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The remarkable economic success of the Cayman Islands is primarily driven by its large expatriate population. Expatriates make up over one-third of the total population of the Islands and half of the labor force. This has led some Caymanians to demand more opportunities for local individuals. However in April 2014, one of the two local newspapers commented that the problem was that the quality of local graduates was below the standard required by the private sector. This suggests that there is a serious dislocation between the Caymanian education system and the labor market. This also suggests that there may be increasing tension in the future between expatriates and locals with regard to job opportunities, hiring policies, the role of the educational system and the quality of its outputs. This case study examined how local higher education is perceived by the key stakeholders within the Cayman Islands, with a specific focus on its efficacy in preparing students for the labor force. The study also examined what the higher education institutions are doing to help students develop the skills that are required by employers and desired by the labor force; and where there might be opportunities to improve the quality and efficiency of higher education systems and ensure a closer match to the needs of employers in the future. The study examined perceptions primarily through the viewpoint of employers, using human capital development theory, with additional perspectives from social theory and systems thinking. The primary sources of data were semi-structured interviews with employers in major industries in the islands, university faculty in higher education institutions, and recent graduates from these institutions. / Educational Leadership

In the last 30 years, the Swedish housing market has changed from a market characterized by a centralized governing body with a focus on affordable housing for all, to a significantly less regulated market. This shift in the market landscape created a housing market that is not sufficient for the current housing demands. An insufficient supply should theoretically be visible in the personal experiences of a selected group and problems surrounding the acquisition of a place to live should be present. This study aims to identify how a local example could apply to a national phenomenon. To fulfil this aim, empirical evidence was created through interviews conducted with students at Umeå university.  The results show that less students had problems with finding housing when moving than what could be differentiated in the national statistics. This result could be explained by the presence of beneficial circumstances acquired through various forms of human capital. Having a social network, previous knowledge about the town itself or having economic stability indicated an easier acquisition of housing. However, it was deemed that this only aided the process and was not the direct factor in the acquisition of housing, as a correlation between those who experienced problems and the lack of benefits through human capital factors could not be established. The absence of human capital was also never the reason for the problems in acquisition, which further implicates that it is purely beneficially, not strictly mandatory for the acquisition of housing in a new place.

How firms compete for an advantage is among the most critical questions in Business Strategy. While several researchers link executives to key strategic outcomes, much less is understood on how the Upper-Echelon team drives the actual competitive behavior of the firm, which is manifested in the launching of observable and purposeful competitive actions within the marketplace. Considering that competitive behavior research tends to overlook the importance of human assets, in general, and executive human assets, in particular, I explore how the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the Chief Executive (CEO), Top Management Team (TMT), and Board of Directors (BOD) impact a firm's competitive behavior. In addition, I examine how sources of Social Capital, or the relationships between these Upper-Echelon actors, influence a firm's competitive behavior. Moreover, I argue and test for the moderating influence of executive compensation on firm competitive behavior. Applying relational demography to capture Human Capital and sources of Social Capital within the U.S. Pharmaceutical Industry, I find some empirical support that executives do, indeed, affect firm competitive behavior. Overall, the empirical evidence indicates that the Human Capital of the CEO, TMT, and BOD can influence all dimensions of a firm's Competitive Intensity. Unexpectedly and, contrary to prediction, executive dissimilarity (not similarity) tended to greatly influence a firm's Competitive Activity and Repertoire Complexity. Also, the moderating impact of executive bonus and incentive pay was largely supported. This dissertation contributes to both the competitive behavior and Upper-Echelon literatures. Notably, this dissertation adds to the very limited work that attempts to theoretically link and empirically test for executive impact on firm competitive behavior. By so doing, it begins to open the "black box" on how human assets at the Upper Echelon affect strategic outcomes through a firm's competitive behavior. / Ph. D.

