The employability skills of graduates and employers’ options in Portugal

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (9) ◽  
pp. 1097-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fátima Suleman ◽  
Ana Maria Costa Laranjeiro
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Shared Responsibility ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Remedial Strategies

Purpose Available literature overlooks the factors that affect employers’ opinions of the skills graduates bring to the labour market. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the perception of graduates’ skills and the employers’ anticipative and remedial strategies. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative multiple case study is used and data were gathered from interviews with human resource managers in ten firms in Portugal. The data set includes information on perceptions of graduates’ skills, solutions for the acquisition of skills, hiring and training policies, and practices associated with university–industry linkages. Findings Almost all the employers sampled are unsatisfied with graduates’ preparation in soft skills and other personal traits. Some report skill shortages and gaps in technical skills that result in training costs. The perception of technical skills varies according to anticipative and remedial strategies. Research limitations/implications This is an explorative study with a very small sample of firms. However, it is a first step towards further research into whether the perception of graduates’ skills is affected by anticipative and remedial strategies implemented by firms within a particular human resource development system. Practical implications It is argued that the responsibility for graduates’ employability should be shared. Practitioners should learn how to interact with higher education, researchers should profit from insights into typologies of employers’ strategies on skill formation, and policy makers should understand that employers are heterogeneous and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Social implications Universities, employers and policy makers should understand that the employability of graduates presupposes shared responsibility. Originality/value The relationship between the strategies employers adopt to access skills and their perception of graduates’ skills is a quite underexplored topic.

The impact of a learning organization on performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoungshin Kim ◽  
Karen E. Watkins ◽  
Zhenqiu (Laura) Lu
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Learning Organization ◽  
Resource Development ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among a learning organization, knowledge and financial performance using the Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire and its abbreviated version. Design/methodology/approach This study used a secondary data set and performed second-order factor analysis and structural equation modeling for testing the proposed relationships. Findings The study found that a learning organization has a positive effect on knowledge performance; knowledge performance has a positive effect on financial performance; and knowledge performance fully mediates the relationship between a learning organization and financial performance. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to validating the current dimensionality of the theoretical framework of a learning organization proposed by Watkins and Marsick (1993, 1996) and offers a valid conceptual framework of the relationship among the learning culture and organizational performance dimensions. Practical implications This study re-stresses the significance of the learning and knowledge generated by the human resources of an organization and developed by human resource development practitioners. Originality/value This study is valuable to human resource development scholars and practitioners interested in improving and measuring organizational performance.

Global HRM standards as boundary objects: a device to enhance legitimacy and status

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 1089-1103
Author(s):  
Ylva Ulfsdotter Eriksson
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Standards ◽  
Specific Occupation ◽  
The Given ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Legitimacy Status ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose In 2016, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) introduced new standards for human resource management (HRM). The purpose of this paper is to describe and explain the significance that human resource (HR) professionals attribute to global HRM standards, what outcomes they envisage for the profession and organizations, and what influences engagement in the standardization project. Design/methodology/approach The analyses interpret the relationship between standards, professions, and organizations by combining theories of professions with concepts from institutional theory. The study is ethnographic and consists of observations of meetings and interviews with eight participants from the Swedish committee participating in the ISO project. Findings HR professionals consider HRM standards positive for the profession’s legitimacy, status, and development, which are also considered beneficial for organizations. However, difficulties in recruiting participants and organizations to the standardization project may prevent positive exchanges for the profession, and point to a weak interest in HRM issues from the HR professionals themselves. Research limitations/implications The generalizability of the results is somewhat limited due to the small sample size. Nevertheless, the study provides insights into how HR professionals reason about their profession and professionalization. Practical implications Gaining insights into the forthcoming global standards for HRM is important for HR professionals. These standards may be implemented in organizations worldwide and affect how HRM is conducted, and therefore also have a profound effect on the profession. Originality/value The ISO’s targeting of a specific occupation is unique. The paper contributes with the knowledge on how professionals relates to standardization of the given field.

