The Impact of Transformational Leadership on Organizational Citizenship Behaviours: The Contingent Role of Public Service Motivation

In this paper we examine whether the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) is contingent on public service motivation (PSM). We propose that PSM may reduce the motivational influences of transformational leaders’ behaviours on followers’ OCBs in public sector organizations. Using a sample of Mexican employees we tested this proposition with structural equation modelling. Our results show that the motivational effects of transformational leadership were less for public sector followers higher in PSM than for those lower in PSM. A follow‐up study in private sector organizations did not reveal a similar interaction effect. These findings appear consistent with previous research demonstrating that PSM is more aligned to the goals and values of public rather than private sector organizations. Nevertheless, the direct effects of PSM on OCBs remained in the private sector.     

On periodic time-varying bilinear processes: structure and asymptotic inference

This paper is devoted to the bilinear time series models with periodic-varying coefficients \(\left( { PBL}\right) \). So, firstly conditions ensuring the existence of periodic stationary solutions of the \({ PBL}\) and the existence of higher-order moments of such solutions are given. A distribution free approach to the parameter estimation of \({ PBL}\) is presented. The proposed method relies on minimum distance estimator based on the first and second order empirical moments of the observed process. Consistency and asymptotic normality of the estimator are discussed. Examples and Monte Carlo simulation results illustrate the practical relevancy of our general theoretical results are presented.     

Efficient estimation for the conditional autoregressive model

Recently, spatial regression models have been attracting a great deal of attention in areas ranging from effect of traffic congestion on accident rates to the analysis of trends in gastric cancer mortality. In this paper, we propose efficient estimators for the regression coefficients of the spatial conditional autoregressive model, when uncertain auxiliary information is available about these coefficients. We provide efficiency comparisons of the proposed estimators based on asymptotic risk analysis and Monte Carlo simulations. We apply the proposed methods to real data on Boston housing prices and illustrate how a bootstrapping approach can be employed to compute prediction errors of the estimators.     

Confidence interval estimation for the population coefficient of variation using ranked set sampling: a simulation study

In this paper, an evaluation of the performance of several confidence interval estimators of the population coefficient of variation (τ) using ranked set sampling compared to simple random sampling is performed. Two performance measures are used to assess the confidence intervals for τ, namely: width and coverage probabilities. Simulated data were generated from normal, log-normal, skew normal, Gamma, and Weibull distributions with specified population parameters so that the same values of τ are obtained for each distribution, with sample sizes n=15, 20, 25, 50, 100. A real data example representing birth weight of 189 newborns is used for illustration and performance comparison.     

Commodification,water infrastructure,and methodologies for counting water losses in South Africa

ABSTRACT

This article takes up the story of a numerical indicator of system water losses called Non-Revenue Water (NRW), which is becoming an important measure for benchmarking South African Water Service Authorities (WSAs). The aim of this paper is, in the first place, to document the adoption of NRW as a Performance Indicator (PI), showing how it reflects a shift in the domestic regulatory framework in South Africa and the assumed priorities of water managers in line with the dominant governmental rationality in the sector. However, in drawing this discussion towards the theme of commodification I also show that the NRW audit enables a new way of seeing and speaking about “public water,” while the story of its uptake tells us a something about the development of contemporary governmental norms, and the forms of the resistance that shape it. On the one hand then, the article links the enthusiasm for NRW auditing in South Africa to a wider movement in the development and usage of audits and indicators as technologies of government at a distance. On the other hand, and stepping to a higher level of abstraction, I argue that the uptake of NRW must be read in relation to a contested set of processes marked by struggles over the commodification of water, and which sometimes turns up in the numbers.     

Conditional reciprocity in the investment game

This paper investigates whether people are conditional reciprocators in an investment game experiment, in the sense that the more they are trusted, the more they reciprocate. The results show that the majority of participants are conditional reciprocators but that they can be classified into three types: (1) exploitative reciprocators who do not reciprocate and exploit trust; (2) egoistic reciprocators who neither exploit nor reward trust; and (3) generous reciprocators who reward trusting behavior.     

Modelling and analysis of dynamic capacity complexity in multi-stage production

The uncertainty associated with managing dynamic capacity problem is the main source of its complexity. This article presents a system dynamics approach to model and analyse operational complexity of dynamic capacity in multi-stage production. The unique feature of this approach is that it captures the stochastic nature of three main sources of complexity associated with dynamic capacity. These are the demand, internal manufacturing delay and capacity scalability delay. The developed model was demonstrated by an industrial case study of multi-stage printed circuit board assembly line. The analysis of simulation experiments showed that ignoring complexity sources can lead to wrong decisions concerning both scaling levels and backlog management decisions. In addition, a general trade-off between the controllability and complexity of the dynamic capacity was illustrated. Finally, comparative analysis of the effect of each of these sources on the complexity level revealed that internal delay has the highest impact on dynamic capacity efficiency. Guidelines and recommendations for better capacity management and reduction of its complexity are presented.     

Hospitalizations for Students With an Alcohol-Related Sanction: Gender and Pregaming as Risk Factors

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether pregaming (ie, drinking prior to a social event) is a risk factor for hospitalization. Participants: Participants (N = 516) were undergraduate students with an alcohol-related sanction. Methods: Participants completed a survey about alcohol use, as well as behaviors and experiences, prior to and during the referral event. The dependent variable was whether participants received medical attention at an emergency department during the sanction event. Results: Results indicated that older students, females who pregame, students with higher alcohol use screening scores, lighter drinkers, and higher numbers of drinks before the referral event all increased the odds of receiving medical attention. Pregaming alone was not significantly related to receiving medical attention in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Female students who pregame appear to be at risk for requiring hospitalization after drinking when controlling for the number of drinks consumed.     

Understanding of elder abuse and neglect among health care professionals in Malaysia: An exploratory survey

ABSTRACT

Elder abuse and neglect (EAN) is a hidden public health challenge for Malaysia. This cross-sectional survey studied the awareness of EAN among 148 doctors and nurses from two neighboring states in Malaysia using a self-administered questionnaire exploring their knowledge, perceptions, practices, and experience concerning EAN. Both doctors and nurses demonstrated poor understanding of signs of EAN and exhibited misperceptions on reporting requirements. Both groups perceived EAN as a national burden and reporting it as their responsibility; but most felt they had not been trained to diagnose it. Many were unsure of procedures and whether their own intervention could be effective. Only four (nurses) of 41 participants who suspected abuse during the past year reported the cases. Targeted education and uniform protocols are mandatory to ensure best practice with regards to EAN. Further research is crucial to extend this inquiry into the broader health care workforce.     

Paralympics 2012 legacy: accessible housing and disability equality or inequality?

The golden summer of sport is now over, but what is the legacy of London 2012 for disabled people? Nadia Ahmed, a disabled student, discusses the difficulties she has faced in finding accessible accommodation in London. She argues that while the Games are over, the United Kingdom still has lots of hurdles to leap when it comes to disability. The article focuses on her own personal experience of not being able to get wheelchair-accessible accommodation in Tower Hamlets, a London borough that is a close neighbour of Stratford where the Olympic and Paralympic games were held. The article raises questions about disability equality following the Paralympics.