Job Embeddedness Demonstrates Incremental Validity When Predicting Turnover Intentions for Australian University Employees

Job embeddedness is a construct that describes the manner in which employees can be enmeshed in their jobs, reducing their turnover intentions. Recent questions regarding the properties of quantitative job embeddedness measures, and their predictive utility, have been raised. Our study compared two competing reflective measures of job embeddedness, examining their convergent, criterion, and incremental validity, as a means of addressing these questions. Cross-sectional quantitative data from 246 Australian university employees (146 academic; 100 professional) was gathered. Our findings indicated that the two compared measures of job embeddedness were convergent when total scale scores were examined. Additionally, job embeddedness was capable of demonstrating criterion and incremental validity, predicting unique variance in turnover intention. However, this finding was not readily apparent with one of the compared job embeddedness measures, which demonstrated comparatively weaker evidence of validity. We discuss the theoretical and applied implications of these findings, noting that job embeddedness has a complementary place among established determinants of turnover intention

Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with obesity and prevalent heart failure: a prespecified analysis of the SELECT trial

Background: Semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, reduces the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in people with overweight or obesity, but the effects of this drug on outcomes in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and heart failure are unknown. We report a prespecified analysis of the effect of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 2·4 mg on ischaemic and heart failure cardiovascular outcomes. We aimed to investigate if semaglutide was beneficial in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with a history of heart failure compared with placebo; if there was a difference in outcome in patients designated as having heart failure with preserved ejection fraction compared with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; and if the efficacy and safety of semaglutide in patients with heart failure was related to baseline characteristics or subtype of heart failure. Methods: The SELECT trial was a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled, event-driven phase 3 trial in 41 countries. Adults aged 45 years and older, with a BMI of 27 kg/m2 or greater and established cardiovascular disease were eligible for the study. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) with a block size of four using an interactive web response system in a double-blind manner to escalating doses of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide over 16 weeks to a target dose of 2·4 mg, or placebo. In a prespecified analysis, we examined the effect of semaglutide compared with placebo in patients with and without a history of heart failure at enrolment, subclassified as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, or unclassified heart failure. Endpoints comprised MACE (a composite of non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, and cardiovascular death); a composite heart failure outcome (cardiovascular death or hospitalisation or urgent hospital visit for heart failure); cardiovascular death; and all-cause death. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03574597. Findings: Between Oct 31, 2018, and March 31, 2021, 17 604 patients with a mean age of 61·6 years (SD 8·9) and a mean BMI of 33·4 kg/m2 (5·0) were randomly assigned to receive semaglutide (8803 [50·0%] patients) or placebo (8801 [50·0%] patients). 4286 (24·3%) of 17 604 patients had a history of investigator-defined heart failure at enrolment: 2273 (53·0%) of 4286 patients had heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, 1347 (31·4%) had heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and 666 (15·5%) had unclassified heart failure. Baseline characteristics were similar between patients with and without heart failure. Patients with heart failure had a higher incidence of clinical events. Semaglutide improved all outcome measures in patients with heart failure at random assignment compared with those without heart failure (hazard ratio [HR] 0·72, 95% CI 0·60-0·87 for MACE; 0·79, 0·64-0·98 for the heart failure composite endpoint; 0·76, 0·59-0·97 for cardiovascular death; and 0·81, 0·66-1·00 for all-cause death; all pinteraction>0·19). Treatment with semaglutide resulted in improved outcomes in both the heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HR 0·65, 95% CI 0·49-0·87 for MACE; 0·79, 0·58-1·08 for the composite heart failure endpoint) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction groups (0·69, 0·51-0·91 for MACE; 0·75, 0·52-1·07 for the composite heart failure endpoint), although patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction had higher absolute event rates than those with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. For MACE and the heart failure composite, there were no significant differences in benefits across baseline age, sex, BMI, New York Heart Association status, and diuretic use. Serious adverse events were less frequent with semaglutide versus placebo, regardless of heart failure subtype. Interpretation: In patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diease and overweight or obesity, treatment with semaglutide 2·4 mg reduced MACE and composite heart failure endpoints compared with placebo in those with and without clinical heart failure, regardless of heart failure subtype. Our findings could facilitate prescribing and result in improved clinical outcomes for this patient group. Funding: Novo Nordisk

