International work in domestic jobs: an individual explanation

Australian firms are attempting to internationalize and to become global companies. One way of staffing the forays into international business is by incorporating international work into domestic jobs. This study sought to understand the factors related to the amount of international work Australians perform in their domestic jobs. Alumni from an Australian university were surveyed, providing 1,046 full-time domestic employees working in a range of industries. Regression analysis showed that, beyond individual and organizational controls, employees performed more international work in domestic jobs when they worked in organizations at higher than at lower international levels with human resource support, worked in jobs at higher rather than at lower managerial levels and had international skills. However, there was no or little link with employees' international attitudes or family situation. As predicted, the managerial level of the job made a difference to the effects of the work environment. Working in MNCs and domestic organizations with operations abroad was related to the amount of international work in domestic jobs performed by senior managers and executives more than by lower and middle managers or subordinates and supervisors. Analysis of open-ended responses shows the major reasons Australians take up domestic international work are money, professional development and challenging content. The major reasons they would not are family commitments and disruption, in contrast to the quantitative results in which family factors are unimportant. The difference between the quantitative and qualitative results and the importance of family factors, international skills versus attitudes and human resource support are discussed.     

Women abroad: getting the best results from women managers

Abstract This study explores the work environment of expatriate women managers in American corporations and investigates the determinants of their job satisfaction. The strategic importance of global assignments has increased over the years. The real cost of unsuccessful expatriates extends beyond the monetary expenses. As the number of women managers working overseas increases, so does the importance of this topic. Additionally, because women in expatriate positions are relatively new, their needs for job satisfaction and career aspirations are not known to most organizations. This research intends to fill this gap. The study concentrates on four major areas that are considered important for obtaining job satisfaction: (1) the way in which organizations design their overseas jobs, (2) women's skills and characteristics, (3) international human resource policies of companies and (4) the cultural environment of host countries. The applied research covers two phases: a study of expatriate managers during their assignments overseas and the evaluation of overseas experience upon their return. The results indicate that women in overseas assignments are satisfied overall with their jobs. However, organizational variables are more strongly related to job satisfaction. The nature of job design in overseas postings has the greatest impact on women's job satisfaction. When the jobs are enriched, women gain intrinsic rewards and have high job satisfaction. Organizational support also contributes to the satisfaction of women expatriates. Training, mentoring and repatriation preparations have high impact on women's success and satisfaction. Women expatriates are more concerned with their repatriation and future advancement than their present assignments. The findings are important for theoretical and practical reasons. Theoretically, the achievement and satisfaction of women managers overseas cannot be simplified without taking into account organizational, personal and cultural factors. Practically, companies need to respond to the individual needs of expatriate women managers and then decide on their assignments and their repatriation accordingly.     

专业方向核心技术课程一体化教学研究与实践——以应用电子技术(电子产品质量管理方向)专业为例

本文以应用电子技术(电子产品质量管理方向)专业为例,探索专业方向核心技术课程的整合,由学科核心转变为岗位群核心,构建基于工作过程系统化的"课程内容与生产工艺相结合、课程教学过程与工作情景相结合、技能实训与实际岗位相结合"的专业核心技术课程体系,实现课程一体化教学模式。     

Constructing HR information systems

Accounts of human resource information systems (HRISs) range from predominantly technical accounts, which assume that the data contained and the way it is organised are straightforward reflections of reality, to accounts which see such systems as a way of exercising disciplinary power through the creation of a new view of the organisation. These different conceptions are explored through an investigation of three organisations which were developing information systems relating to workforce skills and workplace requirements. The article focuses on different conceptualisations of skill and their significance for approaches to HR strategy. It is also concerned with the way in which managers develop and refine such information systems, and the analogy of mapping is examined as a way of understanding this process.     

