Community of practice: converting IT graduate students into specialists via professional knowledge sharing

Kybernetes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liana Stanca ◽  
Dan-Cristian Dabija ◽  
Elena Păcurar
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Professional Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Framework

Purpose The paper aims to highlight how an applied learning framework or “community of practice” (CoP) combined with a traditional theoretical course of study enables the identification of teaching-learning processes which facilitate knowledge transfer from practitioners to graduate information technology (IT) students for quicker integration in the labour market. Design/methodology/approach CoPs are identified based on cluster analysis according to Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory (1984), with data obtained through a survey. Empirical research is applied to the CoP developed within a non-formal learning framework, principal new actors being IT specialists linked to graduate IT students and teachers on a traditional university course. Graduate IT students can gain knowledge of the ideal employee and the social and emotional skills needed to integrate with the IT labour market. Findings The K-Means algorithm helps to identify clusters of graduate IT students displaying necessary knowledge acceptance behaviour to convert them into specialists. The results of the cluster analysis show different learning styles of the labour force, providing an overview of candidate selection methods and the knowledge, skills and attitudes expected by users. Research limitations/implications Although the research adds value to the existing literature on learning styles and the knowledge and core skills needed by IT specialists, it was limited to an emerging market. Originality/value The study provides a preliminary overview of graduate IT students’ attitudes from an emerging market to the re-engineering of academic learning contexts to facilitate professional knowledge transfer, converting them into IT practitioners and integrating them in the labour market of an emerging economy.

Managing knowledge transfer partnership for a rural community

Kybernetes ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 629-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Wiltshier ◽  
Michael Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Entrepreneurial Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Skills ◽  
Market Town ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – This paper aims to propose a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) model, using higher education (HE) students researching in the UK. It is focused on community engagement via charitable trusts, New Opportunities Wirksworth (NOW) & Ecclesbourne Valley Rail (EVR). The researchers designed and implemented a pilot study that explored the potential of a small, yet attractive and active, market town to diversify and regenerate using tourism. This project, which has been funded by the UK Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), has been devised to operate and monitor a KTP in the culturally important heritage market town of Wirksworth, in Derbyshire. Design/methodology/approach – A systems-thinking constructivist approach is used and employs problem-based learning (PBL) through engagement of students in research and data collection. The authors identified that skills for sustainable development within the community are dependent on the reintegration of complex, inter-dependent and inter-disciplinary factors. A holistic approach to the learning and knowledge shared within the community underpins UK initiatives to promote capacity development in ways to change knowledge applications across product and service boundaries. Therefore, in addition to encouraging diversification and regeneration through tourism, this project supported the University of Derby's academic agenda to promote experiential and entrepreneurial learning in students working at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This paper accords with the current university initiatives to meet the student employability agenda through the application of PBL and knowledge management. Findings – The creation of outcomes and recommendations for Wirksworth's stakeholders provides sustainability through the knowledge creation and sharing processes. There are seven outcomes that chart a path to development and knowledge transfer (KT) and sharing. The authors simultaneously provided an environment for students to gain skills and a community to acquire new knowledge, and these are the outcomes and output of this project. New learning styles may support inclusive academic practice (see related samples of PBL such as Ineson and Beresford in HLST resources 2001). Implications for building a KT community through the social capital accumulated in the project are explored. Originality/value – In taking PBL from the classroom to the community, the authors have created a new KT environment in which skills can be acquired and a regeneration strategy can be tested in a work-or-practice-related setting. Students recognise that they are building learning for themselves that is unique in that it cannot be recreated in a classroom setting. The authors see this project developing into a robust long-term partnership between communities and institutions with KT benefits to teaching staff in addition to students. These benefits will include new skills for PBL, working collaboratively with partners in the community to develop key skills in HE students, innovation in assessment, inclusive learning and teaching, experiential and entrepreneurial learning in practice.

