bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Municipal Clerks: Examining a Model of Job Satisfaction
Authors: Gordon Victoria , Osgood Jeffery L. , Phillips Jeremy
Published: July 2015

Using data from a survey of municipal clerks in the state of Illinois, this research tests a model of job satisfaction for municipal employees based on previous research by Ellickson and Logsdon. Our hypothesis is that the model will not hold true for this sub-group of municipal employees because municipal clerks are different from other public sector employees. Clerks are different in part because their job duties and responsibilities are set out by statute, there is a great deal of autonomy, and the position is one often held by females. Further, this research examines whether there are differences in perceptions of job satisfaction between elected and appointed clerks, and examines the factors that influence the variation in the overall job satisfaction of municipal clerks.
Public Sector Labor Relations in the States and Municipalities: The Impact of Union Legislative Environment
Authors: Felker Lon
Published: July 2015

The past decade of public sector labor relations has been one of limited growth. A major variable affecting the course of this growth has been the legal environment within which the public sector labor movement has operated. Focusing on the statistical patterns of the fifty states and their municipal governments, this study examines the impact of the legal environment, or the union legislative environment, on the development of labor relations in the public sector. The statistical analysis of the data suggests that while a positive union legislative environment is associated with public sector union membership growth, the relationship between the legal environment and the climate of labor relations—measured in terms of work stoppages, their number, duration and size—is a relatively weak one. Those states that have progressive labor relations laws do not seem to have experienced inordinate labor strife. The 1980s appears, however, to hold little hope for the growth of the public sector labor movement. Demographic changes, coupled with a decline in demand for certain public services, is likely to curtail the growth of state and local government employment. This will adversely affect the market for union and association membership among public employees, and will also probably contribute to a diminuition in legislative activity in the public labor relations area.
Research Note: Burnout and Locus of Control
Authors: Glogow Eli
Published: July 2015

This study examines self-reported burnout in personnel professions from a “locus of control” perspective. Personnelists who reported they were experiencing burnout were compared with those who said they were not. Responses to the question “What recommendations do you have for preventing burnout?” suggest that “burnouts” have an external locus of control; they are more likely to state that organizations have a responsibility for preventing employee burnout. In contrast, “non burnouts” appear to have an internal locus of control; their recommendations suggest that individuals have a responsibility for taking their own prevention measures. Acknowledging the crucial role played by organizations in burnout prevention, the article warns personnelists that ultimately they need to learn to care for themselves.
The Fairness of Veterans' Preference in a State Merit System: The Employees' View
Authors: Elliott Robert H.
Published: July 2015

This article reports employee perceptions of several dimensions of veterans' preference legislation in one southern state. Two groups of subjects were used: a small random sample of state employees and a group of personnel professionals. One purpose was to determine if attitudes toward veterans' preference are different between personnel professionals — individuals who daily work with and view the impact of such legislation, and a random sample of state employees — who sometimes benefit and/or are disadvantaged by such legislation. Secondly, since women have traditionally been negatively affected by systems of veterans' preference, the data was analysed by gender to determine male/female differences in perception. Results indicate that veterans preference legislation is not a very popular concept in the state surveyed. Personnel professionals attitudes were more negative than those of the state employees; however, neither group voiced high levels of support. Few gender related differences were discovered, contrary to original expectations. Finally, some policy suggestions are raised regarding the equity of such legislation given the changing nature of the contemporary workforce. The potential of the “readjustment” theory of veterans' preference legislation is also discussed.
It's Time to Stop Training … and Start Facilitating
Authors: Crapo Raymond F.
Published: July 2015

This article holds that most agencies have a pedagogically-based training operation and, as such, one that is not effective. The transition to andragogical methodology requires a major re-education of the training staff, an undertaking few training organizations attempt. It is only through adult learning techniques that the “best and brightest” and key policymakers in organizations will become involved in development programs.
Training Appraisers: An Orientation Program for Improving Supervisory Performance Ratings
Authors: Sims Ronald R. , Veres John G. , Heninger Susan M.
Published: July 2015

This paper addresses management's need to train supervisory personnel in the use of employee performance appraisals. First, the application as well as the usefulness of the appraisal system is described — as dictated by and in relation to — recent litigation concerning discrimination charges. After exploration of the various approaches to employee evaluation, recommendations for effective training of supervisory personnel in implementing appraisal systems are presented. These recommendations take into consideration often neglected factors such as employee motivation, employee aptitude and discussion of performance evaluations with the employees.
The Job Market, Sex Bias, and Comparable Worth
Authors: Gethman Barton R.
Published: July 2015

