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Sustainability and company attractiveness: A study of American college students entering the job market
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine whether a company’s sustainability practices affect job seekers’ perceptions of the attractiveness of the company as a potential employer.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey completed by 259 university students assessed the respondents’ attitudes toward sustainability. Participants were then presented a series of scenarios describing the sustainable practices of hypothetical companies using the triple bottom line factors of sustainability (economic, environmental and social) and were asked how attractive they found the company to be and the likelihood that they would accept a job offer from the company.
Findings
The findings indicate that sustainability as a single concept and each sustainability factor individually influenced the attractiveness of a company to potential employees.
Research limitations/implications
The results of the study add to the body of job choice research, specifically as related to sustainability practices of companies. It furthers the body of work related to signaling theory and job attractiveness.
Practical implications
The results of this study indicate that sustainability performance is an important factor in determining the attractiveness of a company to potential applicants.
Social implications
The research highlights the importance of sustainability to potential job applicants. Companies should be aware that positive sustainability performance can make it more attractive to these applicants. The results reported from this research provides additional motivation for companies to pursue efforts in sustainability.
Originality/value
The research builds upon existing research in the fields of sustainability and job choice. While previous research has looked at many factors regarding applicants and job choice including, no other research was found which explicitly considered the triple bottom line factors of sustainability.
... Although it is proven in some research that EBK (Kashive & Khanna, 2017) and sustainability practices (Presley et al., 2018) contribute to employee attractiveness. However, these studies have been conducted in the Western regions so there is not much research done based on Asian regions, especially Malaysia. ...
... A recent study conducted among job seekers at a career fair tested the environmental dimension of sustainability practices and found that organizations that adopt sustainability practices are deemed more attractive as employers (Jones, Willness & Madey, 2014). Another study also found that sustainability practices in terms of environmental factors do positively impact employer attractiveness among college students entering the job market (Presley et al. 2018). In another study to examine the effects of a pro-environmental corporate message on prospective applicants' attitudes toward a fictitious hiring organization, it was found that the environmental support message positively affected job pursuit intentions. ...
... The second independent variable of the study is sustainability practices. Represented by three dimensions namely environmental, social, and economic factors, these dimensions were measured using nine items adapted from Presley et al. (2018). Each dimension was measured using three items respectively. ...
Employer attractiveness is crucial in talent management as it helps attract, retain, and engage top talent, thereby ensuring a competitive edge and long-term organizational success. This study aims to determine the relationship between Employer Brand Knowledge (EBK) and various dimensions of sustainability practices on employer attractiveness, particularly among Millennial employees. A quantitative research method was employed, with 90 questionnaires collected from Millennial employees in a publicly listed company in Malaysia. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 to test the hypotheses. The findings reveal that only one dimension of EBK namely employer image has a significant positive relationship with employer attractiveness. Contrary to our expectations, none of the sustainability practices was found to be related to employer attractiveness. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how EBK influences the perception of employer attractiveness as it not only broadens the theoretical understanding but also provides practical insights for employers seeking to improve their attractiveness to the Millennial workforce. It is also suggested that employers who are more familiar with employees, have a positive reputation, and maintain a strong image are more likely to be attractive to millennials. Implications and recommendations for future research are also discussed in the study.
... Organizational attractiveness (OA) refers to the degree to which prospective employees believe an organization to be a desirable place to work (Bednarska, 2016). When applicants are attracted to a company, they are more likely to apply for job employment with it (Presley et al., 2018). Signalling-based mechanisms are best suited to understand how candidates interpret signals sent out by companies and form their perceptions of OA so that they can shape their minds about working for a particular company (Pham & Paille, 2020). ...
... Final-year undergraduate business students registered in a private university in Alexandria, Egypt were the subjects of the study. Given the purpose of this paper, final-year university students are suitable for examining the proposed hypotheses for various reasons: (1) they comprise a large pool of job applicants joining the labour force every year (Jones et al., 2016;Chaudhary, 2018;Presley et al., 2018), (2) organizations direct many recruitment messages toward them as being the prospective employees (Renaud et al., 2016;Story et al., 2016), and (3) they constitute the target group to accommodate entry-level positions in companies (Presley et al., 2018;Carballo-Penela et al., 2020). ...
... Final-year undergraduate business students registered in a private university in Alexandria, Egypt were the subjects of the study. Given the purpose of this paper, final-year university students are suitable for examining the proposed hypotheses for various reasons: (1) they comprise a large pool of job applicants joining the labour force every year (Jones et al., 2016;Chaudhary, 2018;Presley et al., 2018), (2) organizations direct many recruitment messages toward them as being the prospective employees (Renaud et al., 2016;Story et al., 2016), and (3) they constitute the target group to accommodate entry-level positions in companies (Presley et al., 2018;Carballo-Penela et al., 2020). ...
The focus on achieving environmental sustainability has led to the implementation of green human resource management (GHRM) practices in various organizations. Many studies have investigated the effect of GHRM practices on existing employees in developed countries. However, limited studies have examined how prospective job seekers perceive GHRM practices in an organization before entering the workplace in developing countries, especially in the Egyptian context. Drawing upon signalling theory, social identity theory and person-environment fit theory, this study aims to bridge this gap by examining the effect of perceived green human resource management (GHRM) practices on the job pursuit intention (JPI) of prospective job seekers in Egypt. A moderated mediation model was proposed, with organizational attractiveness (OA) as a mediator and individual green values (IGV) as a moderator. The sample consisted of 219 final-year undergraduate business students registered in the College of Management and Technology in the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport, Alexandria, Egypt. The study used an experimental scenario-based approach where perceptions of individuals were examined toward a hypothetical company using self-administered questionnaires. Direct, mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation models were analysed using linear, multiple regression analysis, and bootstrapping procedures (PROCESS macro extension to SPSS) with the help of SPSS version 26. Results supported the significant positive influence of GHRM on JPI and OA mediated the GHRM-JPI relationship. In addition, IGV moderated the GHRM-OA-JPI relationship. The study provided various theoretical and practical implications for scholars and practitioners. Study limitations and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
... As discussed previously, CSR and environmental practices have been explored in assorted studies. One study by Presley et al. (2018) looked into sustainability performance in job-seeking research and empirically tested the linkages. This study differs from the above in the sense that they examined organisational attractiveness as a mechanism to explain the connection between SUHRM and potential employees' job choice search in a cross-sectional design, whereas this study is a cross-lagged study conducted to understand the causal and directional relationship. ...
... Second, by examining the relationships in our model across a six-month period, we were able to test whether this time lag was appropriate for the hypothesised relationships to unfold. It was necessary to validate our study model across time because research on SUHRM has only started to reveal the effectiveness of this brand in enhancing organisational attractiveness (Presley, et al.,2018). ...
... This may be because it posits that SUHRM exerts a positive influence on how organisations treat their employees (App, 2012) and also the fact that they are socially responsible organisations (Greening & Turban, 2000). Our results largely corroborate previous findings on SUHRM and organisational attractiveness (Presley & Presley, 2018); we also added to the limited knowledge on temporal effects by studying how they unfold over a period of six months. ...
... As discussed previously, CSR and environmental practices have been explored in assorted studies. One study by Presley et al. (2018) looked into sustainability performance in job-seeking research and empirically tested the linkages. This study differs from the above in the sense that they examined organisational attractiveness as a mechanism to explain the connection between SUHRM and potential employees' job choice search in a cross-sectional design, whereas this study is a cross-lagged study conducted to understand the causal and directional relationship. ...
... Second, by examining the relationships in our model across a six-month period, we were able to test whether this time lag was appropriate for the hypothesised relationships to unfold. It was necessary to validate our study model across time because research on SUHRM has only started to reveal the effectiveness of this brand in enhancing organisational attractiveness (Presley, et al.,2018). ...
... This may be because it posits that SUHRM exerts a positive influence on how organisations treat their employees (App, 2012) and also the fact that they are socially responsible organisations (Greening & Turban, 2000). Our results largely corroborate previous findings on SUHRM and organisational attractiveness (Presley & Presley, 2018); we also added to the limited knowledge on temporal effects by studying how they unfold over a period of six months. ...
