Journal Of Human Resources Research Articles

Journal of human resources in hospitality and tourism: a bibliometric overview

In the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, this study presents a comprehensive overview of the journal between 2002 and 2020 based on bibliometric analysis to highlight the key trends and dominant topics in the journal. Bibliographic data were extracted from the Scopus and these data were analyzed using “bibliometrix” tool, a tool for bibliometrics and scientometrics. The findings show the strong growth of JHRHT over time and a huge diversity of publications are published based on human resources practices and issues from around the world, especially the USA, Australia and Turkey.

Influence of Online Apps in Fostering Agri-Enterprise Development along the Agricultural Value Chain in Kenya

Influence of Online Apps in Fostering Agri-Enterprise Development along the Agricultural Value Chain in Kenya

Hospitality graduates career pathways: an analysis of LinkedIn profiles

Hospitality graduates career pathways: an analysis of LinkedIn profiles

Context and Implications Document for: Recruitment to STEM studies: The roles of curriculum reforms, flexibility of choice, and attitudes

Context and Implications Document for: Recruitment to STEM studies: The roles of curriculum reforms, flexibility of choice, and attitudes

Introducing the New Editorial Team

Dr. Amy Ellen Schwartz is the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Professor of Public Affairs at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School, where she is also Professor of Economics and Public and International Affairs and Senior Research Associate at the Center for Policy Research. She also serves as the Director of the Institute for Education and Social Policy at NYU. Professor Schwartz’s research interests span a broad range of issues in education and social policy, public finance, and urban economics. Current projects include research into the causes and consequences of student mobility; the impact of neighborhood crime on urban students; the link between neighborhoods, schools, and child obesity; the impact of housing vouchers on children’s educational outcomes; and the effect of summer employment on urban youth. Professor Schwartz’s work has been published in a range of journals including the American Economic Review, Journal of Public Economics, Education Finance and Policy, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, The Journal of Human Resources, and the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. She is the editor of City Taxes, City Spending: Essays in Honor of Dick Netzer and coeditor of Measuring School Performance and Efficiency.

Performance of Young Children in Rural Guatemala on the Mullen Scales of Early Learning

Abstract Objective The literature supports using tests developed in high-income countries to assess children in low and lower-middle income countries (LMICs) when carefully translated, adapted, and applied (Holding et al., 2018; Mitchell et al., 2017). Research has shown the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) to have adequate validity and sensitivity when used in LMICs (Bangirana et al., 2014; Koura et al., 2013), as well as equivalency to the American normative sample in lower risk populations (Bornman et al., 2010). Here, we describe the pattern of MSEL results in rural Guatemala. Participants and Method Children (n = 842; M enrollment age = 15.9 months; range 0-5 years) enrolled in an observational study of postnatal Zika exposure in rural Guatemala were administered