Corporate Professionals Research Articles

Volunteering opportunities in higher education

In this paper, I present the results of empirical research and practical pilot programmes carried out in the frame of an international project. The project was about the promotion of pro bono activities among university students, involving corporate experts and non-profit companies. The conclusions of the research and the pilot programmes implemented over two years, several of which were digitally implemented during the covid period, show that young people are open to volunteering and willing to participate in well-organised and prepared pro bono activities. For higher education institutions, integrating pro bono into the curricular portfolio is an excellent way to increase the practicality of education, strengthen business links and, last but not least, increase young people’s social awareness. The particular value of the pro bono activities carried out digitally during the covid period is how the volunteer programme was able to adapt to the challenges of the virus situation and how it was able to successfully implement pro bono programmes in the online space, involving corporate professionals, non-profit grantees, and academic experts. The conclusions could be useful for professionals in higher education as well as for non-profit organizations on how to make knowledge-sharing pro bono activities work to the benefit of all stakeholders on how to make knowledge-sharing pro bono activities work to the benefit of all stakeholders.

Corporate library’s staff. Functions and competences

The author clarifies the corporate library’s definition, specifies its particular qualities and distinctive features. She reviews the issues of education, competences, and advanced training of corporate library staff.The corporate libraries (during the Soviet era they were sci-tech units and trade-union libraries of organizations) are affiliated by both governmental and commercial organizations. As a result of cost optimization, the number of technical libraries decreased, while the trade union libraries completely ceased to exist. However, in every epoch, the mission of institutional or corporate library to satisfy the information needs and demands of workers and their on-the-job training. The collections of corporate libraries comprise digital resources, books, unpublished documents, periodicals and other information sources demanded by the corporate community.In fact, globally, the corporate libraries are the special libraries affiliated by companies and institutions, their units fulfilling information, cultural and educational functions and contributing to corporate efficiency improvement. In Russian library science, the corporate libraries have remained understudied; they are not represented in the Russian Library Association (RLA) or the National Library Bibliographic Classification (LBC). Meanwhile, in foreign countries, the corporate libraries have been well-established institutions with their specific features widely recognized. The author examines the problems the corporate library structure, efficiency and functionality, as well as the competences of staff, their education and experience.The competences and high qualification of corporate specialists enable them to meet information needs of corporate professionals immediately, completely and relevantly and to support strategic decisions. The author specifies the key competencies that contribute to the efficiency of corporate libraries.

Client Professionalization, a Resource for Heterogeneous Professionals: For a Pluralistic Account of Corporate Professions

Drawing on the corporate professionalization model, the notion of client professionalization denotes new, client-oriented strategies of legitimization and claims relating to expertise, differentiation, regulation and dissemination. Based on the case of executive coaching in France and its professionalization process, the paper shows how these strategies enable heterogeneous categories of actors to become recognized as professionals. These strategies act as resources because they are grounded on principles other than exclusion and monopoly, such as extension and co-production, which give new value to heterogeneous socialization experiences and multiple activities. The emphasis on client-relationship skills affords atypical professionals’ access to rewarding positions that would otherwise have been unattainable for them. These strategies are important for occupations such as coaching that are practiced by self-employed individuals, who have been overlooked in the literature. They also tend to constitute an appealing access to professionalization, in a context where the power of the market is increasing.

Non-invasive Measurement of Thoracic Kyphosis and Lumber lordosis among Agricultural workers and Corporate Professionals( IT) using Flexicurve Ruler

Background: This study was undertaken to introduce a non- invasive technique for clinical diagnosis of spinal cord deformities. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the postural deformities and onset of thoracic Kyphosis and lumber Lordosis among agricultural workers and Information Technology workers.
 Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out on thirty Agricultural workers (41-45 years) and twenty-five Information Technology workers (21-25 years) and their age matched control groups. The subjects were taken from their respective population by simple random sampling method. Measurements were made by Flexicurve Ruler in special standing posture. Kyphosis and Lordosis angles and Indices were calculated.
 Results: It indicates that maximum percentage of subjects had kyphotic angle between 400 -600. Twenty-three out of 30 agricultural workers (76.66%) and 22 out of 25(88%) information technology workers had kyphosis angle between 400- 600 but the same in case of control groups were 60% and 64% respectively. Maximum subjects had lordotic angle between 300 - 500. Thirteen out of 30 agricultural workers (43.33%) and 17 out of 25 information technology workers (68%) had lordotic angle in between 300 -500.The same in case of control groups were 43.33% and 56% respectively. Kyphosis index, Kyphosis angle and lordosis index, lordosis angle are significantly lower (p<0.05) in agriculture workers in comparison to its control group but the differences are not significant in case of information technology workers as well as between agriculture group and information technology group. But information technology workers show higher values of Kyphosis and lordotic index than agriculture workers, probably due to prolong sitting posture at work. Again 47% agricultural workers and 11% IT workers reported lumbar pain when compared to control groups (10% and none respectively).
 Conclusion: Although no significant deviation of kyphotic and lordotic angle has been observed in agricultural and information technology workers but significantly higher percentage of these 2 groups reported shoulder and lumbar pain indicating risk of dysfunction in shoulder, pelvic girdle and spine. Thus measurement of thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis may be useful in examining the degree of spinal cord deformities. By utilizing these information therapeutic and ergonomic intervention can be applied and application of modern sophisticated machine for improvement in postural condition can reduce their work stress and disabilities.

