Traffic Crimes and risky driving: The role of personality and driving anger

The current study aims to examine the influence of personality traits (alternative Zuckerman model) and driving anger in the explanation of risky driving style in individuals convicted for road safety offences (N = 245), using as a basis an adaptation of the context-mediated model. This is a transversal, descriptive study designed to be implemented by means of surveys, in which took part 245 men convicted of road safety offences from five prisons in Galicia (a region in northwestern Spain) took part. The average age of the participants was 38.73 years (Sx-9.61), with a range between 18 and 64 years. All participants had three or more years of driving experience. Our data shows that the Impulsive-Sensation Seeking (Imp-SS) personality trait had a direct and positive effect on dangerous driving, while the Activity (Act) trait had a direct but negative effect. The Aggression-Hostility (Agg-Host) trait, in turn, influenced the risky driving style, but not directly, but by raising driving anger levels, so it acted as a powerful mediator between the Aggression-Hostility (Agg-Hos) trait and the risky driving style. In general, our research partially replicates and expands previous findings regarding the model used, the aggression-hostility personality trait (Agg-Host) was placed in the distal context, driving anger in the proximal context, while age and personality traits Activity (Act) and Impulsive-Sensation Seeking (Imp-SS) were direct predictors. The results of this study may have practical implications for the detection and rehabilitation of offenders and penalties for road safety offences.Universidade de Vigo/CISU

Determinants of Hotels and Restaurants entrepreneurship: A study using GEM data

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2011.08.003The objective of this work is to assess the influence of certain factors on the likelihood of being a Hotels and Restaurants (H&R) entrepreneur. The factors evaluated are demographic and economic variables, variables related to perceptions of the environment and personal traits, and variables measuring the individual’s intellectual and social capital. The work uses logistic regression techniques to analyze a sample of 33,711 individuals in the countries participating in the GEM project in 2008. The findings show that age, gender, income, perception of opportunities, fear of failure, entrepreneurial ability, knowing other entrepreneurs and being a business angel are explanatory factors of the probability of being an H&R entrepreneur.El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar la influencia de determinados factores sobre la probabilidad de ser empresario de Hostelería y Restauración (H&R). Los factores evaluados son variables demográficas y económicas, variables relacionadas con percepciones del entorno y rasgos personales, y variables que miden el capital intelectual y social del individuo. El trabajo utiliza técnicas de regresión logística para analizar una muestra de 33.711 individuos de los países participantes en el proyecto GEM en 2008. Los resultados muestran que la edad, el género, los ingresos, la percepción de oportunidades, el miedo al fracaso, la capacidad emprendedora, conocer a otros emprendedores y ser un business angel son factores explicativos de la probabilidad de ser un emprendedor H&R

Relación entre conciliación trabajo-familia, bienestar del empleado y desempeño laboral

Purpose To assess the impact of the existence of and access to different work-family policies on employee well-being and job performance. Design/methodology/approach Hypothesis testing was performed using a structural equation model based on a PLS-SEM approach applied to a sample of 1,511 employees of the Spanish banking sector. Findings The results obtained demonstrate that the existence and true access to different types of work-family policies such as flexible working hours (flexi-time), long leaves, and flexible work location (flexi-place) are not directly related to job performance, but indirectly so, when mediated by the well-being of employees generated by work-family policies. In a similar vein, true access to employee and family support services also has an indirect positive impact on job performance mediated by the well-being produced. In contrast, the mere existence of employee and family support services does not have any direct or indirect effect on job performance. Originality/value This study makes a theoretical and empirical contribution to better understand the impact that of the existence of and access to work-family policies on job performance mediated by employee well-being. In this sense, we posited and tested an unpublished theoretical model where the concept of employee well-being gains special relevance at academic and organizational level due to its implications for human resource management.Resumen Propósito Este trabajo analiza los efectos de la existencia y accesibilidad de diferentes tipos de políticas trabajo-familia (WFP) sobre el bienestar y el desempeño laboral. Diseño/Metodología/Enfoque Para contrastar las hipótesis propuestas se aplicó un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales, utilizando el enfoque PLS-SEM, a una muestra de 1.511 trabajadores del sector financiero español. Resultados Los resultados del análisis muestran que la existencia y accesibilidad de las WFP relativas a flexibilidad temporal, permisos largos y el lugar de trabajo no producen directamente mejoras en el desempeño, pero sí indirectamente a través del bienestar laboral que dichas políticas generan. Del mismo modo, la accesibilidad de las WFP relativas a servicios de apoyo al empleado y a su familia tiene también un efecto positivo indirecto sobre el desempeño, mediado por el bienestar generado. Sin embargo, la mera existencia de servicios de apoyo no incide ni directa ni indirectamente sobre el desempeño. Originalidad/Valor Este trabajo constituye una novedosa aportación teórica y empírica sobre el impacto de la existencia y accesibilidad de las WFP en el desempeño, considerando el papel mediador del bienestar laboral en esta relación. En este sentido, se propone y comprueba empíricamente un modelo teórico inédito en la literatura, en el que el concepto de bienestar laboral cobra especial relevancia tanto a nivel académico como por sus implicaciones prácticas para la dirección. Palabras clave: Conciliación trabajo-familia, rendimiento laboral, bienestar laboral, gestión de recursos humanos