Amidst the ever-evolving dynamics of the labour market, business graduates continuallyfind themselves adapting their skill sets to stay competitive and relevant. Extensiveresearch has delved into employability, highlighting the pivotal role of soft skills inadequately preparing business students for today's labour market. Notably, existingliterature indicates that the cultivation of these skills often occurs during youth and isparticularly profound within university settings. However, a debate arises regarding theeffectiveness of business universities in imparting soft skills to students. Given this, priorstudies advocate for closer collaboration between business schools and industry to aligneducation with professional demands and equip students with essential soft skills. In thiscontext, internships emerge as a focal point, with previous research emphasizing theirrole in effectively developing soft skills among students. However, there remains a needfor further research to comprehensively understand how internships influence the processof the development of soft skills. Through a qualitative study and the incorporation ofwell-known theories related to this area, we will delve deeper into this subject. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of internships in enhancing theemployability of business students by contribution to the process of developing four keysoft skills: communication, teamwork, self-management, and problem-solving. Thisobjective is pursued by addressing the following research questions: How can internshipscontribute to the process of the development of communication, teamwork, self-management, and problem-solving skills among Swedish nationals enrolled in businesseducation programs? To achieve this, we conducted in-depth interviews with sevenformer business administration students, all of whom completed internships. Theseindividuals secured employment before their graduation dates, spanning from 2022 to2023, and are all Swedish nationals who pursued their business education at universitiesin Sweden. Through these interviews, we gained insights into their subjectiveexperiences. It has been found, with the application of the experiential learning theory, human capitaltheory, and emotional intelligence theory, that internships indeed contribute to the processof developing communication, teamwork, self-management, and problem-solving skillsamong business students. Furthermore, enhances students’ employability. The analysisindicates that alumni collectively emphasize that internships significantly contribute tothe development of these soft skills, crediting practical experiences, increasedresponsibility, and exposure to workplace dynamics. Consequently, we suggest thatbusiness students should engage in internships. Further, that both business universitiesand organizations at large should encourage and support them in achieving this goal

Temos aktualumas: ES struktūrinių fondų parama daro reikšmingą poveikį visos šalies ekonomikai, todėl jos skyrimas bei poveikis yra itin aktualūs klausimai. Kadangi ES struktūrinių fondų lėšų paskirstymą atlieka valstybinės institucijos, atsiranda galimybė diskutuoti apie jų panaudojimo kryptis bei efektyvumą, teikti pasiūlymus efektyvesniam lėšų panaudojimui ir įsisavinimui. Parama žmogiškojo kapitalo plėtrai labai svarbi siekiant didinti šalies darbo rinkos konkurencingumą, skatinti gyventojų ekonominį aktyvumą bei užimtumą. Didinant gyventojų užimtumą skatinamas visos šalies ekonomikos augimas. Temos naujumas: Temos naujumas pasireiškia naujausios informacijos (publikacijų, statistinių duomenų, gyventojų nuomonės) apie ES struktūrinių fondų paramą žmogiškojo kapitalo formavimui bei plėtrai pristatymu bei analize. Darbas išsiskiria tyrimo metodų įvairove bei rezultatų savalaikiškumu. Nustatomos šiuo metu aktualios problemos panaudojant ES struktūrinių fondų paramą žmogiškojo kapitalo formavimui bei plėtrai bei pasiūlomi būdai, kaip šias lėšas galima būtų panaudoti efektyviau. Darbo tikslas: Ištirti ES struktūrinių fondų paramos panaudojimą žmogiškojo kapitalo formavimui bei plėtrai Lietuvoje ir pateikti efektyvesnio paramos panaudojimo pasiūlymus. Darbo objektas: ES SF parama žmogiškojo kapitalo ugdymui Lietuvoje. Darbo problema: Ar efektyviai panaudojama Europos Sąjungos struktūrinių fondų parama žmogiškojo kapitalo formavimui bei plėtrai Lietuvoje? Darbo uždaviniai: 1)... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / 1. Human capital plays an important role in economic growth as the economic and social development are closely linked to investment in human capital. There is allocated almost 40 percent of total funds dedicated to the operational program of development of Human Resources to increase qualitative employment and social scope. 2. Following the survey of public opinion it was found out that the implementation of developed strategies are being considered extremely poor, while there is a great need to increase economic activity and employment. Increase of economic activity and employment of the population is a problem area. 3. There is lack of support shown for the formation and development of Human capital of the EU Structural Funds after the interview carried by the specialists. Although the support helps to create a more competitive workforce, it is often allocated not considering the real needs of society. The complexity of the procedures of support receiving is also highlighted. 4. It has been found out that the main problem of Educational institutions of the EU Structural Funds is inadequate compatibility of projects. 5. The measures for the additional funding for higher education organizing adult education programs should be provided in order to improve the use of formation and development of human capital of EU Structural Funds and take into account the real needs of society. 6. The skills of administering personnel should be... [to full text]

