Internal communication and employee engagement: Integration plan for do it better

Nowadays, companies have started to pay more attention to their human resources, looking at them as an internal market, which they should seek to satisfy in the first place. Thus, they should use internal marketing and communication techniques that will help them build an employer branding strategy, with the intention of creating a positive image of the organizational environment in the employees’ perspective, as well as generating greater commitment and involvement between both parties. These strategies should be implemented from the first contact employees have with their company, during their onboarding process. In this context, this project aims to develop an integration plan for new employees at Do It Better, a certified professional training center. Therefore, we used different methods for collecting information, including a semi-structured interview, two survey questionnaires (internal and external), and the analysis of internal and external statistical data. In the services marketing-mix, a six-step integration plan was proposed, defining the items that would be included in it, as well as how it would be implemented in the company.Atualmente, as empresas têm vindo a dar maior importância aos seus recursos humanos, olhando para estes como um mercado interno que devem procurar satisfazer em primeiro lugar. Deste modo, devem usar técnicas de marketing e comunicação interna que as ajude a estabelecer uma estratégia de "employer branding", tendo como objetivo criar uma imagem positiva da empresa na perspetiva dos colaboradores, bem como de gerar um maior compromisso e envolvimento entre ambas as partes. Estas estratégias devem ser implementadas desde o primeiro contacto que os colaboradores têm com a empresa, durante o processo de integração. Neste âmbito, o presente projeto tem como objetivo desenvolver um plano de integração para novos colaboradores para a Do It Better, centro de formação certificada profissional. Para tal, recorreu-se a diferentes métodos para a recolha de informação, entre os quais uma entrevista semiestruturada, dois questionários por inquérito (um interno e um externo) e a análise de dados estatísticos internos e externos. No marketing-mix de serviços, foi proposto um plano dividido em seis passos, onde se definiram os itens que seriam incluídos, bem como a forma como este seria implementado na empresa

The impact of economic crisis in Greece: key facts and an overview of the banking sector

Nowadays, the global economic crisis (GEC) highly influences organizations through its macroeconomic causes and effects, which account for a significant impact on firms’ human resources (HR) practices and labor relations (IR) as well. Of greatest concern is the extent to which the actual impacts of the crisis may be hoarding future problems for organization’s operations. Owing to the dynamic nature of contemporary business, its complexity, along with the increasing need for expertise, strategic HR interventions are highly required in an attempt of creating mature and resilient, in HR terms, organizations which will be able to assure their competitiveness, survival, change and growth. However, most organizations (banks) failed to adequately finance their daily operations, accompanied by their failure to finance national economies as well. In that event, the straightaway effects of GEC have resulted into a collapse of most financial systems and in major shortages at financial institutions around the globe. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the impact of GEC through demonstrating key facts related to the current economic crisis in Greece, and more precisely for Greek banking organizations

Twittering for talent: Private military and security companies between business and military branding

Private military and security companies (PMSCs) play an increasingly important role in the provision of security-related services. In their attempts to win new clients and find suitable personnel, they take on different identities by presenting themselves as conventional businesses, military actors, and humanitarians. In this article, we examine how PMSCs deploy these identities when they recruit new personnel through social media. Our computer-assisted content analysis of Twitter messages posted by two major United States-based companies—CACI and DynCorp International—shows that while both PMSCs amplify their business and military identities to attract the most talented personnel, they construct and communicate these identities in different ways with CACI branding itself as a sophisticated, modern, and patriotic business and DynCorp as a home-grown, traditional military provider. In addition, our analysis lends force to scholars suggesting that state militaries and the private security sector compete increasingly for prospective employees using similar strategies. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Communication transparency in ethical and traditional banking in Spain

Transparency is a key value in the thinking of ethical banks, but do they perform different practices over traditional banking that justify or support that commitment to transparency? This study examines transparency in the communication process in two different types of banking in Spain: ethical/alternative banking and traditional banking. The identification of an explicit commitment to transparency, the analysis of disclosed information, the identification of information channels and the identification of stakeholders allow assessing transparency, which appears as a complex concept that has more to do with corporate philosophy rather than with the actions developed to achieve a greater transparency level, where the resources of the financial institution seem to prevail over the thinking of the organization. This exploratory study will contribute to the knowledge about ESG information disclosure in the banking industry, developing the identification of practices that improve transparency and will result in greater efficiency in decision-making processes

