While there is evidence about the relationship between career development and psychological outcomes, more work is needed to understand how career development is related to personal mental health outcomes in college students. Studying some of the social and cognitive predictors of self-efficacy, this study espouses a holistic perspective to career development and aims to better understand its impact on well-being. Using social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and Super's life-span, life-space theory, this study examines how social (e.g., parental support) and cognitive (e.g., career values awareness) factors influence career decision-making self-efficacy, and furthermore, how this impacts well-being in undergraduate students. Specific mediation hypotheses were assessed, including the mediating role of career values awareness in the relationship between parental support and career decision-making self-efficacy, and the mediating effect of career-decision-making self-efficacy on well-being. Data were collected from 1446 undergraduate students at a large Midwestern public land-grant university through an online survey. Using structural equation modeling to analyze the data, results indicated that: (a) career values awareness mediated the relationship between parental behaviors and CDMSE; (b) CDMSE mediated the relationship between parental behaviors and well-being; and (c) CDMSE mediated the relationship between career values awareness and well-being. In an alternative model, parental support and socioeconomic status (SES) were also found to be significant positive predictors of well-being. Post hoc analysis revealed that academic standing (i.e., year in school) did not moderate the relationship between CDMSE and well-being. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are suggested along with implications for clinical practice.

The purpose of this study is to collect data on the current practices of coaching as applied in an incubated environment to report on the influence of coaching on entrepreneurial goal-setting behaviour. Previous research has indicated that much criticism has been lobbied at government programmes aimed at providing entrepreneurship development and support, some recognition has been given to some of these government initiatives as well as the progress achieved by some. It is further stated in the Global Entrepreneurship Report (2012) that a number of national experts commend the existence of business support agencies (such as the Small Enterprise Development Agency). A number of significant findings materialized from the current study where it was found that coaching influences entrepreneurial behaviour and that a need exists for more in-depth coaching sessions specifically focused on entrepreneurship in the South African context. Further to this it was found that a need exists for entrepreneurs to be coached by other entrepreneurs and that the role of a coach should be clarified to set realistic expectations from the onset of the intervention. These findings are in agreement with some of the key recommendations from South African national experts as cited in the GEMS 2012 report. The current research adds to the body of research on coaching in general. It also contributes specifically entrepreneurial development programmes in the South African context. The outcome from this research has implications for business coaches, entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial development/support agencies as well as those who provide training and incubation programmes for entrepreneurs. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Some chapters have bibliographical references at the end of the chapter / Strategic recruitment and retention efforts improve the capacity of a research unit in delivering outputs such as collaborative research, increased grant funding and peer-reviewed journal articles (Chung, Clifton, Rowe, Finley, & Warnock, 2009). At the same time, knowledge of employees’ experiences can help organisations improve HRM strategies and practices. In this regard, the motivation driving this study was that exploring the recruitment and retention experiences of staff in a university research unit could reveal significant insights that could assist in refining the organisation’s HRM practices, thereby facilitating attraction and retention of valuable talent. This qualitative study was designed from an interpretive paradigm and a constructivist perspective in order to facilitate the exploration and understanding of employees’ subjective experiences. Findings indicate that professional development, organisational appeal and networking opportunities make this research unit an employer of choice. These factors, among others, are both attractors and incentives to remain with the organisation which significantly outweigh factors that discourage attraction and retention. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The research aims to study how the communication context within the Arab cultures influences the employees' perception of equity and reaction to inequity. Specifically, the study explores how employees from Arab cultural backgrounds communicate with each other within the Saudi working context; and how they collect, interpret and use the different contextual information - from the contexts in which they live and work - in order to make judgements about issues related to the perception of equity and reaction to inequity. In order to study the research topic, a conceptual framework is developed to reconcile between Equity Theory, Social Comparison Theory and Hall's Context Model; and as a base serving the process of designing/choosing the methods of collecting and analysing the data. Three main research questions are developed which are about (i) how the communication context is related to employees' willingness and ability to react to inequity (ii) how the communication context shapes the nature of inequity reactions executed by employees and (iii) how the communication context is related to the way equity is perceived among employees. A modified version of critical realism is adopted to focus on exploring the mechanisms, within the communication context, which influence the perception of equity and reaction to inequity. A combination of retroduction and abduction is developed in a sense that retroduction is used to direct the research toward exploring the structure and mechanisms within the research setting, while abduction is used to draw conclusions about how the phenomena studied in the research are evolving by the structure and mechanisms. A mixed methods approach is adopted in the research. The research includes data from thirty-five semi-structured interviews which are conducted in mainly three Saudi private-sector organisations located in Jeddah with twenty-nine male employees and six male managers of six different Arab nationalities. Template analysis is used to analyse the qualitative interview transcripts and field notes, while cluster analysis is used to group the research participants based on their quantitative responses. The research finds that there are no clear-cut areas separating the activities linked to the perception of equity and reaction to inequity. I also conclude that the perception of equity norms and equity comparison components can sometimes be separate activities. Some factors such as the religious interpretation, face-saving, and contextual norms and powers influence the employees' willingness to react to inequity by altering the way in which those employees perceive equity norms. Here, unwillingness decisions are often made not as a result of personal conviction but as a compromise based on the personal evaluation of the surrounding context, realising the inability of the self to react to such situations in the first place. Thus, it can be concluded that inability to react to inequity can reduce the employees' willingness to react against under-rewarded situations. The process of perceiving equity comparison components is found to be related to the type of reaction adopted to re-establish the equity; this relationship is represented by groups affiliated by a hidden factor or factors, which is more influential than the ethnicity/nationality of the group's members. The research makes a methodological contribution to knowledge by suggesting a new approach to study human relations through the communication context; a conceptual contribution by combining the concepts of equity perception, social comparison and communication context in one conceptual framework; and an empirical contribution by providing a fresh insight to contextual themes in the Saudi working environment.

