Impact of high-performance work systems on individual- and branch-level performance:test of a multilevel model of intermediate linkages

We proposed and tested a multilevel model, underpinned by empowerment theory, that examines the processes linking high-performance work systems (HPWS) and performance outcomes at the individual and organizational levels of analyses. Data were obtained from 37 branches of 2 banking institutions in Ghana. Results of hierarchical regression analysis revealed that branch-level HPWS relates to empowerment climate. Additionally, results of hierarchical linear modeling that examined the hypothesized cross-level relationships revealed 3 salient findings. First, experienced HPWS and empowerment climate partially mediate the influence of branch-level HPWS on psychological empowerment. Second, psychological empowerment partially mediates the influence of empowerment climate and experienced HPWS on service performance. Third, service orientation moderates the psychological empowerment-service performance relationship such that the relationship is stronger for those high rather than low in service orientation. Last, ordinary least squares regression results revealed that branch-level HPWS influences branch-level market performance through cross-level and individual-level influences on service performance that emerges at the branch level as aggregated service performance. © 2011 American Psychological Association.

Classification of Chenopodium Genus Populations and Species Based on Continuous and Categorical Variables

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 62P10, 62H30

Assessing the construct validity of a measure of learning agility

This study examined the construct validity of the Choices questionnaire that purported to support the theory of Learning Agility. Specifically, Learning Agility attempts to predict an individual's potential performance in new tasks. The construct validity will be measured by examining the convergent/discriminant validity of the Choices Questionnaire against a cognitive ability measure and two personality measures. The Choices Questionnaire did tap a construct that is unique to the cognitive ability and the personality measures, thus suggesting that this measure may have considerable value in personnel selection. This study also examined the relationship of this pew measure to job performance and job promotability. Results of this study found that the Choices Questionnaire predicted job performance and job promotability above and beyond cognitive ability and personality. Data from 107 law enforcement officers, along with two of their co-workers and a supervisor resulted in a correlation of .08 between Learning Agility and cognitive ability. Learning Agility correlated .07 with Learning Goal Orientation and. 17 with Performance Goal Orientation. Correlations with the Big Five Personality factors ranged from −.06 to. 13 with Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience, respectively. Learning Agility correlated .40 with supervisory ratings of job promotability and correlated .3 7 with supervisory ratings of overall job performance. Hierarchical regression analysis found incremental validity for Learning Agility over cognitive ability and the Big Five factors of personality for supervisory ratings of both promotability and overall job performance. A literature review was completed to integrate the Learning Agility construct into a nomological net of personnel selection research. Additionally, practical applications and future research directions are discussed. ^

Examining a proposed job retention model for adult workers with mental retardation in supported employment

This quantitative study investigated the predictive relationships and interaction between factors such as work-related social behaviors (WRSB), self-determination (SD), person-job congruency (PJC), job performance (JP), job satisfaction (JS), and job retention (JR). A convenience sample of 100 working adults with MR were selected from supported employment agencies. Data were collected using a survey test battery of standardized instruments. The hypotheses were analyzed using three multiple regression analyses to identify significant relationships. Beta weights and hierarchical regression analysis determined the percentage of the predictor variables contribution to the total variance of the criterion variables, JR, JP, and JS. ^ The findings highlight the importance of self-determination skills in predicting job retention, satisfaction, and performance for employees with MR. Consistent with the literature and hypothesized model, there was a predictive relationship between SD, JS and JR. Furthermore, SD and PJC were predictors of JP. SD and JR were predictors of JS. Interestingly, the results indicated no significant relationship between JR and JP, or between JP and JS, or between PJC and JS. This suggests that there is a limited fit between the hypothesized model and the study's findings. However, the theoretical contribution made by this study is that self-determination is a particularly relevant predictor of important work outcomes including JR, JP, and JS. This finding is consistent with Deci's (1992) Self-Determination Theory and Wehmeyer's (1996) argument that SD skills in individuals with disabilities have important consequences for the success in transitioning from school to adult and work life. This study provides job retention strategies that offer rehabilitation and HR professionals a useful structure for understanding and implementing job retention interventions for people with MR. ^ The study concluded that workers with mental retardation who had more self-determination skills were employed longer, more satisfied, and better performers on the job. Also, individuals whose jobs were matched to their interests and abilities (person-job congruency) were better at self-determination skills. ^

