Business Commons^™

The Long-Term Impact Of The Feedback Environment On Job Satisfaction: A Field Study In A Belgian Context, Filip Anseel, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study examines (1) the relationship between the feedback environment and job satisfaction and (2) the mediating role of leader-member exchange in a Belgian context. Results from a sample of 155 employees of a governmental service for employment and vocational training supported our hypotheses. A favorable supervisor feedback environment was related to higher levels of job satisfaction 5 months later, and this relationship was fully mediated by the quality of leader-member exchange. These findings highlight the usefulness of diagnosing and assessing the feedback environment for a better understanding of feedback processes and for enhancing feedback interventions in organisations.

In Pursuit Of An Aptitude Test For Potential Cyberspace Warriors, Tiffiny S. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force has officially assumed the cyberspace mission. To perform this mission well, it is important to employ personnel who have the necessary skill sets and motivation to work in a cyberspace environment. The first step in employing the right people is to screen all possible candidates and select those with an aptitude for acquiring the skill sets and with the motivation to perform this work. This thesis attempts to determine the necessary skills and motivations to perform the cyberspace mission and recommends a screening process to select the candidates with the highest probability for success. Since this mission …

An Analysis Of The Balance Of Management Technical And Leadership Progression Through The Three Usaf Officer Tiers, Matthew J. Heath Van Horn

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify the balance of management, technical and leadership responsibilities learned at each of the three USAF officer tiers. Specifically, this thesis sought to answer research questions addressing the essential learning elements for developing leadership, technical and management knowledge and skills as well as the proportional emphasis of the three areas in each of the three officer tiers. The questions were answered through a comprehensive literature review and a review of current professional military education (PME) syllabi and educational profiles of USAF officers. The research identified that management training does not grow with the …

Work-Home Conflict: A Study Of The Impact Of Role Conflict On U.S. Air Force Company Grade Officer Turnover Intentions, Gavain M. Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force is currently undertaking one of the largest manpower transformations since its creation in 1947 through a program entitled Force Shaping. By separating 40,000 active duty members, to include 8,000 Company Grade Officers (CGOs), the Air Force intends to balance the skills of its personnel to meet the requirements of the Global War on Terror. Given these increasing operational commitments, issues impacting personnel retention decisions within a leaner force should command our attention. As personnel resources decrease and operational requirements increase, the likelihood of military members experiencing conflicts between work and home life may also increase. As such, …

The Perveived Effectiveness Of Mentoring By Company Grade Officers In The United States Air Force, Jason B. Wolff

Theses and Dissertations

Businesses and organizations are continuously trying to make people more productive by using mentoring. The benefits of mentoring include higher levels of career satisfaction, incomes, promotions, self-efficacy and productivity. Past research has supported two general approaches referred to as informal and formal mentoring. Informal mentoring relationships are spontaneous and occur between two people without the involvement of the organization. Formal relationships are managed and sanctioned by the organization. The United States Air Force has a formal mentoring program. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the perceptions of mentoring effectiveness by company grade officers in the United States Air …

The Effects Of Career Broadening On Leadership Development, S. David Walker

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to improve the Air Force’s knowledge of the effects of career broadening jobs on the leadership development of its officer corps. Specifically, the study sought to find significant relationships between incidents of career broadening in the officers’ background and their odds of being selected for promotion and in-residence professional military education (PME). Selection under these two areas is considered recognition of an officer’s ability to handle more responsibility and greater leadership challenges. Therefore, they are logical assessments of an officer’s leadership development. Duty histories of officers who met the Major, Lieutenant Colonel, and Colonel …

Professionalism In The Air Force: A Comparative Analysis Of Commissioned Officers With Non-Commissioned Officers, Edward K. Boyd

Theses and Dissertations

Decades ago, military sociologists predicted a rising trend among officers away from traditional institutional military values and toward more economically-based occupational values due to the effects of the transition from a conscription-based military to an all-volunteer force. Subsequent empirical research resulted in data that supports such predictions. More recent researchers have suggested that in addition to the all-volunteer force, an increase on technology may also accelerate the trend toward occupationalism and away from traditional institutional military values and the warrior ethos that typically define successful military organizations. The officer corps may be particularly vulnerable to occupationalism due to increased technical …

Perk Place: The Benefits Offered By Google And Others May Be Grand, But They're All Business, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Free gourmet food, 24-hour gym, yoga classes, in-house doctor, on-site haircuts, dry cleaner, nutritionist, swimming pool ... .These are just some of the perks Google -- and many other organizations -- offer employees. Companies have their reasons, of course: They want to attract and retain the best knowledge-workers they can, help them work long hours by feeding them gourmet meals on-site and handling time-consuming personal chores, and show them that they are valued members of the team. But, as Wharton faculty point out, there may be a potential downside to all this largesse.

