Work and non-work factors as perceived causes of symptoms of psychological strain

Two studies are reported in which the respondents were asked to attribute causes to their experienced symptoms of stress as measured by the General Health Questionnaire. The results show that most respondents can do this, that there are differences in attributions by symptoms, and that the pattern of attributions is similar for two different occupational groups, even though the level of symptomology is higher for nurses than for laboratory workers. It is argued that this simple addition to symptom questionnaires might have useful diagnostic value, but that further research with different populations and other symptoms is desirable.     

Stress,social support and psychological well-being in British accountants

Abstract

This paper reports an exploratory study of stress, social support and psychological well-being in British chartered accountants, using data from 399 self-report questionnaires. The results suggest that the underlying structure of stress in British accountancy can be explained by three dimensions; quantitative overload stressors, professional/administrative interface stressors and nuisance stressors. The underlying structure of social support for the sample can be represented by three dimensions of help support, social dependability and esteem support. Intensity of quantitative overload stressors, intensity of professional/administrative interface stressors and all three dimensions of support were found to be related to psychological well-being in the sample. Differences between these variables, types of organization and organizational position were examined. The results are discussed with reference to stress management interventions for accountants. Possible generalizations to other professional groups are discussed.     

Waiting: integrating social and psychological perspectives in operations management

Waiting time is an important issue in service operations management because of its impact on customer satisfaction and operations capabilities. This paper examines waiting time from a social and psychological perspective. It provides a conceptual framework which identifies social and psychological factors that affect perceptions of waiting. The conceptual framework enables service managers to rethink operational issues, such as layout design, process choices, and service delivery from customers’ perceptions of waiting. Assimilation–contrast theory suggests that perceived waiting time be linked to expected waiting time and its gap leads to customers’ overall evaluation of service. A customer’s willingness to accept delay is related to the causes for delay as explained by attribution theory. Approaching waiting time from a stress management theory, this paper provides service managers with various stress-reduction mechanisms such as giving customers advance notice of expected waiting time, speeding up pre-process waiting time, and acknowledging customers’ rights to quick service. These practical suggestions can aid service managers in reducing perceived waiting time, enhancing customers’ waiting experience, and improving queue management.     

Stress, social support and psychological well-being in British accountants

This paper reports an exploratory study of stress, social support and psychological well-being in British chartered accountants, using data from 399 self-report questionnaires. The results suggest that the underlying structure of stress in British accountancy can be explained by three dimensions; quantitative overload stressors, professional/administrative interface stressors and nuisance stressors. The underlying structure of social support for the sample can be represented by three dimensions of help support, social dependability and esteem support. Intensity of quantitative overload stressors, intensity of professional/administrative interface stressors and all three dimensions of support were found to be related to psychological well-being in the sample. Differences between these variables, types of organization and organizational position were examined. The results are discussed with reference to stress management interventions for accountants. Possible generalizations to other professional groups are discussed.     

The relationship of work stressors, coping and social support to psychological symptoms among female secretarial employees

A conceptual framework is advanced that assumes that psychological symptoms emerge within multiple contexts, such as the workplace, and are influenced by the interplay of individual and situational risk and protective factors over time. This framework was utilized to examine the impact of work and work-family role stressors, coping, and work-related social support on psychological symptoms among 239 female, secretarial employees in the USA, using both cross-sectional and longitudinal structural equation models. Work stressors and avoidance coping were viewed as risk factors, and active coping and social support as protective factors. Work stressors contributed substantially to increased symptoms, primarily through a direct pathway in the cross-sectional model, but also indirectly to both Time 1 and Time 2 symptoms (4 months later) via pathways through active and avoidance coping. In both models, avoidance coping also predicted increased symptoms. Avoidance coping also served to partially mediate the relationship between work stressors and symptoms in the cross-sectional model, but not in the longitudinal model. Active coping was related to fewer psychological symptoms in both models, thereby reducing the negative effect of work stressors on symptoms. Likewise, work-related social support served an indirect protective function by contributing to lower levels of reported work stressors and greater use of active coping. Work stressors but not active coping mediated the relationship between social support and symptoms. Implications for future research and workplace interventions are discussed.     

