Using social media to increase employment chances among college students

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University OF MICHIGAN.

The purpose of this study was to construct and field-test a standardized instrument for assessing the attitudes of employees toward a Quality of Working Life (QWL) program. The QWL movement is one response to the increasing demand for organizational change efforts, an intervention which elects worker representatives to jointly-established union-management committee structures, thereby democratizing the workplace. The instrument finalized was the Quality of Working Life Attitude Scale (QWLAS), a 29-item Likert-format inventory developed through the administration of an 8^-item Pilot Form within the Department of Transportation of Pima County, Arizona. The following research questions were addressed: (1) What basic factors comprise the concept of QWL attitude as measured by the QWLAS?; (2) What items can comprise the final QWLAS Long Form and Short Form without significantly lowering scale reliability?; (3) Is the QWLAS a reliable psychological instrument?; and (k) Is the QWLAS a valid psychological instrument? A total of 179 respondents returned the completed Pilot Form, and data analysis was performed utilizing the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Confirmatory factor analysis employing a principal factors analysis with a varimax rotation, as well as coefficient alpha tests of internal consistency and subscale intercorrelations, revealed that the rationally-derived initial subscales did not possess sufficient factoral validity, homogeneity, or statistical independence to warrant their being kept intact in the final QWLAS forms. Exploratory factor analysis surfaced two interpretable factors, the first being labeled General and consisting of 17 positively-worded items concerning more global feelings and ideas about the theory of the program. The second factor, Specific Concerns, consisted of 12 negatively-worded items about more practical realities of QWL. A 29-item QWLAS Long Form and 14-item QWLAS Short Form were finalized around these two components. Cronbach's alpha estimate of reliability yielded high coefficients of .96, .95 and .93 for the Pilot Form, Long Form, and Short Form, respectively. All forms were reviewed favorably against face, content, concurrent and construct validity. The QWLAS results suggest it reliably and validly discriminates favorable versus unfavorable QWL attitudes. Recommendations include further factor validation and use of the QWLAS to research attitudes toward QWL.

With the objective to reduce the cost of HVDC tap, this thesis presents two topologies based on multilevel H-bridge converter, which connect H-bridges of a-, b- and c- phase in series to save one third of semiconductor switches. The first topology, based on force-commutated thyristors, is proposed for classical thyristor HVDC for high power transmission. This thyristor tap is immune from commutation failure. It operates with decoupled P-Q control. Operation at unity, lagging and leading power factor is possible. By zig-zag transformers and time shifted square wave currents, only n=24m±1 (m=1, 2, 3 etc) harmonics exist in the line current. Total harmonic distortion (THD) of 4% is achieved. The tap is evaluated as the third terminal midway in a point-to-point classical HVDC system. Simulation studies show that under steady-state conditions the tap operates well in point-to-point classical HVDC. The second topology, based on series-connected single-phase H-bridges of modular multi-level converter (SSP-MMC), is proposed for medium power transmission by VSC-HVDC. Operation with MMC concepts has the advantage that high frequency switching noise is easily filtered but has the disadvantage of having large 2nd harmonic from single phase power. With the linearization of the energy of capacitors of the sub-modules, the capacitor voltage is expressed as approximate equivalent ideal voltage sources on the ac side and dc side. Analyti¬cal insights from the proposed equivalent circuits show how the 2nd and 3rd harmonics are eliminated by feedback and feed forward methods. This enables the tap to operate with smaller and therefore cheaper sub-module capacitors. Simulation results verify the proposed control methods. As with thyristor tap, the operation of the SSP-MMC tap is evaluated when connected to point-to-point VSC-HVDC system. The study shows that the SSP-MMC tap operates well in a point-to-point VSC-HVDC system under normal steady-state conditions. / Avec l'objectif de réduire le coût de branchement de courant continu haute tension (HVDC), cette thèse présente deux topologies basées sur le convertisseur pont en H multi-niveaux, qui connectent les ponts en H de phase a-, b- et c- en séries pour économiser un tiers des commutateurs semi-conducteurs. La première topologie, basée sur les thyristors commutés par la force, est proposée pour un thyristor HVDC classique pour une puissance élevée de transmission. Ce branchement thyristor est à l'abri d'une défaillance de commuta-tion. Il fonctionne avec un contrôle P-Q découplé. L'opération à l'unité, le douvage et le facteur de puissance capacitif est possible. Par les transformateurs en zigzag et les courants d'ondes carrées décalés, seulement n=24m±1 (m=1, 2, 3, etc.), des harmoniques existent dans le courant de ligne. Un taux de distorsion harmonique (THD) de 4 % est atteint. Le branchement est évalué comme étant à mi-chemin de la troisième borne dans un système point-à-point de HVDC classique. Des études de simulation montrent que, dans des conditions d'état stationnaire, le branchement fonctionne bien dans le système point-à-point de HVDC classique. La seconde topologie, basée sur des ponts en H monophasés connectés en série du convertisseur modulaire multi-niveaux (SSP-MMC), est proposée pour la transmission de puissance moyenne par VSC-HVDC. Le fonctionnement avec des concepts MMC présente l'avantage que le bruit de haute fréquence de commutation est facilement filtré, mais présente l'inconvénient d'avoir de grandes 2èmes harmoniques de puissance monophasée. Avec la linéarisation de l'énergie des condensateurs de sous-modules, la tension du condensateur est exprimée comme des sources de tension idéales approximatives équivalentes du côté courant alternatif (AC) et courant continu (DC). Les aperçus analytiques des circuits équivalents proposés montrent comment les 2èmes et 3ièmes harmoniques sont éliminées par des méthodes de rétroaction. Cela permet au branchement de fonctionner avec des condensateurs de sous-modulaires plus petits, et ainsi moins dispendieux. Les résultats de simulation vérifient les méthodes de rétroaction proposées. Comme avec le branchement thyristor, le fonctionnement du branchement SSP-MMC est évalué lors de la connexion point-à-point du système VSC-HVDC. L'étude démontre que le branchement SSP-MMC fonctionne bien dans un système point-à-point VSC-HVDC dans des condi-tions normales d'état stationnaire.

