Search results

This article aims to analyze individual-, organizational- and country-level factors that determine the use of home-based telework across Europe according to the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the technology–organization–environment model.

To examine the impact of individual-, organizational- and country-level factors on telework, multilevel models are estimated to prevent problems derived from biased standard errors when micro- and macro-level data are combined.

The main findings show that, according to the usefulness side of the TAM, employees with family responsibilities, those that live away from their work and highly qualified workers use more home-based telework. Additionally, and according to the ease of use side of the TAM, empowerment in firms facilitates home-based telework. At the country level, lower power distance, individualism and femininity, better telework regulations and technology developments are also facilitators of home-based telework.

The study is limited by the cross-sectional nature of the data. This prevents the estimation of causal effects. Additional research would benefit from the use of panel data and from a more detailed analysis of the effects of country dimensions.

From an applied perspective, politics related to cultural dimensions are suggested to stimulate home-based telework.

The research contributes to previous literature by: (1) considering a large sample to conduct an empirical analysis of the use of home-based telework across Europe, (2) including micro and macro factors, (3) providing a theoretical framework to explain home-based telework, (4) applying a rigorous definition of home-based telework and (5) focusing on employees who are able to adopt home-based telework.

The purpose of this paper is to establish to what extent temporary contract and participation in decision making impact on employees job satisfaction and to propose a model whereby participation in decision making mitigates against the negative impact that temporary work has on job satisfaction.

The authors use data for a representative sample of 14,778 employees in 23 European countries. In order to test the hypotheses, the authors use regression models and the Chow test.

The results show that while temporary contracts decreases job satisfaction, participation in decision making increases it. However, autonomous teams, job autonomy, and job involvement buffer against the negative effect that temporary contract has on job satisfaction.

The use of secondary data and the non-longitudinal nature of the data set.

The effect of participation in decision making in job satisfaction is greater for temporary workers than for permanents. Participation in decision making should not be restricted to permanent workers.

Participation in decision making and temporary contracts has been considered incompatible practices. The paper contributes to enrich the understanding of the relationship between these practices and job satisfaction. Sample representatives support the results obtained.

This paper aims to investigate how home-based telework (HBT) affects job stress. The authors argue that an intrinsic effect of telework like work extension mediates this relationship. Work extension is reflected in two employee behaviours: working in free time and presentism.

The proposed model has been estimated using the Preacher and Hayes bootstrap method for multiple mediation analysis, with 1,000 repetitions. The data used come from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey.

The analysis indicates that HBT does not pose an inherent risk for job stress but causes a change in the employees' behaviour, increasing working in free time and presenteeism and thus job stress. The mediation model indicates that once these behaviours are controlled, the effect of HBT is to reduce stress.

The authors argue that companies should focus on human resource practices to control workers' behaviours that have a detrimental effect on job stress while institutions should regulate HBT.

The analysis deepens the unclear relationship between HBT and job stress by introducing employees' behaviours concerning work extension into the equation.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate and identify the organizational drivers of sexual harassment (SH).

Drawing on data from a representative sample of workers in Spain, this paper sheds light on the likelihood of SH influenced by: organizational environment and climate, organizational forms and structure, and job design parameters.

The analysis reveals that organizational climates where negative behaviors are tolerated are particularly advantageous for harassers. Furthermore, the profile of the victims of SH is that they work in isolation, are contracted through employment agencies, are not given training opportunities, and have low status in the firm. Analysis also reveals, however, that firms can reduce the risk of SH by empowering jobs and improving time flexibility.

The use of secondary data implies some constrains: the type of measure and the failure to control for the role of SH perpetrators.

Managers should adopt some organizational policies, such as empower job or improve time flexibility, since they reduce the risk of SH.

This paper identifies some objective organizational settings where SH is more likely and provides some easy to apply solutions to prevent it.

This paper aims to compare job satisfaction in public and private sectors and the mediating role of several job demands and resources on the relationship between the employment sector and job satisfaction.

Drawing on the job demands-resources model, this study argued that differences in job satisfaction were explained largely by the job characteristics provided in each sector. Data comes from the quality of working life survey, a representative sample of 6,024 Spanish public and private employees.

This study revealed that public employees were more satisfied than private ones. This relationship was partially mediated by job demands and job resources, meaning that the public and private employment sectors provided different working conditions. Public employees, in general, had fewer demands and more job resources than private ones, which resulted in different levels of job satisfaction. Additionally, partial mediation indicated that public employees are more satisfied than private ones, despite accounting for several job demands and job resources.

While the findings of this study highlighted the relative importance of job demands and job resources in affecting job satisfaction of public and private employees, the generalizability of the results to other countries should be limited as the study only used data from a single country.

A significant portion of the positive effect on job satisfaction of public employees is channeled through the lower levels of routine work and lower number of required working hours and through better job resources such as higher salary, more telework, greater prospects at work and more training utility. To improve job satisfaction, it is apparent that managers should pay special attention to things such as routine work, working hours, training and telework.

