Justified Judging

Traditional approaches to epistemology have sought, unsuccessfully, to define knowledge in terms of justification. I follow Timothy Williamson in arguing that this is misconceived and that we should take knowledge as our fundamental epistemological notion. We can then characterise justification as a certain sort of approximation to knowledge. A judgement is justified if and only if the reason (if there is one) for a failure to know is to be found outside the subject's mental states; that is, justified judging is possible knowing (where one world accessible from another if and only if they are identical with regard to a subject's antecedent mental states and judgement forming processes). This view is explained and defended.     

HOW HIGH PERFORMANCE HUMAN RESOURCE PRACTICES AND WORKFORCE UNIONIZATION AFFECT MANAGERIAL PAY

Using data from a nationally representative sample of telecommunications establishments, this study finds that HR practices and workforce unionization influence managerial pay levels and the ratio of manager-to-worker pay. High performance HR practices, including investment in the skills of the workforce, in computer-based technologies and in performance-based worker pay practices, are all positively related to managerial pay; but the use of workforce teams, which shift some managerial responsibilities to workers, has the opposite association. High performance HR practices also are associated with lower manager-to-worker pay differentials. In addition, workforce unionization is positively associated with managerial pay levels, with worker base pay mediating the relationship between managers' pay and unionization.     

A REVIEW OF QUALITY CIRCLE EFFICACY AND THE EXISTENCE OF POSITIVE-FINDINGS BIAS

Literature on the impact of the quality circle process upon both individual and organizational outcomes was reviewed and, on average, demonstrated the intervention's effectiveness. In addition, two moderating factors were identified and their influence reported. Finally, the potential for a positive-findings bias was investigated, with no significant positive-findings bias found. It is suggested that this bias may be an artifact resulting from the inclusion of "popular-press" articles with research-oriented studies. The implications of this finding and the existence of other threats to quality circle efficacy are discussed.     

THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PERSONNEL SELECTION OF APPARENT DECLINES IN PREDICTIVE VALIDITIES OVER TIME: A CRITIQUE OF HULIN, HENRY, AND NOON

Hulin, Henry, and Noon (1990) reviewed evidence from a number of studies which supported, in their view, the position that predictive validities decreased over time. If correct, their results would have significant implications for personnel selection practice and research. However, further analysis of their evidence suggested that their results may have only limited generalizability. More specifically, few of the studies they used to support their claim of decreasing predictive validities were field studies of prediction-criterion pairs. Furthermore^ reported data on lagged intercorrelations were of limited relevance to the question of decreasing validities. Finally, a large body of data relevant to the issue of time-lagged validities in a personnel selection context were omitted because the data did not meet Hulin et al.'s restrictive criteria.     

Opiate Addicts and Their Parents

A minority of opiate addicts, especially young males, maintain close ties with their parents. These families, referred to here as “addict-families,” are characterized by: (a) much greater success by the parents in meeting reality demands than by the addicts; (b) apparent congeniality and closeness but an absence of effective communication; (c) unsuccessful attempts by the parents to control the addict's behavior; (d) a tendency for the father to dominate the mother; (e) extreme overindulgence of the addict by one or both parents; (f) absence of parental support for movement toward adult responsibility in the addict; (g) family consensus in perceiving the addict as failing by conventional values. The characteristics seem to perpetuate the addiction, and the addiction appears to maintain the stability of the family.