In this analytical assay, the author examines the arguments of comparable worth advocates and explores the notion of an inherently sex-biased job market.
Managerial Attitudes toward Participative Management Programs: Myths and Reality
Authors: Gilberg Jay
Published: July 2015

Renewed scholarly interest in forms of participative management links theories of employee motivation with job design and organizational change. Of the various obstacles to initiation and implementation of employee involvement plans the managerial barrier, rather than employee, structural, or situational barriers, is the primary concern here. To empirically analyze managerial attitudes toward participative management programs a questionnaire instrument was developed and distributed to managers in four large organizations, netting a sample of over 200 managerial respondents. The findings of the study indicate that: (1) there is a “participation gap” in 13 of 15 practices surveyed where managers would prefer more participation than currently exists and; (2) managers who use participatory techniques overwhelmingly find that they have a favorable impact on employee performance and employee attitudes at work. The implications of the findings are that there is a high degree of interest in participative management and in most cases the actual and perceived benefits outweigh the drawbacks in the view of managerial personnel.
Public Sector Independent Grievance Systems: Methods and Procedures
Authors: Bohlander George W.
Published: July 2015

This research examined public sector independent grievance procedures in twenty-two agencies in the Southwest United States. Non-union grievance systems are championed as a way to equitably adjudicate employee problems while additionally fostering agency objectives and lessening the possibility of employee legal suits. Content analysis was used to determine the purpose of grievance programs, grievable issues, employee representation, neutral third-party resolution of cases, and different grievance systems and their methodologies. Based upon study findings, suggestions are offered to implement or improve a current grievance program.
A Content Validation Methodology for Job Related Physical Performance Tests
Authors: Hughes Marie Adele , Ratliff Ronald A. , Purswell Jerry L. , Hadwiger Joy
Published: July 2015

This article describes a research study that was performed to provide an initial foundation for setting physical performance personnel selection and evaluation criteria for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. The emphasis of the study was on providing evidence of content validity based on objective empirical evidence concerning physical job demands and relative levels of physical exertion required of corrections officers to meet those demands. A major outcome of the study was the development of job related physical performance tasks designed to be used as Bonafide Occupational Qualification Criteria for the correctional officer.
Staff and Line Relationships Revisited: The Case of Community Service Agencies
Authors: Schmid Hillel
Published: July 2015

The subject of staff-line relations has been practically ignored in the professional literature of the past ten years. The paper re-examines the issue of the staff-line relations, and presents the findings of a study conducted in the framework of community service agencies in Israel. It analyzes the dialectic which exists in these relations, while focusing on how community service agency managers perceive the degree of assistance they receive from the staff units, as well as the influence which these units exert on decision-making processes in the organization.

The paper offers explanations for the structural and personnel problems characteristic of these relations.
Performance Appraisal in the Training Needs Analysis Process: A Review and Critique
Authors: Herbert Glenn R. , Doverspike Dennis
Published: July 2015

Literature from the performance appraisal and needs analysis areas is reviewed to ascertain whether a technology for utilizing performance appraisal as a needs analysis technique has been sufficiently developed. A review of that literature is presented, a model of the process by which performance appraisal information may be incorporated into needs analysis is outlined, and suggestions and cautions concerning the use of performance appraisal in that process are offered.
Cultural Diversity in the Workplace
Authors: Fine Marlene G. , Johnson Fern L. , Ryan M. Sallyanne
Published: July 2015

This article reports on a study of gender and race issues in the regional office of a federal agency. After setting their own research agenda of salient issues, employees completed a long, closed-ended questionnaire; a smaller sample also responded to ten open-ended questions. The results suggest that men, women, and people of color in the agency do not share a common culture of organizational life; instead, each group organizes its experience in the agency in different ways. The authors suggest that a theoretical perspective in which gender and race are viewed as cultures provides a useful framework for understanding cultural diversity in the workplace and a necessary starting point for managing a diverse workforce.
Effects of a Municipal Training Program on Employee Behavior and Attitude
Authors: Miller Scott Gerald
Published: July 2015

