Joey Lam, Michael S. Mulvey, Karen Robson and Leyland Pitt
This study aims to help uncover corporate culture and values to attract and retain talent by understanding job reviews written by business-to-business (B2B) salespeople.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to help uncover corporate culture and values to attract and retain talent by understanding job reviews written by business-to-business (B2B) salespeople.
Design/methodology/approach
Over 40,000 job reviews on Glassdoor.com are analyzed by a dictionary-based content analysis tool, Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC2015), to explore the links between corporate culture and linguistics characteristics of reviews as articulated by B2B salespeople. This study adopted a multidimensional scaling approach based on the nine cultural value scores to create a map of corporate profiles. A projection of the LIWC2015 scores on this map uncovers differences in language patterns and emotions expressed across the profiles.
Findings
Findings reveal a map of corporate profiles with two dimensions, namely, product-centricity and customer-centricity, that divide salesforce subculture into a 2 × 2 matrix of four types: Empathic Innovators, Product Pioneers, Customer Champions and Commodity Traders.
Originality/value
This study combined two data sets, scores on CultureX’s nine cultural values (agility, collaboration, customer orientation, diversity, execution, innovation, integrity, performance and respect) and job reviews on Glassdoor.com. This research seeks to develop profiles of the organizational culture and to use a blend of qualitative and quantitative methods. This study adds to the literature on salesforce subculture and showcases a solution to the methodological difficulty in categorizing and measuring culture.
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The Burmese military has been ruling Burma (Myanmar) since Burma's independence from the British in 1948. With increased militarization has come increased ethnic conflicts and the…
Abstract
The Burmese military has been ruling Burma (Myanmar) since Burma's independence from the British in 1948. With increased militarization has come increased ethnic conflicts and the creation of armed ethnic groups. For instance, the Burmese military has been fighting with the Karen armed ethnic group since 1957, making it the longest conflict in the world. The recent coup in 2021 escalated the civil war in Burma. This conflict and war have led to devastation and destruction in ethnic regions, resulting in many ethnic people fleeing to neighboring countries for safety and security. It has also led to increased incidences of gender-based violence and human trafficking. This chapter will examine the history of military rule and ethnic conflicts in Burma. It will explore the impact of war on women's lives including their security, migration, and sustainability. This chapter will also highlight the importance of women's roles in the recent movement against the coup and the importance of women's involvement in social and political movements for peace, democracy, security, and sustainable development.
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Karen Brickman, Martin R.W. Hiebl, Martin Quinn and Liz Warren
Accountants are portrayed as important advisors of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, increasing numbers of SMEs now use software for their transactional and…
Abstract
Purpose
Accountants are portrayed as important advisors of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, increasing numbers of SMEs now use software for their transactional and compliance-related accounting work. This latter work is considered to be the “entry ticket” for accountants serving in advisory roles. This study aims to examine whether the relevance of accountants as advisors to SMEs has been lost.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the resource-based view and applying a qualitative cross-sectional field study, interviews with small businesses in the European craft brewing/distilling sector are the data source.
Findings
The study’s analysis paints a concerning picture of the use of external accountants by SMEs. While not suggesting that accountants are incapable of offering value-adding advice, the findings suggest that the involvement of potentially value-adding accountants by SMEs is rare. The interviewees note that they would not approach their accountants for advice due to the existence of more cost-attractive alternatives. The study finds that external accountants are not imperfectly imitable and can be substituted, particularly by social media and community groups.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the role of accountants in the craft brewing/distilling industry and one of the first to assess empirically the importance of accountants as advisors to SMEs with audit exemptions and to consider the increasing threat of substitution by software. The findings suggest that accountants have lost relevance as advisors to the businesses studied, or have never had much relevance.
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Karen R. Johnson, Tania Nery-Kjerfve, Katherine Yeager and Gary N. McLean
Qualitative paradigmatic perspectives are increasingly recognized as providing in-depth, rich and nuanced interpretations and critiques of complex phenomena. Nonetheless…
Abstract
Purpose
Qualitative paradigmatic perspectives are increasingly recognized as providing in-depth, rich and nuanced interpretations and critiques of complex phenomena. Nonetheless, positivist and post-positivist epistemologies still dominate social science disciplines. The authors were unable to identify published information on the state of qualitative research in human resource development (HRD) despite the numerous theoretical foundations, epistemological stances and global approaches that shape HRD. To fill this gap, this study determined the prevalence of qualitative designs, data collection methods and data analysis techniques that have been used in Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD)-sponsored journals. This study identified gaps in the use of qualitative research to be explored by HRD scholars to advance research and practice.
Design/methodology/approach
A descriptive case study approach was used to determine the state of qualitative research in three AHRD-sponsored journals.
Findings
Qualitative articles have increased in number but still account for a lower percentage of articles when compared with other peer-reviewed articles, including quantitative methodologies and conceptual papers. Most articles lacked grounding in stated ontology and epistemology needed to guide researchers’ investigations, potentially leading to weakened methodological choices, interpretations and authenticity of conclusions.
Research limitations/implications
To provide in-depth understanding of HRD-related phenomena, all important elements of qualitative articles should be addressed to strengthen the credibility and authenticity of the research process. Qualitative theorists and researchers can build on and embrace the soundness of qualitative research and theories in HRD. Expanding on the credibility and authenticity of rigorously conducted qualitative research will help to broaden the perspectives of researchers who may be hesitant to explore this methodology of inquiry. This will strengthen methodological sophistication and expand the knowledge base of qualitative research.
Practical implications
HRD professors/instructors will find this study to be a useful guide for graduate students who are exploring and using qualitative inquiry for their research and for understanding others’ research. Practitioners will also find it useful to understand HRD research to determine possible interventions in their workplaces.
