Two new models for survey sampling with sensitive characteristic: design and analysis

Sensitive topics or highly personal questions are often being asked in medical, psychological and sociological surveys. This paper proposes two new models (namely, the triangular and crosswise models) for survey sampling with the sensitive characteristics. We derive the maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs) and large-sample confidence intervals for the proportion of persons with sensitive characteristic. The modified MLEs and their asymptotic properties are developed. Under certain optimality criteria, the designs for the cooperative parameter are provided and the sample size formulas are given. We compare the efficiency of the two models based on the variance criterion. The proposed models have four advantages: neither model requires randomizing device, the models are easy to be implemented for both interviewer and interviewee, the interviewee does not face any sensitive questions, and both models can be applied to both face-to-face personal interviews and mail questionnaires.     

Measuring Interviewer Performance in Telephone Surveys

In this research paper, the definition of interviewer performance is restricted to mean the capacity of an interviewer to convince a respondent to cooperate. Furthermore, it is restricted to performance in telephone surveys. To measure this aspect of performance, researchers have until now used the cooperation rate, calculated as the number of completed interviews divided by the sum of completes plus refusals, generally retaining only the first contacts made to a given phone number in order to avoid contaminating the measure with the performance of a previous interviewer. In this paper, we argue that this measure is biased because it does not allow for the measurement of performance when interviewers, usually the best ones, work on refusal conversion or on appointments. We propose a new measure of the net contribution of interviewers to the overall cooperation rate – the Net Contribution to Performance Index (NCPI) – that measures interviewer performance irrespective of the task they perform. The properties of the index are compared with the cooperation rate at first contact using a number of criteria: reliability, variability and relationship with the overall response rate, and internal and external validity. Appendix A explains how to calculate the new index.     

The Employment Interview: A Review of Recent Research and Recommendations for Future Research

The past decade has seen continued interest in the employment interview, with several changes in research emphasis. The present review is a comprehensive examination of interview research conducted since Harris last reviewed this literature. We begin with a review of the traditional areas of interview research: reliability, validity, structured interviews, interviewer differences, equal employment opportunity issues, impression management, and decision-making processes. Next, we review and discuss more recent developments in interview research such as the use of the interview as a means of assessing person–organization (P–O) fit and applicant reactions to the employment interview. Throughout the review, suggested topics for future research are discussed.     

Leader-member exchange,employee performance,and work outcomes: an empirical study in the Chinese context

In this study, we employed the multidimensional view of LMX (LMX-MDM) to develop a model that captured different antecedents and outcomes of task and contextual performance. We tested this model with a sample drawn from subjects from the People's Republic of China. The results indicated that the affect dimension of LMX-MDM was positively associated with task performance and contextual performance. The contribution dimension of LMX-MDM was positively related to the job dedication dimension of contextual performance. Supervisory ratings of the task performance and the interpersonal facilitation dimension of contextual performance predicted the promotability of subordinates, and task performance influenced subordinates' intention to quit. Limitations and future research are discussed.     

The profile of the ‘Good Judge’ in HRM: A systematic review and agenda for future research

In light of the pivotal importance of judgments and ratings in human resource management (HRM) settings, a better understanding of the individual differences associated with being a good judge is sorely needed. This review provides an overview of individual difference characteristics that have been associated with the accurate judges in HRM. We review empirical findings over >80 years to identify what we know and do not know about the individual difference correlates of being an accurate judge. Overall, findings suggest that judges' cognitive factors show stronger and more consistent relationships with rating accuracy than personality-related factors. Specific intelligences in the social cognition domain, such as dispositional reasoning (complex understanding of traits, behaviors and a situation's potential to manifest traits into behaviors) show particular promise to help understanding what makes an accurate judge. Importantly, our review also highlights the scarcity of research on HRM context (selection vs. performance appraisal settings) and judges' motivation to distort ratings. To guide future research, we present a model that links assessor constructs to key processes required for accurate judgment and ratings in HRM contexts. The discussion suggests twenty questions for future work in this field.     

Assessing the impact of the manufacturing executive’s role on business performance through strategic alignment

Many researchers over time have stressed the importance of incorporating the manufacturing perspective in the formulation of business strategy. Prior work in this area has tended to focus primarily on the involvement of the manufacturing executive in strategic decision making processes, while relatively little attention has been given to the level of influence enjoyed by the manufacturing executives. This study jointly examines the role of both influence and involvement in achieving better business performance, which we posit is expected to occur through alignment between the organizational and manufacturing strategies rather than directly. A research model based on procedural justice and strategic information management literature is proposed to represent this phenomenon. Structural equation modeling is used to empirically test the research model and its related hypothesis on the basis of data collected from 202 senior manufacturing executives representing mid to large sized firms from diverse industry groups across the US. In addition, interviews with a sub-sample of respondents are used to further explore the contextual nature of these relationships. The results indicate that involvement and influence are indeed two different, but highly related, aspects of the manufacturing executive s role. The interviews revealed numerous differences between the two with respect to achieving each and individual benefits derived from them. As expected, both involvement and influence are important determinants of strategy alignment with influence appearing to play a more substantive role. More importantly, it is this alignment that affects business performance. Implications of our findings for improving manufacturing practice, along with possible avenues for future research directions in this area, are also provided.     

