High Education Level and Employee Performance in the UAE Public Sector - Research Proposal Example

High education level and employee performance in the UAE public sector Name Course Date Table of contents Table of contents 2 ACADEMIC HONESTY STATEMENT 3 INTRODUCTION 4 Objectives of the study 4 Research questions 4 Background and significance of the study 4 Research design and methods 6 Conceptual framework 6 METHODOLOGY 7 The study area 7 Target population and study population 7 Sampling techniques 7 Data collection instruments 8 Data analysis and presentation 8 CONCLUSION 8 WORK PLAN 9 REFERENCES 10 ACADEMIC HONESTY STATEMENT I hereby declare that this is my original work and has never been submitted for examination by any other person. Student name:…………………………………………………………… Signature:…………………………………………………………………. Date:……………………………………………………………………….. INTRODUCTION Education has been a top priority in UAE in line with the country’s vision 2021. This is because developing human capital has been considered a main enabler in the efforts by the country to establish an economy that is knowledge-based (Ivancevich & McMahon, 1977). Ministry of education has also introduced advanced education techniques that are in line with the best learning practices that would improve innovation, higher standards and will promote professionalism (UAE National Media Council, 2015). Various companies in UAE are also recognizing higher education as an important factor in improving employee performance and consequently the performance of the organization (Suliman, 2006). One of the integral human resource functions in an organization is training which aims at improving the education level of employees (Kaufman, 1978). This study will focus on Abu Dhabi ship building to find out whether high level of education has changed employee performance. Objectives of the study 1. To find out the levels of education among employees of Abu Dhabi ship building company 2. To find out the relationship between level of education and employee performance 3. To find out the attitude of the employees towards improving their education level Research questions 1. What is the level of education of employees of Abu Dhabi ship building company? 2. What is the relationship between level of education and employee performance? 3. What is the attitude of the employees towards improving their education level? Background and significance of the study Provision of quality services is the key aim for every organization. However, for an organization to be able to deliver quality services, it must invest in its workforce (Huselid, 1995). One way of investing in the workforce is by raising the abilities of the employees through means such as higher education levels (Sonny & Sherman, 2004). Abu Dhabi ship building company has a quality policy that has been set by the senior management of the organization. One key element of the quality policy is that employees are responsible for maintaining quality in the work they do ( Waters & Roach, 1971). The company has a workforce that is made up of highly qualified personnel who are well trained and equipped with knowledge. Abu Dhabi ship building company is also aiming at expanding its international markets and this means that the company is still growing. However, as the company enters the international market, the company is likely to face more competition from other ship building companies (Abu Dhabi Ship Building, 2003). The significance of this study will be to find out how the high education levels of employees of Abu Dhabi ship building company has contributed to growth of the company and its importance in maintaining the company in the international market (Wanber & Banas, 2000). Since the company has already built a good reputation, well educated staff will be used as strength to enable maximize on the available growth opportunities in the international markets. The company will also maintain an outstanding workforce that will enable it face any challenges and threats that exist in the international market (Reddy, 2013). Research design and methods The study will be a descriptive study where data will be collected from the respondents within a period of three days. Conceptual framework This shows the relationship between independent and dependent variables of the study. The independent variables in this study include employees’ level of education, attitude, and organization’s efforts in promoting high education. The dependent variable in this study will be organization’s performance. Independent variables Dependent variable METHODOLOGY The study area The study will be carried out in Abu Dhabi ship building company, a public joint stock company in United Arab Emirates. The company is headed by 10 members of the board of directors. The company has over 2,000 employees working under permanent terms of employment (Abu Dhabi Ship Building, 2003). Target population and study population The target population for this study will be employees of employees of public organizations where the representative sample will be obtained from Abu Dhabi ship building company. Information regarding the employees of Abu Dhabi ship building company will be obtained by interviewing the performance manager. Sampling techniques Secondary data will be collected from the files of employees which will be selected using simple random sampling to check on information regarding their education levels. An equal number of employees will be selected from each department in the company. This method will be the most effective for this study because it gives all the persons an equal chance of being selected to be among the representative sample. Primary data will then be collected from the top human resource managers to gather their views regarding the role of high education levels on employees’ performance (Greenwood & Levin, 2007). Data collection instruments Primary data will be collected by interviewing performance manager in the company. A series of interview questions will collect information regarding the level of education of employees, their attitude towards it and how it impacts on their performance. Secondary data will be collected from employees’ files and the job evaluation reports found in the human resource department in the company. Data analysis and presentation The collected data will be statistically analyzed to identify the relationship between independent variables and the dependent variables. The collected data will then be presented inform of tables and charts to draw valid conclusions regarding the research problem (Payne & Payne, 2004). CONCLUSION The above study will help in identifying any discrepancy in employee performance between those with low education levels and those with high academic qualifications. This will help to give a clear picture on whether high education level is important in improving performance in the public organizations. WORK PLAN Task Activities Time duration Proposal development Writing and submitting the proposal for approval 12th to 17th September Construction of data collection instruments Construction of instruments for collecting both primary and secondary data. 18th to 20th September Data collection Visiting Abu Dhabi ship building company for actual data collection 21st to 23rd September Data analysis Analyzing both qualitative and qualitative data and presenting it in tables and charts. 23rd to 30th September REFERENCES Sonny, S. & Sherman, T. (2004). Employee education and job performance: Does education matter? Public Personnel Management Suliman, A. (2006), “Human resource management in the United Arab Emirates”, in Budhwar, P. and Mellahi, K. (Eds), Managing Human Resources in the Middle East, Routledge, NJ, pp. 59-78. Reddy, A. (2013). A study on impact of HR strategies on employee performance in Abu Dhabi distribution company. International Journal of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Research,, Vol.2 (1). Huselid, M. A. (1995). The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 635-672. Waters LK & Roach D. (1971). Relationship between job attitudes and two forms of withdrawal from the work situation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 55, 92–94. Wanberg CR, & Banas JT. (2000). Predictors and outcomes of openness to change in organizing workplace. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 132–142. Kaufman HG. (1978). Continuing education and job performance: A longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 63, 248–251. Ivancevich JM & McMahon JT. (1977).Education as a moderator of goal setting effectiveness. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 11, 83–94. UAE National Media Council. (2015). UAE Interact: Education. Retrieved from http://www.uaeinteract.com/society/education.asp Abu Dhabi Ship Building. (2003). Corporate Profile: About Abu Dhabi ship building. Retrieved from http://www.adsb.ae/CorporateProfile/AboutAbuDhabiShipBuilding.aspx Greenwood, D., & Levin, M. (2007). Introduction to action research social research for social change (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications. Payne, G., & Payne, J. (2004). Key concepts in social research. London: SAGE Publications. Read More