This paper contributes to the comprehension of how several job demands and resources simultaneously play a mediating role in explaining the relationship between the employment sector and job satisfaction.

Este artículo compara la satisfacción laboral en los sectores público y privado y el papel mediador de varias demandas y recursos laborales en la relación entre el sector laboral y la satisfacción laboral.

Basándonos en el modelo Demandas del Trabajo-Recursos (JD-R), argumentamos que las diferencias en la satisfacción laboral se explican en gran medida por las características del trabajo que se ofrece en cada sector. Los datos proceden de la Encuesta de Calidad de Vida Laboral (ECVT), una muestra representativa de 6.024 empleados públicos y privados españoles.

El estudio reveló que los empleados públicos estaban más satisfechos que los privados. Esta relación estaba parcialmente mediada por las exigencias del trabajo y los recursos laborales, lo que significa que los sectores de empleo público y privado ofrecían condiciones de trabajo diferentes. Los empleados públicos, en general, tenían menos exigencias y más recursos laborales que los privados, lo que dio lugar a diferentes niveles de satisfacción laboral. Además, la mediación parcial indicó que los empleados públicos están más satisfechos que los privados, a pesar de tener en cuenta varias demandas y recursos laborales.

Si bien los resultados de este estudio ponen de manifiesto la importancia relativa de las exigencias y los recursos del puesto de trabajo a la hora de afectar a la satisfacción laboral de los empleados públicos y privados, la generalización de los resultados a otros países debería ser limitada, ya que el estudio sólo utilizó datos de un único país.

Una parte importante del efecto positivo sobre la satisfacción laboral de los empleados públicos se canaliza a través de los niveles más bajos de trabajo rutinario y el menor número de horas de trabajo exigidas y a través de mejores recursos laborales como un salario más alto, más teletrabajo, mayores perspectivas en el trabajo y más utilidad de la formación. Para mejorar la satisfacción laboral, es evidente que los directivos deben prestar especial atención a aspectos como el trabajo rutinario, el horario laboral, la formación y el teletrabajo.

Este artículo contribuye a la comprensión de cómo varias exigencias y recursos del trabajo desempeñan simultáneamente un papel mediador en la explicación de la relación entre el sector del empleo y la satisfacción laboral.

Este artigo compara a satisfação profissional nos sectores público e privado e o papel mediador de várias exigências e recursos de emprego na relação entre o sector do emprego e a satisfação profissional.

Com base no modelo Job Demands-Resources (JD-R), defendemos que as diferenças na satisfação no emprego eram em grande parte explicadas pelas características do emprego fornecidas em cada sector. Os dados provêm do Inquérito à Qualidade da Vida Profissional (QWLS), uma amostra representativa de 6.024 funcionários públicos e privados espanhóis.

O estudo revelou que os funcionários públicos estavam mais satisfeitos do que os privados. Esta relação foi parcialmente mediada por exigências e recursos de emprego, o que significa que os sectores público e privado de emprego proporcionavam condições de trabalho diferentes. Os funcionários públicos, em geral, tinham menos exigências e mais recursos de emprego do que os privados, o que resultou em diferentes níveis de satisfação no emprego. Além disso, a mediação parcial indicou que os funcionários públicos estão mais satisfeitos do que os privados, apesar de contabilizarem várias exigências de emprego e recursos laborais.

Embora os resultados deste estudo tenham salientado a importância relativa das exigências e dos recursos do emprego para a satisfação dos trabalhadores públicos e privados, a generalização dos resultados para outros países deve ser limitada, uma vez que o estudo apenas utilizou dados de um único país.

Uma parte significativa do efeito positivo na satisfação profissional dos funcionários públicos é canalizada através dos níveis mais baixos de trabalho de rotina e do menor número de horas de trabalho necessárias e através de melhores recursos laborais, tais como salários mais elevados, mais teletrabalho, maiores perspectivas no trabalho, e mais utilidade na formação. Para melhorar a satisfação profissional, é evidente que os gestores devem prestar especial atenção a coisas como o trabalho de rotina, horas de trabalho, formação, e teletrabalho.

Este artigo contribui para a compreensão de como várias exigências e recursos laborais desempenham simultaneamente um papel de mediação na explicação da relação entre o sector do emprego e a satisfação profissional.

This paper aims to establish to what extent family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices are positively related to work–family balance and to identify the role played by job satisfaction and working hours as mediators of this relationship

We use data for a representative sample of almost 17,000 employees of dual-earner couples from European countries. To test the mediation mechanism implied by our hypotheses, we follow the procedure outlined in Baron and Kenny (1986). Given the nature of the dependent variables, ordered probit and regression models were estimated in the analysis.

