Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Job reduction'

The purpose of the current study was to examine whether older job applicants are discriminated against relative to younger job applicants when changing careers, and to investigate whether an intervention designed to reduce stereotyping and prejudice could alleviate such unfair discrimination, if it was found. A between-subjects laboratory experiment with three factors was conducted, including age (young vs. old job applicant), career-transition type (within- vs. between-career transition), and a dual-identity based recategorization intervention (control vs. intervention), totaling 8 experimental conditions. Data were collected and analyzed from 157 undergraduate student participants. Participants were informed that they would be evaluating the viability of using video-resumes as a potential organizational selection tool, and were randomly assigned to watch a video-resume depicting a White male job applicant applying for the job of mechanical engineer. The job applicant was either younger or older and was either making a career change that was more similar to his previous career (i.e., naval architect) or less similar to his previous career (i.e., chiropractor). In the intervention conditions, the job applicant emphasized his age and the fact that he graduated from UCF; in the control conditions, he only emphasized his age and his educational background from a generic university. An actor in his early twenties played the role of the job applicant. Make-up was applied to age his face, and computer software was used to age his voice. After viewing the video-resumes, participants judged his suitability for hire, competence, warmth, loyalty, and suitability for training. A Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted and a significant 3-way interaction was found between age, career-transition type, and intervention on both ratings of suitability for hire and on competence ratings. Counter to theory, the older job applicant was negatively impacted relative to the younger applicant when attempting to build a common ingroup identity with the younger decision-maker. These findings were discussed within the context of theories on attribution and impression management, and discussed relative to prior research utilizing the dual-identity based recategorization intervention method. Implications for older workers making career transitions are discussed.
Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
Sciences
Psychology PhD

A group of veteran police officers was studied in relation to the effectiveness of a stress reduction program which utilized a cognitive-behavioral approachto training. A new instrument, the Coulson Police Job Stress Discussionaire, (CPJSD), was field tested. Two control groups, a veteran group who received no stress reduction training and an academy group which received standard basic training but not the stress reduction program, were compared on pre—test and post-test Profile of Mood States (POMS) mood disturbance cores. Contrary to the main hypothesis formulated, there were no significant differences found between the three groups on post-test POMS measures of mood disturbance when compared with pre-test measures. The construct validity of the POMS for use with police officers is challenged. The specific format utilized is discussed and suggestions are offered for future study design. Specific difficulties inherent in the study of police groups are examined. The usefulness of the CPJSD for police job stress reduction program is suggested, as is the need for further field testing of this instrument.

In the 1996–1997 school year, California instituted one of the most costly and far-reaching educational reforms in the nation, reducing class size to 20 to 1 in first grade classes. The following year the California legislature authorized the expansion of class size reduction up to four grades (Kindergarten through third grade). This study investigated teacher attitudes toward students, training, and teaching methods when working in reduced class size settings (20 to 1). The study used survey and in-depth interview data. In the 1996–1997 school year several questions on teaching in a reduced class size setting were included in a survey sent to all teachers in the Sacramento City Unified School District. In the 1997–1998 school year all teachers working in reduced class size settings were surveyed for this study. Over two hundred teachers (46.6%) returned the survey. Follow-up interviews were conducted with sixteen teachers. The survey data indicated that teachers felt that they were using individualized instruction, providing feedback, and monitoring student progress more because of smaller class size. Teachers were more willing to attend training in specific areas. Teachers also communicated higher expectations to students. Interview data strongly indicated that teachers were experiencing higher job satisfaction, and that they felt they had a higher level of effectiveness because of class size reduction. The results of this study confirmed the results of prior research that size reduction has a very positive effect on teacher attitudes.

Mindfulness is a quality of consciousness that consists of purposeful attention to and awareness of the present moment, approached with an attitude of openness, acceptance, and nonjudgment. Research evidence shows that mindfulness has positive effects on mental health and psychological well-being, physical health, and quality of intimate relationships. However, few researchers have studied the effects of mindfulness in a work setting. In this project, I expanded previous research by exploring how mindfulness, as developed in a mindfulness-based training program, affects the workplace outcomes of performance and citizenship behavior. I proposed that these effects are mediated through the positive effects of mindfulness on one's experienced affect and one's work relationships. I also examined interdependence as a moderator of the relationship quality-work outcomes relationship. The research study employed an experimental group of participants in a mindfulness-based program and a nonequivalent control group to test the specific hypotheses. Data were provided by multiple sources: mindfulness, affect, and role interdependence by study participants; relationship quality by coworkers; performance and citizenship behavior by supervisors. Analytic strategy was comprised of correlational analysis and regression as well as analytical procedures for moderated mediation. The mindfulness-based programs were effective in increasing mindfulness, particularly for those participants who were lower in mindfulness prior to program participation. Participants also experienced improved affect. However, the proposed model relating mindfulness to work outcomes was not supported. Mindfulness was significantly related to positive and negative affect as predicted; however, mindfulness was not significantly correlated with relationship quality or job performance. Its significant relationship with citizenship behavior was in the opposite direction as hypothesized. In the full model, coefficients for mindfulness, experienced affect, relationship quality, and role interdependence in the prediction of job performance and citizenship behavior were not significant. Additionally, interdependence did not interact with relationship quality to predict work outcomes. Implications of the study for mindfulness-based programs in work settings and for future research are discussed.

Downsizing, realignment, and closure of military bases have forced many low-skilled, blue-collar federal employees into involuntary job loss and job transition. The impact of involuntary job loss on blue-collar workers has been linked to stress and other adverse psychological effects. There is gap in the literature regarding the lived experiences of federal blue-collar employees following downsizing of military bases. The purpose of this qualitative, interpretive phenomenological study was to examine lived experiences of job loss and job transition for federal blue-collar employees following downsizing of military bases. Schlossberg's transition theory provided a conceptual framework for the study. Ten ex-federal blue-collar employees were recruited through purposeful sampling and interviewed using a semistructured interview strategy. The modified Moustakas and Stevick-Coliazzi-Keen method of analysis was used to analyze the data and report emergent themes. The following 7 themes emerged from the data: transition was associated with negative feelings, employer was unprepared for transition process, support provided by employer, emotional support from family and significant others, engaged in other activities, accepted the transition process, and drew motivation from family. The findings from this study may contribute to positive social change by providing important information that human resource managers, industrial/organizational psychologists, and government agencies can use to advocate for the need for developing programs that support civilian job transition services to individuals who are affected by federal downsizing.

