The application of the psychological contract to workplace safety

Introduction: Psychological contracts of safety are conceptualized as the beliefs of individuals about reciprocal safety obligations inferred from implicit or explicit promises. Although the literature on psychological contracts is growing, the existence of psychological contracts in relation to safety has not been established. The research sought to identify psychological contracts in the conversations of employees about safety, by demonstrating reciprocity in relation to employer and employee safety obligations. The identified safety obligations were used to develop a measure of psychological contracts of safety. Method: The participants were 131 employees attending safety training sessions in retail and manufacturing organizations. Non-participant observation was used to collect the data during safety training sessions. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Categories for coding were established through identification of language markers that demonstrated contingencies or other implied obligations. Results: Direct evidence of reciprocity between employer safety obligations and employee safety obligations was found in statements from the participants demonstrating psychological contracts. A comprehensive list of perceived employer and employee safety obligations was compiled and developed into a measure of psychological contracts of safety. A small sample of 33 safety personnel was used to validate the safety obligations. Conclusions and impact on industry: Implications of these findings for safety and psychological contract research are discussed.

The relationship between national income and health : a new measure applied to Bangkok

The importance of good health of a population is crucial when determining social welfare. A new health-adjusted national income indicator that explores the relationships between economic growth, health and social welfare in Bangkok, Thailand from 1975 to 1999 is applied. This new approach to social welfare analysis is based on normative social choice theory, cost–benefit and systems analysis and is called (new)3 welfare economics. This paper argues that traditional measures of welfare, such as national income, fail to reflect accurately the impact of health on social welfare.

C'mon guys! A program to facilitate father involvement in the primary school environment

This article is written to provide a case study example of a program developed to encourage fathers' engagement with their children in the primary school environment. C'mon Guys! was delivered in a Primary School in Victoria, Australia (unnamed to protect the privacy of the participants). The article begins by first describing the community in which C'mon Guys! was offered and goes on to outline the literature related to aspects pertinent to the program such as father involvement in the lives of children at school, and the role of the social worker in facilitating this type of groupwork in the school setting. Next, the aims of the program are discussed with particular reference to its design, social learning theory, systems theory and groupwork principles and processes. The outcomes of C'mon Guys! are then discussed noting the limitations of the program as well as identifying the extrinsic and intrinsic benefits for the children, their fathers and the community.

Research supports quality learning

This article reports on research currently being conducted at the Faculty of Education, Deakin University, into the factors that contribute to quality learning. It describes a shift in research focus from an emphasis on teachers and teaching to an emphasis on learners and learning, as well as to exploring how learning occurs within a social context.

Collaborative inquiry using 'learning' projects

In this paper we describe a collaborative inquiry process underway within the business faculty of an Australian university. This process involves both Human Resource Management (HRM) and Management academics and was commenced in October 2007 with the broad aim of developing and sustaining an ongoing conversation within these disciplines to enhance our teaching and the learning of our students. A key vehicle for facilitating the inquiry process is a network of learning projects. In this paper we provide a brief outline of these projects and use social learning theory to discuss and evaluate the role of projects in sustaining the inquiry process.

Exploring the possibilities of an expanded practice repertoire in child protection

Summary: This article discusses research that explored an alternative to proceduralized child protection practice informed by the risk paradigm, by expanding the repertoire available to practitioners through combining features of the risk paradigm with social constructionism. This approach incorporates three dimensions: theories of knowledge and power, related professional roles, and practice skills. In this article, we discuss and critically evaluate only the first dimension: theories of knowledge and power. Through dialogue facilitated by semi-structured questions, we explored practitioners' perspectives about the relevance and appropriateness of the alternative approach for practice.

Findings: The practitioners' participation and feedback offer insights into complex connections between `theory' and `practice' with the practitioner as a positioned subject and mediator of practical meanings of formal concepts.

Applications: 1) Recognition of each practitioner's interpretation of formal concepts and how they are applied in actual practice, even within shared organizational contexts. 2) The importance of dialogue to expand the range of possibilities that maintain openness to ongoing learning. 3) The value of theoretical pluralism that may offer greater opportunities for professional discretion, rather than single self-contained approaches that may constrain effective and ethical practice.

Caprice versus standardization in venture capital decision making

This study examined the criteria used by venture capitalists to evaluate business plans in order to make investment decisions. A literature survey revealed two competing theories: 'espoused criteria' where evaluation decisions are based on what venture capitalists say are the decisive factors, versus the use of 'known attributes' that successful ventures actually possess. Brunswik's Lens Model from Social Judgment Theory guided an empirical investigation of several different evaluation methods based on information contained in 129 business plans submitted for venture capital over a three-year period. Data evaluation culminated in the comparison of the percentage of correct decisions ('hit rate') for each method. We found that decisions based on the known attributes of successful ventures have significantly better hit rates than decisions made using espoused criteria. Discussion centered on the goal of achieving consistency in the conduct of venture analysis. Process standardization can aid in the achievement of consistency. Future research will both deepen and broaden insights.

South Africa's transtion from apartheid : the role of professional closure in the experiences of black chartered accountants

As apartheid gave way to political freedom in South Africa in the last quarter of the 20th century, chartered accounting firms began to hire black South African trainees for the first time. The study examines the oral histories of black chartered accountants within the context of social closure theory and South Africa’s changing political and ideological landscape. The evidence indicates that processes of professional closure and credentialing excluded the majority population from the ranks of the profession on basis of race and class throughout the period 1976–2000.

