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Extracting Cross-Domain Employability Indicators of E-Business Printing Industry in Taiwan

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Extracting Cross-Domain Employability Indicators of E-Business Printing

Industry in Taiwan

Liang-Yuan Hsiung, Mu-Hui Lai*, Yuan-Dou Hsiao**

Department of Information & Communication, Kun Shan University *General Education Center, Oriental Institude of Technology

**Department of Business Administration, Chung Yu Institude of Technology

Abstract

The research aims at professionals serving with Taiwan’s current 1,000 printing businesses in an attempt to extract cross-domain employability of E-Business that the printing industry professional indicators should have in Taiwan. The pilot study aims at confirming and developing a questionnaire based on indicator of employability on E-Business in Printing Industry and the researchers designed Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) questionnaire and built its weight to present the cross-domain employability indicators related to E-Business. The research found that the eight main indicators are in the following order by importance: work attitude, teamwork, business operation ability, production/manufacturing ability, pre-press network integration ability, innovation ability, image-processing ability, and editing/design ability. The contribution can benefit the printing industry when recruiting new employee, and to serve as reference for the printing related departments in higher education.

Keyword: Employability, E-Business, Printing industry, Cross-domain, AHP

1. Introduction

The success of a country’s economic development depends on whether it can successfully integrate into corporate production systems its labor force with knowledge and ability (McGINN, 1999), and it is even more so for Taiwan’s printing industry. Nowadays the scope of publishing has expanded, not just printed resources, but also electronic resources (Hatane, Santoso, & Gorjian, 2011). Human resource quality is an important factor in determining a company’s competitiveness, and Levin (2005) believes that fierce competition in dynamic environments, budget reduction and heavy price pressure make business operation highly dependent on high-quality human resources. Rae (2007) also considered that high-quality labor force is required to have cross-domain employability, which is what a mature industry relies on for enterprise transformation and development. Crossan and Berdrov (2003) pointed out that one of the consequences of intense competition, globalization and the advanced development of science and technology is that organizational learning, knowledge creation and innovation capability have combined to form a major benefit supporting corporate competitiveness. It is therefore quite natural that, out of necessity arising from competition, companies have adopted the competence-based perspective and require the employees they recruit to possess cross-domain multiple competences instead of one

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single specialized skill. Enterprises tend more and more to require their employees to possess what is needed for business operation in terms of cross-domain competences and the corresponding performance requirements in order for them to remain employed on a long-term basis in the enterprise and to subsequently develop their individual professional careers (Shahin & Mahbod, 2007).

Education is the main means of enhancing Taiwan college students’ employability (Wu, 2009). Hillage and Pollard (1998) defined the term “employability” as the capability to move self-sufficiently within the labor market to realize potential through sustainable employment, and considered that if an employee has self-perceived employability, he will be able to deploy employability frequently both within and outside of the enterprise. Rothwell and Arnold (2007) started from the perspective of personal employment and career development to consider that employability is about people’s ability to possess skills, find work, and maintain work of the kind they want. For an enterprise, employability means possessing human resources with long-term working ability. The concept of employability can be considered by a corporate organization as employees’ long-term working ability, as in the idea of “work for the sake of life” (Pascale, 1995; Rajan, 1997). Kiran, Valli, and Chandulal (2011) indicated that the competency based approach can give rise to a concept which could be called as competent teacher for a competent student. Sanders and de Grip (2004) stated that training participation and task flexibility of low-skill workers in an enterprise are positive and beneficial to their employability within the enterprise and the possibility of their deploying lifetime employability outside of the enterprise. The core professional competencies and the exit profiles should be based on the guiding principles of development (Kiran, Valli, & Chandulal, 2011). All these studies focused on employability are based on the competence-based theory (Ljungquist, 2007). The need to enhance employees’ possession of the kind of employability their enterprise demands sustains the inevitability for the enterprise to plan and implement education and training programs. In view of all the above and for the purpose of our study, we can define employability, in the labor market related to the printing industry, as the ability to execute the requirements of the related professional technology cluster and to remain employed on a long-term basis, particularly in E-Business. Dhillon and Kaur (2012) believed that the driving forces of E-Business are changing the very definitions of the core values within many organizations.