The Third Design Space: A postcolonial perspective on corporate engagement with open source software communities

AbstractCorporations increasingly engage with open source software communities in the co‐creation of software. This collaboration between corporate professionals and open source software community members is strikingly different from the early days of software development where for‐profit firms attempted to dominate and control the industry while attempting to throttle the success of independent developers offering an alternative, open source option. While many metaphors like trading zones, common pool resources and ecosystems have helped understand the phenomenon, the metaphors do not portray what the industry was like before and after the transition. We adopt a postcolonial metaphor as an analytical lens to examine such collaboration based on qualitative data gathered over three years from executives, managers and developers within corporations that engage in open source software development. Drawing on these insights, we then theorize a “Third Design Space,” based on the concept of the third space proposed by Bhabha. This metaphor encourages the cultivation of a new design environment, creation of new design associations and circulation of shared design resources. Together these practices and behaviours make it possible to nurture innovative methods and new rituals for designing software with results and methods that represent a distinct departure from the competitive and proprietary past, even creating innovative artefacts that could not have been created without the Third Design Space.

Towards a ‘client professionalization’ process? The case of the institutionalization of executive coaching in France

AbstractDrawing on the ‘corporate professionalization’ model (Kipping, Kirkpatrick, and Muzio 2006; Muzio et al. 2011) of new strategies adopted by managerial occupations, this article explores professionalization processes taking into account the role of the client. Based on an analysis of the professionalization of executive coaching, it demonstrates the influence of the client organizations in such processes, at a collective and institutional level. This influence tends to favor new professionalization strategies of differentiation, regulation, and dissemination. The article suggests that this influence does not necessarily limit the power of corporate professionals, at least in the institutionalization phase, especially if we redefine power as consisting ‘not in restriction and exclusion, but in extension and linking’ (Eyal 2013: 876). Framed primarily to analyze corporate occupations practiced by independent professionals, the ‘client professionalization’ model suggests better taking into account the influence of client organizations in further research on professionalization processes, in line with the research conducted on ‘client capture’ (Leicht and Fennell 2001; Dinovitzer, Gunz, and Gunz, 2014). By studying an emergent corporate profession that is practiced by self-employed, solo practitioners and freelancers, which have been largely overlooked in the literature, this article contributes overall to a more diverse understanding of corporate professions and the ways in which they professionalize.

Fragmented fields: Professionalisms and work settings in Italian management consultancy

Abstract Management consultancy has long been a contested terrain in the sociology of the professions. Although the professionalism of management consultants has always been emphasized by practitioners themselves, the lack of a strong community of peers has been an impediment to their professionalization. In this article, I argue that professionalism is not the outcome of a process of regulation and institutionalization but that it has to be conceived a discourse comprising norms, worldviews, and values that define what is appropriate for an individual to be considered a competent and recognized member of this community. Given the diversity characterizing the field, there are multiple discourses surrounding professionalism of management consultants, and these discourses are shaped by work settings. Work settings are a combination of the type of organization professional partnership or professional service firm and the employment status (employee or self-employed). Drawing on the empirical evidence from various work settings (professional service firms, professional partnership, and self-employment), I investigate four clusters of practitioners identified in 55 biographical and semi-structured interviews conducted with management consultants in Italy. Four types of professionalism emerge from the clusters. Organizing professionalism is the sole professionalism that appears in all work settings. Other discourses (corporate, commercialized, and hybrid professionalism) are context-dependent and more likely to be found in specific work settings.

