Voluntary or mandatory enrollment in training and the motivation to transfer training

The purpose of this study is to examine the motivation to transfer training in a multidimensional way. It investigates autonomous and controlled motivation and explores the difference in motivation to transfer according to whether the employee is enrolled in training on a voluntary or mandatory basis. This is a cross‐sectional hypotheses‐testing study. Data were collected at a large insurance company involving employees who had participated in training programs in the previous 6 months. Findings show that when considering autonomous motivation to transfer, results support the argument that being voluntarily enrolled in the training program shows a higher impact on motivation to transfer than being mandatorily enrolled. When considering controlled motivation to transfer, results do not support such an argument, probably because of the nature of controlled motivation to transfer that in practice reduces the difference in results between the two types of enrollment.     

An investigation into the relationship between training evaluation and the transfer of training

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between training evaluation and the transfer of training in organizations. We hypothesized that training evaluation frequency will be related to higher rates of transfer because evaluation information can identify weaknesses that lead to improvements in training programs and create greater accountability among stakeholders for training outcomes. The data were obtained from 150 training professionals who were members of a training and development association in Canada. The results indicated that training evaluation frequency is positively related to training transfer. However, among Kirkpatrick's four levels of evaluation criteria, only behavior and results criteria were related to higher rates of transfer of training, indicating that the level of evaluation criteria is important for training transfer. These results indicate the importance of organizational‐level initiatives such as training evaluation in addition to individual‐level practices for facilitating the transfer of training.     

The relationship between job dissatisfaction and training transfer

The high rates of training transfer failure that prevail still puzzle practitioners as well as researchers. The central aim of the present study is to analyze the relatively under‐researched role of job dissatisfaction in the training transfer process. Specifically, we expect that job dissatisfaction would have a negative effect on transfer but that this effect would be buffered by the expectation of positive transfer consequences and motivation to transfer. To test these hypotheses, 220 participants in different training programs completed an online questionnaire 1 year after training. The results support our assumptions. They reveal that job dissatisfaction has a detrimental effect on training transfer, but that motivation to transfer and the expectation of positive transfer consequences have a buffering effect. The more motivated a person is towards transfer, the less negative is the effect of job dissatisfaction on actual transfer, but only if a person expects positive outcomes from transfer, such as acknowledgment or rewards. The findings are discussed in relation to existing training transfer models, as well as models of job (dis)satisfaction.     

Gender as a moderator of the relationship between materialism and fashion clothing involvement among Indian youth

The research examines the role of gender in moderating the relationship between materialism and product involvement with fashion clothing among the Indian youth. The Richins materialism scale and the product involvement and purchase involvement scales developed by O'Cass were used to understand the behaviour of Indian youth towards fashion clothing. The sample (n = 254) comprised of university students from different parts of India. The findings indicate that Indian youth do not possess a high level of materialistic tendencies. Gender has a moderating influence on the relationship between materialism and involvement with fashion clothing. Young men and women differ with respect to their involvement with fashion clothing and even more with regard to their involvement with the purchase of fashion clothing, with women reporting a higher level of involvement in both cases.     

Modeling the relationship between perceived corporate citizenship and organizational commitment considering organizational trust as a moderator

This study proposes a research model based on social identity theory, which examines the moderating role of organizational trust on the relationship between corporate citizenship and organizational commitment. In the model, organizational commitment is positively influenced by organizational trust and four dimensions of perceived corporate citizenship, including economic, legal, ethical and discretionary citizenship. The model paths are hypothesized to be moderated by organizational trust. Empirical testing using a survey of personnel from 12 large firms confirms most of our hypothesized effects. Theoretical and managerial implications of our findings are discussed.     

Examining trying as a mediator and control as a moderator of intention–behavior relationship

This article presents a modified model of the theory of planned behavior by incorporating trying as a mediator and actual control as a moderator of the intention–behavior relationship. The revised model was tested with the use of structural equation models for eight commonly performed activities (N = 240). Results provide general support for the model suggesting that intentions influenced the level of trying, which, in turn, influenced behavior. Correlation analysis employing Fisher's z transformation revealed that actual control moderated the relationship between trying and behavior. Implications of the findings are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Relationships between prior experience of training,gender, goal orientation and training attitudes

Relationships were examined between prior experience with training, goal orientation, gender and training attitudes. Participants (n = 165) had a minimum of six months of work experience. Results from regression analyses indicated that mastery‐approach goal orientation had a beneficial effect on training attitudes for men but not for women. In addition, prior experience with training had a beneficial effect on training attitudes, and women had more favorable attitudes than men. The results provide initial evidence that gender moderates goal orientation effects in training contexts.     

