Business Commons^™

Quantine: Virtualising The Interview Process, Arcot Desai Narasimhalu, Adina Wong

Arcot Desai NARASIMHALU

The case is set in January 2012, and begins with Kenneth Yap, the founder of Quantine Pte Ltd, strategising on an effective growth plan for his company. Quantine was a job candidate pre-screening service provider, which specialised in asynchronous video interviews. In the three years since its inception, market forces and internal factors had necessitated a change in its original corporate strategy. The business had started out in 2009, focusing on competency assessments for testing technical skills for the information technology industry. It also provided aptitude tests for companies to assess candidate qualities such as numerical skills and the ability …

The Culture Of Management, Stefano Harney

Stephen Matthias Harney

From filo faxes to palm pilots; from cell phones to laptops; from spreadsheets to online banking, many of us try to make the most of our day, to not waste any time, to maximize our efficiency. These are the hallmarks of time, financial, and information management. More and more we find ourselves managing our time, health, finances, careers and families. We are all managers now. In The Culture of Management, Stefano Harney investigates how the principles of management now shape our lives, both individually and collectively. Ironically, as we embrace the tools of management in our personal lives, as workers …

One Model For Creating A Career Ladder For Library Support Staff, Jane Fama, Elaine Russo Martin

Jane Fama

This article describes a unique career ladder model for library support staff. Major components include a promotion in place opportunity based on specified achievement levels, competencies, cross training, and measurable evaluation. The authors discuss the background, development, and program description of the career ladder model.

Policy Approaches Towards Undeclared Work: A Conceptual Framework, Colin C. Williams

Colin C Williams

The aim of this working paper is to provide a conceptual framework for understanding the policy approaches for tackling undeclared work. In doing so, the intention is to provide the structure for a future comprehensive review of the policy measures available for tackling undeclared work.

This paper is part of a series of papers associated with the project entitled ‘Out of the shadows: developing capacities and capabilities for tackling undeclared work in Bulgaria, Croatia and FYR Macedonia’. Funded by the European Commission’s Framework 7 Industry-Academia Partnerships Programme (IAPP), the objective of this project is to provide concrete policy recommendations about …

Decision Making Regarding Employee Access To Training And Development In Medium-Sized Enterprises, Alan Coetzer, Janice Redmond, Jalleh Sharafizad

Alan Coetzer

Employees in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form part of a ‘disadvantaged’ group within the workforce that receives less access to formal training and development than employees in large firms. The manager’s decisional role is critical when considering employee access to training and development. Unfortunately, there is scant research into factors affecting managers’ decisions regarding employee access to a requested development opportunity in SMEs. To address this research gap, semi-structured interviews incorporating critical incidents were conducted with a purposive sample of 12 managers of medium-sized enterprises based in Perth. We report key findings of the interviews and assess the effectiveness …

Validation Of The Employment Hope Scale: Measuring Psychological Self-Sufficiency Among Low-Income Jobseekers, Philip Young P. Hong, Joshua R. Polanin, Terri D. Pigott

Philip Hong

The Employment Hope scale (EHS) was designed to measure the empowerment-based self-sufficiency (SS) outcome among low-income job-seeking clients. This measure captures the psychological SS dimension as opposed to the more commonly used economic SS in workforce development and employment support practice. The study validates the EHS and reports its psychometric properties. Method: An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using an agency data from the Cara Program in Chicago, United States. The principal axis factor extraction process was employed to identify the factor structure. Results: EFA resulted in a 13-item two-factor structure with Factor 1 representing “Psychological Empowerment” and Factor …

Strategic Dependence On The It Resource And Outsourcing: A Test Of The Strategic Control Model, Detmar Straub, Peter Weill, Kathy Schwaig

Kathy S Schwaig

Using resource dependency theory (RDT), this research analyzes how organizations control their information technology resources to improve organizational performance. According to RDT, organizations must manage their dependency on external organizations and limit external dependencies when resources are considered critical. The current study proposes and tests a portion of a Strategic Control Model positing that managers seek to control important, strategic resources in order to create value for the firm and to avoid dependency on external entities. Utilizing a research design that captured extensive quantitative data on the control of IT functions and services, the research team gathered 5 years of …

Towards Dignity And Respect At Work: An Exploration Of Bullying In The Public Sector., Maryam Omari

Maryam Omari

Organisations today function in complex and dynamic environments which exert continual pressure to change and compete. Employees are often seen as a key to success in this world, as flexible and adaptable resources. The quality of their work life therefore takes on an important role in ensuring they reach their full potential. A long-standing safety and performance issue in the workplace is bullying, or mobbing as it is called in the European literature. Bullying can have adverse effects for individuals, including both the perpetrator and the victim, as well as their families, the organisation, and ultimately the wider society.

