The United States currently provides a health care system that is neither efficient nor equitable. Despite outspending the world on health care, over three-fourths of developed countries produce better health outcomes (Auerbach et al., 2000). Simultaneously, the "Ecological School of Thought" has documented the large impact that social, economic, and environmental circumstances play in health outcomes. Unfortunately, these 'ecological" studies are frequently conducted without theoretical justification, and rely solely on a cross-sectional research design and a myriad of unrelated variables. This study represents an important step towards the development of a true theory of "ecology". More specifically, we argue that the adversity associated with socio-economic disadvantage, social disorganization, and a lack of health care resources, leads to adverse health outcomes, represented by sentinel health events. This research employs both a cross-sectional (2000) and longitudinal designs (1990 - 2000) to assess the antecedents of sentinel health events in 309 United States counties. Structural Equation Modeling was the statistical technique employed in the study. Findings revealed that socioeconomic disadvantage remains a primary contributor to sentinel health. Indeed the economic growth between 1990 and 2000 was associated with increased rates of sentinel health events. Social disorganization was identified as a primary contributor to sentinel health events at a specific time point (2000), but was not significant over time (1990 -2000). Conversely, the inadequacy of health care resources was non-significant in the cross-sectional model (2000), but significant in the longitudinal model (1990 -2000). In both models, racial characteristics were fundamentally linked to ecological predictors of health We found support for the notion that sentinel health events would be reduced through economic equity and the development of healthy environments where community ties are reinforced. Less support is found for saturating given geographical areas with health care resources in order to reduce sentinel health events. Future research should be directed by the theoretical advancements made by this study. More specifically, future studies should examine independent cross-level effects, that is, through the inclusion of behavior variables as mediating factors for ecological constructs.

Introduction: Recent studies indicate high prevalences of disordered eating or eating disorders in adult athletes and a worrying increase in adolescent athletes. Although several risk factors for developing eating disorders have been identified for adult athletes (e.g., personality factors, sport-related pressure), research on risk factors in adolescent athletes is scarce. Methods: This study investigates the prevalence of disordered eating and eating disorder symptoms and its association with personality- and sport-related risk factors in a sample of 439 elite athletes aged 13–18 years. Self-regulatory personality factors, sports and social pressure, as well as sports biographical data, were investigated in relation to different weight control methods and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire measuring disordered eating and eating disorder symptoms. Results: Results indicate a prevalence rate of clinically significant eating pathology of 5.5% for the total sample, in which female athletes aged 15–18 years show the highest rate (9.6%). The structural equation model indicates a predominant association of sports and social pressure and personality factors with eating disorder symptoms. Conclusion: Being in the age range 15–18 years, being female, and being an athlete in a high-risk sport (e.g., aesthetics, weight class, or endurance sports) were identified as risk factors as well as athletes’ mental association with weight loss and success, and athletes’ perceived social pressure on eating and on body shape. Disordered eating and eating disorders are not only of concern for adults but also for young elite athletes and recommendations for adolescent elite athletes, coaches, and parents are given.

No description available.

In this study I investigated foreign language learners' Willingness to Communicate, frequency of L2 communication, and eight individual difference variables hypothesized to influence them: L2 learning anxiety, L2 learning motivation, integrativeness, international posture, ought-to L2 self, ideal L2 self, L2 linguistic self-confidence, and valuing of global English. Based on the concept of possible selves (Markus & Nurius, 1986), Dörnyei (2005) proposed the concept of the ideal L2 self: an idealized self-image involving future linguistic proficiency and professional success through mastery of an L2. In this study, Dörnyei's (2005) hypothesis that Willingness to Communicate is primarily determined by linguistic self-confidence and the ideal L2 self is tested using a structural equation model. A second purpose of this study, tested by comparing alternative structural equation models, was to confirm whether students' self-reported Willingness to Communicate best predicts foreign language use in the classroom. In addition, gender differences in L2 WTC and the ideal L2 self, and the effects of visualization and goal-setting activities on the enhancement of Willingness to Communicate were investigated using multivariate statistical techniques. A total of 662 Japanese university students participated in the study, 373 as core participants and 289 for cross validation. A model was hypothesized based on the WTC model (MacIntyre, 1994), the socioeducational model (Gardner, 1985), and the concept of the L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2005), and tested using questionnaire data collected at the beginning of the university semester. The hypothesized model showed marginal fit to the data (CFI = .902, RMSEA = .081). The path from ideal L2 self to L2 WTC, tested for the first time in this study, was the most substantial predictor of L2 WTC in the model with a path weight of .51. It was also confirmed that self-reported estimates of WTC directly predicted observed L2 use in the classroom, while Motivation and Ideal L2 Self did not. A model specifying a direct path from WTC to L2 Use and indirect paths via WTC for Motivation and Ideal L2 Self showed good fit to the data (CFI = .962; RMSEA = .083). Regarding gender differences, female participants scored higher than males in both L2 WTC and Ideal L2 Self. Concerning whether L2 WTC can be enhanced by classroom tasks such as visualization and goal-setting, the results suggested that the visualization treatment alone was not effective in enhancing learners' L2 WTC over the