Which professional skills value more under digital transformation?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Paklina ◽  
Elena Shakina
Keyword(s):  
Text Mining ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Large Data ◽  
Hedonic Pricing ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Computing Skills

PurposeThis study seeks to explore the demand side of the labour market influenced by the digital revolution. It aims at identifying the new composition of skills and their value as implicitly manifested by employers when they look for the new labour force. The authors analyse the returns to computing skills based on text mining techniques applied to the job advertisements.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology is based on the hedonic pricing model with the Heckman correction to overcome the sample selection bias. The empirical part is based on a large data set that includes more than 9m online vacancies on one of the biggest job boards in Russia from 2006 to 2018.FindingsEmpirical evidence for both negative and positive returns to computing skills and their monetary values is found. Importantly, the authors also have found both complementary and substitutional effects within and between non-domain (basic) and domain (advanced) subgroups of computing skills.Originality/valueApart from the empirical evidence on the value of professional computing skills and their interrelations, this study provides the important methodological contribution on applying the hedonic procedure and text mining to the field of human resource management and labour market research.

The effect of immigration on natives’ task specialisation: the case of Germany

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 939-957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Sebastian ◽  
Magdalena Ulceluse
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Institutional Context ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Displacement Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
European Working ◽  
Task Reallocation ◽  
Manual Tasks

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of an increase in the relative supply of immigrants on natives’ task reallocation, with a focus on Germany. Specifically, it investigates whether natives, as a response to increased immigration, re-specialise in communication-intensive occupations, where they arguably have a comparative advantage due to language proficiency. Design/methodology/approach The analysis uses regional data from the German Labour Force Survey between 2002 and 2014. To derive data on job tasks requirements, it employs the US Department of Labor’s O*NET database, the results of which are tested through a sensitivity analysis using the European Working Condition Survey and the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies data sets. Findings The paper finds that indeed German workers respond to increasing immigration by shifting their task supply and providing more communication relative to manual tasks. Importantly, the decrease in the supply of communication tasks is stronger and more robust than the increase in the supply of manual tasks, pointing to a potential displacement effect taking place between natives and immigrants, alongside task reallocation. This would suggest that countries with relatively more rigid labour markets are less responsive to immigration shocks. Moreover, it suggests that labour market rigidity can minimise the gains from immigration and exacerbate employment effects. Originality/value The paper not only investigates task reallocation as a result of immigration in a different institutional context and labour market functioning, but the results feed into broader policy and scholarly discussions on the effects of immigration, including questions about how the institutional context affects labour market adjustment to immigration, worker occupational mobility in a more rigid labour markets and the fine balance needed between flexibility and rigidity.

Labour market flexibility and spatial mobility

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 746-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raul Eamets ◽  
Krista Jaakson
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Occupational Mobility ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Spatial Mobility ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Labour Market Flexibility

Purpose – Recent economic recession has highlighted the role of labour market flexibility as a key factor of competitiveness of a country. Despite the fact that labour mobility can essentially be seen as part of labour market flexibility, there is notable research gap concerning spatial mobility and other facets of labour market flexibility. The purpose of this special issue is to fill these gaps. Design/methodology/approach – The papers in the special issue represent various quantitative methods and databases, whereas mainly micro data (workplace, labour force or immigrant surveys, job search portal, etc.) is used. However, the type of labour market flexibility addressed is both micro- and macro-level. Findings – It is demonstrated that labour occupational mobility is determined by the business cycle, numerical flexibility, occupational categories, and sector. Spatial mobility may have counterintuitive effects on individual occupational mobility depending on gender and it is related to various flexibilities in the workplace. It is also suggested that different types of flexibilities on a firm level are interdependent of each other. Originality/value – The special issue adds to the labour market related knowledge by integrating labour market flexibility and mobility. Individually, both phenomena have been studied before, but not much research is devoted to their inter-linkages. The special issue also contributes by examining labour market flexibility and spatial mobility in the context of different countries, economic cycles, and institutional settings.

scholarly journals Job separation rates of immigrants and natives in the UK during the Great Recession

