Do employability skills for business graduates meet the employers’ expectations? The case of retail Islamic banks of Bahrain

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor Al-Shehab ◽  
Mukhtar AL-Hashimi ◽  
Araby Madbouly ◽  
Sameh Reyad ◽  
Allam Hamdan
Keyword(s):  
Business Students ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Employability Skills ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Self Administration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Graduates ◽  
Innovative Methods ◽  
Strategic Plans

PurposeManagers claim that fresh graduates are unequipped to meet market demands. The aim of this study is to investigate the perception of employers in retail Islamic banks of Bahrain on newly graduated business students. The Singaporean Model of Employability Skills was implemented, to ascertain the mean ratings of employability skills in terms of their importance and the competency of business graduates.Design/methodology/approachThis deductive research approach initiated with a literature review that identifies research gap and a model that was tested via a self-administration adopted survey by collected data from 220 senior employees at retail Islamic banks of BahrainFindingsThe systematic of convenience sampling technique was used in selecting 161 samples and the researcher received only 85 completed questionnaire forms. Findings initiate that employers appreciated the importance of teamwork, risk management and decision-making skills. Their main recommendation was that employers should establish a durable bond with universities to enhance employability skills.Originality/valueBecause the researcher gathered all data from employers of different Islamic banks in Bahrain, this sector in addition will get the advantage of the results that banks will formulate their strategic plans accordingly to tackle the business graduates’ weaknesses. Likewise, universities and researchers might be motivated to look into new innovative methods that assist graduates to accommodate with market conditions.

Employers' Perceptions of Business Graduates

2020 ◽  
pp. 229-247
Author(s):  
Mukhtar Alhashimi ◽  
Anjum Razzaque
Keyword(s):  
Business Students ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Employability Skills ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Self Administration ◽  
Business Graduates ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Deductive Research

Managers claim that fresh graduates are unequipped to meet market demands. This chapter investigates the perception of employers in retail Islamic banks of Bahrain on newly graduated business students. The Singaporean Model of Employability Skills was implemented to ascertain the mean ratings of employability skills in terms of their importance, and the competency of business graduates. This deductive research approach initiated with a literature review that identifies research gap and a model which was tested via a self-administration adopted survey by collected data from 220 senior employees at retail Islamic banks of Bahrain. The systematic of convenience sampling technique was used in selecting 161 samples and the researcher received only 85 completed questionnaire forms. Findings initiate that employers appreciated the importance of teamwork, risk management, and decision-making skills. Their main recommendation was that employers should establish a durable bond with universities to enhance employability skills.

Analysis of skill gap for business graduates: managerial perspective from banking industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 354-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farhad Khurshid Abbasi ◽  
Amjad Ali ◽  
Naila Bibi
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Banking Industry ◽  
Employability Skills ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
Business Graduates ◽  
Skill Gaps ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Managerial Perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the gap between skills expected by managers and skills possessed by business graduates employed by banking industry. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire-based survey was conducted with bank officers under whom fresh business graduates were working. They were asked to indicate the importance of 12 employability skills in the industry and to rate business graduates working under them against these skills. Results are achieved by applying paired samples and independent samples t-tests on data collected from 121 bank officers. Findings Results prove that overall employability skills of the graduates are lesser than expected by the managers. Significant skill gaps were found for listening, problem solving, communication, leadership, interpersonal, analytical, self-management, numeracy and critical thinking. Results also reveal that problem-solving skill of male graduates is superior that that of females. Practical implications The study makes business graduates clear in what skills they are to learn and how it relates to the expectations of managers in banking industry. It helps business schools to revise and improve curriculum of some specialized banking programs according to the needs of the industry. Originality/value This is the first study that investigates the skills required by the banking industry out of business graduates. It also identifies the skill gaps for fresh business graduates from managerial perspective in banking industry of Pakistan.

