Cheneal Puljević, Amelia Cossart, Emma L. Davies, Monica J. Barratt, Larissa J. Maier, Marie Jauffret-Roustide, Adam R. Winstock and Jason A. Ferris
The COVID-19 pandemic likely impacted cannabis distribution, access and usage worldwide. This study aims to describe self-reported changes in cannabis use and related outcomes…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic likely impacted cannabis distribution, access and usage worldwide. This study aims to describe self-reported changes in cannabis use and related outcomes following COVID-19-related restrictions among an international sample of people who use drugs.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data from the Global Drug Survey COVID-19 Special Edition, the authors identified 20,417 respondents from 13 countries who reported whether the number of THC-containing cannabis usage days changed compared with February 2020 (before COVID-19 restrictions). Using descriptive statistics and a multinomial multivariable logistic regression, the authors investigated the impact of changes in cannabis use on respondents’ mental health, physical health, relationships, finances, work/study performance and cannabis-related pleasure/enjoyment.
Findings
Similar proportions of respondents reported that their cannabis use had stayed the same (38.2%) or increased (38.3%) compared with February 2020, while 21.9% of respondents reported a decrease. The most common reason for increased use was having more time (68.4%), while decreased use was associated with having less contact with people they use cannabis with (58.4%). The likelihood of reporting worse mental and physical health, finances, and work/study performance following COVID-19 restrictions was highest among those who reported increased cannabis use.
Research limitations/implications
These findings provide a unique understanding of the short-term international impact of initial COVID-19 restrictions on cannabis use, and highlight the need for policy to address the ongoing and improved provision of evidence-based mental health and other support for people who frequently use cannabis.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the world’s largest international study exploring the impacts of these changes in cannabis use following initial COVID-19 restrictions on individuals’ mental health, physical health, relationships, finances, work/study performance and cannabis-related pleasure. This study is also unique in comparing these changes across multiple continents.
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Paul M. Di Gangi, Charn P. McAllister, Jack L. Howard, Jason Bennett Thatcher and Gerald R. Ferris
Political skill has emerged as a concept of interest within the information systems literature to explain individual performance outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to adapt…
Abstract
Purpose
Political skill has emerged as a concept of interest within the information systems literature to explain individual performance outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to adapt political skill to technology-mediated contexts. Specifically, the authors seek to understand political skill's role in shaping microtask workers' opportunity recognition when utilizing online communities in microtask work environments.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors tested their research model using a survey of 348 Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) workers who participate in microtask-related online communities. MTurk is a large, popular microtasking platform used by thousands of microtask workers daily, with several online communities supporting microtask workers.
Findings
Technology-based political skill plays a critical role in shaping the resources microtasking workers rely upon from online communities, including opportunity recognition and knowledge sharing. The ability to develop opportunity recognition positively impacts a microtask worker's ability to leverage online communities for microtask worker performance. Tenure in the community acts as a moderator within the model.
Originality/value
The present study makes several contributions. First, the authors adapt political skill to an online community to account for how microtask workers understand a community's socio-technical environment. Second, the authors demonstrate the antecedent role of political skill for opportunity recognition and knowledge sharing. Third, the authors provide empirical validation of the link between online communities and microtask worker performance.
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Dean J. Connolly, Gail Gilchrist, Jason Ferris, Cheneal Puljević, Larissa Maier, Monica J. Barratt, Adam Winstock and Emma L. Davies
Using data from 36,981 respondents to the Global Drug Survey (GDS) COVID-19 Special Edition, this study aims to compare changes, following the first “lockdown,” in alcohol…
Abstract
Purpose
Using data from 36,981 respondents to the Global Drug Survey (GDS) COVID-19 Special Edition, this study aims to compare changes, following the first “lockdown,” in alcohol consumption between lesbian, gay, bisexual and other sexual minority (LGB+) and heterosexual respondents with and without lifetime mental health and neurodevelopmental (MHND) conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
Characteristics and drinking behavior of respondents to GDS who disclosed their sexual orientation and past 30-day alcohol use were described and compared. LGB+ participants with and without MHND conditions were compared, and logistic regression models identified correlates of increased drinking among LGB+ people. The impact of changed drinking on the lives of LGB+ participants with and without MHND conditions was assessed.
