A New Relative Importance Index of Evaluation for Conjoint Analysis: Some Findings for CRM Assistant

ELECTUS is an Italian multi-centre research project with the aim of reinforcing the relationship between the academic world and business. Through this project, it is possible to acquire information about entrepreneurs’ new graduate recruitment strategies. Using a CAWI survey, Lombardy companies with at least 15 employees were asked to indicate their preferences in choosing among hypothetical profiles of new graduates with different competencies. In this study, a conjoint analysis is performed to identify the features of a graduate’s profile that employers prefer for a potential candidate for the position of a customer relationship management assistant. From a methodological point of view, starting from the part-worth utilities of conjoint analysis, a new indicator of relative importance of attributes is introduced to measure the monetary value for the skills possessed by the candidates.