Development and validation of a questionnaire for measuring perceived political considerations in performance appraisal

A 25-item scoring instrument was developed to measure perceptions of the extent to which performance appraisals are affected by organizational politics. The survey was administered to 157 francophone managers. A factor analysis revealed that the perceptions of the extent to which political considerations affect the appraisal an employee receives can be sensibly interpreted in terms of a single general factor. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the instrument was high. Moderate support was found for the instrument's convergent and discriminant validity.     

Assessing the construct validity and utility of two new influence tactics

Progress in developing theories of interpersonal influence depends on the identification of meaningful and measurable constructs for classifying influence behavior. We assessed the construct validity and relative effectiveness of two new influence tactics with a field survey study, an incident study, and a laboratory experiment. The confirmatory factor analysis of data from the survey study indicated that collaboration and apprising were distinct from nine proactive tactics identified in earlier research. Additional evidence for construct validity was provided by a comparison of tactics in terms of expected differences in influence outcomes, frequency of use, and differential use with subordinates and peers. Managers who understand the differences among the tactics will be more effective in influencing people in organizations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Equity and sustainability over the next fifty years: An exercise in economic visioning

A simplistic aggregate model of global economic activity supports a 50-year visioning exercise with targets defined in terms of aggregate measures of global equity (convergence) and sustainability (contraction). Some ambitious combinations of these targets turn out to be infeasible even under the most favorable modeling assumptions. No contraction target (no reduction in fossil fuel consumption relative to the present) was possible, for example, if international capital transfers pushed per capita incomes in low-income countries above 33% of levels achieved in high-income countries. Lower prices for renewable alternatives to exhaustible resources generally made sustainability targets easier to achieve, but lower prices for renewable resources also made equity targets more difficult to achieve. Improved substitution between capital and labor made equity targets easier to achieve in relative terms, but improved substitution between capital and labor could make any given sustainability target more or less difficult to achieve. All the results suggest that it is possible to overstate the purported conflict between achieving sustainability and equity targets. The very transfers of international capital that would promote relative equity between high-income and low-income countries could also work to spread the incidence of achieving any sustainability target more evenly across their boundaries.Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

PERMEABILITY OF AIR AND IMMISCIBLE ORGANIC LIQUIDS IN POROUS MEDIA1

ABSTRACT: The conductivity of air, mineral oil (relative viscosity 77), and a light nontoxic oil (relative viscosity 4.7) was measured in three porous media: a sand, loamy sand, and a silt loam. The measurements were made over a range of water contents for each porous medium. Small volumes of air were present as well as significant amounts of water during most of the oil conductivity measurements. The results were compared to two methods for calculating conductivities of immiscible fluids in water-wet porous media. A new equation that accounts for swelling and for the gas slippage effect in very small pores was formulated for use with these methods The observed conductivities, spanning seven orders of magnitude, agree reasonably well with calculated values. Only three soil parameters are required to calculate the conductivities: (1) the saturated conductivity of water, (2) the saturated conductivity of the immiscible fluid of interest, and (3) a pore size index value that is obtained from an estimate from the water release curve of the porous material. Remediation of organic liquid spills is briefly discussed to illustrate the practical applications of gas phase conductivities, as well as those for immiscible organic liquid phases. It is concluded that, in light of spatial variation under field conditions, the method presented for calculating values of three-phase conductivities will be useful in the management of immiscible organic liquid spills and leaks.     

Arctic Climate Impacts: Environmental Injustice in Canada and the United States

The current and projected future physical impacts of climate change are most extreme in the northern latitudes. The indigenous peoples in the North American arctic and sub-arctic rely on the availability of natural resources in mixed subsistence economies for nutritional and cultural survival and thus experience disproportionate burdens with respect to our changing climate. Arctic climate impacts exemplify how global phenomena and activities can significantly affect people locally in remote regions. These impacts are largely consistent throughout the region, irrespective of national boarders; however, indigenous peoples in Canada are better positioned than those in the United States to shape policy in a way that would ensure their adaptation to climate change. Political and industrial activity on national and global scales can have significant environmental, social and cultural repercussions on the local scale in remote areas. Remedies for environmental injustice will thus require strong cross-scale political and institutional linkages.     

River Styles, a Geomorphic Approach to Catchment Characterization: Implications for River Rehabilitation in Bega Catchment, New South Wales, Australia

Analysis of the character and condition of each river style in Bega catchment, and their downstream patterns, are used to provide a biophysical basis to prioritorize river management strategies. These reach-scale strategies are prioritorized within an integrative catchment framework. Conserving near-intact sections of the catchment is the first priority. Second, those parts of the catchment that have natural recovery potential are targeted. Finally, rehabilitation priorities are considered for highly degraded reaches. At these sites, erosion and sedimentation problems may reflect irreversible changes to river structure.     

A comparison of temperate reef fish assemblages recorded by three underwater stereo-video techniques

Three underwater stereo-video techniques were used to sample the relative densities and species richness of temperate reef fish assemblages at three reef locations and two habitats (high- and low-relief reef) within Hamelin Bay, south-western Australia. The three techniques compared were diver-operated stereo-video strip transects, baited remote stereo-video and unbaited remote stereo-video. While unbaited remote stereo-video and diver-operated stereo-video transects recorded greater species richness at high compared to low-relief reefs, baited remote stereo-video recorded similar species richness at the two habitat types. The diver-operated stereo-video system was manoeuvred through caves and under overhangs recording small, cryptic, cave-dwelling species that were not recorded by either remote video techniques (Trachinops noarlungae, Trachinops brauni, Chromis klunzingeri, Trachichthys australis). Both remote video techniques recorded greater species richness and relative density of the most common species of Labridae, Ophthalmolepsis lineolatus. Baited remote video recorded the rarer, large predatory fish species (e.g. Seriola hippos, Glaucosoma hebraicum, Heterodontus portusjacksoni). None of the techniques sampled small cryptic fish families such as Gobiidae or Blenniidae. A combination of survey techniques is recommended for comprehensive fishery-independent studies that aim to sample broad components of fish assemblages.An erratum to this article can be found at