Satisfaction at last job and unemployment: a new look

Based on interview studies, the unemployment literature suggests that last job satisfaction influences reactions to unemployment. This study assessed the quantitative relationship between last job satisfaction and the unemployment experience. Results do not support the literature's premise that high last job satisfaction predicts a negative reaction to unemployment. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of long-term unemployment on attitudes to employment

This paper is concerned with whether long-term unemployment (6-24 months) affects people's attitudes to employment once they have found a new job. One hundred and forty men aged 25-40 were asked whether they felt various aspects of employment (e.g. job security, pay) are more important to them as a result of being unemployed. The effects of mental well-being when unemployed on attitudes to employment are explored. Unemployment is reported to have made most aspects of employment more important to people. Those whose mental health was worst when unemployed report that job security is most important to them.     

Protestant work ethic,work involvement and the psychological impact of unemployment

This study is an attempt to replicate and extend recent findings concerning the moderating effect of employment commitment on the psychological impact of unemployment. It was carried out in a highly educated population and employed Protestant work ethic endorsement (PWE) and work involvement (WINV) as indicators of commitment to work. Evidence was collected by questionnaires from 432 individuals who had been unemployed and again, six months later, from most of the same individuals. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis shows that individuals with high WINV were likely to suffer more from unemployment and to gain more from finding employment than low work-involved individuals. PWE, on the other hand, did not moderate the relationship between employment status and psychological state.     

Age and contributing factors to unlicensed teen motorcycling

This study aims to examine the initial age when teenagers engage in unlicensed motorcycling in Taiwan and the factors contributing to their unlicensed behavior. Data were collected from the retrospective experience of a cohort of senior high school students and a Cox regression model was applied. The results indicated that an estimated 63.4% of the students had experienced riding before the legal age of 18 years. Contributing factors such as whether the students were in a vocational senior high school, male, and in households with higher motorcycle ownership rates led to an earlier riding age; in contrast, a higher degree of parental monitoring, fewer motorcycles in the household, living in Greater Taipei, and an increase in the bus density in the district delayed the ages of beginning motorcycling. The higher minimum licensing age of 18 in Taiwan has caused a debate about its effectiveness because of the high prevalence of unlicensed teenage riding. Measures such as parental monitoring, power- or speed-limited mopeds, training programs, and no duo-passengers should be carefully examined if a policy is to be made on lowering the age limit of motorcycling.     

Age group differences in collision risk

Introduction

The purpose of the current study was to examine differences in factors associated with self-reported collision involvement of three age groups of drivers based on a large representative sample of Ontario adults. Method: This study was based on data from the CAMH Monitor, an ongoing cross-sectional telephone survey of Ontario adults 18 years and older from 2002 to 2005. Three age groups were examined: 18-34 (n = 1,294), 35-54 (n = 2,428), and 55+ (n = 1,576). For each age group sample, a logistic regression analysis was conducted of self-reported collision involvement in the last 12 months by risk factor measures of driving exposure (kilometers driven in a typical week, driving is stressful, and driving on busy roads), consuming five or more drinks of alcohol on one occasion (past 12 months), cannabis use (lifetime, and past 12 months), and driving after drinking among drinkers (past 12 months), controlling for demographics (gender, region, income, and marital status). Results: The study identified differences in factors associated with self-reported collision involvement of the three age groups of adult drivers. The logistic regression model for the youngest group revealed that drivers who reported that driving was stressful at least some of the time, drank five or more drinks on an occasion, and drove after drinking had an increased risk of collision involvement. For the middle age group, those who reported using cannabis in the last 12 months had significantly increased odds of reporting collision involvement. None of the risk factor measures showed significant associations with collision risk for older drivers (aged 55+). Impact: The results suggest potential areas for intervention and new directions for future research.     

