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Article
Publication date: 9 January 2017

Rami M. Ayoubi, Kahla Alzarif and Bayan Khalifa

The purpose of this paper is to compare the desired employability skills of business graduates in Syria from the perspective of both higher education policymakers and employers in…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the desired employability skills of business graduates in Syria from the perspective of both higher education policymakers and employers in the private sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Interviews were conducted with 12 higher education policymakers and managers from the business sector. Content analysis was utilized to analyse the content of the interviews and the strategic priorities of the higher education sector in Syria.

Findings

Results revealed that although higher education policymakers focus more on societal, public and thinking skills for business graduates, the business sector focusses more on individual, private and practical skills. Accordingly, a comparative tool that aligns the two perspectives was developed in the study. The tool, based on the contradicting employability skills, identified four types of business graduates: leader, collective, technical and trainee.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited by data collected before the current political instability in Syria in 2012. The data were collected only from official documents and interviews with policymakers and employers. Students were not part of the study.

Practical implications

The managerial tool developed at the end of the study will help both policymakers and the private sector to statistically allocate business graduates for better planning. The study provides recommendations to the different stakeholders in the higher education sector in Syria.

Originality/value

Although the majority of the previous literature raises the voices of the business sector, this study is one of the first studies that aligns the discrepant perspectives of the higher education and business sectors. The managerial tool developed in the study is original and usable by policymakers and the business sector, and it is subject to further development.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 59 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 May 2019

Hiba K. Massoud, Rami M. Ayoubi and Mohamed Loutfi

The purpose of this paper is to present the authors’ views of university–multi academy trusts’ (MATs) opportunities for future interconnectivity that could support successful…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the authors’ views of university–multi academy trusts’ (MATs) opportunities for future interconnectivity that could support successful partnerships.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors developed a matrix of university–MATs partnerships that could help identifying potential scenarios of collaboration between universities and MATs.

Findings

Four potential scenarios of collaborations are proposed (board membership, academic supervision, recruitment support and academic support).

Research limitations/implications

Scholars in the field can further investigate the four proposed scenarios in the matrix in future studies.

Practical implications

The matrix will be useful for universities and MATs management for potential cooperation in the future.

Originality/value

The study proposes four scenarios of cooperation between MATs and universities.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 33 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 May 2020

Mohamed Mousa, Hiba K. Massoud and Rami M. Ayoubi

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether females have different perceptions of diversity management and workplace happiness compared to their male colleagues…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether females have different perceptions of diversity management and workplace happiness compared to their male colleagues. Furthermore, the paper explores whether diversity management perceptions mediate the relationship between workplace happiness and organisational citizenship behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 260 questionnaires from a number of public hospitals in Egypt were analysed using both t-test and Structural Equation Modelling.

Findings

We found that female physicians perceive diversity management policies/protocols more positively than their male colleagues. Moreover, gender has no or little effect on physicians’ perceptions of workplace happiness. We also found that workplace happiness positively affects physicians’ organisational citizenship behaviour, and finally, diversity management practices can mediate the relationship between workplace happiness and physicians’ organisational citizenship behaviour.

Practical implications

We believe that managers can raise the feeling of workplace happiness among their staff if they maintain some personal relationships with physicians, care about the physicians’ work/life balance, promote after work gatherings, initiate coffee time talks, encourage open communication practices and more.

Originality/value

The paper is based on the argument that although employees might be happy in the workplace through (engagement, job satisfaction, affective commitment), their happiness, however,will unlikely be reflected into a positive organisational citizenship behaviour towards their organisation, except (social exchange theory) they feel or perceive (equity theory) the overall practices of diversity management in that organisation positively. Thus, studying the mediating effect of perceptions towards diversity management is mainly our contribution.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 42 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 September 2019

Iyad Alamir, Rami M. Ayoubi, Hiba Massoud and Louna Al Hallak

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of transformational leadership (TL) on organizational commitment (OC) with the mediating role of organizational justice (OJ) in…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of transformational leadership (TL) on organizational commitment (OC) with the mediating role of organizational justice (OJ) in the higher education (HE) sector in Syria.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from 502 employees from six HE institutions. Two measures of organizational outcomes were selected for this study, namely, job satisfaction (JS) and OC. Using structural equation modelling (SEM), the authors tested four alternative models to indicate the relationship between leadership and organizational outcomes.