Embracing Indeterminacy: On Being a Liminal Professional

AbstractThe rise of the corporate profession has contributed to a more varied and ambiguous professional terrain that is increasingly seen to be indeterminate and fluid. This paper advances the current debate around the development of corporate professions, exploring how practitioners respond to this environment. Drawing on research with public relations practitioners, the paper shows how the idea of being a liminar facilitates the formation of a professional identity in conditions of high indeterminacy. In taking an individual level of analysis of professions, the paper suggests that indeterminacy is a more resonant feature for corporate professionals than previously suggested in the research, but that this indeterminacy is navigated in professional identity construction through ‘being a liminar’, and thus greater nuance may need to be recognized in the conceptualization of both corporate professions and corporate professionalization. It also demonstrates the use of liminality as a discursive resource in identity construction and with it, challenges the common association of liminality with self‐doubt and existential anxiety. In turn, the paper considers the implications of the liminal professional identity for the future of contemporary professions, and for understanding the liminal experience.

Meta Organizations and the Emergence of Corporate Professionalism: The Case of UK Consultancy

This paper advances our understanding of how organizations which employ or host professionals, such as professional service firms, may influence the strategies of professions as collective actors. ...

On the Effectiveness of Executive Education of Corporate Professionals regarding the Role and Responsibility of Group Management from a Business Law Perspective.

Business professionals should keep up with (legal) changes in their business practise and environment. This research project offers some insight in the effectiveness of executive business law education regarding the role and responsibilities of group management. Because specific law is absent on this subject, corporate professionals responsible for the design and judgement of the corporate legal structure, like management accountants and lawyers, should be aware of the risk that their view on the subject differs amongst professionals. This study investigates whether corporate professionals have different views on corporate responsibilities and liabilities, using an experimental study based on 40 observations. The case study describes a situation of emerging financial distress in a group which is led by a non-dominant parent. The study finds evidence that management accountants and lawyers differ in their fundamental view on the role of the parent company as group manager. It is important for those responsible for executive education in accounting, but also directors, accountants, controllers and regulators as well as legal advisors to be aware of the existence of these differing views as this can also help to reduce possible waste of society’s resources as a consequence of litigation.

Customer involvement and NPD cost performance: the moderating role of product innovation novelty

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the influence of product innovation novelty on the relationship between customer involvement and new product development (NPD) cost performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use organizational information processing theory and adopt hierarchical regression and slope difference test to assess the relationships between constructs and test the hypotheses.FindingsThe authors evaluate the concept of product innovation novelty from the perspectives of suppliers and customers and infer that these two types of product innovation novelty exert a moderate effect on the relationship between customer involvement and NPD cost performance. First, product innovation novelty for customers strengthens the positive effects of customer involvement on the NPD cost performance. Second, product innovation novelty for suppliers weakens the positive impact of customer involvement on the NPD cost performance. The authors also find that the interaction between product innovation novelty for suppliers and product innovation novelty for customers weakens the positive impact of customer involvement on NPD cost performance.Originality/valueThe findings of this study explain the reasons for the controversies surrounding the impact of customer involvement on cost performance and discuss the role of product innovation novelty in customer involvement in NPD process. The results of this study can be used to establish whether customer involvement improves or weakens NPD cost performance and identify the role of product innovation novelty in NPD. The conclusions derived from this study can provide theoretical knowledge and managerial insights for both academicians and corporate professionals.

Association of Emotional Intelligence with Oral and General Health Behaviours among Corporate professionals – A Cross-sectional Correlational Study

Background: In recent years public health research increased its focus on Psycho social determinants of health related behaviors. Various psychological constructs like sense of coherence are related to oral and general health behaviors. A less researched yet another possible construct in this aspect is Emotional Intelligence (EI). Aim and objectives: To assess Association of EI with General health and Oral health behaviours among corporate professionals in Mysore city, India. Methodology: A Cross-sectional was conducted during April 2010 among 478 corporate professionals. Selfadministered questionnaires were utilized to obtain information on general health behavior (GHB) and Oral health behavior (OHB).The EI of the participants were assessed by Trait EI (short version) questionnaire. Total EI, oral and general health behavior scores were calculated. Data was analyzed using SPSS version17. Results: Positive correlation was observed between total EI score with OHB score which was very highly significant (p=0.000). Similar correlation observed between total EI score and GHB scores which was again very highly significant (p=0.000). Those who had early onset of smoking and alcohol in their life, showed lesser EI scores in our study (p=0.005) which was statistically significant. After controlling effect of age and qualification on Oral and general health behavior, total EI was positively correlated with oral health and general health behavior scores (p = 0.000). Conclusion: The study results supported the hypotheses of a positive association between EI with OHB & GHB. Higher EI is a protective factor against potential health threatening behaviors like tobacco and alcohol use. Key words: Emotional intelligence, health behavior, oral health behavior, smoking and alcohol

Are the Motivational Effects of Autonomy-Supportive Conditions Universal? Contrasting Results Among Indians and Americans.

