Barrie G. Stacey

A Comparison of Protestant Work Ethic Beliefs in Thirteen Nations

Abstract This study was concerned with the measurement and comparison of Protestant Work Ethic scores in 13 countries. Subjects completed seven work ethic scales, which have varying reliabilities and validities. Cronbach alphas indicated that five of the seven had acceptable reliability. For every measure, there was a highly significant difference between the scores of subjects from the different countries, and the differences tended to be consistent over the various measures. Subjects from richer, First World countries tended to have lower scores than those from Third World countries. Also, the correlation between the most well known work ethic scale score and Hofstedes (1984) power-distance score for the 13 countries was highly significant, indicating that work ethic beliefs were associated with differential weights placed on prestige, power, and wealth in a society. The results are discussed in terms of the extensive literature on cross-cultural comparison, particularly with reference to work beliefs ...

Distribution of Self-Reported Alcohol Consumption in New Zealand, 1978–1979

The problem of estimating how much alcohol individuals actually drink is discussed with particular reference to the log-normal frequency distribution of alcohol consumption. It is then presented as being a problem of inference from the recent history of a time series. Following directly from this presentation, data obtained in a national survey of 10,000 New Zealand residents are analyzed (a) to yield the frequency distribution of estimated drinking rates; (b) to test whether this distribution is log-normal in form; and (c) to provide further information about the distribution of alcohol consumption. This analysis enabled us to account for almost the whole of the actual total alcohol consumption in New Zealand. The results are different from those expected on the basis of the uncorrected log-normal description of consumption.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN FOUR PROFESSIONS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

This paper describes the career development to 1978 of four samples of people who entered Australian universities in 1965 or 1967. The study reported is based upon data obtained by means of a mail questionnaire survey from 1,490 respondents. The data were obtained from former students of engineering, law, medicine and teaching, and were analysed using standard techniques. Information is presented concerning the qualifications and professional status of the members of the four samples, their jobs and job changes, and influences on their job choices. The career progression of the four samples varied considerably. Significant numbers did not graduate in their chosen fields. However, the results suggest a great deal of occupational/professional stability founded upon original career plans.

The classification of patients into diagnostic groups using cluster analysis

The use of cluster analysis for the classification of patients into diagnostic groups remains controversial. Further evidence is provided for assessing the use of cluster analysis in comparison with other multivariate methods. It is suggested that, when appropriately used, cluster analysis is a convenient tool for developing empirically based diagnostic groupings and that the frequently stated limitations of the technique should not invalidate the obtained groupings in such cases.

PRACTICAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF CLUSTER ANALYSIS

Comparative evaluation of a variety of clustering methods on real and simulated data indicates that the appropriate method for a given set of data must be determined empirically. Selection of an appropriate method generally requires several preliminary analyses. With larger data sets, preliminary analyses on the whole may not be possible. As an alternative one may adopt an interactive strategy and break a large set into manageable subsets.

Attitudes, age and sex as correlates and predictors of alcohol consumption among 14- to 17-year-olds in New Zealand

Data from a national, representative sample of 1278 New Zealand 14- to 17-year-olds are analysed to explore the relationships between estimated alcohol consumption, age, sex, and attitudes to alcohol and its role in society. Relations between these variables are examined by regression and canonical correlation procedures. They are shown both to differ between the sexes and to be complex. Just over 10% of the variance associated with alcohol consumption proved to be predictable from a linear combination of age, sex, and attitude variables. The attitude component displaying the strongest linkage with consumption reflected a concern with alcohol and alcohol-related problems.

Happiness and Radical Career Change Among New Zealanders

Abstract A survey of voluntary radical career change based on a sample of 99 men provided the opportunity to explore happiness and radical career change. This highly educated sample had careers of well-above-average occupational status prior to career change. Results show that, with the exception of health, objective life circumstances were not good predictors of their happiness. After the career change, the average number of hours per week spent working increased, and annual holidays became shorter. Income and socioeconomic status both dropped markedly following the change. However, average well-being in the sample, as assessed by a standardized measuring device, was significantly higher than that in the New Zealand population at large, and sample members regarded their career change as successful.

Is Alcohol Consumption Log-Normally Distributed among Fourteen- to Seventeen-Year-Olds?

The problem of explaining the distribution of alcohol consumption in a population is discussed with particular reference to the log-normal frequency distribution of alcohol consumption and the claims associated with it. Criticisms directed at this application of the log-normal distribution are presented, as is Ole-Jørgen Skogs defense of the log-normal hypothesis. A nation-wide survey of alcohol consumption by 1278 New Zealand 14- to 17-yr.-olds is described. In this sample, representing homogeneous substrata of the New Zealand population, the distribution of alcohol consumption is not close to log-normality in the high consumption segment of the distribution for males, females, and the total sample. However, some analysts would probably interpret our results as borderline or even approximate log-normal distributions. The significance of these results for the log-normal hypothesis and Skogs theoretical position is outlined. Important features of alcohol consumption among 14- to 17-yr.-olds in New Zealand are discussed.

Some Social Factors as Correlates and Predictors of Reported Alcohol Consumption in New Zealand

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The Anatomy of Adolescence: Young People's Social Attitudes in Britain@@@Young People's Understanding of Society

This book presents a unique reference to the social attitudes of British adolescents in the late 1980s. The authors, both experienced researchers, draw on a sample of over 2000 adolescents from all over the British Isles, including Northern Ireland and the north of Scotland as well as the south of England and Wales. Theirs is one of the most comprehensive reviews of the decade, with the results summarized in tables supported by clear commentaries. The contents range widely over key issues of the day, covering attitudes to: British politics and government, crime and law enforcement, Britains relationship with Europe and developing countries, sex roles and race, religion and the paranormal, health and the environment, school, work and unemployment, and home entertainment media.