Developing a multidimensional scale of customer-oriented deviance (COD)

Although frontline employees' bending of organizational rules and norms for customers is an important phenomenon, marketing scholars to date only broadly describe over-servicing behaviors and provide little distinction among deviant behavioral concepts. Drawing on research on pro-social and pro-customer behaviors and on studies of positive deviance, this paper develops and validates a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional construct term customer-oriented deviance. Results from two samples totaling 616 frontline employees (FLEs) in the retail and hospitality industries demonstrate that customer-oriented deviance is a four-dimensional construct with sound psychometric properties. Evidence from a test of a theoretical model of key antecedents establishes nomological validity with empathy/perspective-taking, risk-taking propensity, role conflict, and job autonomy as key predictors. Results show that the dimensions of customer-oriented deviance are distinct and have significant implications for theory and practice.

Vertical displacement measurement using fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors for structural health monitoring of bridges

This thesis developed a practical, cost effective, easy-to-use method for measuring the vertical displacements of bridges using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, which includes the curvature and inclination approaches. These approaches were validated by the numerical simulation tests on a full scale bridge and the laboratory-based tests. In doing so, a novel frictionless FBG inclination sensor with extremely high sensitivity and resolution has also been developed and validated.

Effects of plasterboard joints on the fire performance of cold-formed steel walls

This paper presents the effect of plasterboard joints on the fire performance of cold-formed steel walls. Plasterboard joints are unavoidable. However, they can be arranged in a way that they do not significantly influence the fire performance of cold-formed steel walls. Hence a research study into the effects of plasterboard joints on the fire performance of plasterboard lined cold-formed steel walls was undertaken using both full-scale fire tests and numerical studies. In this study a back-blocking technique was used to eliminate the plasterboard joints being located over the studs. Instead plasterboard joints were used between studs with 150 mm wide plasterboards as back-blocks. Both experimental and numerical results from this study show that the fire resistance rating of single plasterboard lined cold-formed steel walls can be increased by 25% through the use of a back-blocking joint arrangement in comparison to the traditional plasterboard joint arrangement over the studs.

Socio-emotional and operational demands on service employees

Enacting appropriate behaviors often requires service employees to suppress genuine emotions and/or express other emotions, genuine or contrived. Managing emotions to act in a socially appropriate manner constitutes a form of labor: emotional labor. If labor demands exceed the resources of the employee, burnout arises, with negative consequences for overall psychological well-being and job performance. Similarly, task related activities engender role stress, which can also lead to burnout. Both task related role demands and socio-emotional demands are likely to be omnipresent in interpersonal interactions in service settings. Accordingly, this study sets out to investigate the simultaneous impact of these job demands on burnout in front line service professionals. Based on survey data collected from allied health service workers, the study findings strongly suggest that both socio-emotional demands and task related role demands are significant determinants of workplace stress and that their simultaneous effects on employee burnout can be large.

On-road driver sleepiness : what are Australian drivers experiences and awareness of sleepiness while driving?

Objectives: Driver sleepiness contributes substantially to road crash incidents. Simulator and on-road studies clearly reveal an impairing effect from sleepiness for driving ability. However, drivers might not appreciate the dangerousness of driving while sleepy and this could translate to their on-road driving behaviours. This study sought to determine drivers’ on-road experiences of sleepiness, their sleep habits, and personal awareness of the signs of sleepiness. Methods: Participants were a random selection of 92 drivers travelling on a major highway in the state of Queensland, Australia, who were stopped by Police as part of routine drink driving operations. Participants completed a brief questionnaire that included: demographic details, awareness and on-road experiences of sleepy driving, and sleep habits. A modified version of the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) was used to assess subjective sleepiness during the last 15 minutes of driving. Results: Participants rating of subjective sleepiness was quite low with 90% reporting at or below 3 on the KSS. Participants were reasonably aware of the signs of sleepiness; with a number of these correlated with on-road experiences. The participants sleep debt correlated with their alertness (r = -.30) and the hours spent driving (r = .38). Conclusions: These results suggest that drivers had moderate or substantial experience of driving when sleepy and many were aware of the signs of sleepiness. As many of the participants reported driving long distances after suboptimal sleep durations, it is possible that their risk perception of the dangerousness of sleepy driving maybe erroneous.

