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Contingent valuation has been given a psychological interpretation, by Kahneman and colleagues, that claims willingness to pay bids represent psychological attitudes rather than personal economic valuations. Evidence reported here shows the need to qualify the role of this attitudinal explanation. In contradiction to the attitudinal hypothesis, the decision to bid zero or positive appears to represent a complex psychological appraisal. Furthermore, evidence of bid clustering on currency denominations implies fundamental differences concerning how people respond to a monetary scale. Whether interpreted as charitable contributions or imprecise welfare estimates there are serious implications for how economists interpret and use stated preference responses. (authors' abstract)

Syftet med studien var att undersöka skillnader i arbetsmotivation enligt Social Determination Theory beroende på om de anställda hade en direktanställning via företaget som studien genomfördes på eller om de var anställda via bemanningsföretag. Studien undersökte även huruvida arbetsmotivation kunde predicera psykiskt välbefinnande. Urvalet bestod av industriarbetare där den ena gruppen bestod av direktanställda och den andra av bemanningspersonal. Data samlades in genom en enkätundersökning i pappersform som utgick från Basic need satisfaction at work scale för arbetsmotivation och General health questionnaire 12 som mätte psykiskt välbefinnande. Totalt svarade 48 personer på enkäten. Resultatet visade ingen signifikant skillnad överlag mellan grupperna i arbetsmotivation. Däremot gick det att urskilja en skillnad i en av delskalorna hos grupperna där bemanningspersonal uppvisade lägre nivå av autonomi. Studien visade även att arbetsmotivation kunde predicera psykiskt välbefinnande. / The aim of the study was to examine differences in work motivation according to Social Determination Theory depending on whether the employees had a direct employment through the company where the study was conducted or if they were employed through a staffing agency (worked as contingent workers). The study also aimed to examine whether work motivation could predict psychological well-being. The population consisted of industrial workers where one groups consisted of permanent employees and the other group consisted of contingent workers from a staffing company. Data were collected through a questionnaire measured with Basic need satisfaction at work scale for work motivation and General health questionnaire 12 for psychological well-being. The study showed no significant difference between the two groups in general. Separate analyses of the three subscales in work motivation showed that direct employees had higher levels of autonomy than contingent workers. The study also showed that work motivation predicts psychological well-being.

Over the years, organizations have seen fit to adopt the use of agile systems development methodologies (ASDMs) because of the benefits that they offer, such as flexibility and the ability to deliver products faster, in constantly changing environments. When ASDMs are used in projects, they are made to fit or be suitable for a project‟s unique aspects, such as its size, requirements, scope and outcomes. This is known as the contingent use of ASDMs. Little is known about the contingent use of ASDMs in South African organizations. It is not known whether it is happening, its procedure and its success. It is important to know this because quality and control need to be maintained in systems produced. There is always a danger that the benefits of using a system development methodology (SDM) would be lost if ASDMs are highly adapted. This led to an investigation of three organizations in South Africa that use contingent ASDMs. With the help of semi-structured interviews, focus groups and documents, data was collected that was analysed, using the tool ATLAS.ti, and the analysis methods content and cross-case analysis. It was found that some South African organizations in the telecommunications, consulting, technological, outsourcing and agricultural sectors use ASDMs in combination with the still popular waterfall SDM. Compatibility between the SDM and the project is a factor in some organizations. Scrum was cited to be the ASDM that was used in some of the organizations interviewed due to its maturity. They make ASDMs contingent by using aspects in the methods, such as Scrum, that are useful for their unique projects. These aspects are in some cases combined with other SDMs to form hybrid methodologies. Some organizations use criteria, such as project needs, outcomes, size and complexity to make ASDMs contingent. Some organizations have measures and facilities in place to manage, monitor, control and document the process used to make ASDMs contingent. They make use of contingent ASDMs as they have experienced more success with them and they will continue to do so. / Thesis (MCom (Computer Science & Information Systems))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The aim of this study is to quantify the social cost of air pollution in Bophelong Township. Bophelong is a dominantly Black low-income settlement located on the South-western part of the Emfuleni Local Municipality in the Vaal Triangle. In 2006 the Vaal Triangle was the first region in the country to be declared an Airshed Priority Area in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (39/2004). Economic literature reveals that there is a strong positive correlation between poverty and pollution. It is on this basis that the study provides a theoretical background to poverty and pollution. The study makes use of a Contingent valuation method to elicit respondents‘ maximum willingness to pay for the reduction of air-pollution in the area. The survey questionnaire covers three broad socio-economic categories namely, the demographic profile, labour force profile and the residents‘ attitudes towards environmental issues. The valuation part of the questionnaire makes use of an open-ended questionnaire to elicit the respondents‘ maximum willingness to pay for the reduction of air pollution in Bophelong. The mean willingness to pay for the reduction of air-pollution in Bophelong is estimated at R132 per annum. The annual social cost of air-pollution in Bophelong is calculated by multiplying the mean willingness to pay with the estimated total population. Bophelong‘s total population was estimated at 49 408. The annual social cost of pollution is thus estimated at R6 521 856. The regression analysis shows that several factors positively influence respondents‘ willingness to pay. The analysis shows that education, employment and level of income are positively correlated with the respondents‘ willingness to pay. This study indicates that there is a positive correlation between poverty and pollution. Most of the air pollution that affects the population of Bophelong is generated from domestic sources such as the burning of coal and biomass fuels for VALUING THE SOCIAL COST OF AIR-POLLUTION IN BOPHELONG TOWNSHIP heating and cooking purposes. In order to eliminate the negative impacts of air pollution on the residents of Bophelong the study recommends that authorities must begin by ameliorating the poverty situation in the area. On the main authorities must introduce measures that target domestic sources of pollution. Some of the measures that could be undertaken to reduce the impact of pollution could include: (a) encouraging residents to adopt the more cleaner top-down coal ignition method known as Basa-njengo-Magogo, (b) providing free basic electricity to poor households in the area and (c) ensuring that houses are constructed with thermal comfort in mind, as this will minimise the need for space heating particularly during winter months. / PhD (Economics), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Over the years, organizations have seen fit to adopt the use of agile systems development methodologies (ASDMs) because of the benefits that they offer, such as flexibility and the ability to deliver products faster, in constantly changing environments. When ASDMs are used in projects, they are made to fit or be suitable for a project‟s unique aspects, such as its size, requirements, scope and outcomes. This is known as the contingent use of ASDMs. Little is known about the contingent use of ASDMs in South African organizations. It is not known whether it is happening, its procedure and its success. It is important to know this because quality and control need to be maintained in systems produced. There is always a danger that the benefits of using a system development methodology (SDM) would be lost if ASDMs are highly adapted. This led to an investigation of three organizations in South Africa that use contingent ASDMs. With the help of semi-structured interviews, focus groups and documents, data was collected that was analysed, using the tool ATLAS.ti, and the analysis methods content and cross-case analysis. It was found that some South African organizations in the telecommunications, consulting, technological, outsourcing and agricultural sectors use ASDMs in combination with the still popular waterfall SDM. Compatibility between the SDM and the project is a factor in some organizations. Scrum was cited to be the ASDM that was used in some of the organizations interviewed due to its maturity. They make ASDMs contingent by using aspects in the methods, such as Scrum, that are useful for their unique projects. These aspects are in some cases combined with other SDMs to form hybrid methodologies. Some organizations use criteria, such as project needs, outcomes, size and complexity to make ASDMs contingent. Some organizations have measures and facilities in place to manage, monitor, control and document the process used to make ASDMs contingent. They make use of contingent ASDMs as they have experienced more success with them and they will continue to do so. / Thesis (MCom (Computer Science & Information Systems))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Abstract Previous research has demonstrated that non-contingent reinforcement (NCR) and differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) are effective procedures in reducing problem behavior of children both in and out of the classroom. However, few studies have assessed which procedure is most socially acceptable among teachers. In addition, studies have not recorded data on fidelity of implementation among teachers. A non-concurrent multiple baseline across teachers design was used to (a) demonstrate the effect of NCR and DRO on the problem behaviors of school aged children with no identified developmental disability, and (b) assess implementation fidelity of each procedure by the teacher. This study further assessed which procedure was preferred by teachers by the addition of questionnaires and a choice phase in which teachers ultimately chose which procedure to implement. Results showed that both procedures significantly reduced problem behavior across all participants, with the DRO procedure having the greatest effect. The procedure that was preferred most by teachers varied across participants. One of the three participants preferred the NCR procedure, one preferred the DRO procedure and the last participant gave mixed results between the procedure she said she preferred in the surveys and the procedure she chose to implement in the final choice phase.

