Gender inequality in wage earnings and female self-employment selection

Female self-employment has risen strongly over the last few decades and has become an important labor market development. The few studies that have examined women’s decision to become self-employed indicate that this decision is complex. Women are more likely than men to shoulder family-related obligations, especially child rearing, and there is evidence that this affects some women’s propensity to become self-employed. Also, women have yet to achieve full economic parity with men in wage employment. This paper specifically examines how gender inequality in wage earnings may precipitate some women’s selection out of wage employment and into self-employment. We find that women’s lower wage returns to observed worker characteristics have a positive and significant effect on women’s decision to switch from wage employment to self-employment.     

Gender discrimination and self-employment dynamics in Europe

This paper examines the effect that gender-based earnings discrimination has on self-employment dynamics among females, with a focus on four countries in Western Europe. Using data from the European Community Household Panel in the 1999–2001 time period, we test the hypothesis that the probability of moving into self-employment is positively related to prior earnings discrimination, as measured by unexplained deviations from expected (male) earnings. Our findings suggest that women who have lower than expected wage sector earnings are more likely to leave wage employment in the following year. The results with respect to discrimination, per se, however, are mixed.     

Employment effects of trade in intermediate and final goods: An empirical assessment

The steady growth of international trade in intermediate goods and services has made the relationship between trade and the international division of labour more complex. For 39 countries, the author decomposes the employment effects of international trade into five components, namely, the labour content of – or employment generated by – (1) exports; (2) imports; (3) the import content of exports; (4) the export content of imports; and (5) the third‐country import content of imports. He shows that in 2009, trade in intermediate goods accounted for some 88 million jobs – 14 per cent of all jobs generated by international trade – while the import content of exports accounted for 44 million jobs.     

Social capital and business giving to charity following a natural disaster: An empirical assessment

This study examines the participation of local businesses in disaster relief efforts in their own communities. We utilize a unique survey of 463 businesses in Pitt County, North Carolina, collected shortly after devastating flooding caused by Hurricane Floyd. Our results indicate that managerial social capital especially through religious participation is positively related to provision of assistance to employees as well as making cash contributions and the value of cash donations. Manager ties to civic organizations positively predict in-kind donations including temporarily loaning vehicles and equipment to relief efforts. Local branches of national chains were less likely than locally owned franchises to provide assistance to employees and less likely than independent local businesses to provide in-kind contributions. We do not find evidence that business charitable giving is affected by the number of years the business operated in the community or the number of years the owner or manager has lived in the area.     

An empirical assessment of the Above the Influence advertising campaign

This study evaluated the efficacy of Above the Influence (ATI), a national media-based health persuasion campaign to deter youth drug use. The campaign uses public service anti-drug prevention messages and targets youth between the ages of 14 and 16, a period of heightened susceptibility to peer influences. The evaluation utilized mall intercepts from geographically dispersed regions of the country. Theoretical impetus for the campaign combines elements of the theory of reasoned action (TRA), persuasion theory, and the health belief model. A series of structural equation models were tested with four randomly drawn cross-validation samples (N = 3,000). Findings suggest that awareness of ATI is associated with greater anti-drug beliefs, fewer drug use intentions, and less marijuana use. Congruent with the TRA, changes in beliefs and intentions are intermediate steps linking campaign awareness with behavior. This study provides further evidence of positive campaign effects and may strengthen reliance on mass media health persuasion campaigns as a useful adjunct to other programs targeting youth.     

Sexual orientation and self-employment: New evidence

Early studies and theory suggest sexual minorities are drawn towards the relative independence of self-employment to avoid discrimination in paid employment. However, recent evidence is mixed, suggesting that a higher propensity for self-employment (relative to heterosexual people) is found only among lesbian women relative to heterosexual women. This study overcomes the data limitations of prior research by using data pooled from 2007–2017 cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) and multivariate logistic regression to provide new evidence on LGB self-employment. The results show that self-employment is particularly high for bisexual people, especially bisexual women—but not for gay men or lesbian women. Overall, this study examines the enduring but nuanced relationship between self-employment and sexual orientation and discusses countervailing factors related to socio-economic resources, gender, and family structure.     

Employment-at-will: An empirical analysis

State courts differ on the employment-at-will doctrine. Most allow maximum employer discretion in employee dismissals, but a few have added significant protections against arbitrary termination of employment. Our hypothesis, tested via a probit model, is that this variation among states can be explained by a combination of statewide economic and demographic characteristics. The model correctly predicts the employment-at-will position of 47 of 50 states.     

Capabilities and achievements: An empirical study

This paper contributes to the development of the capabilities approach by showing that capabilities can, counter prevailing wisdom, be measured. By operationalising the capabilities element of Sen's non-welfarist theory, the paper develops the data required by this novel approach to welfare economics and by exploring relations to life-satisfaction (happiness) it also examines new economic co-variates of experienced utility. A postal questionnaire is designed to examine elements of Sen's theory of capabilities and implemented on a random sample of English voters. Analysis of survey results includes ordinal logistic regression models of overall capabilities, rank correlations between own capabilities and views about the distribution of capabilities, rank correlations between capabilities and achievements and a set of ordered logit models explaining achievements as a function of corresponding capabilities. Furthermore, results show that it is possible to make statistically significant distinctions between different capabilities, that perceptions of others’ capabilities are sometimes related to own capabilities and that achievements appear, in general, to be related to corresponding capabilities. Finally, and in keeping with oft-found paradoxes in the happiness literature, an examination of co-variates suggests that satisfaction with capabilities might be negatively related to objective measures of opportunity.     