The rationality and objectivity of reflection in phenomenological research

This article focuses on the reflection of lived experience as a way to understand the meaning and essence of lived experience in phenomenological research. The importance of reflection as a key learning tool in professional research development is emphasized. We argue that good reflection should result in the interviewee, the researcher, and the reader sharing a common experience as to the meaning of a certain lived experience. Therefore, the role of a researcher is likened to a bridge on which the reader travels into the interviewee’s living world. To achieve this, we argue that reflection must be rational and objective. To explain how to achieve the rationality and objectivity of reflection, we have divided the paper into two parts. First, we provide a briefly explain reflection on lived experience. Then we discuss the importance of rationality and objectivity in reflection and how to achieve and present them in research.     

Bias against overweight job applicants: Further explorations of when and why

We investigated the impact of job candidate weight (average or overweight) on several job‐related ratings following a videotaped mock interview. In ad‐dition to weight, we manipulated the race of the applicant, level of job qual‐ifications, and type of job (e.g., public or private contact). We also measured the effect of rater race and negative affect on multiple work‐relevant ratings. Weight, applicant race, job qualifications, and job type each had a modest but significant impact on ratings of hireability, performance capacity, adapt‐ability, and interpersonal skills, in varying combinations. The implications of these results for practice and future research are provided. © 2007 Wiley Pe‐riodicals, Inc.     

Transfer of training: Written self‐guidance to increase self‐efficacy and interviewing performance of job seekers

Subsequent to training IT professionals ( n = 35) in skills for performing effectively in a selection interview, 16 were randomly assigned to a transfer of training intervention, written self‐guidance (WSG). This methodology is based on social cognitive and self‐persuasion theories. The results showed that WSG resulted in significantly higher ratings from an interviewer than did those in the control group. Self‐efficacy for interviewing skill mediated the relationship between WSG and performance. A content analysis of the WSG letters showed that the use of self‐affirming and self‐relevant statements was positively related to performance in the selection interview. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Peer Appraisals: Differentiation of Individual Performance on Group Tasks

The use of peer appraisals has been widely acclaimed, but how useful are they really? Student groups made non‐anonymous ratings of peer performance on two group tasks, and the ratings contributed to the students' course grades. Groups differentiated very little among peers in their performance ratings. Individuals in non‐differentiating groups reported more positive distributive and procedural justice, satisfaction, and turnover intent than did individuals in differentiating groups. In differentiating groups, no differences in attitudes were found between individuals who were differentially rewarded or penalized for their performance. Implications for peer appraisal practice and future research are discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The role of organizational justice in multi-source performance appraisal: theory-based applications and directions for research

This paper develops a model of organizational justice to explain the outcomes of multi-source performance appraisal. Central to this explanation is how employee reactions to appraisal cause changes in performance. This paper examines the literature on organizational justice and proposes a model to determine how employees will react to performance appraisal ratings. The model suggests that when performance appraisal ratings are low, employees use procedural justice evaluations to determine the fairness of those ratings. Employees act to improve low ratings that they perceive to be fair. Their performance may decrease on ratings they perceive to be unfair.     

Who's the Boss at the Top? A Micro‐Level Analysis of Director Expertise,Status and Conformity Within Boards

In this paper we address how director expertise impacts a director's social status and conformity within the board. Our results, derived from two unique multi‐source datasets of peer ratings on director status and conformity of non‐executive directors from Dutch organizations, indicate that industry‐specific expertise and financial expertise differently impact directors’ social status and influence within the board. We find that directors’ individual performance orientation – the motivation to demonstrate expertise – acts as an important contingency for expertise to increase directors’ status within the board. Additional analyses using archival data and interviews with non‐executive directors substantiate our findings and provide additional insight into the dynamics operating within boards. This study extends existing research on boards of directors and provides unique micro‐level insights into the boardroom dynamics that connect director expertise to director status and conformity within boards.     

Rater source factors represent important subcomponents of the criterion construct space, not rater bias

We contrast normative accuracy and ecological perspectives on applications of the multitrait–multimethod methodology to multisource performance ratings and review existing research that provides critical tests of these perspectives. Existing research supports the ecological perspective which proposes that the rater source effects that are typically found in analysis of multisource performance ratings do not represent mere halo biases but alternative, perhaps equally valid perspectives on ratee performance. We suggest that future research view multifaceted research designs in the broader context of a prototype multidimensional data relational system such as that proposed by Lance, Baranik, Lau, and Scharlau (Lance, C. E., Baranik, L. E., Lau, A. R., & Scharlau, E. A. (in press). If it's not trait it must be method: (Mis)application of the multitrait–multimethod design in organizational research. In C. E. Lance & R. J. Vandenberg (Eds.), Statistical and methodological myths and urban legends: Received doctrine, verity, and fable in the organizational and social sciences. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum).     