non-treatment group. The increase in learners' L2 WTC was significantly greater for the When visualization and goal-setting group compared with the visualization group and the non-treatment group. The first implication of this study is that considering the strong impact of ideal L2 self on L2 WTC, there is significant potential for enhancing L2 WTC by applying motivational strategies that enhance or develop second language learners' ideal L2 self. Second, considering the importance of L2 output for developing communicative proficiency, the finding that self-reported L2 WTC predicted actual L2 use in the classroom lends additional credence to such motivational approaches. That finding also supports the validity of other studies that have relied on self-report for measures of L2 WTC. A third implication is that because females generally exhibited higher measures for L2 WTC and Ideal L2 Self, gender diversity is preferable to promote active classroom communication. Finally, for researchers and practitioners interested in designing activities to enhance learners' L2 WTC, connecting the proximal goals in the class to future distal goals (Miller & Brickman, 2004) could be an important aspect for the success of the activities). / Teaching & Learning

Lean Management and Lean Six Sigma (LM/LSS) are improvement methodologies that have been utilized to achieve better performance outcomes at organizational and operational levels. Although there has been evidence of breakthrough improvement across diverse organizational settings, LM/LSS remains an early-stage improvement methodology in public sector organizations, specifically within local government organizations (LGOs). Some LGOs have benefited from LM/LSS and reported significant improvements, such as reducing process time by up to 90% and increasing financial savings by up to 57%. While the success of LM/LSS can lead to satisfactory outcomes, the risk of failure can also result in a tremendous waste of financial and non-financial resources. Evidence from the literature indicates that the failure to achieve the expected outcomes is likely due to the lack of attention paid to critical success factors (CSFs) that are crucial for LM/LSS success. Furthermore, research in this research area regarding characterizing and statistically examining the CSFs associated with LM/LSS in such organizational settings has been limited. Hence, the aim of this research is to provide a comprehensive investigation of the success factors for LM/LSS in LGOs. The initial stage of this dissertation involved analyzing the scientific literature to identify and characterize the CSFs associated with LM/LSS in LGOs through a systematic literature review (SLR). This effort identified a total of 47 unique factors, which were grouped into 5 categories, including organization, process, workforce knowledge, communications, task design, and team design. The next stage of this investigation focused on identifying a more focused set of CSFs. This involved evaluating the strength of the effect (or importance) of the factors using two integrated approaches: meta-synthesis and expert assessment. This process concluded with a total of 29 factors being selected for the empirical field study. The final stage included designing and implementing an online survey questionnaire to solicit LGOs' experience on the presence of factors during the development and/or implementation of LM/LSS and their impact on social-technical system outcomes. Once the survey was concluded, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to identify the underlying latent variables, followed by using a partial least square-structural equation model (PLS-SEM) to determine the significance of the factors on outcomes. The EFA identified three endogenous and five exogenous latent variables. The results of the PLS-SEM model identified four significant positive relationships. Based on the results from the structural paths, the antecedent Improvement Readiness (IR) and Change Awareness (CA) were significant and had a positive influence on Transformation Success (TS). For the outcome Deployment Success (DS), Sustainable Improvement Infrastructure (SII) was the only significant exogenous variable and had the highest positive impact among all significant predictor constructs. Furthermore, Measurement-Based Improvement (MBI) was significant and positively influenced Improvement Project Success (IPS). Findings from this dissertation could serve as a foundation for researchers looking to further advance the maturity of this research area based on the evidence presented in this work. Additionally, this work could be used as guidelines for practitioners in developing implementation processes by considering the essential factors to maximize the success of LM/LSS implementation. Given the diversity of functional areas and processes within LGO contexts, it is also possible that other public sector organizations could benefit from these findings. / Doctor of Philosophy / Lean Management and Lean Six Sigma (LM/LSS) is an improvement methodology that is used by businesses and organizations to improve how they work and achieve better results. LM/LSS has been especially helpful in various organizations; however, the implementation of this improvement methodology has been limited by many challenges for public sector organizations, especially local government organizations (LGOs). The overall aim of this dissertation is to improve the success of LM/LSS implementation within the context of LGOs. More specifically, this dissertation systematically studied the critical success factors associated with LM/LSS success. Different research approaches, including research formulation, development, and testing techniques, were conducted to achieve the aim of this dissertation. Publications related to LM/LSS in LGOs have been rigorously analyzed to identify a comprehensive list of CSFs. To identify the most important factors, a meta-synthesis evaluation and expert survey assessment have been conducted. Following the refinement of the factors, a large-scale field study using a survey questionnaire has been designed and distributed to LGOs. Once the survey concluded, statistical methods that included Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) were conducted. The former was used to identify the underlying latent variables, while the latter was conducted to examine the influence of the factors on social and technical outcomes. This dissertation could be used as a reference guideline helping practitioners to increase the success of LM/LSS implementation in LGOs. This dissertation can also guide scholars to potential research avenues that could advance this research area.

