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

Worker Reallocation Across Occupations in Western Germany

This paper analyzes the determinants of annual worker reallocation across disaggregated occupations in western Germany for the period 1985-2003. Employing data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, the pattern of average occupational mobility is documented. Worker reallocation is found to be strongly procyclical. Its determinants at the individual level are then investigated while controlling for unobserved worker heterogeneity. A dynamic probit fixed effects model is estimated to obtain coefficients and marginal effects. The incidental parameter bias is reduced by the method proposed in Hahn and Kuersteiner (2004). An interesting finding is that workers changing occupation are about 8 to 9 percent less inclined to experience occupational mobility in the subsequent year than workers who do not change. Except for workers with only compulsory education, the impact of age on the probability of occupational change is declining in the level of education. The unemployment rate has a negative effect on the probability of occupational changes, especially for female foreigners

Pressure-temperature evolution of primordial solar system solids during impact-induced compaction

Prior to becoming chondritic meteorites, primordial solids were a poorly consolidated mix of mm-scale igneous inclusions (chondrules) and high-porosity sub-μm dust (matrix). We used high-resolution numerical simulations to track the effect of impact-induced compaction on these materials. Here we show that impact velocities as low as 1.5 km s−1 were capable of heating the matrix to >1,000 K, with pressure–temperature varying by >10 GPa and >1,000 K over ~100 μm. Chondrules were unaffected, acting as heat-sinks: matrix temperature excursions were brief. As impact-induced compaction was a primary and ubiquitous process, our new understanding of its effects requires that key aspects of the chondrite record be re-evaluated: palaeomagnetism, petrography and variability in shock level across meteorite groups. Our data suggest a lithification mechanism for meteorites, and provide a ‘speed limit’ constraint on major compressive impacts that is inconsistent with recent models of solar system orbital architecture that require an early, rapid phase of main-belt collisional evolution

What Do We Know About Contracting Out in the United States? Evidence from Household and Establishment Surveys

A variety of evidence points to significant growth in domestic contracting out over the last two decades, yet the phenomenon is not well documented. In this paper, we pull together data from various sources to shed light on the extent of and trends in domestic outsourcing, the occupations in which it has grown, and the industries engaging in outsourcing for the employment services sector, which has been a particularly important area of domestic outsourcing. In addition, we examine evidence of contracting out of selected occupations to other sectors. We point to many gaps in our knowledge on trends in domestic outsourcing and its implications for employment patterns and to inconsistencies across data sets in the information that is available. We recommend steps to improve data in this area

The Cost of Business Cycles for Unskilled Workers

This paper reconsiders the cost of business cycles under incomplete markets. Primarily, we focus on the heterogeneity in the cost of business cycles among agents with different skill levels. Unskilled workers are subject to a much larger risk of unemployment during recessions than are skilled workers. Moreover, unskilled workers earn less income, which limits their ability to self-insure. We examine how this heterogeneity in unemployment risk and income translates into heterogeneity in the cost of business cycles. We set up a dynamic general equilibrium model with incomplete markets, in which there is heterogeneity in skills, employment status, asset holding, and the discount factor. We find that the welfare cost of business cycles for unskilled workers is substantially higher than that for skilled workers