More than lip service to internal market orientation: a multilevel investigation of the role of internal service quality

Purpose Drawing on self-determination theory and the service-profit chain, this study aims to expand the current understanding of the internal processes of internal market orientation (IMO) on an organizational commitment by investigating the interactive effect between job (task) satisfaction and internal service quality in the field of hospitality and tourism. Design/methodology/approach This study examines the cross-level effects of internal service quality through a time-lagged field study with multilevel structural equation modeling analysis that involved 667 frontline employees from 40 casino hotels. Findings The results reveal the IMO has an indirect effect on affective and normative organizational commitments through the interaction of job (task) satisfaction with internal service quality, such that internal service quality compensates for relatively low levels of job (task) satisfaction. While no indirect effect is found on continuance organizational commitment. Research limitations/implications This study extends the service-profit chain by integrating self-determination theory and by investigating IMO’s indirect effects on commitment through the interaction between job (task) satisfaction and internal service quality. Practical implications The study provides practical solutions to the employee servicing and employee retention dilemmas faced by casino organizations. Originality/value This study advances the service-profit chain literature by proposing and theorizing an internal process of IMO, through the cross-level buffering effect of internal service quality on the relationship between job (task) satisfaction and organizational commitment. This study further presents the theoretical and managerial implications by understanding how employees’ perceptions and interpretations of IMO affect their commitment.

Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Task Scheduling in IoT Edge Computing

Edge computing (EC) has recently emerged as a promising paradigm that supports resource-hungry Internet of Things (IoT) applications with low latency services at the network edge. However, the limited capacity of computing resources at the edge server poses great challenges for scheduling application tasks. In this paper, a task scheduling problem is studied in the EC scenario, and multiple tasks are scheduled to virtual machines (VMs) configured at the edge server by maximizing the long-term task satisfaction degree (LTSD). The problem is formulated as a Markov decision process (MDP) for which the state, action, state transition, and reward are designed. We leverage deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to solve both time scheduling (i.e., the task execution order) and resource allocation (i.e., which VM the task is assigned to), considering the diversity of the tasks and the heterogeneity of available resources. A policy-based REINFORCE algorithm is proposed for the task scheduling problem, and a fully-connected neural network (FCN) is utilized to extract the features. Simulation results show that the proposed DRL-based task scheduling algorithm outperforms the existing methods in the literature in terms of the average task satisfaction degree and success ratio.

Impact of Job Satisfaction on Employee Turnover Intention at Bank Al-Habib

This study aims to examine the impact of job satisfaction on employee turnover intention in Bank Al Habib in Pakistan. This research is quantitative in nature and has utilized the double linear regression analysis and the data was collected through self-administrated structured questionnaire. A sample of 375 employees in the Bank Al Habib was selected randomly. The collected data was analyzed through partial least square technique using the Smart PLS software. The findings and results demonstrated that job satisfaction has a significant relationship with turnover intention. Five job-satisfaction dimensions as prescribed by the job descriptive index were employed to measure the job satisfaction variable, which include salary satisfaction, promotion satisfaction, work environment satisfaction, task satisfaction, and supervision satisfaction. The first-dimension salary satisfaction was found to have a significant relationship with turnover intention, which validates that if more salaries are offered to the employees, the job satisfaction level increases and turnover intention decreases. Similarly, the second dimension, promotion satisfaction was to also be found to have a significantly relationship with turnover intention which asserts that higher promotion and career development opportunities reduce the employee turnover intention. Correspondingly, the third variable, work environment satisfaction has a significant relationship with turnover intention which demonstrates that the better co-worker relationships and better physical work environment characteristics reduces employees’ turnover intention. Likewise, the fourth and fifth variables task satisfaction and supervision satisfaction, respectively, also validate a significant relationship with job satisfaction and a significant relationship with turnover intention. The purpose of this study was to provide a valid framework to the managers and decision makers at bank Al-Habib which would help them devise appropriate job motivational strategies to increase job satisfaction, reduce turnover intention and overall promote organizational productivity and efficiency.

Task satisfaction: the effect of relative performance information versus outcome feedback

PurposeIn this empirical study, the primary aim is to examine whether the type of feedback provided, relative performance information (RPI) vs outcome, affects individual's task satisfaction in a context without financial incentives. A secondary objective is to explore whether differences in individuals' task satisfaction were associated with their performance level.Design/methodology/approachParticipants completed a mundane, effort-based task in a 1 × 2 between-subjects experimental design where the type of feedback was manipulated at two levels (RPI vs outcome).FindingsThe results revealed a positive link between providing RPI feedback to individuals and their self-reported task satisfaction compared to individuals provided with outcome feedback. We find that individuals' task satisfaction is not associated with their task performance, supporting our prediction that the level of knowledge of results affects individuals' task satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsThe experimental task used in this study was mundane and effort intensive. Consequently, future research may be needed to examine whether the results generalize to more creative, less effort-intensive tasks. This study also utilized student participants as a proxy for employees, which is appropriate for the task, but may not generalize to organizational settings requiring specialized knowledge or task experience.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that organizations may find providing employees with RPI to be a relatively low-cost, non-financial incentive for improving employee task satisfaction, a construct documented to reduce employee turnover and absenteeism.Originality/valueWhile prior research focuses on the effects of providing RPI on individuals' performance and effort, this study extends prior research to individuals' task satisfaction, an affective construct, illustrating that RPI is multi-dimensional. Our results also have implications for theory. We extend the feedback proposition of the widely applied Job Characteristics Model (JCM) by illustrating the type of feedback provided to individuals has task satisfaction effects beyond those associated with the mere presence of feedback.

Training Partners for the Long Haul

This chapter seeks to provide the background, benefits, and design of writing groups created to aid doctoral candidates in the completion of the dissertation process. Literature will be used to support the rationale for such groups and will outline the structure that can be used to create and support doctoral students in peer groups by their dissertation chair or facilitator. In this chapter, specific guidelines for the creation of the groups and the role of the chair are outlined, and suggestions for remedying dysfunctional groups or group members. While ultimately the doctoral candidate is responsible for the successful completion and defense of his or her own research, peer groups can be instrumental in promoting task completion and task satisfaction.