Attitudes of police managers to different leadership roles in their jobs: An empirical study in Norway

The background for this study is the increased complexity in policing that has become more knowledge‐based and more professional in the past decade. The aim of this article is to present empirical results from a study of attitudes of police managers to different leadership roles in their jobs in two police districts in Norway. A questionnaire was developed and administered among police managers in two police districts in Norway. Participants in leadership programs were selected for this survey research. The Follo police district and Hedmark police district had a total of 130 participants in these programs, with 60 managers from Follo and 70 managers from Hedmark. The research was carried out in March and April 2010. The personnel leader role was found to be most important, followed by the resource allocator role. Responding police managers reported that they felt least competent in the liaison role.     

中小企业高层管理者跳槽的原因与对策

大企业的员工跳槽是屡见不鲜的,中小企业员工弃职离去更是司空见惯。当一个中小企业的高管处在一个压抑的环境中,工作缺乏挑战性,个人的观点、建议和策略得不到被赏识,个人才干没有发挥的机会,导致对自己的未来发展不乐观,前景模糊时,也会跳槽。跳槽一般是为了获得更高的薪资和寻找能更好发挥个人潜能的地方。     

Perspectives on line managers in human resource management: Hilton International's UK hotels

Although contextual factors act to encourage the devolvement of human resource management to line managers, recent research indicates that there is substantial potential for human resource specialists and line managers to share more effectively responsibility for their organization's human resource activities in business partnerships. The foundation for this is arguably commonality in opinions on the principles and practices of human resource activities. However, line managers and human resource specialists often have dissonant opinions on human resource management.

This paper explores line manager and human resource specialists' perspectives on line manager involvement in human resource management, theoretically and empirically. The primary work comprises a survey of the views of line managers and human resource specialists on devolving a range of human resource activities to line managers in a case organization, Hilton International's UK hotels. Differences between line managers' and human resource specialists' perspectives are found in five aspects: understanding and ownership of the company's service and HR strategy; line manager involvement in and rankings of HR activities; HR specialists' support of line managers; barriers to line managers' involvement in HR activities; and the competence of line managers in HR activities. Importantly, it is found that where there are divergent views across line managers and their HR specialist in their hotel there is poor hotel business performance and, conversely, convergent views are evident in the effectively performing hotels. These findings may have resonance for other organizations in devolving human resource management to the line and developing human resource business partnerships for business performance. It is proposed that three types of line manager buy-in are central to their active involvement in HR, namely: conceptual understanding of the rationale for their involvement; implementation effectiveness through HR role clarity and capability; and affective commitment in believing in the value of their involvement in HR.     

FAILURE, UNCERTAINTY AND CONTROL: THE ROLE OF OPERATORS IN A COMPUTER INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM

This article presents the findings of a case study which analyzed how new electronics and computing technology affected the role of process operators in a continuous process plant manufacturing pigments in Scotland. the first stage of the research was a participant observation study of the site over two years. Three years later, production managers and operators were interviewed, and an observation study was carried out over one full shift in the plant studied. the results demonstrate that the process operators required considerable skill, knowledge, experience and training to deal with process faults, cope with contingencies, and to control the process effectively. the operators reported that they found interest and challenge in the work. the impact of technical change on the quality of working life was, however, equivocal. the operators’ mobility was constrained, they were isolated from the rest of the plant, some messy manual tasks remained, and they were still dependent on the technical and chemical expertise of management and engineering staff to handle serious problems. Other operators were less enthusiastic about the work. Management expected the new systems to reduce human intervention and control. But the limitations of the computer controls and the high cost of error meant that effective production was more dependent on human presence and ability than in simpler batch production. Advances in computing technology may highlight the conflict between management desires to reduce human operator control and to design effective integrated production systems.     