Subjective theories of organizing and learning from events

The present paper outlines potential shortcomings of analyzing events in high hazard systems. We argue that the efficiency of organizational learning within high hazard systems is at least partially undermined by the subjective theories of organizing held by their members. These subjective theories basically reflect an “engineering” understanding of “how a system and its components perform”, and are assumed to involve (social-) psychological blind spots when applied to the analysis of events. More specifically, we argue that they neglect individual motives and goals that critically drive work performance and social interactions in high hazard systems. First, we focus on the process of identifying the causes of failed organizing within the course of an event analysis. Our analysis reveals a mismatch between the basic functional assumptions of the event analyst on the motives of social actors involved in an event and on the other hand, the perspective held by the social actors themselves. Second, we discuss the process of correcting failed social system performance after events. Thereby we draw on blind spots that emerge from the direct application of technical safety principles (i.e., standardization and redundancy) to the organization of social systems. Finally, we propose some future research strategies for developing event analysis methods which are aimed at improving an organization’s learning potential.     

矿井风流年龄与矿井空气品质分析

矿井空气品质是矿井通风理论的新思路,是人们认识矿井空气环境的一种科学方法。通过对矿井风流年龄与矿井空气品质分析,重点论述和讨论了矿井风流年龄的定义及其计算;矿井风流污染物的定义,通风分支均匀释放污染物时分支空气污染物浓度的计算,局部集中散发污染物的分支污染物浓度计算;矿井空气品质的定义,任意分支空气品质的计算,分支汇合点的空气品质计算;研究了矿井风流空气品质随时间、空间变化的动态性,分析了矿井空气品质与矿井风流年龄及污染物的关系。矿井空气品质是矿井通风设计和评价矿井风流质量的重要理论依据     

公共危机管理中的组织学习研究

目前国外对危机管理的研究已经趋于成熟,已经进一步提出了在危机中学习的概念并取得一些进展。而在经历了几次大的危机之后,国内学者开始关注公共危机管理。随着危机种类越来越多,发生频率越来越高,政府的公共部门必须要具备组织学习的能力。但是国内对于组织学习研究在公共管理领域的延伸还十分有限,我国仅少量学者探讨了学习型政府,对其它类型公共部门的组织学习研究则更为罕见。显然,这种研究的缺失不利于公共组织构建组织学习能力和提高服务水平。未来的国内学习型组织研究需要在公共组领域有所突破,特别是危机情境下的公共组织学习。因此本文以分析文献的方式,借鉴国内外学者对公共危机管理,以及组织学习的研究,希望能为公共部门组织学习的深层探索提供思路。     

Organizational and population level learning as engines for career transitions

Building inductively on twenty-four in depth interviews, the authors argue that boundaryless organizations will alter both career theories and actual career mobility patterns. The paper illustrates how both organizational and population level learning can affect individual job transitions within and cross organizations. The three evolutionary learning steps of variation, selection and retention all remain important, but the impact of variation processes may increase. Boundaryless organizations will thus generate career patterns reflecting an underlying logic of organizational learning rather than producing simple atomistic exchange between unfettered actors.     

Age and work outcomes: The moderating effects of self-efficacy and tool design effectiveness

This field study addressed the relationship between age and work outcomes by investigating the effects of two potential moderators of age–work outcome relations: self-efficacy and perceptions of tool design effectiveness, while controlling for job tenure, job demands, and gender. Findings revealed that job-focused self-efficacy beliefs moderated the relationship between age and absenteeism, while tool design moderated the relationship between age and performance. Self-efficacy and tool design both had direct positive main effects on job satisfaction. Implications for research on age and constructive work force management are discussed.     

Computer attitudes and learning performance: Issues for management education and training

This study examines how attitudes held before attending a computer course differ on the basis of gender, intention to purchase a computer, and computer ownership. Results indicate that gender and ownership are responsible for attitudinal differences, while intent to purchase is not. Further analyses reveal that attitudes differ between learning performance groups. More than all other groups, students who withdrew from the course during the semester and students with the highest performance level in the course perceive computers as increasing job complexity. Ownership eliminated nearly all gender differences in computer attitudes. The implications of these results for managers and future research are discussed.     

Organisational learning and continuous improvement of health and safety in certified manufacturers

Certified management systems have increasingly been applied by firms in recent decades and now cover the management of health and safety, principally through the OHSAS 18001 standard. In order to become certified, firms must not only observe the relevant legislation, but also improve performance and raise goals within health and safety on a continuous basis. The article examines how certified occupational and health management systems influence this process to evaluate how far they hinder or support learning. It presents a model with which it is possible to identify and analyse improvement processes. The model is applied to five cases from a qualitative study of Danish manufacturers with certified health and safety management systems. The cases illustrate the wide variation in health and safety management among certified firms.Certification is found to support lower levels of continuous improvement performance in handling health and safety issues. However, more advanced improvement practices are shown to be connected to the integration of health and safety in other managerial areas, as well as to the employment of similar advanced improvement processes within firms. The article argues that certified health and safety management does not obstruct learning, and can support advanced learning. Improvement practices with regard to health and safety are mainly dependent upon the firm’s overall organisational processes and do not automatically arise from the standard alone.     

Age differences in safety attitudes and safety performance in Hong Kong construction workers

PROBLEM: Safety in the construction industry is a major issue in Hong Kong, representing about 46% of all occupational injuries in 1998. This study explored linear and curvilinear relations between age and safety performance (accident rates and occupational injuries), as well as safety attitudes, in construction workers in Hong Kong. METHOD: A Chinese version of the Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ by Donald & Canter) was developed and administered to a sample of Chinese construction workers (N=374, 366 males, 8 females) from 27 construction sites. RESULTS: Accident rates were not related to age. Occupational injuries were related to age in a curvilinear manner, with injuries at first increasing with age, then decreasing. Two safety attitude scales were related to age with older workers exhibiting more positive attitudes to safety. If age and tenure are controlled, some attitude scales are predictors of safety performance. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Management/supervisors, team leaders, and workers are all responsible for safety, and any negative bias toward older construction workers is unfounded.     

公共部门危机学习动态过程及其知识管理研究

当前国内外对企业组织学习和危机管理的研究都已经较为成熟,在经历了几次大的危机之后,公共危机管理引起了我国许多学者的重视,但是关于高校危机学习的研究开展并不多,而国外的学者已经先一步提出了危机学习的概念并取得一些进展。随着危机种类越来越多,发生频率越来越高,高校必须要学习掌握应对危机的方法,并以此来教育学生。然而,无论是在危机管理中还是在组织学习中,知识管理都是不可或缺的一部分。因此本文以理论研究的方式,借鉴国内外学者对危机学习中知识管理的研究,希望能对高校危机学习的更深一步探索提供思路。     

结合深度学习与注意力机制的墙体安全检测模型

为解决传统建筑墙体检测采用人工目视方式效率低、成本高、危险性大的问题,提出利用无人机拍摄建筑外墙缺陷图像,采用卷积神经网络(Convolutional Neural Network, CNN)结合注意力机制实现对威胁建筑外墙安全缺陷的识别分类。从获取建筑外墙缺陷图像数据开始,制作缺陷图像数据集,以威胁墙体安全的缺陷为学习样本,构造浅层卷积神经网络,融入BAM(Bottleneck Attention Module)注意力机制,从卷积神经网络提取的浅层特征中提炼缺陷特征进行学习,实现建筑外墙的安全检测。经试验,多类安全问题检测正确率达到96.18%,所提出的模型相较传统的CNN、VGG 16、ResNet 18算法,检测正确率分别提高了3.36个百分点、3.92个百分点、14.6个百分点。研究表明,卷积神经网络结合注意力机制的方法可以避免局部缺陷丢失,提高检测正确率。     

建筑工人不安全行为的模仿与学习的调查与分析

为了控制不安全行为在建筑工人中的传播和流行,基于社会学习理论,通过行为调查、理论分析和案例研究,对建筑工人不安全行为的模仿与学习的方式、过程和影响因素进行了研究,提出了控制不安全行为传播的策略。结果表明:模仿与学习是建筑工人不安全行为复制和传播的重要方式和途径,对新不安全行为产生起着联系和催化作用。建筑工人不安全行为的模仿与学习的方式有视听式、想象式和参与式,其中视听式是最主要方式。建筑工人不安全行为的模仿与学习的影响因素涵盖榜样及其行为、模仿者和模仿学习过程。其中,榜样的权威性和影响力是最重要的增强因素,不安全行为后果的威慑力是最重要的抑制因素。     

