<p>Many financial organisations are working hard to design a skills management strategy that reflects the overarching national skills need for an institution, in the process of attracting highly skilled Information Technology (IT) specialists. But there are many organisations that are less concerned about mobility across nations and more concerned about the need to retain highly skilled IT staff. The pace and ubiquity of the information technologies&rsquo / (IT) progress means that organisations need to improve on their technologies, and so the skills needed to operate and utilise these technologies. The need for a highly IT skilled workforce is rising and, therefore, organisations will have to move beyond their traditional policies and practices to retain highly skilled IT staff. Organisations are employing and utilising various models, frameworks and strategies to nurture and address the retention of skilled IT staff. Even though these methods are well implemented and coordinated within organisations, skilled IT staff still leave organisations and minimises the level of retaining skilled IT staff. This is a functional shortfall at a management level, since a coherent lack to monitor the impact of external factors on retention strategies are overlooked. The same holds for the financial sector in South Africa. Therefore the aim of this research was to propose effective retention strategies for employers within the financial environment, to retain their skilled IT workforce. In order to fulfil the objectives of this study, the literature review had been performed followed by the empirical field research. The field data were gathered by using twofold data collection technique: disseminating a questionnaire and interviewing participants in this study. The fieldwork followed the University of the Western Cape guidelines on research ethics. The outcomes of the study showed that there is a strong correlation between having good HR retention policies and procedures, and the management of these policies and procedures. The findings suggested the importance of involving employees at all employment levels to provide input on the development of these policies and procedures so that the retention process is well understood across the firm Apart from contributing to the existing academic knowledge area, the study outcomes can beneficially contribute to organisations&rsquo / advantage and ability to retain skilled IT staff on a long-term basis. From a financial services sector perspective, this study will possibly contribute to the existing body of knowledge in the field of Staff Retention especially the area of Information Technology.</p>

<p>Many financial organisations are working hard to design a skills management strategy that reflects the overarching national skills need for an institution, in the process of attracting highly skilled Information Technology (IT) specialists. But there are many organisations that are less concerned about mobility across nations and more concerned about the need to retain highly skilled IT staff. The pace and ubiquity of the information technologies&rsquo / (IT) progress means that organisations need to improve on their technologies, and so the skills needed to operate and utilise these technologies. The need for a highly IT skilled workforce is rising and, therefore, organisations will have to move beyond their traditional policies and practices to retain highly skilled IT staff. Organisations are employing and utilising various models, frameworks and strategies to nurture and address the retention of skilled IT staff. Even though these methods are well implemented and coordinated within organisations, skilled IT staff still leave organisations and minimises the level of retaining skilled IT staff. This is a functional shortfall at a management level, since a coherent lack to monitor the impact of external factors on retention strategies are overlooked. The same holds for the financial sector in South Africa. Therefore the aim of this research was to propose effective retention strategies for employers within the financial environment, to retain their skilled IT workforce. In order to fulfil the objectives of this study, the literature review had been performed followed by the empirical field research. The field data were gathered by using twofold data collection technique: disseminating a questionnaire and interviewing participants in this study. The fieldwork followed the University of the Western Cape guidelines on research ethics. The outcomes of the study showed that there is a strong correlation between having good HR retention policies and procedures, and the management of these policies and procedures. The findings suggested the importance of involving employees at all employment levels to provide input on the development of these policies and procedures so that the retention process is well understood across the firm Apart from contributing to the existing academic knowledge area, the study outcomes can beneficially contribute to organisations&rsquo / advantage and ability to retain skilled IT staff on a long-term basis. From a financial services sector perspective, this study will possibly contribute to the existing body of knowledge in the field of Staff Retention especially the area of Information Technology.</p>