The role of Islamic marketing ethics towards customer satisfaction

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1001-1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aamir Abbas ◽  
Qasim Ali Nisar ◽  
Mahmood A. Husain Mahmood ◽  
Abderrahim Chenini ◽  
Ahsan Zubair
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Scale Validation ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Customer Relationships ◽  
Marketing Ethics ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Islamic marketing ethics focus on the principles of equity, justice and value maximization for the welfare of society. These ethics play a vital role in elevating the standards of customer behavior. The strategy of focusing customer is now considered as important element because of rapidly changing marketing trends in Islamic banks. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find out the important features of Islamic marketing ethics and identify their effect on customer’s satisfaction in Islamic banking. Design/methodology/approach This study is descriptive and quantitative. Data were collected from 1000 customers of Islamic banks by applying convenient sampling technique. Smart PLS was used to check the scale validation by confirmatory factor analysis. To test the hypotheses, structural equation modeling technique was used. Findings Results enlightened that Islamic marketing ethics play a significant role in enhancing the customer’s satisfaction. Islamic banks should focus on marketing mix along with Islamic and ethical perspectives to improve the customer’s satisfaction level. Practical implications This study highlighted that Islamic marketing ethics have great impact on customer satisfaction. Therefore, Islamic banks need to concentrate on the ethical perspective of Islamic marketing in order to develop long term customer relationships. Islamic banks need to revise their marketing practices, and they should align their marketing tactics with ethical Islamic boundaries. They need to design, communicate and enforce the code of Islamic ethics within organizations. Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need to study how Islamic marketing ethics effect customer satisfaction.

Shari’ah issues in Islamic banking: a qualitative survey in Malaysia

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelghani Echchabi ◽  
Hassanuddeen Abd. Aziz
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Islamic Finance ◽  
Islamic Banking ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative Survey ◽  
Customers Perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the customers’ perception regarding the current shari’ah issues of Islamic banks in Malaysia. Specifically, the study attempts to examine the awareness of the current criticisms of the main shari’ah issues in Islamic finance, and the perception of the selected customers towards these criticisms. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses a qualitative approach to understand in detail the customers’ perception and experiences about shari’ah compliance of Islamic banks. Semi-structured interview is used with ten Islamic banks’ customers in Malaysia. The study also used phenomenological techniques to analyse the data. Findings – The findings revealed that the interviewees have considerable exposure and awareness of the current criticisms of the shari’ah compliance of Islamic banks. Originality/value – This research is the first to study the shari’ah issues of Islamic banks in Malaysia from the customers’ perspective, by using a qualitative research approach. The findings of this study are of original importance, because they unveil the customers’ experience in an area that has been severely looked at from the professional and experts’ point of view only.

scholarly journals Objectives of Islamic banks: a missive from mission statements and stakeholders’ perceptions

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 284-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ishfaq Ahmed ◽  
Muhammad Musarrat Nawaz ◽  
Rizwan Qaisar Danish ◽  
Ahmad Usman ◽  
Muhammad Zeeshan Shaukat
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Mission Statement ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Mission Statements ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Communication Flow ◽  
Business Entities ◽  
Conventional Banks

Purpose It is believed that the core aim of Islamic institution is idiosyncratic from conventional business entities. Considering this presumption, this study aims to reveal the understandings of various stakeholders about objectives of Islamic banks. Design/methodology/approach The research endeavor is based on the findings of two distinctive studies, where Study 1 was aimed at investigating the communication of objectives through mission statements of Islamic banks and conventional banks with window operations. Here, mission statements were analyzed using content analysis and readability and understandability tests. Study 2, on the other hand, was aimed at investigating the understandings of various stakeholders, both internal (employees) and external (Muslim and non-Muslim customers of both Islamic and conventional banks, employees and management of conventional banks and business students). In total, 370 responses were received and analyzed in this study. Findings The findings (Study 1) unveil, the fact, that the mission statements of Islamic banks working in Pakistan are not good at communicating the corporate goals clearly. Out of ten banks investigated for Study 1, it is evident that only one bank (HBL, with window operations) was at par with readability threshold standards. Thus, it was imperative to share that mission statements of Islamic banks are difficult to read and comprehend. Study 2 adds further by revealing that most of the stakeholders are not clear about the objectives of these banks, while customers of conventional banks do not value the distinctive objectives of Islamic banks. Research limitations/implications This study leaves a valuable message for the policy makers and top management of Islamic banks by focusing on the unattended part on their end, i.e. quality of mission statements and stakeholders’ perception about the objectives of their organization, thus highlighting the needs of greater emphasis on the communication flow to stakeholders, as the clarity of business purpose may change the way customers react toward the business and opt for banking – customer relation in future. Originality/value This study covers a multi-dimensional investigation of the understanding and communication of objectives of Islamic banks. There is dearth of literature focusing on the aspects of content analysis, mission statement readability and understandability and investigation of stakeholders’ perception in tandem.

