Greater Tenure Research Articles

The use and potential impact of digital health tools at the community level: results from a multi-country survey of community health workers

BackgroundCommunity health workers (CHWs) are increasingly viewed as a critical workforce to address health system strengthening and sustainable development goals. Optimizing and widening the capacity of this workforce through digital technology is currently underway, though there is skepticism regarding CHWs’ willingness and optimism to engage in digital health. We sought to understand CHWs’ perceptions on the use of digital health tools in their work.MethodsWe obtained survey data from 1,141 CHWs from 28 countries with complete study information. We conducted regression analyses to explore the relationship between CHWs’ training and perceived barriers to digital health access with current use of digital devices/tools and belief in digital impact while adjusting for demographic factors.ResultsMost of the CHWs worked in Kenya (n = 502, 44%) followed by the Philippines (n = 308, 27%), Ghana (n = 107, 9.4%), and the United States (n = 70, 6.1%). There were significant, positive associations between digital tools training and digital device/tool use (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.92, 95% CI = 2.09–4.13) and belief in digital impact (AORhigh impact = 3.03, 95% CI = 2.04–4.49). CHWs were significantly less likely to use digital devices for their work if they identified cost as a perceived barrier (AORmobile service cost = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.49–0.95; AORphone/device cost = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.47–0.92). CHWs who were optimistic about digital health, were early adopters of technology in their personal lives, and found great value in their work believed digital health helped them to have greater impact. Older age and greater tenure were associated with digital device/tool use and belief in digital impact, respectively.ConclusionsCHWs are not an obstacle to digital health adoption or use. CHWs believe that digital tools can help them have more impact in their communities regardless of perceived barriers. However, cost is a barrier to digital device/tool use; potential solutions to cost constraints of technological access will benefit from further exploration of reimbursement models. Digital health tools have the potential to increase CHW capacity and shape the future of community health work.

Perceptual differences in nursing implementation leadership and climate: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe literature on perceptual differences between managers and staff regarding social dynamic factors (e.g., leadership, climate) in nursing settings is sparse. Addressing this gap in knowledge is critical for informing implementation efforts and improving patient and organizational outcomes. The purpose of this study was to test the perceptual differences regarding implementation leadership and implementation climate between nursing staff and their managers.MethodsThis study was a secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data collected in 2016–2017. The setting included 22 adult medical-surgical units nested in 7 acute care hospitals in the Eastern and Midwestern United States. Participants were registered nurses (N = 261) and nurse managers (N = 22) who completed an electronic survey consisting of the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS), the Implementation Climate Scale (ICS), and demographic items. Differences in perception were analyzed at the unit level using structural equation modeling to develop latent difference score models (LDS). We assessed associations of the LDSs with manager ILS and ICS scores, years of nursing experience, and years of experience working on the current unit. The association of ILS LDS with the observed nursing staff ICS scores was also analyzed.ResultsHigher manager scores on the ILS and ICS were associated with greater perceptual differences in implementation leadership and implementation climate. Greater years of experience as a nurse were associated with greater perceptual differences in ILS and ICS scores. Greater tenure on the unit was associated with smaller differences on the ILS knowledge domain. Greater perceptual differences regarding implementation leadership were associated with worse staff ratings of implementation climate.ConclusionsAlthough this study observed significant relationships among manager ILS and ICS scores, staff-manager perceptual differences, and staff ratings of implementation climate in nursing settings, it is still unclear why perceptual differences in implementation leadership and climate exist and how to address them. Future studies are warranted to test the effect of perceptual differences on implementation and patient outcomes.

A relação entre o novo relatório do auditor independente e o perfil das empresas auditadas e de auditoria

