Conceptualizations of leader performance-contingent behaviors have recently been expanded by Schriesheim, Hinkin, and Podsakoff (1989). Their taxonomy of leader response behavior includes not only the traditional concepts of leader reward and punishment, but also the concept of leader omission, whereby no leader behavior is emitted following subordinate performance. One purpose of this manuscript was to more fully develop the construct of leader omission by comparing it with traditional operant concepts (such as reward, punishment, and extinction) and assessing its relationships with subordinate performance and role ambiguity. Most studies in this area have been field examinations. In these studies, leader response behaviors may have been confounded with other contingencies in the organizational environment, making it difficult to determine what factors were controlling subordinate performance. A laboratory study was conducted which allowed the subordinate's environment to consist only of leader contingencies. In addition, a review of the literature revealed that other sources of performance-related information, besides leader response behavior, may operate on the direction and intensity of subordinate performance changes. This other information has been identified as the quality of feedback information communicated to the subordinate by the leader. This study was designed to examine the effects of different levels of feedback information quality and three leader behaviors (reward behavior, punitive behavior, and extinction), under different levels of subordinate performance (manipulated by the researcher) on subsequent subordinate performance and role ambiguity. As expected, results indicated that there were significant interactions between the experimental factors with respect to their effects on performance. The performance patterns that emerged under / different experimental conditions indicate (1) the importance of consistency between leader behavior and feedback, (2) the negative impact of punishment on performance and role ambiguity, and (3) the important role information processing plays in an individual's interpretation of performance-related cues from his working environment. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-03, Section: A, page: 0997. / Major Professor: Mark J. Martinko. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

This research investigates the choice of intra-group communication medium by established decision-making groups. Other studies which have investigated this topic have used ad hoc groups as subjects. Because most decision-making groups in business organizations are pre-existing, and have established group roles and norms, the generalizability of ad hoc group research to business organizations must be questioned. In this study, face-to-face meetings are compared to computer conference meetings with consideration of the following questions: (1) is there any difference in the level of formal leader dominance in established decision-making groups using the two media, (2) is there any difference in the equality of communication between the members of established decision-making groups using the two media, (3) is there any difference in the number of instances of ideational conflict in established decision-making groups using the two media, and (4) is there any difference in overall group performance in established decision-making groups using the two media. Support was found for the use of computer conferencing with respect to the first three questions, though only the third question was answered within an alpha threshold of 0.05. No support was found for the fourth question. / In this study, established group norms are addressed, and a measuring instrument is created based on the work of M. A. Lieberman. Multiple pretest and post-test instruments for the investigation of group dynamics are developed and presented. The study suffered from a small sample size, and is best recognized as a preliminary investigation. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-04, Section: A, page: 1436. / Major Professor: Ralph Stair, Jr. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

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In recent years, supermarkets have become more complex and challenging to operate. Many supermarkets offer an expanded selection of products and services not found in the traditional format. These new generation supermarkets have been labeled by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) as superstores. The purpose of this study was to identify a competency model needed to successfully operate a superstore over the next 5-10 years. In addition, the study sought to identify the core competencies that formulate the superstore competency model and to compare the results of the model to the Contemporary Store Manager Model which was created from a similar study conducted in 1984. The Contemporary Store Manager Model identified three distinct roles of the 1984 contemporary store manager. These roles were culture builder, local strategist, and computer-assisted analyst. The findings presented in this study can provide a blueprint for professional development programs established by the retail food industry and higher education.;This study utilized three panels of experts to generate and validate the core competencies required to be successful in a superstore over the next 5-10 years. The first panel consisted of eight superstore managers from Ukrop's Super Markets who were rated as outstanding performers. This group generated the initial pool of core competencies. The second panel consisted of 10 well-known supermarket industry experts. These individuals rated the initial pool of competencies created by the superstore managers. The third panel of experts consisted of 29 senior leaders from the most innovative supermarkets in the United States. These individuals rated the results of the second panel. The final pool of core competencies was clustered by the panel of superstore managers to create the Superstore Competency Model.;The Superstore Manager Competency Model consists of 46 core competencies bundled into four clusters. The clusters include the ambassador, the educator, the technician, and the futurist The four clusters identified in this model are generally consistent with the roles identified in the Contemporary Store Manager Model. The new model provides greater clarity in terms of the core competencies.;The Superstore Competency Model can be utilized by the supermarket industry as well as the field of higher education to build curriculums targeted to the professional development of the superstore manager. These curriculums could involve undergraduate degrees, certificates, and non-credit seminars. Further research could focus on using the results to build superstore manager selection systems.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reasons why recent high school graduates choose to attend a postsecondary proprietary school or a community college. Choice models based on the choices of prospective four-year college and university students provided the basis for the study. Three sets of variables--significant persons, relatively fixed institutional characteristics, and other institutional characteristics--were analyzed in order to determine students' choice of the two types of institutions.;The populations of this study were a group of 22 students in business and related curricula at the Virginia Beach Campus of Commonwealth College and a group of thirty randomly selected students in similar curricula at the Virginia Beach Campus of Tidewater Community College. The participants had to have graduated from high school during the spring of 1986 or 1987 and had to be enrolled in an associate degree program in business or related curricula. They did not have to be enrolled full-time. These participants responded to a survey addressing variables which caused them to choose a postsecondary proprietary institution or a community college. Interviews were conducted with five survey respondents from each of the populations.;Data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance to investigate the differences between the two institutions. Statistically significant results were established at the.05 level of confidence. The results support the theory that recent high school graduates planning to matriculate at four-year colleges and universities choose their institutions for some of the same reasons that students planning to enroll in proprietary institutions or community colleges choose their schools. Differences were also identified.;Future research on student choice in higher education is needed in localities across the country. More information is essential regarding students who intend to enroll in local/regional proprietary schools and community colleges so that institutions may respond to the needs of prospective students.

