Orientation: Job satisfaction, which is usually lower among healthcare workers than in other types of organisations, has a major influence on job-related behaviour, such as turnover, absenteeism, and self-reported job performance. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the level of job satisfaction between publicly employed and privately employed physiotherapists. Research design: A non-probability research design was used to choose a convenient sample. One group was from the public sector and the other from the private sector all working in Gauteng Province (N=200). A structured self-administered Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) (Weiss, et al., 1967), validated by Ian Rothmann for South African circumstances, was identified for this purpose. Main findings: There was a significant difference in support work value factor (supervision, company policies and practices) and work conditions work value (activity, independence, variety, compensation, security and working conditions) between publicly employed and privately employed physiotherapists. The privately employed had a higher mean value 3.59 and publicly employed a smaller mean value of 3.33 on support work value. The mean values of work conditions and value for publicly employed physiotherapists and privately employed physiotherapists were 3.44 and 3.84 respectively. Practical implications: Managers should pay particular attention on the job satisfaction levels of employees in the public sector. Value add: The study adds to the literature and also confirms that there is a difference between publicly employed and privately employed physiotherapists‘ levels of job satisfaction. / MBA (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Published Article / Employees working in municipalities and especially those who have to support other municipal employees (such as human resource management personnel), are constantly working in difficult working circumstances which may have a negative effect on their levels of job satisfaction. The effect of gender and ethnicity on the job satisfaction of human resource management employees working in a municipality has not yet been demonstrated. This information could help to improve the working circumstances of employees working in the municipality. Results indicated that employees are dissatisfied about the following job satisfaction components: company policies and practices, remuneration, promotion, security, acknowledgement for good performances, status, supervisor skills, working conditions, equipment and facilities. White employees in particular are found to be less satisfied in terms of the way their bosses handled personnel matters, on variety and on independent functioning in their job context. In the light of the above-mentioned, a few recommendations were made.

Human resource management advocates consider that obtaining employees' affective commitment to the organisation is an important objective. A key part of this concept is concerned with employees' identification with organisational goals and values. Recent research however, indicates that employers want employees to maintain their commitment levels even though organisations are undergoing periods ofextensive change that impact on many aspects of these goals and values. In the literature, employee commitment is regarded as a stable construct that nothing seems to alter. Despite this, there is increasing evidence to suggest that commitment may change if something in the organisation changes. To date, little research has sought to measure the impact of organisational changes on employee commitment. This study seeks to find out if commitment is altered by organisational changes or if commitment remains constant after the implementation of change. It also examines the impact of a range ofvariables on employees' commitment levels not previously addressed in the literature. The study adopted a cross sectional design. Data was collected by use of both quantitative techniques, (incorporating the British Organisational Commitment Scale or BOCS) and qualitative approaches, in three organisations located in the South East of England. An evaluation of the BOCS' reliability and dimensionality was carried out. In contrast to the literature, an eight item scale was shown to be superior, providing the best fit to the data. BOCS was found to comprise two distinct, but related components, hence the measure is considered bi-dimensional. The study makes several contributions to the literature. In particular, the: process of change (i.e. strategy used by each organisation to elicit organisational changes); antecedents to commitment (i.e. personal and work related variables); extent to which changes are experienced and content of change (i.e. the changes themselves) are all shown to affect the outcomes for individuals' commitment after periods of change in the organisation. Of the changes examined, almost all lead to increased levels ofemployees' self reported commitment. This challenges the claims that suggest commitment is stable and unchangeable. The study also revealed a number of factors lead to increased commitment amongst the workforce after change. These represent employee perceptions of change. Researchers and practitioners will need to focus on these issues in the future when considering commitment if they are to safeguard it after changes in the workplace.