Essa pesquisa teve como objetivo verificar a relação entre o conteúdo do novo relatório de auditoria e o perfil das empresas auditadas e de auditoria. Observou-se a quantidade e quais os principais assuntos de auditoria (PAA) presentes nos relatórios das empresas brasileiras de capital aberto. Foram realizadas análises de correlação, diferença de média e regressão múltipla para o exercício de 2016. Os resultados indicaram que empresas: maiores; mais endividadas; com maiores honorários pagos às auditorias; de maior representatividade para o auditor; com maior número de subsidiárias; auditadas por Big Four; com emissão de ADR; listadas no Novo Mercado; de setores regulamentados e com presença de conselho de auditoria, apresentam maior quantidade de PAA. Relação inversa foi obtida ao considerar o tempo em que a auditoria exerce suas funções na empresa. Com relação ao tipo de PAA, não foi observada a existência de padrões definidos de características conjuntas que poderiam influenciar o conteúdo do novo relatório de auditoria, o que implica, para os usuários, que os relatórios apresentaram conteúdos condizentes com o que foi e deveria ser observado nas empresas, e não seguiram um padrão prédefinido. Constatou-se maior volume de PAA em função de uso de normas discricionárias, como o impairment, provisões, reconhecimento de receitas e tributos. Assim, os resultados indicaram que o novo relatório seguiu as particularidades de cada empresa analisada, o que sugere a confirmação esperada pela proposta do novo relatório, ou seja, aumentar os esforços para melhorar a confiabilidade da atuação da auditoria independente.

Do Auditors and Audit Committees Lower Fraud Risk by Constraining Inconsistencies between Financial and Nonfinancial Measures?

SUMMARY Prior research finds that companies committing fraud exhibit large inconsistencies between reported revenue growth and growth in revenue-related nonfinancial measures (e.g., number of stores, employees, patents). Prior research also suggests that auditors, on average, are not adept at identifying and constraining these differences. This article summarizes a recent study by Brazel and Schmidt (2018) that examines whether certain auditors and audit committees are able to lower fraud risk by constraining inconsistencies between financial and related nonfinancial measures (NFMs). This practitioner summary first summarizes the motivation for the study, then discusses the methods used, explains the results, and concludes with a discussion of the study's implications. Brazel and Schmidt (2018) find that auditors with greater industry expertise and tenure, and audit committee chairs with greater tenure are less likely to be associated with companies that exhibit large inconsistencies between their reported revenue growth and related NFMs (higher fraud risk). Surprisingly, they observe that audit committees with industry expert chairs are more likely to be associated with large inconsistencies than audit committees without industry expert chairs. Overall, Brazel and Schmidt (2018) conclude that the audit process can constrain fraud risk, but not all forms of audit committee expertise may be beneficial.

Probation and Parole Officers' Compliance With Case Management Tools: Professional Discretion and Override.

Actuarial assessment has become an integral component of offender management, helping to structure the decision-making of correctional staff about offenders' case plans. Despite research validating instruments and documenting best practices in offender assessment, fewer studies explore how practitioners use these diagnostic and case management tools. Using survey data from a sample of probation and parole staff, the current study examines the influence of professional characteristics, job burnout and stress, and supervision strategy preferences on noncompliance with assessment data entry and deviations from the tools' risk and needs recommendations. Results indicate various forms of noncompliance with case management tools are fairly common. Staff with greater tenure and heightened depersonalization and emotional exhaustion exhibit greater odds of assessment noncompliance. Case managers who adopt surveillance and rehabilitation supervisory tactics are less likely to deviate from the tools' processes and results, while staff who prefer opportunity-reduction strategies have increased odds of assessment noncompliance.

Do Auditors and Audit Committees Lower Fraud Risk by Constraining Inconsistencies between Financial and Nonfinancial Measures?

SUMMARY Prior research finds that companies committing fraud exhibit large inconsistencies between reported revenue growth and growth in revenue-related nonfinancial measures (e.g., number of stores, employees, patents). However, prior research also suggests that auditors, on average, are not adept at identifying and constraining these differences. This study investigates whether certain auditors and audit committees are able to lower fraud risk by constraining inconsistencies between financial and related nonfinancial measures (NFMs). For a sample of companies across a variety of industries, we find that auditors with greater industry expertise and tenure and audit committee chairs with greater tenure are less likely to be associated with companies that exhibit large inconsistencies between their reported revenue growth and related NFMs. Surprisingly, we observe that audit committees with industry expert chairs are more likely to be associated with large inconsistencies (higher fraud risk) than audit committees without industry expert chairs. JEL Classifications: M4.