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The purpose of the study is to investigate the hotel manager’s reaction to the increasing electricity rates in the City of Miami.

The present experiments examined the relative effects of performance goals (Locke & Latham, 1990), directed at increasing measurable performance outcomes, and mastery goals (Dweck, 1986), directed at increasing ability, on simple and novel, complex tasks, and on complex tasks over time. The hypotheses that task complexity would moderate the relationships between goal direction and goal specificity on novel, complex task performance were not supported. Non-specific mastery goals did not increase performance over difficult, specific performance goals on novel complex tasks. The hypothesis that previous goals would interact with subsequent goals on performance on complex tasks was supported, however. Participants who had been given a mastery goal in the first session did better when given a performance goal in the second session, and participants who had been given a performance goal in the first session did better when given a mastery goal in the second session. Limitations of the studies and implications are discussed / acase@tulane.edu

The present study addresses issues concerning apologies and forgiveness in the context of workplace relationships. Specifically it examines three hypothesized antecedents of forgiveness: offense severity, apology extensiveness, and the perceived sincerity of the offender's apology. To this end, a survey study and an experiment were run separately with the participation of 78 (survey study) and 166 (experiment) PMBA students of a private university located in the capital of Colombia. The results indicated that the forgiveness process may differ depending on the severity of the offense. That is, the perceived severity of the offense might influence the extent which an individual forgives an offense. It also seems that as offenses increase in severity, victims employ demanding criteria to assess the sincerity of the offender's apology. A further result is the relevance of perceived sincerity to explain forgiveness. If offenders are perceived as offering sincere apologies, victims are more willing to view favorably them than when apologies are perceived to be insincere. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed / acase@tulane.edu

With the advent of modifications in financing of health care, precipitated by recent changes in the manner health care services are delivered, physicians are experiencing significant changes in the practice of medicine. It is commonplace today for physicians to enter into contractual agreements with hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, and long-term care institutions A number of interesting questions arise. Can physicians and managers both enjoy successful contracts? Is it necessary that one party wins while the other party loses? If both parties could win, or, at least, have a perception that they won, perhaps the unpleasant nature of contracting and negotiation could be mitigated. The focus of this research is to attempt to formally answer the above proposed questions An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of analytical information on the quality and efficiency of individual decisions during negotiations. The subjects were MHA and medical students, who formed negotiation pairs. The experiment required the negotiation pairs to agree on a medical services contract between a health maintenance organization and a group of physicians. An analytical approach to negotiation preparation was developed, the bargaining choice model. A computer based bargaining choice model was developed to elicit each subject's preferences and value trade-offs. Selected subjects used the analytical information when preparing for the contract negotiation Significantly higher levels in quality of individual negotiator decisions and efficiency were observed when analytical information was used prior to negotiating. Also, significantly higher levels of joint quality and success in negotiation were observed in subjects using analytical information. The results provide strong support for developing models of individual negotiator choice behavior for use in actual health care negotiations / acase@tulane.edu