The relationship between the degree of adopting human resource change leadership role and human resource attribution in sustainable enterprises

Building positive employee beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes is critical for successful change interventions. Thus, this study aims to investigate the relationship between human resource change leadership role and employee human resource attribution in sustainable enterprises, which relates to the changes in institutional logic and works. The study builds the research model by drawing from attribution theory (Weiner, 1985) and HR attribution (Nishii et al., 2008). It explores this relationship by employing the mixed method of qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative methods (in-depth interviews) adjust the scales, while quantitative methods test scales, researching hypotheses and models. Utilizing a sample of 1,058 employees from 24 sustainable enterprises in Viet Nam, the study employs the PLS-SEM method for analysis. The findings show that HR change leadership roles significantly positively affect the well-being of HR attribution. At the same time, the degree of adoption of HR change leadership roles hurts performance HR attribution. In addition, it explores a U-shaped relationship between the adoption of HR change leadership roles and performance HR attribution, highlighting the complex nature of HR attribution in sustainable organizations. This implies that employees may interpret the same sustainable policies or programs differently based on their characteristics and experiences. Therefore, HR departments should tailor their sustainable practices according to employees’ diverse needs and perceptions to foster positive attributions and minimize negative attribution, contributing to sustainable progress.

Human Resources (HR) departments in previously disadvantaged higher education institutions (HEI) in South Africa have contributed to the crisis that has led them to be governed by appointed Administrators assigned by the Ministry of Higher Education and Training. The malfunctioning of HR departments persists even in the post-Administrator’s era, with a prevalence of personal, interpersonal and operational challenges. This study aimed at interrogating challenges faced by the HR Department of the university concerned post the appointed Administrator era and its negative effects. This study adopted a qualitative research approach whereby in-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 10 HR Department staff members. Focus group discussions were also carried out with 20 academic and non-academic university leaders. Further data was also collected through ethnographic observation and secondary data was also used. The non-probability purposive sampling was used for qualitative analysis and NVivo was used for organizing and analyzing data gleaned from the in-depth interviews. The study findings consistently revealed unclear roles and responsibilities, outmoded recruitment and selection processes and poor interpersonal relations amongst the HR department staff members as some of the challenges that still persist post the Administrator’s era, all of which have contributed to the paralysis of organizational culture. University leaders can use the study findings as a tool to devise and implement radical change management interventions aiming at re-engineering HR departments that are operating abnormally, as well as for designing a responsive HR Strategic Architect. This study will contribute to the body of knowledge in the HR fraternity as there is a dearth of published studies on the internal challenges faces by HR Departments (both interpersonal and operational), which have the potential to hamper smooth operations of higher education institutions.

Signalling theory is presented as an approach to advance the study of human resource management (HRM) processes highlighting line managers as signallers of HR messages and employees as receivers. Signalling theory is also offered as a framework to integrate the two attributional approaches to HRM focusing on HRM strength and HR attributions. A study of employees in 83 bank branches confirms that strong HR signals, reflected in implementation of a coherent set of high‐commitment HR practices and consensus about their implementation have a positive association with the HR attributions and attitudes of employees as signal receivers. We found no link with branch performance. The study confirms the utility of signalling theory as a framework for advancing our understanding of HR processes.

