title: The relationship among personality traits, job design characteristics and organizational commitment: An empirical study of organizations in China

authors: Cui, Chu

subjects: organizational commitment

abstract: The purpose of this research was to identify antecedents that would predict organizational commitment. One category of predictor was the “Big Five” personality traits (extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism and openness) and the other category included job design characteristics (skill variety, task identity, task significance, task autonomy, and task feedback). This research also investigated the association that demographic variables (job title, job tenure, organization tenure, age, gender and education) had with all major variables. A survey was completed by 142 participants of five Chinese organizations in Beijing, from the health/medical, banking, insurance, international business, and construction sectors. Agreeableness, openness and all job design characteristics were significantly correlated with affective commitment, whereas extraversion and agreeableness, neuroticism were related to continuance commitment. Regression analyses showed that agreeableness and openness were salient predictors of affective commitment. Agreeableness and neuroticism contributed significantly to continuance commitment. The conclusions are discussed in relation to their practical implications for organizations, and researchers, and the need for future research. The major implications from this research are that managers in organizations need to enrich employees’ job content to enhance their affective commitment, and keep in mind the links between some personality traits and continuance commitment. This study encourages future research to focus on doing more longitudinal cross-cultural studies in order to assess the generalizability of previous research findings.

text: The relationship among personality traits, job design characteristics and organizational commitment: An empirical study of organizations in China The purpose of this research was to identify antecedents that would predict organizational commitment. One category of predictor was the “Big Five” personality traits (extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism and openness) and the other category included job design characteristics (skill variety, task identity, task significance, task autonomy, and task feedback). This research also investigated the association that demographic variables (job title, job tenure, organization tenure, age, gender and education) had with all major variables. A survey was completed by 142 participants of five Chinese organizations in Beijing, from the health/medical, banking, insurance, international business, and construction sectors. Agreeableness, openness and all job design characteristics were significantly correlated with affective commitment, whereas extraversion and agreeableness, neuroticism were related to continuance commitment. Regression analyses showed that agreeableness and openness were salient predictors of affective commitment. Agreeableness and neuroticism contributed significantly to continuance commitment. The conclusions are discussed in relation to their practical implications for organizations, and researchers, and the need for future research. The major implications from this research are that managers in organizations need to enrich employees’ job content to enhance their affective commitment, and keep in mind the links between some personality traits and continuance commitment. This study encourages future research to focus on doing more longitudinal cross-cultural studies in order to assess the generalizability of previous research findings.

year: 2010

title: Sources and effects of catchment-derived bioavailable contaminants in Hamilton urban streams

authors: Valler, Tammy L.

subjects: Urban streams

abstract: Awareness of the consistently degraded state of urban streams, with lower biodiversity has heightened worldwide, increasing restoration initiatives to ameliorate the adverse effects. The present study examined anthropogenically-derived contaminants in water and sediments and bioaccumulation in tissues and bile of shortfin eels (Anguilla australis) in Hamilton City urban gully streams. Bioassays were also conducted with two native Crustacea; the amphipod Paracorophium lucasi and freshwater crayfish (kōura) (Paranephrops planifrons) to test endpoints of survival, reburial behaviour and growth. Results of dissolved Cu, Pb and Zn showed the industrial Waitawhiriwhiri catchment, with higher impervious surfaces, to have the greatest potential for generating contaminants in stream waters. Relationships between sediment contaminant concentrations and upstream % impervious area suggest an association with stormwater runoff and metal accumulation. Shortfin eels from Gibbons Creek and Lake Rotoroa bioaccumulated high concentrations of Pb and As respectively in livers, and PAH metabolite pyrene-1-glucuronide in bile was found in many eels, highlighting the bioavailability of these contaminants. Muscle tissues cocnentrations of Pb and Hg in some sites triggered food safety guidelines presenting a low risk for human consumption. Amphipods exposed to sediments from Lake Rotoroa had significantly reduced survival compared with those exposed to other site sediments in a 10-day sediment toxicity test. Photo-induced toxicity is not of concern for biota exposed to these sediments. Sediments did not induce any sub-lethal effect on reburial behaviour. Growth rates of kōura fed Salix fragilis leaf material incubated in Hamilton streams were not significantly different, and the short duration of the study meant conclusions could not be made on the significance of observed accumulated metals and metalloids on differences in growth rates. Results of this study highlight a number of locations in the Hamilton stream network, where contaminants are of concern, especially in streams with fully urbanised catchments with high effective imperviousness and legacies of past land use or pollution. Bioavailability of some metals, metalloids and PAHs is constraining the diversity of some species present in these streams, although not apparent for shortfin eels, as they are very common.

