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Grounded in Strategic Leadership Theory (SLT), the exploratory study examined the effects of appraisal frequency on various work-related factors (job satisfaction, perceived board support, and organizational commitment) on executive director's current appraisal experiences. One hundred and sixty-two executive-level professionals in local park and recreation agencies completed an online survey that was used to measure the variables of interest. Results indicated differences in executive directors' job satisfaction, perceived board support, and organizational commitment based on the frequency in which the formal appraisal was administered. Complete and implications for organizations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore possible predictors of career and non-career bridge employment intentions among local government employees. The effects of eight professional characteristics, life satisfaction, family-work balance, work philosophy, and perceived role support at work were assessed on bridge employment intentions. Two hundred and twenty-six professionals completed a survey and results indicated career bridge employment intentions were influenced by professionals' age, life satisfaction, work-family balance, serious work philosophy, and work role support while non-career bridge employment was influenced by age, work-family balance, and serious work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their prominence and popularity, pay-for-performance systems are often an area of controversy within an agency. Getting employees more engaged in the pay-for-performance appraisal system's development, implementation, and administration has been suggested as a possible method to improve the effectiveness of these systems. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of employee participation and supervisor trust in employee reactions toward a pay-for-performance appraisal system. Guided by Social Cognitive Theory, a series of hypotheses are proposed and tested. The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings and their implications for management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) harvest practices create residue distribution gradients in the field that lead to spatial and temporal variability in available nitrogen (N) during subsequent crop growth. The objective of this study was to quantify N mineralization from peanut residue loading rates that are reflective of postharvest residue distribution gradients under simulated conventional and conservation tillage. A field study was conducted in Florida, USA beginning in September 2015. Fresh shoot residues were placed in litterbags at loading rates (1.1, 2.2, 4.5, and 6.7 Mg ha−1 on an air-dry weight basis) that were based on the residue distribution gradient measured in the field following harvest. Three tillage scenarios were simulated by placing litterbags on the soil surface (no-till) or burying them at 0.10 m depth in fall or spring (fall and spring tillage, respectively). Litterbags were retrieved periodically over 365 days. Buried residues mineralized N faster than surface residues, even when buried residues had high levels of recalcitrant fractions, as was the case with spring-incorporated residues. Exponential models predicted that during a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop, residue loading rates of 1.1, 2.2, 4.5, and 6.7 Mg ha−1 would mineralize 3-6, 5-12, 24-34, and 35-41 kg N ha−1, respectively, depending on tillage practice. At the same loading rates, N mineralization estimates dropped to 2-4, 3-6, 9-11, and 5-18 kg N ha−1 during a hypothetical cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) crop planted the following spring. These results suggest that peanut harvest and tillage practices cause large spatial and temporal variability in available N following harvest and may partially explain inconsistencies and spatial variability in subsequent crop performance when peanut residues are relied upon as a N source and mineral N fertilization is reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]