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 1036-1054
Author(s):  
Dafni Papoutsaki
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
The Business Cycle ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the probability of job separations of immigrants and natives in the UK before and during the economic crisis of 2008. Design/methodology/approach A mixed proportional hazard duration model with a semi-parametric piecewise constant baseline hazard is used on a data sample of inflows into employment. Findings It is found that the crisis increased the probability of exits to unemployment for all groups, while immigrants from the new countries of the European Union seemed to have the lowest hazard towards unemployment even after controlling for their demographic and labour market characteristics. More specifically, even when we account for the fact that they tend to cluster in jobs that are most vulnerable to the business cycle, they are still less likely to exit dependent employment than natives. However, this migrant group is adversely affected by the crisis the most. Research limitations/implications Possible implications of out-migration of the lower performers are discussed. Originality/value This paper makes use of the panel element of the UK Quarterly Labour Force Survey, and uses duration analysis on the individual level to assess the labour market outcomes of natives and immigrants in the UK.

Segmenting young adults based on financial management behavior in India

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 548-560
Author(s):  
Dhananjay Madhukar Bapat
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Management Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The profiling of young adult financial behavior can help financial service providers and financial advisors to target suitable marketing resources to specific customer segments. The purpose of this paper is to validate the scale for financial management behavior of young adults in an emerging market, segment these individuals and investigate the impact of demographic variables on key dimensions. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire is used to validate a financial management behavior scale using data collected from 270 young adults in India. Based on dimensions obtained through factor analysis, cluster analysis is performed to identify young adult segments. Statistical techniques, such as the t-test and one-way analysis of variance, are used to examine the impact of demographic variables on financial management behavioral dimensions. Findings The factor analysis confirms three key financial management dimensions: cash management, credit management and savings management. Using cluster analysis, the young adults are segmented into three subgroups: responsible customers, credit-oriented customers and vulnerable customers. Young adults in these groups follow hierarchical patterns in terms of financial management behavior. Originality/value Since few studies are available from the standpoint of young adults in emerging markets, this study adds value to the literature by investigating the financial management behavior of young adults in India. Notably, it can serve as a reference for comparing similarities and differences on the basis of financial management behavior with other countries and customer segments.

Women on boards of directors in Latin America: building a model

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidia Heller ◽  
Patricia Gabaldon
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Women On Boards

Purpose Through an analysis of 15 Latin American countries, the purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of several institutional variables (economic, regulatory, and cultural), which affect women’s careers towards being members of boards of directors in the region. Design/methodology/approach Based on primary and secondary information, the authors carry out multivariate analyses to understand the institutional reasons affecting the reduced presence of women on boards of directors in the region. Findings Their findings reveal differences within the region, the importance of protecting women’s professional careers in the labour market, and the effect of cultural dimensions, such as masculinity and power distance. Research limitations and implications The analysis provides an updated cross-section of the institutional and cultural conditions of the 15 countries, considering the limitations to developing data in the region. Practical implications Latin America has witnessed important changes in the dynamics of the labour market over recent decades: women’s participation in the labour force is on the increase, and corporate strategy is evolving towards the incorporation of practices and initiatives to manage the diversity of their talents. However, the presence of women in leadership positions is a pending subject. This study, in part, reveals the institutional origin of gender inequality on boards of directors in the region. The analysis provides essential tools for public policy and for companies to help promote female leadership in the region. Originality/value Recent debate and research on the scarce participation of women on corporative boards of directors have revealed a growing interest in analysing the causes of such issues despite the progress recorded in terms of gender equity in most societies. Studies on the topic in Latin America are scarce and the aim of this paper is to help to fill part of this gap.

