Individual Appraisal Research Articles

Contributors to the Appraisal of Major Life Changes: Gender, Perceived Controllability, Sensation Seeking, Strain, and Social Support

This study investigated relationships between the appraisal of life events and gender, locus of control, social support, strain, and sensation seeking. In group sessions, undergraduate males and females completed self‐report measures assessing life events appraisals and self‐report measures for the above individual differences. Analyses supported the notion that a range of these variables, previously shown to serve as moderators of life stress, are significantly related to the appraisals of life events. Moreover, in addition to the gender differences obtained for the perception of life events, gender was found to influence several associations between the individual differences and life events appraisal.

Strategies for enhancing organizational effectiveness in the Third World

AbstractWhile problems of organizational dysfunction in the public domain are a global phenomenon, the consequences of such dysfunction are generally greater in the Third World. Possible discipline‐based (human resource management) explanations for the chronicity of these problems and a number of strategies for overcoming them are advanced. These strategies are described in terms of a number of imperatives and variables of effective organization. Structural imperatives include: clearly identified and agreed missions, goals, strategies, and main functions; accountability linked to sufficient power and control; clearly specified roles; particular notions of individual effectiveness and performance appraisal tied to rewards; and effective transformational leadership. The implicit model extends contingency theory by taking account of the evidence pointing to the cross‐cultural convergence of certain organizational characteristics, but retains the central notion of adaptation and hence the possibility of adaptive and non‐adaptive culturally and/or ideologically based variation in organizational behaviour. The model is built around a central core of value imperatives. Implications for human resource management (HRM) interventions—e.g. management training—include a possible shift away from a primary focus on skill and knowledge transmission, towards value and attitude change.

HOW TO CONDUCT SUCCESSFUL SALES TRAINING MEETINGS

Field sales managers are judged by the combined sales produced by their teams. During the course of any one year, individual appraisals will reveal that sales teams have some common training needs or weaknesses. These may range from company/competitor product knowledge, a selling technique such as closing or an aspect of their work organisation. When this occurs, there are two choices. You can plan and carry out a programme of training on an individual basis for each salesperson. This will take time and it may be felt that immediate action is needed to correct this common weakness. A more speedy and effective solution might be to bring the sales team together and conduct a group training meeting. In most companies employing large and small sales forces, local training meetings held on a regular basis are commonplace. It has been estimated that more than 10,000 internal sales meetings are held in the British Isles alone every week.

La Révolution Burkinabe (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 235 disciplines they represent." In these exercises of individual recollection and appraisal of personal experiences, which form the majority of the essays included, the ultimate contribution may precisely be their subjectivity, even though the perspective they reflect might not coincide with the reader's or, in this case, the editors'. The essays are written in different styles and moods, ranging from the very informal and witty to the more scholarly and profound, but invariably the reader will find that they are rich in thoughts about the value of international education , of which the authors' vocations and careers are proof. AsJeanneJ. Smoot writes in her essay, "Ambassador Unaware," the kind of learning that is gained may not always be hung on a wall — international education goes beyond mere degrees into intangibles, such as the ability to empathize with foreign cultures and to examine one's own culture at arm's length. Although Robin Winks, in his "A Tissue of Clichés," argues that thoughts about the transcendence of the Fulbright experience "invariably consist of a string of clichés," his thoughts are nevertheless quite insightful and otherwise universal, for among the things he learned was that "the scholar's greatest skill was applying the seat of the pants to a chair for hours at a time, undeluded by notions that good health required eight hours' sleep, or that two hours without a cigarette, a walk around the room, or a talk with one's friends was a hardship." Among the most enjoyable essays is one by Alfred Maurice de Zayas, entitled "A FulbrighterJoins a German Fencing Fraternity." Despite its brevity, it is rich in references to German literature and culture —de Zayas argues that he not only experienced student life in Gemany but also discovered that it entailed "a commitment for life, not only for three or four semesters" but to friendships that endure. The Fulbright Experience 1946-1986 will be very entertaining reading for aspiring and former "Fulbrighters" alike, as well as for anybody who believes that international education goes beyond what can be learned in a classroom. It may also serve as a provocative example of imaginative solutions to potentially explosive debt problems: the Fulbright program originated with a senator's generous and far-sighted determination to invest abroad, through international educational exchanges, the money from war debts that would otherwise have been uncollectible — a kind of debt-for-education swap. La Révolution Burkinabé. By Pierre Englebert. Preface byJean-Pierre Cot. Paris: L'Harmattan, 1986. 270 pp. FF130/paper. Reviewed by Pamela Stedman, M. A. candidate, SAIS. Several books have been published on Burkina Faso since Thomas Sankara seized power in an August 1983 military coup, however, most of these are journalistic accounts of the revolution and deal principally with the media personality of the young president. Pierre Englebert's book, instead, is a comprehensive analysis of the current revolutionary process and includes a detailed overview of the country 's political evolution since the period preceding independence of the area 236 SAIS REVIEW formerly known as Upper Volta. In this respect, Englebert's book differs from the main trend of publications on Burkina. La Révolution Burkinabé is divided into two parts. The first handles the country's political history, in which change has occurred mainly through military coups. Englebert briefly analyzes each of these coups (1966, 1974, 1980, 1982, May 1983, and August 1983). This high level of military intervention in the government political process is partially due to the loose definition of a coup d'état used by Englebert. Calling the 1974 and May 1983 changes "coups" is indeed debatable. This section ends with an attempt (which could have been more developed) to construct a theory of coups in Burkina. The second part examines in depth the revolution itself. No doubt Burkina Faso's revolution deserves such attention, for it has thus far not followed any conventional revolutionary path. Englebert describes its ideological foundations as threefold: (1) Marxist-Leninist (as far as many intellectuals in the government are concerned), (2) anti-imperialist, and (3) nationalist, especially in the military wing of the government. In conclusion, he insists on the relatively minor weight of the...

