Specific Job Research Articles

Advancing Theory and Practice on Managing Dysfunctional Turnover: Developing an Improved Measure of Turnover Reasons

We examine turnover reasons for dysfunctional (i.e., high-performing or high-competency) leavers versus functional (i.e., low-performing or low-competency) leavers. In a United States retail bank, high performers reported wanting better advancement or development opportunities as their top turnover reason, whereas low performers mentioned wanting different job tasks, job insecurity, work stress, problems with coworkers, and generic problems with management more frequently than high performers. In an Indian IT consultancy firm, job performance and competency level were positively related to reporting problems with leadership/upper management, whereas performance was negatively related to reporting a specific alternative job offer. Through these studies, we develop a novel turnover reason measure for scholars and practitioners that assesses reason importance, enables the vital accumulation of data across studies, and increases diagnostic potential in exit or stay interviews/surveys. Finally, we offer directions for building theory and improving the management of high-performer turnover.

Employer approaches to recognizing and managing intermittent work capacity

PurposeThis study explored how intermittent work capacity (IWC) presents in workplaces in order to advance conceptual understanding of this phenomenon and establish a set of initial principles to assist in its management.Design/methodology/approachThe study followed a grounded theory approach in a multi-stage data collection process. In total, 25 employers representing diverse employment sectors were recruited with a goal of exploring their experiences with IWC. The first phase of the study comprised individual interviews with all employers. A subset of these employers later participated in two focus groups organized by company size. Finally, in-depth case studies were conducted with two information rich organizations to understand their approaches to managing IWC. Analysis methods consistent with grounded theory were used.FindingsAlthough employers have a variety of positive motivations for supporting employees with IWC, they are challenged by the uncertainty arising from the unpredictable work patterns associated with IWC. Five distinct expressions of uncertainty were identified. Negotiation of this uncertainty involves attention to a range of factors, including intrapersonal factors, workplace relations and morale, specific job demands, communication processes, and structural and organizational factors.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study advance understanding of the expression of IWC, and factors that influence its impact. This paper presents a series of workplace strategies that both enable the well-being and capabilities of employees who experience IWC, and ensure productive and diverse workplaces.Originality/valueThe findings of this study advance understanding of the expression of IWC, and factors that influence its impact. This paper presents a series of workplace strategies that both enable the well-being and capabilities of employees who experience IWC, and ensure productive and diverse workplaces.

Job attitudes: A meta‐analytic review and an agenda for future research

SummaryGiven the importance and popularity of employee job attitudes in academics and practice (e.g., annual engagement surveys), it is crucial to explore and summarize previous developments in the literature to identify ways to advance the field. The current review takes a systematic approach to exploring the nomological network, including investigating redundancy, of seven common job attitudes. We present a portfolio of evidence relying on three primary studies and one meta‐analytic study (total k = 6631; total n = 3 309 205). Our results raise concerns about the measurement of select job attitudes. Further, job attitudes are moderately to strongly correlated with each other (most relations landing between ρ = .50 and .69) and have similar patterns of relationships with antecedents, correlates, and outcomes. Yet, relative weights analyses illustrate that some attitudes have more validity in predicting key employee outcomes than others, which points to theoretically relevant utility concerns among specific job attitudes. This review offers a contribution by synthesizing the literature and developing a future research agenda based on the current findings that will advance the field further. Finally, this work offers a primer on job attitudes, with definitions, applicable theoretical frameworks, scales and items, and empirical relationships between key constructs.

Workforce Analysis from an Accounting Perspective: What Do the Determinants Really Demand?

Each profession has its own criteria. Of all the management disciplines, the employment trend in the field of accounting best reflects the state of recruitment of professionals. Thus, we need to examine what each profession expects from accountants. Using text analysis via Wordstat, we analyze 7,320 pre-accounting job advertisements to find the overall job specification of the sector for a pre-accounting employee. Of the 25 criteria identified, 12 were found common in the literature, local standards, and the sector. From our findings, the Turkish sector is more adapted to international than local standards, indicating that local standards were set without consulting the employers. This study further confirms that soft skills are as important as technical skills. Additionally, women are more likely to be recruited to a pre-accountant position during their 10-year study period. Turkey is a Eurasian country that is influenced by both Asian and European countries and their respective profession-related norms and practices. Thus, our findings may be generalizable. Overall, policymakers need to pay attention to the employers’ opinions before establishing local standards.