This study aims to understand and examine the effect of sustainable human resource management (HRM) practices on job-seeking behaviour of prospective employees. The psychological aspects of the proposed relationships are explored by proposing organisational attractiveness as a mediator. Based on the assumptions of social identity theory and signalling theory, the study examines these relations in a two-wave design. A total of 273 students in the final year of postgraduate management programmes from various campuses of a university in India participated in this two-wave time-lagged study over a period of six months. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Sustainable HRM practices of employee well-being and employee development, compensation practices and environmental considerations were found to be related to job-seeking behaviour in potential employees and organisational attractiveness acted as a mediator. This study is the first to test the cross-lagged relations between sustainable HRM practices and job-seeking behaviour among potential employees. It is important to study this more for the sake of potential employees, as well as employers and society as a whole.
... CSR has been defined as a means of enhancing a company's reputation by promoting trust among stakeholders and employees (Esen, 2013;Tetrault Sirsly & Lvina, 2019;Wan-Jan, 2006). Moreover, empirical studies Ali, Satpathy, and Gupta (2024); Klimkiewicz and Oltra (2017) ;Presley, Presley, and Blum (2018) and Zhang, Cao, Zhang, Liu, and Li (2020) indicated the relationship between CSR and employer attractiveness which a good CSR can attract potential employees as well as current employees. Drawing from the empirical studies, the hypotheses were proposed as follows: H1: There is a significant relationship between CSR and employer attractiveness. ...
... According to Kumar (2023) job applicants' perceptions of employer attractiveness are formed from several sources including company portals, job advertisements, social media posts and employees' opinions. This current study shreds the light and confirms that CSR creates a good reputation for tourism business as well as becoming one of key driving employer attractiveness to potential employees (Dassler, Khapova, Lysova, & Korotov, 2022;Presley et al., 2018;Turker, 2009A). Lastly, this study emphasized employer attractiveness and CSR as the antecedent of reputation which effect to intention to apply for jobs in the Tourism sector. ...
The study aims to examine the dimension of employer attractiveness and CSR among potential Gen Y employees, explore how employer attractiveness and CSR influence their intention to pursuit job, and develop a structural model of intention to pursuit job among potential Gen Y job seekers in tourism sector. A total of two hundred Gen Y respondents participated in the study through convenience sampling method. Data was analyzed with multiple stages including EFA, CFA and SEM. Three underlying factors emerged for CSR support include society concern, employee concern, and customer and government concern. Additionally, the findings confirmed the theoretical concept of employer attractiveness consisting of five dimensions, development, social, interest, economic and application value. SEM analysis indicated a good fit with empirical data (CMIN/DF = 1.78, RMSEA = 0.06, CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.91). The results revealed employer attractiveness and CSR support had positive influence on reputation and effect on Gen Y’s intention to apply for job in the tourism industry. Employer attractiveness and CSR support can act as strategic tools. HR executives should develop a recruitment plan to draw Gen Y to the business, as well as enhance their industry-wide reputation. Fun-Fair-Flexible work environment should be implemented and communicated to target applicants. Digital strategy should be applied via online advertising and social media to communicate to both internal and external stakeholders.
... In the era of artificial intelligence, sustainability has emerged as a paramount concern for global health, economic prosperity, and the collective efforts of the United Nations to secure a better world for future generations (Camilleri, 2017;Presley, Presley, and Blum, 2018;Panda et al., 2020). At its core, sustainability aims to strike a delicate balance between resource utilization and conservation, seeking maximum benefits with minimal impact on our natural and finite resources (Mohan et al., 2021;Salem et al., 2022;Gutandjala, Nurcahyo and Aji, 2023). ...
... With the advent of industrialization, many organizations lost sight of sustainable practices, leading to growing concerns over environmental degradation and the urgent need for greener solutions. In this pursuit of a better world, universities have emerged as key institutions that prepare future generations and aid existing firms in making informed decisions (Camporees and Knuckles, 2014;Presley, Presley, and Blum, 2018). ...
In the era of artificial intelligence, the King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, stands as a shining example of a cutting-edge, AI-driven Green Quality Campus. Leveraging the power of AI technologies, KAU has successfully implemented sustainable policies and processes across all aspects of its operations, fostering an environment of ecological harmony and innovation. In this age of AI-driven advancements, universities like KAU play a crucial role not only in educating future generations about the significance of sustainability and green practices but also in guiding organizations towards becoming environmentally conscious entities. Embracing green practices has become the new frontier of innovation, offering the most effective solutions for tackling modern-day organizational management challenges. The research paper delves into the extensive infrastructure, energy, waste, water, transportation, education, and research-related initiatives undertaken by KAU to transform its campus into an exemplar of sustainability. These transformative initiatives serve as a blueprint for other universities to follow suit and embrace green practices in their campuses. Moreover, the study goes beyond KAU's specific case and explores relevant literature and global trends concerning the greening of universities. By incorporating AI technologies into these green initiatives, universities can significantly enhance their impact on environmental preservation and sustainability. The research paper holds a twofold significance. Firstly, it provides valuable insights and practical guidelines for university management to incorporate AI-driven green practices, fostering sustainability and a greener future. Secondly, policymakers and academics can leverage this knowledge to effect positive transformation within their respective organizations, aligning them with the principles of environmental stewardship in this era of artificial intelligence.
... However, Prihatiningsih et al. (2017) argued that socio-environmental consciousness has no effect on CSR and job pursuit intention. In the context of CSR sustainability and attractiveness, Presley et al. (2018) reported that sustainability is an essential factor affecting the potential employee attractiveness towards the company. Kumar et al. (2021) found a significant relationship between CSR and organizational branding. ...
... Specifically, the results reveal that job seekers show positive attitudes towards CSR's economic, legal and philanthropic dimensions. Therefore, the study adds to the empirical evidence and supports the propositions by Moorthy et al. (2017), Adetunji and Ogbonna (2013), Gully et al. (2013), Magbool et al. (2016), Presley et al. (2018), Turban and Greening (1997), Klimkiewicz and Oltra (2017) and Silva et al. (2020) wherein similar relationship were established between workplace, legal, philanthropic, environmental aspects of CSR and JSA. However, contrary to the expectations, the study also finds a less positive effect of ethical dimensions of CSR on job seekers. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) effectiveness on job seekers’ organizational attractiveness (JSA). Deriving inspiration from Carroll’s theory, the study specifically tries to measure the impact of CSR on JSA with the four dimensions pertaining to economics (PECO), pertaining to legal compliance (PLCO), pertaining to ethics (PETH) and pertaining to philanthropic (PPH). Furthermore, the paper also tries to examine the moderating role of company selection (COM SEL) done based on high or low CSR reputation and JSA.
Design/methodology/approach
Management and engineering students enrolled in premier institutions and universities of Western Odisha in India are surveyed for their perceptions of CSR and JSA. Purposive and convenience sampling are applied to collect data from 456 job seekers. Based on the analysis, the study proposes two main models (Models 1 and 2) wherein Model 1 tries to measure the effect of CSR on JSA and Model 2 checks the moderating effect of COM SEL on CSR and JSA. In addition, robustness of the study is tested using control variables (Models 3 and 4). Data is treated through SmartPLS 3.3 software. The structural equation modelling (partial least squares-SEM) method is applied to test the hypotheses and for further analysis.
Findings
The result reveals an interesting insight. There is a positive and significant effect of PECO, PLCO and PPH on JSA. Moreover, no such significant effect is observed between PETH and JSA. Further, the findings are contrary with respect to COM SEL, that partially moderates the effect of CSR on JSA. However, the results reveal that COM SEL has a substantial moderating effect on the PPH dimension of CSR and JSA.
Practical implications
The results highlight that CSR positively and significantly affects JSA in terms of PECO, PLCO and PPH, thereby emphasizing that organizations must be more focused on these perspectives of CSR. Further, though the results did not exhibit any significance with PETH, it is essential that organizations should strengthen the ethical aspects of CSR as well and align them with the CSR strategic actions. The study also confirms the moderating effect of COM SEL on PPH dimension of CSR and JSA, thereby supporting the philanthropic approach in this domain. Further, the organizations should foresee the philanthropic factor of CSR as a competitive advantage to attract potential job seekers.
