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Teaching-only academics now constitute a significant proportion of the academic staff in UK higher education. This thesis is a three-part study in which I sought to contribute to a more indepth understanding of the teaching-only academic role. I did this through an investigation of the career trajectories, perceptions, work-related experiences and academic identity constructions of teaching-only academics working in a research-intensive institution in the UK. In the first part of the study I carried out a systematic review of the literature on teaching-only academics in the UK, Australia and Canada. In the second part of the study I investigated the virtual identity of teaching-only academics at the UK research-intensive institution. I did this by undertaking an analysis of how these teaching-only academics self-represented and projected themselves on their institutional webpages. In the third part of the study I carried out a life-history analysis of senior teaching-only academics in the engineering faculty of the case study institution. A principal finding from this thesis, which is collaborated across all the three parts of the study, is that the teaching-only academic role is a non-homogeneous role comprising individuals who come from different backgrounds, have followed different career trajectories into the role, and have different academic identities. Findings from this thesis also suggest that whilst teaching-only academics were introduced as an institutional response to the demands of the RAE/REF, the very act of creating the role has further exacerbated the separation between research and teaching, and between undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. Specifically, undergraduate teaching within the case study engineering department now tends to be the responsibility of teaching-only academics, with research-and-teaching academics increasingly focussing on research and postgraduate teaching. This separation has implications for research-led teaching, particularly in research-intensive institutions. The thesis also reveals that despite the pre-eminence of research, teaching remains important within the university, and individuals on the teaching-only academic role are able to accumulate substantial, and valued, teaching-related academic capital. This capital, in turn, is enabling them to secure and advance their positions within the same institution, and to pursue career advancement through seeking employment in other higher education institutions.

This study examined the critical competencies and challenges evidenced by women in senior leadership roles, particularly women occupying chief executive officer (CEO) roles. Their differences from other women in senior leadership is also explored. Prior studies have indicated that there is an under-representation of women in top leadership positions especially at a chief executive level (also known as the C-Suite). In this phenomenological study, I engaged with participants at a subjective level to inquire into and explore their unique feelings and considerations in order to gain a better understanding of and provide an all-inclusive perspective on the critical competencies women in such leadership roles are required to have and the challenges they experience. I explored the narratives of 23 participants who had risen to the highest levels in their career trajectories; of these participants, 14 were women (five of whom were chief executive officers) and nine were men. The information the executive women provided during the interviews was evidence of their success, efficacy and tenacity. The inclusion of male participants in this qualitative study ensured that dense and rich data could be obtained given the fact that most leadership positions in organisations are still occupied by men. My findings confirmed the findings of research scholars that women of today occupying leading positions in organisations still face the challenge of having to cope with hindrances such as stereotyping, cultural perceptions, political barriers, gender bias, work-life balance, remuneration partiality, glass ceilings and inadequate support structures. However, contrary to the existing literature, which focuses on prevailing competencies that are best suited to leadership, my research paid particular attention to competencies exclusive to women in senior leadership positions. My study also explored significant facets of competencies at chief executive level in respect of three dimensions, namely, business capability, relationships and traits. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Human Resource Management / MCom / Unrestricted

Emerging from discussions within gender, contextual embeddedness, and migration, this research addresses the issue of the labor market integration of highly educated migrant women in Sweden. The thesis seeks to broaden the understanding of the gender gap in entrepreneurship by contextualizing the decisions of starting a business, analyzing the different strategies employed by migrant women to develop their businesses as well as the role of entrepreneurship in their lives in relation to gender norms. The study uses the life course approach and methods as well as a gendered multi-context framework (Welter et al., 2014) to investigate the following research questions: 1) Under what circumstances do migrant women turn to entrepreneurship in their life course and what are the associated changes on their career? 2) How do they mobilize social ties across different spatial contexts and business stages? 3) How do migrant women make sense of entrepreneurship in relation to gendered societal norms from the country of origin and destination? The results suggest that complex temporal, spatial, social, and institutional dynamics condition the decision to start a business, and the different strategies employed. Furthermore, entrepreneurship appears as a way to challenge and overcome gender norms.