A teacher's ability to foster and sustain high quality learning environments for their students relies largely on their own coping abilities and mental health. However, due to the emotionally taxing nature of their profession, teachers are at increased risk for developing elevated levels of occupational stress and burnout. To help teachers cope with their occupational stress and other negative emotions related to their occupation, mindfulness-based stress reduction programs for teachers have been introduced through schools. Evidence for the effectiveness of such programs is promising, however few studies have considered underlying mechanisms that may be driving these effects. Using data collected as part of a randomized controlled trial, this thesis examines the impact of mindfulness training on three coping resources, namely, somatic body awareness, executive function, and emotion regulation. Additionally, this thesis examines whether development of these resources translate into improvements in teachers' occupational well-being--specifically indicated through reductions in their anxiety, depression, stress, and burnout. Results suggest that the mindfulness training significantly improves teachers' somatic body awareness, with evidence for improvements in teachers' emotion regulation reappraisal as well. Additionally, some mediation results were promising, however, no significant mediations were found for any of the coping resources on any of the well-being outcomes for teachers. By addressing these topics, the results of this thesis contribute to the current field's understanding of how mindfulness training works to improve well-being in teachers.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
The efforts of government in creating jobs and eradicating poverty in developing countries have received major attention among policy makers and operators of microfinance in the last one decade. One of such efforts is the establishment of a microfinance program known as South Africa Microfinance Apex fund (samaf) by South African government. Samaf was established in 2006 with the aims and objective to provide micro loan and credit to poor people living in peri-uban and rural areas of South Africa. This was brought about as a result of a gap created by major financial institutions that are neither available nor operating in such rural and remote areas. This research attempts to explore the effectiveness of samaf on job creation and poverty reduction as mandated by its aims and objective. The study was a case study, and data analysis mainly used descriptive statistics and inferential statistics to analyze the quantitative data that was collected in the research field. Findings from the study reveal that samaf was effective in terms of number of jobs creation. Also, it was found that there was an improvement in the life styles of beneficiaries than before they took samaf loan. However, samaf itself do have its shortcoming in term of quick delivery of funds to the MFIs. The study further discovered that, majority of samaf MFIs are not willing to expand their operations into informal settlement areas because of two reasons. First, majority of people living in such areas are considered vulnerable because due to the possibility non repayment of loans as they live in abject poverty. Secondly, majority do not have a fixed or permanent address which makes it difficult for MFIs to trace them. Based on the observation above, samaf will need a guiding and better strategy in terms of its delivery as there is none currently. This is necessary if it plans to achieve its aims and objectives and delivers on its mandate.

The demand for more powerful supercomputers continues to increase along with the types of applications submitted by researchers. Recent developments in the analysis of big data and new paradigms of programming as the map-reduce, put further emphasis on short jobs. Hence, HPC job dispatcher have to rapidly process a large number of short jobs in real time taking into account their energy needs. Since these can be similar, it is effective to exploit past executions information quickly. The existing Machine Learning methods need to be trained on new data, so we build a very simple data-driven model of power consumption that can be updated online. Using data from the Eurora’s monitoring framework we built a data set to develop our ML-based model. We integrated our job power predictor in an existing CP-based dispatcher to obtain a power-aware job dispatcher. We achieved excellent results without affect the HPC systems' quality-of-Service (QoS).

Over the past decade, there have been numerous claims in the popular media relating to having fun at work, touting a plethora of benefits for both individuals and organisations that have to date not been empirically investigated. Thus far, any research related to fun in the workplace has often been indiscriminate with its use of terms, interspersing fun with humour and play, thus adding confusion to an already inadequately defined construct. The aim of this research is two fold: to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the construct to differentiate and define fun in a work context, and to measure the perceived impact of having fun in the workplace. In order to locate fun as a unique construct, literature related to fun, humour and play/playfulness was reviewed and positioned in a nomological net utilising a three phase framework consisting of presage, process and product (3P). Four studies in this research program investigated the domain of fun activities in the workplace, the underlying structure of the construct, the process of having fun and the perceived impact of fun specifically in relation to job satisfaction, stress reduction, effectiveness and workplace relationships. Results identified a domain of 15 distinct fun activities. Using multidimensional scaling, an underlying structure of four neighbourhood clusters (humour and play, informal socialising, formal socialising and organisational activities) and two dimensions (contextual connections with others and activity structure and intensity) were identified. The investigation of the process of fun was conducted by examining case vignettes using the 3P framework. Results suggest the experience of fun at work is activity based, with an emotionally qualitative dimension that is highly socially interactive and engaging. The organisational context for fun appears to be embodied in supportive iv management and colleagues, positive team dynamics and a non stressed environment. The participant experiencing the fun is usually in the role of contributor rather than observer, is highly engaged, experiencing amusement, laughter, flow, social connection and as an outcome, an increase in positive mood. While humour and play contribute to the process of fun, fun appears to be a uniquely distinct construct. Finally, the present results suggest the perceived impact of having fun at work, while positive, was not reported globally to the extent suggested in the popular press. The most significant outcome of having fun was the reporting of improved positive mood after the fun event, with the related cascading organisational effects discussed. Complimentary to this, having fun at work was perceived to positively influence workplace relationships to a moderate-high degree, contribute to managing stress to a moderate degree, improved job satisfaction to moderate degree and was reported to have a little more than neutral, direct impact on workplace effectiveness. These outcomes must however be examined in the context of results, suggesting not only are different types of fun activities enjoyed more, but different types of activities are highly salient in relation to the particular organisational variable measured. Results of this series of studies have provided a revised nomological net that can be used in further research to define the construct of fun in a workplace context. Supplementary to this, outcomes suggest having fun at work has positive impacts for both individuals and workplaces and therefore further investigation, at multiple organisational levels is required, ranging from individual disposition in relation to fun, to the effects of fun on workplace culture.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy in Organisational Psychology (PhD)
School of Psychology
Griffith Health
Full Text