<p> Previous research on the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training has shown mixed results. While gender differences can account for some of these positive and negative results, very little has been done to look at the instructional design of the training programs; specifically the approach and language of course materials. Sexual assault prevention training has yielded success using a non-accusatory or <i>bystander</i> approach, increasing both engagement and positive attitudes towards the training. The current study measured the effectiveness by applying the bystander approach to sexual harassment training using bystander language in an interactive tabletop exercise. Pre and post-tests results found. that participants in the engagement condition had higher satisfaction scores and a greater magnitude of change between and post test scores than in the non-engagement condition. However, the results could only support a general trend when looking at the use of bystander versus accusatory language.</p>

<p> The interplay between employees' work roles and non-work roles has led many organizations to implement work/non-work (W/NW) practices. In addition to helping employees manage their responsibilities, these practices can attract job applicants and enhance current employees' commitment to the organization. The existing research, however, has found mixed results regarding how W/NW practices attract applicants, and has neglected to address employees' perceptions of attractiveness. To address these gaps in the literature, the current study investigated the relationships between the availability and utilization of organizational W/NW practices and employees' perceptions of organizational attractiveness in a sample of full-time employees. In addition, the study examined the roles of five variables: perceived organizational support (POS), perceived organizational non-work support (PONS), perceived supervisor non-work support (PSNS), W/NW enhancement, and W/NW interference. Three hundred eighty-four participants, recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk, completed questionnaires related to their current work experiences. The results supported all but one of the hypotheses. Most importantly, the availability and utilization of W/NW practices were both positively related to employee attraction. Participants who reported higher percentages of practice availability or utilization were significantly more attracted to their current employer than participants who reported lower percentages of practice availability or utilization. In addition, POS, PONS, PSNS, and W/NW enhancement partially mediated these relationships, such that the availability and utilization of W/NW practices led to increased employee attraction through increased POS, PONS, PSNS, and W/NW enhancement. Implications for future research and practical applications are discussed.</p>

