Does Culture Affect Farmer Willingness to Transfer Rural Land? Evidence from Southern Fujian, China

This research explored the impact of culture on farmer willingness to transfer rural land. Data from 30 interviews and 537 valid survey questionnaires were collected in three villages in Zhangzhou, Fujian, China that are representative of typical Southern Fujian culture. First, a qualitative analysis was conducted based on interview data using NVivo11. Thereafter, a quantitative analysis using structural equation modeling was completed. The results of the field interviews indicated that cultural, economic, and individual factors were the three main influences on willingness of farmers to transfer land. Cultural factors were further classified into folk, religious, language, and family cultures. Religious belief culture had a significant negative impact on farmer willingness to transfer land, while language, family, and folk cultures had significant positive associations with farmer land transfer intentions. It was found that rural culture had a significant influence on farmer willingness to transfer land. The findings will help in developing a more comprehensive theoretical framework for research on this topic.

Leadership styles and self-efficacy in determining transfer intentions of safety training

Purpose This study aims to investigate the factors that can influence the transfer process of training in open skills, i.e. non-technical skills (NTS). Specifically, according to the model of the transfer process, the aim of this paper is to analyse the effects of both personal (e.g. self-efficacy) and work environment (e.g. safety leadership styles) antecedents of intention to transfer. Design/methodology/approach A total of 88 workers belonging to two different plants of the same chemical company filled in a questionnaire at the beginning (T1) and at the end (T2) of the training intervention. The majority of the sample was composed of men (95.5 per cent), with the mean age being 45.19 years old, and they had worked in the same company for an average of 17.2 years. Personal (self-efficacy) and organizational (transformational and passive leadership) factors were measured at T1, while intention to transfer was measured at T2. To investigate the combined effect of both personal and environmental characteristics on the transfer process, a moderation analysis was conducted following the Preacher and Hayes approach. Findings Results showed that all the antecedents investigated (except for passive leadership) impacted on the intention to transfer. Furthermore, high levels of self-efficacy combined with higher levels of transformational leadership resulted in higher levels of intention to transfer. Research limitations/implications The sample size is quite small, and effective transfer of NTS has not been measured. Practical implications Results suggest that organizations should focus on fostering self-efficacy of the trainees and transformational leadership of the supervisors so as to facilitate the transfer process of NTS. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study which has considered both individual and contextual characteristics to analyse the transfer process of NTS.

Customization of Transfer of Training to the job: A Qualitative Study among Bank Managers in Ghana

Recent studies have presented transfer of training to the job as a dynamic process in which customization is perceived as an important aspect of the transfer process. In spite of its significance in affecting transfer intentions and behavior, the decision to engage in customization of transfer of training by trainees has not been adequately explained in the extant literature. For the purpose of espousing the importance of customization of transfer of training in the transfer process, the study was conducted to examine how managers in a bank transfer knowledge from training to the job. Twelve managers from a reputable bank in Ghana were in-depth interviewed following a recent training program they had attended. Thematic content analysis of the data showed that managers transfer training to the job through customization, that is, integration and adaptation of training information . Consistent with the theory on the dynamics of transfer, it was concluded that customization of transfer of training was the medium through which transfer intention is developed