This study aimed to describe extension agent perceptions of the Tennessee Extension Agent Performance Appraisal System. A survey instrument was developed to address the research questions. The instrument had two sections: Satisfaction with the Current Appraisal System (14 items) and Satisfaction with Appraiser Performance (7 items). The instrument was reviewed by an expert panel and pilot tested with a group of 39 extension agents. The instrument was deployed online to the study population. The population studied consisted of all extension agents employed by the University of Tennessee and Tennessee State University in January, 2010 (N=312). The total completed responses were 218 for a completed response rate of 69%. In this study, seven in ten respondents (78.8%) felt that the current appraisal system should be improved. The desired improvements included: (a) The extension agents’ desire to have direct, annual appraisal interviews with the regional director; (b) The extension agents’ desire for a performance appraisal rubric that more accurately reflects their actual job duties; (c) The extension agents’ desire to make the performance appraisal system less time-consuming and efficient; and (d) The need for more instruction in performance appraisal for county directors. Overall, extension agents were satisfied with the roles and behaviors of their appraisers (county directors), and county directors were equally satisfied with the roles and behaviors of their appraisers (regional directors). The majority of extension agents and county directors viewed their appraiser’s performance in conducting the appraisal with positive judgment, fairness, and trust by their subordinates. The major recommendations emerging from this study are the provision of professional development for all appraisers to ensure accurate and effective performance appraisal, and exploration of strategies to require less effort on the part of the extension agent to prepare the appraisal materials.

Turismutbildningar på högskolenivå har växt fram som ett resultat av att förstärka kompetensförsörjningen och konkurrenskraften inom turistbranschen. Studien undersöker hur HR chefer inom turismrelaterade företag värderar högskoleutbildning i sin rekryteringsprocess. Utifrån en hermeneutisk analysmetod är målet med studien även att få inblick i chefernas uppfattning kring utbildnings och kompetensbehovet i deras bransch idag. Uppsatsens empiriska resultat utgörs av fyra kvalitativa intervjuer med HR chefer från resebranschen respektive mötesbranschen. En femte intervju utfördes även med en forskare från Etour som ett viktigt kunskapsbidrag. Resultatet som styr värderingen av en akademisk examen i rekryteringsprocessen avgörs av tjänst och position. Inom nyckelpositioner med spetskompetenser krävs en högskoleutbildning. Resultatet visade även att yrkesutbildningar och arbetslivserfarenhet värderas samtidigt som möjligheten att arbeta sig upp från vissa positioner genom internrekrytering är vanligt förekommande. / Higher education related to tourism has emerged as a result of strengthening human resource management and the competitiveness in the tourism industry. The objective of this study is to examine how HR managers value an academic degree in their recruitment process. From a hermeneutic analysis, the goal of the study is also to gain insight into managers' perception of educational and skills needs in their industry today. The empirical result of this study consists of four interviews with HR executives from the travel industry and the meeting industry. A fifth interview was also made with a senior university lecturer from Etour as an important contribution of knowledge. The result showed that the valuation of an academic degree in the recruitment process is determined by the kind of tourism employment and location or position. In key positions with core competencies it’s required an academic degree. The results also showed that vocational training and work experience is valued, while the ability to work their way up from certain positions through internal recruitment also is common

The study of career paths within organizations is an issue that has received strong attention in the theoretical literature of organizational economics and management1. From the empirical point of view, however, research in this topic is scarcer and less comprehensive. The gap has been caused to a large extent by the unavailability of data tracking worker's career moves in employee-level surveys and by the lack of information about career management policies in firm-level data. This thesis contributes to fill such hole. It investigates how workers' careers and their behavior as managers depend on the characteristics of the firms where they work and their own personal characteristics, with a strong emphasis in the role of human capital. The research is carried out using micro data at both worker and firm level, available only in relatively recent data sets. The interaction between accumulation of human capital and workers' employment horizons has been frequently recognized as a key issue in explaining why some firms maintain long-term relationships with their employees while others remain closer to what it could be considered spot-market labor contracting. There are nonetheless important factors that have been usually absent in the literature of organizations. This is the case of internal firm structures that may improve or discourage the interactions between different hierarchical levels, affecting eventually to the costs of job change involved in promotions. Both human capital and organization-relational aspects of career paths are objects of study of this thesis. First, it is analyzed how the characteristics of employers and the markets where they work affect the general or firm-specific nature of employees' human capital and, therefore, to the type of employment relationship held. Second, it is investigated how differences in employees' personal characteristics affect their career horizons, the management of their human capital and the type of career moves done. Finally, the effects of these factors on career path outcomes are examined, in terms of leadership behavioral differences among those arriving at managerial levels. A particular attention is paid the important differences between the careers of men and women that are also found in their managerial style. Overall, the research presented here sheds light on what career management schemes adapt better to different product and labor market circumstances. It opens as well a number of challenges for the study of human resources management and shows that population-wide surveys can be very useful tools to carry out empirical investigations in this area, usually dominated by narrower and less representative surveys.