Millions of dollars a year are spent on the training of employees in the public sector, yet effective and empirically sound evaluation procedures are not found in the literature and are not being practiced in the field. This study used a “true” experimental design (pretest/posttest and control group), to evaluate the attitudinal and behavior changes of randomly selected municipal employees after a two-day human relations training seminar. Posttests for attitudinal change were done immediately after the training sessions. Posttests for behavior changes were done six months after the training sessions were completed. In addition to the testing of employees, supervisors were also asked to participate in a pretest/posttest evaluation of their subordinates' job behavior. The results of the “t” tests performed on the group means (X) indicated no statistically significant attitudinal or behavioral changes on the part of the experiment group. However, significant discussion as to why this occurred follows the results.
The Turbulent Environment of Public Personnel Administration: Responding to the Challenge of the Changing Workplace of the Twenty-First Century
Authors: Wooldridge Blue , Wester Jennifer
Published: July 2015

Numerous studies have described the changes expected to occur in the workplace of the twenty-first century. The nature of work, the demographics of the workers and the nature of workers' values are expected to be very different from what employers recognize today. As participating employers in the next century, local governments and local public personnel administrators will have to develop strategies for dealing with these changes. This paper seeks to discover the perceptions of a selected group of local government personnel administrators in Virginia concerning the nature of the future workplace and the strategies to deal with these changes.
Exemptions and Employer Defenses under the ADEA
Authors: Pellicciotti Joseph M.
Published: July 2015

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (or ADEA) is the key federal law designed to meet the problem of workplace age discrimination. While the Act has language prohibiting age discrimination, it also creates a myriad of exemptions and employer defenses limiting the application of the prohibition. This article considers the exemptions and defenses. It provides perspective on the force of the Act.
Conflict Handling — A Common Sense Approach to Appraising Supervisory Performance
Authors: Pulhamus Aaron R.
Published: July 2015

Will the growing trend to restructure the employment relationship to achieve improved work performance demand a new approach to assess supervisory effectiveness? Can supervisors currently meet the demands of employee rights which arise in conflict and satisfy management standards which stress improved performance with minimal conflict?
Measuring and Explaining Attitudes of Four Interest Groups toward Selected Aspects of Public Sector Interest Arbitration
Authors: Rueschhoff M. Susan
Published: July 2015

Four key assumptions about public sector interest arbitration are drawn from a review of the literature and four interest groups are identified. The degree of acceptance of these assumptions by the interest groups is measured and demographic explanations of the measured attitudes are explored. Results of the study suggest that public personnel managers can expect general acceptance of the assumptions among and between the interest groups. Results further suggest that education level is a key factor in acceptance of the use of public sector interest arbitration for impasse resolution.
Pre-Employment Testing and Employee Productivity
Authors: Rudner Lawrence M.
Published: July 2015

Under the right conditions, pre-employment tests can vastly improve corporate productivity. This paper discusses the conditions, expected productivity gains, and issues associated with pre-employment testing. Special attention is paid to issues of bias, legal rulings, validity generalization, exaggerated expectations, test quality, misuse of tests, publishers' claims, alternative assessment techniques, and the use of honesty tests.
Does Research in Performance Appraisal Influence the Practice of Performance Appraisal? Regretfully Not!
Authors: Maroney Bernard Patrick , Buckely M. Ronald
Published: July 2015

Thousands of studies of performance appraisal (PA)exist in both the academic and practitioner literatures. The intended purpose of many of these works is to somehow link PA to performance; i.e., to utilize the process as a performance-enhancing instrument. Employee perceptions of PA are vital to the acceptance of PA validity, and must be examined prior to any further extension of the process; yet few studies have shown credence to this premise. This paper examines employee perceptions and their implicit consequences, following such aspects of PA as perceived accuracy, feedback, participation, rater training, rewards, and others. The working market's utilization of many proven PA components is dismal; we discuss rater training and diary-keeping as two plausible factors for improving PA accuracy, fairness, and the perceptions of same. Further, we suggest that practitioners must fully sponsor the results of the vast PA research efforts to improve the process as a prerequisite to improving performance.
Developing the Learning Climate in Public Sector Training Programs
Authors: Sims Ronald R.
Published: July 2015

Developing the learning climate in public sector training programs requires careful attention by the public agency trainer. This article discusses the importance of the “psychological contract” to public agency trainers in the effective development of learning climates during training programs. A model for managing trainee‘ and trainer’ expectations and contributions during training programs is presented to assist public agency trainers in creating training environments that facilitate a shared responsibility for the learning process.
Pay Comparisons and Pay Satisfaction among Public Sector Employees
Authors: Taylor G. Stephen , Vest Michael J.
Published: July 2015

