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This study aims to explain the importance of human resources and attempts to identify the competencies required by the personnel involved in disaster management operations.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explain the importance of human resources and attempts to identify the competencies required by the personnel involved in disaster management operations.
Design/methodology/approach
The research uses a qualitative methodology to explore the competencies required by the relief workers using a content analysis approach to analyze the disaster literature and the job advertisements. The data for the content analysis was developed with the help of 23 independent coders, and exploratory inferences were drawn.
Findings
A detailed review of the literature highlighted the importance of competent personnel in disaster relief organizations. The analysis listed 34 mutually exclusive competencies and their relative importance, which were further divided into four competency clusters. The study also creates a competency dictionary that defines the competencies with the expected behaviors.
Practical implications
Deploying the right resources in the acute time frame during a disaster event can make a difference, and with lives at stake, such deployment acquires prime importance. In addition to contributing to humanitarian logistics literature, the competency model developed will also help forecast the future requirements and help the organization choose “the right person for the right job.”
Originality/value
The inferences drawn in the study are based on disaster management areas, unlike earlier research which also considered business logistics research.
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Ramazan Erturgut and Hasan Emin Gürler
Human resources can differentiate firms from their competitors or directly affect the success or failure of firms. As in many sectors, there is a need for qualified employees in…
Abstract
Human resources can differentiate firms from their competitors or directly affect the success or failure of firms. As in many sectors, there is a need for qualified employees in the logistics sector, which is of great importance for the national economies. Qualified employees in this sector contribute to the success of the companies and the development of the industry. In this study, it is aimed to reveal the qualifications and characteristics of the labour force needed by logistics companies. It was also aimed to show the impact of COVID-19 on logistics job ads. For this purpose, a total of 1,410 job vacancy postings (before COVID-19) and a total of 1,700 job vacancy postings (during COVID-19) were searched on the kariyer.net website with the word “logistics” and analysed by content analysis method. As a result, it was found that the most advertised province was Istanbul in both periods, the most looked up experience requirement in the candidates was 1-5 years in both periods, the opportunities provided to the candidates (transportation, food and beverage, career, social activity) were not mentioned much in both periods. This study reveals the status of logistics job postings in the period before COVID-19 and during COVID-19. It was also aimed to show the impact of COVID-19 on logistics job ads. We investigated whether the logistics employee demand has changed and whether the pandemic is affecting workforce characteristics. This is the first empirical analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on logistics vacancy postings.
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Nicole L.P. Stedman, Tracy A. Rutherford and T. Grady Roberts
Internship experience is a valuable component of an undergraduate degree. This is especially true in leadership education programs, where leadership development may take place in…
Abstract
Internship experience is a valuable component of an undergraduate degree. This is especially true in leadership education programs, where leadership development may take place in a variety of contexts. Theory purports reflection enhances a learners’ experience through a linkage of education, work, and personal development (Kolb, 1984). It is not clear, however, if reflection guided by feedback will enhance or diminish the learning and development. This study utilized a pretest-posttest experimental design in an attempt to determine if providing feedback to weekly internship reflections would make a difference in leadership skill development. Thirty-six undergraduate students were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups following enrollment in a 10-week summer internship course. All participants submitted weekly reflections. The control group received no feedback and the treatment group was provided feedback by a research team member to invoke deeper reflection and development of leadership skills. Leadership skill development was measured using the Leadership Skills Inventory-Self©. Results of the study did not yield statistically significant differences between the two groups, but did demonstrate observable differences in the mean scores. Replication of this study is recommended utilizing quantitative and qualitative measures to further understand this phenomenon.
Elza Fátima Rosa Veloso, Leonardo Nelmi Trevisan, Rodrigo Cunha da Silva and Joel Souza Dutra
The purpose of this paper is to, which involved 123 students in their last year of an administration course at a private university in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, evaluate the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to, which involved 123 students in their last year of an administration course at a private university in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, evaluate the importance of analyzing the pressure from new technologies on the careers of young university students from a career theory perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
From the perspective of traditional theories, the authors used “career anchors,” and from the perspective of non-traditional theories, “intelligent careers,” in which people develop three competency groups that are transferable between organizations: knowing why; knowing how; and knowing whom. The hypotheses the authors raised were analyzed using statistical techniques and the following results were obtained: young people do not see new technologies as a threat to their current job; people who see the “Knowing How” competence as being more developed feel less pressure from new technologies; non-traditional theories show a greater potential to analyze technological pressure than traditional theories; and, finally, the nature of people’s jobs produces different impacts on the pressure of new technologies on their careers, since people who occupy positions involving more human interaction with internal or external clients feel less threatened.