It would be highly meaningful to identify the requirements of Taiwan’s printing businesses in terms of employees’ employability in E-Business and to use the findings as a basis for talent cultivation in higher education. Therefore, based on the research background described above, this study aims at introducing, from a competence-based perspective, a set of indicators for the kind of cross-domain employability required for Taiwan’s printing industry professionals. These indicators can then be used as assessment tools by printing businesses in the development of their talent recruitment strategy including the field of E-Business and as a basis for the curriculum planning of related departments in science and technology universities.

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2. Cross-domain employability from a competence-based perspective

Printing is one of the industries with a high cluster effect. The production chain going from the upstream supply of raw materials like paper, ink or plastic material, to the actual printing process with pre-press, on-press and post-press technologies, via the various tasks of image process, network transmission, color control and management, printing skill process, gravure printing process and binding process, forms an industry displaying a cluster effect (New Zealand Qualifications Authority [NZQA], 2012).

Information and communication technology have much implications for the organization, operation, and management of printing activities. These ranges were digitally designing and printing processes from digital pre-press to post-press activities. Moreover, conventional printing technologies are facing unceasingly changes with digital technologies and services, such as ERP scheduling or electronic job services and B2C devices.

Treese and Stewart (1998) think that the use of the global internet for purchase and sale of goods and services, including service and support after the sale. Taiwan’s printing industry, like in other countries, is characterized by its status as both an industry and a service; its technical content covers knowledge and applications of a broad range of fields, including electronics, mechanics, materials, mathematics, physics, chemistry, optics, chromatics, business estimating, cost analysis, industrial management, production management, art and culture, creative design, multimedia technology, etc. Strader and Shaw (1997) pointed out that modern business methodology that addresses the needs of organizations, merchants, and consumers to cut costs while improving the quality of goods and services, and increasing the speed of service deliver. The production process is highly oriented toward client needs, and the fact that the products tend to be small in quantity but highly diverse and customized means that professionals need to have cross-domain capabilities consisting in streamlined technical operation applications like estimating, design & editing, image process, color management, remote transmission via the Internet, computer application, job scheduling, printing production, logistics, etc. Due to the technology cluster of the industry, it is necessary for printing professionals to possess specialized skills whose content is constituted by cross-domain competences, so that they can meet competence-based requirements and achieve the kind of work performance required by business owners. The technology cluster involved in such professional employability is schematized in the following Figure 1.

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Electronic Business Raw materials Paper, ink, nano, and other Pre-press Printing production Post-press processing

Image, design, software, information, network, color management, editing, IT maintenance

Printing, technical treatment, color correction, maintenance, paper alignment, color matching

Cutting, varnishing, gilding, embossing, die cutting, binding

Management of the whole line

Figure 1. The technology cluster involved in employability for the printing profession

Lei and Slocum (1992) deemed that cross-domain competencies involve core competences, professional competencies, management competences, as well as general competences; among them, performance in professional competences is a key factor in corporate competitiveness. As to the cultivation of cross-domain employability, Shahin and Mahbod (2007) considered, from the perspective of organizational performance, that requirements of organizational operation performance can be prioritized in terms of long-term SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-sensitive) goal setting. Therefore, cross-domain professional competence implies, for an individual, the possession of the knowledge and skills represented in the technology cluster. In the printing domain, characterized by a technology cluster, the technologies used cover three major areas, and professional knowledge can be divided into three broad domains (Mole, 1997). generic areas of knowledge, generic skills (process knowledge), and generic professional competencies. Competencies are complex and dynamically interactive clusters of integrated knowledge, skills and abilities; behaviors and strategies; attitudes, beliefs, and values; dispositions and personal characteristics; self-perceptions; and motivations (Mentkowski & Associates, 2000). However, in this study, the researchers focused only on the skills, abilities and attitudes of Mentkoski’s competencies definition. In general, our study for the concept of competence-based employability is considered as the professional competences required of the professionals employed in the printing industry for the execution of certain professional tasks, and the ability to deploy these competences in their work positions of E-Business, thereby developing their professional careers.

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3. Methodology

In this study, a pilot research was first conducted, followed by expert consulting and a formal survey investigation. The purpose of the pilot research was to identify the research issues and the cross-domain employability indicators for professional talent in the printing industry, while the survey investigation aimed to establish weight values for the cross-domain employability indicators related to E-Business. In order to avoid Common Method Variance (CMV), the formal survey by questionnaire was not conducted until one month after the pilot research, the survey questions were randomly sequenced, and respondent identity was concealed (Lin & Peng, 2006).

