'Corporate warriors' and 'company animals' are common terms used to describe Japanese sarariman ( salarymen ), the former referring to salarymen as the samurai of Japan's post - war economic miracle and the latter suggesting servile creatures of Japanese corporations. This thesis explores Japanese salaryman masculinity, that is, the 'hegemonic masculinity' in Japan. The study collects the life - histories of 39 men across three generations of salarymen, so that the oldest men in my sample were in their 70s and the youngest in their 20s. While research on Japanese masculinities has expanded rapidly in recent years, no other study, to the author's knowledge, explores generational changes. This generational approach allows exploration of maintenance of and changes in hegemonic masculinity over time. This thesis pays attention to the phases of salarymen's lives. In the period of growing up, participants were continually confirmed in their self - worth through a hierarchy grounded on age and gender in the settings of the family, school and neighbourhood. Across the three generations, participants grew up in a homosocial and heterosexual world, barely mixing with the opposite sex and focusing on educational outcomes for successful careers after their schooling. Despite their immersion in comradeship, most participants ensconced themselves comfortably in the institution of marriage. While a few unconventional families emerged in the sons' generation, the traditional gendered division of labour is reproduced across the three generations. Many participants rejected equal opportunities for women in the workforce and participated very little in housework and childcare, claiming that providing the family income was their 'childcare'. Participants understood themselves as corporate warriors, or elite male workers, rather than company animals. Nevertheless, some young respondents evinced a tinge of jealousy for increasing number of ' freeters ' ( part - time workers ). Moreover, several men in the grandfathers' generation regretted their current minimal contact with their children and grandchildren as a result of their absence from home while children were growing up. Thus Japanese salarymen in this study expressed aspects of both the corporate warrior and the company animal in reflecting on their experiences. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Social Sciences, 2006.

Unsatisfactory working conditions and job stress may be indicative of working in a society where work-life balance is a desired, but often elusive, goal (Duxbury & Higgins, 2001; Smola & Sutton, 2002; Sturges & Guest, 2004). Working conditions in the healthcare sector are reported to be particularly problematic and stress inducing compared to other work sectors (Yassi, Ostry, Spiegel, Walsh, & de Boer, 2002). In fact, quality of work life (QOWL) among healthcare workers is believed to have deteriorated to the point where it is impeding the capacity of the system to recruit and retain staff needed to provide effective patient care (Koehoorn, Lowe, Rondeau, Schellenberg, & Wager, 2002). The purpose of the study was to examine the experiences of healthcare staff who participate in QOWL initiatives aimed to provide employees with creative, educational, and fun activities designed to address feelings of stress. This study included thirteen staff members from disciplines that comprise the Health Care Team at a facility specializing in aging and veteran's care. Data were collected through conversational interviews with staff from each of the following disciplines: nursing, recreation therapy, physiotherapy, creative arts, clinical nutrition, social work, audiology, occupational therapy, and pastoral care. The data were deconstructed into common themes through an open-ended process, which lead to the identification of common experiences across the data provided by the staff. Upon further comparison of the themes, it was identified that work demands were believed to detract from care provision and strained manager relations were believed to minimize quality of care. However, a strong professional identity was evident as staff described being able to rise above adversity and use their skills and competencies to provide quality care to residents. The data also suggested QOWL initiatives seem to be valuable because they provide opportunities for staff to interact socially. This interaction helps foster and strengthen connections amongst staff, which they feel transfers to the work place through improved working relationships. Participants described feelings of personal gratification that can be derived from team cohesiveness. They also acknowledged the carry over value that team work brings to residents by way of improved care provision. Furthermore, the relationships that staff members develop with one another were viewed as sources of strength, particularly in times of increased stress. In addition to the social element associated with the QOWL initiatives, these initiatives also seem to address a need for restoration, humour, and balance within the work day. Without planned opportunities for rejuvenation and humour appreciation, participants admitted that they would seldom take the time to incorporate these into their work day. Therefore, QOWL initiatives can provide staff with a reason to take a break and find their balance. The findings indicate the factors affecting QOWL are varied and complex. The findings also indicate that there can be a paradoxical nature to work within a health care setting. Paradoxes exist in relation to the provision of professional care and the provision of minimized care. Paradoxes also exist in relation to the expressed need for restoration, humour, and balance and the low priority staff will place on taking time to fulfill these needs.