Findings

TL has both direct and indirect effects on OC through interactional justice (IJ). TL has an impact on JS through procedural justice (PJ) and IJ as intermediate variables, while transactional leadership (TrL) has an impact on JS through distributive justice (DJ). The three types of OJ have an impact on OC through JS. The authors found that the national culture may not influence the impact of the leader in the current globalization context, as the results were similar to the Western studies.

Practical implications

The findings of the study provide managers of the HE sector with insights into the formations of employees’ fairness perceptions, and with some guidelines for managing employees by documenting OJ to draw positive attitudinal and behavioral responses from employees.

Originality/value

While most previous research has focused on exploring the relationship between leadership and OJ or between OJ and JS in the business sector, the study, however, seeks in addition, to pinpoint the effect of OJ as a mediate variable between the leadership and JS and OC in HE.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 40 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 September 2019

Mohamed Mousa and Rami M. Ayoubi

The purpose of this paper is to focus on 3 out of 24 business schools in Egypt in order to investigate their talent management practices of academics.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on 3 out of 24 business schools in Egypt in order to investigate their talent management practices of academics.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 350 academics were contacted and 245 of them were interviewed in 49 face-to-face focus groups. The interview length for each focus group is about 45 min and is conducted in Arabic, the mother tongue of all respondents. Upon conducting the interviews, the authors used thematic analysis to determine the main ideas in the transcripts.

Findings

The authors did not detect any systematic approach for the management of academic talent in the chosen public business schools. Instead, there were irresponsible unorderly procedures undertaken by these business schools in staffing, empowering, motivating, evaluating and retaining those talents. Furthermore, the authors realized an absence of many cultural and technical dimensions like adaptability, consistency and knowledge sharing which may hurdle academic staff desires to do their best effort in teaching and conducting research. Moreover, these addressed academic members narrow perception of the concept “talent” that includes only musical and sports figures – the matter that reflects their lack of understanding for one of the hottest concepts in HR academic and practical arenas nowadays.

Research limitations/ implications

The focus is only on a single perspective (academics) and a single area (Upper Egypt) – a matter that neglects a variety of views (e.g. minister of Egyptian higher education and schools’ deans). Additionally, the results/findings of this study cannot be generalized to academic settings in other countries because the data are collected only from public business schools in Upper Egypt.

Originality/value

This paper contributes by filling a gap in HR management, in which empirical studies on the practices of managing talents have been limited so far.

Details

Journal of Management Development, vol. 38 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0262-1711

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 May 2012

Rami M. Ayoubi and Hiba Massoud

The main aim of the current study is to explore and model the major obstacles that UK universities encounter when developing international partnerships with overseas universities.

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Abstract

Purpose

The main aim of the current study is to explore and model the major obstacles that UK universities encounter when developing international partnerships with overseas universities.

Design/methodology/approach

Focusing on the obstacles to developing international partnerships, the study results are developed from 24 interviews with senior and very senior university managers from four leading UK universities.

Findings

The results indicate that the obstacles to international partnerships for each of the four universities in this study can be grouped into two main categories: the obstacles that are relevant to the process of partner selection, and the obstacles that are relevant to the process of partnership arrangements. The study ends up with a model of obstacles of international partnerships in universities. In terms of strategy evaluation, obstacles related to the partner (whether they are focused or diversified), and obstacles related to the partnership arrangements (whether they are also focused or diversified) identify four quadrants of strategy evaluation: Realistic strategy, Partner‐reevaluation, Arrangement‐reevaluation, and Unrealistic strategy.

Research limitations/ implications

The study brings up the difficulties that come from the drivers of international partnerships and the associated problems. Accordingly, it points out from the data a classification of the obstacles confronting international partnerships and further models this classification. The study however does not tackle some related issues such as the positive side of international partnerships. In this regard, a study exploring the outcomes of international partnerships would be of great importance for researchers and for practitioners in the field.