No description available.

The purpose of this research was to explore employees’ experiences of performance management appraisals. There is an increasing need to ensure that performance appraisals realise performance improvement and professional development goals while safeguarding the dignity of employees. This study followed a qualitative research design and was conducted in a South African banking organisation with five participants at varying employment levels. Purposive, non-probability sampling was used to select the participants and a semi-structured interview was conducted with each participant. The interviews were transcribed and the data was analysed using the discourse analysis method in keeping with social constructivism. Various insights about the employees’ experiences of performance management appraisals can be drawn from the overall research findings, which are likely to benefit the field of industrial and organisational psychology and managers in various organisations in conducting more effective performance appraisals by ensuring that they are fair and ethical, and can facilitate professional growth. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Orientation: The employee engagement approach has been utilised to combat burnout in both private and public sector institutions. With increasing research, selfperceived employability is gaining popularity as an effective tool to reduce burnout in the contemporary world of work. Knowledge of the relationship between these three constructs is therefore important for public sector institutions and researchers in industrial and organisational psychology in South Africa. Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between burnout, employee engagement and self-perceived employability amongst employees in the South African public sector. Motivation for study: Numerous studies have highlighted the prevalence of poor service delivery in public sector institutions as linked to employees feeling disconnected from their work as a result of numerous burnout symptoms. A plethora of studies have emphasised the significance of employee engagement in reducing burnout. With increasing research, focus has also been on the employability construct as a tool to manage burnout in the ever-changing working environment and the labour market. Both employee engagement and self-perceived employability have been utilised as approaches to reduce burnout amongst employees. However, the relationship between these three constructs is unknown, and therefore the findings of this study will be crucial for both public sector institutions and researchers in industrial and organisational psychology in South Africa. Research design, approach and method: The researcher conducted a quantitative study. It involved a non-probability sample of 158 South African public sector employees. Correlational and descriptive statistical analyses were utilised to analyse the data. Main findings: Burnout has a significant negative relationship with employee engagement; however, burnout does not significantly correlate with self-perceived employability. There are significant differences between the various biographical groups and burnout, employee engagement and self-perceived employability. Practical/managerial implications: Approaches to reducing burnout amongst employees should consider employee engagement and self-perceived employability as effective tools to enhance employees’ wellness, morale and productivity. Improving the engagement levels of employees and enhancing their employability will greatly improve the well-being of employees in public sector institutions and help alleviate the actual employee burnout. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

<p>  </p> <p>Highway workers are required to work close to moving traffic during road construction and maintenance activities, which exposes them to the risk of being struck by a distracted driver or intruding vehicle. In addition, work zones disturb the usual traffic flow and patterns due to changes in the existing geometric layout of a roadway, and this is also problematic for the drivers as they must navigate a layout of signs, barrels, and lane changes while keeping the vehicle in control. Moreover, late-night tasks, reckless driving, inconsistent work zones, drunk driving, and increased vehicle miles traveled are some of the additional causes of work zone incidents in the United States. Nationwide, around 40,000 accidents occur each year in highway work zones due to vehicle intrusion into the work zone and have steadily increased during the past ten years. Most often, the driver and passenger of the vehicle are the victims of such accidents. The resulting fatalities, injuries, and property damage due to such incidents lead to significant expenses, prolonged travel delays, and potential damage to expensive products in transit.</p> <p>While traditional safety precautions (e.g., truck-mounted attenuators, rumble strips, speed monitoring displays) can help enhance work zone safety, the number of work zone intrusions calls for designing and implementing emerging intrusion alert technologies to warn drivers and workers when errant vehicles intrude into the work zone. Several state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) have begun examining the use of intrusion alert technologies to mitigate work zone intrusions. While previous studies examined the general effectiveness (e.g., sound levels, work zone coverage, deployment characteristics, etc.) of these technologies in both controlled and active construction and maintenance work zones, there are still significant research gaps in investigating how well these intrusion technologies alert the driver and workers, and no documented best practices are available for transportation agencies and DOTs interested in implementing them. In addition, these technologies have been through many improvements and modifications, and further research is imperative to ascertain their chances of acceptance by workers and contractors.