27.06.2013 Views

Proceedings of the 3rd European Conference on Intellectual Capital

Proceedings of the 3rd European Conference on Intellectual Capital

Proceedings of the 3rd European Conference on Intellectual Capital

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

Maria de Lourdes Machado and Odília Gouveia<br />

defines intellectual capital as `”<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ec<strong>on</strong>omic value <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> two categories <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> intangible assets <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a<br />

company'', that is, organizati<strong>on</strong>al and human capital.<br />

Higher educati<strong>on</strong> colleges, institutes and universities are am<strong>on</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> oldest instituti<strong>on</strong>s in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> world.<br />

Throughout time, academic instituti<strong>on</strong>s have sought to resp<strong>on</strong>d to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> demands <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> endlessly changing<br />

and evolving envir<strong>on</strong>mental c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> society (Altbach, 2004; Castells, 2001). Moreover, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

academy‟s c<strong>on</strong>tributi<strong>on</strong> to scientific and technological advancements is premier and unparalleled in all<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> recorded history (Gibb<strong>on</strong>s, 1998; Guruz, 2003).<br />

Higher educati<strong>on</strong> instituti<strong>on</strong>s represent <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> most meaningful symbol <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> intellectual, ec<strong>on</strong>omical,<br />

cultural and social life <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> community in general. Besides, and according to Amiri et al (2010, 98-<br />

99), “…<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> competitive advantage <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> organizati<strong>on</strong>s is based <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ability to exploit knowledge<br />

resources”. Moreover, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> authors stressed “Today, intellectual capital (IC) is widely recognized as<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> critical source <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> true and sustainable competitive advantage. Knowledge is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> basis <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> IC and is<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>refore at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> heart <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> organizati<strong>on</strong>al capabilities”. Thus, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> intellectual capital is <strong>on</strong>e <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> most<br />

important aspects <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> competitiveness <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> an instituti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> higher educati<strong>on</strong>. Besides, Ulrich (1998,<br />

in Nerdrum and Eriks<strong>on</strong> 2001) c<strong>on</strong>ceptualized intellectual capital as a multiplicative functi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

competence and commitment.<br />

An important c<strong>on</strong>stituent group within higher educati<strong>on</strong> instituti<strong>on</strong>s is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> faculty or academic staff.<br />

The academic staff is a key resource that has a major role to c<strong>on</strong>tinuously generate and grow<br />

knowledge and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>refore c<strong>on</strong>tributing to a competitive advantage <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> instituti<strong>on</strong>. Academia is an<br />

instituti<strong>on</strong> charged with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> discovery and disseminati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> knowledge in our society. So, it´s<br />

important to have high quality staff, in particular, academic staff, with high intellectual capital.<br />

Job satisfacti<strong>on</strong> is part <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> intellectual capital as pointed out by Amiri et al. (2010, 100) “Employees‟<br />

attitude is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> s<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>t part <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> IC, including <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir motivati<strong>on</strong> for work and satisfacti<strong>on</strong> from work.”<br />

According to J<strong>on</strong>es; Meadow and Sicilia (2009) higher educati<strong>on</strong> instituti<strong>on</strong>s establish strategic plans<br />

to achieve <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir goals. Never<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>less, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se plans may be successful <strong>on</strong>ly if <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> needed resources are<br />

available. One <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> most valuable resources <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> higher educati<strong>on</strong> instituti<strong>on</strong>s are <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> expertise <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> its<br />

faculty and staff; its intellectual capital. “Therefore, if a university effectively measures and manages<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se valuable resources, it can more effectively create and deploy strategies to achieve its goals”<br />

(J<strong>on</strong>es, Meadow and Sicilia, 2009, 113).<br />

In this c<strong>on</strong>text, this study aims to identify <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> determinants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> satisfacti<strong>on</strong> or dissatisfacti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

academic staff in Portuguese higher educati<strong>on</strong> instituti<strong>on</strong>s, in order to help higher educati<strong>on</strong><br />

instituti<strong>on</strong>s management to promote academic job satisfacti<strong>on</strong> and, as c<strong>on</strong>sequence, to improve<br />

organizati<strong>on</strong>al intellectual capital.<br />

3. Methodology<br />

This study is being c<strong>on</strong>ducted in both public and private Portuguese higher educati<strong>on</strong> instituti<strong>on</strong>s.<br />

Several methodologies are being utilized to ga<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> data and informati<strong>on</strong> needed for this study: 1)<br />

quantitative survey data ga<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ring, 2) qualitative interview data ga<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ring and 3) qualitative document<br />

examinati<strong>on</strong>. The sample is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> all universe <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> faculty members including all sub-groups (pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essor,<br />

researcher, part-time, full-time, etc.), and instituti<strong>on</strong>al type <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Portuguese higher educati<strong>on</strong> instituti<strong>on</strong>s<br />

(public-private, university-polytechnic, etc.). All quantitative data collected will be placed in a<br />

comprehensive database reflecting a nati<strong>on</strong>al sample <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> academic staff members. The database and<br />

its subsequent analyses will be performed with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Statistical Package for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Social Sciences<br />

(SPSS). O<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r findings will yield qualitative results relating to human resources management policies,<br />

practices and related factors affecting <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> development <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> careers.<br />

4. Implicati<strong>on</strong>s<br />

This <strong>on</strong>going study aims to answer <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> research questi<strong>on</strong>s already referred in order to help<br />

Portuguese higher educati<strong>on</strong> instituti<strong>on</strong>s (HEIs) and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir leadership to identify <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> determinants for<br />

recruitment and retenti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> academic staff, to attract academic talents and to assist instituti<strong>on</strong>s to<br />

assess <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir competitive positi<strong>on</strong>. Fur<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rmore, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> realizati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> this study aims to provide a diverse<br />

range <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> informati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> multiple dimensi<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> faculty job in higher educati<strong>on</strong>, in particular<br />

dimensi<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> satisfacti<strong>on</strong>, as well as dimensi<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> academic career and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essi<strong>on</strong>al c<strong>on</strong>text<br />

in which it is exercised. From a practical point <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> view, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> findings from this project should heighten<br />

203

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!