Thinh Nguyen-Duc, Linh Phuong Nguyen, Tam To Phuong, Hanh Thi Hien Nguyen and Vinh Thi Hong Cao
This study aims to address the reliability and construct validity of the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ) in a Vietnamese context. Using the IWPQ as a measurement…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to address the reliability and construct validity of the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ) in a Vietnamese context. Using the IWPQ as a measurement tool, this research also examined whether demographic features (such as gender, education level, work experience and position in a company) influenced employees’ work performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The Vietnamese IWPQ was validated via a two-step process of factor analysis, including an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The data collected were randomly divided into two subsamples to independently serve the EFA (n = 341) and CFA (n = 342). ANOVAs and t-tests were also used to examine the differences in individual work performance (IWP) among different demographic categories.
Findings
The results of the current study confirmed the applicability of the three-dimensional IWPQ in a Vietnamese context. In addition, they also indicated several demographic features that impacted employees’ patterns of responses to IWPQ dimensions.
Research limitations/implications
This study focused on the construct validity of the IWPQ, without taking the content, face or criterion validity into consideration. Thus, future research should be conducted to yield a more comprehensive validation of the instrument, to measure the relationship between human resource development (HRD) practices and employee performance and to examine the relationship between strategic HRD and IWP and firm outcomes. In addition, the validated Vietnamese version of the IWPQ may inspire comparative studies on individual performance within and between units in an organization and among organizations and industries.
Practical implications
HRD practitioners can now use the validated IWPQ in the Vietnamese language to assess fluctuations in and analyze current staff performance, thereby facilitating human resource management and development. This study also offers recommendations for business leaders and HRD practitioners striving to implement strategic HRD aimed at reducing disparities in gender and between educational qualifications and job assignments at workplace, with the overarching goals of enhancing staff performance. These recommendations prove instrumental in improving staff performance, strengthening organizational efficiency and ultimately tackling the issue of low productivity in Vietnam and neighboring countries.
Social implications
This study findings underscore the significance of embracing strategic HRD while taking into account individual, organizational and contextual factors that influence IWP. This approach serves to bridge current gaps related to IWP, including Vietnam’s comparatively lower productivity compared to neighboring nations, educational qualifications and role allocations within the workplace, as well as the prevailing work standards and strategic objectives.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this rigorously validated Vietnamese version of the IWPQ is the first of its kind in Vietnam, making a significant contribution to inclusivity initiatives and offering substantial evidence to affirm the IWPQ’s relevance across diverse contexts.
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Thinh Nguyen-Duc, Tam T. Phuong, Thuy T.B. Le and Lam T.T. Nguyen
The main purpose of this study was to validate the Dimensions of Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) in a Vietnamese context. Using the DLOQ as a research tool, this study…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this study was to validate the Dimensions of Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) in a Vietnamese context. Using the DLOQ as a research tool, this study also investigated the impact of demographic features on participants’ perceptions of learning organizations (LOs).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 748 valid responses to a version of the DLOQ translated into Vietnamese. Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis were used to test the reliable internal consistency and validity of the DLOQ in a Vietnamese context. Then, one-way ANOVA analyses and independent sample t-tests were used to assess the differences produced by the characteristics of respondents and their enterprises.
Findings
The results of this study show that three versions of the DLOQ are applicable to a Vietnamese context. The findings of this study also suggest that several demographic features produced significant differences in respondents’ perceptions of organizational learning.
Research limitations/implications
There are several limitations of this study. First, this study used self-reporting, and individual perspectives of questions can bring about perception bias. Also, the length of the original version of the DLOQ (i.e. 43 questions) might impact the results, because of participants’ lack of patience and focus. In addition, various levels of organizational learning may cause some confusion, leading to misinterpretation. Finally, the overrepresentation of large state-owned enterprises in the service industry in the sample may have caused bias when interpreting the results. Future research should be conducted to further validate and extend the findings of this study for small- and medium-sized enterprises, which account for 98% of businesses in Vietnam. It is strongly suggested that scholars use the validated Vietnamese DLOQ to measure the impacts of learning culture on learning-related results in Vietnam, such as individual/team/organizational performance, staff satisfaction and so on. Finally, future research should consider making appropriate study designs to collect and analyze data from various resources and not be limited to self-reported questionnaires. This would minimize common method bias.
Practical implications
Application of the DLOQ provides valuable insights and understanding for use in designing and evaluating efforts to learn at all levels in Vietnamese enterprises.
Social implications
Regarding designing, adjusting and implementing strategies to boost the learning capacity of an organization, the findings of this study also imply that business leaders and practitioners in Vietnamese enterprises can build strategies for enhancing LO culture without biases stemming from gender or management level. However, education level and work experience should be considered critical features that could impact the effectiveness of such strategies. Also, understanding and applying the DLOQ when building LOs will promote Vietnamese businesses’ competitiveness and international integration.
Originality/value
Using statistical results, this study confirmed that a rigorously translated Vietnamese version of the DLOQ produced reliable measurement scores with a construct validity sufficient to measure LOs in a Vietnamese context.
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Supen Kumar Sah and Anup Ghosh
The purpose of this article is to carry out the thermal buckling analysis of power and sigmoid functionally graded material Sandwich plate (P-FGM and S-FGM) under uniform, linear…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to carry out the thermal buckling analysis of power and sigmoid functionally graded material Sandwich plate (P-FGM and S-FGM) under uniform, linear, nonlinear and sinusoidal temperature rise.
Design/methodology/approach
Thermal buckling of FGM Sandwich plates namely, FGM face with ceramic core (Type-A) and homogeneous face layers with FGM core (Type-B), incorporated with nonpolynomial shear deformation theories are considered for an analytical solution in this investigation. Effective material properties and thermal expansion coefficients of FGM Sandwich plates are evaluated based on Voigt's micromechanical model considering power and sigmoid law. The governing equilibrium and stability equations for the thermal buckling analysis are derived based on sinusoidal shear deformation theory (SSDT) and inverse trigonometric shear deformation theory (ITSDT) along with Von Karman nonlinearity. Analytical solutions for thermal buckling are carried out using the principle of minimum potential energy and Navier's solution technique.
Findings
Critical buckling temperature of P-FGM and S-FGM Sandwich plates Type-A and B under uniform, linear, non-linear, and sinusoidal temperature rise are obtained and analyzed based on SSDT and ITSDT. Influence of power law, sigmoid law, span to thickness ratio, aspect ratio, volume fraction index, different types of thermal loadings and Sandwich plate types over critical buckling temperature are investigated. An analytical method of solution for thermal buckling of power and sigmoid FGM Sandwich plates with efficient shear deformation theories has been successfully analyzed and validated.
Originality/value
The temperature distribution across FGM plate under a high thermal environment may be uniform, linear, nonlinear, etc. In practice, temperature variation is an unpredictable phenomenon; therefore, it is essential to have a temperature distribution model which can address a sinusoidal temperature variation too. In the present work, a new sinusoidal temperature rise is proposed to describe the effect of sinusoidal temperature variation over critical buckling temperature for P-FGM and S-FGM Sandwich plates. For the first time, the FGM Sandwich plate is modeled using the sigmoid function to investigate the thermal buckling behavior under the uniform, linear, nonlinear and sinusoidal temperature rise. Nonpolynomial shear deformation theories are utilized to obtain the equilibrium and stability equations for thermal buckling analysis of P-FGM and S-FGM Sandwich plates.