A SHORT FORM MEASURE OF CAREER ORIENTATIONS: A PSYCHOMETRIC EVALUATION

This paper reports on the results of two studies involving the development and construct validation of a short form of the Career Orientations Inventory. The short form was factor analytically derived and tested in two separate field studies of IS employees. The short form measures nine career orientations: technical, managerial, autonomy, job security, geographic security, service, pure challenge, lifestyle and entrepreneurship. Extensive evidence of the reliability and validity of the measure was demonstrated in both studies (the development - Study 1- and the validation - Study 2). A nomological network of the relationships between career orientations and various individual difference and satisfaction measures was tested and provided additional evidence of the construct validity of the short form measure.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Development of human capital in the system of economic categories of work

Today, human capital is one of the main factors in the formation of the knowledge economy, which is the highest stage in the development of an innovative, post-industrial economy. The development of intellectual and spiritual capabilities of a person, as well as the accumulation of human capital, which has a strong influence on the productivity and quality of labor, becomes one of the priorities for the future development of the state. This article discusses the development of human capital in the system of economic categories of labor.peer-reviewe

Consumers’ Perceptions of Novel Process Technologies: The Case of High Pressure Processed Chilled Ready Meals

Consumers’ growing concerns with regard to the food supply chain continue to influence their perceptions of emerging novel food processes. The main objective of this study was to explore consumers’ perceptions and potential purchase motivations for chilled ready meals produced using high pressure processing. In-depth one-to-one soft laddering interviews were conducted in-home with 40 purchasers of chilled ready meals, aged between 18 and 44 years, living in Dublin City and County, Ireland. The in-depth discussions explored a range of issues concerning consumers’ acceptance of high pressure processing, as well as their preferences for high pressure processed chilled ready meal concepts. The results of the study showed that consumers were generally receptive towards high pressure processing of chilled ready meals. Subsequent discussions revealed where consumer acceptance issues could potentially arise concerning the application of high pressure processing to chilled ready meals. The soft laddering technique revealed distinct differences between consumer groups across consumption patterns and life stages with regard to their purchase preferences and potential purchase motivations. The insights generated from this research can assist companies design consumer-relevant communication strategies, which effectively differentiate high pressure processed chilled ready meal from incumbent products.Means-end Chain, Consumer Acceptance, Novel Process Technologies., Agricultural and Food Policy,

Individual Determinants of IT Occupational Outcomes

Extant research in information systems relies heavily on career anchor theory (CAS) as a lens to examine occupational choices and outcomes in information technology. Yet, the empirical results are inconclusive, and the power of the theory in predicting IT occupations is rather weak. With the growing demand for IT professionals, we need to examine other factors that can predict the IT occupational outcomes. In this paper, we draw on social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and examine self-efficacy as a complementary factor to career anchors in predicting whether seekers end up with technical, business, or managerial occupations in IT. Specifically, we propose and test a model that combines variables from both CAS and SCCT theories. We use multiple discriminant analysis to measure the extent to which variables from both theories discriminate the IT occupations. The results show that our model predicts occupations with an accuracy rate of 82.2 percent (compared to 75.2 percent for the original CAS model). Our results also show that individuals who hold a professional role that matches their profile are more satisfied than those who do not. Lastly, we discovered that, from individuals who hold a position that does not match their profile, business-IT professionals are most satisfied

Social expectations and satisfaction with professional activity of pedagogical personnel of research university (evidence from the State University of Mordovia)

At the present time Russian higher school enters highly active phase of transformations defined as structural transition from soviet mono-level model of higher education with strict administrative management methods to entirely different so-called “western model”, the main evaluation criterion of which is the results. As it follows from the logic of higher school transformation for more than recent 20 years, the transformations have covered primarily conceptual and technological components of education, then organization-and-administrative, organization-and-financial ones and at last - the components of social structure. In modern Russia the matter of special importance in the recent years is the problem of reproduction of highly-qualified personnel (candidates and doctors of sciences). Additionally, the capability of Russia even to draw near the developed countries of the world on a technological level, in the foreseeable future, depends to a large extent on the intellectual potential, the reproduction of which is performed by higher school and scientific institutions. This paper on the basis of multiple correspondence analyses (MCA) studies results of social survey of teaching staff of the research university. Its authors distinguish definite clusters of teachers according to social and professional capital and social comfort. The paper also reveals interdependence between distinguished groups and their orientation in professional terms, appraises social expectations and satisfaction with professional activity of scientific-pedagogical personnel of the research university.peer-reviewe

