Evaluation of the Jim Joseph Foundation Education Initiative Year 3 Report

Launched in 2010, the Jim Joseph Foundation Education Initiative supports programs at three flagship Jewish institutions of higher education: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), and Yeshiva University (YU). As part of this initiative, HUC-JIR, JTS, and YU designed and piloted new programs, enhanced existing programs, and provided financial assistance to additional programs.American Institutes for Research (AIR) is conducting an independent evaluation of the Jim Joseph Foundation Education Initiative. This report is the third in a series of five annual reports that describe progress toward accomplishing the goals of the Education Initiative

Social Media under Social Control: Regulating Social Media and the Future of Socialization

The process of socialization for new and future journalists will look dramatically different from the process undergone by previous generations of journalists, due to economic realities and changes in the nature of news production. The rise of social media and its role in the establishment of a successful career will also affect the integration of these rising professionals into their employing organizations. These changes in the socialization process will require alterations both in the day-to-day management of these individuals and in the theoretical approaches to studying their work, particularly with regard to the impact of social media on the profession. This paper demonstrates a wide range of concerns that media managers and researchers must consider as the journalism profession incorporates these new professionals into its ranks

Reverse flow in academic mobility from core to periphery:Motivations of international faculty working in Kazakhstan

Through expanding flows of labor and knowledge on a global scale, academics are increasingly mobile as higher education institutions compete for talent that transcends borders. However, talent often flows from the periphery to the core as scholars seek out employment in recognized institutions of higher learning in developed economies. This study examines faculty mobility in a reverse direction: from the core to Kazakhstan, the largest country in Central Asia. What factors persuade faculty members to relocate to Kazakhstan for full-time employment? What types of individuals pursue this relocation? Through interviews with international faculty members based in Kazakhstan, the study identifies push factors that trigger departure from one’s previous country of residence: job market, unsatisfactory work conditions, age, and marital status. Alternatively, Kazakhstan attracts scholars via pull factors that include salary, sense of adventure, and the opportunity to build new institutions and programs as well as conduct research. Unlike previous studies that highlight boundaryless mobility and individual agency, this study reveals constraints that mediate international faculty mobility. Furthermore, salary plays a limited role as a pull factor particularly among early career academics who are seeking research opportunities and meaningful contributions in building new academic programs and institutions

