The Paid Helper's Position in Power

As the incompetent, the ill, the aged, the dependent, the mendicant, the miscreant, the recalcitrant, and the unemployed “have always been with us,” so too have those charged by society to assist these “less fortunate.” Searching for a significant sinecure, we helpers are the sycophants and supernumeraries of civilization.     

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF JOB SELECTION METHODS ON SIZE, PRODUCTIVITY, AND PAYROLL COSTS OF THE FEDERAL WORK FORCE: AN EMPIRICALLY BASED DEMONSTRATION

In this study, job performance increases resulting from improved selection validity were measured empirically rather than estimated from the standard linear regression utility equations. Selection utility analyses based on these empirical measurements were carried out for most white-collar jobs in the federal government. Results indicate that selection of a one-year cohort based on valid measures of cognitive ability, rather than on non-test procedures (mostly evaluations of education and experience), produces increases in output worth up to $600 million for each year that the new employees remain employed by the government. Newly hired federal employees remain with the government an average of approximately 13 years, resulting in a total gain in output of almost $8 billion over this period. This gain represents a 9.7% increase in output among new hires. If total output is held constant rather than increased, new hiring can be reduced by up to 20,044 per year (a 9% decrease), resulting in payroll savings of $272 million for every year the new cohort of employees remains on the job. The percentage of new hires in the bottom decile of the non-test-selected job performance distribution     

Employment of Recent University Business Graduates: Do Age,Gender, and Minority Status Make a Difference?

This study examined differences in the process of job search based on age, gender, and minority status. A sample of 398 recent business graduates of a southern university completed a survey on their current status and job search process, which was matched to their academic record. Results showed that women had higher GPAs than did men, but fewer women went on to graduate school immediately after graduation. African Americans had lower GPAs at graduation, were more likely to have used the university placement center, and were less likely to have had internships than Whites. These results are discussed in terms of providing better preemployment opportunities for women and African Americans and in terms of a realistic employment preview mechanism for all students.     

The Morality of Influencing in Counseling

It is the author's intention to help counselors think through the various ways in which they influence their clients and assess the morality of various alternative counseling decisions. The task is a complex one because of the widely varied counseling situations. To consider a wide variety of contexts simultaneously, the author formulates a matrix of influencing that is used to generate a series of questions that have moral significance in counseling contexts. Each question is given extensive discussion. Alternative answers and their moral implications are considered. Examples are used throughout to clarify moral problems and the moral implications of counseling decisions.     

Guidance and Counseling Services in the Federal Republic of Germany

This article presents an overview of the development, implementation, and struggle to maintain guidance and counseling services at various levels within the Federal Republic of Germany.     

ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS IN ESTIMATING THE UTILITY OF HUMAN RESOURCE PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS

Three economic concepts (variable costs, taxes, and discounting) are applied and incorporated into the previous utility formulas proposed by Brogden (1946, 1949), Cronbach and Gleser (1965), and Schmidt, et al. (1979, 1982). The resulting utility model indicates that the previous formulas are deficient and can produce upwardly biased utility estimates. Empirical examples based on published research (e.g., Schmidt, et al., 1982) are presented indicating the substantial magnitude of the bias given realistic levels of variable costs, taxes, and discount rates. The present utility model is used to adjust for such bias and is shown to provide a more complete and precise utility definition. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Let's close the confidentiality gap

An examination of the interface between the law of privileged communication and the professional standards of confidentiality reveals a considerable gap between what the law is and what counseling and guidance personnel believe it is. The nature of the law is discussed, and evidence of disagreement with and misunderstanding of the law by counseling and guidance personnel is presented. Several recommendations are made to close the gap by bringing knowledge and attitude of counseling and guidance personnel into agreement with the law as well as modifying the law to reflect the needs of clients, counselors, and society.