Workforce Analysis from an Accounting Perspective: What Do the Determinants Really Demand?

Each profession has its own criteria. Of all the management disciplines, the employment trend in the field of accounting best reflects the state of recruitment of professionals. Thus, we need to examine what each profession expects from accountants. Using text analysis via Wordstat, we analyze 7,320 pre-accounting job advertisements to find the overall job specification of the sector for a pre-accounting employee. Of the 25 criteria identified, 12 were found common in the literature, local standards, and the sector. From our findings, the Turkish sector is more adapted to international than local standards, indicating that local standards were set without consulting the employers. This study further confirms that soft skills are as important as technical skills. Additionally, women are more likely to be recruited to a pre-accountant position during their 10-year study period. Turkey is a Eurasian country that is influenced by both Asian and European countries and their respective profession-related norms and practices. Thus, our findings may be generalizable. Overall, policymakers need to pay attention to the employers’ opinions before establishing local standards.

Occupational licensing's effects on firm location and employment in the United States

AbstractOccupational licensing is the policy in which a government body imposes minimum requirements to work within a specific job classification. These requirements include some combination of education credits, hours of experience mandatory fees and examinations. The costs to firms of paying to license employees or hire licensed employees can be a substantial consideration when they are making location and hiring decisions because the licensure requirements are often determined at the state level. Using firm‐level data, I analyse how these occupational licensing expenses affect firms by determining how differences in those expenses across state borders in the United States affect the likelihood that a firm will locate in an expensive state if a substantially cheaper state is a short distance away. As the monetary cost of fees and the time investment of experience and education for each worker increases, firms are less likely to locate in high‐cost states. I also use a geographic regression discontinuity design and find that the more expensive side of a state border has 2.3 fewer employees on average.

Linking academic self-initiated expatriate’s cultural intelligence to specific job outcomes: The enabling role of psychological capital

Linking academic self-initiated expatriate’s cultural intelligence to specific job outcomes: The enabling role of psychological capital

Large Gathering Attendance is Associated with Increased Odds of Contracting COVID-19: A Survey Based Study.

We used a telephone survey to determine risk factors associated with a positive polymerase chain reaction test of a nasopharyngeal swab for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) at a community hospital in Central New Jersey during the early stages of the pandemic. We compared survey responses of 176 patients in March 2020. Respondents were asked about their living situation, work environment, use of public transportation and attendance at one or more large gatherings (more than 10 people) in the 3 weeks prior to undergoing COVID testing. We found that those who attended a large gathering in the 3 weeks prior to their COVID test had a 2.50 odds ratio (95% CI 1.19, 5.22) of testing positive after controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, occupation, living situation and recent visit to a nursing home. The total number of gatherings attended or the number of people in attendance was not associated with a positive test. An association was also seen for specific job types such as factory workers, construction workers, and facilities managers. Attendance at a gathering of more than ten people was associated with testing positive for COVID-19.

Socialization, Tacit Knowledge, and Conceptions of ‘Experience’ among Engineers

Engineers value undergraduate research experience as an important step towards becoming an engineer. However, what the word ‘experience’ means in this context is ambiguous. We draw from qualitative interviews with engineering faculty members, graduate students, and undergraduate students to identify four categories of experience that they consider relevant to engineering: (1) practical experience: ‘real-world’ skills and opportunities that resemble the work done in engineering careers and graduate school, (2) social experience: the interpersonal aspects of working with a team, including norms of behavior and communication, (3) professional experience: skills and opportunities that are useful in aspects of students’ lives beyond a specific job, such as how to manage their time, and (4) epistemic experience: learning about and applying abstract engineering knowledge. By deriving a typology of ‘experience’ based on how faculty members and students talk about undergraduate research, this study offers insights into how engineers in universities understand engineering expertise, professionalization, and collaboration. Reflecting on what kinds of ‘experience’ a good engineer needs also reveals the power dynamics between mentors and novices, and between junior engineers’ sometimes conflicting roles as both laborers and learners.

