Employee Well‐being and the HRM–Organizational Performance Relationship: A Review of Quantitative Studies

There is a lack of consensus on the role of employee well‐being in the human resource management–organizational performance relationship. This review examines which of the competing perspectives –‘mutual gains’ or ‘conflicting outcomes’– is more appropriate for describing this role of employee well‐being. In addition, this review examines whether study attributes such as the measurement of key variables, the level of analysis and the study design affect a study's outcomes. The review covers 36 quantitative studies published from 1995 to May 2010. Employee well‐being is described here using three dimensions: happiness, health and relationship. The main findings are that employee well‐being in terms of happiness and relationship is congruent with organizational performance (mutual gains perspective), but that health‐related well‐being appears to function as a conflicting outcome. Directions for future research and theoretical development are suggested.     

The estimation of the number of balls put in a sequence of urns

Let X₁,…,X_2n be independent and identically distributed copies of the non-negative integer valued random variable X distributed according to the unknown frequency function f(x). A total of 2n disjoint sequences of urns, each consisting of k urns, are given. X_j balls are placed in urn sequence j (1 ≤ j ≤ 2n). Each ball is placed in an urn of a given sequence with a certain known probability independently of the other balls. The variables X₁,…,X_2n are not observed; rather we observe whether certain pairs of urns are both empty or not. Our object is to estimate the mean μ of the number of balls X. Two different kinds of estimators of μ are investigated. One of the estimators studied is a method of moments type estimator while the other is motivated by the maximum likelihood principle. These estimators are compared on the basis of their asymptotic mean squared error as k tends to infinity. An application of these results to a problem in genetics involved with estimating codon substitution rates is discussed.     

Trust in Government Actions During the COVID-19 Crisis

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic puts countries and their governments in an unprecedented situation. Strong countermeasures have been implemented in most places, but how much do people trust their governments in handling this crisis? Using data from a worldwide survey, conducted between March 20th and April 22nd, 2020, with more than 100,000 participants, we study people’s perceptions of government reactions in 57 countries. We find that media freedom reduces government trust directly as well as indirectly via a more negative assessment of government reactions as either insufficient or too strict. Higher level of education is associated with higher government trust and lower tendency to judge government reactions as too extreme. We also find different predictors of perceived insufficient reactions vs. too-extreme reactions. In particular, number of COVID-19 deaths significantly predicts perceived insufficient reactions but is not related to perceived too-extreme reactions. Further survey evidence suggests that conspiracy theory believers tend to perceive government countermeasures as too strict.

     

Equilibria for far-sighted players

A new equilibrium concept for non-cooperative games, based on the assumptions that players are rational and far-sighted, is examined. An outcome is extended non-myopically (XNM) stable for a player if that player is assured that no movecountermove sequence he could initiate by departing unilaterally from that outcome would benefit him. The extended non-myopic (XNM) equilibria of a game, the outcomes which are XNM stable for each player, therefore model permanent (enduring) equilibria in an ongoing conflict.Algorithms for the identification of XNM equilibria in a 2 × 2 game are presented. The XNM concepts are then applied to three special classes of games (no-conflict games, games of complete opposition, and strict ordinal games) to compare their predictions of long-term stability with the known properties of games in these classes.Research supported by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Grant No. A8974.     

Indigenous Policy and Mutual Obligation: Shared or Shifting Responsibility Agreements?

Shared Responsibility Agreements (SRAs) are a key instrument of the Federal Government's new arrangements for the administration of Indigenous affairs. SRAs, described by the Government as a form of ‘mutual obligation’, require Indigenous communities to commit to behavioural changes or other actions in order to access ‘discretionary’ government funding for infrastructure or services. There are significant political, moral and practical issues raised by SRAs. In this paper we contend that despite the language of mutuality, flexibility and choice that accompanies SRAs, the approach appears more aptly associated with ‘divide and conquer’ tactics and a subtle shifting of responsibility for problems from governments to Indigenous communities themselves. In this paper we explore the concepts of mutual obligation and reciprocity, the structural biases that favour the state and its agencies over Indigenous communities in the SRA negotiation process, and issues of citizenship entitlements and accountability that are raised. Finally, acknowledging that SRAs can be a means for Indigenous communities to access greatly needed funding, we suggest various strategies and measures that could be taken up to make the SRA framework more equitable and effective.     

How Do Voters Form Expectations about the Parties' Chances of Winning the Election?*

Objective. This article examines the factors that form voters' perceptions of the parties' chances of winning at both the national and the local levels. Method. We make use of the 1988 Canadian Election Study and we employ a HLM model to estimate the effect of individual‐level and contextual‐level variables. Results. It is shown that voters' expectations are affected by a combination of “objective” contextual information and personal preferences (projection effects). Conclusion. The basic contextual information that is utilized to ascertain local chances is the outcome of the previous election in the local constituency, whereas polls are crucial in the case of perceived national chances. We also find that the most politically aware are more strongly influenced by “objective” indicators.     

For Those Who Like Odds: A Direct Interpretation of the Logit Coefficient for Continuous Variables*

Objective. Researchers have suggested a number of different methods for interpreting the coefficients in a logit model. Unfortunately, many of these interpretations suffer from a lack clarity or involve a substantial number of manipulations of the logit coefficient prior to interpretation. In this article, we discuss a straightforward method of interpreting logit coefficients for continuous dependent variables without the need for extensive transformation. Method. Drawing on Stolzenberg's (1979) techniques for interpreting logarithmic regression models, we demonstrate that the logit coefficient multiplied by 100 can be directly interpreted as the percentage change in the odds given a unit change in the independent variable. We also derive an analogous interpretation for ordinal logit models. Results. After these derivations, the ease of this technique is demonstrated using a simple logit model. Conclusion. Given the generality of this interpretation, as well as its ease of computation, it is hoped that researchers from a number of disciplines will adopt this strategy for interpreting logit models.