an adapted and translated version of the MSEL (Connery et al., in press). To date, 352 children completed one, 393 children completed two, and 97 children completed three MSELs, for a total of 1,429 administrations. Results MSEL composite scores were similar to the American normative sample in children <12 months (M = 93.3, SD = 11.1), but lower for children ages 1-5 years (mean = 71.1, SD = 15.1, p < 0.0001). Moreover, lower scores were observed in children ages 1-5 years for all MSEL subscales, with the largest differences observed in receptive language (<12 years: mean = 47.8, SD = 7.1; 1-5 years: mean = 35.1, SD = 10.0, p < 0.0001). Conclusions Results are consistent with research that demonstrates a widening gap in test performance over time between children from higher and lower risk communities (Fernald et al., 2011; Paxson et al., 2005; Schady et al., 2015). Although findings are not meant to diagnose individual children, they highlight population changes in neurodevelopmental skills and the need for a better understanding of developmental patterns in LMICs. Future analyses will evaluate the impact of developmental risk factors over time and the performance of the MSEL in this population. References Bangirana, P., Opoka, R. O., Boivin, M. J., Idro, R., Hodges, J. S., Romero, R. A., … John, C. C. (2014). Severe Malarial Anemia is Associated With Long-term Neurocognitive Impairment. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 59(3), 336–344. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciu293. Bornman, J., Sevcik, R. A., Romski, M., & Pae, H. K. (2010). Successfully Translating Language and Culture when Adapting Assessment Measures, ppi_254 111.118. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1741-1130.2010.00254.x. Fernald, L. C. H., Weber, A., Galasso, E., & Ratsifandrihamanana, L. (2011). Socioeconomic gradients and child development in a very low income population: Evidence from Madagascar. Developmental Science, 14(4), 832–847. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.01032.x. Holding, P., Anum, A., van de Vijver, F. J. R., Vokhiwa, M., Bugase, N., Hossen, T., … Gomes, M. (2018). Can we measure cognitive constructs consistently within and across cultures? Evidence from a test battery in Bangladesh, Ghana, and Tanzania. Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 7(1), 1-13 https://doi.org/10.1080/21622965.2016.1206823. Koura, K. G., Boivin, M. J., Davidson, L. L., Ouédraogo, S., Zoumenou, R., Alao, M. J., … Bodeau-Livinec, F. (2013). Usefulness of child development assessments for low-resource settings in francophone Africa. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP, 34(7), 486–93. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0b013e31829d211c. Mitchell, J. M., Tomlinson, M., Bland, R. M., Houle, B., Stein, A., & Rochat, T. J. (2017). Confirmatory factor analysis of the Kaufman assessment battery in a sample of primary school-aged children in rural South Africa. South African Journal of Psychology, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/0081246317741822. Paxson, C., Schady, N., Izquierdo, S., León, M., Lucio, R., Ponce, J., … Hall, W. (2005). Cognitive Development among Young Children in Ecuador The Roles of Wealth, Health, and Parenting. Retrieved from http://econ.worldbank.org. Schady, N., Behrman, J., Araujo, M. C., Azuero, R., Bernal, R., Bravo, D., … Vakis, R. (2015). Wealth gradients in early childhood cognitive development in five Latin American countries. The Journal of Human Resources, 50(2), 446–463. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25983344.