Employee engagement: An examination of antecedent and outcome variables

This nonexperimental, correlational study (N = 283) examined the relation among job fit, affective commitment, psychological climate, discretionary effort, intention to turnover, and employee engagement. An internet-based self-report survey battery of six scales were administered to a heterogeneous sampling of organizations from the fields of service, technology, healthcare, retail, banking, nonprofit, and hospitality. Hypotheses were tested through correlational and hierarchical regression analytic procedures. Job fit, affective commitment, and psychological climate were all significantly related to employee engagement and employee engagement was significantly related to both discretionary effort and intention to turnover. For the discretionary effort model, the hierarchical regression analysis results suggested that the employees who reported experiencing a positive psychological climate were more likely to report higher levels of discretionary effort. As for the intention to turnover model, the hierarchical regression analysis results indicated that affective commitment and employee engagement predicted lower levels of an employee’s intention to turnover. The regression beta weights ranged from to .43 to .78, supporting the theoretical, empirical, and practical relevance of understanding the impact of employee engagement on organizational outcomes. Implications for HRD theory, research, and practice are highlighted as possible strategic leverage points for creating conditions that facilitate the development of employee engagement as a means for improving organizational performance.

Chemical characteristics of dissolved organic matter in an oligotrophic subtropical wetland/estuarine ecosystem

Fluorescence properties of whole water samples and molecular characteristics of ultrafiltrated dissolved organic matter (UDOM > 1,000 D) such as lignin phenol and neutral sugar compositions and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra were determined along a freshwater to marine gradient in Everglades National Park. Furthermore, UDOM samples were categorized by hierarchical cluster analysis based on their pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry products. Fluorescence properties suggest that autochthonous DOM leached/exuded from biomass is quantitatively important in this system. 13C NMR spectra showed that UDOM from the oligotrophic Taylor Slough (TS) and Florida Bay (FB) ecosystems has low aromatic C (13% ± 3% for TS; 2% ± 2% for FB) and very high O-alkyl C (54% ± 4% for TS; 75% ± 4% for FB) concentrations. High O-alkyl C concentrations in FB suggest seagrass/phytoplankton communities as dominant sources of UDOM. The amount of neutral sugars was not appreciably different between the TS and FB sites (115 ± 12 mg C g C-1 UDOM) but their concentrations suggest a low level of diagenesis and high production rates of this material in this oligotrophic environment. Total yield of lignin phenols (vanillyl + syringyl phenols) in TS was low (0.20–0.39 mg 100 mg C-1 UDOM) compared with other riverine environments and even lower in FB (0.04–0.07 mg 100 mg C-1 UDOM) and could be a result of photodegradation and/or dilution by other utochthonous DOM. The high O-alkyl and low aromatic nature of this UDOM suggests significant biogenic inputs (as compared with soils) and limited bioavailability in this ecosystem.

Design and evaluation of a consulting system for database design

Database design is a difficult problem for non-expert designers. It is desirable to assist such designers during the problem solving process by means of a knowledge based (KB) system. Although a number of prototype KB systems have been proposed, there are many shortcomings. Firstly, few have incorporated sufficient expertise in modeling relationships, particularly higher order relationships. Secondly, there does not seem to be any published empirical study that experimentally tested the effectiveness of any of these KB tools. Thirdly, problem solving behavior of non-experts, whom the systems were intended to assist, has not been one of the bases for system design. In this project, a consulting system, called CODA, for conceptual database design that addresses the above short comings was developed and empirically validated. More specifically, the CODA system incorporates (a) findings on why non-experts commit errors and (b) heuristics for modeling relationships. Two approaches to knowledge base implementation were used and compared in this project, namely system restrictiveness and decisional guidance (Silver 1990). The Restrictive system uses a proscriptive approach and limits the designer's choices at various design phases by forcing him/her to follow a specific design path. The Guidance system approach, which is less restrictive, involves providing context specific, informative and suggestive guidance throughout the design process. Both the approaches would prevent erroneous design decisions. The main objectives of the study are to evaluate (1) whether the knowledge-based system is more effective than the system without a knowledge-base and (2) which approach to knowledge implementation - whether Restrictive or Guidance - is more effective. To evaluate the effectiveness of the knowledge base itself, the systems were compared with a system that does not incorporate the expertise (Control). An experimental procedure using student subjects was used to test the effectiveness of the systems. The subjects solved a task without using the system (pre-treatment task) and another task using one of the three systems, viz. Control, Guidance or Restrictive (experimental task). Analysis of experimental task scores of those subjects who performed satisfactorily in the pre-treatment task revealed that the knowledge based approach to database design support lead to more accurate solutions than the control system. Among the two KB approaches, Guidance approach was found to lead to better performance when compared to the Control system. It was found that the subjects perceived the Restrictive system easier to use than the Guidance system.