Social and ethical practices and firm value: the moderating effect of green innovation: evidence from international ESG data

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salim Chouaibi ◽  
Jamel Chouaibi
Keyword(s):  
Firm Value ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Market Valuation ◽  
Green Innovation ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Ethical Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dynamic Dimension ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to examine the potential effect of integrating social and ethical practices into strategy on the market valuation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) businesses using the moderating effect of green innovation. Design/methodology/approach The sample used consisted of 523 international firms listed on the ESG index and headquartered in North America and Western Europe, forming an unbalanced panel of 7,845 observations spanning the period 2005–2019. The authors run a fixed-effects panel regression model using the Thomson Reuters ASSET4 to test the relationship between societal and ethical practices and the stock market value creation. Similarly, as an extension of the research, this paper exploits two robustness analyzes. The authors tested the dynamic dimension of the data set through the generalized moment method and the effect of the legal system. Findings Evidence reveals a significant positive relationship between societal and ethical practices and businesses’ market valuation. The empirical results indicate that societal and ethical strengths increase firm value with the moderating effect of green innovation and weaknesses reduce it. The results found with the dynamic dimension of the data set indicate the existence of continuity between firm values over time. Research limitations/implications Given the long study period, many firms with missing data were eliminated. To avoid the small sample size, countries with few observations were included, which led to an uneven distribution between observations per country. Practical implications Findings from this paper can help ESG firms to consider their future growth opportunities in a context where the approach of business ethics occupies a central position in business valuation. Originality/value This study is the only study that provides ESG companies with seven different nationalities with evidence for the effect of social and ethical practices regarding market valuation. This paper is also relevant as it addresses the relationship between social effectiveness and financial efficiency, as well as the dynamic effect of this relationship.

Human resource development (HRD) practices and banking industry effectiveness

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 250-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Nana Kweku Otoo
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Organizational Effectiveness ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Banking Industry ◽  
Resource Development ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Employee Competencies ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of employee competencies in the relationship between human resource development (HRD) practices and organizational effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach An integrated research model was developed by combining principal factors from existing literature. Data were collected through questionnaire from 550 employees of the selected banks. The validity of the model and hypotheses was tested using structural equation modeling. The reliability and validity of the dimensions are established through confirmatory factor analysis. Findings The results indicate that some HRD practices impact organizational effectiveness through their influence on employee competencies. The study further revealed that employee competencies mediate the relationship between HRD practices and organizational effectiveness. Research limitations/implications The research was undertaken in the banking industry and the analysis based on cross-sectional data which cannot be generalized across a broader range of sectors. Practical implications The findings of the study will help policymakers and management of banks in espousing suitable and well-articulated HRD practices to harness the competencies of employees and inordinately enhance organizational effectiveness. Originality/value This study extends the literature by empirically adducing evidence that employee competencies mediated the relationship between HRD practices and organizational effectiveness of the banking industry in Ghana.

When and how country reputation stimulates export volume

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boryana V. Dimitrova ◽  
Daniel Korschun ◽  
Yoto V. Yotov
Keyword(s):  
International Trade ◽  
Gravity Model ◽  
Business Leaders ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Reputation ◽  
Export Volume ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between bilateral country reputation and export volume to the country in which that reputation is held. Design/methodology/approach The unique bilateral data set consists of 861 country pairs. Country reputation measures are from a global survey, in which respondents in 20 countries rate the reputation for products and people of 50 other countries. This data set is then analyzed against actual export data for each country-pair using the well-established structural gravity model of international trade. Findings The authors find that each improvement in a world ranking of a country’s reputation for products (in a target country) is associated with a 2 percent increase in exports to that particular country; the effect is equivalent to the importing country decreasing a tariff by as much as 2.9 percent. Furthermore, the authors find that different aspects of country reputation – for its products and its people – attenuate distinct forms of uncertainty, and thereby stimulate export volume in distinct ways. Research limitations/implications This study shows that the relationship between country reputation and export volume is a substantive and empirically valid topic of study. For public policy makers looking to stimulate exports to a specific country, improving their respective country’s reputation in that country appears to be a viable alternative to other levers (e.g. trade negotiations, free trade agreements). For business leaders at international companies, the findings suggest that companies may consider country reputation as a factor when choosing to which countries they wish to expand. Originality/value The notion that country reputation can contribute to aggregate export volume has intuitive appeal. Yet, aside from research on country-of-origin effects which has concentrated on the individual consumer level, the notion of country reputation contributing to aggregate effects has so far been based mostly on conjecture and anecdotal evidence. This is the only study to the authors’ knowledge that empirically tests this relationship using a bilateral measure of reputation as a determinant of export volume within one of the most successful empirical frameworks, the structural gravity model of international trade. The findings suggest that for many countries, their reputation may contribute to billions of dollars in export volume.