Microcredit has an important role in the growth and productivity of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in East Timor, also on poverty reduction in other countries. The objective of this thesis, comprised of four essays, is to provide empirical evidence of the impact of microcredit on the growth and productivity of MSEs and poverty reduction of a selected set of specific factors. As microcredit is still a relevant issue of concern for some countries, due to their considerable role and functions for the growth and productivity of MSEs, the first paper performs an empirical analysis of MSEs data obtained with the application of a questionnaire in Dili, East Timor. The second paper examines the impact of microcredit on MSEs growth in Dili, East Timor, controlling for MSE age and size, micro saving and also for the firms' activity sector, firm’s investment type and the gender of the owner/manager of the firm, with 1-year data. The third paper examines the impact of microcredit on the productivity (measured by single factor productivity (SFP), total factor productivity (TFP) and labor productivity (LP)) of MSEs in East Timor, with 1-year data. Lastly, the fourth paper examines the impact of microcredit, job creation, inflation rates and education on poverty reduction, controlling for income and its distribution, in East Timor, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, and Srilanka, with data from 2007-2016. The results obtained suggest that: (i) the microcredit had a significant contribution on the growth and productivity of MSEs; (ii) the microcredit had positive impact on the growth of MSEs; (iii) the microcredit had a positive impact on MSEs productivity; and (iv) microcredit had a significant impact on the poverty reduction; Resumo: O microcrédito tem um papel importante no crescimento e produtividade das micro e pequenas empresas (MPEs), contribuíndo para a redução da pobreza em Timor-Leste tal como acontece em muitos outros países. O objetivo desta tese, composta por quatro artigos científicos, é fornecer evidências empíricas do impacto do microcrédito no crescimento e produtividade das MPEs e redução da pobreza, de um conjunto selecionado de factores específicos. Continuando o microcrédito a ser um fator relevante para alguns países devido ao seu papel e funções consideráveis no crescimento e produtividade das MPE, fizemos em primeiro lugar uma análise da evidência empírica do microcrédito nas MPE de Timor-Leste, com dados de 1 ano, obtidos com o recurso a um questionário. O segundo artigo analisa o impacto do microcrédito no crescimento das MPE em Díli, Timor-Leste, tendo em conta a idade e dimensão das MPE, a micro poupança e, também, o sector de actividade das empresas, o tipo de investimento das empresas e o género do proprietário/gestor da empresa, também com dados de 1 ano. O terceiro artigo examina o impacto do microcrédito na produtividade (medida pela produtividade de fator único (SFP), produtividade total dos fatores (TFP) e produtividade do trabalho (LP)) das MPEs em Timor-Leste, ainda com dados de 1 ano. Por último, o quarto artigo examina o impacto do microcrédito, criação de emprego, taxas de inflação, relação entre educação e redução da pobreza, contorlando a obtenção de rendimento e sua distribuição, em Timor-Leste, Bangladesh, Indonésia, Filipinas, Myanmar, Camboja, Paquistão, Malásia, Tailândia, Nepal e Srilanka, com dados para o período 2007-2016. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que: (i) o microcrédito teve uma contribuição significativa no crescimento e produtividade das MPE; (ii) o microcrédito teve impacto positivo no crescimento das MPE; (iii) o microcrédito teve um impacto positivo na produtividade das MPE; e (iv) o microcrédito teve um impacto significativo na redução da pobreza.

This study aims to explore the extent to which participating in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme may result in shifts in people’s relationship with time, notably whether they become more present-focussed. The eight week MBSR programme advocates mindfulness, which is defined as paying attention on purpose in the present moment without judgement, as a way of reducing stress. The programme has been available in East London since 2009. A case study of eight MBSR programme participants’ experiences using narrative analysis was conducted. Narrative psychology and social constructionism provided the theoretical basis in which our storied lives are located in culturally inscribed narratives, with specific discourses around time and stress. Time discourses tend to pressurise people to believe that it is better to go about daily life at a fast pace, which requires significant hurrying and rushing with pervasive senses of time urgency. Stress discourse locates stress management within individuals. One-on-one semi structured interviews were held so that participants could reflect on their experience of time and the present moment orientation of the programme. Participants’ perceived a shift in how they experienced time with greater awareness of being present-focussed and they identified stress reduction benefits, which included feeling calmer, less panicked and more self-accepting. However, some of the participants maintaining the formal mindfulness practices like the body scan, meditation and mindful movement after the programme often proved difficult, as they were drawn back into their dominant narratives around time which were characterised by busyness, productivity and time scarcity.