Originality/value
This research attempts to contribute to CSR and HR literature in two ways. First, it is the first attempt to use PLS-SEM with an attempt to understand job seekers’ perception of CSR and JSA with Indian data consisting of students belonging to premier business management and engineering institutes. Second, the study is an attempt to empirically measure the moderating effect of COM SEL on JSA. To sum up, the study will provide insights to organizations to help craft CSR strategies for attracting more job seekers.
... Sustainable development is playing an increasingly important role in the development of organizations, and particularly in the management of human resources within them. Young job seekers are particularly concerned with positioning the organization in terms of green and other ethical standards (Presley, Presley, & Blum, 2018). Therefore, HR managers of an organization should pay attention to green management. ...
Resume: The key aspects in human resource management today are the purposeful linking of objectives and metrics to measure results, increased accountability by achieving individual acceptance, prompt and persuasive action for a balanced approach to tasks and people. The crisis aspect of the prolonged and unpredictable pandemic, the technologically oriented and globalized society and business, the hybridity of changes are a strong factor of impact on management processes. And on the other hand, by itself, every crisis brings high levels of stress and anxiety, reduced motivation and staff turnover. The corona-virus pandemic has clearly shown us all the basic and so far, obvious prerequisites on which our economic success depends. Sustainable management of human resources means creating environmental, social and health conditions for both present and future generations. Finally, the growing international dimension of the current discussion makes it clear that sustainability is an issue that affects us all. Employers and employees face joint challenges to reconcile sustainability and profitability. This paper aims to enlighten the reader on the topic of green HRM by reviewing the existing literature, to contribute to the knowledge by highlighting the significant works of various researchers in a very simplified manner. It focuses on the current status of green HRM practices, where HRM has been a leading topic in recent years and where good practices and ideas can be highlighted.
https://www.scienceazerbaijan.org/economy; KEYNOTE SPEAKER; 12.10.2023; https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jFVeoIWD1_5gh4XXIPUyDEIR242xFV_c/view?ts=6519b65b; Proceeding book; IKSAD Publications – 2023; Issued: 23.10.2023 ; ISBN: 978-625-8254-29-7;p. 17; https://www.scienceazerbaijan.org/_files/ugd/d0a9b7_4afdf3fae6284b728db05476ff907a2f.pdf
... Sustainable development is playing an increasingly important role in the development of organizations, and particularly in the management of human resources within them. Young job seekers are particularly concerned with positioning the organization in terms of green and other ethical standards (Presley, Presley, & Blum, 2018). Therefore, HR managers of an organization should pay attention to green management. ...
Modern society has faced a challenge of unprecedented focus and character in recent years. Different types of crises are now becoming increasingly common in people's and organizations' daily lives. A crucial management paradigm has been developing around the search for long-term solutions. The management of human resources in such a setting is not any less relevant to sustainable policies for developed organizations. Additionally, it is frequently essential to the growth of the firm. The so-called "Green management of human resources" is discussed in the paper, along with several aspects and traits that can be used to effectively implement it in modern businesses. Both well-established concepts and the author's theories about how to advance practices in this field are provided. Both well-established concepts and the author's theories about how to advance practices in this field are provided. The identified concepts have a practical and scientific relationship to crisis management and change management, and they can be used to approve and confirm flexible practices in the human resource management field, fostering innovation in organizations and establishing "HRM" as an exceptional and significant social discipline.
... Research has also shown companies that follow a lean green strategy grow more, and this improves the level of competition, family ties, and managerial power. Moreover, employer attractiveness is positively affected by corporate sustainability; this means that as companies become more sustainable, potential employees find these companies more attractive to work for (Presley et al., 2018). Furthermore, corporate sustainability can be considered a factor that enhances consumer loyalty (Moisescu, 2018). ...
The tendency of firms to distort financial statements has increased. Cases like the Enron Scandal and the 2008 financial crisis as well as their results have made understanding the propensity firms have to manipulate their financial statements important. Moreover, sustainable companies have been suggested as complying better with ethical rules. This study questions whether any difference exists between sustainable and less sustainable firms in terms of the likelihood of financial manipulation. The study also examines how the COVID-19 crisis was reflected in financial manipulation. This study measures the likelihood of financial manipulation being committed using Beneish’s M-score. This research uses the Mann-Whitney U and One-Way ANOVA tests to examine whether or not any difference exists between the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods and between sustainable and less sustainable companies in terms of financial manipulation. The results illustrate sustainable firms to have less of a tendency to commit financial manipulation compared to less sustainable companies, with this likelihood increasing for both groups in times of crisis. The results suggest being sustainable to reduce the likelihood of financial manipulation by supporting the formation of an ethical environment in firms and financial manipulation to be considered as a crisis response for both types of firms during a crisis.
... Contemporary research (e.g. Mostafa, 2022;Presley et al., 2018) has largely considered the opinions of university students or those with job pursuit intentions/behaviours (e.g. Cooper et al., 2020;Hussain et al., 2022) and how they see and consider company attractiveness. ...
Purpose
Drawing on the contemporary literature and the theory of employer attractiveness, the authors aimed to examine key antecedents and consequences of employer attractiveness by proposing functional hypotheses and relationships between some endogenous variables.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the quota-cum-purposive sampling method, the unit of analysis selected for this study was millennials aged 18–35 years and working in the hospitality, travel, tourism and leisure (HTTL) sectors for the last two years. A total of 218 responses were collected in three months (June–August 2022). The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).
Findings
For young employees, company recruitment behaviour, company image and source credibility are significantly and directly related to company attractiveness. The relationship between company image and employee word of mouth (WOM) was significantly positive. Company recruitment behaviour was found to significantly influence employee commitment. Company attractiveness was found to be directly related to young employees' WOM about the company and commitment to it.
Originality/value
The study establishes the significance of company attractiveness because a company's success largely depends on the company's ability to attract and retain a talented and skilled workforce. Moreover, the present study provides much-needed insights to policymakers and regulators that can help the policymakers define and implement favourable policies to promote and protect the country's job market and offer directions to youth employment.
... As companies continue to integrate sustainable initiatives as a strategic focus, their communications to new hires must adapt accordingly. Extant research shows the importance of recruitment and selection practices in attracting and hiring a workforce with sustainability values that align with the organization [1,2]. By showcasing an organizational commitment to sustainability through their recruitment processes, prospective employees are signaled to embrace the organization's long-term commitment to sustainability [3]. ...
A critical sustainability task is to communicate an organization’s sustainability values in a manner which yields favorable new hire perceptions and involvement. However, factors influencing the impact of sustainability messaging on new hire perceptions remain unexplored to the authors’ knowledge. This exploratory study explores these factors using an experimental vignette study design in which signal costliness and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were manipulated in the administration of a hypothetical new employee orientation presentation. The findings suggest that conditions in which extrinsic motivating factors were noted as the reason for organizational sustainability yielded higher perceived credibility and involvement intention among respondents. More costly sustainability messaging was detrimental to the perceived message credibility and employee involvement intentions.
Keywords: sustainability messaging; signaling theory; employee orientation
... As our findings show, managers and executives can improve their firm's environmental performance by increasing the strategic digital orientation within their organization, leading to a potential competitive advantage. This arrangement can give them an edge in the labor market when looking for new human capital, as more people are considering environmental and sustainability issues in their job searches (Presley et al., 2018;Turban and Greening, 1997). ...
Digitalization is increasingly seen as a strategic means for firms to yield competitive and environmental advantages. Still, current empirical research does not yet provide ample evidence on how a firm's strategic posture towards digitalization connects to environmental performance. This study examines the link between digital orientation and environmental performance as well as the moderating role of technological turbulence. The natural-resource-based view and literature on strategic orientations provide the conceptual foundations. The hypotheses are tested with data from 515 U.S. Standard and Poor's 500 companies with 2,800 firm observations from 2009 to 2019. The results indicate that, first, a firm's digital orientation has a significant and positive effect on environmental performance and, second, this effect is even more pronounced in technologically turbulent business environments. In sum, our findings suggest that managers can improve their firm's environmental performance and competitive position by increasing the digital orientation within their organizations. We thus add to the literature on the natural-resource-based view by identifying digital orientation as a strategy aligned with the natural environment. Finally, we derive practical implications for managers and policymakers aiming to bring together digitalization and green strategies.
