Organizational Identification and Alternative Job Opportunities of Hotel Internship Students During COVID-19

This study highlights the major challenges faced by hotel interns in their career development and the human resource management of hotels in the current macroeconomic environment, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper developed a conceptual model for organizational identification, turnover intention, and perceived alternative job opportunities in the context of hotel internships. A total of 350 samples were collected from hotel internships in Macau. The presented results indicate that organizational identification has a significant negative impact on turnover intention. In addition, alternative job opportunities do not moderate the relationship between organizational identification and turnover intention. The results also showed that females had a higher level of evaluative identification for hotel internships compared to males. In addition, interns from high-income families had a higher level of evaluative identification compared to those from low- and middle-income families. The theoretical contribution extends the concept of organizational socialization to include internship stages in the field of hospitality management. Finally, this paper proposes measures for managing hotel internships during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fluctuations in mental health in students accessing a university-wide online mental health promotion intervention before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectiveGrowing evidence shows that online mental health interventions for university students are a cost-effective means for addressing mental health problems among university students. This study presents data on the numbers and characteristics of students who engaged in an online mental health promotion intervention called YOLO in the context of a university-wide rollout of the program before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsParticipants completed a questionnaire assessing socio-demographics and mental health (wellbeing and distress). A total of 240 students accessed the program over a 12-month period and of these, 164 provided reliable data.ResultsYOLO was accessed by students representing diverse socio-demographics including domestic vs. international student status, degree level, faculty, ethnicity, and age, although there was an over-representation of females (77.2%). Students who accessed YOLO pre-COVID-19 did not substantially differ across most mental health dimensions from those who accessed it during-COVID-19, although more students reported mild-moderate anxiety symptoms during-COVID than pre-COVID-19. The only socio-demographics significantly associated with mental health were age and degree level. Younger age was related to higher anxiety and 3(rd) and 4(th) year undergraduate students reported poorer mental health comparative to students in other years. Additionally, a higher proportion of these students accessed YOLO during-COVID-19 than at pre-COVID-19.ConclusionThe present data along with findings from other studies that have evaluated YOLO, suggest that online mental health promotion programs that do not require in-person contact are an important and necessary resource for all university students.

Precursors and Outcomes of Perceived Value in Achieving Student Loyalty in Open Distance Electronic Learning Institutions

The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in contact universities entering the distance learning market, creating new competition for Open Distance Electronic Learning (ODeL) institutions. To achieve sustainable competitive advantage, these institutions need to formulate sound strategies to attract and retain students. This study investigated the precursors and outcomes of perceived value in achieving student loyalty in ODeL institutions. A quantitative approach was employed to gather data using self-administered online questionnaires, with 1 430 responses. The partial least squares structural equation modeling technique was used to test the proposed model. The results indicate that an ODeL institution's reputation and service quality positively influence student value, while the outcomes are trust, commitment, and student loyalty. However, institutional reputation was found to have more influence on student value than service quality, and commitment had more influence on loyalty than trust. While a number of studies have been conducted on the relationship between the variables/constructs, service quality and reputation as determinants of customer value and trust and commitment's influence on loyalty, they do not show the differences in the magnitude of each variable. This study showed that although all these factors correlate and positively influence one another, there are major differences in the magnitude of influence. It is thus recommended that ODeL institutions should formulate strategies aimed at enhancing institutional reputation, value, and student commitment in order to retain student loyalty. © International Network for Higher Education in Africa, University of Kwazulu-Natal. All rights reserved.