SELF-regulated Lifelong Learning in Law Using LinkedIn

In tertiary legal education, self-regulated learning is demonstrated through active goal-directed, self-control of behaviour, motivation, and cognition for assessment tasks by an individual learner. Self-regulated learning involves a recursive cycle, involving three phases: forethought, performance and reflection. Through the creation of LinkedIn undergraduate e-profiles through the assessed task, the students are trained to be self-regulated learners. The effectiveness of LinkedIn in achieving the aim of self-regulated learning will be evaluated and demonstrated. In addition, professional networks help educate students who hold uninformed views of the workforce they are about to join. Networking is an essential part of building capital, and online social media tools, such as LinkedIn, is a suitable resource. This paper shows one innovative method for encouraging law students to be self-regulated learner in shaping their presence in the professional world by using LinkedIn. Their profiles with the necessary skills will be their foundation to venture into the real legal world. Keywords: Lifelong Learning, Legal Profession, Social Media, Digital Portfolio, Legal Skill

The influence of online professional social media in human resource management: A systematic literature review

Professional social media platforms (PSMs), including LinkedIn, have created better opportunities for students and employees to advance their career aspirations. Though PSMs seem to be an effective human resource management (HRM) tool, in order to leverage PSMs effectively, it is strategically essential to incorporate research inputs from both the employers' and the individuals’ perspectives. Realizing this, academic researchers have been interested in PSMs since the previous decade. However, research on PSMs and their effectiveness continues to be in the embryonic stage. To catalyze scholarly interest and provide a foundation for formulating sound theoretical propositions for the efficient use of PSMs, it is imperative to aggregate and critically evaluate prior findings and provide avenues for future research. Addressing this need, the current study undertakes a systematic literature review to comprehensively understand the influence of PSMs on one particular aspect of HRM—namely, hiring processes. Forty-five studies were selected from existing literature to examine the accumulated knowledge, assess current research boundaries, and derive ways to enrich this area of research further. The study is motivated by the fact that given the short life cycle of social media platforms and information systems, PSMs need to innovate and continuously offer value to their users. The study makes a concrete contribution to PSM literature by generating actionable research avenues for future researchers and providing practical insights for managers and service providers.</p

Analyzing Business-Focused Social Networks in Hiring: The Influence of a Job Candidate\u27s Network on a Recruiter\u27s Hiring Recommendation

Social media has altered the ways in which people interact. Business-focused social media profiles, such as those on LinkedIn, can act as a proxy for a traditional resume. However, these websites differ from a traditional resume in that information presented is sometimes informal, personal, and irrelevant to the member’s career. Furthermore, HR employees are able to view a job candidate’s social network. This research investigates the influence of a recruiter’s knowledge of an applicant’s professional network on the recruiter’s perception of the applicant’s trustworthiness and hence their willingness to take risk in the hiring relationship. A review of the literature covered two areas of research: trust and the use of social networks in hiring. While previous studies connected the trust model to LinkedIn, none of them addressed the influence of a LinkedIn profile’s social network on a hiring manager’s perception of the candidate’s trustworthiness. A survey-based experiment was designed to evaluate how network association bias, a newly created construct, affects a hiring manager’s perception of a job candidate’s ability and benevolence. The experimental model was based on Mayer, Davis, and Schoorman’s trust model. A structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was conducted in RStudio using the lavaan latent variable modeling package. ix The results of this experiment reveal that that a job candidate’s social network impacts how the candidate’s levels of ability and benevolence are perceived by others. Furthermore, it is suggested that a recruiter’s propensity to trust influences the relationship between network association bias and a job candidate’s ability

Strategic Group Analysis of the Social Media Landscape for SMEs

Consumer use of Web 2.0 and social media is well documented. However, the use of such technologies by SMEs has received relatively little attention and the literature has focused on the major social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. In this paper the focus is on a different type of social media website, which is termed SME Social Media Platforms. These are websites designed specifically for SMEs to gain information, network with other SMEs and in some cases conduct online sales through an electronic marketplace. The landscape for SME social media platforms is mapped out using business model and strategic group theory. In total, 158 Social Media Platforms in the US and UK were analysed using a mixed method approach of online panel data and website content analysis. A taxonomy is proposed that is based on strategic groups and web 2.0 sophistication. The theoretical implications are described with respect to the analysis of social media systems and the use of strategic groups. Managerial implications are outlined for different stakeholders including the SME companies, the SME Social Media Platforms and banking and Government bodies wishing to sponsor such platforms