... Signaling theory has been applied to the past research in the areas of entrepreneurship and human resources [21]. According to signaling theory, educational attainment is DOI considered by employers as a predictor of individuals' certain valuable innate traits [22]. ...
University graduates today are facing uncertainty in employment due to economic recession, the COVID-[19 ]pandemic, and job replacement by artificial intelligence. Building an entrepreneurial mindset can help students to overcome unemployment and have a successful careers. Therefore, universities are increasingly focusing on fostering the entrepreneurial mindset of their students. Certain elements of entrepreneurial mindset must be identified at the curriculum and career design level to meet the requirements of stakeholders and prepare students for their careers after graduation. According to the principles of outcome-based education, a study program must establish its expected learning outcomes which the students must be encouraged to achieve. However, the extent to which the elements of an entrepreneurial mindset are necessary to support learning outcomes and career success can be different among students from different fields of study. This study identifies the elements of students’ entrepreneurial mindset that are necessary for the Bachelor of Business Administration Program (B.B.A. Program), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prince of Songkla University (Pattani Campus) located in Southernmost Thailand. The past studies of entrepreneurial mindset have been revealed, and then the elements of entrepreneurial mindset related to the expected learning outcomes of the B.B.A. Program were selected. The elements of an entrepreneurial mindset presented in this article could be utilized for curriculum and course design, not only for the B.B.A. Program but also for others with similar expected learning outcomes. Keywords: course design, curriculum design, entrepreneurial mindset, entrepreneurship 1.
... Knowledge of SD has also become a common demand on the labor market for newly graduated students. Additionally, sustainable, ethical, and responsible companies tend to become more attractive employers for young talents (Presley et al., 2018). Sustainability activities of the organization can be considered as one of the factors influencing job seekers' motivation to seek employment in an organization as commonly accepted norms of SD is assumed to influence students' perception of sustainability in the future employment. ...
Universities are expected to take their part in the dissemination of knowledge about sustainable development and Sustainable Development (SD) Goals considering the fact that knowledge of sustainability has also become a common demand on the labor market for newly graduated students. According to previous research, sustainable, ethical, and socially responsible companies tend to become more attractive employers for young talents. Therefore, this study aims to determine how SD knowledge and social environment influence students' choice (or motivation to choose) of their future workplaces. To test hypotheses empirical data was collected via survey from 167 students at a Finnish University. Results highlight that the students can adopt favorable sustainability-related behavioral intentions due to previous knowledge and skills about SD and aware of how to apply this knowledge.
... Companies find that job seeker perceptions of employer sustainability performance is a key determinant of employment choice. Therefore, in order to attract and retain much needed talent, employers must pay sufficient attention to their own sustainability credentials (Presley, Presley and Blum, 2018). ...
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals aim to create a sustainable global future through seventeen inter-related objectives that encompass the environment, social justice, and good governance. Countries are deploying national programmes to meet their sustainable development targets. Sustainability-based career roles are being created at a rate faster than employers can fill them. Recent evidence suggests that employment in sustainability sectors and related professions can provide more favourable opportunities for graduates seeking their first job. Universities are also called upon to do more about sustainability. They are increasingly coming under scrutiny from students as to their sustainability performance. Embedding sustainability in the curriculum and linking it to employability is needed to ensure the relevance of higher education to students and employers. Educators must also consider the efficacy of their pedagogy in teaching sustainability.
... Palabras clave: Afrontamiento emocional; interacción profesor-estudiante; estrés relacionado con el estudiante; análisis factorial confirmatorio. he motivation to get better job opportunities by entering university is the most important force that drives young people to universities. A look at the results obtained in other countries, including Adams (1997), Davis, et al., (2001), Maxwell et al., (2000), Canton et al., (2001), Presley et al., (2018), Priyadarshini et al., (2021), Hsiao & Lin (2018) shows that the increasing chance to get better job positions is highly motivating for students to pursue higher degrees in universities, and that motivation is also in line with the changes that have taken place in the global field of higher education. Lehmann's (2009) explored "working-class students' expectations for university" in Canada and illuminated a) the [students'] hope for upward social mobility [where] participants not only talked about their parents' lifestyle disadvantages from working-class employmentbeing tired, getting dirty, and getting hurtbut also the limitations placed on their ability to escape from this lifestyle; and b) [considering] university as vocational education [reminds us that] from a rational-choice perspective, the value of a university education has to be measured against the return on the investment in it (pp. ...
Universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) aim to provide the maximum support for the community. Hence, to obtain the optimum results, the educational policies must be in alignment with the societies’ needs and prerequisites. The present research investigated the undergraduates’ expectations of studying at university and the fulfillment of those expectations prior and after being accepted into the university. 600 first-year undergraduates were selected based on cluster sampling from 2783 first-year undergraduates at Allameh Tabataba’i University, Iran. The data were gathered through deep interviews and cross-sectional survey. We emphasize that the centralized educational system in Iran works as a speed bump to obtain the goals and ambitions as portrayed in the HEIs’ mottos. The findings remind the educational policy-makers that success does not happen in a vacuum; rather, it is a collaborative joint practice among all members of the HE sector. The novelty of the research is its applicability to those centralized systems of policy-making worldwide specifically with engagement of students which adds to the literature and can urge the authorities of the HE sector to modify their earlier policies in the short run; and work toward decentralized system of educational leadership as the main panacea in the long run.
... Furthermore, other motives with other orientations have been highlighted in various fields of the social sciences. For example, within nursing, compassion is seen as an important attribute (Peters, 2018), environmental sciences talk about sustainability as a characteristic (Presley et al., 2018), while the management literature talks about corporate social responsibility as an important driver (Belinda et al., 2018). The common thread in these observations can be conveniently captured under the heading of prosocial motivation and the related prosocial behavior (Bolino and Grant, 2016). ...
Employer attractiveness is an important variable for any organization. It is therefore not surprising that organizations try to control this facet when communicating recruitment messages for positions to be filled. This study aims to capture this process for public sector organizations, while looking at the role that a particular type of prosocial motivation – public service motivation: the motivation people have to contribute to society – plays in this process. To this end, a survey-experiment (N = 192) with prospective employees is carried out in which recruitment messages with three different value statements (public, private, neutral) are presented to the respondents. The effect of these message on both attractiveness and person–organization fit, as moderated by public service motivation, is tested. The results indicate that public service motivation indeed moderates the effect of these messages. However, the results do not fully corroborate the theoretical expectations. Therefore, additional exploratory analyses are performed in order to better understand the variables included in this process. This provides a direction for further research. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
... A company's attractiveness can be defined as the degree to which a prospective applicant perceives an organisation as a good place to work and the positive desirability of developing a working relationship with it (Duarte et al., 2014). Presley et al. (2018) then concluded that company attractiveness influences the attraction of a prospective employee toward that organisation and the likelihood that the person would apply for and accept a position with the organisation. Therefore, company attractiveness affects potential, existing and former employees. ...
Because of the concept of the modern service industry, the service industry is increasingly extensive. Websites are the first step in contact between a company and its employees. Therefore, this article aims to discuss website quality and company attractiveness and the relationship between these two factors. This study introduced perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use as intermediate variables. Four sectors in the service industry were selected for research, namely scientific research, technical services and geological
prospecting, tourism, and finance industry and education staff. Subsequently, we administered a questionnaire to demonstrate the research framework. In this study, 466 service industry employees were sampled using path analysis. The results of this study revealed that perceived ease of use is an intermediate variable between company website quality and company attractiveness. Corporate culture fit was the most crucial factor of company website quality
and was proven highly effective for enhancing company attractiveness. Employees with higher technology readiness (TR) are more conversant regarding how to utilise information provided by company websites. A company’s website enables the company to interact with its employees, and the service firm should focus primarily on improving its perceived ease of use (PEOU) to help users retrieve information of interest.
... Both findings are in agreement with the most recent published study in this field [40,41,51]. In the empirical analyses, we find that from the investors' perspective, a company will gain a higher revenue when it engages in CSR with more practices, as shown in recent studies [37][38][39]41,42,44]. We also find evidence that the CSR initiatives could improve the financial health of a company and consequently facilitate the manager's operation. ...