Stress, social support, and psychological and physical wellbeing in secondary school teachers

In order to evaluate the relationship between stress and social support, on the one hand, and indices of psychological and physical health, on the other, questionnaires were administered to 120 secondary school teachers. Full data were retrieved from 88 teachers, a response rate of 73%. Bivariate correlational analysis revealed associations between life stress and job stress and a variety of General Health Questionnaire measures of psychological wellbeing. Job stress was also correlated with self-reported short-term sickness absences from work. Social support measures were not. in the main, predictive of psychological health outcome measures. In contrast, neither stress nor social support measures were related to self-reported physical health problems or long-term sickness absences. It would appear that self-reported stress is largely associated with psychological wellbeing, and is not substantially related to indices of physical wellbeing. The former relationship does not appear to be substantially mediated by social support, and may be reflective of a general plaintive set.     

Strategic planning and inflation

The author of this article argues that inflation is a neglected area in corporate planning despite the events of 1974/1975. The planning problem which companies face because of inflation is defined, while acknowledging that it is difficult to solve. Recent experience has shown that inflation has a direct impact on every major area of business. Thus it is essential that there is a meaningful attempt to handle these problems in planning. The author discusses his approach to grasping this nettle.     

Accounting for inflation: The need for action

The article was prepared at a time when the business community still seemed very uncertain about the significance of changing price levels in relation to accounting statements. Those, including the author, who believed that the unadjusted figures being produced in company revenue accounts and balance sheets gave potentially misleading information sought in various ways, mainly in books and articles, to give greater awareness of the problem. The author's contribution was designed to demonstrate, simply and unequivocally, how business capital, in real terms, is liable to be eroded in periods of rising prices.     

通货膨胀的稳定性与最优通货膨胀

建立了财政和货币政策协作的最优政策模型,研究了通货膨胀的稳定性与最优通胀．分析结果表明,通胀的稳定性需要政策制定者利用政策规则促进市场结构向有利于维持通胀稳定的市场竞争结构、货币需求偏好以及市场预期方向运动,经济增长中 Ramsey 均衡的最优通胀是零边界,零边界的最优通胀水平依赖于市场微观机制和政策机制．在财政和货币政策协作机制的 Ramsey 均衡下,政府能够使用政策让通货膨胀向最优路径运动,政府也能够影响市场结构促使最优通胀的实现． 经分析证实,没有证据表明最优的通胀率为 2%．     

Job insecurity and work outcomes: The role of psychological contract breach and positive psychological capital

Job insecurity has received growing attention from researchers because it poses serious challenges for organisations and for society as a whole. However, there are insufficient studies about the processes through which job insecurity affects outcomes as well as potential ways to reduce its negative impact. This study focuses on the relationship between job insecurity and individual-level outcomes (in-role performance and organisational deviance) and examines if (a) job insecurity is positively and/or negatively related to work outcomes, (b) psychological contract breach acts as a mediator of the relationship between job insecurity and work outcomes, and (c) positive psychological capital (PsyCap) buffers the job insecurity–work outcomes relationship via psychological contract breach. With a sample of 362 employee–supervisor dyads, in which the outcome measures were collected from the supervisors, we found support for our hypotheses. Specifically, we found a moderated mediation effect, whereby PsyCap moderates the negative indirect relationship of job insecurity on outcomes through psychological contract breach.     

