Volume 14, Issue 2
1.BGI Medicine, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
2.ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Avenida das Forças Armadas, Lisbon, Portugal
3.Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University, Singapore 4 ISCTE -Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Avenida das Forças Armadas, Lisbon, Portugal
Published： 30 December 2023 ，
Full txt
Luo Jiaxin,Ferreira Aristides I.,Lievens Filip,et al.Employer Branding in the Healthcare Sector: The Role of Instrumental and Symbolic Image Attributes Among Potential Applicants and Doctors[J].Journal of Chinese Human Resources Management,2023,14(02):23-37.
Luo Jiaxin,Ferreira Aristides I.,Lievens Filip,et al.Employer Branding in the Healthcare Sector: The Role of Instrumental and Symbolic Image Attributes Among Potential Applicants and Doctors[J].Journal of Chinese Human Resources Management,2023,14(02):23-37. DOI： 10.47297/wspchrmWSP2040-800502.20231402.
This study draws from the instrumental-symbolic framework to analyze the employer image of public hospitals among final-year students and employed doctors. We examine the relative importance of perceived instrumental and symbolic employer image attributes in public hospitals in China among two groups of individuals (211 final-year students and 200 currently employed doctors). Both instrumental and symbolic attributes are significantly related to hospitals' attractiveness as an employer. Symbolic trait inferences explain incremental variance in employer attraction beyond instrumental attributes. Although both attributes explain similar portions of the variance in the two groups
the attributes that emerge as significantly related to hospitals' attractiveness are different. Finally
potential applicants have more favorable perceptions of both instrumental and symbolic attributes than employed doctors. Practical and theoretical implications deal with how hospitals should audit their employer image and manage their employer branding practices.
Employer brandingEmployer imageInstrumental-symbolic frameworkEmployee retentionPublic hospitalsChina.
Aaker, J. L. (1997). Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34(3), 347-356. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151897
Ahmed, R. R., Azam, M., Qureshi, J. A., Parmar, V., & Salleh, N. Z. M. (2022). The relationship between internal employer branding and talent retention: A theoretical investigation for the development of a conceptual framework. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.859614
Ashforth, B. E., & Mael, F. (1989). Social identity theory and organization. Academy of Management Review, 14(1), 20-39. https://doi.org/10.2307/258189
Backhaus, K., & Tikoo, S. (2004). Conceptualizing and researching employer branding. Career Development International, 9(5), 501-517. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430410550754
Barber, A. E., Daly, C. L., Giannantonio, C. M., & Phillips, J. M. (1994). Job search activities: An examination of changes over time. Personnel Psychology, 47(4), 739-765. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1994.tb01574.x
Baum, M., & Kabst, R. (2013). How to attract applicants in the Atlantic versus the Asia-Pacific region? A cross-national analysis on China, India, Germany, and Hungary. Journal of World Business, 48(2),175-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2012.07.002
Bentler, P. M. (1989). EQS structural equations program manual. BMDP Statistical Software.
Bharadwaj, S., Khan, N. A., & Yameen, M. (2022). Unbundling employer branding, job satisfaction, organizational identification and employee retention: a sequential mediation analysis. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 14(3), 309-334. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-08-2020-0279
Bian, Y., & Ang, S. (1997). Guanxi networks and job mobility in China and Singapore. Social Forces, 75(3), 1981-1006. https://doi.org/10.2307/2580527
Birchard, K. (2000). Concern over shortage of hospital doctors in Ireland. The Lancet, 356(9248), 2167. https://doi. org/10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67255-8
Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 136–162). Sage.
Cable, D. M., & Turban, D. B. (2003). The value of organizational reputation in the recruitment context: A brand-equity perspective. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(11), 2244-2266. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2003.tb01883.x
Cicchetti, D. V. (1994). Guidelines, criteria, and rules of thumb for evaluating normed and standardized assessment instruments in psychology. Psychological Assessment, 6(4), 284-290. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.6.4.284
Cohen, P., Cohen, J., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2002). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Collins, C. J., & Stevens, C. K. (2002). The relationship between early recruitment-related activities and the application decisions of new labour market entrants: A brand equity approach to recruitment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(6), 1121-1133. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.6.1121
Dukerich, J. M., Golden, B. R., & Shortell, S. M. (2002). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: The impact of organizational identification, identity, and image on the cooperative behaviors of physicians. Administrative Science Quarterly, 47, 507-533. https://doi.org/10.2307/3094849
Emerson, R. (1976). Social exchange theory. Annual Review of Sociology, 2(1), 335-362. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2946096
Fan, Y. (2007). "Gūanxi" government and corporate reputation in China: Lessons for international companies. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 25(5), 499-510. https://doi.org/10.1108/02634500710774969
Fréchette, J., Bourhis, A., & Stachura, M. (2013). The organizational attraction of nursing graduates: Using research to guide employer branding. The Health Care Manager, 32(4), 303-313. https://doi.org/10.1097/HCM.0b013e3182a9d81d
Fulmer, I. S., Gerhart, B., & Scott, K. S. (2003). Are the 100 best better? An empirical investigation of the relationship between being a "great place to work" and firm performance. Personnel Psychology, 56(4), 965-993. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2003.tb00246.x
Gardner, T. M., Erhardt, N. L., & Martin-Rios, C. (2011). Rebranding employment branding: Establishing a new research agenda to explore the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of workers' employment brand knowledge. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 30, 253-304. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0742-7301(2011)0000030008
Ge, W.-L., Wang, G.-H., Li, C., Wang, Y., & Liu, W.-H. (2009). Research on trend situations of human resources for health in China. Chinese Hospital Management, 29(12), 52-54. http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-YYGL200912026.htm
Held, K., & Bader, B. (2018). The influence of images on organizational attractiveness: comparing Chinese, Russian and US companies in Germany. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(3), 510-548. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2016.1173085
Herzberg, F. (1966). Work and the nature of man. World Publishing.