Workplace attachment: Perceived employee support and commitment: A qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological study

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological descriptive study was to understand how employees perceive the level of support received from their employers in the workplace. The study encompassed employees with both secure and insecure attachment style types from across the entire State of Maryland. The study collected data via interviews from the participants, taking note of their perceptions of how they felt supported in the workplace. Twelve participants with varying occupations were selected and completed the following: a qualifying questionnaire, a workplace attachment questionnaire (Self-Reliance Inventory), and a personal semistructured, open audio interview with the researcher. Data was analyzed using the Braun & Clarke 6 Step Thematic Analysis Approach. As a result of the analysis, five themes emerged: Workplace, Work, Agency, Job & Organization;Management;Colleagues & Coworkers;Support & Commitment;and COVID-19. There is a research gap on this topic in workplace studies and employee attachment. By conducting this study, future researchers would be able to build upon this research to continue improving relationships in the workplace. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The impact of perceived organizational support on professional commitment: a moderation of burnout and mediation of well-being

PurposeIn today's challenging world, achieving professional commitment among healthcare workers is becoming the need of time. Drawing on self-determination theory, the current study examines how and under which boundary conditions perceived organizational support affects professional commitment.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from doctors and nurses employed in public and private sector hospitals by employing a split-questionnaire design.FindingsThe authors' study findings demonstrate that perceived organizational support has a positive and indirect effect on the professional commitment of nurses and doctors via mediating the role of subjective well-being. The authors also found that these findings depend on healthcare workers' burnout levels. The positive relationship between perceived organizational support and subjective well-being is attenuated by burnout syndrome.Practical implicationsThe current study poses implications for policymakers and administrators of healthcare institutions as well as to develop a supportive culture to evoke more professional commitment among healthcare workers. Implications for nursing managers and policymakers are discussed in light of the study findings.Originality/valueHealthcare institutions are increasingly paying attention to raising the professional commitment of their workforce, especially in the wake of a crisis like the COVID-19 outbreak. The current study will add to the body of literature on nursing management, healthcare studies and organizational psychology in the South Asian context by explaining the relationship between POS and professional commitment, drawing on self-determination theory.

Comparing the Resilience of the Medical Staff During the COVID-19 Pandemic After Yalom Group Psychotherapy and Acceptance and Commitment Group Therapy

Background: The medical staff working on the front-line battle against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are more exposed to mental health risks than the general population. Resilience is the ability to withstand challenging situations and help people defend their mental health against stressors. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Yalom and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on medical staff resilience in COVID-19 centers. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population includes all 600 medical staff of Hamedan City, Iran, caring for patients with COVID-19 in 2021. Based on the average variance of resilience obtained in previous studies, 45 people were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups (each 15) and one control group (n=15). The experimental groups were divided into Yalom and ACT group psychotherapy, and all three groups responded to the Connor-Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC) before and after the intervention. The obtained data were analyzed by analysis of covariance in SPSS software, version 25. Results: Yalom group psychotherapy and ACT group therapy had different effects on the participants' resilience and are statistically significant since the F statistics (106.722) was significant (P=0.001 and P=0.05, respectively). Based on the results, Yalom group psychotherapy has a better rate of improvement than ACT. Conclusion: Considering the significant efficacy of Yalom group psychotherapy and its relative ease of implementation compared to ACT, it is possible to employ this intervention to protect the mental health of medical staff during severe epidemics of diseases such as coronavirus. © 2023, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.

Factors Associated with Primary Care Provider's Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment in China: A Machine Learning-Based Random Forest Analysis.

The objective of the study is to explore the factors that influence the job satisfaction and organizational commitment of primary care providers in China, with a focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rescission of restriction policies. We utilized the 20-item Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) and the 25-item organizational commitment survey to assess job satisfaction and organizational commitment. In total, 435 valid responses were included in our analysis. The average scores for job satisfaction and organizational commitment were 80.6 and 90.8. After a two-step tuning process, we built random forest models by machine learning. The results show income change, working years, working years in the current institute, and age were the four most important features associated with job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and most of their dimensions. The number of professional fields engaged, gender, job status, and types of endowment insurance were least associated. During pandemic time, income-related factors remain a core concern for primary care providers, whereas job security may lose its importance. These findings suggest that financial bonuses may be an effective way to boost morale, and age-specific motivation plans may be necessary.