3.1 Pilot study

In the recent decade, the technological content of Taiwan’s printing industry has undergone quantitative and qualitative change, with a high degree of high-tech application in the production flow and a high concentration of knowledge and technology in its products. However, there had been very little research related to the professional competences professionals in the industry are required to have, making it difficult to rely on literature analysis to establish cross-domain employability indicators of E-Business for the printing industry. Therefore, we conducted a pilot research to survey professionals of printing businesses, confirming the importance of the research issues and the feasibility and necessity of the indicators and sub-indicators of cross-domain employability in the printing industry. Following literature review and consulting sessions with experts, and utilized the AHP questionnaire to analyze the weight values for the indicators, the main issues related to the cross-domain employability of E-Business of printing industry professionals were identified, and a draft project for employability indicators was established; based on these elements, a pilot questionnaire was constructed as the research tool for the pilot study. The questionnaire was structured according to the three main dimensions of printing industry, professional personnel, and cross-domain employability. According to Taiwan’s printing ecology, there are a few departments are divided in prepress section including design department, editing/image processing department, plate making department etc. All these jobs are inducted to an E-Business environment and the employees are more than on-press, post-press department, hence the returned samplings ratio from prepress section are more than on-press, post-press samplings (see table 1). The sampling targeted Taiwan’s 1000 largest printing businesses and 272 questionnaires were randomly sent out, out of which 187 valid ones were recovered, with a recovery rate of 69%.

Table 1. Statistical analysis of recovered questionnaires in the pilot research

Printing departments Printing personnel Percentage N

Pre-press

Design personnel 21.8% 41

Business personnel 22.3% 42

Manufacturing personnel 22.7% 42

Layout/adjustment personnel 19.2% 36

On-press Press machine operators 9.4% 18

Post-press Post-processing and binding personnel 4.6% 9

Total 100% 187

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3.2.1 Questionnaire construction

Based on the employability indicators of E-Business expected by printing businesses as shown by the results of the pilot research, an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) survey questionnaire was compiled and then confirmed after discussion with experts, before being used as the tool for the survey investigation.

3.2.2 Administration and recovery

Targeting Taiwan’s 500 lithography printing businesses from 1000 largest printing businesses, a random sampling was carried out and on-line questionnaires were sent to selected businesses; printed questionnaires were sent as a complimentary measure to facilitate recovery. A total of 150 questionnaires (each 50 businesses from northern, central and southern Taiwan) were thus administered, with 76 valid returned questionnaires and a recovery rate of 50.67%.

3.2.3 Statistical analysis by AHP

The purpose of the AHP is to analyze the weights of the various indicators of cross-domain employability related to E-Business in order to obtain the weight values for the indicators. Elaborated by Saaty (1971, 1980), AHP is mainly applied in situations of uncertainty and to decision issues involving multiple evaluation criteria. Applied to this study, the AHP used the system’s decomposed indicators to make a pairwise comparison of the employability indicators obtained from the pilot research, thereby finding the ratios of relative importance (i.e. weight values) among the indicators. Three steps of AHP methodology for calculating the weights among indicators of different levels is as follows:

Step 1

Structuring the hierarchy--Construction of pairwise comparison matrix

Step 2

Performing paired comparisons between elements/decision alternatives-- Calculation of eigenvalues and eigenvectors

Step 3

Structuring the hierarchy--Construction of pairwise comparison matrix

Figure 2. Three steps of Analytic Hierarchy Process

3.3 Consistency test

After establishing the pairwise comparison matrix and the whole hierarchy structure, a consistency test must be carried out in order to calculate the Consistency Index (C.I.) and the

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Consistency Ratio (C.R.). The closer lamda-max is to n, the more consistent it is. C.I.= (lamda-max – n)/(n-1). If C.I. = 0, it implies that the questionnaire respondent’s earlier and later judgments regarding decision factors are consistent. Saaty (1980) suggested using Consistency Index and Consistence Ratio to test the consistency of pairwise comparison matrices. When C.R.≤ 0.1, there is consistency.

