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1 – 6 of 6Paul Tristen Balwant, Rehaana Mohammed and Riann Singh
The purpose of this paper is twofold: investigate job resources as a moderator in the relationship between transformational leadership and employee engagement in service sector…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: investigate job resources as a moderator in the relationship between transformational leadership and employee engagement in service sector organizations, and investigate the relative importance of each dimension of job resources in relation to employee engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative data were collected using a survey design for which 187 employees responded. These employees were sourced from retail stores across ten shopping malls located in Trinidad.
Findings
Findings from a hierarchical multiple regression supported the first two hypotheses and showed that transformational leadership was positively related to employee engagement and job resources moderated the relationship between transformational leadership and employee engagement. However, findings from structural equation modeling did not support the third hypothesis because supervisor support was negatively related to employee engagement.
Practical implications
Implications for service organizations include the provision of adequate job resources so that the effect of transformational leadership on employee engagement can be realized. Specifically, organizations must provide job control to employees, promote free access to information, create an innovative climate and develop a supportive work climate. Instead of focusing on the job resource of supervisor support, service organizations may need to build an environment that stimulates coworker support.
Originality/value
This study not only adds to the limited body of research on organizational leadership in emerging markets, but also contributes to the field of organizational behavior by showing an important condition (i.e. job resources) under which the relationship between transformational leadership and employee engagement varies and unraveling the dimensions of job resources in relation to employee engagement.
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Shalini Ramdeo, Paul Balwant and Simon Harold Fraser
As group work is becoming more common in the classroom, teamwork as an andragogical tool continues to be problematic for students in management programs. The purpose of this paper…
Abstract
Purpose
As group work is becoming more common in the classroom, teamwork as an andragogical tool continues to be problematic for students in management programs. The purpose of this paper is to determine how university students perceive teamwork and to identify teamwork problems along with potential solutions.
Design/methodology/approach
A triangulation mixed-methods approach was used. In study 1, qualitative data were gathered from a focus group comprising nine students. In study 2, quantitative data were gathered from an online survey completed by 127 students.
Findings
The data were analyzed using content analysis and ordinary least squares regression. The results indicated that free-rider experiences and peer evaluation are two key areas in determining dissatisfaction with teamwork. Teamwork challenges may be addressed via knowledgeable team leaders who balance task and relationship styles, equitable workloads, smaller team sizes, anonymous peer evaluations and the effective use of technology.
Practical implications
The findings are valuable to educators at tertiary-level institutions who utilize teamwork as an andragogical tool.
Originality/value
This study was designed to deepen understanding of university students' dissatisfaction with teamwork in Trinidad and Tobago and provide andragogical improvements that can be implemented to enhance the students' teamwork experience.
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Paul Tristen Balwant, Rebecca Mohammed and Riann Singh
The purpose of the present study is to investigate mediating mechanisms in the relationship between the training and development climate at higher education institutions and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the present study is to investigate mediating mechanisms in the relationship between the training and development climate at higher education institutions and administrative employees' productivity. Organizational identification theory and the job demands-resources model are used to investigate supervisor support, employees' motivation to learn and employee engagement as mediators.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey research was used to collect data from 289 administrative staff members employed at five higher education institutions in Trinidad and Tobago.
Findings
The findings supported the hypothesized mediating role of supervisor support, employees' motivation to learn and employee engagement in the relationship between organizations' training and development climate and employee productivity.
Social implications
Productivity is a major problem in Trinidad and Tobago. In Trinidad and Tobago's higher education sector, productivity deficiencies are particularly problematic because of the gradual reduction in government subsidies. Therefore, higher education institutions must improve productivity, particularly administrative employees' productivity, in order to compete with local and international tertiary education institutions. This study contributes to Trinidad and Tobago's society by showing the importance of both a positive training and development climate and supervisor support to influence administrative employees' affective states and productivity in tertiary education institutions.
Originality/value
This study adds to existing research on training and development and employee productivity by introducing novel and theoretically sound mediators to clarify how the relationship between a higher education institution's training and development climate and its administrative employees' productivity unfolds.
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Riann Singh, Vimal Deonarine, Paul Balwant and Shalini Ramdeo
Using the lenses of social exchange and reactance theories, this study examines the relationships between abusive supervision and both turnover intentions and job satisfaction…
Abstract
Purpose
Using the lenses of social exchange and reactance theories, this study examines the relationships between abusive supervision and both turnover intentions and job satisfaction. The moderating role of employee depression in the relationship between abusive supervision and these specific work outcomes is also investigated, by incorporating the conservation of resources theory.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative data were collected from a sample of 221 frontline retail employees, across shopping malls in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad. A 3-step multiple hierarchical regression analysis was performed to test the relationships.
Findings
The findings provided support for the propositions that abusive supervision predicts job satisfaction and turnover intentions, respectively. Employee depression moderated the relationship between abusive supervision and job satisfaction but did not moderate the relationship between abusive supervision and turnover intentions.
Originality/value
While existing research has explored the relationships between abusive supervision, job satisfaction and turnover intentions, limited studies have investigated the moderating role of employee depression. This study contributes to understanding this pervasive workplace issue by investigating a relatively unexplored moderating effect.
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The concept of student behaviour provides a tool for describing and understanding the underlying mechanisms between academic success as a dependent variable and individual…
Abstract
The concept of student behaviour provides a tool for describing and understanding the underlying mechanisms between academic success as a dependent variable and individual determinants of students and the institutional context of study as independent variables. Defined as the micro-level characteristics that encompass students' actual behaviour and transitions within higher education, student behaviour influences the outcomes of academic performance, learning outcomes, the duration of studies, completion rates and future career paths. Student behaviour therefore serves as an intermediary construct between inputs and student outcomes. This chapter provides a comprehensive heuristic framework of student behaviour, drawing on insights from a range of disciplinary theoretical perspectives, including education, psychology, sociology, economics and political science. The conceptual model outlines the central role of student behaviour within the student life cycle and its implications for higher education research. In doing so, the chapter offers a conceptual panorama that encompasses both the factors that explain student behaviour and the phenomena that student behaviour itself influences, including its relationship to the concept of student engagement. The framework is not limited to conceptual delineation but invites further theoretical development.
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The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of a global challenge: the relationship between commercial development and the protection of eco-fragile systems particularly…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of a global challenge: the relationship between commercial development and the protection of eco-fragile systems particularly where river water is involved. It reviews and critiques the legal and political processes that underpinned the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2010 in Delhi and the building of the accommodation Village on the floodplain of the river Yamuna.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper covers the controversial modern history of the Yamuna river that runs through Delhi. The river is “dead” and has been subject to litigation concerning its usage and that of its flood plain. In particular, the controversy peaked prior to the CWG 2010 in Delhi and the required buildings associated with the games. The paper traces the history of the legal actions and the inter-related involvement of the various actors being the politicians, construction developers, the river bank dwellers and the local environmentalists. Close analysis is made of the statutory administrative procedures required for environmental clearance, the subsequent case law both in the High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court of India. Additionally, usage is made of the media and its concerns over corrupt and negligent practices.
Findings
The Indian judiciary in their willingness to promote the construction of the Village failed to apply its own environmental jurisprudence. There was a failure to “lift the veil” and review flawed administrative practices that violated governing statutes. National pride, time pressures, political support, economic interests and rapid urbanisation created a pressure that the courts could not challenge. It was left to investigative committees, after the Games had concluded, to expose these wrongdoings.
Originality/value
The paper highlights the issue of the relationship of the courts and political and economic interests and how legally protected ecological interests are ignored.
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