Job embeddedness and turnover intentions: The moderating role of affectivity traits, career stages and perceptions of organisational politics

The study tested the applicability of job embeddedness (JE) theory in Ghana. It also examined moderating effects of affectivity traits, career stage and perceptions of organisational politics (POP) on the JE–turnover intentions relationship. Analyses revealed that composite JE and its dimensions and sub-dimensions (except community fit) were negatively related to turnover intentions. Affectivity traits, POP and career stages moderated the JE–turnover intentions relationship. The study expands the predictive validity of JE to Ghana and adds to the few moderators that have been identified in previous studies. Strategies for increasing managerial employees’ embeddedness and reducing their turnover are proposed

Training and development in small professional services firms

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether participation in training and development (T&D) events is associated with employees’ affective commitment and propensity to enact innovative behaviours in small professional services firms. The study also investigates associations between both attitudes towards T&D and policy and practice supportive of T&D and levels of participation in T&D events. Design/methodology/approach Data from 203 employees in small professional services firms employing 50 or fewer staff were analysed using regression analysis and PROCESS macro. Findings Only policy and practice supportive of T&D was associated with participation levels. Participation in T&D events was positively related to affective commitment. Furthermore, employees who participated in more T&D events were more likely to enact innovative behaviours, while affective commitment mediated the positive relationship between number of T&D events attended and innovative behaviours. Contrary to expectations, neither participation in just training nor participation in just development was associated with either attitudes or behaviours. Practical implications The findings have important implications for small firms which tend to rely on wholly work-based experiences for the development of employees’ knowledge and skills. Such an approach to learning for work may inadvertently shape a workforce that lacks commitment to the organisation and that has a diminished capacity for innovative behaviours. Originality/value There is limited research on how T&D affects attitudes and behaviours in small firms. Large and small firms are fundamentally different, thus findings from studies in large firms may not extend to small firms

Opportunities to participate in formal and informal vocational learning activities and work-related outcomes in small professional services businesses

Small businesses are characterised by resources constraints; therefore, their managers need to know the exact nature of additional benefits, beyond knowledge and skill acquisition, that might accrue from employee participation in different types of learning activities. However, research that simultaneously examines the attitudinal and behavioural outcomes of opportunities to participate in formal and informal learning activities is sparse, especially in small businesses. The present study addresses this area of neglect by exploring associative relationships between opportunities for employees to participate in (1) formal learning activities and (2) informal learning activities and three important work-related outcomes: affective commitment, innovative behaviours, and work engagement. Data from 203 respondents in small professional services businesses were analysed and the results provide preliminary evidence that opportunities to participate in each type of learning activity are associated with differing outcomes. Opportunities to participate in formal learning activities were positively associated with heightened levels of affective commitment, work engagement, and innovative behaviours, while opportunities to participate in informal learning activities were positively related to work engagement. We provide suggestions for future research and outline practical implications of our analysis. © 2019, © 2019 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd

Extending the job embeddedness-life satisfaction relationship: An exploratory investigation

Purpose This exploratory study adopts a stakeholder perspective on organisational effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to examine the job embeddedness (JE)–life satisfaction relationship, moderating roles of gender and community embeddedness and mediating role of innovative behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Using a snowballing approach, data were collected from 549 participants employed in organisations located in four major metropolitan centres in South Africa. Findings Analyses revealed a positive relationship between JE and life satisfaction. Gender moderated the JE–life satisfaction relationship, such that the relationship was stronger among females than males. Community embeddedness moderated the organisation embeddedness–life satisfaction relationship, such that the relationship was stronger when participants were highly embedded in their community. Finally, innovative behaviour mediated the relationship between organisation embeddedness and life satisfaction. Practical implications Managers could enhance employees’ life satisfaction through practices that increase on-the-job and off-the-job embeddedness. Furthermore, organisations could encourage employees’ innovative behaviours through workplace supervisors’ supportive responses to innovative employees. Originality/value JE researchers have yet to focus on the personal benefits of embeddedness for employees. Results of the study provide several contributions to this research direction. The study uses JE as a composite construct to confirm its relationship with life satisfaction. It also expands the JE–life satisfaction relationship by examining moderators of the relationship and a mediating variable in the relationship

CK2 kinase activity but not its binding to CK2 promoter regions is implicated in the regulation of CK2α and CK2β gene expressions

