, to be indifferent to such reveals since it effectively cannot do anything about it. The return to the status quo after these reveals supports this stance, as Greenwald writes that after Snowden’s leaks there was no substantial change within the system; during the Obama administration, there was even an increase of criminal investigations of whistleblowers with an emergence of a “climate of fear” (Greenwald 368). Many whistleblower films assure us that in the end the system works; the good guys always win, the antagonists are punished, and laws have been passed. This is not to be accepted simply as a Hollywood convention, something that we also “already know”, but as an ideological stance, since these films are taken more seriously than films with similar messages but within other mainstream genres. Snowden shows that only individualism has the power to challenge the system, while The Fifth Estate draws the line that should not be crossed when it comes to privacy as a “universal” good because, again, “everyone has secrets”. Such representations of whistleblowing and disruption only further cement the notion that in our societies no real change is possible because it seems unnecessary. Whistleblowing as an act of revelation needs therefore to be understood as only one small step made by the individual that in the end depends on how society and the government decide to act upon it.References All the President’s Men. Dir. Alan J. Pakula. 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