Framework for the Study of Employee Commitment

This paper is a conceptual discussion of the construct of employee commitment identifying its antecedents in an organisational context. While the paper is of general interest to human resource management (HRM), it arose as part of a study on the commitment of academic staff in universities in Uganda. The paper suggests a framework for studying employee commitment, and proposes 21 hypotheses for future research basing on a review of recent literature. Each hypothesis suggests an antecedent. The antecedents are grouped into three categories, namely; HRM practices, organisational and personal characteristics. In terms of HRM practices, it is hypothesised that recruitment, selection, performance appraisal, promotion, participation, remuneration, job design, job security and grievances handling are antecedents of employee commitment. In regard to organisational characteristics, it is hypothesised that organisational structure, leadership styles, employee relationships and organisational support are antecedents of employ commitment. With personal characteristics, it is hypothesised that age, gender, educational level, marital status, job experience, job position and self-efficacy are antecedents of employee commitment. Gaps in the studies reviewed are identified.Keywords: Employee Commitment; HRM Practice

A Classification of Hyper-heuristic Approaches

The current state of the art in hyper-heuristic research comprises a set of approaches that share the common goal of automating the design and adaptation of heuristic methods to solve hard computational search problems. The main goal is to produce more generally applicable search methodologies. In this chapter we present and overview of previous categorisations of hyper-heuristics and provide a unified classification and definition which captures the work that is being undertaken in this field. We distinguish between two main hyper-heuristic categories: heuristic selection and heuristic generation. Some representative examples of each category are discussed in detail. Our goal is to both clarify the main features of existing techniques and to suggest new directions for hyper-heuristic research

Exact perturbative solution of the Kondo problem

We explicitly evaluate the infinite series of integrals that appears in the "Anderson-Yuval" reformulation of the anisotropic Kondo problem in terms of a one-dimensional Coulomb gas. We do this by developing a general approach relating the anisotropic Kondo problem of arbitrary spin with the boundary sine-Gordon model, which describes impurity tunneling in a Luttinger liquid and in the fractional quantum Hall effect. The Kondo solution then follows from the exact perturbative solution of the latter model in terms of Jack polynomials.Comment: 4 pages in revtex two-colum

Spectral Duality Between Heisenberg Chain and Gaudin Model

In our recent paper we described relationships between integrable systems inspired by the AGT conjecture. On the gauge theory side an integrable spin chain naturally emerges while on the conformal field theory side one obtains some special reduced Gaudin model. Two types of integrable systems were shown to be related by the spectral duality. In this paper we extend the spectral duality to the case of higher spin chains. It is proved that the N-site GL(k) Heisenberg chain is dual to the special reduced k+2-points gl(N) Gaudin model. Moreover, we construct an explicit Poisson map between the models at the classical level by performing the Dirac reduction procedure and applying the AHH duality transformation.Comment: 36 page

Itinerant ferromagnetism in half-metallic CoS_2

We have investigated electronic and magnetic properties of the pyrite-type CoS_2 using the linearized muffin-tin orbital (LMTO) band method. We have obtained the ferromagnetic ground state with nearly half-metallic nature. The half-metallic stability is studied by using the fixed spin moment method. The non-negligible orbital magnetic moment of Co 3d electrons is obtained as $\mu_L = 0.06 \mu_B$ in the local spin density approximation (LSDA). The calculated ratio of the orbital to spin angular momenta / = 0.15 is consistent with experiment. The effect of the Coulomb correlation between Co 3d electrons is also explored with the LSDA + U method. The Coulomb correlation at Co sites is not so large, $U \lesssim 1$ eV, and so CoS_2 is possibly categorized as an itinerant ferromagnet. It is found that the observed electronic and magnetic behaviors of CoS_2 can be described better by the LSDA than by the LSDA + U.Comment: 4 pages, 3 postscript figure

Benefits and limitations of implementing Chronic Care Model (CCM) in primary care programs: a systematic review

Background: Chronic Care Model (CCM) has been developed to improve patients' health care by restructuring health systems in a multidimensional manner. This systematic review aims to summarize and analyse programs specifically designed and conducted for the fulfilment of multiple CCM components. We have focused on programs targeting diabetes mellitus, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Method and results: This review was based on a comprehensive literature search of articles in the PubMed database that reported clinical outcomes. We included a total of 25 eligible articles. Evidence of improvement in medical outcomes and the compliance of patients with medical treatment were reported in 18 and 14 studies, respectively. Two studies demonstrated a reduction of the medical burden in terms of health service utilization, and another two studies reported the effectiveness of the programs in reducing the risk of heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. However, CCMs were still restricted by limited academic robustness and social constraints when they were implemented in primary care. Higher professional recognition, tighter system collaborations and increased financial support may be necessary to overcome the limitations of, and barriers to CCM implementation. Conclusion: This review has identified the benefits of implementing CCM, and recommended suggestions for the future development of CCM

Occupational Communication as Boundary Mechanism

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69000/2/10.1177_073088847400100404.pd

Carbon fiber masculinity: Disability and surfaces of homosociality

In this paper I am concerned with instances in which carbon fiber extends performances of masculinity that are attached to particular kinds of hegemonic male bodies. In examining carbon fiber as a prosthetic form of masculinity, I advance three main arguments. Firstly, carbon fiber can be a site of the supersession of disability that is affected through masculinized technology. Disability can be ‘overcome’ through carbon fiber. Disability is often culturally coded as feminine (Pedersen, 2001; Meeuf, 2009; Garland-Thompson 1997). Building on this cultural construction of disability as feminine, in and as a technology of masculine homosociality (Sedgwick, 1985), carbon fiber reproduced disability as feminine when carbon fiber prosthetic lower legs allowed Oscar Pistorius to compete in the non-disabled Olympic games. Secondly, I argue that carbon fiber can be a homosocial surface; that is, carbon fiber becomes both a surface extension of the self and a third party mediator in homosocial relationships, a surface that facilitates intimacy between men in ways that devalue femininity in both male and female bodies. I examine surfaces as material extensions of subjectivity, and carbon fiber surfaces as vectors of the cultural economies of masculine competition to which I refer. Thirdly, the case of Oscar Pistorius is exemplary of the masculinization of carbon fire, and the associated binding of a psychic attitude of misogyny and power to a form of violent and competitive masculine subjectivity. In this article I explore the affects, economies and surfaces of what I call ‘carbon fiber masculinity’ and discusses Pistorius’ use of carbon fiber, homosociality and misogyny as forms of protest masculinity through which he unconsciously attempted to recuperate his gendered identity from emasculating discourses of disability

Using tourism free-choice learning experiences to promote environmentally sustainable behaviour: The role of post-visit ‘action resources’

This paper argues the need for the providers of ecotourism and other free‐choice environmental learning experiences to promote the adoption of environmentally sustainable actions beyond their own sites, when visitors return to their home environments. Previous research indicates that although visitors often leave such experiences with a heightened awareness of conservation issues and intentions to adopt environmentally responsible behaviours, only a minority translate these intentions into real actions. Building on research and theory in relation to visitor experiences in free‐choice learning environments, the paper identifies three different stages in the educational process and proposes a strategy for facilitating the translation of visitors' behavioural intentions into the adoption of sustainable actions through the provision of post‐visit action resources