Peter Bos, Marian Thunnissen and Katja Pardoen
Current TM literature shows a lack of empirical research on the actual implementation of TM as a mediating step in the TM process, and on the role of the line managers in that…
Abstract
Current TM literature shows a lack of empirical research on the actual implementation of TM as a mediating step in the TM process, and on the role of the line managers in that stage. Bos, Thunnissen and Pardoen look into this ‘black box’ of TM and focus in their study on the role of line managers in the actual implementation of TM. In particular, the impact of the line manager’s leadership style on employee reactions to TM is investigated, as well as the constraints in the line manager’s role in executing TM. Their exploratory, quantitative study on the role of the line manager demonstrates that the line manager can support employees in deploying and developing their talents, and when they do so employees feel more empowered and committed to the job. Most line managers are willing to support their employees in developing and utilizing their talents, and that they think they have the capability of doing. However, the study shows that in many cases the line manager overestimates his/her actions regarding the mobilization of employee’s talents, and employees often have different perceptions of the line manager’s behaviour to TM than the line manager him/herself. The bigger the gap in perceptions, the more it has a negative effect on employees’ cognitive and affective reactions to TM. The authors call for more research on the role of the line manager in TM, and in particular on this gap in perceptions.
B. Joubert, S. Coetzee and R. Oberholzer
This paper presents the results of a survey designed to determine what tax topics are important in the educational background of a trainee accountant entering the training…
Abstract
This paper presents the results of a survey designed to determine what tax topics are important in the educational background of a trainee accountant entering the training environment in South Africa. These topics were then compared to the 2008 tax syllabus prescribed by SAICA and taught at accredited universities in respect of the 2009 Qualifying Examination. The results indicated that the 2008 syllabus is largely meeting the expectations of respondents both in and outside public practice, although there are a number of topics that the syllabus setters and educators should reconsider when next reviewing and updating the 2008 syllabus and as part of the considerations for the new competency framework.
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Lutendo Patricia Mathivha, Vuyisile Samuel Thibane and Fhatuwani Nixwell Mudau
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the health and medicinal importance of bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides DC) and special tea (Monsonia burkeana Planch. ex Harv), two of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the health and medicinal importance of bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides DC) and special tea (Monsonia burkeana Planch. ex Harv), two of Southern African indigenous herbal teas.
Design/methodology/approach
The two herbal teas, A. phylicoides and M. burkeana were extracted individually and in combined ratios for analysis. The phenolic content was determined and the different phenolic compounds were identified using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The anti-diabetic activity of the teas was determined by evaluating the inhibition of both α-amylase and α-glucosidase in vitro. The anti-proliferative activity was measured on human cervical cancer (HeLa) cell line using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyltetrazolium) assay.
Findings
Gallic acid, chlorogenic acid and quercetin were identified to be present in significant quantities by TLC. The HPLC quantified the presence of catechin (1.567 mg/g) and chlorogenic acid (1.862 mg/g) in special tea while chlorogenic acid (1.288 mg/g) was present in bush tea. Bush tea and special tea expressed significant levels of phenolic content and high antioxidant activities. Special tea (S100) expressed high inhibition of α-amylase, α-glucosidase and HeLa cell line proliferation when compared to bush tea (B100).
Originality/value
Both bush tea and special tea could provide an alternative for treatment and management of both diabetes and cervical cancer. However, future studies are needed to investigate their synergistic effect with a wide range of other commercial herbal teas.
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The purpose of this study is to empirically examine whether business can benefit from ISO 9000, and examines how motivation impacts the depth of ISO 9000 implementation and how…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to empirically examine whether business can benefit from ISO 9000, and examines how motivation impacts the depth of ISO 9000 implementation and how the depth of ISO 9000 implementation impacts a firm's performance in Taiwan.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey questionnaire was mailed to the 1,668 companies with ISO 9000 certification, and a total of 441 usable responses were returned. Using a structural equation model, this study empirically examines the relationship between ISO 9000 motivation and ISO 9000 implementation depth and how implementation depth influences firm performance.
