Increasing numbers of firms are turning to the temporary labor market in an attempt to enhance their competitiveness in the global market. Those firms differ widely in their…
Abstract
Increasing numbers of firms are turning to the temporary labor market in an attempt to enhance their competitiveness in the global market. Those firms differ widely in their approaches to human resource management in terms of training, orientation, socialization and integration of temporary workers. This paper suggests several factors associated with the management of temporary workers that may lead to higher than necessary rates of departure prior to contract end dates. These factors include inadequate socialization, perceptions of injustice, exclusion from decision‐making, expectations for permanent work, lower age and tenure, lower tolerance for inequity, low levels of commitment, and limited motivation. Implications for client firms are discussed, with an emphasis on the development of comprehensive HRM systems that address the factors identified, and directions for future research are suggested.
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David A. Foote and Thomas Li‐Ping Tang
The purpose of this paper is to propose a model in which team commitment in self‐directed teams moderates the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a model in which team commitment in self‐directed teams moderates the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).
Design/methodology/approach
Survey questionnaires measuring team commitment, OCB, and job satisfaction were administered to 242 full‐time employees who were involved in self‐directed teams at three geographically diverse manufacturing facilities. After carefully testing the psychometric properties of the scales, hierarchical multiple regression was used to test hypotheses.
Findings
The relationship between job satisfaction and OCB was shown to be significant, as was the relationship between team commitment and OCB. Most importantly, the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior was moderated by team commitment, such that the relationship was stronger when team commitment was high.
Research limitations/implications
Due to heightened salience of self‐directed team functioning in our sample, generalization of results may be limited.
Practical implications
The findings indicate that the usefulness of self‐directed work teams may be limited in situations where employees lack team commitment. Besides implementing self‐directed teams and assigning performance goals, researchers and practitioners need to identify efforts that work toward increasing commitment of team members, thereby increasing organizational citizenship behavior in the organization.
Originality/value
It is believed that this research makes a significant contribution to understanding the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior, a relationship that has long been known but not well defined. Moreover, the paper develops what appears to be a valid and reliable measure of team commitment, based on goodness of fit using cross‐validation, confirmatory factor analysis, and reliability tests.
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David A. Foote, Scott J. Seipel, Nancy B. Johnson and Michelle K. Duffy
To propose new commitment construct‐policy commitment, and to examine the influence of attitude, role clarity, and role conflict on policy commitment, as well as the influence of…
Abstract
Purpose
To propose new commitment construct‐policy commitment, and to examine the influence of attitude, role clarity, and role conflict on policy commitment, as well as the influence of policy commitment on citizenship behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a self‐report questionnaire and a sample of 148 workers in a rural manufacturing plant, we use structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques to examine the effects of attitude, role clarity, and role conflict on policy commitment, as well as the effect of policy commitment on the conscientiousness and civic virtue dimensions of citizenship behavior.
Findings
SEM revealed that attitudes and role clarity positively influenced policy commitment, and that policy commitment positively influenced conscientiousness and civic virtue.
Research limitations/implications
Our sample is relatively small (N=148) and largely homogeneous, which may limit its generalizability. A number of additional research opportunities are suggested in the study, including those designed to further explore the nature of the policy commitment construct and those designed to examine its relationship with other known commitment antecedents and outcomes. Implications for practitioners and researchers are suggested.
Originality/value
Commitment in organizations has long been conceptualized as acceptance of organizational goals and dedicated effort on behalf of the organization itself. However, we believe this conceptualization of commitment may be considerably less salient in today's highly mobile work environment. This study introduces the construct of policy commitment, a conceptualization of commitment as belief in and proactive endorsement of specific courses of action (i.e. policies) that embody the values resident within organizations.
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David A. Foote and Susan Harmon
To examine the Equity Sensitivity Instrument (ESI) and the Equity Preference Questionnaire (EPQ) in a single study in order to see how the two measures are related, as well as how…
Abstract
Purpose
To examine the Equity Sensitivity Instrument (ESI) and the Equity Preference Questionnaire (EPQ) in a single study in order to see how the two measures are related, as well as how they relate to other variables, in an effort to identify which scale constitutes a better measure of the equity sensitivity construct.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a self‐report questionnaire with two samples, 164 students and 186 non‐students, we analyzed the convergent and discriminant validity of the ESI and the EPQ with established measures of Machiavellianism and Positive Affect/Negative Affect. Additionally, the study examined the factor structures of the ESI and the EPQ.
Findings
The summated ESI and EPQ scales showed little correlation with each other. Factor analysis of the scales revealed that the EPQ was multidimensional, while the ESI was unidimensional. Mixed findings among factor correlations precluded a definitive assessment of convergent or discriminant validity for the two scales. Many studies limit their investigation to a single population – either students or the general population – yet this study found significant differences in students' scores when compared to non‐students' scores.
Research limitations/implications
This study uses a single self‐administered survey with two samples to examine equity sensitivity; as such, it suffers from the same potential for mono‐method bias as have previous studies on this topic. Differences between student and non‐student responses raise serious concerns; is the difference an artifact of flawed scales, is it indicative of a trait that is situational or that may evolve over time and experience, or is it the result of an anomalous sample? Additional research is needed to tease apart these issues.
