Peers,proactivity, and problem-solving: A multilevel study of team impacts on stress appraisals of problem-solving demands

ABSTRACT

To date, there is a paucity of research on team-level impacts on the individual stress appraisal process despite the recognised role of teams for solving problems. Applying a multilevel approach, this study investigates the cross-level impact of team problem prevention behaviours on employee stress appraisals of problem-solving demands. It was hypothesised that team problem prevention would moderate the individual-level relationship between problem-solving demands and stress appraisals. Data were collected from 43 work teams comprised of 192 team members including all team leaders who also provided evaluations of their team’s problem prevention behaviour. Results supported the hypothesised cross-level moderating effects on challenge appraisal, but not threat appraisal. As one of the first studies to demonstrate that stress appraisals are impacted by the group, not just by individual factors, the results support a multilevel conceptualisation of stress appraisals. The findings also highlight implications for practice, broadening the scope of possibilities for stress management interventions to utilise team-level strategies such as leadership development programmes and/or team building initiatives.     

Rota-Risk-Profile-Analysis

Abstract

In this article an update of the Rota-Risk-Profile-Analysis (RRPA) is presented. This RRPA is based on 9 rota-risk criteria that are central to a more encompassing rota theory. The RRPA allows coherent assessment of the physical and social risks of a working-time schedule (rota). comparison of schedules with one another in quantitative terms and interpretations of possible differential effects more adequately. First, a closer look at the instrument-a computer program-is taken. Afterwards the criteria and their way of implementation are discussed briefly. To get an impression of the way that RRPA functions an example will be given by applying the instrument to the working rotas from a study on shiftwork in the Netherlands.     

我国城镇居民个人教育需求分析——北京市调查报告

通过对北京市城镇个人教育需求的问卷调查发现 :城镇居民对高等教育的需求较为强烈 ;在教育方式的选择上呈现出多元化和多样性的趋势 ;教育投资在人们心中的权重也日渐提高 ,城市居民对教育消费也具备了一定的承受能力。个人教育需求的特点 ,有利于城镇教育产业化的推行。     

On the Dirichlet distributions on symmetric matrices

In this paper, we introduce a generalization of the Dirichlet distribution on symmetric matrices which represents the multivariate version of the Connor and Mosimann generalized real Dirichlet distribution. We establish some properties concerning this generalized distribution. We also extend to the matrix Dirichlet distribution a remarkable characterization established in the real case by Darroch and Ratcliff.     

Unmeasured skills in inter-industry wage differentials: Evidence from the apparel industry

Several recent studies have used first-differenced models to test the unmeasured-skills hypothesis with mixed results. I use matched-panel data from the CPSfrom 1983–1995 and retrospective data from the DWS from 1984–1992 to test for the possible effect of unmeasured skill on apparel workers’wages. The apparel industry provides a better test of the unmeasured-skills hypothesis than the overall economy because the likelihood of noncompetitive distortions to the wage is small. My results indicate that between 64 and 80 percent of the apparel industry differential is caused by skills unmeasured in standard OLS regressions, suggesting competitive wages for workers moving between apparels and other industries. The author appreciates the helpful suggestions from Barry Hirsch and William Stewart Mounts, Jr. The CPS and DWS data sets used in this paper were provided by Barry Hirsch and David Macpherson.     

让你的谈话发挥效力

让我们想象这样一幅场景：一位人类学家来到你的办公室，他用了一整天时间跟在你身边，寸步不离地观察你的一言一行。当你一天工作结束之后，他告诉你，在这一整天当中，他只看到了一件事情——人们在不停地进行沟通。这位人类学家告诉你，在这一天的时间里，他参加了一些正式的会议，看到人们在进行面对面的交流，进行随机的讨论，或者是通过电子邮件进行沟通。“没错，确实如此，”你说道，“可那叉怎样呢？”人类学家告诉你，你在这一天当中所说的话大多数都是重复的。“这很好，”你告诉自己，     

Further evidence of automatic reinforcement effects on verbal form

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior - The form of a verbal response allows for reinforcement mediation and language transmission across cultures. Reinforcement, in turn, plays a decisive role in...     

Environmental Perceptions,Happiness and Pro-environmental Actions in China

We use the 2010 and 2013 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) data to examine the relationships between perceived severity of environmental issues, individual happiness and pro-environmental actions. We find that perceived severity of environmental issues has little, if not insignificant, correlation with happiness, but it has significant correlation with pro-environmental actions. We also find that the perceptions of both central and provincial governments’ efforts in addressing environmental issues are associated with individual happiness, willingness to pay for environment-friendly products and pro-environmental actions, no matter whether objective measures of provincial environmental issues and efforts are controlled for. And these correlations are robust across the two waves of CGSS. The findings imply that governments should not only allocate resources to addressing environmental issues but also improve communication in order to help citizens better understand governments’ efforts.     

Dynamic Simulation as an Approach to Understanding Hurricane Risk Response: Insights from the Stormview Lab

This article investigates the use of dynamic laboratory simulations as a tool for studying decisions to prepare for hurricane threats. A prototype web‐based simulation named Stormview is described that allows individuals to experience the approach of a hurricane in a computer‐based environment. In Stormview participants can gather storm information through various media, hear the opinions of neighbors, and indicate intentions to take protective action. We illustrate how the ability to exert experimental control over the information viewed by participants can be used to provide insights into decision making that would be difficult to gain from field studies, such as how preparedness decisions are affected by the nature of news coverage of prior storms, how a storm's movement is depicted in graphics, and the content of word‐of‐mouth communications. Data from an initial application involving a sample of Florida residents reveal a number of unexpected findings about hurricane risk response. Participants who viewed forecast graphics, which contained track lines depicting the most likely path of the storm, for example, had higher levels of preparation than those who saw graphics that showed only uncertainty cones—even among those living far from the predicted center path. Similarly, the participants who were most likely to express worry about an approaching storm and fastest to undertake preparatory action were those who, ironically, had never experienced one. Finally, external validity is evidenced by a close rank‐order correspondence between patterns of information use revealed in the lab and that found in previous cross‐sectional field studies.