Human Capital Characteristics Research Articles

A Robust Examination of Cheating on Unproctored Online Exams

The rapid growth of online education, especially since the pandemic, is presenting educators with numerous challenges. Chief among these is concern about academic dishonesty, especially on unproctored online exams. Students cheating on exams is not a new phenomenon. The topic has been discussed and debated within institutions of higher learning, and significant levels of cheating have been reported in the academic literature for over sixty years. Much of this literature, however, has focused on student behavior in a classroom utilizing proctored, in-class exams. Grades on exams usually determine most of a student’s final grade in a course, and GPAs are used by employers and graduate schools to indicate a student’s subject matter mastery. As more conventional colleges and universities expand their online course offerings it is natural to wonder if academic dishonesty is more prevalent in online classes than in face-to-face classes. In particular, are students more likely to cheat when no one is watching (i.e., on unproctored assessment assignments) than they do when someone is watching (i.e., on proctored assessment assignments)? The purpose of this study is to investigate whether students cheat more on unproctored online exams than they do on proctored in-classroom exams, and if so, is there any pattern to their cheating behavior. Our findings are derived from careful empirical analysis of 741 undergraduate students who completed three unproctored online exams, several collaboration-encouraged assignments, and a proctored in-class comprehensive final exam in the same course with the same instructor. Additionally, we collected demographic and human capital data for every student. Using bivariate and regression analysis, we find significant evidence of more cheating on unproctored online exams than on proctored in-class exams even though students were given stern honor code violation warnings. Moreover, we discover that student cheating increased with each unproctored online exam, implying that students learn how to cheat as they become more familiar with taking online assessment assignments. Finally, we find that students with certain demographic and human capital characteristics tend to cheat more than others. This research strongly supports the use of proctoring for all evaluation assignments in online classes to ensure that grades in these classes properly reflect student aptitude as opposed to merely reflecting their ability to cheat.

Using indirect survey techniques to investigate the relationship between employee personal experience of abusive supervision and job performance

PurposeTo propose the use of indirect survey protocols, in general and the item count technique (ICT), in particular, that ensure participant anonymity in organizations to explore the effect of employee perceived abusive supervision on job performance.Design/methodology/approachWe apply ICT to a sample of 363 employees (52.6% female) from Greek organizations. Utilizing multivariate statistical techniques, we investigated how employees assess the impact of their personal encounters with abusive supervision on job performance. This approach allowed us to explore the percentage of employees perceiving negative effects on job performance, distinguishing our study from previous studies that primarily focus on quantifying the extent or magnitude of abusive supervision in organizational settings. Also, we investigated how employee socio-demographic characteristics, human capital characteristics and affective traits relate to the evaluation of experienced abusive supervision as a negative factor for their job performance.FindingsWe found that approximately 62% of the respondents evaluated personal experience of abusive supervision as negatively affecting their job performance. We also found that the likelihood of employees evaluating personal experience of abusive supervision as having a negative impact on their job performance is: (1) higher for female employees, (2) does not depend on employee age, job tenure and education; (3) is lower for employees with managerial roles and (4) increases with employee trait negative affectivity.Originality/valueThe study is a response to the call for researchers to use innovative methods for advancing abusive supervision research. The study highlights the significance of taking a proactive stance towards addressing abusive supervision in the workplace, by using indirect survey methods that ensures employee anonymity. The results have implications for organizational strategies aimed at increasing awareness of abusive supervision and its impact on employee performance.

Gender pay gaps in the young adult labor force: prejudice-based discrimination or misreading of the observed-to-offered wage relationship?

Abstract We examine the plausibility of using prejudice-based discrimination to explain the wage differences among young men and women in eleven European countries. Utilizing a sample of over 20,000 individuals and estimating a series of country-specific regression models that adjust for ability and selection bias, we find evidence that leads to a good possibility of prejudice-based discrimination in Greece, Italy, Spain, Czechia, Hungary, and the UK. In the UK, this possibility of discrimination is mitigated to an extent by gender differences in credentials. In Austria, Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland, we find no evidence for prejudice-based discrimination. Oaxaca decompositions reveal that if women’s own human capital characteristics were rewarded at the same level as men’s in the former (six) countries, they would expect a wage gain.

Variations in cognition by human capital characteristics: a cross-sectional analysis of Brazilian older adults.

