Mediterranean journal of social sciences 

About: Mediterranean journal of social sciences is an academic journal published by Mediterranean Center of Social and Educational Research. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Population & Politics. It has an ISSN identifier of 2039-2117. Over the lifetime, 7034 publications have been published receiving 33552 citations.

Working With Generations X And Y In Generation Z Period: Management Of Different Generations In Business Life

Abstract: Mankind which is a social entity and whose most basic necessity is staying with other people have been in tendency of being together, acting together and uniting since the early ages of history. People living in the same period and therefore sharing the same conditions and even same experiences are influenced by each other. This situation results in the fact that individuals who are born, grown and brought up in the same or close periods have similar characteristics. It is not attractive that individuals who are shaped by the environment in which they are born and grown up, social, economic and cultural conditions, social cases and cases which interest the entire humanity have similar characteristics. Scientists moving from this point put forward the term “generation” in order to define individuals and their characteristics and carried out studies over this term. Within the scope of studies; the generation which was born between 1925-1945 was named as ‘Traditionalists’ silent generation and it was not subject of studies too much since it is regarded as a generation which does not have major effect. The generation which was born after World War II and therefore have the name of ‘Baby Boomers’ includes people born between 1946-1964 and representatives of this generation are regarded as those who are retired or about to retire today. The greatest aim of the generation which was born between 1965-1979 and named as ‘X Generation’ is considered as keeping pace with the changes in the world. Representatives of this generation have active role in social life and business life today. The generation which was born between 1980-2001 and named as ‘Millennials’ or as ‘Y generation’ as more commonly known are the children of globalization. For the children of this generation who have accessed the development and easiness of technology, technology is one of the cornerstones of life. Y generation which has an important place especially in business life has been subject for various studies today. The last generation which was born between 2000-2020 is the technology generation. Although this generation which regards technology as something indispensable has not got into business life yet, enterprises would have to make preparation for this generation within 10 years. Enterprises which are globalized and brought competition at international level today have to employ these individuals in one place who are belong to different generations therefore have different characteristics and structures. Employing rapidly changing generations of rapidly changing world in one place, keeping their motivation high and obtain efficiency from them is possible by knowing generations, learning characteristics of them and acting according to these characteristics. In this study, first of all the term generation will be mentioned, generations and their characteristics will be explained, then characteristics of different generations and formation of management process of enterprises will be discussed. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n19p218

The Causes of the Failure of New Small and Medium Enterprises in South Africa

Abstract: New small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are an important vehicle to address the challenges of job creation, sustainable economic growth, equitable distribution of income and the overall stimulation of economic development. New SMEs suffer from a high failure rate in South Africa. The high failure rate of new SME paints a bleak picture of the SME sector’s potential to contribute meaningfully to job creation, economic growth and poverty reduction. The primary objective of this study was to determine the causes of the failure of new SMEs. The review of the literature revealed that the causes of the failure of new SMEs are both internal and external. Internal factors include lack of management experience, lack of functional skills and poor staff training and development and poor attitudes towards customers. External factors include non-availability of a logistics chain and a high cost of distribution, competition, rising costs of doing business, lack of finance and crime. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p922

The Impact of Rewards on Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention

Abstract: This study explored the impact of rewards on job satisfaction and employee retention among nurses The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of rewards on employee retention, to establish whether there is a relationship between rewards and job satisfaction, to establish the relationship between job satisfaction and employee retention and to make recommendations to the policy makers in the organization on possible ways/strategies to improve employee retention based on the research findings The study utilized a quantitative research design and 180 nurses were randomly selected as research participants Self-administered questionnaires were administered to participants/respondents The data was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 200 Hypotheses were formulated to test the relationships between the independent variable and the dependent variable The study revealed that employee rewards lead to employee retention but however, they do not result in job satisfaction DOI: 105901/mjss2014v5n1p481

Entrepreneurial Competencies and SMEs Business Success: The Contingent Role of External Integration

Abstract: This is a conceptual paper to study the effects of entrepreneurial competencies on success of businesses in the context of Malaysian SMEs. This paper argues that the external integration moderates the influence of entrepreneurial competencies on success of SMEs businesses. Hence, the entrepreneurs should be competent enough to manage their relationships with their customers and suppliers to get competitive advantage. Only sustainable competitive advantage will ensure business survival and success. This paper adopts the resource based view of competencies (RBV) which claims that entrepreneurial competencies are valuable and intangible resources that lead towards the success of business. Entrepreneurial competencies alone are not enough to ensure the survival and success of businesses. Since, SMEs have scarce resources of finance, skills, technology and knowledge; therefore SMEs sustainable business success highly depends on many other factors such as supplier’s capabilities as well as customer’s integration. Moreover, the strong relationships of SMEs with their customers and suppliers enable them to access the information regarding latest customer choices and tastes, technologies and new methods of innovations. Therefore, this paper incorporates two theories namely, the resource dependence theory (RDT)and the resource based view (RBV) to explain the conceptual model, where RDT suggests that firms have to depend on external parties (suppliers and customers) to get critical resources for their survival. Particularly, there is a dearth of studies that have examined the influence of external integration on the relationship of entrepreneurial competencies and success of Malaysian SMEs businesses. Therefore, the current study strives to investigate the moderating impact of customer and supplier relationships on the relationship between entrepreneurial competencies and success of businesses of Malaysian SMEs in the manufacturing sector. Ultimately, this study will contribute the existing body of knowledge in entrepreneurial competencies, external integration and success of Malaysian SMEs businesses in the manufacturing industry.

Water Pollution: Sources, Effects, Control and Management

Abstract: Human activities including industrialization and agricultural practices contributed immensely in no small measure to the degradation and pollution of the environment which adversely has an effect on the water bodies (rivers and ocean) that is a necessity for life. This paper tries to discuss basically what water pollution is and equally to address the source, effect control and water pollution management as a whole. Some recommendations such as introduction of environmental education were mentioned. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n8p65