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The aim of this study was to determine the impact of oral communication in improving the marketing and financial management skills of sweet potato farmers.

The study used a quasi-experimental design with a pre- and post-test approach. The sample was 540 sweet potato farmers that were randomly assigned to training (n = 270) and no-training groups (n = 270) with analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) as the method of data analysis. While the training group received oral training sessions for three farming seasons beginning in 2019, 2020 and 2021, the no-training group did not receive any intervention.

Before the training sessions, all the sweet potato farmers scored low on marketing skills like advertising, sales promotion and sales forecasting. Both groups also scored low on financial management skills like budgeting, investments, saving and controlling expenditures. Their annual income level was also low and both groups did not significantly differ. However, after the training and during the follow-up evaluation, the participants in the training group reported a significant improvement in their marketing skills and financial management skills. There was also an improvement in their income level from $238 (N109,480) at baseline to $523 (N240,580) after the training and $782 (N359,720) after the follow-up evaluation. On the other hand, the no-training group reported a staggered fluctuation in their income of $241 (N110,860) at baseline, $371(N170,660) during post-training evaluation and $214 (N98,440) at follow-up assessment.

The first limitation is that the study examined only one crop. There is a need to pay attention to farmers of other crops for better understanding. Another limitation of the study is that the researchers examined only oral communication. There is a need to compare more than one training to understand which is more effective. Finally, the current study did not consider the moderating effect of other factors like the source of labour and expenses.

This study has shown that oral communication is an effective tool for promoting the acquisition of marketing and financial management skills and enhancing agribusiness.

This research objective is to (1) examine the effect of organizational factors on quality performance, (2) examine the effect of quality performance on competitive advantage and (3) examine the mediating role of quality performance between organizational factors and competitive advantage.

The research sample includes 140 employees in the Windusari village-owned enterprise, in Magelang, Indonesia. Data are collected using 5-Likert scale questionnaires which follow Ferdousi et al. (2019). The dependent variable is a competitive advantage. The Independent variable is organizational factors which are top management support, employee empowerment, employee involvement, reward and recognition, training and customer focus. The mediating variable is quality performance. Data analysis uses path analysis provided by structural equation modeling.

Based on path analysis, organizational factors have a positive effect on quality performance, quality performance has a positive effect on competitive advantage and quality performance mediates the effect of organizational factors on competitive advantage. The results confirm the concept of quality management where continuous improvement of products and services can meet customer expectations and bring the organization to a better position in the industry to face other competitors.

This research extends the previous studies of the relationship between organizational factors and organizational outcomes by considering the effectiveness of the organizational process. This research also contributes to giving new evidence about the relationship between organizational factors, quality management and competitive advantage in the village-owned enterprise in Magelang, Indonesia. This research also contributes to updating the literature on the theory of quality management.

The study aims to investigate the current electronic records management practices in government departments of South Africa to establish the extent to which they foster service delivery in public service reform programmes.

This study applied a systematic literature review approach to critically appraise the published literature on the status of records management in South Africa, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

The findings indicate that the South African public sector encounters challenges such as a lack of skills in managing electronic records, management support, resources and legislative frameworks and policies. The study’s findings revealed that although electronic records are essential for service delivery in South Africa, the existing records management programme is not efficient and effective and does not sufficiently comply with legislative and statutory requirements.

This study was limited to the public sector of South Africa.

This study recommends the development of policy frameworks and strategies aligned with the organisational goals and facilitation of professional training for all staff, including attendance of seminars, workshops and workplace training.

The research demonstrates the need for a comprehensive legislative and policy framework, robust integration of electronic records practices in government e-government efforts, and adequate technological infrastructure support.

This study offers informed recommendations to address the challenges of managing electronic records in South African public sector organisations that continue to be a cause for concern.

This project inquires whether transitioning to adopting sustainable practices involves emphasizing the significance of education and skill development that aligns with employees' knowledge. Additionally, this project explores whether soft skills can act as a means for effective communication, collaboration and ethical decision-making when addressing the intricate and socially interconnected nature of sustainability challenges. Thus, this research explores employee sustainability knowledge and soft skills to gain a more nuanced understanding to provide evidence-based recommendations to enhance organizational sustainability initiatives.

This study used a form of chain-referral sampling with two populations. A two-step cluster analysis with a log-likelihood distance measure and Schwarz’s Bayesian criterion was employed to identify communities of employees with different levels of sustainable practices and soft skills knowledge. A corresponding analysis was conducted to better understand different communities in terms of industry and managerial experience. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using a covariance-based measurement model to establish measurement validity and reliability and to impute latent variables (i.e. constructs) scores.

