Search

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse data from the New South Wales Government’s Pilot Programme of establishing Smart Work Hubs (SWHs) for enabling teleworking in two busy commuter corridors. The paper analyses the relationships between various firm, job and personal factors and the perceived value, attitudes and expected usage by users of the SWHs.Design/methodology/approach Employing a cross-sectional survey design, the characteristics, values and attitudes of 117 SWH users were analysed using partial least squares (PLS) method of structural equation modelling (SEM). SEM-PLS approach is considered appropriate especially in prediction-based studies and to estimate an endogenous target construct.Findings Results revealed that perceived SWH value significantly influenced attitude towards the SWH, which then had a significant influence on SWH usage intentions, with personal, job and firm factors also playing a role. Further analysis revealed four variables that significantly influenced the perception of family-value benefits (age, income, hub commute distance, work commute distance), however, there were none that significantly influenced the perception of work benefits.Research limitations/implications The small sample size limits statistical inferences and generalisations to be drawn. Further, this paper also discusses how the low and uneven uptake of teleworking at a SWH raises several managerial and policy implications needing attention.Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study analysing the expected values, attitudes and usage intentions of teleworkers in a SWH context. This study adds to the emerging body of human resource management studies on an outward-looking approach. The novel context will provide a useful base for subsequent studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that influence training decision making in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India's IT-enabled business process outsourcing industry. Design/methodology/approach -- The research strategy employed is a case study. Data from semi-structured interviews, organizational documents, and non-participant observation are analysed. Findings -- The inclusive theoretical approach uncovers novel explanations through the complex interaction that occurs between various internal and external factors that shape the nature and extent of training provision in SMEs in the context of a developing country. In SMEs, enterprise training can take a variety of forms -- formal, informal, and incidental. The final training provision is shaped by high employee turnover, the complexity of the process, client specifications, and the presence of certain organizational capabilities. Research limitations/implications -- Although a multi-case embedded design was followed, the results and findings cannot be generalized to a wider population. Findings are generalized to the literature on the drivers of training. Practical implications -- The paper's findings allow practitioners to utilize scarce resources effectively, particularly for where SMEs are operating in a dynamic outsourcing environment. Originality/value -- This paper extends the current academic and policy discourses on formal and informal training in SMEs by reporting findings from a new context -- India's dynamic outsourcing environment. Novel explanations are offered of how SMEs that outsource business process offshore meet their skill development needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that drive a firm's decision to invest in training in India's IT-enabled services/business process outsourcing (ITeS/BPO) sector. It aims to consider a much-neglected area and an often-cited need to consider external factors, especially the needs of an organisation's clients in a firm's decision to train. Design/methodology/approach - The paper employs case study research strategy using semi-structured interviews, organisational documents and non-participant observation. Findings - Employee turnover, competitive strategy, client specifications and quality management systems were important factors in shaping the nature and extent of training. The temporal dimension of the process was also significant in influencing volume of training. The study also found that learning and development were inextricably intertwined with its operations management, as against a firm's UK infrastructure. Originality/value - As most HRD research adopts an inward-looking approach, the study offers fresh insights by adopting an outward-looking approach and considers the impact of an organisation's clients on provision of training. The study's distinctive contributions are in identifying the influence that client specifications, employee turnover, temporal and geographical dimension of processes have on provision of training and, in analysing the critical and unexplored link between a firm's market orientation, learning orientation, and quality management systems, in shaping the nature and extent of training provision. This research extends the current theory-building debates and provides insights for practitioners and education policy makers about training decision making in ITeS/BPO firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]