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The purpose of this paper is to introduce the topic and review the contributions of the special issue papers on cross-sector dialogue for sustainability. The paper also presents avenues for further research.

The paper is based on a review of the current literature on cross-sector partnership and dialogue. It explores the current issues in cross-sector partnerships through a discussion of the papers accepted for the special issue, their focus, findings and key contributions.

It highlights three main key research themes and learnings from the special issue papers: a high level of “hybridity” of collaboration forms, which involve important tensions; a need to understand partnership in its context and the importance of the individual level in cross-sector collaboration.

The authors call for attention to be paid to two forms of myopia: a tendency to view partnerships primarily from a resource-based view (without much attempt to measure societal impact) and a reluctance to be explicitly critical (despite empirical evidence of some suboptimal aspects of partnerships).

The authors call for researchers to move away from a resource-based approach to one that is situated in exploring the value derived from partnerships in the broader societal context. The authors suggest some avenues for further research to move the discussion beyond the partnership imperative.

The paper outlines the need to critically revisit the very essence of what real partnership means and whether dialogue is really taking place.

The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of how identification process is associated with development of organizational commitment.

A mixed-method approach incorporating surveys and interviews was employed. Data were obtained from a manufacturing organization in Australia. A clustering method was employed to identify commitment profiles. Respondents belonging to the clusters representing commitment profiles associated with desirable organizational outcomes were identified for the qualitative stage of the research.

The results showed that both organizational identity and professional/occupational identity are positively linked to the development of organizational commitment. An in-depth analysis of the qualitative data demonstrated that engagement of personal/individual level of self in identification process enhances the development of organizational commitment.

The findings suggest that human resource managers can build an effective identification process by strengthening feelings of organizational identity and creating a positive organizational image.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to employ a mixed-method approach to explore the relationship between organizational commitment and identification process. A mixed-method approach, on the one hand, enabled us to build on the existing objectivist commitment literature and explore commitment profiles, and on the other hand, it allowed us to provide a more complete and contextual portrayal of organizational commitment and identification process through qualitative interpretive strategies.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that influence police officers’ decision making when dealing with young women considered violent.

Semi-structured interviews were carried out with frontline police officers in Scotland on their experiences of responding to incidents where young women displayed violence.

The police officers clearly distinguished encounters with women using violence from those with young men, portraying young women as irrational, unpredictable and uncontrollable. The research found that while gender alone was not a determining factor for arrest, police officers did stereotype young women according to gender norms and these norms could have a bearing on decision making. The findings show that police officers prefer to respond to situations with male perpetrators due to their own difficulties effectively communicating with young women, who are often under the influence of alcohol.

The research indicates that police officers, regardless of their gender, have difficulties handling violent incidents that involve young women. This provides scope for further analysis of police training to ascertain whether sufficient guidance is provided to fully equip police officers when faced with aggressive young women. This study focused on police officers’ own views and experiences but future research could consider a more ethnographic approach to observe police decision making in practice to determine whether the stereotypes portrayed were a true reflection of their experiences.

This is one of only a very few studies that has explored the relation between gender and arrest decision making. It enhances the understanding of how young women come to be arrested and indicates how police officers are currently ill equipped to effectively respond to young women considered violent.

Effective change management is important for organizational development, but without knowing what features of change situations impact on employee behavior it is difficult to manage change successfully. Considering the changing age demographic of the Australian workforce and the shortage of skilled labor, the purpose of this study is to examine the important age group of young professionals and its perceptions toward organizational change.

Based on Lazarus and Folkman's cognitive phenomenological model of stress and coping, a framework of change perceptions was used to analyze young professionals' experience of change. A confirmatory factor analysis has been conducted surveying a sample of 261 young professionals from a diverse set of Australian organizations.

The analysis found that frequency of change and planning for change are significantly related to uncertainty, and in turn, that uncertainty is significantly related to job satisfaction and behavioral stress. Interestingly, it was found that although frequency of change is positively related to uncertainty, it is also positively related to job satisfaction. Findings indicate which features of change situations are related to poor well‐being outcomes and are therefore important for managers implementing change and working with young professionals.

The present study clarifies the relationship between young professionals and their perceptions of change. Practical implications of the findings for managers are discussed. Some recommendations for future research are provided.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Young people don’t have the respect or allegiance towards their employers that we had in our day. So say plenty of not-so-young people who experienced a far different jobs market than their children or grandchildren encounter. All this chopping and changing. Where’s the loyalty? It was different in my day, they point out.