The managing concept of improving quality of work life has attracted attention of the researchers and practical managers gradually. The purpose of this study is to apply this concept on disposal of real estates by public and private sectors. Through discussion of relevant literature and experimental surveys, we used registrars of land administration authorities and land administration clerks of Land Administration Personnel¡¦s Association as subjects. The variables are quality of work life (including measurement perspectives such as learning development, dignity in work, nature of job, evaluation on promotion, working environment, salary and bonus, family leisure, and interpersonal interaction), attribute of individuals, city and county, and job satisfaction (including internal satisfaction, external satisfaction and overall satisfaction). In this study, the real estate operators¡¦ quality of work life, job satisfaction and the correlation between them were discussed. The return rate of questionnaires was 93% in this study. We carried out our study based on the 374 valid questionnaires with the descriptive statistical analysis, reliability analysis, independent sample T-test, one-way ANOVA analysis and Pearson¡¦s product moment correlation analysis. The important results of our research are as the following: 1.The average of quality of work life and job satisfaction is higher than the median value. This indicates that the real estate operators in both the public and private sectors recognized their perceptual experience in quality of work life and were quite satisfied with their jobs. While marriage, age and educational degree of the real estate operators in the public sector might create appreciable differences in their perceptual experience in quality of work life. 2.Differences between public and private sectors and between city and county and analysis on such differences: With respect to the perceptual experience in quality of work life and the overall job satisfaction, both the public and private sectors and the city and county have a degree of satisfaction above average. However, in terms of the degree of satisfaction, the private sector is higher than the public sector; Kaohsiung County is higher than Kaohsiung City. The parts that got the highest points and had the same perspective are nature of job and learning development. The part getting the lower points and having consistent perspective is family leisure. However, evaluation on promotion is the part in which the public sector had the lowest perceptual experience. In private sector, the lowest perceptual experience fell in salary and bonus. 3.Correlation between quality of work life and job satisfaction: In the public sector, the highest positive correlation exists between interpersonal interaction and the overall job satisfaction. In the private sector, the highest positive correlation is between family leisure and the overall job satisfaction. Based on the study results and the review of literature, we submit some suggestions on policies to public and private real estate dealers and their competent authorities, real estate operators at the basic level, and subsequent researchers for their reference in practical management.

Research has established that workplace aggression leads to a multitude of negative outcomes for individuals and organizations. This study aimed to determine if certain coping strategies could assuage the negative impact of workplace aggression on two outcomes: job satisfaction and psychological well-being. A study of nurses explored their experiences with being the target of verbal, passive, and physical workplace aggression, their job satisfaction, psychological well-being, and their coping strategies. Results indicate that coping style does indeed moderate the relationship between being the target of workplace aggression and negative outcomes. Implications for the workplace are discussed.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Saint Mary's University, 2009. / Running head: Factors affecting applicant attraction Includes abstract. Supervisor: Victor Catano. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 41-46).

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Münster (Westfalen), 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 441-486).

Work values represent a degree of importance, worth and desirability of the events that occur at work (Knoop, 1993), while job satisfaction represents the gratification of an individual’s needs and wants pertaining to the job. Work values and needs are important concepts that aids in the examination of an individual’s potential for job satisfaction (Drummond & Stoddard, 1991). The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a significant relationship between work values and job satisfaction. A quantitative study was used with a sample of 120 participants. The study consisted of three instruments, the job satisfaction questionnaire (OSI), the VSM 94 (The Values Survey Module), and the biographical information questionnaire. This study revealed that there is a significant relationship between the overall job satisfaction and the overall work values within the sample. Furthermore, there is a significant relationship between the work values dimension of uncertainty/avoidance and job satisfaction. There was no difference in work values and job satisfaction between genders. However, there were differences in work values between the various racial groups. Furthermore, there were differences in the work values dimension of masculinity between different age groups. Implications of these findings and differences in the relationship between constructs are discussed. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-Unversity of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

