Welfare service privatization and opinions about service quality: The role of political ideology among local politicians and the public

In this article, we join the discussion about the potential consequences of welfare service privatization by examining the relationship between the privatization of welfare service delivery and public opinion about service quality in Sweden. Due to the politically polarized debate about welfare service privatization in Sweden, we also examine the extent to which individualsapos; ideological orientations influence this relationship in both local politicians and ordinary citizens. For local politicians, the results show that a higher municipal degree of privatization is generally associated with slightly lower levels of satisfaction overall with welfare services, although no such relationship exists for the public. Most importantly, however, the results indicate that political ideology constitutes an important moderator in the relationship between privatization and opinions about service quality. Local politicians and, to some extent, ordinary citizens who place themselves to the left on the ideological left–right scale tend to be less satisfied with services as the municipal degree of welfare service privatization increases. For local politicians who position themselves far to the right on the scale, the relationship between welfare service privatization and satisfaction is positive. These findings suggest that there is no clear-cut relationship between privatization and individualsapos; opinions about services; rather, this relationship depends on the ideological predispositions of local politicians and ordinary citizens.     

The Role of Family in Career Choices among Social Workers in China

Abstract

High turnover rate affects social work workforce development in China. Few empirical studies have been conducted to explore the factors that have influences on turnover intention among Chinese social workers. This study used data from China General Survey on Professional Social Workers to examine the influence of job satisfaction and family attitude on social workers’ career choices. The findings reveal that both job satisfaction and family’ attitude toward the profession have significant effects on social workers’ turnover intention. Family’s support or disapproval of the social work profession has moderate effect on the negative correlation between job satisfaction and turnover intention. The findings could be explained by the familyism culture of Chinese society and unique challenges of professional development experienced by social workers in China. Future studies should consider the influence of family to develop a more comprehensive research framework. Management in social service agencies should help family of social workers to learn and embrace the profession to gain their support of choosing social work as career.     

Does Society Matter? Life Satisfaction in the Enlarged Europe

Life satisfaction is quite heterogeneously distributed across countries of the enlarged European Union. Previous research has shown how living conditions within individual countries, such as access to material and emotional resources, are important for personal well-being, but it has been less successful in explaining differences between countries. This article investigates whether it matters in which political and economic circumstances people live, as well as whether their particular perception of the quality of their societal environment plays a role. People are well aware that the institutional and cultural settings in which their lives are embedded create opportunities and limitations: within individual countries, perceptions of society influence life satisfaction outcomes irrespective of access to resources. However, their importance for well-being differs across Europe: perceptions of societies are highly decisive in countries that provide only a minimum of social security and in which the reliability of political institutions is poor. In rich and stable countries, the impact is weaker and private social support becomes more important. In addition to these country-specific weights of life satisfaction determinants, life satisfaction variations between countries can be explained to a large extent by taking into consideration the economic performance, the social security level, and the political culture in a country—all in all, general conditions that enable people to live a respectable life.     

Customer satisfaction: Cost driver or value driver? Empirical evidence from the financial services industry

We investigate the relation between customer satisfaction, customer servicing costs, and customer value in a financial services firm. We find that customer satisfaction is positively associated with future customer servicing costs, as well as with customer value. The relation between customer satisfaction and customer value appears non-linear; higher customer satisfaction appears to have a higher return for the most profitable customer segments. Our findings indicate that customer satisfaction is a value driver; however, customer satisfaction is not cost-free and managers have to consider the costs, as well as the benefits, of increasing customer satisfaction.     

高绩效工作系统对员工敬业度的影响机理研究

基于对782名服务业和制造业员工进行的调查,分析了高绩效工作系统对员工敬业度的影响及作用机制。研究表明,高绩效工作系统对员工敬业度的积极影响不是直接的,工作幸福感的核心概念——积极情绪和工作满意度在其中起完全中介作用,而消极情绪的中介作用未得到支持。研究发现,高绩效工作系统实质上是动机激励的工作环境塑造系统,由此形成了激发员工内在工作动机和积极心理体验的组织环境。此外,进一步揭示了工作幸福感是促进员工敬业的关键环节,启示组织应加强员工工作中的情感管理,塑造员工积极的心理力量,从而构建幸福组织。     

