Perceptions of the effectiveness of training and development of ‘grey-collar’ workers in the People's Republic of China

An important human resource development (HRD) implication of the People's Republic of China's (PRC) rapidly expanding economy has been the emergence of a critical shortage of grey-collar workers (GCW). Although ‘grey-collar’ has been commonly used in the West to describe an aging population within the workforce, in China it refers to people who are neither white nor blue collar workers but technicians. The shortage of GCW constrains the PRC's economic and developmental sustainability, and has been recognized in central and provincial government initiatives to increase training and development of employees within these fields. While acknowledged as a policy and organizational problem, there has been no research investigating what organizations are doing to develop these employees. Drawing upon a survey of 310 semi-skilled and skilled employees in Beijing, our findings suggest that while the surveyed organizations are investing heavily in both on- and off-the-job training, employees' perceived value of such differs markedly according to age and position. The research has important implications for China's HRD strategy in suggesting links between training and other human resource management (HRM) functions are yet to be evidenced.     

The Choice of Governance Modes of International Franchise Firms — Development of an Integrative Model

This paper examines the evolution of the international franchise research with special focus on the governance modes of the international franchise firm and develops a new model for the franchisor's choice of the international governance modes. International governance modes in franchising refer to wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint venture franchising, area development franchising and master franchising. Although many studies on the governance modes of the international franchise firm have been published in the last two decades, no prior study develops an integrative framework that investigates the determinants of the international governance modes by combining organizational economics and strategic management perspectives. Specifically, this study explains the governance modes of the international franchise firm by applying transaction cost theory, agency theory, resource-based and organizational capabilities theory and property rights theory.     

Algebraic and combinatorial properties of ideals and algebras of uniform clutters of TDI systems

Let \(\mathcal{C}\) be a uniform clutter and let A be the incidence matrix of \(\mathcal{C}\). We denote the column vectors of A by v ₁,…,v _q . Under certain conditions we prove that \(\mathcal{C}\) is vertex critical. If \(\mathcal{C}\) satisfies the max-flow min-cut property, we prove that A diagonalizes over ? to an identity matrix and that v ₁,…,v _q form a Hilbert basis. We also prove that if \(\mathcal{C}\) has a perfect matching such that \(\mathcal{C}\) has the packing property and its vertex covering number is equal to 2, then A diagonalizes over ? to an identity matrix. If A is a balanced matrix we prove that any regular triangulation of the cone generated by v ₁,…,v _q is unimodular. Some examples are presented to show that our results only hold for uniform clutters. These results are closely related to certain algebraic properties, such as the normality or torsion-freeness, of blowup algebras of edge ideals and to finitely generated abelian groups. They are also related to the theory of Gröbner bases of toric ideals and to Ehrhart rings.     

A Study of Typology of Teacher’s Questions

This study invested the typology of teacher’s questions as well as its functions in teaching. Teacher’s questions are widely acknowledged as a valuable instrumental strategy,improved classroom questioning strategies may contribute to the development of students’ higher cognitive-thinking skills,asking the right questions appears to enhance the student learning.     

On domination number of Cartesian product of directed paths

Let γ(G) denote the domination number of a digraph G and let P _m □P _n denote the Cartesian product of P _m and P _n , the directed paths of length m and n. In this paper, we give a lower and upper bound for γ(P _m □P _n ). Furthermore, we obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for P _m □P _n to have efficient dominating set, and determine the exact values: γ(P ₂□P _n )=n, g(P₃\square P_n)=n+é\fracn4ù\gamma(P_{3}\square P_{n})=n+\lceil\frac{n}{4}\rceil, g(P₄\square P_n)=n+é\frac2n3ù\gamma(P_{4}\square P_{n})=n+\lceil\frac{2n}{3}\rceil, γ(P ₅□P _n )=2n+1 and g(P₆\square P_n)=2n+é\fracn+23ù\gamma(P_{6}\square P_{n})=2n+\lceil\frac{n+2}{3}\rceil.     

Toward an understanding of consumers’ perceptions of food labels

This study examines the factors that influence consumers’ perceptions or beliefs about food labels. The results indicate that health and diet related attitudes, special diet status, perceived importance of product attributes like nutrition and ease of preparation, race, gender, income, and body mass index are important factors affecting consumers’ perceptions and beliefs about label use. Understanding the type of consumers who have these perceptions and beliefs as well as the factors that influence these beliefs and perceptions is crucial for designing effective marketing and nutrition education campaigns.     

Is outsourcing of intangibles a real source of competitive advantage?

Intangible investments constitute an emerging and important field of management. The objective of this article is to further consider the problem of intangible resource externalization from a theoretical as well as an operational point of view. The first section reviews the problem of defining intangibles; the second section considers the issue of outsourcing intangibles from a theoretical as well as an operational point of view; the third section reviews the practical issues (especially costrelated) of outsourcing, for two main intangible activities: research and development and information technology services (information logistics functions). The fourth section summarizes the main issues and discusses their implications for accounting analysis and practice.     