An Analysis Of The Military Retirement System: How Does Retirement Return Influence Retention?, Derren P. Burrell

Theses and Dissertations

The cost of the current Department of Defense (DoD) defined-benefit retirement plan has long been a source of consternation within Congress and the DoD (Freedberg, 1999:35). Billed as being too costly in the private sector, many firms have elected to switch from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans, most often a 401K retirement plan (Chassen, 1990:18). This thesis attempts to capture the effect of the current military retirement plan on rates of retention. The goal of this study is to be used as a tool should the Department of Defense decide to move from a defined-benefit plan to a …

Identifying Knowledge, Skill, And Ability Requirements For 33sx Officers In Deployed Environments, Douglas M. Simmers

Theses and Dissertations

Military operations in the past, present, and future are highly dependent on the timely distribution of accurate information; the only thing really changing is the speed and means of which it is dispersed. As we proceed forward in the information age, technology and the men and women responsible for it will play an ever increasing role in getting the right information in the right place at the right time. As the United States Air Force continues to transform into an ever increasing expeditionary service the knowledge, skills, and abilities of Air Force officers must transform as well to meet the …

Commercial Firm Training Practices Versus Aerial Port Hazardous Cargo Frustration, Jill L. Maynard

Theses and Dissertations

The military is dependent on commercial vendors to augment their supply system, to include hazardous materials. Hazardous materials must be packaged and labeled differently than general cargo for shipment in the defense transportation system. Previous research has shown there is an increase in frustration levels at Aerial Ports of Embarkation. The reasons for frustration range from minor discrepancies to improperly completed shipping documents. This research investigates if commercial companies are a cause of the frustration problems. A case study methodology was used to investigate training practices of companies that had frustrated hazardous cargo at either Charleston or Dover Aerial Ports. …

Developing Advanced Academic Degree Educational Profiles For Career Fields, Katherine J. Gentil

Theses and Dissertations

This research develops a career field's educational profile through use of the decision analysis approach of value-focused thinking (VFT). VFT is used to solicit the capabilities that the career field manager (CFM) desires its officers obtain from an advanced academic program. This process generates a value hierarchy and a focused set of alternatives (degree programs). The academic programs' content are evaluated against the hierarchy to determine how well it meets the values of the functional area. A rankordered list of degrees is produced and a portfolio of degrees is selected through the use of CFM-approved goal-setting criteria. The specific breakdown …

Employer Branding In The Belgian Army: The Importance Of Instrumental And Symbolic Beliefs For Potential Applicants, Actual Applicants, And Military Employees, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study conceptualizes employer brand as a package of instrumental and symbolic attributes. Using a sample of 955 individuals (429 potential applicants, 392 actual applicants, and 134 military employees), we examine the relative importance of instrumental and symbolic employer brand beliefs across different groups of individuals: potential applicants, actual applicants, and military employees (with less than three years of tenure). Results show that instrumental attributes explain greater variance in the Army's attractiveness as an employer among actual applicants compared to potential applicants or employees. In all three groups, symbolic trait inferences explain a similar portion of the variance. In addition, …

An Evaluation Of Organizational And Experience Factors Affecting The Perceived Transfer Of U.S. Air Force Basic Combat Skills Training, Shirley D. Crow

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force is in a state of transformation. Due to ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the focus of Basic Military Training is shifting to basic combat skills, or the skills needed to survive and operate in a hostile environment. In this study, basic combat skills training was evaluated using a number of training factors that potentially affect trainees’ perception of training transfer, or their ability to apply the skills they learned in training on the job or in a hostile environment. The analysis used structural equation modeling to evaluate the paths between each of the factors …

The Effect Of Downsizing On Attrition Rates In The Department Of Defense (Dod), Tina M. Broas

