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Abstract
The premise of this study was that education could benefit from business's realistic present day view and futuristic view of what attributes employees need to possess. In this study employers revealed which employee attributes were most important currently; how employees came to them with regard to these attributes; which attributes were most problematic when not present; and which needs were predicted to be increased most in the future. While the main purpose was to seek patterns and gain a collective view from all businesses, the researcher was also interested in evaluating whether there were significant differences of opinion from the different business contexts of metro businesses, rural businesses, larger businesses, and smaller businesses.
The survey instrument was sent to the random sample of 800 businesses in Southeastern Nebraska. The surveys were coded so that the data could be examined in different ways. The total of completed surveys returned was 280—a return of 35%. When divided into four groups, employers from larger rural businesses returned the most surveys—89 surveys. The employers from smaller rural business returned 66; employers from larger metro businesses returned 61; and employers from smaller metro businesses returned 64.
Employers indicated that presently employers want employees who are able to: demonstrate honesty, integrity, and personal ethics; respect customers and co-workers; and listen to understand and learn. When they rated current applicants they felt that fewer applicants came to them able to use creative thinking to suggest new procedures; able to negotiate to arrive at decisions or solve disagreements; and able to write effectively. Employers expressed that more employee problems came from employees not being responsible for their actions; not demonstrating initiative; and not having the interpersonal skills to work with others as a team. The predictions for the future were that the needs to be able to use technology effectively; to be able to use information systems; and to be adaptable and flexible toward change will increase the most.
