Talent management has been viewed both as a relatively new phenomenon that can deliver competitive advantage and as the latest management fad that is nothing more than a sub-section of human resources. Much has been written on the subject, albeit predominantly by consultants, so there is little academic rigour on the subject. Moreover, the majority of the literature focused on highlighting the diminishing supply of talent and providing advice to practitioners around recruiting, retaining, developing and rewarding talent. This thesis reviewed the existing literature to provide a holistic view on talent management in order to add value both at the academic and practitioner level. It focussed on what conditions an organisation is advised to put in place in order to leverage the performance of talent and whether talent can have a significant impact on organisational performance. The secondary research suggested that talent could act as a lever for organisational performance. This was tested through primary research, from the organisational and individual perspective, and resulted in the identification of four conditions that impacted on the performance of talent. These conditions were grouped into a model, which was tested both by the case study organisations and by organisations that had not been involved in the research. The findings were used to adapt the model and this is offered for subsequent researchers to further develop in order to explore generalisability for all organisations.

Den fundamentala resursen i en kunskapsekonomi är humankapital och jakten på denna resurs tar sig många olika utryck. Många näringslivsaktörer knyter starka band till universitet och högskolor för att positionera sig som attraktiva arbetsgivare för att rekrytera kompetenta medarbetare. Två begrepp som aktualiseras i denna kontext är employer branding och talent management. Denna studie undersöker hur företag inom revision och rådgivningsbranschen engagerar sig på svenska universitet och högskolor utifrån de två koncepten. Frågor som hur och varför de engagerar sig i en akademisk kontext undersöks utifrån en kvalitativ ansats och 10 intervjuer har genomförts med personer med god insyn i företagens relationer med akademin. Studien visar att insatserna på skolorna är betydande och att arbetet i branschen över lag organiseras på ett liknande sätt. Talent management är inte ett begrepp som branschen generellt använder utan verksamheten som avser att attrahera, rekrytera och utveckla personal kategoriseras som employer branding. Avslutningsvis är det av stor vikt att externa löften från företagens sida är kongruenta med den interna verkligheten gällande vilka karakteristika som präglar ett företag.

Since World War II, the U.S. and China have gradually developed links, especially in economic areas. The world is witnessing the two economies intertwine, and it would seem that these two nations might potentially also cooperate and collaborate in social areas as well. Accordingly, it seems desirable to determine the degree to which cross-cultural communication between these two nation-states is feasible and effective. To make this comparison, television—now almost a universal medium of communication—is employed to explore the similarities and differences between the United States and China. In terms of the United States, American Idol is a popular television show which began airing in 2002. Likewise, Super Girl was a popular Chinese television show that was broadcast for three seasons, from 2004 to 2006. Both American Idol and Super Girl are singing talent television shows. The winners of these two shows receive contracts from the national major record companies and can become top popular singers and super stars. This fantasy has attracted thousands of young singers to participate in the contests every year. This study analyzes these two similar television shows, giving full recognition to the extremely diverse cultures in which they exist. Because of the differences between American and Chinese cultures, an eclectic approach would seem initially appropriate. The eclectic approach includes a combination of four research methods: content analysis; analog criticism; cross-cultural criticism; and fantasy theme analysis. The hypothesis of this study is that the same type fantasy generates different meanings and results in these two distinct cultures. / Department of Telecommunications

Organisational culture is one key phenomenon that was investigated both in comparative ways as well as an influence on various management mechanisms and systems, in academic and practitioner literature. Talent management is one such mechanism that has attracted debate in practitioner domains, although academic research is lacking. This study investigates the effect of organisational culture on employee talent management, taking the case of Malta based ICT companies. It includes a review of literature about organisational culture and structure, agency and talent management, exploring gaps in literature that call for further research. In addressing one such gap, this study reports the findings established in research conducted among identified stakeholders who are related to the Maltese ICT sector. It presents the views discovered through qualitative interviews among senior and middle management in ICT firms. These views are compared and contrasted against the findings made from a quantitative investigation involving a self-completion survey, in which, 79 managers and 128 employees engaged in ICT firms in Malta participated. The main findings suggest that most organisations do not have a culture built around a clear set of values. Secondly, there is no talent structure based on HR practices that feeds into the business strategy. Thirdly, this research found no evidence of measurement of the return on investment of talent among the Maltese ICT firms participating in this study. These findings support some of the theoretical issues presented in the literature review that show the lack of guiding principles around talent and the impact of organisational culture on the management of talents. The recommendations presented in this study show how organisations can embrace a culture focusing on creating a talent “mindset” for effective talent optimisation that enhances performance and productivity.

This case study examined ways elementary school students from diverse populations (minorities and children from low socioeconomic status environments) were included in a talent development program, and determined if that inclusion proved to be beneficial for gifted identification. With intentional regard for the idea of talent development, this study sought to uncover the nuts and bolts of one district’s effort to create a program for young elementary school students (K-3). This investigation used interviews, a focus group, document reviews, and standardized achievement measures to study how the talent development program for underrepresented students was created and implemented. A synthesis of data showed that the program resulted in the gifted identification of fourteen out of twenty-eight students by third grade from the program. The results of the study have important implications for educators desiring researched based strategies for increasing student diversity in their elementary gifted programming. This study suggests that an action decision has to be made by policy makers about those underrepresented in the gifted process or the inequities that have beleaguered the gifted field since the beginning will ensue. Lessons learned from the program are shared to inform practice. A commitment to developing talent in early elementary school students from diverse low socioeconomic backgrounds is a viable option and should be pursued and encouraged.