The productivity of individuals is assumed to decline upon reaching old age when cognitive ability is considered. This assumption is false, especially if the human development characteristics of people are analyzed, which highlights the need to recognize the heterogeneity among subpopulations. Using Wave two of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study on Aging, conducted from 2019 to 2021, this study explored the onset and speed of cognitive aging among older individuals aged at least 60 in Brazil, with reference to their education and income levels. It was observed that although higher human capital characteristics yielded results toward later cognitive decline, women benefited more from having higher educational attainment levels. Such a pattern was similar among men and increased income levels. Disparities in cognitive performance, whether from education or income, were greatest at age 60, and this advantage diminished as age progressed. Viewing the older population as homogeneous in terms of health function is restrictive. It should be recognized that variations in social status affect individuals' health status into old age and therefore their respective potential for productivity should be maximized.

Zoning and forecasting as the basis for sustainable spatial development (on the example of the territories of the Republic of Karelia)

abstractPurpose: is to develop a methodology for zoning and socio-economic forecasting of the state of the northern and arctic territories in order to produce a conceptual framework to ensure their sustainability.Methods: the work is based on the statistical indicators and rating scores of the spatial development of the territories of the Republic of Karelia, indicators of financial statements of companies operating in the region, and other public information about them for 2010-2021. A number of methods of multivariate statistics, in particular, cluster and regression analysis, mapping method and scenario approach were used to analyze the data.Results: the study shows the importance of zoning and forecasting in the design and implementation of sustainable spatial development policy, as well as the need to update and adapt existing tools to new challenges and characteristics of the regions. The methodology of zoning of territories, based on the existing economic relations between actors and the role of human capital in sustainable development was developed. The methodology of mediumand long-term forecasting of socio-economic space, taking into account  the  mutual influence of adjacent territorial units, was proposed. The methods have been tested for the Karelian Arctic and economically connected territories of the North; a dynamic zoning model has been built. The forecast of mediumand long-term development of this space was carried out with the use of institutional innovations and overcoming of "bottlenecks" by the subjects of management.Conclusions and Relevance: the results obtained can become the basis for the policy of regional development. The paper proposes a conceptual framework of sustainable development strategy for the territories of the Republic of Karelia under consideration. It is shown that one of the fundamental problems of the majority of the northern territories is low human capital characteristics; in this connection a number of institutional changes, in particular, affecting the methodology of calculating social deductions for personal income tax and issuing referrals for targeted training, is proposed. This determines the practical signifi e of the study. The continuation of the work will be the detailing of the policy of sustainable development of Karelia.

Управление человеческим капиталом промышленного предприятия

Effective management of a modern industrial enterprise involves solving complex technological problems, competent management of financial flows, work with innovations, their implementation and movement, which is possible only if the intellectual resource component of the enterprise's activities and the availability of high-level human capital are included. The high level of human capital of an industrial enterprise contributes to a rapid response to changes, the spread of innovations, the growth of added value, increased labor productivity, a high culture of communication and active communications. There is a lack of sufficient research in Russia on the application of the concept of human capital in the practice of managing industrial enterprises, the subsystem of human capital management has not been allocated and structured in enterprise management systems, employers do not always recognize the expediency of investing in human capital. The solution of these problems is facilitated by the awareness of the expediency of investments in human capital and the allocation of their main directions – investments in additional professional education, the creation of comfortable working conditions, maintaining the physical health of employees, the formation and development of corporate spirit. Human capital management at an industrial enterprise at the individual and corporate levels can be carried out using the proposed management tools. The construction of the human capital management system of an industrial enterprise is facilitated by the allocation of human capital characteristics and human capital management subsystems. An example of the adaptation of the proposed human capital management system to the activities of a specific industrial enterprise (Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant LLC). As s a result the structuring of human resource management functions aimed at formation and increment of human capital is presented.

Managerial human capital and corporate R&D investment

In this study, we employ firm-level panel data from China to study how the human capital characteristics of a firm's leadership affect R&D investment. One novel feature of this study is that we include human capital traits of both the CEO and the Board of Directors, as well as their interplay. Human capital is measured with various experiences to capture observed and unobserved traits. Using various econometric techniques, we find that both CEO's and BOD's human capital characteristics have a significant impact on R&D investment. CEOs’ innovation experience and overseas experiences promote innovation, while their production experience hinders it. The education and government experiences of board directors show different impacts on R&D investment. Moreover, the human capital traits of CEO and BOD influence each other and thus jointly affect innovation. The effects of leadership human capital on R&D investment are more profound in tech-intensive and smaller firms than in traditional or larger firms.