In Western theories of motivation, autonomy is conceived as a universal motivator of human action; enhancing autonomy is expected to increase motivation panculturally. Using a novel online experimental paradigm that afforded a behavioral measure of motivation, we found that, contrary to this prevailing view, autonomy cues affect motivation differently among American and Indian corporate professionals. Autonomy-supportive instructions increased motivation among Americans but decreased motivation among Indians. The motivational Cue × Culture interaction was extraordinarily large; the populations exhibited little statistical overlap. A second study suggested that this interaction reflects culturally specific norms that are widely understood by members of the given culture. When evaluating messages to motivate workers, Indians, far more than Americans, preferred a message invoking obligations to one invoking autonomous personal choice norms. Results cast doubt on the claim, made regularly in both basic and applied psychology, that enhancing autonomy is a universally preferred method for boosting motivation.

Perceptions of Corporate Cyber Risks and Insurance Decision-Making

This study provides an analysis of individual perceptions of cyber risks amongst professional decision makers. Data are collected using a survey of corporate professionals who are engaged in risk and insurance decision-making in various functional roles mainly in large companies. The study focuses on the perceived probability as well as the anticipated financial impact of cyber risks. Behavioural factors—the availability heuristic, threshold level of concern, degree of worry and trust in one’s own organisation’s capabilities—are found to have significant influences on the perceived probability and impact of cyberattacks. The probability of a successful cyberattack is overestimated, and the financial impact is underestimated. Given the high perceived expected value of cyberattack losses relative to the costs of cyber risk insurance, it appears that professional decision makers deviate from the expected value-based decision-making by being reluctant to insure for cyber risk.

Discriminating Input Variables for Fraud Detection using Radial Basis Function Network

Fraud is an adaptive crime; special methods of data gathering and analysis are required to combat fraud issues as criminals often quest for dubious techniques to evade detection. Radial basis function (RBF) network, was used to build base models that identifies and detect the risk of fraud in transactions. At first, it is imperative to isolate the basic factors that are predictive of fraud occurrences so as to determine the Information gain of each attribute. The input variables’ importance was ascertained to indicate how some of the input variables were distinguished as strong indicators or weak indicators of fraud. Hence, the relevant attributes were selected prior to examining the model’s performance. This study has found relevance among corporate business professionals and government agencies, to minimizing the time and cost of fraud detection. The researcher recommended that fraud mining processes be regularly updated at fixed time intervals to checkmate criminals.

Professionalizing corporate professions: Professionalization as identity project

Professional bodies have traditionally played a core role in professionalization, setting the ideals for professional identity, knowledge and practice. However, the emergence of corporate professions has problematized the role of the professional body in contemporary professionalization. This article examines the role of the professional body and its ability to resonate with practitioners’ professional identity construction through empirical analysis of public relations. The article introduces the concept of professionalization as identity project as another means by which to understand attempts at social closure in emergent corporate professions. For professionalization as identity project to be fully realized, the research suggests the blending of traditional discourses of professionalism with emergent discourses of entrepreneurialism is required. Consequently, the study highlights that corporate professionalization as identity project reflects the contemporary tensions and contradictions between the lived reality and orthodox ideology of ‘being a professional’.