Situation-based measurement of the full range of leadership model — Development and validation of a situational judgment test

In response to calls for context-specificity in leadership research, we developed and validated a Situational Judgment Test of the Full Range of Leadership Model (SJT-FRLM). Three consecutive studies were conducted following the typical steps of test development. Study 1 served measure development and pilot testing: item stems were generated empirically, item responses were developed with a theory-driven approach, and pilot testing was based on a leader sample. Study 2 served to analyze construct- and criterion-related validity of the instrument. Moreover, an empirical scoring key was developed that weights each item response according to its relation with leadership effectiveness in each situation. In Study 3, we demonstrated incremental validity and interrater agreement. The test fills an important gap in literature because it not only has predictive validity above and beyond established measures, but also takes into account the contextual element of leadership.     

A meso measure? Examination of the levels of analysis of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ)

Critical review of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, Form 5X (MLQ5X), reveals serious problems related to specification of the theoretical level of analysis at which it measures its underlying constructs. Data from two separate samples indicate that items of the commonly used MLQ5X are ambiguous with respect to level of analysis. It appears unclear in many instances whether the items reflect individual, group, or organizational referents. Based upon our analyses and the literature, we present specific propositions concerning the level(s) at which each MLQ5X dimension appears most appropriately conceptualized and measured, along with suggestions for future research and revision of the MLQ5X.     

Use and misuse of levels of analysis in leadership research: An illustrative review of leader–member exchange

Prior reviews have focused on if leadership literature pays homage to levels of analysis; our purpose is to take stock of how well and in what ways levels issues are implemented in theory and hypotheses formulation, construct conceptualization, measurement, and data analysis. To illustrate these notions, we provide an in-depth review of 163 multi-level empirical leader–member exchange (LMX) and vertical dyad linkage (VDL) studies published between 1972 and 2012. Our findings indicate that the volume of multi-level studies in LMX has drastically increased recently and the majority of these studies cast theory and hypotheses at the same level. With regard to alignment of levels of theory/hypotheses with measurement and with data analyses, however, roughly one out of two published studies suffers from misalignment of levels. Most of this misalignment occurs in studies where the dyad level of analysis, a key component of LMX, is an explicit or implicit focus. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for the LMX literature, and present recommendations to guide multi-level leadership research.     

Are national levels of employee harassment cultural covariations of climato-economic conditions?

Conflict in a workgroup turns into harassment if a group member is persistently confronted with negative acts with few possibilities to retaliate. Cross-national differences in such intragroup harassment are considerable but wait to be understood. In this study, survey data from 44,836 employees in 44 countries revealed that a cultural in-group orientation was associated with lower employee harassment. In addition, and in agreement with Van de Vliert's climato-economic theory of culture, workforces reported more harassment in poorer countries with more demanding climates of colder-than-temperate winters, hotter-than-temperate summers, or both. Finally, it was found that the impact of climato-economic hardships on harassment suppressed the impact of cultural in-group orientation on harassment. Using the regression equation obtained for the sample of 44 countries, national levels of employee harassment for a broader pool of 103 countries were estimated and scrutinized for their validity for future research. Data from the World Values Surveys were used to validate the estimations. The results provide the basis for a further hypothesis, that employee harassment is more prevalent in countries with either survival or self-expression cultures than in countries with cultures that are intermediate between those two extremes. The results have implications for prevention and remedial measures.     

An extension of Stein-Lovász theorem and some of its applications

The Stein-Lovász theorem provides an algorithmic way to deal with the existence of certain good coverings, and thus offers bounds related to some combinatorial structures. An extension of the classical Stein-Lovász theorem for multiple coverings is given, followed by some applications for finding upper bounds of the sizes of (d,s out of r;z]-disjunct matrices and (k,m,c,n;z)-selectors, respectively. This gives a unified treatment for some previously known results relating to various models of group testing.     

An ounce of prevention?

While preventive health care is intuitively attractive, both from a disease morbidity and cost of care aspect, it is most effective when the natural history of a disease can be precisely predicted and when there is effective therapy to modify the risk factor. In contrast, if the natural history is uncertain, perhaps due to its multifactorial nature and treatment not entirely effective, there will inevitably be inefficiency in preventive treatment. In this complicated balancing act, the inefficiencies of preventive therapy may be buried beneath the surface, due in part to the method of reporting and perhaps to the enthusiasm for preventive medicine in general. Until we are able to identify more predictive risk factors, there will always be inefficiencies in preventive medicine, and many must be treated for one to benefit. However, the absolute risk reduction and the number needed to treat are useful measures to highlight what can actually be achieved with preventive therapy.     