Mortalidade em idosos longevos e "mais jovens" no Brasil

The aim of the present study was to trace the mortality profile of the elderly in Brazil using two neighboring age groups: 60 to 69 years (young-old) and 80 years or more (oldest-old). To do this, we sought to characterize the trend and distinctions of different mortality profiles, as well as the quality of the data and associations with socioeconomic and sanitary conditions in the micro-regions of Brazil. Data was collected from the Mortality Information System (SIM) and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Based on these data, the coefficients of mortality were calculated for the chapters of the International Disease Classification (ICD-10). A polynomial regression model was used to ascertain the trend of the main chapters. Non-hierarchical cluster analysis (K-Means) was used to obtain the profiles for different Brazilian micro-regions. Factorial analysis of the contextual variables was used to obtain the socio-economic and sanitary deprivation indices (IPSS). The trend of the CMId and of the ratio of its values in the two age groups confirmed a decrease in most of the indicators, particularly for badly-defined causes among the oldest-old. Among the young-old, the following profiles emerged: the Development Profile; the Modernity Profile; the Epidemiological Paradox Profile and the Ignorance Profile. Among the oldest-old, the latter three profiles were confirmed, in addition to the Low Mortality Rates Profile. When comparing the mean IPSS values in global terms, all of the groups were different in both of the age groups. The Ignorance Profile was compared with the other profiles using orthogonal contrasts. This profile differed from all of the others in isolation and in clusters. However, the mean IPSS was similar for the Low Mortality Rates Profile among the oldest-old. Furthermore, associations were found between the data quality indicators, the CMId for badly-defined causes, the general coefficient of mortality for each age group (CGMId) and the IPSS of the micro-regions. The worst rates were recorded in areas with the greatest socioeconomic and sanitary deprivation. The findings of the present study show that, despite the decrease in the mortality coefficients, there are notable differences in the profiles related to contextual conditions, including regional differences in data quality. These differences increase the vulnerability of the age groups studied and the health iniquities that are already present.

Riscos à saúde dos trabalhadores em unidade de alimentação e nutrição de um Hospital Universitário

The Food and Nutrition Units (FNU) are designed to produce food for healthy and/or sick communities and need to be done in a way to ensure the quality of foodstuffs that were produced. In these units, in the working environment, in general, there is excessive noise, heat and physical condition with many adaptations, presence of obstacles, inadequate flows, as well as the ways of the working organization may represent risks for workers health and lead to errors during production and/or distribution of food. The main goal of this study was to analyse the working processes in the Food Production Unit of the university’s hospital and identify the workers' health risk factors, using for this the knowledge of ergonomics, specifically the method of Ergonomic Work Analysis (EWA). After this analysis it was possible to develop proposals that will bring improvements to the working conditions, minimizing health risk factors during the process of meals production. It’s crucial to reassert this method considers the work activity performed in real time and highlights the importance of listening and the engagement of the workers in the changing process. It is a descriptive research with a qualitative approach. In the field research were collected demographics data, employment characteristics of the individuals (age, education, stocking sector, the total length of service and length of service in the industry) and data related to their usual work (task analysis, activity analysis and Analysis of the working environment) in the FNU. The instruments that were used in this study were document analysis, global and systematic observations and semi structured interviews in order to identify the main complaints related to those activities developed by them. The study was based on data for the analysis of Bardin, 2011, so the documents have been selected and including those that treat issues related to risks to workers' health were selected. The result of semi-structured interviews, global and systematic observations took place a confrontation of this material to the theoretical framework, held the inference and the interpretation of results the light of the knowledge of ergonomics and legislation. Issues related to the risks and the perception of workers has crafted a table showing the frequency of responses to the physical, chemical and biological and even the risk of accidents and was made a descriptive analysis. The results of this analysis indicated that the unit in question presents several problems ambience of jobs, both in terms of physical structure, but also in the organization of work. Non-conformities that leads to a favourable environment to the development of disease and injury hazards and compromising the quality of food produced. It is necessary to comply with legislation and that short, medium and long-term measures are taken to ensure the physical integrity of workers and improve the working environment.

