External Image of a University Playing the Role of an Employer and the Gender of Potential Young Employees

Baruk, Agnieszka Izabela; Goliszek, Anna

doi:10.14611/minib.25.09.2017.09

Abstract

In the article the chosen aspects related to perceiving the university in the role of employer by young potential employees are presented. This paper has the theoretical-empirical character. In the theoretical part on the results of cognitive-critical analysis of the world literature the necessity to form the employer's image in the case of universities is underlined. This activity becomes more and more important because of the growth of challenges staying before universities. Despite this there is the visible theoretical and research gap in the scope of analysing this group of subjects as the employers. Its reduction should be started from identifying the connotations which potential employees have in the case of universities as the employers. It was one of the main research goals of the article. In the empirical part of the paper the results of primary research conducted among representatives of mentioned segment of market are presented. On the base of the results of factor analysis conducted in the case of women and in the case of men two research hypotheses were verified preliminarily. It can be stated that women perceive universities in the role of employer worse than men.

References

1 The perception of the employer influences both the current employees (e.g. by stimulating their engagement (see: B. Kunerth, R. Mosley, Applying employer brand management to employee engagement, "Strategic HR Review" 2011, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 19-26)) and potential employees (e.g. by attracting them to a particular employer), obviously if his image is positive.10.1108/14754391111121874
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
2 It is worth emphasizing here that over 60% of the representatives of Gen Z (people born between 1995 and 2012) would like to work for many years for the same employer, which means a clear change of attitudes and behaviour, compared to the attitudes dominant among the generation of Milennials, who were associated with almost complete abandonment of loyalty to the employer (see. Why employers are reaching out to the next generation of workers: Gen Z, "Chicago Tribune" 2017, http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-generation-z-workforce-0402-biz-20170331-story.html (03.04.2017); D. Stillman, J. Stillman, Gen Z @ Work. How the next generation is transforming the workplace?, Harper Business, New York 2017).
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
3 With regard to the expectations of employers, research is conducted almost only on companies (e.g. T. Tóth-Téglás, E. Hlédik, L. Fónadová, An Analysis of Employer Requirements of University Graduates, "Acta Polytechnica Hungarica" 2016, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 169-188), at the same time hardly anyone remembers that universities are also employers.10.12700/APH.13.5.2016.5.10
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
4 This has been confirmed by surveys conducted cyclically among Poles by Public Opinion Research Centre CBOS (see: O stanie szkolnictwa wyższego i źródłach jego finansowania. Komunikat z badań, Fundacja Centrum Badania Opinii Społecznej, http://www.cbos.pl/SPISKOM.POL/2011/K_012_11.PDF (03.06.2017)). At the same time ever more complex formal procedures don't necessarily have a favourable impact on the internal image (see: J. Brdulak, Wyzwania w zarządzaniu jakością na uczelniach w Polsce - dobre praktyki, "Edukacja Ekonomistów i Menedżerów" 2015, vol. 3, nr 37, p. 13-21), as they often make it hard for employees to efficiently carry out their tasks.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
5 Research in this area is conducted by, among others, G. K. Saini, A. Gopal, N. Kumari, Employer Brand and Job Application Decisions: Insights from the Best Employers, "Management and Labour Studies" 2015, vol. 40, iss. 1-2, pp. 34-51; F. Lievens, J. E. Slaughter, Employer Image and Employer Branding: What We Know and What We Need to Know, "Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior" 2016, vol. 3, pp. 407-440; M. Wallace, I. Lings, R. Cameron, N. Sheldon, Attracting and Retaining Staff: The Role of Branding and Industry Image, [in:] R. Harris, T. Short (eds.), Workforce Development, Springer Science+Business Media, Singapore 2014, pp. 19-36; S. Knox, Ch. Freeman, Measuring and Managing Employer Brand Image in the Service Industry, "Journal of Marketing Management" 2006, vol. 22, pp. 695-716; A. Dewalska-Opitek, Model kreowania zintegrowanego wizerunku przedsiębiorstwa, "Zeszyty Naukowe. Polityki Europejskie, Finanse i Marketing" 2010, nr 3 (52), p. 219-229.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
6 What is investigated is, among others, the image of the employer in the context of organizational culture juxtaposed with the experiences of buyers (see among others, R. Mosley, Customer Experience, Organizational Culture and the Employer Brand, "Journal of Brand Management" 2007, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 123-134), but obviously, the investigated entities are companies, not universities.10.1057/palgrave.bm.2550124
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
7 It is possible to find only works (there aren't too many of them, though) concerning the legal, or ethical aspects of the universities' role as an employer (among others: M. S. Anglade, The University as an Employer: A Study of the Application of Title VII to the Modern American Institution of Higher Education, Florida State University, College of Education, 2015, http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_2015fall_Anglade_fsu_0071E_12952 (03.06.2017)), but there is definitely a gap with regard to works devoted to the image of the university as an employer.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
