The purpose of this study was to explore career outcomes in young adulthood for individuals with ADHD and/or high abilities. The sample included respondents who had valid ability and ADHD measures from waves 1 (1995), 3 (2002), and 4 (2009) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health in-home questionnaire. Using multiple group path analysis, we examined the pathways for three groups of individuals (i.e., ADHD, high ability, and both). Our findings indicated shared as well as unique pathways in these three groups, involving their parents’ education, parental educational expectation, family income, school attachment, depression and anxiety symptoms, educational aspiration, high school GPA, and post-secondary educational enrollment modeled on perceived social class, occupational status, and career goal attainment. The findings suggested group differences in some significant pathways. Knowledge about these trajectories will help educational and mental health professionals better understand the potential supports and barriers in career success for these individuals with exceptionalities.

Approximately 70% of small and medium-sized enterprises fail due to a lack of effective leadership succession planning. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies that some business leaders in the manufacturing sector in Jamaica used to implement leadership succession plans. Data were collected from semistructured interviews conducted with 5 business leaders who participated in the succession strategies of a manufacturing organization in Jamaica. Data were analyzed according to Yin's 5-step process. Analysis of data collected from interview sessions and review of company documentation were used to conduct methodological triangulation to validate the findings. Five themes emerged from data analysis: (a) identification of mission-critical roles, (b) talent acquisition and selection, (c) successor development and retention program, (d) organizational designs and policy implementation, and (e) senior leadership support and participation. The findings of this study might be used by business leaders to impact social change by developing and creating a leadership pipeline from diverse backgrounds to ensure future business growth in a competitive global environment.

Organizations across the United States lose hundreds of millions of dollars each year due to the lack of effective succession planning for information technology executives. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies for the development and implementation of effective succession plans for future information technology executives. Bass and Avolio's transformational leadership theory was the conceptual framework for this study. The 3 participants were selected based upon their roles as executives in technology-related positions and their experiences with succession planning. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with these executives from a company headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Organizational documents, including an employee assessment form and a description of attributes that each information technology professional is measured against, were also analyzed. Yin's 5-phase model was used to analyze the data; steps included compiling, disassembling, reassembling, clarifying, and the development of conclusions. The 3 major themes that emerged from data analysis were diversity of background, professional development, and sourcing of executives to improve the success of information technology executives. Using study findings, organizational leaders may help to bring about social change by enhancing the growth of high-performing information technology professionals. Assessing talent and tailoring development opportunities, coupled with mentorship, could help information technology professionals prepare for future positions that positively impact employee morale, establish a common vision across their organizations, and identify opportunities for interaction with local communities.

Leaders of third-party logistics companies face a critical talent shortage because of the global deficiency of supply-chain professionals. The lack of trained supply-chain professionals negatively affects business and market performance. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by third-party logistics hiring managers to recruit supply-chain talent to meet industry demands. The resource-based view theory was used as a lens for this study. Data were collected from 5 Pennsylvania third-party logistics hiring managers from interviews, organizational documents, and company websites. Member checking occurred after transcription and summarization of the interview data. Data analysis occurred using Yin's 5-step process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding data. Four themes emerged from the data: (a) strategies for recruitment resourcing, (b) strategies to address market drivers, (c) interview method strategies, and (d) strategies for determining skill requirements. The findings and recommendations resulting from this study might be valuable to senior management, human resource leaders, and hiring managers for creating strategic plans to address recruitment to alleviate supply-chain talent shortages. The implications for positive social change include the potential for business leaders to decrease unemployment, produce greater local economic stability, and improve the standard of living of community residents.

Oil and gas industry business leaders who fail to implement adequate talent retention strategies experience reduced profits and sustainability challenges. During the first 2 years following downsizing, 67% of organizations using excuse-based downsizing reflected reduced sales and profitability, and 11% of such organizations experienced financial losses. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that successful Calgary medium size oil and gas businesses implemented to retain talented employees after downsizing. The population for the study included business leaders of 3 medium oil and gas businesses in Calgary, Canada, who had successfully implemented talented employee retention strategies. Data were collected from interviews with the leaders and from artifacts such as the company websites and social media pages. Inductive analysis was guided by the transformational leadership theory and human capital theory, and trustworthiness of interpretations was bolstered by member checking. Five themes emerged: transformational leadership, training survivors, establishing trust, rewarding and recognizing surviving employees, and competing for survivor employees with other industries. The application of the findings from this study could contribute to positive social change by providing insights for medium oil and gas business leaders on the strategy implementation for talent retention that increases workplace stability and employees supporting their families as well as contributing positively to their communities.

Kompetensförsörjning är ett brett begrepp som innefattar många moment i en organisations strategiska arbete med att förse organisationen med rätt kompetenser. Denna studie syftar att bidra till kunskapsutvecklingen kring kompetensförsörjning som finns i tidigare forskning inom ämnet. Studien genomförs i små och medelstora företag, i en pendlingskommun nära större stad. Vårt huvudsakliga fokus ligger på att lyfta hur organisationer tänker kring och arbetar med att attrahera, rekrytera, utveckla och behålla medarbetare med rätt kompetenser. Vi gjorde därför en kvalitativ studie med semistrukturerade intervjuer där nio organisationer inom den valda kommunen, Vännäs, medverkade. Resultatet visade att företagen i studien både ser utmaningar och möjligheter med kompetensförsörjning, och omfattningen med arbetet kring att attrahera, rekrytera, utveckla och behålla kompetent arbetskraft varierar. Det strategiska arbetet påverkas av det geografiska läget, företagens storlek, samt vilka resurser företagen har för att arbeta med de olika delarna i kompetensförsörjningen. Studien visar vidare att andra samhällsinstanser såsom staten, Arbetsförmedlingen och kommunerna, i samarbete med näringslivet, bär ansvaret för att förbättra kompetensförsörjningen i samhället framöver.

