Susanne Imhof and Maike Andresen
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the specific relationship between temporary agency workers (TAWs) and their employing temporary work agencies in Germany that is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the specific relationship between temporary agency workers (TAWs) and their employing temporary work agencies in Germany that is characterized – in contrast to other European countries – by agencies’ central role in employment and the prevalence of permanent contracts. The study addresses a research gap in understanding the mediating role of perceived organizational support (POS) provided by temporary work agencies in the relationship between employment-specific antecedents and TAWs’ subjective well-being (SWB).
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a sample of 350 TAWs in Germany, the mediating role of POS provided by agencies is analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The authors show that procedural justice, performance feedback and social network availability positively relate to POS while perceived job insecurity shows the expected negative influence and distributive justice has no impact on POS. POS, in turn, positively relates to SWB. The partially mediating effect of POS between employment-specific antecedents and SWB is also confirmed.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based on cross-sectional data and self-reported measures; this may limit causal inferences.
Practical implications
The results highlight the importance of agencies creating POS and reducing perceived job insecurity for improving TAWs’ SWB.
Originality/value
The study contributes to previous POS research by focusing on the agencies’ role and by showing the mediating effect of POS on TAWs’ SWB in Germany.
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Adriana Burgstaller, Bert Vercamer, Berta Ottiger-Arnold, Christian Mulle, Dominik Scherrer, Eyrún Eyþórsdóttir, Fabricia Manoel, Lisa Cohen, Matthias Müller, Monika Imhof, Myshelle Baeriswyl, Monwong Bhadharavit, Nozipho Tshabalala, Rachel Clark, Rorisang Tshabalala, Sherifa Fayez, Simone Inversini, Simon Papet, Susanne Reis, Takahiko Nomura and Tina Nielsen
Global collaboration, or the ability to collaborate with people different from ourselves or even across species, becomes increasingly important in our interconnected world to…
Abstract
Global collaboration, or the ability to collaborate with people different from ourselves or even across species, becomes increasingly important in our interconnected world to engage constructively with and across difference. As we face more complex challenges, both locally and globally, the need for the creativity and innovation made possible by diverse perspectives is only amplified. Through five stories from our work as consultants and practitioners helping organizations to collaborate, we explore the role of global leadership in collaboration during times of crisis in various sectors. We began by asking ourselves a series of questions about global collaboration that could also serve as future research directions for scholars. We argue that new forms of leadership are required in the global context where both tasks and relationship domains are characterized by high complexity. We conclude by providing insights and recommendations for global leaders to address those complexities through collaboration and help their organizations learn from their experiences in crises and beyond.
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Elmar Mittler and Matthias Schulz
The libraries of more and more universities and research institutions have local digital repositories, and the amount of material is increasing every day. Users need an integrated…
Abstract
The libraries of more and more universities and research institutions have local digital repositories, and the amount of material is increasing every day. Users need an integrated retrieval interface that allows aggregated searching across multiple document servers without having to resort to manual processes. ProPrint offers an on‐demand print service within Germany for over 2,000 monographs and 1,000 journals. Partners worldwide are now invited to join.
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Sebastian Drexel, Susanne Zimmermann-Janschitz and Robert J. Koester
A search and rescue incident is ultimately all about the location of the missing person; hence, geotechnical tools are critical in providing assistance to search planners. One…
Abstract
Purpose
A search and rescue incident is ultimately all about the location of the missing person; hence, geotechnical tools are critical in providing assistance to search planners. One critical role of Geographic Information Systems (GISs) is to define the boundaries that define the search area. The literature mostly focuses on ring- and area-based methods but lacks a linear/network approach. The purpose of this paper is to present a novel network approach that will benefit search planners by saving time, requires less data layers and provides better results.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper compares two existing models (Ring Model, Travel Time Cost Surface Model (TTCSM)) against a new network model (Travel Time Network Model) by using a case study from a mountainous area in Austria. Newest data from the International Search and Rescue Incident Database are used for all three models. Advantages and disadvantages of each model are evaluated.
Findings
Network analyses offer a fruitful alternative to the Ring Model and the TTCSM for estimating search areas, especially for regions with comprehensive trail/road networks. Furthermore, only few basic data are needed for quick calculation.
Practical implications
The paper supports GIS network analyses for wildland search and rescue operations to raise the survival chances of missing persons due to optimizing search area estimation.
Originality/value
The paper demonstrates the value of the novel network approach, which requires fewer GIS layers and less time to generate a solution. Furthermore, the paper provides a comparison between all three potential models.
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Benjamin Kücherer, Markus Dresel and Martin Daumiller
Professional training courses play an important role for higher education instructors and their teaching quality. However, participants strongly differ in how much they learn in…
Abstract
Purpose
Professional training courses play an important role for higher education instructors and their teaching quality. However, participants strongly differ in how much they learn in these courses. The present study seeks to explain these differences by focusing on attention as a central aspect of their behavioral engagement that can stem from participants' achievement motivations.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors investigated the attention of participants in full-day higher education professional training courses and how differences therein are associated with their achievement goals. Prior to course participation, 117 university instructors (49.6% male, 79.5% with PhD, average age 31.4 years) reported their achievement goals. Using an adapted observational instrument (Hommel, 2012a), two raters subsequently observed and coded the participants' attention during the course (ICC2 = 0.83).
Findings
The results documented very high attention levels, although with substantial interindividual differences. Multilevel analyses indicated that learning goals positively and work avoidance goals negatively predicted observed attention.
Originality/value
The findings provide insight into the value of an observational approach to measuring a fundamental aspect of learning engagement, and contribute to the understanding of interindividual differences in an important higher education learning environment. The study illuminates the relevance of personal predictors for university instructors' successful learning. Specifically, the findings point to the significance of goals as a relevant, but surprisingly hitherto uninvestigated, premise of learning engagement.