Search results for: employees’ perception
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 3055

Search results for: employees’ perception

2545 The Relationship between Mothers’ Attachment Style, Mindful Parenting and Perception of the Child

Authors: Brigitta Szabo, Miklosi Monika

Abstract:

Background/Aims: In early childhood, the context of development is the caregiver-child relationship. Maternal attachment style plays a major role in the intergenerational transmission of psychopathology. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the mothers’ attachment style, mindful parenting, and perception of the child. Method: Data was collected from 144 non-clinical mothers who have a child below the age of 3 years. Mothers completed self-report questionnaires, including the following scales: a demographic questionnaire, Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale (IMP), and the Mothers’ Object Relations Scale (MORS-SF). K-means cluster analysis was used to identify the mothers’ attachment styles. Mediation analyses with Mothers’ Object Relations Scale (MORS-SF) positive emotions and dominance subscales as dependent variables, mothers’ attachment style (ASQ) as an independent variable, and mindful parenting (IMP) as a mediator were conducted. Results: Four attachment styles (secure, preoccupied, fearful, dismissing) were identified. The relationship between mothers’ attachment style and mindful parenting was significant (R2 = .51; F(4,139) = 36.60; p < .001). Compared to the secure attachment style as a reference group, both preoccupied and dismissing styles were related to lower levels of mindful parenting; however, this relationship was the strongest in case of fearful style. In mediation analysis the direct effects of mothers’ attachment style on the perception of the child were not significant (MORS positive emotions: R2= .29; F(5,138) = 11.22; p < .001; MORS dominance: R2= .39 F(5,138) = 17.54, p < .001). However, indirect effects through mindful parenting were significant; higher levels of mindful parenting were associated with higher levels of MORS positive emotions and lower levels of MORS dominance. Conclusions: These findings suggest that attachment styles are related to the perception of the child through mindful parenting. Mindfulness-based parenting training might be useful in case of attachment-related problems to improve the parent-child relationship.

Keywords: mindfulness, mindful parenting, attachement, perception

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2544 Measuring Human Perception and Negative Elements of Public Space Quality Using Deep Learning: A Case Study of Area within the Inner Road of Tianjin City

Authors: Jiaxin Shi, Kaifeng Hao, Qingfan An, Zeng Peng

Abstract:

Due to a lack of data sources and data processing techniques, it has always been difficult to quantify public space quality, which includes urban construction quality and how it is perceived by people, especially in large urban areas. This study proposes a quantitative research method based on the consideration of emotional health and physical health of the built environment. It highlights the low quality of public areas in Tianjin, China, where there are many negative elements. Deep learning technology is then used to measure how effectively people perceive urban areas. First, this work suggests a deep learning model that might simulate how people can perceive the quality of urban construction. Second, we perform semantic segmentation on street images to identify visual elements influencing scene perception. Finally, this study correlated the scene perception score with the proportion of visual elements to determine the surrounding environmental elements that influence scene perception. Using a small-scale labeled Tianjin street view data set based on transfer learning, this study trains five negative spatial discriminant models in order to explore the negative space distribution and quality improvement of urban streets. Then it uses all Tianjin street-level imagery to make predictions and calculate the proportion of negative space. Visualizing the spatial distribution of negative space along the Tianjin Inner Ring Road reveals that the negative elements are mainly found close to the five key districts. The map of Tianjin was combined with the experimental data to perform the visual analysis. Based on the emotional assessment, the distribution of negative materials, and the direction of street guidelines, we suggest guidance content and design strategy points of the negative phenomena in Tianjin street space in the two dimensions of perception and substance. This work demonstrates the utilization of deep learning techniques to understand how people appreciate high-quality urban construction, and it complements both theory and practice in urban planning. It illustrates the connection between human perception and the actual physical public space environment, allowing researchers to make urban interventions.

Keywords: human perception, public space quality, deep learning, negative elements, street images

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2543 Making Sense of Cyber Pornography among Young Adult Couples

Authors: Marianne Lumacang, Jessarine Dultra, Joana Fenol

Abstract:

Filipinos are known to be conservative, sex or pornography is not discussed openly in the Philippines, topic of sex, when raised, will most likely elicit snickers, jokes, and blushes in most Filipino or expressions of disgust. However, a lot of Filipinos are still engaging into this kind of activity for some reasons. The study aims to determine young adult’s point of view about cyber pornography viewing, as well as their reasons for engagement, and its effects on them and their relationship with their partner. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to explore how young adults make sense of cyber pornography viewing. The study focused on Filipino young adults who are in a romantic or married relationship, engage in cyber pornography viewing, and currently residing in Cavite, Philippines. A total of four young adult couples, four females and four males participated in the study as research participants. Data gathered from a total of four young adult couples resulted to a total of nine superordinate themes focusing on (1) exploring young adult couple’s rationales for cyber pornography viewing, (2) experiences of positive effects in engaging to cyber pornography viewing, (3) experiences of negative effects in engaging to cyber pornography viewing, (4) experience of infidelity, (5) experience of necessity, (6) females perception about cyber pornography viewing towards self, (7) males perception about cyber pornography viewing towards self, (8) males perception about cyber pornography viewing towards romantic partner, and (9) males perception about cyber pornography viewing towards others.

