Business Commons^™

Washington Progress Update – Telework In Action, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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The vast majority of the U.S. workforce (80%) says they would like to telework at least part-time, according to research by Global Workplace Analytics. Although not all jobs are conducive to telework, the Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) is working with the QIC-WD to design, implement, and research the impacts of telework as a strategy to support and retain the child welfare workforce. Implementing telework is more complicated than giving staff a laptop and a cell phone and telling them to check in with their supervisor. This post summarizes what actions DCYF is taking to implement …

Integrity Tests, Michael Cunningham, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are integrity tests?

Employee integrity tests are attitude self-report hiring tools that measure candidates’ disposition to productively perform their work, while refraining from counterproductive actions. Counterproductive actions include behaviors such as theft; safety and procedure violations; revealing confidential information or falsifying records; arguing with customers, clients and staff; and tardiness, absenteeism and job abandonment (Gruys, as cited in Sackett, 2002). There are many commercially available integrity tests, and they are often classified as either overt or personality based (Sackett, Burris, & Callahan, 1989). Overt integrity tests (also known as clear-purpose tests) are designed to directly assess attitudes regarding dishonest …

The Evolution Of Work In The United States, Enghin Atalay, Phai Phongthiengtham, Sebastian Sotelo, Daniel Tannenbaum

Department of Economics: Faculty Publications

Using the text from job ads, we introduce a new dataset to describe the evolution of work from 1950 to 2000. We show that the transformation of the US labor market away from routine cognitive and manual tasks and toward nonroutine interactive and analytic tasks has been larger than prior research has found, with a substantial fraction of total changes occurring within narrowly defined job titles. We provide narrative and systematic evidence on changes in task content within job titles and on the emergence and disappearance of individual job titles. (JEL E24, J21, J24, J31, N32)

When And How Frontline Service Employee Authenticity Influences Purchase Intentions, Lynn Matthews, Meike Eilert, Les Carlson, James W. Gentry

Department of Marketing: Faculty Publications

In this manuscript, we investigate the central role of perceived frontline service employee (FSE) authenticity and the process by which it impacts purchase intentions, taking into account the represented brand's authenticity. While brand authenticity has previously been shown to enhance consumer outcomes, we find that FSE authenticity is a separate significant predictor of purchase intentions. Further, we find that FSE authenticity enhances purchase intentions by increasing perceived trust and perceived quality. However, this finding only holds for brands that do not emphasize their authenticity, indicating that brand managers should differentially emphasize FSE authenticity based on their brand's positioning. Furthermore, we …

A Strategic Audit Of Hudl, Jennifer Bogle

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Hudl was the first mover in connecting video and performance analysis to sports in the sports technology industry. They first appeared on the scene in 2006 and have experienced rapid growth in the past fourteen years. This paper analyzes Hudl’s position in the market by using Porter’s 5 Forces, PEST, and SWOT models. It identifies the company’s competitive advantage of an established brand reputation and user-friendly multi-sport software platform. Hudl’s current strategy is evaluated, and three potential recommendations to continue Hudl’s growth are discussed. The first recommendation is to enter into the new Esports market. The second recommendation is to …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: March 31, 2020, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 report for this month reflects data from February 2020, a period before the Covid-19 Pandemic began to have a very significant impact on the U.S. economy. As a result, the outlook provided by the leading indicator will not capture the decline in economic activity that occurred beginning in March 2020. Nonetheless, the LEI-N report is presented here to provide information about where the Nebraska economy was headed before the current health crisis. The LEI-N fell by 0.19% during February of 2020. The modest decrease in the LEI-N, which is designed to predict …

Cognitive Ability Tests, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are cognitive ability tests?

In an employment context, cognitive ability (also known as general intelligence or general mental ability) tests are hiring tools that assess candidates’ ability to learn and solve problems (Hunter & Schmidt, 1996). There are many commercially available cognitive ability tests, and they typically involve multiple-choice questions that measure abilities such as vocabulary, verbal comprehension, and verbal, numerical, and spatial reasoning. Some tests measure a combination of these abilities, whereas some focus only on specific abilities. Because the questions have right and wrong answers, the tests must often be proctored. Tests vary in terms of length, …

Ebci Progress Update- Developing An Onboarding Program, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) established their Family Safety Program (FSP) in 2015. FSP is a multi-disciplinary unit and includes behavioral health and child welfare. They are a small agency with about 35-40 child welfare employees at any given time, including front-line caseworkers, case aides, supervisors, and a manager. Minimum qualifications for the caseworker role are rigorous, requiring a bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work and/or years of relevant experience. They also seek to hire enrolled members of the EBCI, enrolled members of other federally recognized tribes, or those married to, or who are children of, enrolled …

Biodata Measures, Stephanie Weddington, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are biodata measures?