Findings
It was found that the lowest mean among the constructs analyzed was the pressure from technology on career. The correlations between the competencies of intelligent careers and the perception of the pressure from technology on career were weak, but significant, whereas the “Knowing How” competency was negatively correlated with the pressure caused by technology. There was no significant influence of the anchors on the pressure from technology on career. However, incorporating the competencies of intelligent careers improved the statistical model’s fit. In associating job positions with the pressure from technology on career, administrative and operational positions showed higher averages than sales associate and management positions.
Originality/value
Broadly speaking, it can be noted that traditional career theories, especially the vocational counseling approach, are not sufficient to explain the impact of new technologies on careers. At the same time, one way of coping with the pressure brought about by technological advances may be in using technology itself to develop “useful professional skills,” in a manner consistent with “intelligent careers.”
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João Graça, Lisa Roque, David Guedes, Lúcia Campos, Monica Truninger, Cristina Godinho and Markus Vinnari
Recent reviews and reports have highlighted the need for integrated, context-specific efforts to enable sustainable food transitions. This study aimed to identify pathways to…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent reviews and reports have highlighted the need for integrated, context-specific efforts to enable sustainable food transitions. This study aimed to identify pathways to promote healthier and more environmentally friendly food practices in school contexts, with a focus on increased plant-based eating.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a systemic approach with data collected from relevant stakeholders in an EU country (Portugal) at diverse levels of influence in the school meals system (i.e. proximal, intermediate, distal; from end-consumers to food providers, market actors, civil society organizations, and policy and decision-makers). Data from individual interviews (N = 33) were subjected to thematic analysis.
Findings
Meat-centric cultural perceptions of a ‘proper meal’ can be a socio-emotional barrier for sustainable food transitions in schools. Main pathways identified to unlock these transitions included: (1) Levering orientations toward ethical and environmentally beneficial consumption; (2) Improving and increasing the offer of plant-based meals; and (3) Mobilizing local communities and society.
Originality/value
The current findings suggest that promoting healthier and more environmentally friendly food practices in schools requires systemic, integrated approaches which focus on food consumption, food provision, and the broader political and sociocultural environment.
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Supadi Supadi, Evitha Soraya, Hamid Muhammad and Nurhasanah Halim
The voice of school principals represents the principals' thoughts and experiences because of their as teachers' evaluator. It provides principals' perception on making sense the…
Abstract
Purpose
The voice of school principals represents the principals' thoughts and experiences because of their as teachers' evaluator. It provides principals' perception on making sense the teacher evaluation. In qualitative research, voice can provide the truth and meaning of principals' experience in teachers evaluation. Their voices in the qualitative interviews are recorded and transcribed into words (Jackson and Mazzei, 2009 and Charteris and Smardon, 2018). By listening to the voices of principals in five provinces in Indonesia, this study, a qualitative research, intends to explore the principals' sensemaking in teacher evaluation.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a qualitative approach, as it was principally concerned with capturing participants' direct experiences in their natural setting as both the teachers' evaluator and school leader (Patton, 2002). The qualitative interview and content analysis were used in this study. The qualitative interview is a type of conversation used to explore informants' experiences and interpretations; in this study, the headmaster (Mishler, 1986; Spradley, 1979 in Hatch, 2002). Researchers used the interviews to uncover the structure of meaning used by principals in making sense the policies that determine teacher evaluations and that are used to carry out evaluations within principal's local authority. The implicit structure can be discovered from direct observation, and the qualitative interviews can bring this meaning to the surface (Hatch, 2002). Therefore, by applying the qualitative interviews, it is expected that information or “unique” interpretations from the principal can be obtained (Stake, 2010). Content analysis is a research technique for making valid conclusions from oral texts into a research context. This analysis can provide new insights, improve researchers' understanding of certain phenomena, or inform other practical actions through the use of verbal data collected in the form of answers to open interview questions (Krippendorff, 2004).