Trade liberalization and gender inequality: role of social norms

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ujjaini Mukhopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Trade Liberalization ◽  
Power Distribution ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Marginal Utility ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Household Work ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of trade liberalization on gender earning differentials and female labour force participation by considering the interaction between changes in relative wages, intra-household bargaining power and social norms. Design/methodology/approach A three-sector general equilibrium model is developed where female labour supply is determined as a collective household decision and depends on male and female wages and intra-household power distribution. On the other hand, the effect of power distribution on female labour supply depends on social norms. Findings Comparative static analysis shows that a tariff cut may reduce female labour force participation and widen gender earning inequality if (i) the agricultural sector is more male labour-intensive than the informal sector, and the marginal utility of the woman from household work is higher than that of the man or (ii) the agricultural sector is more female labour-intensive than the informal sector, and the marginal utility of the woman’s household work is higher to the man than the woman. Policies to raise the empowerment of women might lead to favourable labour market outcomes for women if the marginal utility of the woman’s household work is higher to the man than the woman irrespective of the factor intensity condition. Research limitations/implications The results signify that the effect of trade liberalization hinges on both factor intensity conditions and the relative work preferences of women vis-à-vis men, which in turn is shaped by social norms. Originality/value The paper contributes to the scant theoretical literature on labour market consequences of trade liberalization by considering the gender equality implications of trade liberalization from a supply side perspective. The results of the model are used to explain the recent gendered labour market consequences in India in the aftermath of trade liberalization.

scholarly journals Bullying at school and labour market outcomes

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (8) ◽  
pp. 1185-1211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Drydakis
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Employment Outcomes ◽  
Hourly Wage ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the long-term correlates of bullying in school with aspects of functioning in adult employment outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Bullying is considered and evaluated as a proxy for unmeasured productivity, and a framework is provided that outlines why bullying might affect employment outcomes through differences in skills and traits. Using Bivariate and Heckit models the paper employs a variety of specifications and finds several interesting patterns. Findings – By utilising the 2008 Greek Behavioural Study data set the regression outcomes suggest that labour force participation, employment rate and hourly wages are negatively affected by bullying. In addition, men, homosexuals, immigrants, unmarried people, those having higher negative mental health symptoms, and those having lower human capital are more negatively affected by bullying in terms of labour force participation, employment probability and hourly wages. Moreover, Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions suggest that labour force participation gaps, employment gaps and hourly wage gaps between minority and majority groups, especially for gay men and the disabled, can be explained by bullying incidents. Practical implications – It seems likely that having been a victim of bullying also has economic implications later in life due to withdrawal from the labour market and lower wages. Originality/value – The retrospective bullying index used in the current study measured the combined and ordered effect of the duration and intensity of bullying, which generates 17 outcomes that ultimately capture a large range of alternative options. In addition, the author suggested that bullying might be understood as a productivity trait that provides a direct input into the production process, which might drive abilities or traits and influence adult employment outcomes. Contemporary economic analysis suggests that cognitive and non-cognitive skills are important factors that affect labour productivity through reasoning ability and productivity.

scholarly journals Women’s participations in economic and NGO activities in Bangladesh

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 491-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hafiz T.A. Khan ◽  
Twyeafur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Wealth Index ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Number Of Children

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine key factors affecting the economic involvement of women in Bangladesh and women’s involvement with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) particularly in microcredit operating in that country. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses nationally representative data set. Quantitative analysis was utilised to explore data contained in the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys 2007 and 2011. Findings – The findings indicate that age, marital status, number of children living in the household, place of residence, geographical location, education, partner’s education and the wealth index are important factors in enabling women’s involvement in economic activities. In other words, the key findings emerged from the study are first, the low level of women’s economic activities in Bangladesh with a majority involved in farming, agriculture and poultry; second, those women involved in the labour market generally tended to come from poor backgrounds, have very little education, live in the Northwest geographical region and have a large family living in the same house; and finally, age, currently married, having a higher number of children, living in rural areas, from the Northwest region with almost no education and belonging to the poor wealth index quintile are found to be associated more with NGO activities in Bangladesh. Social implications – The findings indicate there are potential barriers that are preventing Bangladeshi women from engaging in the labour market that could reinforce the case for reshaping the government’s labour policies. The study reveals that the recent economic crisis has no significant impact on the women labour force participation as well their involvement in NGO activities in Bangladesh. It is generally understood that enhancing women’s economic participation and NGO activities has a positive impact at family, community and country levels. The study concludes that investing in women, particularly in creating employment opportunities including NGO sectors can help the country as a safeguard even during the economic crisis. It is anticipated that the findings will help policy-makers in enhancing female labour force participation as well as encouraging them to engage in NGO activities in Bangladesh. Originality/value – The research paper is original in terms of conceptual framework, research design and statistical analysis.

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