scholarly journals Human capital or signalling, unpacking the graduate premium

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 420-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asher Pericles Rospigliosi ◽  
Sue Greener ◽  
Tom Bourner ◽  
Maura Sheehan
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Human Capital Theory ◽  
University Education ◽  
Potential Productivity ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Propensity ◽  
False Dichotomy ◽  
Signalling Theory

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to revisit the debate on the contribution of higher education (HE) to the economy which has been dominated by human capital theory and signalling theory. Human capital theory contends that HE contributes by adding to the potential productivity of graduate employees. Signalling theory, asserts that HE contributes by enabling employers to differentiate potentially productive graduate employees. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses recent advances in our understanding of the graduate employability to reassess the two theories. Most graduate job vacancies are open to graduates of any subject and the key to employment in such jobs appears to be the graduate propensity to learn in employment. Findings – HE both increases students’ propensity to learn in employment and signals to employers that graduates are people with a high propensity to learn in employment. Practical implications – The conclusion is that for the four key stakeholder groups, the economic value of a university education can best be explained with the concept of “graduate propensity to learn”. Social implications – Employers, government, existing students and potential students and universities benefit from the propensity to learn, which is the most important economic outcome of a university education. Originality/value – The paper resolves the choice between human capital and signalling theories as a false dichotomy as HE both develops students’ powers.

Employee self-concepts, voluntary learning behavior, and perceived employability

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 264-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sungjun Kim ◽  
Hacksoo Kim ◽  
Jinkyu Lee
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Human Capital Theory ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Learning Behavior ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Employability ◽  
Interactive Relationship ◽  
Concept Theory

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the antecedents of employees’ perceived employability based on both self-concept and human capital theory. The study tested the relationship between employees’ self-concepts and perceived employability by using organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) and role-breadth self-efficacy. This study also examined the interactive relationship between self-concepts and voluntary leaning behavior, which can be viewed as a means of enhancing human capital. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 301 employees of an organization in Korea. Findings – The results demonstrated that OBSE and its interaction with voluntary learning behavior were positively correlated with perceived employability. Research limitations/implications – The data were cross-sectional. Causal inferences should be made with caution. Originality/value – Unlike previous literature that has relied primarily on human capital theory, this study draws on self-concept theory to show that employee self-concept can be an antecedent of perceived employability. Furthermore, this study argues that employees’ perceived employability may be more fully understood through the lenses of both self-concept and human capital theories.

An exploration of gender, interlocking directorates, and corporate performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean B. O’Hagan
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
Corporate Performance ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Resource Dependency ◽  
Human Capital Theory ◽  
Interlocking Directorates ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Directors

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the impact that women who sit on boards of directors, as well as women that are part of an interlocking directorate, have on corporate performance. The investigation is placed within the literature on human capital theory and resource dependency as an argument for gender diversity and boards of directors. Design/methodology/approach A director data set for over 32,000 firms based in the USA, composed of 6,218 women and 54,932 men, is utilized. From this, regression and network analysis were utilized. Findings It is found that female directors’ participation in interlocking directorates translates into greater corporate performance when compared to simply examining female representation on boards of directors. Additionally, women involved in interlocks translated into greater corporate performance when compared to men. These results support the resource dependency approach. Practical/implications Results of this study suggest that when considering female directors, corporate performance is enhanced when female directors already sit on the boards of other firms. Originality/value This study highlights external network connections to differentiate between human capital theory and resource dependency as an argument for gender diversity and boards of directors.

scholarly journals The Application of Human Capital Theory and Educational Signalling Theory to Explain Parental Influences on the Chinese Population’s Social Mobility Opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 362
Author(s):  
Jason Hung ◽  
Mark Ramsden
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Human Capital Theory ◽  
Parental Influences ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Life Chances ◽  
Signalling Theory

Existing studies argue life chances are, in part, vertically reproduced. Such a statement is applicable to the Chinese contexts as, but not limited to, parental hukou status, to some extent, determines the life chances their children receive. In this essay, the author would like to introduce human capital theory (HCT) and educational signalling theory (EST), and assess how the applications of each of these two models can enrich the understanding of vertical reproduction of individuals’ social mobility opportunities. The author would also present the limitations of each of these two models when addressing relevant Chinese contexts.

scholarly journals The Applications of Human Capital Theory and Educational Signalling Theory to Explain Parental Influences on the Chinese Population’s Social Mobility Opportunities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Hung
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Human Capital Theory ◽  
Parental Influences ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Life Chances ◽  
Signalling Theory

Exisitng studies argue life chances are, in part, vertically reproduced. Such a statement is applicable to the Chinese contexts as, but not limited to, parental hukou status, to some extent, determines the life chances their children receive. In this essay, the author would like to introduce human capital theory (HCT) and educational signalling theory (EST), and assess how the applications of each of these two models can enrich the understanding of vertical reproduction of individuals’ social mobility opportunities. The author would also present the limitations of each of these two models when addressing relevant Chinese contexts.