A Virtual Inpatient Psychiatry Unit in a Multicampus Health Care System During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

A virtual, telehealth-based inpatient psychiatric unit was implemented in a multicampus health care system to care for patients involuntarily admitted under emergency hold laws who tested positive for COVID-19. Through a multidisciplinary approach, these patients received proper general medical and psychiatric treatments. This column describes the development and operationalization of the unit in terms of team structure, patient referral and admission, patient and staff safety, general medical and psychiatric treatments, and discharge planning. The results of this virtual approach to caring for patients with both COVID-19 and acute mental illness illustrate the potential of a multidimensional approach for improving care efficiency during public health emergencies.

The effect of an information intervention on the career commitment of medical students: evidence from a randomized experiment.

Introduction: The needs-based shortage of healthcare workers is severe worldwide and it would be exacerbated if many medical students switch to other careers after graduation. Maintaining and improving the career commitment of medical students, which could be a feasible, effective, and scalable way to reduce the attrition rate, is essential in medical education. We designed a randomized experiment to test whether an information intervention based on role modeling could enhance medical students' career commitment. Methods: In the randomized experiment, the sample (N = 36,482) was divided into the treatment group (N = 18,070) and the control group (N = 18,412). The intervention information consisted of image-text messages on Zhong Nanshan, who is an inspiring role model for he went to the frontline of COVID-19 in the most critical circumstances and received praise and affirmation from the public. Α difference-in-differences model was employed to identify the effect of the information intervention. Heterogeneous treatment effects were identified using sub-sample analyses. Results: The results showed that the information intervention statistically significantly reduced medical students' dropout intention by 2.7 percentage points (95% CI: -0.037 to -0.016, t = -4.95, p < 0.001), equivalent to 14.6% of the control group mean. This estimate indicates that the information intervention could significantly increase the career commitment of medical students. Finally, male and senior students were influenced more than their female and junior counterparts, which can be explained by their relatively high dropout intention. Conclusion: Role model-based information intervention improves the career commitment of medical students. The underlying behavioral model is that, when students use a role model as their reference point, they consider dropout as a substantial welfare loss. Role modeling is an effective way to improve the career commitment of medical students, especially for males and senior students.

Organizational adaptation to working from home in a crisis situation (COVID-19): the interaction between leaders' openness and followers' voice.

Introduction: We investigated the effect of time spent at home on employee voice behavior and leadership openness during Covid 19. According to DeRue's adaptive leadership theory which offers an interactionist perspective to explain adaptive organizational behavior during an environmental crisis, we proposed that in the WFH's (work from home) reduced and limited communication space, leaders, who need more feedback, will encourage employees to express their opinions and will show more willingness to listen to them. Meanwhile, employees will ask more questions and make more suggestions to alleviate uncertainty and misunderstanding. Methods: Using an online questionnaire, a cross-sectional study (N = 424) has been carried out with employees working from home for a different amount of their working time during the pandemic. Data were analyzed using structural equation models (SEM) in which the effect of leadership openness on employee voice behavior was assessed through the mediation of affective commitment, psychological safety, and intrinsic motivation. Results: The results showed that in the WFH situation, time spent in home office had a low but significant direct negative effect on promotive voice behavior. At the same time, leadership openness was growing with the amount of time spent at home. Leadership openness counteracted the negative effect of WFH on voice behavior: although leadership openness did not have a direct significant effect on voice behavior, it had a positive effect on psychological safety and work motivation which, in turn, influenced positively both promotive and prohibitive voice behavior. Employee's voice, for its part, further augmented leadership openness. Discussion: In our research we could demonstrate the contingent nature and the mutual influence patterns and feedback loops of leaders-employees exchange. In the WFH situation the openness of the leader is growing with the amount of time spent at home and with the amount of promotive voice manifested by the employee. In consent with DeRue social interactionist adaptive leadership theory, a mutually reinforcing process of leadership openness and employee voice could be demonstrated. We argue that leadership openness is a key factor to motivate employee voice behavior during WFH.

