Johtaminen ja tavoiteasetanta tuotannolliseen toimintaan keskittyvissä metalliteollisuusyrityksissä: Empiirinen tutkimus

Tutkielman päätavoitteena on selvittää kyselytutkimuksella, mikä on vallitseva johtamistyyli ja tavoiteasetantamenetelmä tuotannolliseen toimintaan keskittyvissä metalliteollisuusyrityksissä. Tutkimuksen kohteena ovat 10 - 50 henkilöä työllistävät pienyritykset. Tutkielman alatavoitteina on selvittää yrittäjyyden toimeenpanevia tausta-tekijöitä, pienyritysten tyypillisiä piirteitä sekä pienyrityksen johtamista. Muina alatavoitteina pyritään selvittämään pienyritysten tavoiteasetantatapaa, -menetelmiä ja -rakennetta. Alatavoitteet pohjautuvat kirjallisuuskatsaukseen ja tukevat omalta osaltaan päätavoitteen saavuttamista. Tutkimuksen teoreettinen osa perustuu käsiteanalyyttiseen tutkimusotteeseen ja empiirinen osa nomoteettiseen tutkimusotteeseen. Tutkielma osoittaa pienten metalliteollisuusyritysten vallitsevana johtamistyylinä olevan asiakeskeisyyttä korostava tyyli ja tavoiteasetantamenetelmänä olevan autoritaarinen menetelmä.

Attachment style, assertive communication, and safer-sex behavior

This research tested the proposition that the effect of attachment security on safer-sex practice may be mediated by communication patterns. One hundred eighty-five undergraduate students completed questionnaire measures of attachment, assertiveness, and attitudes to communication about AIDS. Eight weeks later, they reported on their practice of safer sex in the period since the first testing session. Hierarchical regressions showed that at Step 1, anxiety about relationships (a measure of insecure attachment) was associated with less safer-sex practice, for all outcome measures. Attitudes to communication about AIDS added to the prediction of general reports of safer-sex practice: in line with the mediational model, anxiety about relationships became unimportant as a predictor when communication variables were included. Communication variables failed to add to the prediction of safer sex on the most recent encounter, and both anxiety about relationships and attitudes to communication about AIDS predicted condom use. Some gender differences in patterns of prediction were noted. The results are discussed in terms of attachment style and its links with the negotiation of sexual practice and relationship issues.

Attachment style as a predictor of sexual attitudes and behavior in late adolescence

This research applied attachment theory to the study of sexual attitudes and behaviors in a sample of late adolescents. Four hundred and seventy heterosexual undergraduate students completed questionnaires assessing attachment (discomfort with closeness; anxiety over relationships), relationship history, communication about sex, sexual self-efficacy and locus of control, and attitudes to condoms. Eight weeks later, participants reported on sexual behaviors occurring during the eight-week interval, and perceived risk of these activities. Both discomfort with closeness and anxiety over relationships were associated with external locus of control for sexual outcomes, and with use of drugs before sexual contact. Anxiety over relationships was linked to unsafe sex and to negative attitudes to condoms, but discomfort with closeness was associated with a more cautious approach to sexual risk-taking. Some results were qualified by gender differences, and by differences between the full sample and those who were sexually active. The findings are discussed in terms of attachment style and its links with communication and affect regulation.

Demand elasticities for food products in Brazil: a two-stage budgeting system

The object of this article is to estimate demand elasticities for a basket of staple food important for providing the caloric needs of Brazilian households. These elasticities are useful in the measurement of the impact of structural reforms on poverty. A two-stage demand system was constructed, based on data from Household Expenditure Surveys (POF) produced by IBGE (The Brazilian Bureau of Statistics) in 1987/88 and 1995/96. We have used panel data to estimate the model, and have calculated income, own-price, and cross-price elasticities for eight groups of goods and services and, in the second stage, for 11 sub groups of staple food products. We estimated those elasticities for the whole sample of consumers and for two income groups.

Investment prioritization based on broadscale spatial budgeting to meet downstream targets for suspended sediment loads

On the basis of a spatially distributed sediment budget across a large basin, costs of achieving certain sediment reduction targets in rivers were estimated. A range of investment prioritization scenarios were tested to identify the most cost-effective strategy to control suspended sediment loads. The scenarios were based on successively introducing more information from the sediment budget. The relationship between spatial heterogeneity of contributing sediment sources on cost effectiveness of prioritization was investigated. Cost effectiveness was shown to increase with sequential introduction of sediment budget terms. The solution which most decreased cost was achieved by including spatial information linking sediment sources to the downstream target location. This solution produced cost curves similar to those derived using a genetic algorithm formulation. Appropriate investment prioritization can offer large cost savings because the magnitude of the costs can vary by several times depending on what type of erosion source or sediment delivery mechanism is targeted. Target settings which only consider the erosion source rates can potentially result in spending more money than random management intervention for achieving downstream targets. Coherent spatial patterns of contributing sediment emerge from the budget model and its many inputs. The heterogeneity in these patterns can be summarized in a succinct form. This summary was shown to be consistent with the cost difference between local and regional prioritization for three of four test catchments. To explain the effect for the fourth catchment, the detail of the individual sediment sources needed to be taken into account.

A study of the interaction between operator style and machine capability for a hydraulic mining excavator

This paper presents a case study that explores how operator digging style juxtaposes with mechanical capability for a class of hydraulic mining excavators. The relationships between actuator and digging forces are developed and these are used to identify the excavator's capability to apply forces in various directions. Two distinct modes of operation are examined to see how they relate to the mechanical capabilities of the linkage and to establish if one has merit over the other. It is found that one of these styles results in lower loading of the machine.

Effects of process modification and heat pump drying on physical and sensory properties of Chinese style shredded beef

Chinese-style dried, shredded meat is traditionally prepared by sequential cooking, shredding, pre-drying, and final drying (roasting) of lean meat. In this study, shredded dried beef (a(w)<0.6) was prepared by omitting roasting but prolonging pre-drying. Sensory scores of the modified product were lower than those for the traditional product. When heat pump drying replaced traditional oven drying, drying time was shortened without significant difference in quality attributes. Desorption curves were established for shredded beef at several drying temperatures.

The impact of staff empowerment and communication style on customer evaluations: The special case of service failure

Empowering front-line staff to deal with service failures has been proposed as a method of recovering from service breakdown and ensuring greater customer satisfaction. However, no empirical study has investigated consumer responses to empowerment strategies. This research investigates the effect on customer satisfaction and service quality of two employee characteristics: the degree to which the employee is empowered (full, limited, and none), and the employee's communication style (accommodative - informal and personal, and underaccommodative-formal and impersonal). These employee characteristics are studied within the context of service failures. Subjects were shown videotaped service scenarios, and asked to complete satisfaction and service quality ratings. Results revealed that the fully empowered employee produced more customer satisfaction than the other conditions, but only when the service provider used an accommodating style of communication. Fully empowered and nonempowered employees were not judged differently when an underaccommodating style of communication was adopted. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.