A Critique of the Philosophical Underpinnings

The progress of the social science disciplines depends on conducting relevant research. However, research methodology adopted and choices made during the course of the research project are underpinned by varying ontological, epistemological and axiological positions that may be known or unknown to the researcher. This paper sought to critically explore the philosophical underpinnings of the social science research. It was suggested that a “multiversal” ontological position, positivist-hermeneutic epistemological position and value-laden axiological position should be adopted for social science research by non-western scholars as alternative to the dominant naïve realist, positivist, and value-free orientation. Against the backdrop of producing context-relevant knowledge, non-western scholars are encouraged to re-examine their philosophical positions in the conduct of social science research

Common Health, Safety and Environmental Concerns in Upstream Oil and Gas Sector: Implications for HSE Management in Ghana

This paper explores the literature to identify common occupational injuries, diseases, and psychological wellbeing on oil rigs as well as the negative environmental impacts of the upstream oil and gas sector. It ends by making recommendations for effective health, safety, and environmental (HSE) management. Review of the literature showed that contusion (bruise), cuts, and laceration are the commonest occupational injuries that workers on the oil rig suffer and that the injuries mostly affect the hand and finger, leg, and eyes of the offshore workers. These injuries were found to be caused mostly by direct stroke, jamming and overstrain. Similarly, accidental poisoning, musculoskeletal disorders, respiratory disorders and diseases of the digestive system were also documented as the commonest occupational diseases among offshore workers. The literature also shows that working offshore is associated with poorer psychological wellbeing or health; this is to say that offshore workers tend to experience higher levels of stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, low job satisfaction (particularly with the environmental conditions associated with their work), and sleep disorders. Finally, the literature review indicated that land-use problems, air pollution, acid rain, climate change, habitat disruption, environmental degradation, oil spills and leakages are some of environmental impacts of upstream oil production. This review was concluded by recommending some measures for the management of the HSE hazards associated with the oil and gas sector

The Journey Towards Africanising Psychology in Ghana

Psychology has come a long way since its origin in Africa and Ghana in particular. In this paper, an attempt is made to explore the current state of psychological knowledge in Ghana as well as the associated problems in the application of such knowledge. It was concluded that the approach to the study and application of psychological knowledge and tests has been too Eurocentric and westernized. As a result, it limits the applicability of the approach to the African setting, and yet, Western theorists may expect African psychologists to apply the theories to Africans. On the basis of this criticism, the scope of Pan-African psychology is defined and suggestions for pursuing an Africanisation project are presented. It is expected that the strategies that this paper advocates for indigenizing psychology in Africa can equally be useful to psychologists in other developing regions of the world

History of Psychology in Ghana Since 989AD

Psychology as taught in Ghanaian universities is largely Eurocentric and imported. Calls have been made to indigenize psychology in Ghana. In response to this call, this paper attempts to construct a history of psychology in Ghana so as to provide a background for the study of the content and process of what psychology would and/or ought to become in Ghana. It does so by going as far back as the University of Sankore, Timbuktu established in 989AD where intellectual development flourished in the ancient Empire of Mali through to the 1700s and 1800s when Black Muslim scholars established Koranic schools, paying particular attention to scholarly works in medicine, theology and philosophy. Attention is then drawn to Anton Wilhelm Amo’s dissertation, De Humanae Mentis “Apatheia” and Disputatio Philosophica Continens Ideam Distinctam (both written in 1734) as well as some 18th and 19th century Ghanaian scholars. Special mention is also made about the contributions by the Department of Psychology at the University of Ghana (established in May 1967) in postcolonial Ghana as one of the first departments of psychology in Anglophone West Africa. The paper also discusses the challenges associated with the application of psychological knowledge in its current form in Ghana and ends by attempting to formulate the form an indigenous Ghanaian psychology could to take

Percepcija rizika i njezine korelacije: implikacije na istraživanje i praksu u cestovnoj prometnoj industriji

