Empirical Literature Research Articles

Employee benefit availability, use, and subjective evaluation: A meta-analysis of relationships with perceived organizational support, affective organizational commitment, withdrawal, job satisfaction, and well-being.

Employee benefits constitute 38.1% of compensation costs, representing a sizeable investment in the workforce. Unlike other forms of support that depend on the actions of individuals throughout the organization, benefits can be changed through decisions at the highest level and influence employees throughout the company. Yet, the literature on benefits has been largely disjointed, resulting in theoretical ambiguity and practical questions about the role of employee benefit experiences in individual employee outcomes. To inform theory and practice, we organized the benefits literature using social exchange theory as a framework and conducted a meta-analysis on the relationships of employee benefit availability, use, and subjective evaluation with perceived organizational support, employee attitudes, and well-being. Our review (k = 134, N = 260,604) found unique relationships between the availability and subjective evaluation of employee benefits and affective organizational commitment, withdrawal intentions, job satisfaction, and well-being, with these relationships partially mediated by perceived organizational support. Benefit use contributed little to these outcomes beyond benefit availability and subjective evaluation. Benefit subjective evaluation was also more strongly related to most outcomes than were benefits availability and use. These relationships varied across types of benefits, with training benefits more strongly related to job satisfaction and health care and retirement benefits more strongly related to turnover intentions. Altogether, this meta-analysis integrates the empirical literature on employee benefits and highlights the implications of benefit experiences and types for the employee-organization relationship and employee well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The evolution of sensitive periods beyond early ontogeny: Bridging theory and data

Abstract Sensitive periods, in which experiences have a large impact on phenotypic development, are most common early in ontogeny. Yet, they may also occur at later ontogenetic stages, such as adolescence. At present, however, we know little about why natural selection favours sensitive periods for some traits early in ontogeny and for others later in ontogeny. This article synthesizes recent mathematical models and empirical studies that explore sensitive periods beyond early ontogeny. Across mathematical models, we observe two general patterns. First, sensitive periods emerge beyond early ontogeny when an organism's uncertainty about the environment‐phenotype fit increases at later developmental stages. Second, sensitive periods emerge beyond early ontogeny when cues at later stages reduce this uncertainty more than earlier cues do. In the empirical literature, we observe that traits showing sensitive periods beyond early ontogeny tend to be social traits, particularly among mammals. Connecting theory to data, we hypothesize that mammals have evolved to expect reliable information from peers in adolescence to reduce uncertainty about the current and future social environment (e.g. social dominance, mate value). Finally, we highlight current gaps in our understanding and suggest future directions for strengthening bridges between empirical and theoretical studies of sensitive periods. Ultimately, we hope our synthesis will contribute towards an integrative science of sensitive periods across the biological and the social sciences. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

What drives companies’ progress on their emission reduction targets?

As the importance of non-state mitigation actions in the transition to a low-carbon economy becomes firmly established, a rapidly growing number of companies are setting corporate climate mitigation targets. Shareholders increasingly value these commitments, conveying the impression of good future carbon performance. However, a critical question emerges: why do some companies progress better than others toward their climate mitigation targets? There is currently a lack of empirical literature assessing companies’ progress against their mitigation targets. Using a new indicator to evaluate the progress against individual corporate climate mitigation targets in a comparable manner, this study presents an explanatory analysis of 120 determinants applied to 4341 climate mitigation targets (scope 1 and 2 emissions) of 2975 companies reporting to the 2020 CDP questionnaire. The target progress assessment shows that 30% of targets have increased emissions since their base year, 15% have reduced their emissions but not at a sufficient pace, while 55% were on track to achieving or had already achieved their targets. In addition, 18% of targets were already achieved the year the target was set, which may be due to choosing a base year with unusually high emissions. The findings reveal 19 key determinants significantly associated with the progress against corporate targets and highlight future research orientation. Our results indicate better progression by companies having absolute targets with longer timeframes and disclosing additional, as well as remuneration links to climate-related issues. Companies with more ambitious targets progress less than others, except when the ambitious targets are approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative. The latter implies ambitious targets from some firms may only be symbolic, and that investors should consider both target ambition and progress. Clear guidance and regulations should be implemented by policymakers to prevent misleading target information. Future research should address limitations related to reliance on self-reported data and exclusion of scope 3 emissions targets, along with the research directions suggested by the findings.