Cross cultural adaptation and validation of a Spanish version of the lower limb functional index

Background: The Lower Limb Functional Index (LLFI) is a relatively recently published regional outcome measure. The development article showed the LLFI had robust and valid clinimetric properties with sound psychometric and practical characteristics when compared to the Lower Limb Extremity Scale (LEFS) criterion standard. Objective: The purpose of this study was cross cultural adaptation and validation of the LLFI Spanish-version (LLFI-Sp) in a Spanish population. Methods: A two stage observational study was conducted. The LLFI was initially cross-culturally adapted to Spanish through double forward and single backward translation; then subsequently validated for the psychometric characteristics of validity, internal consistency, reliability, error score and factor structure. Participants (n = 136) with various lower limb conditions of >12 weeks duration completed the LLFI-Sp, Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and the Euroqol Health Questionnaire 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D-3 L). The full sample was employed to determine internal consistency, concurrent criterion validity, construct validity and factor structure; a subgroup (n = 45) determined reliability at seven days concurrently completing a global rating of change scale. Results: The LLFI-Sp demonstrated high but not excessive internal consistency (α = 0.91) and high reliability (ICC = 0.96). The factor structure was one-dimensional which supported the construct validity. Criterion validity with the WOMAC was strong (r = 0.77) and with the EQ-5D-3 L fair and inversely correlated (r = -0.62). The study limitations included the lack of longitudinal data and the determination of responsiveness. Conclusions: The LLFI-Sp supports the findings of the original English version as being a valid lower limb regional outcome measure. It demonstrated similar psychometric properties for internal consistency, validity, reliability, error score and factor structure.

Fire performance and design of cold-formed steel wall systems

Traditionally, the fire resistance rating of Light gauge steel frame (LSF) wall systems is based on approximate prescriptive methods developed using limited fire tests. These fire tests are conducted using standard fire time-temperature curve given in ISO 834. However, in recent times fire has become a major disaster in buildings due to the increase in fire loads as a result of modern furniture and lightweight construction, which make use of thermoplastics materials, synthetic foams and fabrics. Therefore a detailed research study into the performance of load bearing LSF wall systems under both standard and realistic design fires on one side was undertaken to develop improved fire design rules. This study included both full scale fire tests and numerical studies of eight different LSF wall systems conducted for both the standard fire curve and the recently developed realistic design fire curves. The use of previous fire design rules developed for LSF walls subjected to non-uniform elevated temperature distributions based on AISI design manual and Eurocode 3 Parts 1.2 and 1.3 was investigated first. New simplified fire design rules based on AS/NZS 4600, North American Specification and Eurocode 3 Part 1.3 were then proposed with suitable allowances for the interaction effects of compression and bending actions. The importance of considering thermal bowing, magnified thermal bowing and neutral axis shift in the fire design was also investigated and their effects were included. A spread sheet based design tool was developed based on the new design rules to predict the failure load ratio versus time and temperature curves for varying LSF wall configurations. The accuracy of the proposed design rules was verified using the fire test and finite element analysis results for various wall configurations, steel grades, thicknesses and load ratios under both standard and realistic design fire conditions. A simplified method was also proposed to predict the fire resistance rating of LSF walls based on two sets of equations developed for the load ratio-hot flange temperature and the time-temperature relationships. This paper presents the details of this study on LSF wall systems under fire conditions and the results.

Development of realistic design fire time-temperature curves for the testing of cold-formed steel wall system

Fire resistance rating of light gauge steel frame (LSF) wall systems is obtained from fire tests based on the standard fire time-temperature curve. However, fire severity has increased in modern buildings due to higher fuel loads as a result of modern furniture and light weight constructions that make use of thermoplastics materials, synthetic foams and fabrics. Some of these materials are high in calorific values and increase both the spread of fire growth and heat release rate, thus increasing the fire severity beyond that of the standard fire curve. Further, the standard fire curve does not include a decay phase that is present in natural fires. Despite the increasing usage of LSF walls, their behaviour in real building fires is not fully understood. This paper presents the details of a research study aimed at developing realistic design fire curves for use in the fire tests of LSF walls. It includes a review of the characteristics of building fires, previously developed fire time-temperature curves, computer models and available parametric equations. The paper highlights that real building fire time-temperature curves depend on the fuel load representing the combustible building contents, ventilation openings and thermal properties of wall lining materials, and provides suitable values of many required parameters including fuel loads in residential buildings. Finally, realistic design fire time-temperature curves simulating the fire conditions in modern residential buildings are proposed for the testing of LSF walls.

The on-road experiences and awareness of sleepiness in a sample of Australian highway drivers: A roadside driver sleepiness study

Objective Driver sleepiness contributes substantially to road crash incidents. Simulator and on-road studies clearly reveal an impairing effect from sleepiness on driving ability. However, the degree to which drivers appreciate the dangerousness of driving while sleepy is somewhat unclear. This study sought to determine drivers’ on-road experiences of sleepiness, their prior sleep habits, and personal awareness of the signs of sleepiness. Methods Participants were a random selection of 92 drivers travelling on a major highway in the state of Queensland, Australia, who were stopped by police as part of routine drink driving operations. Participants completed a brief questionnaire that included demographic information, sleepy driving experiences (signs of sleepiness and on-road experiences of sleepiness), and prior sleep habits. A modified version of the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) was used to assess subjective sleepiness in the 15 minutes prior to being stopped by police. Results Participants rating of subjective sleepiness were quite low, with 90% reporting being alert to extremely alert on the KSS. Participants were reasonably aware of the signs of sleepiness, with many signs of sleepiness associated with on-road experiences of sleepiness. Additionally, the number of hours spent driving was positively correlated with the drivers’ level of sleep debt. Conclusions The results suggest the participants had moderate experience of driving while sleepy and many were aware of the signs of sleepiness. The relationship between driving long distances and increased sleep debt is a concern for road safety – increased education regarding the dangers of sleepy driving seems warranted.

Employee perceptions of alcohol and drug policy effectiveness: Policy features, concerns about drug testing, and the key role of preventative measures

As negative employee attitudes towards alcohol and other drug (AOD) policies may have serious consequences for organizations, the present study examined demographic and attitudinal dimensions leading to employees’ perceptions of AOD policy effectiveness. Survey responses were obtained from 147 employees in an Australian agricultural organization. Three dimensions of attitudes towards AOD policies were examined: knowledge of policy features, attitudes towards testing, and preventative measures such as job design and organizational involvement in community health. Demographic differences were identified, with males and blue-collar employees reporting significantly more negative attitudes towards the AOD policy. Attitude dimensions were stronger predictors of perceptions of policy effectiveness than demographics, and the strongest predictor was preventative measures. This suggests that organizations should do more than design adequate and fair AOD policies, and take a more holistic approach to AOD impairment by engaging in workplace design to reduce AOD use and promote a consistent health message to employees and the community.

The development of an instrument for assessing cognitive ability and screening for the cognitive decline associated with dementia in people with moderate to profound intellectual disability

Individuals with intellectual disability have a greater risk of developing dementia.The diagnosis of dementia relies on accurate testing of cognitive function however existing tests have limited utility in people whose intellectual disability is moderate or greater. A new test was developed and underwent preliminary testing to determine use across a wider ability spectrum. The Cognitive Baseline & Screener for People with Intellectual Disability (CBS-ID) was administered to a sample of 17 dyads (n=34) (people with intellectual disability (who completed CBS-ID) and caregivers (who provided an independent rating of function)).The CBS-ID performed well on several usability metrics across all intellectual disability level and was highly correlated with existing measures of cognitive function to which it was compared.Further research with a larger sample is needed to assess the test's ability to detect change in cognition over time & determine if it aids the process of diagnosing dementia.