Re-Examining the Industry Experience–Venture Survival Relationship

We re-examine the finding that new ventures employing individuals with industry experience have survival advantages and conclude that it is unlikely a reflection of the underlying theoretical mechanism advanced in the literature—individuals applying their industry-specific knowledge. We come to this conclusion by leveraging detailed linked employer-employee data from Denmark and conducting an inferred pattern analysis where we analyze several empirical relationships that we interpret in tandem. After replicating the industry experience–venture survival relationship, we identify several empirical puzzles if the underlying causal mechanism is leveraging industry-specific knowledge. In light of these puzzles, analysis of their robustness, and initial exploratory empirical investigations, we propose that other human capital characteristics that correlate with industry experience (i.e., overall experience and wages) are better explanatory factors. The analysis illustrates how the data-grounded steps of an inferred pattern analysis can guide future theoretical development and empirical investigations to identify the causal mechanism underlying a well-established empirical relationship in the literature. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/stsc.2022.0033 .

Mind the gap: an empirical analysis of pay discrimination in Hollywood

PurposeThis study aims to identify and explain a possible gender pay gap in the creative industry. By using the salary information of Hollywood actors, this paper restricts the analysis to a relatively homogenous group of workers. In addition, actors' human capital endowments and past performance can be measured precisely. The factors that impact the salaries of movie stars are likely to influence the pay of other high-wage employees, such as athletes and executives.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a rich panel data set including 178 female and male actors in 973 movies released between 1980 and 2019. Using a random-effects model and the Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition approach, this paper distinguishes between a fraction of the gender pay gap that can be explained and another fraction that cannot be explained. Hence, only the unexplained residual typically obtained by estimating two standard Mincer-type earnings functions is due to discriminatory pay practices.FindingsThis study reveals a pay difference between female and male actors. Gender-specific representation in leading roles and systematic differences in performance measures can explain this pay difference. While female actors' underrepresentation in leading roles reflects consumer tastes and, therefore, reflects discriminatory attitudes, no evidence can be found for direct pay discrimination in Hollywood's movie business.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first Hollywood study to relying on a rich panel data set that includes various measures of the human capital characteristics of the different individual actors. This paper's theoretical contribution lies in applying classic labor economics reasoning to explain pay determination in Hollywood's movie business.

Disentangling international research collaboration in the Spanish academic context: Is there a desirable researcher human capital profile?

A number of studies has focused on examining those academic researchers attributes-demographics or not- that condition international research collaboration (IRC) and its results. However, it is not possible to speak about an ‘ideal’ type of researcher so far. Should we assume that just only those ‘star researchers’ collaborate internationally?. The literature is not clear enough on this topic, offering interesting but insufficient support to know the set of individual characteristics that ensures fruitful IRC. To deepen the analysis of academic researchers attributes, in particular, the human capital characteristics, this study proposes in-depth research on exploring different combinations on human capital dimensions and testing potential differences in IRC levels. To do so, from an exploratory perspective, a cluster analysis was conducted in a sample of 937 Spanish academics, obtaining three researcher profiles: (1) consolidated international research collaborators, (2) effective international research collaborators, and (3) skilled international research collaborators. Far from the recurrent analysis of single or disconnected researchers' attributes, this paper contributes to the extant literature with a new typology based on the variables of academic human capital, providing an useful starting point to better understand who really can develop international networks to collaborate and, therefore, how to foster IRC in Universities.

Gender Pay Gap in the Slovak Labour Market

Inequality in remuneration and specifically the gender pay gap have been the subject of research by economists for many years. This contribution focuses on the investigation of the gender pay gap in the Slovak labour market. Structure of Earnings Survey microdata for the years 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are used in the analysis. This paper aims to quantify the unadjusted and adjusted gender pay gap and verify the assumption that the observable characteristics are responsible for the gender pay gap rather than discrimination. The results show that the gender pay gap in the labour market persists in an unadjusted form at the level of 15%. The gender pay gap is positively correlated with education, in which investment yields greater returns for men than for women. In terms of age, women aged 40-49 are the most disadvantaged. In addition, the long-term presence of vertical segregation has been demonstrated, which prevents women from reaching better-paid positions even in female-dominated sectors. The adjusted form of the gender pay gap showed that women have better human capital characteristics than men, which are, however, correlated with their choice of job and field of education, which in turn leads to the support of sectoral and professional segregation.

