Identification of determinants for rescheduling travel mode choice and transportation policies to reduce car use in urban areas

[EN] This paper presents a qualitative analysis about the determinants related to rescheduling travel mode decisions during the activity scheduling process. Notably, we were interested to study changes between intention and behavior. Data used came from an in-depth Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) follow up survey to habitual drivers carried out during the implementation of a panel survey. An interpretative qualitative method based on Analytic Induction was used to cope with the complex nature of rescheduling decisions and the characteristics of the data. The Theory of Planned Behavior has been used to gain a better understanding of the reasons associated with rescheduling travel mode decisions and to obtain a possible explanation of the phenomena studied. In our sample, 12 codes were identified as the main determinants of travel mode changing. Main reasons for rescheduling a travel mode are different considering gender, age, and the type of travel mode change. Main reasons for changing a nonprivate preplanned travel mode to a private travel mode are different considering the type of travel mode preplanned. New determinants of rescheduling decisions different from those associated with other activity scheduling decisions previously identified emerge when analyzing travel mode changes. A number of important sustainable transportation policies to reduce car use in urban areas are derived from the results of this study.This research is partially funded by MINERVA project founded by the ICDCi National Program of Society Challenges of the Spanish Ministerio de Econom ıa, Industria y Competitividad (TRA2015-71184-C2-1-R).Mars, L.; Ruiz Sánchez, T.; Arroyo-López, MR. (2018). Identification of determinants for rescheduling travel mode choice and transportation policies to reduce car use in urban areas. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2017.1416432S11

The role of behavioural competences in predicting entrepreneurial funding resource orchestration

This study examines how a psychometric testing tool can be used to explain, predict and measure behavioural competences and how entrepreneurs fund the firm. Reference is made to studies of personality traits (McClelland, 1961; Sandberg & Hoffer, 1987; Brockhaus, 1980; Baum & Locke, 2004; Ciaveralla, 2004; Rauch & Frese, 2007). More recent studies have called for research into behaviour and competences (Zhao, 2010; Bird at al, 2012; Mueller, 2012) and specifically in the finance context of orchestration of resources (Wright and Sigliani 2013). The authors take a pragmatic realism perspective using a mixed method study to explore the “reality” of the entrepreneur (Watson, 2013). Cluster analysis is used to identify the relationship between behavioural competences and funding outcomes. Applying Big 5 Theory of Personality and the Great 8 Competences indicates how behaviour impacts outcomes as entrepreneurs seek to access finance. The identification of three distinct groups in this longitudinal study means belonging to one of these groups predicts likely behaviour when searching for finance. A strong behavioural characteristic which emerged, validated through interviews and psychometric testing, was an orientation towards engagement and working with other organisations. In a funding context, this manifested itself in using networks, seeking advice and sharing equity. These co-operative, collaborative characteristics are different to the classic image of the entrepreneur as a risk-taker or extrovert. The study identifies entrepreneurs who are both successful and unsuccessful in finance applications and compares behavioural competency profiles, thus overcoming the limitations of many studies (Rauch 2007) that are biased towards successful enterprises

Development and psychometric evaluation of a new patient -reported outcome measure for stroke self -management: The Southampton Stroke Self - Management Questionnaire (SSSMQ).

BACKGROUND: Self-management is important to the recovery and quality of life of people following stroke. Many interventions to support self-management following stroke have been developed, however to date no reliable and valid outcome measure exists to support their evaluation. This study outlines the development and preliminary investigation of the psychometric performance of a newly developed patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) of self-management competency following stroke; the Southampton Stroke Self-Management Questionnaire (SSSMQ). METHODS: A convenience sample of 87 people who had had a stroke completed responses to the SSSMQ, the Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire and the Stroke Impact Scale. Scaling properties were assessed using Mokken Scale Analysis. Reliability and construct validity were assessed using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), Mokken and Cronbach's reliability coefficients and Spearman rank order correlations with relevant measures. RESULTS: Mokken scaling refined the SSSMQ to 28 scalable items. Internal consistency reliability (Mokken r = 0.89) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.928) were excellent. Hypotheses of expected correlations with additional measures held, demonstrating good evidence for construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: Early findings suggest the Southampton Stroke Self-Management Questionnaire is a reliable and valid scale of self-management competency. The SSSMQ represents a potentially valid PROM for the evaluation of self-management following stroke

