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1 – 8 of 8Carole Serhan, Nehmeh Nehmeh and Ibrahim Sioufi
The research aims to test the links amongst Meyer and Allen's three levels of organisational commitment and the commitment's effect on reducing turnover intentions for Islamic…
Abstract
Purpose
The research aims to test the links amongst Meyer and Allen's three levels of organisational commitment and the commitment's effect on reducing turnover intentions for Islamic bank (IB) employees during the lockdown caused by coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Design/methodology/approach
The research follows a variable-centred approach. Primary data are collected through a survey of 324 respondents comprising IB employees from three Arab countries, notably the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Lebanon and Oman. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Cronbach's alpha test are conducted to test the construct validity, reliability and internal consistency of collected data. Descriptive statistics are used to interpret the data. Zero-order correlations, multiple regression analysis and Fisher's Z-test are applied to assess the interrelations of the various groups of variables and the determinants of turnover intentions.
Findings
Results show that there is a high level of significant intercorrelation amongst affective, normative and continuance commitments as well as amongst organisational commitment, individual differences and turnover intentions for IB employees from the three studied Arab countries. The results confirmed that turnover intentions are minimised in the presence of all three organisational commitment subscales and that individual differences amongst IB employees and organisational efficiency moderate the relationship between organisational commitment and turnover intentions.
Originality/value
There is no empirical work that has been done on the determinants of turnover intentions amongst IB employees during the lockdown. This is valuable to organisational behaviour scholars and practitioners who are interested in the role that organisational commitment plays in IB's employment behaviour.
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Carole Serhan, Nour Nasr, Georges Cheikh and Gerard Nachar
This research study investigates the relationship between management practices and young employee retention in the hospitality and tourism industry in Lebanon. Besides, it…
Abstract
Purpose
This research study investigates the relationship between management practices and young employee retention in the hospitality and tourism industry in Lebanon. Besides, it examines the moderating role of the workplace context in the relationship between management practices and employment retention in the industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Non-probability purposive sampling method was used to collect 421 questionnaires through a survey of young employees. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Cronbach's alpha test are conducted to test the construct validity, reliability, and internal consistency of collected data. Descriptive statistics are used to interpret the data. Zero-order correlations, multiple regression analysis and Fisher's Z-test are applied to assess the interrelations of the various groups of variables and the determinants of young employee retention.
Findings
The findings show that management practices tested in this study have significant relationships with young employee retention in the hospitality and tourism industry in Lebanon. Further, the findings reveal that the workplace context moderates the relationship between three management practices (participation in decision-making, training, and performance recognition) and young employee retention.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that managers in hospitality and tourism businesses must improve their management practices and promote a positive workplace context to retain young employees.
Originality/value
Finally, this study is the only one that tests the moderating role of the workplace context in the relationship between five selected management practices (participation in decision-making, training, performance recognition, remuneration and job continuity) and young employee retention. Previous studies used fewer variables.
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Carole Serhan, Roger Abdo, Dia Iskandar and Michel Gharib
This study aims to explore emotions, psychological safety and organizational support in the workplace when transitioning from office to home-based work. By providing detailed…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore emotions, psychological safety and organizational support in the workplace when transitioning from office to home-based work. By providing detailed descriptions of emotional reactions to this change, the study examines how organizational support might influence employees’ sense of psychological safety.
Design/methodology/approach
To analyze the data, a qualitative data analysis was applied through using thematic coding. Data were collected by conducting structured telephone interviews with participants. These interviews included open-ended questions. Employees from both public and private companies in the MENA region were invited to take part in the study. The participants included full-time, part-time and contractual employees from different industries. In total, 112 participants were included in the final sample.
Findings
The results indicate that when workplaces change, emotions are triggered by comparing oneself to others and having the necessary socioemotional resources. Employees’ emotional reactions are influenced by how they perceive organizational support, which affects their psychological safety. Specifically, comparing to colleagues in lower positions activates emotions like pride, empathy and support (downward social comparison emotion), while comparing to top management decisions elicits emotions like anxiety, stress, unfairness, inferiority and vulnerability (upward social comparison emotion).
Originality/value
The findings of this research shed light on how emotions arise from social comparison when workplaces undergo changes as well as the different socioemotional resources present within groups. Not much research has focused on core and periphery groups in this context. This study helps fill that gap in our understanding.
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Carole Serhan and Haritini Tsangari
In today's challenging markets, organizations need to explore new ways to maximize employees' effectiveness and job satisfaction. Within this context, employed fresh graduates are…
Abstract
Purpose
In today's challenging markets, organizations need to explore new ways to maximize employees' effectiveness and job satisfaction. Within this context, employed fresh graduates are a special group, which requires attention. Recognizing its needs in job design is one of the keys. The aim of the study is to determine the mediating role of experienced psychological states in the relationship between job dimensions and personal/work outcomes (motivation, satisfaction, effectiveness and commitment).