Manager characteristics and real estate mutual fund returns, risk and fees

2006 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 988-996 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Philpot ◽  
Craig A. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Real Estate ◽  
Mutual Fund ◽  
Market Risk ◽  
Human Capital Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Fees ◽  
Managed Funds

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of individual manager characteristics on real estate mutual fund (REMF) performance. Human capital theory predicts that factors like education, experience and professional certifications improve skill sets and thus performance. Conversely, capital markets theory suggests that these things may be irrelevant in the management of mutual funds.Design/methodology/approachA total of 63 REMFs were sampled over the period 2001‐2003 and equations were estimate regressing, alternatively, risk‐adjusted return, market risk and management fees on a series of fund variables and manager characteristics including the manager's tenure, whether the fund manager holds a professional certification, whether the manager has specific real estate experience, and whether the fund is team‐managed.FindingsModest evidence is found that team‐managed funds have lower risk‐adjusted returns than solo‐managed funds. Managers with longer tenure tend to pursue higher market risk levels, and there is no relation between manager characteristics and management fees.Research limitations/implicationsThis study considers only one cross‐sectional time period. Future research might use longitudinal data.Practical implicationsDespite real estate being a specialized field of finance, there is little if any support for the predictions of human capital theory that experience, education and training result in greater performance among managers of REMFs.Originality/valueThis paper extends prior work in mutual fund management characteristics and fund performance to real estate funds.

scholarly journals Does Human Capital Theory Explain The Value Of Higher Education? A South African Case Study

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-118
Author(s):  
Alex Van der Merwe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Human Capital Theory ◽  
Productive Capacity ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
Private Demand

A perennial debate in the economics of education is whether human capital or screening/signalling theories best explain the value of schooling and hence the private demand for, in particular, higher education. Human capital theory proposes that formal training such as that offered by higher education institutions improves the productive capacity of individuals. Screening theory, on the other hand, posits that the value of higher education credentials flows primarily from their value as signals to potential employers of the abilities of the holders of such qualifications. Following the application of Wiles’ (1974) test and regression analysis this case study finds that it is probable that both human capital and screening theories account for the economic value of higher education in the perceptions and experiences of a local cohort of recent Durban University of Technology graduates. This finding, in spite of its empirical support, relies on a certain amount of intuition necessitated by technical and analytical constraints that are discussed in the paper.

Antecedents of entrepreneurial employee activity: does gender play a role?

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1685-1706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreu Turro ◽  
Maria Noguera ◽  
David Urbano
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Institutional Economics ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Human Capital Theory ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governance Indicators ◽  
Key Policy ◽  
World Governance Indicators ◽  
And Gender

PurposeThe objective of this article is to examine the extent to which the antecedents of entrepreneurial employee activity differ by gender across countries.Design/methodology/approachGeneralised linear multilevel logistic regression is applied to data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) with a sample of 60 countries for the period 2014–2016. This data is complemented with data from the World Governance Indicators (WGI) project and from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).FindingsUsing human capital theory (for individual-related antecedents) and institutional economics (for environmental related antecedents), the results show that the antecedents of entrepreneurial employee activity differ by gender. Specifically, being in contact with other entrepreneurs, and the quality of government regulations condition entrepreneurial employee activity and have a different intensity depending on gender.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature about entrepreneurial initiatives and gender by providing insights that add to the literature on why men and women have different entrepreneurial behaviours. In addition, this study also contributes to human capital theory and institutional economics as their role in the relation between entrepreneurial employee activity and gender has not been studied in detail in previous research. Finally, the promotion of female intrapreneurial activity is a key policy for most public bodies and organisations in developed countries.

Entrepreneurship education programme, passion and attitude towards self-employment

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akuraun Shadrach Iyortsuun ◽  
Meshach G. Goyit ◽  
Reuel J. Dakung
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Human Capital Theory ◽  
Dual Model ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Drawing on the human capital theory and the dual model of passion, this study aims to explore the mediating role of passion on the relationship between entrepreneurship education programme and students’ attitude towards self-employment (SE). Design/methodology/approach The proposed research framework was tested on a sample of 445 higher education students in four universities in North-Central Nigeria. Findings The results indicated that learning and inspiration account for the variation in students’ attitude towards SE. Furthermore, the study revealed that harmonious and obsessive passion largely mediate the relationship between entrepreneurship education programme and attitude towards SE. Practical implications The policy implication is the scaling of policies targeted at encouraging the development of passion given its significant role in the entrepreneurship education programme and attitude towards SE link. Originality/value The study has established the importance of human capital theory in explaining the attitude towards SE phenomenon using a multi-theoretical approach and has advanced the theoretical field of affect and its relevance in the field of entrepreneurship.

Suzhi development: indigenous approaches to enhancing the quality of human resources

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Connie Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Human Capital Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Sciences ◽  
Key Dimensions

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the Chinese indigenous concept of suzhi (素质) by analyzing its historical evolution and its contemporary implications for human resource management (HRM) research and practice at the national and organizational levels. Design/methodology/approach – An integrated review of literatures in sinology, political science, anthropology and sociology concerned with suzhi-related research, combined with recent incidents associated with suzhi. Findings – Suzhi is an indigenous concept embedded in the centuries-long historical context of China. Suzhi development has been focused on three key dimensions, moral, physical and mental, as a way of building quality employees and citizens. Yet developing and quantifying the moral aspects of suzhi is more challenging than measuring its physical and mental dimensions. Linking suzhi development to human capital theory enriches the understanding of this indigenous concept at both organizational and national levels. Research limitations/implications – By analyzing a three-dimensional suzhi composite, the article offers an example of how suzhi may be linked to human capital theory and identifies directions for future research. Originality/value – By analyzing suzhi at organizational and national levels for HRM purposes, this article broadens the suzhi literature from its place in the political sciences and social anthropology to encompass a theoretical analysis in HRM and development for the benefit of organizations and the society.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document