Experimenting In An Ipad Sandbox, Liz Thompson, Jamie Calcagno-Roach, Jennifer Keach, Mark Lane, Jonathan Paulo, Cindi Sandridge

Jennifer A Keach

Many people use personal mobile devices, but what are the advantages to educational and organizational use? The JMU Libraries and Educational Technologies (L&ET) faculty and staff experimented with mobile devices using a Sandbox format. From program structure and budgeting to sample group demonstrations and assessment, get a practical look at the planning necessary to implement a technology Sandbox. This results of the JMU L&ET technology Sandbox was presented at the 2012 VLA Annual Conference in the VLACRL poster session.

Decision Making Regarding Employee Access To Training And Development In Medium-Sized Enterprises, Alan Coetzer, Janice Redmond, Jalleh Sharafizad

Janice Redmond Dr

Employees in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form part of a ‘disadvantaged’ group within the workforce that receives less access to formal training and development than employees in large firms. The manager’s decisional role is critical when considering employee access to training and development. Unfortunately, there is scant research into factors affecting managers’ decisions regarding employee access to a requested development opportunity in SMEs. To address this research gap, semi-structured interviews incorporating critical incidents were conducted with a purposive sample of 12 managers of medium-sized enterprises based in Perth. We report key findings of the interviews and assess the effectiveness …

The Ins And Outs Of Change Of Shift Handoffs Between Nurses: A Communication Challenge, John S. Carroll, Michele Williams, Theresa M. Gallivan

Michele Williams

Background: Communication breakdowns have been identified as a source of problems in complex work settings such as hospital-based healthcare. Methods: The authors conducted a multi-method study of change of shift handoffs between nurses, including interviews, survey, audio taping and direct observation of handoffs, posthandoff questionnaires, and archival coding of clinical records. Results: The authors found considerable variability across units, nurses and, surprisingly, roles. Incoming and outgoing nurses had different expectations for a good handoff: incoming nurses wanted a conversation with questions and eye contact, whereas outgoing nurses wanted to tell their story without interruptions. More experienced nurses abbreviated their reports …

A Voice Is Worth A Thousand Words: The Implications Of The Micro-Coding Of Social Signals In Speech For Trust Research, Benjamin Waber, Michele Williams, John Carroll, Alex Pentland

Michele Williams

While self-report measures are often highly reliable for field research on trust (Mayer and Davis, 1999), subjects often cannot complete surveys during real time interactions. In contrast, the social signals that are embedded in the non-linguistic elements of conversations can be captured in real time and extracted with the assistance of computer coding. This chapter seeks to understand how computer-coded social signals are related to interpersonal trust.

Decelerating The Diminishing Returns Of Citizenship On Task Performance: The Role Of Social Context And Interpersonal Skill, Kemp Ellington, Erich Dierdorff, Robert Rubin

Erich C. Dierdorff

Recent scholarship on citizenship behavior demonstrates that engaging too often in these behaviors comes at the expense of task performance. In order to examine the boundary conditions of this relationship, we used resource allocation and social exchange theories to build predictions regarding moderators of the curvilinear association between citizenship and task performance. In a field study of 366 employees, we examined the relationship between the frequency of interpersonal helping behavior and task performance, and tested for the moderating influences of three social context features (social density, interdependence, and social support) and of employees’ levels of interpersonal skill. Results provided corroborating …

Individual Learning In Team Training: Self-Regulation And Team Context Effects, Kemp Ellington, Erich Dierdorff

