Influence of firm size on the competencies required to management engineers in the Jordanian telecommunications sector

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in European Journal of Engineering Education on [13 jun 2016], available online:http://www.tandfonline.com/ doi/abs/10.1080/03043797.2016.1197890.[EN] The objective of this study is to identify the competencies required to achieve success in the transition from higher education to the labour market based on the perceptions of employers. This paper analyses the assessments made by a group of engineering company employers. An item-battery of 20 competencies was grouped into 3 dimensions by using factor analysis. Subsequently, respondents scores were also clustered into three groups and characterised through contingency tables. The competencies demanded by employers were grouped into business and finance, problem-solving and strategic planning. Significant differences were found between responses from employers working in medium and small companies, who placed more importance on competencies related to problem-solving and strategic planning, and employers in big companies, who were more concerned about the difficulties of finding well-trained graduates. The findings from this paper have important implications for research in the areas of higher education and organisations that usually employ graduate engineers.The authors would like to thank the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) [Tempus program. Project number 511074] of the European Commission for providing funding for conducting this study. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.Conchado Peiró, A.; Bas Cerdá, MDC.; Gharaibeh, KM.; Kaylani, H. (2016). Influence of firm size on the competencies required to management engineers in the Jordanian telecommunications sector. European Journal of Engineering Education. 1-14. doi:10.1080/03043797.2016.1197890S114ALLEN, J., & DE WEERT, E. (2007). What Do Educational Mismatches Tell Us About Skill Mismatches? A Cross-country Analysis. European Journal of Education, 42(1), 59-73. doi:10.1111/j.1465-3435.2007.00283.xBarrella, E. M., & Buffinton, K. W. (2009). Corporate Assessment of Strategic Issues in Technology Management. Engineering Management Journal, 21(1), 27-33. doi:10.1080/10429247.2009.11431795Bartram, D., Lindley, P. A., Marshall, L., & Foster, J. (1995). The recruitment and selection of young people by small businesses. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 68(4), 339-358. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8325.1995.tb00592.xBehrends, T. (2007). Recruitment Practices in Small and Medium Size Enterprises. An Empirical Study among Knowledge-intensive Professional Service Firms. management revu, 18(1), 55-74. doi:10.5771/0935-9915-2007-1-55Boshuizen, H. P. A. (s. f.). Does Practice Make Perfect? Innovation and Change in Professional Education, 73-95. doi:10.1007/1-4020-2094-5_5Branine, M. (2008). Graduate recruitment and selection in the UK. Career Development International, 13(6), 497-513. doi:10.1108/13620430810901660Butler, C. J., & Chinowsky, P. S. (2006). Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Behavior in Construction Executives. Journal of Management in Engineering, 22(3), 119-125. doi:10.1061/(asce)0742-597x(2006)22:3(119)Carbone, T. A., & Gholston, S. (2004). Project Manager Skill Development: A Survey of Programs and Practitioners. Engineering Management Journal, 16(3), 10-16. doi:10.1080/10429247.2004.11415252Cassell, C., Nadin, S., Gray, M., & Clegg, C. (2002). Exploring human resource management practices in small and medium sized enterprises. Personnel Review, 31(6), 671-692. doi:10.1108/00483480210445962Cattell, R. B., & Vogelmann, S. (1977). A Comprehensive Trial Of The Scree And Kg Criteria For Determining The Number Of Factors. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 12(3), 289-325. doi:10.1207/s15327906mbr1203_2Chan, A. P. C., Ho, D. C. K., & Tam, C. M. (2001). Effect of Interorganizational Teamwork on Project Outcome. Journal of Management in Engineering, 17(1), 34-40. doi:10.1061/(asce)0742-597x(2001)17:1(34)Coll, R. K., & Zegwaard, K. E. (2006). Perceptions of desirable graduate competencies for science and technology new graduates. Research in Science & Technological Education, 24(1), 29-58. doi:10.1080/02635140500485340Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297-334. doi:10.1007/bf02310555Dekker, R., de Grip, A., & Heijke, H. (2002). The effects of training and overeducation on career mobility in a segmented labour market. International Journal of Manpower, 23(2), 106-125. doi:10.1108/01437720210428379Elfenbein, D. W., Hamilton, B. H., & Zenger, T. R. (2010). The Small Firm Effect and the Entrepreneurial Spawning of Scientists and Engineers. Management Science, 56(4), 659-681. doi:10.1287/mnsc.1090.1130Farr, J. V., & Brazil, D. M. (2009). Leadership Skills Development for Engineers. Engineering Management Journal, 21(1), 3-8. doi:10.1080/10429247.2009.11431792Garen, J. E. (1985). Worker Heterogeneity, Job Screening, and Firm Size. Journal of Political Economy, 93(4), 715-739. doi:10.1086/261327Gharaibeh, K. M., Kaylani, H., Murphy, N., Brennan, C., Itradat, A., Al-Bataineh, M., … Bany Salameh, H. (2014). A Masters Programme in telecommunications management – demand-based curriculum design. European Journal of Engineering Education, 40(3), 267-284. doi:10.1080/03043797.2014.944104Hayes, J., Rose‐Quirie, A., & Allinson, C. W. (2000). Senior managers’ perceptions of the competencies they require for effective performance: implications for training and development. Personnel Review, 29(1), 92-105. doi:10.1108/00483480010295835Hersch, J. (1991). Education Match and Job Match. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 73(1), 140. doi:10.2307/2109696Hoegl, M., & Parboteeah, K. P. (2007). Creativity in innovative projects: How teamwork matters. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 24(1-2), 148-166. doi:10.1016/j.jengtecman.2007.01.008Hoegl, M., Praveen Parboteeah, K., & Gemuenden, H. G. (2003). When teamwork really matters: task innovativeness as a moderator of the teamwork–performance relationship in software development projects. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 20(4), 281-302. doi:10.1016/j.jengtecman.2003.08.001Van Hoorn, T. P. (1979). Strategic planning in small and medium-sized companies. Long Range Planning, 12(2), 84-91. doi:10.1016/0024-6301(79)90076-1HUSELID, M. A. (1995). THE IMPACT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON TURNOVER, PRODUCTIVITY, AND CORPORATE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE. Academy of Management Journal, 38(3), 635-672. doi:10.2307/256741Kaiser, H. F. (1958). The varimax criterion for analytic rotation in factor analysis. Psychometrika, 23(3), 187-200. doi:10.1007/bf02289233Kaufman, L., & Rousseeuw, P. J. (Eds.). (1990). Finding Groups in Data. Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics. doi:10.1002/9780470316801Krug, J. (1997). People Skills: Teamwork. Journal of Management in Engineering, 13(2), 15-16. doi:10.1061/(asce)0742-597x(1997)13:2(15)Male, S. A., Bush, M. B., & Chapman, E. S. (2010). Perceptions of Competency Deficiencies in Engineering Graduates. Australasian Journal of Engineering Education, 16(1), 55-68. doi:10.1080/22054952.2010.11464039Mao, X., Zhang, X., & AbouRizk, S. M. (2009). Enhancing Value Engineering Process by Incorporating Inventive Problem-Solving Techniques. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 135(5), 416-424. doi:10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000001Mendelsohn, R. (1998). Teamwork—The Key to Productivity. Journal of Management in Engineering, 14(1), 22-25. doi:10.1061/(asce)0742-597x(1998)14:1(22)Moore, B. V. (1921). Personnel selection of graduate engineers: The differentiation of apprentice engineers for training as salesmen, designers, and executives of production. Psychological Monographs, 30(5), i-85. doi:10.1037/h0093191Moy, J. W., & Lee, S. M. (2002). The career choice of business graduates: SMEs or MNCs? Career Development International, 7(6), 339-347. doi:10.1108/13620430210444367Nair, C. S., Patil, A., & Mertova, P. (2009). Re-engineering graduate skills – a case study. European Journal of Engineering Education, 34(2), 131-139. doi:10.1080/03043790902829281Passow, H. J. (2012). Which ABET Competencies Do Engineering Graduates Find Most Important in their Work? Journal of Engineering Education, 101(1), 95-118. doi:10.1002/j.2168-9830.2012.tb00043.xPinnington, A. H. (2011). Competence development and career advancement in professional service firms. Personnel Review, 40(4), 443-465. doi:10.1108/00483481111133336Reio, T. G., & Sutton, F. C. (2006). Employer assessment of work-related competencies and workplace adaptation. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 17(3), 305-324. doi:10.1002/hrdq.1176Robar, T. Y. (1998). Communication and Career Advancement. Journal of Management in Engineering, 14(2), 26-28. doi:10.1061/(asce)0742-597x(1998)14:2(26)Rowold, J., & Kauffeld, S. (2008). Effects of career‐related continuous learning on competencies. Personnel Review, 38(1), 90-101. doi:10.1108/00483480910920732Ruiz-Mercader, J., Meroño-Cerdan, A. L., & Sabater-Sánchez, R. (2006). Information technology and learning: Their relationship and impact on organisational performance in small businesses. International Journal of Information Management, 26(1), 16-29. doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2005.10.003Soliman, F., & Spooner, K. (2000). Strategies for implementing knowledge management: role of human resources management. Journal of Knowledge Management, 4(4), 337-345. doi:10.1108/13673270010379894Srour, I., Abdul-Malak, M.-A., Itani, M., Bakshan, A., & Sidani, Y. (2013). Career Planning and Progression for Engineering Management Graduates: An Exploratory Study. Engineering Management Journal, 25(3), 85-100. doi:10.1080/10429247.2013.11431985Sunindijo, R. Y., Hadikusumo, B. H., & Ogunlana, S. (2007). Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Styles in Construction Project Management. Journal of Management in Engineering, 23(4), 166-170. doi:10.1061/(asce)0742-597x(2007)23:4(166)Tanova, C. (2003). Firm size and recruitment: staffing practices in small and large organisations in north Cyprus. Career Development International, 8(2), 107-114. doi:10.1108/13620430310465534Teichler, U. (1999). Higher education policy and the world of work: changing conditions and challenges. Higher Education Policy, 12(4), 285-312. doi:10.1016/s0952-8733(99)00019-7Tsang, M. C., & Levin, H. M. (1985). The economics of overeducation. Economics of Education Review, 4(2), 93-104. doi:10.1016/0272-7757(85)90051-2Ward, J. H. (1963). Hierarchical Grouping to Optimize an Objective Function. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 58(301), 236-244. doi:10.1080/01621459.1963.10500845Zenger, T. R. (1994). Explaining Organizational Diseconomies of Scale in R&D: Agency Problems and the Allocation of Engineering Talent, Ideas, and Effort by Firm Size. Management Science, 40(6), 708-729. doi:10.1287/mnsc.40.6.708Zenger, T. R., & Lazzarini, S. G. (2004). Compensating for innovation: Do small firms offer high-powered incentives that lure talent and motivate effort? Managerial and Decision Economics, 25(67), 329-345. doi:10.1002/mde.119

