Ruerd Ruben, Dave Boselie and Hualiang Lu
The paper seeks to understand the conditions that motivate Asian supermarkets' choices for vegetable sourcing through wholesale procurement or preferred supplier systems.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to understand the conditions that motivate Asian supermarkets' choices for vegetable sourcing through wholesale procurement or preferred supplier systems.
Design/methodology/approach
Insights from transaction cost theory are used to analyze the evolution of fresh produce procurement regimes by supermarkets in Bangkok and Nanjing.
Findings
Trade‐offs between higher production‐cum‐investment costs (i.e. fixed investments, variable production costs and economies of scale) with expected savings in transaction costs (governance and opportunistic behaviour) are registered that could hinder contractual delivery.
Research limitations/implications
Transaction costs play an important role in shaping procurement regimes. Information, negotiation and monitoring costs are high in early phases of market development, but may be reduced when retailers establish direct and contractual relations with selected producers. Such preferred supplier arrangements may be helpful to reduce risks related to delivery frequency and product quality, but require substantial investments that only become feasible when opportunistic behaviour is adequately controlled. The nature of supplier‐buyer relations alters in a number of subsequent phases from chain optimisation to integral chain care.
Practical implications
With the establishment of large‐scale supermarkets in Asia, buyers need more information about the quality of products and the creditworthiness and reputation of sellers and therefore increasingly rely on contractual delivery relationships. For preferred supplier regimes, scale economies and enforcement of mutual trust are key issues to establish stable relations.
Originality/value
The shift from wholesale purchase towards preferred supplier regimes in emerging economies involves large investments that can only be met if governance costs are reduced.
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Tanya Bondarouk, Eline Marsman and Marc Rekers
The goal of this chapter is to explore the requirements modern companies expect of HR professionals’ competences.
Abstract
Purpose
The goal of this chapter is to explore the requirements modern companies expect of HR professionals’ competences.
Design/Methodology/Approach
Departing from the widely acknowledged HR competence studies of Ulrich and associates, we extended them with the continuous learning competence profile and HR professionals’ individual job performance. The empirical study is built on open interviews with HR leaders of ten large Dutch companies.
Findings
The study offers a new set of HRM competences. This set includes six HRM profiles: Business Focus, Learning Focus, Strategic Focus, HR Technology, HR Delivery, and Personal Credibility. Several contingency factors are thought to play a role in supporting these HRM competences: company culture, strategy, size, sector, scope, and position of HR professionals.
Practical Implications
Based on these contributions, we recommended conducting a quantitative study to gain understanding of the relevance of the individual HRM job performance and to find associations between the HRM competences and the individual HRM job performance.
Originality/Value
The focus of this chapter is a combination of HRM competences and the individual job performance of HR professionals.
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To provide an overview of recent empirical survey research on human resource competencies in Europe.
Abstract
Purpose
To provide an overview of recent empirical survey research on human resource competencies in Europe.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey data were collected in 2002 in the global human resource competence study (HRCS), an initiative of the University of Michigan. The study was processed online (web‐based). The respondents of the European HRCS, the main focus of our empirical analysis in this paper, were HR professionals and line managers of multinational companies located in Europe.
Findings
The results suggest that personal credibility and HR delivery have a positive effect on the relative ranking of the HR function and its professionals. According to non‐HR respondents strategic contribution is the competency that will lead to financial competitiveness, while HR managers consider business knowledge to be crucial for added value of the HR function.
Research limitations/implications
First, the data are cross‐sectional and one should therefore be very careful in assuming certain causal relationships between domains and performance. Second, the analyses are built on perception data. Finally, the inclusion of more control variables like “size of the organisation” was limited as a result of missing data.
Practical implications
The approach demonstrates how competencies of the HR function (e.g. HR delivery, personal credibility, strategic contribution) can contribute to a stronger position of the HR function within an organization and to agility and long‐term viability of an organization (sustainability).
Originality/value
This paper gives an overview of the literature on HR roles and introduces the HR competency perspective for strengthening the position of the HR function and the added value of the HR function to the organization's sustainability.
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Anders Boglind, Freddy Hällstén and Per Thilander
This paper seeks to compare Ulrich's model of HR transformation/shared service organisation (the “three‐legged stool”) with the empirical evidence from the research. The aim of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to compare Ulrich's model of HR transformation/shared service organisation (the “three‐legged stool”) with the empirical evidence from the research. The aim of the paper is to describe the journey from theory to practice of HR transformation in organisations as they adopt and adapt the model.
