The International Journal of Business and Management 

About: The International Journal of Business and Management is an academic journal published by Canadian Center of Science and Education. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Corporate governance & Population. It has an ISSN identifier of 2321-8916. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 4834 publications have been published receiving 61478 citations.

Employee Engagement: The Key to Improving Performance

Abstract: Employee engagement is a vast construct that touches almost all parts of human resource management facets we know hitherto. If every part of human resources is not addressed in appropriate manner, employees fail to fully engage themselves in their job in the response to such kind of mismanagement. The construct employee engagement is built on the foundation of earlier concepts like job satisfaction, employee commitment and Organizational citizenship behaviour. Though it is related to and encompasses these concepts, employee engagement is broader in scope. Employee engagement is stronger predictor of positive organizational performance clearly showing the two-way relationship between employer and employee compared to the three earlier constructs: job satisfaction, employee commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour. Engaged employees are emotionally attached to their organization and highly involved in their job with a great enthusiasm for the success of their employer, going extra mile beyond the employment contractual agreement.

Impact of Reward and Recognition on Job Satisfaction and Motivation: An Empirical Study from Pakistan

Abstract: Human resources are the most important among all the resources an organization owns. To retain efficient and experienced workforce in an organization is very crucial in overall performance of an organization. Motivated employees can help make an organization competitively more value added and profitable. The present study is an attempt to find out the major factors that motivate employees and it tells what is the relationship among reward, recognition and motivation while working within an organization. The data were collected from employees of diverse type of organizations to gain wide representation of sectoral composition. In all, 250 self administered questionnaires were distributed among the employees of different sectors and they returned 220 completed useable questionnaires for response rate of 88%. The participation in survey was voluntary and confidentiality of responses was ensured. The statistical analysis showed that different dimensions of work motivation and satisfaction are significantly correlated and reward and recognition have great impact on motivation of the employees. Implications of the study for managers and policy makers in the context of human resource practices have been discussed. Limitations and guidelines for future research are also provided.

Interrelations between Service Quality Attributes, Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty in the Retail Banking Sector in Bangladesh

Abstract: The main objective of this study is to find the interrelationships between service quality attributes, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in the retail banking sector in Bangladesh. The study sought to identify the most important attributes in bank settings, which may be used to review characteristics of the banks as experienced by customers. In Bangladesh, no study has yet investigated the above mentioned interrelationship. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap. A review of literature was conducted to find out the relationship among service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The literature review confirms this relationship. A survey was conducted to collect data. The sample size of 100 retail banking customers was drawn from different banks in Bangladesh. The result shows that all the service quality attributes are positively related to customer satisfaction and customer satisfaction is positively related to customer loyalty in the retail banking settings in Bangladesh. Empathy demonstrates the highest positive correlation with customer satisfaction and tangibility shows the least positive correlation with customer satisfaction. This study suggests that SERVQUAL [service quality model] is a suitable instrument for measuring the bank service quality in the Bangladeshi context. Therefore, bank managers can use this instrument to assess the bank service quality in Bangladesh.

Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment of University Teachers in Public Sector of Pakistan

Abstract: Study Objectives: The purpose of this investigation was to determine the impact of teachers’ satisfaction with job dimensions on perceived organizational commitment in public sector universities of Pakistan. In addition, the study aimed at exploring to what extent these teachers are committed to their universities and satisfied with different dimensions to their job. Research Design/Methodology: A survey-based descriptive research design was used. The study was carried on teaching faculty working in two public sector universities of Pakistan. About 650 survey questionnaires were distributed in October, 2009 by employing diverse modes of communication such as email, in person and post. Multiple follow ups yielded 331 statistically usable questionnaires. Stepwise regression analysis and one sample t-tests were used to confirming the research hypotheses. Results: The findings of the study indicated that the satisfaction with work-itself, quality of supervision and pay satisfaction had significant positive influence on organizational commitment of faculty members. They had high degree of organizational commitment and satisfaction with work-itself, supervision, salary, coworkers and opportunities for promotion. Research limitations/implications: The focus of the study was teachers working at public sectors universities in Pakistan only. Self-reported measures were used to measure job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Since respondents were from two public sector universities only so the findings cannot be generalized to faculty members of public sector universities in Pakistan. Practical implications: Considering the importance of university teachers’ organizational commitment and their effects on effectiveness of the universities, policy makers and academic administrators should take necessary

Effect of Entrepreneur and Firm Characteristics on the Business Success of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh

Abstract: This study examines the effect of characteristics of entrepreneur and characteristics of the firm on the business success of Small and Medium Enterprises in Bangladesh. The study is based on survey methodology through a questionnaire administered on the owners and employees of small firms. Data are analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). Two hypotheses are proposed and tested. The characteristic of entrepreneur is found to be a significant factor for business success of SMEs in Bangladesh. However the firm characteristics are found not to be significant factor on the business success of SMEs in Bangladesh. The results of the analysis show that only one of the demographic factors which is duration of organization operated has significant effect toward business success of SMEs. SMEs that are operated longer period have been more successful in comparison to those who have been in operation for a shorter period. In addition to this, independent sample t-test shows that gender plays a significant role on business success of SMEs in Bangladesh. This study has implications for entrepreneurs and policy makers.