Purpose – This paper aims to report on a census of high-level sustainability initiatives at all accredited post-secondary institutions in Canada by documenting the institutions that have undertaken sustainability assessments, have signed one or more sustainability declarations, have sustainability offices or officers or have sustainability policies. The aim was to better understand the broad-scale patterns of commitments by post-secondary institutions to these sustainability initiatives by exploring the interrelationships among them, and with geographic and institutional characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected on existing high-level sustainability initiatives at Canada’s 220 accredited post-secondary institutions. Patterns in the data were analyzed using exploratory statistical techniques. This paper proposes a sustainability initiative score to help understand the diversity and patterns of sustainability initiative uptake. Findings – Institutions located in larger communities, and in British Columbia and Québec, tended to have higher sustainability initiative scores. Institutions in Saskatchewan and the territories had the lowest sustainability initiative scores. It was found that sustainability office(r)s, assessments and policies co-occurred disproportionately, potentially suggesting positive reinforcement mechanisms. On the other hand, having signed a declaration was not strongly linked to other sustainability initiatives. Terminological preference had shifted from “environment” and “sustainable development” to “sustainability”. Research limitations/implications – The scope was limited to a discrete set of high-level sustainability initiatives appropriate for a nation-wide census, at a moment in time, and is therefore not exhaustive in subject or temporal extent. This broad-scale comparative analysis compels further study into the relationship between the sustainability policy environment and sustainability practices on the ground, as well as implications for how post-secondary institutions engage with sustainability. The patterns and interrelationships this paper discovered help to structure future critical and comparative in-depth analyses of sustainability policies and practices within post-secondary education. Originality/value – Almost no extensive, comparative empirical studies of sustainability policy and practice in post-secondary institutions exist. This void is addressed by documenting and analyzing high-level sustainability initiatives across all accredited post-secondary institutions in Canada.

This research endeavours to investigate the involvement of the Human Resources (HR) department throughout the budgeting process and the utilization of budgets to further perform HR activities. Study seeks empirical evidence based on the responses elicited from HR department managers in 100 Pakistani companies with a distinct HR department. Results suggest that the HR department has limited involvement in the budgeting procedures, which in turn could explain the limited use of budgets as a means of performance evaluation and communication. Evidence from survey showed that HR departments in Pakistan do fully capitalize on the budgets as a mean of achieving organizational goals. This study contributes to the literature by analysing the responses of HR department managers and their views towards the budgeting function from HR management perspective in Pakistani companies.

Purpose of the study The aims of the study were to analyze the sustainable practices adopted by international chain hotel brands in Muscat; to analyze and find out the extent of the sustainable practices affecting guest satisfaction in international chain hotels in Muscat and to determine the barriers and challenges faced by international hotel chain brands in Muscat. Design/Methodology/Approach Forty questionnaires were distributed to two chain hotels’ employees in different job positions. In-depth interviews were also used to gather qualitative information from human resources departments and corporate social responsibility specialists to discuss the current trends in sustainable practices in international chain hotel brands in Muscat. The collected data was then analyzed using SPSS and Qualitative tools. Findings The study reveals that the hotels’ sustainability initiatives had an effective impact on cost savings and helps to reduce waste, and resource wastage. It was also found that guests are willing to pay more at the hotel to support their green initiatives and the guests were satisfied with the innovation towards the sustainability initiatives undertaken and felt their stay a memorable one. Research Implications It was observed that there is a strong relationship between sustainable green practices and guest satisfaction and so maintain the sustainable practices to raise up to the guest expectations. Some of the guests were not aware of the sustainable practices and the employees and the creation of awareness is a must. Practical Implications Awareness within the staff and the community can be raised only through proper education and training. Originality The study confines to international chain hotels located in Muscat, the capital of Sultanate of Oman. The study excludes the economic and social aspects of sustainability as the entire focus was on the environmental aspects of sustainable practices only.

HR attributions relate to employees’ beliefs about why HR practices are implemented in their organization. Although research shows that HR attributions influence employees’ attitudes, behaviors and performance, there is little understanding of the antecedents of HR attributions. To examine the relationships between perceptions of high-performance work systems (HPWS) and power distance orientation (PDO) on the one hand and two types of HR attributions (quality-enhancement and cost-reduction) on the other, we conducted two studies. The results of Study 1 (an experimental study, N = 171 students) and Study 2 (a field study, N = 255 employees from China) showed that PDO weakened the relationships between HPWS perceptions and both types of HR attributions. Our studies fill an important theoretical gap regarding how employees’ cultural orientation changes the effect of HPWS perceptions on HR attributions.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide answers to four questions on building a better human resources (HR) department: why?, who?, what? and how? Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on the accumulated experience of the co-authors. Findings The paper finds that better HR departments create better organizations and will often do this by enabling better relationships between the people working in them. Developing the right relationships is also an increasingly important part of creating an effective HR organization. Research limitations/implications Much attention has been spent on developing HR professionals. The authors also want to make HR departments better. This paper steers future research on HR effectiveness in this direction. Practical implications Senior HR leaders charged with improving their HR department may do so with the roadmap offered by the authors. Originality/value For businesses to receive full value from HR, it is very important to upgrade the quality of HR professionals. It is even more important to upgrade HR departments. This paper suggests how this can be done.

