Employee voice behavior: A meta‐analytic test of the conservation of resources framework

Although voice (i.e. expressing change‐oriented ideas and suggestions) has frequently been investigated as a way for workers to reciprocate to their employers for the positive treatment they receive, much less is known about how workers use voice to deal with stress. This study takes a conservation of resources perspective to examine the relationships among workplace stress, voice behavior, and job performance. We first examined the strength of relationships of three major groups of workplace stressors and strains (job based, social based, and organization based) with voice behavior. We then examined the relationships of voice behavior with performance variables (e.g. in‐role performance and creativity) to investigate how voice may help workers preserve or accumulate resources to enhance their performance. The meta‐analytic findings presented here provide support for a negative relationship between workplace stress and voice and a positive relationship between voice behavior and performance outcomes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Strategic Impact of Adaptation in a Transboundary Pollution Dynamic Game

This work studies the strategic impact of a region’s investment in adaptation measures on the equilibrium outcomes of a transboundary pollution dynamic game played in finite horizon. We incorporate adaptation as a region-specific capital stock that decreases local damages and study the feedback (subgame perfect) equilibrium of the non-cooperative game between two regions. In order to discern the impact of adaptation, we compare the equilibrium solutions of three scenarios, which differ in the regions’ ability to invest in adaptation measures. The results show that investing in adaptation gives regions an incentive to increase their emissions, which causes an inverse strategic response in the other region. The anticipation of a rise in pollution makes the other region respond by cutting its emissions and investing more in adaptation. The equilibrium trajectories of the stocks of pollution and adaptation capital follow the highest path over time when both regions adapt. When there is an asymmetry between regions in their adaptation capabilities, the region that does not (or cannot) adapt becomes worse off due to lower emissions and higher damages, while the adapting region finishes the game better off than the no-adaptation case.     

Occupational embeddedness and job performance

While researchers have recently focused their attention on organizational embeddedness, occupational embeddedness has received little theoretical and empirical attention. Using multisource data on 162 employees in multiple jobs and organizations, we found that occupational embeddedness is positively related to both task performance and creativity and is negatively related to counterproductive work behavior, even after controlling for the effects of organizational embeddedness. In addition, we found that trait affect moderated the relationships of occupational embeddedness to job performance. Occupational embeddedness was more strongly related to counterproductive work behavior when trait negative affect was high, while occupational embeddedness was more strongly related to both citizenship behavior and creativity when trait positive affect was high. Results also indicated that the various components of occupational embeddedness had different effects on job outcomes. Fit had a strong positive effect on core task performance, links had a positive effect on creativity, and sacrifice had a small positive effect on citizenship behavior. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for future research and management practice. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Can Labor Out-Migration Reduce Firewood Consumption by Rural Households in Western Mountainous China

The relationship between out-migration of labor in the Qinling mountain area and households’ firewood consumption is explored. Migration and remittances reduce households’ firewood consumption due to increases in both income and opportunity cost of firewood collection. Previous studies have been equivocal because they ignored uncertainty in household economy, which is widespread in forest areas of less developed countries. This study provides additional insight by considering vulnerability and subjective assessment of poverty generated by unstable income and an uncertain future. We provide evidence that the amount of firewood consumed depends on income and opportunity cost of firewood collection, but also on a prudent consumption strategy, due to farmers’ subjective assessment of their future possible poverty. We also find out-migration of labor can reduce per capita firewood consumption but subjective poverty also acts against reduction of firewood consumption.     

Identification and Control of NOx Emissions Using Neural Networks

ABSTRACT

We investigate the application of two classes of artificial neural networks for the identification and control of discrete-time nonlinear dynamical systems. A fully connected recurrent network is used for process identification, and a multilayer feedforward network is used for process control. The two neural networks are arranged in series for closed-loop control of oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) emissions of a simplified representation of a dynamical system. Plant data from one of Commonwealth Edison's coal-fired power plants are used for testing the approach, with initial results indicating that the method is feasible. However, further work is required to determine whether the method remains feasible as the number of state variables and control variables are increased.     

High Temperature,High Pressure Electrostatic Precipitation

This paper presents the results of work conducted by Research-Cottrell under EPA contract 68-02-2104. The feasibility of electrostatic precipitation at temperatures and pressures varying from ambient condition to 1366°K and 3550 kPa, respectively, has been demonstrated in a laboratory wire-pipe electrode system. Stable corona discharges are obtained at all temperatures subject to appropriate choices of electrode dimension, polarity, and pressure. Current-voltage characteristics are reported for dry air, a simulated combustion gas, and a substitute fuel gas. The effects of temperature, pressure, electrode geometry and polarity on sparkover voltage, corona-starting voltage, and current are evaluated. A precipitator performance model is included to incorporate this data into a high temperature, high pressure precipitator design. This model has been evaluated for an electrostatic (HTHP) precipitator following a pressurized fluidized bed combustor at 1089 K and 920 kPa. It is recommended that prototype HTHP electrostatic precipitators be applied to pilot coal gasifiers and fluidized bed combustors to obtain detailed design data and to verify the accuracy of the performance model under actual operating conditions.