bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Team building: An experimental investigation of the effects of computer‐based and facilitator‐based interventions on work groups
Authors: McClernon Timothy R. , Swanson Richard A.
Published: July 2007

This study examined the effects of using a group decision support system (GDSS) and outside facilitation support in a three‐hour team‐building process on the attainment of “team.” Twenty‐four preexisting work groups (N = 186) were randomly assigned to three treatments: (1) a facilitated team‐building process without computer support, (2) a facilitated team‐building process with computer support, and (3) normally scheduled meetings without a facilitation or computer support. Twelve dependent “team” measures were assessed using a self‐report questionnaire following the team‐building session (immediate effect) and following the next normally scheduled group meeting (delayed effect).

On immediate‐effect measures, both facilitated team‐building processes resulted in higher member ratings of group process than ratings for meetings with no outside facilitation. On most measures, the positive immediate effects did not last over time, indicating that the three‐hour team‐building session was not effective. The implications for practice are severe in that both team building and GDSS technology are often implemented as one‐time interventions. It is common practice to use these techniques and/or methods as a three‐ to four‐hour component of a development session or as part of a specific task‐related meeting.
Strategic national HRD initiatives: Lessons from the management training program of Japan
Authors: Robinson Alan G. , Stern Sam
Published: July 2007

For more than forty years, the Management Training Program, introduced into Japan by U.S. occupation forces after World War II, has played a prominent role in Japan's long‐term strategy to disseminate sound management principles throughout its industry and government. Although it strongly influenced the development of the modern Japanese management style, MTP is hardly known outside of Japan. This article, for the first time, documents the complete history of MTP, assesses its impact on Japanese management thought and practice, and discusses the valuable lessons that the MTP experience offers for implementing HRD and management training programs on a national scale.
Feedback seeking behavior: A review of the literature and implications for HRD practitioners
Authors: Madzar Svjetlana
Published: July 2007

The HRD literature has long neglected a construct of feedback seeking behavior (FSB). This construct has emerged and evolved primarily in the organizational behavior literature during the past decade. It is argued that awareness of the findings from this literature could have a significant impact on current HRD practices. This article explores theoretical and empirical research on FSB. It examines both the individual and situational factors that affect feedback seeking and the effects of feedback seeking on the individual and the organization. Obstacles to feedback seeking are discussed in light of intervention possibilities. In conclusion, the author focuses on the implications for training and organization development practices.
What do we know about aid's macroeconomic impact? An overview of the aid effectiveness debate
Authors: White Howard
Published: July 2007

This paper reviews the academic literature on the macroeconomic impact of development aid, with a special emphasis on the question as to whether, as claimed by much of the empirical literature, aid does not increase growth. The inadequate theoretical foundation of models of aid's impact on savings, in particular their failure to consider economy‐wide effects, make them a poor basis for conclusions about aid's impact. The combination of weak theory with poor econometric methodology makes it difficult to conclude anything about the relationship between aid and savings. The literature on the relationship between aid and growth suffers from similar problems. Country‐level studies of aid's impact on a range of macroeconomic variables are required which may build on the relatively small existing literature in this area.
On the chronically poor in rural India
Authors: Gaiha Raghav
Published: July 2007

Despite a voluminous literature on, and a growing concern for, alleviation of poverty in rural India, few analyses of chronic poverty are available. Utilizing a panel survey of rural households a characterization of the chronically poor is presented here. Contrary to some assertions in the literature, a logit analysis shows that moderately poor households faced a high risk of chronic poverty, and a subset of these were more prone to this risk than the poorest. The effect of adverse weather conditions on the risk of chronic poverty was positive but weak, while that of technological advancement was negative. The claim that the chronically poor are distinguishable not so much by low income in a year as by low variation in income over a period of time is supported by two decompositions. On the basis of the first decomposition it is shown that the chronically poor recorded the lowest variation in household income, and the bulk of this variation was due to the variation in wages over the survey period. The second decomposition, while confirming the lowest variation in per capita income among the chronically poor over the survey period, emphasizes the critical role of earnings per worker. Considering that differences in earnings per worker reflect the combined influence of differences in endowments, and in the ability to augment earnings from them, it follows that effectiveness of anti‐poverty interventions is conditional on whether the endowments and/or the ability of the chronically poor to augment their earnings from them can be raised substantially. What specific interventions are necessary cannot of course be inferred from this (essentially descriptive) analysis.
The role of dowries and daughters' marriages in the accumulation and distribution of capital in a South Indian Community
Authors: Heyer Judith
Published: July 2007