This thesis is a result of a research conducted during three months in four State Protected Conservation Units in the State of Amazonas in Brazil. The world‟s largest PES-program - Programa Bolsa Floresta, will serve as case study. The aim of the study is to identify the socio-environmental conditions under which the program is implemented and, to study if the program architecture is in coherence with the livelihood needs of the target group-, and the needs to protect the rain forest. The target group of the program are the river dwellers, “ribeirinhos”, living in extremely isolated areas being excluded from the public safety net of the Brazilian Government.A basic understanding of the livelihood situation was achieved through the use of systematic collection of empirical data. A combination of qualitative semi-structured interviews, quantitative literature reviews and triangulation of data compose the methodological base of the study. The holistic and human centered theoretical framework of Carney‟s Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) laid the theoretical base of the study.Based upon the baseline study made over the local conditions and the context description this study recognizes that the programs architecture is coherent with the most basic needs of the ribeirinhos as well as the need to protect the forest. Due to the programs few years in execution it is hard to determine long-term impacts of the program at this stage. However, even being in an early stage, the program seems to be a potential key mechanism to build the foundation for future sustainable development in the region. The object of the program is to put value on the Environmental Services (ES) provided by the locals and by doing so, compensate them for their loss of capital. The program is designed holistically, i.e. its components include all five capital assets of the SLA framework. The payments given as compensations aim to advocate participatory, social organizational, educative, and self-reliance promoting methods, such as incentives to an alternative income, construction of schools, improved infrastructure, investments in water filters, means for communication, health programs in schools and ambulance boats.

To cope with constant changes in the economic environment, organizations continuously strive to implement appropriate business models that will contribute to increased productivity, reduced costs and a competitive advantage. Organisations need however to choose among different business models and select the option that offer the greatest potential to improve their service delivery, reducing costs and enable them to focus on their core business. This study conceptualized the shared services business model, by focusing on key factors, such as the rationale for implementing a shared services unit over other business models, establishing the processes followed by the banking industry with the implementation of a human capital shared services model, identifying the advantages versus disadvantages of the implementation of the model and to provide recommendations for the development and implementation of shared services models within specific organisational context. The researcher conducted mixed method research to address the research problem which incorporated both qualitative and quantitative research. In the study research was conducted in three phases. During the first phase exploratory research was conducted, consisting of desk study research and industry reports as well as surveys, periodicals and academic publications.During the second phase qualitative research was conducted, through semi-structured interviews. Findings from this research phase were used during the third phase, which was a quantitative study, whereby information gathered from the interviews informed the design of questionnaires. It is evident from the results that there were many similarities between the analyses of the interviews and questionnaires in relation to the literature review. Many commonalities amongst the three banks were identified during the implementation process and in many instances corroborated statements by key authors during the literature review. Both the interviews and analysis of the questionnaires confirmed cost savings, improved customer services and standardization as benefits of a shared services model. It was concluded that the implementation of a human capital shared services model within the banking sector in South Africa contribute positively to each of the banks used in the sample, both from a cost perspective as improvement of efficiencies. It was further concluded that the processes, systems and people involved in the implementation process are critical to successful implementation. Based on the information gathered the researcher recommends that a project team be appointed from inception to finalization of the implementation of a shared services model, which will be required to deal with the planning phase, feasibility study and the full implementation plan relating to the implementation of the model. In practice, this study will provide shared services managers with insights with regards to the implementation process to be followed for implementing a human capital shared services model. It can also provide valuable insight to management with regard to important or key factors to consider, ensuring the effective implementation of the model. Findings of this study may also be extended to other organizations in South Africa, considering the implementation of the shared services model. / Graduate School for Business Leadership / Thesis (M.B.A.)