Performance appraisal: A survey of academic staff opinion

ABSTRACT This paper reports the results from a questionnaire which sought the opinions of a representative sample of academic staff at the University of Birmingham to the introduction of more regular and systematic performance appraisal in universities. In particular, whether respodnents were of the opinion that further procedures for the appraisal of individuals and departments were necessary and, if so, who should be involved in such appraisals. In addition, the reactions of staff to the suggestions for an Individual Annual Interview—providing a focus for career development—and a Departmental Annual Report—bringing together a detailed analysis of a department's past performance with an academic plan for its immediate future—are explored. Finally, some opinions on the role of heads of departments and external examiners, and some information on the range of methods of performance appraisal currently in use are presented. The data is further analysed on the basis of the respondents' faculty, position and y...

Diagnostic value of different interpretative criteria in real-time sonography of the breast

Use of breast sonography for clarification of pathological alterations in the breast is continuously increasing. It is known that cystic processes can be distinguished from solid processes with this method. The question of, to what extent, a prognosis of pathological relevance of such processes can be made, is of increased interest. This prognosis of pathological relevance is related to interpretative criteria which are not uniformly defined all over the world and which are also differently applied. The present investigation (evaluation of 755 sonographic focal findings) shows the rating value of each individual appraisal criterion and provides information on the certainty with which malignant and benign lesions in the breast can be distinguished. All interpretative criteria specified have a statistical significant difference ( p < 0,0001, 0,0044) in their rating pattern in malignant and benign processes. The criterion with the highest value is the wall contour. In principle, every sonographic focal finding should be examined with regard to its wall contour, the acoustic attitude of posterior wall, the internal echo pattern and the internal echogenicity. In the dynamic part of the investigation, alterations in the form and structure of the lesion must be registered. In our opinion there is a high probability of distinguishing malignant from benign processes by means of the mentioned criteria.

The dimensionality of cognitive appraisal and its relationship to physical and psychological well-being.

In current adjustment models, an individual's appraisal of life events has been included as an important determinant in the stress-illness process. In particular, these events have been defined in terms of a variety of unidimensional concepts, such as desirability, controllability, or as having the potential for threat or challenge. The present study investigated the multidimensional nature of cognitive appraisal and its relationship to physical and psychological well-being. Residents of a Canadian community (N = 184) responded to an extensive survey on life-event stress, appraisal, alcohol consumption, health status, and depression. A principal-axis factor analysis of 19 appraisal dimensions revealed five factors accounting for 60% of the variance: Undesirability/Threat, Gain/Challenge, Need for Information, Familiarity, and Need to Accept. Entered with total number of life events and coping behavior as predicted aspects of well-being.

Health Risk Appraisal in Primary Care

Preventive medicine focuses on the identification of factors that will lead to disability or disease and then the discovery of ways to eliminate or at least minimize these risk factors. In this article, the authors outline a guide for primary health care practitioners to practice preventive medicine using a computerized individual risk appraisal.

