CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS: The Value of Work

3rd Global Conference
The Value of Work

Sunday 1st September - Tuesday 3rd September 2013
Mansfield College, Oxford

Call for Presentations

This conference aims to bring together people from a wide range of disciplines to focus on a fundamental aspect of human life: work.

Work has pervasive influence on human life. Where we live, how we live, how we learn and how we see the world is strongly shaped by the work we do. Since the industrial revolution some of the expected benefits of the implementation of technology, and contemporary management have not been realised. 

While working hours are generally not what they were in the Industrial revolution, actual working hours for many people have not decreased in the last 10-15 years. This is because many people work more than their formally specified hours in order to meet their job requirements. A common feature of contemporary management is an ongoing expectation of 'doing more with less'. This means many people are working at an increased pace of work, and/or are working longer. 

This conference seeks to gain understanding of the nature of work and the specific nature of its impacts. It also seeks perspectives and understanding that breaks from the logic of how work is often done. In particular what are the possibilities of work that contributes to human well being, and is the idea of excellence at work? It also seeks to investigate the relationship of work to leisure and friendship.

Papers, workshops and presentations are invited on any of the following themes:
1. Understanding Work
- defining work
- understanding work.
- new definitions of work shifting contexts and the spread of work
2. Inclusive Work
- work where workers meaningfully participate in management
- achieving participative management
- preventing marginalisation and discrimination
- understanding accounting for the role/influence gender has in work
3. Healthy Work
- understanding the contribution of work to health and well being
- understanding and addressing health hazards
- understanding and addressing bullying in the workplace
- understanding the role of spirituality in healthy work
- creating a psychologically healthy workplace
4. Excellence at Work
- the idea of craftsmanship
- the spirituality and excellent work
- learning challenges and opportunities for contemporary work
- excellence and meaningful work
- how to apply ethical values in challenging work environments, such as nursing, social work, psychological, psychiatric treatment, defence and police work.
5. Portrayals of Work
- representations of work in tv, film, theatre and literature
- how may portrayals of work help to emancipate workers?
6. Friendships at Work
- understanding forms of friendship at work
- fostering a friendly work environment
- personal recognition and social capital
7. Work and Leisure
- how does work and leisure impact on each other?
- how can both work and leisure complement and enhance each other?
- what is the contribution of voluntary work?
- working in retirement
The Steering Group particularly welcomes the submission of pre-formed panel proposals. Papers will also be considered on any related theme.
What to Send:

300 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 22nd March 2013. If an abstract is accepted for the conference, a full draft paper should be submitted by Friday 21st June 2013. 300 word abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to both Organising Chairs; abstracts may be in Word, WordPerfect, or RTF formats with the following information and in this order:

a) author(s), b) affiliation, c) email address, d) title of abstract, e) body of abstract, f) up to 10 key words.
E-mails should be entitled: VOW3 Abstract Submission.
Please use plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using footnotes and any special formatting, characters or emphasis (such as bold, italics or underline). We acknowledge receipt and answer to all paper proposals submitted. If you do not receive a reply from us in a week you should assume we did not receive your proposal; it might be lost in cyberspace! We suggest, then, to look for an alternative electronic route or resend.
Organising Chairs: 

Paul James: pj@inter-disciplinary.net
Rob Fisher: vow3@inter-disciplinary.net
The conference is part of the Critical Issues programme of research projects. It aims to bring together people from different areas and interests to share ideas and explore various discussions which are innovative and exciting. All papers accepted for and presented at the conference will be eligible for publication in an ISBN eBook. Selected papers may be developed for publication in a themed hard copy volume(s).
For further details of the conference, please visit:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/ethos/the-value-of-work/call-for-papers/
Please note: Inter-Disciplinary.Net is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence.