Selecting Unskilled and Semi‐Skilled Blue‐Collar Workers: The criterion‐related validity of the PDI‐employment inventory1

Two concurrent criterion‐related validity studies were conducted with blue‐collar workers employed in Australia. The first sample consisted of 77 unskilled and semi‐skilled manufacturing employees. The second sample consisted of 243 stockpeople who worked in piggeries. A range of work‐related criteria was used, and this range differed across the two studies. The results showed that Employment Inventory–Performance was a reasonable predictor of some aspects of supervisor ratings of work performance but unrelated to other aspects. A similar pattern of findings emerged with self‐ratings of work performance. Employment Inventory–Tenure was weakly related to turnover intentions and actual turnover.     

Exploring the Moderating Roles of Perceived Person–Job Fit and Person–Organisation Fit on the Relationship between Training Investment and Knowledge Workers' Turnover Intentions

Previous studies have documented inconsistent results in terms of the relationship between knowledge workers' perceived training investment and their turnover intentions. In order to clarify the inconsistencies, the present study extends previous research by exploring the moderating roles of perceived demand–ability (D–A) job fit and person–organisation (P–O) fit. Data were collected from 303 research and development (R&D) engineers from 30 high‐technology firms in Taiwan. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses. The results show that perceived D–A fit, P–O fit, and perceived training investment interact jointly to predict knowledge workers' turnover intentions. Specifically, while the main effect of perceived training investment on turnover intentions was negative, under situations of extremely high perceived D–A fit and extremely low P–O fit, the relationship between knowledge workers' perceived training investment and their turnover intentions became positive, and under situations of low perceived D–A fit and high P–O fit, the relationship between knowledge workers' perceived training investment and their turnover intentions remained negative. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed. Les études antérieures ont donné des résultats contradictoires quant aux relations entre la connaissance que les salariés perçoivent de l’investissement dans la formation et leurs intentions de changer. Dans le but de clarifier ces incohérences, la présente étude prend la suite de recherches antérieures en explorant les rôles modérateurs de la compatibilité perçue entre la compétence et les nécessités au travail (DA) et de la compatibilité entre la personne prise dans sa globalité et les caractéristiques de l’organisation qui l’emploie (PO). Les données ont été collectées auprès de 303 ingénieurs en recherche et développement (R&D) de 30 entreprises de haute technologie à Taiwan. Des analyses de régression hiérarchique ont conduit à tester les hypothèses. Les résultats montrent que la compatibilité D‐A, la compatibilité P‐O et l’investissement perçu dans la formation interagissent conjointement pour prédire les intentions de changement des employés. Plus spécifiquement, alors que le principal effet de l’investissement perçu dans la formation sur les intentions de changement est négatif, dans des conditions de compatibilité D‐A perçue comme étant basse et de compatibilité P‐O haute, la relation entre la connaissance que les salariés perçoivent de l’investissement dans la formation et leurs intentions de changement reste négative. Les implications théoriques et pratiques sont aussi discutées.     

Is it Morally Wrong to Defend Unjust Causes as a Lawyer?

The question I address in this article is whether it is morally wrong for a lawyer to represent a client whose purpose is immoral or unjust. My answer to this question is that it is wrong, prima facie. This conclusion holds, even accepting certain traditional principles of lawyer's professional ethics, such as the right of defence and the so‐called principle of ‘adversarial’ litigation. Both the adversarial system and the right of defence are sufficient to support or justify the right of potential clients (and citizens in general) to defend their interests in the judicial system and to do so with the technical assistance of a lawyer. This right includes a right to pursue unjust or immoral purposes (within the law). However, having a right to do X does not mean that it is morally permissible to do X. We can have a right to do something morally wrong. This being so, the fundamental moral reason for a lawyer not to accept representation for a client with an immoral purpose is that it is, prima facie, morally wrong to help someone do something wrong.     

Measuring the combined risk to young children's cognitive development: An alternative to cumulative indices

In studies of child development, the combined effect of multiple risks acting in unison has been represented in a variety of ways. This investigation builds upon this preceding work and presents a new procedure for capturing the combined effect of multiple risks. A representative sample of 2,899 British children had their cognitive development measured at 36 and 58 months of age along with 10 potential risks during this period of development. Comparing a cumulative index of these risks against the previously undocumented alternative of confirmatory factor analysis using formative measurement, this study found differences favouring the factor analysis. The factor analysis procedure demonstrated greater predictive power of children's cognitive development while it systematically tested two of the assumptions implicit in cumulative risk indices.     

Social Cynicism and Job Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Analysis

Social cynicism, a negative view about people and social institutions, was found to show a negative correlation with job satisfaction across societies. A preliminary study in Hong Kong showed that social cynicism and job satisfaction correlated negatively across individuals as well. To confirm the causal effect of social cynicism on job satisfaction, a longitudinal study in Shanghai, China, with three waves of surveys, was conducted. Results showed that social cynicism correlated negatively with job satisfaction measured concurrently, and was predictive of job satisfaction measured subsequently. Consistent with the buffering hypothesis, perceived well‐being was a significant moderator in that the negative relationship between social cynicism and job satisfaction was significant only when perceived well‐being was low. On s'est aperçu que le cynisme social (une vision négative des gens et des institutions sociales) entretenait une corrélation négative avec la satisfaction professionnelle quelle que soit la société. Une étude préliminaire à Hong‐Kong a montré que le cynisme social et la satisfaction professionnelle présentaient également une corrélation négative au niveau de l'individu. Dans le but de confirmer le statut causal du cynisme social sur la satisfaction professionnelle, on a mené une étude longitudinale en Chine, à Shanghai, avec trois enquêtes successives. Les résultats montrent que le cynisme social est négativement reliéà la satisfaction professionnelle mesurée au même moment et prédit la satisfaction professionnelle mesurée ultérieurement. En accord avec l'hypothèse portant sur la résistance aux aléas de l'existence, le bien‐être perçu est un modérateur actif dans la mesure où la relation négative entre le cynisme social et la satisfaction professionnelle n'est significative que lorsque le bien‐être perçu est médiocre.     

An accumulator model for responses and response times in tests based on the proportional hazards model

Latent trait models for responses and response times in tests often lack a substantial interpretation in terms of a cognitive process model. This is a drawback because process models are helpful in clarifying the meaning of the latent traits. In the present paper, a new model for responses and response times in tests is presented. The model is based on the proportional hazards model for competing risks. Two processes are assumed, one reflecting the increase in knowledge and the second the tendency to discontinue. The processes can be characterized by two proportional hazards models whose baseline hazard functions correspond to the temporary increase in knowledge and discouragement. The model can be calibrated with marginal maximum likelihood estimation and an application of the ECM algorithm. Two tests of model fit are proposed. The amenability of the proposed approaches to model calibration and model evaluation is demonstrated in a simulation study. Finally, the model is used for the analysis of two empirical data sets.