Terrorism and Economic Growth in Nigeria

Terrorism has emerged as a significant threat to global security and economic stability, with Nigeria experiencing its detrimental effects. This empirical study investigated the relationship between terrorism and economic growth in Nigeria. The study focused on the impact of terrorism on productivity in Nigeria, examining various aspects including economic growth, trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), manufacturing output, and other key indicators but with specific focus on economic growth. It highlighted the pervasive nature of terrorism in Nigeria, with various groups such as Boko Haram, ISIS, Fulani herdsmen, and Niger Delta militants contributing to violence and insecurity. The study reviews both empirical and theoretical literature on terrorism and its economic consequences, emphasizing the negative relationship between terrorism and economic growth. Using a positivist research paradigm, the study employed a Structural Vector Autoregression (SVAR) approach to analyze the impact of terrorism on economic variables in Nigeria. The SVAR model incorporated endogenous variables such as economic growth, capital, terrorism, and trade. Data covering a 42-year period from 1980 to 2021 were utilized, and they were sourced from the World Bank and World Development Indicators. The estimation and results section includes discussions on lag length selection criteria and impulse response analyses to understand the dynamic effects of terrorism on economic variables over time. In conclusion, the study underscored the detrimental impact of terrorism on productivity and economic growth in Nigeria, highlighting the need for effective counter-terrorism measures to mitigate these effects. It provides valuable insights for policymakers and researchers aiming to address the complex challenges posed by terrorism in the country.

Is contextual knowledge a key component of expertise for teaching with technology? A systematic literature review

The technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework is a prominent framework for describing the knowledge teachers require for teaching in the digital era. Recently, the component of “context” was officially recognized as an additional domain of knowledge. Since then, this domain has started to gradually gain more attention in TPACK research. Yet research on contextual knowledge (XK) appears somewhat sporadic, indicating the need for greater clarity on this construct. As the domain representing the knowledge of educational contexts, the role of experience in educational contexts emerges as a key point for shedding light on this construct. The present systematic literature review aimed to offer an overview of the representations and functions associated with XK through the lens of experience and investigated this domain through comparing the empirical literature focusing on preservice teachers (less experienced) to that focusing on inservice teachers (more experienced). Systematically screening the literature resulted in a final sample of 15 studies conducted among preservice teachers and 23 on inservice teachers. Records were analyzed through qualitative codings and quantitative comparisons of these codes between these two groups of studies. Findings revealed a consistent multifaceted structure of XK across both inservice and preservice teacher studies with a distinctive greater focus on school-level factors in inservice teacher studies. In addition, across groups, studies provided evidence confirming XK as a domain supporting teachers’ practice, that can be developed, and that relates to other pedagogically relevant constructs. These findings are discussed with regards to their implications for researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders.

Words Can Hurt: A Taxonomy of Verbally Pressured Sexual Exploitation in the SES-V

ABSTRACT This article describes the development of the Verbally Pressured Sexual Exploitation module of the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES)-Victimization (introduced by Koss et al., 2024). This module assesses the use of verbal or nonphysical, paraverbal pressure to obtain sexual acts without freely given permission. An interdisciplinary team of seven sexual exploitation researchers collaborated to create this module, with consultation from the full 15 member SES-V revision collaboration team. In this paper, we describe our process for developing this module. We briefly review empirical literature and theoretical frameworks (e.g., rape scripts, normative sexual scripts, intersectionality, and sex-positivity) that informed this work. Summary tables compare the SES-V items to verbal pressure items in prior versions of the SES and to other existing measures of violence. The comprehensive taxonomy developed herein includes six domains of Verbally Pressured sexual exploitation across 11 item stems. The components of the taxonomy include: positive verbal pressure, neutral verbal pressure, negative verbal pressure, substance-related pressure, postural violence, and threats to critical resources. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research, with priority on intersectional research that can illuminate the phenomenology and contexts of sexual exploitation against marginalized groups.

Conflicting Results and Statistical Malleability: Embracing Pluralism of Empirical Results

Abstract Conflicting results undermine making inferences from the empirical literature. So far, the replication crisis is mainly seen as resulting from honest errors and questionable research practices such as p-hacking or the base-rate fallacy. I discuss the malleability (researcher degrees of freedom) of quantitative research and argue that conflicting results can emerge from two studies using different but plausible designs (e.g., eligibility criteria, operationalization of concepts, outcome measures) and statistical methods. I also explore how the choices regarding study design and statistical techniques bias results in a way that makes them more or less relevant for a given policy or clinical question.