Analyses of Publications on Compensation Management From 2004 to 2017

The article conducts a publication analysis of articles on compensation management from 2004 to 2017. After reviewing 9,823 articles, 1,218 articles were identified and placed under 10 topics. Following the product life cycle model, 10 topics were fitted to different patterns. A cubic pattern is found on topics of benefits, compensating special groups, employee contributions, environmental factors, workforce diversity, international compensation and organizational justice. A quadratic pattern is observed on topics of individual factors, strategic compensation and wage administration. The product life cycle analyses reveal that publications on compensation management undergo growth, maturity or decline phases with respect to time. In addition, the publication analyses find that Compensation and Benefits Review is the most preferred outlet for publication of compensation articles. Furthermore, the most referred journals are Industrial and Labor Relations Review and Journal of Human Resources. Of 1,218 articles, 70.85% are multiauthored, 68% apply quantitative approach and 79% are from Euro-American countries.

Staff shortages and turnover: Causes and solutions

The New Zealand hospitality workforce is young; most are between 18 and 24 years old and attracted by the ease with which they can get work in a bar or restaurant. The work suits them; it is dynamic and easy to find, but many have no intention of staying in the industry. Hence, staff shortages and turnover are a constant problem for employers. However, the solution is not as difficult as one might imagine.
 This study identified why there are so few older workers in the New Zealand hotel industry after interviewing 44 managers and older workers in New Zealand hotels and looking at Human Resources (HR) policies, recruitment methods, and selection criteria. The hotel industry was found to be discriminatory towards older job seekers in both principle and practice, even though some companies’ policies appeared to address age discrimination. Interview data from the HR managers suggested older workers had the characteristics they were looking for, yet they were not specifically recruiting them.
 Recommendations arising from the study focus around changing attitudes at senior level so older workers are perceived as potential employees. Recruitment processes need to be checked to make sure they do not disadvantage older job seekers, and senior managers need to be objective and consider the skills, abilities, and attitudes of older job seekers. Either of these simple changes could be made through training or well-supported policy and would positively affect the age profile and turnover of the industry’s workforce.
 Practical suggestions also include using older workers to mentor younger workers to promote communication across an age diverse workforce and allowing older workers to demonstrate and share their knowledge and experience. Combining older and younger workers in work teams may also help remove barriers by allowing older workers to impart some of their values through frequent interactions and working towards a common work goal. In-house training programmes may also help educate staff at all levels about the benefits of diverse workgroups.
 Data from this and prior studies show that older people are ideal employees where good work attitudes [1] and well-developed soft skills [2] are important. Interestingly, prior research also shows that policy does not prevent discrimination, as it is too easily ignored. Recruitment methods such as ‘Seek’, Twitter, MyJobSpace.co.nz and word-of-mouth recruitment are discriminatory because they favour young people and act as barriers against the employment of older workers.
 Older recruits have much to offer, but in practice, their potential for employment is being restricted by recruiters’ attitudes, as managers’ views are more influential than policy. The challenge, therefore, is not so much in what needs to change, but how to make changes to reduce or eliminate discrimination in hotels against older job seekers.
 More information about this study is in the original article [3], which can be obtained from the authors.
 Corresponding author
 Jill is an Associate Professor at the Auckland University of Technology, where she studies a wide range of ethical issues in hospitality, such as sexual harassment, discrimination, and ethical food consumption. Prior to this, she worked in hospitality management, which included two roles as a General Manager. She currently teaches leadership to postgraduate students, and supervises student research projects.
 Jill Poulston can be contacted at: jill.poulston@aut.ac.nz
 References
 (1) Ng, T. W. H.; Feldman, D. C. The Relationships of Age with Job Attitudes: A Meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology 2010, 63(3), 677–718. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2010.01184.x
 (2) Sissons, P.; Jones, K. Lost in Transition?; The Work Foundation: Lancaster, U.K., 2012.
 (3) Poulston, J.; Jenkins, A. Barriers to the Employment of Older Hotel Workers in New Zealand. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism 2016, 15(1), 45–68.

Socio-economic Patterns in Inpatient Care Utilisation in India: Is the Income Effect Withering?

Though a few studies are available with regard to socio-economic differentials in health care utilisation in India, no attempt has been made to understand the underlying decision-making process in health care utilisation. Therefore, in this article, an attempt is made to examine the utilisation of inpatient care in India, focusing on the socio-economic determinants of the extent of inpatient care use. The health care utilisation model adopted by Manning et al., (1987, American Economic Review, 77(3), 251–77), and Pohlmeier and Ulrich (1995, The Journal of Human Resources, 30(2), 339–61) was employed for studying the above objective. Cross-sectional data are taken from National Sample Survey Organization’s 60th round (2004) survey on ‘morbidity and health care’. While a two-part (double-hurdle) model is estimated for the frequency of hospitalisations, a zero-truncated negative binomial regression model is applied for the length of stay (LOS) in a hospital. The results suggest that controlling other factors, people from richer households were more likely to seek hospital admission and use inpatient care more frequently than their poorer counterparts, consistent with the supposition that rich people have greater access to health care. However, the analyses suggest that with respect to income, equity has been achieved for the LOS in the hospital for individuals suffering from various diseases. This means that income inequity exists at the time of hospital admission but once they are admitted, the duration of stay at hospital is no longer determined by their economic status. However, this requires careful interpretation because it is quite likely that poor people may have been forced to sell off assets or borrow money for meeting the cost of hospitalisation for longer duration of stay. The above argument is strengthened by the fact that when socio-economic status is measured by education, inequity continues to persist, with illiterates having longer LOSs in the hospital. The policy measure that the government could take to improve the access of quality health care services for the poor is to strengthening the public health system through enhanced investments in the National Health Mission. JEL Classification: I140