This study analyzes the trends, context, and impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on company’s performance and productivity in China. We use environmental and social responsibility data in 34,000 CSR projects released by 839 companies in 31 provinces from 2006 to 2016. Clustering methods as wells as ordinary least squares and the fixed effects panel regression modeling are performed to provide insights on the context, trends, and impact of CSR projects on companies’ productivity and financial outcomes. Results of data processing and modeling indicate that: (a) most projects focused on improving companies’ environmental sustainability (compared to social); (b) implementation of both environmental and social projects had positive impacts on companies’ performance; and (c) trends, context, and impact of the projects varied with time, company type, and location (provinces). In addition, data suggest that companies operating in regions with lower economic conditions (GDP per capita) seem to be less motivated to implement environmental and social sustainability projects compared to those operating in regions with higher economic conditions. This study is meaningful for both companies that consider adopting CSR initiatives, as well as stakeholders and managers who aim to promote sustainable development in China.
This chapter illustrates how higher education institutions (HEIs) can implement sustainability in every aspect of selecting new talent. Recruitment techniques include understanding the current market’s interest in sustainable organizations, communicating how sustainability fits into both the institution and specific job roles, and showcasing third-party sustainability credentials. The chapter presents a variety of empirically supported and job-relevant measurement tools for selecting the best candidates. The chapter ends with a discussion of the importance of person-organization fit for individuals and HEIs.
Erste Schritte zur Implementierung eines Nachhaltigkeitsmanagements im Unternehmen:
Dieser kompakte Band geht auf zentrale Prinzipien und Konzepte ein, die Unternehmen helfen, ein Nachhaltigkeitsmanagement aufzubauen und weiterzuentwickeln. Darüber hinaus bietet er einen Überblick über die verschiedenen Ansätze und Instrumente des Nachhaltigkeitsmanagements, damit Unternehmen ihre Aktivitäten analysieren, bewerten und verbessern können, um ökologische und soziale Auswirkungen zu reduzieren und langfristige Wertschöpfung zu ermöglichen.
Diese grundlegende Einführung richtet sich an die Führungskräfte in den Unternehmen, die sich mit Fragen des Umwelt- und Nachhaltigkeitsmanagements beschäftigen. Zunächst werden die relevanten normativen und regulativen Anforderungen an das unternehmerische Nachhaltigkeitsmanagement vorgestellt, bevor konkret erste Schritte zur Implementierung eines Nachhaltigkeitsmanagements entwickelt werden. Die beiden letzten Kapitel stellen ein geeignetes Steuerungssystem sowie die Grundlagen der Nachhaltigkeitskommunikation eines Unternehmens vor.
International Congress of Recycling Economy & Sustainability Policy held on October 12, 2023 / Baku, Azerbaijan in collaboration with Baku Eurasian University, Istanbul Gelisim University, Bandirma Onyedi Eylul University & IKSAD Institute.
The job seeker value proposition (JSVP) can be defined as a set of benefits or values a firm promises its job seekers to deliver once they join it, signifying an indicator of its employer brand as well as focusing on job seeker attraction because it carries some information that helps the decision-making process of the prospective employees. In this concern, the job choice theory interprets the actual factors of a job seeker's decision-making process, and therefore, it could be effectively used in conceptualising the JSVP. However, it is claimed that, in most cases, the job choice theory is not considered the basis for developing the construct of the JSVP. Therefore, taking the job choice theory into consideration, this paper aims to develop a framework for conceptualising the JSVP from a new perspective. Thus, through a systematic literature review, eight factors that explain the conceptual domain of the JSVP are discovered and, on the basis of them, eight propositions are made in developing a measurement scale for the JSVP. This study discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the proposed factor-based structure for the JSVP. Subsequently, the limitations in the present research are discussed, and suggestions are made for future research concerning JSVP constructs.
Several researchers have suggested that job seekers believe organization with strong Corporate Social Responsibility backgroundas a better opportunity for career growth and job options. At the same time, organizations also promote their CSR as a way to attract a large number of qualified workforces. CSR in simple terms means giving back to the society. It is about meeting the expectations of various stakeholders and fulfill the requirements of people, planet and profile at a large.The reputation and image of an organization is determined by its CSR practices which in turn emerge as a competitive advantage for organizations in future. An employer's overall image and reputation is known to attract job seekers and its image pertaining to CSR practices has emerged as a competitive advantage for organizations in the future. The purpose of this study is to investigate the attitude of job seekers towards the influence of CSR in making a job choice decision. To explore the job seeker's responses on CSR and its attractiveness for the job, we have administered survey to 215 students enrolled in senior level management courses at a large premier institutions and universities located in Sambalpur district of Western Odisha. The responses were collected on two important dimensions of CSR-ethical practices and environmental sustainability. The students who seek a new employment opportunity within next 12 months are considered for the study. The responses were measured using 5-point Likert Scale. The SPSS software is used to analyze the data. Further, the data is made usable for AMOS. On the basis of the data collected, a model has been developed and in the present study, Structure Esrafil Ali, Prof. Biswajit Satpathy 1749 Equation Modeling analysis was applied to test the model, that is, how well the data fit the proposed model.The findings demonstrated how CSR acts as an attractive feature for influencing potential job seekers.
international science conference
of the Higher School of Security and Economics
THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE FIELD OF THE SECURITY –
ADVANTAGES AND THREATS
PRESENTATION - "GREEN HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT –
A SOLUTION FOR SUSTAINABLE ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT"; Management of the human resources – from crisis actions to visions for sustainable development; International conference devoted to the 20th of May – International human resources day;
La génération Z est-elle portée à suivre le chemin de l’entrepreneuriat ? Plus précisément, comment les jeunes générations soulignent-elles l’importance de l’innovation et de la prise de risques dans leurs priorités ? Laissent-elles pour autant tomber les questions éthiques et les principes chèrement acquis de la RSE ? 276 jeunes nés en 1995 et en 1996 ont répondu à une enquête en avril 2019. Chercher une réponse à cette question nécessite d’identifier des valeurs en relation avec le monde de l’entreprise. Des analyses en composantes principales ont permis d’identifier quatre facteurs significatifs, dont celui de l’importance de l’innovation et de la prise de risques. De la part de la génération Z, il existerait donc une volonté de ne pas perdre de vue que la réussite professionnelle passe aussi et avant tout par le goût de la nouveauté et de la prise de risques, sans pour autant renier son aspiration à l’éthique et aux principes de la RSE. C’est à ces conditions que l’entrepreneuriat devient une voie envisageable.
Konferencijos tikslas – suburti vadybos bei ekonomikos krypties mokslininkus ir praktikus, siekiant pasidalinti įžvalgomis, tendencijomis vykstančius šiose mokslo kryptyse. Konferencijos metu bus pristatytos naujausios vadybos mokslo ir studijų idėjos, dalijamasi naujovėmis, aptariamos problemos, iššūkiai, kylantys tiek vadybos moksle bei studijose, tiek praktikoje.
Purpose
This paper aims to examine whether companies in Indonesian controversial industries can rely on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices to improve potential employees' job pursuit intention, which lead to a higher quality of work life (QWL) and a better performance from their employees.
Design/methodology/approach
The target respondents are interns, staff and supervisors of 42 Indonesian listed companies in controversial industries. The data collection method is performed by distributing questionnaires using a seven-point Likert scale. Collected data using partial least squares (PLS) analysis are conducted and tested.
Findings
Consistent with the existing result, the authors find out that potential employees have a higher intention to join and accept a job offer from companies with a higher level of CSR practices. Regarding the corporate social responsibility, it is further proven to have a positive effect on employee's quality of work life. More interestingly, the findings of the current study reveal that CSR also affects employee performance (EP), both directly and indirectly, through QWL.
Research limitations/implications
Findings demonstrate that CSR in Indonesian controversial industry represents an important factor for recruiting top employees that lead to the improvement of the employee's quality of work life and performance.
Practical implications
The findings indicate that enterprises should be more concerned about CSR engagement in attracting new talents, enhancing the quality of work life and cultivating the employee's performance.