Hesketh, T., & Zhu, WX. (1997). Health in China: The healthcare market. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 314(7094), 1616-1618. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.314.7094.1616
Highhouse, S., Lievens F., & Sinar, E.F. (2003). Measuring attraction to organizations. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 63(6), 986-1001. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164403258403
Homans, G. C. (1958). Social behavior as exchange. American Journal of Sociology, 63(6), 597-606. https://doi.org/10.1086/222355
Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
Hughes, C. J., & Rog, E. (2008). Talent management: A strategy for improving employee recruitment, retention and engagement within hospitality organizations. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 20(7), 743-757. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110810899086
Inglehart, R. (1997). Modernization and postmodernization: Cultural, economic, and political change in 43 societies. Princeton University Press.
Kim, S., Price, J. L., Mueller, C. W., & Watson, T. W. (1996). The determinants of career intent among physicians at a U.S. air force hospital. Human Relations, 49(7), 947-976. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872679604900704
Kumari, S., & Saini, G.K. (2018). Do instrumental and symbolic factors interact in influencing employer attractiveness and job pursuit intention? Career Development International, 23(4), 444-462. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-03-2018-0069
Lievens, F. (2007). Employer branding in the Belgian Army: the importance of instrumental and symbolic beliefs for potential applicants, actual applicants, and military employees. Human Resource Management, 46(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.20145
Lievens, F., & Highhouse, S. (2003). The relation of instrumental and symbolic attributes to a company's attractiveness as an employer. Personnel Psychology, 56(1), 75–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2003.tb00144.x
Lievens, F., & Slaughter, J. E., (2016). Employer image and employer branding: What we know and what we need to know. The Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 3, 407-440. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062501
Mael, F. A., & Ashforth, B. E. (1995). Loyal from day one: Biodata, organizational identification, and turnover among newcomers. Personnel Psychology, 48(2), 309-333. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1995.tb01759.x
MacCallum, R. C., Browne, M. W., & Sugawara, H. M. (1996). Power analysis and determination of sample size for covariance structure modeling. Psychological Methods, 1(2), 130-149. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.1.2.130
Michailova, S., & Worm, V. (2003). Personal networking in Russia and China: Blat and guanxi. European Management Journal, 21(4), 509-519. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0263-2373(03)00077-X
XSchwaiger, K., Zehrer, A., & Spiess, T. (2022). The influence of symbolic and instrumental attributes of employer image on perceived industry attractiveness: Differences between business owners and employees. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 5(3), 567-587. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-12-2020-0234
Steiger, J. H. (1989). Causal modeling: A supplementary module for SYSTAT and SYGRAPH. SYSTAT.
Theurer, C. P., Tumasjan, A., Welpe, I. M., & Lievens, F. (2016). Employer branding: A brand equity-based literature review and research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 20(1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12121
Tonidandel, S., & Lebreton, J.M. (2014). RWA web: A free, comprehensive, web-based, and user-friendly tool for relative weight analyses. Journal of Business & Psychology, 30(2), 207-216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-014-9351-z
Trope, Y., & Liberman, N. (2003). Temporal construal. Psychological Review, 110(3), 403-421. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.110.3.403
Trybou, J., Gemmel, P., van Vaerenbergh, Y., & Annemans, L. (2014). Hospital-physician relations: The relative importance of economic, relational and professional attributes to organizational attractiveness. BMC Health Services Research, 14, 232. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-14-232
van Dick, R. (2004). My job is my castle: Identification in organizational contexts. In C. L. Cooper & I. T. Robertson (Eds.), International review of industrial and organizational psychology 2004 volume 19(pp. 171-203). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/0470013311.ch6
van Hoye, G. (2008). Nursing recruitment: Relationship between perceived employer image and nursing employees' recommendations. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 63(4), 366-375. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04710.x
van Hoye, G. (2012). Recruitment sources and organizational attraction: A field study of Belgian nurses. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 21(3), 376-391. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2011.573146
van Hoye, G., Bas, T., Cromheecke, S., & Lievens, F. (2013). The instrumental and symbolic dimensions of organisations' image as an employer: A large-scale field study on employer branding in Turkey. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 62(4), 543-557. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2012.00495.x
Verčič, A. T. (2021). The impact of employee engagement, organisational support and employer branding on internal communication satisfaction. Public Relations Review, 47(1), 102009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2021.102009
Zhou, B., Kong, F. M., & Zhang, Y.-C. (2011). On the dimensions and impacts of employer brand: An empirical study of commercial banks and college graduate job-seekers. China Management Magazine, 4(7), 3-22. http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-PGLX201107002.htm
Zhu, F., Wang, Z., & Zhao, K. (2016). Is instrumental or symbolic information more effective? A study on employer brand and job pursuit intention. Business Management Journal, 38(1), 94-104. https://doi.org/10.19616/j.cnki.bmj.201 6.01.010
Related Articles
Related Author
Related Institution
京公网安备11010802024621