Estimating Fatality Reductions from Increased Safety Belt Use

Fatality reductions from increases in safety belt use are estimated taking into account that drivers who change from being nonusers to being users have lower accident involvement rates than the remaining nonusers, a process referred to as "selective recruitment." Analytical functions are derived which express expected fatality reductions in terms of changes in safety belt use rates from an initial rate. The function parameters are determined by requiring that computed average crash rates for nonusers be 53% higher than the rates for users, a recently determined empirical value. These functions show that, depending on the initial use rate and use rate increase, selective recruitment may increase or decrease expected fatality reductions. However, effects are relatively small, in no case exceeding +/- 5.3%.     

Effects of Increased Auto Safety Belt Use Levels on Fatalities

To reduce the annual toll of highway deaths, more than 30 states have passed laws mandating the use of safety belts. All have been effective at raising safety belt use; equipped with different provisions and enforced with unequal care, however, they have done so to different degrees. The article estimates the relationship between attained belt use and fatalities averted. Monthly 1982-1986 fatality, collision, belt use, and other data from 64 areas in nine states were collected, then analyzed using a Poisson multiple regression model. The analysis indicates that an increase in belt use from 14-40% averts about 13% of fatalities; a more pronounced increase to 50% averts about 18%. An increase from 50-75% averts about 16% of remaining fatalities. Three significant conclusions emerge. First, previous estimates appear to have understated, in general, the overall effectiveness of belt use laws. Second, the benefits of programs to boost safety belt use in this country from its current level of about 50% to up to 75%, estimated on the basis of more direct evidence from U.S. data than previously available, appear to be very large. Third, Poisson and other multiple regression models including explicit allowance for other causal factors can usefully complement other statistical approaches in traffic safety studies.     

An analysis of safety culture attitudes in a highly regulated environment

Culture is a complex construct in organizations, consisting of attitudes, perceptions, values and beliefs, which must necessarily be set in context. Many authors imply that culture is organization-wide and common to all employees. In terms of safety culture, the organizational context may determine its salience and likelihood of affecting behaviour, especially in a highly regulated environment such as the nuclear industry. This study investigates the components of safety culture and how it varies in a highly-regulated nuclear power plant. A 60-item questionnaire measuring safety attitudes and values was administered anonymously to 1550 employees at two plants in the UK nuclear industry, with a 64.7% mean response rate. Principal components analyses revealed six factors conceptually common to shop floor and management (supervisor/manager/professional) groups for both plants, relating to: management style and communication; responsibility and commitment; risk-taking; job satisfaction; complacency; and risk awareness. A canonical discriminant analysis of the items suggested that the data could distinguish three employee groups. The implications of these findings and the proposal that there are two or more safety cultures in the organization is discussed.     

R&D员工领导创新期望、内部动机与创新行为研究

在现代组织行为研究领域推动员工创造、创新的组织行为研究是一个热点问题。本文通过对我国跨地区企业研发员工的问卷调查研究对领导创新期望、员工内部工作动机及其创新行为间的关系进行了实证探讨。研究发现,在我国背景下,直属领导对下属员工的创新期望、员工之间横向交换对研发员工创新的行为都具有正向预测作用,其中员工内在工作动机在领导创新期望、员工横向交换对员工创新行为的作用路径关系中起到中介效应。本研究的调查结论不仅有助于加深我们对组织内员工创新行为推动和作用机制的深入了解,同时也会对我国企业,特别是高新技术企业推动员工创新的管理实践提供借鉴。     

An analysis of safety culture attitudes in a highly regulated environment

Culture is a complex construct in organizations, consisting of attitudes, perceptions, values and beliefs, which must necessarily be set in context. Many authors imply that culture is organization-wide and common to all employees. In terms of safety culture, the organizational context may determine its salience and likelihood of affecting behaviour, especially in a highly regulated environment such as the nuclear industry. This study investigates the components of safety culture and how it varies in a highly-regulated nuclear power plant. A 60-item questionnaire measuring safety attitudes and values was administered anonymously to 1550 employees at two plants in the UK nuclear industry, with a 64.7% mean response rate. Principal components analyses revealed six factors conceptually common to shop floor and management (supervisor/manager/professional) groups for both plants, relating to: management style and communication; responsibility and commitment; risk-taking; job satisfaction; complacency; and risk awareness. A canonical discriminant analysis of the items suggested that the data could distinguish three employee groups. The implications of these findings and the proposal that there are two or more safety cultures in the organization is discussed.     

