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21 – 30 of over 6000Steven Fisher, Robert Chi, Dorothy Fisher and Melody Kiang
The purpose of this paper is to generate an understanding of the value-added to students enrolled in selected undergraduate business programs from an academic and market…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to generate an understanding of the value-added to students enrolled in selected undergraduate business programs from an academic and market perspectives. Although there are numerous studies that rank undergraduate colleges and universities, the selection of the “best value” undergraduate business program is a formidable task for prospective students. This study uses data envelopment analysis (DEA), a linear programming-based tool, to evaluate undergraduate business administration programs. The DEA model connects costs (inputs) with benefits (outputs) to evaluate the value-added to students by undergraduate business programs from a market as well as academic perspectives. The study’s findings should assist prospective students in selecting business programs that provide the best value from their individual perspectives. The results can also help schools to identify their corresponding market niche and allocate their recourses more effectively.
Design/methodology/approach
Use DEA method. DEA was developed by Charnes et al. (1979) to evaluate the performance of multi-input and -output production operations. The analytical and computational capacities of DEA are firmly based on mathematical theory.
Findings
This study takes a different approach toward the ranking of college programs. Most studies rank-order programs (universities) based on arbitrary weightings of attributes of quality and provide a general ranking of programs that is said meet the needs of many different constituencies including students, parents, donors, administrators’ faculty and alumni.
Originality/value
This is an original research using DEA and The Bloomberg/Businessweek online data for business school ranking.
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Moses Segbenya, Nana Yaw Oppong and Sally Abena Baafi-Frimpong
One of the means to enhance the employability skills of tertiary graduates transiting into the job market has been the compulsory national service instituted by the Government of…
Abstract
Purpose
One of the means to enhance the employability skills of tertiary graduates transiting into the job market has been the compulsory national service instituted by the Government of Ghana. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine the contribution of the mandatory national service to enhance the employability of tertiary graduates in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used the longitudinal descriptive survey design to sample 375 national service personnel (2018 and 2019 batches) of 13,874 service personnel posted to the Central Region of Ghana, and 31 employers.
Findings
The study found human relation, communication and experience to enter the job market were perceived higher by tertiary graduates in Ghana. It was also found that the preferred employers amongst tertiary graduates were the government, multinational companies and public schools. Skills mismatch between the acquired skills of tertiary graduates and the skills required by employers was also found. Responsible factor identified was the posting of personnel for national service without considering their academic background and future job aspirations. Tertiary graduates transiting into the job market after the national service preferred to be employed by the government because of the lack of entrepreneurial skills.
Practical implications
Therefore, it was recommended that the national service secretariat post national service personnel to organisations that reflect personnel's career aspiration.
Originality/value
This is original research carried out by the researchers and was not sponsored by any organisation/institution.
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Hermann Lassleben and Lisa Hofmann
This paper explores, which employer attractiveness attributes Generation Z (Gen Z) talents prioritize. Comparing the findings for female and male participants, this study examines…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores, which employer attractiveness attributes Generation Z (Gen Z) talents prioritize. Comparing the findings for female and male participants, this study examines whether gender-specific work value orientations prevail among Gen Z talents and impact their expectations toward employers.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted among 308 students of business, economics and management in Germany. Data were collected using the employer attractiveness scale of Berthon and colleagues (2005) complemented by an additional dimension focusing on work–life balance.
Findings
Findings indicate that Gen Z talents primarily expect a fun work environment, a positive team atmosphere and supportive relations with colleagues and superiors. Application aspects and work–life balance enabling services are expected the least. Expectations of four of the six attributes measured differ significantly among women and men, indicating that traditional gender assumptions continue to be reflected in the work value orientations of Gen Z talents.
Research limitations/implications
The sample was limited to business, economics and management students in Germany. Additional research should include a wider variety of respondents of different disciplines and countries.