Attraction of young sales professionals through employer branding

One of today’s businesses greatest challenge is to attract and retain skilled personnel. The competition for talent is becoming more and more intense and at the same time, the brand-driven millennials critically evaluate potential employers already before applying. The competition for talent is extremely fierce in the market of young professionals. Furthermore, great salespeople are crucial to any successful business but attracting them can be difficult. Employer branding is seen as one of the key strategic tools to fight the war for talent as it is found to have a direct impact on how appealing an organization is perceived. However, the academic literature about employer branding from a sales talent perspective is scarce. Moreover, as the targeted talent of young professionals continuously evolve and new generations are entering the talent markets at a high pace, timely insights are necessary. This study aims at discovering how employer branding impacts on young sales professionals' willingness to apply and what attracts them to sales. This research will provide insights to employer branding from the talent’s perspective by answering the question: "How to attract young sales professionals through employer branding?" Literature about employer branding and young professional recruitment work as a theory base for this research. Based on literature, to attract the desired talent, companies first need to identify their target audience and understand what appeals to them. With a specific target talent, companies can think of candidates as customers and apply branding techniques originated from marketing to build a strong employer brand. This research has been conducted as a qualitative study and the used data collection method is semi-structured interviews. Altogether eight interviews were held with young sales professionals at the beginning of their career. Based on both the theory and the empirical results of this research, the role of employer’s brand is significant in talent attraction. Young sales professionals are attracted to companies with a strong and positive employer brand since those companies are perceived as enjoyable places to work at. The millennial talent is looking for an employer who shares their values and the comments of the current employees have a direct impact on how favorably a company is viewed. A well-known company is also viewed as more appealing as young sales professionals look for references for their future career and expect a famous brand to enable more sales opportunities. People are mostly attracted to sales due to the independent nature of the job and money. A job in sales is perceived as a great launch for career and young professionals are attracted to the role due to its networking opportunities. By building a strong employer brand, and a positive employee word-of-mouth, companies can expect to attract young sales professionals.Yksi yritysten suurimmista haasteista nykypäivänä on houkutella ja sitouttaa osaavaa henkilökuntaa. Kilpailu osaajista kovenee ja samanaikaisesti nuoret Y-sukupolven edustajat arvioivat kriittisesti potentiaalisia työnantajia jo ennen hakupäätöstä. Kilpailu osaajista on erityisen kovaa nuorten ammattilaisten keskuudessa, ja ammattitaitoiset myyjät ovat välttämättömyys lähes jokaiselle yritykselle. Työnantajamielikuvamarkkinointi nähdään yhtenä tärkeänä strategisena työkaluna nuorten osaajien houkuttelussa, sillä työnantajamielikuvalla on löydetty olevan suora vaikutus siihen, kuinka houkuttelevana työnantaja koetaan. Tästä huolimatta työnantajamielikuvamarkkinoinnista myyjien osaajamarkkinoilla on rajallinen määrä kirjallisuutta. Tämän lisäksi, kohderyhmän ollessa nuoret ammattilaiset, uusia sukupolvia tulee työmarkkinoille jatkuvasti, ja on tärkeää ottaa huomioon eri sukupolvien tarpeet. Tämä tutkimus on toteutettu Y-sukupolven edustajien näkökulmasta, sillä aiempien tutkimusten mukaan, väestörakenteen muutosten myötä, he ovat työelämän tulevaisuus. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on selvittää, miten nuoria myyntialan ammattilaisia voidaan houkutella työnantajamielikuvamarkkinoinnin avulla ja mikä houkuttelee näitä Y-sukupolven edustajia myynnin pariin. Tutkimusmetodina käytettiin laadullista menetelmää ja tutkimus toteutettiin haastattelemalla kahdeksaa uransa alkuvaiheessa olevaa myyntialan ammattilaista. Tutkimusongelman selvittämiseen käytettiin seuraavia tutkimuskysymyksiä: ’Miten työnantajamielikuva vaikuttaa nuorten myyntiammattilaisten halukkuuteen hakea yritykseen töihin?’ ja ’Mitkä tekijät houkuttelevat nuoria ammattilaisia myynnin pariin?’. Kirjallisuus työnantajamielikuvamarkkinoinnista ja nuorten ammattilaisten rekrytoinnista toimivat työn teoreettisina viitekehyksinä. Kirjallisuuden avulla käsiteltiin myös Y-sukupolveen liitettäviä ominaispiirteitä. Tulokset on analysoitu abduktiivisesti, eli osittain aineistosta päättelemällä ja osittain hyödyntämällä aikaisempia teorioita ja tutkimuksia. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että työnantajan brändillä on merkittävä rooli osaajien houkuttelemisessa. Nuoret myyntialan ammattilaiset kokevat vetovoimaiseksi ne yritykset, joilla on vahva ja positiivinen työnantajabrändi. Y-sukupolven edustajille on tärkeää työskennellä yrityksessä, joka jakaa heidän arvonsa ja yrityskulttuurilla on suuri vaikutus hakijan käsitykseen yrityksestä työnantajana. Nuoret ammattilaiset selvittävät työnantajasta tietoja etukäteen ja sillä, miten nykyiset työntekijät puhuvat työnantajasta, on suuri vaikutus siihen, kuinka houkuttelevana työnantaja koetaan. Myyntityö nähdään kiinnostavana erityisesti roolin itsenäisyyden ja sen tarjoamien ansaintamahdollisuuksien takia. Näiden lisäksi myyntityö nähdään erinomaisena tapana aloittaa ura yritysmaailmassa ja nuoret ammattilaiset hakeutuvat myynnin pariin työn oletettujen verkostoitumismahdollisuuksien takia. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että houkutellakseen nuoria myynnin ammattilaisia, yritysten kannattaisi panostaa vahvan työnantajabrändin rakentamiseen sekä varmistaa positiivinen työntekijäkokemus

Engagement in a Public Forum: Knowledge, Action, and Cosmopolitanism

Facing challenges to the civic purpose of higher education, some scholars and administrators turn to the rhetoric of engagement. Simultaneously, the political philosophy of cosmopolitanism has gained intellectual favor, advocating openness to the lived experiences of distant others. We articulate linkages between these two discourses in an extended case study, finding that a cosmopolitan ethos of engagement in a rural context can improve (1) understanding among people ordinarily separated by spatialized social-ecological differences, (2) prospects for longer term environmental sustainability, and (3) the visionary potential of collaborative inquiry. Despite globalization of food systems and neoliberal shifts in fishery management, an annual fisheries forum facilitates coalitions that overcome dichotomies between technocratic and local knowledge, extending benefits to fishing communities, academia, and public policy. Iterative and loosely structured capacity building expands informally through affective processes of recognition and care, as decentralized leadership supports collective mobilization toward alternate futures

Investing in a More Robust Public Policy Environment in the Middle East

Outlines considerations for funders with respect to the development of human capital and strengthening civil society organizations, including the need for long-term, targeted, and sustained investment as well as funder restraint

Effects of Workplace Environment on Recruitment and Retention

Recruitment and retention are affected by numerous factors, including the environment present at a workplace, as well as by the tangible and intangible benefits offered by a company. This research seeks to define numerous discrete elements that can sway a recent college graduate whether to ultimately accept a position offered to them. Identified were three key areas of improvement at the target client, the J.M. Smucker Company, including customizable desk spaces, differentiated departmental designs, and a full-scope health and wellness program. These areas were further recommended within the context of the client\u27s workspace to enhance their recruiting and retention efforts