Training of Future Education Managers For Professional Activities

Large-scale changes in the social and economic spheres of Russian society revealed the demands for managers with non-standard thinking and a high cultural level. Specific and ambiguous processes in politic, economic and social spheres in different parts of the world have general trends reflecting the evolution of global civilization. In this context, educational systems received new functions aimed at moral growth and improvement of competencies. The highest demand in the field of education is for experienced teachers and administrators who are able to improve the system of education and upbringing, develop scenarios for managing the teaching and learning process, offer the personality-oriented trajectories for students, make an independent choice and fulfill corrective and diagnostic functions. The transformed socio-economic context led to positive changes in the field of professional education. One of the basic features of the modern educational systems is the training of highly qualified education managers. Such individual characteristics as the ability to continuous self-improvement, creativity, communication skills, entrepreneurial skills, the ability to analyze and foresee, etc. play an increasing role in the professional training. The most important place in the training of education managers is occupied by pedagogical technologies aimed at mastering the necessary competencies in economics, management, psychology and related disciplines. In the context of the innovative transformations of Russian education, the pressing need to integrate new management schemes into the practice of educational institutions and the problem of pedagogical training in the field of management becomes very urgent. Qualified management creates conditions for improving the educational environment, increasing the quality of educational services. The educational system should prepare young citizens capable of making a feasible contribution to the formation of the law-based state. Currently, it is necessary to optimize the activities of education managers responsible for the implementation of the state programs to improve and innovate the economy, science and education. The management culture of education managers is beginning to play a decisive role in the creation of a democratic society in the Russian Federation based on respect for individual rights and freedoms. The creation of the most favorable conditions for the integration of students into the educational and cultural environment is aimed at creating a high level of management culture of future education managers

Training of Future Education Managers For Professional Activities

Large-scale changes in the social and economic spheres of Russian society revealed the demands for managers with non-standard thinking and a high cultural level. Specific and ambiguous processes in politic, economic and social spheres in different parts of the world have general trends reflecting the evolution of global civilization. In this context, educational systems received new functions aimed at moral growth and improvement of competencies. The highest demand in the field of education is for experienced teachers and administrators who are able to improve the system of education and upbringing, develop scenarios for managing the teaching and learning process, offer the personality-oriented trajectories for students, make an independent choice and fulfill corrective and diagnostic functions. The transformed socio-economic context led to positive changes in the field of professional education. One of the basic features of the modern educational systems is the training of highly qualified education managers. Such individual characteristics as the ability to continuous self-improvement, creativity, communication skills, entrepreneurial skills, the ability to analyze and foresee, etc. play an increasing role in the professional training. The most important place in the training of education managers is occupied by pedagogical technologies aimed at mastering the necessary competencies in economics, management, psychology and related disciplines. In the context of the innovative transformations of Russian education, the pressing need to integrate new management schemes into the practice of educational institutions and the problem of pedagogical training in the field of management becomes very urgent. Qualified management creates conditions for improving the educational environment, increasing the quality of educational services. The educational system should prepare young citizens capable of making a feasible contribution to the formation of the law-based state. Currently, it is necessary to optimize the activities of education managers responsible for the implementation of the state programs to improve and innovate the economy, science and education. The management culture of education managers is beginning to play a decisive role in the creation of a democratic society in the Russian Federation based on respect for individual rights and freedoms. The creation of the most favorable conditions for the integration of students into the educational and cultural environment is aimed at creating a high level of management culture of future education managers

MENTORING AND EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AS DETERMINANTS OF JOB PRODUCTIVITY OF LIBRARY PERSONNEL IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA.