A precedence constrained flow shop scheduling problem with transportation time, breakdown times, and weighted jobs

Job precedence can often be seen in various manufacturing process scenarios. For instance, in the context of flow shop scheduling, certain jobs must be processed before a specific job may be executed. Formally, this scenario is known as precedence constraint, which influences the optimal job sequence. Because of this practical significance, in this study, a two-machine flow shop scheduling problem in which transportation times, breakdown time, and weighted jobs are considered. In addition to that, an ordered precedence constraint is considered that ensures a successor job cannot start on any machine before its predecessor job has been done on all machines. This is the first study that deals with flow shop scheduling problems with transportation times, breakdown time, job weights, and precedence constraints altogether, to the best of the author’s knowledge. To solve this problem, a simple and efficient solution methodology is developed that assures optimal or near-optimal solutions effectively. The developed algorithm is tested on various test instances and results are reported, which will be useful for future comparative studies.

Methodological considerations on the dactyloscopic analysis performed on an anthropomorphic statuette from the Cucuteni A-B phase

Even if forensics and archaeology are separate sciences, they have in common a methodology for searching and discovering the traces, as a result of human activities carried out in the past. An archaeological fingerprint on a single object can reveal four aspects: it provides a sign of an individual’s identity; it indicates when the individual was alive; it indicates the geographical area in which the individual lived; it indicates the action performed by a person, such as writing a text, sealing an object, having a specific job etc. The collection, storage and comparative use of data, preferably from the entire area of the Cucuteni culture, could reveal more details about the man behind the artefact. As for fingerprints that can be corroborated with other historical sources, they can provide information about the role, occupation, or authority of individuals within society, or they can provide information about the duration of individual activities. The anthropomorphic statuette we are discussing in the present study comes from the Cucuteni A-B phase site in Ripiceni-Holm, Botoșani County, Romania and has a small imprint on the left knee. We framed that imprint typologically, observed it and discuss the limits and possibilities of analysis of the imprints within the Cucuteni culture.

Albrecht Classen, Humanities in the Twenty-First Century: The Meaning and Relevance of Medieval and Modern Literature. Chisinau, Moldova: Eliva Press 2022, 406 pp.

Abstract Professor Classen’s electronic book includes eleven essays, published between 2012 and 2022 but not presented in chronological order. The essays appeared in such journals as Literature & Aesthetics, Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, and New Literaria: An International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities. The context in which all the essays were composed is the increasingly disadvantaged position of academic humanities within universities and university curricula. While popular forms of the arts and humanities are generally thriving in America and Europe, the academic study of the humanities has lost favor with the general public as well as with many university administrators, who, increasingly wedded to data-driven decision processes, are inclined to fund faculty positions based solely on quantitative measures (such as number of majors) as opposed to philosophical or discursive arguments. As more and more students (and parents) seek areas of study promising training for specific post-graduation jobs, especially those tied to fields that seek to increase humankind’s power rather than those that explore humanistic meaning, majors such as biology, engineering, and health sciences experience robust growth, while departments of literature, history, languages, and philosophy languish for want of majors. Thus, we witness the disheartening plight of humanities departments just to replace retiring faculty, let alone grow.

Electromyography-based fatigue assessment of an upper body exoskeleton during automotive assembly.