Keywords: cyberpornography, Filipino, interpretative phenomenological analysis, making sense of cyberpornography, young adult

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2542 The Relationships between Human Resource Management and Entrepreneurship: Case Study SME in Thailand

Authors: Bella Llego

Abstract:

This study aims to investigate the relationships between human resource management and entrepreneurship in the view of owner-managers and employees, and among employees with in the SME in Thailand. The research method used a qualitative method to confirm the phenomenology interest with top management position which women are regarding their career path by using purposive sampling method. The results showed that human resources management has positive relate with the corporate entrepreneurship are including the recruitment process, training worker, professional career development and reward system impact to entrepreneur’s knowledge and innovation of corporate entrepreneurship in respectively to bring a very reliable way. Then, the key informant suggested that women’s career experiences predisposed them to find an alternative route for entrepreneurship, despite having achieved top management. The understanding factors that successfully contribute to the development of women entrepreneurs from career development perspective are critical endeavours for any type of organization as well.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, firm performance, human resource management, work efficiency

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2541 Optimal Temperature and Duration for Dabbing Customers with the Massage Compressed Packs Reported from Customers' Perception

Authors: Wichan Lertlop, Boonyarat Chaleephay

Abstract:

The objective of this research was to study the appropriate thermal level and time for dabbing customers with the massage compressed pack reported from their perception. The investigation was conducted by comparing different angles of tilted heads done by the customers together with their perception before and after the dabbing. The variables included different temperature of the compressed packs and different dabbing duration. Samples in this study included volunteers who got massage therapy and dabbing with hot compressed packs by traditional Thai medical students. The experiment was conducted during January to June 2013. The research tool consisted of angle meters, stop watches, thermometers, and massage compressed packs. The customers were interviewed for their perceptions before and after the dabbing. The results showed that: 1. There was a difference of the average angles of tilted heads before and after the dabbing. 2. There was no difference of the average angles at different temperatures but constant duration. 3. There was no difference of the average angles at different durations. 4. The customers reported relaxation no matter what the various temperatures and various dabbing durations were. However, they reported too hot at the temperature 70 °C and over.

Keywords: massage, therapy, therapeutic systems, technologies

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2540 Extent of Knowledge, Preparedness and Perception on Telemedicine among Family Medicine Resident Physicians in Different Training Institutions in Cebu City, PH during COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors: Kristine Joy Y. Sumanga, Clarissa Mae D. Derecho

Abstract:

Telemedicine is providing health care services using electronic means at a distance, including the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases as well as the research and evaluation and education of health care providers. The role of telemedicine in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic is vital, especially in the practice of medicine. General Objective: To determine the extent of knowledge, preparedness and perception of telemedicine among Family Medicine Resident Physicians in different training institutions in Cebu City during the Coronavirus Disease 19 pandemic. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey research study was conducted in four hospital training institutions in Cebu City. A total of 41 respondents gave their consent and were given the online survey questionnaire pertaining to the extent of knowledge, preparedness and perceptions on telemedicine, including respondents’ demographic data and problems encountered in Telemedicine. Results: Out of the 41 respondents, 56.10% were young adults (26 to 30 years old), mostly females (70.73%), single (68.29%), first-year residents (43.90%), employed at a government hospital (70.73%) and are in the traditional residency pathway (82.93%). On relevant experience, 82.93% experienced telemedicine during residency, with 100% on follow-up consultations, and 95% were consulted due to infections. Respondents’ extent of knowledge was average, while the extent of preparedness and perception were great. Problems with low connectivity (80.48%) were noted by most of the respondents. Conclusion: Resident physicians moderately understood the information about telemedicine but with a great extent of preparedness and perception. They are always prepared for telemedicine modality because they are fully aware of its existence and need in the delivery of health care services among their patients at the time of the pandemic. Challenges to low connectivity and handling patients’ data privacy were the major concerns met by the resident physicians in the use of telemedicine.

Keywords: telemedicine, knowledge, preparedness, perception, family medicine, residents, COVID 19

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2539 Maize Farmers’ Perception of Sharp Practices among Agro-Input Dealers in Ibadan/Ibarapa Agricultural Zone, Oyo State

Authors: Ademola A. Ladele, Peace I. Aburime

Abstract:

Fake and substandard agricultural inputs pose a serious stumbling block to farm productivity and subsequently improved livelihood. There is, therefore, a need to pave ways for sustainable agriculture and self-sufficiency in food production by proffering solutions to this challenge. Maize farmers' perception of sharp practices among agro-input dealers in Ibadan/Ibarapa agricultural zone in Oyo state was therefore investigated. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select registered maize farmers in the Ibadan/Ibarapa agricultural zone of the Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme (OYSADEP). A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on the perception of sharp practices and the effects of sharp practices. A total of seventy-five maize farmers were interviewed. A focus group discussion was organized to identify ways of curbing sharp practices to complement the survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). Forms of sharp practices indicated were sales of expired fertilizers, expired pesticides, expired herbicides, underweight fertilizers, adulterated fertilizers, adulterated herbicides, packs containing broken seeds, infested seeds, lack of truth in labeling/wrong labels, manipulation of measuring scales, and false declaration of hecterages covered by tractor operators. The majority had unfavorable perception of agro-input dealers on sharp practices. A significant relationship was observed between respondents’ level of education and their perception of sharp practices. There were no significant relationships between respondents’ sex, marital status and religion, and their perception of sharp practices. A significant correlation exists between the forms of sharp practices and the perceived effect on agricultural production. It is concluded that the perceived effect of sharp practices was critical and the endemic culture of sharp practices prevailed in agro-input in Ibadan/Ibarapa agricultural zone. A standard regulatory system that will certify and monitor the quality of inputs should be put in place.