This article reports a south Indian case of anti‐female bias among the propertied elite in a relatively advanced agrarian economy that is increasingly differentiated. Women have become the vehicles of capital transfer. Expenditures on daughters' marriages have been rising as dowries have been introduced. A discussion of the costs and benefits of daughters to natal households makes it clear that daughters have become serious liabilities. ‘Son preference’ or ‘daughter antipathy’ is reflected in the presence of substantially more sons than daughters among surviving offspring. The article suggests that daughters may be increasingly at risk as the agrarian economy develops. Further research is required to test this hypothesis.
Privatization and regulation in Turkey: An assessment
Authors: Karatas Cevat
Published: July 2007

This paper provides a comprehensive discussion of the privatization policy that has been implemented in Turkey between 1987 and 1991. After a brief discussion of the problems of the state economic enterprises (SEES) which have led to introduction of the privatization practice in Turkey, the paper focuses on major implications of privatization in the country, including a detailed exposition of sale methods, share ownership and the role of the capital market. The highest objectives of privatization are to promote competition and improve efficiency of public enterprises, to develop the capital markets in Turkey and to ensure wider distribution of shares. However, the following points have been raised in the paper: first, in the course of privatization the selling strategy favoured block sales to domestic and foreign institutions rather than individuals where the basic goal of wider share ownership envisaged by the government has been overlooked. Secondly, Turkey has been very cautious in preserving a ‘golden share’ in a number of the privatized enterprises. Thirdly, the size and depth of the capital market has remained restricted and has been dominated by the public sector securities. By and large, investors in Turkey seem to focus on dividends and interest income rather than on capital gains or equity shares. Despite some positive trends in stocks trading in recent years, this has been achieved by governmental intervention in the stock market and the money market. It is expedient for the government to reduce the interest rates on bank deposits and the interbank interest rates, and to control more effectively the rising internal borrowing of the public sector. Fourthly, it is concluded that the question of regulation has been rather overlooked in the privatization of the airport service company which had previously enjoyed considerable monopoly power. There is a need for a ‘regulatory body’ to control monopolistic behaviour and to regulate pricing policies of private monopolies. Finally, implementation of privatization has been constrained because of the presence of chronic inflation, high interest rates and mounting internal and external debts.
Obstacles to trade liberalization and economic cooperation among west African states
Authors: Gebremariam Yilma
Published: July 2007

Does the formation of a customs union reduce and eventually eliminate tariffs among member countries to provide mechanisms or regional institutions for social, economic and political development? The literature examined suggests that, although many problems of trade liberalization continue to occur, greater benefits could be obtained by reducing tariffs on a non‐discriminatory basis, or by removing protection from domestic enterprises altogether, and by importing domestic requirements of the products of displaced industries from outside at world market prices. The literature also provides a valid case for protecting certain activities in ECOWAS — particularly trade and industrial enterprises — either for the purpose of increasing income or the rate of economic growth, or in order to achieve certain non‐economic objectives. The implications of economic integration in these terms can best be examined within a broader theoretical framework of developmental theory of trade liberalization.
The productivity of commercial agriculture in Zimbabwe, 1970–89
Authors: Thirtle Colin , Atkins Jon , Bottomley Paul , Gonese Nancy , Govereh Jones
Published: July 2007

This paper constructs an index of total factor productivity (TFP) for the period 1970–89, from the farm production accounts for the commercial sector. TFP grew at an average rate of 3 per cent per annum over the period, which is impressive. The index suggests that, despite the change in government policy that has redirected resources towards the Communal Lands, the sales of commercial farms and the political uncertainty faced by commercial farmers, the TFP growth rate has probably increased since independence. However, disaggregation provides evidence that the commercial farmers have been reluctant to invest, and that the minimum wage legislation and other factors have reduced employment in the sector.
The environment and economic policy trends in Pakistan
Authors: Noman Omar
Published: July 2007

Recent progress in the formulation and implementation of a National Conservation Strategy is reviewed in this paper and contrasted with the submission to the UNCED summit.
NGOs and public policy reform: Lessons from Peru
Authors: Dawson Elsa L.
Published: July 2007

This paper analyses a range of strategies used by Peruvian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to increase the impact of their work by influencing government policy at district and national levels. Lessons of experience are drawn from real‐life case studies, and a preliminary attempt is made to identify key conclusions for policy and practice. Both internal and contextual constraints and opportunities are reviewed. The research forms part of a wider programme aimed at identifying key issues for the Save the Children Fund (SCF) in relation to support for indigenous intermediary NGOs.
Towards a political economy of transition in Eastern Europe
Authors: Neuber Alexander
Published: July 2007