High-commitment HRM system,HR capability,and ambidextrous technological innovation

Technological innovation is becoming an increasingly significant driving force of firm competitiveness; however, only a few scholars have attempted to investigate the specific relationship between technological innovation and human resource (HR). In this study, we test the relationships among high-commitment human resource management (HCHRM) system, HR capability and ambidextrous technological innovation, as well as the mediating role of HR capability in the relationship between the other two. For this purpose, we derive HR capability based on two dimensions: (a) factors (skills vs. behaviors) and (b) nature (component vs. combinative capability). Juxtaposing these dimensions enables us to generate the following four elements of HR capability for ambidextrous technological innovation: (a) T-shaped skills (component skills), (b) technology brokering (combinative skills), (c) personal initiative (component behaviors), and (d) cooperation (combinative behaviors). Empirical results based on data collected from the HR and technology planning managers of 105 corporate research and development centers indicate that HCHRM positively affects HR capability and ambidextrous technological innovation. In addition, we find that HR capability fully mediates the relationship between the HCHRM system and ambidextrous technological innovation. We discuss theoretical contributions and practical implications of these findings.     

Organizational socialization and career success of Asian managers

This study proposed a new framework to conceptualize organizational socialization. It examined two broad socialization strategies: perceived organizational support and developmental experience and their relationships with career success. Data were obtained from interviews with 374 line managers and human resource managers in four industrial sectors in five Asia countries/societies, namely, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Thailand. There is partial support for the predicted relationships. The results from the present study add to our understanding of how organizational socialization affects career success. Implications for research and managerial practices, as well as future research directions, are provided.     

The Meaning and Determinants of Skills Shortages

In this paper we use establishment-level data to examine what managers mean when they report having skills shortages. We find that the concept of a skills shortage is not always the same as a hard-to-fill vacancy despite the latter being used by many authors who have considered the economic consequences of skills shortages. It seems that, while employers appear not to have any problems for themselves in interpreting questions on ‘skills shortages’, we cannot rely on them being perceived in a uniform way by all employers. Indeed, many employers stress that, amongst both their existing workforce and job applicants, there appear to be important shortfalls in motivational and attitudinal skills, leading us to believe that social skills are an important part of the skills said to be in shortage. Our findings point to two main conclusions for future research. First, studies that investigate the causes and effects of ‘skill shortages’ need to pay greater attention to their definition and measurement. Secondly, in future research on establishments and their skill formation practices, further steps could be taken to gain clarification either directly or indirectly from respondents as to the experiences they choose to classify as a skills shortage.     

Unequal jobs or unequal pay?

This article draws on new data to consider whether women would benefit most from upgrading the skill levels of their jobs or from achieving equal pay for work of equal value. It looks in detail at skill, gender, and whether work is full-time or part-time, concluding that reassessment of the value of women's jobs would be of greater immediate financial benefit to women than upgrading the skill level of their jobs unless this upgrading gave them access to men's jobs at men's pay and benefit rates.     

How do I trust thee? The employee‐organization relationship,supervisory support,and middle manager trust in the organization

Given the assumption that most employers would like to gain the trust of their employees, what would initiate this trust? This study explores the joint role of the employee‐organization relationship (EOR) and supervisory support in initiating trust among middle managers. The results from a study of 545 middle managers in China show that both EOR and supervisory support are important in creating trust, with supervisory support having a stronger influence than EOR. Further, supervisors play a synergistic role by accentuating the positive influence of the mutual investment EOR approach and attenuating the negative influence of the quasi‐spot contract EOR with the managers. Results reinforce the importance of both formal structure and social processes in cultivating employee trust in the organization. We discuss implications of these findings for future research and human resource management practices. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The experience of burnout and work/non-work success in male and female engineers: A matched-pairs comparison

This paper explores the experience of burnout and success in the professional and private lives of people in technical careers. Participants in the study were 51 male and 51 female engineers, who were matched as pairs on a variety of personal and job-related variables. An analysis of the data shows that the sampling design worked: the two groups are very similar in their organizational positions, share a similar outlook on their jobs, and have similar orientations towards their careers and lives. However, gender differences were revealed in the interrelationship between work and private life and its effect on measures of well-being such as feelings of burnout, satisfaction, enjoyment, and perceived success. Results indicate that male engineers are better able to integrate work success with private life than their female counterparts. For men, work and non-work success are compatible, while for women they seem to conflict. The results are discussed in the light of a theoretical proposition to view burnout in a person/environment-fit framework. Implications are drawn for career consultants and human resource managers in organizations that rely on technical expertise.     

