A matter of time? Challenging and hindering effects of time pressure on work engagement

The aim of our research was to test time-exposure effects of time pressure as a stressor typically considered to be a challenge, rather than a hindrance stressor. We examined the within- and between-person effects of time pressure on work engagement in two diary/panel studies with employees using intervals of five days and three weeks, respectively (Study 1, n?=?350, and n?=?357, respectively) and six to eight weeks (Study 2, n?=?238). We assumed that it is a matter of time whether time pressure acts as a challenge (under short-term exposure) or as a hindrance stressor (under long-term exposure). We found significant positive within-person effects of time pressure on work engagement when controlling for strain in the daily and weekly diary assessment (Study 1), but a significant negative within-person effect in the six to eight weeks’ assessment (Study 2). The between-person effects were significant and negative in all studies. Although a short-term increase can be beneficial for a certain time, stable and long-time exposure of time pressure does rather reduce work engagement. Thus, employers should not keep time pressure permanently high to motivate their employees. However, short-term increases of time pressure (e.g. before a deadline) may serve as a motivating factor.     

An investigation of predictors of mental health in single men and women experiencing homelessness in three Canadian cities

Homelessness is related to poorer mental health, yet, there is limited understanding of the predictors of mental health of men and women experiencing homelessness. To support service providers in identifying individuals who might be at particular risk of poor mental health, this study investigated the predictors of mental health in 501 single men and women experiencing homelessness in Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa, Canada. Data were obtained via in-person, structured interviews. In order to identify whether predictors differ by gender, multiple linear regressions were conducted separately for men and women. Mental health status was measured by the Mental Component Summary score of the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey. Better mental health for men and women was associated with the presence of fewer chronic health conditions and a higher level of social support. An older age, not having experienced a recent physical attack, and absence of a mental health diagnosis were related to better mental health for women. The absence of unmet mental health needs within the past 12 months was associated with better mental health for men. The study highlights differences in factors associated with mental health for men and women. Service providers should be aware of the association of these factors with mental health to guide assessment and service planning.     

Sensitive topics in social research involving children

While there is broad consensus that involving children in research is critically important for understanding their lives, there is considerable caution around their participation in social research on ‘sensitive’ issues. Such caution is further amplified by a lack of agreement about what constitutes a ‘sensitive topic’. This article draws on data from interviews with a range of Australian stakeholders, including children, parents, researchers, ethics committee members, government and non-government organisation representatives, and other decision-makers, specifically related to the question of ‘what is a sensitive topic?’. While participants identified a range of sensitive topics, findings point to sensitivities being closely linked with the contexts of children’s lives and experiences. This requires researchers to approach research in ways that reflect more nuanced understandings of these sensitivities, help address potential concerns and facilitate the development of research relationships that promote ethical conduct of research with children.     

Perturbed robust linear estimating equations for confidentiality protection in remote analysis

National statistical agencies and other data custodians collect and hold a vast amount of survey and census data, containing information vital for research and policy analysis. However, the problem of allowing analysis of these data, while protecting respondent confidentiality, has proved challenging to address. In this paper we will focus on the remote analysis approach, under which a confidential dataset is held in a secure environment under the direct control of the data custodian agency. A computer system within the secure environment accepts a query from an analyst, runs it on the data, then returns the results to the analyst. In particular, the analyst does not have direct access to the data at all, and cannot view any microdata records. We further focus on the fitting of linear regression models to confidential data in the presence of outliers and influential points, such as are often present in business data. We propose a new method for protecting confidentiality in linear regression via a remote analysis system, that provides additional confidentiality protection for outliers and influential points in the data. The method we describe in this paper was designed for the prototype DataAnalyser system developed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, however the method would be suitable for similar remote analysis systems.     

The Economic Payout Model for Service Guarantees

Service guarantees consist of a promise to a customer (marketing), the delivery of a service to the customer (operations), and actions to appease the customer when service failures happen (recovery). A part of recovery involves offering the customer an economic and/or noneconomic payout when things go wrong. When the economic payout is too high or low, the impact on the organization and the customer is usually negative. Therefore, determining the size of the economic payout is of critical strategic and tactical importance in businesses. Yet, no systematic quantitative methods are found in the literature to help managers determine the economic payout for service failures. The current ways an economic payout is determined are management judgment, the consensus of customer focus groups, competitive benchmarking, and the use of simple expected value methods. In this article, we define the Economic Payout Model for Service Guarantees (EPMSG) that provides an optimal service guarantee economic payout under certain conditions. The EPMSG and its objective function considers customer revenue over the short‐ and long‐term, the cost of creating and providing the service, the cost of recovery, the probability of a service failure, and the probability of customer retention as a function of economic payout. A numerical example is provided of how EPMSG works. Customer retention probability distributions are examined assuming normal and gamma distributions. We end the article by describing the theoretical contributions, model limitations, managerial implications, and opportunities for future research.     

‘The status quo is not an option’: Community impacts of school closure in South Taranaki,New Zealand

This paper explores the impacts of proposed school closures on families in rural communities in the South Taranaki region of New Zealand. We situate this instance of educational restructuring in a critical policy context and present an account of its regional unfolding through drawing on local media coverage. We then interpret narratives gathered during an interview-based study of the proposed changes undertaken in 2003–2004. Our analysis highlights the impact of school closure for rural settlements in terms of affect as well as effects. More generally we reflect on the place of schools in the experience of place itself, as well as their contribution to social cohesion and the broadly defined health of a community.     

The Preliminary Demography of the 2001 Census of India

This note presents and comments on the provisional results of the 2001 census of India. For the first time since Independence in 1947 there is clear evidence that the country's intercensal rate of population growth has fallen significantly—from an average annual rate of 2.14 percent between 1981 and 1991 to a rate of 1.93 percent between 1991 and 2001. At the state level there has been little change in the rates of population growth in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, but there are signs of—often quite considerable—reductions in growth rates for most of the remaining states. The provisional census results suggest that there has been a decline in India's population masculinity compared to 1991. But the note contends that this decline is probably largely spurious because females were less fully enumerated in 1991 than they were in 2001. Indeed the sex ratios of the states of Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Gujarat have become noticeably more masculine, which may partly reflect the influence of sex‐selective abortion.