Janet L. Rovenpor

Rationale and Construct Validity Evidence for the Job Search Behavior Index: Because Intentions (and New Year's Resolutions) Often Come to Naught.

Abstract A conceptual framework for the determinants of organizational turnover which identifies five panels of variables—job properties, affective/attitudinal reactions, intentions to leave/stay, job search behavior, and turnover occurrences—is advanced. Accordingly, it is reasoned that job search behavior (e.g., revising ones resume) is a more immediate precursor of voluntary turnover than are antecedent variables, such as intentions. Further, it is argued that behavior is required to translate intentions into results. Data from three samples indicate that the Job Search Behavior Index (JSBI) is psychometrically sound and construct valid. Evidence also indicates that the JSBI is a superior predictor of organizational turnover (and intraorganizational job change) in comparison to attitudinal and intention measures. Moreover, stepwise multiple regression and discriminant analyses indicate that the JSBI explains significant incremental variance in turnover, over and beyond the variance explained by perceptual, affective, attitudinal, and intention measures combined.

Further Assessment of the Construct Validity of Four Measures of Narcissism: Replication and Extension

Abstract The authors build on earlier research by L. S. Mullins and R. E. Kopelman (1988) and R. E. Kopelman and L. S. Mullins (1992) to reexamine the construct validity of four narcissism scales: the Margolis-Thomas Measure of Narcissism (MT; H. D. Margolis & V. A. Thomas, 1980), the Narcissistic Personality Disorder Scale (NPDS; H. U. Ashby, R. R. Lee, E. H. Duke, 1979), the Narcissism-Hypersensitivity subscale of the MMPI, Scale 5, Masculinity-Femininity (NHMF; K. Serkownek, 1975), and the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI; R. Raskin & C. S. Hall, 1979). The present analysis included the revised NPI and its factors along with four measures of satisfaction and a number of other previously assessed variables. The MT exhibited the strongest validity, correlating positively with conceptually related constructs such as Machiavellianism, non- significantly with unrelated measures like the need to achieve, and inversely with all four satisfaction scales. Contrasts between the NPI and NPDS and NHMF seemed to parallel recent differentiations between overt and covert narcissism, but data for the NPI factors suggested instead that the four narcissism scales helped describe a complex psychological continuum related to adjustment.

NARCISSISM AND ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION AS RELATED TO THREE FACETS OF THE SALES ROLE: ATTRACTION, SATISFACTION AND PERFORMANCE

Relationships were posited between two personality constructs—narcissism and achievement motivation—and three facets of the sales role: attraction, satisfaction and performance. As predicted, currently and previously employed salespeople were more narcissistic and had stronger needs for achievement than individuals who were never employed in sales. Narcissism was positively associated with overall sales satisfaction and with level of comfort with ethically questionable sales behaviors; narcissism was unrelated to sales performance. In contrast, need for achievement was unrelated to sales satisfaction, negatively related to comfort with ethically questionable sales behaviors, but positively related to sales performance. Practical implications of these findings for sales recruiters and trainers are discussed.

The Study of Values: Construction of the fourth edition

Abstract Some forty years after its initial publication, the Allport–Vernon–Lindzey Study of Values (SOV) was the third most cited non-projective measure of personality in the field of psychology. However, by the early 1980s the measure had fallen into disuse, in large part—we argue—due to its increasingly archaic content, lack of religious inclusiveness, and dated language. We describe the development of an updated version of the SOV that incorporates modifications to 15 out of the 45 original items. One hundred and seventy-nine students completed both the original and updated versions (counter-balanced for order). Psychometric properties of the updated and original scales were comparable and acceptable. Rationales for use of the updated version in research and practice are advanced.

The relationship between four personal characteristics of chief executive officers (CEOS) and company merger and acquisition activity (MAA)

This study examines the role that four CEO personal characteristics play in encouraging companies to engage in MAA. Weak to moderate support was found for hypotheses suggesting that high levels of CEO beliefs that “bigger is better,” beliefs in synergy, need for power and self-confidence are significantly related to high levels of MAA. CEO personal characteristics were measured using three methods—content analysis of speeches, questionnaires, and length of CEO biographies. Subgroup analyses were conducted to determine the possible impact that CEO tenure, company size and company age may have on the relationships between CEO personal characteristics and MAA.

