Why Fit Doesn't Always Matter: The Impact of HRM and Cultural Fit on Job Involvement of Kenyan Employees

The study investigates whether fit of human resources management (HRM) policies with employees' preferences in developing countries of sub‐Saharan Africa, with specific reference to Kenya, impacts on levels of job involvement. We argue that the contextual variables in developing countries are varied and complex to the extent that organisations operating in these milieux might find that 'fit' as presented in the literature from developed economies does not matter. Further, we examine the role of individual value orientations and organisation value fit to look for a link with job involvement. The study contends that the use of simple difference scores to measure fit is inadequate, and adopts Edwards' (1994) regression technique to analyse fit. Overall, the results indicate that the person–environment (HRM preference with actual policy practice) fit model can partially predict job involvement in a developing country context, but in a way that is not consistent with theory. However, job involvement is not related strongly to either the convergence of an individual's values with those of others in the organisation, or convergence of HRM policies with individual preferences. It is the values themselves—not their fit—that are most predictive of job involvement.     

Evaluations of Clergy Children Versus Non-Clergy Children: Does a Negative Stereotype Exist?

Studies that have been conducted on PKs (children of the clergy) are limited and outdated. But it has been thought that numerous stresses coincide with being a PK. This study tried to document the existence of a negative stereotype of PKs. The participants were 63 college students consisting of 40 Non-PKs and 23 PKs. They were given a mock college application to evaluate and then asked to rate the applicant on various dimensions. The participants rated one of three applicants: PK with bad behavior, PK with good behavior, or non-PK with bad behavior. The bad behavior was a DWI offense. Results indicated limited support of the hypothesis of a negative stereotype of PKs. A separate questionnaire given to the PKs inquiring about the stresses of their lifestyle revealed that PKs do report experiencing a significant amount of stress.     

The Relative Rewards and Costs of Childlessness for Older Women

Currently married or widowed women aged 60–75 (N = 719), either childless or with one or more children, were interviewed about advantages and disadvantages of childlessness and about other family-related and social areas. Results indicate that childless older women did not conform to a stereotype of unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Respondents with and without children valued the rewards of their particular lifestyle and perceived costs in the other.     

The Preventing Relational Aggression in Schools Everyday Program: A Preliminary Evaluation of Acceptability and Impact

Despite recent research suggesting that relationally aggressive behaviors occur frequently and may lead to physically aggressive actions within urban school settings, there has been little prior research to develop and evaluate relational aggression prevention efforts within the urban schools. The current article describes the development and preliminary evaluation of the Preventing Relational Aggression in Schools Everyday (PRAISE) Program. PRAISE is a 20-session classroom-based universal prevention program, designed to be appropriate and responsive to the needs of youth within the urban school context. Results suggest strong acceptability for the program and feasibility of implementation. Further, the program was especially beneficial for girls. For instance, girls in classrooms randomly assigned to the PRAISE Program demonstrated higher levels of knowledge for social information processing and anger management techniques and lower levels of relational aggression following treatment as compared to similar girls randomly assigned to a no-treatment control condition. Further, relationally aggressive girls exhibited similar benefits from the program (greater knowledge and lower levels of relational aggression) plus lower levels of overt aggression following treatment as compared to relationally aggressive girls within the control classrooms. In contrast, the program was not associated with improvements for boys across most measures. The significance and implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.