Supporting organizational learning by comparing activities and outcomes of the safety-management system

The approach to support organizational learning from pro-active monitoring (activities observations) and deficiencies revealed (outcomes observations) in process-safety incident investigations is proposed.The approach builds on five main steps: i.) Implementation of the incident-investigation procedure at the company level, ii.) Monitoring of the preventive safety activities using various tools, iii.) Identification of the safety outcomes including root-cause analysis, iv.) Comparison of activities observations with outcomes observations in order to reveal latent deficiencies as well as to proof relationships, v.) New universal indicator method is proposed to enhance organizational learning from both activities and outcomes observations.The approach is demonstrated on the implementation at the anonymous SME company. This involved carrying out activities observations in terms of the SMS internal audit and the ARAMIS and the violation-motivation safety-culture questionnaire surveys. The outcomes observations consisted of the three incidents investigations using ECFA+, 3CA and MORT methods. The approach and the case study enabled demonstration of the relationships between activities observations (preventive indicators) and outcomes observations (root causes/deficiencies indicators) and vice versa. We state that such a comparison adds to the justification of the preventive safety performance indicators. Finally, in order to ease the organizational learning from both activities and outcomes observations, universal management indicators attributes/categories are suggested to be followed and are briefly explained based on a modified REWI approach.     

The challenge of collective learning from event analysis

This paper examines the difficulties of learning from event analysis. The central idea is that learning represents a distinct set of team-or unit-level outcomes and processes that is different from valid analysis, effective problem-solving, or individual learning. In other words, event analysis cannot automatically generate group learning. For learning to occur, several conditions must be satisfied: Change in the team’s or unit’s repertoire of behaviors (the learning) must be a clear outcome of the event analysis; this learning must be shared by the team members (i.e., members must become aware of both the content of the learning as well as of the fact that other members are aware of this learning); the shared learning must be stored in repositories for future retrieval; the stored learning must be retrieved when the team subsequently encounters situations where the learning is relevant; and, finally, these processes of sharing, storing, and retrieving the learning must continue to occur over an extended period of time. These requirements pose major dilemmas or challenges for learning from event analysis. We discuss these challenges using examples from event analysis teams in two hospitals and in a computer emergency response center. We offer some potential strategies for addressing these challenges.     

Age of licensure and monitoring teenagers' driving: survey of parents of novice teenage drivers

OBJECTIVE: To assess parental decision making regarding the timing of teenagers initiating driving and monitoring teenagers' driving after licensure. METHODS: About 300 parents were interviewed during spring 2006 in Minnesota, North Carolina, and Rhode Island, states with varying licensing provisions, while teenagers took their first on-road driving tests. RESULTS: States' differences in ages of obtaining learner's permits and licenses reflected different licensing laws, but most teenagers obtained permits and took road tests within the first few months after they became eligible. Common reasons for delaying obtaining permits were fulfilling driver education requirements and lack of readiness/immaturity. Insufficient practice driving most often delayed licensure. Among the parents interviewed, 33-49% believed the minimum licensure age should be 17 or older. Almost all parents planned to supervise teenagers' driving after licensure, and most wanted to know about speeding or distractions. When asked about in-vehicle devices to monitor teenagers' driving, 37-59% of parents had heard of them. Parents were least interested in using video cameras and about equally interested in computer chips and cell-phone-based GPS systems. Disinterest in monitoring devices most often was attributed to trusting teenagers or respecting their privacy. CONCLUSIONS: Licensing laws influence ages of initiating driving. Although many parents support licensing at 17 or older - higher than in all but one state - most teenagers initiate driving soon after reaching the minimum age. Parents plan to supervise teenagers' driving, and many say they are open to using in-vehicle monitoring devices. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Many parents support a minimum licensing age of 17 or older and would consider in-vehicle devices to extend their supervision of teenager's driving.