Lifestyle Assessment: A Tool For Practice

Examining a patient's lifestyle becomes imperative in a health-promotion and disease-prevention practice. A recently developed, practical lifestyle assessment tool is the Health Risk Appraisal (HRA), which examines the strengths and weaknesses of a patient's health behaviors. An HRA identifies detrimental health practices that predispose a patient to onset of illness. HRA instruments estimate the odds that a person with a given set of characteristics will become ill or die from selected diseases during a specified period of time. The HRA consists of three components: (1) an intake instrument; (2) comparison of patient data with normed data and weighting of patient data to estimate risk; and (3) an individual risk appraisal or output instrument. Users of the tool advocate that best results occur when the HRA is used in combination with other strategies such as health counseling and peer support. For the nurse, an overview of available tools and criteria for tool selection was discussed as well as pros and cons of the instrument. A model was presented that incorporated the use of HRAs with health contracting and health monitoring to assist motivated patients making long-term lifestyle changes. The professional nurse was urged to use and adapt this powerful tool to various practice settings.

Re: Views

Alternative Careers for Teachers; Sandy Pollack Harvard, Mass.Suicide: Theory and Clinical Aspects; L.D. Hankoff and Bernice Einsidler, Eds. Littleton, Mass.Multimethod Clinical Assessment; W. Robert Nay New YorkOpportunities in Industrial Design; Arthur Pulos Skokie, Ill.Opportunities in Landscape Architecture; Ralph Griswold and William Swain Skokie, Ill.Opportunities in Materials Science; Charles West Skokie, Ill.Opportunities in Chemistry; John Woodburn Skokie, Ill.Opportunities in Packaging Science; David Olsson and Harold Raphael Skokie, Ill.Opportunities in Photography; Bervin Johnson and Fred Schmidt Skokie, Ill.Fundamentals of Individual Appraisal: Assessment Techniques for Counselors; Bruce Shertzer and James D. Linden BostonA Question for Graduate Training in Education: What is Educational Research?; E.J. Mason and D.E. Denton Lexington, Ky.Opportunities in Counseling and Guidance; Katherine Oana Skokie, Ill.Crossroads: A Back to School Guide for Adults; Marti Moore and Charles Bostaph Cranston, R.I.Geriatric Psychotherapy; T.L. Brink New YorkAge Discrimination Digest; United States Activities Board Washington, D.C.School Personnel Systems; Claude W. Fawcett Lexington, Mass.Placement in Rehabilitation: A Career Development Perspective; David Vandergoot and John D. Worrall, Eds. BaltimorePsychological Report Writing (2nd ed.); J.W. Hollis and P.A. Donn Muncie, Ind.

Psychosocial theory and research on depression: An integrative framework and review

Psychosocial factors, especially stressful life circumstances and stress mediating factors, are a major concern in current research on the etiology and treatment of depression. This paper presents a conceptual framework to summarize and integrate the rapidly expanding theoretical, empirical, and clinical literature on depression. This framework views depression as resulting from the interplay of several domains of variables, including personal and environmental resources, environmental Stressors, and the individual's appraisal and coping responses to specific stressful events. Research relevant to each of these domains and their interrelationships is reviewed. The clinical implications of the framework for evaluating the relative effectiveness of treatment programs and developing prevention programs are considered.

An integrative transactional process model of stress in organizations

AbstractIn this paper a definition and a conceptualization of stress in organizations are offered. Stress is defined as a perceived dynamic state about something important. The model developed in this paper incorporates organizational and individual stressors, individual appraisal of the stressors and individual responses to the stress including short term, intermediate and long term responses, both voluntary and involuntary. Critical to the model is the definition of stress based on individual need for the resolution of dynamic states of uncertainty. Previous research from the medical and health sciences are used along with that from organizational sciences to develop the integrative transactional process model. Finally several hypotheses based on the model are suggested.

The inclusion of indirect social benefits in project rates of return

The author uses input-output techniques to estimate the backward (induced) and forward (stemming) linkage effects of a project. He shadow-prices the export, import and wages vectors in the first and third quadrants of the input-output table. He then adds or subtracts the resulting social net gains or losses arising in the linked sectors to the net benefit stream of the project which initially stimulates these indirect effects. Reasons for doing this are given and reservations with regard to the methodology are presented. The technique is, perhaps, best used to show what types of schemes are most likely to have the higher overall social rates of return rather than as a methodology to be incorporated in individual project appraisals. This may be more useful at the project identification rather than the project appraisal stage.

Surgery or radiation therapy for stage I and IIA carcinoma of the CERVIX

The choice of treatment in carcinoma of the cervix is best decided after careful individual appraisal has been carried out. For best results, a long-term view must be agreed upon initially and careful followup by the same team is obligatory. At present, surgery, radiation therapy, and a combination of these two modalities have been employed successfully to manage carcinoma of the cervix. To a great extent, the facilities, the experience, and the interest of the personnel involved influence the type of therapy that will be employed. Generally speaking, the choice of treatment is determined primarily by the stage of the disease process. Radical surgery in the management of patients with Stage I and Stage II-A carcinoma of the cervix must be planned to include within the en bloc dissection the uterus, tubes, ovaries, and regional lymph node drainage from those organs. Therefore, a radical lymphadnectomy is an integral and important part of the overall management program when radical surgery is performed. In most institutions, radiation therapy is used most frequently to treat carcinoma of the cervix in Stages I and II-A. The data from various institutions indicate significant survival potential from radiation therapy treatment programs that are appropriately devised. Inmore » Stages I and II-A the complications are minimal in character (primarily proctitis and cystitis); generally, they involve a potential incidence of about six percent.« less