When deciding if they are fairly paid, people look at both the absolute amount of pay and the relative amount of pay. The relative amount of pay is determined by comparing their own pay with that of others. This study investigated the relative component of pay satisfaction for 143 municipal employees. Town employees were asked to rate the importance of 17 different pay comparisons which represented 4 broad categories of referents: external, personal, economic, and ego comparisons. The effects of each type of referent on feelings of pay satisfaction then were assessed. Results suggest that external comparisons may lower pay satisfaction while personal comparisons tend to increase pay satisfaction.
Men and Women toward the Top: Backgrounds, Careers, and Potential of Federal Middle Managers
Authors: Lewis Gregory B.
Published: July 2015

Using a variety of data sources, this article compares the earnings, occupations, educations, mobility, handling of subordinates, interactions with supervisors, job satisfaction, and rates of promotion and turnover of men and women in middle-management positions in the federal civil service. Management of problem employees does not differ significantly between the sexes, but women have more problems with their own supervisors than do men. Overall, women are as satisfied as men with the fairness of their treatment, but the women are much more likely to say they have recently lost a job or job reward due to discrimination or a “buddy system.”
Patterns of Absenteeism among Government Employees
Authors: Rogers Rolf E. , Herting Stephen R.
Published: July 2015

This paper reports the results of a study conducted at a U.S. Naval Base in California. The specific objective was to evaluate sick leave usage patterns and to test seven hypotheses regarding the conditions under which sick leave was used and the types of individuals who used it.
Intuitive Development: Communication in the Nineties
Authors: Johnson Pamela R. , Daumer Claudia Rawlins
Published: July 2015

Communication is an intuitive as well as cognitive process. In order to develop the brain skill of intuition, it is sometimes necessary to shut down cognitive (left-brain analyses and pay special attention to intuitive (right-brain) ways of knowing. The brain hemispheres work differently and yet in conjunction. This article suggests techniques for developing intuitive brain skills. Mandalas, “other” hand writing, and positive affirmations can be used to improve intuitive skills.
Achieving Organizational Balance and Gresham's Law
Authors: Fraser Ronald
Published: July 2015

Gresham's Law: Daily routine drives out long-range planning. When an individual or an organization is responsible for performing both highly programmed, time-sensitive and reward-filled tasks, and relatively unprogrammed, long-range and unrewarded tasks, the former will tend to take precedence over the latter.
The Essence of Leadership
Authors: Frank Michael S.
Published: July 2015

This article addresses major leadership theories as well as various definitions of leadership. It highlights the dichotomy between theory and practice and strives to provide a guide for the practitioner who is interested in enhancing personal leadership skills or developing those skills in others. The article concludes with the caution that since leaders shoulder much responsibility, one should determine personal needs before embarking on a leadership career goal that might produce unwanted stress.
The Mexican American Employee: A Growing Labor Force
Authors: Kavanaugh Paul , Retish Paul
Published: July 2015

Those workers of Mexican descent constitute an increasing percentage of the labor force. The vast majority of legal Mexican residents and those American citizens of Mexican descent have had a negative experience as participants in the American workforce. Overgeneralizations about this population are explored and data is presented that debates generally held views of these workers. Specific recommendations are given as to how to assist the infusion of Mexican origin peoples into the American economy.
The Assessment Center: An Examination of the Effects of Assessor Characteristics on Assessor Scores
Authors: Lowry Phillip E.
Published: July 2015

The effects of nine assessor characteristics on exercise scores in three police and six fire service assessment centers for local governments were investigated. Assessors included those who had and who did not have experience in the job under consideration, and who differed on several other characteristics including: age, race, gender, previous assessment center experience, education, managerial experience, assessor managerial level, and tenure in that position. Age and the rank of the assessor were the only characteristics that had a significant effect on the scores. However, the magnitude of the effect was quite small (less than 2% of the variance was explained by these two factors). The results might be attributed to the process used to select the assessors, the way the centers were conducted, and the type and intensity of assessor training. Implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.
Ethics Induced Stress in the Local Government Workplace
Authors: Menzel Donald C.
Published: July 2015

This paper seeks to contribute to a small but growing body of empirical based knowledge of government ethics. The study objectives are (1) to document the extent to which ethics induced stress exists in public organizations, (2) to examine a set of variables that, separately and collectively, may foster or mitigate ethics induced stress in the public workplace, and (3) to offer suggestions, if not guidance about future research in this largely unchartered area. The study population consists of employees of a medium size city and a large urban county. The findings suggest that ethics induced stress, although not severe, is commonplace. Additionally, the results of this study indicate that there is a strong relationship between the emphasis placed on organizational values such as excellence and teamwork and lower levels of ethics stress in the workplace.
Ethics—How Important is it in Today's Office?
Authors: Holmquist Donna
Published: July 2015

