Bert de Groot, Wim Leendertse and Jos Arts
Learning across teams and organisational levels enables organisations to deal with challenges that arise from changing contexts. Project-oriented organisations increasingly use…
Abstract
Purpose
Learning across teams and organisational levels enables organisations to deal with challenges that arise from changing contexts. Project-oriented organisations increasingly use programme management to cope with such challenges and improve performance. This paper aims to find out how different programme configurations affect learning across project teams and between project teams and their parent organisation in project-oriented organisations.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study of a project-oriented organisation involved in five infrastructure programmes was performed.
Findings
The studied programmes linked learning processes at group and organisational levels by creating relationships across project teams and their parent organisation and acting as a knowledge centre. Team learning benefits from the learning culture and stable environment that programmes create for project teams. This study indicates that a programme’s features and focus strongly determines whether a programme predominantly enhances learning across project teams or learning between project teams and their parent organisation.
Originality/value
Although programme management is increasingly used by project-oriented organisations, there are few studies relating to learning in programmes. This study provides new insights into learning across teams through programmes.
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Teresa Rebelo, Paulo Renato Lourenço and Isabel Dórdio Dimas
Melvin Vooren, Carla Haelermans, Wim Groot and Henriette Maassen van den Brink
The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a discrete choice experiment (DCE) on the competencies of potential information technology (IT)-retrainees. The results give…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a discrete choice experiment (DCE) on the competencies of potential information technology (IT)-retrainees. The results give insights in the monetary value and relative returns to both soft and hard skills.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors apply a DCE in which the authors propose seven pairs of hypothetical candidates to employers based in the municipality of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. These hypothetical candidates differ on six observable skill attributes and have different starting wages. The authors use the inference from the DCE to calculate the marginal rates of substitution (MRS). The MRS gives an indication of the monetary value of each skill attribute.
Findings
Employers prefer a candidate who possesses a degree in an exact field over a similar candidate from another discipline. Programming experience from previous jobs is the most highly valued characteristic for an IT-retrainee. Employers would pay a candidate with basic programming experience a 53 percent higher starting wage. The most high-valued soft skill is listening skills, for which employers are willing to pay a 46 percent higher wage. The results of this paper show that both hard and soft skills are important, but not all soft skills are equally important.
Originality/value
The results on the returns to skills provide guidelines to tailor IT training and retraining programs to the needs of the business environment. A key strength of this paper is that the authors have information on the preference orderings for different skills and kinds of experience.
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Nadia Roos Spaan, Anne R.J. Dekker, Alike W. van der Velden and Esther de Groot
The purpose of this study is to understand the influence of formal learning from a web-based training and informal (workplace) learning afterwards on the behaviour of general…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand the influence of formal learning from a web-based training and informal (workplace) learning afterwards on the behaviour of general practitioners (GPs) with respect to prescription of antibiotics.
Design/methodology/approach
To obtain insight in various learning processes, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 GPs. These interviews were transcribed and analysed with a theory-based template, that had been defined beforehand, but with an open mind for emerging themes.
Findings
The web-based training was perceived by GPs to change their prescription behaviour, mostly as a result of informal learning processes. Being a research participant and being a supervisor appeared to create most opportunities for informal learning.
Practical implications
The current research shows that being a research participant and/or a supervisor enhance informal learning activities, for example, reflection and social interaction, and thereby formal training becomes more effective. It is recommended to remind GPs regularly to reflect on their prescribing behaviour and to stimulate them to reflect and seek social interaction besides participating in formal training.
Originality/value
Our study adds to the existing literature by considering informal learning processes in an evaluation of the perceived effects of formal training. Our findings have implications for the design and evaluation of formal trainings with the purpose of behavioural change of doctors.
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Chitalu Miriam Chama-Chiliba, Mwimba Chewe, Kelvin Chileshe, Hilary Chilala Hazele and Abdelkrim Araar
This paper aims to study the relationship between working while studying in college/university and education mismatch among employed youth in the Zambian labour market.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study the relationship between working while studying in college/university and education mismatch among employed youth in the Zambian labour market.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses data from the 2014 School-to-Work Transition Survey and a multinomial logit model to examine three education-mismatch categories: undereducated, matched and overeducated. The paper also examines heterogeneities by education level and gender and uses empirical and subjective approaches of education mismatch.