An empirical assessment of writing and research proficiency in HBCU social work students

ABSTRACT

Lack of proficiency in writing and research among social work students has increasingly concerned social work educators and practitioners. Given the significance of written communication with clients and emphasis on evidence-based practice in the field of social work, it is critical to assess students’ competence in both writing and research. However, deficit-based approaches to assessing writing and research competence have disadvantaged students at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This pilot study aims to assess writing and research proficiency of HBCU master’s of social work (MSW) students through empirical analysis of their capstone papers and surveys from educators to provide implications for developing a writing and research manual for social work programs at HBCUs. Ten capstone papers were randomly selected and qualitatively analyzed; nine faculty and one field supervisor completed the survey, and their respondents were analyzed using cross-case analysis. Analyses of the capstone papers identified two themes for writing and research domains, respectively: (1) weakness in developing statements and lack of knowledge of writing style and (2) plagiarism and lack of understanding of research structure. Moreover, analyses of the surveys revealed four themes regarding assessment of writing and research skills among students struggling with basic writing mechanics, indicating that HBCU MSW students may have potential and capacity for learning, as evidenced by their ideas and critical thinking skills. These findings suggest both teaching- and research-oriented programs could employ the proposed writing and research assessment manual, as well as a writing and research lab/center for improving writing and research skills among their students.     

Performance-based management and quality of work: an empirical assessment

In France, in the private sector as in the public sector, performance-based management tends to become a norm. Performance-based management is supposed to improve service quality, productivity and efficiency, transparency of allotted means and achieved results, and to better focus the activity of employees and of the whole organization. This text reports a study conducted for the French Ministry of Budget by a team of researchers in ergonomics, sociology and management science, in order to assess the impact of performance-based management on employees, on teams and on work organization. About 100 interviews were conducted with employees of all categories and 6 working groups were set up in order to discuss and validate or amend our first analyses. Results concern several aspects: workload and work intensification, indicators and performance management and the transformation of jobs induced by performance management.     

Top issues and responsive strategies in public relations practice: An empirical assessment in the Greater China area

An online survey of 132 public relations practitioners in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and, Taiwan revealed three issues (i.e., finding, developing and retaining highly talented communication, professionals, managing the digital revolution and rise of social media, and dealing with the speed and, volume of information flow) as the most urgent ones to deal with in today's public relations practice. Consequently, various responsive strategies have been applied to deal with emerging critical issues.     

An empirical assessment of the effect of professionalism on cynicism among prison guards

Prison guards have generally escaped social science inquiry. Although the prison guards’ officially prescribed role (custody and security) is straightforward, part of the problem is their isolation from the free society and the danger and uncertainty surrounding their work. One attitude that is potentially emergent in this problematic environment is cynicism. To minimize the effects of cynicism on prison guards, correctional agencies have devised and implemented a plan of professionalization, which is characterized by a concern for higher standards in all areas and improved benefits and working conditions. Our focus was evaluating the effect, if any, professionalism has on cynicism.

Analysis of data derived from 144 prison guards showed that the relationship between professionalism and cynicism is complex. Generally, only one professionalism dimension—sense of calling to the field—reduced a prison guard's cynicism. Effects of other professionalism dimensions on cynicism ranged from negligible to moderate.     

Union merger benefits: An empirical analysis

The incidence of union mergers is on the rise, yet the determinants of the benefits of merging have never been systematically addressed. This article reports the results of research which identifies and validates five dimensions of union merger benefits. The author thanks Gary Chaison, Bob Hinings, Royston Greenwood, Phil Kienast, John Butler, and an anonymous referee for their advice and assistance with the study.     

Justice and Gender: An Instrumental and Symbolic Explication

This study contrasts how men and women in public relations perceive a global standard of justice with how they experience justice issues instrumentally. Many of the differences that exist between men and women in public relations may be explained by the inherent differences between symbolic and instrumental beliefs about these issues.

The general impression derived from a survey of the literature is that the ideal of justice and the reality of women's experiences continue to diverge in many areas, despite considerable progress. (D. H. Broom, 1984, p. xv)     

Emotional intelligence and public relations: An empirical review

Since the 1990s, the concept of emotional intelligence has garnered growing popular and scholarly attention in the past several decades. Emotional intelligence is generally defined as one’s ability to recognize one’s own emotions, regulate them, recognize others’ emotions, and manage social relationships and is proposed to yield various desirable outcomes for organizations. This study provides a critical and comprehensive review of empirical studies on the role of emotional intelligence in various domains of public relations practice. Findings reveal that existing research has focused mostly on emotional intelligence as a competency vital to effective leadership and employee communication in organizations. Considerable research has also examined emotional intelligence as a necessity for effective crisis management and communication. This study calls for investigating the role of emotional intelligence in different areas of public relations such as media relations and community relations, for improved measurement and methodological pluralism in future research, for EI-based training for future public relations leaders, and for an EI model of professionalism in public relations education.     

Perceived risk and risk relievers: An empirical investigation

A set of hypotheses related to the importance of four types of perceived risks in nine product classes were examined. Simultaneously the relieving ability of nine risk-reducing strategies was investigated. Brand loyalty for the non-durable experience goods, money-back guarantee and store image for the durable experience goods and shopping for the search goods ranked among the best risk relievers. It was also showed that it is sometimes possible to predict from knowledge of the type of risk that is ranked as highest which risk reliever will be ranked as highest.