Some aspects of inflation and published accounts

Company accounts are at present drafted in an uneasy compromise between different objectives. It is not yet generally appreciated that no single figure or set of figures can sum up the whole financial state of an enterprise. The basic tools of financial management are short and long-run cash projections and the reports of actual flows which monitor these. The problem in drafting annual accounts so that they will help shareholders and others to make decisions is that financial reality requires a look into the future and this in turn calls for subjective judgement. But the more realistic are the accounts in this sense, the less susceptible are they to objective audit. Inflation adds a further level of distortion, but the effects of this can be brought out in a relatively simple way by making corrections based on movements in a general index of prices. Although there are considerable practical difficulties it seems likely that a more fundamental improvement would be the introduction of a ‘current value’ or modified ‘replacement cost’ approach to ordinary accounting in addition to (but not in place of) the general index inflation correction.     

The psychological distance of climate change

Avoiding dangerous climate change is one of the most urgent social risk issues we face today and understanding related public perceptions is critical to engaging the public with the major societal transformations required to combat climate change. Analyses of public perceptions have indicated that climate change is perceived as distant on a number of different dimensions. However, to date there has been no in-depth exploration of the psychological distance of climate change. This study uses a nationally representative British sample in order to systematically explore and characterize each of the four theorized dimensions of psychological distance--temporal, social, and geographical distance, and uncertainty--in relation to climate change. We examine how each of these different aspects of psychological distance relate to each other as well as to concerns about climate change and sustainable behavior intentions. Results indicate that climate change is both psychologically distant and proximal in relation to different dimensions. Lower psychological distance was generally associated with higher levels of concern, although perceived impacts on developing countries, as an indicator of social distance, was also significantly related to preparedness to act on climate change. Our findings clearly point to the utility of risk communication techniques designed to reduce psychological distance. However, highlighting the potentially very serious distant impacts of climate change may also be useful in promoting sustainable behavior, even among those already concerned.     

The social auditor

The auditor is essentially a social animal. However, beyond this lies a type of audit called social audit which tries to strike a balance between an organization's social and more traditional business objectives. After the polar contrasting views of monetarist Friedman amd Marxism have been outlined, we concentrate on considering social audit in the more common mixed economy. With no statutory or other requirement for external social audit, the onus is on organizations to take their own initiatives. Internal resistance often needs to progress through five distinct phases to reach acceptance. Some organizations appoint consumer advocates, such as Esther Peterson. There is an underlying statutory basis to social audits, but if this is extended we enter the domain of external pressure groups, such as the private independent Social Audit and the statutory National Consumer Council. Finally, the scope and motivation for internalizing social audit is discussed.     

A review of inflation accounting and its economic implications

The purposes of this paper are firstly to identify the problems which inflation creates in the context of conventional accounting methods, secondly to consider the alternative forms of inflation accounting which have been proposed, thirdly to look in more detail at the particular method which is to be adopted in the UK, and finally to consider the effects which that method will have on company results and on broader economic issues.     

研发团队社会资本对创新绩效作用路径——心理安全和学习行为整合视角

一方面,研发团队作为企业创新活动的基本单位,对提升企业创新能力起着关键作用;另一方面,如何有效管理研发团队以促进创新,在现实中又面临严峻挑战.基于团队心理安全和学习行为整合视角,以151个研发团队585个研发成员为样本,实证研究研发团队社会资本对创新绩效的作用路径.研究结果表明:研发团队3维社会资本(结构、认知和关系)对创新绩效均具有显著的积极影响,团队学习行为部分中介团队心理安全与创新绩效的关系;团队心理安全部分中介团队社会资本与学习行为的关系;团队心理安全和学习行为分别部分中介团队结构资本、认知资本与创新绩效的关系,完全中介团队关系资本与创新绩效的关系.     

The psychological contract: A critical review

Literature on the psychological contract has blossomed progressively over the last ten years to the extent that it is now firmly located within the lexicon of the Human Resource Management (HRM) discipline. Yet as this review indicates, the theoretical assumptions that seem to pervade the psychological contract literature are not without major deficiencies, which in turn pose serious questions around the continued sustainability of the construct as currently constituted. This paper addresses some of the central problems presently confronting the theoretical side of the psychological contract literature. In seeking to advance knowledge and understanding, this review calls for an alternative approach to studying the psychological contract on the basis of a more critical and discursive literature analysis. From this, the authors unpick the construct of the psychological contract as portrayed in much of the extant literature and argue that, in its present form, it symbolizes an ideologically biased formula designed for a particular managerialist interpretation of contemporary work and employment.     