This paper seeks to develop an interdisciplinary approach to the transition problems of Eastern Europe by building on the theory of institutional change of Douglass North. It highlights the interdependence of economic, political, institutional and cultural factors in the policy environment of transition economies. On that basis, it argues that most economic transition strategies suffer from two deficiencies: (1) a neglect of the implications of institutional inertia and (2) a reductionist view of politics. Institutional negligence has led to overly confident policy design, while the political short‐termism of reformers has provided a radicality bias, resulting in policy overshooting and political destabilization.
Does economic reform harm the environment? A review of structural adjustment in Malawi
Authors: Cromwell Elizabeth , Winpenny James
Published: July 2007

The authors propose a simple structured approach to analysing the environmental effects of economic reform, which they believe offers a more powerful analytic framework to researchers and policy‐makers in this important area. The case study is Malawi, which during the last decade has implemented several Structural Adjustment Programmes and related reforms. Focusing on the estate sector and small farmers, the authors describe essential features of Malawi and its environment, review the relevant exogenous and structural problems, and assess the environmental impact of the various reform measures undertaken. By focusing on four dimensions—spatial extent (extensive frontier), scale of production, product mix and technique of production— the authors are able to come to rather more sharply‐focused conclusions than previous similar studies.
Management of water supply and sanitation projects in maharashtra state, India
Authors: Morvaridi Behrooz
Published: July 2007

The effective incorporation of linkages between sanitation, environmental pollution and socioeconomic dimensions into routine programme and project decisions is necessary if projects are to be sustainable. The project cycle does not always reflect an interdisciplinary approach to development and often suffers from a technical bias. Where several sectors are included in project designs, they are often considered in isolation from each other in appraisal. Environmental problems are often the cumulative result of interacting factors and therefore the question of sustainability warrants a flexible approach in project design and implementation.
Aid, the military and humanitarian assistance: An attempt to identify recent trends
Authors: Randel Judith
Published: July 2007

This paper is in three parts. The first looks at recent trends in expenditure on humanitarian assistance and post‐cold war shifts in thinking: on sovereignty and intervention; on peacekeeping and ODA; and on the changing role of defence and security. The second looks at collaboration between aid agencies, NGOs and the military on the ground, and the responsibility for costs and policy. The third makes some comments on the extent to which humanitarian assistance and peace enforcement are compatible and suggests considerations for future collaboration.
Losses of tariff preferences and the export performance of less‐developed countries
Authors: Macphee Craig R. , Oguledo Victor Iwuagwu
Published: July 2007

This paper presents cross‐sectional estimates of influences on the shares of individual LDCs in US import markets during years in which US tariffs rose. The tariff increases were specific to country and product and they resulted from the withdrawal of benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences. The paper confirms the hypotheses that the negative impact of a tariff increase is stronger (a) the more elastic is the import demand, (b) the slower is the growth in demand, and (c) the smaller is the cost or quality advantage of an LDC. The latter is measured by several proxies, such as initial market shares and exchange rate changes.
The adjustment towards national solvency in developing countries: An application to india
Authors: Ghatak Subrata , Levine Paul
Published: July 2007

A small macromodel of the Indian economy is used to examine the cost of adjustment required by national solvency. The cost is compared with the corresponding cost if India were to repudiate its debts and experience financial autarky as a consequence. Our empirical results suggest that a small drop in the trend growth rate, resulting from a loss of foreign investment and lending to the domestic sector, is sufficient to deter reneging; but only if the government is sufficiently far‐sighted and chooses a discount rate of 5 per cent (or less) a year. If the Indian government were to discount at a 10 per cent rate per annum, then the drop in trend growth of as much as 4 per cent is insufficient to deter reneging. Debt relief generally improves the relative attractiveness of debt repayment. But with a 10 per cent discount rate, even writing off 75 per cent of India's external debt fails to make debt repayment incentive compatible.
Theory and measurement of living levels: Some empirical results for the human development index
Authors: Doessel D. P. , Gounder Rukmani
Published: July 2007

In 1990 the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) published the human development index (HDI), a new measure that provides a means by which inter‐country and intertemporal comparisons of living levels can be undertaken. This paper has three objectives. Firstly, the various concepts and measures that can be used for inter‐country and intertemporal comparisons are described so as to put this new measure in perspective with respect to the existing literature. Secondly, the conceptual basis of the HDI is described and it is shown that the index actually calculated by UNDP is, in fact, only one of three possible measures of the general conception of human development stated by UNDP. Thirdly, empirical analysis of the two more important measures of the HDI indicates that there are some important differences between the measures. Absolute values and the ranking characteristics of the three measures of the HDI are examined. These differences may be quite important if the HDI is used as an explanatory variable in economic or social analyses.
Sectoral targeting: Auto manufacture in Korea and Taiwan
Authors: Auty R. M.
Published: July 2007