Denna studie syftar till att jämföra personalvetarstudenter vid Uppsala universitet som arbetar inom HR med personalvetarstudenter som inte arbetar inom HR för att se hur de ser på sin egen anställningsbarhet och om de gör något extra för att göra sig själva mer anställningsbara. Vi vill undersöka om studenterna upplever att det finns någon norm om hur den ideala personalvetarstudenten bör vara. Utifrån syftet formulerades tre frågeställningar; 1. Vad gör personalvetarstudenter för att öka sin anställningsbarhet? 2. Hur skiljer sig tankar om anställningsbarhet mellan personalvetarstudenter som arbetar inom HR och personalvetarstudenter som arbetar inom annan bransch? samt 3. Hur upplevs den ideala personalvetarstudenten i relation till anställningsbarhet? För att besvara dessa frågeställningar användes en kvalitativ metodansats där det insamlade materialet inhämtats med hjälp av enskilda intervjuer. Urvalet består av åtta personalvetarstudenter där fyra ingår i varje grupp. Studiens teoretiska referensram bygger på skapandet av normer samt dess påverkan på individers anställningsbarhet. Den tidigare forskning vi använt oss av berör fenomenet anställningsbarhet samt ideala arbetstagare.   Utifrån resultatet framkommer det att deltidsarbete samt engagemang i föreningar är den viktigaste aspekterna för att öka sin anställningsbarhet. En personalvetarnorm upplevs av båda urvalsgrupper där ett visst beteende är eftersträvansvärt. Att vara social, driven, engagerad i föreningar samt ett deltidsjobb inom HR-branschen anses vara den ideala personalvetarstudenten. Normen beskriver vilka egenskaper och vilket beteende som förväntas av studenterna för att få så hög anställningsbarhet som möjligt. Till följd av detta kan deltidsarbete ses som en norm för att bli anställningsbar. / This study aims to compare Human Resource-students who works within the Human Resource industry and those who works in other industries to see how they look at their own employability, and if they do something extra to make themselves more employable. We want to examine if the students experience any norms within the Bachelor Programme in Human Resource Management and Working Life at Uppsala University. Based on our purpose, three questions were formulated: 1. What do Human Resource-students do to increase their employability? 2. How different is the thoughts about employability between the two groups of Human Resource-students? 3. How is the ideal employable Human Resource-student experienced? To answer this questions we used a qualitative method approach were the data were collected by individual interviews. The selection of candidates are eight Human Resource-students from Uppsala University who were divided into two groups with four in each group. The teoretical framework is based on the creation of norms and its impact on the employability of individuals. The previous research we used affects the phenomenon employability and the ideal employee.   Based on the results it appears that part-time work and involvement in voluntary organisations are the most important aspect to increase their employability. A norm is found for Human Resource-students is experienced by both selected groups were a sertain behaviour is desireable. Being social, driven, involved in voluntary organisations and having a part-time work in Human Resource-industry is considered the ideal Human Resource-student. The norm describes the characterstics and expected behaviour to get as high employability as possible. As a result, part time-work is seen as a norm for employability.

Background: Nursing shortage is a worldwide phenomenon; in rural areas, this shortage is exacerbated by geographical imbalances. Reducing the inequality of health outcomes between rural and urban areas requires improvement in the rural nursing workforce. Thus far, little research has been conducted on the recruitment of nursing students to rural nursing in China. Aim: This study aimed to explore nursing students’ perspectives of rural nursing practice and their intentions to work rurally after graduation, and to identify factors contributing to those intentions. Methods: Exploratory interviews were conducted with eleven nursing students to obtain their perspectives of rural nursing practice. This was followed by a hand distributed and collected self-completion questionnaire survey that involved 445 final year nursing students in six nursing schools in one province in China. The questionnaire measured students’ rural career intentions and their perceptions of rural nursing practice. The survey data were collected between December 2011 and March 2012. The response rate for the questionnaire survey was 89%. Results: The results indicated that the majority of final year nursing students did not intend to work rurally. The most frequently cited barriers deterring them from considering a rural job were the perceived fewer opportunities for skills development and learning, potentially lower financial rewards, and family members’ disapproval of rural working. Regression analysis showed that the length of time living rurally and educational level were the most important predictors of nursing students’ intentions to take a rural job immediately following graduation. The logistic regression illustrated that rural identification, degree, and rural placement experiences were significant predictors for nursing students’ intentions to work rurally in their future nursing career. Conclusion: Nursing students with high intentions to work rurally were rare in China. Rural background had a positive impact on students’ intentions to work rurally. Students with a degree were less likely to work rurally.