Educational Mismatch and Employment Contracts: A Labour Productivity Analysis

The aim of this contribution is threefold. First, we estimate the impact of educational mismatch on a direct measure of firm productivity. Existing literature on the effect of educational mismatch on firm productivity varies widely. Some researchers rely on the human capital theory and investigate the impact of educational mismatch on productivity through its impact on wages (Rumberger, Journal of Human Resources, 1987; Van der Meer, Economics of Education Review, 2006), whereas other researchers rely on the job satisfaction theory and investigate the impact of education on absenteeism, turnover, shirking and other correlates of worker productivity (Tsang, Economics of Education Review, 1987; Hersh, Review of Economics and Statistics, 1991; Tsang et al., Industrial Relations, 1991, Verhaest and Omey, Journal of Economic Psychology, 2009). The main shortcoming of these approaches is that no one investigates the relationship between education and productivity in a direct way. Second, we provide initial evidence on whether this direct relationship varies according to the type of labour contract. More precisely, we can find two types of labour contracts, i.e. temporary contracts or permanent contracts. Some researchers suggest that favouring permanent labour contracts may increase productivity thanks to the job stability and autonomy that follows (Daubas-Letourneux, TMS et evolution des conditions de travail, 1998; Dubigeon, Mettre en pratique le developpement durable Quels processus pour l’entreprise responsable?, 2005; Bonnechere, Revue Travail et emploi, 2008). On the other hand, temporary contracts may be useful, in terms of flexibility, in order to adjust the size of the firm’s labour force according to changes in the business-cycle. In thatway, temporary contracts may be used as a buffer to product demand fluctuations (Jahn et al.,Economic Journal, 2012). Int Adv Econ Res (2014) 20:469–470 DOI 10.1007/s11294-014-9485-9

Building the Stock of College-Educated Labor Revisited

In a recent paper in the Journal of Human Resources , Dynarski (2008) used data from the 1 percent 2000 Census Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files to demonstrate that merit scholarship programs in Georgia and Arkansas increased the stock of college-educated individuals in those states. This paper replicates the results in Dynarski (2008) but we also find important differences in the results between the 1 percent and 5 percent PUMS, especially for women. We also demonstrate that the author's use of clustered standard errors, given the small number of clusters and only two policy changes, severely understates confidence intervals.

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Fairness and Power in Family Organization

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Fairness and Power in Family Organization

The Blinder–Oaxaca Decomposition for Linear Regression Models

The counterfactual decomposition technique popularized by Blinder (1973, Journal of Human Resources, 436–455) and Oaxaca (1973, International Economic Review, 693–709) is widely used to study mean outcome differences between groups. For example, the technique is often used to analyze wage gaps by sex or race. This article summarizes the technique and addresses several complications, such as the identification of effects of categorical predictors in the detailed decomposition or the estimation of standard errors. A new command called oaxaca is introduced, and examples illustrating its usage are given.

School cost functions: A meta-regression analysis

The education cost literature includes econometric studies attempting to determine economies of scale, or estimate an optimal school or district size. Not only do their results differ, but the studies use dissimilar data, techniques, and models. To derive value from these studies requires that the estimates be made comparable. One method to do this is meta-regression analysis (MRA) which was pioneered by Stanley and Jarrell [(1998). Gender wage discrimination bias? An MRA. Journal of Human Resources, 33, 947–973] as a result of similar frustrations with ‘omnipresent biases’ (p. 717). In this paper, the basic technique of MRA is described and then applied to 22 estimates of school costs, where an optimal school size (OSS) has or can be calculated. Results suggest an OSS of around 1543 students at the US secondary school level. Difficulties in interpreting the estimates are highlighted. The paper concludes with cautions in the use of MRA and opportunities for further research in this area.

Superior Female Education: Explaining the Gender Earnings Gap Trend in Thailand

The paper seeks to identify the main factors that contributed to the decline in gender earnings gap in Thailand's wage and salary sector from 1985-2005. Two parametric methodologies, Neumark's version [Neumark, D., 1988. Employers' Discriminatory Behavior and the Estimation of Wage Discrimination. The Journal of Human Resources 23(3), 279-295.] of the Blinder-Oaxaca method [Blinder, A. S., 1973. Wage Discrimination: Reduced Form and Structural Estimates. The Journal of Human Resources 8(4), 436-455.; Oaxaca, R. L., 1973. Male-Female Wage Differentials in Urban Labor Markets. International Economic Review 14(3), 693-709.] and the Juhn-Murphy-Pierce method [Juhn, C., Murphy, K. M., Pierce, B., 1991. Accounting for the Slowdown in Black-White Wage Convergence. In: Kosters, M. (Ed.), Workers and Their Wages. Washington, DC: AEI Press.], are implemented in order to decompose gender earnings gap at each point in time and across time periods. I also make a methodological contribution by proposing a way to modify the DiNardo-Fortin-Lemieux nonparametric decomposition method [DiNardo, J., Fortin, N. M., Lemieux , T., 1996. Labor Market Institutions and the Distribution of Wages, 1973-1992: A Semiparametric Approach. Econometrica 64(5), 1001-1044.] so that its results are comparable to those from Neumark's version of the Blinder-Oaxaca method. The key findings of this paper are as follows. First, I find that increases in female education and changes in unobserved factors, which were concurrent with modernization, were the main sources of the decline in gender earnings gap. Second, over time, improvements in the education of females in this sector surpassed that of males. However, the superior education of females did not result in females earning higher than males due to the existing counteracting effect of the unexplained factors. Finally, the nonparametric investigation corroborated the results from the parametric methodologies.