Keywords: agricultural productivity, agro-input dealers, maize farmers, sharp practices

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2538 Determinants of Risk Perceptions and Risk Attitude among Flue-Cured Virginia Tobacco Growers: A Case Study of Pakistan

Authors: Wencong Lu, Abdul Latif, Raza Ullah, Subhan Ullah

Abstract:

Agricultural production is subject to risk and the attitudes of producers toward risk, in turn, may be affected by certain socioeconomic characteristics of producers. Although, it is important to assess the risk attitude of farmers and their perception towards different calamitous risk sources for better understanding of their risk management adoption decisions, to the best of our knowledge no studies have been carried out to analyze the risk attitude and risk perceptions in the context of tobacco production in Pakistan. Therefore the study in hand is conducted with an attempt to overcome the gap in existing literature by analyzing different catastrophic risk sources faced by tobacco growers, their attitude towards risk and the effect of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, farmers’ participation in contract farming and off-farm diversification on their risk attitude and risk perception. Around 78% of Pakistan’s entire tobacco crop and nearly all of the country’s Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco is produced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province alone. The yield/hectare of tobacco produced in KPK province is 14% higher than the global average and 22 % higher than national average. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was selected as main study area as nearly all of the country’s Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco is produced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province alone. Six districts were purposely selected based on their contribution in overall production for the last five years which accounts for more than 94.84% of the tobacco production in KPK province. Specific objectives taken into considerations for this study are the risk attitude of the farmers for growing FCV tobacco crop, farmers’ risk perception for different risk sources related to tobacco production (as far as the incidence and severity of each risk source is concerned) and the effect of socioeconomic characteristics, contract farming participation and off-farm diversification (income) on the risk attitude and risk perception of FCV tobacco growers.

Keywords: risk attitude, risk perception, contract farming, off-farm diversification, probit model

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2537 The Psychometric Properties of the Team Climate Inventory Scale: A Validation Study in Jordan’s Collectivist Society

Authors: Suhair Mereish

Abstract:

This research is aimed at examining the climate for innovation in organisations with the aim of validating the psychometric properties of the Team Climate Inventory (TCI -14) for Jordan’s collectivist society. The innovativeness of teams may be improved or obstructed by the climate within the team. Further, personal factors are considered an important element that influences the climate for innovation. Accordingly, measuring the employees' personality traits using the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44) could provide insights that aid in understanding how to improve innovation. Thus, studying the climate for innovation and its associations with personality traits is valuable, considering the insights it could offer on employee performance, job satisfaction, and well-being. Essentially, the Team Climate Inventory instrument has never been tested in Jordan’s collectivist society. Accordingly, in order to address the existing gap in the literature as a whole and, more specifically, in Jordan, it is essential to investigate its factorial structure and reliability in this particular context. It is also important to explore whether the factorial structure of the Team Climate Inventory in Jordan’s collectivist society demonstrates a similar or different structure to what has been found in individualistic ones. Lastly, examining if there are associations between the Team Climate Inventory and personality traits of Jordanian employees is pivotal. The quantitative study was carried out among Jordanian employees employed in two of the top 20 companies in Jordan, a shipping and logistics company (N=473) and a telecommunications company (N=219). To generalise the findings, this was followed by collecting data from the general population of this country (N=399). The participants completed the Team Climate Inventory. Confirmatory factor analyses and reliability tests were conducted to confirm the factorial structure, validity, and reliability of the inventory. Findings presented that the four-factor structure of the Team Climate Inventory in Jordan revealed a similar structure to the ones in Western culture. The four-factor structure has been confirmed with good fit indices and reliability values. Moreover, for climate for innovation, regression analysis identified agreeableness (positive) and neuroticism (negative) from the Big Five Inventory as significant predictors. This study will contribute to knowledge in several ways. First, by examining the reliability and factorial structure in a Jordanian collectivist context rather than a Western individualistic one. Second, by comparing the Team Climate Inventory structure in Jordan with findings for the Team Climate Inventory from Western individualistic societies. Third, by studying its relationships with personality traits in that country. Furthermore, findings from this study will assist practitioners in the field of organisational psychology and development to improve the climate for innovation for employees working in organisations in Jordan. It is also expected that the results of this research will provide recommendations to professionals in the business psychology sector regarding the characteristics of employees who hold positive and negative perceptions of the workplace climate.

Keywords: big five inventory, climate for innovation, collectivism, individualism, Jordan, team climate inventory

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2536 Differences in the Perception of Behavior Problems in Pre-school Children among the Teachers and Parents

Authors: Jana Kožárová

Abstract:

Even the behavior problems in pre-school children might be considered as a transitional problem which may disappear by their transition into elementary school; it is an issue that needs a lot of attention because of the fact that the behavioral patterns are adopted in the children especially in this age. Common issue in the process of elimination of the behavior problems in the group of pre-school children is a difference in the perception of the importance and gravity of the symptoms. The underestimation of the children's problems by parents often result into conflicts with kindergarten teachers. Thus, the child does not get the support that his/her problems require and this might result into a school failure and can negatively influence his/her future school performance and success. The research sample consisted of 4 children with behavior problems, their teachers and parents. To determine the most problematic area in the child's behavior, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) filled by parents and Caregiver/Teacher Form (CTF-R) filled by teachers were used. Scores from the CBCL and the CTR-F were compared with Pearson correlation coefficient in order to find the differences in the perception of behavior problems in pre-school children.