<p>Sweden is entering a time characterized by a shortfall of qualified labour. Thus companies will have to hold on to, and develop their most valued employees since it is getting harder to find competent replacements. By finding and developing Talents, companies will improve their position in the market and perhaps even create a competitive advantage. The academic discipline concerning locating, assessing, developing and retaining Talents is called Talent Management.</p><p>Purpose</p><p>To identify how the most desirable employers in Sweden work with Talent Management, and implications following its practises.</p><p>Method</p><p>The selection was made based on the response of a pre-study of 30 large Swedish companies recognised for their employment practises. Nine oral interviews, with a number of HR professionals at the corporations, were performed to investigate how they utilise Talent Management to create more value from human resources. The thesis takes a multiple case study approach investigating the utilization of Talent Management practises in Sweden.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>The Swedish dialect of Talent Management correlates with the frame presented by theory. Swedish firms are mostly locating Talents internally but are willing to use outsourcing for some recruitments. Talents’ competencies are more important than their credentials. Within the frame of their job description, Talents are encouraged to find creative solutions to solve their tasks. Swedish firms are increasingly using assessment and clear feedback as foundation for the individual development plans. Within the individual development plans there is on-the-job training, job rotation and mentors. This is also a part of the retention process which focuses on recognition, relocation and career management. Implications of the work with Talent Management in Sweden are; since the companies investigated employed, or were about to employ, Talent Management processes, it seems that they are well prepared for the future war for Talents and will better cope with the gap occurring when baby boomers retire. Thus, firms adapting to Talent Management, and sees the strategic importance of it, can gain a competitive advantage against others not concerned with these practises.</p>

Title:                 Talent Management   Author:             Simon Kjellman Level:               Master Thesis 30, hp Keywords: Talent management, Organizational Performance, Employee engagement, Human resource management Background: Today business is pressured to provide result and profit, but at the same time provide health and stimulate work environment for the employees. Human resource is rising to be the organizations new winner to get a competitive advantage. In order to be successful and continue to grow, companies need to attract and maintain their talent. Research question: Which tensions between organizational performance and employee engagement can arise when using talent management?  Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to develop an understanding of which tensions    between organizational performance and employee engagement that can arise when using talent management. By focusing on employee engagement and organizational performance, I put the emphasis on the approaches used when using talent management and therefore I also developing what characterizes the used approach. Method: A qualitative research approach was applied, which included a case study design consisting of multiple cases. Unstructured interviews and observations were the methods used for collecting the empirical data. The seven respondents were selected from two Swedish companies, based on a theoretical sampling method. The data analysis method included a cross-case analysis. Theoretical framework: Based on the purpose, the concepts that I find most relevant and coherent with Talent Management, Employee engagement and Organizational performance will be introduced and explained in the following sections. At first, Talent Management is defined and explained and then the employee engagement and organizational performance come as following. The theories will provide the basis for a detailed investigation and analysis over Talent Management. Findings: Swedish companies uses a collective approach to talent management. What characterizes the work with talent management in a collective culture are inclusion, democracy, soft culture and communication. They are using democratic and human ways of treating their employees. This causes the tension to be low in overall because usually the desires are met on both sides. Signs of separation in developments plans between different professionals can start a tension. The communication is important when using talent management to get a stable work environment.

Research has often called for studies that attempt to explain the complex causal chain known as the “black box” between human resource management (HRM) activities and individual-level outcomes. To explore the dynamics within the “black box,” this study investigates the influence of HRM activities (e.g., practices and processes) on individual-level outcomes, taking into consideration psychological empowerment as a mediating mechanism. Furthermore, to investigate how HRM activities affect individual-level outcomes, one must consider how HRM activities interrelate to create synergistic effects. Subsequently, this research contributes to the literature of strategic HRM research by investigating how and why systems of HRM activities influence individual-level outcomes.

The main topic of this master thesis is a company impacted by the current economic crisis and the role of the human resource management within the crisis. The thesis firstly provides theoretical basis, defines terms and explains associations. It focuses on the company and its goals, then on the economic cycle, recession and crisis and afterwards dedicates to the human resource management and human resource activities including the approach and procedures that are typical for the time of crisis. Then the focus is on the current economic crisis and its origin in the USA, impacts on the Slovak Republic where the analyzed company is located. Afterwards the thesis provides an introduction of the analyzed company and describes and analyzes the human resource management and hr activities in this company. The final part is dedicated to the complex evaluation of the hr area in this firm and of the approach and changes that were implemented as a reaction to the situation caused by the crisis. The thesis also suggests and recommends some steps and changes, that could help the company improve its situation.