Prevention of body concerns and risk behaviours in adolescent boys

Overall, this thesis was designed to explore the nature of adolescent boys' body image, the effects of body image on body change strategies and psychological adjustment, and the factors that influence body image. The first study examined body image in 362 adolescent boys. Body image was considered in terms of attitudes to different body parts and attributes, including, lower, middle and upper body, as well as weight, shape and muscles. The relationships between Body Mass Index (BMI), body image, sociocultural messages, psychological adjustment and body change strategies, including strategies to decrease weight and increase muscles using food and exercise, drive for thinness, bulimic attitudes and behaviour, excessive exercise, food supplements to lose weight, increase muscles and steroids, were also investigated. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the role of body image, sociocultural messages and psychological adjustment to predict satisfaction with different body attributes and body change strategies. The findings from study one led to the development of a program aimed at preventing the development of unhealthy attitudes and behaviours among adolescent boys. Study two involved the implementation and evaluation of this prevention program. One hundred and twenty one boys participated in the program. The program was based on social-cognitive theory, and included a focus on accepting differences and the development of self-esteem. The boys who participated in the program indicated some change in existing attitudes and showed less development of risk behaviours relative to the control group. The implications of the findings from this thesis in relation to future research, as well as the prevention of adolescent boys' body image problems are discussed.

Human mate selection across the lifespan

The lifespan mating preferences of men and women were examined to determine which of two theories of mate selection, evolutionary and social-role theory, could best explain the findings. Of the 785 respondents surveyed, the lifespan preferences of both men and women supported the evolutionary perspective of mate selection.

Identity and marginality among Slavic Baptists in Victoria

Analyses the ethnic and religious identity of an immigrant community in the light of Professor Hans Mol's social-scientific theory of religion. Argues that the Baptist religious beliefs facilitate the identification process of Slavic Baptists within the Australian host society.

Toward the standardization of venture capital investment evaluation : decision criteria for rating investee business plans

This study examined the criteria used by venture capitalists to evaluate business plans in order to make investment decisions. A literature survey revealed two competing theories: “espoused criteria” where evaluation decisions are based on what venture capitalists say are the decisive factors; versus the use of “known attributes” that successful ventures actually possess. Brunswik’s Lens Model from Social Judgment Theory guided an empirical investigation of several different evaluation methods based on information contained in 129 business plans submitted for venture capital over a 3 year period. Data evaluation culminated in the comparison of the percentage of correct decisions (“hit-rate”) for each method. We found that decisions based on the known attributes of successful ventures have significantly better hit-rates than decisions made using espoused criteria. Discussion centred on the goal of achieving consistency in the conduct of venture analysis. Process standardization can aid in the achievement of consistency. Future research will both deepen and broaden insights.

The development and validation of a psychological contract of safety scale

Introduction
This paper builds on previous research by the author and describes the development and validation of a new measure of the psychological contract of safety. The psychological contract of safety is defined as the beliefs of individuals about reciprocal safety obligations inferred from implicit and explicit promises.

Method
A psychological contract is established when an individual believes that perceived employer and employee safety obligations are contingent on each other. A pilot test of the measure is first undertaken with participants from three different occupations: nurses, construction workers, and meat processing workers (N = 99). Item analysis is used to refine the measure and provide initial validation of the scale. A larger validation study is then conducted with a participant sample of health care workers (N = 424) to further refine the measure and to determine the psychometric properties of the scale.

Results
Item and correlational analyses produced the final employer and employee obligations scales, consisting of 21 and 17 items, respectively. Factor analyses identified two underlying dimensions in each scale comparable to that previously established in the organizational literature. These transactional and relational-type obligations provided construct validity of the scale. Internal consistency ratings using Cronbach's alpha found the components of the psychological contract of safety measure to be reliable.

Impact on Industry
The refined and validated psychological contract of safety measure will allow investigation of the positive and negative outcomes associated with fulfilment and breach of the psychological contract of safety in future research.

An overview of previous studies in stakeholder management and its implications for construction industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of previous studies in the field of stakeholder management, and propose implications for the construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach – Three major databases are searched: ABI, EI CompendexWeb, and ISI web of knowledge. Papers are searched on topic by using the keywords of “stakeholder management”, “management of stakeholders” and “management of stakeholder”. A brief review of the abstracts and conclusions of these papers is conducted to filter out the irrelevant and/or duplicate papers. After filtering, 159 articles with content relevant to stakeholder management are selected for analysis.

Findings – An overview of previous studies reveals that research interest in stakeholder management has turned to the descriptive approach. Through a critical review of stakeholder management process, three main problems of previous studies are identified: very few methods and tools are available to identify all stakeholders and their interests; limited studies involve the change management about the stakeholders' influence and relationship; and few studies are capable of reflecting the influence of the entire relationship network in practice.

Research limitations/implications – Two implications for the construction industry are suggested: establish a practical framework for managing stakeholders; and apply social network theory (SNT) in developing a stakeholder relationship model.

Originality/value – The overview and implications lead to new knowledge and an improved understanding of the management of multiple stakeholders in construction projects. The perspective of SNT avoids the deficiency of Freeman's dyadic ties model, and the project managers can make decisions in response to the stakeholder behaviours according to the entire relationship.