Originality/value
This study identifies trends and patterns of epistemologies and methods used in HRD qualitative articles and provides a foundation on which to build future studies and establish unexplored, unconventional qualitative methodologies and methods.
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Marc Dupuis, Rosalind Searle and Karen V. Renaud
The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of grace in the aftermaths of adverse cybersecurity incidents. Adverse incidents are an inescapable fact of life in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of grace in the aftermaths of adverse cybersecurity incidents. Adverse incidents are an inescapable fact of life in organizational settings; consequences could be significant and costly. Increasingly, the cause may be a cybersecurity exploit, such as a well-targeted phishing email. In the aftermath, line managers have a choice in responding to the individual who caused the incident. Negative emotions, such as shame and regret, may deliberately be weaponized. Alternatively, positive emotions, such as grace, forgiveness and mercy, may come into play.
Design/methodology/approach
We detail a study with 60 participants to explore attribution differences in response to adverse incidents, both non-cybersecurity and cybersecurity. We examined the stages that occur in the aftermath of such adverse incidents where grace may be observed.
Findings
Our participants generally believed that grace was indicated toward those who triggered an adverse cybersecurity incident, pointing to situational causes. This was in stark contrast to their responses to the non-cybersecurity incident, where the individual was often blamed, with punishment being advocated.
Research limitations/implications
The role of positive emotions merits investigation in the cybersecurity context if we are to understand how best to manage the aftermaths of adverse cybersecurity incidents.
Practical implications
Organizations that mismanage aftermaths of adverse incidents by blaming, shaming and punishing those who make mistakes will harm the individual who made the mistake, other employees and the long-term health of their organization in the long run.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to reveal the grace phenomenon in the cybersecurity context.
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Karen Holcombe Ehrhart and Beth G. Chung
This study extends work on the role of the organizational context in contributing to employee health by investigating whether an employee's status as a racio-ethnic minority in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study extends work on the role of the organizational context in contributing to employee health by investigating whether an employee's status as a racio-ethnic minority in his or her work group will moderate the relationship between perceived work group inclusion and health, which in turn will predict turnover intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from two samples of full-time employees across multiple organizations. Hypotheses were tested using Hayes's (2013) PROCESS macro in SPSS.
Findings
Support was found for moderation with regard to perceived inclusion predicting negative health but not positive health. Both negative health and positive health predicted turnover intentions.
Research limitations/implications
Findings support the importance of perceived inclusion for employee health, and the research extends prior studies that have been conducted in non-work settings.
Practical implications
Providing a work environment in which work group members perceive inclusion could be useful in terms of reducing health issues for employees, especially for those who are racio-ethnic minorities in their work group.
Originality/value
This study extends prior work by investigating relative minority status within the work group, and it highlights the potential impact of inclusion on employee health.
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Karen Watkins-Fassler, Lázaro Rodríguez-Ariza, Virginia Fernández-Pérez and Guadalupe del Carmen Briano-Turrent
This study analyses interlocking directorates from the perspective of an emerging market, Mexico, where formal institutions are weak, and family firms with high ownership…
Abstract
Purpose
This study analyses interlocking directorates from the perspective of an emerging market, Mexico, where formal institutions are weak, and family firms with high ownership concentration dominate. It responds to recent calls in the literature on interlocks, which urge the differentiation between family and non-family businesses and to complete more research on emerging economies.
Design/methodology/approach
A database was constructed for 89 non-financial companies (52 family-owned) listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) from 2001 to 2014. This period includes normal times and an episode of financial crisis (2009–2010). To test the hypotheses, a dynamic panel model (in two stages) is used, applying GMM.
Findings
In normal times, the advantages of Board Chairman (COB) interlocks for the performance of publicly traded Mexican family firms are obtained regardless of the weak formal institutional environment. By contrast, during financial crisis, interlocking family COBs are more likely to jointly expropriate minority shareholders with actions that further their family objectives, which mitigates the positive effect of interlocks on performance. These findings contrast with the insignificant effects of COB interlocks found for non-family corporates.
Originality/value
A new framework is proposed which, through agency theory, finds points of concordance among resource dependence and class hegemony theories, to understand the effect of interlocking directorates on the performance of family firms operating in Mexico. The results of the empirical exercise for family companies listed on BMV during normal and financial crisis periods suggest its applicability.
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Karen J. Burnell, Paul Everill, Eva Makri, Louise Baxter and Kathryn Watson
Engaging with heritage to support mental health and wellbeing has become a focus of research and policy, more recently moving towards social prescription of heritage…
Abstract
Purpose
Engaging with heritage to support mental health and wellbeing has become a focus of research and policy, more recently moving towards social prescription of heritage interventions. While there are benefits to active participation, there are potential risks to those taking part and to the non-renewable historic remains and landscape that form the core of these projects. The purpose of the current research paper was to develop best practice guidelines for organisations offering heritage projects as interventions for people who live with mental health issues to protect both participants and heritage.
Design/methodology/approach
There were two research phases; a Sandpit with World Café discussions to produce a set of research priorities, and a Delphi Consultation, using three questionnaires distributed over six months, to develop best practice guidelines. The panel in both phases comprised experts through lived experience, policy, practice and research.
Findings
The Authentic and Meaningful Participation in Heritage or Related Activities (AMPHORA) guidelines cover three stages: project development, project delivery and project follow-up, with a set of action points for each stage. Of particular importance was authentic participation and expertise to ensure appropriate management of heritage/ historic environment assets and support for participants.
Social implications
The AMPHORA guidelines can assist all organisations in the delivery of safe projects that support the mental health of those involved, as well as enhancing and protecting the historic environment.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, these are the first research-led guidelines that help heritage organisations support those living with mental health issues.