A investigação foi desenvolvida com objetivo de analisar como tem se dado o dimensionamento de pessoal de enfermagem nos hospitais do município de Ribeirão Preto-SP, tendo como sujeitos da pesquisa as coordenadoras de enfermagem de cinco desses hospitais. Para tal, realizamos este estudo exploratório-descritivo, utilizando o método da entrevista, com roteiro de questões fechadas e abertas, sendo realizada análise de conteúdo segundo Bardin (1977). Verificamos que os responsáveis pelo dimensionamento são do sexo feminino, tiveram experiências diversificadas de trabalho na profissão e atualmente ocupam o cargo mais elevado na hierarquia do serviço de enfermagem. A definição acerca do dimensionamento apreendida pelos sujeitos vem ao encontro daquelas encontradas na literatura. Quanto à finalidade do dimensionamento, há a previsão dos profissionais, garantia da operacionalização do trabalho da enfermagem, atendimento à expectativa do cliente com relação às suas necessidades, provimento dos setores de pessoal, garantia da distribuição desses na escala. A utilização do dimensionamento ocorre como justificativa para aumentar o quadro por meio de contratação. Quanto aos parâmetros do dimensionamento, ficaram evidenciados média de permanência, característica da unidade, taxa de ocupação de leitos, modelo de assistência de enfermagem, tipo de clientela, tipo de convênio, composição da equipe de enfermagem e do setor, horas de trabalho por dia e por mês, taxa de absenteísmo, Sistema de Classificação de Pacientes. Em relação às facilidades do dimensionamento, cabe destacar a importância dada ao relacionamento com a diretoria da instituição devido à política de recursos humanos, que ao nosso ver, é fator motivador para essas coordenadoras de enfermagem realizarem a estimativa de pessoal, bem como maior envolvimento das demais enfermeiras, devido à perspectiva relacionada à melhoria da qualidade de assistência atribuída, parcialmente, ao número de pessoal de enfermagem que compõe o quadro de funcionários da instituição. Como desafios foram citados a própria política de recursos humanos, que interfere significativamente em algumas diretrizes do serviço de enfermagem, o baixo poder de decisão da enfermeira com relação a contratação de pessoal tornando a assistência prestada fragilizada e, ainda, há aqueles ligados ao cálculo propriamente dito como compreensão do processo de trabalho de enfermagem, por parte de quem contrata, e a rotatividade. O aspecto legal inerente à profissão também foi abordado. As coordenadoras de enfermagem compreendem que cabe a elas a responsabilidade legal pela estimativa de pessoal. / This research aimed to analyze how nursing staff has been dimensioned at hospitals in Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil. Research subjects were nursing coordinators in five of these hospitals. Hence, a qualitative descriptive study was carried out, realizing interviews by means of a script with closed and open questions and content analysis according to Bardin (1977). We observed that the persons responsible for this task are female, with diversified work experience, and currently occupy the highest level in the nursing service hierarchy. The definition of dimensioning as obtained from the subjects corresponds to those found in literature. As to the aim, the following factors stood out: previewing professionals, operational guarantee for nursing work, attending to clients’ expectations in relation to their needs, fill out personnel vacancies, guarantee personnel allocation in the work scale. The usage of the nursing personnel serves as a justification to increase staff through new contracts. As to dimensioning parameters, the following factors stood out: average stay, unit characteristic, bed occupation rate, nursing care model, kind of clientele, kind of agreement, nursing team and sector composition, work hours per day and per month, absenteeism rate, Patient Classification System. With respect to dimensioning facilities, special attention must be granted to the importance the participating nursing coordinators give to the relation with the board of the institution, due to the human resource policy. In our opinion, this factor motivates these nursing coordinators to carry out the personnel estimation, and leads towards greater commitment from other nurses, due to the perspective of improved care quality, which is partially attributed to the number of nursing staff in the institution’s employee cadre. The following challenges were mentioned: the human resource policy itself, which significantly interferes in some nursing service guidelines and nurses’ low level of decision-making power to decide on whether to hire staff or not, which fragilizes the delivered care and, also, the challenges posed by staff dimensioning itself, such as the contracting party’s understanding of the nursing work process and rotation. The legal aspect inherent in the profession was also dealt with. Nursing managers see this estimation as their legal responsibility.