Nizar Baidoun and Valerie Anne Anderson
Grounded in social cognitive career theory (SCCT), this study aims to examine the influence of contextual factors on the relationship between career satisfaction and…
Abstract
Purpose
Grounded in social cognitive career theory (SCCT), this study aims to examine the influence of contextual factors on the relationship between career satisfaction and organizational commitment, within the banking sector in Kuwait.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a cross-sectional design analyzing a self-report questionnaire (N = 278).
Findings
This study investigates affective, normative and continuance commitment in relation to career satisfaction, within the banking sector in Kuwait. Findings indicate a positive relationship between career satisfaction and all of affective, normative and continuance commitment; although the relationship that appears to be the strongest is between career satisfaction and normative commitment.
Research limitations/implications
The single site, cross-sectional approach is a limitation. The data were collected before the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research into career satisfaction and organizational commitment in different sectors is necessary and a replication of this study in a post-COVID context would also be valuable.
Practical implications
Human resource development (HRD) policies in contexts such as Kuwait should prioritize career progression initiatives to enhance career satisfaction and contribute to increased organizational commitment. More attention is necessary to organizational HRD career planning and development policies and processes. Effective line manager development programs to equip managers to provide feedback and constructive performance management are recommended, as is the organizational provision of career counseling and guidance to support career development policies and processes.
Originality/value
This study combines the use of established constructs with an SCCT theoretical lends to contribute new theorization of the relationship between career satisfaction and organizational commitment in non-Western cultural contexts. It challenges assumptions in current theorization of the relationship between career satisfaction and commitment that privilege affective commitment over other dimensions.
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Heather Short and Valerie Anne Anderson
The purpose of this study is to explore the implications of national and international standards for human resource development (HRD) practice. It focuses on the experiences…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the implications of national and international standards for human resource development (HRD) practice. It focuses on the experiences, perceptions and learning of those involved in the social construction of standards and standardisation processes.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is grounded in institutional and organisational excellence theories and adopts a qualitative approach based in social constructivism. Thematic analysis of the data obtained from 13 semi-structured interviews leads to a discussion of awareness of standards, standards adoption including constraints, and impact of standards.
Findings
The findings indicate that that there has been a disconnect between the potential impact of British Standards Institute (BSI) HR standards and what has occurred in practice with little awareness of the BSI standards among practitioners.
Research limitations/implications
This paper identifies an absence of institutional isomorphism in the HR arena and highlights the potential for a “standards-practice” gap where HR standards formation processes are perceived as detracting from flexibility and innovativeness in organisational practice.
Originality/value
This study contributes a new perspective of the implications of HR standards formation from the perspective of those involved and further contributes to the wider theorisation of standards in the HRD field.
The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry exists in a dynamic environment and requires several stakeholders to communicate regularly. However, evidence…
Abstract
Purpose
The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry exists in a dynamic environment and requires several stakeholders to communicate regularly. However, evidence indicates current communication practices fail to meet the requirements of increasingly complex projects. With the advent of Industry 4.0, a trend is noted to create a digital communication environment between stakeholders. Identified as a central technology in Industry 4.0, virtual reality (VR) has the potential to supplement current communication and facilitate the digitization of the AEC industry. This paper aims to explore how VR has been applied and future research directions for communication purpose.
Design/methodology/approach
This research follows a systematic literature assessment methodology to summarize the results of 41 research articles in the last 15 years and outlines the applications of VR in facilitating communication in the AEC domain.
Findings
Relevant VR applications are mainly found in building inspection, facility management, safety training, construction education and design and review. Communication tools and affordance are provided or built in several forms: text-based tools, voice chat tool, visual sharing affordance and avatars. Objective and subjective communication assessments are observed from those publications.
Originality/value
This review contributes to identifying the recent employment areas and future research directions of VR to facilitate communication in the AEC domain. The outcome can be a practical resource to guide both industry professionals and researchers to recognize the potentials of VR and will ultimately facilitate the creation of digital construction environments.
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U.M. Mbanaso, G.S. Cooper, David Chadwick and Anne Anderson
This paper aims to describe a bilateral symmetric approach to authorization, privacy protection and obligation enforcement in distributed transactions. The authors introduce the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe a bilateral symmetric approach to authorization, privacy protection and obligation enforcement in distributed transactions. The authors introduce the concept of the obligation of trust (OoT) protocol as a privacy assurance and authorization mechanism that is built upon the XACML standard. The OoT allows two communicating parties to dynamically exchange their privacy and authorization requirements and capabilities, which the authors term a notification of obligation (NoB), as well as their commitments to fulfilling each other's requirements, which the authors term signed acceptance of obligations (SAO). The authors seek to describe some applicability of these concepts and to show how they can be integrated into distributed authorization systems for stricter privacy and confidentiality control.