"The role of human resource management (HRM), or simply human resource (HR), practitioners has changed dramatically, especially in the last 10 years. As a result of this change in role, as detailed in the literature review, HRM practitioners require appropriate competencies to maintain effectiveness and enhance the value of their contribution to their organisation..." --p. 1. / Master of Business

No description available.

"The role of human resource management (HRM), or simply human resource (HR), practitioners has changed dramatically, especially in the last 10 years. As a result of this change in role, as detailed in the literature review, HRM practitioners require appropriate competencies to maintain effectiveness and enhance the value of their contribution to their organisation..." --p. 1. / Master of Business

No description available.

Η αλλαγή στη μορφή της κοινωνίας και η αύξηση της εγκληματικότητας κατέστησε επιτακτική την ανάγκη να αλλάξει ο αστυνομικός, μέσω της ανάληψης νέων ρόλων και της εκπαίδευσής του. Στη βιβλιογραφική επισκόπηση διαπιστώθηκε η περιορισμένη μελέτη των Ελλήνων αστυνομικών και για το λόγο αυτό πραγματοποιήθηκε η συγκεκριμένη διατριβή που σκοπό είχε να εξεταστούν οι γνώσεις και η μεταβίβαση των αστυνομικών πρακτικών και τεχνικών στον εργασιακό χώρο. Η έρευνα εστίασε στη μελέτη της στάσης, της συμπεριφοράς και της νοοτροπίας του αστυνομικού σε σχέση με την αποτελεσματικότητα της εκπαίδευσής του, καθώς και της ανανέωσης δεξιοτήτων μέσω προγραμμάτων συνεχιζόμενης εκπαίδευσης. Παράλληλα, έγινε προσπάθεια αναγνώρισης πιθανών περιορισμών και τομέων που απαιτούν βελτίωση στην εκπαίδευση των Ελλήνων αστυνομικών. Για το σκοπό αυτό, διανεμήθηκαν ερωτηματολόγια σε 83 μάχιμους αστυνομικούς, διαφόρων βαθμίδων ιεραρχίας, που υπηρετούσαν σε Αστυνομικά Τμήματα της Ελληνικής Αστυνομίας και σε 94 δόκιμους αστυφύλακες. Από όλους τους συμμετέχοντες ζητήθηκε να αξιολογήσουν οι ίδιοι την πληρότητα των γνώσεων που έχουν αποκτήσει και την ποιότητα της εκπαίδευσής τους. Επίσης, θεωρήθηκε σημαντικό να διαπιστωθεί η αναγκαιότητα της συνεχιζόμενης εκπαίδευσης των αστυνομικών.Η συγκεκριμένη μελέτη έδειξε ότι οι συμμετέχοντες μάχιμοι και δόκιμοι αστυνομικοί επιζητούν τη συνεχιζόμενη εκπαίδευση λόγω της αλλαγής των μορφών εγκληματικότητας όπως, το ηλεκτρονικό έγκλημα, τρομοκρατία. Αναγνώρισαν την ανάγκη βελτίωσης και ανανέωσης των δεξιοτήτων τους μέσω προγραμμάτων συνεχιζόμενης κατάρτισης. Ακόμη, έδειξε ότι υπάρχει διαφορά μεταξύ των δόκιμων και των μάχιμων αστυνομικών όσον αφορά στην εκπαίδευσή τους. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, ο δόκιμος θεωρεί την εκπαίδευσή του ιδανική εφόσον νιώθει ότι κατά την αποφοίτησή του θα είναι σε θέση να αντιμετωπίσει οποιοδήποτε συμβάν με τον κατάλληλο τρόπο. Η δια βίου μάθηση και εκπαίδευση είναι απαραίτητη και για τον σύγχρονο αστυνομικό και αποδεικνύεται από τη συγκεκριμένη μελέτη η επιθυμία και η ανάγκη των αστυνομικών για συμμετοχή τους σε προγράμματα κατάρτισης. Οι συμμετέχοντες αναγνωρίζοντας την ανάγκη για συνεχή ανανέωση των γνώσεων και δεξιοτήτων προτείνουν την υλοποίηση προγραμμάτων συνεχιζόμενης εκπαίδευσης κάθε 3-5 χρόνια με θέματα που αφορούν κυρίως τεχνικές αυτοάμυνας, αυτοπροστασίας, επικίνδυνης οδήγησης και χρήσης όπλου. Ακόμη, προτείνουν την εφαρμογή και συζήτηση πραγματικών περιστατικών σε εικονικές συνθήκες (case scenario – role playing). Όπως προαναφέρθηκε, η