Originality/value
This study enhances previous supports and studies on the concept of CSR and human resource management by analyzing the relationship between CSR and employee performance. Previous researches have concentrated their objectives in finding the link between CSR and the financial performance of a company. However, it must be understood that a company's success actually hinges on the performance of one of their greatest assets, the human resources. Additionally, due to the change in generations that will be the job seekers, recruitment strategy to attract job applicants and improve the job pursuit intention (JPI) is now needed more than ever. One of the strategies that Indonesian companies can use to do so is by practicing CSR. Hence, this is the first study in an attempt to observe the overall relationship of the CSR with the job pursuit intention, QWL and EP, especially in the controversial industries. The study will drive companies to intensify their efforts in maintaining good employee performance.
Purpose
This study aims to investigate whether organizations can leverage on their sustainable business practices to attract valuable talents to gain competitive advantage over their competitors.
Design/methodology/approach
Using factorial design, the authors conducted an experiment to assess the attractiveness of an organization in line with the social identity theory, based on the Bursa Malaysia corporate social responsibility (CSR) framework attributes (including environmental performance, community relation, workplace and marketplace performance).
Findings
The findings of the current study supported the notion of social identity theory, as study subjects were attracted more to organizations with high corporate sustainable business (CSB) practices than organizations with low CSB practices. Specifically, findings of the current study revealed that job applicants have a higher intention to join and willingness to accept a job offer from organizations with more sustainable business practices.
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited by its sample size and selection, self-reported measures and its cross-sectional nature.
Practical implications
Understanding the most preferred attribute of CSB practices will enable organizations to focus their valuable resources rightfully to market their CSR efforts for obtaining higher organizational attractiveness and competitive advantage.
Social implications
As many organizations perceive sustainable outcomes to be costly, demonstrating the positive link between CSB practices and organizational attractiveness for talents warrants a win-win paradigm.
Originality/value
Talented workforce is essential for differentiating an organization from its competitors. As human resources are mostly unique and non-imitable, it has been recommended as a newly minted strategy to enable organization to achieve sustainable competitive advantages.
Extrapolating from Carroll's four domains of corporate social responsibility (1979) and Pyramid of CSR (1991), an alternative approach to conceptualizing corporate social responsibility (CSR) is proposed. A three-domain approach is presented in which the three core domains of economic, legal, and ethical responsibilities are depicted in a Venn model framework. The Venn framework yields seven CSR categories resulting from the overlap of the three core domains. Corporate examples are suggested and classified according to the new model, followed by a discussion of limitations and teaching and research implications.
Drawing on propositions from social identity theory and signaling theory, we hypothesized that firms' corporate social performance (CSP) is related positively to their reputations and to their attractiveness as employers. Results indicate that independent ratings of CSP are related to firms' reputations and attractiveness as employers, suggesting that a firm's CSP may provide a competitive advantage in attracting applicants. Such results add to the growing literature suggesting that CSP map provide firms with competitive advantages.
Most previous studies on corporate sustainability (corporate social responsibility) practices tend to focus on external stakeholders and outcomes. However, the influence of CSR practices on employees remains largely unexplored. In this study, we examine the influence of CSR practices on employees. attitudes and behaviors. We investigate the mediation effect of employees. attitudes and behaviors on the relationship between CSR practices and organizational performance. The empirical results indicate that employees. perceptions of CSR practices have a positive impact on their organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior. The organizational citizenship behavior partially mediates the relationship between CSR practices and organizational performance, whereas organizational commitment indirectly mediates the relationship only through organizational citizenship behavior. This study also raises some important implications based on the empirical results.
A strong reputation is widely acknowledged to be the most valuable asset of a firm, and sustainability has become an important component of corporate reputation. Many stakeholders, from customers to investors to employees to purchasing managers, report that sustainability is an important factor in their decision-making processes. However, sustainability messages have become ubiquitous–almost table stakes–for most large firms. In such an active marketplace, especially for firms who have not pursued leadership positions, it is difficult for companies to use sustainability to create meaningful differentiation from competitors and thus benefit from their investments. There is often a major gap between stakeholder perceptions and firm performance. Firms that integrate sustainability into their culture and business practices are better able to integrate sustainability messaging into mainstream communications.
This conceptual article examines how Sustainable Human Resource Management (Sustainable HRM) can help establishing an attractive employer brand that can address the different needs and expectations of potential and existing employees, without
compromising a consistent employer image, which can result in a sustained competitive advantage. Sustainable HRM should help firms attract and retain high-quality employees, because by integrating Sustainable HRM practices into the employee value
proposition, they establish a unique, attractive employer brand. An extended employee life cycle concept depicts how the employer brand promise can be delivered to address the different needs and expectations of potential and existing employees.
Building on existing studies suggesting that corporate social performance (CSP) is important in the job choice process, the authors investigate job seekers’perceptions of importance of CSP and explore effects of CSP dimensions on organizational attractiveness. Job seekers consider CSP important to assessment of firms and rate five specific CSP dimensions (environment, community relations, employee relations, diversity, and product issues) as more important than six other CSP dimensions. Using signaling theory and social identity theory, the authors hypothesize differences in effects of CSP data on ratings of employer attractiveness and find that environment, community relations, and diversity dimensions have the largest affect on attractiveness ratings.
The purpose of this study is to explore whether different aspects of corporate social responsibility (i.e., economic, legal, and ethical) have independent association with job applicants’ attraction to organizations and how applicants combine the information. Further, from a person–organization fit perspective, we examine whether applicants are attracted to organizations whose corporate social responsibility (CSR) reflects their differences in ethical predispositions (i.e., utilitarianism and formalism) and Machiavellianism. Using factorial design, we created scenarios manipulating CSR and pay level. Participants read each scenario and answered questions about their attraction to the organization depicted in the scenario. We found that each aspect of CSR had an independent relationship with organizational attraction and the probability of accepting a job offer. Participants combined information from each type of CSR in an interactive, configural manner. Applicants with different ethical predispositions and Machiavellianism personality were affected by CSR to different extents. Understanding how job applicants evaluate CSR information may give managers an opportunity to influence applicant attraction. Further, our study shows that organizations may be able to maximize the utility of their CSR investments by selectively conveying CSR information in recruitment brochures that are attractive to their ideal applicants. This is the first study to examine how job applicants form their perception based upon different configurations of the multiple aspects of CSR. In addition, this is the first study to examine the moderating effect of individual differences in ethical predispositions and Machiavellianism on the relationship between CSR and applicant attraction.
A considerable body of literature deals with the creation of economic value while increasing corporate environmental and social performance. Some publications even focus on the business case for sustainability which aims at increasing corporate economic value through environmental or social measures. The existence of a business case for sustainability is, however, mostly seen as an ad hoc measure, a supplement to the core business, or simply a coincidence. As a contrast, this paper argues that business model innovations may be required to support a systematic, ongoing creation of business cases for sustainability. A framework for business model innovation is proposed as a means to strategically create business cases on a regular basis as an inherent, deeply integrated element of business activities.
Most theorizing on the relationship between corporate social/environmental performance (CSP) and corporate financial performance (CFP) assumes that the current evidence is too fractured or too variable to draw any generalizable conclusions. With this integrative, quantitative study, we intend to show that the mainstream claim that we have little generalizable knowledge about CSP and CFP is built on shaky grounds. Providing a methodologically more rigorous review than previous efforts, we conduct a meta-analysis of 52 studies (which represent the population of prior quantitative inquiry) yielding a total sample size of 33,878 observations. The meta- analytic findings suggest that corporate virtue in the form of social responsibility and, to a lesser extent, environmental responsibility is likely to pay off, although the operationalizations of CSP and CFP also moderate the positive association. For example, CSP appears to be more highly correlated with accounting-based measures of CFP than with market-based indicators, and CSP reputation indices are more highly correlated with CFP than are other indicators of CSP. This meta-analysis establishes a greater degree of certainty with respect to the CSP-CFP relationship than is currently assumed to exist by many business scholars.