Global statistics on road transport industry suggest that road traffic crashes are a major public health issue that requires concerted international and national effort given that they are a major global killer. These statistics also imply that urgent attention is required to promote an understanding of and enhancing of safety on roads globally. More recently, evidence has accumulated to the effect that risk perceptions are found to relate to accident through its effect on risk-taking behavior and operator decision-making. Owing to this, author conducted a narrative review to explore whether risk perception relate to operator decision-making, comprehension of safety signs, risk exposure, operator risk-taking behavior, and accident in the road transport industry. One noticeable gap is that many of the studies have been conducted in Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies. Other findings and the implications for research and practice were also discussed.Globalne statistike o industriji cestovnog prometa sugeriraju da su prometne nesreće veliki problem javnog zdravlja koje zahtijeva usklađene međunarodne i nacionalne napore s obzirom na to da su glavni globalni ubojica. Ove statistike također impliciraju da je potrebna hitna pozornost kako bi se promicalo razumijevanje i poboljšanje sigurnosti na cestama na globalnoj razini. Nedavno su se nakupili dokazi da se percepcija rizika povezuje s nesrećom kroz njezin učinak na ponašanje u preuzimanju rizika i donošenje odluka operatera. Zbog toga je autor proveo narativni pregled kako bi istražio je li percepcija rizika povezana s donošenjem odluka operatera, razumijevanjem sigurnosnih znakova, izloženošću riziku, ponašanjem operatera u preuzimanju rizika i nesrećama u industriji cestovnog prometa. Jedna uočljiva praznina je da su mnoga istraživanja provedena u zapadnim, obrazovanim, industrijaliziranim, bogatim i demokratskim (WEIRD) društvima. Također se raspravljalo o drugim nalazima i implikacijama istraživanja i prakse

PROCESNI MODEL LANCA RIZIKA: POVEZANOST PERCEPCIJE RIZIKA I NESREĆA NA RADU

The literature on risk perceptions and occupational accidents is replete with causal descriptions which only show the relationship between the two variables. However, there is a “black box” which needs to be illuminated as to the meditational process that links the two variables. To address this gap in the literature, this paper surveys both the theoretical (theories of risk perception) and empirical (related studies) literature and concludes by proposing a process model, so-named Risk Chain Process Model. The implications of this model for both research and practice are discussed.Literatura o percepciji rizika i nesrećama na radu obiluje opisima uzroka nesreća koji prikazuju samo odnos između tih dviju varijabli. Međutim, postoji tzv. ‘crna kutija’ koja bi trebala rasvijetliti misaoni proces, tj. misaonu vezu između dviju varijabli. Članak nastoji popuniti tu prazninu u istraživanjima pregledom teorijske (teorije percepcije rizika) i empirijske (povezane studije) literature, a u zaključku nudi jedan procesni model, nazvan procesni model lanca rizika. Navode se implikacije modela na istraživanje i praksu

Between Bandura and Giddens: Structuration Theory in Social Psychological Research?

In any social analysis, one can attribute observed behavioural outcomes to actions and inactions of people (agents) or to the presence or absence of certain structures or systems. The dualism of agent and structure is resolved through the concept of duality as proposed by Anthony Giddens in his structuration theory (ST). Though ST has been applied in other disciplines, it is either less known or applied in psychology. This paper sought to examine ST as a framework for understanding the interdependent relationship between structure and agents in the light of offering explanatory framework in social science research or policy formulation. It concluded with an integrated model comprising elements of both Bandura’s social-cognitive theory and Giddens’ ST

O pitanju učinka kulture na percepciju rizika: empirijska protuargumentacija sjöbergovom zaključku

After an extensive review of the literature and his own empirical studies investigating the effect of culture on risk perception, Sjöberg (1998) concluded that the cultural theory simply is wrong and therefore, dead. However, other researchers and studies tend to also suggest that culture theory still has a significant explanatory power. The purpose of the study, therefore, was to gather new evidence using a different analysis technique to contribute to resolving this inconclusive conclusion. Data were gathered from 226 commercial vehicle drivers and were classified based on their transport-specific worldview or culture. A general linear model fitting using one-way ANOVA was conducted to compare the respondents on their transport-specific risk perception. Results of the cluster analysis showed that there were three clusters of drivers which were labelled as “Traditional-Conformists” (Cluster III drivers), “Adventurists” (Cluster II drivers) and “Moderates” (Cluster I). The ANOVA results further showed that Traditional-Conformist (Cluster III) drivers reported more accurate perception of risk compared to the Moderates (Cluster I) and the Adventurists (Cluster II). The findings were discussed in context of the ongoing debate about the explanatory power of culture in accounting for differences in risk perception. The implications for future research were also discussed.Nakon opsežnog pregleda literature i vlastitih empirijskih studija koje istražuju učinak kulture na percepciju rizika, Sjöberg je zaključio da je kulturološka teorija jednostavno pogrešna i stoga mrtva. Međutim, drugi istraživači i studije također sugeriraju da teorija kulture još uvijek ima značajnu moć objašnjenja. Svrha studije bila je, dakle, prikupiti nove dokaze koristeći različite tehnike analize kako bi se pridonijelo rješavanju ovog neuvjerljivog zaključka. Podaci su prikupljeni od 226 vozača gospodarskih vozila i klasificirani su na temelju njihovog svjetonazora ili kulture specifičnog za prijevoz. Opći linearni model koji odgovara jednosmjernoj ANOVA izveden je za usporedbu ispitanika o njihovoj percepciji rizika specifičnog za transport. Rezultati klaster analize pokazali su da su postojala tri klastera pokretača koji su označeni kao „Tradicionalni konformisti“ (pokretači klastera III), „avanturisti“ (pokretači klastera II) i „Umjereni“ (klaster I). Rezultati ANOVA-e nadalje su pokazali da su tradicionalno-konformistički (klaster III) vozači izvijestili o točnijoj percepciji rizika u usporedbi s umjerenim (klaster I) i avanturistima (klaster II). O nalazima se raspravljalo u kontekstu tekuće rasprave o objašnjavajućoj moći kulture u računovodstvu razlika u percepciji rizika. Također se razgovaralo o implikacijama na buduća istraživanja

