Assessing the Relevancy of National Culture in Predicting the Efficacy of Constraints in the Information Systems Consulting Domain

Opportunism is present in professional services and, as a result, organizations adopt mechanisms to constrain it. Despite the work on constraining opportunistic consultants, researchers have generally ignored the potential impact of national culture on the efficacy of constraint mechanisms. Using the theory of relationship constraints (TRC), this study examines the effectiveness of different constraint mechanisms for information systems (IS) consultants in the United States and China based on different levels of information asymmetry, tacit and explicit knowledge. While we found support in both cultures for the salience of these dimensions, we also found important distinctions for the effectiveness of different constraints between the cultures. Legal constraints are more effective in China while social constraints are more effective in the United States. While TRC is relevant in both cultures, national culture moderates the effectiveness of various constraint mechanisms and highlights the need for additional study

THE BLACK BAPTIST DENOMINATION OF SOUTH CAROLINA: A SOCIAL CAPITAL ANALYSIS

The question of the Black church\u27s relevancy, power, and influence has been at the forefront of theological and social debates since the Civil Rights era. The continuation of these debates in the 21st century has postulated that today\u27s Black church has become less theologically grounded and less vision-driven in initiatives and movements and is becoming ineffective advocates in addressing the social ills and challenges that cripple the upward mobility of individuals and communities. This study attempts to support the hypothesis that the Black church still possesses the relevancy, power, and influence as a vital and progressive community institution for positive social change in the twenty-first century. South Carolina\u27s Black Baptist denomination is instrumental in providing empirical knowledge that introduces a proper perspective on how the Black church cultivates and utilizes social capital to promote engagement in social change, thus, supporting its claim of relevancy, power, and influence in this present day and age. This study utilizes a quantitative methodology to describe how Black Baptist churches in South Carolina, through their use of social capital, mobilize congregations for collective effort in shaping civic discourse, bringing about social change and facilitating the development of thriving individuals and communities. A convenience sample of 174 Black Baptist pastors from South Carolina completed a 57-item questionnaire. The overall results revealed that social capital has a positive effect on the likelihood of Black Baptist churches engaging in social change. Regression analyses were used to examine the predictive nature of pastor and congregation characteristics on social capital and social change engagement in South Carolina\u27s Black Baptist churches. A total of nine predictor variables, including the pastor\u27s age, seminary training, employment status, and pastor\u27s view of the role of the church and the church\u27s age, socioeconomic status, location, group importance, and membership size, were used to predict social change engagement and social capital. A correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between social capital and social change engagement in Black Baptist churches in South Carolina. Results from these analyses indicated that seminary-trained and full-time pastors and that larger membership churches both had higher levels of social change engagement. The correlation analysis revealed that there is a significant positive relationship that exists between social capital and social change in Black Baptist churches in South Carolina. These findings have important implications for strengthening and mobilizing South Carolina\u27s Black Baptist pastors and churches for engagement in social change initiatives and movements. This study signifies the unique dynamics of South Carolina\u27s Black Baptist pastors and congregations that guide and impact their usage of social capital in addressing social change issues. The study also supports the need for a qualitative assessment of South Carolina\u27s Black Baptist denomination\u27s degree of effectiveness in engaging in social change issues and challenges. The findings may initiate dialogue and strategic planning that will provide the education, technical assistance, and resources needed for South Carolina\u27s Black Baptist denomination to expand and develop new capacities, and to develop a multi-faceted, systemic approach to address social change issues

Exploring cotton farm workers’ job satisfaction by adapting social cognitive career theory to the farm work context

