Congruency of the Cognitive and Affective Components of the Attitude as a Moderator on Intention of Condom Use Predictors

Using data gathered through questionnaires on factors relating to the intention of condom use included in the Theory of Planned Behavior, we obtained evidence in favor of the two-dimensional structure of attitude: affective and cognitive components. In a structural equation model for predicting the intention of condom use as an instrumental behavior, we found that the congruence between the affective and cognitive components moderates the influence of attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control in the intention of condom use. Since most of the studies do not take into account this proposed interaction, they can only report a kind of main effects average. Moreover, the percentage of explained variance of intention is higher for those individuals with the same value for the two components (congruent group). Furthermore, we found that perceived behavioral control is the most determining factor and that the cognitive component of the attitude is a better predictor than the affective one. The results are discussed from the point of view of their implications for designing prevention programmes for sexually transmitted diseases.     

Intention to leave in social workers and educators employed in voluntary child welfare agencies

Introduction

Individuals employed in child welfare settings can have a profound impact on children in care. Research shows that direct care staff can have an effect on emotional and physical outcomes for children with whom they work. This paper seeks to expand knowledge of the child welfare workforce by studying educators employed in child welfare settings and comparing their job satisfaction and intent to leave with that of prevention workers employed in similar settings.

Materials and methods

Data for prevention workers (n = 538) were obtained from workers employed at all preventive service programs under contract with a large municipality. Data for educators were obtained from voluntary agencies located elsewhere in the state (n = 139). The instrument was a modified version of a survey developed to examine job satisfaction and potential turnover among public child welfare workers. Domains measured included various aspects of job satisfaction, intention to leave, and whether workers regretted taking their jobs. Data were analyzed using bivariate analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM).

Results

While both educators and prevention workers varied on different domains of job satisfaction, their overall satisfaction did not differ nor did their intention to leave their jobs. Satisfaction with contingent rewards, the nature of the work and opportunities for promotion along with not regretting taking one's job were predictive of thinking about leaving one's job. Thinking about leaving was predictive of taking concrete steps towards actual leaving.

Discussion

While people both prevention workers and educators report different levels of job satisfaction and work conditions in their agencies, job title itself has less to do with a worker's intention to leave, as measured by both thinking about leaving and taking steps towards actively looking for a new job, than other factors. Larger contextual factors may be at play in workers' decisions to stay employed. Suggestions are made for reducing turnover intentions along with suggestions for further study to clarify the role of organizational factors in workers' intention to leave.     

前导因素及其对营销创新绩效的影响——基于知识视角的动态营销能力

从知识管理流程的角度探讨动态营销能力范畴及其测量, 构建企业IT应用能力、营销团队支持、营销人员自主性三个因素与动态营销能力及其营销创新绩效的关系并提出研究假设, 运用AMOS18.0软件对来自450个企业样本的数据进行检验。结果表明:动态营销能力直接影响营销创新绩效;IT应用能力、营销团队支持对动态营销能力具有显著影响;营销人员自主性对动态营销能力的影响不显著。     

湖南省中小企业信用影响因素分析——基于结构方程模型的实证研究

中小企业信用影响因素是企业信用评价体系建设的关键所在。从企业财务能力、企业家管理能力、企业发展能力三个方面构建了企业信用能力评价模型。通过对调查问卷的分析,验证了企业家管理能力、企业发展能力对企业财务能力的正面影响作用。实证结果给出了各因素之间的定量关系,为构建我省中小企业信用评价体系提供了理论依据。     

建设项目团队学习基础能力演化及效能研究

建设项目在团队学习过程中,学习基础能力的不同方面对团队学习效果的影响不能一概而论.以技术支持、组织结构、组织文化、学习效果各因素间的相互关系为研究框架,建立结构方程理论模型.对调查问卷测量的一致性、真实性和准确度,进行信度与效度检验.依据因子载荷系数进行分析,探索出4类因子,并通过了验证性因子分析.结合实际调研数据,基于5个研究假设,得出团队学习基础能力的模型验证结果.组织文化能力对学习效果的正面影响最强,组织结构能力次之,技术支持能力最弱,为实际工程项目建设管理提供了理论依据.     