Shopping in an age of terrorism

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine if consumers in two countries (Israel and the USA), which have experienced violence in the retail environment, would perceive risk in shopping on the internet and if so, to what extent. If there were perceptions of risk for shopping online, this paper wanted to report what differences there might be between Israeli and US consumers.Design/methodology/approach – Surveys were distributed to 641 US consumers and to 50 Israeli consumers with a few modifications for differences in terms. The respondents ranged in age from 14 to 86. These surveys were distributed throughout the New York City tri‐state area and in Israel in a convenience sample using a snowball approach. The surveys were collected by the researchers and returned for analysis.Findings – Women in the USA do consider buying online when concerned with physical safety, while Israeli women were very specific in their consideration of the type of site. For them, international sites like eBay were cons...

The Role of NGOs in Ameliorating Sweatshop‐Like Conditions in the Global Supply Chain: The Case of Fair Labor Association (FLA), and Social Accountability International (SAI)

Over the last 20+ years, globalization has made international trade and investment more efficient and productive. In the absence of coordinated global regulatory regimes, it has also made multinational corporations (MNCs) impervious to social concerns in the countries where they operate. There is considerable debate in the academic, political, and business arena as to the causes of the apparently inequitable distribution of benefits between labor and capital. Notwithstanding, the relative merits of this debate, and facing tremendous societal pressure, companies have adopted voluntary codes of conduct to ensure that workers making products for them in poor and developing countries are protected from hazardous working conditions and receive wages that meet local laws and market conditions. These codes, however, suffer from a lack of credibility and proof of substantive compliance. A new type of nongovernmental organization (NGO) has emerged that monitors a companys compliance with prespecified standards and provides assurance to the external stakeholders that the company has fulfilled its voluntary obligations. From an historical perspective, this has been an innovative phenomenon where the monitoring organization purports to act as an honest broker to ensure all concerned that the company/industry has fulfilled its obligations. In this article, we undertake a thorough examination of two such organizations, that is, Fair Labor Association, and Social Accountability International, that have played a pioneering role in bridging the gap between societal expectations and corporate performance. We examine their governance structures, operating procedures, monitoring standards, and public disclosure of findings, and above all, their success in improving the level of corporate compliance with their self‐created codes or standards. Unfortunately, our findings and conclusions are disappointing. In our view, the two groups have mostly failed to meet their avowed goals. Rather than using their NGO status to help companies improve their code compliance, they have suffered from managerial capture and have been reduced to corporate apologists.

Repeat-Purchase Behavior as a Criterion of Teaching Effectiveness

Abstract Repeat-purchase behavior, the subsequent course-taking behavior of students in a particular field, was examined as a criterion of teaching effectiveness. Correlations were obtained between repeat-purchase behavior (RPB) and instructor, student, and situational characteristics, as well as student and peer evaluations of teaching effectiveness, at a northeastern university. Results revealed a greater correlation between RPB and evening students than between RPB and day students. Potential practical applications and suggestions for future research are provided.

From Outsourcing to Best-Sourcing? The Global Search for Talent and Innovation

Outsourcing has received a poor reputation in the media, general public, and political arena in the Western world. It has been criticized for domestic job losses and the exploitation of unskilled workers in developing countries. What most opponents do not realize, however, is that there are different types of outsourcing, some of which may involve corporate efforts to lower overhead costs by gaining access to low-waged labor while others entail the acquisition and retention of highly skilled and talented professionals who are valued for their ability to innovate. There is no one-size-fits-all approach and not all outsourcing is harmful. A KPMG survey, entitled, Top Market Trends and Predictions for 2016 and Beyond, revealed that talent shortages and challenges were of the highest concern and had the largest negative impact on businesses. Global companies can create a competitive advantage in the market place by attracting the best people from all corners of the world. The “war for talent” has become “the new norm” (Brown, 2016).