Aligning human resource (HR) strategies with these identified knowledge communities enables organizations to strategically enhance comprehensive training programs promoting sustainable practices and soft skills. Tailored training and workforce development programs for each community are recommended, with the proposal of active training methods like Lego Serious Play to dynamically engage employees. As organizations increasingly invest in training, this research offers valuable insights for educators and industry professionals to better cultivate and apply soft skills to develop employee sustainability practices and enhance employee development.

Although this study’s findings are not generalizable to the population, they are useful when considering critical sustainability knowledge and soft skills necessary for employees in the hospitality industry. The convenience sample of this study could have been more robust, with participants with greater tenure in the industry or a better understanding of sustainable practices and soft skill competencies. This research used a Qualtrics survey to gather subject responses. This may have caused biases in responding to the survey, such as a central tendency, immediacy, the rater’s knowledge about each criterion or boredom with the survey length.

The practical implications drawn from this study’s findings offer actionable insights for organizations seeking to enhance sustainability practices within their workforce. As one navigates the diverse landscape of employee categories, including sustainable champions, emerging learners and skillful initiators, it becomes evident that a one-size-fits-all approach to training and workforce education is not conducive to cultivating a sustainable culture. In this section, some possible practical strategies tailored to each employee category are suggested, ensuring that organizations can effectively harness the unique strengths and development needs within their workforce.

Using a social cognitive theoretical lens (Bandura, 1977), sustainable catalysts' elevated knowledge levels make them influential contributors to the organization’s sustainability goals, while their adeptness in soft skills positions them as effective communicators, collaborators and leaders in fostering a culture of sustainability. Figure 1b displays this idea. As such, sustainable catalysts were present four times in the effectiveness of the top five soft skills, meaning these sustainable catalysts should be the area of primary focus as they can assist organizations by educating other employees due to their enhanced soft skills and level of sustainability knowledge.

Rooted in social cognitive theory, this study investigated how HR practices can effectively shape sustainability-related workforce development in the workplace. The results identified distinct knowledge communities – sustainable catalysts, skillful initiators, emerging learners and sustainable champions – aligned with quadrants of sustainable practice effectiveness. Aligning HR strategies with these identified knowledge communities enables organizations to strategically enhance comprehensive training programs promoting sustainable practices and soft skills.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the social contexts of sustainable Lean culture in healthcare by examining self-efficacy (SE) as a fundamental construct related to the value of perceived readiness, prior education of Lean and the importance of leadership’s system-level support.

A descriptive correlational study was conducted to identify the relationships between SE and Lean readiness factors, SE and prior Lean training, SE and clinical vs administrative roles and SE and perceived system-level support in a large health system.

There was a statistically significant difference in self-reported readiness to use Lean tools between individuals who had received Lean training during their academic education and those who had not; however, their level of education did not impact SE. Lastly, and perhaps most important, the learner who embodies SE also has system-level support.

Future directions of this research, in addition to assessing team readiness as other studies suggest, would be to evaluate individual team member readiness by gauging SE and addressing deficits prior to the deployment of process improvement (PI) projects to promote success and sustainability.

This contributes to the ongoing scholarship of Lean management systems, providing clinical and non-clinical leaders with a contextual understanding of their supportive role in the SE of teams.

This study demonstrates the value of understanding SE of individual team members and how it can contribute to overall improved team outcomes, directly impacting the sustainability of Lean change culture and its promotion of improved patient safety, cost efficiencies and access to care.

This paper aims to investigate the role of virtual training in supporting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reducing workforce inequalities. It analyzes both the advantages and challenges of integrating virtual training within sustainable development frameworks and the circular economy, underlining its crucial role in transforming workforce strategies and enhancing economic and social progress.

The study uses Becker’s human capital theory (1964) and Bandura’s social learning theory (1977) to explore the impact of virtual training on human capital development and its contributions to specific SDGs. This integrated approach provides a detailed exploration of how virtual training intersects with sustainable development initiatives.

The findings highlight the pivotal role of technology in training and development, particularly in the post-pandemic landscape. Virtual training significantly enhances global collaboration, inclusivity and sustainability. It highlights the necessity of adapting corporate training practices to digital environments, thereby improving the quality of education, advancing gender equality and stimulating economic growth.

This paper presents unique perspectives on the influence of workplace training in the post-pandemic era, focusing on technological integration. It discusses how such integration supports diversity, equity and inclusion within the workforce and highlights the essential role of virtual training in promoting organizational flexibility and enhancing employee skills amidst ongoing digital transformations.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the restructuring of human resources development processes in Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) libraries in North India, emphasizing the essential information and communications technology (ICT) skills for both recruits and existing staff.