The results show that, in general, family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices increase work–family balance and that these positive relationships are partially mediated by job satisfaction and working hours. While both family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices increase job satisfaction, only the first increase working hours. Moreover, job satisfaction increases work–family balance, while working hours reduces it. The net effect of these opposing forces on work–family balance is positive.

The use of secondary data posits some constraints, such as the type of measures and the failure to control for a higher number of family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices. Additionally, the non-longitudinal nature of the data set implies that some relationships cannot be considered causal in the intended direction.

Managers should implement family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices, as, in general, they increase work–family balance. A significant portion of this positive effect is channeled through job satisfaction and working hours.

The paper contributes to understanding the relationship between different subsets of human-resources management practices and work–family balance, proposing a model that aims to disentangle the mediating mechanisms through which this relationship occurs.

This study aims to create actionable guidelines for pricing decision-making by employing game a theory matrix to forecast the correlation between the average daily rate and the latest ambiance of hotels.

Utilizing a vector error correction model, the research employs game theory to assess the influence of the average daily rate on the hotel's newest atmosphere during both peak season (April–September) and valley season (October–March).

Findings indicate that during the peak season, when the average daily rate rises in resorts and falls in suburban areas, the hotel’s newest atmosphere is at its best in both types of accommodations. During the off-peak season, the hotel’s newest atmosphere is achieved when both resorts and suburban accommodations increase their average daily rates.

There are two study constraints. One is the assumption that hotel guests in both parties prefer not to change hotels, but in fact they would. Two is a limited sample of two resort and suburban markets.

This suggests that the hotel’s newest atmosphere can draw both leisure and business travelers to suburban areas during the low season and more leisure travelers to resorts during the high season.

The study’s findings have implications for revenue related to the hotel’s newest atmosphere and cleanliness for both suburban and resort hotels, particularly when promoting tourism collaboratively.

The study provides valuable insights for hotel managers in analyzing pricing strategies using matrices.

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the consumers of mezcal in México based on their motivations, identifying different groups of consumers and their demographic characteristics.

A questionnaire based on the Food Choice Questionnaire was applied to 310 consumers: 154 directly to mezcal consumers in three “mezcalerías” (mezcal bars) and 156 through five social networking communities of mezcal consumers. The data obtained were analysed using multivariate statistics, factor and cluster analysis.

The results show that the search for tradition is the determining buying motivation, whereas quality seals do not exert a significant influence. Four profiles of mezcal consumers can be identified according to their consumption patterns: consumer linked to the territory, traditional consumer, consumer in transition and social consumer. The predominant demographic characteristics in the four consumer groups described a male, between 20 and 39 years old, single, childless, with professional education and employed. The overall results reveal a consumer who shares the quality criteria established by mescal-producing communities and is strongly interested in traditionally processed drinks.

In México, there are two important distilled drinks, tequila and mezcal. There is ample research on the first one, but there is less research on mezcal, despite it has an annual increase of 45 per cent in consumption. Most of the research work has been focused on aspects of diversity, sustainability and productivity, but there are not studies on the factors that affect mezcal consumption. Thus, this paper aims to characterize the consumers of mezcal, based on their motivations.

As a result of the growth of the modernization of retailing, small family grocers have suffered because of the disadvantages of their limited operating resources in comparison to those of corporate chain retailers. The purpose of this paper is to use the biological analogy of natural selection to illustrate how the idea of retail coexistence rather than mutually exclusive competition can work to the benefit of small family grocers. The inherent differences between chain retailers and small family grocers are examined and their inherent advantages identified. The appropriate strategies for small family grocers toward the particular market are then proposed.

The review of literature is implemented through the lens of biological analogy to identify the inherent advantages of small family grocers over chain retailers. Resource-advantage (R-A) theory is then incorporated to explain the synthesized framework.

Size and operational orientation are identified as the inherent differences that small family grocers can utilize to gain some inherent advantages over chain retailers in relation to the proposed segments. The establishment of a personal relationship with the customer is the key inherent advantage that is naturally facilitated by the individual orientation of the small family grocer. Within R-A theory, inherent advantage is seen as a special case of a comparative advantage in resources.

The different viewpoint inspired by the biological analogy that permits small family grocers to shift their mindset from retail competition to retail coexistence and to re-examine their own inherent advantages to serve the heterogeneous demand of consumers.

This exploratory study identifies key pillars on which innovative business models rely in the Latin American retail landscape. First, using qualitative research methods, we delve into the minds of Latin America's emerging consumers to uncover their needs and paradigms. In a region where retail innovation has traditionally been targeted at high-income consumers, we find a new breed of retailers that cater to the large mass of emerging consumers. Second, we explore the avenues of innovation retailers have followed to serve this impoverished segment and find that retailers' efforts to innovate have resulted in at least three original retail formats: one centered on providing access to durable goods, another centered on offering a wide assortment of goods and a convenient location, and the last one centered on incorporating design and quality. Based on the wheel of retailing theory, we show how these new formats are changing the structure of the retail industry in the region.