On March 29, Dr. Miguel R. Olivas-Luján, Clarion University professor of administrative science, presented "Compliance Management Automation: Antecedents and Consequences," a paper accepted competitively by the Fourth International Workshop on Electronic HRM (Human Resource Management), which was held at the Nottingham Business School, United Kingdom.

In the paper, five theoretically derived hypotheses were developed and tested using correlational statistics. Responses from 285 firms whose representatives had answered a Web-based questionnaire were compiled by Olivas-Luján in collaboration with Dr. Gary Florkowski, associate professor at the Katz Graduate School of Business, with support from the University of Pittsburgh's International Business Center and from Clarion's College of Business Administration.

In the paper, Olivas-Luján and MBA students Amanda Pozzuto and Mohammed Haris Khan reported that companies with higher information systems resource availability for human resource technologies had a larger percentage of automation of their HR transactions dedicated for legal compliance. Similarly, firms with a larger percentage of professional or managerial HR staff had greater automation of their compliance transactions. The paper also reported correlational analyses for seven exploratory questions.

Before it was accepted to this conference, the paper was double-blind, peer-reviewed to ensure the highest level of scientific rigor. In addition to the one presented by the researchers from Clarion, 17 papers were presented, authored by 39 researchers from at least 14 countries. The next international conference on e-HRM is scheduled to meet in 2012 in New York; previous conferences have met in Bamberg, Germany (2010), Aix-en-Marseille, France (2008) and Enschede, The Netherlands (2006).

Olivas-Luján has been researching the diffusion of information and communication technologies for HRM purposes in North America and other regions for almost a decade. Pozzuto has been accepted to West Virginia University's prestigious doctoral program in management. Khan has been volunteering to help in Olivas-Lujan's research projects to enhance his career options.

"Being presented with the opportunity to do research in my graduate studies has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and has allowed me to obtain a wealth of knowledge I could have never learned in the classroom," Pozzuto said. "I can now take this with me to my Ph.D. studies."

"This research body has given me an ideal platform to showcase my abilities, though I had to devote considerable time for this research," Khan said. "It was actually during a class I took with Dr. Olivas that I became interested in doing research. It has always intrigued me how small things have major effects on the working of organizations. Working on research will definitely catapult my career goals and hopefully help me make a difference in the world in the near future."

At Clarion, Olivas-Luján teaches several of the courses that students studying industrial relations take to obtain their Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, which may lead to a career in HRM. Since 2011, this major has been recognized as "aligned" with the Society for Human Resource Management Curriculum Guidelines by SHRM, the largest professional association for HR. Olivas-Lujan is the advisor to the Clarion Student Chapter for SHRM and has served as an expert volunteer in several committees facilitated by SHRM to enhance the profession.

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