Huiju Park, Helen Trejo, Madeline Miles, Allison Bauer, Seonyoung Kim and Jeffrey Stull
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the incremental impact of firefighter’s personal protective equipment (PPE) on lower body range of motion (ROM) while walking to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the incremental impact of firefighter’s personal protective equipment (PPE) on lower body range of motion (ROM) while walking to suggest areas of design improvement for enhanced mobility and safety.
Design/methodology/approach
Eight male and four female firefighters participated in the study. Lower body ROM was assessed while they walked in four different configurations of PPE, including turnout ensemble, a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and boots. The impact of each added PPE item, and gender differences were statistically analyzed.
Findings
Wearing firefighter turnout ensemble and SCBA reduced ROM in the lower body in the sagittal and transverse planes. A significant reduction in ROM for anterior-posterior movement at the ankle and the ball of the foot was found while wearing rubber boots with turnout ensemble and SCBA. This puts firefighters at higher risk of experiencing foot injuries and physical strains. A significant increase in medial-lateral movement of the foot while wearing rubber boots may increase risk of ankle sprains. A greater reduction in ROM at the ankle and the ball of the foot for female firefighters may imply greater risk for women compared to men, while wearing boots.
Practical implications
Reducing the inflexibility and bulkiness of boots is critical to improve firefighter’s lower body mobility and safety.
Originality/value
This study implemented 3-D motion capture technology to analyze how wearing firefighting gear impacted lower body motion. It provides quantitative evidence to recommend ergonomic boot re-design.
Details
Keywords
Lijing Zhao, Shuming Zhao, Hao Zeng and Jingyi Bai
Drawing on identity theory and the symbolic interactionism perspective of identity theory, this study aims to construct a moderated mediation framework to test the effects of…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on identity theory and the symbolic interactionism perspective of identity theory, this study aims to construct a moderated mediation framework to test the effects of perceived overqualification (POQ) on knowledge sharing (KS) through professional identity threat (PIT) and the moderating role of coworkers' help-seeking behavior (CHSB).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a quantitative multistudy research design with a combination of a scenario experiment (Study 1) and a two-wave field study among 220 supervisor-subordinate dyads at a power company in China. Using analysis of variance, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and bootstrapping method, the authors validated the research hypothesis.
Findings
In the scenario experiment study (study 1), the authors find that POQ is positively related to PIT and that CHSB negatively moderates the positive impact of POQ on PIT. The field study (study 2) replicated the above findings and found that PIT mediates the negative effect of POQ on KS. In addition, CHSB negatively moderates the mediating role of PIT between POQ and KS.
Originality/value
First, the current study extended the nomological network of POQ research by examining its influence on employees' KS. Second, this study empirically investigated the mediating role of PIT, which provided a new explanatory mechanism for the influence of POQ. Finally, this study demonstrates the moderating role of CHSB—a situational factor that has been ignored in previous studies.
Details
Keywords
Virgil Henry Storr and Arielle John
How should economists incorporate culture into their economic analysis? What empirical approaches to identifying, measuring, and analyzing the relationship between culture and…
Abstract
How should economists incorporate culture into their economic analysis? What empirical approaches to identifying, measuring, and analyzing the relationship between culture and economic action are most appropriate for economists? In particular, what can experimental economists learn from the methods of economic anthropologists, sociologists, and historians who study culture? We argue that while both quantitative and qualitative approaches can reveal interesting relationships between culture and economic actions/outcomes, especially in experimental research designs, qualitative methods help economists better understand people’s economic choices and the economic outcomes that emerge from those choices. This is because qualitative studies conceptualize culture as a pattern of meaning, take the relevant cultural data to be people’s thoughts and feelings, treat the market as a cultural phenomenon, and allow for novel explanations.
Details
Keywords
Research has shown that young adults face strong economic burdens when it comes to establishing their intimate relationships in times of labor market deregulation and economic…
Abstract
Research has shown that young adults face strong economic burdens when it comes to establishing their intimate relationships in times of labor market deregulation and economic recession. However, little is known about possible protective effects of the transition to cohabitation on subjective worries. Based on economic and gender-specific assumptions, the present paper uses data from the German Socio-economic Panel (GSOEP) from 1991 to 2020. Longitudinal analyses show that the transition into cohabitation reduces the economic worries of German women, especially in times of macroeconomic crisis. For men, cohabitation is only protective against economic worries if they or their partner have high economic resources. The latter may indicate that young men in precarious living situations perceive the male breadwinner model as a subjective burden in the context of cohabitation.