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

An analysis of the factors influencing the effectiveness of Performance Management Systems and the impact on employee work-related attitudes

To examine the influence of a range of contingency factors on Performance Management Systems (PMS hereafter) and their effectiveness in achieving desired organisational outcomes. Furthermore, the study will examine the relationship between the PMS effectiveness and employee work-related attitudes.2 page(s

The effectiveness of performance management systems: antecedents and impact on work-related attitudes

Thesis by publication.Includes bibliographical references.Chapter One. Introduction -- Chapter Two. Literature review -- Chapter Three. Paper one -- Chapter Four. Paper Two -- Chapter Five. Paper three -- Chapter Six. Conclusion.The thesis examines the effectiveness of Performance Management Systems (PMSs), examining the influence of specific antecedents on PMS effectiveness and the subsequent impact on employee work-related attitudes (job satisfaction and Employee Organisational Commitment). Data was collected through a survey questionnaire of 190 senior level managers from Australian financial and legal service organisations.The thesis employs the “thesis by publication” format and comprises three academic papers. Paper One examines the effectiveness of PMSs in respect to the achievement of organisational process outcomes (performance-related and staff-related) and the subsequent impact on job satisfaction and Employee Organisational Commitment (EOC). The results indicate a positive association between PMS effectiveness with both job satisfaction and EOC. Specifically, the performance-related outcomes were found to be associated with both job satisfaction and EOC, while the staff-related outcomes were associated with job satisfaction. Further analysis revealed that a PMS which motivates performance and assists in the development of individual’s skills and knowledge (performance-related outcomes) to a greater extent contributes to greater job satisfaction. The results also indicate that job satisfaction can be enhanced when the PMS rewards talented staff and manages poor performing staff to a greater extent, while EOC can be enhanced when the PMS effectively motivates performance, assists in the achievement of goals and provides an accurate assessment of business performance. Thus the study highlights the importance of the effective functioning of PMS processes due to their influence on individual work-related attitudes.Paper Two examines the influence of the use of multidimensional performance measures on the characteristics of the PMS and the subsequent impact on PMS effectiveness. The findings indicate that the use of multidimensional performance measures exhibits a negative association with the subjectivity of performance evaluations, and a positive association with the link of performance to non-financial rewards and the focus on short-term targets. Furthermore, the results reveal that three PMS characteristics (the link to financial and non-financial rewards and the short-term focus of targets) and employee empowerment exhibit a significant positive association with PMS effectiveness, whilst subjectivity in performance evaluations exhibited a significant negative association with PMS effectiveness. These findings highlight the importance of objective approaches to performance evaluation, rewards systems which link performance to non-financial rewards and the emphasis on the achievement of short-term targets as mediators of the association between the use of multidimensional performance measures with PMS effectiveness. The findings also demonstrate the important role of the use of multidimensional performance in facilitating PMS characteristics, and subsequently contributing towards PMS effectiveness.Paper Three examines the influence of information characteristics (scope, timeliness, aggregation, and integration) and on the use of PMSs (diagnostic and interactive) and the subsequent impact on the effectiveness of the PMS. The results indicate that PMS use (both diagnostic and interactive) fully (partially) mediates the relationship between information scope (integration) and PMS effectiveness for both performance-related and staff-related outcomes. In addition the interactive use of PMSs fully mediates the relationship between multidimensional performance measures and PMS effectiveness (both performance-related and staff-related outcomes), while information aggregation exhibits a positive direct association with PMS effectiveness (performance-related outcomes).In conclusion, the study contributes to the performance management literature by highlighting the significant role of information characteristics and the use of the PMSs in enhancing the overall effectiveness of the PMS.The thesis contributes to the performance management literature by providing a unique insight into PMS effectiveness, examining it from the perspective of the achievement of process outcomes, and subsequently examining the impact of the achievement of such outcomes on two employee work-related attitudes, job satisfaction and EOC. In addition, the findings provide practitioners with an insight into the main contingency factors that they should focus on in order to enhance the effectiveness of PMS processes. Such findings have important implications for practitioners responsible for the design and the ongoing functioning of the PMS.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (228 pages