Policies to establish auto assembly were premature in both Taiwan and Korea: domestic demand in neither country was of an adequate size to support viable local production before the 1980s. Skill acquisition also lagged behind. Korea overcame the domestic market scale constraint in the mid‐1980s by exploiting a fortuitous export opportunity before boosting domestic demand while simultaneously liberalizing auto imports. Taiwan shadowed Korean development with less consistency, less determination and less success. But the long‐term benefits of entry are unclear: maturation rates have been too long while the diffusion of lean technology has shrunk the scope for exporting on a scale similar to Japan at a similar stage in its product cycle.
Has a fertility transition begun in West Africa?
Authors: Onuoha Nelson C. , Timæus Ian M.
Published: July 2007

This paper examines changing patterns of reproduction in two West African countries, Senegal and Ghana, which conducted both World Fertility Survey and Demographic and Health Survey enquiries. It aims to estimate fertility levels and trends in these countries, examine how changes in marriage, contraceptive use, breastfeeding and post‐partum abstinence are affecting family building patterns and discuss whether a fertility transition has begun. While fertility remains high in both Senegal and Ghana, it has begun to decline. In Ghana, the drop in fertility commenced in the late 1960s but has slowed recently. In Senegal, fertility decline began a decade later but is now more rapid. With these declines, residential and educational differentials in fertility have widened, particularly in Senegal. Both rises in ages at marriage and increases in the use of contraception have contributed to the fall in fertility. However, most women of high socieconomic status still want four or live children. Other women want even more. Although a transition to the control of fertility by contraceptive means has begun, the transition to low fertility may progress slowly.
Health policy in less developed countries: Past trends and future directions
Authors: Zwi Anthony B. , Mills Anne
Published: July 2007

Health policies worldwide have changed dramatically in the last few decades. We reflect upon these changes, highlight current trends and identity key issues and challenges as the year 2000 approaches. The article comprises five sections: (i) comments on concepts of health and of policy; (ii) historical developments which have influenced policy; (iii) discussion of the context within which health policies in low income countries are formulated and implemented, including macropolitical and macroeconomic developments, health needs and determinants, financing, approaches to health planning and priority setting, and the key international health policy actors; (iv) an overview of the content of current health policy proposals in less developed countries which considers the financing, organization and management of health systems and (v) a concluding section which identifies key issues for the coming years. The recent World Bank Development Report,Investing in Health(1993) and other health sector reform efforts, form the backdrop for this discussion.
Designing and implementing packages of essential health services
Authors: Bobadilla Jose‐Luis , Cowley Peter
Published: July 2007

Since the publication of The 1993 World Development Report (WDR), a substantial amount of interest has been generated in the package of essential health services (PEHS) proposed within the Report. This study reviewed 18 package building exercises to answer key questions on feasibility, methods and short‐term benefits of such packaging. It was found possible to design a PEHS in the developing world with methods consuming fewer resources, yet still remain within WDR recommended guidelines. Designing the PEHS produces significant benefits to policy dialogue through the introduction of cost and effectiveness considerations in priority setting, but it is still too early to judge its effect on reallocation of resources and on health status.
Politics and economic policy reform: Trade liberalization in sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Morrissey Oliver
Published: July 2007

Trade policy reform, in the form of liberalization or removal of restrictions on trade, has been a predominant feature of economic policy reforms undertaken, to various degrees, by numerous sub‐Saharan African (SSA) countries since 1980. This paper addresses the experiences of a range of SSA countries with trade liberalization. The results of recent cross‐country studies are summarized, concentrating on the elements of trade liberalization and the extent of reform, and the economic arguments reviewed. The paper then goes on to address why so few effective reforms have been implemented, with specific attention to the political and administrative capacities that motivate economic policy reform and constrain implementation. The paper concludes with recommendations on the appropriate timing and sequencing of liberalization to account for economic, political and administrative considerations.
Economic growth, inequality and poverty: An analysis of policy in a two period framework
Authors: McGregor Pat
Published: July 2007