The relationship between training and innovation activities in enterprises

We examine the relationship between enterprises’ use of employee training (or education) as a method to stimulate new ideas or creativity among their staff and enterprises’ innovation activities. A data set of 5204 Norwegian enterprises is used. Based on correlation coefficients, we find a positive relationship between enterprises’ use of employee training and their innovation activities. This relationship is not found significant for innovative enterprises that developed the innovations mainly by themselves or together with external partners if we control for enterprises’ use of brainstorming sessions and/or work teams to stimulate new ideas or creativity among their staff. Training can, however, be argued to be indirectly related to innovation strategies, as it is combined with other human resource practices.     

Brand experience as a moderator of the negative impact of promotions

While price promotions are generally believed to have a positive impact on immediate sales, their effects on attitude towards repurchase, quality perceptions, and repurchase are far less clear. We present a study that tests the effect of brand experience in moderating the negative impact of promotions. The results of the laboratory study indicate that the negative impact of a discount on perceptions of quality and subsequent intent to purchase at full price is eliminated among those who had tried the brand. The moderation of the negative impact of promotions has not been previously shown to occur despite its prediction by a variety of behavioral theories.     

Examining the relationship between customer bonding,customer participation,and customer satisfaction

This study empirically analyzes the relationship between customer bonding, customer participation, and customer satisfaction. It uses data from 804 VIP customers of South Korea's commercial banks. The hypotheses are tested using the structural equations modeling technique. The results show that social and structural bonding are the main antecedents of customer participation. Additionally, customer participation positively impacts customer participation value and worth. The findings also show that customer participation, customer participation value, and customer participation worth strongly and positively affect customer satisfaction. Furthermore, it finds that customer participation value and worth are essential mediators between customer participation and satisfaction.     

The moderating effect of individual differences on the relationship between the framing of training and interest in training

The moderating effect of individual differences on the relationship between framing training as ‘basic’ or ‘advanced’ and interest in training was examined for technical and nontechnical content areas. Participants were 109 working‐age adults (mean age = 38.14 years, SD = 12.20 years). Self‐efficacy and goal orientation were examined as moderators. Results showed a three‐way interaction between performance orientation (a dimension of goal orientation reflecting the desire to demonstrate competence in an achievement setting), age, and frame for technical training and a three‐way interaction between performance orientation, self‐efficacy, and frame for nontechnical training. Implications for future research as well as framing training to enhance interest are discussed.     

Exploring the role of goal theory in understanding training motivation

A model to test conceptions from goal theory within an existing framework of training motivation was developed and tested with employees participating in training in a non‐profit organization. It was hypothesized that goal orientation ('distal factors’) along with self‐efficacy, expectancy and valence (‘proximal factors’) would predict goal intentions as well as training outcomes such as affective responses to training, perceptions of training utility and intention to transfer or use the training provided. Results revealed that goal orientation predicted a significant proportion of variance in the proximal antecedents (valence (33 per cent), expectancy (39 per cent) and self‐efficacy (31 per cent)) whereas the proximal antecedents explained 43 per cent of the variance in goal intentions. In turn, goal intentions were related to training outcomes (affect (b = 0.7), utility (b = 0.6) and transfer intention (b = 0.5)). Goal intentions mediated the relationship between proximal antecedents and training outcomes, providing evidence that goal intentions play a pivotal role in the causal path from proximal factors to training outcomes. Valence alone was found to be a significant mediator of the relationship between goal orientation and goal intentions.     

Employee cooperative behavior in organizations: a vignette experiment on the relationship between training and helping intentions

The mutual‐investment model predicts a positive relation between investments in training and employees’ willingness to behave cooperatively. In this paper, we argue that the extent to which employees increase their cooperative behavior after receiving training depends on the type of training provided, the skillfulness of the employee and the cohesiveness of the team. Focusing on intentions to help coworkers as an indicator for cooperative behavior, we conducted a vignette experiment among 2388 employees working in 127 organizations from four European countries. Multilevel analyses show that training increases employees’ intentions to help coworkers. Training promotes helping intentions the most when organizations provide general instead of firm‐specific training and when given to employees with limited skills. Whereas employees in cohesive teams indicate higher intentions to help coworkers than employees in non‐cohesive teams, training promotes helping intentions equally in both types of teams.     