Ethics is not a new topic. It was a concern several decades ago, and it is still a concern in today's offices and in schools of business. Since people perceive things in different ways, it is difficult to identify “correct ethical behavior.” People's ethical standards are often based on values instilled in them in their youth, and in their environmental background. This article explores some of the reasons why there is such a variance in the values people have, the problems these differences can create for an employer, and ways a business can assist its employees in understanding what ethical behavior is expected of them. Twelve suggestions are given as ways that employers may improve the ethics in their workplaces.
Effects of Time of Day on Interview Performance
Authors: Willihnganz Michael A. , Meyers Lawrence S.
Published: July 2015

This study investigated the degree to which employment interview performance was associated with the time of day at which the interviews were conducted. Interview time included the actual time of day in which the interview was conducted, as well as the relative order in which applicants were scheduled (e.g., first interview in the morning, last interview prior to lunch, etc.). The data were based upon records of 818 actual interviews conducted between September, 1988 and December, 1990 for a wide range of job classifications in a large West Coast electric utility. The comprehensive structured interview format was used for all interviews included in the study. Interview questions were developed on the basis of a detailed job analysis, and a three-member panel of interviewers rated the applicants using a 7-point or 9-point Likert-type scale tied to benchmark answers. Results indicated that the time of day had no appreciable effect on interview ratings.
Relationship of Self-Assessment Ratings and Written Test Score: Implications for Law Enforcement Promotional Systems
Authors: Love Kevin G. , Hughes Frank V.
Published: July 2015

Job analysis data, self-assessment rating scales and a written promotional examination were developed to address thirteen specific performance areas. Self-assessment ratings were significantly related to written test scores for 73 police sergeant candidates. Relationships among these measures, opinions regarding the use of self-assessment, and seniority were reported.
Managerial Studies and Perceived Job Performance: An Israeli Case Study
Authors: Gaziel Haim H.
Published: July 2015

This paper was designed in order to know how far skills needed for the future manager (according to the literature) correspond to what managers' students perceive as important, and how courses of a management training program perceived contributing in performing a managerial job effectively. Data were collected from a sample of 190 managers from the public sector, who participated in the Bar Ilan University (Israel), managerial training program, from 1986/87 to 1989/90. The participants were requested to complete an attitude survey questionnaire. Findings largely reflect the world of the future manager mentioned in the literature. As regarding the usefulness of the managerial training program to job performance, findings indicate that the management training program correspond only partially to what is needed for performing one's job effectively. Too much time was devoted to transmitting knowledge rather than indoctrinating skills.
Conflict Management Strategies for the Equal Opportunity Difficult Person in the Sexually Harassing Workplace
Authors: Rifkind Lawrence J. , Harper Loretta F.
Published: July 2015

Gender influences the types of behavior exhibited and received by individuals in conflict. There is a body of literature that suggests that there are situations in which traditional conflict management strategies will not be effective. These contexts involve interactions with the difficult personality, someone for whom the rules of rational conduct do not apply. These dysfunctional individuals maintain constant, difficult patterns of behavior during conflict and can disrupt the workplace. The purpose of this article is to examine the behavior of sexually harassing individuals in the workforce as they exhibit characteristics of the difficult personality and to provide appropriate recommendations for the implementation of effective conflict management strategies for coping with these individuals.
Workplace Violence: An Issue of the Nineties
Authors: Johnson Pamela R. , Indvik Julie
Published: July 2015

Workplace violence has become an important issue in the nineties. Bosses, co-workers, spouses, and supervisors are being killed at work at an alarming rate. Stress, drugs, and layoffs are just a few of the factors that prompt such crisis events. This paper examines what leads to workplace violence. It also addresses the tangible and intangible costs of this violence. And finally, the paper discusses what public personnel managers can do to legally protect themselves.
Maximizing Performance Appraisal System Acceptance: Perspectives from Municipal Government Personnel Administrators
Authors: Roberts Gary E.
Published: July 2015

The variables that are associated with perceptions of performance appraisal system acceptance were investigated. Employee acceptance is a critical factor in the development of an effective system. The data were derived from a national survey of municipal government personnel administrators. Factor analysis was used to produce reliable and valid measures of employee voice (participation, goal setting and feedback), information validity and the dependent variables of employee acceptance. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the relationships. The results indicated that the systems that were perceived to haveeffectively deployed processes to implement voice and performance appraisal information validity were associated with a higher level of perceived employee performance appraisal system acceptance.
The Assessment Center Process: Assessing Leadership in the Public Sector
Authors: Lowry Phillip E.
Published: July 2015