Human Resource (HR) department is one of the most vital departments in any modern organization. Many research studies until date have concluded that HR department plays an important role in the success of any organization. Amongst the various activities, which an HR department expected to conduct, Recruitment holds special importance, as it is concerned with ‘bringing people into the organization’. This research paper aims at exploring the impact of latest technological developments (especially the concept of E-Recruitment) in the context of recruitment and how it has facilitated the modern day HR managers. Private Sector is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors of Pakistan and it is generally believed that the private companies operative in Pakistan have well established HR departments that tend to utilize modern technology to assist them with the recruitment activities. Thus, it is only logical to assess the effectiveness of this technology through the example of private sector of Pakistan. This is a causal research. Causal research is conducted in order to identify the extent and nature of cause-and-effect relationships. Causal research is quantitative in nature as well as preplanned and structured in design like descriptive research. Data collected from the HR professionals, like Head of HR, HR mangers, Deputy & Assistant HR managers, HR Executive, and HR coordinators of private companies located in Multan, Lahore, Faisalabad, Quetta and Islamabad through questionnaires. Statistical tests like, descriptive analysis, sample adequacy, normality, reliability correlations, regression test were used to generate the results of analysis, because the purpose is to find the impact of E-recruitment on effectiveness of HR Departments.The result has proved that E-recruitment has significant impact on effectiveness of HR Department in private sector of Pakistan.

Purpose: This study aims to critically analyze research methods and explore the misperceptions surrounding statistical analysis. The importance of methodology cannot be overemphasized in any research. It is the heart of a study, enhances the reproducibility of a study, and is the bedrock on which the research findings can be generalizable. Methodology: The literature review form method was used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research methods, including their differences and applications. Findings: Research designs, including case studies, grounded theory, ethnographies, phenomenologies, and narratives, are used in the qualitative method to comprehend relationships and behaviors. Because the quantitative research method is rooted in scientific discovery, it has become the standard in the research community. Different viewpoints exist about the required sample size, the statistical model employed for data evaluation, and the nature of the data. For this study, statistical misperceptions are categorized under descriptive statistics, design techniques, inferential statistics, and regression. A thorough explanation of statistical misperceptions under these three categories is believed to be sufficient to cover fundamental areas of statistical analysis. Certain conceptual and statistical presumptions must be satisfied for any statistical approach's findings to be considered plausible. Having a sound knowledge of fundamental areas for statistical data analysis will enhance a more plausible result in research. Originality/value: The quantitative research method entails more rigorous statistical tests than the qualitative research method. Using both research methods is referred to as a mixed research method. The biases in qualitative and quantitative methods can be surmounted by using mixed methods.