Practical implications

Given the necessity of revising the process of establishing international partnerships by university managers, the model resulting from this study would be of vast importance to university international office directors and other university policy makers.

Originality/value

This study provides a new classification for obstacles confronting UK universities' international partnerships and develops an original model of these obstacles. This model is expected to be useful for both policy makers and researchers. The study is sustaining the series of studies of international partnership strategy for a group of four UK universities implemented by Ayoubi and followed by a paper in ICERI.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 26 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2019

Mohamed Mousa, Hiba K. Massoud and Rami M. Ayoubi

This paper aims to focus on academics in three private foreign universities located in Cairo (Egypt) to explore the effect of organizational learning on individual-level…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on academics in three private foreign universities located in Cairo (Egypt) to explore the effect of organizational learning on individual-level resistance to change with and without the mediation of authentic leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 960 academics were contacted and all of them received a set of questionnaires. After four follow ups, a total of 576 responses were collected with a response rate of 60.00 per cent. The author used the chi-square test to determine the association between organizational learning and authentic leadership. Multiple regressions were used to show how much variation in individual-level resistance to change can be explained by organizational learning and authentic leadership.

Findings

The findings highlight a statistical association between organizational learning and authentic leadership. Moreover, another statistical association is explored between authentic leadership and individual-level resistance to change. Furthermore, the statistical analysis proved that having an authentic leadership in the workplace fosters the effect of organizational learning in alleviating individual’s resistance to change.

Research limitations/implications

Data were collected only from academics and did not include rectors and/or heads of academic departments, the matter that may lead to an inflation of statistical relationships. Future research could use a double source method. Moreover, focusing only on private foreign universities working in Egypt diminishes the author’s potential for generalizing his results.

Practical implications

The author recommends establishing a unit for knowledge management inside every university. The function of this unit includes but is not limited to examining prospective socio-political, cultural and economic changes/challenges in the surrounding environment and preparing the possible scenarios for dealing with them. This in turn should comprise involvement and learning opportunities for academics work in these universities. The suggested units should also organize monthly meetings between academics and representatives from different Egyptian sectors such as NGOs personnel, CEOs of private and public companies, environmentalists and politicians to address what change those actors seek universities to undertake to guide academics to fulfill their expectations.

Originality/value

This paper contributes by filling a gap in HR management and organization literature in the higher education sector, in which empirical studies on the relationship between organizational learning, authentic leadership and resistance to change have been limited until now.

Objetivo

Este artículo se centra en los académicos de tres universidades privadas extranjeras situadas en El Cairo (Egipto) para explorar el efecto del aprendizaje organizativo en la resistencia individual al cambio con y sin la mediación del liderazgo auténtico.

Diseño/metodología/aproximación

Se contactó con un total de 960 académicos. Se obtuvieron 576 respuestas válidas para un ratio de respuesta del 60%. Los autores usan el test chi-cuadrado para determinar la asociación entre el aprendizaje organizativo y el liderazgo auténtico. Se utilizaron regresiones múltiples para mostrar cuanta variación en la resistencia individual al cambio puede explicarse con el aprendizaje organizativo y el liderazgo auténtico.

Resultados

Los resultados muestran una asociación estadística entre el aprendizaje organizativo y el liderazgo auténtico. También se explora la relación estadística entre el liderazgo auténtico y el nivel de resistencia individual al cambio. Más aún, el análisis estadístico muestra que un liderazgo auténtico favorece el efecto reductor del aprendizaje organizativo en la resistencia individual al cambio.

Limitaciones/implicaciones

Los datos se obtuvieron exclusivamente de académicos, y no incluían rectores y/o directores de departamento, lo cual puede haber aumentado la significatividad estadística. La investigación futura puede utilizar un método con dos fuentes. Más aún, el foco en universidades extranjeras privadas que trabajan en Egipto puede afectar a la generalizabilidad de los resultados.