[EN] Access to the Spanish public university system is a complex process that involved administration, offering a certain number of places in different degrees that offer universities, and students, who must prioritize their preferences in a list. Determine what are the reasons that motivate a student, and their family and personal environment, to choose a particular degree and University to develop his studies, is a complex problem and that we have approached from the point of view of structural analysis. The aim of this work is to propose a partial multivariate model that can give an account of the weight of the different variables and identified factors involved in the decision about the choice of studies and University. The model we propose is specified based on a series of structural relationships involving a set of variables and context data, which we have grouped in the following factors: - Individual factors, associated with aspects related to student and personal interests, some academic and others clearly not. - Social factors, related with aspects that have to do with the social perception of the degree, their employability, the perception that we have of the University prestige, the degree, or the profession that gives access. - Context data, relative to the value of the access mark, the offer of seats or demand that has occurred in a certain degree and University in the years immediately prior to the taking of the decision. For this purpose a structural model and a questionnaire are proposed to evaluate the model, Model validation concludes with an extensive survey and analysis of the model results. / [ES] El acceso al Sistema Universitario Público Español es un proceso complejo en el que interviene la administración, ofreciendo un número determinado de plazas en las distintas titulaciones que ofertan las Universidades, y el estudiante, que debe priorizar en una lista sus preferencias. Determinar cuáles son las razones que mueven a un estudiante, y a su entorno familiar y personal, a elegir una determinada titulación y/o Universidad para cursar sus estudios superiores, es un problema complejo que hemos abordado desde el punto de vista del análisis estructural. El objetivo de este trabajo es proponer un modelo multivariado y parcial que pueda dar cuenta del peso de las distintas variables y factores identificados que influyen en la decisión acerca de la elección de estudios y universidad. El modelo propuesto se especifica en base a una serie de relaciones estructurales en las que intervienen un conjunto de variables y datos de contexto que hemos agrupado en los siguientes factores: - Factores individuales, vinculados a aspectos relacionados con el estudiante y sus intereses personales, algunos de carácter académico y otros claramente no. - Factores sociales, relacionados con aspectos que tienen que ver con la percepción social de la titulación, su empleabilidad, la percepción que se tiene del prestigio de la Universidad, del título, o de la profesión a la que da acceso.. - Datos de contexto, relativos al valor de la nota de corte de una titulación, a la oferta de plazas o a la demanda que se ha producido en una determinada titulación y universidad en los años inmediatamente anteriores al de la toma de la decisión. Para ello se propone un modelo estructural y se propone un cuestionario para evaluar las variables del modelo. La validación de modelo y cuestionario concluye con una amplia encuesta y el análisis de los resultados del modelo. / [CA] L'accés al Sistema Universitari Públic Espanyol és un procés complex en el qual intervé l'administració, oferint un nombre determinat de places en les diferents titulacions que ofereixen les universitats, i l'estudiant, que ha de prioritzar en una llista seves preferències. Determinar quines són les raons que mouen a un estudiant, i al seu entorn familiar i personal, a triar una determinada titulació i/o Universitat per cursar els seus estudis superiors, és un problema complex que hem abordat des del punt de vista de l'anàlisi estructural. L'objectiu d'aquest treball és proposar un model multivariat i parcial que puga donar compte del pes de les diferents variables i factors identificats que influeixen en la decisió sobre l'elecció d'estudis i universitat. El model proposat s'especifica en la base d'una sèrie de relacions estructurals en què intervenen un conjunt de variables i dades de context que hem agrupat en els següents factors: - Factors individuals, vinculats a aspectes relacionats amb l'estudiant i els seus interessos personals, alguns de caràcter acadèmic i altres clarament no. - Factors socials, relacionats amb aspectes que tenen a veure amb la percepció social de la titulació, la seva ocupabilitat, la percepció que es té del prestigi de la Universitat, del títol, o de la professió a la qual dóna accés .. - Dades de context, relatius al valor de la nota de tall d'una titulació, a l'oferta de places o la demanda que s'ha produït en una determinada titulació i universitat en els anys immediatament anteriors al de la presa de la decisió. Per a això es proposa un model estructural, es proposa un qüestionari per avaluar les variables del model. La validació del model conclou amb una àmplia enquesta i l'anàlisi dels resultats del model. / Soriano Jiménez, PP. (2016). Un modelo estructural para el análisis de los factores asociados a la elección de estudios universitarios [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/64076