Human capital revisited: The role of experience and education when controlling for performance and cognitive skills

Human capital theory predicts that differences in wages arise because of differences in human capital. The latter can be accumulated in two ways: through experience and education. Using matched firm–worker data for the Ghanaian Manufacturing sector we first test whether changes in wages over the life cycle reflect changes in performance, following the methodology of Medoff and Abraham [Medoff, J.L., & Abraham, K.G. (1980). Experience, Performance, and Earnings. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 95(4), 703-736; Medoff, J.L., & Abraham, K.G. (1981). Are Those Paid More Really More Productive? The Case of Experience. Journal of Human Resources, 16(2), 186–216]. We find that wage–seniority profiles are independent of performance – a result that holds when controlling for firm fixed effects. Extending the analysis, we include a control for on-the-job-training and find that it does not attenuate the seniority profile, which is also at odds with human capital theory. We do find however that firm characteristics play an important role. Wage–seniority profiles are steeper in large firms, but performance profiles are not, suggesting that the results from Medoff and Abraham are specific to large firms. We then assess the role of education. Our results confirm that education is important for the allocation to job levels. Using data on cognitive ability, we also find that the effect of education on wages is at least partially because it signals cognitive ability. We also find evidence that the returns to education are not related to performance, while the returns to cognitive ability are.

Financial Literacy Strategies: Where do We Go from Here?

The evolution of market economies has dramatically broadened the opportunities of consumers, workers, investors, and firms. Financial services have become especially free and accessible, but also increasingly complex. For the new financial freedom to help most people, they must understand their choices and the likely implications of alternative decisions. Unfortunately, many Americans have a weak grasp of basic personal finance principles. This paper emphasizes the importance of financial literacy in an increasingly complex market economy and examines the current state of financial education in the U.S. and abroad. We explore two methods of delivering financial knowledge—through broad financial curriculums and through more focused teachable moments. After examining the pros and cons of each, along with the evidence about their effectiveness, we suggest that a combination of the two perspectives, with the specific topics and behavioral strategies varying by target audience. We conclude by calling for a more rigorous evaluation of the effects of existing programs. About the Authors: Robert I. Lerman is Professor of Economics at American University and a Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute in Washington, DC. Dr. Lerman's research deals primarily with factors influencing poverty and income inequality and the policies aimed at reducing these problems. His current studies deal with asset building among low-income families, on the interaction between marital stability and earnings, and with the impact of public and private initiatives to strengthen marriage. His research has appeared in monographs, book chapters, and in a variety of journals, including the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Human Resources, Economica, National Tax Journal, and Review of Income and Wealth. Elizabeth Bell joined the Urban Institute's Executive Office Research center and the Urban- Brookings Tax Policy Center in July 2004. Her work primarily focuses on the distribution of tax incentives and spending in social welfare and private savings programs. Her current projects include examining trends in asset and liability holdings and programs that encourage asset- building for low-income families.

Interview with Hervé Fournier, Vice President, César Ritz Hotel School

(2005). Interview with Herve Fournier, Vice President, Cesar Ritz Hotel School. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism: Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 119-127.

Interview with Jim Lynde, Senior Vice President, People, Red Lobster Restaurants

(2004). Interview with Jim Lynde, Senior Vice President, People, Red Lobster Restaurants. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 113-123.

Interview with Nancy Duricic, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Dave & Buster's, Inc.

(2004). Interview with Nancy Duricic, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Dave & Buster's, Inc. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism: Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 91-103.