Especialmente nas últimas quatro décadas, muitos estudos se voltaram às variáveis determinantes para a implementação efetiva de sistemas flexíveis de manufatura, tais como seu design, sequenciamento e controle. Neste ínterim, o manejo apropriado do conjunto de ferramentas necessárias para a fabricação de um respectivo lote de produtos foi destacado como fator crucial no desempenho do sistema de produção como um todo. Neste trabalho, abordamos a otimização do número de inserções e remoções de ferramentas no magazine de uma ou mais máquinas numericamente controladas, admitindo-se que uma parcela significativa do tempo de produção é dispensada com estas trocas de ferramentas. De forma mais precisa, a minimização do número de trocas de ferramentas consiste em determinar a ordem de processamento de um conjunto de tarefas, bem como o carregamento ótimo do(s) compartimento(s) de ferramentas da(s) máquina(s), a fim de que o número de trocas seja minimizado. Como demostrado na literatura, mesmo o caso restrito à existência de apenas uma máquina de manufatura (MTSP, do inglês Minimization of Tool Switches Problem) é um problema NP-difícil, o que pode justificar o fato observado de que a maioria dos métodos de solução existentes o abordam de maneira heurística. Consequentemente, concluímos que a extensão ao contexto de múltiplas máquinas é também um problema NP-difícil, intrinsecamente complicado de se resolver. Nosso objetivo consiste em estudar formas eficientes de otimizar o número de trocas de ferramentas em ambientes equipados com máquinas flexíveis de manufatura. Para tanto, abordamos o problema básico, MTSP, e duas de suas variantes, em níveis crescentes de abrangência, que consideram o sequenciamento de tarefas em um conjunto de: (i) máquinas paralelas e idênticas (IPMTC, do inglês Identical Parallel Machines problem with Tooling Constraints); e (ii) máquinas paralelas e idênticas inseridas em um ambiente do tipo job shop (JSSPTC, do inglês Job Shop Scheduling Problem with Tooling Constraints). Classificamos as principais contribuições desta tese com respeito a três aspectos. Primeiramente, empurramos as fronteiras da literatura do MTSP propondo formulações matemáticas para os problemas IPMTC e JSSPTC. Desenvolvemos, também, algoritmos baseados em diferentes técnicas de resolução, como redução de domínio, Path relinking, Adaptive large neighborhood search e a elaboração de regras de despacho. Por último, com o intuito de bem avaliar a eficiência e o alcance de nossos métodos, propomos três novos conjuntos de instâncias teste. Acreditamos, assim, que este trabalho contribui positivamente com pesquisas futuras em um cenário abrangente dentro da minimização das trocas de ferramentas em um sistema flexível de manufatura.
Several studies, especially in the last four decades, have focused on decisive elements for the effective implementation of flexible manufacturing systems, such as their design, scheduling and control. In the meantime, the appropriate management of the set of tools needed to manufacture a certain lot of products has been highlighted as a crucial factor in the performance of the production system as a whole. This work deals with the optimization of the number of insertions and removals from the magazine of one or more numerical controlled machines, assuming that a significant part of the production time is wasted with such tool switches. More precisely, the minimization of tool switches problem (MTSP) consists on determining the processing order of a set of jobs, as well as the optimal loading of the magazine(s) of the machine(s), so that the total number of switches is minimized. As formally demonstrated in the literature, the MTSP is a NP-hard problem even when considering the existence of only one manufacturing machine, which could justify the fact that most of the solution methods tackles it heuristically. We thus conclude that its extension to the case of multiples machines is also NP-hard and, therefore, a problem intrinsically difficult to solve. Our goal consists in studying efficient ways to optimize the number of tool switches in environments equipped with flexible manufacturing machines. For that, we address the basic problem, MTSP, and two MTSP variants, in increasing levels of reach, that consider the job sequencing in a set of: (i) identical parallel machines (Identical Parallel Machines problem with Tooling Constraints, IPMTC); and (ii) identical parallel machines inserted in a job shop environment (Job Shop Scheduling Problem with Tooling Constraints, JSSPTC). The main contributions of this thesis are classified according three aspects. First, we pushed the frontier of the MTSP literature by proposing mathematical formulations for IPMTC and JSSPTC. We also developed algorithms based on different solution techniques, such as domain reduction, Path Relinking, Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search and dispatching rules. Finally, to fully evaluate the effectiveness and limits of our methods, three new sets of benchmark instances were generated. We believe that this work contributes positively to the future of research in a broad scenario inside the minimization of tool switches in flexible manufacturing systems.

In general, traditional co-operatives suffer from free-rider, horizon, portfolio, control and influence problems that starve them of both equity and debt capital. Evidently, the factors which constrain agricultural development also inhibit co-operative development in the former homelands. These factors include socio-economic as well as political factors operating in the environment of the cooperatives. In addition to these external factors, co-operatives have several internal problems such as inefficient management and lack of understanding of the co-operative concept and principles. The New Cooperative Act No. 14 of 2005 was an attempt at addressing these fundamental problems. The purpose of this study was to analyze the extent towhich cooperatives organized on the basis of this new Act have performed and to ascertainwhether or not they have met the expectations of the policy makers. In order to address these issues a structured questionnaire was used to interview 100 farmers. Farmers were divided into two groups, one group consisting of fifty members and the other fifty non-members; all these farmers were randomly selected from Ndonga and Maqhashu in Lady frère. The study investigated and profiled the socio-economic situation of the communities of Ndonga and Maqhashu with particular emphasis on the employment and poverty situations, as well as the income earning opportunities in the communities. It also undertook a comparison of the members and non-members of the co-operatives in terms of their production results under the sorghum production programmes in the two communities.The data were analyzed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics which explain some measures of central tendency and dispersion as well as levels of significance. A t-test of independent samples was used to compare the means for the sorghum yields and revenues for non-members and members of the co-operative. Gross margin analysis was also used to determine the financial implications of cooperation for the smallholders. In addition, a multiple regression model and a discriminant function were fitted to determine the factors explaining the differences in performance of members and non-members of the cooperative society. The Gross Margin analysis shows that the cooperatives are operating at a loss, meaning they produce less with high production costs. However, the results also show that the Ndonga and Maqhashu sorghum co-operative did not benefit only its members but the whole community through significant job creation for the local population.