Compulsory Acquisition as a Constitutional Matter: The Case in Africa

AbstractCompulsory acquisition of land by the state for public purposes is an entrenched feature of national constitutions. Yet the scope of private property is rarely defined. This is problematic in agrarian economies where millions own land under non-statutory arrangements that were historically excluded from recognition as property. This study examines the case in Africa where more than 650 million people are untitled customary landowners. Despite vibrant constitutional change, protection of these rights remains disappointing, while the grounds for taking land have expanded. However, this article concludes that reining in the scope of public purpose is not the most useful way forward. It would be more productive to persist in bringing constitutional force to bear on the standing of customary rights, along with democratizing procedures towards full community participation in deciding how public purpose acquisitions should proceed. The result would be greater tenure security, good governance and more peaceful relations between the state and people regarding land.

Do Auditors and Audit Committees Lower Fraud Risk by Constraining Inconsistencies between Financial and Nonfinancial Measures?

Prior research finds that companies committing fraud tend to exhibit large inconsistencies between reported revenue growth and growth in revenue-related nonfinancial measures (e.g., number of stores, employees, patents). However, prior research also suggests that auditors, on average, are not adept at identifying and constraining these differences. This study investigates whether certain auditors and audit committees are able to lower fraud risk by constraining inconsistencies between financial and related nonfinancial measures (NFMs). For a sample of companies across a variety of industries, we find that auditors exhibiting greater industry expertise and tenure and audit committee chairs with greater tenure are less likely to be associated with companies that exhibit large inconsistencies between their reported revenue growth and related NFMs. Surprisingly, we observe that audit committees with a chair that has industry expertise are more likely to be associated with large inconsistencies (higher fraud risk). We find that this result cannot be explained by the chair’s busyness, connectedness, or equity incentives, but rather appears to relate to the authority gained by holding industry expertise. Our results suggest that not all forms of audit committee expertise may be beneficial to the audit process.

Health Care Professionals and the Employment-Related Needs of Cancer Survivors.

Introduction Individuals diagnosed with cancer look to health care professionals as primary sources of information. This positions staff in oncology settings in an ideal role to inform patients, who continue workforce participation in increasing numbers, about resources that might help them to handle work-related issues related to their oncological symptoms. This article reports on findings from a survey of staff that provide nonmedical services to cancer patients in two Houston area hospital systems. The impetus for this survey was two-fold: the trend in recent years for increasing numbers of cancer survivors to stay in the workforce after or even during treatment, and low levels of awareness that these employees are eligible for protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and its 2008 amendments (ADA Amendments Act of 2008, Pub. L. 110-325, 122 Stat. 3553, 2008; Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12111-17, 2006). The survey assesses perceptions of the effects of cancer on patients' employment status, levels of knowledge about supports to address these employment-related needs, and respondents' preferred modes for information receipt. The latter topic serves the purpose of tailoring training activities to the respondents' informational needs and learning preferences. Methods Data were collected via an online survey administered in two Houston-area hospital systems. This article reports on the findings from 86 respondents. Results Tenure as measured by years in oncology is related positively to level of knowledge about disability-related benefits, legislation and programs (r=.32, P<.01). Respondents with more years in their profession worked with patients whom they reported had a higher number of cancer side effects that "created work difficulties for patients" (r=.24, P<.05). The number of side effects was in turn positively associated with negative effects of the diagnosis at work (r=.27, P<.05). A higher score of negative effects of the cancer diagnosis at work in turn correlated with unwanted consequences of disclosing the cancer at work (r=.36, P<.01). No statistically significant correlations were observed among the variables measuring respondents' reported knowledge of disability-related benefits, laws and programs, their perception of patients' level of understanding of these topics, and reports of patients' receipt of reasonable accommodation. Conclusions Health care professionals who treat cancer patients could benefit from training resources about how survivors might address their employment-related needs, including how to convey that knowledge to their patients. Mentoring programs might also have positive outcomes, since respondents with greater tenure in oncology-related settings reported higher levels of knowledge about disability-related topics.

Overinvestment, subsequent earnings management, and CEO tenure

In this study, I empirically examine whether the managers of firms that overinvest have an incentive to subsequently distort financial information for keeping up with stakeholders’ expectations about investment returns. Also, because CEO tenure is related to the capacity of the manager to influence both firm’s resources allocation and the financial reporting process, I hypothesise that the expected positive association between overinvestment and subsequent earnings management does not hold for newly appointed CEOs. By using several proxies for both overinvestment and earnings management to test my expectations, results suggest that firms’ current overinvestment is positively associated with subsequent earnings management, measured through both the opportunistic use of accruals and sales manipulation. Finally, empirical tests support the expectation that the opportunistic behaviour of concealing investment inefficiencies through subsequent earnings management only holds for CEOs with greater tenure.