Erich C. Dierdorff

Although many analysts recognize that team-level learning is reliant on the acquisition of learning content by individuals, very little research has examined individual-level learning during team training. In a sample of 70 teams (N = 380) that participated in a simulation-based team training setting designed to teach strategic decision-making, we examined how self-regulation during team training influenced the extent to which team members subsequently demonstrated individual mastery of the team training content. We also investigated the extent to which team characteristics moderated the relationships between self-regulation and learning outcomes. Multilevel mediation results indicated that self-efficacy fully mediated the effects of …

When Do Female-Owned Businesses Out-Survive Male-Owned Businesses? A Disaggregated Approach By Industry And Geography, Arturs Kalnins, Michele Williams

Michele Williams

Studies have invoked several theoretical perspectives to explain differences between female-owned businesses and male-owned businesses. Yet, few have considered the possibility that differential outcomes between female-owned businesses and male-owned businesses vary from setting to setting, an insight that we derive by combining social constructionism with feminist theory. We articulate hypotheses regarding the outcome of business survival duration based on this insight. Then, using a dataset of one million Texan proprietorships, we test these hypotheses by estimating separate gender effects for many individual industries and geographic areas. We find that female-owned businesses consistently out-survive male-owned businesses in many industries and areas.

Research Collaboration And Team Science: A State-Of-The-Art Review And Agenda, Barry Bozeman, Craig Boardman

Craig Boardman

No abstract provided.

Cheating On Online Assessment Tests: Prevalence And Impact On Validity, Thomas M. Cavanagh

Thomas M. Cavanagh

An Ethical Analysis Of The Second Amendment: The Right To Pack Heat At Work, William Martin, Helen Lavan, Yvette Lopez, Charles Naquin, Marsha Katz

Helen LaVan

We examine the issues concerning the legality and ethicalityof the Second Amendment right to bear arms balanced by the employer’s duty to provide a safe workplace for its employees. Two court rulings highlight this balancing act: McDonald et al. v. City of Chicago et al. and District of Columbia v. Heller. “Stand Your Ground” and “Castle Doctrine” laws in the recent Traven Martin shooting on February 26, 2012 are also applicable. Various ethical frameworks examine the firearms debate by viewing the Second Amendment from three perspectives. These include a pro-gun perspective drawing upon libertarianism and fundamental rights; a moderate gun …

Whistleblowing In Organizations: A Logit Analysis Of Litigated Cases, Yvette P. Lopez, Helen Lavan, Marsha Katz

Helen LaVan

This study examines the issue of whistleblowing in organizations. As suggested by the literature, a variety of legal protections and issues were examined to predict case outcomes in future litigation by individuals who engage in the act of whistleblowing. We used chi square analyses and a logit model to predict when an individual plaintiff would prevail, and the results indicate that case characteristics including discrimination laws, safety behavior, sexual harassment, and refusal to participate in illegal activities are significant predictors. The odds of a finding in favor of the employee increase with the presence of these particular case characteristics. Our …

An Ethical Analysis Of The Second Amendment: The Right To Pack Heat At Work, William Martin, Helen Lavan, Yvette Lopez, Charles Naquin, Marsha Katz

William Marty Martin

We examine the issues concerning the legality and ethicalityof the Second Amendment right to bear arms balanced by the employer’s duty to provide a safe workplace for its employees. Two court rulings highlight this balancing act: McDonald et al. v. City of Chicago et al. and District of Columbia v. Heller. “Stand Your Ground” and “Castle Doctrine” laws in the recent Traven Martin shooting on February 26, 2012 are also applicable. Various ethical frameworks examine the firearms debate by viewing the Second Amendment from three perspectives. These include a pro-gun perspective drawing upon libertarianism and fundamental rights; a moderate gun …

Assessing Reward Effectiveness: A Survey Of Reward, Hr, And Line Executives, Dow K. Scott, T. Mcmullen

Dow Scott

No abstract provided.

Determinants Of Employee Commitment For Organizational Performance, Peter Adoko Obicci Esq.

Peter Adoko Obicci

Employee commitment is the terminology used to describe whether employees have a strong belief and accepts organizational goals and values. The thesis of this study is founded on the conviction that an organization cannot be expected to perform effectively and efficiently when its employees are not committed. There are many measurable support that employee commitment is a critical factor that determines the performance of an organization. Using the Ministry of Public Service in Uganda, as a case, this study sought to establish the affective, continuance and normative commitments of the employees for organizational performance. Quantitative data was collected from 96 …