The study examined mentoring and employee motivation as a determinant of job productivity of library personnel, given the increasing importance and need for library personnel in providing effective and efficient information service delivery. In this ever-changing need of library users, it is necessary to examine what determines the job productivity of library personnel. A survey design was adopted for this study. The total number of library personnel in the ten university libraries was one hundred and fourteen, which constitutes the respondents for the study. A total enumeration was adopted in the study as eighty-six library personnel were used as the sample size. A questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency counts, simple percentages, and inferential statistics of regression with the use of the Software Package for Service Solution (SPSS) tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The finding showed that the job productivity level of the library personnel is of a significant rate of 79.1%, which implies that they are productive and also mentoring determines their job productivity at 65.1% while the extent of the motivation of the library personnel responds rate is 58.1%. Mentoring (Beta = .510, t= 7.537, P\u3c0.05) and motivation (Beta = .259, t= 4.108, P\u3c0.05) had relative influence on job productivity. The study concluded that mentoring and motivation are essential for the development of productive library personnel. This study recommends that universities should embolden motivational practices. Also, libraries should improve on their mentoring activities by encouraging the transfer of novel and long-standing skills to younger library personnel in the profession as a means of increasing their loyalty and increasing job productivity

The consequences of a mismatch between employee needs and job attributes in the information systems field : an empirical survey

Includes bibliography.The high turnover of IS staff in South Africa continues to be a source of concern to organisations relying on Information Technology. Such turnover is costly, and leads to delays in project completion; loss of valuable experience; and reductions in IS department productivity. One of the suggestions for reducing turnover that is frequently encountered in the literature is for organisations to implement a dual-career path for their IT staff. This advice is based on the assumption that IT personnel hold either a Managerial or Technical Career Orientation, and that the dual-career path will, therefore, meet the needs of all IT personnel. This study shows that such an assumption is invalid. As a group, IT professionals in South Africa are shown to have a wide diversity of career orientations. In addition, professionals with different career orientations are shown to be very different types of employee, having different needs and values, and exhibiting different levels of performance in the job. As expected, professionals also tend to occupy jobs that are most likely to fulfil their career orientations. Furthermore, IT professionals whose jobs are congruent with their orientations show significantly greater job and career satisfaction, higher organisational commitment, and less intention to leave their organisations, than their counterparts who experience a mismatch. In contrast, the matched group as a whole did not show superior perceived performance in the mismatched group, although certain orientations did exhibit such differences. It is critical that organisations take cognisance of the diversity of IT personnel in their employ, and adopt career planning and motivational strategies flexible enough to accommodate each orientation. This study has shown that the implementation of a dual-career path will satisfy a scant 10.2% of the individuals surveyed. Thus, greater focus by organisations on understanding the individual, and less on seeking to manage the IT profession as a group, will result in personnel experiencing greater satisfaction, as well as more commitment to, and less likelihood of leaving, their employing organisations. It is recommended that research is continued into the career orientations of IS personnel. Specifically, it would be valuable to improve and refine the instrument assembled in this study, the aim of producing a measure that researchers and, moreover, employers can utilise to assess how various jobs match the different career orientations known to exist. Also, it would be beneficial to examine further the performance levels of individuals in positions incompatible with their orientations, and to examine why different levels of performance between matched and mismatched individuals were exhibited by only certain of the orientations. Finally, research should be performed into the different career paths, positions and assignments most suited to the individual orientations, in order to enable organisations to achieve a better fit between the needs of the organisation, and the needs of the IT employee. It is recommended that research is continued into the career of IS personnel. Specifically, it would be valuable to improve and refine the instrument assembled in this study, with aim of producing a measure that researchers and, moreover, employers can utilise to assess how various jobs match the different career orientations known to it would be beneficial to examine further the performance levels of individuals positions incompatible with orientations, and to examine different levels of between matched and mismatched individuals were by only certain of the orientations. Finally, research should performed into the different career paths, positions and assignments most suited to the individual in order to enable organisations to achieve a between the needs of the and the needs of the employee