University corporatisation : the effect on academic work-related attitudes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the work-related attitudes (job satisfaction, job stress and the propensity to remain) of Australian academics and their association with organisational, institutional and demographic factors. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected by distributing a survey questionnaire to 750 academics, from 37 Australian universities. Findings – The results indicate a moderately low level of job satisfaction, moderately high level of job stress, and high propensity to remain. The findings reveal that the organisational factors (management style, perceived organisational support, and the characteristics of the performance management system) exhibited the most significant association with academic work-related attitudes, with the only significant institutional factor, the declining ability of students, negatively impacting on job satisfaction and job stress. The findings revealed that work-related attitudes differ, based on discipline, with science academics found to be more stressed and less satisfied than accounting academics. Different organisational and institutional factors were associated with the work-related attitudes of academics from these two disciplines. Practical implications – The findings will make university management aware of the work-related attitudes of staff, and the factors that are associated with such attitudes, thereby assisting management in developing management policies, and taking appropriate action to address the concerns of staff. Originality/value – The study provides an initial comparison of the work-related attitudes (job satisfaction, job stress, and propensity to remain) of Australian academics across the accounting and science disciplines. The study also provides an important insight into the association between specific organisational and institutional factors, with the work-related attitudes of Australian academics across both disciplines.32 page(s

The Work-related attitudes of Australian accounting academics

This study examines the work-related attitudes of Australian accounting academics. A survey of 350 academics provides an insight into the specific organisational and institutional factors associated with the dissatisfaction, stress levels, and propensity to remain of academics. Of particular concern is the lower level of satisfaction and propensity to remain of Associate Lecturers and Senior Lecturers and the significant research pressures placed on these emerging academics. The findings have important implications for university management in respect to the retention and recruitment of quality academics and will facilitate further discussion and debate concerning the issues facing accounting academics and their role in contributing to the profession.21 page(s

The Association of Organisational and Institutional Factors with the Work-Related Attitudes of Australian Academics

This study examines the work-related attitudes (job satisfaction, job stress and the propensity to remain in their current employment) of Australian academics and their association with organisational and institutional factors. The results indicate a moderately low level of job satisfaction, moderately high level of job stress and high propensity to remain. The study reveals that an effective PMS contributes to increased job satisfaction, lower job stress and a higher propensity to remain. In addition, the presence of higher perceived organisational support contributes to higher job satisfaction and a higher propensity to remain while lower stress levels and higher job satisfaction are associated with performance measurement systems that are linked to financial rewards to a greater extent. Conversely, academics are more likely to experience higher stress and lower job satisfaction when faced with increased pressure from the PMS and when students exhibit declining academic ability. Importantly, academics were less likely to remain in their institutions when the management exhibits a more hegemonist (highly managerialist) style. The findings will assist university management in developing management policies which address the concerns of academics by making them aware of these crucial influential factors.42 page(s

University corporatisation: The effect on academic work-related attitudes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the work-related attitudes (job satisfaction, job stress and the propensity to remain) of Australian academics and their association with organisational, institutional and demographic factors. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected by distributing a survey questionnaire to 750 academics, from 37 Australian universities. Findings – The results indicate a moderately low level of job satisfaction, moderately high level of job stress, and high propensity to remain. The findings reveal that the organisational factors (management style, perceived organisational support, and the characteristics of the performance management system) exhibited the most significant association with academic work-related attitudes, with the only significant institutional factor, the declining ability of students, negatively impacting on job satisfaction and job stress. The findings revealed that work-related attitudes differ, based on discipline, with science academics found to be more stressed and less satisfied than accounting academics. Different organisational and institutional factors were associated with the work-related attitudes of academics from these two disciplines. Practical implications – The findings will make university management aware of the work-related attitudes of staff, and the factors that are associated with such attitudes, thereby assisting management in developing management policies, and taking appropriate action to address the concerns of staff. Originality/value – The study provides an initial comparison of the work-related attitudes (job satisfaction, job stress, and propensity to remain) of Australian academics across the accounting and science disciplines. The study also provides an important insight into the association between specific organisational and institutional factors, with the work-related attitudes of Australian academics across both disciplines.Academic staff, Australia, Job satisfaction, Performance management systems, Retention, Stress