The research presented in this thesis focuses on determining the value of irrigation water in southern Alberta. Utilizing a stated preference method, the research represents a successful attempt at applying contingent behavior scenarios to estimate irrigation water supply and demand, and thus irrigators willingness to pay/accept (WTP/WTA) for water through a hypothetical water market during droughts. The research also aims to assess the effectiveness of water markets in conserving water and promoting water productivity and efficiency. The findings reveal that irrigators WTP during droughts is within the range of $1.22-4.90/acre-inch ($0.012-$0.048/m3), varying over various levels of water scarcity. It is found that the presence of water markets plays a crucial role in water reallocation and improves water productivity and efficiency, the extent of which depends on how active are water markets. / Agricultural and Resource Economics

Rund 30 Jahre Forschung verweisen auf die Rolle organisationaler Sozialisationstaktiken für die Entwicklung positiver Arbeitseinstellungen und -verhaltensweisen von neuen Mitarbeitern, insbesondere für zentrale Variablen wie der Rollenklarheit, der organisationalen Bindung, der Verbleibabsicht und der anfänglichen Arbeitsleistung. Da die überwiegende Mehrheit der empirischen Untersuchungen bisher aus den USA stammt, ist bislang ungeklärt, welche Zusammenhänge organisationale Sozialisationstaktiken in anderen, insbesondere weniger individualistischen Kulturen wie etwa Deutschland zeigen. Ebenso ist trotz des breiten Wachstums atypischer Beschäftigungsformen und ihrem vermehrten Vordringen in den qualifizierten Tätigkeitsbereich unbekannt, ob und wie Organisationen im Sinne der Humanressourcenallokationstheorie von Lepak & Snell (1999, 2002) die Anwendung von Sozialisationstaktiken an dem strategischen Wert und der Einzigartigkeit des jeweiligen Humankapitals ausrichten. Die vorliegende Längsschnitt-Studie vergleicht daher anhand einer Befragung von 359 Novizen aus mehr als 10 deutschen Organisationen wie Arbeitgeber neue Mitglieder aus Stamm- und Randbelegschaft sozialisieren. Sie prüft zudem die Zusammenhänge zwischen einem systematischen ‘Onboarding’ und zentralen Arbeitseinstellungen und -verhaltensweisen wie etwa der Arbeitsleistung, der Kreativität, der organisationalen Bindung, der Arbeitszufriedenheit und dem Stand des psychologischen Vertrages in den ersten Wochen und Monaten eines neuen Beschäftigungsverhältnisses. Die Ergebnisse – vorrangig ermittelt über Verfahren der multivariaten Varianzanalyse und der multiplen linearen Regressionsanalyse – zeigen, dass ähnlich den bislang vorliegenden nord-amerikanischen Studien institutionalisierte Sozialisationstaktiken 6-8 Wochen nach Eintritt in die Organisation (t1) sowohl direkte als auch indirekte Zusammenhänge zu den Arbeitseinstellungen und -verhaltensweisen der neuen Mitarbeiter zeigten, insbesondere zu der affektiven organisationalen Bindung und dem Stand des psychologischen Vertrages. Auch konnten Hinweise für die in einigen Untersuchungen vorgefundene Hemmung kreativen Arbeitsverhaltens durch institutionalisierte Sozialisationstaktiken bestätigt werden. 6-8 Monate nach Eintritt in die Organisation (t2) fanden sich jedoch entweder keiner dieser Zusammenhänge mehr oder die auftretenden Effekte waren anders als hypothetisiert: Die neuen Mitarbeiter, die 6-8 Wochen nach Eintritt von einer intensiven Einarbeitung in Form institutionalisierter Sozialisationstaktiken sowie einer engen sozialen Einbindung in ihre Arbeitsgruppe berichteten, zeigten in t2 eine signifikant höhere Kündigungsabsicht und einen deutlich schlechteren Stand des psychologischen Vertrages, d.h. sie vertrauten ihrem Arbeitgeber deutlich weniger und bewerteten die Arbeitsbeziehung als wesentlich ungerechter. Die Ergebnisse deuten auch darauf hin, dass Organisationen im Einklang mit der Humanressourcenallokationstheorie von Lepak & Snell (1999, 2002) Sozialisationstaktiken am strategischen Wert und an der Einzigartigkeit bzw. Betriebsspezifität des Humankapitals