Title: Exogenous factors selected for the development of football talent Targets: The aim of this study was to characterize selected exogenous factors influencing the development of football talent. Find out how and how much these factors influence the football talents in the Czech Republic. Methods: In the work was used qualitative research. Structured interview method was applied to obtain information from agents and football coaches of youth teams. The questionnaire method with open questions was applied to the football talent and stakeholders of football grounds. Comparison method was used to compare the information. Results: The results summarize the degree of influence and share of each factor in the development of football talent in the Czech Republic. Results from questionnaires and interviews are presented in a written summary and presented in the same order in which questions were asked. Keywords: Talent, football, football agent

In my thesis I deal with issues of selection and training of talents in the youth football teams 1.FK Pribram. I play football from early childhood, so I can use my experiences in problematic selection and in training of football talents. Theoretical part I divided into eight chapters. The first chapter describes the history of football. The second chapter describes the history of football in our country. The third chapter deals with the characteristics of the current concept of football. Follows the fourth chapter, where are graphs of football competitions from the ages preparatory to adult men's category. In the fifth chapter is detailed content of the performance of an individual, game, goalie and the coach's personality and his work. Chapter six is devoted mainly characteristics of age periods from preparatory to older pupils. The penultimate chapter contains objectives, content and output of training groups from each age. Final eighth chapter describes talents and the selection of talents. Researching part is created by my own research in selecting and training talents. In my work I set hypotheses and results of research either confirm or refute them. Part of my job is also an empirical investigation, where I used the method of questionnaire and structured interview methods, including...

In the increasingly competitive labor market it is becoming important for organizations to attract and retain competent employees. There are constant demands and pressures that organizations should comply. Therefor organizations need to have employees with the right knowledge to maintain their competitive advantage. By working systematically with the working environment, organizations can create basic conditions to strengthen their Employer Branding. The concept of Employer Branding have gained a significant role during the past decade and has evolved to become a key strategic priority for organizations. What matters is to appear as the most attractive employer in the market in order to retain and attract the most qualified talent. The study aims to identify and analyze the processes involved in Employer Branding. The results of the study show signs that many organizations have similar processes within their Employer Branding. In the subsequent discussion, the researchers have structured a model that can explain the approach on Employer Branding, where the working environment and Talent Management plays an important role.   Key words: Employer Branding, Talent Management, work environment, social media / I en alltmer konkurrensutsatt arbetsmarknad blir det allt viktigare för organisationer att kunna attrahera och behålla kompetenta medarbetare. Det ställs ständiga krav och riktlinjer som organisationer förväntas efterfölja. Detta leder till att organisationer har behov av medarbetare med rätt kunskap för att kunna vara konkurrenskraftiga. Att skapa en arbetsplats för medarbetarna som ökar trivseln gynnar arbetsgivarna och bör ligga i deras intresse. Genom att systematiskt arbeta med arbetsmiljö kan organisationer skapa de grundförutsättningar som krävs för att stärka sitt Employer Brand.   Begreppet Employer Branding har fått en betydande roll under det senaste decenniet och har utvecklats till att bli en viktig strategisk prioritering för ledningen inom många organisationer. Det handlar alltså om att organisationer vill framstå som de mest attraktiva arbetsgivarna på marknaden. Studiens syfte är att kartlägga och analysera vilka processer som ingår i Employer Branding och undersöka hur dessa används i praktiken. Det teoretiska ramverket som denna studie har sin utgångspunkt i, berör Employer Branding samt olika organisationsteorier för att få en ökad förståelse för detta ämne. Undersökningen består utav en kvalitativ ansats där ett flertal semistrukturerade intervjuer av olika organisationer genomförts. Genom en abduktiv ansats har författarna kunnat skifta mellan den teoretiska referensramen och empiri. Resultatet i studien visar tendenser på att många organisationer har likartade processer i arbetet med Employer Branding. I efterföljande diskussion har författarna till denna studie strukturerat upp en modell som kan förklara arbetssättet kring Employer Branding, där arbetsmiljö och Talent Management spelar en viktig roll.   Nyckelord: Employer Branding, Talent Management, arbetsmiljö, sociala medier

Retaining and developing high potential managers as part of a leadership pipeline is a critical aspect for business, and understanding not only the strengths these managers bring, but also how they derail and how interventions could be tailored to avoid derailment, or at least lessen the impact, is imperative for sustainable growth. The aim of the research is to highlight differences, if any, between gender and generations, in order to ascertain whether unique developmental programmes or derailment interventions would be required based on an individual's gender and age.

Aerospace and defense leaders need corporate image branding strategies to improve their attraction of engineering talent to the industry. The purpose of this single case study was to explore corporate image branding strategies leaders use at an aerospace and defense company to attract talent and increase competitive advantage. The framework for this study was the recruitment equity model. The sample population consisted of 5 marketing leaders and 5 talent acquisition leaders of an aerospace and defense company in the eastern region of the United States. The study participants had a minimum of 5 years of experience attracting engineering talent using branding strategies. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and a review of the company's talent attraction plan. The data analysis process included methodological triangulation, coding, and identifying themes. Four themes emerged: having an attractive place to work, using social media to attract talent, ensuring the mission is the basis for attracting talent, and attracting untapped talent. Findings from this study might assist aerospace and defense leaders in implementing corporate image branding strategies that close the gap of talent attraction to the aerospace and defense industry. The implications for positive social change include the potential to increase innovation and reduce national security vulnerabilities by attracting talent to the aerospace and defense industry. The business leaders of aerospace and defense will keep the industry viable by attracting top engineering talent to a workforce that is responsible for eliminating the advanced threats to the nation and its allies.