The influence of financial participation and participation in decision-making on employee job attitudes

This study investigates the direct and indirect effects of financial participation (FP) and participation in decision-making (PDM) on employee job attitudes. The central premise is that both financial participation and participation in decision-making have effects on job attitudes, such as integration, involvement and commitment, perceived pay equity, performance-reward contingencies, satisfaction and motivation. After reviewing the theoretical and empirical literature and testing two theoretical frameworks, developed by Long (1978a) and Florkowski (1989), a new model was constructed to consider a combined effects of both FP and PDM, herein referred to as employee participation (EP). The underpinning of the model is based on the assumption that both (a) the combination of financial participation and participation in decision-making (‘employee participation’), and (b) participation in decision-making produce favourable effects on employee job attitudes. The test of the new model showed that employee participation does not produce more favourable effects on employee job attitudes, than does participation in decision-making on its own. The data were gathered from a questionnaire study administered in a large British retail organization that operates two types of ownership schemes – profit-sharing and SAYE schemes.     

Building participatory HIS networks: A case study from Kerala,India

This paper addresses the challenge of developing participatory networks to support the design, development and implementation of Health Information Systems (HIS) in the context of public health in Kerala, India. It is argued given the nature and complexity of HIS, there is the need to bring together our understanding of participation from two streams of development theory and IS design and development. While development theory provides interesting insights on how to enable participatory processes, they tend to not consider technology. Further, traditional participatory design in Information Systems research has its origins in Western workplaces, often quite divorced from the context of public health in developing countries. In trying to combine these two streams of learning, we propose and develop the concept of participatory networks. Drawing upon an ongoing empirical analysis of an action research effort to introduce, scale and sustain Health Information Systems in Kerala, this paper elaborates on the nature of participatory networks that come into play, and the various mechanisms and purposes of participation with the different network partners. In the discussion section, four areas of re-conceptualization of participation in the context of HIS in developing countries are identified: (1) creation of participatory networks; (2) increased context sensitivity; (3) focus on outputs of participation, not just inputs and techniques; and, (4) focus on structural aspects of participation, not just behavioral issues.     

宁夏疾控机构图书馆(室)参与农民工健康教育的探索

本文分析了宁夏疾控机构图书馆(室)参与农民工健康教育的必要性与可行性,探讨了开展农民工健康的途径与健康内容,旨在充分发挥宁夏疾控机构图书馆(室)的社会服务功能。     

When an NGO Takes on Public Participation: Preparing a Plan for a Neighborhood in East Jerusalem

It is often non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) that promote empowered participation processes, and assume active roles in leading them. However, the ability of NGOs to take on such processes is under‐theorized. In many cases empowered participation involving NGOs takes place without political support from above (or with limited or conditional support). Our goal in this article is to use a case study of participatory planning in East Jerusalem to theorize processes of empowerment in an oppositional political environment. We argue that it is useful to analyze such processes of empowered participation through the concept of power. We describe the process of empowerment as a speculative process in which the NGO has to hedge two mediums of power: it has to build the power of the community to discuss its own goals; and it has to simultaneously manage the transfer of decision‐making power from government bodies to the community.     

An empirical investigation on the role of market orientation in church participation

• In recent years, the concept of market orientation has become an attractive avenue for research in marketing. Despite an array of applications of market orientation in the context of religious organisations, an empirical examination of the role of market orientation in affecting church participation remains limited. The purpose of this research is to develop and test a model that explains the role of market orientation in a church participation context. Data were collected from a particular church denomination in Australia using a self-administered questionnaire. This yielded a useable sample of 344. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the validity and reliability of the measures, while structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses. The findings suggest that market orientation is significantly related to church participation. Further, competitor orientation was found to be negatively associated with church participation. These findings suggest that it is important for church leaders to: (1) understand the needs of church members (customer orientation), (2) ensure that the various ministries in the church are perceived as delivering significant value by its members (interfunctional coordination), and (3) ensure that the range of ministries offered by the church is not perceived as the strategic tools to compete with other churches (competitor orientation), but rather as the means to serve its members effectively.

Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Six sporting worlds. A cluster analysis of sports participation in the EU-25

The aim of this study was to identify clusters of European nations grouped by sports participation outcomes (organizational context and intensity of sports participation), in order to provide sensible groupings for international comparisons. Sports participation data for the EU-25 were distracted from the 2004 Eurobarometer survey. Both a hierarchical as a K-means clustering method was used to identify groupings of countries that are homogeneous in terms of sports participation profiles. Six clusters of countries could be identified: (i) non to average fitness countries; (ii) active club countries; (iii) average non-organized countries; (iv) average school countries; (v) active multi-context countries; and (vi) very active countries. Considerable differences in sports participation profiles between European countries are made clearer when viewed across clusters of countries grouped by actual outcomes. This empirically derived taxonomy has advantages over ad hoc systems for comparing sports participation and for deciding which countries appear to have the most comparable participation profiles. Moreover, it shows that policy strategies to increase sports participation in European countries need a differentiated approach and have to take account for the fact that the provision and intensity of sport is at a quite different level in all six sporting clusters.     

