This study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence (EQ) and transformational leadership in the context of a UK-based retailing organisation and examines whether a relationship exists between store manager performance and EQ profiles. It identifies a discrepancy between the organisation's idealized leader success criteria and the average profiles derived from its current cohort of store managers. The results show a strong connection between the theory of EQ and transformational leadership: however, differences between the idealised and actual EQ scores were mainly located in transactional capabilities. The study also questions the requirement for transformational leader qualities at all stages of an organisation's life cycle.

PurposeThis study contributes towards increased understanding of the perceived value of extracurricular enterprise activities from an entrepreneurial learning perspective. Past decades have witnessed a global increase in the provision of enterprise and entrepreneurship education alongside a growing suite of extracurricular enterprise activities. However, there is a paucity of research examining how entrepreneurial learning might be understood in the context of these activities.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on an empirical study of student and educator participants across 24 United Kingdom (UK) universities using semi-structured surveys and in-depth interviews. Three main learning theories drawn from the entrepreneurial learning literature: experiential, social and self-directed learning provided a conceptual framework to frame the research phenomenon.FindingsFindings posit that extracurricular enterprise activities provide perceived value in the experiential and social learning opportunities afforded for students. However, these activities are restricted in enabling the experiential learning cycle to be completed due to limited reflection opportunities. Positioning these extracurricular activities outside the main curriculum also empowers participants to self-direct aspects of their learning and develop their autonomous learning capabilities.Originality/valueThe existing literature focusses upon the entrepreneurial learning processes of established entrepreneurs rather than latent and nascent entrepreneurs within a higher education (HE) setting. The limited literature examining HE entrepreneurial learning does so by concentrating upon entrepreneurial learning resulting from in-curricular activities. This study offers novel insights into students’ entrepreneurial learning processes, highlighting the importance of experiential, social and self-directed learning opportunities to the entrepreneurial learning process and the perceived value of extracurricular activities as a platform for these types of learning.

In recent years the UK National Health Service (NHS) has been characterised by radical and continuous change at every level. Within the literature, and the NHS itself, it is argued that successfully changing such an organisation requires the sustained commitment, trust and goodwill of staff. As part of developing and maintaining mutual trust and commitment it is widely argued that employers must meet the employee expectations which form part of the psychological contract, an important element of which, Armstrong (1999) argues, is being able to trust in management to keep their promises. Within this paper we argue that policies can be seen as a visible manifestation of management promises and present the Improving Working Lives (IWL) policy within the NHS as an example of one such 'promise' that has been made to staff in relation to areas which are important to them at a personal level. Using an anonymous questionnaire that explored areas central to IWL, data was collected from staff in five Primary Care Trusts within one Strategic Heath Authority in relation to their experiences and awareness of what was being done to address these issues. The research found that although the IWL Standard makes very public promises about work-life balance, harassment, equality and the valuing of staff, at best these have only been partially delivered.3

No abstract

No abstract