Design/methodology/approach
An institutional frame of reference is used for case studies of seven Swedish organisations. The respondents in the 192 interviews are HR professionals, line managers and other stakeholders.
Findings
All seven of the organisations adopted the HR transformation as a standard blueprint. Management consultants played a leading role in this process. HR service centres were established, the local HR staffs were reduced radically, and the remaining role, the HR business partners, took on lesser importance. During the adaptation process a variety of solutions resulted, some of which were innovations.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the small sample size, the generalisability of the results is somewhat limited.
Practical implications
The results may useful to both researchers and practitioners, whether they are involved in the study or in the re‐organisation of HR. It is not easy to imitate a theoretical model or a “best practice” model without taking the translation process into consideration.
Originality/value
Previous studies have not examined how HR transformation/shared service travels in different organisations using this number of interviews in in‐depth research. These results show that achieving the desirable HR organisation depends on the translation and interpretations of the concepts in the local context.
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Julia Christensen Hughes and Jonathan D. Christensen
Purpose: This chapter considers talent management in ‘situ’, at a time of unprecedented disruption, and identifies implications for practice and study.Methodology/approach: We…
Abstract
Purpose: This chapter considers talent management in ‘situ’, at a time of unprecedented disruption, and identifies implications for practice and study.
Methodology/approach: We compare normative advice from the talent management literature with publicly available accounts of talent management strategies employed during the Covid-19 pandemic. We also include perceptions of employees from publicly available reviews (Glassdoor, 2020a), and a brief personal account.
Findings: Hospitality and tourism organisations are encountering unprecedented pressures for change, primarily due to Covid-19 as well as the sustainability and social justice movements. We identify three organisational responses to the pandemic – closing/contracting operations, consolidating around areas of strength, and creatively pivoting in new directions. Innovations in talent management were found to vary accordingly, including: humane downsizing and pay cuts; training and development (for managers and front-line employees, including in emotional intelligence, resilience, and delivering service excellence online); new talent acquisition, through new programmes, structures, roles, and partnerships; an enhanced employee value proposition, including safe and fun work environments, as well as improved pay and benefits; commitments to social equity and sustainability; courageous, creative, and resilient leadership; and effective communication. Despite these innovations, employee reviews suggest that top performing organisations continue to fall short on work–life balance, un-social working hours, inadequate compensation, and poor-quality managers.
Practical implications: Ever increasing business complexity requires skilled senior managers in multiple domains, and empowered, decentralised unit-level managerial and owner competence (with skills in emotional intelligence, collaboration, and negotiation). Front-line employees, capable of delivering excellence in customer service (despite disrupted circumstances), are more essential than ever. Successful enterprises, both now and in the future, will undoubtedly be those that prioritise talent, throughout all levels of organisation.
Research limitations/implications: Future research should undertake a more comprehensive investigation of talent management strategies employed (including from small business owners), as well as employee perceptions of their effectiveness (considering socio-economic differences as well as gender and race). Research is also needed with respect to the perceived value of organisational commitments to sustainability and social justice initiatives.
Originality/value: This chapter uniquely considers talent management at a time of crisis. Methodologically, it uses publicly available data of employee perceptions of their employers.
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Timothy David Butler, Craig Armstrong, Alex Ellinger and George Franke
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between being a “great place to work” (GPTW) and firm performance. While lists such as the “Fortune 100 best places to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between being a “great place to work” (GPTW) and firm performance. While lists such as the “Fortune 100 best places to work” were initially regarded solely as publicity vehicles for ranked firms, researchers have since tried to untangle the relationship between being a GPTW and firm performance, often by focussing on HRM systems and practices. In contrast, the study focusses on the valuable, rare, costly to imitate, and organization-exploitability aspects of being a trustworthy employer, place where workers take pride in their work and enjoy the people with whom they work.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses four distinct samples of firms drawn from Fortune’s best companies to work for, Glassdoor.com’s Employees’ Choice Awards, Careerbliss.com’s 50 Happiest Companies in America, and Achievers.com’s 50 Most Engaged Workplaces Awards databases in a longitudinal design to compare performance attributes of listed firms to their respective industry peer groups.
Findings
Being a GPTW is associated with greater productivity, growth potential, and higher operating profits.
Research limitations/implications
Some GPTW firms are privately held and were excluded from analysis.
Practical implications
Rather than focussing on individual HRM practices and techniques, employers may realize greater performance improvements by focussing on building a reputation as a trustworthy employer and fostering an environment where employees take pride in their work and enjoy working with each other.
