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Purpose: The purpose of this article is to increase knowledge of managers' evaluation of the phenomenon of narcissism in contemporary organisations and their identification of both narcissistic manifestations among individuals managing organisations and personal branding activities of narcissistic nature. Design/methodology/approach: The study was of a partial, ad hoc nature, and it was conducted in the form of a diagnostic poll, based on a self-constructed survey questionnaire. Findings: The vast majority of managers surveyed agree that the internet and new media have reinforced the narcissistic traits of many individuals, inducing an eruption of egocentric behaviour in society, and that the human personality has become a commodity with a certain market value. More than 40 per cent felt that in companies, managers surround themselves with uncritical or dependent 'claqueurs' who uphold their idealised self-image, and that it is mainly those who are "glamorous" yet not necessarily effective in achieving business goals who get promoted. The most questionable statement for them was that in the company there is an organisational culture being shaped that emphasises norms and values which eliminate narcissistic attitudes and behaviours among employees. The main manifestations of narcissistic attitudes of organisational managers included striving to dominate others and devaluing others, thus indicating narcissistic competition. In their view, self-indulgence, inconsistency and distortion of reality, excessive social media presence, boasting and focusing attention solely on oneself are all narcissistic actions used when building a personal brand. More than half of them create themselves as they want to be perceived by others, and one in five respondents admitted that they focus on constantly monitoring themselves and their image, trying to guess "what others think of me". Research limitations/implications: The empirical study was conducted using the purposive sampling method and the target group was managers - graduates of the postgraduate course "Manager's Academy". Due to the small research sample (68 responses), it is not possible to generalise the findings to the entire population. The findings obtained relate to the perception, subjective evaluation of the managers surveyed and are not based on methods known in the clinical field for measuring narcissism, which may be a certain limitation of this study. Practical implications: The findings obtained from the study may be useful for business owners and managers of various levels interested in conscious and consistent personal branding and who want to know what manifestations of narcissistic attitudes of individuals managing organisations are and which personal branding activities bear the hallmarks of narcissism. The findings may also be of interest to human resource professionals responsible for shaping an organisational culture that emphasises norms and values that eliminate narcissistic attitudes and behaviours among employees. Social implications: Raising awareness of narcissistic attitudes of managers who are building a personal brand as well as highlighting the phenomenon of narcissism in contemporary organisations. Originality/value: The article is of cognitive value for the development of knowledge in management and quality sciences, in the area of human resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trading companies face various challenges brought about by the modern environment. For this reason, trading company managers try to adapt their business to various requirements of the environment. This is supported by the fact that recently there has been a global change in the structure of retail, with evidence in the following examples: new sales formats have appeared, there are new categories of retail companies, sales facilities are modernized, soft information is emphasized, flexibility and innovation in business are encouraged, the role of interest groups is valued, unpredictability is accepted as the norm of functioning, the offer of trade mark products is expanded, etc. However, as economic, environmental and social problems gain more and more importance, another very important topic that captures the attention of business managers is the sustainable development concept application. Doing business in accordance with the rules of sustainable development implies that trading companies base their work on ecological and moral principles of sustainable social communities. In accordance with the importance that the sustainable development concept has today, the aim of the paper is based on the analysis of attitudes of employees in management positions in trading companies in the Republic of Serbia regarding the application of economic, ecological and social dimensions of sustainable development. The research results showed that the application of certain elements of sustainable development basic dimensions in their trading companies has been evaluated by the managers as good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated how the ownership structure is related to the firm's overall compensation strategy. The findings extend previous research that focused primarily on CEO compensation strategy. We show that there are significant differences in the compensation practices that apply to all employees as a function of the ownership structure. The results show that for owner-controlled firms and owner-managed firms there is significant pay/performance sensitivity for all employees. In management-controlled firms, changes in pay are related to changes in size of the firm. These findings lead us to conclude that ownership structure not only affects upper management's pay, but also the pay of all employees through substantial differences in the firm's compensation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used a sample of 405 managers and their spouses from twenty Fortune 500 multinational corporations to document the availability of American managers for international assignments. Aside from their spouses' feelings about international relocation, managers' willingness to relocate internationally was also predicted by their own attitudes about moving in general and their willingness to relocate domestically. Implications for human resource policy suggest that corporations must increasingly focus on human resource policies targeted toward the spouse. Results suggested that monitoring managers' intentions to relocate will enhance the organization's ability to adequately staff international sites with experienced managers. INSET: Table 1: Hypotheses about Factors Affecting Willingness to .... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the human resource practice of workforce diversity in the United States. Some concepts which put the problem in an understandable context are discussed. Two companies describe how to work on the issue directly. The first company, Baxter International, Inc., started at the top of the organization and examined all of its personnel policies in addition to looking at the attitudes of senior level managers. On the basis of this examination, a program was set in motion to improve diversity at every level of the organization. In Mazda Motor Manufacturing Co., on the other hand, a unique case vignette explains what the company is doing to integrate the Japanese approach to quality with an American work force.

