Human capital and organizational performance: a study of Egyptian software companies

Abstract

Purpose-The paper seeks to test empirically a variety of hypotheses related to human capital and organizational performance within software companies in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach-A valid research instrument was utilized to conduct a survey of 38 software companies who are representative of the 107 members of the Software Industry Chamber of Egypt. A correlation analysis and stepwise regression were conducted to ascertain the validity of the hypotheses. Findings-Statistical support was found for six of the nine hypotheses tested. Research limitations/implications-One of the limitations of this study is that human capital metrics were based on CEO self-reported scores. Thus, the ability to generalize is limited to this context. Practical implications-Of all the human capital metrics collected, the number of superstar developers seems to be the most critical variable in predicting export intensity. Superstar developers are those individuals whose productivity equals four times that of the other developers and twice that of the star developers. Originality/value-This paper tests empirically the relationship between human capital and organization performance in the Egyptian software industry context and provides support for the recruitment and development of superstar developers.

Education and Work-Experience - Influence on the Performance

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Human capital development in socio-economic malaise: evidence from the UK

“…Traditionally research on IC has remained focused on high-tech industries such as IT (e.g., Wang and Chang, 2005;Chang, 2007;Seleim et al, 2007); biotechnology (Hermans and Kauranen, 2005;Sharabati et al, 2010;Pal and Soriya 2012); manufacturing (Camuffo and Comacchio, 2005;Tseng and Goo, 2005;McConnachie, 1997); and the service industry such as banks (Murthy and Mouritsen, 2011;Mention and Bontis, 2013;Kamath, 2007;Goh, 2005;Curado, 2008). These studies identify IC as one of the key drivers of firm-level performance (Teece, 1998;Youndt et al, 2004;Martínez-Torres, 2006;Rudež and Mihalič, 2007).…”

Islamic Human Capital and Firm Performance: An Evidence of Small and Medium Enterprises in Bahrain

“…The human capital elements of knowledge, abilities, experiences, skills and capabilities constitutes a key determinant to ensure business success (Pena, 2004) and give positive impact on business firm performance (Seleim et al, 2007). Earlier Doucouliagos (1997) noted that human capital as a source is not only to motivate workers and boost up their commitment but also to create expenditure in research and development, and eventually pave a way for the generation of new knowledge for the economy and society in general.…”