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Studies have shown that project managers are responsible for the successful management of various projects. Increasingly, this success depends on the project manager being a knowledge worker (KW)—i.e., possessing and utilizing both "hard" and "soft" skills/competencies to manage assigned projects. Nonetheless, there has not been enough studies on what these competencies are, especially in the context of developing countries (DCs). This study, therefore, seeks to conceptualize project managers as KWs by identifying the key competencies and their relationships needed to effectively manage projects in DCs. To achieve this objective, a survey was conducted among 112 project management (PM) practitioners in Ghana. The opinions from the respondents were edited, summarized and categorized by creating word queries, thus, making it easier to make deductions from them. Finally, content analysis was conducted to help establish links in the responses so as to deduce appropriate recommendations. The findings provide a set of "soft" and "hard" skills/competencies and their unique combinations for effective PM in DCs. The primary contribution of this study stems from highlighting the key competencies that project managers need to ensure effective PM in DCs, thus, helping these countries to make a more efficient use of their scarce resources.

This paper investigates the reviews posted by Airbnb customers in order to assess the customer satisfaction, and to understand the criteria of Airbnb customers in short-term accommodation rentals. The objective is to determine the characteristics that customers find important, and to provide the typologies of cities from the customer perspective. The analysis holds under scope the five most touristic cities in Europe. The opinion of Airbnb customers were retrieved from the Airbnb website. First, the satisfaction was assessed using sentiment analysis. Second, main characteristics that describe the tourism experience were defined through a set of Exploratory Factor Analysis. Next, segmentation of cities according to these features was settled. Results indicate that Airbnb customers are satisfied with the service they use, and that their choice of short-term accommodation on Airbnb is a multi-criterion decision process. The results of our research are of utmost importance for governmental institutions, tourism agencies, and Airbnb. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to establish a measurement scale for human resource management (HRM) practices in nonprofit organizations and to analyze their impact on employee job satisfaction. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using a principal components was performed. The analyzed sample is composed of 62 organizations with 2,030 employees. The results demonstrate that 8 out of 20 analyzed variables determine the measurement scale of HRM practices in these organizations. These variables are related to psychological demands, active work and development possibilities, social relations and leadership, and the degree of coherence in the organization with its principles. According to the results, these practices have an impact on employee job satisfaction. We believe that these results are relevant due to the lack of similar studies and the relevance of nonprofit organizations as job creators in the European Union.

This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Human resource management practices and employee job satisfaction in nonprofit organizations, which has been published in final form at . This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. ; The purpose of this study is to establish a measurement scale for human resource management (HRM) practices in nonprofit organizations and to analyze their impact on the job satisfaction of their employees. The results demonstrate that 8 out of the 20 analyzed variables determine the measurement scale of HRM practices in these organizations. These variables are related to psychological demands, active work and development possibilities, social relations and leadership, and the degree of coherence in the organization with its principles. According to the results, these practices have an impact on job satisfaction in this type of nonprofit organization. The results are significant, given that these organizations employ 9-11.5% of the active population in European Union countries. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion

ABSTRACTThis study analyses the worldwide diffusion of the Global Reporting Initiative's (GRI) Sustainability Report in all economic sectors from 1999 to 2011. The logistic curve model (s‐shaped curve) is used to assess the current situation on both a global scale and a local scale. Additionally, instability and concentration indices are used to analyse whether the diffusion process developed in a homogeneous manner across economic sectors. Although for different reasons, close attention has been paid to the two leading sectors worldwide: the financial and energy sectors. Findings suggest that the energy sector has adopted GRI reporting in an effort to be more sustainable as it is more visible, polluting, and international. On the other hand, the financial sector could regain market credibility and attract new investors, and GRI reporting could help it to construct a new identity defined by legitimate behaviours and an improved image. The paper concludes with some reflections on the usefulness of these reports and trends. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

PurposeThe aim of this study is to compare the diffusion of certifications under two quality management systems (QMSs) in the tourism sector in Spain: the generic ISO 9001 international standard; and the Spanish industry‐specific "Q" standard.Design/methodology/approachThe study pursues this objective by comparing the logistic curves of dissemination of certifications under the two standards using data obtained from official sources. This analysis is complemented with qualitative data from several case studies of Spanish hotels and restaurants.FindingsThe results show that the two standards are at different stages of diffusion: certification under the Spanish "Q" standard is increasing, while the ISO 9001 international standard seems to have reached saturation point, despite the fact that a lower number of certifications have been registered under ISO 9001 than under the "Q" standard.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this study is that it is one of the first to analyse the dissemination of quality standards in a specific sector. The findings are thus of considerable importance in extending knowledge of quality management in the tourism sector.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the effects of knowledge management (KM) enablers on KM processes in research universities and testing the direct relation between KM processes and OP. This study also proposes to examine the mediating role of intellectual capital (IC) and innovation in the relationship between KM processes and performance of universities.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 217 academic and administrative personnel from research universities of Pakistan, the hypothesized relationships were tested through partial least squares structural equation modeling technique.FindingsThe results reveal that KM enablers have a significant impact on KM processes. The results also indicate that KM processes influence organizational performance (OP) directly and indirectly through innovation and IC.Practical implicationsFindings of this study reinforce the corporate experience of KM and suggest how administrators of research universities and higher educational institutions can promote innovation and IC, which in turn enhance OP.Originality/valueDespite the augmented importance of KM in higher education institutions or research universities, there is a dearth of studies that investigate the interplay of KM, innovation, IC and OP. This is one of the earliest studies that not only empirically investigate the interaction of KM enablers, KM processes and performance of research universities but also shed insights into the existing literature by simultaneously investigating mediating role of IC and innovation in the underlying relationship.

Construction project management (CPM) in developing countries (DCs) tends to experience high levels of failure. These failures have been attributed to technical, behavioural and economic factors. However, in an increasingly globalised world, understanding cultural dimensions and their impacts has become essential for effective CPM. This study therefore examines how national cultural dimensions (NCDs) affects CPM in DCs. Six dimensions that were identified from the review were used in a survey of 140 project management experts. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, a scale was obtained and validated through structural equation modelling. The results reveal that the level of inequality and the orientation of a developing country with respect to time can significantly predict CPM in these countries. This study draws managerial attention to how different cultural dimensions and collaboration among project team members impact CPM. The value of this research lies in the creation of a model that contributes to the understanding of CPM in DCs from the cultural perspective. This will help project managers to properly devise ways of dealing with cultural misunderstandings, which will eventually lead to appropriate approaches to CPM in these countries.