Leadership is an ill-defined complex construct, difficult if not impossible to measure in assessment centers. Current research is cited to support this view. Using work samples and measuring how well the work is accomplished is suggested as a way to avoid the problems associated with assessment of leadership and other constructs. The proposed process gets directly to the candidate's job qualifications. It avoids the problems of construct validation and classification of behaviors into interrelated and complex constructs such as leadership.
Assessing the Validity of Job Ratings: An Empirical Study of False Reporting in Task Inventories
Authors: Pine Douglas E.
Published: July 2015

Despite the widespread use of task inventories in job analysis, little is known about the validity of the obtained task ratings. One approach for examining the validity of such ratings is the use of a “false reporting” index to identify invalid responding. The purpose of this field experiment was to examine the effects of the type of frequency rating scale and method of task inventory administration on the degree of false reporting in task inventory ratings. A total of 177 Correctional Officers from a state correctional system responded to a 68 item task inventory using frequency and importance rating scales. Five of the items in the task inventory were bogus tasks not performed by the target job and formed a false reporting index. In a 2 × 2 design, the type of frequency rating scale (Relative-Time-Spent vs. Actual-Time-Spent) and method of task inventory administration (anonymous vs. identified) were manipulated. Analysis of variance results showed a significantly greater degree of false reporting in Relative-Time-Spent ratings. No significant differences in false reporting were found for method of task inventory administration or scale × method interactions. Overall, 45% of respondents indicated that they performed tasks that were not part of the job, which raises concerns about whether job incumbents are capable of providing accurate and complete task rating data.
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Authors: Tang Thomas Li-Ping , McCollum Stacie Leigh
Published: July 2015

In this paper, the definition of sexual harassment and the profile of typical victims of sexual harassment are presented. Suggestions related to the prevention of sexual harassment are discussed.
Disability Policy: An Analysis of the Employment of People with Disabilities in the American Federal Government
Authors: Kim Pan S.
Published: July 2015

This study examines the employment of people with disabilities in the American federal government. An analysis is undertaken with respect to the levels of employment and advancement of disabled workers in the federal government. In addition, the policies with respect to the employment of people with disabilities and the policy implications of the American federal experience are presented. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gives civil rights protection to individuals with disabilities similar to that provided to individuals on the basis of race, sex, national origin, age, and religion. This study examines recent employment data to assess the following issue in the federal government: the employment status of people with disabilities in various perspectives such as work force distribution, grade level, placement, and advancement
Getting the Right People Ethically
Authors: Brumback Gary B.
Published: July 2015

The article begins with a brief review of the traditional approach to screening people on their ethical dimension. Next, the traditional approach to selection in general is critiqued, and a model of an alternative approach is presented. The article closes with a checklist of suggestions on how to recruit and select people in an ethical manner. A few years ago in this journal, the elements of a strategy for putting ethics back to work in government were proposed.1 One of them is the Maginot line of defense against wrongdoing, the selection of the right people in the first place. They are quality people who are more consistently competent, committed, and ethical. Without them, an organization cannot hope to achieve total quality performance, or the right results achieved in the right ways. Traditional pre-employment screening on the ethical dimension is briefly reviewed and evaluated first. A non-traditional model is then presented for screening people holistically on all quality dimensions. The article concludes with suggestions for recruiting and selecting in an ethical manner.
Human Resource Assessment — The Link to Mission
Authors: Collins Dale R.
Published: July 2015

The National Performance Review called for a refocusing and revitalizing of mechanisms to assess human resource program effectiveness by relating such effectiveness to mission accomplishment. The traditional Personnel Management Evaluation (PME) Program used by many federal organizations, which emphasized regulatory and statutory conformance, did not fit this new paradigm. The Defense Contract Audit Agency's Human Resource Assessment Model analyzes the degree of achievement in Strategic Plan goal attainment, and, in so doing, serves as a direct measure of Agency mission accomplishment.
Putting the Super in Supervisor: Determinants of Federal Employee Evaluation of Supervisors
Authors: Daley Dennis M.
Published: July 2015