Does longer job tenure help or hinder job performance?

There are two competing theoretical perspectives on how job tenure might affect job performance. Human capital theory suggests that as knowledge and skill increase with greater tenure, job performance will improve as well. In contrast, the literature on job design suggests that as job tenure increases, employees are likely to become more bored and less motivated at work. Consequently, the gains from human capital acquisition might be offset by losses of motivation. To examine these competing perspectives, we conducted meta-analyses on the relationships of job tenure with four types of job performance: core task performance, citizenship behavior, creativity and innovative behavior, and counterproductive work behavior. The results support the second perspective, as both the linear and curvilinear relationships of job tenure with the four types of job performance are weak. Further, the results do not change in strength across type of research design, job industry, age, or gender.

The Cross-Section of Stock Returns and Incentive Pay

We find evidence that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) pay is negatively related to future stock returns for periods up to three years after sorting on pay. For example, firms that pay their CEOs in the top ten percent of excess pay earn negative abnormal returns over the next three years of approximately -8%. The effect is stronger for CEOs who receive higher incentive pay relative to their peers and stronger for CEOs with greater tenure. Our results appear to be driven by high-pay related CEO overconfidence that leads to shareholder wealth losses from activities such as overinvestment and value-destroying mergers and acquisitions.

Understanding High Skill Worker Productivity Using Random Case Assignment in a Public Defender's Office

Measuring high skill worker productivity presents several challenges. High skill workers almost always select their tasks, and unobserved variation across tasks introduces estimation bias. In addition, output for high skill workers is difficult to measure. We exploit a natural experiment where cases are randomly assigned to attorneys within a public defender office to address the selection problem; the random assignment ensures that unobservables have the same distribution across attorneys. Using this data, we are able to investigate the efficiency of the labor market for attorneys, theories of human capital accumulation, and labor market discrimination. Despite a relatively flat wage distribution within cohorts, we find substantial heterogeneity in attorney productivity, as measured by case outcomes. A defendant assigned to a public defender at the 10th percentile of the productivity distribution has an expected sentence length 5.3 months (74% of the mean) longer than the defendant assigned to the public defender at the 90th percentile. Adding attorney fixed effects to a regression of sentence length on case and defendant characteristics doubles the explanatory power. While we do not find any impact of gender or law school quality, Hispanic attorneys in our data set have significantly higher productivity than non-Hispanic attorneys, as do attorneys with greater tenure. These findings suggest that there may be some discrimination in the labor market, and that the positive correlation of wages and tenure is due at least in part to human capital accumulation.

Agroforestry adoption in Haiti: the importance of household and farm characteristics

Most agroforestry-adoption studies are based on surveys of non-adopters. An understanding of the circumstances that have led to a change of attitude of the adopters will be valuable in our efforts to enhance adoption rates. This study was undertaken to provide such knowledge based on a large agroforestry extension project involving 200,000 farm families and covering 25% of all rural households in Haiti. A questionnaire-based survey of the project participants was conducted covering 1,540 households and 2,295 fields in four regions of Haiti. Information was recorded about each farm and family member through interviews with farmers and visits to their farms. The results confirmed that farmers make decisions about tree culture based on household- and field characteristics. Different farmers consider trees differently depending upon how they fit into their farm-family strategy. In general, farmers installed tree hedgerows on fields of less secure tenure, of lesser fertility, and steeper slope, while on closer, more fertile fields of greater tenure security, tree seedlings and fruit trees were more common and there was a greater density of mature trees (>10 cm DBH). More money was realized from sale of tree products on actively cropped fields in more secure tenure and having more fertile soil. Older farmers managed a greater density of trees, especially when the land was in secure tenure status. This broad-based study shows that agroforestry implementation strategies in poor countries such as Haiti should be based on a thorough knowledge of how farmers use household and field characteristics to make adoption decisions. It also suggests that agroforestry-adoption studies should account for the dynamic changes occurring during extended time periods.