Protein kinase CK2, a ubiquitous serine/threonine kinase in control of a variety of crucial cellular functions, is composed of catalytic a- and a0-subunits and non-catalytic b-subunits which form holoenzymes such as CK2(ab)2, CK2aa\u27b2, or CK2(a\u27b)2. In addition, there is sample evidence for the occurrence of the individual subunits beside the holoenzyme. While the CK2 subunits are well analyzed on the protein level, only little is known about the regulation of their transcription. The existence of multiple forms of CK2 subunits raised the question about a mutual regulation of their expression. Here we defined two 50-upstream regions of the CK2alpha and the CK2beta genes, respectively, as sequences with promoter activities. We found that CK2alpah and CK2alpha\u27 stimulated the expression of the reporter constructs whereas, CK2beta was inactive. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we were unable to detect binding of endogenous CK2 subunits to these promoter sequences in vivo. However, it turned out that inhibition of the kinase activity of CK2 attenuated the promoter activity indicating that CK2alpha and CK2alpha\u27 might regulate their gene expression indirectly by phosphorylation reactions. Thus, we have shown here (i) that under normal physiological conditions CK2 does not bind to CK2 promoter regions and (ii) that the CK2 kinase activity is implicated in the regulation of its own expression

Tissue-Protective Mechanisms of Bioactive Phytochemicals in Flap Surgery

Despite careful preoperative planning, surgical flaps are prone to ischemic tissue damage and ischemia–reperfusion injury. The resulting wound breakdown and flap necrosis increase both treatment costs and patient morbidity. Hence, there is a need for strategies to promote flap survival and prevent ischemia-induced tissue damage. Phytochemicals, defined as non-essential, bioactive, and plant-derived molecules, are attractive candidates for perioperative treatment as they have little to no side effects and are well tolerated by most patients. Furthermore, they have been shown to exert beneficial combinations of pro-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects. This review provides an overview of bioactive phytochemicals that have been used to increase flap survival in preclinical animal models and discusses the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms

Regulatory Mechanisms of Somatostatin Expression

Somatostatin is a peptide hormone, which most commonly is produced by endocrine cells and the central nervous system. In mammals, somatostatin originates from pre-prosomatostatin and is processed to a shorter form, i.e., somatostatin-14, and a longer form, i.e., somatostatin-28. The two peptides repress growth hormone secretion and are involved in the regulation of glucagon and insulin synthesis in the pancreas. In recent years, the processing and secretion of somatostatin have been studied intensively. However, little attention has been paid to the regulatory mechanisms that control its expression. This review provides an up-to-date overview of these mechanisms. In particular, it focuses on the role of enhancers and silencers within the promoter region as well as on the binding of modulatory transcription factors to these elements. Moreover, it addresses extracellular factors, which trigger key signaling pathways, leading to an enhanced somatostatin expression in health and disease

Maslinic acid alleviates ischemia/reperfusion-induced inflammation by downregulation of NFκB-mediated adhesion molecule expression

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced inflammation is associated with enhanced leukocyte rolling, adhesion and transmigration within the microcirculation. These steps are mediated by hypoxia-triggered signaling pathways, which upregulate adhesion molecule expression on endothelial cells and pericytes. We analyzed whether these cellular events are affected by maslinic acid (MA). Mitochondrial activity and viability of MA-exposed endothelial cells and pericytes were assessed by water-soluble tetrazolium (WST)-1 and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays as well as Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) stainings. Effects of MA on hypoxia and reoxygenation-induced expression of E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 were determined by flow cytometry. The subcellular localization of the NFκB subunit p65 was analyzed by immunofluorescence and Western blot. I/R-induced leukocytic inflammation was studied in MA- and vehicle-treated mouse dorsal skinfold chambers by intravital fluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry. MA did not affect viability, but suppressed the mitochondrial activity of endothelial cells. Furthermore, MA reduced adhesion molecule expression on endothelial cells and pericytes due to an inhibitory action on NFκB signaling. Numbers of adherent and transmigrated leukocytes were lower in post-ischemic tissue of MA-treated mice when compared to vehicle-treated controls. In addition, MA affected reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, resulting in a diminished oxidative DNA damage. Hence, MA represents an attractive compound for the establishment of novel therapeutic approaches against I/R-induced inflammation

Statins and Bempedoic Acid: Different Actions of Cholesterol Inhibitors on Macrophage Activation

Statins represent the most prescribed class of drugs for the treatment of hypercholes terolemia. Effects that go beyond lipid-lowering actions have been suggested to contribute to their beneficial pharmacological properties. Whether and how statins act on macrophages has been a mat ter of debate. In the present study, we aimed at characterizing the impact of statins on macrophage polarization and comparing these to the effects of bempedoic acid, a recently registered drug for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, which has been suggested to have a similar beneficial profile but fewer side effects. Treatment of primary murine macrophages with two different statins, i.e., simvas tatin and cerivastatin, impaired phagocytotic activity and, concurrently, enhanced pro-inflammatory responses upon short-term lipopolysaccharide challenge, as characterized by an induction of tu mor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL) 1β, and IL6. In contrast, no differences were observed under long-term inflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2) conditions, and neither inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression nor nitric oxide production was altered. Statin treatment led to extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) activation, and the pro-inflammatory statin effects were abolished by ERK inhibition. Bempedoic acid only had a negligible impact on macrophage responses when compared with statins. Taken together, our data point toward an immunomodulatory effect of statins on macrophage polarization, which is absent upon bempedoic acid treatment