Theses and Dissertations

Downsizing is an organizational activity designed to purposefully reduce the size of the organization by eliminating positions and jobs (Cascio, 1993:96). This business strategy has been used for many years in both the public and private sectors and is expected to continue. Downsizing has been shown to have an affect on the employees the organization retains, often termed survivors, and has been linked to increased turnover and decreased productivity and effectiveness. With the expected continuation of downsizing actions in the Department of Defense (DoD) and the possible affective reactions experienced by survivors, the intent of this research is to identify …

Management Versus Non-Management Knowledge Transfer From Training To Real Work Environments: A Meta-Analysis, Robert P. Toney

Theses and Dissertations

This study reviewed 78 articles from previous research to investigate the effects of factors in the organizational environment on training transfer. A meta-analysis was performed with training transfer as a dependent variable and post-training independent variables of supervisor support, subordinate support, peer support, workplace support/transfer climate, relapse prevention, goal setting, continuous learning culture, task constraints, and frequency of use. In addition, analysis of differences in the relationship of these variables with training transfer based on training type (management versus non-management training) was conducted. Results of the meta-analysis revealed training transfer sample-weighted means effect sizes were largest for relapse prevention (d …

Organizational Identity And Employer Image: Towards A Unifying Framework, Filip Lievens, Greet Van Hoye, Frederik Anseel

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study aims to bridge two research streams that have evolved relatively apart from each other, namely the research streams on organizational identity and on employer branding (employer image). In particular, we posit that it is crucial to examine which factors company outsiders (applicants) as well as company insiders (employees) associate with a given employer. To this end, this study uses the instrumental-symbolic framework to study factors relating to both employer image and organizational identity of the Belgian Army. Two samples are used: a sample of 258 Army applicants and a sample of 179 military employees. Results show that both …

A Comparison Of Cross Training Policies In Different Job Shops, Kum Khiong Yang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This research compares a set of cross-training policies represented by different numbers of cross-trained workers, additional skills per cross-trained worker, and additional machines. The policies are evaluated in job shops, represented by different efficiency losses, labour utilization, variability in processing times, and worker absenteeism. Our results show that adding one machine in each department and cross-training one or two workers from each department with one additional skill is generally sufficient to realize most of the benefits of cross-training. Cross-training is thus beneficial in most job shops, unless the cost of the minimal training and spare machines is high. Our results …

A Cautionary Note On The Effects Of Range Restriction On Predictor Intercorrelations, Paul R. Sackett, Filip Lievens, Christopher M. Berry, Richard N. Landers

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The purpose of this research report is to highlight a unique set of issues that arise when considering the effects of range restriction in the context of estimating predictor intercorrelations. Three approaches are used to illustrate the issue: simulation, a concrete applied example, and a reanalysis of a meta-analysis of ability-interview correlations. The general conclusion is that a predictor intercorrelation can differ dramatically from the population value when both predictors are used in a composite that is used operationally for selection. The compensatory nature of a composite means that low scorers on one predictor can only obtain high scores on …

Book Review Of "The World’S Newest Profession: Management Consulting In The Twentieth Century", Timothy Adrian Robert Clark

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Management consultants are a significant social and economic force. Few people, whether as citizens or members oforganizations, will have escaped the impact of their interventions. A survey revealed that 97 percent of the top 200 companies in the U.K. and U.S. have used management consultants. The spectacular growth of the industry in the last fiftyyears is evidenced by the fact that somewhere in the regionof 80 percent of firms currently operating were establishedafter 1980. The ratio of consultants to managers, as this bookdemonstrates, has grown from one to a hundred in 1965 toone to thirteen in 1995. In this clearly …

An Examination Of Strategies For Encouraging Feedback Interest After Career Assessment, Frederik Anseel, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study examines how feedback interest after career assessment can be influenced by changing individuals' beliefs about the importance and modifiability of the various performance dimensions. In an experiment, 82 master students completed a computerized assessment tool developed for assessing managerial potential. Results showed that participants in the experimental condition were more interested in feedback about important dimensions as opposed to unimportant dimensions and were more interested in feedback about nonmodifiable dimensions as opposed to modifiable dimensions. These findings might assist career counselors and organizations in designing strategies that direct feedback interest toward performance dimensions that are most important for …

Guangdong Huadi Group: How A Non-Family Business Manages To Thrive In China, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

With the development of a market economy in China, private companies have attracted more attention from academic researchers. For example, scholars Wang Xuanyu, Li Xingchun and Chen Ling analyzed Guangdong Huadi Group, a well-known Chinese manufacturer of household appliances based in Guangdong, a province in south China, in order to identify those factors that contribute to the success of a non-family business. The results of their study are in a paper titled, “Capital Joint-Venture and Trust Expansion--Research on non-family Entrepreneurial Partnership”.