Findings
The results demonstrate that a positive relationship exists between the extent to which companies implement ISO 9000 and firm performance. Additionally, internal motivation fully mediates the relationship between external motivation and ISO implementation depth. Furthermore, the implementation of ISO 9000 directly and positively influences operational performance and indirectly affects market performance, in turn positively impacting business performance.
Originality/value
This study represents a first attempt to construct a conceptual framework that integrates the motivations behind implementing ISO 9000 certification, the implementation depth underlying processes, and ISO 9000 performance.
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Dayana Amala Jothi Antony, Savarimuthu Arulandu and Satyanarayana Parayitam
This study aims to investigate the relationship between talent management, organizational commitment and turnover intention. The moderating role of gender and experience in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the relationship between talent management, organizational commitment and turnover intention. The moderating role of gender and experience in relationships was explored.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual model was developed, and relationships were studied by collecting data from 392 faculty members working in higher educational institutions (HEIs) in southern India. After checking the instrument’s psychometric properties using the LISREL package of structural equation modeling, data were analyzed using Hayes’s PROCESS macros.
Findings
The results revealed that talent recruitment strategies positively predict organizational commitment and negatively predict turnover intention; organizational commitment mediates the relationship between talent management and turnover intention. Further, the results documented that experience (first moderator) and gender of faculty members (second moderator) influenced the relationship between talent management and organizational commitment and organizational commitment and turnover intention.
Practical implications
The outcomes of this research are helpful for the administrators of HEIs to strategize to attract and retain talented faculty to maintain sustained competitive advantage. This research also helps to understand gender differences that exist in talent management and retention and organizational commitment in HEIs.
Originality/value
The three-way interactions between talent management, gender and experience in influencing organizational commitment and turnover intentions is a novel idea that contributes to the talent management literature – the relationship between talent recruitment strategies and talent engagement. The implications for talent management theory and practice are discussed.
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Michelle Hudson, Heather Leary, Max Longhurst, Joshua Stowers, Tracy Poulsen, Clara Smith and Rebecca L. Sansom
The authors are developing a model for rural science teacher professional development, building teacher expertise and collaboration and creating high-quality science lessons…
Abstract
Purpose
The authors are developing a model for rural science teacher professional development, building teacher expertise and collaboration and creating high-quality science lessons: technology-mediated lesson study (TMLS).
Design/methodology/approach
TMLS provided the means for geographically distributed teachers to collaborate, develop, implement and improve lessons. TMLS uses technology to capture lesson implementation and collaborate on lesson iterations.
Findings
This paper describes the seven steps of the TMLS process with examples, showing how teachers develop their content and pedagogical knowledge while building relationships.
Originality/value
The TMLS approach provides an innovative option for teachers to collaborate across distances and form strong, lasting relationships with others.
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Francois van Schalkwyk and Nico Cloete
Relations in university settings are becoming more heterogeneous in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, class, and gender. In South Africa, transformation imperatives…
Abstract
Relations in university settings are becoming more heterogeneous in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, class, and gender. In South Africa, transformation imperatives have radically changed the complexion of the country’s university campuses but have also entrenched political imperatives in its universities. As a consequence, the university is a highly politicised space. This is not new. What is new is a communication environment characterised by real-time, global networked digital communication and the uptake of digital media platforms (including social media platforms). We explore the effects of politicisation and new modes of communication using the case of a controversial article published in a South Africa journal and the ensuing polemic. Drawing on both institutional theory and Castells’ description of the network society, we conceptualise collegiality along two dimensions: horizontal collegial relations which exist for the purpose of knowledge creation and transfer which, in turn, depends on self-governance according to a taken-for-granted code of conduct; and vertical collegiality which describes collegial relations between academic staff and university management, and which is necessary for the governance of the university as a complex organisation. We conclude that the highly personal nature of communication that is propelled by digital communication has a direct impact on collegial relations within the university. The motivations of both university academic staff and management, as well as the public, extend beyond stimulating collective debate in the service of knowledge production to serving individual and/or ideological agendas as the communication of science becomes politicised. While issues pertaining to collegiality in South Africa may at first glance appear to be unique to the country, we believe that in a globally transforming academy, the South African case may offer novel insights and useful lessons for other highly politicised university systems.