The expansion of higher education and changes in the labour markets seem to have reached a point where training for an M.Ed is affected by a number of issues traditionally raised in the context of graduate employment and work. Growing emphasis is placed on general skills and flexibility, which is briefly mentioned in this report. Labour market theory, human capital development, social capital and career development are explored in detail. Management is no longer perceived in terms of maintaining the business machine but is evolving into a motivator and leader of staff, an inspirational entity that is quintessential to the retention of highly qualified staff . This has resulted in the language of business changing, thus the „efficient company‟ has become a „learning organisation‟ (Germishuys, 2006). Therefore it is of great interest to actually conduct a case study of 11 M.Ed. graduates to track their career trajectories to see where this prestigious qualification has taken them. The researcher traces a general group of M.Ed graduates from the class of 1999 from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). The main idea of this study is to ascertain exactly what it is that the sample M.Ed graduates have accomplished in their professional lives. It was found that the colour of one‟s skin, background, contextual factors, opportunities, social networking and career aspirations have played a pivotal role in the career progression of the M.Ed. graduates.

Using a qualitative, gender-sensitive approach, this particular case study explores the narratives of a group of white, Afrikaans-speaking, women employed in the financial sector of Gauteng. All of the participants were managers on various levels of the management hierarchy at the time of the interviews. I have chosen various feminist approaches to frame my study. These include standpoint feminism, intersectionality and moral feminism. Furthermore, I have incorporated theories around socialisation and the interpretive social science approach. Based on semi-structured interviews this study has aimed to explore women's experiences regarding their political context and their socialisation process and how this affects their career choices and ideals on how to 'balance' work and home life. In terms of career life, this study has attempted to illustrate some of the obstacles that women face when it comes to being promoted, but it has also looked at the positive elements of being a so-called 'career woman'. It has further attempted to show how women exude agency when they attempt to challenge out-dated but present patriarchal norms and values. This study has attempted to show how working women try to manage spending the little free time they have with family and their children and how most of them still have to assume the bulk of the home responsibilities. This particular group's position is fairly ambiguous within contemporary South African society, since they have been known to have enjoyed certain privileges in the past relative to other groups, but they have also suffered and still suffer gender discrimination and gender inequality under patriarchy. Recently some have come to question whether white women should also benefit from Affirmative Action policies. This is not an easy question to answer since it has been widely acknowledged that women experienced discrimination and gender inequality during the apartheid era differently (Kongolo&Bojuwoye 2006: 364). Thus, it is important to understand their accounts of the past, as well as, the future. AFRIKAANS : Hierdie studie volg ʼn kwalitatiewe, gender-sensitiewe benadering wat die narratiewe ondersoek van ʼn geselekteerde groep wit, Afrikaans-sprekende vrouens wat tans aangestel is in die finansiële sektor van Gauteng. Al die deelnemers was aangestel as bestuurders op verskeie vlakke van die bestuurshiërargie. Ek het verskeie feministiese benaderings gebruik om my studie te raam, naamlik, standpunt feminisme, interseksionaliteit en morele feminisme. Verder het ek ook teorieë rondom sosialisering en die interpretatiewe sosiale wetenskap benadering, gebruik. Hierdie studie is gebaseer op semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude wat poog om vrouens se ervarings rondom hulle politieke konteks en hul sosialiseringsproses te ondersoek. Dit poog verder om te sien hoe die bogenoemde aspekte die deelnemers se keuses rondom loopbane en ideale beinvloed, veral ten opsigte van hoe hulle hul werk en huislewe 'balanseer'. Met betrekking tot loopbane, kyk hierdie studie na die potensiële struikelblokke wat kan voorkom in terme van verhogings en ander moontlikhede, maar ek ondersoek ook die positiewe elemente wat voorkom as mens ʼn loopbaan-gedrewe vrou is. Verder word daar gekyk na hoe vroue hul agentskap bewys wanneer hulle poog om argaïese, patriargale norme en waardes uit te daag in die werksomgewing asook die huishouding. Hierdie studie bestudeer hoe werkende vroue probeer om die beperkte tyd wat hulle het, te spandeer met hulle gesinne en kinders maar ook hoe hulle nog steeds die meerderheid van die huishoudelike take moet verrig. Hierdie spesifieke groep se posisie is dubbelsinnig in die kontemporêre Suid Afrikaanse konteks, want in die verlede het hulle sekere voordele bo ander groepe geniet, maar hulle het ook onderdrukking ondervind, en hulle ondervind dit steeds ten opsigte van patriargie. Onlangs was daar bevraagteken of wit vroue ook voordeel moet trek uit regstellende aksie wetgewing. Dit is nie ʼn maklike vraag om te beantwoord nie, maar dit is alombekend dat die meerderheid Suid Afrikaanse, vrouens diskriminasie en gender ongelykheid ervaar het tydens die apartheid era, al was hierdie ervarings verskillend (Kongolo&Bojuwoye 2006: 364). Dus, is dit belangrik om die perspektiewe oor die verlede en die toekoms in ag te neem wanneer daar gepoog word om huidige besluite te verstaan. Copyright / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Sociology / unrestricted