Research on talent development has focused on K–12 and adult eminence. This investigation addressed the gap in knowledge regarding talent development between the ages of 18 and 27. The purpose was to explain how a group of emerging adults continued to develop their writing ability into talents valued by themselves and society. The key questions investigated the role of self-perception of high ability in writing in the process of talent development as a lived experience, and the relationship of high ability to adult identity formation. The study also investigated how changes in family relationships and the establishment of independence related to talent development in emerging adulthood. It was a multiple case study of 7 creative writers from top-20 MFA programs. The study results indicated a number of findings. Development of writing talent in emerging adulthood is related to achieving adult identity and independence. Self-perception of high ability was universal, as was creativity. Achievement represented the confluence of intention, intellect, volition, knowledge, and imagination expressed as original work. The psychological process of differentiation and integration was used in adapting to achieve individual goals. Achieving identity for these writers and poets meant finding their voices. Ability was a pervasive factor in achieving identity. Parents, teachers, and peers guided and believed in the subjects’ ability. Family support was generally unconditional. Family mental health issues did not prevent talent development and fathers had a strong impact on sons and daughters. Independence was related to identity and represented having established primacy of self-authority. Contrary to theory, participants benefited from continued institutional support.

<p>Globalisation has brought on dynamic markets and competition, and with that obliged companies to focus on long-term strategies and a greater focus on attracting, developing and retaining its employees. The present hunt for talent can be entitled as talent management, a concept that nowadays cannot be avoided. Talent management evidently not only affects companies, but also the newly graduates that are about to be employed. Students within business and economics are one affected group, since there is an increased competition for the most talented students within that field. Hence, it also concern different universities and Business Schools that offer education within the field as they are expected to provide students with certain skills before entering the working life. This leads us to an investigation of the following problem statement:</p><p>How could a business student become more employable and how does a Business School respond to the requirements of the companies in the view of the war for talent?</p><p>The main purpose with this study is therefore to obtain a comprehension of how newly graduates from Umeå School of Business (USBE) can become increasingly attractive among large organisations within the business world. In this qualitative study we wish to gain a deeper understanding of abovementioned issues and organisations’ talent management, and therefore we have used a hermeneutic perspective.</p><p>Consequently, we have performed telephone interviews with people that are well acquainted with recruitment and human resource related issues at large companies in Sweden. The eight interviewed companies include; Öhrlings PriceWaterHouseCoopers, Sony Ericsson, Volvo Group, Nobia and Nordea, as well as three companies who requested to be held anonymous and are thereby ficticiously named: HRCompetence, CapitalBank and Consultancy AB. In addition, we arranged group interviews with personell at USBE to get an insight of whether the Business School is focusing on facets that are valued by the organisations.</p><p>The scientific approach has been deductive, and the results from the empiricism has therefore been analysed together with recognised theories. The main theories used in this study regards Human Resource Management, Talent Management, Employment and Higher Education Institutions which leads us into Branding.</p><p>The results of the research show that students can become more employable by developing certain characteristics and competences. The most important ones are: driving force, education, work experience, activities in parallel to studies, international experience and good grades. When it comes to the Business School and in this case USBE, it can respond to companies’ requirements by most importantly increasing its corporate and community relations and increase its marketing in order to strengthen its brand. This could be done through providing internships, develop the alumni network, find alternative channels to corporate and community relations and marketing and engaging in internal marketing.</p>

<p>Bakgrund: Vikten av att attrahera rätt personal är stor då företag söker långsiktiga konkurrensfördelar och stora resurser läggs idag på arbetet med denna viktiga uppgift. För att attrahera potentiella arbetstagare använder sig företag idag framförallt av direkt och riktad information till de individer och formella grupper av individer som bedöms som intressanta. Denna typ av kommunikation kan ses utelämna stora delar av den omgivning som inom socialpsykologin anses ha stor påverkan på individens val och agerande. </p><p>Syfte: Att söka förståelse för och vidareutveckla teorin kring hur talent attraction kan ske genom att tilltala individen emotionellt, via den sociala omgivningen och genom att se till individens identitetsskapande. Metod: Genom ett expert- och snöbollsurval har 8 experter inom det valda ämnesområdet identifierats och intervjuats. Formen för intervjuerna har varit av diskussionskaraktär. </p><p>Resultat: Vi har i uppsatsen presenterat stöd för att omgivningen påverkar individens val av arbetsgivare, att val av arbetsgivare har en påverkan på individens identitet och att även emotionella faktorer har inverkan vid individens val av arbetsgivare. Dessa resultat menar vi innebär att potentiella arbetstagare bör ingå som en intressent till varumärket. Detta medför en förändrad syn på hur arbetsgivare kan arbeta med talent attraction då emotionella och symboliska faktorer utgör ett komplement till de rationella och kompensatoriska faktorer som vi sett dominera dagens teoribildning.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.