Relationship Quality Between Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Partners During Threatening Times: The Role of Contact Frequency and Social Exchanges

PurposeThe United Kingdom's European Union membership referendum, which marked the end of UK membership in the European Union, created much uncertainty amongst those British and European business practitioners who were accustomed to conducting trade with partners across The North Sea. This exogenous threat to business was subsequently compounded by another serious threat: the COVID-19 pandemic. Knowing that business-to-business (B2B) relationships are particularly important for the success of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and that exogenous threats in the business environment can threaten these relationships, the purpose of this study is to examine whether frequent contact and social exchanges between partners on a range of topics, during threatening times, are positively linked to the relationship qualities of trust, satisfaction, and commitment.Methodology/approachGuided by an explorative, expert interview with a Danish SME owner-manager (OM) who has a great deal of experience conducting business with UK partners, a questionnaire was developed to examine two variables which seemingly play central roles with regard to supporting business relationships during threatening times: contact frequency (how often partners are in contact), and contact scope (how often B2B partners talk together about topics which are social in nature). The questionnaire was administered to 193 Danish SME owners and managers who had British business partners at the time of the BREXIT referendum and the COVID-19 pandemic.FindingsThe questionnaire revealed a positive relationship between contact frequency and relationship satisfaction and commitment, as well as a positive relationship between contact scope and relationship commitment. However, no significant relationships were found between contact frequency nor contact scope, on the one hand, and the level of trust between business partners on the other.Research implicationsThis study has underscored the usefulness of studying social exchanges, and not just information exchanges, as they are an important, relationship-strengthening aspect of B2B communication. Indeed, while the central role played by informational exchanges in building quality relationships, including trusting relationships, is well-documented, this study increases our understanding of the value of social exchanges to business relationship quality;in particular, their noteworthy link to B2B partners' willingness to go to great lengths to maintain relationships during challenging times.Practical implicationsOur findings indicate that simply being in contact with B2B partners and speaking about topics that are not directly related to business is not, on its own, a sufficient means of establishing trusting relationships;however, it is nonetheless worthwhile to take the time to nurture personal relationships with B2B partners. Just a modest amount of contact is positively related to relationship satisfaction, as well as relationship commitment, which can be crucial when unforeseen and threatening times inevitably arise in the business environment.Contribution of the paperBesides enhancing our understanding of the value of frequent and social exchanges in terms of relationship quality, this paper also illustrates a useful means of studying social aspects of business relationships, which are notoriously difficult to study. This is accomplished via a questionnaire study in which respondents are asked to concretely reflect upon and report on the frequency and nature of their contact with specific B2B partners.

Privacy-Preserving Social Media with a Disclosure

Social Media are an important communication tool in today's society. In recent years, many events have been held online due to COVID-19, making Social Media an even more important communication tool. However, it is difficult to explicitly imagine the recipients of messages when posting on Social Media and there is a tendency to provide information easily, leading to the existence of inappropriate postings that the user does not intend. Furthermore, it is difficult to disclose information for anonymous posting on Twitter. This cause the link problem between the posts. In our proposal, we realize a way to solve these problems by realizing a Social Media that allows both unlinkable posting and disclose posting. Specifically, unlinkable posts can be changed to named posts, and when the name is changed, it is guaranteed that the person who posted the anonymous post was really the anonymous writer and that the anonymous writer cannot be identified from the anonymous post. We introduced randomized pseudonyms to prevent the viewer from checking a post text based only on the posting name without checking the contents of the posting. We also show how to prevent the attack on our proposed scheme by using hiding property and binding property of the commitment scheme. In addition, we implement the proposed scheme and describe the changes between our proposed scheme and regular post in posting time, publication time, and verification time.

Job insecurity and survivor workplace behavior following COVID-19 layoff

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of job insecurity (JI) on employee work performance (WP) and service innovation behavior (SIB). It further examines the mediating role of affective commitment (AC) and the moderating role of organizational cynicism and financial job dependence (FJD). Design/methodology/approachBy using a three-wave approach, the hypotheses were tested by collecting data from 473 full-time employees and their supervisors in the Thai hotel industry. FindingsThe results demonstrated that JI negatively affected WP and SIB. AC mediated these relationships. FJD moderated these relationships such that at high levels of job dependence, the negative relationships were weaker. Research limitations/implicationsHuman resource managers may reduce the negative effects of JI by creating a supportive and caring work environment through open communication. They may communicate openly with employees about the challenges the organization is facing, and involve them in planning, decision-making and implementation to mitigate the negative effects of JI. They may also provide training and development opportunities to help employees build their skills and increase their value to the organization. Originality/valueResearch on the behavioral consequences of JI is scant in the hospitality sector. Drawing on job-demand resource theory, this study attempts to fill this gap.