Assessing the antecedents of transfer intentions in a training context

This study examined the underlying structure of transfer climate and those aspects of transfer climate that were related to pre‐training self‐efficacy, pre‐training motivation, and post‐training transfer implementation intentions. Positive and negative affectivity (PA and NA) were also measured in order to better understand the relationship of these variables to trainees’ perceptions of the transfer climate and the other training‐related variables. Transfer climate was best represented by two underlying constructs, although these were correlated. After controlling for PA and NA, none of the transfer climate variables were significantly related to pre‐training self‐efficacy, while only positive reinforcement was significantly related to pre‐training motivation. Pre‐training self‐efficacy was also a significant predictor of pre‐training motivation, even after controlling for PA and NA. Negative affectivity was the only significant predictor of post‐training transfer implementation intentions. Further research needs to clarify whether PA and NA are contributors to the trainees’ perceptions of the transfer climate or are a product of these perceptions.     

Face as a mediator of the relationship between material value and brand consciousness

Although the relationship between materialism and name‐brand consumption has been documented in literature, its relational mechanism is not well addressed. It can hardly explain why people buy brand products without really knowing about the brands. In this case, people may consume brand products not for material possessions but for social needs, such as a desire to have favorable social self‐worth and to be respected in relation to others and social activities, which is defined as face (Ting‐Toomey & Kurogi, 1998). The present study explored how the relationship between materialism and brand consciousness is influenced by face. The role of face was tested both as a moderator and as a mediator. The results showed that face consciousness, material values, and brand consciousness were significantly correlated but did not exhibit significant interaction. Multiple regression analyses support face not as a moderator, but as a partial mediator. The results provide new insights into the mechanisms of how materialism and face influence brand consciousness differently. The theoretical meaning and implications for marketing management are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Evaluating training effectiveness in India: Exploring the relationship between training components,metacognition and learning outcomes

This study aims to examine the key training factors that significantly impact the learning outcomes of trainees. A comprehensive framework is proposed to investigate the interrelationships among various training components, trainer performance, training usefulness, and their effects on metacognition and learning. Empirical testing of the model is conducted using the partial least squares structural equation modelling approach, analyzing data collected from 322 public servants in North India. The findings reveal that almost all the focal factors comprising a training programme, such as the usefulness of training, trainer performance and metacognition, positively influence trainees' learning. While training agencies should consider all components of the training programme, the perceived usefulness, trainer performance and trainees' metacognition are particularly influential factors in facilitating learning. Training components and trainer performance predict the usefulness of training. This study integrates all focal factors of a training programme into a comprehensive framework using employee data, explaining a significant portion (45%–64%) of the variance in trainees' learning. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing these focal factors thoughtfully when designing and implementing effective training programmes.     

Individualism–collectivism and the role of goal orientation in organizational training

This research examines how individualism–collectivism and goal orientation impact training effectiveness through study of an internationally diverse sample of engineers who were undergoing technical training. In light of contemporary views of individualism–collectivism, we argue that collectivism will moderate the influence of learning and performance goal orientations on training by shaping the impact of one's perceived social context on existing performance concerns and goals. Using a sample from a large multinational corporation, we examined the effects of individualism–collectivism and goal orientation on training transfer intentions, motivation to learn, and test performance. Mixed support for our hypotheses was found. Collectivists were found to exhibit higher levels of training transfer intentions and motivation to learn. However, when collectivism was combined with a performance goal orientation, its effects on training outcomes were diminished. Applications for organizations and future extensions of the present research are discussed.     

The moderating role of self‐efficacy in the organizational culture–training transfer relationship

This paper aims to examine the combined effects of self‐efficacy and organizational culture on employees' transfer of knowledge/skills acquired through training. The questionnaires were distributed to 252 newly hired employees working in a service organization in Greece. Each of the independent variables examined added incrementally to the prediction of training transfer. Moreover, self‐efficacy was found to act as a moderator in the organizational culture–training transfer relationship. High self‐efficacy was found to strengthen both achievement culture–training transfer as well as humanistic culture‐training transfer relationships, whereas low self‐efficacy weakened these relationships. The study has practical implications by providing insights into ways of engaging employees in transferring the skills acquired during training. This investigation extends previous research by demonstrating that self‐efficacy acts as an accentuating factor in the relationship between organizational culture orientations and new hires' transfer of training.