A regression analysis of the cross-sectional 1989 Merit Principles Survey ( MPS) of Federal employees (U.S. MSPB 1990) examines employee assessment of their supervisor. Job and work characteristic attitudes (along with demographic controls) are analyzed. Analysis eliminated were extraneous control factors related to age, years of service, education, paygrade, supervisory status and gender. Among the job-specific and organizational work characteristics, employees clearly distinguished those items over which supervisors exercised some degree of control from those that were deemed beyond their grasp. The performance appraisal process and the duties of protecting the merit system from prohibited practices are crucial. More general notions of job satisfaction and, especially, intrinsic motivation are also seen as related to supervisory responsibilities.
Why Some Potentially Effective Staffing Practices are Seldom Used
Authors: Terpstra David E. , Rozell Elizabeth J.
Published: July 2015

The purpose of this study was to identify the reasons why some organizations do not employ certain HRM practices that could increase levels of employee performance and organizational profitability. The focus was on the staffing area (recruitment and selection) of HRM.1 Specifically, this study looked at five staffing practices that the academic research literature has found can significantly increase employee performance levels. Descriptions of these practices, and references supporting their impact on employee performance, are provided in Exhibit 1.
Privacy and the Workplace: Technology and Public Employment
Authors: Cozzetto Don A. , Pedeliski Theodore B.
Published: July 2015

One of the most interesting, yet controversial, areas concerning public personnel is employee privacy. What limits are there to employers' intrusions into, and control over, employees' behaviors and personal properties. Claims of privacy abuse come against an employer's prerogatives in establishing workplace standards, and ensuring the efficiency of administration. There are five major areas which trigger privacy matters in the area of public sector employment: background checks, cognizance of off duty conduct and life styles, drug testing, workplace searches, and monitoring of workplace activity. Of these, the fifth, monitoring of employees in the workplace, has raised a range of new conflicts between employer and employee. The problems are particularly acute as technological advances change the nature of work, communication, and supervisory functions in private and public agencies. These conflicts open anew the basic questions as to what is private, what is proprietary, what legal rights an employee possesses, and what an employee's obligations and responsibilities are within the sphere of public employment.
Expert Advice on Employment Termination Practices: How Expert is It?
Authors: Karl Katherine A. , Hancock Barry W.
Published: July 2015

This paper compares expert advice as presented in employment termination literature with actual termination practices. For example, we review what experts say about who should be present during a termination interview, the best day and time to conduct a termination interview, and the best location for a termination interview. We then examine whether the use of expert advice and participation in employment termination training programs improves the termination process with respect to employee tension and hostility. Our results suggest most managers are using expert advice regarding who should be present during the termination interview, but not the when or where advice. Contrary to expert advice, managers were less likely to report having experienced a hostile or violent employee response when only one person delivers the notice of termination. Also contrary to expert advice, employees exhibited greater levels of hostility and violence when fired early in the week rather than later in the week. Finally, those managers who had received training on employment termination were more likely to have had a hostile or violent employment termination experience. These results and directions for future research are discussed.
Protective Service Physical Ability Tests: Establishing Pass/Fail, Ranking, and Banding Procedures
Authors: Biddle Dan , Sill Nikki Shepherd
Published: July 2015

Physical ability tests have undergone intense scrutiny in the courts since the 1970s. A recent survey of court-disputed police and fire physical ability tests showed a successful defense rate of less than 10%.1 Faced with such odds, public sector agencies have focused on the development, validation, and use of physical ability tests. A physical ability test supported by a thorough validity study but poorly used, is just as likely to lose in court as a test poorly developed and validated. Numerous researchers have thoroughly examined performance differences between men and women on physical ability tests.2,3 Since job-related physical ability tests are likely to reflect such differences, setting pass/fail cutoffs that accurately reflect the physical ability levels required for successful job performance is a key consideration for any protective service agency involved in physical ability testing. A variety of practices are followed by public sector agencies for using physical ability test scores: pass/fail cutoffs, top-down ranking, banding or grouping passing applicants, and weighting or combining the physical ability test results with other pre-employment tests. This article will limit discussion to evaluating the use of physical ability test scores outside of other selection devices, although the principles herein may be used for combining physical ability test scores with other pre-employment tests.
State of California: Civil Service Testing Moves into Cyberspace
Authors: Coffee Karen , Pearce Jim , Nishimura Roberta
Published: July 2015

The State of California has successfully implemented an employment application and civil service testing process on the Internet for its largest entry level professional classification, Staff Services Analyst. This innovative selection process, the first of its kind is available to the public twenty-four hours a day via the Internet or telephone. Since its debut in June 1996, this examination has been well received by candidates and state departments and has helped the state to realize a considerable savings in staff time and money as compared to a traditional written examination. This technology is already being applied to other examinations and is well on its way to becoming a common testing format. This paper describes the development and implementation of the Staff Services Analyst examination as well as some of the many issues to be considered when exploring the new frontier of Internet civil service testing.