The societal issues conveyed to the organization by its internal and external stakeholders can be various and often conflicting. Consequently, organizations confront difficulties when attempting to identify the range of relevant societal issues they must prioritize to design corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. This article proposes a conceptual framework to clarify the processes that underlie the emergence, prioritization and integration of CSR issues into organizational goals. Specifically, this article uses systems thinking, CSR, and organizational interpretation theories to highlight the central influence of top managers' perceptions on the development of CSR strategic agendas. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article reviews the different definitions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate sustainability (CS) used over time to reveal points of difference and congruence between the two terms. Management literature uses both CSR and CS to refer to social and environmental management issues, but there is no clear distinction between the two terms. First, the author quantifies the articles published about CSR and CS in both general management and specialized journals. Second, the author summarizes the different CSR- and CS-related definitions to identify the definitional differences between CSR and CS. Finally, the author identifies opportunities to reshape a rapidly changing field by enhancing collaboration among scholars devoted to studying CSR and CS issues.
Ecological issues have become a growing concern to businesses. This experimental study examined the effect of a pro-environmental stance on the recruiting efforts of a fictitious firm. Results supported the idea that a proactive company stance on the environment would be positively related to perceived company attractiveness, intentions to pursue employment with that company, and acceptance of a job offer (n=303). Further, personal environmental stance influenced only the intent to pursue employment. This suggests that a positive environmental stance articulated in a recruitment brochure could positively affect potential recruits, even when a recruit does not personally see herself or himself as being particularly pro-environmental.
Developing labor shortages are expected to increase the importance of applicant attraction into the next century. Unfonunately, previous research has provided little in the way of unified theory or operational guidelines for organizations confronted with attraction difficulties. In part, this is because much research has been framed from the applicant's, rather than the organization's, perspective. In addition, attraction-related theories and research are scattered across a variety of literatures, and often identified primarily with topics other than attraction per se (e.g., wage, motivation, or discrimination theories).The present paper draws on multiple literatures to develop a model of applicant attraction from the organization's perspective. In it, we (1) outline three general strategies for enhancing applicant attraction, (2) propose broad categories of contingency factors expected to affect the choice (and potential effectiveness) of alternative strategies, (3) suggest probable interrelationships among the strategies, (4) link applicant attraction strategies to other human resource practices, (5) outline various dimensions of attraction outcomes (e.g. qualitative and quantitative, attitudinal and behavioral, temporal), and (6) discuss implications for future attraction research.
Attracting high-performing applicants is a critical component of personnel selection and overall organizational success. In this study, the authors meta-analyzed 667 coefficients from 71 studies examining relationships between various predictors with job-organization attraction, job pursuit intentions, acceptance intentions, and job choice. The moderating effects of applicant gender, race, and applicant versus nonapplicant status were also examined. Results showed that applicant attraction outcomes were predicted by job-organization characteristics, recruiter behaviors, perceptions of the recruiting process, perceived fit, and hiring expectancies, but not recruiter demographics or perceived alternatives. Path analyses showed that applicant attitudes and intentions mediated the predictor-job choice relationships. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for recruiting theory, research, and practice.
With growing sensitivity toward social issues, companies are increasingly expected to take greater responsibility for making sustainable development a reality. However, defining this new role is a major challenge for companies as they search for ways to balance economic, environmental and social performance. To integrate sustainability principles into their business strategies and to aid resource allocation decisions, managers must quantify the link between social and environmental actions and financial performance. The authors have proposed a framework that will assist managers in making the business case for sustainability initiatives. Within the context of that framework, a sample of corporate sustainability reports are examined to (1) determine whether companies have been measuring the financial impact of social and environmental initiatives, (2) identify specific areas of concern and obstacles to the integration of sustainability into corporate performance and (3) provide specific guidance as to how companies can move toward a better integration of social and environmental initiatives in their decision-making processes and operations. Results suggest that companies are increasingly attempting to link environmental initiatives to financial performance. However, companies are not typically making a clear business case for broader issues of sustainability.
Research on employee recruitment has shown that an organization’s corporate social performance (CSP) affects its attractiveness as an employer, but the underlying mechanisms and processes through which this occurs are poorly understood. We propose that job seekers receive signals from CSP that inform three signal-based mechanisms that ultimately affect organizational attractiveness: job seekers’ anticipated pride from being affiliated with the organization, their perceived value fit with the organization, and their expectations about how the organization treats its employees. We hypothesized that these signal-based mechanisms mediate the relationships between CSP and organizational attractiveness, focusing on two aspects of CSP: an organization’s community involvement and pro-environmental practices. In an experiment (n = 180), we manipulated CSP via a company’s web pages. In a field study (n �= 171), we measured CSP content in the recruitment materials used by organizations at a job fair and job seekers’ perceptions of the organizations’ CSP. Results provided support for the signal-based mechanisms, and we discuss the implications for theory, future research, and practice.
The authors review the corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature based on 588 journal articles and 102 books and book chapters. They offer a multilevel and multidisciplinary theoretical framework that synthesizes and integrates the literature at the institutional, organizational, and individual levels of analysis. The framework includes reactive and proactive predictors of CSR actions and policies and the outcomes of such actions and policies, which they classify as primarily affecting internal (i.e., internal outcomes) or external (i.e., external outcomes) stakeholders. The framework includes variables that explain underlying mechanisms (i.e., relationship- and value-based mediator variables) of CSR–outcomes relationships and contingency effects (i.e., people-, place-, price-, and profile-based moderator variables) that explain conditions under which the relationship between CSR and its outcomes change. The authors’ review reveals important knowledge gaps related to the adoption of different theoretical orientations by researchers studying CSR at different levels of analysis, the need to understand underlying mechanisms linking CSR with outcomes, the need for research at micro levels of analysis (i.e., individuals and teams), and the need for methodological approaches that will help address these substantive knowledge gaps. Accordingly, they offer a detailed research agenda for the future, based on a multilevel perspective that aims to integrate diverse theoretical frameworks as well as develop an understanding of underlying mechanisms and microfoundations of CSR (i.e., foundations based on individual action and interactions). The authors also provide specific suggestions regarding research design, measurement, and data-analytic approaches that will be instrumental in carrying out their proposed research agenda.
Sustainability challenges are complex. So are the challenges that business firms encounter in their corresponding quest for corporate sustainability. Given this complexity, there is a need for new approaches to corporate sustainability management research. We discuss transdisciplinarity as such a novel approach in three steps. After showing that specialization is the primary conventional response to increasing complexity, we first briefly compare how inter-, multi-, and trans-disciplinarity reintegrate decentral, specialized knowledge. The second step describes how the emerging sustainability science has recently advanced the transdisciplinary methodology. Based on the two dimensions of interdisciplinarity and academia-practice collaboration, we thirdly, generate a framework for mapping existing research approaches in terms of their transdisciplinary qualities. We use this framework to identify room for novel methodologies in sustainability management research.
Signaling theory is useful for describing behavior when two parties (individuals or organizations) have access to different information. Typically, one party, the sender, must choose whether and how to communicate (or signal) that information, and the other party, the receiver, must choose how to interpret the signal. Accordingly, signaling theory holds a prominent position in a variety of management literatures, including strategic management, entrepreneurship, and human resource management. While the use of signaling theory has gained momentum in recent years, its central tenets have become blurred as it has been applied to organizational concerns. The authors, therefore, provide a concise synthesis of the theory and its key concepts, review its use in the management literature, and put forward directions for future research that will encourage scholars to use signaling theory in new ways and to develop more complex formulations and nuanced variations of the theory.
Previous research has suggested that corporate social performance is positively related to firms’ attractiveness as employers. The authors propose and test an alternative model whereby job applicants’ familiarity with employers mediates the relationship between corporate social performance and organizational attractiveness. Applicants’familiarity with firms may serve as a signal of firms’suitability as employers, with more familiar firms considered more attractive. Furthermore, a firm’s overall level of corporate social activity (whether “good deeds” or “ misdeeds”) may contribute directly to firm familiarity and indirectly to attractiveness through familiarity. The authors’ results support this model; firm familiarity completely mediates the relationship between corporate social performance and organizational attractiveness.
Applicant attraction is vital to the success of an organization. Despite its importance, however, research on it has tended to proceed in a relatively piecemeal way. Accordingly, the authors present a framework for attraction research through an examination of the underlying relevant theories. Specifically, they identify three overarching metatheories focusing on environment processing, interactionist processing, and self-processing that form the basis for their theoretical model. The authors conclude with an examination of future research directions.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a better understanding of the presence of “green‐collar workers” in organizations, including whether their perception of the organization with regard to environmental activities would affect their willingness to recommend the employer to others. It also aims to analyse generational differences with regard to this phenomenon.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a survey developed from other research on green‐collar workers. It was distributed electronically and the data analysed using primarily χ ² and analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Findings
There were differences in knowledge levels regarding environmental topics such as the Kyoto treaty and the Green‐Collar Jobs Act. Significant correlations were also found among the variables of generation, willingness to recommend employer, and importance of school/workplace being environmentally friendly.
