This study attempted to relate service orientation discrepancy between employees and managers to employees’ affective reactions in the restaurant industry. To fulfill this purpose, this study developed a new model and tested it by conducting an empirical analysis of restaurant employees. Specifically, this study examined the relationships among service orientation discrepancy (SOD), service employees’ role conflict (RC), role ambiguity (RA), job satisfaction (JS), and organizational commitment (OC). In addition, using path analysis, this study further scrutinized the causal relationships among the above variables. The key findings of this study indicate that there is an SOD between managers and employees. Employees saw themselves as more enthusiastic and less bureaucratic than managers and this SOD was correlated with employee outcomes such as RC, RA, JS, and OC. When the proposed model of the study was tested, the results indicated that SOD had a positive, direct effect on RC and direct, negative effects on JS and OC. SOD also had negative, indirect effects on JS and OC through RC and RA. RC had a negative, direct effect on JS and a negative, indirect effect on OC. RA had a negative, direct effect on JS. Finally, JS had a negative, direct effect on OC. The contribution of this study lies in attempting to explore the possibility of synthesizing service management and organizational behavior literature in the restaurant industry setting. By introducing the concept of SOD, this study showed the relationship between SOD and its impact on affective reactions of restaurant employees. Further, this study contributed to the existing literature by demonstrating the causal relationships among the variables examined. With these efforts, this study also laid the foundation for future empirical research. From the industry point of view, the findings of this study will provide substantive information that restaurant chains can use to design training, communication, and motivational programs and other human resource management programs for their employees. The study holds promise for reducing employee turnover and for improving customer service in the hospitality industry. / Ph. D.

Past literature suggests that working mothers are at an increased risk for experiencing role strain compared to other employed adults. The current study investigated attitudes and beliefs of 783 working mothers of 15-month-old children using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Working mothers' levels of role strain was associated with perceived social support, attitudes toward maternal employment, job and parental role quality, financial stress, and depression. Negative attitudes toward maternal employment predicted maternal separation anxiety, while positive attitudes toward employment did not affect separation anxiety. These findings have implications for the importance of decreasing role strain in working mothers.

The purpose of this research project was to develop and test a theoretical model of technical professionals in self-managing work teams using a number of constructs that have not been tested with this population. The overall aim was to begin to humbly fill a significant gap in the research literature focused on self-managing work teams. The rationale for the need to address technical professional perspectives in team settings is discussed in the following section.

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This study investigated two aspects of masculine gender role strain—gender role conflict and gender role stress—and their relationship to religious orientation, spiritual well-being, and sex-role egalitarianism among Latter-day Saint (LDS or Mormon) men. To investigate these variables, a sample of 201 LDS undergraduate men who were predominantly White/Caucasian and single completed the Gender Role Conflict Scale, Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale, Intrinsic/Extrinsic Religious Orientation Scale-Revised, Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and the Sex-Role Egalitarianism Scale. As predicted, LDS men who reported higher levels of religiosity and spiritual well-being reported lower levels of gender role strain. This study also found that participants who reported more egalitarian sex-role attitudes reported lower levels of gender role strain. Separate stepwise regression analyses found that, of the five predictor variables (intrinsic religiosity, extrinsic religiosity, existential well-being, religious well-being, and sex-role egalitarianism), existential well-being and sex-role egalitarianism were the strongest predictors of variance in gender role conflict and gender role stress. The discussion focuses on explanations of significant findings, limitations, directions for future research, and implications for clinical practice.

This study investigated the relationships between several work motivational process variables and work-life-conflict (WLC) and how these variables contribute to job related outcomes such as work performance, job satisfaction and life satisfaction. This survey study identified several correlations which suggest that a more comprehensive model of motivation should include variables such as energy pool and direction toward organizational objectives. Results also suggest that WLC contributes to the amount of energy pool available to workers and the amount of motivation exhibited by workers. WLC also impacts important job and life attitudes directly and through the above mentioned motivation process variables. The basis for a comprehensive work motivation model will be posited and theoretical and practical implications will be discussed.

No description available.

No description available.