The article reports on the topic of product management as it applies to the field of marketing. The author focuses on methods that can be employed by group product managers in order to strengthen their relationships with and influence on product managers and other marketing professionals. The author asserts that product managers can strengthen support for their product lines by strengthening their personal human relations skills. The results of a study focusing on the influence group product managers have on subordinate product managers are examined. The author also discusses the effectiveness of methods of personnel management that focus on the reward and punishment system.

The organizational problem firms face is the utilization of knowledge which is not, and cannot be, known by a single agent. Even more importantly, no single agent can fully specify in advance what kind of practical knowledge is going to be relevant, when and where. Firms, therefore, are distributed knowledge systems in a strong sense: they are decentered systems, lacking an overseeing 'mind'. The knowledge they need to draw upon is inherently indeterminate and continually emerging; it is not self-contained. individuals' stock of knowledge consists of (a) role-related normative expectations; (b) dispositions, which have been formed in the course of past socializations; and (c) local knowledge of particular circumstances of time and place. A firm has greater-or-lesser control over normative expectations, but very limited control over the other two. At any point in time, a firm's knowledge is the indeterminate outcome of individuals attempting to manage the inevitable tensions between normative expectations, dispositions, and local contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the four directions of responsibility for middle managers and the best strategies for them to employ in each context. Relations with upper management are said to benefit from the acquisition of influence through job success and making the boss look good. Effective interactions with subordinates are characterized by attention to budgetary details and serving as a liason between workers and upper management. The importance of reaching out laterally to other middle managers within the organization is noted and some significant principles involved in representing the company to outside interests are also discussed.

Management literature is just beginning to explore in depth the uncertain and amorphous relationships that exist in organizations among people who are not in a direct chain of command. Increasing stress is being placed on the "horizontal" or "diagonal" relationships where no one is clearly "superior" and no one is clearly "subordinate." While the literature manifests increasing interest and attention on these relations, empirical evidence is scarce. The authors have embarked on a long range investigation of several executive positions whose relationships are essentially non-linear. The overall purpose is to get a more accurate picture of the authority-influence status of each of these functional specialists. This initial portion of the study deals with the corporate personnel director. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article emphasizes the importance of employee reactions in the performance appraisal process for organizational employees in the U.S. as of June 2016. Topics discussed include the importance of a manager's use of appropriate language particularly when delivering performance appraisal ratings, understanding reactions to performance appraisal systems, and the value of reactions in the management and improvement of employee performance.

This article discusses the importance of environments for managers’ successful introduction of a new management technique. Two empirical examples illustrate the interrelatedness of external and internal environments and its consequences for the propensity of organizations to accept and implement managerial propositions. It is suggested that an intrusive external environment, which clearly relates to generally accepted facts, facilitates managerial action and makes organizations change prone. Mangers, who seek to forestall future environmental problems, in contrast, seem likely to meet with a hostile and conservative internal environment. In both instances managers depend on the social construction of the external environment of their organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how human resources (HR) can influence sustained engagement by supporting managers to be expert engagers of others. Design/methodology/approach – This article discusses the limitations of organizational level engagement strategies in relation to sustained engagement. It outlines the critical task managers and leaders play in securing meaningful, long-term engagement, based on the author's personal views, experience and analysis of effective engagement strategies. The article outlines five key roles that managers need to be proficient in if they are to influence high performance in others. The effectiveness of the roles is supported with the author's observations of managers, leaders and HR practitioners who all excel as engagers. Findings – Whilst organizational level engagement strategies play a key role in building understanding and awareness for employees, this is rarely enough to secure deeper and more meaningful levels of engagement that endure. Managers are the missing link in building cultures of performance but they cannot do so alone. HR must support their managers and leaders as engagers with the practical skills and personal development they need to ensure they can deliver. Originality/value – The article refers to the type of support and counsel managers require of HR to help them fulfill their five roles as engagers. Some practical steps are given within the article for this specific purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of a questionnaire survey of 67 Korean expatriate managers in India, this exploratory study investigates the factors that affect the Korean expatriates’ satisfaction with an international assignment in light of the opportunities and challenges associated with working and living in India. The study showed that the expatriates’ (1) elevated position/title abroad, (2) unrealistic expectations toward international relocation and (3) inability to manage work–life balance issues had a negative influence on their overall satisfaction with an international assignment to India. The results