Human Resource Accounting, Sam Lilley

The Corinthian

How should human resources be accounted for? This has been a question for a long time. Employees can be viewed as a company's biggest asset, but because the value of human resources can be difficult to measure, it is often not reported. When the value of human resources or assets is not recognized on the financial statements, the value of the organization is understated.

Repertorio Delle Imprese Attive All’Interno Del Distretto Della Meccatronica Di Reggio Emilia: Produzioni E Competenze Distintive, Diego Maria Macrì, Milena Benatti, Fabiola Bertolotti, Elisa Mattarelli, G. Nigro

Faculty Publications, School of Management

No abstract provided.

Generational Competence And Retention : A Study Of Different Generations In Law Enforcement And How These Differences Impact Retention In The Chesterfield County Police Department, Gary Scott Edwards

Master's Theses

There are currently four distinct generations in today's workforce (Veterans, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials). This presents unique challenges for employers since each of these generations is affected and shaped by different events in their lives, which define the values they bring to work. These differences can be increasingly difficult to manage and may lead to conflicts. Significant research has been conducted in this area, but little has focused on public sector employees, specifically sworn law enforcement officers. This research examines whether generational differences observed in society as a whole are the same as those differences found in law …

Demographic And Psychological Factors Influencing Academic Success In A College Level Human Anatomy Course, Wanda Green Hargroder

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected demographic and psychological characteristics on the academic achievement of students enrolled in an undergraduate human anatomy course at a research-extensive university in the Southern region of the United States. As health care in the United States becomes increasingly strained due to a decreasing ratio of health care workers, educating more students to fill this gap has become a societal issue. Human anatomy forms the foundation of all health care professions. From the molecular to the macroscopic, anatomy provides a unique and necessary perspective of the human body. …

Is Support For Top Managers' Dynamic Capabilities, Environmental Dynamism, And Firm Performance: An Empirical Investigation, Michael J. Zhang

WCBT Faculty Publications

Despite a continual interest in developing information systems (IS) to support the work of top managers, assessing the impact of IS support for top managers and their capabilities on the bottom-line performance of firms has received little attention in existing literature. Drawing upon the resource based view of competitive advantage, this paper argues that firms that provide IS support for their top managers’ dynamic capabilities may enjoy competitive advantage and superior firm performance. The performance impact of IS support for two key dynamic capabilities of top managers (fast response and mental model building) under different (dynamic vs. stable) external environments …

Community Rehabilitation Programs And Organizational Change: A Mentor Guide To Increase Customized Employment Outcomes, John Butterworth, Cecelia Gandolfo, W. Grant Revell, Katherine J. Inge

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

In 2002, the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announced the availability of funds to support a National Training Technical Assistance for Providers (T-TAP) project. The goal of the project was to assist community rehabilitation providers (CRPs) in facilitating integrated employment / customized employment outcomes for individuals served by these programs. Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in partnership with the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston submitted a proposal and was awarded the cooperative agreement in October of 2002.

For the purpose of this Guide, customized employment is defined as a process …

Staff Council Meeting Minutes, Georgia Southern University, Staff Council

Staff Council Meeting Minutes & Agendas

No abstract provided.

Continuing Professional Education And Its Impact On The Practices And Careers Of Certified Public Accountants, Jean Annette Meyer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research effort was intended to determine the perceived value that continuing professional education has on the careers or practices of certified public accountants licensed in Louisiana. A researcher designed survey incorporated both Likkert type scale responses and open ended questions. The survey was electronically administered to the membership of the Louisiana Society of Certified Public Accountants. The survey focused on the perceived value of and attitudes toward continuing professional education, as well as the desirability of specific methods of delivery. The results of the survey indicated that certified public accountants believe continuing professional education has value. The results also …