Does the Order and Timing of Active Labour Market Programmes Matter?

This study extends the traditional focus of active labour market policy evaluation from a static comparison of participation in a programme versus non‐participation (or participation in another programme) to the evaluation of the effects of programme sequences, that is, multiple participation or timing of such programmes. Explicitly allowing for dynamic selection into different stages of such programme sequences we analyse multiple programmes, the timing of programmes, and the order of programmes. The analysis is based on comprehensive administrative data on the Austrian labour force. Our findings suggest that (i) active job search programmes are more effective after a qualification programme compared to the reverse order, (ii) multiple participation in qualification measures dominates single participation and (iii) the effectiveness of several labour market programmes deteriorates the later they start during an unemployment spell.     

Attitudes toward employee participation in decision-making: A comparison of european and american managers in a united states multinational company

This article examines an American multinational company to uncover any crossnational differences in managerial attitudes toward employee participation in decision-making. Human resource practices of the parent company toward its European subsidiaries were also examined, especially those relevant to employee participation issues. Data were collected from the company's manufacturing facilities in Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States. Managers were interviewed and then surveyed regarding their attitudes toward participation. The interviews revealed resistance to the parent company's efforts to “export” an American vision of employee participation to its European subsidiaries. The survey data revealed attitudinal differences among European managers as well as among their American counterparts. Possible explanations, implications for human resource executives and research directions are discussed. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Conflicting perceptions on participation between citizens and members of local government

There is a growing consensus among citizens and members of local government that citizen participation is desirable for local government. However in practice, there are differing perceptions between them regarding the level and extent of citizen participation. As citizen participation is a multi faceted concept, its meaning is construed differently by both the members of local government and the citizen groups. This paper attempts to describe the conflicts that arise from participation. The paper is based on the study of the process of citizen participation in local government carried out in Torbat-Heydarieh city, Iran. A qualitative research method is seen as the most suitable approach of collecting and analyzing the data. The method employed for data collection in this research is in-depth interviews. In-depth interviews were conducted to gauge the existence of conflicts regarding participation. The findings reveal four areas that give rise to conflicts. This study also attempts to highlight two different views regarding citizen participation; the people-centered view and authority-centered view.     

ETHICAL LIMITATIONS ON CRIMINAL PARTICIPATION

The paper explores the orthodox economic perspective on criminal participation and recognises its theoretical and empirical successes during its relatively short history. Questions are raised, however, over its conceptual underpinnings and its correspondence with reality. Paradoxically, the economics of criminal participation can neither tell us why we have had so much crime in living memory nor why we should not be currently experiencing far more. It assumes 'criminals are (potentially all of) us' and that crime is normal. It is argued that there is a need to bring in the moral dimension directly (without reducing it to a mere price) in order to understand why many agents renounce crime and often sacrifice apparent material advantages by doing the right thing. The economics of crime perspective needs to recognise more fully the role of internal as well as external sanctions impacting on behaviour.     

Leisure activity and coping with stress: adolescents as case study

The purpose of this study is to explore the correlation between adolescent participation in leisure activity, its benefits, and coping with stress. Questionnaire surveys and structural equation model (SEM) were used for testing, and the analytical results showed that the model has good fit. The main findings of this study are: (1) youth participation in leisure activity would positively influence benefits of leisure activity; (2) participation in leisure activity has a significant positive correlation to adolescent coping with stress; (3) benefits of leisure activity has a significant positive influence on coping with stress. Research results showed that among participation in leisure activity, “kinetic activity” is the most important element for adolescent choice; among benefits of leisure activity, “enrich the quality of life” and “enhance self-worth” are most emphasized by adolescents. In terms of coping with stress, adolescents generally use “avoidance coping.” According to the research results, it is suggested that under the current social and cultural framework, promotion of adolescent participation in leisure activity can help them increase avoidance coping when faced with stress.     

Industry Event Participation and Network Brokerage among Entrepreneurial Ventures

Despite the recognition that network brokerage is beneficial for entrepreneurial ventures, little is known about its antecedents. This study examines how participation in industry events (e.g. conferences) relates to entrepreneurs' brokerage positions in informal industry networks and how these positions, in turn, impact new venture performance. Using a unique dataset of 45 events and subsequent network relations among entrepreneurs from 90 firms in the open source software industry, results indicate that: (1) entrepreneurs who participated in heterogeneous events or who bridged between events with few common participants were more likely to be brokers; (2) the relationship between event bridging and brokerage was stronger for entrepreneurs with broader prior career experiences; and (3) network brokerage mediated the event participation–performance link. It appears that events may limit structural opportunities for brokerage and that individual differences matter for exploiting these opportunities. Overall, this study increases understanding of how and when particular networking behaviours are beneficial for entrepreneurs.     