Originality/value
This study highlights the differences between two scales purported to measure the same construct. The multidimensionality of the EPQ together with the lack of substantial correlation with the ESI lead one to conclude that the EPQ, while originally proposed to remedy problems with the ESI, has serious weaknesses itself. There is a critical need for further research on how to best measure this important construct.
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In 1840 the ancient city of Brechin was the kind of community which was ceasing to be important. It was a market town of some 6000 people set in the fertile countryside of Angus…
Abstract
In 1840 the ancient city of Brechin was the kind of community which was ceasing to be important. It was a market town of some 6000 people set in the fertile countryside of Angus in North East Scotland. During the Age of Improvement market towns had become wealthy by selling hitherto novel and expensive goods and services to the surrounding countrypeople who purchased them with the profits of capitalistic agriculture. Now the initiative was slipping away to cities like nearby Dundee and the emergent industrial centres of the central belt of Scotland. Nevertheless the town had a flax mill, a bleachfield, several linen works and two distilleries. There was also work for nine ministers, nine lawyers and nine doctors. The ministers and lawyers were particularly important: the former propounded rival arguments about church government, the latter formalised and interpreted the resulting conflicts. Their part in this cameo of library history calls for some explanation.
American choral music of the present day reflects the variety of styles found in vocal and instrumental music throughout the Western world during the twentieth century. However…
Abstract
American choral music of the present day reflects the variety of styles found in vocal and instrumental music throughout the Western world during the twentieth century. However, the majority of choral music is more conservative in form and tonality than is instrumental music, due probably to the heritage of American choral music. Approximately the first two hundred years of choral singing in America were based on religious texts and simple tunes. Choral music in America did not “flower” until the nineteenth century, when composers began to write in a variety of styles, using secular as well as sacred texts.
David Ratledge and Claudene Sproles
The purpose of this paper is to analyze technology-related librarian advertisements to examine the changing role of the systems librarian in today’s modern, technology-filled…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze technology-related librarian advertisements to examine the changing role of the systems librarian in today’s modern, technology-filled libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors examined 70 advertisements for technology-focused librarians posted on ALA’s JobList in 2014. The ads were examined for area of focus and required knowledge and experiences.
Findings
The ads revealed three main areas of focus: traditional systems, digital initiatives, and web services. In addition to traditional computer and library systems skills, employers were seeking candidates with project management, digital collection, customer service, technology implementation, and problem solving skills and experience.
Practical implications
This study highlights how the adoption and expansion of library technology has altered the roles and responsibilities of systems librarians. Instead of solely focusing on maintaining library databases and ILSs, technology librarians have branched out and become more integrated within the library.
Originality/value
This study has implications for those entering the library field and LIS programs, as well as gaining insight into the expanding role of technology librarians today’s library.
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Michael Solem and Kenneth Foote
This paper describes the development, implementation, and preliminary outcomes of Enhancing Departments and Graduate Education (EDGE) in Geography, a multiyear project begun in…
Abstract
This paper describes the development, implementation, and preliminary outcomes of Enhancing Departments and Graduate Education (EDGE) in Geography, a multiyear project begun in 2005 to study the process of professional development in graduate geography in the U.S and sponsored by the National Science Foundation. As a research and action project responding to the needs of graduate geography programs, EDGE seeks to provide academic geographers with an empirical perspective of disciplinary as well as interdisciplinary and generic skills that M.A./M.S. and Ph.D. students develop as a result of graduate education. Related objectives are to understand how disciplinary skills are applied by geography graduates once they enter the professional workforce in both academic and nonacademic professional settings, and to gauge the extent graduate programs are sufficiently preparing geography graduates for those careers. We begin by summarizing the research goals and design of EDGE, highlighting the roles and contributions of geographers and educational researchers, and noting the interplay and synergy between disciplinary and interdisciplinary methodologies and practices. To date, research has focused on: (1) assessing contemporary workforce competencies in professional geography and (2) examining the role of department climate and culture on student experience and faculty development within masters and doctoral programs. Although the EDGE research efforts are still underway, we present some preliminary research findings and discuss the implications of those outcomes for professional development in geography and related social and environmental sciences. Also discussed is the complementary nature of disciplinebased and interdisciplinary professional development efforts.
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Sarah Chehade and David Procházka
The paper aims to provide empirical evidence of the impact of IFRS adoption on the value relevance of accounting information in the emerging market of Saudi Arabia.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to provide empirical evidence of the impact of IFRS adoption on the value relevance of accounting information in the emerging market of Saudi Arabia.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample consists of 98 non-financial listed firms operating in Saudi Arabia from 2014 to 2019, representing the years before and after IFRS adoption. The authors apply basic and extended price models to examine the value relevance of select accounting figures.
Findings
The authors findings provide evidence that accounting information is, generally, value relevant to the Saudi Arabian capital market. However, mixed results exist for particular accounting variables. Both earnings and cash flows are value-relevant in the period before and after IFRS adoption; equity is only relevant in the post-adoption period. Furthermore, IFRS adoption also increases the explanatory power of earnings. An increase in the value relevance of earnings and equity hurts the value relevance of cash flows. The effects are moderated by leverage and dividend policy.
Originality/value
The authors contribute to the ongoing discussion of the economic effects of IFRS adoption in emerging markets. The empirical findings show that initial concerns about IFRS adoption, as reflected by the negative coefficient within the regression analysis, are mitigated once the usefulness of the individual accounting variables published in financial statements is investigated.