The dynamics of urban development coupled with economic growth have contributed positively to the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Optimizing the utilization and strengthening of the capacity of SMEs’ human resources will encourage increased productivity of economic enterprises and the sustainability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This study aims to analyze (1) strengthening the capacity of human resources (HR) of small and medium enterprises to work as a determinant of increasing the productivity of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and labor absorption; (2) the effect of strengthening the capacity of human resources (HR), business productivity, technology utilization, and business diversification on the sustainability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs); and (3) optimizing the role of government in supporting business development, increasing productivity, business stability and sustainability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This study uses a sequential explanatory design approach. Data were obtained through observation, in-depth interviews, surveys, and documentation. Qualitative analysis in this study was carried out through a process of data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing, while the quantitative analysis in this study uses quantitative descriptive analysis, correlation, and multiple regression. The results showed that strengthening the capacity of human resources, coupled with the use of technology, and followed by diversification of business, had a positive contribution to increasing the productivity of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Furthermore, strengthening human resource capacity, business productivity, technology utilization, and business diversification simultaneously have a positive and significant correlation to the sustainability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with a determination coefficient of 72.3%. This study recommends that government policy support through strengthening human resource capacity, increasing business productivity, technology utilization, and business diversification have an impact on the sustainability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Makassar City, Indonesia.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the involvement of the human resources (HR) department throughout the budgeting process and furthermore to investigate the use of budgets for motivation, communication, performance evaluation and control in the Greek business environment, from the perspective of the HR department managers.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical evidence is based on the responses received from HR department managers in 100 Greek companies with a distinct HR department to a structured questionnaire.FindingsResults suggest that the HR department has limited involvement in the budgeting procedures, which in turn could explain the limited use of budgets as a means of performance evaluation and communication from a HR management perspective. Nevertheless, both the size of the HR department and the number of employees have a positive effect on the HR management and budgeting interaction. The survey presented in this paper provides corroborative evidence that HR departments in Greece do not fully exploit the wide potential offered through budgeting as a means to achieve their goals.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the literature by analyzing the responses of HR department managers and their views towards the budgeting function from a HR management perspective in Greek companies.

Sustainability management in organizations lacks a holistic operational framework; thus, learning from the best practices of selected sustainable firms may allow researchers to extend and transform the theoretical sustainability management models to practicable frameworks and standards. The objective of this study is to review the sustainability best practices from sustainability/annual reports of the systematically identified most sustainable organizations. The starting set of 100 most sustainable organizations was obtained from a sustainability ranking—Corporate Knights, Global 100. A review-selection-criteria was developed and applied to objectively screen the organizational reports between 2013 and 2017. As a result, 28 sustainability/annual reports, of six organizations, were selected for the review of best sustainability practices. The review highlights several best practices under eight sustainability themes, ranging from governance to operational level. Managers can use the findings of this study to roll-out similar initiatives in their firms, while researchers may use these practices to instill a practical approach in the theoretical sustainability management models.

In the framework of sustainable businesses, this chapter examines the synergies between employer branding and human resource (HR) strategies. In order to establish a harmonic organizational framework, this chapter thoroughly investigates how HR practices might be strategically aligned with sustainability goals. It explores the opportunities and challenges of managing employer branding within sustainable business practices. It sheds light on specific variables and practices that must be considered to develop an employer brand that reflects the organization's commitment to sustainability. In order to create an integrated, attractive, and socially responsible employer brand, it is important to align their human resources practices with sustainability initiatives. It provides insights into the strategic integration of employer branding and human resources, presenting a roadmap for businesses looking to match their HR procedures with sustainability programs.

PurposeThe aim of this study is to explore employees’ perceptions of the role of human resources (HR) departments in Jordanian organisations and the reasons behind these perceptions.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 employees who work at different organisations in various industrial sectors in Jordan.FindingsEmployees perceive HR roles as: providing transactional services (traditional); working as business partners to facilitate other departments’ roles (limited). Perceptions of HR professionals and the role of HR departments were generally negative, due to: societal-cultural norms and stereotypes of HR departments and HR professionals; the role of Wasta (a localised form of favouritism) in affecting HR practices; employees’ personal experiences with HR departments and HR professionals at their workplace; and the non-availability of human resources management (HRM) degrees in Jordan.Originality/valueLimited research has explored varying perceptions about HR departments and their impacts on business contexts in emerging markets, including Jordan. This research is unique as it identifies the reasons behind common misconceptions of HR roles in Jordanian organisations. It extends beyond existing literature by integrating employees’ perceptions of the role of the HR departments to understand the consequences for HR practices’ operational effectiveness. It also pioneers consideration of societal culture in shaping these perceptions, which helps us build theories for future testing and generalisation purposes in other contexts with cultural commonalities. This study also highlights the current state of HRM development in Jordan, which helps in setting the agenda for future research in the country and the Middle East and North Africa region.