Moderating effects of gender and family responsibilities on the relations between work–family policies and job performance

https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2018.1505762This study analyzes the impact of work-family policies (WFP) on job performance, and the possible moderating role of gender and family responsibilities. Hypothesis testing was performed using a structural equation model based on a PLS-SEM approach applied to a sample of 1,511 employees of the Spanish banking sector. The results show that neither the existence nor the accessibility of the WFP has a direct, positive impact on performance, unlike what we expected, but both have an indirect effect via the well-being generated by these policies. We also find that neither gender nor family responsibilities have a significant moderating role on these relations, contrary to what we initially expected.Este estudio analiza el impacto de las políticas de trabajo-familia ("WFP", por sus siglas en inglés) sobre el rendimiento laboral, y el posible papel moderador del género y las responsabilidades familiares. La prueba de hipótesis se realizó mediante un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales basado en un enfoque PLS-SEM aplicado a una muestra de 1.511 empleados del sector bancario español. Los resultados muestran que ni la existencia ni la accesibilidad del WFP tienen un impacto directo y positivo sobre el rendimiento, a diferencia de lo que esperábamos, pero ambos tienen un efecto indirecto a través del bienestar generado por estas políticas. También encontramos que ni el género ni las responsabilidades familiares tienen un papel moderador significativo sobre estas relaciones, al contrario de lo que esperábamos inicialmente

Reflectance spectroscopy in combination with cluster analysis as tools for identifying the provenance of Neolithic flint artefacts

The authors thank the staff of the Huelva Museum for the facilities given to access the archaeological flint blades studied in this article. Likewise, the authors appreciate the suggestions and constructive criticisms provided by the two reviewers and in particular wish to thank Dr. Ryan M. Parish for his excellent review and recommendations that have notably improved the original manuscript. Angela Tate is thanked for reviewing the English version of the manuscript.The provenance of flint artefacts found in archaeological excavations is very important for archaeologists to better understand artefact displacement, exchange networks, mobility patterns, prehistoric migrations and various cultural processes such as commerce, procurement strategies, territorial boundaries, etc. Reflectance Spectroscopy is an analytical technique that measures the radiation reflected by any type of surface, as it is sensitive to electronic and vibrational processes, both at the atomic and molecular level, which results in spectral signatures and absorption bands of the material. In this study the flint material of 16 quarries with evident signs of having been used to manufacture artefacts during the Neolithic period have been characterized by means of their spectral signatures and used to identify the origin of 5 flint blades found in a dolmen close to one of the quarries. The application of cluster analysis to compare the spectral signatures of both the quarries and the archaeological blades has ruled out one of them as not being sourced from the studied quarries, as well as assigning a very probable origin to the other four. Interestingly, none of the blades studied have been sourced to the nearest quarry, as one might presume. The results of this study confirm that reflectance spectroscopy combined with the multivariate statistical analysis could provide a powerful tool for determining the origin of flint artefacts which have been deposited in museums and other institutions

What you know or who you know? The role of intellectual and social capital in opportunity recognition

The recognition of business opportunities is the first stage in the entrepreneurial process. The current work analyzes the effects of individuals’ possession of and access to knowledge on the probability of recognizing good business opportunities in their area of residence. The authors use an eclectic theoretical framework consisting of intellectual and social capital concepts. In particular, they analyze the role of individuals’ educational level, their perception that they have the right knowledge and skills to start a business, whether they own and manage a firm, their contacts with other entrepreneurs, and whether they have been business angels. The hypotheses proposed here are tested using data collected for the GEM project in Spain in 2007. The results show that individuals’ access to external knowledge through the social networks in which they participate is fundamental for developing the capacity to recognize new business opportunities

Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Conical Projectile Impact on Inconel 718 Plates

This article belongs to the Special Issue Metallic Materials under Dynamic LoadingThis paper analyses the impact behavior of Inconel 718 through experimental and numerical approach. Different conical projectiles were tested in order to obtain the ballistic curves and failure mechanisms. A three-dimensional (3D) numerical model corresponding to the experimental tests was developed using the Johnson&-Cook constitutive model. The experimental data (residual velocities, global, and local perforation mechanisms) were successfully predicted with the numerical simulations. The influence of the projectile's nose angle was found to be important when designing ballistic protections. The projectile with the narrowest angle, 40°, developed a ballistic limit approximately 10 m/s lower than the projectile with a 72° nose. The use of double-nose projectile for the same nose angle, 72°, led to a ballistic limit 12 m/s lower than that obtained for the single nose.This research was funded by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness and the FEDER program, grant number DPI2014-56137-C2-2-R. The researchers are indebted to the FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España (Project DPI2014-56137-C2-2-R) for the financial support which permitted to conduct part of this work