A typology of stakeholder participation for company environmental decision‐making

Companies now recognise the need to identify and address the concerns of their stakeholders to ensure their decisions and business activities are more socially acceptable. However, despite stakeholder participation being widely accepted in the public sector and used to a limited extent within some business management processes, there is no accepted understanding of what stakeholder participation actually constitutes and certainly no systematic method for its application within companies and company decision‐making. In order to support the development of such a method, stakeholder participation must first be defined in the ‘company’ context. Drawing from previous typologies of participation outlined in the literature, particularly relating to the public sector, this paper proposes a typology of stakeholder participation for companies, with particular relevance to environmental issues. It also outlines the needs and problems associated with developing a method of stakeholder participation for use in company decision‐making. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Financial participation and performance in Europe

This article assesses whether financial participation (profit‐sharing and employee share ownership plans) is associated with positive performance outcomes, and whether direct and indirect employee participation complement financial participation in this respect. It also examines whether employee involvement in the design of financial participation afects performance outcomes. The article uses data from a survey of listed firms in Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. Several outcome measures are used, based on respondents' assessments of the effects of financial participation. Higher participation in equity‐based plans, but not in profit‐sharing, is found to be associated with more successfil outcomes. None of fhe other forms of employe? pnrticipafion uins found to contribute to the success of financial participation. The results therefore cast some doubt on complementarity between financial and other forms of participation.     

The implications of direct participation for organisational commitment,job satisfaction and affective psychological well‐being: a longitudinal analysis

The article examines the implications of direct participation for employees' organisational commitment, job satisfaction and affective psychological well‐being. It focuses on both task discretion and organisational participation. Applying fixed effect models to nationally representative longitudinal data, the study provides a more rigorous assessment of the conflicting claims for the effects of participation that have hitherto been based primarily on cross‐sectional evidence. Further, it tests a range of mechanisms by which direct participation leads to improved employee outcomes. Contrary to the critical literature, it shows that even after controlling for unobserved individual heterogeneity, both forms of direct participation have positive effects for employees' organisational commitment and well‐being. The effects of task discretion are primarily direct, reflecting the intrinsic importance of personal control over the job task; in contrast, those of organisational participation derive to a greater extent from its indirect effect on the quality of working conditions.     

提升中老年人体育参与因素的分析与建议

本文运用文献资料法、问卷调查法和数理统计等方法对现阶段老年人在大众健身中的体育参与情况及影响因素进行归纳、分析和研究,以了解目前老年人在大众健身中的体育参与情况,找出制约老年人大众体育参与的因素,为提升老年人在大众健身中的体育参与水平提供参考。     

It is not just about paying your dues: Impact of generational cohort on active and passive union participation

The lack of a validated measure of active–passive union participation and a dearth of research into the relationship between generational cohort and union participation challenge union leaders to develop policies and practices to facilitate union renewal. We address these issues by (a) developing a multidimensional measure of union participation that captures both active and passive components, (b) using structural equation modelling to validate the measure within a nomological framework, and (c) investigating the impact of generational cohort on all paths in our framework. Data from members of a large American union confirm that generational cohort influences how union members participate in their union. The two‐factor measure developed in this study facilitates research into antecedents and outcomes of passive and active union participation. Our findings should also prove useful to unions seeking to increase participation within their membership, academics researching unions and generational cohort, and human resource practitioners operating in unionised environments.     

企业并购文化整合与领导参与度

随着世界企业并购浪潮的不断高涨,企业并购整合问题不断的被暴露出来,其中,文化整合问题占据主要地位,而企业并购文化整合中"被遗忘的角落"即领导参与对文化整合至关重要。事实上,"火车快不快,全靠车头带",企业并购文化整合成功与否与领导的参与程度成正比。故文章从企业并购文化整合的领导参与度出发,分析了并购企业文化整合过程中领导参与的现状,即零领导参与和低领导参与,并指出了其危害之处。同时,给出了相应的建议,供并购企业借鉴。     

日本城市规划中公众参与的制度设计研究

中国的公众参与目前还处于起步阶段,而日本的公众参与则已经逐步成熟与完善,公众有了实质性的参与.本文针对日本规划中公众的制度设计包括法律地位、全过程的参与制度、外部评估机制、规划素质培养机制等方面进行了分析,并对我国公众参与应完善之处提出若干建议.     

公众参与及美国城市规划制度的发展

城市规划中公众参与的发展过程与市民运动以及政府行政改革的兴起密切相关.从20世纪60年代在英美等西方发达国家的起步发展到现在,不仅公众参与的社会环境发生了深刻的变化,而且参与活动本身在形式、参与程度等方面与初期相比都发生了极大的变化,进而也对原有的城市规划制度产生了各种深远的影响.回顾美国城市规划中公众参与的发展历程,分析公众参与的主要形式和内容,总结公众参与的主要特点及其发展中的问题,进而探讨公众参与对规划制度的影响以及今后的发展趋势.