Cette recherche s’inscrit dans le cadre de travaux en ergonomie cognitive et s’intéresse à l’entrée dans le métier d’enseignants néo-titulaires du second degré en contexte d’éducation prioritaire. En mobilisant la théorie sémio-logique du cours d’action (Theureau, 2004), elle s’attache à décrire la dynamique de construction de leur activité professionnelle à travers une variété de contextes (en classe et hors classe). L’étude a été menée durant une année scolaire en collaboration avec cinq enseignants néo-titulaires de quatre disciplines scolaires exerçant au sein d’un collège d’éducation prioritaire de l’académie de Créteil. Plusieurs catégories de données ont été recueillies en fonction des contextes: a) des données d'enregistrements audio et vidéo de leur activité en classe, b) des données d'autoconfrontation sur la base de ces enregistrements, c) des données relatives à l'écriture d'un journal de bord, d) des données d'entretiens de remise en situation sur la base de ces traces écrites. L’analyse des contenus de signification mobilisés par les enseignants a permis d’accéder à la compréhension de leur activité située et de repérer quelques traits de leurs « mondes propres » évoluant au cours du temps (révélant leurs préoccupations, leurs attentes, leurs connaissances, leurs émotions). Les résultats révèlent comment l’activité professionnelle des enseignants se construit de manière fluctuante selon des phases alternatives de confort / inconfort, de stabilité et d’instabilité, d’économie de soi et de recherche d’une plus grande efficience dans l’exercice de leur métier. Les changements de relation dynamique avec leurs propres situations scolaires se traduisent par la construction d’équilibres provisoires et transitoires et par des conversions importantes dans leurs façons de percevoir et d’appréhender les évènements face à divers contextes professionnels. Les modélisations synthétiques des trajectoires professionnelles des enseignants montrent ainsi de nombreuses oscillations dans le processus d’acculturation professionnelle. / This study is concerned with the field of cognitive ergonomics and looks at teacher career initiation in the context of priority education: activities, experiences and career trajectories. Drawing on the semio-logical framework for the analysis of course of experience (Theureau, 2004), this study seeks to describe the dynamics of professional engagement in a variety of contexts (in an out of the classroom).The study was carried out over one school year with five beginner teachers from four subject areas in a priority education secondary school in the Créteil local authority. Different types of data were collected and analyzed: a) audio and video recordings of classroom activity, b) self-confrontation data pertaining to these recordings, c) data from reflective logs, d) data from interviews re-assessing situations pertaining to the information from logs. The analysis of key content mobilized by the teachers led to an understanding of their situated activity and enabled the identification of features relating to their “own worlds” progressing over time (concerning their concerns, their expectations, their knowledge, their emotions). Results show how the professional activity of the teachers is built up in various stages according to alternate phases of ease / difficulty, stability and instability, self-preservation and a quest for greater efficiency in their professional activities. Dynamic changes in the relations with their own classroom situations are reflected in the construction of temporary and transitory moments of stability and in marked changes in their ways of perceiving and apprehending events in different professional contexts. Synthetic modeling of the teachers’ career trajectories shows a number of fluctuations in the process of professional acculturation.