text: Sources and effects of catchment-derived bioavailable contaminants in Hamilton urban streams Awareness of the consistently degraded state of urban streams, with lower biodiversity has heightened worldwide, increasing restoration initiatives to ameliorate the adverse effects. The present study examined anthropogenically-derived contaminants in water and sediments and bioaccumulation in tissues and bile of shortfin eels (Anguilla australis) in Hamilton City urban gully streams. Bioassays were also conducted with two native Crustacea; the amphipod Paracorophium lucasi and freshwater crayfish (kōura) (Paranephrops planifrons) to test endpoints of survival, reburial behaviour and growth. Results of dissolved Cu, Pb and Zn showed the industrial Waitawhiriwhiri catchment, with higher impervious surfaces, to have the greatest potential for generating contaminants in stream waters. Relationships between sediment contaminant concentrations and upstream % impervious area suggest an association with stormwater runoff and metal accumulation. Shortfin eels from Gibbons Creek and Lake Rotoroa bioaccumulated high concentrations of Pb and As respectively in livers, and PAH metabolite pyrene-1-glucuronide in bile was found in many eels, highlighting the bioavailability of these contaminants. Muscle tissues cocnentrations of Pb and Hg in some sites triggered food safety guidelines presenting a low risk for human consumption. Amphipods exposed to sediments from Lake Rotoroa had significantly reduced survival compared with those exposed to other site sediments in a 10-day sediment toxicity test. Photo-induced toxicity is not of concern for biota exposed to these sediments. Sediments did not induce any sub-lethal effect on reburial behaviour. Growth rates of kōura fed Salix fragilis leaf material incubated in Hamilton streams were not significantly different, and the short duration of the study meant conclusions could not be made on the significance of observed accumulated metals and metalloids on differences in growth rates. Results of this study highlight a number of locations in the Hamilton stream network, where contaminants are of concern, especially in streams with fully urbanised catchments with high effective imperviousness and legacies of past land use or pollution. Bioavailability of some metals, metalloids and PAHs is constraining the diversity of some species present in these streams, although not apparent for shortfin eels, as they are very common.

year: 2013

title: The Niupepa Collection: Opening the blinds on a window to the past

authors: Keegan, Te Taka Adrian Gregory

subjects: computer science

abstract: This paper describes the building of a digital library collection of historic newspapers. The newspapers (Niupepa in Maori), which were published in New Zealand during the period 1842 to 1933, form a unique historical record of the Maori language, and of events from an historical perspective. Images of these newspapers have been converted to digital form, electronic text extracted from these, and the collection is now being made available over the Internet as a part of the New Zealand Digital Library (NZDL) project at the University of Waikato.

text: The Niupepa Collection: Opening the blinds on a window to the past This paper describes the building of a digital library collection of historic newspapers. The newspapers (Niupepa in Maori), which were published in New Zealand during the period 1842 to 1933, form a unique historical record of the Maori language, and of events from an historical perspective. Images of these newspapers have been converted to digital form, electronic text extracted from these, and the collection is now being made available over the Internet as a part of the New Zealand Digital Library (NZDL) project at the University of Waikato.

year: 1999-12