Taking your company global: the effect of returnee managers on overseas customers

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunhao Dai
Keyword(s):  
Data Set ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Doing Business ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
Individualistic Culture ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the effect of returnee managers on Chinese firms’ performances at overseas markets.Design/methodology/approachBy hand collecting two data set containing managers’ foreign experiences and firms’ principal customers, this study empirically examines the relationship between returnee managers and overseas customers.FindingsThe author shows that firms with returnee managers: have higher probability of gaining overseas customers and proportion of overseas sales; and are more likely to conduct international M&A, adopt international Big 4 auditors and list overseas. In addition, returnee executives who came back from individualistic culture with overseas working experience, when entering the overseas market where they have experienced, are more effectively in helping firms to perform well.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings in this study suggest that firms with returnee managers are better able to develop relationships with overseas customers and expand overseas markets than those firms without returnee managers.Practical implicationsFor policy makers, this study justifies government policies that aim to attract and encourage more returnees to come back. Furthermore, the author shows that returnees with different foreign experiences, national culture of different countries, whether doing business with their familiar foreign country, and their positions in current organizations have different effects on overseas customers. Firms can utilize all these information to choose the “right” returnees to increase their success in overseas markets.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to examine the role of returnee managers in an emerging economy on firm’s probability of gaining overseas customers and expanding overseas sales.

The effect of actual workplace learning on job satisfaction and organizational commitment

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 481-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geunpil Ryu ◽  
Seong-Gin Moon
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Work Attitudes ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Programs

Purpose This study aims to examine the effect of workplace learning experience and intrinsic learning motive on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. In addition, the study examined the moderating effect of intrinsic learning motives on the relationship between learning experience and job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Design/methodology/approach The current research used the Human Capital Corporate Panel survey data set, which aimed to explore how human resource development practices influence corporate performance. In all, 10,003 samples from 441 companies were used for data analysis. Findings Results indicate that taking part in workplace learning programs positively affects job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Likewise, intrinsic learning motives are also positively related to work attitudes. However, no interaction effect between the intrinsic learning motive and the learning experience was found, which may imply that an autonomous extrinsic learning motive is a better predictor for explaining job satisfaction than is a purely intrinsic learning motive within an organizational context. Originality/value Little research has examined the actual effect of workplace learning programs on employees’ attitudes regarding job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Furthermore, to the authors’ knowledge, no research has examined the moderating effect of intrinsic learning motive with workplace learning experience on employees’ positive work attitudes.

When do job insecure employees adapt to change?

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristi N. Lavigne ◽  
Victoria L. Whitaker ◽  
Dustin K. Jundt ◽  
Mindy K. Shoss
Keyword(s):  
Job Insecurity ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Adaptive Performance ◽  
Work Behaviors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Tasks ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between job insecurity and adaptive performance (AP), contingent on changes to core work tasks, which we position as a situational cue to employees regarding important work behaviors. Design/methodology/approach Employees and their supervisors were invited to participate in the study. Supervisors were asked to provide ratings of employees’ AP and changes to core tasks; employees reported on job insecurity. Findings As predicted, changes to core tasks moderated the relationship between job insecurity and AP. Job insecurity was negatively related to AP for those experiencing low levels of change, but was not related to AP for those experiencing high levels of change. Counter to expectations, no main effect of job insecurity was found. Research limitations/implications This study employed a fairly small sample of workers from two organizations, which could limit generalizability. Practical implications The study identifies changes to core tasks as a boundary condition for the job insecurity–AP relationship. Findings suggest that organizations may not observe deleterious consequences of job insecurity on AP when changes to core tasks are high. Originality/value Few researchers have examined boundary conditions of the impact of job insecurity on AP. Furthermore, inconsistent findings regarding the link between job insecurity and AP have emerged. This study fills the gap and expands upon previous research by examining changes to core tasks as a condition under which job insecurity does not pose an issue for AP.