Details
Keywords
Jared France, Julie Milovanovic, Tripp Shealy and Allison Godwin
This paper aims to explore the differences in first-year and senior engineering students’ engineering agency beliefs and career goals related to sustainable development. The…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the differences in first-year and senior engineering students’ engineering agency beliefs and career goals related to sustainable development. The authors also sought to understand how topics related to sustainable development in engineering courses affect senior engineering students’ goals to address these issues in their careers. This work provides evidence of how students’ agency beliefs may be shaped by higher education, which is essential to workforce development.
Design/methodology/approach
Findings stem from two national surveys of engineering first-year (Sustainability and Gender in Engineering, n = 7,709) and senior students (Student Survey about Career Goals, College Experiences, n = 4,605). The authors compared both groups using pairwise testing by class standing.
Findings
The results indicate that undergraduate studies tend to reinforce students’ engineering agency beliefs to improve their quality of life and preserve the environment. Significantly more senior students selected career goals to address environmental issues compared to first-year students. In general, students undervalue their roles as engineers in addressing issues related to social inequities. Those topics are rarely addressed in engineering courses. Findings from this work suggest discussing sustainability in courses positively impact setting career goals to address such challenges.
Research limitations/implications
The study compares results from two distinct surveys, conveyed at different periods. Nonetheless, the sample size and national spread of respondents across US colleges and universities are robust to offer relevant insights on sustainable development in engineering education.
Practical implications
Adapting engineering curriculum by ensuring that engineering students are prepared to confront global problems related to sustainable development in their careers will have a positive societal impact.
Social implications
This study highlights shortcomings of engineering education in promoting social and economic sustainability as related to the engineering field. Educational programs would benefit from emphasizing the interconnectedness of environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development. This approach could increase diversity in engineering education and the industry, and by ripple effect, benefit the communities and local governance.
Originality/value
This work is a first step toward understanding how undergraduate experiences impact students’ engineering agency beliefs and career goals related to sustainability. It explores potential factors that could increase students’ engineering agency and goals to make a change through engineering.
Details
Keywords
Erin A. Singer, Natasha Epps and Margaret DeJesus
Education, and especially the life of a teacher, is constantly evolving. Teachers' roles and responsibilities have become more complicated and multifaceted over time. Therefore…
Abstract
Education, and especially the life of a teacher, is constantly evolving. Teachers' roles and responsibilities have become more complicated and multifaceted over time. Therefore, they have to invest a great deal of time, energy, and effort to navigate the demands and complexities of their role. In the last 20 years, education has changed in response to increased workload, the rise of high-stakes testing and accountability, social-emotional and behavioral challenges among students, school safety concerns, equity concerns, and now the coronavirus pandemic. These factors have been linked to high stress and teacher burnout, which leads to more teachers leaving their jobs (Arvidsson et al., 2019). Nonetheless, those who endure the flames of burnout do so because they are resilient in the face of adversity and persistent in their commitment to the call of teaching and learning. This chapter examines the effects of stress and burnout among three alternatively certified teachers and the behaviors and strategies these educational first responders employ to build resilience and persistence in their service to the students who shape our future.
Details
Keywords
Andrew S. Fullerton, Michael A. Long and Kathryn Freeman Anderson
Research on the social determinants of health demonstrates that workers who feel insecure in their jobs suffer poorer health as a result. However, relatively few studies have…
Abstract
Research on the social determinants of health demonstrates that workers who feel insecure in their jobs suffer poorer health as a result. However, relatively few studies have examined the relationship between job insecurity and illegal substance use, which is closely related to health. In this study, we develop a theoretical model focusing on two intervening mechanisms: health and life satisfaction. Additionally, we examine differences in this relationship between women and men. We test this model using logistic regression models of substance use for women and men based on longitudinal data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States. The results indicate that job insecurity is associated with a significantly higher probability of illegal substance use among women but not men. We interpret this as further evidence of the gendering of precarious employment. This relationship is not channeled through health or life satisfaction, but there is evidence that job insecurity has a stronger association with illegal substance use for women with poorer overall health.
