A Validity Study of the Pay Satisfaction Questionnaire in Hong Kong

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How similarity to peers and supervisor influences organizational advancement in different cultures

This study tested hypotheses concerning how similarity of personality traits between promotion candidates and their peers and supervisors influences promotion decisions in different work unit cultures. Personality similarity to peers was positively associated with promotion in units with high individualism. In units with high collectivism, supervisor-subordinate personality similarity was instead a significant predictor of advancement. Behavioral integration between candidates and their peers and supervisors partially mediated the influence of personality similarity on promotion. Demographic similarity had little influence on promotion decisions. We discuss implications for understanding similarity effects and for increasing the validity of promotion decisions.preprin

Is customer participation in value creation a double-edged sword? Evidence from professional financial services across cultures

2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Attributable mortality to radon exposure in Galicia, Spain. Is it necessary to act in the face of this health problem?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Radon is the second risk factor for lung cancer after tobacco consumption and therefore it is necessary to know the burden of disease due to its exposure. The objective of this study is to estimate radon-attributable lung cancer mortality in Galicia, a high emission area located at the Northwest Spain.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A prevalence-based attribution method was applied. Prevalence of tobacco use and radon exposure were obtained from a previously published study of the same area. Attributable mortality was calculated for each of six possible risk categories, based on radon exposure and smoking status. Two scenarios were used, with 37 Bq/m³and 148 Bq/m³as the respective radon exposure thresholds. As the observed mortality we used lung cancer mortality for 2001 from the Galician mortality registry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mortality exclusively attributable to radon exposure ranged from 3% to 5% for both exposure thresholds, respectively. Attributable mortality to combined exposure to radon and smoking stood at around 22% for exposures above 148 Bq/m³. Applying the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action level, radon has a role in 25% of all lung cancers.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although the estimates have been derived from a study with a relatively limited sample size, these results highlight the importance of radon exposure as a cause of lung cancer and its effect in terms of disease burden. Radon mitigation activities in the study area must therefore be enforced.</p

Service quality of private hospitals: The Iranian Patients' perspective

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Highly competitive market in the private hospital industry has caused increasing pressure on them to provide services with higher quality. The aim of this study was to determine the different dimensions of the service quality in the private hospitals of Iran and evaluating the service quality from the patients' perspective.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted between October and November 2010 in Tehran, Iran. The study sample was composed of 983 patients randomly selected from 8 private general hospitals. The study questionnaire was the SERVQUAL questionnaire, consisting of 21 items in service quality dimensions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The result of factor analysis revealed 3 factors, explaining 69% of the total variance. The total mean score of patients' expectation and perception was 4.91(SD = 0.2) and 4.02(SD = 0.6), respectively. The highest expectation and perception related to the tangibles dimension and the lowest expectation and perception related to the empathy dimension. The differences between perception and expectation were significant (p < 0.001). There was a significant difference between the expectations scores based on gender, education level, and previous hospitalization in that same hospital. Also, there was a significant difference between the perception scores based on insurance coverage, average length of stay, and patients' health conditions on discharge.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results showed that SERVQUAL is a valid, reliable, and flexible instrument to monitor and measure the quality of the services in private hospitals of Iran. Our findings clarified the importance of creating a strong relationship between patients and the hospital practitioners/personnel and the need for hospital staff to be responsive, credible, and empathetic when dealing with patients.</p

Applications of quantitative techniques in Hong Kong: An empirical analysis

A survey was conducted to examine the usage of quantitative techniques among companies in Hong Kong. Results show that, although 74% of the respondents reported using one or more techniques, usage was confined to relatively few and simple techniques. These techniques, however, were used in a rather wide spectrum of application. The lack of understanding among top management of quantitative techniques was cited by respondents as the major barrier to their use. The results of this study are compared to a comparable survey in the United States, and the implications of the findings for the training of managers are discussed. © 1993 Faculty of Business Administration National University of Singapore.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

The effects of group decision support systems and task structures on group communication and decision quality

This research examines whether structures of decision tasks moderate the effects of group decision support systems (GDSS) on patterns of group communication and decision quality of decision-making groups. It seeks to show that the effects of GDSS on decision-making processes and outcomes are task-structure-dependent, and the effects of GDSS cannot be evaluated on the basis of outcomes alone; decision processes must also be evaluated in order to understand how decisions are made and why GDSS can improve group outcomes in some situations but provide negative effects in others. A controlled laboratory experiment was conducted with a 2×3 factorial between-subjects design, manipulating two independent variables: levels of support (GDSS support and no support) and task structures (additive, disjunctive, and conjunctive). Practicing managers were chosen as subjects. The discussion records of the decision-making process were coded using a coding scheme. These communication patterns formed the first dependent variables. Another dependent variable was decision quality. The results support the hypothesis that the structures of a decision task moderate the effects of GDSS on both the patterns of group communication and the decision quality of a decision-making group. GDSS significantly improve decision quality in disjunctive and conjunctive tasks. GDSS also significantly alter patterns of group communication in disjunctive and conjunctive tasks. However, no significant differences in decision quality and patterns of group communication exist between groups using GDSS and face-to-face groups in additive tasks.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Total quality management and its impact on middle managers and front-line workers

Reports on a survey of 67 middle managers and 174 front‐line workers, conducted in Hong Kong, which aimed to investigate the perceived impact of total quality management (TQM) programmes on job satisfaction. Both middle managers and front‐line workers considered that the TQM programme had led to a variety of changes that made their jobs more demanding, gave them more responsibility but less job autonomy. TQM programmes did not make their jobs more interesting and they did not perceive any great change in salary, job security or promotion opportunities. However, middle managers perceived more changes than front‐line workers in terms of working relationships with employees, job responsibility and participation in decision making. Employees with different length of service in an organization were found to differ significantly in terms of perceptions of the impact of TQM on their jobs. New employees perceived less change when compared with employees with longer working experience in an organization