title: Work-Family Conflict and Facilitation among Employees in Hong Kong

authors: Wong, Chi Kin

subjects: Work-Family Balance

abstract: Work-family imbalance can induce negative consequences, such as poor physical and psychological well-being for individuals.  Hong Kong employees commonly agree that work-family balance is important for them, but it is difficult to balance work and family lives (Mahtani, 2006).  Very few studies have comprehensively explored how to eliminate the conflict, and to enhance the integration between work and family domains.  This may hinder researchers and practitioners from exploring effective strategies for promoting work-family balance.  The present study explored work-family conflict and enrichment among Hong Kong employees.  
    This study examined the relationships between demands and resources in work and family lives, work-family conflict and enrichment, personal and work outcomes, and optimism and Confucian work values as moderator variables.  The longitudinal mediating effects of work-family conflict and enrichment were examined, and potential cross-sectional and longitudinal moderating effects on the relationships between predictor variables and work-family conflict and enrichment were also explored.  
    A two-wave panel design was adopted with data collection separated by a ten-month interval.  Questionnaires were designed for the participants and their supervisors.  509 participants at Time 1 and 208 participants at Time 2 from three universities in Hong Kong completed self-report questionnaires, and 208 supervisors of the participants completed another questionnaire at Time 2.   
    Predictor variables at work were significantly associated with work-family conflict and enrichment perceived in the work domain, and predictor variables in the family domain were significantly related to work-family conflict and enrichment perceived in the family domain.  Work-family conflict and enrichment were significantly associated with personal and work outcomes.
    Mediation analyses showed that there were very few longitudinal mediating effects of work-family conflict and enrichment between predictor and criterion variables.  These findings suggest that work-family conflict and enrichment might not consistently contribute mediating effects in the relationships between these predictor and criterion variables over time. 
    Potential effects of optimism and Confucian work values have been rarely explored in previous Chinese work-family studies, and therefore this study examined the moderating effects of these two variables in relation to work-family conflict and enrichment.  However, moderating analyses indicated that there were very few cross-sectional and longitudinal moderating effects of optimism and Confucian work values confirmed in this study.  
    Overall, the findings of this research illustrate that work-family conflict and enrichment could be separately affected by demands and resources in work and family lives.  Work-family conflict and enrichment could also contribute significant effects on individuals’ well-being and work productivity.  The results also imply that the significance of mediation and moderation effects for work-family conflict and enrichment might be determined by personal factors (e.g. coping strategies of individuals) or organisational factors (e.g. organisational culture).  
    The present study separately examined two directions of work-family conflict and enrichment, which extends the understanding of these topics in the Chinese context.  The findings support related Western literature that perceived work-family conflict and enrichment in one domain were determined by the source in the same domain, and each direction of conflict or enrichment was associated with outcomes in the domain receiving the conflict or enrichment.  These findings may extend the discussion of the relationships between potential factors and consequences of work-family conflict and enrichment for Hong Kong employees.  The present study also provided additional information to understand the relationships between cultural values and work-family conflict and enrichment. The results may aid practitioners to formulate appropriate interventions, such as family-friendly employment policies and practices in enhancing work-family balance in Hong Kong.

text: Work-Family Conflict and Facilitation among Employees in Hong Kong Work-family imbalance can induce negative consequences, such as poor physical and psychological well-being for individuals.  Hong Kong employees commonly agree that work-family balance is important for them, but it is difficult to balance work and family lives (Mahtani, 2006).  Very few studies have comprehensively explored how to eliminate the conflict, and to enhance the integration between work and family domains.  This may hinder researchers and practitioners from exploring effective strategies for promoting work-family balance.  The present study explored work-family conflict and enrichment among Hong Kong employees.  
    This study examined the relationships between demands and resources in work and family lives, work-family conflict and enrichment, personal and work outcomes, and optimism and Confucian work values as moderator variables.  The longitudinal mediating effects of work-family conflict and enrichment were examined, and potential cross-sectional and longitudinal moderating effects on the relationships between predictor variables and work-family conflict and enrichment were also explored.  
    A two-wave panel design was adopted with data collection separated by a ten-month interval.  Questionnaires were designed for the participants and their supervisors.  509 participants at Time 1 and 208 participants at Time 2 from three universities in Hong Kong completed self-report questionnaires, and 208 supervisors of the participants completed another questionnaire at Time 2.   
    Predictor variables at work were significantly associated with work-family conflict and enrichment perceived in the work domain, and predictor variables in the family domain were significantly related to work-family conflict and enrichment perceived in the family domain.  Work-family conflict and enrichment were significantly associated with personal and work outcomes.
    Mediation analyses showed that there were very few longitudinal mediating effects of work-family conflict and enrichment between predictor and criterion variables.  These findings suggest that work-family conflict and enrichment might not consistently contribute mediating effects in the relationships between these predictor and criterion variables over time. 
    Potential effects of optimism and Confucian work values have been rarely explored in previous Chinese work-family studies, and therefore this study examined the moderating effects of these two variables in relation to work-family conflict and enrichment.  However, moderating analyses indicated that there were very few cross-sectional and longitudinal moderating effects of optimism and Confucian work values confirmed in this study.  
    Overall, the findings of this research illustrate that work-family conflict and enrichment could be separately affected by demands and resources in work and family lives.  Work-family conflict and enrichment could also contribute significant effects on individuals’ well-being and work productivity.  The results also imply that the significance of mediation and moderation effects for work-family conflict and enrichment might be determined by personal factors (e.g. coping strategies of individuals) or organisational factors (e.g. organisational culture).  
    The present study separately examined two directions of work-family conflict and enrichment, which extends the understanding of these topics in the Chinese context.  The findings support related Western literature that perceived work-family conflict and enrichment in one domain were determined by the source in the same domain, and each direction of conflict or enrichment was associated with outcomes in the domain receiving the conflict or enrichment.  These findings may extend the discussion of the relationships between potential factors and consequences of work-family conflict and enrichment for Hong Kong employees.  The present study also provided additional information to understand the relationships between cultural values and work-family conflict and enrichment. The results may aid practitioners to formulate appropriate interventions, such as family-friendly employment policies and practices in enhancing work-family balance in Hong Kong.