ausrichten. So berichteten Zeitarbeitnehmer in den ersten Wochen eines Einsatzes von einer deutlich informaleren, d.h. individualisierteren Einarbeitung als unbefristete Novizen. Aber auch neue Mitarbeiter mit Führungsverantwortung erfuhren im Vergleich zu Novizen ohne Weisungsbefugnis eine signifikant individualisiertere Sozialisation. Während jedoch neue Führungskräfte keine wesentlichen Unterschiede in ihren Arbeitseinstellungen und -verhaltensweisen aufwiesen, zeigten Zeitarbeitnehmer in den ersten Wochen eines neuen Einsatzes bei einer Entleihorganisation eine signifikant schwächere soziale Integration in die Arbeitsgruppe, eine deutlich niedrigere Arbeitszufriedenheit, eine schwächere affektive Bindung an den Entleiher, einen schlechteren Stand des psychologischen Vertrages und eine deutlich höhere Kündigungsabsicht. Zusammengefasst können Arbeitgeber sehr wahrscheinlich über das Anbieten eines systematischen ‘Onboarding’ positive Arbeitseinstellungen und -verhaltensweisen auf Seiten ihrer neuen Mitglieder in den ersten Wochen eines neuen Beschäftigungsverhältnisses fördern. Da jedoch einige dieser Zusammenhänge für atypische Beschäftigte nicht aufgezeigt werden konnten, mag selbst eine derart umfassend organisierte Sozialisation negative Begleiterscheinungen einer atypischen Beschäftigung (z.B. Beschäftigungsunsicherheit, geringes Gehalt) nicht ohne weiteres kompensieren. Diese Befunde erhalten besonderes Gewicht durch aktuelle Entwicklungen, die darauf hindeuten, dass atypisch Beschäftigte zunehmend im qualifizierten Tätigkeitsbereich eingesetzt werden und sie zugleich immer länger in den jeweiligen Organisationen verbleiben. Auch die Ergebnisse über mögliche dysfunktionale Effekte institutionalisierter Sozialisationstaktiken wenige Monaten nach Eintritt deuten darauf hin, dass eine systematische Einarbeitung offenbar nicht per se Novizen motiviert und bindet, sondern dies bestimmten, bislang nicht untersuchten Bedingungen (z.B. Organisationsklima, Kohärenz mit dem übrigen Personalmanagement) unterliegt. / For more than 20 years Van Maanen & Schein’s (1979) organizational socialization tactics have been found to be crucial for initial work attitudes and behaviors of newcomers, especially for variables such as role ambiguity, organizational commitment, intention to stay, and performance. Most of these studies have been conducted in North America. Yet, if socialization tactics have similar effects in context of other cultures, especially less individualistic cultures such as Ger-many (Hofstede 1980; Oyserman et al. 2002) is still unclear. Further, it is unknown, if and how organizations differentiate socialization tactics depending on the strategic value and uniqueness of human capital according to Lepak & Snell’s (1999, 2002) human resource allocation theory. Thus, the given longitudinal study with 359 new hires in more than 10 German companies com-pared how employers socialize newcomers in the peripheral and contingent workforce and how a systematic ‘onboarding’, i.e. institutionalized socialization tactics affect central work attitudes and behaviors such as performance, creativity, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and state of psychological contract in the short-run as well as in the medium term. Using multivariate analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis, results show that similar to North American studies organizational socialization tactics had direct and indirect relation-ships to initial work attitudes and behaviors 6-8 weeks after entry (t1), particularly to organiza-tional commitment and state of the psychological contract. As in some other surveys, institution-alized tactics also suppressed creative role behaviors of newcomers in t1. However, 6-8 months after entry (t2) either none of these relationships were found or reversed effects approached: new hires who experienced an institutionalized socialization and reported a high level of social integration into their work group in t1 showed higher turnover intention and lower trust in their employer in