also revealed that the homogeneous Korean expatriates maintained their Confucian values in the diverse and challenging Indian environment – this has both a positive and negative impact on their overall satisfaction. The implications, both theoretical and practical, for international human resource management are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this paper was to present a first step toward developing a behavioral description of managerial bullying that better distinguishes among (1) behavior that is bullying, versus (2) other unacceptable behavior that is not bullying, and (3) aggressive but nevertheless acceptable managerial behavior. The study was based on a survey using SurveyMonkey© and announced through social media (LinkedIn©, Twitter©, Facebook©) groups identified with workplace violence or bullying. The survey consisted of critical incidents of behaviors that employees had specifically identified as 'bad management,' plus respondent characteristics that might explain their responses. The results show that workplace bullying in the U.S. workplace is a serious problem that is seldom reported to management. Neither age, gender, experience, language at home, having bullied, nor having been bullied seems to influence what a subject regards as bullying behavior, but n egative managerial behavior directed at a particular employee especially in the presence of others is highly likely to be seen as bullying. To develop a theory of managerial bullying, further research needs to be directed toward the causes of workplace bullying, specifically the interaction of elements of the workplace itself as well as characteristics of both the perpetrator and the victim and external influences (workplace, perpetrator, victim, external conditions). Meanwhile, organizations should develop and enforce anti-bullying policies and training programs that use specific behaviors, such as those identified here, to clarify how the organization defines workplace bulling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive coaching has seen a real expansion worldwide due to a new approach of management in the age of information. It is an efficiently used method within organizations, with a view to inspiring top managers in implementing and ascertaining changes in the behavior of those around them, in order to initiate and uphold changes in the organization and improve results. This article proposes two levels of analysis from the viewpoint of the implementation of coaching, and executive coaching respectively, in organizations, throughout the changing process: the analysis of individual perceptions and their effects among employees as well as the institutional, structural, approach of change at the level of the human resources in the organization, mentioning risks that can often be noticed in Romanian organizations. The last part describes the perspectives from which mindful change is seen at the level of an organization, by describing the theory of mindful change meant to facilitate the interpretation and understanding of the way in which both people and organizations can approach change. This theory is instrumental in the coaching process. The final part of the work lines up a series of conclusions in approaching organizational change through the coaching process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managers are key actors shaping employees’ capabilities to utilize work–life policies. However, most research on managers’ implementation of these policies has been conducted in liberal welfare states and ignores the impact of institutional context. In this study, we situate managers within specific workplace and national layers of context. We investigated how managers in financial organizations in the Netherlands, UK, and Slovenia talk about the utilization of work–life policies. Managers’ discourses stressed disruption and dependency considerations in these case studies, as in the US research. However, a further management discourse of the moral case or right thing to do also emerged. The lack of resources for replacing staff on leave creates disruption and reduces managers capability to support the use of work–life policies, even when they are statutory or if managers are inclined be supportive (dependency or moral argument). This is likely to impact on parents' capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Managerial practice uses a number of prevention tools (for example, the most effective methods, comparative evaluations, evaluation models, etc.) which continually improve conditions of workplace health and safety. Considering that communication is one of the key influence factors with regard to safety and efficiency of preventive action, we wanted to establish how Slovenian top-level managers communicated and how their communication level affected their management with regard to workplace health and safety. For that purpose we used a quantitative method of data collection - the questionnaire - and analyzed the obtained data using the SPSS data analysis software. The questionnaire was sent to all 351 top-level managers of large Slovenian companies. We found that the manner of communication used by top-level managers in large Slovenian companies positively and significantly influenced workplace health and safety (the correlation between influence and communication was fairly strong; beta coefficient was 0.774). A higher communication level achieved by top-level managers in large Slovenian companies also enabled them to promote more successfully their management ideas among co-workers. We proposed the most efficient activities to be taken up by Slovenian top-level managers in large companies in order to improve workplace health and safety, with communication being the primary tool to achieve this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author suggests business leaders to refocus on credibility as it is considered as one effective way of handling the business amidst the economic downturn. He explains that business leaders should refocus on gaining the credibility of not only their executives and managers but also members of the business community for them to show their effectiveness in the market as well as to relay to their customers that they can survive the economic crisis. He cites trust as one important factor in establishing credibility. He also mentions professionalism and the acronym SHINE, which stands for supportive, honest, informative, no-nonsense, and enthusiastic as another crucial factors.

Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to investigate the perceptions of senior managers in companies in the Sunday Times list of UK best employers on the practise of HRM in their organisations. Design/methodology/approach - The approach taken was to conduct semi-structured interviews with senior line and HR directors/ managers. Findings - In the organisations investigated, HRM is afforded high-level organisational support at chief executive, if not always senior operational manager, level. It is generally recognised by senior managers as contributing to business effectiveness when it centres on business needs. It is integrated with business strategy processes at both strategic and operational levels. Indeed HRM is elemental to business strategic planning processes, which has the effect of reducing the potential gap between strategic rhetoric on HRM and practical implementation of HRM. Leadership and performance management are current HR policy priorities. Research limitations/implications - The generative primary data represent senior managers' perceptions of how HRM operates in their organisation therefore cannot be generalised. Practical implications - Senior manager support of HRM means focusing HRM efforts in organisations on business needs and integration between HRM and business strategy processes. The corollary is that HRM policy priorities are derived from the strategic business direction and that they are perceived to support business operations and, consequently, business performance. Originality/value - Senior line managers and HR specialists inform the research which contributes to understanding of current, best practice HRM from an evidence base; a model of contemporary best practice is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian firms are attempting to internationalize and to become global companies. One way of staffing the forays into international business is by incorporating international work into domestic jobs. This study sought to understand the factors related to the amount of international work Australians perform in their domestic jobs. Alumni from an Australian university were surveyed, providing 1,046 full-time domestic employees working in a range of industries. Regression analysis showed that, beyond individual and organizational controls, employees performed more international work in domestic jobs when they worked in organizations at higher than at lower international levels with human resource support, worked in jobs at higher rather than at lower managerial levels and had international skills. However, there was no or little link with employees' international attitudes or family situation. As predicted, the managerial level of the job made a difference to the effects of the work environment. Working in MNCs and domestic organizations with operations abroad was related to the amount of international work in domestic jobs performed by senior managers and executives more than by lower and middle managers or subordinates and supervisors. Analysis of open-ended responses shows the major reasons Australians take up domestic international work are money, professional development and challenging content. The major reasons they would not are family commitments and disruption, in contrast to the quantitative results in which family factors are unimportant. The difference between the quantitative and qualitative results and the importance of family factors, international skills versus attitudes and human resource support are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In foreign-owned Philippine firms, human resource approaches and practices tend to converge. Japanese-owned firms localize their human resource practices by emphasizing local standards and practices in compensation, hiring, recruitment, job assignments and the like. On the other hand, Western-owned firms tend to adopt well-known Japanese style practices. Filipino-Chinese-owned firms tend to be traditional, emphasizing both informal and hierarchical control mechanisms which put a premium upon loyalty and trust, through familistic, informal but hierarchical control mechanisms. As the owners of these firms pass on control to the next generation, they tend to hire professional managers. These managers include younger generation Filipino-Chinese educated abroad. They are torn between the rational, and traditional norms and practices insisted upon by their Confucian-oriented elders, and the demands of a competitive and ever-changing technology and economy. It is quite meaningless to attach adjectives like 'Japanese', 'Filipino-Chinese' or 'Western' to universal concepts like industrial relations and human resource approaches - the search for the best approach in work relations is beyond the issue of convergence or divergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article cites key findings from the 2007 Deloitte & Touche USA Ethics and Workplace Survey on various issues relevant to human resources management. Research findings indicate a strong relationship between the work/life balance and positive ethical behavior at work, as well as the key role played by factors such as the behavior of direct supervisors and managers and the positive reinforcement for ethical behavior on the promotion of ethical behavior in the workplace. Also cited are the issues' implications for human resources management.

The article discusses the results of a study on the effects of direct report feedback and follow-up on leadership effectiveness. The study used the Leadership and Values Inventory form. The form contained elements that refer to the attitudes and behaviors of a leader who was perceived as implementing effectively corporate values. The findings showed that the majority of managers responded to direct reports and made some follow-up. The managers who participated in the study reviewed direct report feedback in coaching sessions. They learned more about their strengths and areas that needed improvement.