The Effects of Monetary Policy on Capital Flows: An Emerging Market Survey

We investigate whether central banks from emerging markets can attract or redirect capital flows, by bringing together the entire empirical literature into the first quan- titative meta-analysis. We dissect policy effects based on the origin of the monetary shock and type of flow. Further, we assess whether policy effects depend on factors that drive investors to either search for yields or fly to safety. Our findings indicate a mean effect size of inflows in the amount of 0.09% of quarterly GDP in response to either a 100-basis point (bp) increase in the domestic policy rate or a 100 bp reduction in the external rate. However, the effect size under a fixed effect specification is much higher (0.2%). Factors that attract inflows include output growth, foreign exchange reserves, and a more flexible exchange rate regime, while factors that deter flows include local and global risks. Finally, we find that banking flows are the most responsive to monetary policy, while foreign direct investments are the least responsive.

A gender-based review of workplace violence amongst the global health workforce-A scoping review of the literature.

Workplace violence (WPV) impacts all levels of the health workforce, including the individual provider, organization, and society. While there is a substantial body of literature on various aspects of WPV against the health workforce, gender-based WPV (GB-WPV) has received less attention. Violence in both the workplace and broader society is rooted in gendered socio-economic, cultural, and institutional factors. Developing a robust understanding of GB-WPV is crucial to explore the differing experiences, responses, and outcomes of GB-WPV with respect to gender. We conducted a scoping review and report on the prevalence and risk factors of GB-WPV in healthcare settings globally. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). We registered the scoping review protocol on the Open Science Framework on January 14, 2022, at https://osf.io/t4pfb/. A systematic search was conducted of empirical literature in five health and social science databases. Of 13667, 226 studies were included in the analysis. Across the studies, more women than men experienced non-physical violence, including verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and bullying. Men experienced more physical violence compared to women. Younger age, less experience, shifting duties, specific clinical settings, lower professional status, organizational hierarchy, and minority status were found to be sensitive to gender, reflecting women's structural disadvantages in the workplace. Given the high prevalence and impact of GB-WPV on women, we provided recommendations to address systemic issues in clinical practice, academia, policy, and research.

Is contextual knowledge a key component of expertise for teaching with technology? A systematic literature review

The technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework is a prominent framework for describing the knowledge teachers require for teaching in the digital era. Recently, the component of “context” was officially recognized as an additional domain of knowledge. Since then, this domain has started to gradually gain more attention in TPACK research. Yet research on contextual knowledge (XK) appears somewhat sporadic, indicating the need for greater clarity on this construct. As the domain representing the knowledge of educational contexts, the role of experience in educational contexts emerges as a key point for shedding light on this construct. The present systematic literature review aimed to offer an overview of the representations and functions associated with XK through the lens of experience and investigated this domain through comparing the empirical literature focusing on preservice teachers (less experienced) to that focusing on inservice teachers (more experienced). Systematically screening the literature resulted in a final sample of 15 studies conducted among preservice teachers and 23 on inservice teachers. Records were analyzed through qualitative codings and quantitative comparisons of these codes between these two groups of studies. Findings revealed a consistent multifaceted structure of XK across both inservice and preservice teacher studies with a distinctive greater focus on school-level factors in inservice teacher studies. In addition, across groups, studies provided evidence confirming XK as a domain supporting teachers’ practice, that can be developed, and that relates to other pedagogically relevant constructs. These findings are discussed with regards to their implications for researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders.

CEO stock option pay and risk‐taking investment in the hospitality industry: The moderating effects of situational factors

AbstractBased upon behavioral perspective and agency theory, this paper attempts to investigate the effect of CEO stock option pay on firms' risk‐taking investments in the restaurant sector. Specifically, this paper proposes that option‐loaded CEOs tend to make risky investments. In addition, we investigate how the prior stock performance of a firm and its CEOs' characteristics moderate this relationship. The findings of this paper show that option‐loaded CEOs are more likely to engage in risk‐taking investments. However, this positive main relationship is diminished when a firm has a good prior stock performance, when a CEO has a longer tenure, and when he or she becomes aged. Given the lack of empirical literature that explores the corporate governance in the hospitality literature, this study adds value to the existing research by further investigating the effect of CEO stock option pay scheme on restaurant firms' risk‐taking behavior.

CASH FLOW ANALYSIS IN ASSESING BUSINESS OPERATIONS

The paper utilized a mixed-method approach consisting of a literature review and financial reporting analysis to investigate the role of cash flow ratios to evaluate a company’s financial health and make effective decisions. Empirical literatures studied do not suggest any standard collection of cash flow ratios, the ratios suggested in this article are provided by grouping them into four categories such as liquidity ratios, efficiency ratios, profitability ratios, and sufficiency ratios. Data used in this paper are selected from the financial statements of JSC UzAuto Motors between the consecutive years of 2018 and 2021. The liquidity ratios were the lowest ones with a decreasing trend. Meanwhile, sufficiency ratios generated results with increasing trends. Additionally, discussions and some possible solutions to cash flow problems are provided.