This paper analyses policies designed to counter poverty and income inequality within a two period overlapping generations model. The baseline is provided by a laissez‐faire regime where income in the second period is determined by the human capital of the agent together with the investment in education in the first period. Within the framework of a balanced budget, two policies are examined; the provision of income support alone and then when this is supplemented by additional education for the poor. The latter policy can lead to greater mean income and less poverty and income inequality compared to laissez‐faire when income is responsive to educational outlay.
Aid policy in transition: A preliminary analysis of post'‐conflict rehabilitation of the health sector
Authors: Macrae Joanna , Zwi Anthony , Forsythe Vivienne
Published: July 2007

A global tendency towards increasing instability presents a challenge to the aid system. This paper examines international responses to one sub‐group of unstable situations: countries entering a period of post'‐conflict recovery. Focusing on the health sector, it argues that while the objectives of rehabilitation are framed with respect to macro‐level issues of political and economic stabilization, interventions comprise largely of uncoordinated micro‐level initiatives. This policy‐implementation gap is explained in relation to the context of weak states in transitional societies and the organization of international aid itself. It is suggested that a fundamental reappraisal of the objectives and instruments of relief and development is required in unstable situations.
Development economics and the underdevelopment of sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Mosley Paul
Published: July 2007

For the last fifteen years most countries in sub‐Saharan Africa—already the poorest region of the developing world—have experienced further declines in living standards, and in some cases, starvation. It is argued that this represents a test case for development economics, which has been a particularly controversial branch of the discipline in recent years. Two insights from the early ‘development economies’ of the 1950s—rural capital market imperfections and early ‘strategic trade policy’ arguments for protection—are shown to have continuing relevance in explaining African under‐development. The argument is developed by reference to two large Asian countries—India and Indonesia—which lagged behind Africa in the 1980s, but which have now overtaken it, and whose experience, we argue, can suggest valuable ways forward for Africa in the 1990s.
In‐house technological effort, imports of technology and enterprise characteristics in a newly industrializing country: The Indian experience
Authors: Katrak Homi
Published: July 2007

This paper uses data of Indian enterprises to examine two questions about their technological efforts and their imports of technology. Do the technology‐importing enterprises have sufficient in‐house capabilities to be able to assimilate and make effective use of their imports, and is the level of an enterprise's technological effort influenced by its size and age. Empirical tests, using a probit probability model and partial correlation analysis, showed that the number of enterprises that went in for an import of technology was significantly higher than could be predicted on the basis of their in‐house technological expenditures (and achievements) and that the latter two variables themselves were negatively influenced by the size and age of the enterprise. These results seem consistent with the hypotheses that in the Indian economic environment enterprises use their imported technologies mainly to start a new product line as quickly as possible, and so do not prepare themselves with much technological effort, and that larger enterprises, having an advantage in negotiating technology‐import agreements, have relatively little incentive for in‐house technological effort.
Mobilization of finance for rural housing development in Nigeria
Authors: Agbola Tunde
Published: July 2007

There is a potential for mobilizing rural savings in Nigeria to improve housing, a neglected sector of social development in the countryside. Housing finance, as banking more generally, has been characterized by urban bias. Several proposals for developing rural housing finance are put forward, including adapting models of successful barefoot banking in other countries to the rural environment of Nigeria.
The Manchester years, 1947‐58: A tribute to the work of Arthur Lewis
Authors: Ingham Barbara
Published: July 2007

Nobel Laureate Sir W. Arthur Lewis died in June of this year. His most celebrated works in development economics were published whilst he was at the University of Manchester between 1947 and 1958 where, from 1949, he occupied the Stanley Jevons Chair of Political Economy. This brief review is intended as a modest tribute to the exciting work of that period.
The interdependence of work and family roles
Authors: Gutek Barbara A. , Nakamura Charles Y. , Nieva Veronica F.
Published: July 2007

The circumstances of the lack of attention to the interdependence of family functions and external employment in the research to date are considered. Major problems and barriers to progress are noted. One problem is the conceptual‐theoretical barrier of viewing work as masculine and family responsibility as feminine. A second problem is a differential focus in the research to date in which either the family is studied with inadequate attention given to work, or the work setting is studied with insufficient consideration of family responsibilities. Research strategies are reviewed and discussed, including the need to identify combinations of types of occupations and family situations. Five work‐family groups are identified. One of the five groups, single parent is used to illustrate policies pertaining to the interdependence of work and family roles. The relevance of research on role interdependence for both governmental policy and organizational policy is considered in a discussion of the effects of policy on effective integration of work and family roles.
Determinants of organizational commitment in working women: Some implications for organizational integration
Authors: Bhagat Rabi S. , Chassie Marilyn B.
Published: July 2007