t2. Finally, coinciding with human resource allocation theory (Lepak & Snell 1999, 2002) findings show that organizations seem to differentiate socialization processes depending on the strategic value and uniqueness of their human capital. For example, compared to new core workers new temporary agency workers reported a highly informal socialization. Also, newly hired managers reported significant more individualized socialization tactics than non-managers; anyhow, this seems to bear no negative consequences for initial work attitudes and behaviors of new managers, but temporary agency workers showed significant lower social inte-gration, lower job satisfaction, less organizational commitment, higher turnover intentions and a poorer state of the psychological contract. In sum, by offering systematic training and socialization employers seem to be able to foster positive work attitudes and behaviors of their new employees in the first weeks after entry. How-ever, since some direct positive relationships between institutionalized socialization tactics and distal work attitudes (e.g. organizational commitment, job satisfaction, turnover intention) did not appear for new contingent workers, even an institutionalized socialization may not be able to compensate for dissatisfactions resulting out of non-standard work arrangements (e.g. job inse-curity, low salary). These findings are especially critical given the fact that contingent workers are increasingly employed for qualified jobs and show growing tenures in (client) organizations. Further, even for new core workers the positive effects of an institutionalized socialization proc-ess do not seem to last in the long-run necessarily. Above all, findings indicate that if organiza-tions miss to configure their human resource management consistently so that an institutional-ized socialization is not followed by instruments such as human resource development, partici-pation or internal labor market and thus, is undermined by incongruent working conditions, it may evoke newcomer’s expectations which cannot be fulfilled and thus, may turn into dysfunc-tional work attitudes.

When self-esteem is dependent on competence individuals invest a great deal of effort in their accomplishments in order to validate themselves. The aim of the present thesis was to develop a theoretically sound and valid concept and measure of contingent self-esteem dependent on competence, and examine its vulnerable implications and role in burnout. In Study I a concept and measure of contingent self-esteem dependent on competence, termed competence-based self-esteem (CBSE), was developed. Confirmatory factor analyses showed its distinctiveness from other sources of self-esteem and revealed two dimensions comprising behaviors referring to: i) Self-esteem conditional upon competence and ii) Frustrated self-critical strivings. The new scale showed high reliability and gained both convergent and discriminative validity through different methods in different samples. Study II set out to experimentally test the vulnerable implications of CBSE in a performance situation. The results showed that high, as compared to low, scorers on the scale exhibited stronger physiological reactivity and momentary exertion coupled with frustrated mood. Study III focused on the role of self-esteem contingent on competence in the burnout process and its association with work- and private-life stressors over time in working women and men. The analyses showed that contingent self-esteem was a predictor of burnout. In addition, women scored higher on both contingent self-esteem and burnout and reported higher general life stress than did men, whereas men showed stronger associations between work stressors and burnout. The results of the three studies suggest that contingent self-esteem, where outcomes of one’s acts and performance serve to compensate an impoverished basic self-worth, facilitates the understanding of stress-related vulnerability and ill-health. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: In press. Paper 3: In press.