Justice Expectations and Applicant Perceptions

Expectations, which are beliefs about a future state of affairs, constitute a basic psychological mechanism that underlies virtually all human behavior. Although expectations serve as a central component in many theories of organizational behavior, they have received limited attention in the organizational justice literature. The goal of this paper is to introduce the concept of justice expectations and explore its implications for understanding applicant perceptions. To conceptualize justice expectations, we draw on research on expectations conducted in multiple disciplines. We discuss the three sources of expectations – direct experience, indirect influences, and other beliefs - and use this typology to identify the likely antecedents of justice expectations in selection contexts. We also discuss the impact of expectations on attitudes, cognitions, and behaviors, focusing specifically on outcomes tied to selection environments. Finally, we explore the theoretical implications of incorporating expectations into research on applicant perceptions and discuss the practical significance of justice expectations in selection contexts

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationClimate change has become a ubiquitous topic in society. The majority of the scientific community has concluded that climate change is occurring and that humans are primarily responsible. However, there is less agreement among the general public. Within the winter recreation industry, inconsistent precipitation and higher global surface temperatures associated with climate change have the potential to be problematic. There is a need to effectively influence beliefs about climate change and the behavioral intentions of individuals for those who have an interest in preserving climatic conditions favorable for winter recreation. Persuasive messaging has the potential to leverage an individual's involvement in and social identity with winter recreation activities. This study examined the impact of socially relevant persuasive message sources on the environmental beliefs and behavioral intentions of winter recreationists. This research is presented in a three article dissertation format. The first article addresses a preliminary pilot study developed to test persuasive messages about climate change using criteria outlined in the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). This study tested strong and weak messages to determine the ELM's effectiveness using the real-world issue of climate change. The messages did not meet the established criteria, confirming the difficulties previously identified with applying the ELM to issues in an applied, nonlaboratory setting. The purpose of the second article was to determine the most effective communicator of climate change messages in order to elicit changes in environmental belief and behavioral intention. This study assessed participant environmental beliefs and behavioral intentions in three message treatment groups (in-ski resort source, ski equipment manufacturer source, climate scientist source) and a control group (no message) while accounting for leisure involvement and social identity. An analysis of variance yielded no significant main or interaction effects. Manipulation checks yielded higher cognitive processing and source credibility for the climate science message source. The third article was a practical application on current climatic conditions, perceptions of the general public and winter recreationists, and implications of climate change for winter recreation. In addition, this article proposes actions for the winter recreation industry in order to help mitigate the effects of climate change. The culminating discussion is a reflection on the findings of all three articles. Recommendations include development of more comprehensive messaging strategies surrounding climate change and a more thorough evaluation of the ELM when applied in nonlaboratory settings

The effects of entrepreneurship education

Entrepreneurship education ranks high on policy agendas in Europe and the US, but little research is available to assess its impact. To help close this gap we investigate whether entrepreneurship education a?ects intentions to be entrepreneurial uniformly or whether it leads to greater sorting of students. The latter can reduce the average intention to be entrepreneurial and yet be socially beneficial. This paper provides a model of learning in which entrepreneurship education generates signals to students. Drawing on the signals, students evaluate their aptitude for entrepreneurial tasks. The model is tested using data from a compulsory entrepreneurship course. Using ex ante and ex post survey responses from students, we find that intentions to found decline somewhat although the course has significant positive e?ects on students’ self-assessed entrepreneurial skills. The empirical analysis supports the hypothesis that students receive informative signals and learn about their entrepreneurial aptitude. We outline implications for educators and public policy

Using the theory of planned behavior to explore environmental behavioral intentions in the workplace

This paper presents a study using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore environmental behavioral intentions in a workplace setting. The first stage of the research process was the development of a questionnaire covering TPB constructs, their antecedent beliefs, and environmental behavioral intentions across three scenarios (switching off PCs every time employees left their desks for an hour or more; using video-conferencing for meetings that would otherwise require travel; and recycling as much waste as possible), using best practice guidelines to ensure that it was specific and precisely defined for the target population. This was then administered to N = 449 participants, with the resulting dataset used to test hypotheses relating antecedent beliefs to behavioral intentions via the potentially mediating effect of TPB constructs. TPB constructs were found to explain between 46% and 61% of the variance in employee intentions to engage in three environmental behaviors, and to mediate the effects of specific antecedent beliefs upon employee intentions to engage in these behaviors. The results form a basis upon which interventions could be developed within the host organization, and are discussed in relation to their implications, in terms of theory, practice and future research

The moderating role of political affiliation in the link between flooding experience and preparedness to reduce energy use.