The management of offshore resources—Some implications of the 200-mile limit

This article examines in depth the strategic implications for those States who have recently declared 200 mile off-shore resource management zones. The authors, in a comprehensive and stimulating paper, examine the implications of so-calling a nation's offshore limit. It is an appropriate name for a nation's offshore limit since the primary reason for many nations declaring a 200 mile limit has been the abundance of resources which have often been found within those limits either in the sea or the sea bed itself. This paper reviews the current background of off-shore resource management and outlines suitable roles for adoption by the coastal States in the management of their off-shore renewable and non-renewable resources. Furthermore, it examines the contentious but nonetheless central issue of the benefits and costs which accrue through coastal state jurisdiction. The authors also examine an appropriate resource management process and the implications of resource use conflicts within the off shore limit as well as defining these conflicts on the basis of ‘stakeholder’ interests and introduces a new concept of the maximization of economic equity amongst competing stakeholders. The problem remains that the measurement of economic equity perhaps leaves the States concerned within a situation of only having defined the problem; the political process has then to deal with any reallocation measures that may be deemed appropriate.     

Innovation on Case Teaching of ＂Chinese Health Preservation of the Elder＂

“老年中医养生”课程是老年服务与管理专业学习领域课程中的一门职业核心课程。教学中运用多媒体案例教学法、行动引导教学法等有效方法,培养学生的学习兴趣,建立学生的自信心,提高学生的自我学习能力,以使学生具备中医养生的基本素养,在实训中能够指导老年人进行因人、因时和因地摄养等养生实践活动。     

A Comparison of Regulatory Implications of Traditional and Exact Two-Stage Dose–Response Models

We compare the regulatory implications of applying the traditional (linearized) and exact two-stage dose–response models to animal carcinogenic data. We analyze dose–response data from six studies, representing five different substances, and we determine the goodness-of-fit of each model as well as the 95% confidence lower limit of the dose corresponding to a target excess risk of 10^–5 (the target risk dose TRD). For the two concave datasets, we find that the exact model gives a substantially better fit to the data than the traditional model, and that the exact model gives a TRD that is an order of magnitude lower than that given by the traditional model. In the other cases, the exact model gives a fit equivalent to or better than the traditional model. We also show that although the exact two-stage model may exhibit dose–response concavity at moderate dose levels, it is always linear or sublinear, and never supralinear, in the low-dose limit. Because regulatory concern is almost always confined to the low-dose region extrapolation, supralinear behavior seems not to be of regulatory concern in the exact two-stage model. Finally, we find that when performing this low-dose extrapolation in cases of dose–response concavity, extrapolating the model fit leads to a more conservative TRD than taking a linear extrapolation from 10% excess risk. We conclude with a set of recommendations.     

Tall claims? Sense and nonsense about the importance of height of US presidents

According to both the scientific literature and popular media, all one needs to win a US presidential election is to be taller than one's opponent. Yet, such claims are often based on an arbitrary selection of elections, and inadequate statistical analysis. Using data on all presidential elections, we show that height is indeed an important factor in the US presidential elections. Candidates that were taller than their opponents received more popular votes, although they were not significantly more likely to win the actual election. Taller presidents were also more likely to be reelected. In addition, presidents were, on average, much taller than men from the same birth cohort. The advantage of taller candidates is potentially explained by perceptions associated with height: taller presidents are rated by experts as ‘greater’, and having more leadership and communication skills. We conclude that height is an important characteristic in choosing and evaluating political leaders.     

The power of “mapping the territory”. Why economists should become more aware of the performativity of their models

Economics is not simply about representing reality; it is also about shaping it, an approach encapsulated in Donald MacKenzie’s aphorism that economics is best conceived as an “engine, not as a camera” (MacKenzie and Millo (Am J Sociol 109(1):107–145, 2003). The making and application of economic theories and models contribute actively and intentionally towards the making of our social world, by encouraging, guiding and legitimizing actions and decisions, or discouraging others, and by steering them in certain directions. It follows that economists do not simply draw maps of the economic territory within their compass: they are not straightforwardly the cartographers of the economy, and cannot be seen as the disinterested observers that they commonly represent themselves to be, and indeed are often thought of as. Their theoretical work has or aims at practical consequences for the economy, and indeed for society at large, and their interests and influence are thus by no means confined to academia alone. This article calls for a discussion of the ethical responsibilities of economists, and of economics, and challenges the discipline properly to assume those responsibilities; and it concludes by considering the key questions—what makes a ‘good’ economic model; and what criteria should be used to distinguish the good models, and the ‘good ways’ of handling models and their results, from the bad ones. As far as epistemology, the methodology of research programmes and the relation of theory and (social) practice are concerned, the insights of mainly von Hayek (Br J Philos Sci 6(23):209–225, 1955, The pretence of knowledge. Lecture to the memory of Alfred Nobel, 1974; Individualism and economic order, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 33–56, 1980a; Individualism and economic order, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 57–76, 1980b; The theory of complex phenomena. Readings in the philosophy of social science, MIT Press, Cambridge, 1994) and Popper (e.g. The myth of the framework: in defence of science and rationality, Routledge, New York 1994a; Models, instruments, and truth. The status of the rationality principle in the social sciences, pp 154–184, 1994b) provide the background of my discussion of the mentioned issues.