A review of the application of the above methodology shows that the execution of the pilot research made it possible for cross-domain employability issues on E-Business investigated in our study to closely match the actual needs of Taiwan’s printing industry. The cross-domain employability indicators of E-Business thus obtained were used as the basis for the compilation of the formal survey questionnaire, adding to the objectivity of the content of the questionnaire. Furthermore, in order for the retrieved data to match the needs of the study, after the pilot research was compiled, experts were invited to examine, regarding its content, the correlation between the indicators and the survey questions, so as to make sure the questions truly reflect the content of what was to be investigated. In terms of data analysis, statistics by percentage description was used for the pilot questionnaire, while for the AHP questionnaire, analysis of weight values was carried out by means of the software Excel and Expert Choice 2001.

4. Results and Discussions

4.1 Results of pilot research

4.1.1 The reliability and validity of questionnaire

The overall reliability of the questionnaire was good, with a Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of .914. Regarding the validity, the research contents were revised through three times Delphi Technique by business owners, engineers and department directors in printing companies and the questionnaire also were checked by expert meeting to set up the content validity.

4.1.2 Analysis of survey results of pilot study

The identification and cultivation of professionals’ cross-domain employability related to E-Business is an important research issue for the printing industry in present-day Taiwan. The cross-domain employability of printing industry professionals has been obtained by induction and expressed in terms of eight main indicators and 24 sub-indicators as shown in Table 2. The researchers utilized the pretest and three times Delphi method to obtain 8 indicators and 24 sub-indicators. The image-processing ability, pre-press network integration ability, business operation ability, production/manufacturing ability and editing/design ability are related to E-Business, because all these jobs needed to use computers, networks while working in the company all the time. During the last decades, research and development (R&D) activities have become substantial parts of innovation research to explain the innovation ability and competiveness of sectors and enterprises (Santamaria, Nieto, & Barge-gil, 2009). The innovation ability becomes the necessity ability in many companies. The teamwork and work attitude belong to the attitudes of Mentkoski’s competencies, however all these two abilities are the vital employability in the printing

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working environment in Taiwan.

Table 2. Analysis of survey results of pilot study Analysis of opinions

Regarding the printing industry

 90.9% considered the printing industry as a high-tech industry;

 64.2% considered it impossible for the printing industry to be replaced by multimedia and disappear;

 63.6% believed the printing technology must gradually upgrade and transform itself;

38.8% considered the development of professional certification for printing to be of substantial use for production;

 90% believed R&D ability ought to be strengthened;

 83.6% believed that Taiwan’s printing technology industry is too small to reach economy of scale for cost reduction.

Regarding the professionals

 96% believed that the reason printing professionals are not easily available is that school teaching does not match industry needs;

 94.6% found that schools and universities offer too few professional courses in printing related to E-Business, resulting in graduates having difficulties getting connected to the real work and having much less professional know-how than expected by employers;

 76.3% considered the professional skills required for the printing industry are excessively complex and that professionals need to have cross-domain employability;

 92.8% considered the working environment not good enough to attract professionals.

Cross-domain employability (indicators and sub-indicators)

 Image-processing ability (color correction skill, color management, software application);  Innovation ability (innovative design, innovation/R&D, creative application);

 Pre-press network integration ability (E-Business, network application, remote transmission, computer maintenance/repair);

Business operation ability (business planning, printing-related foreign language skill, commercial estimating);

 Editing/design ability (type/typesetting, multimedia production, aesthetic drawing);

 Production/manufacturing ability (printing press machine operation, CTP plate operation, job scheduling);

 Work attitude (dedication to work, professional ethics, enthusiasm for learning);

 Teamwork (problem-solving ability, communication/coordination ability, ability to react instantly to emergency).

4.1.3 E-Business chains key printing competence-based

In response to the needs of the future development of the printing industry, the professional work areas in which cross-domain employability related to E-Business is required for printing professionals are, by order of importance: screen printing, fast printing, package printing, industrial printing, special printing, cultural printing, and electronic printing. An examination of the

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requirements of cross-domain employability for these areas shows the predominance of professional competences, which implies that the respondents still place great importance on the cultivation of professional capabilities, and that they value employees’ professional performance, using it as a measure of the value represented by them within corporate organizations. This shows that the competence-based concept is concretely realized in the production activities of printing businesses.