Keywords: behavior problems, Child Behavior Checklist, Caregiver/Teacher Form, Pearson correlation coefficient, pre-school age

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2535 Chinese Leaders Abroad: Case in the Netherlands

Authors: Li Lin, Hein Roelfsema

Abstract:

To achieve aggressive expansion goals, many Chinese companies are seeking resources and market around the world. To an increasing extent, Chinese enterprises recognized the Netherlands as their gateway to Europe Market. Yet, large cultural gaps (e.g. individualism/collectivism, power distance) may influence expat leaders’ influencing process, in turn affect intercultural teamwork. Lessons and suggestions from Chinese expat leaders could provide profound knowledge for managerial practice and future research. The current research focuses on the cultural difference between China and the Netherlands, along with leadership tactics for coping and handling differences occurring in the international business work. Exclusive 47 in-depth interviews with Chinese expat leaders were conducted. Within each interview, respondents were asked what were the main issues when working with Dutch employees, and what they believed as the keys to successful leadership in Dutch-Chinese cross-cultural workplaces. Consistent with previous research, the findings highlight the need to consider the cultural context within which leadership adapts. In addition, the findings indicated the importance of recognizing and applying the cultural advantages from which leadership originates. The results address observation ability as a crucial key for Chinese managers to lead Dutch/international teams. Moreover, setting a common goal help a leader to overcome the challenges due to cultural differences. Based on the analysis, we develop a process model to illustrate the dynamic mechanisms. Our study contributes to the better understanding of transference of management practices, and has important practical implications for managing Dutch employees.

Keywords: Chinese managers, Dutch employees, leadership, interviews

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2534 Implementing a Strategy of Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) in the Libyan Cement Industry

Authors: Khalid M. Albarkoly, Kenneth S. Park

Abstract:

The substantial development of the construction industry has forced the cement industry, its major support, to focus on achieving maximum productivity to meet the growing demand for this material. Statistics indicate that the demand for cement rose from 1.6 billion metric tons (bmt) in 2000 to 4bmt in 2013. This means that the reliability of a production system needs to be at the highest level that can be achieved by good maintenance. This paper studies the extent to which the implementation of RCM is needed as a strategy for increasing the reliability of the production systems component can be increased, thus ensuring continuous productivity. In a case study of four Libyan cement factories, 80 employees were surveyed and 12 top and middle managers interviewed. It is evident that these factories usually breakdown more often than once per month which has led to a decline in productivity, they cannot produce more than 50% of their designed capacity. This has resulted from the poor reliability of their production systems as a result of poor or insufficient maintenance. It has been found that most of the factories’ employees misunderstand maintenance and its importance. The main cause of this problem is the lack of qualified and trained staff, but in addition, it has been found that most employees are not found to be motivated as a result of a lack of management support and interest. In response to these findings, it has been suggested that the RCM strategy should be implemented in the four factories. The paper shows the importance of considering the development of maintenance strategies through the implementation of RCM in these factories. The purpose of it would be to overcome the problems that could reduce the level of reliability of the production systems. This study could be a useful source of information for academic researchers and the industrial organisations which are still experiencing problems in maintenance practices.

Keywords: Libyan cement industry, reliability centred maintenance, maintenance, production, reliability

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2533 Motivation and Efficiency of Quality Management Systems Implementation: A Study of Kosovo Organizations

Authors: Naim Ismajli, Ilir Rexhepi

Abstract:

The article presents the results of the study about the motives and efficiency of quality management system (Quality System, QS) implementation in Kosovo companies. The main purpose of the study was to find out why Kosovo companies seek the implementation and certification of QS in accordance with the requirements of the ISO 9001 series of the standards and what has changed after the QS implementation. Furthermore, the results of the research were compared with similar performed in the other European countries. The performed research revealed that the implementation of QS mostly results in the benefits of an intangible nature that are internal to the company. In addition, although the main reasons to start implementing QS are the expectations of the external advantages, the implementation results mostly in the increase of the internal benefits such as an improvement in the definition of the responsibilities and obligations of the employees, a decrease in the nonconformities, better communication among the employees, and increased efficiency.

Keywords: quality management systems, ISO 9001, total quality management, environmental management system, ISO 14000, competitiveness, efciency

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2532 Interruption Overload in an Office Environment: Hungarian Survey Focusing on the Factors that Affect Job Satisfaction and Work Efficiency

Authors: Fruzsina Pataki-Bittó, Edit Németh

Abstract:

On the one hand, new technologies and communication tools improve employee productivity and accelerate information and knowledge transfer, while on the other hand, information overload and continuous interruptions make it even harder to concentrate at work. It is a great challenge for companies to find the right balance, while there is also an ongoing demand to recruit and retain the talented employees who are able to adopt the modern work style and effectively use modern communication tools. For this reason, this research does not focus on the objective measures of office interruptions, but aims to find those disruption factors which influence the comfort and job satisfaction of employees, and the way how they feel generally at work. The focus of this research is on how employees feel about the different types of interruptions, which are those they themselves identify as hindering factors, and those they feel as stress factors. By identifying and then reducing these destructive factors, job satisfaction can reach a higher level and employee turnover can be reduced. During the research, we collected information from depth interviews and questionnaires asking about work environment, communication channels used in the workplace, individual communication preferences, factors considered as disruptions, and individual steps taken to avoid interruptions. The questionnaire was completed by 141 office workers from several types of workplaces based in Hungary. Even though 66 respondents are working at Hungarian offices of multinational companies, the research is about the characteristics of the Hungarian labor force. The most important result of the research shows that while more than one third of the respondents consider office noise as a disturbing factor, personal inquiries are welcome and considered useful, even if in such cases the work environment will not be convenient to solve tasks requiring concentration. Analyzing the sizes of the offices, in an open-space environment, the rate of those who consider office noise as a disturbing factor is surprisingly lower than in smaller office rooms. Opinions are more diverse regarding information communication technologies. In addition to the interruption factors affecting the employees' job satisfaction, the research also focuses on the role of the offices in the 21st century.

