Issue 581 (March 2009) - Office of Marketing and Communications

RIGHT RECIPEThey’re among the mostneeded workers in Australia,and now UQ research hasuncovered why chefs maybe so difficult to recruitand retain.In a recent report,“Employing Chefs inQueensland”, School ofTourism researchers DrCharles Arcodia and MrRichard Robinson suggestthe content and listing ofjob vacancy ads may needgreater attention.“Job vacancies that articulate moreappropriately the skills and attributes which aredeemed essential in the various roles in cookeryand list employer and industry benefits may havea greater capacity to attract the right candidate,”Dr Arcodia said.Preliminary findings also show the terms “chef”and “cook” have been used interchangeably andthat different employment statuses such as “fulltime”and “permanent full-time” are confusing.“Developing standardised terminology acrossthe hospitality industry may clarify the differentjob titles and employment status leading to moreefficient and effective job matching which couldreduce turnover,” Mr Robinson said.The authors also suggest that jobadvertisements provide a wealth of informationwhich is rarely used in academic circles.“Job advertisements are an under-utilised datasource as they are current and available to thepublic,” Dr Arcodia said.“Rich insights can often be gained fromadvertisements given the occupational,organisational, industry and societal artefacts theycontain.”REPORTING UNDER FIREVictoria’s fire grounds have been the site of amassive relief effort, and a UQ journalism experthas done his bit to help.Bruce Redman (pictured centre) from theSchool of Journalism and Communication wascalled in by The Salvation Army to help managethe hundreds of journalists who descended onthe disaster site, and to assist in recording themassive relief effort.“I was moved by the enormity of theSTOCK.XCHNGROMANCE IN THE AIRA UQ academic has shared her passionfor romance fiction at a recent event inMelbourne.Dr Toni Johnson-Woods was invited todiscuss her research into 1950s romanceat the inaugural Australian RomanceReaders Convention last month.Dr Johnson-Woods was one of twoQueensland academics asked to attendthe event to discuss genres and trendswithin Australian romance fiction, alongsidereaders, authors and publishers.“Romance is the most neglected of allpopular fiction genres,” she said.“To date, academic research hastended to focus on readership and largelyAmerican romances – my focus is postWorld War II Australian romances.“Overseas books were banned andso local companies suddenly foundthemselves with a golden publishingopportunity.”The research forms part of anAustralian Research Council project titled“Australia's Forgotten Culture”.devastation and how quickly organisations likethe Salvos had responded to the needs of thethousands of survivors,” Mr Redman said.“I recorded interviews with workers, survivorsand media. Everyone concerned was numb withthe shock of so many lives lost and a feeling ofhelplessness.“On the upside, people were buoyed by therenewed sense of community. It was a privilege tobe involved in such a sad yet significant event inAustralia’s history.”Mr Redman appears regularly on ABC LocalRadio as a film and television reviewer, and whilein the firefields was asked to contribute a numberof live reports via mobile phone.Mr Redman will present his experiences as acase study to students later this semester.STOCK.XCHNGFACTS +FIGURES146 – number of inauguralUQ Excellence scholars whoreceived their awards at a specialceremony on February 22. More than200 further students were awardedUQ Merit Scholarships, also in theirfirst year.60,000votes cast in the UniJobs 2008Lecturer of the Year award, whichwas won by UQ Associate ProfessorJulie Walker. Dr Walker, who teachesaccounting, edged out 2,500colleagues from across the country.1200 attendeesat the launch of Margaret Olley:Life’s journey at the University ofQueensland Art Museum last month.The exhibition was opened byGovernor-General Dr Quentin Bryce,AC, and runs until April 19.36 teams participating inthe Rotman International TradingCompetition in Canada, where UQplaced third in the challenging salesand trading division.9 million– cost of refurbishments to the UQHeron Island Research Station offGladstone, which was officiallyreopened last month after a fire in2007. The facility is one of the oldestand most advanced marine researchstations in the world.STEWART GOULDUQNEWS, MARCH 2009 ➔ 5BRUCE REDMAN