Leslie T. Szamosi

Development of a measure to assess organizational change

Discusses the use of the act frequency approach methodology to develop and validate a measure of organizational support of revolutionary change. A total of nine unique behaviors, describing three constructs, were viewed by employees as supportive of revolutionary change; and 12 unique behaviors, describing two constructs, were perceived as being non‐supportive of revolutionary change. The measures developed were found to have high internal reliability. The measures were also found to be highly correlated with relevant individual and organizational outcome measures. These results provide empirical support for the idea that how an organization supports revolutionary change can have an impact on both the organization and its employees and that contextual variable may not influence perceptions.

Just What Are Tomorrow's SME Employees Looking For?.

Purpose – The paper seeks to determine what tomorrows employees (i.e. graduates) are seeking from SMEs in terms of organizational satisfaction and value characteristics.Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 55 university students who identified SMEs as their best opportunity for their career goals is shown. The survey utilized tested measures of organizational satisfaction and values.Findings – The paper finds that Generations X and Y are seeking equivalent values and satisfaction outcomes from SMEs. It is seeking very caring, environmentally concerned, and sensitive SMEs. Tangible and intangible benefits, empowerment and respect, workplace involvement, concern for employee welfare and supportive management are critical.Research limitations/implications – The paper shows that when researching one can differentiate between what graduates are looking for from their SMEs as opposed to organizations in general. Future research could analyze SME versus MNC or other organizational forms.Practical implicati...

Exploring the Greek national business system: Towards a modernization agenda

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore the Greek National Business System (NBS) in terms of management practices, organizational culture and public administration. Moreover, the need for modernization is analyzed with focus on total quality management (TQM) as the major issue on this agenda.Design/methodology/approach – This study utilizes a critical literature review approach to draw together and conceptualize the modernization agenda of the Greek NBS.Findings – This paper supports the idea that there is a need to put promising management practices into the context of the Greek national business system and to study not only the market situation, the industrial relations history and the HR practices used, but also how these practices are understood and used by managers and employees who work in different employment sectors.Practical implications – The findings of this study may have a broader impact as Greece attempts to redefine itself as a hub for South‐East Europe.Originality/value – Since most academic...

Toward an understanding of people management issues in SMEs: a South‐Eastern European perspective

The focus of this paper is on developing an understanding, and benchmarking, human resource management (HRM) issues in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South‐Eastern Europe. The importance of SMEs in helping transition‐based economies develop is critical, but at the same time the research indicates that the movement toward westernized business systems has a dramatic impact on the human resources within such businesses. Toward addressing this linkage, critical HRM issues related to work outcomes, measures of satisfaction, and managerial support were studied with a sample of nearly 300 employees from 21 SMEs in a country in South‐Eastern Europe (the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). The data suggest that SMEs are not currently giving their employees what they want from their job (e.g. career development, participation in decision making) and that women are treated differently than men creating an imbalance within the workforce. From these data recommendations are drawn for SMEs on how to move forward as transition unfolds.

Studying place image: an interdisciplinary and holistic approach

This study uses an interdisciplinary view informed by two related streams of research that have evolved independently of each other, “Tourism Destination Image” and “Product Country Image”, to research the place image construct. A theoretical model is applied to simultaneously measure image dimensions from both streams in order to better understand relationships between them. Australia, a country that has a strong “general country” and “tourism destination” image but a weaker “product” image, is used as the study target. We use comparative cross-national data from culturally similar (Canada) and dissimilar (South Korea) countries and a mixed method analysis culminating in a LISREL-tested, two-country, three-dimensional structural equation model.

Introducing employment relations in South Eastern Europe

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the employment relations context in South Eastern Europe from a variety of capitalism perspectives. Particular attention is accorded to the uneven nature of change at both the levels of institutions and practice. This is followed by a review of the individual papers that make up this special issue.Design/methodology/approach – This paper is primarily a theoretical one, providing a review of the papers that make up this special issue and giving an overview of the foundation being provided.Findings – While the term “transitional” has often been deployed to describe employment relations across the region, the process has been an extremely protracted one. There is little doubt that the nature and form of employment relations in the countries encompassed in this review is still coalescing, with further ruptures likely as a result of the 2009 depression. At the same time, the papers in this special issue point to long‐standing continuities with employment.Rese...