UPRAVLJANJE NEZAPOSLENOŠĆU VISOKOOBRAZOVANIH OSOBA U GOSPODARSTVIMA U NASTAJANJU: KRITIČKA ANALIZA TEZA O NESRAZMJERU VJEŠTINA I NJIHOVOJ PREVELIKOJ PONUDI

Graduate unemployment and its management are challenges that leaders of the economy, managers and policy analysts grapple with on a daily basis. As a result, economic leaders and managers of economies have sought theoretical explanations to guide their management strategies of graduate unemployment. There are two competing theses to explain the problem: skills mismatch and skills oversupply. However, due to the seeming simplicity of basic tenets and policy implications of the skills mismatch thesis, many governments and laypersons have blamed graduate unemployment on it. This paper argues that policy solutions based entirely on skills mismatch may trigger another form of unemployment, oversupply of skilled graduates. Furthermore, oversupply of graduates is more likely to be the signifi cant cause of graduate unemployment than skills mismatch. An effective policy, therefore, is one that takes into account interventions to stimulate demand for labor while at the same time manages the supply of skilled labor. Such an approach will provide more sustainable solutions to graduate unemployment. In addition, the potential contributions of psychologists in the efforts towards the management of graduate unemployment are also outlined.Nezaposlenost visokoobrazovanih osoba i njezino upravljanje izazovi su s kojima se ekonomski vođe, menadžeri i analitičari politika svakodnevno suočavaju. Stoga se traže teoretska objašnjenja koja bi služila kao smjernice za strategije upravljanja nezaposlenošću visokoobrazovanih osoba. Postoje dvije suprotstavljene teze kojima se objašnjava problem: nesrazmjer vještina i njezina prevelika ponuda. Međutim, zbog prividne jednostavnosti osnovnih načela i implikacija teze o nesrazmjeru vještina, mnoge vlade i laici upravo nju postavljaju kao razlog za nezaposlenost visokoobrazovanih osoba. Ovaj rad predlaže da rješenja za politike koja se isključivo temelje na tezi o nesrazmjeru vještina mogu dovesti do drugog oblika nezaposlenosti, a to je prevelika ponuda kvalificiranih visokoobrazovanih osoba. Nadalje, prevelika ponuda visokoobrazovanih osoba vjerojatniji je razlog nezaposlenosti visokoobrazovanih osoba od nesrazmjera vještina. Djelotvorna politika je stoga ona koja uzima u obzir intervencije kojima se stimulira potražnja za radnom snagom, dok se istovremeno upravlja ponudom kvalifi cirane radne snage. Takav pristup pruža održiva rješenja za nezaposlenost visokoobrazovanih osoba. Uz navedeno, daje se obris doprinosa psihologa u odnosu na upravljanje nezaposlenošću visokoobrazovanih osoba

Upper echelons theory revisited: The need for a change from causal description to casual explanation

This paper presents a review of the past and present upper echelons research with the intention of drawing attention to the need for a change of direction from causal descriptive studies to causal explanatory studies. Review of the extant literature indicates that many of the organizational researchers have shown greater interest in studying relationships between top management characteristics (in the form of demographics) and organizational outcomes. This has continued despite the effort by Priem, Douglas and Gregory to draw attention to the limitations of demographic proxies of psychographic variables of top management teams and the caution that the role of the entire top management team in strategy development may be over-exaggerated. Since many of the studies failed to show empirically how or why top management demographics related to organizational outcomes, implications for theory and research are discussed