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This work is concerned about the study of the proposed reduction in working hours without reducing wages as viable as the embodiment of the dignity of the worker, as well as a way of contributing to economic progress, this coupled with the social value of the work. For the development of this mostly qualitative research, it was used a dialectical method to approach the topic. As methods of procedure, were used historical and interpretive methods. It was undertaken as a research technique the indirect documentation, through bibliographic research. In a context of exploitation of the human labor by capital, where the question of labor time is a highlight, there is a necessity of labor relations humanization. In order to protect human dignity by achieving the fundamental rights of workers, it is important the request in reduction of the journey. It is claimed that the implementation of the measure promotes the worker life quality, allowing free time for leisure, family life, relax, professional qualification, and presents itself as an effective alternative to avoid unemployment. The topic is quite controversial, resulting in a true divergence between antagonistic forces of opposite social groups, with workers at one side, vindicating the right to a decent work with appropriate journey, that assure the protection of their physical and psychological integrity. On the other hand, there are the employers, who are against the implementation of the reduction, and allege negative economic impacts for their activities, and consequent loss of competitiveness due to increased social costs. Other countries experiences show that the implementation of the measure has not achieved the desired results as the creation of new jobs, but also did not cause economic backwardness. For the proposal to reduce the journey obtain succeed it is necessary that it be implemented by law and establishes limitations on work intensification and the overtime uses, because those mechanisms prevent the new signings and, consequently, undermine the advances in unemployment combat. The reduction of the working day is shown as an appropriate way to achieve human dignity, because the limited working hours, fair and reduced, provides the worker quality of life and enables its full development in the community in which he lives. This measure also provides positive results for the labor market and the economy, especially when it is implemented without salary reduction, which allows increasing the purchasing power of workers that are also consumers. The implementation of the measure is an important step towards the harmonization of economic and social values, revealing as an able way to put the economy on behalf of man.
O presente trabalho volta-se ao estudo da proposta de redução da jornada de trabalho sem redução de salários como medida viável à concretização da dignidade do trabalhador e meio de contribuir para o progresso econômico, este aliado à valorização social do trabalho. Para a realização da pesquisa, de natureza basicamente qualitativa, foi utilizado método dialético para abordagem do tema. Como métodos de procedimento foram utilizados os métodos histórico e interpretativo. Foi empreendida como técnica de pesquisa a documentação indireta, por meio da pesquisa bibliográfica. Em um contexto de exploração do trabalho humano pelo capital, onde a questão do tempo do trabalho ocupa lugar de destaque, surge a necessidade de humanização das relações de trabalho. No intuito de proteger a dignidade humana através da concretização dos direitos fundamentais dos trabalhadores, encontra-se a demanda pela redução da jornada de trabalho. Alega-se que a implantação da medida promove a qualidade de vida do trabalhador, proporcionando-lhe tempo livre para o lazer, convívio familiar, descanso, qualificação profissional e se apresenta como medida eficaz de combate ao desemprego. O tema é bastante polêmico, traduzindo-se num verdadeiro embate entre forças de grupos sociais antagônicos, estando de um lado os trabalhadores, reivindicando o direito a uma jornada decente de trabalho, que lhes assegure a proteção à sua integridade física e psíquica, e de outro, os empregadores, que contrários à implantação da medida alegam impactos econômicos negativos para suas atividades e consequente perda de competitividade, devido ao aumento de custos sociais. As experiências de alguns países revelam que a implementação da medida não alcançou os resultados pretendidos quanto à criação de postos de trabalho, mas também não provocou retrocesso econômico. Para a proposta de redução da jornada de trabalho ter êxito é necessário que seja implementada por lei e ainda que estabeleça limitações quanto à intensificação do trabalho e utilização de horas extras, pois tais mecanismos evitam as novas contratações e, consequentemente, comprometem os avanços no combate ao desemprego. A redução da jornada de trabalho se mostra como um meio adequado para concretização da dignidade humana, tendo em vista que a jornada de trabalho limitada, justa, reduzida proporciona ao trabalhador qualidade de vida e possibilita o seu desenvolvimento pleno na comunidade em que vive. Tal medida também proporciona resultados positivos para o mercado de trabalho e para a economia, sobretudo quando é implementada sem redução salarial, o que possibilita o aumento do poder aquisitivo dos trabalhadores que também são consumidores. A implantação da medida constitui um importante passo em direção à harmonização de valores econômicos e sociais, revelando-se como medida apta a colocar a economia em favor do homem.

Teaching is a stressful, uncertain, and emotionally laden profession (Chaplain, 2008; Farber, 1999; Johnson et al., 2005). One approach to reduce psychological distress and improve well-being in teachers is through the use of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs. While MBSR programs have been shown in several studies to be effective with regard to improving well-being in teachers, little research has been done to date examining the relationship between program dose and outcomes. This study examines the relationship between both generic and program-specific dose and outcomes of stress and burnout. Results showed some evidence that generic yoga frequency is related to outcomes. No significant relationships between program-specific dose and outcomes were found. Directions for future research are discussed.

High voluntary attrition threatens the future of downsizing organizations. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how employee layoff announcements reduces the perception of organizational commitment to experienced, skilled workers in central Wisconsin. The conceptual framework integrated stress response theories including Cannon's cognitive activation theory of stress. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 journeyman level artisans who had witnessed the layoff process within 50 miles of Wausau Wisconsin. These interviews were analyzed via the modified van Kaam method to code, cluster, and group the findings into significant themes. Nine themes emerged from the analyses suggesting layoff implementation strategies might reduce voluntary employee attrition. Among these 9 themes, job insecurity and mental and emotional stressors were the most prominent. A third theme, employee entitativity, defined as when members of a group share similar attributes and seen more readily as a distinct entity than as individuals, also emerged. These themes may be associated with employee voluntary attrition. Improving employee understanding of the layoff process might increase employee trust in leadership decisions, reduce voluntary attrition, increase knowledge retention, and improve organizational economic success. Employees who are equipped to endure the layoff process may suffer less stress, conceivably reducing the likelihood of drug, alcohol, and family abuse and their related social stressors.