The political economy of earnings management in municipally owned enterprises

PurposeDespite the growing body of empirical literature on earnings management in municipal bodies and enterprises on the municipal level, the theoretical foundations often remain limited. This article contributes to filling this research gap by discussing the agency relationships between entities, managers, politicians and the electorate based on the framework of political economy or, more specifically, economic theory of political action. It derives theoretical explanations for earnings management in municipally owned enterprises based on political-economic approaches and provides conceptual guidelines for further theoretical and empirical research in this field.Design/methodology/approachThe article discusses three specific theoretical approaches of political economy (political budget cycles/election cycles, interest fragmentation and partisan ideology) and applies them to the governance structures of municipally owned enterprises. For each of the perspectives, predictions about the use of earnings management and its possible motivations are derived.FindingsThe study shows that political budget cycles/election cycles, interest fragmentation and partisan ideology in municipal decision-making bodies can serve as possible explanations as to which extent managers of municipally owned enterprises present manipulated financial statements. All three approaches can help to explain the prevalence of earnings management but lead to different results regarding the methods and aims of earnings management.Originality/valueAs a significant portion of the current literature on earnings management in municipally owned enterprises lacks a theoretical foundation, our article aims to fill this caveat. To do so, we introduce three new conceptual perspectives that explain the prevalence of earnings management in such enterprises and the political-economic environments that are more likely to produce manipulated financial statements.

Surveillance System with Impediment of Face Discovery Using Python

In recent years, It is an active area of research and development with there ongoing and active work on computer vision. This paper presents an empirical literature review of the existing research on human facial recognition as up-to-date. This research start providing the reader with a brief on the uses and working of face recognition. The most recent approaches to facial recognition are then reviewed in the literature. The performance and drawbacks of these face recognition algorithms are also tested through use of the Labelled Wild Face (LWF) face dataset images as well as real time images. With the increasing use of real-time facial recognition systems, it is important to examine the accuracy of these systems given the reliability and 94.23% accuracy are achieved for facial recognition by the proposed model.

A review of empirical studies of co-principalship: antecedents, constellation-level outcomes and the issue of trust

ABSTRACT This literature review focuses on managerial shared leadership in the education sector, commonly conceptualized as co-principalship. School principals’ difficult work situation, in combination with school leadership being significant for students’ learning, call for organizational solutions where co-principalship can be a part. This review aims to deepen knowledge about co-principalship by focusing on its antecedents and constellation-level outcomes, and their relationship to trust in co-principalship. A secondary aim is to discuss the role of trust theory in empirical co-principalship studies. The promotion of antecedent conditions was found significant for the success of co-principalship. Three types of antecedent were identified: organization-level antecedents, antecedents in relation to staff and others, and constellation-level antecedents. A number of advantages were reported for the sharing principals themselves, including reduced workload and improved work-life balance. The constellation level is where the principals in their interaction continuously build trust, and where either trust or distrust are produced. A variety of both positive and negative outcomes were reported. The empirical literature reviewed was shallow in terms of understanding trust beyond that it is critical for success in co-principalship. Theory-based studies are suggested as a way to deepen understanding of trust content and development with regards to co-principalship.

The UK Productivity Puzzle: A Survey of the Literature and Expert Views

Since 2008, the UK’s productivity has stagnated, leading to the widely debated “productivity puzzle”. Understanding this phenomenon and its drivers is crucial for managers and policymakers. This article summarises theoretical and empirical literature on the determinants of productivity in general terms, as well as their relevance to the UK’s productivity performance. It also discusses to what extent the findings from a survey of leading UK academic experts on productivity provide support for the existing theoretical and empirical evidence on this topic, and help identify and validate the most important factors explaining the UK’s productivity slowdown since 2008. The combination of our literature review and survey findings suggests that key determinants of the UK’s productivity slowdown include: insufficient investment; insufficient quality of infrastructure; limitations in human capital stock; and management quality issues.

Experiences of pre-registration student nurses during mental health clinical placements that enhance practice learning: an integrative literature review

PurposeThe aim of this study was to explore empirical literature on the experiences of pre-registration student nurses during mental health clinical placements and identify factors that enhance practice learning.Design/methodology/approachAn integrative mixed-methods approach and constant comparative synthesis were chosen. Eligible studies were from 2009 onwards sampling student experiences of mental health placements within undergraduate and postgraduate degree entry to practice nursing programmes, excluding academic-only experiences. The search was last conducted on 14th August 2021 and included MEDLINE, CINAHL and APA PsycINFO databases.FindingsThe search strategy identified 579 studies, of which 10 met the eligibility criteria. Seven of the articles reported qualitative research; two were based on quantitative studies, and one had a mixed-methods design. There was international representation across six countries. All studies examined the experiences of pre-registration student nurses during mental health clinical placements. The total number of participants was 447, comprised of students, nongovernmental organisations and community members.Originality/valueThe review identified four influential themes that enhance practice learning: immersion in the nursing role; relationships that empower autonomous learning; opportunity for defined and subtle skill development; and student experiences of people with mental health needs. Further research is required on culture, subtle skill development and the socialisation process of students with the mental health nurse professional identity.