This thesis reports on research into the application of the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) of job satisfaction in a sample of Australian farm workers. The SCCT job satisfaction model maps the relationships between five predictor variables: (a) personality and affective traits; (b) goal and efficacy-relevant environmental barriers, supports and resources; (c) self-efficacy; (d) expected and received work conditions and outcomes; and (e) goals and goal-directed activity, and their direct and indirect influence on fostering (or inhibiting) the individual’s experience of work satisfaction (Lent & Brown, 2006a). SCCT is a dominant theory in the Vocational Psychology discipline and has been tested for generalisability in a wide range of cultures and work contexts. As yet, it has not been extensively applied to understand the career motivations of the Australian agricultural workforce. The current research addresses this gap in the vocational psychology literature and attempts to counter the agentic assumptions of the SCCT by proposing the addition of work volition to the model. The literature on career motivations for Australian agricultural workers is reviewed, informing consideration for the application of the SCCT in this context. The proposed testing of the SCCT Model of Job Satisfaction in the Australian farming context draws on other existing theories and frameworks including, the Psychology of Working, self-efficacy theory, person-organisation fit theory, organisational support theory, and job demands-resources theory. In this way, the SCCT is used to synthesise multiple perspectives of contributing factors to job satisfaction and provide a comprehensive understanding of psychological factors that influence attraction and retention of workers to the Australian agricultural industry and more specifically to the Australian cotton industry. A sequential mixed methods design is used to position the farm work context as central to testing the SCCT Model of Job Satisfaction. Firstly, semi-structured interviews conducted with Australian cotton farm workers and growers were used to collect data which described the SCCT constructs in the farming context. Following thematic analysis of these data, the face validity of measures that operationalised the SCCT constructs was discussed. Furthermore, a new measure to capture farm worker self-efficacy was developed. Respondents’ descriptions of work volition were used to inform the integration of this construct into the newly proposed SCCT Model of Farm Worker Job Satisfaction. The second study surveyed farm workers and used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test two conceptual models; (a) the SCCT Model of Farm Worker Job Satisfaction and (b) the SCCT Model of Farm Worker Job Satisfaction including work volition. The results found sufficient evidence to support the generalisability of the SCCT Model of Job Satisfaction to the Australian agricultural context and the cotton farm context. Although, it would appear that the relationships between self-efficacy and the SCCT antecedent and outcome constructs are more complex than the direct relationships hypothesised. While the addition of work volition to the SCCT Model of Farm Worker Job Satisfaction added little to the prediction of reported levels of job satisfaction, this did contribute to the explanation of the relationships between the SCCT predictor variables. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed and recommendations for application of the findings and future research are made

Measuring Social Influence in Online Social Networks - Focus on Human Behavior Analytics

With the advent of online social networks (OSN) and their ever-expanding reach, researchers seek to determine a social media user’s social influence (SI) proficiency. Despite its exploding application across multiple domains, the research confronts unprecedented practical challenges due to a lack of systematic examination of human behavior characteristics that impart social influence. This work aims to give a methodical overview by conducting a targeted literature analysis to appraise the accuracy and usefulness of past publications. The finding suggests that first, it is necessary to incorporate behavior analytics into statistical measurement models. Second, there is a severe imbalance between the abundance of theoretical research and the scarcity of empirical work to underpin the collective psychological theories to macro-level predictions. Thirdly, it is crucial to incorporate human sentiments and emotions into any measure of SI, particularly as OSN has endowed everyone with the intrinsic ability to influence others. The paper also suggests the merits of three primary research horizons for future considerations

Investigating students’ affective states toward laboratory and context-based chemistry

Observations of natural phenomena are made possible with the invention of scientific apparatus and instruments. The focus in science education, however, has primarily been on theories rather than what enables the development of such theories, and chemistry curricula reflect this tradition. Introducing students to the role of instruments in science, both in experimental and theoretical aspects, can improve students’ overall understanding of, and appreciation for scientific practices. In addition, students’ increased perception of how chemical concepts are developed and how scientific observations are made can advance their awareness of the nature of science, thereby improving scientific literacy. Integrating the idea that instruments hold a central role in scientific progression can be achieved in both laboratories and lectures, providing students with opportunities to connect concepts to history, scientific practices, and applications. This dissertation is comprised of a series of studies which explores the use of technology and context-based curricular approach to provide general chemistry students with more information about instruments and applications in chemistry. Based on constructivism and the theory of meaningful learning, the affective learning domain, such as attitudes and motivation, was assessed in both chemistry laboratory and lecture courses. An augmented reality tool designed to connect students to information about commonly used instruments in a general chemistry lab course, specifically a pH meter and conductivity meter, was developed, implemented, and its effects on student learning and attitudes were investigated. In addition, for a chemistry lecture course, a context-based curricular approach was taken to introduce students to chemical concepts related to real-life applications, as well as to the role of scientific instruments, and this effort was assessed

Machine Learning Algorithms and Police Decision-Making: Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Challenges

This report seeks to critically assess the use of machine learning algorithms for policing, and provide practical recommendations designed to contribute to the fast-moving debate over policy and governance in this area

