A test of the Maslach Burnout Inventory in three samples of healthcare professionals

Structural equation modelling with LISREL was used to investigate the factor structure of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Emotional exhaustion was the most robust of the MBI's three factors, followed by depersonalization, while the personal accomplishment factor performed weakly. A new measurement model was developed in a sample of 197 nurses consisting of the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization dimensions, which were measured with five and two empirical MBI indicators, respectively. A test of invariance of the two-factor model across three samples (i.e. one calibration sample of nurses, and two validation samples consisting of hospital laboratory technicians and hospital managers with an effective sample size of 445) produced a good fit for the proposed two-factor model. Assessment of psychometric properties of the two-factor model produced (1) internal consistencies comparable to those reported in the literature for the MBI's originally specified emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scales, and (2) correlations with criterion variables that were all in the expected direction and magnitude, comparable to those produced by the originally specified scales. Theoretical implications for the use of the two-factor model in burnout research are discussed.     

Plots of Conditional Wait-Time Intervals Provide Better Information to Queueing System Arrivals

The management of queues is a very important aspect of service operations management. One way to enhance the queueing experience is to provide customers with the most informative and certain estimate of anticipated wait time. This paper develops such a measure—referred to as the conditional wait-time interval (CWTI)—for queueing systems with exponentially distributed service times. It is especially applicable at the operational level of an organization since it utilizes the most current information on the status of the system (number of customers in the queue at arrival). CWTI is also based on two risk factors that consider the chance a customer's actual wait time is outside of the estimated range. This paper also provides a graphical means to display multiple CWTIs.     

Child well-being before and after the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns in three Australian states

This paper reports on changes in the social-emotional well-being of 6- to 12-year-old children tested before the COVID-19 pandemic and during 2020 and 2021. Well-being was assessed using a video game that empowers children to report their own well-being, including school attachment, social and emotional well-being, behavioural conformity and family support. We compared well-being over time for two groups of children in government schools in Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania. The treatment group of 580 children were tested in 2019 (Time 1) and a second time in mid-late 2020 and early 2021 (Time 2). The comparison group of 841 children were tested twice before the pandemic. Results showed that children in the treatment group reported significantly lower family support at Time 2 than those in the comparison group. This reduction in perceived family support was stronger for girls. In addition, children in the treatment group who reported lower levels of family support at Time 1 reported a steeper decline in family support by Time 2. Finally, boys in the treatment group reported significantly better behavioural conformity and emotional well-being relative to girls over time. Results highlight the varied impacts of the pandemic lockdowns and the need to provide continued support to vulnerable families.     

Characterizing Emotional Support Development: From Adolescent Best Friendships to Young Adult Romantic Relationships

This study examined development of emotional support competence within close friendships across adolescence. A sample of 184 adolescents (53% girls, 47% boys; 58% White, 29% Black, 14% other identity groups) participated in seven waves of multimethod assessments with their best friends and romantic partners from age 13 to 24. Latent change score models identified coupled predictions over time from emotional support competence to increasing friendship quality and decreasing support received from friends. Friend-rated emotional support competence in adolescence predicted supportiveness in adult romantic relationships, over and above supportiveness in adolescent romantic relationships. Teen friendships may set the stage for developing emotional support capacities that progress across time and relationships into adulthood.     

以能力为本位的课程创新体系的实践

灵活、创新、技能传授、再培训、就业导向是高职教育的特点,合理的课程创新体系是实现高职特点的保证。我国高职教育课程模式在培养人才职业综合素质和职业道德方面明显存在缺陷,为此我们结合中澳职业教育与培训国家项目的实践,打破传统学科体系框架,依照行业的能力标准,对课程设置、教学设计和授课方式等进行全方位的改革,得到学生、行业的认同,值得推广。     

BARGAINING BEHAVIOR IN A BUSINESS SIMULATION GAME *

Three studies of labor-management negotiations were conducted within the context of a business simulation game. Face-to-face bargaining lasted approximately two hours and resulted in settlements that were incorporated into the simulation game parameters. A total of 56 simulated companies, each comprised of five MBA students, were studied. Results from the first study showed that extending low initial offers, extracting large first concessions, and making a high number of concessions were management bargaining tactics associated with obtaining a low wage rate. These findings were supported by study two. The third study found that an intrateam power mode of orientation was positively correlated with bargaining success and was negatively correlated with overall game success. The results support the use of a simulation game for teaching and research in bargaining.     

Note on Second-Order Polynomial Regression Models

Polynomial regression models have applications in the social sciences and in business research. Unfortunately, such models have a high degree of multicollinearity that creates problems with the statistical assessment of the model. In fact, the collinearity may be so severe that it could lead to an incorrect conclusion that some of the terms in the model are not statistically significant and should therefore be omitted from the model. This note provides a simple transformation to achieve orthogonality in polynomial models between the linear and quadratic terms, thereby eliminating the collinearity problem. It also shows that the same procedure does not achieve orthogonality for higher-order terms. An example data set is analyzed to show the benefits of such a procedure.     

FINANCIAL FRAGILITY,LIQUIDITY, AND ASSET PRICES

We define a financial system to be fragile if small shocks have disproportionately large effects. In a model of financial intermediation, we show that small shocks to the demand for liquidity cause either high asset‐price volatility or bank defaults or both. Furthermore, as the liquidity shocks become vanishingly small, the asset‐price volatility is bounded away from zero. In the limit economy, with no shocks, there are many equilibria. However, if banks face idiosyncratic liquidity shocks, then the only equilibria that are robust to the introduction of small aggregate risk involve stochastic consumption as well as volatile asset, prices. (JEL: D5, D8, G2)