The purpose of this study was to assess an upper body exoskeleton during automotive assembly processes that involve elevated arm postures. Sixteen team members at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada were fitted with a Levitate Airframe, and each team member performed between one and three processes with and without the exoskeleton. A total of 16 assembly processes were studied. Electromyography (EMG) data were collected on the anterior deltoid, biceps brachii, upper trapezius, and erector spinae. Team members also completed a usability survey. The exoskeleton significantly reduced anterior deltoid mean active EMG amplitude (p=.01, Δ=-3.2 %MVC, d=0.56 medium effect) and fatigue risk value (p<.01, Δ=-5.1 %MVC, d=0.62 medium effect) across the assembly processes, with no significant changes for the other muscles tested. A subset of nine assembly processes with a greater amount of time spent in arm elevations at or above 90° (30 vs. 24%) and at or above 135° (18 vs. 9%) appeared to benefit more from exoskeleton usage. For these processes, the exoskeleton significantly reduced anterior deltoid mean active EMG amplitude (p<.01, Δ=-5.1 %MVC, d=0.95 large effect) and fatigue risk value (p<.01, Δ=-7.4 %MVC, d=0.96 large effect). Team members responded positively about comfort and fatigue benefits, although there were concerns about the exoskeleton hindering certain job duties. The results support quantitative testing to match exoskeleton usage with specific job tasks and surveying team members for perceived benefits/drawbacks.

Job Profiles in the Field of Data-Driven Supply Chain Management An Analysis of the Austrian Job Market

Supply chains are immersed in extremely complex and dynamic environments. Reducing uncertainty and improving decision making by means of data-driven supply chain management (SCM) has increasingly become an indispensable core of organizational management. To implement data-driven SCM, companies need to possess the right skilled employees. Job advertisements in the field of data-driven SCM come with multiple different titles, sets of tasks, requirements, and desired soft skills. Therefore, determining which job profile typically inherits which specific requirements, tasks and soft skills presents a challenging task. To illuminate this question, we analyzed the entire Austrian SCM job market and extracted all available job profiles, their specific tasks, requirements, and basic salaries. Analyzing these data, we give recommendations about which qualifications and skills an applicant should inherit for a specific job profile. Additionally, we highlight which tasks typically need to be performed and what minimum salaries can be expected for the specific job profiles. Thus, our results help companies to specify their job advertisements in the field of data-driven SCM and provide job applicants with an overview of tasks they can expect, requirements they need to fulfill, and skills they need to acquire. From a scientific point of view, our results contribute to the body of knowledge by providing insights into the Austrian SCM domain, by offering starting points on how to adapt training and education programs and research projects in the university sector.

Vision Rehabilitation Therapists Teaching Technology: Association Between Their Age and the Frequency at Which Technology Job Tasks Are Performed

Introduction This study seeks to examine the association between the age of the Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT) and the frequency at which they carry out technology job tasks. Methods A secondary data analysis was performed, using chi square to test for an association between the age of the VRT and the frequency at which they carry out 11 specific job tasks related to technology. Results Age of the VRT was shown to be negatively associated with the frequency at which 6 of the 11 technology job tasks are performed. Discussion Overall, younger VRTs are teaching access technology at higher frequencies than older VRTs. Newer specific technologies are being taught more often by younger VRTs, such as mobile technologies, voice-controlled devices, and social media. Older technologies such as keyboarding and OCR are being taught at similar frequencies regardless of age. Given the aging population of VRTs and the small number of university VRT programs, it may not be sustainable to rely on recent graduates or younger VRTs to fulfill access training needs for persons with visual impairment. With the availability, affordability, and quick emergence of new technologies, it is critical that all VRTs have access to continuing education to become comfortable and proficient in teaching newer technologies. Implication for Practitioners Technology training is critical for employment and independence for many persons with vision impairment. Continuing education for VRTs to be comfortable and competent in teaching emerging technologies may be important in ensuring that access technology training is available to all persons with visual impairment.

Hybrid Production: Enabled By Controlling The Output Sequence Of A Matrix Production Using Answer Set Programming

Combining a line production with a matrix production into a hybrid production is a vivid field of research to cope with the challenges of mass personalization. Nevertheless, to implement a hybrid system, several challenges have to be overcome. For a line production, a predefined sequence of products is necessary in order to handle variants at all. In a matrix production, workstations can be skipped or variants have different processing times that result in non-deterministic sequences. This leads to the main challenge in such a hybrid system, to control the output sequence of the flexible system in order to continue the production in a line segment.Answer set programming is a declarative problem-solving approach, presenting a foundation for solving highly constrained combinatorial problems. Based on a formal description of the problem, a solver generates all its possible solutions.This paper presents a novel approach for the production scheduling of a flexible system using answer set programming. The developed approach is able to create a production schedule for a matrix production that obeys the necessary output sequence for the input of the subsequent production line. The result is a production schedule allocating workstations, employees, components, and automated guided vehicles to each operation of a specific job. Furthermore, it is now possible to have two production lines entering the flexible segment and merging them into one outgoing production line and vice versa, while value-adding operations are performed.