For the past several years, the California State Personnel Board (SPB) has been exploring ways to utilize new technology to streamline the process of recruiting and selecting candidates for employment. An interdepartmental task force was created to explore cost effective, efficient, flexible ways to administer quality testing procedures. The task force focused on the Staff Services Analyst (SSA) classification since this is one of the few entry level professional classifications tested on an open basis (open to members of the public). The resulting new exam consists of a scored life experience questionnaire and is available on a continuous basis on both the Internet and telephone. This nearly paperless examination represents a quantum leap forward in the application of new and innovative technologies, which significantly improves the effectiveness and efficiency of civil service testing procedures.
Sexual Harassment in Small Government Units: An Investigation of Policies and Attitudes
Authors: Eberhardt Bruce J. , Moser Steven B. , McFadden David
Published: July 2015

While there has been considerable investigation of sexual harassment in large firms and in the federal government, much less research has focused on smaller firms and government units. This study investigated small government units (city and county governments) regarding the application of sexual harassment policies. In addition, attitudes toward sexual harassment were also studied. Findings revealed that just over half of the sample had a policy in place and the existing policies did not consistently provide for any training. Attitudes toward harassment were somewhat contradictory showing feelings of responsibility for employee actions, while not completely believing sexual harassment claims. These findings and their ramifications are discussed.
The Morally Mute Manager: Fact or Fiction?
Authors: Menzel Donald C.
Published: July 2015

In a recent article in this journal, Dr. Charles E. Mitchell1 delivered a sweeping condemnation of appointed and elected officeholders that neither accept nor act on their ethical and moral obligations. Dr. Mitchell asserts that there is abuse at virtually every level of government by nearly every type of person from the highest ranking official through middle-management to the street-level bureaucrat. Moreover, as he puts it, “many in the field of public administration have questioned how we have arrived at a point where there is so much unethical, immoral, and illegal activity in government.”2 Is American government riddled with unethical, immoral, and illegal activity? Is it worse than in years past? Has there been a morally or ethically degenerative pattern in government? Private sector business behavior? Family? Schooling? And, if America is going south in the proverbial handbasket, what can and should be done about it?
Performance Appraisal: Verisimilitude Trumps Veracity
Authors: Bowman James S.
Published: July 2015

Few administrative functions have attracted more attention and so successfully resisted solution than employee evaluation. Since performance appraisal is impossible, what actually happens is personnel appraisal. When such hypocrisy occurs, civil service systems predicated on merit are undermined.

This article commences with the evolution of the appraisal function, the root of ethical problems found in service ratings. Common types of evaluation (with their strengths and drawbacks), who does them, and typical rating errors are then examined. This climaxes with a discussion of the fundamental and beguiling reason for these deficiencies. Diagnosis completed, attention shifts to ways to improve appraisals, which leads to a specification of the characteristics of a system that could withstand legal, if not ethical, scrutiny. The analysis closes by sketching future, not necessarily promising, trends.
The impact of generic entry and price competition in Jordanian public health sector
Authors: Alabbadi Ibrahim , Hammad Eman A
Published: July 2015

Objectives

Generics as widely considered a major tool to control escalating drugs' expenditures. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of generic participation on the bidding prices of originators participated in annual tenders in Jordan (2009–2011) and role of local generics in reducing pharmaceutical expenditures.

Methods

Data were collected from the Jordan Joint Procurement Department (JPD) website. The difference between bidding prices of originators before and after generics participation was estimated. All prices evaluated in this study were postpatent price. Savings associated with local Jordanian generics was estimated by comparing the price of originators competing against winning local Jordanian generics.

Results

A total of 17 tenders were reviewed between June 2009 till July 2011. Generic participation in the tendering process lowered the bidding prices of the originators. This contributed to saving of 77 million JDs in 2010 and 15 million JDs in 2011. The bidding prices of originators on average reduced by 11% when competed with generics. Local generics contributed to significant reduction in pharmaceutical expenditures, this contributed to savings of 25 million JDs in 2009–2010.

Conclusions

Generics entrant resulted in almost 10% reduction in originator competitors, the substantial savings contributed by local generics leads focus on adapting generic substitution and switching private sector purchases to higher generic uptake recommending that policy makers and local manufactures to maintain high production quality, increase confidence in generics and promote their acceptance by professionals and patients.