Predicting Employee Turnover From Communication Networks

This article investigates three social network models of employee turnover: a structural equivalence model, a social influence model, and an erosion model. It was predicted that structurally equivalent individuals would be more likely to behave similarly (i.e., leave or stay at their position). The rocial influence model predicted that employees with a greater percentage of direct communication links with leavers would be more likely to leave their job. The erosion model posited that individuals located on the periphery of a social network would be more likely to leave their job or “fall off” the edges of the social network. A total of 170 employees, a census of an organization, were administered a communication network questionnaire asking them to identify the people with whom they communicate at work. Network self-report data were analyzed using NEGOPY and UCINET software. Results provided support for all three models of turnover, with the erosion model explaining more of the variance than the other two models. Future research examining communication networks and employee turnover is proposed, on the basis of these results.     

Can Research in the Human Sciences Become More Relevant to Practice?

The threads of several arguments currently under consideration in various areas of research and practice in counseling are woven together to provide a slightly altered view of the scientist-practitioner model in counseling.     

Blameworthy Action and Character

A number of philosophers from Hume on have claimed that it does not make sense to blame people for acting badly unless their bad acts were rooted in their characters. In this paper, I distinguish a stronger and a weaker version of this claim. The claim is false, I argue, if it is taken to mean that agents can only be blamed for bad acts when those acts are manifestations of character paws . However, what is both true and important is the weaker claim that an act is not blameworthy unless it is rooted in some enduring aspect or aspects of the agent's character that may or may not be flaws, and that, if flaws, may or may not be bad in the same way that the act itself is.     

Kate Hevner Mueller: Woman for a Changing World

Kate Hevner Mueller was a pioneer, not only in student affairs administration but also in the graduate-level preparation of student affairs staff and in the education of women for diverse roles in society. At the same time, she was a scholar of many interests, from psychometrics to aesthetic expression, who made a lasting contribution to the knowledge and literature of student affairs. Mueller's personal papers included extensive autobiographical reflections on her life and her experiences as a teacher, researcher, and mentor. These writings, as well as the recollections of her students and colleagues, were fashioned into the “interview” that follows.     

Geroconsultation: A Proposed Decision-Making Model

Recognizing the rapidly increasing number of aging individuals in the United States and the difficulties encountered by these people (and those who are close to them), the authors propose a consultative model for use by professionals who work with this population. An example of content for possible inclusion in the consultative process is proposed for use in decision making.