Implicaciones prácticas

Los autores recomiendan establecer una unidad de gestión del conocimiento en cada universidad. La función de esta unidad incluye, pero no se limita a, examinar posibles cambios/retos socio-políticos, culturales y económicos en el entorno, y a preparar posibles escenarios para afrontarlos. Esto a su vez debe comprender la identificación de oportunidades de aprendizaje para los académicos en estas instituciones. Estas unidades deberían organizar reuniones mensuales entre los académicos y representantes de diferentes sectores Egipcios tales como personal de ONGs, directores de empresas públicas y privadas, activistas por el medioambiente y políticos para identificar sus necesidades y los cambios necesarios en la universidades para abordarlos.

Originalidad/valor

Este trabajo contribuye a rellenar una ausencia en la literatura sobre organización y gestión de recursos humanos en la educación superior, en la que hasta la fecha no existían estudio sobre la relación entre el aprendizaje organizativo, el liderazgo auténtico y la resistencia al cambio.

Objetivo

Este artigo concentra-se em académicos de três universidades particulares estrangeiras localizadas no Cairo (Egito) para explorar o efeito do aprendizado organizacional na resistência em nível individual à mudança com e sem a mediação da liderança autêntica.

Projeto/metodologia/abordagem

Um total de 960 acadêmicos foram contatados e todos receberam um conjunto de questionários. Após quatro acompanhamentos, um total de 576 respostas foram coletadas com uma taxa de resposta de 60%. O autor usou o teste do qui-quadrado para determinar a associação entre aprendizado organizacional e liderança autêntica. Se usou regressões múltiplas para mostrar quanta variação na resistência individual à mudança pode ser explicada pelo aprendizado organizacional e pela liderança autêntica.

Resultados

Os resultados destacam uma associação estatística entre aprendizado organizacional e liderança autêntica. Outra associação estatística também é explorada entre liderança autêntica e resistência individual à mudança. Além disso, a análise estatística provou que ter uma liderança autêntica no local de trabalho promove o efeito do aprendizado organizacional na diminuição da resistência individual à mudança.

Limitações/implicações da pesquisa

Os dados foram coletados apenas de acadêmicos e não incluíram reitores e/ou chefes de departamentos acadêmicos, o que pode levar a um aumento nas relações estatísticas. Pesquisas futuras poderiam usar um método com fonte dupla. Além disso, o foco apenas em universidades particulares estrangeiras que trabalham no Egito diminui o potencial do autor de generalizar seus resultados.

Implicações práticas

O autor recomenda o estabelecimento de uma unidade para a gestão do conhecimento em todas universidades. A função desta unidade inclui, entre outros, o exame de possíveis mudanças/desafios sócio-políticos, culturais e econômicos no ambiente circundante e a preparação dos cenários possíveis para lidar com eles. Por sua vez, isso deve incluir envolvimento e oportunidades de aprendizado para os acadêmicos trabalharem nessas universidades. As unidades sugeridas também devem organizar reuniões mensais entre acadêmicos e representantes de diferentes setores egípcios, como o pessoal de ONGs, diretores executivos de empresas públicas e privadas, ambientalistas e políticos para as mudanças que esses atores procuram nas universidades para orientar os acadêmicos a atender às suas expectativas.

Originalidade/valor

Este artigo contribui preenchendo uma lacuna na literatura sobre gestão e organização de RH no setor de ensino superior, no qual estudos empíricos sobre a relação entre aprendizagem organizacional, liderança autêntica e resistência à mudança foram limitados até agora.

Article
Publication date: 20 September 2019

Mohamed Mousa, Hala A. Abdelgaffar and Rami M. Ayoubi

Out of 24 public business schools in Egypt, the purpose of this paper is to focus on three in order to investigate how responsible management education is perceived and exercised…

Abstract

Purpose

Out of 24 public business schools in Egypt, the purpose of this paper is to focus on three in order to investigate how responsible management education is perceived and exercised by academics there.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 168 academics were contacted and interviewed in 42 focus groups. The length of each focus group was about 45 min, and all of them were conducted in Arabic because the majority of respondents are not fluent in English. The authors used thematic analysis to determine the main ideas in the transcripts.