The role of work-related personal projects during two burnout interventions: a longitudinal study

Burnout is nowadays a common problem among employees, and a new approach to reduce its extent is needed. This study looked at burnout interventions in terms of personal goals and/or projects. These represent what individuals are striving to achieve, and include work-related goals. Our aim was to examine the extent to which two kinds of burnout intervention, in the form of different types of psychotherapy, influence employees’ personal projects. The two types of therapy were psychoanalytic and experiential, both in the form of group therapy. To determine the extent, 62 employees who had contacted the Helsinki Occupational Health Services suffering from severe burnout participated, in the course of a single year, in 16 sessions of either analytic or experiential group psychotherapy. In addition, 28 employees suffering from severe burnout served as controls. All the participants filled in Little's Personal Project Analysis and the Bergen Burnout Indicator one month before the intervention, in the middle of the intervention and one month after the intervention. The results showed that among participants in the intervention groups the level of burnout decreased. Further, the number of work-related personal projects, project-related negative emotions, and tendencies towards negative action, decreased among those in the intervention groups compared to the control group. Moreover, project-related progress, social support and managing project-related emotions increased during the intervention. Finally, the results showed that when the negative emotions related to personal projects decreased during intervention, the level of burnout also decreased.     

Servant leadership

As corporations are eagerly pursuing reengineering and reorganization, leadership functions are changing to champion these efforts. Traditionally, organizations have had a "top-down" management approach, however, there is a gradual shift to other leadership models. Servant leadership is being successfully implemented in many settings. Servant leadership, first popularized by Robert Greenleaf in 1970, puts serving others as the number one priority. Ten characteristics of a servant leader include: Listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community. Both servant leadership and the chaos theory have in common the central tenet of relationships. Since America is now approximately 80 percent a "service-economy," servant leadership can greatly benefit the individual employees, as well as help to facilitate the organization's pursuit of its changing strategic plans.     

股权质押与市值管理:基于中国沪深股市A股上市公司的实证检验

本文以沪深两市上市公司为研究对象,基于2012-2016年的样本数据,运用STATA14探讨了上市公司发生股权质押后,相较不存在股权质押的公司是否会更有可能进行市值管理,以及股权质押、股权激励和市值管理三者之间的传导机制。基于相关数据的实证结果显示,控股股东在发生股权质押行为后,为了避免股价发生异常波动或者持续下跌从而引发公司治理层面的风险,相较不存在控股股东股权质押情形的公司的确更有可能进行市值管理;进一步分析发现,股权质押后,控股股东会通过股权激励这种手段来进行市值管理。     

A Comparison of Strategies for Facilitating Smoking Survey Return in Low-SES Employees

Antecedent-only and discriminated operant interventions were used to increase the return rate of surveys measuring smoking behavior and attitudes toward a smoke-free policy in low SES employees. Subjects in four groups were exposed to antecedent only interventions (Reduced Response Cost or Repeated Prompting) or discriminated operant interventions (Promised Punishment or Promised Reward). The discriminated operant interventions yielded a higher percentage of surveys returned, with the Promised Reward intervention resulting in the highest percentage of surveys returned (89.84%). These results are consistent with recent organizational behavior management research comparing the relative efficacy of antecedent interventions and discriminated operant interventions, as well as with research comparing the relative efficacy of behavior maintained by aversive and positively reinforcing contingencies.     

The role of work-related personal projects during two burnout interventions: a longitudinal study

Burnout is nowadays a common problem among employees, and a new approach to reduce its extent is needed. This study looked at burnout interventions in terms of personal goals and/or projects. These represent what individuals are striving to achieve, and include work-related goals. Our aim was to examine the extent to which two kinds of burnout intervention, in the form of different types of psychotherapy, influence employees' personal projects. The two types of therapy were psychoanalytic and experiential, both in the form of group therapy. To determine the extent, 62 employees who had contacted the Helsinki Occupational Health Services suffering from severe burnout participated, in the course of a single year, in 16 sessions of either analytic or experiential group psychotherapy. In addition, 28 employees suffering from severe burnout served as controls. All the participants filled in Little's Personal Project Analysis and the Bergen Burnout Indicator one month before the intervention, in the middle of the intervention and one month after the intervention. The results showed that among participants in the intervention groups the level of burnout decreased. Further, the number of work-related personal projects, project-related negative emotions, and tendencies towards negative action, decreased among those in the intervention groups compared to the control group. Moreover, project-related progress, social support and managing project-related emotions increased during the intervention. Finally, the results showed that when the negative emotions related to personal projects decreased during intervention, the level of burnout also decreased.     