Design/methodology/approach
The new “modified job characteristics model” (MJCM) was implemented, where the focus was on testing if experienced psychological states play a mediating role. An index for summarizing core job dimensions (modified motivating potential score (MMPS)) was also developed in the study. For the empirical testing of the new modeling framework, a sample of 630 employed fresh graduates in Lebanon was selected. Various statistical analyses were performed, including partial correlation and multiple regression analysis.
Findings
Results showed that for those core job dimensions that significantly affected fresh graduates' personal/work outcomes, the relation was not direct causal, but was mediated by “experienced meaningfulness of the work”, “experienced responsibility for outcomes of the work”, “knowledge of results”, “self-confidence” and “prestige inside outside”. Further, MMPS was verified as a valid score reflecting the “motivating potential” of a job.
Practical implications
The findings demonstrate the importance of effectively designing and redesigning jobs: employers should focus on the core job dimensions and adopt an adjusted strategy to enhance fresh graduates' affective and behavioral responses.
Originality/value
The current study innovatively examines fresh graduates' psychological states and their role as a mediator in the relation between job dimensions and job satisfaction or commitment. A new modeling framework is used and an index for summarizing job dimensions is developed.
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Mireille H. Serhan, Mira Yakan and Carole Serhan
Adequate nutrition knowledge forms the foundation for optimal physical health and performance. In Lebanon, there are limited studies on the effect of nutrition knowledge on the…
Abstract
Purpose
Adequate nutrition knowledge forms the foundation for optimal physical health and performance. In Lebanon, there are limited studies on the effect of nutrition knowledge on the athletes’ performance. This study aims to evaluate university athletes’ nutrition knowledge status and to identify the factors predicting athletes’ performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 384 university student-athletes, using a validated tool with modifications (Furber et al., 2017) to assess nutrition knowledge. The modified questionnaire includes seven subsections (vitamins and minerals, general nutrition, fluid, fat, carbohydrate, protein and sporting performance). Further, anthropometric measurements were taken; body composition was determined by the bioelectrical impedance analysis method. Handgrip strength, as an indirect measure of athlete performance, was assessed with the hand dynamometer. To measure the existence and degree of significance among different variables, Pearson correlation coefficients, χ2 and linear regression were used.
Findings
The health group had a higher level of nutritional knowledge, compared with the non-health group. The overall mean sports nutrition knowledge score for the student-athletes was 63.54%, which was considered inadequate sports nutrition knowledge (mean < 75%). Further, athletes’ performance was significantly predicted by the resting metabolic rate, lean muscle mass and weight.
Originality/value
The findings may help the university administration to implement a nutrition education program for athletes enrolled in non-health majors. Information gained serve to help dietetics professionals in Lebanon refine education strategies and sports clubs in universities to start to budget for hiring dietitians.
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Carole Serhan, Wissam Salloum and Nader Abdo
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of reward systems on team performance and analyze how satisfaction with rewards can result in better working performance and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of reward systems on team performance and analyze how satisfaction with rewards can result in better working performance and cohesiveness in the job environment.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected from 32 single members of different teams working in 10 selected banks from the Middle East and North Africa region.
Findings
The analysis from empirical findings reveals that there is a positive link between reward systems and team performance. More particularly, profit sharing has positive effects on team performance and collective bargaining reward systems affect significantly team cohesiveness. These links create an opportunity for employers to use reward systems as a motivating factor to direct team behavior toward more employee retention.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the teamwork performance research stream by empirically studying how rewards improve team performance and cohesiveness in Eastern contexts. Studies in such contexts are relatively rare.
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Mireille Serhan, Batoul Toutounji and Carole Serhan
The purpose of this paper is to explore the existing literature on the relationship between different service attributes and patient satisfaction at outpatient nutrition clinics…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the existing literature on the relationship between different service attributes and patient satisfaction at outpatient nutrition clinics to propose and test a culture-specific conceptual model interlinking the drivers of patient satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
Over a 7-week period in Fall 2019 (November 2–December 19), 600 patients from a Lebanese-Middle Eastern hospital (396 females and 204 males) completed an anonymous-designed survey with closed questions (n = 30). Statements were considered to represent specific attributes of nutrition services. In order to measure the existence and degree of significant relationships between different research variables, Pearson correlation coefficients and Fisher's Z test were employed to analyze the collected data, before and while joining the clinic, during and after the appointment. Means of scores and frequencies were calculated.
Findings
The results show that the nutrition service attributes with reference to “after the appointment” may improve the patients' satisfaction level more than attributes with reference to “while joining the clinic” and “during the appointment”. Most patients were satisfied with their overall outpatient clinic experience. The patient experience is a direct result of positive interactions with the entire services offered.
Practical implications
The conceptual model sets the foundations for testing and for further research to develop. Moreover, the findings of this study are important for assessing the quality of nutrition service attributes and for reporting on the ability of this service to meet the needs and preferences of patients in the health care sector.
Originality/value
This study attempts to fill the gap in knowledge on nutrition service quality as indicators for overall patient satisfaction, while opening clear research avenues for further studies to follow. It is the basis for the development of clinical practice guidelines and other quality enhancement tools.
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