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Policy makers in transitional economies have recognized the importance of self-employment as a mechanism for economic growth. Institutional support, however, lags this recognition. Individuals, therefore, must draw on their personal characteristics to venture into self-employment. We used a variety of individual characteristics to capture an important antecedent of the transition to self-employment using data from 133 mid-career Chinese executives. At the most aggregate level, hierarchical regression showed that views on self-employment are positively related to having a self-employed relative and openness to experience. A more refined analysis indicated that a variety of individual characteristics are related to perceptions of self-employment. Using these findings, we conclude that public policy will create an environment of inter-generational entrepreneurial activity. We argued, moreover, that the continued transition from state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to privately owned enterprises will require the identification, training, and development of a new breed of self-employed individual. (Contains 4 tables.)

Using multiple theoretical perspectives (stress, conservation of resources, and deviance), we investigated the relationship between burnout and personality. Burnout is measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishments), and personality is captured with the Mini-Marker Inventory (extroversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness to experience, and emotional stability). Regression analyses controlling for demographic characteristics, based on 265 instructors of a large state university, indicated that emotional exhaustion is negatively related to extroversion and emotional stability and positively related to openness to experience. Depersonalization is negatively related to agreeableness and emotional stability. Personal accomplishments are positively related to extroversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability. Implications of the results are discussed. (Contains 6 tables and 4 notes.)

Of 1,805 early retirees, 40% returned to work (17% full time, 51% part time, 32% self employed). Return was positively related to work attachment and tenure at last job. Clerical workers were less likely than managers to choose part-time work over retirement. Lateral mobility and high work attachment were negatively related to postretirement self-employment. (Contains 62 references.) (SK)

Of 1,740 displaced workers in 1982, 387 responded to a 1992 survey. Of the 34 who were retrained, 27 had a high school education or higher, suggesting that postdisplacement job training should be targeted to workers with higher education levels. Others should first be provided with basic education. (Contains 44 references.) (SK)

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-4580.2008.00199.x Byline: Ellen Dannin (*), Michelle Dean ([dagger]), Gangaram Singh ([dagger]) Abstract: Despite Congress' having made clear policy statements in the National Labor Relations Act that the law was intended to promote equality of bargaining power between employers and employees, to promote the practice and procedure of collective bargaining as the method of setting workplace terms and conditions of employment, and forbidding construing the law 'so as to either interfere with or impede or diminish in any way the right to strike,' by early 1940, the courts had given employers the right to permanently replace strikers and implement their final offer at impasse. Judges have often justified these doctrines as promoting balance in bargaining. Critics contend that the doctrines have the capacity to destroy the right to strike, unbalance bargaining power, and divert parties from the process of bargaining collectively. Some have proposed allowing temporary but not permanent striker replacement. We use a bargaining simulation followed by a survey and debriefing comments to test these opposing claims. Author Affiliation: (*)At Penn State Dickinson School of Law ([dagger])At San Diego State University Article note: Fannie Weiss Distinguished Faculty Scholar, and Professor of Law, Penn State Dickinson School of Law, 311 Beam Building, University Park, PA 16802-1912, USA. Telephone: 814 865-8996. Facsimile: 814 865-9042. E-mail: ejd13@dsl.psu.edu.

Using a sample of 749 individuals, we examine the correlation of views of employee participation and higher order needs, altruism, pride in craftsmanship, and collectivism. Structural equation modeling (accounting for measurement errors) shows that views of employee participation are correlated positively with higher order needs, altruism, pride in craftsmanship, and collectivism. Our model also shows equivalency across 3 different age groups. Implications of our results for organizational practice and public policy are discussed.

We examine the demographic and personality correlates of the Protestant ethic and how it correlates with contemporary individual and social issues. Success is more prevalent among Christian fundamentalists, those who were born outside the United States, individualists, individuals who have a higher locus of control, and individuals who believe in a just world. Hard work is more prevalent among Asian Americans and Filipinos, women, those who have a higher internal locus of control, and those who believe in a just world. Our data show that success and hard work are correlated positively with hours worked, total hours worked, and liberalization of drug laws. No other study has examined these issues using a diverse ethno-religious sample.

The United States is comprised of a patchwork of ethnic groups. To varying degrees, such groups have become acculturated into the White Anglo Americana culture. Our study is an attempt to examine the consequences and predictors of psychological acculturation. The data were taken from 320 students attending a large state university on the West Coast of the United States. Our results show that grade point average (GPA) and income earned were positively related to psychological acculturation. Religion, ethnicity, age of entry to the United States, enrollment in a graduate program, and self-esteem affected psychological acculturation. The implications of the results are discussed.