Research limitations/implications
The use of an online survey was a limitation due to the need for technology access to respond. Despite this limitation, subjects included sufficient members of all four generations to perform the analyzes.
Practical implications
Organizations that are trying to “go green” may well benefit from improved employee relations as a result. Employees who are interested in environmental issues will more likely recommend their companies to others when they feel the organization reflects their interest.
Originality/value
Other studies have not included gender or generational aspects of the issue of environmentalism in their work. This empirical study also investigates the relationship between organizations’ environmental activities, employee perceptions of the organization, and their willingness to recommend their company to others.
Employer attractiveness and recruiting success can offer a company competitive advantage. This study examines employer preference and attractiveness to current hospitality students through the examination of sustainable development behaviors as the signal of social responsibility. The research was conducted through a survey instrument which was administered to students enrolled in hospitality programs at four U.S. universities. Analysis of 341 responses indicated that the current industry practice of corporate philanthropy as the primary vehicle of signaling is outmoded and new behaviors emphasizing diversity and human rights are more effective in appealing to today's hospitality student.
Strategic managers are consistently faced with the decision of how to allocate scarce corporate resources in an environment that is placing more and more pressures on them. Recent scholarship in strategic management suggests that many of these pressures come directly from sources associated with social issues in management, rather than traditional arenas of strategic management. Using a greatly improved source of data on corporate social performance, this paper reports the results of a rigorous study of the empirical linkages between financial and social performance. Corporate social performance (CSP) is found to be positively associated with prior financial performance, supporting the theory that slack resource availability and CSP are positively related. CSP is also found to be positively associated with future financial performance, supporting the theory that good management and CSP are positively related.© 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
This research examined both the effects of various corporate image dimensions on organizational attractiveness and the moderating effects of applicant individual difference variables on the aforementioned relationships. Two studies were conducted for this research, which involved 40 bank samples and 360 student participants (Study 1) and 538 employee–student mixed samples (Study 2). By implementing different research designs, samples, and industry targets in the two studies, we found that corporate product image, corporate citizenship image, and corporate credibility image were important antecedents to organizational attractiveness. One of the proposed applicant individual difference variables, environmental sensitivity, was found to moderate the relationship between corporate citizenship image and organizational attractiveness.
Carroll (1991) encouraged researchers in Social Issues Management (SIM) to continue to measure Corporate Social Performance (CSP) from a variety of different perspectives utilizing a variety of different measures. In addition, Wolfe and Aupperle (1991) (and others) have asserted that there is no, single best way to measure CSP and that multiple measures and perspectives help develop the field. However, Pfeffer (1993) suggest that a lack of consistent measurement has constrained organization studies (and by implication, the field of social issues management,) in its development as a field. It may be in the best interest of social issues management researchers to try to development a common body of measures and data. Recently, Kinder, Lydenberg and Domini & Co. (KLD — a social choice investment advisory firm) has made available their social performance database. The KLD data have potential to become a widely accepted set of CSP measures. The purpose of this paper is to present a construct validity study comparing the KLD data to other measures of CSP.
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a pro-environmental corporate message on prospective applicants’ attitudes toward a fictitious hiring organization. Drawing from signaling theory, we hypothesized that an environmental message on the organization’s recruitment website would increase prospective applicants’ perceptions of organizational prestige, which would then increase job pursuit intentions. Personal environmental attitudes were also examined as a possible moderator.
Design/Methodology/Approach
Participants (N = 183) viewed a web site printout that either did or did not contain a message indicating the organization’s environmental support. Participants rated their attitudes toward the environment, perceptions of the organization, and job pursuit intentions.
Findings
Findings demonstrated that the environmental support message positively affected job pursuit intentions; further, this effect was mediated by perceptions of the organization’s reputation. Contrary to the person–organization fit perspective, the message’s effects on job pursuit intentions were not contingent upon the participant’s own environmental stance.
Implications
These findings highlight the importance of corporate social performance as a source of information for a variety of job seekers. Even relatively small amounts of information regarding corporate social performance can positively affect an organization’s reputation and recruitment efforts.
Originality/Value
In general, this research contributes to the growing body of literature on corporate social responsibility. It is the first study to test whether the effects of pro-environmental recruiting messages on job pursuit intentions depend upon an applicant’s personal environmental stance. In addition, this is the first study to demonstrate reputation’s meditational role in the effects of corporate social responsibility on recruitment efforts.
This study investigates the hypothesis that the advantage corporate social performance (CSP) yields in attracting human resources depends on the degree of job choice possessed by the job seeking population. Results indicate that organizational CSP is positively related to employer attractiveness for job seekers with high levels of job choice but not related for populations with low levels suggesting advantages to firms with high levels of CSP in the ability to attract the most qualified employees.
This study viewed students majoring in public relations as prospective public relations practitioners and explored their perceptions
about corporate social responsibility (CSR) as their job attraction condition. The results showed that the students perceived
CSR to be an important ethical fit condition of a company. One of the significant findings is that CSR can be an effective
reputation management strategy for prospective employees, particularly when a company’s business is suffering. In examining
the effect of CSR efforts on attitudinal and behavioral outcomes, person–organization (P–O) fit appeared to serve as a mediator
between CSR performances and organizational attractiveness.
Keywordscorporate social responsibility–person–organization fit–prospective public relations practitioner–organizational attractiveness
An increasing number of senior managers recognize the importance of formulating a strategy on corporate social responsibility. However they often find it difficult to translate the strategy into action. This article presents a framework that describes the drivers of corporate social performance, the actions that managers can take to affect that performance, and the consequences of those actions on both corporate social and financial performance. By carefully identifying and articulating the drivers of social performance and measuring and managing the broad effects of both good and bad performance on the corporation's various stakeholders, managers can make a significant contribution both to their company and to society. This more careful understanding of both the drivers of social performance and the impacts of that performance on the various corporate stakeholders permits better integration of that information into the day-to-day operational decisions and the institutionalization of social concerns throughout the organization. The framework includes the details of the systems, structures, and measures that are necessary to change organizational culture and processes to improve both social and financial performance.
The possibility of measuring and comparing sustainability performance is generally taken for granted in management studies and practices based on the evaluation, selection and ranking of the supposedly best companies in the field. The purpose of this article is to question this basic assumption by analyzing the comparability of sustainability performance through a systematic review of 12 mining company reports using Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. The analysis of information based on 92 GRI indicators raises serious questions concerning the hypothesis of measurability and comparability of sustainability performance, drawing attention to the main reasons that make it very difficult if not impossible to establish a credible and justifiable classification among organizations.
La possibilité de mesurer et de comparer les performances de développement durable est généralement prise pour acquise tant dans les recherches en gestion que dans les pratiques de classement ou de sélection des meilleures entreprises dans ce domaine. L’objectif de cet article est d’examiner cette hypothèse de mesurabilité et de comparabilité des performances de développement durable à partir de l’étude systématique de 12 rapports d’entreprises minières utilisant le même guideline du Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). L’analyse des informations relatives aux 92 indicateurs du GRI utilisés remet en cause l’hypothèse de comparabilité des performances de développement durable en mettant en lumière les principales raisons qui rendent pratiquement impossible l’établissement d’un classement crédible et justifiable entre les entreprises.
This chapter discusses job market signaling. The term market signaling is not exactly a part of the well-defined, technical vocabulary of the economist. The chapter presents a model in which signaling is implicitly defined and explains its usefulness. In most job markets, the employer is not sure of the productive capabilities of an individual at the time he hires him. The fact that it takes time to learn an individual's productive capabilities means that hiring is an investment decision. On the basis of previous experience in the market, the employer has conditional probability assessments over productive capacity with various combinations of signals and indices. This chapter presents an introduction to Spence's more extensive analysis of market signaling.
Six Differences between CSR and Sustainability
- A Last
What’s the difference between CSR and sustainability?”, available at www
- V Knowles