Findings
The evidence shows that employed youth who worked while studying have a higher likelihood of having well-matched jobs. The subgroup analysis by education level reveals no significant relationship between working while studying among employed youth with higher education (secondary and above). However, employed youth with lower education (primary and lower) are less likely to be mismatched for the job. The linkage between the education system and the labour market needs to be strengthened to support a smoother school-to-work transition for youth. Additional support to enable exposure to the right type of work during youth's college or university studies could increase job match and reduce labour market inefficiencies.
Originality/value
The paper provides insights into a significant challenge faced by youth in developing countries, i.e. finding a suitable job for youth's level of education.
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The Institute of Printing's annual travelling scholarship from the Wilkes Memorial Scholarship Fund has been won this year by Paul Covell, until recently Fishburn's oil ink…
Abstract
The Institute of Printing's annual travelling scholarship from the Wilkes Memorial Scholarship Fund has been won this year by Paul Covell, until recently Fishburn's oil ink product manager and now general manager at the Leeds branch.
Erik Schokkaert, Carine Van de Voorde, Brigitte Dormont, Marc Fleurbaey, Stéphane Luchini, Anne-Laure Samson and Clémence Thébaut
We compare two approaches to measuring inequity in the health distribution. The first is the concentration index. The second is the calculation of the inequality in an overall…
Abstract
We compare two approaches to measuring inequity in the health distribution. The first is the concentration index. The second is the calculation of the inequality in an overall measure of individual well-being, capturing both the income and health dimensions. We introduce the concept of equivalent income as a measure of well-being that respects preferences with respect to the trade-off between income and health, but is not subjectively welfarist since it does not rely on the direct measurement of happiness. Using data from a representative survey in France, we show that equivalent incomes can be measured using a contingent valuation method. We present counterfactual simulations to illustrate the different perspectives of the approaches with respect to distributive justice.
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Chong Guan, Huay Ling Tay and Qitong Zhao
This study systematically reviews the research landscape of humanitarian financing, identifying key themes and pathways to foster a resilient humanitarian value ecosystem.
Abstract
Purpose
This study systematically reviews the research landscape of humanitarian financing, identifying key themes and pathways to foster a resilient humanitarian value ecosystem.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review using BERTopic analysed 1,043 academic publications from the Web of Science database to uncover major themes in humanitarian financing literature.
Findings
Six core themes emerged from the study: Disaster Risk and Climate Change Resilience, Refugee Crises and Humanitarian Health Services, Preparedness and Response to Health Emergencies, Supply Chain and Logistics Fundraising, Food Security and Nutrition Insecurity and Global Health Challenges and Disease Control. The study highlights the role of financing in addressing short-term needs and promoting long-term systemic resilience, such as disaster preparedness, healthcare systems and food security.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides a comprehensive overview of key research trends in humanitarian financing. However, the reliance on academic literature limits the inclusion of insights from grey literature and practitioner reports. Future studies should adopt broader data sources and interdisciplinary approaches.
Practical implications
Findings underscore the importance of integrating emergency funds with long-term resilience investments, enhancing financial transparency and advocating innovations to optimise humanitarian operations.
Social implications
The study advocates for interdisciplinary approaches and policies connecting disaster risk reduction, healthcare, climate resilience and food security to build a sustainable humanitarian ecosystem.
Originality/value
This review proposes a novel conceptual framework based on a systematic review of literature using BERTopic, offering actionable insights into the role of humanitarian financing in addressing global crises and promoting resilience.
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Bert Steens, Anouk de Bont and Frans Roozen
The plethora of changes in the corporate governance landscape over the past two decades has the potential to tighten governance regimes and influence the preference of supervisory…
Abstract
Purpose
The plethora of changes in the corporate governance landscape over the past two decades has the potential to tighten governance regimes and influence the preference of supervisory board members vis-à-vis the involved decision-making role of business unit (BU) controllers and their independent fiduciary role. Stricter financial reporting and compliance requirements may lead organizations to prioritize the latter role. However, recent studies support the need to balance these roles, inducing the potential for role conflict. The purpose of this study is to shed light on the influence of a tight and loose governance regime on this balance as preferred by supervisory board members.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a unique data set from an experiment among 73 supervisory board members. The authors take their perspective because compliance with governance codes and corporate policies are relevant topics for their function.
Findings
The authors find evidence for the preference of supervisory board members for “all-round” BU controllers who, irrespective of the governance regime, demonstrate substantial levels of fiduciary and decision-making qualities and deal with the resulting role conflict.
Originality/value
The outcomes of the experiment among supervisory board members provide evidence for their preferences concerning the balance of the two primary controller roles and for the potential of role conflict. The authors have not found studies that provide such empirical evidence.
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In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of…
Abstract
In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.