The purpose of this study was to determine the Personal Values, Perceptions of Culture and Achievement Motivation levels of employees in an organisation. Employees were classified according to differences in job grade, race and gender. The influence of Length of Service, Educational Level and Age as biographical variables was also considered. Respondents were drawn from an organisation which provides a service at harbour terminals. Services include loading and off-loading ships and storing freight and bulk cargo. The co-operation of all managers employed in the organisation, classified into f lower, middle and senior categories, was solicited through the offices of the Human Resources Executive. Sets of questionnaires were distributed to the population of 430 managers in the organisation. From the returns, 169 usable sets of questionnaires were processed. Personal Values and Perceptions of Culture were assessed using instruments based on Graves' (1970) "Open System Theory of Values", while Achievement Motivation was measured using the Achievement Motivation Questionnaire (PMV). Analysis of the data was done descriptively as well as by using Pearson's product moment correlations, t-Tests and analysis of variances. Findings indicate there are significant relationships between some factors on the Personal Values Questionnaire and those on the Perceptions of CuIture Questionnaire. Absolutistic/Conformist Personal Values were held most strongly whilst Egoistic values were ranked lowest. The most strongly held perception was the organisation had a Passive Hierarchy culture and the weakest was that it had an Empire culture. Overall Achievement Motivation was at the average level for all managers. There are significant differences in the Personal Values, Perceptions of Culture and Achievement Motivation levels of managers classified by race and job grade. While Achievement Motivation levels were influenced by gender, Personal Values and Perceptions of Culture were not. Age appears to have an influence on Personal Values but not on Perceptions of CuIture and Achievement Motivation. Significant differences were found in Personal Values and Achievement Motivation levels but not in Perceptions of Culture among managers with varying lengths of service. Education level seems to influence managers' Personal Values and Achievement Motivation levels but not their Perceptions of Culture. Construct validity coefficients for the Personal Values and Perceptions of Culture Questionnaires were established and existing coefficients for the Achievement Motivation Questionnaire were analysed. Results of the current study must be regarded as tentative due to limitations in the sampling procedure, the possibility of changes in the meaning of the Achievement Motivation construct as measured on the PMV, as well as shifts in the meanings of the factors on the Personal Values and Perceptions of Culture Questionnaires (all three instruments were designed in the early 1980's). These . movements in. meanings could render existing reliability and validity coeffients suspect. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban Westville, 1998.