This study proposed and examined determinants of organizational commitment in working women. Among the selected determinants of role stress, personal characteristics, and satisfaction with various aspects of the organization, satisfaction with promotional opportunities was die best predictor of commitment. Experienced role stress was the second best determinant, although the observed relationship was inverse. Other variables such as age, education, and need for achievement, found to be antecedents of organizational commitment in earlier empirical studies, failed to predict commitment in this heterogeneous sample of working women. Findings were discussed in terms of the implications for further research and theory development in the area of organizational commitment as well as for the integration of women into modern work organizations.
The effects of appraisal instrument, feedback and goal‐setting on worker satisfaction and commitment
Authors: Tziner Aharon , Latham Gary P.
Published: July 2007

Twenty managers and 125 subordinates participated in a field experiment performed in the Israel Airport Authority. The managers received intensive training in giving performance feedback and setting specific goals when conducting appraisals of their subordinates. Following training, the managers were assigned randomly to one of four conditions: feedback and goals using BOS‐based appraisal; feedback using BOS‐based appraisal with no goals; feedback and goals using GRS‐based appraisal; feedback alone using GRS‐based appraisal. Work satisfaction and organizational commitment were measured before and after the performance appraisals were conducted. A two‐way analysis of variance followed by univariate analyses by means of a studentized range test revealed that (1) the use of BOS‐based appraisal increased work satisfaction significantly more than the use of GRS‐based appraisal, (2) feedback followed by goal‐setting resulted in significantly higher work satisfaction and organizational commitment than feedback alone, regardless of the appraisal scale that was used, and (3) the combination of BOS‐based appraisal, feedback and goal‐setting led to significantly higher work satisfaction than was the case in the other experimental conditions.
Incentive compensation as an injurious condition of work: A study of labelling
Authors: George Jennifer M. , Brief Arthur P. , Webster Jane , Burke Michael J.
Published: July 2007

A recursive causal model is presented in which individual and work factors are hypothesized to be predictive of workers' labelling an incentive compensation program as potentially injurious to their well‐being. The individual factors include the dispositional variable, negative affectivity, and financial needs and resources. The work factors consist of prior incentive compensation, experienced job insecurity, and experienced control. The model was tested using questionnaire responses of 165 managers and professionals. While it was found that the overall model did not fit the data that well, negative affectivity was found to be positively associated and experienced control negatively associated with the incentive compensation program being labelled negatively. The somewhat surprising finding that financial needs and resources were not found to be significantly associated with labelling is discussed. The importance of disposition and experienced control for the labelling of potentially threatening or harmful job conditions as well as some hypothesized antecedents of control also are discussed.
A compressed shift schedule: Dealing with some of the problems of shift‐work
Authors: Cunningham J. Barton
Published: July 2007

This study examines some of the psychological and behavioral effects of a 12‐hour compressed shift schedule on coal miners in two organizations in Western Canada. It suggests that young, married compressed shift workers are more satisfied with their family relationship. They spend less of their leisure time with spouses when working shifts, and do not spend any more time with them on their days off. They have less time available for many leisure activities on their workdays. The extra time on days off is not reallocated to the leisure activities they were unable to do on their workdays. Some extra leisure time on days off may be spent on personal hobbies. There is no suggestion that the compressed shift schedule has any negative effect on the individual's health.
Some consequences of labor–management negotiations: Laboratory and field studies
Authors: Bluen Stephen D. , Jubiler‐Lurie Vanessa G.
Published: July 2007

The stress associated with labor‐management negotiations is investigated in two longitudinal studies. In Study 1, changes in anxiety and blood pressure following a simulated negotiation exercise are assessed. The sample consisted of 49 advanced undergraduate Industrial Psychology students, divided into experimental (n = 24) and control (n = 25) groups. The experimental group engaged in a simulated labor–management negotiation, whereas the control group participated in a class discussion session. Anxiety and blood pressure levels of both groups were tested before and after the manipulation. Statistically controlling for pretest differences, the experimental group yielded more negative changes in anxiety and blood pressure levels than the control group from pretesting at posttesting. In Study 2, moderators and psychological consequences of participation during in vivo labor–management negotiations were studied. Data were collected from 96 industrial relations (IR) practitioners immediately before negotiations and three months later. Using moderated multiple regression, negatively perceived IR stress predicted negative changes in psychological well‐being. Family support moderated the relationship, while personality hardiness yielded a negative buffering effect on this relationship. Explanations of the findings are discussed and implications for future research are suggested.
How working is defined: National contexts and demographic and organizational role influences
Authors: England George W. , Harpaz Itzhak
Published: July 2007

