Religious Diversity in America: The Emergence of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and Others

America has always been a religiously diverse nation, but this has increased in recent decades. Changes in the non–Judeo–Christian population in the United States in general and the market share held by Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus in particular are examined. While the share of the population following these faiths has increased appreciably in recent decades, both the size of these groups and their growth has often been exaggerated.     

ISSUES AND STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING THE LENGTH OF SELF-REPORT SCALES

Greater understanding of the complex interrelationships among work-relevant constructs has increased the number of constructs on organizational surveys. Good psychometric practice also dictates the use of multiple items per construct. The net result has been longer surveys. Longer surveys take more time to complete, tend to have more missing data, and have higher refusal rates than short surveys. Arguably, then, techniques for reducing the length of scales while maintaining psychometric quality are worthwhile. Little guidance exists on how to reduce the length of a multi-item scale and we argue that the most common technique, maximizing internal consistency, is problematic and should be avoided. We present a set of item "quality indices" to help conceptualize the competing issues that influence item retention decisions. Statistical analysis of an example case using these indices suggested that there are 3 key aspects of item quality to consider when reducing a scale. We describe strategies that can assist scale developers in using these 3 aspects of item quality when making scale reduction decisions.     

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Female Spiritual Development

Religiously involved lay women (N = 266), 31% of whom had been sexually abused in childhood, filled out the revised Spiritual Experience Index (SEI-R). Results showed higher SEI-R scores for the sexually abused group, with a more accepting attitude compared with those with a striving attitude. A subscale of the SEI-R revealed that the sexually abused may turn to their faith and spirituality for support. Those with the highest educational achievements, Catholics, and those who experienced emotional abuse scored high on the Spiritual Openness subscale. Implications for spiritual development and counseling are discussed.     

The effectiveness of Japanese styles of management: A review and critique

A detailed review is presented of studies bearing on the performance and effectiveness of Japanese managers, with particular attention to comparative data. Japanese managers within Japan are found to show continuing marked differences from those within other countries. These differences are not easily conceptualized within established Western models of management style and systems of decision making, and are thus frequently misunderstood. Japanese firms in the West are found to utilize only some of the practices used in Japan. Researchers in this field have often failed to distinguish between the occurrence of a particular behaviour and the manner in which it is interpreted within and between particular cultures. The similarities and differences between effective management in Japan and in the West will only become clear when studies are undertaken which make such distinctions.