Factors influencing small and medium size enterprises development and digital maturity in Latin America

The Covid-19 pandemic has made digital transformation no longer an option but a necessity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to succeed in a highly globalized market. The purpose of the study was to analyze the impact of digital maturity factors on the level of development of SMEs in Latin America. The data for this study was collected using an online survey from the representatives from 490 SMEs from Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Uruguay, using structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression for the analysis. There were several results found in the study. First, the results suggested that commitment to digital maturity (CDM) does not influence participants' training and digital skills (TDS) and development level (DL) directly but does have a positive indirect influence on the development level of participants if they are provided training in digital skills. Second, digital maturity experience (DME) directly influenced TDS and positively impacted DL directly and indirectly. Third, training in digital skills does influence the development level of participants. However, CDM alone was not enough to affect the DL of SMEs and was only significant when TDS acted as a mediating variable. Few studies have been conducted to address this critical issue in Latin America, especially to determine which variables impact the development of SMEs the most. Hence, this study provides a novel contribution to the literature. The results of this study are expected to support SMEs in increasing their competitiveness in this era of accelerated digital transformation.

Crisis-induced HR practices and employee resilience during COVID-19: evidence from hotels

One of the wretch effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the laying off of millions of employees in the hotel industry due to travel restrictions and lockdowns. Such a scenario prompted star hotels to implement crisis-induced HR practices (CHRP) to run their hotels effectively. Our article exploits and investigates a model that recommends that psychological well-being (PWB) indirectly influences the CHRP-employee resilience (ER) relationship, the conditional indirect effect of servant leadership (SEL). Data were collected from 265 star-rated hotel employees in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana, who are the full-time frontline. The hypothesized linkages were assessed through PROCESS analysis. We find a significant indirect effect of CHRP on ER via PWB. Moreover, the conditional indirect effect of CHRP on ER via PWB is high at higher and mediums levels of SEL. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed further.

Examining a Moderated Serial Mediation Model of the Relationship between Phoenix Leadership Characteristics and Organizational Change

Drawing on the social exchange approach and an accompanying sub-theory pertaining to upper echelons theory, which are the most influential theories for describing the behavior of workers in the workplace, this study empirically investigates some corresponding moderated serial mediation variables, such as affective commitment, work meaningfulness, and perceived organizational support, which impact the relationship between Phoenix leadership and organizational change. A total of 150 employees working in the Sudanese Electricity Company participated in the questionnaire survey. The response rate was 88%. The results revealed that Phoenix leadership significantly influences organizational change and affective commitment. Affective commitment significantly influences work meaningfulness. Affective commitment and work meaningfulness mediate the relationship between Phoenix leadership and organizational change. Affective commitment mediates the relationship between Phoenix leadership and work meaningfulness. Work meaningfulness mediates the relationship between affective commitment and organizational change, but perceived organizational support does not moderate the relationship between work meaningfulness and organizational change. By testing the mediated moderation effects on the relationship between Phoenix leadership and organizational change, this research proposes a new framework for assessing the impact of mediators and moderators on teams of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.(c) CIKD Publishing

The Improving Role of Digital Leadership in the Impact of Social Loafing on Job Performance

It is possible to define digital leadership as a type of leadership that is informed about digital technologies that help the digital transformation of employees and businesses and is also fed by modern leadership theories. The concept of digital leadership has come to the fore, particularly with Industry 4.0. Digital leadership is seen as an element that positively affects organizational culture and helps the development of the organization. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses have experienced a considerable digital transformation, and it has been realized that digital leadership is now inevitable for businesses. Digital transformation is expected to contribute to the productivity and production of enterprises. The present study focused on the ability of digital leadership to avoid social loafing, which is negative organizational behavior. In particular, the extent to which job performance losses caused by social loafing were moderated by digital leadership was measured. In this regard, questionnaire forms were prepared and sent to 308 people. The collected data were interpreted by means of the Smart PLS program, and the results were obtained. In this respect, it is found that digital leadership has a moderating impact on the effect of social loafing on job performance. It is thought that the source of this effect could be explained in accordance with Social Impact Theory, Upper Echelon Theory, and Strategic Action Area Theory. (c) CIKD Publishing

A global blockchain for recording high rates of COVID-19 vaccinations.