Engaged at work? An employee engagement model in public relations

ABSTRACT

Engagement has emerged as an important concept in public relations scholarship. Yet a theoretically informed model with a clear and coherent explication of the construct is still lacking. By situating our study in the internal organizational context, we provided an updated conceptualization and operationalization of employee engagement, proposing a strategy-engagement-behavior three-step employee engagement model. Results from an employee survey (n = 568) supported our conceptual model, showing that organizational engagement strategies positively predicted employee engagement, which in turn accounted for employees’ positive and negative messaging behavior, as well as their contextual performance behavior. After controlling for significant demographic variables such as gender, age, organizational size, number of subordinates, and level of management position, we identified a complete mediation effect of employee engagement in our two-step structural equation modeling analysis.     

Menopause Symptoms' Predictors: The Influence of Lifestyle,Health- and Menopause-Related,and Sociodemographic Characteristics

This research explores a causal model of menopausal symptoms in peri- and postmenopausal women. A community sample of 710 women was assessed regarding menopausal symptoms, and sociodemographic, health- and menopause-related, and lifestyle characteristics. Structural equation modelling was used. Menopausal status predicted skin/facial hair changes (β = .156; p <.001), vasomotor (β = .122; p <.001) and sexual symptoms (β = .158; p <.001). Age was significantly associated with cognitive impairment (β = .087; p = .003), aches/pain (β = .072; p = .006), urinary (β = .115; p = .004) and also sexual symptoms (β = .107; p = .021). Several menopausal symptoms are predicted, not only by menopausal status, but also by age progression, among other variables; this should be considered in the context of a well-adapted menopausal transition.     

The Influence of Parental,Peer, and School Factors on Marijuana Use Among Native American Adolescents

ABSTRACT

Marijuana use among Native American (NA) adolescents continues to be an ongoing concern and is often cited as the most critical health issue facing this population. Despite this recognition, few studies have examined the roles played by parental monitoring and school relationships among NA youth. This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the 2010 National Survey in Drug Use and Health to examine the combined influence of parental, peer, and school indicators on marijuana use among NA adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old (N = 287). The results of structural equation modeling suggest that peer factors and parental monitoring were significantly associated with marijuana use. In fact, the peer network was the most influential predictor. However, a significant relationship was not found between school relationships and marijuana use. Given the insignificance of school relationships, further research should examine the influence of peer interactions on marijuana use and the development of family-based prevention and intervention programs.     

The relationships between work characteristics and mental health: examining normal,reversed and reciprocal relationships in a 4-wave study

This longitudinal study examined the causal relationships between job demands, job control and supervisor support on the one hand and mental health on the other. Whereas we assumed that work characteristics affect mental health, we also examined reversed causal relationships (mental health influences work characteristics). Further, the topic of the appropriate time lag for testing causal relationships was addressed. Our hypotheses were tested in a 4-wave study among a heterogeneous sample of 668 Dutch employees using structural equation modelling. The results provide evidence for reciprocal causal relationships between the work characteristics and mental health, although the effects of work characteristics on well-being were causally predominant. The best model fit was found for a 1-year time lag. Compared to earlier—predominantly cross-sectional—results, the present study presents a stronger case for the effects of work characteristics on the development of strain. The results also emphasize the need for a dynamic view of the relationship between work and health; the one-directional viewpoint in many work stress models does not seem to fully capture the relations between work characteristics and well-being.     

An integrated model of supply chain performance evaluation and decision-making using structural equation modelling and fuzzy AHP

This paper aims to propose a comprehensive evaluation tool and decision model, which can help the practitioners to gauge their supply chain performance and guide them in decision-making for further improvements. The model provides a salient notion of integrated supply chain performance evaluation approach distilled from the literature. The five important performance evaluation criteria (supply chain planning performance, supply chain partnership performance, production performance, delivery and logistic performance and customer service and satisfaction performance) and corresponding 19 sub-criteria have been identified. An integrated methodology of structural equation modelling (SEM) and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) have been applied to the proposed model to a real case study of Indian textile–apparel–retail supply chain network.