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Research suggests that highlighting links between local weather events and climate change can help promote climate change engagement. Yet, the evidence for the relationship between weather experiences and climate change attitudes has been mixed. Here we argue that obtaining an accurate assessment of the contribution of weather experiences to climate change engagement necessitates explicit evaluation of factors such as values and identities that influence the way weather experiences are interpreted and integrated into climate change attitudes. We re-analysed data from a prior study in which reported flood experience was found to be indirectly linked to preparedness to reduce energy use among UK residents. Overall, flood experience was positively linked with perceived vulnerability and negatively linked with uncertainty about climate change, but the purported indirect relationship between flood experience and preparedness to reduce energy use was observed among left and not right-leaning voters. We concluded that assessing interactions between extreme weather experiences and political affiliation lends valuable nuance to evaluation of the effects of such experiences on climate change perceptions and attitudes. Highlighting links between climate change and flooding may have varying levels of influence on climate change engagement depending on individuals’ political affiliation

Determinants of the intention to use performance-enhancing substances among Portuguese gym users

The present study examined the determinants of the intentions to use prohibited performance- enhancing substances (PES) and the hypothesis of gender and PES use influencing Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) variables. A TPB approach was used. A convenience sample of Portuguese gym users (n = 453) completed an anonymous web-based survey. Variance-based structural equation modeling, multigroup analysis strategy, latent mean analysis approach and one-way ANOVA analysis were used. The findings showed that, at structural level, results support the TPB framework in terms of characterizing and predicting intentions to PES use in the gym users sample, and that subjective norms were the strongest predictor of PES use intentions. Female and male differed in intentions to use PES, subjective norms and beliefs. However, the predictive model in study remains invariable in both groups. Concerning PES use, results showed the existence of a significant difference, regarding all the TPB´s constructs of the PES users and nonusers’ groups, and that the predictive capacity of each predictor was different for each group. Psychological strategies should be based on subjective norms, alongside beliefs and attitudes towards PES use, since these variables influence the intention to use PES in that particular population

The driving factors of continuance online shopping: Gender differences in behaviour among students in Saudi Arabia

This study proposes a revised technology acceptance model that integrates expectation confirmation theory to measure student gender differences with regard to continuance online shopping intentions in Saudi Arabia. The 234-respondent sample consists of 61.5% women and 38.5% men. A structural equation model confirms model fit. Perceived usefulness, enjoyment, and subjective norms are determinants of online shopping continuance in Saudi Arabia. Both male and female groups are equivalent. The structural weights are also largely equivalent, but the regression paths from subjective norms to enjoyment and subjective norms to continuance intention (in the men sample) and perceived usefulness to continuous intention (in the women sample) are not supported. The model was operationally generalized across the whole of Saudi Arabia. This research moves beyond online shopping intentions and includes factors affecting online shopping continuance. The research model explains 71% of the intention to continue shopping online. This research suggests that online strategies cannot ignore either the direct or indirect gender differences on continuance intentions in Saudi Arabia. The model can be generalized across Saudi Arabia

The Trans-Contextual Model of Autonomous Motivation in Education: Conceptual and Empirical Issues and Meta-Analysis.

The trans-contextual model outlines the processes by which autonomous motivation toward activities in a physical education context predicts autonomous motivation toward physical activity outside of school, and beliefs about, intentions toward, and actual engagement in, out-of-school physical activity. In the present article, we clarify the fundamental propositions of the model and resolve some outstanding conceptual issues, including its generalizability across multiple educational domains, criteria for its rejection or failed replication, the role of belief-based antecedents of intentions, and the causal ordering of its constructs. We also evaluate the consistency of model relationships in previous tests of the model using path-analytic meta-analysis. The analysis supported model hypotheses but identified substantial heterogeneity in the hypothesized relationships across studies unattributed to sampling and measurement error. Based on our meta-analysis, future research needs to provide further replications of the model in diverse educational settings beyond physical education and test model hypotheses using experimental methods

Confirming what we know: Understanding questionable research practices in intro physics labs

Many institutions are changing the focus of their introductory physics labs from verifying physics content towards teaching students about the skills and nature of science. As instruction shifts, so too will the ways students approach and behave in the labs. In this study, we evaluated students' lab notes from an early activity in an experimentation-focused lab course. We found that about 30% of student groups (out of 107 groups at three institutions) recorded questionable research practices in their lab notes, such as subjective interpretations of results or manipulating equipment and data. The large majority of these practices were associated with confirmatory goals, which we suspect stem from students' prior exposure to verification labs. We propose ways for experimentation-focused labs to better engage students in the responsible conduct of research and authentic scientific practice.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Determinants of Food Choice in a Transitional Economy: Insights from the Theory of Reasoned Action

This paper draws upon a consumer survey carried out in Bucharest (Romania) to explore determinants of food choice in a transition economy. An adapted version of the Theory of Reasoned Action was developed. This included attitude toward intention, habit and preference as independent variables. The structural equations modelling carried out in 'Analysis of MOment Structures' AMOS showed a significant positive influence of all variables. Similar to other studies conducted in European Union (EU) countries (Saba, Di Natale, 1998) habit outweighed the other variables. The study emphasises the heterogeneity of consumer beliefs about food. Furthermore it was suggested that there is scope for noneconomic variables in explaining food choices and consumer behaviour in these emerging economies, though the influence of these variables may be still limited relative the economic factors. Further research on special groups is required to quantify the influence of non-economic factors and compare the results estimated in Romania with other countries which are candidates to EU accession.Theory of Reasoned Action, food choice, transition economy, Consumer/Household Economics,