Keywords: information overload, interruption, job satisfaction, office environment, work efficiency

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2531 Psychological Aspects in the Doctrine of Dependent Origination

Authors: Sanjoy Barua Chowdhury

Abstract:

This research is an attempt to examine psychological aspect of the Buddha’s most cardinal and fundamental doctrine of Dependent Origination (paṭiccasamuppāda) along with drawing out a clear picture of the constituents from the law of causation and analyzes the mental states and motivational factors behind each constituent among twelvefold links. Meticulous research into the doctrine of Dependent Origination reveals how the main links from the doctrine of dependent origination provide a framework for psychological analysis through volitional formation (saṅkhāra), consciousness (viññāna), mentality and materiality (nāma-rūpa), contact (phassa), feeling (vedanā), craving (tanhā) and clinging (upādāna). This paper further illustrates the notion of perception (saññā) which can be found in the function of volitional formation (saṅkhāra) - a contributing factor, according to modern psychology, in the role of understanding human (puggala) motivation. The psychological analysis of dependent origination expounds the concept of personality highlighting present existence through the inter-relationship of the five faculties (pañcaupadānakkhandhā), viz., form (rūpa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saññā), volitional formation (saṅkhārā) and consciousness (viññāṇa).

Keywords: dependent origination, perception, motivational factors, feelings

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2530 The Relationship between Citizens’ Perception of Public Officials’ Ethical Performance and Public Trust in the Government in Egypt

Authors: Nevine Henry Wasef

Abstract:

The research discusses how Egyptian citizens perceive the performance of public sector officials, particularly the ethical values manifested in their behavior. It aims at answering the question of how Egyptian citizens’ perception of public officials affects citizens' trust in the government at large and the process of public service delivery specifically. The hypothesis is that public opinion about civil servants’ ethical values would be proportional to citizens’ trust in the government, which means that the more citizens regard administrators with high ethical standards, the higher trust in the government they would have and vice versa. The research would focus on the independent variable of trust in the government and the dependent variable of public perception of administrators’ ethical performance. The data would be collected through surveys designed to measure the public evaluation of public officials they are interacting with and the quality of services delivered to them. The study concludes that implementing ethical values in public administration has a crucial role in improving citizens’ trust in the government based on various case studies of governments that successfully adopted ethical training programs for their civil servants.

Keywords: trust, distrust, ethics, performance, integrity, values, public service

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2529 Daunting or Desirable? Examining the Perception of Mindfulness and Current Mindful Practices of Predominantly Christian University Students

Authors: Elizabeth Valenti

Abstract:

Objective: To date, there remains an absence of literature examining perceptions of mindfulness and mindful practices among college students, particularly among Christian students. The purpose of this mixed-methods, exploratory study was to gain a better understanding of students’ perception of mindfulness and assess current mindful practices. Methods: The mixed-methods, exploratory study examined data from freshmen undergraduate college students (N=107) enrolled in an introductory psychology course at a private, non-profit Christian university. Students completed a researcher-developed questionnaire containing both Likert and opened ended questions to assess knowledge about and perceptions of mindfulness, as well as current mindful practices. Results: Results of the thematic analysis revealed approximately half of the students had a limited understanding of mindfulness, with several reporting disadvantages. Most students listed prayer as a consistent practice, with a much smaller percentage of students consistently engaging in other mindful activities. Discussion: Implications for mindfulness education and the promotion of evidence-based methods, particularly in Christian communities, are discussed.

Keywords: mindfulness, mindful practices, perception, Christian, university students, mental health

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2528 Determining Antecedents of Employee Turnover: A Study on Blue Collar vs White Collar Workers on Marco Level

Authors: Evy Rombaut, Marie-Anne Guerry

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Predicting voluntary turnover of employees is an important topic of study, both in academia and industry. Researchers try to uncover determinants for a broader understanding and possible prevention of turnover. In the current study, we use a data set based approach to reveal determinants for turnover, differing for blue and white collar workers. Our data set based approach made it possible to study actual turnover for more than 500000 employees in 15692 Belgian corporations. We use logistic regression to calculate individual turnover probabilities and test the goodness of our model with the AUC (area under the ROC-curve) method. The results of the study confirm the relationship of known determinants to employee turnover such as age, seniority, pay and work distance. In addition, the study unravels unknown and verifies known differences between blue and white collar workers. It shows opposite relationships to turnover for gender, marital status, the number of children, nationality, and pay.