Findings
There are three important findings relating to principals' sensemaking of teachers' evaluation; they are teachers' length of service, principals' perceptions of teacher evaluations and consistency in teacher performance improvement. The principals' perception greatly influences their beliefs and sensemaking of teacher evaluation. In essence, teacher evaluation has not been used to identify high-quality teachers. Principals focus more on the improvement of teachers' welfare than teacher actual performance.
Research limitations/implications
Future research should explore principals' attitude toward the stakeholders when student achievement is not in line with the consistent increase in teachers' performance ratings. And, it is also necessary to investigate the policy makers response to see the consistent improvement in teacher's evaluation is not in line with student achievement. Finally, how to eliminate the culture of joint responsibility without causing frictions in the school environment.
Originality/value
The authors hereby declare that this submission is their own work, and to the best of their knowledge, it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material that have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma any other publishers.
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Kerry Wilbur, Arwa Sahal and Dina Elgaily
Patient safety is gaining prominence in health professional curricula. Patient safety must be complemented by teaching and skill development in practice settings. The purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
Patient safety is gaining prominence in health professional curricula. Patient safety must be complemented by teaching and skill development in practice settings. The purpose of this paper is to explore how experienced pharmacists identify, prioritize and communicate adverse drug effects to patients.
Design/methodology/approach
A focus group discussion was conducted with cardiology pharmacy specialists working in a Doha hospital, Qatar. The topic guide sought to explore participants’ views, experiences and approaches to educating patients regarding specific cardiovascular therapy safety and tolerability. Discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were coded and organized around identified themes and sub-themes. Working theories were developed by the three authors based on relevant topic characteristics associated with the means in which pharmacists prioritize and choose adverse effect information to communicate to patients.
Findings
Nine pharmacists participated in the discussion. The specific adverse effects prioritized were consistent with the reported highest prevalence. Concepts and connections to three main themes described how pharmacists further tailored patient counseling: potential adverse effects and their perceived importance; patient encounter; and cultural factors. Pharmacists relied on initial patient dialogue to judge an individual’s needs and capabilities to digest safety information, and drew heavily upon experience with other counseling encounters to further prioritize this information, processes dependent upon development and accessing exemplar cases.
Originality/value
The findings underscore practical experience as a critical instructional element of undergraduate health professional patient safety curricula and for developing associated clinical reasoning.
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The Cooperative Extension Service has been a key partner in the design, implementation and evaluation of leadership development programs. To evaluate the effectiveness of their…
Abstract
The Cooperative Extension Service has been a key partner in the design, implementation and evaluation of leadership development programs. To evaluate the effectiveness of their training and the effects of response shift bias on outcomes using a self-report measure, one hundred forty-seven County Extension Agents participated in this leadership study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups or to a control group. Two different evaluation designs (pre-posttest and then-post) were used. The then-post design asks participants to first report their behavior or understanding as a result of the training (post) and then to retrospectively report this behavior before the training. The then-post evaluation design provided more significant change data than did the traditional pre-posttest design indicating a response shift occurred. Such differences in evaluation findings suggest that the educational benefit of such trainings may be underestimated when using the traditional pre-post evaluation design.
Izabela Grabowska and Agata Jastrzebowska
This paper aims to investigate the interplay between international migration, soft skills and job and life satisfaction after returns.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the interplay between international migration, soft skills and job and life satisfaction after returns.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses the dataset of Human Capital in Poland 2010–2014 representative surveys with 4040 return migrants, who worked temporarily abroad and returned to an origin in comparison with almost 70,000 stayers, who never worked abroad. In this study, Poland is treated as a strategic research site for the labor migration processes, which happened after the biggest European Union enlargement in 2004.
Findings
This study discovered that working abroad had a positive relation with cognitive, intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies, as well as job and life satisfaction. However, the relations differ depending on the key destination country.
Practical implications
This study discusses the implications for future research and practice, offering recommendations to organizations on how to embed employees with these resources in companies and how to support return migrants and their potential employers with the use of migratory informal human capital in personnel management and counseling.
Originality/value
This paper brings quantitative arguments about the hidden impacts of international migration on human capital by uniquely comparing the migrant population with the non-migrant population.
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