A three-fold framework for understanding HRM practices in South-Eastern European SMEs

Purpose – We study particular structural and organisational factors affecting the formality of human resource management (HRM) practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South-Eastern European (SEE) post-communist countries, in particular Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in order to understand the antecedents of formalization in such settings. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting a quantitative approach, this study analyses data gathered through a survey of 168 managers of SMEs from throughout the region. Findings – The results show that HRM in SMEs in the SEE region can be understood through a three-fold framework which includes: degree of internationalisation of SMEs, sector of SMEs and organisational size of SMEs. These three factors positively affect the level of HRM formalisation in SEE SMEs. These findings are further attributed to the particular political and economic context of the post-communist SEE region. Research limitations/implications – Although specific criteria were set for SME selection, we do not suggest that the study reflects a representative picture of the SEE region because we used a purposive sampling methodology. Practical implications – This article provides useful insights into the factors which influence HRM in SMEs in a particular context. The findings can help business owners and managers understand how HRM can be applied in smaller organisations, particularly in post-communist SEE business contexts. Originality/value – HRM in SMEs in this region has hardly been studied at all despite their importance. Therefore, this exploratory research seeks to expand knowledge relating to the application of HRM in SMEs in SEE countries which have their business environments dominated by different dynamics in comparison to western European ones.

Entry Modes and the Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in a European Union Accession Country: The Case of Albania

The countries of South-Eastern Europe have begun attracting the interest of foreign investors as stability has begun to return to the region. For the purpose of this study, valuable information was collected regarding the determination of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Albania during the transition period 1989–2004. Its purpose was to identify the entry modes and the kind and type of motives and entry barriers for inward FDI that foreign firms have considered entering the country. This research has identified a variety of internal business conditions/factors (obstacles– motives/incentives) that have been examined by foreign enterprises. The study is part of a broader research agenda in the region based on previous FDI theories and follows Dunnings theory regarding the possible motives and entry barriers for foreign direct investment. A total of 51 foreign companies participated in this research representing the bulk of current, major FDIs into the country, providing a strong foundation upon which to base the findings.

Reverse resource exchanges in service supply chains: the case of returnable transport packaging

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand how reverse resource exchanges and resource dependencies are managed in the service supply chain (SSC) of returnable transport packaging (RTP). Design/methodology/approach: A single case study was conducted in the context of automotive logistics focusing on the RTP SSC. Data were collected through 16 interviews, primarily with managers of a logistics service provider (LSP) and document analysis of contractual agreements with key customers of the packaging service. Findings: Resource dependencies among actors in the SSC result from the importance of the RTP for the customer’s production processes, the competition among users for RTP and the negative implications of the temporary unavailability of RTP for customers and the LSP (in terms of service performance). Amongst other things, the LSP is dependent on its customers and third-party users (e.g. the customer’s suppliers) for the timely return of package resources. The role of inter-firm integration and collaboration, formal contracts as well as customers’ power and influence over third-party RTP users are stressed as key mechanisms for managing LSP’s resource dependencies. Research limitations/implications: A resource dependence theory (RDT) lens is used to analyse how reverse resource exchanges and associated resource dependencies in SSCs are managed, thus complementing the existing SSC literature emphasising the bi-directionality of resource flows. The study also extends the recent SSC literature stressing the role of contracting by empirically demonstrating how formal contracts can be mobilised to explicate resource dependencies and to specify, and regulate, reverse exchanges in the SSC. Practical implications: The research suggests that logistics providers can effectively manage their resource dependencies and regulate reverse exchanges in the SSC by deploying contractual governance mechanisms and leveraging their customers’ influence over third-party RTP users. Originality/value: The study is novel in its application of RDT, which enhances our understanding of the management of reverse exchanges and resource dependencies in SSCs.

Measuring event planners' perceptions of place image attributes: the case of Greek convention destinations.

Meetings, convention, and exhibition tourism is a growing and relatively high value segment of the industry. As a result, it is often put forth as a strategic focus to enhance overall tourism revenues, particularly in the tourism off-season. Professional meeting planners play a major role in this sector, given their critical intermediary position and function which enable them to influence, and often determine, location choice. Therefore, knowing their views of various competitive destinations and the dimensions on which they base their evaluation can be important information for marketers engaged in destination branding and promotion. This study evaluates the perceptions of professional meeting planners concerning the relative importance of destination choice attributes and the images of selected convention destinations in Greece. Research instruments from earlier tourism studies are used and enhanced by scales from the related literature on product�country image effects on product choice, where place image is also important. The findings support those of earlier studies but also point to factors related to places and their people, which may be more effective differentiators for convention destinations than traditional tourism factors. Implications for research and practice and potentially interesting areas for future studies are discussed.