An estimated 2 billion people do not have access to waste collection services, and 3 billion do not have access to controlled waste disposal. This lack of services and infrastructure has a detrimental impact on public health and the environment with waste being dumped or burnt in communities. With waste levels projected to double in Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) by 2025 there are significant challenges facing municipalities who already lack the basic resources needed to manage waste. The United Nations acknowledged the problems of poor sanitation and waste management in the Sustainable Development Goals which sets targets to address these challenges, including the target by 2030 to substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, reuse and recycling. Jos, the capital of Plateau state in Nigeria, shares the waste management challenges facing cities in LEDCs. The population of Jos is projected to increase from 1.3 million in 2007 to 2.7 million in 2025, with much of the population living in densely populated areas that lack basic sanitation and controlled disposal of waste. This thesis presents the results of a detailed investigation into the current waste management system in Jos with a focus on low income areas. Through the adoption of mixed methods the thesis identifies how waste is currently being managed and establishes the challenges to sustainable waste management. The existing waste management system was found to be grossly inadequate with 64 communal collection containers being used to collect waste for the entire city, this equates to 20,313 citizens per container. The system leads to most residents disposing of their waste through open dumping in public space and water bodies, and open burning, with impacts to public health and the environment. Key challenges identified include the lack of suitable resources, political interference, poor governance, overlapping responsibilities of agencies, lack of waste awareness amongst the public, and poor infrastructure. 13 recommendations are presented to help develop an improved waste management system in the study area. Despite reduction and reuse being the priorities of the waste hierarchy there is a paucity of research on the potential of waste prevention within LEDCs especially low income areas. With waste levels projected to increase, waste prevention interventions could play an important role. Following waste analysis and a review of waste prevention initiatives adopted globally, a shortlist of options suitable for the study area was developed. This shortlist was assessed using Ketso and SWOT analysis facilitated in focus groups representing the waste industry and the community. Community composting was identified as waste prevention intervention with the most potential due to 65.2% of the waste stream in the study area being biodegradable, and only 5.2% of the community currently composting. Benefits of this approach would be less pressure on the waste collection system, reductions in waste being indiscriminately dumped, increased awareness of waste issues, and compost production that could be utilised in the community. 7 recommendations are presented that in the long term could help to promote waste prevention in the study area including training of community volunteers, engagement with community leaders, and the developmenttof holistic waste awareness campaigns.

Beethoven wrote his earliest piano concerto, the Piano Concerto in E-Flat Major WoO 4, in 1784-85. The surviving manuscript copy contains the solo part complete and a piano reduction of all orchestral passages (Tutti) whenever the soloist is not playing. That manuscript also includes Beethoven's cues for an instrumentation consisting of strings, horns and flutes. Eminent Beethoven scholar Willy Hess completed his own reconstruction of the concerto in 1943. His version has been recorded three times, but only one is currently available on the Philips label (442580-2). The newest reconstruction of the concerto, created by Professor Jon Ceander Mitchell in 2003, is presented in this study in the form of a piano reduction (as a two-piano critical edition). This present edition, edited by Dr. Mitchell and the author of this essay, retains Beethoven's instrumentation and restores the endings of the second and third movements (which were changed by Willy Hess). This study also includes a piano cadenza for the first movement, which is a free composition by the author. It also discusses both available restorations of this work and some of the concerto's interpretative issues.

This thesis studies the effects of import competition from China and Eastern Europe on the health and fertility decisions of German individuals working in manufacturing. Individuals are matched with separate measures of exposure to competition from China and Eastern Europe, respectively. To isolate exogenous supply shocks from the origin, instrumental variables for competition from each of China and Eastern Europe are constructed. Results in Chapter 1 suggest that higher import competition worsens individual health via job displacement, wage decline, shortened employment duration, increased reliance on welfare and less future orientation, with Chinese import competition affecting individuals twice as much. Health declines as individuals increase their visits to the doctor, exercise less frequently and have a higher probability of developing chronic illness. Also, there is some evidence that individuals do not tend to become disabled but may be slowly pushed into chronic illness. Findings in Chapter 2 show that import competition negatively affects the individual’s probability of having children via reduced earnings, lower satisfaction with personal income and shortened employment duration. The chapter then investigates effects of import exposure by gender. Results show that male and female fertility choices differ upon rising import competition. Higher import exposure lowers female earnings and job autonomy, which in turn generates a lower opportunity cost of work, to the point where having children would become a more rewarding alternative for female workers. By contrast, increased import exposure negatively affects male workers’ fertility through reduced earnings and employment duration.

När den svenska regeringen beslöt sig för att sänka restaurangmomsen den 1 januari 2012, gjordes det för att stimulera restaurangbranschen att sänka priserna på måltiderna, nyanställa och eliminera svartjobb. Vid en sänkning av momsen frigörs kapital, ett extra ekonomiskt utrymme, som för företagen blir en tillgång som de själva får avgöra hur det kommer disponeras. Denna studie ämnar ta reda på vilka effekter momssänkningen kommer medföra för branschen och hur restaurangägarna disponerat det ekonomiska utrymmet. Material har införskaffats genom en enkätundersökning med restaurangägare, intervjuer med hotell- och restaurangfacket samt branschorganisationen Visita. Med utgångspunkter bland annat inom nationalekonomiska teorier visar undersökningen att restaurangägare valt att använda det ekonomiska utrymmet till att nyanställa, sänka sina priser, genomföra renoveringar eller till överlevnadsmarginaler. Detta tyder på att det finns en spridning över hur restaurangägarna handlat. Faktorer som kan vara av betydelse över hur restauranger agerar är företagets storlek och form samt hur konkurrenterna i dess omgivning agerar.
When the Swedish government decided to cut the restaurant VAT January 1st, 2012, was made for the purpose of encouraging the restaurant industry. In turn, the restaurants would choose to lower the prices of meals, hire new employees and eliminate illegal work. When VAT is lowered it releases capital, an additional financial fund. For the restaurants it’s an asset, which they can determine how it should be allocated. This study aims to determine the effects of VAT reduction on the industry and how restaurant owners have chosen to make with the additional funds. The material has been obtained by conducting a survey with restaurant owners, interviewing the restaurant union and the industry association Visita. With starting points in economic theories and previous studies on other VAT reductions, the study shows that restaurant owners have chosen to use the economic funds to create new jobs, lowering meal prices, renovations or to improve profit margins. This indicates that there is dispersion among the opportunities restaurant owners have chosen. Elements that could have importance in the actions of restaurant, is the size and form of the business, and the performance of the competition nearby.