year: 2014

title: Fish-finding Fido; Can domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) offer a solution for detecting an invasive freshwater catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus)

authors: Little, Lauren Amber

subjects: Scent detection

abstract: Invasive species now dominate many aquatic landscapes in most parts of the world, displacing native plants and animals by disrupting and altering ecosystems. The brown bullhead catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus) has been significantly correlated with regime shifts from macrophyte‐dominated clear water states to de‐vegetated turbid states, population declines of endemic species, and the disruption of food webs in New Zealand lakes. Conventional detection methods (e.g., visual surveys, fyke netting, electrofishing, and eDNA) for catfish are limited by their cost, invasiveness, time- consumption, and potential to be prone to error. Given that scent detection dogs are a well-established tool across a variety of fields, it was hypothesised that domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) may be able to detect the presence of catfish from water samples that have contained these fish. This could provide a new potential biosecurity monitoring tool.
In this study, five pet dogs were trained to operate an automated apparatus that presented water samples for evaluation. Water samples were presented to dogs from aquaria that had previously contained, catfish, goldfish (Carassius auratus), or no fish. Experiment 1 evaluated if dogs could discriminate between samples that had contained catfish or no fish. In Experiment 2, it was evaluated if dogs can discriminate between fish species (i.e., catfish and goldfish), and at what fish biomass concentrations they can do so. Experiment 3 evaluated if dogs could indicate the presence of catfish when samples were presented at two different biomass concentrations in the same session. It was found that dogs were able to correctly identify water that had contained catfish and largely reject water samples that had contained either no fish or goldfish at above 80% accuracy at biomasses equivalent to environmental biomasses of 4.6 x 1,000 kg/ha. Preliminarily investigations of lower detection limit thresholds were investigated in the study. These results suggest further investigation is warranted to confirm the dogs’ ability to detect catfish at biologically relevant concentrations comparable to real-world sample scenarios. However, these findings support the suggestion that dogs may have an important role to play in waterway conservation and management.

text: Fish-finding Fido; Can domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) offer a solution for detecting an invasive freshwater catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus) Invasive species now dominate many aquatic landscapes in most parts of the world, displacing native plants and animals by disrupting and altering ecosystems. The brown bullhead catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus) has been significantly correlated with regime shifts from macrophyte‐dominated clear water states to de‐vegetated turbid states, population declines of endemic species, and the disruption of food webs in New Zealand lakes. Conventional detection methods (e.g., visual surveys, fyke netting, electrofishing, and eDNA) for catfish are limited by their cost, invasiveness, time- consumption, and potential to be prone to error. Given that scent detection dogs are a well-established tool across a variety of fields, it was hypothesised that domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) may be able to detect the presence of catfish from water samples that have contained these fish. This could provide a new potential biosecurity monitoring tool.
In this study, five pet dogs were trained to operate an automated apparatus that presented water samples for evaluation. Water samples were presented to dogs from aquaria that had previously contained, catfish, goldfish (Carassius auratus), or no fish. Experiment 1 evaluated if dogs could discriminate between samples that had contained catfish or no fish. In Experiment 2, it was evaluated if dogs can discriminate between fish species (i.e., catfish and goldfish), and at what fish biomass concentrations they can do so. Experiment 3 evaluated if dogs could indicate the presence of catfish when samples were presented at two different biomass concentrations in the same session. It was found that dogs were able to correctly identify water that had contained catfish and largely reject water samples that had contained either no fish or goldfish at above 80% accuracy at biomasses equivalent to environmental biomasses of 4.6 x 1,000 kg/ha. Preliminarily investigations of lower detection limit thresholds were investigated in the study. These results suggest further investigation is warranted to confirm the dogs’ ability to detect catfish at biologically relevant concentrations comparable to real-world sample scenarios. However, these findings support the suggestion that dogs may have an important role to play in waterway conservation and management.

year: 2020

title: Participatory data design: managing data sovereignty in IoT solutions

authors: Bowen, Judy

subjects: computer science

abstract: Within the software engineering community, deciding how to collect, store and use personal data has become about more than just understanding our users. This paper considers ethical data use which includes cultural considerations and data ownership rights. We discuss indigenous data sovereignty as a concept and how it potentially impacts technological solutions that gather personal data from users. We propose an extension to typical user-centred design processes which we call participatory data design. This incorporates the use of frameworks and tools that specifically focus on managing data within the cultural context it is gathered from. We also present a specific example of how we have used this approach in the context of a data collection project from M¯aori workers in New Zealand forestry. We conclude with a discussion of the wider implications of this approach.

text: Participatory data design: managing data sovereignty in IoT solutions Within the software engineering community, deciding how to collect, store and use personal data has become about more than just understanding our users. This paper considers ethical data use which includes cultural considerations and data ownership rights. We discuss indigenous data sovereignty as a concept and how it potentially impacts technological solutions that gather personal data from users. We propose an extension to typical user-centred design processes which we call participatory data design. This incorporates the use of frameworks and tools that specifically focus on managing data within the cultural context it is gathered from. We also present a specific example of how we have used this approach in the context of a data collection project from M¯aori workers in New Zealand forestry. We conclude with a discussion of the wider implications of this approach.

year: 2022