Practical implications
Practical implications refer to emphasizing the social value of employment in the employee value proposition and customizing employer branding activities by gender.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by empirically determining which employer attractiveness attributes Gen Z talents expect and whether and how these expectations vary by gender.
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Based on attribute research in marketing, importance-performance analysis (IPA) provides a useful analogy to examine employer branding concepts. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on attribute research in marketing, importance-performance analysis (IPA) provides a useful analogy to examine employer branding concepts. The purpose of this paper is to use IPA to evaluate employees’ perceptions of important employer value proposition (EVP) attributes and their corresponding psychological contract fulfillment scores. IPA is applied to 40 EVP attributes and their corresponding EVP dimensions – “Economic Value”, “Development Value”, “Social Value”, “Work Value” and “Employer Reputation.” Further, the paper examines the difference between highly engaged and less engaged employees in their relationship to importance and fulfillment of the five EVP dimensions.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were drawn from information technology-business process management employees (n=520) in India through a questionnaire survey. The IPA matrix was used to plot the importance and fulfillment scores. Independent samples t-test was used to assess the difference between high and low engagement scores.
Findings
The results indicate that several EVP attributes fall within the “Concentrate Here” quadrant that requires more focus. With respect to EVP dimensions, social value needs focus; economic value received “Low Priority”; and work value and employer reputation are identified as “Potential Overkill.” The findings also suggest that, organizations should engage employees across all dimensions, by both prioritizing and fulfilling their obligations promptly.
Practical implications
The study highlights the need for HR practitioners and academicians to draw insights from attribute research in marketing to effectively devise the employer branding strategy of individual organizations.
Originality/value
This paper is the first of its kind to apply IPA to EVP attributes, which contributes to the growing literature on employer branding.
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Sheeja N.K., Susan Mathew K. and Surendran Cherukodan
This study aims to examine if there exists a relation between scholarly output and institutional ranking based on National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) of India. This…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine if there exists a relation between scholarly output and institutional ranking based on National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) of India. This paper also aims to analyze and compare the parameters of NIRF with those of leading world ranking university rankings.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for the study were collected through Web content analysis. The major parts of data were collected from the official websites of NIRF, Times Higher Education World University Rankings and QS World University rankings.
Findings
The study found that the parameters fixed for the assessment of Indian institutions under NIRF are par with those of other world university ranking agencies. Scholarly output of a university is one of the major parameters of university ranking schemes. Indian universities who scored high for research productivity came top in NIRF. These universities were also figured in world university rankings. Universities from South India excel in NIRF and there is a close relationship between scholarly productivity and institutional ranking.
Originality/value
Correlation between h-index and scholarly productivity has been dealt with in several studies. This paper is the first attempt to find the relationship between scholarly productivity and ranking of universities in India based on NIRF.
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Mahsood Shah, Leonid Grebennikov and Chenicheri Sid Nair
The purpose of this paper is to outline four separate studies undertaken in two Australian universities between 2003 and 2012 on employer feedback on the quality of university…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to outline four separate studies undertaken in two Australian universities between 2003 and 2012 on employer feedback on the quality of university graduates. Higher education has expanded significantly in the past decade. The expansion has been in student enrolments with a focus on increasing the participation of disadvantaged students; the emergence of new kinds of providers other than universities; new modes of education delivery; and the internationalisation of higher education. The diversity of higher education institutions and quality issues require the assessment of graduate quality based on feedback from employers. The lack of such assessment on graduate quality based on employer voice risks the production of graduates with focus on success (quantity) rather than excellence (quality). It also disconnects the engagement between higher education institutions and employers to assess trends and changes in various industries and professions that require employer input in course development and renewal to meet the changing needs of the industries.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative method using online survey to gather feedback from employers of university graduates was used. The survey tool has been previously used in other studies.
Findings
A decade of study using quantitative and qualitative methods with different employers in two different geographic locations clearly shows that employer views on the quality of university graduates in a range of capabilities have remained consistent. The study also outlines the challenges in gathering feedback from employers and how data are used in curriculum reviews and enhancements.