περιορισμένη βιβλιογραφική αναφορά στη μελέτη των Ελλήνων αστυνομικών επιβεβαιώνει την ανάγκη για μελλοντικές έρευνες, όπως η μελέτη του συγκεκριμένου θέματος με μεγαλύτερο αριθμό συμμετεχόντων. Ο σημερινός δόκιμος θα εξελιχθεί σε μάχιμος αστυνομικός και θα μπορούσε να αποτελέσει θέμα για μελλοντική έρευνα η αξιολόγηση της άποψης των δόκιμων μετά από ένα εύλογο χρόνο εμπειρίας τους στον εργασιακό χώρο. Επίσης, πρόταση για μελλοντική έρευνα θα μπορούσε να είναι η αξιολόγηση αστυνομικών μετά τη συμμετοχή τους σε προγράμματα συνεχιζόμενης κατάρτισης όσον αφορά στη μεταφορά της γνώσης στον εργασιακό χώρο. / The role of the police officer is constantly changing according to society’s needs. New forms of crime have emerged thus, requiring a type of police officer with decision making skills and knowledge of advanced technology. A research of the available literature concerning training and development of human resources was carried out and a limited amount of research of Greek police officers was found. This quantitative study examined Greek police officers’ level of knowledge, the transfer of knowledge and their attitudes toward basic training and continuing education. Included were the factors influencing the police officers’ training and the possible need for continuing education needed in order to perform their job more effectively. The police officers’ evaluation towards the efficiency of their training and their attitudes toward continuing development of each one’s skills through continuing education programs were considered. Another aim of this study was to identify possible limitations and areas needing improvement in the Greek police officers’ training. The study included police officers from various departments and divisions of the Hellenic Police Force. Eighty three (n=83) police officers on active duty and ninety four (n=94) police officer cadets. The satisfaction gained from education and training along with each individual’s need for continuing development was examined.The results demonstrated that this sample believed in the value of training and continuing education. Their attitudes and behaviors were greatly influenced by their education. Based on the results, the participants sometimes felt unprepared due to the changing types of crimes such as cybercrimes, human and drug trafficking, terrorism. Continuing education was found to be desired and needed by these officers who suggest the implementation of continuing education programs every 3-5 years concerning such topics as self-defense tactics and use of weapons. They also suggest the use of teaching methods such as role playing and case scenarios in their training program. These findings may provide administrators with information to develop strategic goals and actions needed to improve basic training and continuing education programs. These programs are much needed so that police officers become more efficient in transferring their knowledge to the work environment. Continuous education concerning various policies and updates on new information is recommended to increase job effectiveness. As was mentioned previously, the limited literature found confirms the need for further research by studying a larger sample. A follow-up study should be conducted to measure the improvement in the use of techniques that are necessary for the police officer to efficiently fulfill his duties.