The importance of management in the food and beverage sector as well as managing food and beverage service employees are crucial aspects that influence quality service delivery. The food and beverage sector is a large service orientated segment of the greater tourism industry, and effective management of employees is therefore necessary since employees are regarded as the primary resource through which establishments deliver services. One might further argue that an employee is “the service” that customers pay for, and that the employees make the intangible service, tangible by their efficiency. The food and beverage sector is however burdened with many challenges such as long working hours, poor remuneration and unskilled employees that influence the overall working conditions of employees and furthermore their overall job satisfaction. The job satisfaction experienced by employees is closely related to Quality of Work Life, which enables employees to design their own level of job satisfaction that will contribute to improved perceived service delivery and productivity. Investigating the needs of employees and how they perceive their own service delivery and productivity is a very important consideration as these contribute to job satisfaction. The rational is that Quality of Work Life contributes to the perceived service delivery and performance of employees as satisfied employees tend to be more hardworking, more productive and will offer better quality services, especially in a service-orientated sector such as the food and beverage sector. The primary goal of the study was to determine the perceived service delivery and productivity in the food and beverage sector, by investigating how commercial food and beverage service employees in Potchefstroom, North-West Province of South Africa, perceive their own service delivery and productivity. In order to reach the goal of the study a self-administrated questionnaire was distributed among food and beverage service employees at various types of establishments such as hotel restaurants, family restaurants, restaurants, fast food outlets, bars, coffee shops and commercial caterers. A total of 224 questionnaires were obtained and included in the statistical data analysis. The data was captured and analysed in the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS), while Amos was utilised for the Structural Equation Model (SEM). The statistical analysis used in this study consisted of three (3) stages. Firstly, the profile of the respondents, the work life domains and the employees’ business environment was compiled with the help of two-way frequency tables and illustrated with the help of Figures and Tables. Secondly, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was done on the work life domains and Finally a Structural Equation Model was performed to indicate the relationship between the work life domains and the influence thereof on perceived service delivery and productivity. The Principal Axis Factor analysis identified seven factors namely job attributes, social attributes, esteem attributes, actualisation attributes, creativity and aesthetic attributes, organisational support and employee commitment and perceived service delivery and productivity. Service and productivity business environment attributes scored the highest mean value (4.00) and this was followed by the esteem work life domain (3.68). Structural Equation Models were performed to indicate the relationship between the work life domains, business environment attributes and the influence thereof on perceived service delivery and productivity. The correlations between the factors in the final SEM indicated that though there exists correlations between organisational support and employee commitment and actualisation attributes, between actualisation and job attributes, and between organisational support and employee commitment and job attributes. Creativity and aesthetic attributes and job attributes indicated correlations, while, organisational support and creativity and aesthetic attributes correlated. Actualisation and creativity and aesthetic attributes correlated as well. This indicates that food and beverage managers have to improve the working conditions of employees as well as provide the appropriate level of recognition to the hardworking employees. Management should consider the recommendations that are made in terms of job satisfaction of food and beverage service employees, as it possesses the ability to influence organisational performance and success. This research was the first study conducted among employees in the commercial food and beverage sector. It made a considerable contribution to literature as, there is to date, limited research available on the influence that Quality of Work life has on the perceived service delivery and productivity of employees in the food and beverage sector. Furthermore, this research provides valuable insights into the job satisfaction and perceived service delivery and productivity of South African food and beverage employees and how best to manage these employees with South African working conditions in mind. There is, however, ample opportunity to expand this type of research in many other tourism industries or sectors, to understand the degree to which employees’ perceptions of their own service delivery and productivity might influence organisational performance. Expanding this research will therefore be invaluable as organisational performance is the main objective of all commercial establishments as it contributes to the improvement of the sector and its competitiveness and profitability. / Thesis (MCom (Tourism Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The importance of management in the food and beverage sector as well as managing food and beverage service employees are crucial aspects that influence quality service delivery. The food and beverage sector is a large service orientated segment of the greater tourism industry, and effective management of employees is therefore necessary since employees are regarded as the primary resource through which establishments deliver services. One might further argue that an employee is “the service” that customers pay for, and that the employees make the intangible service, tangible by their efficiency. The food and beverage sector is however burdened with many challenges such as long working hours, poor remuneration and unskilled employees that influence the overall working conditions of employees and furthermore their overall job satisfaction. The job satisfaction experienced by employees is closely related to Quality of Work Life, which enables employees to design their own level of job satisfaction that will contribute to improved perceived service delivery and productivity. Investigating the needs of employees and how they perceive their own service delivery and productivity is a very important consideration as these contribute to job satisfaction. The rational is that Quality of Work Life contributes to the perceived service delivery and performance of employees as satisfied employees tend to be more hardworking, more productive and will offer better quality services, especially in a service-orientated sector such as the food and beverage sector. The primary goal of the study was to determine the perceived service delivery and productivity in the food and beverage sector, by investigating how commercial food and beverage service employees in Potchefstroom, North-West Province of South Africa, perceive their own service delivery and productivity. In order to reach the goal of the study a self-administrated questionnaire was distributed among food and beverage service employees at various types of establishments such as hotel restaurants, family restaurants, restaurants, fast food outlets, bars, coffee shops and commercial caterers. A total of 224 questionnaires were obtained and included in the statistical data analysis. The data was captured and analysed in the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS), while Amos was utilised for the Structural Equation Model (SEM). The statistical analysis used in this study consisted of three (3) stages. Firstly, the profile of the respondents, the work life domains and the employees’ business environment was compiled with the help of two-way frequency tables and illustrated with the help of Figures and Tables. Secondly, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was done on the work life domains and Finally a Structural Equation Model was performed to indicate the relationship between the work life domains and the influence thereof on perceived service delivery and productivity. The Principal Axis Factor analysis identified seven factors namely job attributes, social attributes, esteem attributes, actualisation attributes, creativity and aesthetic attributes, organisational support and employee commitment and perceived service delivery and productivity. Service and productivity business environment attributes scored the highest mean value (4.00) and this was followed by the esteem work life domain (3.68). Structural Equation Models were performed to indicate the relationship between the work life domains, business environment attributes and the influence thereof on perceived service delivery and productivity. The correlations between the factors in the final SEM indicated that though there exists correlations between organisational support and employee commitment and actualisation attributes, between actualisation and job attributes, and between organisational support and employee commitment and job attributes. Creativity and aesthetic attributes and job attributes indicated correlations, while, organisational support and creativity and aesthetic attributes correlated. Actualisation and creativity and aesthetic attributes correlated as well. This indicates that food and beverage managers have to improve the working conditions of employees as well as provide the appropriate level of recognition to the hardworking employees. Management should consider the recommendations that are made in terms of job satisfaction of food and beverage service employees, as it possesses the ability to influence organisational performance and success. This research was the first study conducted among employees in the commercial food and beverage sector. It made a considerable contribution to literature as, there is to date, limited research available on the influence that Quality of Work life has on the perceived service delivery and productivity of employees in the food and beverage sector. Furthermore, this research provides valuable insights into the job satisfaction and perceived service delivery and productivity of South African food and beverage employees and how best to manage these employees with South African working conditions in mind. There is, however, ample opportunity to expand this type of research in many other tourism industries or sectors, to understand the degree to which employees’ perceptions of their own service delivery and productivity might influence organisational performance. Expanding this research will therefore be invaluable as organisational performance is the main objective of all commercial establishments as it contributes to the improvement of the sector and its competitiveness and profitability. / Thesis (MCom (Tourism Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013