Biodata measures are hiring tools that assess a variety of biographical or background data about job candidates. When they were first developed, biodata measures included objective and verifiable questions about a person’s background and history (e.g., education level, number of siblings, job history), but over time they have come to include more subjective questions similar to those found on personality tests (e.g., attitudes, interests, recreational activities, education, and work experiences and preferences) (Schmitt & Golubovich, 2013). They are typically administered using a paper-and-pencil or online-survey format (Breaugh, 2009), and the response options can be yes-no, multiple …

Work Sample Tests, Maggie Thompson, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are work sample tests?

Work sample tests are methods used to assess an individual’s ability to successfully perform a job. These tests require individuals to perform tasks that are physically and/or psychologically similar to those they would experience on the job (Schneider & Schmitt, 1986). Though much of the early use of work samples was to assess psychomotor skills for manual tasks like carpentry, electrical work, or welding (Robertson & Downs, 1989), more relevant examples include role plays, in-basket exercises, filing, and writing or typing exercises (Roth, Bobko, McFarland, & Buster, 2008). There are two primary categories of work …

Small But Mighty: How A Team Of Four Administers A Robust Library Publishing Program, Sue Ann Gardner, Paul Royster

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

A team of four people administers the UNL institutional repository (https://digitalcommons.unl.edu), which is one of the largest (109,000-plus full text items) and most-accessed (over 62,000,000 downloads) in the United States. The team also administers a robust library publishing program with over 80 scholarly monographs and 12 peer-reviewed journals. A recent focus of the program has been open educational resources, partnering with scholars to identify or create free online learning objects.

This talk will include details about how such a small team accomplishes so much. Staffing, task assignment, workflow, author relations, reader relations, education, administration, policy generation, platform management, …

Training And Experience Evaluations, Kate Stephenson, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are training and experience evaluations?

Training and experience (T&E) include previous work and volunteer experience, education or other training, and credentials (Schneider, 1994). Evaluations of T&E are often included in employee selection procedures to screen and rate applicants based on information provided on resumes, applications, or other documents. These evaluations attempt to identify future successful employees by examining and applying systematic, judgment-based ratings to this information (McDaniel, Schmidt, & Hunter, 1988). The idea behind T&E evaluations is that past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior, and people with experience are more committed and motivated to perform well …

Situational Judgment Tests, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What is a situational judgment test?

A situational judgment test (SJT) is a hiring tool that measures knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics by assessing test takers’ responses to various job-related situations. They are typically administered in paper-and-pencil or video format, and each item presents a scenario and various potential responses or actions to take. Instructions tend to fall into one of two categories: knowledge or behavioral tendency. Knowledge instructions require judgments about the efficacy of different options, and they ask test takers to choose, for example, the best option, the best and worst option, or the most effective option. …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: February 26, 2020, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 fell by 0.15% during January of 2020. The modest decrease in the LEI-N, which is designed to predict economic activity six months into the future, followed a strong increase in December 2019. Taken together, the two monthly results indicate moderate economic growth in Nebraska through mid-2020. The leading indicator fell due to a drop in airline passenger enplanements and an increase in initial claims for unemployment insurance. However, business expectations remained positive during the month, with respondents to the January Survey of Nebraska Business reporting plans to increase sales and employment at …

Coincident And Leading Economic Indicators – Nebraska, February 26, 2020

Bureau of Business Research Publications

Coincident and leading economic indicators for Nebraska, report from February 26, 2020 from the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Realistic Job Previews, Michelle Graef

Umbrella Summaries

What is a realistic job preview?