Design/methodology/approach
Existing access control and privacy protection systems are typically unilateral and provider‐centric, in that the enterprise service provider assigns the access rights, makes the access control decisions, and determines the privacy policy. There is no negotiation between the client and the service provider about which access control or privacy policy to use. The authors adopt a symmetric, more user‐centric approach to privacy protection and authorization, which treats the client and service provider as peers, in which both can stipulate their requirements and capabilities, and hence negotiate terms which are equally acceptable to both parties.
Findings
The authors demonstrate how the obligation of trust protocol can be used in a number of different scenarios to improve upon the mechanisms that are currently available today.
Practical implications
This approach will serve to increase trust in distributed transactions since each communicating party receives a difficult to repudiate digitally signed acceptance of obligations, in a standard language (XACML), which can be automatically enforced by their respective computing machinery.
Originality/value
The paper adds to current research in trust negotiation, privacy protection and authorization by combining all three together into one set of standardized protocols. Furthermore, by providing hard to repudiate signed acceptance of obligations messages, this strengthens the legal case of the injured party should a dispute arise.
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The purpose of this paper is to focus on the religious and philosophical ways humans view nature, and how we perceive and treat our planet, including all its living entities. Its…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the religious and philosophical ways humans view nature, and how we perceive and treat our planet, including all its living entities. Its purpose is to make a positive influence on individuals living in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, so that those who are unaware may be given an unexpected glimpse at our current human situation, which appears increasingly discouraging with regard to sensitivity towards nature.
Design/methodology/approach
By offering a subtle, insightful view of human nature and its connection to religion and the universe, rather than facts and statistics on pollution alone, this conceptual paper introduces theoretical and philosophical discussions from comparative literature as well as narratives from actual interviews conducted in Japan.
Findings
As human beings, we need to better define our position in this world, in order to learn to appreciate the true value of our own existence. With regard to the question of where humans lie in nature, a basic difference exists between Asian and Western views. The Asian view of nature has traditionally regarded humans and the universe as continually interacting together – human beings are an integral part of life. This differs from the basic Western notion of humans and nature comprising two separate, opposing elements.
Originality/value
This paper offers readers a deeper understanding of how humans feel and perceive nature, to help them realize how urgent it is for us to respect our natural resources on Earth.
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Ira W. Lieberman, Anne Anderson, Zach Grafe, Bruce Campbell and Daniel Kopf
Within the past few years, a new phenomenon has taken place among the world's leading microfinance institutions (MFIs) – entry into new capital markets through initial public…
Abstract
Within the past few years, a new phenomenon has taken place among the world's leading microfinance institutions (MFIs) – entry into new capital markets through initial public offerings (IPOs). “Going public” launches MFIs into a new frontier, not only presenting challenges but also providing new opportunities for the institutions and the clients they serve.
Joyce Payne and Aurelia Stephen
If you are 30 or older, you are middle‐aged by someone's criteria. When the college students of the 1970s declared “Don't trust anyone over 30,” did you think they would be…
Abstract
If you are 30 or older, you are middle‐aged by someone's criteria. When the college students of the 1970s declared “Don't trust anyone over 30,” did you think they would be someday talking about you? And what about those who say “Life begins at 40”? Did you ever believe them?
Sondologics, a manufacturer of video, audio, and gaming accessories products, was experiencing pricing and distribution problems in its channels. Numerous retailers were…
Abstract
Sondologics, a manufacturer of video, audio, and gaming accessories products, was experiencing pricing and distribution problems in its channels. Numerous retailers were complaining about unfair price competition from unauthorized retailers, i.e., gray marketers, on standalone websites or Amazon's Marketplace, offering discounts of up to 30% off list price.
The company estimated that about 10% of its retail volume in the United States was being generated by unauthorized retailers. Compounding the problem, gray marketers and authorized retailers alike were selling at below-list prices, which violated the Sondologics MAP (minimum advertised pricing) policy.
Sondologics was considering numerous initiatives to address the MAP and gray-market problems, including retaining a third-party service to monitor pricing and distribution in the channel. Students are asked to develop recommendations that would promote sales while protecting the name-brand image and price points of Sondologics' products.
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Reports from the south‐east of England that housewives have been purchasing packets of “ glitter ” consisting of powdered glass, lacquered, coated with silver and sometimes dyed…
Abstract
Reports from the south‐east of England that housewives have been purchasing packets of “ glitter ” consisting of powdered glass, lacquered, coated with silver and sometimes dyed, for the purpose of decorating their cakes makes one wonder seriously whether we Britons are any more of a thinking race than our coloured brethren of London and other large centres, who report has it, consume large quantities of canned cat and dog meat as a sandwich spread. In the first case, although the so‐called “ glitter ” was never prepared for use as a cake decoration, the manufacturers concerned have given an assurance that in future packets will be labelled that the contents are not for eating !