Perhaps the most influential device in modern society is the smartphone. Over 90% of Americans aged 18-29 own a smartphone and 74% of teenagers reported using a smartphone as their primary internet connection. Students perceived that using smartphones in the classroom aided learning. However, two-thirds of American high schools ban students from using phones in the classroom. Secondary science curriculum focuses on subjects that regard the biodiversity of plant and animal species, but disregard the students ability to identify species. Consequently, secondary students in general are very poor at identifying species of trees. Previous research supports the idea that advanced smartphone applications in student centered learning environments can improve achievement and motivation. There is little in the agricultural education literature pertaining to smartphone enhanced learning among secondary agriculture students. Further, no research has focused on the use of smartphone applications in forestry education at the secondary level. This dual-purpose study compared achievement levels between two groups of students in a forestry curriculum learning with smartphones or printed materials and determined motivational differences between groups. Specifically, one group of students used the smartphone apps Leafsnap, V-Tree, Tree Book, and Quizlet to identify leaf samples while a comparison group utilized Leaf Key to Common Trees of Louisiana (Dozier & Mills, 2005), Important Forest Trees of the Eastern United States (Brockman & Merrilees, 1991), and Louisiana Trees (Hodges, Evans & Garnett, 2015). A non-equivalent comparison group design was employed. Secondary agricultural students (n = 263) from 13 schools across Louisiana completed a criterion referenced pretest and post-test created by the researcher via Test Generator Web©. Motivation was measured using the Course Interest Survey (Keller, 2010). Data were analyzed using Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) for fixed effects with maximum likelihood estimation to determine if any statistically significant differences existed between the groups in achievement or motivation. HLM accounted for differences between individual students in schools and prior knowledge. The analysis rendered no statistically significant differences between the groups in achievement or motivation. It was concluded that smartphones do not reduce learning and should be considered a learning enabler in agricultural education where policy permits.

Teams have been presented as a panacea to complex and turbulent business environments, but there are few examples of genuinely high-performing teams. This study considers the utility of work design as a means of improving the performance of project teams and thereby resolving this paradox. Grounded in quantitative methodology, and supported by relevant qualitative data, this study has used a single case experiment to examine the effects of multiple work design variables on the climate and performance of 49 construction project management teams. The single case environment provided an opportunity to study a large number of real work groups, executing broadly similar tasks, while controlling for the effects of organisational culture on social and work behaviour. The results indicated that three levels of intervention - transformational leadership, team organisation and team performance orientation - were influential in either (a) directly influencing project team performance or (b) creating a team climate which was itself predictive of desired outcomes, specifically the moderation of project complexity and higher levels of productivity. In particular, the results showed that the `inspiring a shared vision' leader practice was influential in explaining the perceived satisfaction of customers with project team performance. This provides empirical evidence that visionary leadership is an important determinant of high performance in complex, fluid and uncertain work environments, such as construction project management. Although task orientation and shared vision emerged as reasonably strong performance norms in the sample, it is generally difficult isolating the referent group norm(s) which explain(s) the variation in the performance of project teams working in myriad social, temporal and task conditions. Rather than attempting to manage group behaviour in realtime, therefore, the results of this study suggest that a coherent and integrated package of work design interventions can leverage exceptional value from project teams by helping each team to develop unique performance and behavioural strategies.

As the public sector continues to face competitive challenges from the general public, the need for better service delivery and increased productivity has become extremely important. The increased need for optimum service delivery in public sector institutions like the Ministry for Home Affairs has had significant impact on its operations. However, little is known about the challenges faced by the Ministry for Home Affairs regarding the causes of the inefficiency. A range of organizational factors can affect the nature, effectiveness, excellence and novelty of service provision to members of the public.

This study explores the nature of skills forecasting in nuclear decommissioning and that which makes skills forecasting information useful. The study adopts a pragmatic approach using an interpretative, qualitative case study research design and draws on aspects of a critical realist approach to uncover, deconstruct and challenge some ‘norms’ in skills forecasting. The study makes an original contribution to knowledge through the identification of nineteen factors that influence skills forecasting in the nuclear industry. It also generates a baseline of knowledge on the theory and practice of skills forecasting and management through a review of the literature on skills, forecasting, skills forecasting and workforce planning and relevant aspects of public sector management and HRM. The study documents and compares current skills forecasting practice amongst UK site licensed companies and selected supply chain companies. Such research has not previously been conducted in the nuclear decommissioning industry. This answers research questions about why, and how, different groups in the sector perform skills forecasting and how variations in approaches affect the information produced. It also answers research questions about who uses skills forecasting information, and how. Together with a review of current problems with skills information, this contributes to an understanding of what makes skills information useful. The research evidences that while the industry has some common features with other High Reliability Organisations, there are unique dimensions which make this research significant. Some ‘norms’ operating in skills forecasting were challenged including how it is being used, eg as an agent for change by some groups, and assumptions about the potential availability of skills from the supply chain. The literature review was used to construct a practical-ideal type, an approach derived from classical pragmatism offering a version of a nearly ideal process, on the understanding that this is socially constructed and subject to continual change. Existing practice is evaluated against this practical-ideal type in a unique application of this methodology in the nuclear decommissioning context.