Strategies for the Resolution of Environmental Issues

New concepts for describing an individual's resolution of environmental policy issues are developed. The main factor affecting an individual's appraisal of an environmental issue is his or her attitude. Various attitudinal responses to environmental concerns are discussed; these responses are classified as functional, reversal, wedged, and hedged. In general, an individual has more than one way of dealing with any issue. (7 references, 1 table)

Eisenhower and Dulles: Who Made the Decisions?

The overwhelming consensus among analysts of United States foreign policy during the Eisenhower administration is that it was dominated by Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. Regardless of their often differing assessments of the policies, these writers agree that Dulles' forceful personality, lengthy preparation, and keen intellect enabled him to control and even manipulate the congenial but bland and passive President Eisenhower. This conventional wisdom has been based on the public record, the period's journalistic accounts, and the appraisals of individuals who were largely outside the inner circles of both the White House and the State Department. Recently much primary source material has become available that calls into question this traditional interpretation of the Eisenhower-Dulles relationship. The Whitman File in the Eisenhower Library contains thousands of pages of transcripts of the president's daily phone conversations, minutes of formal and informal meetings, memoranda and other written communications, and Eisenhower's private diary. By using this new material in combination with the extant but often overlooked sources-Eisenhower's wartime papers, interviews with White House and State Department insiders available in both the Dulles Oral History Project and Columbia Oral History Collection, and studies of Eisenhower's pre-presidential career-the current scholar can determine that the standard view of Dwight Eisenhower on the leading strings of John Foster Dulles is highly problematic.

Pliable working hours

Critical examination of the concept of flexible working hours has been conspicuously lacking from most management magazines, although individual appraisals have appeared in less popular journals.

Toward a psychological theory of alienation.

The experience of is conceptualize d as a sequential-dev elopmental process which (a) develops in the context of an ongoing relationship between an individual and another person or group of people; (b) involves an unexpected deterioration in the quality of outcomes provided to the individual by the other(s) ; and (c) persists to the extent that the individual and the other(s) remain spatially or psychologically proximal. On the basis of two variable components, personal-neutral thwarting and saliencenonsalience of alternatives, a typology of estrangement experiences is proposed which includes four behavioral syndromes: isolation, reintegration, subjugation, and rebellion. Though in each of these syndromes the individual's appraisal of the situation leads to at least temporary disillusionment, the induction of persisting cognitive changes as a result of one's exposure to personal thwarting by another is viewed to be the central and unique feature of the experience. Finally, research directions and policy implications of the proposed framework are discussed. Although the term alienation has been associated with numerous connotations and used to describe a variety of phenomena, it nonetheless evokes specific images in relation to contemporary American culture. The ghetto riots and student demonstrations of the sixties, the hippie movement, the drug culture, and the recent rash of political kidnappings—all of these phenomena come to mind as manifestation s of alienation; and all seem to involve segments of the population who are, in some sense, alienated.

Individual Differences in the Annoyance of Noise

Among the factors influencing individual appraisals of noise intrusion or annoyance are the information contained in the noise, the person's conditioning, and his interpretation of what the noise represents. His previous adaptation to the noise, and his expectations as to the level and the difficulty of quieting it also affect his estimate. Cultural differences in conversational voice level and speaking distance affect the evaluation of background noise. Daily and monthly rhythms occur in sensitivity. All of these factors serve as a caution that the individual response may depart from the “average” reaction.

Clinical pharmacy services-management by objectives

Successful implementation of clinical pharmacy services in a hospital requires goals to be achieved, teamwork of hospital personnel, programming of work to be performed, measuring accomplishments, cost controls and the development of the abilities of all pharmacy personnel. The management style of "management by objectives" has been used since 1968 and is a major reason why the implementation of clinical pharmacy services has been successful at Memorial Hospital Medical Center of Long Beach, California. Objectives among the Director of Pharmacy and Central Services and (1) hospital administration, (2) department supervisors, (3) personnel of each satellite pharmacy, and (4) each pharmacist have been identified and are being used to measure accomplishments. Examples of objectives are presented. Department personnel know their functions and the goals of the department; this results in excellent department morale. Management by objectives has proven to be a good method to establish individual performance appraisal for each pharmacist practicing in the patient care areas.