4.1.4 New path of printing courses in Taiwan printing industry

The survey results obtained at the level of science and technology universities shows that the courses that may serve to cultivate students’ cross-domain employability related to E-Business are, by order of degree of need: general introduction to printing integration, color management, design printing, remote network application, image process, printing production management, innovation/R&D, printing cost estimation and planning, mechanical application, materials application, and information equipment maintenance and repair. There can be positive aspects to this ambiguity, if these students acquire the tools that are needed to continue to learn (Baily, 2002), and have not shut off too many possible paths by their failure to decide and prepare.

It can be observed that courses related to professional areas like planning, design, production, management, application, maintenance/repair, and innovation/R&D are of concrete needs to Taiwan’s printing industry. However, “education for all” does not equal “employment for all” (Palmer, 2007) and the issue of how to further match classroom courses with the competences required for cross-domain employability so as to optimize course planning and design will be another important research area.

4.2 Results of pilot research and AHP analysis

4.2.1. Description of samples

Among the valid recovered samples, males represented 69.7%, far above the female percentage of 30.3%. The 31- to 50-years old represented the largest age group. As to the category of printing services, those belonging to industries related to printing came out at the top with a whopping 78.9%. The other most represented groups are: in terms of job titles, business owners and technical production staff; in terms of seniority, those who have worked for 16-20 years in the industry (the vast majority of all respondents having a seniority of over 3 years); and in terms of business size, those with 21-50 employees. The details are shown in Table 3.

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Table 3. Description of samples

N Percentage Accumulated percentage Age distribution 21-30 years old 15 19.7 19.7 31-40 years old 24 31.6 51.3 41-50 years old 24 31.6 82.9 51-60 years old 9 11.8 94.7

Above 61 years old 4 5.3 100.0

Total 76 100.0 Category of work Printing-related industries 60 78.9 78.9 Electronics-related industries 11 14.5 93.4 Education-related industries 1 1.3 94.7 Other industries 4 5.3 100.0 Total 76 100.0 List of job titles Person in charge 14 18.4 18.4

(Vice) General manager 8 10.5 28.9

(Vice) Manager 6 7.9 36.8

(Vice) factory director 4 5.3 42.1

Director (Section chief) 9 11.8 53.9

Business personnel 8 10.5 64.5

Technical production personnel 16 21.1 85.5 General administrative personnel 1 1.3 86.8

Technology colleges 1 1.3 88.2

General universities 2 2.6 90.8

Professional training institutions 6 7.9 98.7

Others 1 1.3 100.0 Total 76 100.0 Seniority distribution Under 3 years 15 19.7 19.7 3-5 years 8 10.5 30.2 6-10 years 13 17.1 47.3 11-15 years 11 14.5 61.8 16-20 years 16 21.1 82.9 Over 20 years 13 17.1 100.0 Total 76 100.0

4.2.2. Analysis of the results of the AHP

4.2.2.1 Construction of an AHP pairwise matrix schema

Based on the cross-domain employability indicators of E-Business obtained from the results of the pilot research, an AHP pairwise matrix was constructed (as in Figure 3) to be used as the basis for the compilation of the AHP questionnaire.

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Core competences of basic-level staff in the printing industry C o lo r c o rr ec tio n s k ill C re at iv e ap p lic at io n In n o v at io n /R & D C re at iv e d es ig n S o ftw ar e ap p lic at io n C o lo r m an ag em en t T y p in g /ty p es et tin g C o m m er ci al e st im at in g P rin tin g -r el at ed f o re ig n B u si n es s p la n n in g A es th et ic d ra w in g M u lti -m ed ia p ro d u ct io n N et w o rk a p p lic at io n Jo b s ch ed u lin g P rin tin g p re ss o p er at io n C T P p la te o p er at io n R em o te tr an sm is si o n C o m p u te r m ai n te n an ce / D ed ic at io n to w o rk A b ili ty to r ea ct in st an tly to em er g en cy C o m m u n ic at io n / P ro b le m -s o lv in g a b ili ty E n th u si as m f o r l ea rn in g P ro fe ss io n al e th ic s Im ag e-p ro ce ss in g a b ili ty B u si n es s o p er at io n a b ili ty E d iti n g /d es ig n a b ili ty In n o v at io n a b ili ty P re -p re ss n et w o rk in te g ra tio n ab ili ty T ea m w o rk W o rk a tti tu d e P ro d u ct io n /m an u fa ct u rin g a b ili ty