Global and local perceptual style, field-independence, and central coherence: an attempt at concept validation

Historically, the concepts of field-independence, closure flexibility, and weak central coherence have been used to denote a locally, rather globally, dominated perceptual style. To date, there has been little attempt to clarify the relationship between these constructs, or to examine the convergent validity of the various tasks purported to measure them. To address this, we administered 14 tasks that have been used to study visual perceptual styles to a group of 90 neuro-typical adults. The data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis. We found evidence for the existence of a narrowly defined weak central coherence (field-independence) factor that received loadings from only a few of the tasks used to operationalise this concept. This factor can most aptly be described as representing the ability to dis-embed a simple stimulus from a more complex array. The results suggest that future studies of perceptual styles should include tasks whose theoretical validity is empirically verified, as such validity cannot be established merely on the basis of a priori task analysis. Moreover, the use of multiple indices is required to capture the latent dimensions of perceptual styles reliably.

Memória e envelhecimento: Qual o real impacto da idade?

RESUMO Objetivos. O défice mnésico é uma das alterações cognitivas que mais afeta as pessoas idosas. A idade é considerada um dos fatores de relevo nas alterações de memória, inclusivamente pelas próprias pessoas idosas. A investigação tem mostrado que existem outros fatores além da idade que afetam a memória das pessoas idosas. Contudo, fica por esclarecer qual o real papel da idade sobre a memória quando é controlada a influência de outras variáveis. Assim, o presente estudo pretende analisar o impacto da idade no funcionamento mnésico de pessoas idosas e verificar se, ao controlar o papel de outras variáveis (sexo, escolaridade, profissão, situação civil, situação residencial e situação clínica), esse potencial impacto se mantém. Métodos. A amostra global foi constituída por 1126 participantes (283 homens e 843 mulheres; 226 residentes na comunidade e 900 em resposta social dirigida à população idosa) com idades compreendidas entre os 60 e os 100 anos. A avaliação foi realizada com recurso aos itens do Mini-Mental State Examination (memória de trabalho), o fator do Montreal Cognitive Assessment (memória declarativa verbal) e Figura Complexa de ReyOsterrieth (memória visuoespacial). Resultados. Globalmente, a idade, escolaridade, profissão, situação civil, residencial e clínica influenciaram a memória de forma diferenciada consoante o tipo de memória. As análises de regressão hierárquica mostraram que a idade é um fator preditivo em todos os tipos de memória. Emergiram ainda outros fatores preditivos com coeficientes de regressão superiores à idade conforme o tipo de memória (exceto na memória de trabalho). Conclusões. A idade, a escolaridade e a profissão influenciam a memória, assim como os fatores que potencialmente estimulam cognitiva e socialmente (como ter um companheiro e residir na comunidade). Os resultados apontam para a importância de intervir em pessoas em respostas sociais, mais idosas, sem companheiro, com baixa escolaridade e profissão manual. ABSTRACT Goals. Memory impairment is one of the types of cognitive impairment that most affects the elderly. Age is considered one of the major factors in memory impairment, including by the elderly themselves. Research has shown that there are other factors affecting memory of elderly persons. It remains, however, unclear what is the real impact of age in memory when controlling the influence of other variables. Thus, this study aims to analyze the impact of age on memory functioning of elderly persons and check if the potential impact remains when controlling the role of other variables (sex, education, profession, marital status, residential status, and clinical situation). Methods. The global sample comprised 1126 subjects (283 men and 843 women, 226 residents in the community and 900 institutionalized elderly) aged from 60 to 100 years. The assessment included items from the MiniMental State Examination (working memory), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment factor (verbal declarative memory), and Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (visuospatial memory). Results. Overall, age, education, profession, marital, residential, and clinical condition have differently influenced memory, depending on the type of memory. The hierarchical regression analysis showed that age is a predictive factor in all types of memory. However, other predictors have emerged with higher regression coefficients compared to age, according to the type of memory (except in working memory). Conclusions. Age, education and profession influence memory, as well as factors that potentially stimulate cognitively and socially (like having a partner and living in the community). The results indicate the importance of intervening, especially among institutionalized elderly, older, unmarried, with low education, and manual profession.

Job-demand for Learning, Job-related Learning and Need for Achievement

Individual learning is important, as it is both a precursor and an outcome of learning in organisations. Job-related learning is driven by external factors (e.g., the demands of the job) and internal factors (i.e., the personality of the individual). The study examined whether need for achievement moderates the relationship between job-demand for learning and job-related learning. Data were obtained from 153 full-time, white-collar employees from a range of industries. Hierarchical regression analysis using the product term revealed that need for achievement moderates the relationship between job-demand for learning and job-related learning. Specifically, although job-demand for learning is correlated positively to job-related learning for both the high and the low need for achievement groups, this correlation is stronger amongst the high group. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for future research and practice.