Exploring individual and institutional drivers of proactive environmentalism in the US Wine industry

Industry transformation related to environmental stewardship proceeds through multiple stages, and there is as of yet no clear understanding of the importance of certain drivers of transformation at different stages. We bring together previous environmental management research regarding individual‐ and institutional‐level drivers of environmental stewardship to develop a model and series of questions regarding proactive environmental behavior in the US wine industry. A qualitative research method, including interviews and focus groups, is used to test the model. At the early stage of environmental transformation in the wine industry, we find that managerial attitudes and norms, existing regulations, employee welfare and competitive pressures are all strong drivers of proactive environmental behavior. However, our multi‐level analysis suggests that drivers of environmentalism vary in relevance and relative importance and that future environmental management research needs to consider the relationship between drivers of environmentalism and the stage of an industry's environmental transformation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Actor-to-actor dissemination of electronic procurement (EP) adoption: an exploration of influencing factors

The merits of electronic procurement (EP) tools have been widely acknowledged. Achieving these benefits remains a challenge, as companies are experiencing difficulties with human adoption during the implementation of such tools. In this article we focus on the intra-organizational spread of EP adoption from one actor to another. Based on exploratory interviews with experts and representatives of large Dutch purchasing organizations, we have identified nine categories of influences on actor-to-actor dissemination: perceived advantage, communication, demonstration, enforcement, training, involvement, risk reduction, reward, and disposition. This study is beneficial to companies engaging in the implementation of EP tools as it provides a portfolio of interventions that can be used to stimulate the spread of adoption. This article addresses a new area in EP research and opens up possibilities for future research in EP implementation.     

Family Business Restructuring: A Review and Research Agenda

Although business restructuring occurs frequently and it is important for the prosperity of family firms across generations, research on family firms has largely evolved separately from research on business restructuring. This is a missed opportunity, since the two domains are complementary, and understanding the context, process, content, and outcome dimensions is relevant to both research streams. We address this by examining the intersection between research on business restructuring and family firms to improve our knowledge of each area and inform future research. To achieve this goal, we review and organize research across different dimensions to create an integrative framework. Building on current research, we focus on 88 studies at the intersection of family firm and business restructuring research to develop a model that identifies research needs and suggests directions for future research.     

The value of subjectivity: problems and prospects for 360-degree appraisal systems

This paper focuses on the problems and prospects of 360-degree feedback methods. The rationale behind these appraisal systems is that different evaluation perspectives add objectivity and incremental validity to the assessment of individual performance. This assumption is challenged in this paper. Our research shows that there is a consistent difference in self- and supervisor ratings especially. This implies that, as long as these differences are understood as the result of several effects in measuring one's performance, the multi-source assessments will lead to a false sense of security and objectivity. Instead, when the differences are understood as subjective evaluations with a value in themselves, then different perceptions can be used for a better understanding between supervisors and employees of the working relations, personal performance and underlying motives for career development. Several recommendations are made for human resource management practices and future research.     

Certifying interviewers: the role of testing interviewers to improve data quality

The complexity of conducting personal interviews often requires both classroom training prior to fielding a survey and the certification of interviewers in the field. In an attempt to create a tool that would enable data collection agencies to tailor the training process and more effectively link the classroom to the field, the Census Bureau administered a certification exam to the interviewers of a new, more conversational style of interviewing in the redesign of the Survey of Income and Program Participation-Event History Calendar (SIPP-EHC). This research applied multilevel modeling to the 2010 and 2011 SIPP-EHC field test data to observe the effects of the variation in certification test score on measures of interviewer productivity—interview length and person non-response. From 2010 to 2011, short answer response questions replaced half of the multiple-choice response questions, finding short answer responses are better predictors of both interview length and person non-response than multiple-choice responses. These changes in the exam demonstrated a significant reduction in the interviewer effect seen on both outcomes.     

How Well Do Social Ratings Actually Measure Corporate Social Responsibility?

Ratings of corporations' environmental activities and capabilities influence billions of dollars of "socially responsible" investments as well as some consumers, activists, and potential employees. In one of the first studies to assess these ratings, we examine how well the most widely used ratings—those of Kinder, Lydenberg, Domini Research & Analytics (KLD)—provide transparency about past and likely future environmental performance. We find KLD "concern" ratings to be fairly good summaries of past environmental performance. In addition, firms with more KLD concerns have slightly, but statistically significantly, more pollution and regulatory compliance violations in later years. KLD environmental strengths, in contrast, do not accurately predict pollution levels or compliance violations. Moreover, we find evidence that KLD's ratings are not optimally using publicly available data. We discuss the implications of our findings for advocates and skeptics of corporate social responsibility as well as for studies that relate social responsibility ratings to financial performance.