scholarly journals Self-marketing brand skills for business students

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 749-762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aicha Manai ◽  
Maria Holmlund
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Brand Identity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Job Seeking ◽  
Personal Brand ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Mental Preparedness ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Despite the widespread interest in self-marketing, scant research has been published about students’ self-marketing skills. The purpose of this paper is to address this research gap and develop a framework for self-marketing brand skills specific to business students. Design/methodology/approach – Aaker’s Brand Identity Planning Model (2002) was used to construct personal-brand-identity elements. Empirical data were gathered from interviews with 17 students from two business schools in Finland, who were selected using a snowballing sampling technique. Findings – Branding-related elements, together with empirically grounded themes, emerged and were developed into a framework for developing self-marketing brand skills. Self-marketing brand core, self-marketing brand goals and self-marketing brand activities were suggested and further divided into sub-topics, becoming the content of the new framework. Research limitations/implications – The study provides a starting point for further research on self-marketing skills from a branding perspective. Practical implications – The paper discusses several important practical implications for business students who wish to improve their job-seeking success. Originality/value – Rather than adopting a knowledge or activity perspective on self-marketing skills in job searching, the study extends the current knowledge by taking a complementary view, i.e. a branding perspective, and highlights students’ mental preparedness and drive.

scholarly journals Impact of e-servicescapes on student engagement: mediating impact of experience quality

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-222
Author(s):  
Hansani Chathurika Dassanayake ◽  
Asanka Senevirathne
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of design of e-servicescapes on student engagement in distance education (DE), and examine whether this impact is mediated by student experience quality. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative research approach based on cross-sectional survey design was adapted where data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Sample consisted of 252 undergraduates registered in the DE platform in Sri Lanka and was drawn using a simple random sampling technique. Collected data were analysed using the structural equation modelling. Findings Data analysis revealed that there is a direct significant impact of e-servicescapes on student engagement while this impact is partially mediated by student experience quality in the Sri Lankan context. Meantime, the social presence feature of e-servicescapes has the highest impact on student engagement. Practical implications Findings of the study provide an empirically validated model to boost up the student engagement and significantly contribute to the designing of the e-servicescapes of the DE institutes in order to offer a superior service to a wide array of stakeholders. Originality/value Even though e-servicescapes have been recognised as a driver of customer behaviour, the concept is fairly unexplored in the educational context. Due to its practical applicability in the DE context, this study contributes to the existing knowledge by presenting a novel conceptual model developed based on multiple theories to identify its impact on student behaviour.

Identifying the factors influencing digital library use among research students: a case of National Digital Library of Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iqra Mubeen ◽  
Saira Hanif Soroya ◽  
Khalid Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Data Collection Instrument ◽  
Research Students

Purpose As the revolution of information takes place, industrialized societies are going to become information societies. Developing countries such as Pakistan are going to change due to technology and, in turn, transform the whole structure of libraries. The concept of digital libraries (DL) has emerged due to technological advancements. This study aims to highlight the factors that encourage and discourage the use of the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) National Digital Library (NDL). Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research approach was selected for the investigation, while the data collection instrument was a questionnaire. Postgraduate research students were the population of the study. A convenient sampling technique was used for sample selection. Findings The results of the study indicated that the use of HEC (NDL) was frequent monthly. The display of search results, 24/7 access, the authenticity of items, availability of navigational assistance and up-to-date information encourage researchers to use DL. However, their preference for print material over electronic material, slow downloading speed of the internet and non-availability of older and archival publications were the common reasons for the low use of DL. Furthermore, there are significant differences in terms of using the NDL based on gender, the program of study and the stage of the study. Originality/value This study will contribute significantly to the literature from the developing countries and would also helpful for HEC (NDL) authorities and university libraries to design information services.