In this article, we combine perspectives from labor economics and entrepreneurship to examine early retirees' decision to become self-employed. Many individuals leave career employment before the traditional age of 65 [...]

Byline: Eshwar Lokanan, Gangaram Singh The economy of the USA is adjusting to a series of corporate wrongdoings as exemplified by Enron, Andersen, and InClone. The natural action is to find the wrongdoers and subject them to the traditional justice system. A system of restorative justice borrowed from Australia is proposed as a more appropriate route towards deterrence. In essence, restorative justice moves away from 'stigmatised shaming' towards 'reintegrative shaming' as the deterrent mechanism. The validity of implementing a system in the USA that was developed in Australia is assessed. The ultimate objective of reintegrative justice is to make sure that the wrongdoers and victims become productive members of society.

Byline: Patrick Zvara, Gangaram Singh Multinational corporations have created a unique class of employee known as the expatriate. Expatriates face numerous issues prior to, during, and after their assignments abroad. It is often believed that repatriation is easier than expatriation since the expatriate is returning 'home'. However, this is not the case. How the multinational corporation handles the cycle of events surrounding expatriate workers can impact organisational effectiveness, retention, employee effectiveness, and the employees' personal life. In this paper, we sketch the fundamental differences between repatriation and expatriation and design a repatriation programme from an organizational perspective which incorporates programs that address the entire cycle of events from expatriation to repatriation.

Byline: Jai Ghorpade, Jim Lackritz, Gangaram Singh As the USA develops its trade interaction with India, issues of management between the two countries are likely to surface. In this article, we examine one such issue - preferences for the involvement of employees in the management of organisations using a new scale we called Preferences for Involvement in Management (PIM). Our data show that PIM is equivalent across the USA and India. A comparison of the mean levels of PIM shows that it is higher in the USA than India. Implications of the results are discussed.

Byline: Robin Epstein, Gangaram Singh The internet has become a common source of recruiting, yet no study, to date, has examined its effectiveness. We created several 'ratios' and assessed the effectiveness of internet recruiting in a biomedical device firm in the USA. Our analysis shows the internet should not be considered as the end all to the recruiting process. It is important to keep in mind that it is just one tool and should be used in combination with an overall recruiting strategy. Most of all, it is important to realise that the internet is here to stay. In order to stay competitive, organisations need to stay abreast of recruiting trends and strategise their overall recruiting efforts. This study, in conclusion, is a valuable model for assessing internet recruiting.

Byline: Patrick Fivaz, Gangaram Singh In this paper, the authors document the history of the pension system in Europe and outline several key features that are needed for a unified system. Useful scenarios are used to demonstrate the complexity of moving towards a pan-European plan.

Byline: Noel M. Cowell, Gangaram Singh It is becoming a common practice for an employer to decollectivise the employment relationship by engineering a replacement of the collective agreement with individual fixed-term contracts of employment. In this study, we present the results of a survey of 89 workers employed at a Jamaican manufacturing enterprise in the wake of a conversion from permanent to fixed-term contracts of employment. The responses of the 60 workers who had worked in the company prior to the conversion indicated that they felt better off as contract workers and were more satisfied with various aspects of the employment relationship. On the other hand, the same set of workers reported that several aspects of communication and grievance administration were better before the conversion. In addition, they were more likely to disagree than to agree that the ousted union had been effective. Moreover, they were more likely to agree than to disagree that unions in general are necessary. In the final section of the paper, we discuss the results and draw implications for institutions and public policy.

Byline: Jai Ghorpade, Jim Lackritz, Gangaram Singh Understanding similarities and differences between the USA and Mexico has become critical because of NAFTA and geographical proximity. In this paper, our objective is to illustrate how errors can occur with respect to management across the two countries when inappropriate research methodology is used. The management issue under scrutiny is preferences for involving employees in the management of organisations. We developed a measure for the construct. We then used a traditional analytical technique to test the measure in the USA and Mexico. Our results indicated psychometric outcomes that are acceptable. An advanced analytical technique (structural equations model), however, indicated that the measure was not equivalent across the USA and Mexico. The implications of this difference are illustrated with the inapplicability of a management practice if the traditional research tool is used.

Byline: Gangaram Singh The biotechnology industry is undergoing a significant change from research and development to commercialisation. It is proposed that this change is likely to result in the greater importance of skills associated with business administration. In addition, there is likely to be a shortfall in the capability of achieving business administration skills. Third, the capability change index (the sum of differences of importance and capability multiplied by 100) is likely to be greater for skills associated with business administration. Finally, gaps in business administration skills are likely to be lower among organisations that are commercialised. All four propositions received support from a sample of biotechnology organisations located in one of the fastest growing biotechnology clusters in the USA. Implications of the results are identified and discussed.