A STUDY ON INDONESIAN CORPORATE UNIVERSITY TYPES AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS

INTRODUCTION:Nowadays, many corporations such as Apple, General Electric, Shell, Mars and IKEA (Centre for Strategy and Leadership, 2017) implemented corporate university to meet their strategic objectives by training employees for company-specific requirements (Indonesianatempocoa, 2016). Several state-owned corporations and private sector corporations from various industries such as telecommunications, electricity, petroleum, aviation, and banking implemented corporate university in Indonesia (Bagyo). However, to author's knowledge, Indonesia has not put forth specific regulations for implementing corporate university while there are regulations defined by the government for establishing traditional universities (Indonesia Government Republic Law, 2012). Since corporate universities are not regulated, each corporation implements its own university that meets their benchmark. Since they use their own benchmark, the style of corporate university functioning differs from one another. Due to such differentiation, the current study would like to identify whether this differentiation makes impact to the higher education. This study is important because the corporations which have not implemented yet their own corporate university, may refer the benchmark set with this study results.Several researchers previously mentioned about implementation of corporate university. (Pazos & Ruiz, 2013) studied implementation of corporate university in Spain. Corporate universities carry out training for the purpose of knowledge management. Corporate university is not a competitor, but complementary to the traditional university. (Matlay, 2002) also investigated about corporate university, particularly in the United Kingdom. Those universities that seek income are treated as corporate university. They work in collaboration with corporations in Research and Development. (Rademakers, 2005) found that corporate university can drive innovation in corporations. (Dealtry, 2002) found that corporate university can be an engine for change and business development. (Ryan, 2007) mentioned that the corporate university and corporations must help each other in order to successfully develop corporate education program. (Baporikar, 2014) mentioned that corporate university is useful for Human Resources Management, knowledge management, and learning organization.According to (Holland & Pyman, 2006), a corporate university when developed within an organization develop the Human resources strategically important and aligning with the company's goals. This enhances the competitive advantage of the companies. In (Nixon & Helms, 2002) discussed in their case study about an organization and mentioned in detail about the implications and challenges of both corporations and traditional universities. (O'Connor, 2008) found that corporate university improves the training center in terms of capacity, quality and method. In (Eltannir, 2002) mentioned that corporate professionals do get benefited through corporate universities through continuous learning. These corporate universities provide tailor-made training to the employees which in turn increases the productivity and their skills with the advanced IT skills. (Miscamble, 2006) mentioned that corporate university is more aggressive that traditional university since it supports the venture making profit.The studied conducted previously had not defined the differences in the implementation of a corporate university, especially in Indonesian context. The studies conducted so far conducted without such information is included as a baseline for the current study.OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY:The research problem is to identify the number of corporate universities in Indonesia and the research question goes as follows.* How many types of corporate universities are implemented in Indonesia?* What is the characteristic that each of these corporate universities possess? …

Passionate Producers: Corporate Interventions in Expanding the Promise of the Information Society

Based on ethnographic research in New Delhi, this article explores the culture of corporate intervention in India through a focus on the “social sector” work of new middle-class IT professionals. It focuses on the well-recognized Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD) initiatives of the transnational IT education and training firm International Training Institute. The article argues that corporate professionals are “passionate producers” who create a contradictory work ethos that incorporates both neoliberal principles and development initiatives. These professionals train workers to absorb appropriate “values” and to acquire “skills” that ultimately prevent these workers from realizing their aspirations. The ICTD project reinforces divisions of class, caste, and gender in India's globally acclaimed information society.

Project managers on the edge: liminality and identity in the management of technical work

This paper explores the consequences of ‘corporate professionalisation’ through an analysis of the experiences of technical specialists adopting the position of project manager. Shifts towards ‘corporate professionalism’ in this and other occupations result in a tension between competing logics, the logic of the traditional profession versus another focused on delivery of market value for clients/employers. Living with this tension places project managers in a ‘liminal’ position in two ways; they find themselves in a liminal position created, first, by the transition from a technical specialist role into a managerial role, and second, as they occupy the space between the often opposing institutions of profession and employing organisation. Drawing on empirical data gathered within a project‐based industry and referring to Gouldner's ‘cosmopolitan’ and ‘local’ typologies, we explore the ‘identity work’ engaged in by project managers as they attempt to creatively negotiate the tensions inherent in the role.

Lean six sigma project management – a stakeholder management perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the success of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in banking and financial services industry and to develop a structured stakeholders management model for successful LSS project management. Design/methodology/approach – A two-phase methodology is used. Phase 1 establishes the literature to understand two key process improvement methodologies – Lean and Six Sigma and to derive synergies by their combination leading to success in banking and financial services. The literature also helps to recognize the importance of stakeholder management in LSS projects and to understand how it helps in accelerating change in organizations. Phase 2 of the methodology is based on the interviews conducted by 56 global LSS project managers. This is to understand the practical challenges faced by the LSS project managers in banking and financial services tying back to the existing literature. Findings – The paper identifies the possible opportunities for structured stakeholder management across different phases of Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) project flow. The first of this kind, “Inform-Involve-Influence” model has been developed based on the understanding from literature and conclusions from the interviews conducted. The proposed model highlights the different set of stakeholders involved in LSS projects and their role in the project. The model also helps categorizing the stakeholders based on the DMAIC phases. Research limitations/implications – The paper is limited to readymade use in banking and financial service environments for LSS projects. However the paper sets a platform for further research to customize the proposed model for other service industries. Practical implications – The model proposed as part of the paper helps project managers to inform, involve and influence different set of stakeholders at different phases of the DMAIC flow. The model leaves an opportunity for further research and customization for other service industries outside the banking and financial services space like hospitality, government, heath care, etc. Benefits and limitations of the model were presented as part of the paper. Originality/value – The paper is the original work contributed by the author. Both the survey findings and the model developed are author’s original contribution for both academicians and corporate professionals.