A realistic job preview (RJP) is a strategic organizational communication designed to provide job candidates with positive and negative information about the job and the organization, for the purpose of influencing employee perceptions, attitudes, job performance, and ultimately, retention. Although the first published examples of organizations providing realistic information to job candidates or new employees appeared in the 1960s, Wanous (1973) is credited with popularizing the term. An RJP should be based on a thorough diagnosis of the job and the organization, so that the content of the preview targets the relevant information that …

Coach Ohio- The View From The Site Implementation Manager, Vincent Ciola

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Vincent Ciola: I am the Site Implementation Manager in Ohio for our QICWD initiative, Coach Ohio, and work for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Ohio is a county administered system, so I work with nine diverse counties on this project. It has been inspiring to see the dedication to the child protection workforce in each of these different places. I also work on Ohio’s improvement plan for round three of the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR). In that work, I focus on strategies to achieve comprehensive assessment and planning with all our families. I’ve been intrigued …

Recruitment, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What is recruitment?

Recruitment refers to efforts by organizations to make potential job candidates aware of job openings and influence whether they apply, maintain interest in the job until an offer is made, and accept an offer (Breaugh, 2008). Note that although applicants may be affected by strategies used to assess their qualifications and potential (e.g., interviews), those activities are not considered part of recruitment and will not be covered in this summary. Further details will be provided in the umbrella summary on employee selection.

Why is recruitment important?

The most obvious reason that recruitment is important is because vacancies …

Value Added Fed And Feeder Cattle Practices: Are They Paying?, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

Summary

Some value added management programs clearly pay more than others and some do not pay at all. However, just like with a breeding or forage management strategy where not every year the cow gets bred back or the grass has sufficient protein, a value added program strategies premiums vary year to year. Switching the way cattle are managed and raised, handled, and fed requires planning and an understanding of labor and management capabilities. Not every cattle producer could or even should switch management practices an animal health protocol – even if premiums do exist. Thus, careful planning and consideration …

Do First Impressions Last? The Impact Of Initial Assessments And Subsequent Performance On Promotion Decisions, Dirk Black, Marshall Vance

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

This paper examines whether and for how long managers’ initial assessments of employee ability influence promotion decisions. Using archival data from minor league professional baseball, we find that, controlling for performance, initial assessments are associated with promotion decisions for at least six years after the initial assessment was made. We also find that initial assessments are positively associated with future performance at the outset of a player’s career, but the association becomes insignificant after a player accumulates on-the-job experience. We show that the weight on initial assessments for promotion decisions declines as additional on-the-job performance signals are observed, reflecting the …

Texas Decreased Caseworker Turnover. The Qic-Wd Is Implementing And Testing Some Of Their Strategies And Building Evidence, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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The QIC-WD is dedicated to building evidence. Foundational work in the early years of the Center included combing the literature from multiple fields (e.g., business, education, industrial-organizational psychology) to inform strategies to strengthen the child welfare workforce. In 2018, Casey Family Programs reported on how the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) reduced caseworker turnover by implementing multiple changes to system operations (How did Texas decrease caseworker turnover and stabilize its workforce?). This post discusses how the QICWD is working with eight other jurisdictions and building on what was learned in Texas. According to the report, Texas initiated …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: January 22, 2020, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 rose by 1.10% during December of 2019. The increase in the LEI-N, which is designed to predict economic activity six months into the future, confirms expectations for moderate economic growth in Nebraska through mid-2020. The leading indicator primarily rose due to strong business expectations. Respondents to the December Survey of Nebraska Business reported plans to increase sales and employment at their businesses over the next six months. There also was a rebound in building permits for single-family homes during the month, suggesting an increase in construction activity mid-year.

Age Discrimination And Academic Labor Markets, Sam Allgood

Department of Economics: Faculty Publications

In a sample of Canadian Ph.D.’s, Warman and Worswick (2010) report that forty-two percent obtained their degree at thirty-four years of age or older. One implication is that those starting their academic career vary in age. As a result, academic labor markets provide a somewhat unique way to investigate the outcomes of workers of different age with similar work experience. This study uses a national sample of over 9,000 faculty to look at the relationship between age at the time a person earns their degree and income. Older individuals are less likely to attend graduate programs in Carnegie Research I …

Ethical Purchasing Dissonance: Antecedents And Coping Behaviors, Tim Reilly, Amit Saini, Jenifer Skiba

Department of Marketing: Faculty Publications

The pressure of oversight and scrutiny in the business-to-business purchasing process has the potential to cause psychological distress in purchasing professionals, giving rise to apprehensions about being ethically inappropriate. Utilizing depth interviews with public sector purchasing professionals in a phenomenological approach, the authors develop the notion of ethical purchasing dissonance to explain the psychological distress. An inductively derived conceptual framework is presented for ethical purchasing dissonance that explores its potential antecedents and consequences; illustrative propositions are presented, and managerial implications are discussed.