abstract: The purpose of this study is to determine job satisfaction among school administrators who were involved in the teacher RIF (reduction in force) process in the spring of 2009. The study attempts to ascertain the effects of RIF on administrator job satisfaction in one, large, urban school district in Arizona and what impact, if any, the RIF process may have on the district and its personnel in the future. This study will question to what extent administrators within sample district are satisfied with their jobs, to what extent demographic information such as years of experience, age, gender, district position, and school level correlate with job satisfaction of administrators, in what ways has administrative job satisfaction been affected by the RIF process, what aspects of the RIF processes correlate with administrative job satisfaction, and what suggestions, if any, do administrators have regarding future RIF notifications during that time. This study will also recommend methods of notification delivery, advocate for administrator job satisfaction, and report any correlations within our findings to the sample district for review and consideration for the future. This study found that most administrators are very satisfied with their jobs, but the RIF process was somewhat influential in affecting their job satisfaction. Additionally, it seems that the higher the job position, the higher the job satisfaction. Advanced age, higher educational accomplishment, and longevity in one`s current position also correlated with high job satisfaction.
Dissertation/Thesis
Ed.D. Educational Administration and Supervision 2011

\(Introduction\) Antipsychotics and benzodiazepines, collectively known as psycholeptics, are widely used in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), leading to concern that residents are being inappropriately sedated. Whilst antipsychotics are clinically appropriate for severe psychiatric illnesses (e.g., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia), they are often used long-term for neuropsychiatric symptoms, particularly in residents with dementia. Benzodiazepines are typically used for insomnia, anxiety, and acute agitation. Considering evidence of only modest efficacy for these indications and the risk of severe adverse effects, guidelines generally recommend reserving these medications for scenarios where non-pharmacological measures are ineffective and/or where there is a risk of harm or severe distress to the resident or others. Benzodiazepines, in particular, are not recommended for neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with dementia. If used, antipsychotics should be reviewed and reduced at a minimum of six to 12 weeks, depending on the country, and the use of benzodiazepines should be limited to a maximum of two to four weeks. Despite these recommendations, prolonged and widespread use suggests that these medications are not being reviewed and reduced regularly. Many interventions have, to varying degrees of success, reduced the use of these medications in RACFs. However, clinical outcomes for the RACF residents and staff, and the economic impact of these interventions are rarely reported (see Chapter 4). Concern of potential deterioration in resident symptoms resulting in increased workloads is one of the reasons for a lack of willingness to reduce these medications. Therefore, to address these gaps in the literature and minimise perceived barriers to sedative reduction, the focus of this thesis was to evaluate the impact that antipsychotic and benzodiazepine dose reduction had on resident- and RACF staff-related outcomes and health care costs within RACFs involved in a multicomponent program to improve antipsychotic and benzodiazepine use. \(Methods\) The national expansion of the ‘Reducing Use of Sedatives’ (RedUSe) program involved 150 Australian RACFs. The main components of RedUSe comprised two quality improvement cycles incorporating auditing and benchmarking of prescribing, education, and multidisciplinary sedative reviews. The program was implemented between March 2014 and April 2016. A prospective, observational, longitudinal study design was utilised to investigate outcomes related to changes in antipsychotic and/or benzodiazepine doses between baseline and four months among residents of a convenience sample of 28 RACFs involved in RedUSe between January 2015 and March 2016. \(Resident-related\) \(outcomes\) Permanent residents (n=206) taking antipsychotics and/or benzodiazepines on a daily basis, who did not have a severe psychiatric illness (where antipsychotic therapy should generally be maintained long-term e.g., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) and were not considered end-stage palliative, were recruited. Neuropsychiatric symptoms (Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Nursing Home version (NPI-NH) and Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI)), quality of life (QoL; Assessment of Quality of Life-4D (AQoL-4D)), social withdrawal (Multidimensional Observation Scale for Elderly Subjects (MOSES)-withdrawal subscale) and activities of daily living (Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (PSMS)) were assessed at baseline and four months by nursing staff who completed psychometric tests as proxy raters. Lastly, the number and severity of falls and behavioural events, number and reason for general practitioner (GP) consultations and number, length and reason for hospitalisations of recruited residents were recorded by the nursing staff between baseline and four months. Figure 1 illustrates all data collection associated with this project. \(Staff-related\) \(outcomes\) The occupational disruptiveness of the neuropsychiatric symptoms was assessed at baseline and four months during psychometric testing with the NPI-NH. Additionally, a survey of job satisfaction (adjusted-Measure of Job Satisfaction) was made available to all RACF nurses and carers for anonymous completion at baseline and four months (Figure 1). \(Basic\) \(costing\) \(analysis\) Health care utilisation costs were estimated using the cost of prescribed medications at baseline and four months, and the estimated cost of GP consultations and hospitalisations between baseline and four months. \(Statistical\) \(methodology\) Considering the longitudinal design, analyses were restricted to residents who were followed up at baseline and four months. Associations between changes in the NPI-NH (total, factor and occupational disruptiveness scores), CMAI (total and factor scores), AQoL-4D (utility and dimension scores), MOSES-withdrawal subscale and PSMS, and changes in the antipsychotic and benzodiazepine doses between baseline and four months were investigated using regression models. The number of falls, behavioural events, GP consultations and hospitalisations were pro-rated to a monthly count. Associations between changes in the antipsychotic and/or benzodiazepine dose and these pro-rated counts were investigated using Spearman’s Rank correlations. Differences in the adjusted-Measure of Job Satisfaction (total and factor) scores at baseline and four months were investigated using independent t-tests. Re-analysis was performed based on the occupation of the respondent. Lastly, estimated medication and health care costs of residents who had their antipsychotic and/or benzodiazepine dose reduced were extrapolated to 12 months and were compared to (i) residents who did not have their dose reduced and (ii) the overall costs for all residents involved in the clinical outcomes study regardless of dose change. \(Results\) Follow-up data were available for 179 residents. Thirty of 83 residents (36%) taking an antipsychotic and 42 of 118 residents (36%) taking a benzodiazepine at baseline had reductions in their dose at four months. This included 18 out of 83 residents (22%) taking an antipsychotic and 25 out of 118 residents (21%) taking a benzodiazepine who had their medication ceased. \(Resident-related\) \(outcomes\) There was no evidence that resident-related outcomes were worsened by dose reductions. Whilst there were no notable trends when measuring neuropsychiatric symptoms with the NPINH, dose reduction was associated with small, albeit non-significant, improvements in behaviour, particularly less physically nonaggressive behaviour with both drug groups (-0.36 points per 10% reduction in antipsychotic dose, -0.17 per 10% reduction in benzodiazepine dose) and verbally agitated behaviour with benzodiazepine reduction (-0.16 per 10% dose reduction), as measured with the CMAI. Furthermore, antipsychotic reduction was associated with nonsignificant improvements in QoL and benzodiazepine dose reduction was correlated with a lower rate of falls in mobile residents. \(Staff-related\) \(outcomes\) Like resident-related outcomes, there was no evidence that occupational disruptiveness was worsened by dose reductions. Instead, there were trends toward improved occupational disruptiveness related to agitation with antipsychotic dose reduction and night-time behaviour with benzodiazepine dose reduction. No differences in job satisfaction were detected between baseline and four months. \(Basic\) \(costing\) \(analysis\) Savings between $938 and $1,486/resident/year were found among residents who had their antipsychotic and/or benzodiazepine dose reduced. Savings were driven by lower hospitalisation (savings between $897 and $1,421/resident/year) and medication costs (savings between $163 and $257/resident/year). On the other hand, residents who had their antipsychotic and/or benzodiazepine dose reduced had higher costs associated with GP consultations (costs increased by $121 to $192/resident/year). \(Discussion\) Overall, the research presented in this thesis found no evidence to suggest that antipsychotic and/or benzodiazepine dose reduction was associated with deteriorations in neuropsychiatric symptoms, QoL, social engagement, activities of daily living, job satisfaction or occupational disruptiveness. Moreover, trends towards improved agitation with both antipsychotic and benzodiazepine dose reduction were identified as potential benefits. Similarly, occupational disruptiveness related to agitation and night-time behaviour tended to improve with antipsychotic and benzodiazepine dose reduction, respectively. There were also savings with antipsychotic and benzodiazepine dose reduction, driven by lower costs related to hospitalisations and medications. Whilst this research suggests that antipsychotic and benzodiazepine dose reduction was safe and potentially cost saving for most residents, future larger, prospective, controlled studies are required to investigate these outcomes further.

