A Dynamic Model of Work Satisfaction: Qualitative Approaches

Traditional work satisfaction research iscriticized for its personalistic approach inconceptualization and measurement. Its results aredoubted because of the artificially high proportions ofsatisfied. In order to overcome some of theseshortcomings, the extended model of different forms ofwork satisfaction originally proposed by Bruggemann(1974) is validated. Six forms of work satisfaction(progressive, stabilized, resigned satisfaction;constructive, fixated, resigned dissatisfaction) arederived from the constellation of four constituentvariables: comparison of the actual work situation andpersonal aspirations, global satisfaction, changes inlevel of aspiration, controllability at work. Resultsfrom semistructured interviews, a free Q-sort, and aquestionnaire for differentiating forms of worksatisfaction for 46 nurses provide support for the model.Various methods proved useful in accessing particularaspects of the underlying cognitive and evaluativeprocesses in the formation of different forms of work satisfaction. Implications for personnelmanagement and studies in organizational behavior(performance, intervention strategies) arediscussed.     

Competence and Competitive Advantage: Towards a Dynamic Model

Over the last ten years the concept of ‘competence’ has emerged as a central concept for competitive strategy. Several rich theoretical streams have contributed an extensive array of frameworks, definitions and papers using the concept. There is now a need to integrate these many contributions. Indeed, some of the frustration expressed recently by academics may be due to the large volume of conversation and the low level of integration. A concept that is considered so useful that many writers have incorporated it in their work will be of little value if it takes on different meanings for every use. If competence is to be used to explain relationships among variables and to build richer understandings of the roots of competitive advantage, then the field needs to engage in a serious conversation that attempts to focus this concept. Competence needs to be understood in a way that is faithful to its theoretical roots, allows the multiple dimensions that underpin competitive advantage to be meaningfully integrated and is specific enough that meaningful differences can emerge when used as a variable in empirical research. This paper seeks to begin a conversation toward that end by presenting a conceptualization that meets all of these requirements. The paper builds its conceptualization around satisfying the elements of a dynamic model of the relationship between competence and competitive advantage.     

Intensity of Interaction in Supply of Business Advice and Client Impact: A Comparison of Consultancy,Business Associations and Government Support Initiatives for SMEs

This paper assesses the supply of business advice using new empirical evidence from a large-scale survey of SMEs. The chief focus of the paper is on a comparison of suppliers that operate in different environments of regulation, contract and reputation. The paper argues that interaction intensity varies with the level of information asymmetry of these different environments, between different types of service supplier and their clients. Interaction intensity between suppliers also varies as a result of the level of trust they enjoy: for example, the low trust enjoyed by consultants appears to encourage higher intensity of interaction which improves the tailoring of the service to the client's needs and enhances impact. The paper assesses interaction intensity using the existence of site visits and/or a written brief/contract as indicators. Although these measures have limitations, the paper demonstrates clear and significant differences between suppliers in terms of interaction intensity, use of contracts and impact in three broad categories: private-sector consultancy (low trust, high intensity, high impact), business associations (high trust, low intensity, moderate impact) and government support agencies (moderate trust, moderate to high intensity, moderate or low impact). Multivariate estimation methods demonstrate that significant differences in interaction intensity, use of contracts and impact by client type are much less important than differences in supplier type. This indicates that suppliers generally develop more into niche service fields or groups of services rather than niches related to types of firm.     

Family Therapy: Out from Behind the Hero Narrative

Schools of family therapy have been highly selective in their presentation of the theory/practice nexus. Family therapy's method of teaching (the infamous workshop format) has hampered it's growth as a practice and academic discipline. An inadvertent, unhelpful legacy of Gregory Bateson has been that lesser scholars have aped his capacity to draw on other fields of knowledge without his rigour, or his propriety. Family therapy's cavalier dealings with bodies of knowledge and its reliance on miraculous case studies has resulted in the bypassing of individual suffering. The heroic narrative that has dominated family therapy has precluded other styles of stories for therapists, theorists and clients. Family therapy has been dominated by the myth of the hero, with its accompanying motif of the puer eternus (the eternal youth). Family therapy has been forever reinventing itself, forever the ‘new kid on the block’. This fascination with newness has interfered with family therapy's capacity, at times, to consolidate its genuine value as a therapeutic entity.     

The interface between transport policy‐making and science: A ‘two‐person’ model

The paper attempts to build a qualitative ‘two‐person’ model which encapsulates the complex relationship between transport policy‐making and science, by personifying the relationship as a dialogue between ‘the politician’ and ‘the scientist’. The approach is illustrated by making references to the methods and results of the research project OPTIMA, which has attempted to find optimal urban transport policies in a number of European cities. Whilst finding much usefulness in the model, the paper recognizes its limitations and makes recommendations of a number of extensions that could be made.     

Expressing Estimators of Expected Quality Adjusted Survival as Functions of Nelson-Aalen Estimators

Quality adjusted survival has been increasingly advocated in clinical trials to be assessed as a synthesis of survival and quality of life. We investigate nonparametric estimation of its expectation for a general multistate process with incomplete follow-up data. Upon establishing a representation of expected quality adjusted survival through marginal distributions of a set of defined events, we propose two estimators for expected quality adjusted survival. Expressed as functions of Nelson-Aalen estimators, the two estimators are strongly consistent and asymptotically normal. We derive their asymptotic variances and propose sample-based variance estimates, along with evaluation of asymptotic relative efficiency. Monte Carlo studies show that these estimation procedures perform well for practical sample sizes. We illustrate the methods using data from a national, multicenter AIDS clinical trial.     

Behavioral pathways to private well risk mitigation: A structural equation modeling approach

Complex, multihazard risks such as private groundwater contamination necessitate multiannual risk reduction actions including seasonal, weather-based hazard evaluations. In the Republic of Ireland (ROI), high rural reliance on unregulated private wells renders behavior promotion a vital instrument toward safeguarding household health from waterborne infection. However, to date, pathways between behavioral predictors remain unknown while latent constructs such as extreme weather event (EWE) risk perception and self-efficacy (perceived behavioral competency) have yet to be sufficiently explored. Accordingly, a nationwide survey of 560 Irish private well owners was conducted, with structural equation modeling (SEM) employed to identify underlying relationships determining key supply management behaviors. The pathway analysis (SEM) approach was used to model three binary outcomes: information seeking, post-EWE action, and well testing behavior. Upon development of optimal models, perceived self-efficacy emerged as a significant direct and/or indirect driver of all three behavior types—demonstrating the greatest indirect effect (β = −0.057) on adoption of post-EWE actions and greatest direct (β = 0.222) and total effect (β = 0.245) on supply testing. Perceived self-efficacy inversely influenced EWE risk perception in all three models but positively influenced supply awareness (where present). Notably, the presence of a vulnerable (infant and/or elderly) household member negatively influenced adoption of post-EWE actions (β = −0.131, p = 0.016). Results suggest that residential and age-related factors constitute key demographic variables influencing risk mitigation and are strongly mediated by cognitive variables—particularly self-efficacy. Study findings may help contextualize predictors of private water supply management, providing a basis for future risk-based water interventions.