Moving to ‘Bei–Shang–Guang’? Internal migration, local hukou barriers and labour market outcomes among college graduates in China

AbstractBeijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, as the major metropolitan areas in China, offer good opportunities for economic and social mobility for in‐migrants. As such, these four locations have become the primary employment destinations for recent college graduates. Meanwhile, these cities have the most stringent hukou policies nationwide, which play a key role in the urban labour market segmentation between local residents and in‐migrants. Using three waves of data from a nationally representative survey, the China College Student Survey (2010, 2013, and 2015), this paper, for the first time, examined whether Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen have emerged as an ‘upward social class escalator region’ for young adults in China. After accounting for observed demographic and human capital characteristics and migrant selectivity, migrating into Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen has been found to be positively associated with earnings attainment, and the economic benefit from relocation is greater than that experienced by migrants elsewhere in the system. However, in‐migrants to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen have fewer opportunities to enter government organisations and public enterprises. These results cast doubt on the potential for Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen to act as escalators for individuals wishing to achieve all‐around upwards social mobility in China's urban labour market. The local hukou barrier may still be a salient factor in shaping migrants' labour market outcomes in China. This study contributes to existing knowledge on escalator theory by providing empirical evidence from an emerging market country, China. More importantly, it shed light on the role of location (such as large urban centres) in the complicated relationship between social mobility and migration.

Research on the Contribution Mechanism of Vocational Human Capital Characteristics to Income

Vocational education is an important way to accumulate human capital. Human capital is the core element of economic growth and has huge positive externalities. Building a scientific and effective human capital development system is an important driving force to improve workers’ living standards and promote innovative development. Based on statistical techniques such as Lasso dimensionality reduction, stepwise regression, and partial least squares, as well as on the 2012–2016 China Labor Force Dynamics Survey (CLDS), this paper studies the impact of human capital on workers’ wage income and capital income, and establishes an income-determining equation that can be used for interpretation and forecasting. The empirical results show that education, professional skills, health, and communication ability are important components of human capital and are significantly positively correlated with income. China should build a good and effective human capital development system to increase workers’ income and narrow the income gap among residents.

Measuring the occupational segregation of males and females in Pakistan in a multigroup context

This study measures the occupational segregation of male and female workers in Pakistan using the microdata obtained from the labour force survey of Pakistan for the period 2013–18. The local segregation method is used to study occupational segregation by gender and for several subgroups based on individual and labour market characteristics. Results show that female segregation explains a substantially large proportion of the overall gender segregation, even though the demographic weight of the female labour force is low compared to the male labour force. The analysis of different age groups shows that occupational segregation is significantly higher among elderly males than males in other age groups. Similarly, for females, occupational segregation is significantly higher among elderly females compared to females in other age groups and males in any age group. Furthermore, it is also found that human capital characteristics such as higher education do not contribute to reducing occupational segregation in the labour market, as both males and females with higher levels of education are more segregated than those with low education. Finally, the study concludes that the devaluation and compensating differentials theories partially explain gender segregation in Pakistan.

Knowledge production and innovation: the potential of local universities to create technology-based companies in the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais

This paper analyses the effects of the human capital (university researchers and graduate students) and the knowledge assets (academic publications, academic patent petitions and postgrad scholarship numbers) of the universities of Minas Gerais State, Brazil, on the creation of technology-based companies (TBCs) in its 12 mesoregions. Based on the InovaData-MG TBC census and open government data from the years 2000 to 2017, this study seeks to outline a knowledge production function for the Minas Gerais ecosystem and explore possible divergences in the innovation potential of its mesoregions. The negative binomial regression model was used to test hypotheses using variables from the state's mesoregions that quantify the human capital characteristics that generate research and its knowledge assets to assess their influence on the new TBC creation. The data analysis methodology has an explanatory and predictive character which made it possible to verify part of the proposed empirical model's validity. The results of this work confirm that human capital of universities and region maturity positively influences the average propensity to create new TBC.

DIGITAL INEQUALITY AND USAGE GAP IN THE V4 REGION

The V4 countries have achieved different levels of digital transformation due to distinctions in their individual technical infrastructure and human capital characteristics. The success of digital transformation cannot be measured solely by the achieved level of digitalization; the distribution of favorable outcomes of internet use within a country should also be considered. The level of digital skills and usage patterns differ among social groups, therefore capability to translate internet access and use to tangible (offline) benefits varies. The aim of our paper is twofold. Firstly, we quantify the extent of the digital inequality in terms of usage gap in the V4 countries. We indicate the dynamics of inequality by comparing the development of such inequality between the years 2015 and 2019. Secondly, we identify socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors, which are connected to differences in internet usage patterns and therefore affect the capability of an individual to benefit from internet use. In common with other studies carried out in the Western world, we show that internet access and possession of formal digital skills are not the most important determinant of probability of being a digital beneficiary; individual characteristics, especially education and age, predict the probability of being a digital beneficiary to a higher degree of accuracy. As to the extent of digital inequality in the individual countries, we come to conclusion that although the V4 countries are relatively homogeneous concerning socioeconomic inequalities, the level of digital inequality among them differs – Hungary being somewhat unequal as co