Originality/value
Other GPTW studies have focussed on HRM practices as antecedents to performance outcomes, which may not accurately reflect the attributes of the GPTW construct. This study focusses squarely on the underlying attributes of being a GPTW: employer trustworthiness, worker pride, and camaraderie and how they affect firm performance.
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Mohammad Ta'Amnha, Mohannad Jreissat, Ghazi Samawi, Luai Jraisat, Omar M. Bwaliez, Anil Kumar, Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes and Arvind Upadhyay
Lean management is a contemporary management system that firms adopt to boost their performance. Lean management can be integrated with human resources management to develop a new…
Abstract
Purpose
Lean management is a contemporary management system that firms adopt to boost their performance. Lean management can be integrated with human resources management to develop a new concept of lean human resources management (LHRM). This entails the implementation of several practices. However, the LHRM–performance paradigm remains underexplored in the literature. Hence, this study aims to examine the interrelationships between LHRM practices and the impacts of those practices on firm performance (FP).
Design/methodology/approach
Using two equal-sized samples (n = 250 each) of manufacturing firms in Jordan and Germany, this study proposes two structural equation models (i.e. a Jordanian and a German models) depicting the interrelationships between LHRM practices and the impacts of those practices on FP. After testing these models, a comparison between them is conducted, producing findings with theoretical and practical implications.
Findings
The main findings of this study indicate that the average implementation of LHRM practices among German manufacturing firms is at a higher level than the average implementation among Jordanian firms. The findings also support the proposed interrelationships between LHRM practices and the impact of those practices on FP for both the Jordanian and German models.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to highlight the proposed relationships, both in general and in the context of comparing developed and developing countries. Its findings have important implications that can enable manufacturing managers to benefit from the implementation of LHRM practices to enhance FP in different contexts. These findings provide valuable insights for human resource managers and decision-makers and open several avenues for future research.
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Eva Gallardo-Gallardo and Marian Thunnissen
Conducting relevant research is a cornerstone of good academic practice. However, considering academics and practitioners’ divergent paradigms and social systems, it is…
Abstract
Conducting relevant research is a cornerstone of good academic practice. However, considering academics and practitioners’ divergent paradigms and social systems, it is challenging to undertake impactful research. Indeed, the research–practice gap remains an essential issue in human resource management research. There have been several calls for translating research for dissemination, making it more societally relevant, and beginning conversations and activities that move beyond the confines of the academic context. In fact, research on talent management (TM) has been accused of lagging in offering organizations vision and direction. Understanding the perceived causes and potential solutions for relevant problems is a real need to successfully narrow the TM research–practice gap. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to offer an in-depth discussion on the research–practice gap in TM. To do so, we first identify the critical dimensions of research relevance that will help us to ground our discussion regarding the applicability of current academic TM research. By doing this, we seek to understand better what is happening with TM research, which should then help provide insights into how its practical impact can be improved.
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Sarah A. Courchesne, Dave Stynen, Judith H. Semeijn and Marjolein C.J. Caniëls
Currently, lifelong learning and sustainable employability are increasingly fostered in the context of interorganizational networks, which provide workers with access to network…
Abstract
Purpose
Currently, lifelong learning and sustainable employability are increasingly fostered in the context of interorganizational networks, which provide workers with access to network activities (e.g., training, career counseling). This study aims to investigate the relationship between workers’ participation in network activities and their sustainable employability by considering workers’ experiences with the network activities. This study also examines the role of relational factors, including network trust and leader-member exchange, as conditions that may influence the link between workers’ participation in network activities and their sustainable employability (i.e. workability, perceived employability and vitality).
Design/methodology/approach
This study has a mixed methods design. A quantitative approach (cross-sectional, questionnaire) was used to establish associations between variables. This approach was supplemented with qualitative data (semistructured interviews) to explore whether Self-Determination Theory can provide an explanation for the associations and the role of (relational) factors that workers perceive as hindering or facilitating in that process.
Findings
The results suggest that participating in network activities have promising benefits for both workers and organizations by facilitating the work ability and perceived employability components of sustainable employability. For these relationships, workers’ satisfaction of their need for competency and relatedness serves as explanatory mechanisms. Moreover, the actualization of benefits of network activities is influenced by relational factors both within the network (i.e. trust) and within organizations (i.e. leader-member exchange).
Originality/value
This study investigates workers’ experiences with network activities, regarding fostering workers’ sustainable employability, and the role of relational factors. Specifically, it considers Human Resource Management practices from a network-level perspective, which is currently understudied. By doing so, this study adds a unique perspective to the Human Resource Management, sustainable employability and career literature streams.