Mandatory Belt Use and Driver Risk Taking

A study of driver behavior before and after a mandatory seat belt use law in Newfoundland found that the benefits of such legislation are not reduced by riskier driving, as has been suggested by some theorists. On average, belt use in Newfoundland increased from 16% of drivers before the law to 77% after the law. At the same time, the quality of driving changed very little when compared to control groups of Nova Scotia drivers, who were not subject to the law and whose belt use rates did not change. In only one situation did Newfoundland drivers differ from the control group in Nova Scotia: after the belt law, drivers in Newfoundland became relatively more cautious (slower) in their speeds on four-lane expressways. These data confirm the results of earlier less controlled studies that also found no changes in driving behavior following nonvoluntary changes in occupant protection. Since the "risk-compensation" hypothesis predicts such changes, it seems to have no merit in explaining changes in fatalities and injuries after occupant protection legislation.     

Work-related psychosocial,physical and individual factors associated with musculoskeletal symptoms in computer users

The aim of this study was to study associations between psychosocial, physical and individual factors, and musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck, shoulder and hand/wrist regions of computer users. Questionnaires were distributed to 5033 employees in 11 Danish companies; these employees all used computers for at least some of their work time. The response rate was 69% ( n = 3475). The analyses were based on employees working 32-41 h/week ( n = 2579). Symptomatic respondents reported symptoms for at least 8 days within the previous year. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used. Gender (female), age and duration of employment in the same job were associated with an increased prevalence of symptoms. High quantitative job demands and low possibilities for development at work were predictors of neck and hand/wrist symptoms. A high degree of repetitiveness and disturbing reflections on the computer screen were associated with symptoms in all three body regions. Repetitive movements were defined as the same finger, hand or arm movements performed many times per minute for at least 75% of their work time. Repetitiveness was the only factor that could partly explain associations between symptoms and duration of computer use, i.e. respondents who used the computer almost all the time at work reported more repetitive movements than those who used it less. Thus, long hours of computer use may be associated with musculoskeletal symptoms, due to physical factors such as repetitive movements, whereas psychosocial factors appeared to be associated with the symptoms independently of the duration of computer use.     

Work-related psychosocial, physical and individual factors associated with musculoskeletal symptoms in computer users

The aim of this study was to study associations between psychosocial, physical and individual factors, and musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck, shoulder and hand/wrist regions of computer users. Questionnaires were distributed to 5033 employees in 11 Danish companies; these employees all used computers for at least some of their work time. The response rate was 69% ( n = 3475). The analyses were based on employees working 32-41 h/week ( n = 2579). Symptomatic respondents reported symptoms for at least 8 days within the previous year. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used. Gender (female), age and duration of employment in the same job were associated with an increased prevalence of symptoms. High quantitative job demands and low possibilities for development at work were predictors of neck and hand/wrist symptoms. A high degree of repetitiveness and disturbing reflections on the computer screen were associated with symptoms in all three body regions. Repetitive movements were defined as the same finger, hand or arm movements performed many times per minute for at least 75% of their work time. Repetitiveness was the only factor that could partly explain associations between symptoms and duration of computer use, i.e. respondents who used the computer almost all the time at work reported more repetitive movements than those who used it less. Thus, long hours of computer use may be associated with musculoskeletal symptoms, due to physical factors such as repetitive movements, whereas psychosocial factors appeared to be associated with the symptoms independently of the duration of computer use.     

True patient safety begins at the top. Leaders at one large health system rally around safety,avoid blame game

Making patient safety the No. 1 priority at a hospital or clinic sounds like a easy task. It isn't. At one Oklahoma health system, an improved patient safety program is a massive effort requiring input and participation from every member of the staff. Figuring out how to convince employees that patient safety is their first priority means developing an extensive communication and education program.     