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to digest format.

Purpose – This chapter introduces this book’s topics, purpose, and key themes. It summarizes the purpose of the book which is to explore through both descriptive and conceptual means the use of power by institutional investors in bringing about changes to corporate behavior, so that corporations engage in improved environmental, social, and governance actions.

Methodology/approach – This chapter reviews literature and chapters and offers conceptual development.

Findings – The forces driving the actions of institutional investors are different from many other shareholders being determined by a unique set of costs, benefits, and objectives. As such three general categories of institutional elements constrain and guide this behavior: regulative elements which include constitutions, laws, and property rights; normative elements which include informal norms, values, and codes of conduct; and cultural-cognitive elements which include shared beliefs, identities, and mental models. It highlights the role of regulation and “soft” law, the impact of values and customs, and the way sense-making and cognition impacts on decisions and actions.

Practical/social implications – The chapter highlights the interplay between hard and soft law in progressing the agenda. It seems that hard law is a hygiene factor forming the base on which initial gains can be made in the application of institutional shareholder power. Moreover, the use of soft law such as the Global Reporting Initiative and the newly founded Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, institutional investors can gain improved disclosure of sustainability performance to incorporate into their investment decisions. Moreover, it highlights the gaps in the use of the power that exists. The movement is still emerging with the focus on corporate governance and environmental considerations primarily. There are still improvements to be made for institutional investors in the social aspects of the responsibility agenda as well in pushing companies to be more transparent, improve reporting, and engage in more long-term decision-making.

Originality/value – The chapter contributes to the debate on governance convergence between liberal market economies (LMEs) and coordinated market economies (CMEs). It is important to look beyond national characteristics alone and demonstrate that organizations, even though they are impacted by institutions, are not necessarily passive acceptors of their fate. Hence this chapter highlights that in expanding from a dyadic approach comparing LMEs and CMEs, the strategic choice of decision-makers, the power of the actors, and the processes used by institutional investors in changing corporate behavior are important considerations.

Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to explore the role and influence of Australian institutional investors in Australian company decision-making and performance; and in particular their role in monitoring companies’ ESG performance.

Approach – The research uses interviews of a range of key executives in Australian companies and other bodies. Interviews were conducted in 2007–2008, 2009, and 2010 totaling 18 in number.

Findings – The data finds that institutional investors priortise engagement rather than exiting the market and this engagement tends to occur through discussion, behind-the-scenes, and covertly. This engagement is primarily focused on governance issues such as succession planning and remuneration, secondly on environmental considerations and thirdly on occupational, health, and safety (O, H, & S). There is evidence of engagement with supply chain issues which signals the importance of social risks becoming more important.

Research implications – From this work further research is highlighted, namely to conduct through qualitative methods a broader survey of the range of Australian institutional investors and companies to investigate the range of factors that investors take into account, their methods of engagement and the effect on company decision-making and ESG performance.

Value – The chapter concludes that the power of institutional investors is recognized and the evidence presented here points to scope for investors through their fund managers and their own actions to be more active and in the future to use their power in a more transparent manner.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of how service learning pedagogy assists in student and organizational learning.

The authors use case study reflection and ethnography approaches.

The key to the success of the internship was time spent on relationship building between the parties, clear documentation of roles and responsibilities, the selection and matching process and open communication between all parties. Using Mezirow’s (1991) transformational learning approach, and Kolb’s (1984) learning framework, it demonstrates an example of perspective transformation where the “unfamiliar” helps participants to question the “familiar”; through embedding learning in relation to culture, values, ownership and identity. Service learning relies on collaborative pedagogy where reflection and relationships with community and educators provide a platform to test students’ values and moral reasoning and build community cultural understanding.

The paper includes a single case study and autoethnographic research methodology only.

Community-learning activities supplement the course content and embeds learning, broadening the students’ experiences, providing them with an understanding of context, and dealing with complexity to question their own cultural values. In practical terms it provides students with different career opportunities such as in the not-for-profit sector or in advocacy work. Service learning pedagogy enhances graduate capabilities, across many areas including problem solving, values development and community engagement and thinking of the other.

The paper reports on and analyses the learning of a service learning internship between a business school and an Indigenous organization. The paper uses a reflection methodology and is written by the University internship co-ordinator (teacher) and an international student intern, whilst drawing on reflections of the Indigenous leader of the not-for-profit organization.