Keywords: employee turnover, blue collar, white collar, dataset analysis

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2527 Learning with Music: The Effects of Musical Tension on Long-Term Declarative Memory Formation

Authors: Nawras Kurzom, Avi Mendelsohn

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The effects of background music on learning and memory are inconsistent, partly due to the intrinsic complexity and variety of music and partly to individual differences in music perception and preference. A prominent musical feature that is known to elicit strong emotional responses is musical tension. Musical tension can be brought about by building anticipation of rhythm, harmony, melody, and dynamics. Delaying the resolution of dominant-to-tonic chord progressions, as well as using dissonant harmonics, can elicit feelings of tension, which can, in turn, affect memory formation of concomitant information. The aim of the presented studies was to explore how forming declarative memory is influenced by musical tension, brought about within continuous music as well as in the form of isolated chords with varying degrees of dissonance/consonance. The effects of musical tension on long-term memory of declarative information were studied in two ways: 1) by evoking tension within continuous music pieces by delaying the release of harmonic progressions from dominant to tonic chords, and 2) by using isolated single complex chords with various degrees of dissonance/roughness. Musical tension was validated through subjective reports of tension, as well as physiological measurements of skin conductance response (SCR) and pupil dilation responses to the chords. In addition, music information retrieval (MIR) was used to quantify musical properties associated with tension and its release. Each experiment included an encoding phase, wherein individuals studied stimuli (words or images) with different musical conditions. Memory for the studied stimuli was tested 24 hours later via recognition tasks. In three separate experiments, we found positive relationships between tension perception and physiological measurements of SCR and pupil dilation. As for memory performance, we found that background music, in general, led to superior memory performance as compared to silence. We detected a trade-off effect between tension perception and memory, such that individuals who perceived musical tension as such displayed reduced memory performance for images encoded during musical tension, whereas tense music benefited memory for those who were less sensitive to the perception of musical tension. Musical tension exerts complex interactions with perception, emotional responses, and cognitive performance on individuals with and without musical training. Delineating the conditions and mechanisms that underlie the interactions between musical tension and memory can benefit our understanding of musical perception at large and the diverse effects that music has on ongoing processing of declarative information.

Keywords: musical tension, declarative memory, learning and memory, musical perception

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2526 The Effect of Symmetry on the Perception of Happiness and Boredom in Design Products

Authors: Michele Sinico

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The present research investigates the effect of symmetry on the perception of happiness and boredom in design products. Three experiments were carried out in order to verify the degree of the visual expressive value on different models of bookcases, wall clocks, and chairs. 60 participants directly indicated the degree of happiness and boredom using 7-point rating scales. The findings show that the participants acknowledged a different value of expressive quality in the different product models. Results show also that symmetry is not a significant constraint for an emotional design project.

Keywords: product experience, emotional design, symmetry, expressive qualities

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2525 A Research to Determine the Impact of Mobbing on Organizational Commitment

Authors: A. Bedük, k. Eryeşil, o. Eşmen, m. Onacak

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The mobbing is a process that is consisting of negative behaviors such as, systematically and continuously insulting, offending against personal dignity, preventing access to necessary information and disseminating rumors against employee by one or more than one individuals in a work environment through which disturbing the employee physically, psychologically and socially to cause to quit his/her job. This research is aiming to explore the results of mobbing (psychological violence) on employees’ organizational commitment in workplaces. Mobbing takes many forms and is often used to force an employee to leave the work environment. Two different types of scales have been reviewed and revised for use in the research. The Heinz Leymann scale is the first measure, which was developed to define causes and effects, in addition to characteristic behaviors of mobbing. The second scale was developed by Allen and Mayer and indicates levels of organizational commitment. In this research, a questionnaire were applied to 50 employees in a special glass factory in Konya to search mobbing itself and indicate the effects of mobbing to organizational commitments. One of the important findings of this research is that there was no relation between mobbing and general organizational commitment.

Keywords: mobbing, organizational commitment, affective commitment, normative commitment, continuance commitment

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2524 Stress Perception, Social Supports and Family Function among Military Inpatients with Adjustment Disorders in Taiwan

Authors: Huey-Fang Sun, Wei-Kai Weng, Mei-Kuang Chao, Hui-Shan Hsu, Tsai-Yin Shih

Abstract:

Psycho-social stress is important for mental illness and the presence of emotional and behavioral symptoms to an identifiable event is the central feature of adjustment disorders. However, whether patients with adjustment disorders have been raised in family with poor family functions and social supports and have higher stress perception than their peer group when they both experienced a similar stressful environment remains unknown. The specific aims of the study are to investigate the correlation among the family function, social supports and the level of stress perception and to test the hypothesis that military patients with adjustment disorders would have lower family function, lower social supports and higher stress perception than their healthy colleagues recruited in the same cohort for military services given their common exposure to similar stressful environments. Methods: The study was conducted in four hospitals of northern part of Taiwan from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2017 and a matched case-control study design was used. The inclusion criteria for potential patient participants were psychiatric inpatients that serviced in military during the study period and met the diagnosis of adjustment disorders. Patients who had been admitted to psychiatric ward before or had illiteracy problem were excluded. A healthy military control sample matched by the same military service unit, gender, and recruited cohort was invited to participate the study as well. Totally 74 participants (37 patients and 37 controls) completed the consent forms and filled out the research questionnaires. Questionnaires used in the study included Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) as a measure of stress perception; Family APGAR as a measure of family function, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) as a measure of social supports. Pearson correlation analysis and t-test were applied for statistical analysis. Results: The analysis results showed that PSS level significantly negatively correlated with three social support subscales (family subscale, r= -.37, P < .05; friend subscale, r= -.38, P < .05; significant other subscale, r= -.39, P < .05). A negative correlation between PSS level and Family APGAR only reached a borderline significant level (P= .06). The t-test results for PSS scores, Family APGAR levels, and three subscale scores of MSPSS between patient and control participants were all significantly different (P < .001, P < .05, P < .05, P < .05, P < .05, respectively) and the patient participants had higher stress perception scores, lower social supports and lower family function scores than the healthy control participants. Conclusions: Our study suggested that family function and social supports were negatively correlated with patients’ subjective stress perception. Military patients with adjustment disorders tended to have higher stress perception and lower family function and social supports than those military peers who remained healthy and still provided services in their military units.