The impact of educational technologies on entrepreneurial competencies: A systematic review of empirical evidence

Researchers and educators have been exploring innovative methods in entrepreneurship education to address traditional approach failure at engaging students and developing their skills. Educational technology has shown promising results in early studies. Yet, there is a scarcity of reviews on their effectiveness in developing entrepreneurial competencies. This paper systematically reviews the empirical literature on the outcomes of educational technology used to teach entrepreneurship at higher education institutions. From an initial 316 search hits, 26 articles were selected for in-depth review. The learning outcomes were translated into entrepreneurial competencies, using the EntreComp Framework as a reference. Findings show that educational technologies, in general, positively impacted entrepreneurial competencies, especially financial & economic literacy, motivation & perseverance, and initiative taking. Gaming and simulations were the most researched, having an overall positive influence, while online learning and MOOCs showed limited and sometimes contradictory effects. The study fills the scholarly gap by connecting educational technology, entrepreneurship education, and entrepreneurial competencies. It provides a basic mapping linking each educational technology to the competencies it develops and advocates for a competency-based pedagogy in the delivery and assessment of entrepreneurship education. Educators can apply the findings and the mapping developed in this study to design and deliver entrepreneurship courses, incorporating educational technologies more insightfully and effectively in their pedagogies.

Direct and Indirect Costs of Breast Cancer and Associated Implications: A Systematic Review.

Breast cancer is currently the leading cause of global cancer incidence. Breast cancer has negative consequences for society and economies internationally due to the high burden of disease which includes adverse epidemiological and economic implications. Our aim is to systematically review the estimated economic burden of breast cancer in the United States (US), Canada, Australia, and Western Europe (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, and Switzerland), with an objective of discussing the policy and practice implications of our results. We included English-language published studies with cost as a focal point using a primary data source to inform resource usage of women with breast cancer. We focussed on studies published since 2017, but with reported costs since 2012. A systematic search conducted on 25 January 2023 identified studies relating to the economic burden of breast cancer in the countries of interest. MEDLINE, Embase, and EconLit databases were searched via Ovid. Study quality was assessed based on three aspects: (1) validity of cost findings; (2) completeness of direct cost findings; and (3) completeness of indirect cost findings. We grouped costs based on country, cancer stage (early compared to metastatic), and four resource categories: healthcare/medical, pharmaceutical drugs, diagnosis, and indirect costs. Costs were standardized to the year 2022 in US (US$2022) and International (Int$2022) dollars. Fifty-three studies were included. Studies in the US (n=19) and Canada (n=9) were the majority (53%), followed by Western European countries (42%). Healthcare/medical costs were the focus for the majority (89%), followed by pharmaceutical drugs (25%), then diagnosis (17%) and indirect (17%) costs. Thirty-six (68%) included early-stage cancer costs, 17 (32%) included metastatic cancer costs, with 23% reporting costs across these cancer stages. No identified study explicitly compared costs across countries. Across cost categories, cost ranges tended to be higher in the US than any other country. Metastatic breast cancer was associated with higher costs than earlier-stage cancer. When indirect costs were accounted for, particularly in terms of productivity loss, they tended to be higher than any other estimated direct cost (e.g., diagnosis, drug, and other medical costs). There was substantial heterogeneity both within and across countries for the identified studies' designs and estimated costs. Despite this, current empirical literature suggests that costs associated with early initiation of treatment could be offset against potentially avoiding or reducing the overall economic burden of later-stage and more severe breast cancer. Larger scale, national, economic burden studies are needed, to be updated regularly to ensure there is an ongoing and evolving perspective of the economic burden of conditions such as breast cancer to inform policy and practice.

A Primer for Increasing Competency in Forensic Psychiatry Research.

Empirical research is foundational to the discipline of forensic psychiatry. Candilis and Parker provide a cogent systematic review of the empirical literature on restoration of competence to stand trial using National Institutes of Health quality metrics. Components of the study methodology are highlighted, as they represent current best practices for conducting a systematic review. A discussion of strategies to increase empirical research uptake in forensic psychiatry is pursued alongside concrete examples of how the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Research Committee can help facilitate this goal.