</p> <p>To address these gaps, this thesis focuses on (a) empirically examining the effectiveness, implications, and practices of four commercially available intrusion technologies in enhancing work zone safety through various field tests and surveys, and (b) empirically investigating the effectiveness of these technologies considering drivers’ cognitive processing (perception -reaction time) and responses in case of work zone intrusion. The findings of this research study provide detailed information on the identification and testing procedures of technologies and offer guidelines and recommendations for adopting these technologies for practitioners and professionals in the highway construction sector. The proposed decision-making matrix and multi-criteria decision-making framework are based on the empirical data obtained from the various field experiments, literature review, and evaluation survey. This study also provides valuable insights into the overall effectiveness (i.e., by considering functional characteristics, associated drivers’ responses and reactions, and current implementation) of commercially available intrusion technologies to incorporate required modifications in designing and implementing these technologies to enhance work zone safety. The long-term outcome of this study is to significantly reduce the injuries and fatalities in highway maintenance work zones in Indiana and across the country.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Experimental vignette methodology was utilized to investigate the relationships between leader group prototypicality, identity denial, and three leader outcomes (i.e., charisma, trust, and endorsement). Participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: general advocacy (control), ingroup advocacy, and ingroup anti-advocacy. We hypothesized that a Black, male target displaying ingroup advocacy behaviors would be perceived most favorably while a Black, male target displaying ingroup anti-advocacy behaviors would be perceived most poorly. Furthermore, we predicted that identity denial, measured via perceived racial identification, would serve as a mediator. Overall, we found support for our hypotheses, with the exception being that there were no significant differences in leader outcome ratings when comparing the general advocacy condition to the ingroup advocacy condition, even despite the significant mediation throughout all conditions. In summary, Black Americans on average do not expect a Black, male leader to help other Black employees, but he is expected to not devalue or trivialize his Black identity. Doing so would lead to identity denial and less positive evaluations. In contrast, standing in solidarity with the ingroup increases the leader’s perceived racial identification the most and this in turn helps to bolster leader outcomes. Although future research should test climate change as a valid control condition, our pattern of findings suggests that environmental sustainability should be a safe topic for a Black, male leader to advocate for if he wishes to remain more neutral on matters pertaining to race.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Work from home (WFH) moves work into home life, reshaping the residential, workplace, and commuting activities, which further impacts greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although existing work has explored individual time-use patterns under WFH, there is a lack of complete consideration of diverse activities, their durations and timelines, as well as the comparisons with traditional life at home and Work in Office (WIO). Also, existing studies have examined GHG emissions under WFH, while individual-level estimation using activity-specific data covering all major activities is lacking. In particular, limited studies explored individual time-use patterns and quantified activity-based emissions for the construction workforce. Therefore, this dissertation aims to (1) develop an activity-based individual-level model to estimate GHG emissions under WFH, (2) compare individual time-use patterns and activity-based GHG emissions between traditional life at home, WFH, and WIO to understand how WFH affects work, life, and the environment, especially for the construction workforce, and (3) propose activity-based decarbonization strategies to reduce GHG emissions. By employing the proposed model, high-resolution calculations of individual time-use patterns and activity-based emissions were achieved, revealing major activities’ durations and timing and highlighting major contributing activities to emissions under WFH. When shifting from traditional life at home to WFH, individuals reduced sleeping and leisure hours to incorporate work activity, resulting in an 11.34% reduction in GHG emissions. When comparing WFH to WIO, individuals reduced work and commuting time to include more cooking and leisure activities at home, mitigating GHG emissions by 29.11%. Demographic groups and climate regions showed different results mainly because of the varied work and household duties and the characteristics of regions. In addition, the construction workforce reduced GHG emissions by 13% and 46% under WFH compared to traditional life at home and WIO, respectively. Compared to the general public, the construction workforce had more reduction in work and commuting hours and associated emissions when shifting from WIO to WFH. The findings could help envision how WFH influences work, life, and the environment as well as assist both individuals and policymakers in achieving decarbonization and adopting low-carbon living during the work arrangement transition, which could contribute to sustainable development.</p>