Energy based time equivalent approach to determine the fire resistance ratings of light gauge steel frame walls exposed to realistic design fire curves

Structural fire safety has become one of the key considerations in the design and maintenance of the built infrastructure. Conventionally the fire resistance rating of load bearing Light gauge Steel Frame (LSF) walls is determined based on the standard time-temperature curve given in ISO 834. Recent research has shown that the true fire resistance of building elements exposed to building fires can be less than their fire resistance ratings determined based on standard fire tests. It is questionable whether the standard time-temperature curve truly represents the fuel loads in modern buildings. Therefore an equivalent fire severity approach has been used in the past to obtain fire resistance rating. This is based on the performance of a structural member exposed to a realistic design fire curve in comparison to that of standard fire time-temperature curve. This paper presents the details of research undertaken to develop an energy based time equivalent approach to obtain the fire resistance ratings of LSF walls exposed to realistic design fire curves with respect to standard fire exposure. This approach relates to the amount of energy transferred to the member. The proposed method was used to predict the fire resistance ratings of single and double layer plasterboard lined and externally insulated LSF walls. The predicted fire ratings were compared with the results from finite element analyses and fire design rules for three different wall configurations exposed to both rapid and prolonged fires. The comparison shows that the proposed energy method can be used to obtain the fire resistance ratings of LSF walls in the case of prolonged fires.

A Front end Switched Rectifier DC Source for Neutral Point Balancing of A NPC Three-Level Inverter for The Full Modulation Range

A switched DC voltage three level NPC is proposed in this paper to eliminate capacitor balancing problems in conventional three-level Neutral Point Clamped (NPC) inverter. The proposed configuration requires only one DC link with a voltage V-dc/2, where V-dc is the DC link voltage in a onventional NPC inverter. To get rated DC link voltage (V-dc), the voltage source is alternately onnected in parallel to one of the two series capacitors using two switches and two diodes with device voltage rating of V-dc/2. The frequency at which the voltage source is switched is independent and will not affect the operation of NPC inverter. The switched voltage source in this configuration balances the capacitors automatically. The proposed configuration can also be used as a conventional two level inverter in lower modulation range, thereby increases the reliability of the drive system. A space vector based PWM scheme is used to verify this proposed topology.

Organisational sustainability policies and employee green behaviour: The mediating role of work climate perceptions

Organisations are increasingly introducing sustainability policies to encourage environmentally friendly behaviours. Employees' green work climate perceptions (i.e., how they perceive their organisations' and co-workers' orientations towards environmental sustainability) may constitute psychological mechanisms that link such policies with behaviour. We present findings of a study on relationships among the perceived presence of organisational sustainability policies, green work climate perceptions and employee reports of their green behaviour (EGB). We hypothesised that green work climate perceptions mediate the positive relationship between employees' perceptions of the presence of a sustainability policy and EGB. Results based on data from 168 employees supported our hypotheses. Green work climate perceptions of the organisation and of co-workers differentially mediated the effects of the perceived presence of a sustainability policy on task-related and proactive EGB. These findings extend research on the efficacy of sustainability policies by shedding new light on the psychological mechanisms that link them with EGB.

Development, reliability and validity of the queensland evaluation of wheelchair skills (QEWS)

- Objectives To develop and test a valid and reliable assessment of wheelchair skills for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI); the Queensland Evaluation of Wheelchair Skills (QEWS). - Setting Hospital, Australia. - Methods Phase 1: Four Delphi panel rounds with clinical experts were used to develop the QEWS. Phase 2: Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the QEWS items were examined in 100 people with SCI. Phase 3a: Concurrent validity was investigated by examining the association between QEWS total scores and physiotherapists’ global ratings of wheelchair skill performance. Phase 3b: Construct validity was tested in 20 people with recent SCI by examining change in QEWS total scores between when they first mobilised in a wheelchair and scores obtained 10 weeks later. - Results Phase 1: The QEWS was developed. Phase 2: The intra-class correlation coefficients reflecting the intra-rater reliability and the inter-rater reliability for the QEWS total score were 1.00 and 0.98, with scores being within one point of each other 96 and 91% of the time, respectively. Phase 3a: The QEWS total scores were comparable with the global rating of wheelchair skill performance (r2=0.93). Phase 3b: The QEWS scores changed by a median (interquartile range (IQR)) of 4 (1 to 6) points over the 10-week period following first wheelchair mobilisation. - Conclusion The QEWS is a valid and reliable tool for measuring wheelchair skills in individuals with SCI. The QEWS is efficient and practical to administer and does not require specialised equipment.