COACHES, CLIMATES, “FIELD” GOALS, AND EFFICACY: A “DE-CONSTRUCTION” OF THE MASTERY-APPROACH TO COACHING AND EXAMINATION OF RELATIONSHIPS TO PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN A YOUTH FOOTBALL PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

In support of the achievement goal theory (AGT), empirical research has demonstrated psychosocial benefits of the mastery-oriented learning climate. In this study, we examined the effects of perceived coaching behaviors on various indicators of psychosocial well-being (competitive anxiety, self-esteem, perceived competence, enjoyment, and future intentions for participation), as mediated by perceptions of the coach-initiated motivational climate, achievement goal orientations and perceptions of sport-specific skills efficacy. Using a pre-post test design, 1,464 boys, ages 10-15 (M = 12.84 years, SD = 1.44), who participated in a series of 12 football skills clinics were surveyed from various locations across the United States. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) path analysis and hierarchical regression analysis, the cumulative direct and indirect effects of the perceived coaching behaviors on the psychosocial variables at post-test were parsed out to determine what types of coaching behaviors are more conducive to the positive psychosocial development of youth athletes. The study demonstrated that how coaching behaviors are perceived impacts the athletes’ perceptions of the motivational climate and achievement goal orientations, as well as self-efficacy beliefs. These effects in turn affect the athletes’ self-esteem, general competence, sport-specific competence, competitive anxiety, enjoyment, and intentions to remain involved in the sport. The findings also clarify how young boys internalize and interpret coaches’ messages through modification of achievement goal orientations and sport-specific efficacy beliefs.

Aproveitamento de subprodutos da indústria de carne suína: caracterização físico-química do queijo de porco

Headcheese is a meat sausage originated from Europe made from hog slaughter by-products. It is a much appreciated product in the South of Brazil which is increasingly established in the market, however it does not have official regulations yet. This study aimed to present the physicochemical characterization of headcheese in a western Santa Catarina industry supervised by Companhia Integrada de Desenvolvimento Agrícola de Santa Catarina and assess 10 different brands to find the relationship between chemical composition and texture profile analysis (TPA). Thus, the chemical composition, energy value, total nitrite, lipid oxidation and physical parameters (color and texture) were evaluated. The product exhibited great variability in moisture content, lipid and protein because the different formulations, processing and intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of raw material. The utilization of offal provided higher cholesterol and iron levels, and the high content of collagen was accountable for the shear force responses (7.84 ± 1.68 N). The product showed higher amount of sodium, due to the use of additives, but calcium levels were compatible with other sausages. There was a predominance of polyunsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids ratio was more favorable than other sausage in the same category. Nitrite assured preservation effects and thus lower product levels of oxidation were observed. The high Water Activity and pH 6.5 showed that the product is susceptible to growth of pathogens and requires cooling for preservation. Its brownish occurred due to cooking and production of metmyoglobin. There was a strong positive correlation between collagen and attributes of TPA, especially for chewiness (r = 0.855). The use of Hierarchical Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis were able to separate three groups based on the amount of collagen and texture attributes, especially hardness, gumminess and chewiness.

MLCut: exploring multi-level cuts in dendrograms for biological data.

Choosing a single similarity threshold for cutting dendrograms is not sufficient for performing hierarchical clustering analysis of heterogeneous data sets. In addition, alternative automated or semi-automated methods that cut dendrograms in multiple levels make assumptions about the data in hand. In an attempt to help the user to find patterns in the data and resolve ambiguities in cluster assignments, we developed MLCut: a tool that provides visual support for exploring dendrograms of heterogeneous data sets in different levels of detail. The interactive exploration of the dendrogram is coordinated with a representation of the original data, shown as parallel coordinates. The tool supports three analysis steps. Firstly, a single-height similarity threshold can be applied using a dynamic slider to identify the main clusters. Secondly, a distinctiveness threshold can be applied using a second dynamic slider to identify “weak-edges” that indicate heterogeneity within clusters. Thirdly, the user can drill-down to further explore the dendrogram structure - always in relation to the original data - and cut the branches of the tree at multiple levels. Interactive drill-down is supported using mouse events such as hovering, pointing and clicking on elements of the dendrogram. Two prototypes of this tool have been developed in collaboration with a group of biologists for analysing their own data sets. We found that enabling the users to cut the tree at multiple levels, while viewing the effect in the original data, is a promising method for clustering which could lead to scientific discoveries.