Research limitations/implications
The study has a number of limitations, including gathering up-to-date employer data, and engagement of employers in the survey.
Practical implications
Practical implications could include the use of survey data in new course developments, review of courses and further enhancement to ensure course relevance.
Originality/value
This is the first longitudinal study undertaken using the same survey instrument in two universities. The study engaged 485 employers.
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Nesreen El-Rayes, Ming Fang, Michael Smith and Stephen M. Taylor
The purpose of this study is to develop tree-based binary classification models to predict the likelihood of employee attrition based on firm cultural and management attributes.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop tree-based binary classification models to predict the likelihood of employee attrition based on firm cultural and management attributes.
Design/methodology/approach
A data set of resumes anonymously submitted through Glassdoor’s online portal is used in tandem with public company review information to fit decision tree, random forest and gradient boosted tree models to predict the probability of an employee leaving a firm during a job transition.
Findings
Random forest and decision tree methods are found to be the strongest attrition prediction models. In addition, compensation, company culture and senior management performance play a primary role in an employee’s decision to leave a firm.
Practical implications
This study may be used by human resources staff to better understand factors which influence employee attrition. In addition, techniques developed in this study may be applied to company-specific data sets to construct customized attrition models.
Originality/value
This study contains several novel contributions which include exploratory studies such as industry job transition percentages, distributional comparisons between factors strongly contributing to employee attrition between those who left or stayed with the firm and the first comprehensive search over binary classification models to identify which provides the strongest predictive performance of employee attrition.
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Keith Whitfield and Constantine Bourlakis
An analysis is made of the effect of YTS participation on thesubsequent employment and earnings of participants. It uses data fromthe first cohort of the England and Wales Youth…
Abstract
An analysis is made of the effect of YTS participation on the subsequent employment and earnings of participants. It uses data from the first cohort of the England and Wales Youth Cohort Studies. These focus on a cohort of young persons who reached the minimum school‐leaving age in 1984 and were eligible for entry into the original one‐year version of YTS. The results indicate that participation is positively associated with subsequent employment and negatively associated with subsequent earnings.
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Jonathan Winterton and Jason J. Turner
The purpose of this paper is to understand the concept of graduate work readiness (GWR) from a stakeholder perspective. The research attempts to pull together the various…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand the concept of graduate work readiness (GWR) from a stakeholder perspective. The research attempts to pull together the various multidisciplinary themes from the literature into a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between graduates and the labour market, considering the international dimension of what is a global phenomenon.
Design/methodology/approach
The critical review is divided into four distinct sections, the first is to contextualise the concept of GWR and graduate employability taking into account recent academic discussion, particularly in the EU and ASEAN; second, to explore the different perspectives of stakeholders in the “triple helix” of universities, governments and the corporate world; third, critically to assess the arguments that educational provision is poorly aligned with labour market needs; and finally, to investigate the implications of the fourth industrial revolution for graduate jobs and skills and propose an agenda for future research.
Findings
Despite the apparent consensus between stakeholders over the central importance of graduate employability, there is considerable diversity in how each imagines GWR is best assured.
Research limitations/implications
Any review is limited by the extant literature and whilst it is not uncommon that most research has been done in North America, Western Europe and Australasia, this is a serious limitation. GWR is a global concern and this review shows the need for more research that extends beyond the dominant geographical focus and its attendant paradigms. The implication is that geography is important and local research is needed to develop solutions that fit specific cultural, economic and institutional contexts.
Practical implications
The paper highlights the need to reconcile different stakeholder perspectives on GWR and ensure that they work together on shared agendas to improve graduate transition to the labour market. At the same time, the profound changes being brought about by the fourth industrial revolution suggest that more attention should be paid to the employability of existing employees.
Originality/value
This review should prove useful to both academics and practitioners because it emphasises the need to treat GWR as a concept that varies according to context and stakeholder interests, rather than a homogeneous phenomenon.
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