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This study aims to examine empirically how business in Taiwan has successfully implemented and benefited from ISO 9000.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine empirically how business in Taiwan has successfully implemented and benefited from ISO 9000.
Design/methodology/approach
Of 1,668 survey questionnaires mailed to companies with ISO 9000 certification, a total of 441 usable responses were used in the survey. Using the structural equation model, this study is grounded in a theoretical framework that links five key variables: top management support, quality planning, employee involvement, continuous improvement and firm performance.
Findings
The empirical results indicate that there is a positive relation between ISO 9000 and business performance. Keys to success include four constructs, namely top management support, quality planning, employee involvement and continuous improvement. These constructs are a series of chain, rather than parallel components.
Originality/value
This study constructs a conceptual framework that links the following key variables: top management support, quality planning, employee involvement, continuous improvement and firm performance. This study not only assesses the impact of these practices on firm performance, but also clarifies the process through which ISO 9000 implementation effects performance. Moreover, it provides an empirical framework for testing the well‐known PDCA cycle. The results should provide valuable information for dealing with similar managerial issues.
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Tereza Otcenášková and Vladimír Bureš
Intellectual capital represents an integral part of evaluation in many companies. Applied methods do not consider three crucial aspects of intellectual capital, which are…
Abstract
Purpose
Intellectual capital represents an integral part of evaluation in many companies. Applied methods do not consider three crucial aspects of intellectual capital, which are up-to-date research topics, dynamic nature, and internal perspective. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to propose a novel intellectual capital self-evaluation method, addressing this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
Analysis of topics is based on collocation, correspondence, and co-occurrence analyses. Method construction stage is grounded in knowledge processes and deploys a panel of expert evaluations, Saaty’s decision matrix, based on pairwise comparison and the stakeholders’ estimates.
Findings
A new method for evaluation enables complex internal view on the status of intellectual capital in an organisation, as it is based on up-to-date research topics, a self-evaluation approach, and the dynamics of knowledge processes.
Research limitations/implications
The list of applied criteria is extendable, and the set weights are adjusted. Estimates are subjective in their nature. Provided results are tied with the specifics of self-evaluated organisations and cannot be used for inter-organisational comparison.
Practical implications
Presented system enables organisational self-evaluation, focussed on the complex and dynamic internal view, based on up-to-date topics. Despite the limitations, this self-evaluation can be conducted for various types of economic systems.
Originality/value
Proposed method is patterned on the current research topics and offers dynamic- and internal-oriented approach to self-evaluation of intellectual capital status.
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Daniel Prajogo, Baofeng Huo and Zhaojun Han
The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a model of different aspects of ISO 9000 implementation in terms of their relationships with three key supply chain…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a model of different aspects of ISO 9000 implementation in terms of their relationships with three key supply chain (SC) management practices (internal processes, supplier relationships, and customer relationships). In addition, it aims to examine the relationship between the three key SC activities and operational performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 321 middle and senior managers of ISO 9001 certified firms in Australia who were responsible for managing the quality systems in their organizations. The structural equation modelling (SEM) technique was employed using LISREL software to test the research model and the hypotheses in this study.
Findings
The results show that advanced implementation of ISO 9000 is positively related to all three aspects of SC activities (internal, customer, and supplier process management), while supportive implementation is positively related to internal and customer process management. However, basic implementation has no direct influence on any SC management practices. The results also indicate that supplier and internal process management both have a positive effect on operational performance, while customer process management has no significant impact on operational performance.
Practical implications
The results provide key insights for managers on the extent to which different aspects of the implementation of a quality management system would produce benefits for the organization within the SC context.
Originality/value
Despite the central premises of ISO 9000, which are concerned with internal processes and SC management practices, only a few studies have examined this matter to date. The current study seeks to bridge this gap by examining the effect of ISO 9000 implementation on operational and SC management practices that, in turn, will predict the operational benefits within adopting firms.