碩士
淡江大學
企業管理學系碩士在職專班
98
Under financial crisis,workforce reduction is the main strategy used by enterprises all over the world.The purpose of this research is to find the impact of the workforce reduction on surviviors’ job satisfaction and organizational commitment under 2008 financial tsunami crisis. Basing on 298 effective questionnaires,several quantitative analytical methods are used like the reliability, descriptive statistics, t-test,one way anova,correlation analysis. Research analysis showed that,different workforce reduction strategies have significant difference on job satisfaction and organizational commitment,and job satisfaction have significant positive effect on organizational commitment.As a result , enterprises shoud keep the workforce under crisis and take redeployment strategy to keep the Core Competency.The major findings as follows: 1.Different workforce reduction strategies have significant difference on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. 2.Redeployment and layoff strategy have significant difference on job satisfaction. 3.Redeployment and layoff strategy have significant difference on organizational commitment. 4.Job satisfaction have significant positive effect on organizational commitment.

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017.
Cooperatives play a significant role in the country’s economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction. Hence, the number of registered cooperatives in South Africa has been growing very fast. However, the main challenge is that the majority of these cooperatives are underperforming. The apartheid legacy has caused many of these cooperatives to be poorly developed or unsustainable. The aim of this study was to investigate the challenges of lack of sustainability of art and craft cooperatives in Muyexe village of Mopani district in Limpopo Province. For this purpose, eight art and craft cooperatives were used as a survey. The study used mixed research methods to collect both qualitative and quantitave data. Data was gathered from eight (8) art and craft cooperatives in Muyexe village. The cooperatives where data was collected are Progress, Tsakane, Rirhandzu, Hitekani, Vutivi, Tiyimeleni, Vuyeriwani and Pfuka Muyexe art and craft cooperatives. . Data collection was done through structured questionnaires and interviews. Secondary data was gathered through extensive literature review. The population of the study is eight art and craft cooperatives comprised of 88 members. 60 respondents represented all the eight cooperatives. Two groups of respondents participated in this study. The first group was composed of cooperatives members (n=50) and the second group of respondents were the cooperatives board of directors (n=10). The findings revealed some of the factors that cause unsustainability of cooperatives in the area of the study. These factors are lack of good corporate governance practices, inadequate developmental programmes, lack of experience in managing cooperatives, lack of coflict management, lack of ownership and others. To enhance the sustainability of cooperatives the research recommends that the policy makers and agencies should be encouraged to develop enough developmental programmes that will enhance the sustainability of cooperatives in the area of the study.

碩士
國立中央大學
營建管理研究所
98
The current assessment model of carbon dioxide emissions from most of the product life cycle as the point of view, for the construction industry, assessment of carbon dioxide emissions in the use of materials and the most compelling products for the operational phase of construction there is no in-depth study of carbon dioxide emissions, so can not Evaluate impacts of construction operations and the interactions between resources and the impact of carbon dioxide emissions. And through this research, the assessment model can work in the construction of the pre-construction assessment of carbon dioxide emissions, and then estimate the equipment and resources related construction work by the best configuration of carbon. Perspective of this study is to use this method of construction process carbon dioxide emissions in all operating segments, putting forward the construction work construction by carbon assessment models, in order to understand the interaction between resources, and master the key point of carbon dioxide emissions, and to assess the results of the review and re-construction operations organizations, to optimize the allocation of carbon dioxide emissions.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to compare the latest emission standards for JCB engines that are used in JCB telescopic loaders. The first part of this work is focused on the history of JCB, the development of JCB Loadall telescopic loaders and also deals with issues of emissions, their origin, effects on humans and the atmosphere. In addition, there are listed ways how to reduce emissions, both ways of reducing pollutants by designing the combustion chamber and reducing them by systems such as SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction), DOC (Diesel Oxidation Catalyst), EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) and particulate filters. Emission regulations are included as well. The second part of this work is focused on the actual measurement of the exhaust gas emissions of JCB engines with different technologies for their reduction. The measured values will be further processed and inserted into tables and graphs that will then be compared to each other.