Modular sensor architecture for unobtrusive routine clinical diagnosis

Clinical diagnosis of pathological conditions is accomplished regularly via the recording and subsequent analysis of a physiological variable from a subject. Problems with current common practice centre around the obtrusive and rigid nature of this process. These include the length, timing and location of the diagnostic recording session, transfer of data to clinical staff, liaison between clinical staff and subjects and the integration of such diagnostic check-ups into the overall health care process. We have designed a modular diagnostic monitor that is centered around a wearable computer system which, when integrated into a suitable computer network and database architecture, is capable of addressing the above problems. The system is modular, allowing researchers and practitioners to utilise various sensor modules, reconfigure the unit in terms of its on-board storage and wireless telemetry capabilities, select the appropriate level of data preprocessing (before archiving data) and choose the appropriate level and nature of feedback to the subject. The system is GRID enabled, supporting e-clinical-trials. GRID clients can display live data, historical data, or perform data mining

e-Science from the Antarctic to the GRID

Monitoring life-processes in a frozen lake in the Antarctic raises many practical challenges. To supplement manual monitoring we have designed, built and successfully deployed a remote monitoring device on one of the lakes of interest. This returns data to the Antarctic base over the Iridium satellite phone network. This provides us with a new and uniquely detailed view of the lifeprocesses in that environment, and is allowing us to understand that environment in new ways, for example exploring diurnal effects, and detailed energy flow models. We have integrated this sensing device into a common Grid-based software infrastructure; this makes the device and its sensors visible on the Grid as services, and also maintains an archive of sensor measurements. A desktop user interface allows non-programmers to work with this data in a flexible way. The experience of creating and deploying this device has given us a rich view of the many elements and processes that must be brought together to make possible this kind of e-Science