Keywords: adjustment disorders, family function, social support, stress perception

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2523 Gender Differences in Attitudes to Technology in Primary Education

Authors: Radek Novotný, Martina Maněnová

Abstract:

This article presents a summary of reviews on gender differences in perception of information and communication technology (ICT) by pupils in primary education. The article outlines the meaning of ICT in primary education then summarizes different studies of the use of ICT in primary education from the point of view of gender. The article also presents the specific differences of gender in the knowledge of modalities of use of specialized digital tools and the perception and value assigned to ICT, accordingly the article provides insight into the background of gender differences in performance in relation to ICT to determinate the complex meaning of pupils attitudes to the ICT.

Keywords: ICT in primary education, attitudes to ICT, gender differences, gender and ICT

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2522 Using VR as a Training Tool in the Banking Industry

Authors: Bjørn Salskov, Nicolaj Bang, Charlotte Falko

Abstract:

Future labour markets demand employees that can carry out a non-linear task which is still not possible for computers. This means that employees must have well-developed soft-skills to perform at high levels in such a work environment. One of these soft-skills is presenting a message effectively. To be able to present a message effectively, one needs to practice this. To practice effectively, the trainee needs feedback on the current performance. Here VR environments can be used as a practice tool because it gives the trainee a sense of presence and reality. VR environments are becoming a cost-effective training method since it does not demand the presence of an expert to provide this feedback. The research article analysed in this study suggests that VR environment can be used and are able to provide the necessary feedback to the trainee which in turn will help the trainee become better at the task. The research analysed in this review does, however, show that there is a need for a study with larger sample size and a study which runs over a longer period.

Keywords: training, presentation, presentation skills, VR training, VR as a training tool, VR and presentation

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2521 Supernatural Beliefs Impact Pattern Perception

Authors: Silvia Boschetti, Jakub Binter, Robin Kopecký, Lenka PříPlatová, Jaroslav Flegr

Abstract:

A strict dichotomy was present between religion and science, but recently, cognitive science focusses on the impact of supernatural beliefs on cognitive processes such as pattern recognition. It has been hypothesized that cognitive and perceptual processes have been under evolutionary pressures that ensured amplified perception of patterns, especially when in stressful and harsh conditions. The pattern detection in religious and non-religious individuals after induction of negative, anxious mood shall constitute a cornerstone of the general role of anxiety, cognitive bias, leading towards or against the by-product hypothesis, one of the main theories on the evolutionary studies of religion. The apophenia (tendencies to perceive connection and meaning on unrelated events) and perception of visual patterns (or pateidolia) are of utmost interest. To capture the impact of culture and upbringing, a comparative study of two European countries, the Czech Republic (low organized religion participation, high esoteric belief) and Italy (high organized religion participation, low esoteric belief), are currently in the data collection phase. Outcomes will be presented at the conference. A battery of standardized questionnaires followed by pattern recognition tasks (the patterns involve color, shape, and are of artificial and natural origin) using an experimental method involving the conditioning of (controlled, laboratory-induced) stress is taking place. We hypothesize to find a difference between organized religious belief and personal (esoteric) belief that will be alike in both of the cultural environments.

Keywords: culture, esoteric belief, pattern perception, religiosity

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2520 Planning for Brownfield Regeneration in Malaysia: An Integrated Approach in Creating Sustainable Ex-Landfill Redevelopment

Authors: Mazifah Simis, Azahan Awang, Kadir Arifin

Abstract:

The brownfield regeneration is being implemented in developped countries. However, as a group 1 developing country in the South East Asia, the rapid development and increasing number of urban population in Malaysia have urged the needs to incorporate the brownfield regeneration into its physical planning development. The increasing number of urban ex-landfills is seen as a new resource that could overcome the issues of inadequate urban green space provisions. With regards to the new development approach in urban planning, this perception study aims to identify the sustainable planning approach based on what the stakeholders have in mind. Respondents consist of 375 local communities within four urban ex-landfill areas and 61 landscape architect and town planner officers in the Malaysian Local Authorities. Three main objectives are set to be achieved, which are (i) to identify ex-landfill issues that need to be overcome prior to the ex-landfill redevelopment (ii) to identify the most suitable types of ex-landfill redevelopment, and (iii) to identify the priority function for ex-landfill redevelopment as the public parks. From the data gathered through the survey method, the order of priorities based on stakeholders' perception was produced. The results show different perception among the stakeholders, but they agreed to the development of the public park as the main development. Hence, this study attempts to produce an integrated approach as a model for sustainable ex-landfill redevelopment that could be accepted by the stakeholders as a beneficial future development that could change the image of 296 ex-landfills in Malaysia into the urban public parks by the year 2020.

Keywords: brownfield regeneration, ex-landfill redevelopment, integrated approach, stakeholders' perception

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2519 Emotional Labor Strategies and Intentions to Quit among Nurses in Pakistan

Authors: Maham Malik, Amjad Ali, Muhammad Asif

Abstract:

Current study aims to examine the relationship of emotional labor strategies - deep acting and surface acting - with employees' job satisfaction, organizational commitment and intentions to quit. The study also examines the mediating role of job satisfaction and organizational commitment for relationship of emotional labor strategies with intentions to quit. Data were conveniently collected from 307 nurses by using self-administered questionnaire. Linear regression test was applied to find the relationship between the variables. Mediation was checked through Baron and Kenny Model and Sobel test. Results prove the existence of partial mediation of job satisfaction between the emotional labor strategies and quitting intentions. The study recommends that deep acting should be promoted because it is positively associated with quality of work life, work engagement and organizational citizenship behavior of employees.