Findings

Based on data analysis of the perceptions of academics concerning business education, research and management process at the target business schools, the authors of this paper found that responsible management education is not considered a priority in the work agendas of the Egyptian public business schools. Furthermore, the authors believe that besides issues with the general acceptance of the need for responsible management education, there are functional, procedural and edu-academic barriers that these schools need to overcome first before proceeding with implementation and expecting positive outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

This research maybe subject to criticism because the authors address only the perspectives of academics in the chosen business schools while neglecting other academic partners, particularly those in managerial positions, such as rectors and heads of departments. Future researchers may use the same research questions to investigate a managerial level perspective to depict a more holistic picture of the situation. Moreover, including Egyptian private business schools may also enrich the findings. In fact, the authors suggest that scholars from different academic disciplines such as sustainability management, business ethics, higher education, sustainability and cultural diversity work together to produce more interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research on the global responsibility themes business schools have to manage.

Originality/value

This paper contributes by filling a gap in sustainability, HR management, business ethics and higher education literature in which empirical studies on responsible management education and the responsible practices of academics have been limited so far.

Details

Journal of Management Development, vol. 38 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0262-1711

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 May 2007

Rami M. Ayoubi and Hiba K. Massoud

The purpose of this research is to examine the extent to which UK universities' achal international achievements match their strategic intent on internationalization.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to examine the extent to which UK universities' achal international achievements match their strategic intent on internationalization.

Design/methodology/approach

Both factor analysis and cluster analysis were applied on data collected from HESA (2001), and on the data collected from the mission statements of 117 universities by the use of the content analysis technique.

Findings

The study shows that 74 per cent of UK universities' mission statements include international dimensions. In addition, 48 per cent of these universities are internationally active. Four groups of (international action – international mission) matrixes have been reached. These groups are “international winners group, international actors group, international speakers group, and international losers group”.

Research limitations/implications

This analysis is limited to only four variables taken in a single year 2001. Therefore, future research in this area is encouraged to employ more variables related to internationalization and to apply the analysis on longitudinal bases in order to get results that cover larger range of international aspects and allow observing the matrix development overtime.

Practical implications

The study finishes with a location model which can be used as an important tool by university managers in conducting their international business. This model can also be employed in various sectors other than the higher education sector.

Originality/value

The paper is the first classification carried out amongst UK universities in terms of internationalization. It is also the first of its kind in the higher education management literature in terms of both; the comprehensiveness in dealing with all the three phases of the strategy of internationalization and the nature of data it uses for this purpose.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 March 2019

Mohamed Mousa and Rami M. Ayoubi

The purpose of this paper is to focus on three Egyptian public business schools in an attempt to explore the effect of inclusive/exclusive talent management on the organizational…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on three Egyptian public business schools in an attempt to explore the effect of inclusive/exclusive talent management on the organizational downsizing of academics and the mediating role of responsible leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 330 academics were contacted and given a set of questionnaires. After three follow-ups, a total of 240 responses were collected with a response rate of 72.73 percent. Multiple regressions were employed to show how much variation in organizational downsizing can be explained by inclusive/exclusive talent management and responsible leadership.

Findings

The findings highlighted a very weak statistical association between academics’ inclusive talent management and organizational downsizing, whereas a strong statistical association has been discovered between exclusive talent management and organizational downsizing. Statistical analysis showed that responsible leadership has no role in mediating the relationship between inclusive/exclusive talent management of academics and their downsizing.

Research limitations/implications

The authors have focused on only three Egyptian public business schools, the matter that may limit opportunities to generalize the results of this study to private business schools and other faculties in Egypt. Future research could use a double source method.

Practical implications

By preparing a set of academic competences, business schools will be able to classify their academic staff into talented and non-talented, and accordingly they can initiate their tailored downsizing strategies. Furthermore, undertaking a responsible strategy of downsizing, which includes and is not limited to justifying the need to decrease academic staff numbers to guarantee post-redundancy care practices for laid-off academics may alleviate many of the negative psychological, societal and economic consequences of downsizing.

Originality/value

This paper contributes by filling a gap in HR management and higher education literature, in which empirical studies on the relationship between talent management and academics’ organizational downsizing have been limited until now. This may create better research opportunities for cross-disciplinary papers that should be done by HR, higher education and leadership scholars.

Details

Journal of Management Development, vol. 38 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0262-1711

Keywords

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