The Role of Image and Interactional Fairness on Students’ Work Behavior

Ovaj doktorski rad ispituje djelovanje doživljaja interakcijske pravednosti i doživljaja imidža fakulteta na radna ponašanja studenata u akademskom okruženju u svrhu davanja praktičnih implikacija za uspješno djelovanje visokoškolskih ustanova na današnjem turbulentnom tržištu. U radu je prepoznata dvostruka uloga studenata, odnosno studenti se promatraju u ulozi klijenata i u ulozi ljudskih potencijala fakulteta te se takvim pristupom otvara mogućnost za usporedbu akademskog i poslovnog organizacijskog okruženja. Cilj istraživanja bio je provjeriti ulogu doživljaja interakcijske pravednosti i doživljaja imidža fakulteta na radnu angažiranost studenata, zatim provjeriti učinak radne angažiranosti studenata na njihova (ne)poželjna ponašanja te uz to provjeriti medijacijsku ulogu radne angažiranosti između doživljaja interakcijske pravednosti i (ne)poželjnih ponašanja studenata te između doživljaja imidža fakulteta i (ne)poželjnih ponašanja studenata. Sukladno tome, postavljen je model istraživanja te je kreiran anketni upitnik koji se sastoji od ranije validiranih čestica. Podaci su prikupljeni elektroničkim putem te su na uzorku od 1107 studenata u svrhu provjere promatranih odnosa korištene korelacijska analiza i analiza traga (eng. Path Analysis). Dobiveni rezultati su ukazali na statistički značajne direktne i indirektne odnose između doživljaja interakcijske pravednosti i radne angažiranosti i (ne)poželjnih organizacijskih ponašanja studenata, između doživljaja imidža fakulteta i radne angažiranosti studenata i (ne)poželjnih organizacijskih ponašanja studenata, potom između radne angažiranosti i (ne)poželjnih organizacijskih ponašanja studenata te se uz to potvrdio i značajan medijacijski utjecaj radne angažiranosti u pretpostavljenom modelu. Povezivanjem rezultata s teorijskom osnovom vezanom ne samo uz akademski, već i poslovni organizacijski kontekst, raspravljaju se praktične implikacije za postizanje održivosti u akademskom okruženju.The doctoral thesis examines the effects of the perception of interactional justice and faculty image on student behavior in the academic environment in order to provide practical implications for sustainability and successful functioning of the higher education institutions in today's turbulent market. It is important to emphasize that the doctoral thesis recognizes the dual role of the students. More precisely, students are seen as a client and as a human resource. This kind of approach opens up the possibility of comparing the academic and business organizational environment. The thesis aims to verify the following effects in the academic environment: the role of the perception of interactional fairness and the role of the faculty image perception on student engagement; the role of student engagement in their work behavior (i.e., organizational citizenship behavior and counterproductive work behavior); and the mediation role of work engagement between the perception of interactional justice and the perception of faculty image and students’ work behavior. To verify the effects between these variables, the research model was designed, and the survey questionnaire was created based on previously validated materials. The data collected electronically from 1107 students was analyzed by using the correlation analysis and path analysis. The results indicate statistically significant direct and indirect relationships between the following effects: the perception of interactional justice and work engagement; organizational citizenship behavior and counterproductive work behavior; the perception of faculty image and work engagement; organizational citizenship behavior and counterproductive work behavior; and students work engagement and their organizational behavior. The data also confirmed the significance of the mediation impact of work engagement in the designed model. By associating the results with theoretical basis in not only academic, but also business organizational context, the practical implications for achieving sustainability in the academic environment are discussed