The tourism industry is an extremely competitive industry which is mainly caused by the ever changing needs of tourists. However, despite the constant change in tourist behaviour, violent terrorist attacks on countries across the globe and the weakening of the world economies, the tourism industry showed significant growth over the last few decades. The fast growth rate of tourism has also lead to the tourist being more aware of ecotourism destinations and the key role these destinations play in conserving the natural and cultural environments in the midst of globalisation and urbanisation. The pressure on ecotourism destinations such as national parks is increasing as more and more natural land are being taken up for urban development. In the case of South African National Parks (SANParks), the decrease in government funding pressurizes the resources and national parks have to identify ways to generate their own income through tourism activities. SANParks manages 22 national parks across South Africa with the aim to conserve South Africa’s biodiversity, provide recreational activities for tourists and build long-term relationships with the local communities to enhance the communities’ quality of life. Hence, in order to remain competitive it is important to determine the parks' competitive advantages. Therefore the aim of this study was to develop a competitiveness model for SANParks by using the Kruger National Park as case study. The Kruger National Park is not only one of the largest and most recognised national parks in the world, but also boasts with a large variety of fauna and flora, variety of accommodation facilities such as bush lodges, chalets and camping facilities as well as various tourist activities. The literature review indicated that destinations differ from each other and therefore ecotourism destinations such as national parks would have a distinct set of competitive advantage factors. However, these factors can only be determined if the needs of tourists are anticipated and park specific products and services are developed to satisfy the needs of visitors to the park and ultimately lead to tourist loyalty. Once a competitive position has been established, a national park can obtain benefits such as an increase in tourist numbers and revenue delivery of high quality products and services at the park as well as trigger a higher quality of life for the local community. If managed accordingly, the park might experience sustainable growth as well as increased profit margins. The data for the study was collected by means of a questionnaire survey at four of the Kruger National Park's rest camps during the period 26 December 2013 and 4 January 2014 which is the festive season in South Africa. The rest camps that were included in this survey were Olifants (74 questionnaires); Skukuza (213 questionnaires); Lower Sabie (98 questionnaires) and Berg-&-Dal (51 questionnaires). A total of 436 completed questionnaires were administered and further analysed. Descriptive statistics were used to profile the respondents while two factor analyses were done on the competitive advantage factors and tourist motives for travelling to the Park. The factor analyses identified five competitive advantage factors of which Wildlife Experiences and Marketing and Branding were regarded as the most important factors. The other three competitive advantage factors were Accommodation and Retail, Visitor Management and Suprastructure and Amenities. Four motivational factors were identified namely Experience and Relaxation, Lifestyle, All-Inclusive Destination and Value. The identified factors were further used in an ANOVA analysis and the results showed that socio-demographic characteristics such as home language, province of residence, level of education and marital status have all significant differences based on the five competitive advantage factors as well as the four motivational factors The t-test analysis presented a few statistical significant differences between the independent variables or group of individuals. These differences were based on the respondents’ demographic and behaviour characteristics with regards to the competitive advantage and motivational factors. However, the strongest statistically significant differences were based on the behavioural characteristics of tourists travelling with children to the Park, Wild card holders, tourist reading magazines, previous visits to the Park and differences between tourists making use of chalets and camping facilities. A Structural Equation Model was applied to confirm the results that were obtained from the analyses. The SEM indicated that tourists’ motivations have a significant influence on the factors that tourists identified as competitive advantage factors for the Kruger National Park. This research made three distinct new contributions. Firstly, competitive advantage factors were specifically identified for ecotourism based destinations such as national parks from a demand side. Also, the tourists motivation for travelling proved to hugely influence these competitive advantage factors. Secondly, a competitiveness model was developed specifically for national parks within South Africa. The proposed model could assist national parks across South Africa to obtain a competitive advantage among its competitors based on park specific factors. Lastly, the concept of competitiveness has not yet been applied within the ecotourism and nature-based tourism destinations context. This study described the concept of competitiveness with the focus on national parks as ecotourism destinations and the aspects that need to be taken into consideration when analysing the concept in such a context. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The tourism industry is an extremely competitive industry which is mainly caused by the ever changing needs of tourists. However, despite the constant change in tourist behaviour, violent terrorist attacks on countries across the globe and the weakening of the world economies, the tourism industry showed significant growth over the last few decades. The fast growth rate of tourism has also lead to the tourist being more aware of ecotourism destinations and the key role these destinations play in conserving the natural and cultural environments in the midst of globalisation and urbanisation. The pressure on ecotourism destinations such as national parks is increasing as more and more natural land are being taken up for urban development. In the case of South African National Parks (SANParks), the decrease in government funding pressurizes the resources and national parks have to identify ways to generate their own income through tourism activities. SANParks manages 22 national parks across South Africa with the aim to conserve South Africa’s biodiversity, provide recreational activities for tourists and build long-term relationships with the local communities to enhance the communities’ quality of life. Hence, in order to remain competitive it is important to determine the parks' competitive advantages. Therefore the aim of this study was to develop a competitiveness model for SANParks by using the Kruger National Park as case study. The Kruger National Park is not only one of the largest and most recognised national parks in the world, but also boasts with a large variety of fauna and flora, variety of accommodation facilities such as bush lodges, chalets and camping facilities as well as various tourist activities. The literature review indicated that destinations differ from each other and therefore ecotourism destinations such as national parks would have a distinct set of competitive advantage factors. However, these factors can only be determined if the needs of tourists are anticipated and park specific products and services are developed to satisfy the needs of visitors to the park and ultimately lead to tourist loyalty. Once a competitive position has been established, a national park can obtain benefits such as an increase in tourist numbers and revenue delivery of high quality products and services at the park as well as trigger a higher quality of life for the local community. If managed accordingly, the park might experience sustainable growth as well as increased profit margins. The data for the study was collected by means of a questionnaire survey at four of the Kruger National Park's rest camps during the period 26 December 2013 and 4 January 2014 which is the festive season in South Africa. The rest camps that were included in this survey were Olifants (74 questionnaires); Skukuza (213 questionnaires); Lower Sabie (98 questionnaires) and Berg-&-Dal (51 questionnaires). A total of 436 completed questionnaires were administered and further analysed. Descriptive statistics were used to profile the respondents while two factor analyses were done on the competitive advantage factors and tourist motives for travelling to the Park. The factor analyses identified five competitive advantage factors of which Wildlife Experiences and Marketing and Branding were regarded as the most important factors. The other three competitive advantage factors were Accommodation and Retail, Visitor Management and Suprastructure and Amenities. Four motivational factors were identified namely Experience and Relaxation, Lifestyle, All-Inclusive Destination and Value. The identified factors were further used in an ANOVA analysis and the results showed that socio-demographic characteristics such as home language, province of residence, level of education and marital status have all significant differences based on the five competitive advantage factors as well as the four motivational factors The t-test analysis presented a few statistical significant differences between the independent variables or group of individuals. These differences were based on the respondents’ demographic and behaviour characteristics with regards to the competitive advantage and motivational factors. However, the strongest statistically significant differences were based on the behavioural characteristics of tourists travelling with children to the Park, Wild card holders, tourist reading magazines, previous visits to the Park and differences between tourists making use of chalets and camping facilities. A Structural Equation Model was applied to confirm the results that were obtained from the analyses. The SEM indicated that tourists’ motivations have a significant influence on the factors that tourists identified as competitive advantage factors for the Kruger National Park. This research made three distinct new contributions. Firstly, competitive advantage factors were specifically identified for ecotourism based destinations such as national parks from a demand side. Also, the tourists motivation for travelling proved to hugely influence these competitive advantage factors. Secondly, a competitiveness model was developed specifically for national parks within South Africa. The proposed model could assist national parks across South Africa to obtain a competitive advantage among its competitors based on park specific factors. Lastly, the concept of competitiveness has not yet been applied within the ecotourism and nature-based tourism destinations context. This study described the concept of competitiveness with the focus on national parks as ecotourism destinations and the aspects that need to be taken into consideration when analysing the concept in such a context. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The thesis examines two interrelated topics; the perception of management theory in general, and the efficacy of the learning organisation in particular. The purpose of this thesis, therefore, is to compare the rhetoric espoused in the learning organisation literature with a survey of senior managers in large, commercial organisations. The results revealed a positive disposition towards business and management theory in general. The survey also demonstrated that leadership is considered the most important variable in the success of a company. This is facilitated through the attraction and retention of the appropriate staff and creating sufficient space for them to operate. Learning is embedded by anticipating the future, learning from the past and enabling good communication. However, the latter is balanced through change management. This is derived through legitimate authority and a reliance on planning. Finally, a strategy of experimentation is balanced by challenging industry rules. Themes involving politics, corporate alignment and corporate longevity were found to have relatively little convergent validity. The third section of the questionnaire reveals a positive disposition towards the learning organisation. The contribution of this thesis is in three areas. First, it is the only work to evaluate the anti-guru school. Second is the development of a syncretic model of learning organisation concept using structural equation modelling. Finally, it explains and examines the largely misunderstood concept of management fashions.

Este Estudo procura compreender a instalação e os efeitos da “sociedade de consumo", emergente nas últimas três décadas, sobre a confiança interpessoal no interior das organizações, do ponto de vista do quadro gerencial. Objetiva, adicionalmente, propor meios para tornar a confiança aspecto redutor da vulnerabilidade do homem no ambiente das organizações. O contexto da “sociedade de consumo" é analisado pelas categorias institucionais “dinamismo econômico" e “tranqüilidade social", que reconfiguram o grau de interdependência das pessoas no trabalho e trazem novos riscos e incertezas aos relacionamentos. Esse ambiente pode tanto atuar em favor da maior produtividade, quanto debilitar a coesão e os laços de cooperação no trabalho, o que implica reconstruir o conceito de confiança interpessoal sobre bases que agregam aspectos relacionados ao nível de análise, à natureza dos relacionamentos e às expectativas entre os atores envolvidos no processo de confiança. Os resultados das análises sugeriram a existência de uma ordem implícita para manifestação da confiança no interior das organizações: variáveis do ambiente economicamente dinâmico influenciam as variáveis da tranqüilidade social, que condicionam a confiança interpessoal. Além disso, observou-se que a confiança reduz a percepção de vulnerabilidade no trabalho, de maneira a criar um ciclo virtuoso: estimula a noção de possibilidade, que mobiliza para a ação, resultando em realizações e reconhecimento, que diminuem a complexidade do ambiente, não só tornando-o mais previsível, mas também alimentando a percepção de menor vulnerabilidade. / This study aims to understand both the establishment and effects of the “consumer society", a phenomenon that has increased over the last three decades, on interpersonal trust in organizations from the perspective of managers. Additionally, it aims to propose means of transforming trust into an aspect that reduces vulnerability when taking part in an organization’s complex environment. The “consumer society" condition is analyzed under the institutional categories of “economic dynamism" and “social tranquility". These interfere in people’s interdependence in their jobs and bring new risks and uncertainties to relationships. This environment can either help to increase productivity or to debilitate cohesion and cooperation in the workplace. This implies reconstructing the concept of interpersonal trust upon foundations that combine aspects related to the level of analysis, the nature of relationships and the expectations of the people involved in the process of trust. The results of the analysis suggested the existence of an implicit order for the manifestation of trust within organizations. The economically dynamic environment variables influence the social tranquility variables, which in turn cause interpersonal trust. It was also observed that trust reduces the perception of vulnerability in the workplace and creates a positive cycle. Trust stimulates the notion of possibility, which triggers action, resulting in accomplishments and recognition. This reduces the environment’s complexity, making it become more predictable while reinforcing the perception of less vulnerability.