Developing the scales on evaluation beliefs of student teachers

The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to investigate the validity and the reliability of a newly developed questionnaire named ‘Teacher Evaluation Beliefs’ (TEB). The framework for developing items was provided by the two models. The first model focuses on Student-Centered and Teacher-Centered beliefs about evaluation while the other centers on five dimensions (what/ who/ when/ why/ how). The validity and reliability of the new instrument was investigated using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis study (n=446). Overall results indicate that the two-factor structure is more reasonable than the five-factor one. Further research needs additional items about the latent dimensions “what” ”who” ”when” ”why” “how” for each existing factor based on Student-centered and Teacher-centered approaches

Enhancing Software Project Outcomes: Using Machine Learning and Open Source Data to Employ Software Project Performance Determinants

Many factors can influence the ongoing management and execution of technology projects. Some of these elements are known a priori during the project planning phase. Others require real-time data gathering and analysis throughout the lifetime of a project. These real-time project data elements are often neglected, misclassified, or otherwise misinterpreted during the project execution phase resulting in increased risk of delays, quality issues, and missed business opportunities. The overarching motivation for this research endeavor is to offer reliable improvements in software technology management and delivery. The primary purpose is to discover and analyze the impact, role, and level of influence of various project related data on the ongoing management of technology projects. The study leverages open source data regarding software performance attributes. The goal is to temper the subjectivity currently used by project managers (PMs) with quantifiable measures when assessing project execution progress. Modern-day PMs who manage software development projects are charged with an arduous task. Often, they obtain their inputs from technical leads who tend to be significantly more technical. When assessing software projects, PMs perform their role subject to the limitations of their capabilities and competencies. PMs are required to contend with the stresses of the business environment, the policies, and procedures dictated by their organizations, and resource constraints. The second purpose of this research study is to propose methods by which conventional project assessment processes can be enhanced using quantitative methods that utilize real-time project execution data. Transferability of academic research to industry application is specifically addressed vis-à-vis a delivery framework to provide meaningful data to industry practitioners

An Examination of Alcohol Expectations and Social Desirability in Fraternity Members on American College Campuses

Males who are members of American college fraternal organizations remain one of the heaviest drinking populations among college students (Wall, 2006). Within fraternities, alcohol use is ceded to social status (Larimer et al., 1997). This culturally ingrained alcohol misuse has confounded interventions and programming to address this phenomenon and response to these attempts have been low or nonexistent by fraternity members. This study investigated alcohol expectations and social desirability among fraternity members. It was hypothesized that as members enter and remain in the fraternity culture, distorted expectations and socially desirable behaviors may occur as demonstrated by differences between pledges and active members. Participants took the Brown et al. (1987) Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire-Adult version and the Marlowe and Crowne (1964) Social Desirability inventory. Results revealed that pledges engaged in higher levels of socially desirable behaviors and conformed towards exaggerated expectations of alcohol related to overall alcohol use, sexual ability, and socialization. Implications for advisors, health education professionals, college administrators, and counselors are suggested

Personal and couple level risk factors: maternal vs paternal physical child abuse risk

Previous maltreatment literature examining child physical abuse potential relied heavily upon maternal only samples, limiting our understanding of paternal risk factors. Moreover, the extent to which relationship and individual factors interact to impact abuse risk is not well known. The current study examined whether couple level functioning (i.e., relationship quality and coparenting) moderated the relation between stress and measures of physical abuse risk for parents (i.e., spillover) and their partners (i.e., crossover). Questionnaires assessing parental subjective appraisal of stress, relationship quality, perceptions of a parenting team, and abuse risk were administered to 81 parents from the community. As expected, for both parents, higher stress strongly predicted elevated abuse potential (BCAPI) and more reactive parenting discipline styles (PS) and, for fathers only, negative parenting beliefs (AAPI), and more physically aggressive discipline strategies (CTSPC). More functional couple relationships (e.g., more satisfying and supportive coparenting) directly predicted elevated parental abuse potential. Maternal AAPI and CTSPC scores were predicted by demographic factors, while a novel analog measure of parental response to noncompliance (ReACCT) was not predicted by any factors considered in the present study. Overall, the findings partially supported the hypotheses and indicated that the extent to which strong and supportive relationships buffer stress in the prediction of abuse risk is inconsistent, if not limited. Future work discussed the need for disentangling distress from abuse risk measures and to identify the potential contribution of couple functioning, apart from reduced distress