论公共部门人力资源管理者职业化的现状与路径

公共部门人力资源管理者的素质高低对公共部门形象和职能的实现以及人民群众生活质量有着重要影响,因而提高公共部门人力资源管理者的素质,就必须走职业化道路;我国目前公共部门人力资源管理者的素质和现状已经不适应我国由人力资源大国向人力资源强国转变的需要;必须通过建立健全职业资格认证制度,加强职业道德塑造良好的职业形象,注重自身职业生涯的开发与管理等途径实现。     

Will We Ever Meet Again? The Relationship between Inter-Firm Managerial Migration and the Circulation of Client Ties

A large body of research shows that the migration of managers from one professional service firm to another weakens the old employer’s relationship with its clients, because migrating managers remove their relationship-specific knowledge and expertise – i.e., human and social capital – from their old employers, redeploying it to their new employers. This study extends this research by introducing a bi-directional perspective of social capital in which both firms and managers may exploit these relationship-specific resources. We use theory on social capital to build arguments about how one form of manager mobility, manager migration between two service providers in a single market, can both lead and lag the movement of client ties between those providers, and signaling theory to hypothesize the conditions under which this is likely to occur. Analyses using longitudinal data on New York City advertising agencies generally support our arguments. Our findings contribute to theory and research on manager migration, social capital, and signaling, and raise new questions for how the portability of relationship-specific social capital shapes markets.     

Strategies for Internationalizing the Business Curriculum in the Asia Pacific

SUMMARY

With the rapid economic growth of the East Asian countries, there has been an increasing interest in the education and skill development strategies used in the region. One of the critical features of Singapore's human resource development strategy is the emphasis on regionalization and internationalization of the academic curriculum. The trend of this internationalization may be attributable to three major factors: Singapore government's regionalization policy, distance learning programs offered by foreign universities, and the overseas assignment of Singaporean managers as expatriates. This paper presents an overview of the internationalization of the business curriculum at the graduate and undergraduate level in Singapore, particularly at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The Nanyang Business School, although a young institution, is rapidly moving towards the internationalization process in various areas. At present its student body is drawn from more than 20 countries. About a third of its business faculty come from about 19 countries. At the undergraduate level, students are encouraged to study foreign languages, and required to take the international business course irrespective of their functional specialization. In addition, most functional areas of specialization offer at least one international course as an elective choice. Some of the students also complete their required professional attachment abroad. At the graduate level, the unique feature of it's MBA program is the compulsory International Business Study Mission. The newly introduced MBA specialization in International Business adds another dimension. The school is now focusing on extensive research efforts in the area of regional-ization and globalization of business through its several research centers. The paper also identifies a few concerns such as the rapid changes in the pedagogy due to the overall systemic changes in the curriculum from the traditional British education model and the availability of suitable case studies.     

Could HRM support organizational innovation?

Nowadays, it has become clear that the capacity of organizations to innovate and manage their human resources can be sources of competitive advantage. Recently, literature also asserts a positive relationship between human resource management and innovation. However, very little empirical research has specifically addressed those relationships. Using structural equations modelling with data collected from 173 Spanish firms, this study analyses them. Our findings show that innovation contributes positively to business performance and that human resource management enhances innovation. Implications for both academics and managers as well as future research lines are discussed.     

基于MSP模式的电子信息职业技能开发

信息通信技术和电子信息职业技能在当今社会经济发展中发挥着不可复制的重要作用。本文分析了信息时代电子信息职业技能的主要特征以及开发的基本现状,提出了基于MSP模式进行电子信息职业技能开发的有效路径选择。     

研发人员胜任力模型构建的实证研究——以中药研发人员为例

胜任力是执行力的前提和基础。通过综合运用国内外胜任力模型相关研究新技术,在对国内外通用科技人员胜任力情况进行研究的基础上,以中药研发人员为例,构建了研发人员专用胜任力模型。该模型可大致归纳为专业知识及专业技能、人格特质、创新特质、一般能力四大模块,体现了优秀中药研发人员高效完成工作所应具备的胜任特征。