Kristen Ringdal

Institutional and Rational Determinants of Organizational Practices: Human Resource Management in European Firms

This paper tests predictions from institutional and rational perspectives about the adoption of organizational practices through a comparative study of human resource management in firms located in six European countries. Distinguishing between calculative practices—aimed at efficient use of human resources—and collaborative practices—aimed at promoting the goals of both employees and employer—the paper predicts differences in adoption across countries. Results show that institutional determinants, as indicated by the national embeddedness of firms, have a strong effect on the application of both calculative and collaborative human resource management practices. Firm size, a rational determinant, has a considerable impact on calculative practices, whereas the effect of industrial embeddedness is quite modest for both practices.

Welfare state regimes and differences in self-perceived health in Europe: a multilevel analysis.

The aim of this study was to determine the degree to which welfare state regime characteristics explained the proportional variation of self-perceived health between European countries, when individual and regional variation was accounted for, by undertaking a multilevel analysis of the European Social Survey (2002 and 2004). A total of 65,065 individuals, from 218 regions and 21 countries, aged 25 years and above were included in the analysis. The health outcomes related to peoples own mental and physical health, in general. The study showed that almost 90% of the variation in health was attributable to the individual-level, while approximately 10% was associated with national welfare state characteristics. The variation across regions within countries was not significant. Type of welfare state regime appeared to account for approximately half of the national-level variation of health inequalities between European countries. People in countries with Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon welfare regimes were observed to have better self-perceived general health in comparison to Southern and East European welfare regimes.

Testing the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire on cancer patients with heterogeneous diagnoses

This study aimed to contribute to the validation of the 30-item Quality of Life Questionnaire developed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Study Group (EORTC QLQ-C30). The sample consisted of 177 cancer patients with heterogeneous diagnoses. A series of scales representing various dimensions of quality of life were tested, including those proposed by the EORTC Study Group. Mokkens non-parametric latent trait model for unidimensional scaling was used as the basic scaling procedure. This model gives coefficients of scalability in addition to reliability coefficients. In terms of scalability measured by Loevingers H, all EORTC Study Group scales, except the cognitive functioning scale were found to be quite satisfactory. The cognitive functioning scale and the role functioning scale were below the satisfactory level in terms of reliability (internal consistency). In total, our study strengthens the external validity of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and confirms that it may be used on cancer patients with various diagnoses.

The impact of bundles of strategic human resource management practices on the performance of European firms

The relationship between HRM practices and perceived firm performance was analysed in 3,281 firms located in European Union countries using data derived from the Cranet data set. A factor analysis of 80 different HRM practices resulted in 15 bundles of HRM practices which were then further categorized as being either ‘calculative’, ‘collaborative’ or ‘intermediary’. While controlling for contingency factors, firm strategy, firm size, market conditions and degree of unionization, as well as controlling for industry and country, the resulting analysis indicates that while five of the six calculative practices and two of the three intermediary practices have a significant impact on performance none of the six collaborative practices has. Significantly it was further noted that the overall effect of HRM on performance was relatively modest.

National embeddedness and calculative human resource management in US subsidiaries in Europe and Australia

This article presents a study of the degree to which national institutional settings impact on the application of management practices in foreign subsidiaries of multinational companies. Applying the national business systems approach our study centres on the use of calculative human resource management (HRM) practices by subsidiaries of US multinational companies in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Denmark/Norway and Australia, respectively, in comparison with these countries’ indigenous firms.The analysis indicates that while US subsidiaries adapt to the local setting in terms of applying calculative HRM practices, they also diverge from indigenous firm practices.

Prognostic factors and survival in a heterogeneous sample of cancer patients.

This study examines the prognostic value of clinical assessments, including a 3-fold classification of cancer patients by treatment intention. It is based upon a sample of 253 patients with different cancer diagnoses who filled out a 108-item questionnaire. Cox regression analysis (the proportional hazards model) was used to analyse the relationship of the three groups of covariates (clinical, demographic and psychosocial) with survival. The univariate analysis showed that several clinical, demographic and psychosocial covariates are significantly related to survival. The study located two main prognostic factors: the 3-fold classification by treatment intention being the most important one, followed by physical functioning which may be seen as a proxy for performance status. Several additional covariates including psychosocial ones were related to survival when considered separately. However, their effects disappeared when controlling for treatment intention and physical functioning. Thus, the additional psychosocial covariates did no add to the prognostic value of the model.

When in Rome, do they do as the Romans? HRM Practices of US Subsidiaries in Europe

In this study we investigate whether and to what degree subsidiaries of US companies in Europe adapt their calculative human resource management practices to varying national institutional contexts. We compare their practices with those of indigenous firms in Ireland, the United Kingdom and Denmark/Norway. The analysis indicates that subsidiaries of US companies while showing some adaptation are partly immune to the specific national contexts in which they operate.

Factors Affecting Grief Reactions in Close Family Members to Individuals Who Have Died of Cancer

This longitudinal study examined factors related to grief reactions in a systematic and standardized way in 183 close family members to individuals who died of cancer. Grief reactions were measured using the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (TRIG). A repeated measures MANOVA was used to test and compare the grief reactions of the bereaved for one year after the loss. The female respondents showed stronger grief reactions than the male respondents. The grief reactions increased with age, and those who had lost a younger family member experienced stronger grief reactions than those who had lost an older family member. The relationship to the deceased, the duration of the disease, place of death, aspects of social support such as children living at home, and employment were not related to the grief reactions in the bereaved respondents when controlling for the former factors.

Quality of life of cancer patients with different prognoses.

This study examines differences and similarities in the quality of life of 253 cancer patients with good, medium and poor prognoses. Our main hypothesis was that patients with a good prognosis will experience a higher quality of life than patients with a medium or poor prognosis. A multivariate analysis of covariance of eight quality of life scales was performed with prognosis as a factor and with age, sex, and the duration of the illness as covariates. Significant main effects of prognosis were found for the general QOL-scale and for physical aspects of quality of life. There were, however, only marginal and non-significant effects of prognosis groups on social and psychological functioning. A final multivariate analysis confirms earlier findings that performance status shows a weak but significant relationship with the psychological functioning. Thus, the physical condition of the patient at the time of measurement seems to have some influence on the psychological functioning, whereas the severity of the disease as inducated by the classification into prognosis groups does not. These results question the general attitude that seriously ill cancer patients have reduced social and psychological well-being. An alternative interpretation is that the scales used to measure psychological aspects of quality of life are inadequately sensitive.

Does social support from family and friends work as a buffer against reactions to stressful life events such as terminal cancer

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between social support and emotional functioning and stress reactions. Our hypothesis is that patients who reported a high degree of social support will experience better emotional functioning and less serious stress reactions than patients with a low degree of social support. METHOD The sample was comprised of 434 patients at the Palliative Medicine Unit (PMU), University Hospital of Trondheim in Norway. The patients completed a questionnaire monthly including questions about social support from the MacAdams Scale, subjective stress measured by the Impact of Event Scale (IES), and emotional functioning measured by the subscale in the EORTC QLQ-30. RESULTS Although our hypothesis was not supported at the baseline assessment, it was supported at the second assessment, 2 months later. Patients with high social support reported better emotional functioning and less serious stress reactions, in terms of lower scores on the IES avoidance subscale, than patients with a low degree of social support. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESULTS: The mixed findings may indicate that social support has only small effects on emotional functioning and stress reactions. Our results on the second assessment indicate, however, that social support might work as a buffer against reactions toward external stressful events such as terminal cancer.