Improving new product development performance by risk management

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 418-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehran Salavati ◽  
Milad Tuyserkani ◽  
Seyyede Anahita Mousavi ◽  
Nafiseh Falahi ◽  
Farshid Abdi
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Product Development ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
New Product ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Total Performance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Npd Performance

Purpose The principal aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between technological, marketing, organizational and commercialization risk management on new product development (NPD) performance. Design/methodology/approach Based on questionnaire, the data were collected from a sample of general automotive industry in Iran. Based on theoretical considerations, a model was proposed and descriptive statistic and hierarchical regression were used to measure the relationship between risk management factors and NPD performance. Findings Data analysis revealed that if organization can amplify their knowledge and information about risk and main factors that affect NPD process, not only can they do their work better but can also increase their ability to predict future happenings that affect performance. Research limitations/implications First, due to the relatively small sample size, caution should be exercised when interpreting the results. Second, the data were collected from automotive producer in Iran, which may restrict to some extent generalizability of the findings. Practical implications The results suggest that managers should consider more attention to risk management. If managers spread the risk management in all aspects of the NPD project, total performance will be increased and it can develop the probability of NPD success. Also organizations should perform great market research due to best commercialization. Originality/value Past researches have presented complete information about NPD process. But identifying and considering the effect of the risk management parameters that are connected to the NPD process were the main thrusts to perform the study. In this paper, based on past research about risk management of NPD, the extra aspect of process that can improve total performance of NPD has been examined.

A GM(1,N)-based economic cybernetics model for the high-tech industries in China

Kybernetes ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 672-685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng-Xin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Differential Equation ◽  
Patent Application ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Total Output ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fixed Assets ◽  
Grey Differential Equation ◽  
Medical Equipments

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose an economic cybernetics model based on the grey differential equation GM(1,N) for China's high-tech industries and provide the necessary support to assist high-tech industries management departments with their policy making. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the principle of grey differential equation GM(1,N), the grey differential equations of five high-tech industries in China are established using the net fixed assets, labor quantity and patent application quantity as cybernetics variables. After the discretization and first-order subtraction reduction to the simultaneous equation of the five grey models, a linear cybernetics model is resulted in. The structure parameters in the cybernetics system show explicit economic significance and can be identified through least square principle. At last, the actual data in 2004-2010 are introduced to empirically analyze the high-tech industrial system in China. Findings – The cybernetics system for China's high-tech industries are stable, observable, and controllable. On the whole, China's high-tech industries show higher output coefficients of the patent application quantity than those of net fixed assets and labor quantity. This suggests that China's industry development mainly depends on technological innovation rather than capital or labor inputs. It is expected that the total output value of China's high-tech industries will grow at an average annual rate of 15 percent in 2011-2015, with contributions of pharmaceuticals, aircraft and spacecraft, electronic and telecommunication equipments, computers and office equipments, medical equipments and meters by 21, 16, 13, 10, and 28 percent, respectively. In addition, pharmaceuticals, as well as medical equipments and meters, present upward proportions in the gross of Chinese high-tech industries significantly. Electronic and telecommunication equipments, plus computers and office equipments exhibit an obvious decreasing proportion. The proportion of the output value of aircraft and spacecraft is basically stable. Practical implications – Empirical analysis results are helpful for related management departments to formulate reasonable industrial policies to keep the sustained and stable development of the high-tech industries in China. Originality/value – Based on the grey differential equation GM(1,N), this research puts forward an economic cybernetics model for the high-tech industries in China. This model is applicable to the economic system with small sample data set.

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