Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium (GRADS)

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

4-1-2019

Abstract

Universities are competing between each other, by offering attractive start-up packages, to recruit faculty who have the potential to generate high revenues for the university. Literature assumes that start-up packages are not only important for universities but also for the success of the faculty. However, literature to understand the role of start-up packages on the careers of faculty is missing. The aim of this paper is to explore how the number of benefits obtained in start-up packages, the satisfaction with the start-up packages, and faculty perception if the university honored the content of the start-up packages influenced faculty perception of contribution of the start-up packages on their professional development. Faculty at all ranks (N=121), from a public research university from the Southern United States, completed the Start-Up Package Satisfaction Survey. A multiple mediation revealed that satisfaction with the packages and honored start-up packages sequentially mediated the relationship between the number of obtained benefits and faculty professional development. The findings showed the importance of faculty satisfaction with start-up packages and faculty perception of university compliance with the package agreements. Therefore, universities should not only focus on providing a high number of benefits in the packages to recruit the best faculty, but also on providing benefits which faculty are satisfied with. Additionally, the universities should include in the packages only benefits which can actually be delivered to the faculty so that the faculty perceive that the university honored the agreements. Building upon findings from this study, future research should examine more complex relationships including antecedents of the start-up packages, such as the effects of negotiation of the start-up packages which can influence if employees obtained what they needed and wanted for their successful career.

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