Polish children in Norway : between national discourses of belonging and everyday experiences of life abroad

This chapter examines dimensions of self-identification among Polish migrant children in Norway. The arguments are situated within childhood studies and take into account the novel framings of children in mobility/migration scholarship, as well as articularities of Polish context Stemming from the TRANSFAM research project (2013-2016), this work “gives children a voice” through a qualitative research methodology. The study illuminates those national, transnational and global elements that are paramount for daily life family practices and featured in children’s narratives. The paper focuses on the importance of socializing agents (family, peer groups, culture) for the constructions of belonging. It concludes with arguments for acknowledging the contemporary hybrid and relational identities of children who grow up transnationally between Norway and Poland

Qualitative Migration Research: Viable Goals, Open-Ended Questions, and Multidimensional Answers

Following a brief review of the epistemological premises informing qualitative methodologies, I identify the key features of qualitative research undertaken in the verstehende or interpretative social-science tradition, which render it particularly well suited to capturing the inherent dynamics of the lived experience of human beings in general and, in our case, of immigrants: its multi-dimensionality; its ability to accommodate ambiguity and outright contradictions; its emphasis on the temporality and fluidity of social phenomena; and its insistence on the contextual and situational nature of human perceptions and agency. Next, I argue that the research goals appropriate for qualitative investigations as proposed by Charles Ragin (Constructing social research. Pine Forge Press, Thousand Oaks, 1994) – exploring diversity, giving voice, testing/refining theories or guiding concepts, and generating new research questions – can be realized by asking questions and gathering answers related to these issues in the context of (im)migrants’ experience. These claims are illustrated with questions asked and answers obtained through three standard methods of qualitative research: interviewing, observation, and document analysis. The examples draw from the current and emerging problem agendas in migration studies. I also discuss the strengths and limitations of research questions probing the complexity and un(der)determinacy of (im)migrants’ lives and the answers they generate

Reconsidering the Relationship between Age at Migration and Health Behaviors among US Immigrants: The Modifying Role of Continued Cross-border Ties.

Age-at-migration is commonly utilized as a proxy measure for assimilation. We re-consider this approach by examining the role of continued connection with places of origin on alcohol use. Cross-border connections may diminish the association between earlier age-at-migration and alcohol use by providing an alternative channel of influence for behavioral norms. Alternatively, a stress and coping perspective on cross border ties suggests potentially countervailing impacts of these connections on alcohol use. We use data from the 2002/2003 National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) (n=1641/1630 Asian and Latino origin respondents, respectively). We first estimate the association between age-at-migration (child/adolescent versus adult migrant) and any past-year alcohol use. We subsequently test the interaction between age-at-migration and two measures of cross-border contact. All models are stratified by region of origin and gender. For Latin American-origin women, cross-border ties are associated with increased risk for alcohol use among those who migrated early in life. In contrast, Asian-origin men and women who migrated as adults and have contact with family and friends abroad have the lowest predicted probabilities of past-year alcohol use. The results among Asians support the idea that cross-border ties can be alternative influences on health behavior outcomes, particularly for adult migrants. Overall, we find qualified support for both transnational and assimilationist perspectives on alcohol use behaviors among US immigrants -- as well as the interaction between these two frameworks. The joint influences of cross-border ties and age-at-migration were observed primarily for immigrant women, and not always in expected directions. We nevertheless urge future research to consider both US and country-of-origin influences on a wider range of health and health behavior outcomes for immigrants, as well as the potential intersection between US and cross-border connections