Figure 3. AHP pairwise matrix schema

4.2.2.2 Weights of cross-domain employability indicators related to E-Business

The weights of the indicators are shown in Table 4. The ratio of image-processing ability to innovation ability is 1.02933, and that of innovation ability to image-processing ability is 1/1.02933 =0.97150. Saaty (1971) used the formula of weights (eigenvalue) w can be calculated and turned into %, the values being as follows:

•Image-processing ability (9.690%) •Innovation ability (9.892%)

•Pre-press network integration ability (10.357%) •Business operation ability (15.364%)

•Editing/design ability (9.393%)

•Production/manufacturing ability (12.860%) •Work attitude (16.286%)

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Table 4. Weights of cross-domain employability indicators Image- processing ability Innovation ability Pre-press network integration ability Business operation ability Editing design ability Production/ manufacturi ng ability Work attitude Teamwork weight (eigen- value) w Image- processing ability 1 1.02933 0.97551 0.63433 1.00427 0.70827 0.57606 0.65004 0.09690 Innovation ability 0.97150 1 0.76297 0.70160 1.28396 0.70132 0.61415 0.65884 0.09892 Pre-press network integration ability 1.02510 1.31066 1 0.54616 1.41260 0.65486 0.64127 0.59922 0.10357 Business operation ability 1.57648 1.42532 1.83098 1 1.95902 1.26704 0.76094 0.82464 0.15364

Lamda Max=8.06606 C.I=0.00944 C.R=0.00674

4.2.2.3 Weights of cross-domain employability sub-indicators which related to E-Business

The weight values of the sub-indicators can be calculated. For example:(see Table 5)

Table 5. Weight values of image-processing ability

Color correction skill Color management Software application Weight (eigenvalue) Color correction skill 1.00000 0.68009 1.22974 0.30618

Color management 1.47040 1.00000 1.66332 0.43780

Software application 0.81318 0.60121 1.00000 0.25602

Lamda Max=3.00078 C.I= 0.00039 C.R=0.00075

Via a synthesis of the above AHP analyses, the eight main indicators are in the following order by importance: work attitude, teamwork, business operation ability, production/manufacturing ability, pre-press network integration ability, innovation ability, image-processing ability, and editing/design ability. When the total weight value is expressed as 100%, the weights of the various sub-indicators are as shown in Table 6.

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Table 6. Weight values of cross-domain employability indicators and sub-indicators related to E-Business

Main indicator Weight value % Sub-indicator weight of sub-indicator %

Image process ability 9.690%

Color correction skill 30.618%

Color management 43.780% Software application 25.602% Innovation ability 9.892% Innovative design 31.102% Innovation/R&D 27.741% Creative application 41.157% Pre-press network integration ability 10.357% Network application 34.711% Remote transmission 30. 329% Computer maintenance/repair 34.960% Business operation ability 15.364% Business planning 29.765%

Printing-related foreign language skill 37.254%

Commercial estimating 32.981%

Editing & design

ability 9.393% Typing/typesetting 20.534% Multi-media production 28.881% Aesthetic drawing 50.585% Production/ manufacturing ability 12.860%

Printing press operation 33.070%

CTP plating operation 26.530%

Job scheduling 40.400%

Work attitude 16.286%

Dedication to work 35.765%

Professional ethics 35.810%

Enthusiasm for learning 28.425%

Teamwork 16.157%

Problem-solving ability 32.962% Communication/ coordination ability 33.392% Ability to react instantly to

emergency 33.646%

4.3 Printing factory in E-Business Process model

E-business goes far beyond e-commerce or buying and selling over the Internet, and deep into the processes and cultures of an enterprise. It is the powerful business environment that is created when you connect critical business systems directly to customers, employees, vendors, and business partners, using Intranets, Extranets, ecommerce technologies, collaborative applications, and the Web. E-Business or E-Business is Integration of internal and external processes through electronic medium. However, Zwass (1996) believes that electronic commerce (E-commerce) is sharing business information, maintaining business relationships, and conducting business transactions by means of telecommunications networks.