Assessing job satisfaction and job security in Russia

The author presents an analysis of job and salary satisfaction, and job security in the regions of Russia. In the article general and specific job satisfaction indices are calculated based on the Comprehensive Observation of Living Conditions of the Population; it is shown that job security is much more appreciated, and the most significant regional differentiation is noted by the wage satisfaction index. The minimum values of the wage satisfaction index are in the Volgograd region and in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, but job security in these constituent entities of the Russian Federation is estimated at almost twice as high, compared to other regions. Maximum wage satisfaction values are more typical for regions with high levels of labor force participation.

Research on Job Burnout and Countermeasures of Teaching Secretary in Applied Undergraduate Colleges and Universities

Teaching secretary, a crucial component of the current teaching management team in colleges and universities, bridges the gap for communication and exchanges between students and teachers, faculties and schools, departments and administration sections. Their working status directly affects the improvement of the overall teaching quality of colleges and universities. Targeting at teaching secretaries in applied undergraduate colleges and universities, this paper expounded their specific job burnout and causes at length, and listed feasible countermeasures from angles of education concept, guiding principle for education, management policy, etc.

Factors Influencing the Implementation of Nurse Specialist in Health Care Management of a Tertiary Level Hospital

The present study was aimed at assessing the opinion of doctors and nurses regarding various factors influencing the implementation of nurse specialist clinical setting of a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi. The research design was non- experimental descriptive design. A total sample of 100 (70 nurses and 30 doctors) was selected by purposive sampling from the specialty areas of Dr RML Hospital. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that in Specialty clinical areas, a very few nurses are possessing specialty education whereas most of the doctors are specialized in their concerned areas. Majority of the participants highly agreed to the need of the nurse specialist in the current health care system, A systematically organized course by a recognized body is necessary for the training and development of competent nurse specialist. The placement of trained nurse specialist with specific job responsibilities and proper remuneration may help to improve the competency and job satisfaction of the nurses.

Female everyday life in letters by a Karelian peasant woman of the early XX century

Introduction. The article reports the results of an analysis of the letters written by a peasant early in the XX century, found in the National Archives of Finland, which are a rare-type of historical source. Their author is a twenty-year-old peasant Anna Eremeeva-Räikha, who wrote them to her husband exiled to North Kazakhstan. The relevance of the study is defined by high interest to epistolary cultural heritage, where a special place is given to the letters of Russian’s different ethnic groups, and also by attention paid to the history of everyday life. Materials and Methods. The principal method was analysis of the structure of the letters, including identification of thematic block sequences and their subsequent clustering for the analysis of specific issues. Results and Discussion. The article explicates the substantive dimension of the letters, which reflects the sphere of interests of their author, and looks into the descriptions of women’s daily routines and the life of the Karelian family. It highlights the range of covered subjects and outlines the topics showing the routines and the behavioral practices of a peasant woman, her ways of adapting to the new circumstances after the husband’s arrest. The specific jobs and occupations are aligned with the farming calendar of northern Karelia. Features of the author’s self-presentation, ways of structuring and drawing up the texts are demonstrated. The study illustrates the range of topics and emotions rooted in the gender factor, and the diversity of their expression. Conclusion. The letters disclose the system of moral values of a Karelian woman, the Christian ideal of family relationships, special features of professional motivations. The “voice” of a Karelian peasant woman retained in these letters is a relevant source for studying the alteration of women’s everyday life early in the XX century and it allows talking about the maturing demand for emancipation in everyday life and gradual loosening of the traditional gender order in the Karelian village.