Does Tenure Impact Upon the Principled Reasoning of Managers

The relationship between tenure and principled reasoning is of vital importance to the fields of management and business ethics, as more tenured managers often hold influential posts and have the ability to affect the overall ethical tones of their organizations. Few researchers have studied this relationship, however, and those studies that have been conducted have produced mixed results. While some researchers have found that greater tenure is associated with higher levels of ethical reasoning, others have found the reverse to be true. The findings of this particular study of 270 current U.S. corporate managers, who responded to a nationwide survey, indicated that there is indeed a link between tenure and principled reasoning. More tenured managers demonstrated lower principled reasoning than their less tenured counterparts. As the number of years of tenure increased, principled reasoning scores declined. The results of this study, as well as a comparison to the results of previous studies that have been conducted, are discussed within this paper.

Demographic Dissimilarity and Workplace Inclusion

This study examined the relationship between individual demographic dissimilarity from co‐workers and three indicators of inclusion by an organization: decision‐making influence, access to sensitive information, and job security. Data from 345 individuals in eight work units showed that individual dissimilarity in race and gender were negatively associated with inclusion, and the effect of race dissimilarity was more pronounced for whites than for non‐whites. In contrast, individual dissimilarity in tenure and education level were positively associated with inclusion, and these effects were more pronounced for those with greater tenure and greater education, respectively. Overall, the results suggest that whether being different hinders or helps organizational inclusion may depend on whether that difference is visible and whether it reflects job expertise. Further, they suggest that, when being different is a hindrance, it may be hardest on those who have traditionally been the majority in organizations.

INDIVIDUAL DEMOGRAPHIC DISSIMILARITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL INCLUSION: A FIELD INVESTIGATION.

This study examined the relationship between individual demographic dissimilarity and workplace inclusion. Results showed race and gender dissimilarity negatively affected inclusion, and these effects were stronger for whites and males. Tenure and education level dissimilarity positively affected inclusion, and these effects were stronger for those with greater tenure and education.

Nonfatal Accident Compensation and the Common Law at the Turn of the Century

We investigate the de facto operation of the employer liability system around the turn of the century with evidence on Michigan workers' nonfatal accident compensation from 1896 to 1903. The results show that the impact of the common-law defenses on accident payments was filtered through a settlement bargaining process affected by legal costs and private information. The probability of receiving compensation rose when the accident was severe enough to raise the worker's expected court award higher than his legal costs. Workers in larger firms and with greater tenure were also more likely to receive compensation. The fellow servant defense may have been less effective for larger employers, while the contributory negligence defense was less effective against experienced workers. On the other hand, employers might have been using accident payments as implicit fringe benefits to lower monitoring costs and to cut employee turnover. Copyright 1995 by Oxford University Press.

Police stress, time on the job, and strain

As part of a large-scale study of police stress and strain, officers were questioned with regard to their physical, mental and behavioral health, and they permitted the researchers to examine their records regarding sickness, disability, auto accidents, and citizen complaints against them. These variables were deemed to be indices of strain, the negative outcome of stress. Stress was indexed by a self-report measure of job difficulty. It was hypothesized that stress and strain would be lower with greater tenure on the job. This hypothesis did not receive substantial support, except among police supervisors. However, it was found that among patrol officers who were above the median in tenure, those who reported greater job difficulty experienced more strain than those reporting less job difficulty. This relationship between job difficulty and strain did not obtain among officers below the median in tenure. Several explanations are suggested for this unexpected finding.

Contracts, Job Experience, and Cyclical Labor Market Adjustments

Longitudinal estimates of the variability of individual wages, hours, and weeks worked over the course of changing demand states are provided for all workers generally and for workers of varied levels of job experience. Emphasis is placed on that part of job experience represented as years on current job, a commonly used proxy for the magnitude of firm-specific skills. Interpretation of resulting estimates in the context of the labor market contracting literature is attempted. Generally significant procyclical patterns are found for real weekly wages, weekly hours, and weeks worked. The extent of weekly wage variability is much greater than is generally suggested in the literature. Furthermore, workers with greater tenure exhibit greater cyclical wage and hours variability and less weeks variability. Finally, empirical distinctions are drawn separately for white-collar and blue-collar as well as union and nonunion workers.