The nature of faculty work: A Canadian and US comparison

Abstract

Results based on 187 responses to an electronic survey from Canadian and US faculty in human resource development and adult education identified career paths of faculty, the nature of the job (i.e. how faculty divide their time between teaching, research and service), the nature of their programmes, and the key changes, issues and trends in their respective fields. There were few differences between the two countries. Where possible, findings also are compared to two previous studies. Identifying what drew faculty to academia and how they spend their time may enhance understanding of how they derive meaning and satisfaction from work. This understanding could help identify ways to mitigate faculty turnover.     

Employee demographics and job training satisfaction: the relationship between dimensions of diversity and satisfaction with job training

Human resource development professionals serve many diverse populations of learners in the workplace. They do so with limited resources which leads to a dilemma: How to most effectively and efficiently meet the needs of all learners in the workplace, given the different job duties, backgrounds, skills and abilities of each learner. This empirical study examines job training satisfaction among customer and technical service employees in nine different organizations in the US and Canada. The study concluded that there were no differences in job training satisfaction when examined with dimensions of diversity such as age groups, gender and race/ethnicity. There were differences in job training satisfaction, however, when examined with job type, job status, and job tenure.     

An exploratory factor analysis of workplace learning,job satisfaction,and organizational commitment in small to midsize enterprises in Taiwan

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to identify the factor structures associated with three Western-developed instruments (Small Business Workplace Learning Survey, Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, hereinafter referred to as SBWLS, MSQ, or OCQ) used to assess workplace learning, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment when applied in a non-Western setting; and (2) to determine if individuals who differed in terms of selected demographic variables, differed in terms of the derived constructs. The factor analytic structure of each instrument which was originally established using Western samples was compared to the factor structure results obtained for an Eastern sample. Quantitative data were collected from employees in 26 small to midsize IT companies in Taiwan. A total of 206 valid surveys were obtained and analysed out of 450 that were distributed. The factor structure of each instrument generated from this study appeared to be substantially different from those obtained for the original instruments. The researchers suggest that the highlighted structure deviations reflect some culturally oriented factors which might be useful for developing more indigenous instruments. Regarding the participants' demographic variables, no differences in terms of SBWLS, MSQ, or OCQ were found for Gender, Age and Tenure. Marital status was significant in terms of MSQ and OCQ. Educational level was significant for SBWLS and OCQ.     

基层公务员工作压力与领导方式交互效应研究

随着服务型政府建设工作的日益推进,基层公务员的工作内容和范畴发生了深刻变化,压力问题日益凸显,这些变化对公务员工作满意度产生了一系列影响。同时,逐渐趋于年轻化的基层公务员群体受领导者行为风格影响颇深,领导风格的介入是否会改变工作压力与工作满意度间的传统关系值得深思与探讨。通过访谈、实地考察和问卷调研的方式,以安徽省217名基层公务员为样本,选取植根于中国本土文化家长式领导中的仁慈领导与威权领导两个维度,探讨双元工作压力与二维领导方式及其交互效应对基层公务员工作满意度的影响。研究发现,挑战性工作压力与威权领导间的交互效应和与仁慈领导间的交互效应分别对基层公务员工作满意度具有显著的负向和正向影响;阻碍性工作压力与威权领导间的交互效应和与仁慈领导间的交互效应对基层公务员工作满意度分别具有显著的正向和负向影响。     

Managing Outsourced Software Projects: An Analysis of Project Performance and Customer Satisfaction

We examine the drivers of project performance and customer satisfaction in outsourced software projects using a proprietary panel dataset. The data cover 822 customer observations related to 182 unique projects executed by an India‐based software services vendor. Adopting a multidisciplinary perspective, we investigate how project planning, team stability, and communication effectiveness impact project performance and customer satisfaction. We delineate the direct and interactive influences of the antecedent variables. We also examine how these influences are moderated by two important project contexts: (a) the nature of software work (maintenance and development vs. testing projects) and (b) project maturity (new vs. mature projects). Among other results, we demonstrate that, when project planning capabilities are high, the positive impact of team stability and communication effectiveness on project performance is even higher. In addition, our results suggest that the impact of communication on project performance is muted when team stability is high. Finally, we also demonstrate that the impact of the antecedent variables on project performance varies with the nature of software work. Our findings offer specific and actionable insights to managers that can help them manage outsourced projects better, and open up new research perspectives in the context of outsourced project management.     