Blockchain has been recently proposed to securely record vaccinations against COVID-19 and manage their verification. However, existing solutions may not fully meet the requirements of a global vaccination management system. These requirements include the scalability required to support a global vaccination campaign, like one against COVID-19, and the capability to facilitate the interoperation between the independent health administrations of different countries. Moreover, access to global statistics can help to control securing community health and provide continuity of care for individuals during a pandemic. In this paper, we propose GEOS, a blockchain-based vaccination management system designed to address the challenges faced by the global vaccination campaign against COVID-19. GEOS offers interoperability between vaccination information systems at both domestic and international levels, supporting high vaccination rates and extensive coverage for the global population. To provide those features, GEOS uses a two-layer blockchain architecture, a simplified byzantine-tolerant consensus algorithm, and the Boneh-Lynn-Shacham signature scheme. We analyze the scalability of GEOS by examining transaction rate and confirmation times, considering factors such as the number of validators, communication overhead, and block size within the blockchain network. Our findings demonstrate the effectiveness of GEOS in managing COVID-19 vaccination records and statistical data for 236 countries, encompassing crucial information such as daily vaccination rates for highly populous nations and the global vaccination demand, as identified by the World Health Organization.

Students as co-creators of the education process-assessment of the impact of selected factors on shaping the culture of knowledge sharing at universities

The aim of the study is to analyze the relationship between 1) perceived organizational support from the university, and 2) student involvement in the study process described from the perspective of the concept of knowledge-sharing culture. In addition, we analyze the impact of these factors on the student's average grade obtained in the last academic year. The study presented here focuses on the interaction of the following factors: 1) perceived organizational support from the university, and 2) student involvement in the study proc-ess. The concept of the culture of knowledge-sharing is a theoretical basis for the analysis. As a result, the research explores the impact of the factors (1 and 2) mentioned above on the effectiveness of the student's academic development. Based on the literature review, it is being assumed that the culture of knowledge-sharing is built in a two-way process: on the one hand, the university is to support the students in their development, and on the other hand, students themselves are to show commitment to this process. However, the available literature does not clearly indicate the strength of the relationship or the directions of influence between the elements of the model.The study conducted to create this analysis consisted of two stages: the first was carried out in June 2019, the second in May 2020, after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This allowed for more complete conclusions regarding the interaction of factors responsible for building the academic culture of sharing knowledge. Regardless of whether students work in a classroom or in an e-classroom (remotely), the results show that the basis for their involvement is the support they perceive from universities, setting ambitious tasks for them, and accompanying them in overcoming emerging challenges. The factor modifying the relationship between university support and the effectiveness of academic develop-ment turned out to be the student's involvement in the study process.

"Nobody wants to be a dead hero”: Coping with precarity at the frontlines of the Brazilian and Mexican pandemic response

This study analyzes how adverse working conditions shape frontline workers' behavioral and cognitive coping mechanisms. It builds on the idea of frontline work as a precarious profession and explores how workers deal with associated challenges. Specifically, evidence is provided for factors associated with alienative commitment among frontline workers. We do so against the background of the 2020–2021 Mexican and Brazilian pandemic response by health workers, social workers, and police officers. Findings from our qualitative analysis show that they feel abandoned, vulnerable, and left to deal with the risks of the pandemic by themselves. In response, they tend to cognitively disconnect from their work and prioritize their own job survival. We contribute to the literature by showing how institutional factors over which street-level bureaucrats have little control, such as resource scarcity, lack of job security and managerial support, and low trust by citizen-clients, are fertile conditions for these coping patterns. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.