Details
Keywords
Monica A.M. Ridder, Maartje A. Heuvelmans, Tommy L.S. Visscher, Jacob C. Seidell and Carry M. Renders
The purpose of this paper is to investigate perceptions of second grade lower vocational students concerning benefits, barriers and strategies of healthy eating and physical…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate perceptions of second grade lower vocational students concerning benefits, barriers and strategies of healthy eating and physical activity.
Design/methodology/approach
Focus group discussions are conducted with 37 adolescents, from three schools in The Netherlands. A semi‐structured questioning‐scheme is used. Recorded data are transcribed, analysed using Atlas.ti and arranged in the EnRG‐framework.
Findings
Adolescents find health and a healthy weight important and like having a choice when it comes to health behaviour. The choices they make, however, are often unhealthy, especially when related to food. The risk perception of these adolescents is low; as long as they feel healthy, they feel no need to change their behaviour. Parents are held responsible for providing opportunities for healthy behaviour. At the same time, parental influence lessens and adolescents start to develop unhealthy habits, usually under the influence of a peer group. Adolescents accept the interference of school, meaning that there are good opportunities for school‐based interventions.
Research limitations/implications
The number (37) of respondents may not be representative for the different personalities of peer‐students.
Practical implications
Adolescents need to take on greater responsibility for their own health behaviour, especially in the school setting where they are more autonomous than at home. More information is needed about the perceptions of parents and school staff regarding stimulating healthy dietary and physical behaviour to develop, implement and preserve integral school health interventions successfully.
Originality/value
The paper provides information on adolescents' perceptions on their responsibility for their health behaviour, which is needed to develop school‐based health intervention consistent with their needs.
Details
Keywords
Elmer Steensen and Ron Sanchez
This chapter proposes that organizational strategy formation should be characterized theoretically as a process that is subject to several interacting forces, rather than…
Abstract
This chapter proposes that organizational strategy formation should be characterized theoretically as a process that is subject to several interacting forces, rather than represented by separate discrete decision-models or theoretic perspectives, as is commonly done in the strategic management literature. Based on an extensive review of relevant theory and empirical work in strategic decision-making, organizational change theory, cognitive and social psychology, and strategy processes, seven kinds of “forces” – rational, imposed, teleological, learning, political, heuristic, and social – are identified as interacting in and having significant influence on the strategy formation process. It is further argued that by applying a holistic “forces-view” of the significant and interacting influences on strategy formation, we can better understand the dynamics and challenges in managing the process of defining and changing organizational strategies.
Pia Borlund, Nils Pharo and Ying-Hsang Liu
The PICCH research project contributes to opening a dialogue between cultural heritage archives and users. Hence, the users are identified and their information needs, the search…
Abstract
Purpose
The PICCH research project contributes to opening a dialogue between cultural heritage archives and users. Hence, the users are identified and their information needs, the search strategies they apply and the search challenges they experience are uncovered.
Design/methodology/approach
A combination of questionnaires and interviews is used for collection of data. Questionnaire data were collected from users of three different audiovisual archives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two user groups: (1) scholars searching information for research projects and (2) archivists who perform their own scholarly work and search information on behalf of others.
Findings
The questionnaire results show that the archive users mainly have an academic background. Hence, scholars and archivists constitute the target group for in-depth interviews. The interviews reveal that their information needs are multi-faceted and match the information need typology by Ingwersen. The scholars mainly apply collection-specific search strategies but have in common primarily doing keyword searching, which they typically plan in advance. The archivists do less planning owing to their knowledge of the collections. All interviewees demonstrate domain knowledge, archival intelligence and artefactual literacy in their use and mastering of the archives. The search challenges they experience can be characterised as search system complexity challenges, material challenges and metadata challenges.
Originality/value
The paper provides a rare insight into the complexity of the search situation of cultural heritage archives, and the users’ multi-facetted information needs and hence contributes to the dialogue between the archives and the users.