领导-部属交换对员工工作压力的影响及其中介机制研究

以企事业单位的中基层管理人员的270份问卷为样本,采用多元回归对领导-部属交换对员工工作压力的影响及其中介机制进行分析研究。研究结果表明,领导-部属交换与员工工作压力为U型相关,与员工的领导支持感、工作满意度均为直线相关关系;领导支持感在领导-部属交换与工作满意度中起部分中介作用;工作满意度与员工工作压力为U型相关。研究结果为领导-部属交换负面效应的研究提供了中国情境下的经验验证,有助于把握领导-部属交换与员工工作压力的负面效应的作用方式和途径,使领导者意识到在实践中要关注"圈内人"身心健康,提高"圈外人"的领导-部属质量以降低员工的工作压力。     

职业驱力、全面薪酬满意度对科研绩效的激励路径

在科技人才人力资源开发的理论研究和实务工作中,工作绩效及其激励问题一直处于核心地位。本研究利用679个本土科技工作者样本,运用结构方程模型、层次回归分析等数据分析方法,检验科技工作者职业驱力、全面薪酬满意度这两个分别反映个体特征因素与工作特征因素的变量在科技工作者科研绩效的激励机制中所发挥的效应。研究结果表明:科技工作者的科研结果绩效受到行为绩效的显著影响;行为绩效受个体特征因素与工作特征因素的协同激励,其中,事业型职业驱力起主导作用,非经济薪酬满意度居间起调节作用;经营型职业驱力则会侵蚀科研行为绩效与结果绩效。     

英汉“足部”概念隐喻对比研究

英汉语中“足”有13个隐喻投射,通过这些概念隐喻大致构筑了英汉语中4类抽象范畴域：智力与能力、情感与态度、社会地位与人事关系以及程度。其中,英汉语中共有和差异隐喻投射域分别约为9个和2个。反映了两个民族在思维层面上的共性与个性。同时,“以身喻心”说上位概念隐喻具有跨语言性质。     

从小众传播走向公众视野——论明末清初的女性戏曲评点

明清时期,女性读者对戏曲的阅读评点时有出现,但是由于传统女性生活方式的影响,这些评点只在闺阁之中传播,很难进入公众视野。晚明到清初,女性对《牡丹亭》等戏曲的评点只在家庭亲友之间流传,属于小众传播。清初随着女性文学的出版、职业女作家的出现,女性戏曲评点开始以大众出版的方式传播,而序评的出版使女性戏曲阅读体验从私密的闺房走向广阔的公众领域。     

中国10城市环境满意度和生活满意度调查报告

传统的环境监测指标虽然涉及多个方面,但具有一定的局限性,还需要考虑居民对城市环境和生活满意程度的主观感受指标。选用绿色环境满意度问卷和生活满意度问卷,在全国8大区域选取了有代表性的10个城市的11 689位市民进行了问卷调查。结果显示,环境满意度由高到低的城市排名依次为:昆明、成都、北京、上海、武汉、西安、乌鲁木齐、哈尔滨、兰州、广州;生活满意度由高到低的城市排名依次为:成都、哈尔滨、昆明、乌鲁木齐、北京、西安、上海、兰州、武汉、广州。不同人群在环境满意度和生活满意度上表现出一定的差异。总体上来看:女性对环境和生活满意程度显著高于男性;年龄越大,对环境和生活的满意度越高;工人和农民的环境满意度和生活满意度最高;受教育程度越高则对环境和生活的满意程度越低;汉族与少数民族的环境满意程度没有显著差异,汉族的生活满意度高于少数民族;在某个城市居住时间越长,环境和生活满意度越高。总体而言,中国10城市环境满意度和生活满意度整体偏低,还有很大的提高空间;在10个城市中,昆明、成都的环境和生活满意度都靠前,兰州、广州的环境与生活满意度都靠后。