Six major ways in which individuals define the activity of working are empirically identified among national samples of employed labor force members in Belgium, Federal Republic of Germany, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands and the U.S.A. Several types of exchanges being made between working individuals and their working environments are suggested. Primary emphasis is placed upon national similarities and differences in work definition pattern distributions in the six nations. Secondary emphasis is placed upon the influence of demographic context and organizational role context on work definition patterns. Finally, an argument is made for different levels of appropriateness for two specific work definition patterns in work forces of the future.
The person‐environment fit approach to stress: Recurring problems and some suggested solutions
Authors: Edwards Jeffrey R. , Cooper Cary L.
Published: July 2007

The person–environment (P‐E) fit approach to stress has gained widespread acceptance in the organizational stress literature. However, current research into the P‐E fit approach to stress is repeatedly plagued with serious theoretical and methodological problems. Taken together, these problems severely threaten the conclusivness of available empirical evidence and suggest that the current widespread acceptance of the P‐E fit approach may be unwarranted. This article highlights theoretical and methodological problems characteristic of much P‐E fit research and offers some solutions to these problems.
The consequences of organizational commitment: Methodological investigation
Authors: Randall Donna M.
Published: July 2007

Extensive research on the consequences of organizational commitment (OC) has been conducted over the past decade. The purpose of this paper is to summarize empirical evidence about the relationship between OC and work outcomes and to examine the effect of methodological decisions on the OC–work outcome relationship. A meta‐analysis of 35 studies of the OC–work outcome linkage reveals that the overall empirical relationship between OC and outcome variables is generally weak, but positive. While subgroup analyses reveal that conceptualization, research design, sampling, operationalization and observation technique decisions have a definite impact on the OC–work outcome correlation, the relationship remains essentially weak. Multiple regression analysis reveals that the type of work outcome and methodological decisions explain only 19 per cent of the variance in the OC–work outcome relationship, with conceptualization decisions having the largest impact.
Integrating race and adult psychosocial development
Authors: Herbert James I.
Published: July 2007

The biographical interview method was used to study the lives of 10 black male entrepreneurs. The findings of this investigation supported Levinson's theory of developmental periods. The concept of evolving life structure was found to be vibrant and viable. Because of the impact of racial dynamics and racism, on the men's lives, two new developmental tasks of adult psychosocial development are proposed: (1) to form an individual racial identity that both acknowledges and frees the individual of their own racism and prejudices, and (2) to form an individual self‐concept dedicated to the eradication of racial discrimination and racial prejudice from society.
Bonding and supportive relationships among black professional women: Rituals of restoration
Authors: Denton Toni C.
Published: July 2007

In two‐day assessment workshops 71 black professional women explored the kinds of supportive relationships they have formed with significant black women friends and the consequences of these supportive relationships for their growth and development.

Findings show two major types of supportive relationships: (1) other‐oriented relationships, in which participants' bonds with other black women emphasize the provision of support to the other, and (2) self‐enhancing relationships, in which participants' bonds with other black women are reciprocal in nature or are oriented toward self. Within these two types of relationships, three main functions of support were found: (1) social companionship, (2) task help, and (3) supportiveness. Of these three functions, the receipt of supportiveness consisting of emotional support, high commitment to one another, and encouragement to tackle life's obstacles resulted in the highest levels of growth and development among the participants, thus most effectively validating and addressing their experience of bicultural stress.
Work‐home conflict among nurses and engineers: Mediating the impact of role stress on burnout and satisfaction at work
Authors: Bacharach Samuel B. , Bamberger Peter , Conley Sharon
Published: July 2007

Using structural equation modeling, this paper compares a more traditional, unmediated model of work‐based role stress and its consequences on job satisfaction and burnout to two models in which the role stress‐affective work outcome relationship is mediated (partially and completely) by work‐home conflict across two samples of public sector professionals: engineers and nurses. The findings indicate that a model in which role conflict and overload have both direct and indirect effects—via work‐home conflict—on job burnout and satisfaction (‘Partial Mediation’ model) achieves a better overall ‘fit’ than two alternative models. Furthermore, the findings suggest that while the two groups perceive many aspects of the work‐home relationship differently, for both groups, work‐based role conflict is an important antecedent of work‐home conflict, and increased burnout an important direct consequence of work‐home conflict. Finally, on the basis of the findings, the authors conclude that perspectives which view the work and non‐work realms as independent must be reconsidered, and that the nature of the work‐home relationship may, to a great extent, be contingent upon the way different occupational groups perceive their work situations.
Quantitative methods in cross‐national management research: Trends and equivalence issues
Authors: Peng T. K. , Peterson Mark F. , Shyi Yuh‐Ping
Published: July 2007