低碳港口存货质押贷款利率定价理论和模型

在港口低碳转型大趋势下,港口存货类质押贷款业务在实践中得到高速发展,如何在港口物流存货质押贷款理论决策中融入低碳港口约束因素、间接推动港口转型升级显得十分迫切。本研究深入探讨低碳转型下的港口质押贷款利率决策理论,提出了无风险套利原理、期权调整利差原理、低碳控制原理和质押风险控制原理。在此基础上,借助看跌期权反映客户违约风险调整价差、构建质押货物的碳排风险调整价差、采用VaR方法界定港口存货类质押率,建立了低碳港口流动性较强存货类物流质押贷款利率决策模型。重要参数敏感性分析表明:质押贷款利率与质押率呈现初始平稳、后上升、最后显著下滑,与回收率、质押物初始价格和质押物价格增长率三参数呈现初始显著下滑,最后平稳,与碳排治理成本率、融资成本率、经营成本率、无风险利率四参数呈现同方向类线性增长变化,与质押物价格波动率、质押物价值变动率两参数呈现反方向变化。最后,采用某港口实际数据,验证了模型可行性、可用性。     

Social networking and HRD

Social networking websites (SNSs) are becoming an increasingly predominant part of people’s daily lives, including working lives. Yet, very little academic research has been conducted on this influential social phenomenon from en employment perspective. This exploratory study examines the impact of SNSs on human resourcing (HR) through interviews with eight employees and three HR professionals to gain their views and experiences of SNS in the workplace. Key findings include how potential applicants are suspicious of the legitimacy of job advertisements seen on SNSs; managing the use of SNSs is increasingly difficult for organisations due to SNSs being widely available on mobile phones; disciplinary action is being brought against employees who are using SNSs inappropriately; and training sessions for employees regarding the use of SNSs significantly reduce inappropriate use of SNSs. Implications for further research and practice are considered.     

Value similarity about human resources,competitiveness and social responsibility: A study of organizational and suborganizational differences

This study explored the perception of value similarity between employees and top management. Three types of organizational values were identified including values concerning the use of human resources, the competitiveness of the firm, and the importance of social responsibility. Two organizations and two subpopulations within one organization were examined to determine if differences exist in the way different groups configure their values. The results revealed that the importance of value similarity on the use of human resources was univocal or common to both organizations and subpopulations. In contrast, similarity on competitiveness values and social responsibility values were found to vary and thus operate uniquely for different organizations and subgroups. The implications of these findings for the universality versus uniqueness debate within the culture literature and the future measurement of organizational value constructs are discussed.     

The Use of Video Modeling,Prompting, and Feedback to Increase Credit Card Promotion in a Retail Setting

We evaluated the use of video modeling, role play, prompting, and feedback to increase credit card promotion by sales associates in a retail setting. We first used the Performance Diagnostic Checklist (Austin, 2000 Austin, J. 2000. “Performance analysis and performance diagnostics”. In Handbook of applied behavior analysis, Edited by: Austin, J. and Carr, J. E. 321–349. Reno, NV: Context Press.  [Google Scholar]) to identify the variables contributing to the poor performance of two sales associates. Based on the results, we developed an intervention package that included a video model, instructional prompt cards, role play, and feedback. During baseline, target employees asked a mean of 26% of customers to enroll in the credit card program. Following intervention, target employees asked a mean of 84% of customers to enroll in the credit card program. Furthermore, employees rated the intervention as enjoyable, as effective, and as a system that they would continue to use. The results illustrate the effectiveness of video modeling, prompting, and feedback in increasing credit card promotions and delivering critical information about the card to daily customers.     

Risk, Trust, and Safety Culture in U.K. Train Operating Companies

Organizational safety culture reflects the attitudes and behaviors that individuals share in considering and reacting to hazards and risks. We first argue that trust is an underdeveloped and important concept in relation to theories of safety culture and high-reliability organizations. The article then reports findings from a two-year qualitative study of train operating companies (TOCs) in the United Kingdom, which sought to explore in detail the linkages between safety culture and the postprivatized railway industry. In-depth interviews and focus groups were carried out with a sample of over 500 employees, from four organizations, and representing all key functional levels. Our analysis suggests that the 1993 privatization, and subsequent organizational restructuring of the U.K. railway industry, has had important repercussions for both safety culture and trust relationships. We explore our findings in relation to three key constructs within "safe organizations" theories (namely, flexibility, commitment, and learning), and discuss how the safe organization model might be usefully supplemented by a consideration of trust issues.     

What Makes Performance-Related Pay Schemes Work? Finnish Evidence

We analyze how features of performance-related pay (PRP) schemes affect their perceived motivational effects using a Finnish survey for upper white-collar employees from 1999. The results show that the following features are important for a successful PRP scheme: (i) the employees have to feel they are able to affect the outcomes; (ii) the organizational level of the performance measurement should be close to the employee: individual and team level performance measurement increase the probability that the scheme is perceived to be motivating; (iii) employees should be familiar with the performance measures; (iv) the level of payments should be high enough and rewards frequent enough. Levels below the median do not generate positive effects; (v) employees should participate in the design of the PRP scheme.