Information technology (IT) projects are often inadequately resourced with human talent. Researchers found that 70% of all IT projects worldwide fail. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the strategies used for the successful management of the human resource planning of IT projects. Using purposeful sampling, 5 IT project managers and 5 IT directors from organizations located in the northeastern region of United States were selected for this study. The resource-based theory provided the conceptual framework. Data were collected using semistructured interviews conducted face-to-face and by telephone. For this study, data triangulation included project documents to strengthen the findings obtained from the 2 groups of participants. Categorization of findings involved the assessment of human capacity for the skills of the project, forecasting of project requirements, availability of resources, and securing project members. Four thematic categories emerged from the data analysis: common strategies employed for success, strategies employed in reaching success, strategies or factors identifying key barriers, and strategies that work best in managing. The implications of this study for positive social change include enhancing the social evolution of the organization by increasing the ability to hire more employees, reducing the unemployment rate, and benefiting society. The results of this study may provide benefits directly stimulating economic progress.

Although adjusting to a foreign culture is not easy, being immersed in another culture is an experience lived by a growing number of persons in the globalized world. For expatriate managers, successful adjustment is imperative and fundamental in establishing overall effectiveness during overseas assignments. It is intriguing that organizations often blame the individual when expatriate assignments fail (Deresky 2002; Hodgetts and Luthans 2000; Swaak 1995a; Tung 1987) rather than recognizing that others may lack understanding of what it is like to be immersed in another culture. A study of Canadian expatriate managers who have worked in non-government organizations (NGOs) in Indonesia is presented. The research focuses on interpreting the lived experience of expatriate managers using their own words and meanings. Written descriptions from research participants were obtained via email and analysed/synthesized using Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological method (Giorgi 1975; 1985; Giorgi & Giorgi 2003). The central finding of the study is that expatriates experience paradoxical ways of being including feelings of: understanding/not understanding, discomfort/comfort, powerfulness/powerlessness, belonging/not belonging, being open to the new culture/yet holding on to own culture, freedom/restriction, being supported/not supported, and being unchanged/changed when immersed, living and working in another culture. The new knowledge and understanding obtained from this research may result in alterations to present human resource management practices and strategies utilized in facilitating and supporting expatriate assignments. These changes will enhance the experience for expatriate managers and organizations alike.

<p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Den svenska hotellmarknaden domineras till stor del av utländska aktörer. Stora hotellkedjor som Hilton, som representerar Storbritannien, Accor, som representerar Frankrike är bland de dominerande aktörerna. Bland de nordiska representanterna så är First/Tribe Hotels en organisation som ”sticker ut”. Alla dessa organisationer präglas av den organisationskultur som de uppstod i. De har alla arbetat fram framgångsrika strategier i sina respektive hemland. På den svenska marknaden så är konkurrensen bland dessa hotell är väldigt hög. Företagen försöker att åstadkomma fördelar gentemot sina konkurrenter genom olika strategier och koncept. En viktig del av arbetet är vilka Human resource strategier som används. För oss var det intressant att förstå hur dessa strategier var uppbyggda. Tar de olika hotellen med sig de strategier som de utvecklat i sitt ”hemland” eller anpassar man sig till de strategier som karakteriserar den svenska företagskulturen? Med bakgrund av detta kommit fram till följande problem:</p><p>Vilka HR modeller använder de tre stora aktörerna när de agerar på den svenska hotellmarknaden?</p><p>Vi har tittat på detta problem genom arbetstagarnas perspektiv och använt oss av en kvalitativ metod. Vi ville först förstå hur organisationskulturen så ut i varje hotells hemland och har därför använt oss av en deduktiv ansats. Vårt syfte var att kartlägga vilka HRM-strategier som används inom den svenska hotellmarknaden. Sedan ska vi undersöka om de aktuella aktörerna har anpassat sina HRM-strategier till den svenska organisationskulturen eller om de använder sig av HRM-strategier som används i deras respektive ”hemländer”.</p><p>Vi ansåg att Hofstede arbete om olika organisationskulturer och hans fyra dimensioner (maktdistans, individualism gentemot kollektivism, mannlighet gentemot kvinnlighet och osäkerhetsundvikande) var en bra ”grund” för att kunna upptäcka skillnader i de olika hotellens strategier.</p><p>Vår förförståelse bygger på att vi är Hotell & Restaurang studenter och har en viss erfarenhet av branschen. Denna erfarenhet har präglat arbetet på det sätt att vi har haft vissa förutfattade meningar om vilka human resource som används på marknaden. Vi har genomfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex stycken respondenter. Vi valde att först transkribera all data som vi samlat in för att sedan sortera ut det data som vi tolkade var relevant för uppsatsen. Genom att vi har tolkat respondenternas svar djupgående för att förstå hur deras arbetssituation såg ut så har vi använt oss av en hermeneutikisk kunskapssyn.</p><p>Genom att jämföra våra teoretiska antaganden med det empiriska materialet så har vi kommit fram till att aktörerna på den svenska hotellmarknaden anpassar sig till en stor grad till de svenska human resource strategier som präglas av den svenska organisationskulturen. Den enda avvikelse som vi upptäckte var att under variabeln osäkerhetsundvikande så ansåg vi att Accor präglades av den franska organisationskulturen och hade alltså inte fullt ut anpassat sig till de strategier som präglar det svenska human resource arbetet. Vi anser att vi har uppnått vårt syfte med denna uppsats och idag så har vi en större förståelse om vilka human resource strategier som är framgångsrika på den svenska hotellmarknaden.</p>