Findings
LGB+ participants who reported that they were “not coping well at all” with the pandemic had twofold greater odds of reporting increased binge drinking. LGB+ participants with MHND conditions were significantly more likely than those without to report increased drinking frequency (18.7% vs 12.4%), quantity (13.8% vs 8.8%) and that changed drinking had impacted their lives.
Originality/value
This study, which has a uniquely large and international sample, explores aspects of alcohol use not considered in other COVID-19 alcohol use research with LGB+ people; and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore alcohol use among LGB+ people with MHND conditions.
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Monica J. Barratt, Ross Coomber, Michala Kowalski, Judith Aldridge, Rasmus Munksgaard, Jason Ferris, Aili Malm, James Martin and David Décary-Hétu
Drug cryptomarkets increase information available to market actors, which should reduce information asymmetry and increase market efficiency. This study aims to determine whether…
Abstract
Purpose
Drug cryptomarkets increase information available to market actors, which should reduce information asymmetry and increase market efficiency. This study aims to determine whether cryptomarket listings accurately represent the advertised substance, weight or number and purity, and whether there are differences in products purchased from the same listing multiple times.
Design/methodology/approach
Law enforcement drug purchases – predominantly cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA and heroin – from Australian cryptomarket vendors (n = 38 in 2016/2017) were chemically analysed and matched with cryptomarket listings (n = 23). Descriptive and comparative analyses were conducted.
Findings
Almost all samples contained the advertised substance. In most of these cases, drugs were either supplied as-advertised-weight or number, or overweight or number. All listings that quantified purity overestimated the actual purity. There was no consistent relationship between advertised purity terms and actual purity. Across the six listings purchased from multiple times, repeat purchases from the same listing varied in purity, sometimes drastically, with wide variation detected on listings purchased from only one month apart.
Research limitations/implications
In this data set, cryptomarket listings were mostly accurate, but the system was far from perfect, with purity overestimated. A newer, larger, globally representative sample should be obtained to test the applicability of these findings to currently operating cryptomarkets.
Originality/value
This paper reports on the largest data set of forensic analysis of drug samples obtained from cryptomarkets, where data about advertised drug strength/dose were obtained.
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Robyn L. Brouer, Angela S. Wallace and Paul Harvey
This chapter presents an investigation of the relationship between psychological entitlement and stress. Empirical and conceptual evidence is considered suggesting that…
Abstract
This chapter presents an investigation of the relationship between psychological entitlement and stress. Empirical and conceptual evidence is considered suggesting that Conservation of Resources (COR) theory may apply differently to employees with a heightened sense of entitlement. Using attribution and COR theory, a conceptual framework is offered predicting that entitlement is positively associated with subjective stress, based on the logic that psychologically entitled employees develop unjustifiably inflated levels of self-evaluative internal coping resources such as self-esteem and self-efficacy that promote unmet expectations. It is also proposed that political skill and the ability to manage perceptions of competency may attenuate this relationship. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the challenges associated with managing psychologically entitled employees.
Mary Ashley Stanton, Jason Anderson, John M. Dickens and Lance Champagne
The purpose of this research is to explore the utility of autonomous transport across two independent airframe maintenance operations at a single location.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to explore the utility of autonomous transport across two independent airframe maintenance operations at a single location.
Design/methodology/approach
This study leveraged discrete event simulation that encompassed real-world conditions on a United States Air Force flight line. Though the Theory of Constraints (TOC) lens, a high-demand, human-controlled delivery asset is analyzed and the impact of introducing an autonomous rover delivery vehicle is assessed. The authors’ simulations explored varying numbers and networks of rovers as alternative sources of delivery and evaluated these resources’ impact against current flight line operations.
Findings
This research indicates that the addition of five autonomous rovers can significantly reduce daily expediter delivery tasks, which results in additional expertise necessary to manage and execute flight line operations. The authors assert that this relief would translate into enhancements in aircraft mission capable rates, which could increase overall transport capacity and cascade into faster cargo delivery times, systemwide. By extension, the authors suggest overall inventory management could be improved through reduction in transportation shipping time variance, which enhances the Department of Defense’s overall supply chain resilience posture.