One hundred seventy-eight subjects observed videotaped incidents of a secretary performing on the job and rated her performance across four performance dimensions (and overall performance). Rating accuracy, behavior recognition accuracy, and rating level were measured under conditions of viewing improving or deteriorating performance, with behavior-based or impression-based processing methods, and with or without time pressure to complete the rating task. Results display robust main effects for both processing method and performance pattern on rating level. Raters viewing performance that improved over time gave the secretary lower ratings than raters viewing performance that deteriorated over time. Raters using behavior-based processing methods rated performance higher than raters using impression-based processing methods during the rating task. Processing method influenced rating accuracy for two of the performance dimensions; effects were mixed. Small relationships among measures of memory discrimination and response bias and rating accuracy and performance pattern were also discovered. Time pressure had no stable effect on any of the dependent variables. The results illustrate the pervasiveness of primacy effects in performance rating tasks. They also underscore the importance of standardizing rating procedures that are used to compare performance of different individuals. Additional research in applied settings is needed to capture the organizational influences on the performance rating process. Because of the complexities involved in performance rating systems in organizations, it may be prudent to change the typical way in which supervisor input about employee performance is used in human resources decisions.

Although the employment interview is one of the most widely used and researched methods for selecting employees, interview are not free from biases, and in fact, research shows that individuals who have stigmas often face discrimination in the employment interview (Dipboye, 1997; Dipboye & Colella, 2005). Drawing from theory and research on perceived stigma (Pryor, Reeder, Yeadon, & McInnis, 2004), attentional processes (Rinck & Becker, 2006), working memory (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974; Engle, 2002) and regulatory resources (Muraven & Baumeister, 2000), this study investigated the processes in which a stigma on the face affects interview outcomes and methods that interviewees might use as remediation strategies. The results showed that participants that viewed an applicant with a stigma attended more to the stigma area and that visual attention to the stigma was related to more self-regulatory depletion and less memory recall. The data suggests that participants looking at applicants with a stigma during an interview regulated and experienced more divided attention than participants looking at applicants without a stigma. Furthermore, participants that looked at an applicant with a stigma rated the applicant lower than participants that viewed an applicant without a stigma. The results also showed that the relationship between stigma and applicant ratings was mediated by visual attention and memory of the interview. Acknowledgement from applicants interacted with time of visual attention affecting attention allocated to the stigma at different time points.

There has been an abundance of research on people in confined environments. However, when investigating the negative effects associated with working or living in confined environments, the literature has generally tended to focus only on the objective characteristics of the environment. In addition, past research has tended to treat crowding and confinement as a unitary construct. The present paper provides a distinction between crowding and confinement. It also argues that research should examine the mediation of subjective environmental characteristics developed through individual perceptions. Eighty subjects were confined to rooms of varying sizes (volumes). An index to quantify perceptions of confinement was developed. A Perceptual Mediation Model is presented, and it is demonstrated that perceptions of confinement serve as the mechanism through which objective confinement influences state anxiety, negative affect, and mood. Implications for future research and its application are also discussed.

The purpose of the current investigation was to develop and validate a general-purpose job analysis questionnaire capable of analyzing all types and levels of jobs, and to use this questionnaire as a means to investigate the underlying structure of work. The instrument was developed using existing items from the Job Element Inventory (Cornelius & Hakel, 1978) and managerial, supervisory, executive, and professional items which were based on dimensions reported in the literature. After completion of a pilot study, the questionnaire was administered to incumbents from a sample of jobs from various public and private sector organizations, resulting in the collection of 395 questionnaire responses. The job ratings were subjected to an exploratory factor analyses, and five overall and 28 divisional dimensions were interpreted. A policy-capturing approach was used to assess the validity of the questionnaire; R$\sp2$s ranged from.38 to.68. A confirmatory factor analysis investigated the following competing hypotheses of work structure. (1) The dimensionality of work resembles three dimensions: Working with People and Data, Physical Activities and Related Environmental Conditions, and Using Machines and Equipment. This structure is similar to Fine and Wiley's (1971) theory of work, which includes three factors: Data, People, and Things. (2) The dimensionality of work resembles six dimensions: Information Input, Mental Processes, Work Output, Relationships with Other Persons, Job Context, and Other Job Characteristics. These dimensions resemble information-processing theory and the a-priori divisions used by McCormick, Jeanneret, & Mecham (1977) to catagorize work. A covariance analysis confirmed the first two factors of the first hypothesis, but only three of the factors from the second hypothesis. Implications of these findings are discussed.