Keywords: emotional labor strategies, intentions to quit, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, nursing

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2518 Farmers Perception and Awareness to Climate Change in Some Selected Local Government Areas in Jigawa State, Nigeria

Authors: M. M. Ubayo, U. S. Babuga, A. Garba

Abstract:

The study examined the level of climate change awareness and perception by rice farmers in Jigawa State, Nigeria. A multi-stage and purposive sampling technique was used to select respondents. The state is divided into four agricultural zones namely Birninkudu zone, Gumel zone, Hadejia zone, and Kazaure zone. Two agricultural zones (Gumel zone and Hadejia zones) were purposively selected. Six Local Government Areas (LGAs) were randomly selected from the two zones. Also, twenty rice farmers were purposively selected from each of the LGAS. Data were analyzed using frequency and percentages. The result shows that 83.3% of the respondents are aware of the climate change impact on their rice output. Personal experience is the main sources of climate change information in the study area, another 45.6% adopted use of irrigation as the most effective measure to combating climate change, 25.5% use of early maturing variety. Further studies are needed on how to combat the threat and menace of the climate change in the study area.

Keywords: awareness, perception, climate, change, Jigawa

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2517 Correlation between Visual Perception and Social Function in Patients with Schizophrenia

Authors: Candy Chieh Lee

Abstract:

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between visual perception and social function in patients with schizophrenia. The specific aims are: 1) To explore performances in visual perception and social function in patients with schizophrenia 2) to examine the correlation between visual perceptual skills and social function in patients with schizophrenia The long-term goal is to be able to provide the most adequate intervention program for promoting patients’ visual perceptual skills and social function, as well as compensatory techniques. Background: Perceptual deficits in schizophrenia have been well documented in the visual system. Clinically, a considerable portion (up to 60%) of schizophrenia patients report distorted visual experiences such as visual perception of motion, color, size, and facial expression. Visual perception is required for the successful performance of most activities of daily living, such as dressing, making a cup of tea, driving a car and reading. On the other hand, patients with schizophrenia usually exhibit psychotic symptoms such as auditory hallucination and delusions which tend to alter their perception of reality and affect their quality of interpersonal relationship and limit their participation in various social situations. Social function plays an important role in the prognosis of patients with schizophrenia; lower social functioning skills can lead to poorer prognosis. Investigations on the relationship between social functioning and perceptual ability in patients with schizophrenia are relatively new but important as the results could provide information for effective intervention on visual perception and social functioning in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: We recruited 50 participants with schizophrenia in the mental health hospital (Taipei City Hospital, Songde branch, Taipei, Taiwan) acute ward. Participants who have signed consent forms, diagnosis of schizophrenia and having no organic vision deficits were included. Participants were administered the test of visual-perceptual skills (non-motor), third edition (TVPS-3) and the personal and social performance scale (PSP) for assessing visual perceptual skill and social function. The assessments will take about 70-90 minutes to complete. Data Analysis: The IBM SPSS 21.0 will be used to perform the statistical analysis. First, descriptive statistics will be performed to describe the characteristics and performance of the participants. Lastly, Pearson correlation will be computed to examine the correlation between PSP and TVPS-3 scores. Results: Significant differences were found between the means of participants’ TVPS-3 raw scores of each subtest with the age equivalent raw score provided by the TVPS-3 manual. Significant correlations were found between all 7 subtests of TVPS-3 and PSP total score. Conclusions: The results showed that patients with schizophrenia do exhibit visual perceptual deficits and is correlated social functions. Understanding these facts of patients with schizophrenia can assist health care professionals in designing and implementing adequate rehabilitative treatment according to patients’ needs.

Keywords: occupational therapy, social function, schizophrenia, visual perception

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2516 Human Resource Practices and Organization Knowledge Capability: An Exploratory Study Applied to Private Organization

Authors: Mamoona Rasheed, Salman Iqbal, Muhammad Abdullah

Abstract:

Organizational capability, in terms of employees’ knowledge is valuable, and difficult to reproduce; and help to build sustainable competitive advantages. Knowledge capability is linked with human resource (HR) practices of an organization. This paper investigates the relationship between HR practices, knowledge management and organization capability. In an organization, employees play key role for the effective organizational performance by sharing their knowledge with management and co-workers that contributes towards organization capability. Pakistan being a developing country has different HR practices and culture. The business opportunities give rise to the discussion about the effect of HR practices on knowledge management and organization capability as innovation performance. An empirical study is conducted through questionnaires form the employees in private banks of Lahore, Pakistan. The data is collected via structured questionnaire with a sample of 120 cases. Data is analyzed using Structure Equation Modeling (SEM), and results are depicted using AMOS software. Results of this study are tabulated, interpreted and crosschecked with other studies. Findings suggest that there is a positive relationship of training & development along with incentives on knowledge management. On the other hand, employee’s participation has insignificant association with knowledge management. In addition, knowledge management has also positive association with organization capability. In line with the previous research, it is suggested that knowledge management is important for improving the organizational capability such as innovation performance and knowledge capacity of firm. Organization capability may improve significantly once specific HR practices are properly established and implemented by HR managers. This Study has key implications for knowledge management and innovation fields theoretically and practically.

Keywords: employee participation, incentives, knowledge management, organization capability, training and development

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