Nebraska Innovation Studio Postcard, Nebraska Innovation Studio

Nebraska Innovation Studio

Nebraska Innovation Studio postcard, 2020.

Nebraska Innovation Studio (NIS) is a member-based makerspace, open to everyone. Members make projects for school, prototype designs, make things to sell, or just have fun. Our motto is innovate, collaborate, fabricate.

Includes information about pricing, hours, and the tools available, including those for rapid phototyping, textiles, ceramics, electronics, software, and offerings in the wood shop, metal shop, and art studio.

Perceptions Of Production And Animal Agriculture In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2020 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz, Jason L. Weigle

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans have farming or ranching history in their family. In fact, one-half of rural Nebraskans are one generation or less removed from the farm or ranch. Rural Nebraskans’ connection to agriculture has not changed much in the last ten years.

Most rural Nebraskans view their economic well-being as being dependent on both production agriculture in general and animal agriculture in particular. Furthermore, most rural Nebraskans say the economic well-being of their community or county is very much dependent on the economic success of both production agriculture and animal agriculture.

Most rural Nebraskans are supportive of new livestock development …

Ceo Scanning Behaviors, Self-Efficacy, And Sme Innovation And Performance: An Examination Within A Declining Industry, Rajiv Nag, François Neville, Nikolaos Dimotakis

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Studying the CEOs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the US metalcasting industry—an industry that has been steadily declining for several years—we develop a theoretical model to examine how CEO scanning behaviors in the form of scanning intensity and proactiveness influence self-efficacy, which in turn influences firm innovation and performance. We extend theory and research by (a) demonstrating of the role and influence of SME CEOs over firm innovation and performance in declining industries, (b) illustrating how scanning provides social learning opportunities for CEOs that enhance their levels of self-efficacy, and (c) showing that self-efficacy mediates the effects of …

Unwelcome Voices: The Gender Bias-Mitigating Potential Of Unconventionality, Owen Parker, Rachel Mui, Varkey K. Titus Jr.

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Research Summary: Substantial evidence indicates that leaders are perceived through a lens of gender bias, but what mitigates such bias remains underexplored. Examining men and women in creative, project-based leadership roles, we integrate insights from role congruity and gender bias literatures to predict how project unconventionality and leader gender affect external perceptions of project quality. We argue that prejudice against female leaders is strongest for conventional projects due to the established presence of male-centric prototypical projects which induce bias, but that project unconventionality weakens this bias by distancing the project from these male-centric prototypes. We find support for this …

Positive Resources For Psychiatry In The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Building Patient And Family Focused Psychological Capital (Psycap), Julie Dyrdek Broad, Fred Luthans

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

COVID-19 is altering the world, impacting every facet of life, and driving an associated global paradigm shift. Threats to our individual, family, team, community, and global well-being consume our attention at the potential price of our well-being and performance. The time to respond with scientific approaches to protect our most precious assets – people – is now. COVID-19, unstable geopolitical systems, and accelerated scientific and technological breakthroughs are characteristic of what has been identified as a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This 4IR is placing a premium on solutions that are validated to increase well-being, especially those that simultaneously significantly increase …

Harvest–Release Decisions In Recreational Fisheries, Mark A. Kaemingk, Keith L. Hurley, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope

Department of Finance: Faculty Publications

Most fishery regulations aim to control angler harvest. Yet, we lack a basic understanding of what actually determines the angler’s decision to harvest or release fish caught. We used XGBoost, a machine learning algorithm, to develop a predictive angler harvest–release model by taking advantage of an extensive recreational fishery data set (24 water bodies, 9 years, and 193 523 fish). We were able to successfully predict the harvest–release outcome for 99% of fish caught in the training data set and 96% of fish caught in the test data set. Unsuccessful predictions were mostly attributed to predicting harvest of fish that …