Complementary person-supervisor fit: An investigation of supplies-values (S-V) fit,leader-member exchange (LMX) and work outcomes

By applying the supplies-values (S-V) fit approach from the complementary person-environment (P-E) fit literature to the leader-employee perspective, and drawing upon social exchange theory, we examine how fulfillment of different work values is related to Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) and work outcomes. First, polynomial regression analyses combined with response surface analysis of data collected at two time points (N = 316) showed that LMX (Time 2) was higher the more the leader fulfills the employee's work values (Time 1). Second, LMX (Time 2) was higher when leader supplies (Time 1) and employee work values (Time 1) were both high than when both were low. Third, analyses of data from a sub-sample of matched leader-employee dyads (N = 140), showed that LMX (Time 2) played a mediating role on the relation between S-V fit (Time 1) and work outcomes (Time 2). Specifically, we found eight out of 10 relationships between S-V fit (Time 1) and leader-rated task performance and OCB (Time 2) to be fully mediated by LMX (Time 2). LMX (Time 2) partially mediated the relation between S-V fit (Time 1) and job satisfaction (Time 2) as only two out of five relationships were fully mediated.     

Did small and medium enterprises maintain better jobs during the early years of the recession? Job quality multidimensional evidence from Spain

While the literature has indeed confirmed a general tendency linking small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to a dynamic of greater job creation, there is little available evidence on what has happened to job quality since the financial crisis. Through a representative sample of 5311 employees in 2008 (first year of job destruction) and 4925 employees in 2010 (last year for which data were available), and using a two-stage structural equation model, this article empirically analyses the multidimensional determinants of job quality, by enterprise-size class, in Spain. The research has revealed three main results. First, job quality in Spain improved in all enterprises, regardless of their size, during the early years of the recession. Second, the greatest improvements were found in SMEs. Although job quality was already better in SMEs than in large enterprises in 2008, the differences between them subsequently widened. Third, this accelerated divergence was explained by the following dimensions: working conditions, work intensity, health and safety at work, and work–life balance. These dimensions were much more positive in SMEs. Employment-related public policy should therefore focus more specifically on SMEs. There are two reasons for this. First, despite the recession, SMEs have shown themselves to be key factors in the explanation of job quality. Second, by making changes to their value generation model, they could continue to drive the creation of better quality jobs.     

雾霾感知风险与公众应对行为的实证分析

通过在雾霾严重时期收集的大规模问卷调查数据,建立了雾霾感知风险等因素与应对行为之间关系的结构方程模型.分析显示,对环境信息越敏感、雾霾感知风险越大、对雾霾知识了解越多、雾霾感知可控性越大的公众会采取更多的防护与应对措施,他们对相关防护产品的购买意愿也越强.特别是,感知风险在环境信息与应对行为以及环境满意度之间起着重要的中介变量作用,即当雾霾污染引起人们的感知风险时,会促使他们采取更多的应对行为,并且对环境满意度评价产生负面影响.另外,雾霾感知可控性在雾霾知识熟悉度与应对行为以及环境满意度之间起着部分中介变量的作用.     

个人-组织匹配、工作满意度与员工离职意向关系的实证研究

从个人-组织匹配的理论视角出发,用实证方法研究企业的个人-组织匹配与工作满意度之间的关系,以及它们对员工离职意向的影响.研究结果表明,个人-组织匹配对工作满意度起到显著正向影响;个人-组织匹配对员工离职意向起到显著负向影响;工作满意度对员工离职意向起到显著负向影响;工作满意度中的2个维度--工作压力满意度和管理因素满意度在个人-组织匹配对离职意向的影响中起中介作用.     

服务业员工情绪劳动策略效能的实证研究

有关服务业中情绪劳动的管理研究正在引起关注。已有研究认为员工的情绪智力影响情绪劳动中的工作绩效、工作满意度以及工作压力感,本文进一步提出个体的情绪劳动策略对此起到中介作用。通过对电信服务业员工情绪智力、情绪劳动策略和工作绩效、工作满意度、压力感的实证分析,发现情绪劳动策略在情绪智力和员工的工作绩效、工作满意度和工作压力感之间起到部分中介作用。研究结果对服务型企业的人力资源管理实践具有一定的借鉴意义。