The economic evaluation of time: Organizational causes and individual consequences

People acquire ways of thinking about time partly in and from work organizations, where the control and measurement of time use is a prominent feature of modern management—an inevitable consequence of employees selling their time for money. In this paper, we theorize about the role organizational practices play in promoting an economic evaluation of time and time use—where time is thought of primarily in monetary terms and viewed as a scarce resource that should be used as efficiently as possible. While people usually make decisions about time and money differently, we argue that management practices that make the connection between time and money salient can heighten the economic evaluation of time. We consider both the organizational causes of economic evaluation as well as its personal and societal consequences.     

The contribution of the social sciences

The contribution which Social Science has made and may make to policy formulation in modern Europe is described and evaluated. The rapid economic growth of the post war period was accompanied by the growing impact of government economic policy but the contribution made by Social Science in most countries was limited. The questioning of growth and bureaucratization which has subsequently arisen offers new opportunities for Social Science in policy-making. At present, its contribution is handicapped by limitations of methodology, and in some circumstances by a lack of awareness of its value. A positive strategy is now required for the development and integration of Social Science into policy formulation.     

The impact of national culture and social capital on corporate social responsibility attitude among immigrants entrepreneurs

Although significant attention has been given to the phenomenon of immigrant entrepreneurship, little is known about the adoption of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in immigrant firms. Beyond the traditional social, cultural and regulatory challenges in the last years immigrant entrepreneurs have had to cope with the wide growing interest towards CSR, with raising expectations about firm’s environmental and social behaviors. This study provides initial insights on this topic by studying the effect of social capital and national culture on the immigrant entrepreneur’s attitude to adopt CSR in three areas: social, health and safety and environment. Sixty semi-structured interviews were conducted among immigrant entrepreneurs in the Italian Province of Milan; the first one for number of immigrant entrepreneurs. Data collected were analyzed through OLS regression. Findings shows that power distance and individualism/collectivism have a negative relation with all the three CSR areas, while uncertainty avoidance is negatively related only to environmental effort. We find out a robust relation between national culture and environmental and social practices and the health and safety area. The study concludes with practical implications and suggestions for future research. The paper is one of the first studies that address the topic of CSR among immigrant entrepreneurs. Understanding the commitment of this firms is relevant for the debate around CSR and SMEs, mainly because immigrant entrepreneurs are increasing their relevance in the developed countries.     

The contribution of supervisor behaviour to employee psychological well-being

Many employees affirm that supervisors affect employee well-being, and research has demonstrated associations between supervisor behaviour and employee psychological well-being. However, what hasn't been clear is the extent to which the association with supervisor behaviour compares with that of other variables known to affect well-being. This exploratory study addresses that issue. Our hypothesis was that supervisor behaviour can contribute to the prediction of psychiatric disturbance beyond the contribution of other influential variables. We created a new, questionnaire-based instrument to measure supervisor behaviour. We tested our hypothesis using stepwise regression with a convenience sample of 167 men and women working in a variety of organizations, occupations, and industries in the USA. Results supported our hypothesis: supervisor behaviour made a statistically significant contribution to the prediction of psychiatric disturbance beyond a step-one variate comprised of age, health practices, support from other people at work, support from home, stressful life events, and stressful work events. This provides additional evidence that supervisor behaviour can affect employee well-being and suggests that those seeking to create healthier workplaces should not neglect supervision. We believe that there is now ample justification for those concerned with psychosocial working conditions to consider supervisor behaviour as a potentially influential variable.

Furthermore, we believe that we have presented a new instrument for assessing supervisor behaviour that has the potential to be of value in future studies.