The study used a survey research design, with two different sets of structured questionnaires used to collect data. The first set, which was distributed to all heads of seven IIT libraries in North India, received a 100% response rate. Simultaneously, the second set was distributed to library users, yielding a 92% response rate (680 responses out of 700 distributed). The collected data were analyzed and tabulated, with suitable interpretations.

The findings of the study reveal that all examined libraries have implemented skill development programs. Moreover, advanced ICT skills are considered essential for staff appointments, and specific institutes (IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Jodhpur and IIT Ropar) took the initiative to provide ICT training to their employees. Trained employees exhibited enhanced performance, attributed to advanced ICT knowledge. The study suggests restructuring selection criteria and introducing structured ICT training programs for library staff, ensuring a more adept workforce for current demands.

The study can increase the impact globally on human resource development by incorporating soft skills, job satisfaction and leadership development while exploring research opportunities through cross-institutional comparisons and the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality.

This study collected primary data from IIT libraries in North India using self-designed questionnaires. The findings provide useful insights into how libraries might restructure human resource development in the digital age.

The objective of this research is to propose an immersive framework that integrates virtual reality (VR) technology with directives international safety training certification bodies to enhance construction safety training, which eventually leads to safer construction sites.

The adopted methodology combines expert insights and experimentation to maximize the effectiveness of construction safety training. The first step was identifying key considerations for VR models such as motion sickness prevention and adult learning theories. The second step was developing a game-like VR model for safety training, with multiple hazards and scenarios based on the considerations of the previous step. After that, safety experts evaluated the model and provided valuable feedback on its alignment with international safety training practices. Finally, the developed model is tested by senior students, where the testing format followed the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) working safely exam structure.

An advanced immersive VR safety training model was developed based on extensive lessons learned from the literature, previous work and psychology-informed adult learning theories. Model testing – through focus groups and hands-on experimentation – demonstrated significant benefit of VR in upgrading and complementing traditional training methods.

The findings presented in this paper make a significant contribution to the field of safety training within the construction industry and the broader context of immersive learning experiences. It also fosters further exploration into immersive learning experiences across educational and professional contexts.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of prolonged work hours and high stress levels on ethical behavior within health-care settings. It evaluates how these factors compromise professional and personal boundaries and examines the efficacy of targeted ethical training programs designed to mitigate these challenges.

This study adopts an integrated conceptual framework combining the interactionist model of ethical decision-making, organizational justice theory and virtue ethics. It uses data from the General Social Survey (GSS) and analyzes trends and insights from existing literature. The study explores theoretical underpinnings and empirical evidence to understand the complex interplay between workplace stress, long hours and ethical behavior in health-care environments, ensuring the validity and reliability of the findings.

The findings highlight a significant correlation between excessive work hours, increased stress levels and ethical lapses in health-care settings. These lapses, including breaches of confidentiality and inappropriate workplace relationships, can have profound implications for patient care and professional satisfaction. The efficacy of ethical training programs in enhancing moral reasoning and ethical judgment among health-care professionals is demonstrated, particularly those programs that mirror real-world complexities. Such training equips health-care workers with the necessary tools to navigate ethical dilemmas effectively, fostering a culture of ethical awareness and integrity.

This paper uniquely contributes to the literature by comprehensively analyzing how stress and work hours influence ethical behavior, specifically in health-care settings. Supported by a robust theoretical framework, it extends previous research by demonstrating the effectiveness of ethical training in improving ethical behavior. The paper provides practical recommendations for health-care organizations to cultivate a culture of ethical awareness and integrity, highlighting the potential for such programs to improve patient care and professional satisfaction significantly.

The purpose of the research is to analyze the human resource practices as resilience for the tourism and hospitality business in India during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study uses an exploratory research design focusing on qualitative interview methods to collect information. Respondents were chosen by using purposive sampling to record human resource practices to develop resilience in the tourism and hospitality sector in India while dealing with the COVID-19 crisis.

The author concludes valuable HR resilience-building practices such as broad resource network, talent management and job redeployment and performance management to enhance the adaptive capacity of tourism and hospitality businesses after the pandemic.

The study offers clear implications regarding understanding how managers react to a crisis or pandemic to enhance employees’ and organizational resilience during a crisis.

The research provides useful and novel insight to managers in the tourism and hospitality business to develop resilience strategies related to human resource practices during a crisis.