Originality/value
When compared against existing practices, this novel research provides insight into actual flight line movement and the potential benefits of an alternative autonomous delivery system. Additionally, the research measures the potential savings in the workforce and vehicle use that exceeds the cost of the rovers and their employment.
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Wen Wu, Haihua (Jason) Wang and Lu Lu
The purpose of this paper is to fill important gaps by using the belongingness theory and examining the effects of individual-level workplace ostracism on members’ voice behavior…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to fill important gaps by using the belongingness theory and examining the effects of individual-level workplace ostracism on members’ voice behavior and the effects of group-level workplace ostracism.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used samples of 77 groups from a high-technological company.
Findings
Individual-level workplace ostracism is detrimental to group members’ promotive and prohibitive voice behavior, and group members’ belongingness mediates such effect; and group-level workplace ostracism is negatively related to group cohesion. The influence of group members’ perception of ostracism on their voice behavior is contingent on overall level of ostracism.
Originality/value
Despite of a growing body of studies on workplace ostracism “the extent to which an individual perceives that he or she is ignored or excluded by others at workplace”, the effects of workplace ostracism on individual’s voice behavior in group settings have received scant attention.
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Lindsay Stoetzel and Sandra Taylor-Marshall
Across K–12 settings, instructional coaching continues to flourish as an approach to teacher professional development intended to address long-standing inequities in student…
Abstract
Purpose
Across K–12 settings, instructional coaching continues to flourish as an approach to teacher professional development intended to address long-standing inequities in student achievement. Yet, coaching models differ in how to conceptualize change or transformation as a result of coaching efforts.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study problematizes the concept of change within one practice-based coaching program, by positing the possibilities of striving for transformational change directed at addressing educational inequities.
Findings
Qualitative methods reveal how coaching belief statements guide the burgeoning identities of beginning coaches to align to (and at times extend beyond) coaching for change through the lens of teacher practice.
Practical implications
Implications describe ways that coaching programs might utilize reflection and analysis activities to foster more equity-oriented coaching identities, regardless of coaching model.
Originality/value
Designing and facilitating authentic learning opportunities for coaches to reflect, rehearse, connect, and apply knowledge to practice as they develop their own understanding of what it means to coach for change is crucial.
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Darren C. Treadway, L.A. Witt, Jason Stoner, Sara Jansen Perry and Brooke A. Shaughnessy
Based on social exchange theory and the norm of reciprocity, interactional justice has been proposed to be an important construct in explaining individual performance. However…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on social exchange theory and the norm of reciprocity, interactional justice has been proposed to be an important construct in explaining individual performance. However, meta-analytic results have noted the relationship is modest at best. The present study extends the understanding of the justice-performance relationship by empirically examining how interactional justice and political skill interactively influence contextual job performance. Focusing on interpersonal aspects of justice and performance, the paper proposes that the existence of interactional justice will only lead to improvements in interpersonally facilitative behavior if employees recognize this situation as an opportunity to invest their skill-related assets into the organization. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Integrating research on political skill with social exchange theory, the current study contends that interactional justice stemming from the supervisor will likely lead to employees feeling obligated and/or wanting to help, cooperate, and consider others in the workplace. However, only employees with political skill will be able to recognize the conditions and act appropriately on these conditions. As such, this paper investigates the moderating role of political skill in the interactional justice-performance relationship. The paper used multi-source survey methodology and applied hierarchical moderated multiple regression analysis to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Results from 189 respondents indicated that interactional justice was more strongly related to supervisor-rated interpersonal facilitation when employees possessed higher levels of political skill. This suggests that when both interactional justice and political skill are high, the potential for interpersonal facilitation is also high. Conversely, when one or both are low, interpersonal facilitation is less likely.
Originality/value
Previous articulations and evaluations of the relationship between interactional justice, political skill, and interpersonal facilitation have omitted either situational determinants of motivation or individual differences in job-related skills. With the current study, the paper sought to address these omissions by exploring the interactive effects of interactional justice and political skill on interpersonal facilitation.