<p>Två begrepp som ofta diskuteras inom organisationsteori är Medarbetarskap och Human resource management. Personalen ses ofta som ett företags främsta resurs. Denna uppsats bygger på en kvantitativ undersökning bland personalen inom en Telekomkedja. Vårt syfte är att bringa klarhet i frågan om i vilken utsträckning det ”myndiga medarbetarskapet” existerar, hur olika strategiska åtgärder påverkar försäljningen, vad som påverkar medarbetarnas motivation samt hur deras lojalitet gentemot arbetsgivaren ser ut.</p><p>Undersökningen visar att personalen i Telekomkedjan trivs bra på sin arbetsplats. Det ”myndiga medarbetarskapet” existerar till stor del och personalen anser sig ha goda möjligheter att påverka. Vi har även lyckats hitta ett antal strategiska åtgärder som påverkar försäljningen positivt. Motivationsfaktorerna är främst beroende av sociala relationer och det har visat sig att relationer medarbetarna emellan är minst lika viktiga som relationen mellan medarbetaren och närmsta chefen. Medarbetarna uppger även att de har en stark lojalitet mot företaget ifråga både till den närmsta butiken där de arbetar, gentemot butikskedjan som helhet samt koncernen de tillhör.</p>

Every organization has to deal with planning of the appropriate level of human resources over time. The workforce is not always aligned with the requirements of the organization and it increases an organization’s budget. A literature review reveals that there is no model that can systematically predict accurate human resource required within a complex organization. To address this gap, a human resource predictive model was developed based on material requirements planning (MRP). This approach accounts for complexity in workforce planning and generalized it with a logistic regression model. The model estimates the employee turnover number and forecasts the expected remaining headcount for the next time period based on employee information such as; age, working year, salary, etc. Moreover, external variables and economic data can be utilized to adjust the estimated turnover probability. This model also suggests the possible internal workforce movement in case of in-house manpower imbalance.

Prior research has shown that differences in human resource management (HRM) perception/practices do exist between nations. These differences have been attributed to variations in culture. The fundamental purpose of this study was to determine whether subcultures differing in location, religion, and ethnicity significantly affect perception/ practices of human resource management within a common national context (Indonesia). A secondary purpose of the current study was to compare with those found within Indonesia by the Best International Practices Consortium or Best Practices Project (BPP). Participants in the present study were 762 agri-business employees who were members of three distinctly separate subcultures within Indonesia; Sundanese/ Javanese, Balinese, and Minahasan. Data are obtained through the distribution of written questionnaires modeled after those employed by the BPP. Within each subculture, there were numerous disparities between current perceived practices and those desired by employees. This study also revealed several significant differences in HRM practices and perceptions across the three observed subcultures in the areas of hiring, training, performance appraisal, leadership, and communications. Participants reported differences in current and desired managerial styles across subcultures. However, within these groups, current management practices matched employee preferences. The overall findings of the present study differed from those of the BPP. These differences may be attributable to dissimilarities in the samples for the two studies’ samples. This study indicates that employee attitudes and perceptions of HRM practices do differ across cultural boundaries within a common national context. This discovery has wide implications for international companies which may be looking to establish overseas enterprises in countries with diverse cultural populations.