Cross‐national management articles published in 24 major management‐related journals from 1981 to 1987 are reviewed. The methods used in the quantitative articles are categorized according to the characteristics of the research sites, data, and analytical methods. The review indicates increasing methodological sensitivity, complexity, and sophistication as compared to that found in earlier reviews. Improvement in the field could occur through improved understanding of the inherent limitations in cross‐cultural equivalence and through increased attention to qualitative analysis as a means to handle the ‘etic‐emic’ dilemma.
Gender differences in the perception of organizational influence tactics
Authors: Drory Amos , Beaty David
Published: July 2007

A short incident describing a political influence attempt was given to 152 management level and professional employees. Subjects were then asked to complete short attitude scales pertaining to the characteristics of the actor and the incident. The experimental factorial design included three factors (1) sex of subject, (2) sex of influencing party, (3) sex of target of influence. The results suggest that males are more tolerant of political behavior than women. Subjects view political manipulators of their own sex more favorably than manipulators of the opposite sex. Subjects of both sexes are more tolerant of political behavior when the victim of the behavior is a member of the opposite sex rather than of their own sex. The results may suggest a growing inclination on the part of both genders to identify with members of their own sex as a meaningful coalition and react to organizational events in view of the implications to members of their own gender. Possible implications for research and intervention are suggested.
From crisis to growth at midlife: Changes in personal paradigm
Authors: O'connor Dennis , Wolfe Donald M.
Published: July 2007

Adult development is becoming a critical component of an organization's effectiveness in our rapidly changing world (Torbert, 1987). While transitions in adulthood have been shown to be inevitable and patterned, they do not necessarily result in personal growth. In this exploratory study, data were collected from 64 men and women experiencing midlife transitions. Several factors were identified (scope of transition, progression through a transition sequence, ego development, inner directedness, and commitment to learning) which enabled growth during the midlife transition in the form of a personal paradigm shift. Positive emotional tone as well as enthusiasm for career were found to be consequences of these paradigm shifts. Implications for organizations are discussed.
From expectation to experience: Graduates entering a large corporation
Authors: Nicholson Nigel , Arnold John
Published: July 2007

The paper reports a longitudinal study of new and recently recruited graduates to an oil company, to evaluate how initial expectations compared with experience, and how needs, interests and work activities changed over time post‐entry. Results showed that new entrants had unrealistic expectations, especially of having more managerial job content than they were assigned initially, but this increased with subsequent experience to reach expected levels. Socialization effects were evident, especially by job function, but not by gender. The work orientations and job experiences of commercial and technical graduates developed on divergent paths over time, suggesting more positive personal growth over their early careers for the commercial graduates.
A multivariate test of the job characteristics theory of work motivation
Authors: Champoux Joseph E.
Published: July 2007

This paper reports the results of a multivariate test of the Job Characteristics Theory of Work Motivation using data from employees of a state agency in the United States. A canonical correlation analysis was done first to determine whether there was a statistically significant multivariate relationship among the variables. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was then done to test main effects and interactions. The results of the study were mostly supportive of predictions from the theory. The interactions with Growth Need Strength were different in form for low and high GNS people. The implications of the results for both the theory and job redesign practice are discussed.
Rational decision processes and sex discrimination: Testing ‘rational’ bias theory
Authors: Szwajkowski Eugene , Larwood Laurie
Published: July 2007

The extent to which sex discrimination is likely to occur as a consequence of manager‐client relationships was examined in this test of rational bias theory. Results were gathered by means of a computerized survey technique. Findings indicated that discrimination is more likely to occur in relationships in which the client is relatively important to the manager, but less likely to occur, or be reversed, in the presence of conditions signaling that the client disapproves of discrimination. The findings partly supported the prediction that managers in relatively weaker positions more readily discriminate. The analysis offers theoretical and policy implications for future consideration.
Social support and newcomer adjustment in organizations: Attachment theory at work?
Authors: Nelson Debra L. , Quick James Campbell
Published: July 2007

Social support has been suggested as important for newcomer adjustment to an organization. The present paper reports a longitudinal study of 91 newcomers to three separate organizations. The effects of availability and helpfulness of 10 sources of social support on newcomers reports of psychological distress, satisfaction, intention to leave, and their supervisors assessment of their performance rating (N of supervisors = 41; n of ratings = 91) were examined. The availability of support activities such as offsite training sessions and business trips were found to be associated with decreased psychological symptoms. Helpfulness of various relationship supports were associated with positive adjustment. These results are discussed within the context of attachment theory and our knowledge of social support in work settings.