가족구성원의 생애변화와 노년기 생산적 활동 참여

The importance of productive activities and roles in society of older adults has been recognized in the contemporary aging societies. Although existing studies have revealed that individual human capital is an important factor in the productive participation of the elderly, the influence of the family has not been systematically considered. Using data from the 2th to 6th wave of Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA), this study examined the effect of the individual and family characteristics on economic activities among older adults. The results are as follows. First, as a result of analyzing all the elderly, only individual human capital characteristics had a significant effect on participation in economic activities. Second, as a result of analyzing male and female older adults separately, it was confirmed that individual characteristics and family characteristics had a significant effect on participation in economic activities. In particular, children's participation in the labor market related to the life changes of family members was an important factor influencing the economic activities of the elderly. Third, when transitioning from a state with some or all children not participating in the labor market to a state with all children participating in the labor market, it was found that male seniors are less likely to participate in economic activities while female seniors are more likely to participate in economic activities. Based on these research results, academic and policy implications were discussed.

Employee Compensation, Training and Financial Performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this paper is multi-faceted: first, to analyze the impact of employee compensation and training on firms’ financial performance and the moderating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the relationship between employee compensation and financial performance, as well as the relationship between training and financial performance; and second, to analyze the decision-making process pertaining to these two aspects of human resources both prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study utilizes a sample of 103 Belgian pharmaceutical firms whose financial statements were published in the Bureau Van Djik database between 2012 and 2021. The estimation approach employed was panel data analysis, and the Generalized Method of Moments was used to evaluate the robustness of the system. Whether or not a crisis exists greatly alters the parameters that influence a pharmaceutical company’s business performance. Specifically, the results reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial and negative impact on financial performance. Human resource factors, which include employee compensation and training, more accurately explain the company’s performance. The key contribution of such an approach is to illustrate that human resource-related factors have an impact on performance indicators during various types of crises, thereby assisting HR managers in making the best decision during times of crisis. It provides basic guidelines for policymakers to adhere to in order to have a better knowledge of how human capital characteristics might be utilized to improve the performance of their businesses during times of crisis. In addition, this research demonstrates that the firm’s unique characteristics may affect the success of Belgian businesses.

One Person can Make a Difference: How the Mobile Individual Affects Status of Hiring Firms

The present paper examines how executive mobility shapes organizational status. Whereas previous work established the status-enhancing effect of hiring from a higher-status source firm on the status of the destination firm, we theorize that this effect is contingent on human- and social capital characteristics of the hired personnel. Human capital characteristics are measured based on tenure, specialization, and elite-university degrees. Social capital is measured by number of board seats. We test our hypotheses in the context of U.S. American accounting, consulting, and law- firms, covering mobility events of directors between 2012 and 2018 with a dataset of 1,169 firm- year observations. Results show that hiring events representing longer tenures and board interlocks will strengthen the positive effect of hiring from above-status tiers and subsequently improve the hiring firm ´s status. We contribute to our understanding of the mobility-status relationship by explaining differences in the perception of affiliations which influence, whether actors gain advantages from such affiliations.

Industrial policy, innovative entrepreneurship, and the human capital of founders

Prior research shows that entrepreneurship enhances economic development. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that it is not the number of new startups that matter but rather their quality. This study investigates the effect of a comprehensive industrial policy intervention targeting innovative startups, i.e., the Italian Startup Act, on the composition of innovative entrepreneurs in terms of their human capital endowment. By decomposing the impact of lowering entry and growth barriers and by comparing the “before” and the “after” of the reform, we explore if the industrial policy has modified the composition of innovative entrepreneurs in terms of their human capital characteristics. The findings indicate that the reform, and in particular lowering growth barriers, was particularly able to push individuals with a relatively higher level of industry-specific, managerial, and entrepreneurial experience towards the creation of a new innovative venture. Overall, we show that a policy reform that decreases barriers to innovative entrepreneurship may attract entrepreneurs endowed with greater specific human capital than what occurred before the reform.