8 Authors usually limit themselves to this group of requirements, pointing to the growing challenges ahead of universities as entities preparing graduates to enter the labour market (see: P.E. Barton, R.J. Coley, The Mission of the High School a New Consensus of the Purposes of Public Education?, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 2011). At the same time, the relationship between the university as an employer and the potential employees is rarely analysed.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
9 They were preceded by non-structured interviews with 50 people.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
10 Non-random choice of the sample was applied.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
11 See: H. Abdi, L.J. Williams (2010). Principal component analysis. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Computational Statistics, vol. 2, iss. 4, pp. 433-459.10.1002/wics.101
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
12 The same number, that is, six components were distinguished for the whole surveyed sample. A detailed analysis of associations with the university as an employer in their case was presented in the article by A. Baruk, A. Goliszek (2017). titled Zewnętrzny wizerunek uczelni w roli pracodawcy jako podstawa segmentacji młodych potencjalnych pracowników. Marketing Instytucji Naukowych i Badawczych, vol. 23, iss. 1, p. 79-96.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
1. Abdi, H., Williams, L.J. (2010). Principal component analysis. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Computational Statistics, vol. 2, iss. 4, pp. 433-459.10.1002/wics.101
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
2. Anglade, M.S. (2015). The University as an Employer: A Study of the Application of Title VII to the Modern American Institution of Higher Education. Florida State University, College of Education, http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_2015fall_Anglade_fsu_0071E_12952 access: 03.06.2017.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
3. Barton, P.E., Coley, R.J. (2011). The Mission of the High School a New Consensus of the Purposes of Public Education? Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
4. Baruk, A., Goliszek, A. (2017). Zewnętrzny wizerunek uczelni w roli pracodawcy jako podstawa segmentacji młodych potencjalnych pracowników. Marketing Instytucji Naukowych i Badawczych, vol. 23, iss. 1, pp. 79-96.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
5. Brdulak, J. (2015). Wyzwania w zarządzaniu jakością na uczelniach w Polsce - dobre praktyki. Edukacja Ekonomistów i Menedżerów, vol. 3, iss. 37, pp. 13-21.10.5604/01.3001.0009.4636
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
6. Dewalska-Opitek, A. (2010). Model kreowania zintegrowanego wizerunku przedsiębiorstwa. Zeszyty Naukowe. Polityki Europejskie, Finanse i Marketing, no. 3 (52), pp. 219-229.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
7. Knox, S., Freeman, Ch. (2006). Measuring and Managing Employer Brand Image in the Service Industry. Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 22, pp. 695-716.10.1362/026725706778612103
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
8. Kunerth, B., Mosley, R. (2011). Applying employer brand management to employee engagement. Strategic HR Review, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 19-26.10.1108/14754391111121874
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
9. Lievens, F., Slaughter, J.E. (2016). Employer Image and Employer Branding: What We Know and What We Need to Know. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, vol. 3, pp. 407-440.10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062501
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
10. Mosley, R. (2007). Customer Experience. Organizational Culture and the Employer Brand. Journal of Brand Management, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 123-134.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
11. O stanie szkolnictwa wyższego i źródłach jego finansowania. Komunikat z badań, Fundacja Centrum Badania Opinii Społecznej, http://www.cbos.pl/SPISKOM.POL/2011/K_012_11.PDF access: 03.06.2017.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
12. Saini, G.K., Gopal, A., Kumari, N. (2015). Employer Brand and Job Application Decisions: Insights from the Best Employers. Management and Labour Studies, vol. 40, iss. 1-2, pp. 34-51.10.1177/0258042X15601532
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
13. Stillman, D., Stillman, J. (2017). Gen Z @ Work. How the next generation is transforming the workplace. Harper Business, New York.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
14. Tóth-Téglás, T., Hlédik, E., Fónadová, L. (2016). An Analysis of Employer Requirements of University Graduates. Acta Polytechnica Hungarica, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 169-188.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
15. Wallace, M., Lings, I., Cameron, R., Sheldon N. (2014). Attracting and Retaining Staff: The Role of Branding and Industry Image. W: R. Harris, T. Short (eds.), Workforce Development. Springer Science+Business Media, Singapore, pp. 19-36.10.1007/978-981-4560-58-0_2
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
16. Why employers are reaching out to the next generation of workers: Gen Z. (2017). Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-generation-z-workforce-0402-biz-20170331-story.html access: 03.04.2017.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article

External Image of a University Playing the Role of an Employer and the Gender of Potential Young Employees

Abstract

Paradigm

My account