Independence and effectiveness of Shariah supervisory board of Islamic banks: evidence from an emerging economy

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Kausar Alam ◽  
Muhammad Shahin Miah
Keyword(s):  
Central Bank ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Supervisory Board ◽  
Islamic Banking ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Legitimacy Theory ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Contribution

PurposeThe main objective of the study is to ascertain the level of independence and the effectiveness of the Shariah Supervisory Board (SSB) members of Islamic banks in Bangladesh. This is because only SSB members are empowered to oversee and certify the overall business functions of Islamic banks.Design/methodology/approachThis paper implements qualitative case research approach to explore the research objective in the context of Bangladesh. We applied purposeful and snowball sampling tactics for selecting respondents. By using a semi-structured questionnaire and face-to-face interviews, we collect data from SSB members, central bank executives and experts in Islamic banking and Shariah governance.FindingsThe study finds that majority Islamic banks' SSB's positions are similar to the Board of Directors (BOD) of the banks. Next, this study finds that in recruiting/selecting SSB members, some banks do not follow the guidelines of the central bank. This study finds mixed evidence regarding the independence of the members of the SSB. Most of the respondents opined that SSBs do not have power; in some cases, members of SSB are not independent and seeming powerless as BOD selects and recruits them. In contrast, they are dependent on management in respect of strategy implementation.Research limitations/implicationsThe study significantly contributed to the national and global regulatory bodies by identifying an important governance determinant of Islamic banks that is the independence of SSB members, which is highly important for both Shariah functions, and to enhance the trust level of the stakeholders. This study makes a theoretical contribution by documenting the violation of stakeholder theory and agency theory in recruiting SSB members by BOD's choice. The lack of SSB members' independence has an impact on Shariah legitimacy of the Islamic banks which is contradictory with the notion of legitimacy theory. This study recommends the central bank to ensure the independence of the SSB and central bank should take initiatives to develop an environment for the Islamic banking sector.Originality/valueThis study extends the literature of corporate governance relating to Islamic banking and financial institutions. More specifically, this paper explores the necessity of independence of members of the monitoring body (here SSB), an important constituent of governance, to ensure high-quality governance and transparency in reporting to increase diverse stakeholders' trust/confidence. The absence of independence of SSB in performing their functions contradicts with the agency, stakeholder and legitimacy theory, which is inconsistent with global evidence, that demands further investigations.

Application of gamification to library services: awareness, perception, and readiness of academic librarians in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismail Olatunji Adeyemi ◽  
Adedoyin Oluwatosin Esan ◽  
Abdulmalik Aleem
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Positive Perception ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Gamification is a growing field of study that has not been touched by Nigerian academic librarians. This study aims to explore the awareness, perception and readiness of academic librarians on the application of gamification to library services. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts an interpretive research design and a qualitative research approach. This involves using semi-structured interviews to collect data for the study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of 20 participants but only 15 participated in the study. Participants were interviewed on their lived experience as to gamification; hence, phenomenology research method was adopted for the study. Thematic analysis was used to analyze collected data. Findings The findings of the study show that most of the academic librarians in Nigeria were not aware of gamification to library services. However, the few that were aware knew about the gamification of library service through their personal academic reading. It was shown that there is a link between awareness and positive perception of gamification to library services. It was found that most of the academic librarians did not have a positive perception of applying gamification to library services in Nigeria. Results show that important factors to consider in readiness towards application of gamification to academic library services in Nigeria include library management support, librarians’ technical know-how and IT compliance. Originality/value The findings of this study will provide insights as to academic librarians’ awareness, perception and readiness in applying gamification to library services in Nigeria and may provide insights into other developing Africa countries at large.

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