This technology is rapidly changing business in many industries. E-Business is changing the way we do business such as B2B or B2C, in every value chain (initial benefits for manufacturing firms will focus on the supply chain, from procuring raw materials, manufacturing the product to finally distributing products to clients). It shows that all the jobs from sales to production line done in printing works are related to E-Business. The technology of E-Business is different: it is smaller,

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faster and much more fragmented. An E-Business infrastructure is made up by piecing together different systems (the first thing that is usually done is linking various E-Business applications, such as an ordering website, into the ERP system, by passing the ERP order entry method and just using the ERP system as a big database of inventory), as shown in figure 4.

Factory Coordinator Database (Internet ERP system) On-press Pre-press Accounting Quote Job arrangement FTP Sales Post-press Client Inventory

Figure 4. The E-Business model formed and included ERP as an Internet system in printing manufacturing (Figure source: designed by researchers).

The researchers draw this figure 4 based on a complete printers production structure commonly to match the main indicator shown in table 6. There are many divisions which include different employabilities invidually such as the pre-press workers need the image process ability and salesmen need business operation ability and the factory coordinator needs production/manufacturing ability and editing & design ability etc.

5. Conclusions and Suggestions

The investigation of cross-domain employability related to E-Business is highly important for the cultivation of talent for the printing industry in Taiwan. On this issue, this study offers fundamental research results obtained from a pilot research and a formal survey investigation, shedding meaningful light on what Taiwan’s hi-tech printing industry needs in terms of professionals’ competences in the process of its development. The conclusions of the study can be used for reference purposes by enterprises seeking to recruit new talent, and by science and technology universities in the examination, modification, planning and design of the courses offered in departments related to the printing field in E-Business.

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talent cultivation endeavors. However, although the weights of the indicators and sub-indicators of cross-domain employability related to E-Business have been obtained, a gap remains to be bridged between professional competences and course design, and the issue of how to match them is more than relevant when it comes to talent cultivation.

Particularly, over the last ten years the development of Taiwan’s information technological industries has been accelerating, and the integration of computer technology in the hi-tech printing industry has been generalized, making cross-domain employability of E-Business especially important. It can be expected that, as the knowledge and technology related to the printing industry evolve rapidly, and Taiwan’s printing businesses tend to be small in size, the only way for employees to deploy individual value within businesses is to have their cross-domain employability enhanced.

This study has not been able to cover such issues as the development of professional courses on E-Business in printing, or professional certification that guarantees work efficiency and quality. In view of the fact that the content of the professional technology involved in the printing industry is complex and the need for cross-domain employability related to E-Business is high, and the results are concluded as bellows:

(1) In future curriculum development emphasis can be placed on the elaboration, based on the indicators, of a modular curriculum for each area of professional work, so as to allow students to choose a curriculum centered on the technology cluster of a specific area of professional work determined in accordance with their individual needs and expectations in terms of career development.

(2) Moreover, the spirit of the competence-based approach lies in the fact that in the production activities of an enterprise, the professionals are required to seek production efficiency and quality; and professional certification remains an indispensable element in enhancing not only work efficiency and quality, but above all, personal employability of E-Business.

(3) An important direction for future research consists in using the indicators analyzed in this study to: develop auxiliary tools for corporate talent recruiting, with a view to providing a basis for the objective recruitment of professionals with cross-domain employability of E-Business; examine and amend the assessment criteria for professional certification related to the hi-tech printing industry; and provide emerging countries as a reference for the elaboration and design of competence-based professional modular curricula.

(4) For the most schools of the university of science and technology, to cultivate the students’ skills is considered as a very crucial goal in courses. However, not all the skills can be the first choice of the industries. The researchers extracted the cross-domain employability indicators from e-business printing industry to offer the printing business and so as to improve their working division and productivity in Taiwan. On the contrary, the industry preferred the attitudes and teamwork abilities as they believed that these two factors are the company's progress momentum. Therefore, the direction of technical and vocational education should pay high attention to train students’ competence not only in acquired skills but in work attitude and team cooperation ability.

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Appendix A

Questionnaire samples

If the left of A”Image process ability”is important than”Innovation ability”, please hook the mark on the left side blank depend on the degree of important.

Goal A Absolutely important Very important Important Slightly important Equally important Slightly important Important Very important Absolutely important Goal B 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Image process ability

Innovation ability

數據

Figure 1. The technology cluster involved in employability for the printing profession
Table 1. Statistical analysis of recovered questionnaires in the pilot research
Figure 2. Three steps of Analytic Hierarchy Process
Table 3. Description of samples
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