Citizen Engagement With Open Government Data

Citizen engagement with open government data (OGD) can enhance the effectiveness of governments and improve not only the quality of public policy making but also public services provisioning and ability to address societal problems. Although previous research gives insight into citizen's drivers and inhibitors for engaging with OGD, they have not yet been integrated into a single conceptual model. The aims of this study are twofold: 1) to systematically review the literature on individual citizens' drivers and inhibitors for engaging with OGD and 2) to develop a conceptual model of citizen engagement with OGD based on the findings of the literature review. To attain this objective, the authors systematically analyzed 52 papers published in the period 2009-2019. Seven categories of drivers of citizen engagement are identified: citizen's profile, personal, performance-related, economic, social, technical, and political. Three groups of inhibitors are also identified: citizen's profile, technical, and political. This study helps in understanding how the engagement of citizens can be enhanced.

Goal specificity or ambiguity? Effects of self-quantification on persistence intentions

PurposeThe current study implies self-quantification to consumer behavior and investigates how self-quantification influences consumers' persistence intentions, then indicates the underlying mechanism and examines the role of sharing in social media context.Design/methodology/approachThe hypotheses are tested by three experimental studies. In study 1, the authors test the main effect of self-quantification on persistence intentions and demonstrate goal specificity as the mediator. In study 2 and 3, the authors explore sharing and sharing audience as the moderators.FindingsThe current research demonstrates that quantifying personal performance increases consumers' persistence intentions because self-quantification makes the focal goal more specific. However, sharing self-quantification performance with others has a negative effect on the relationship between self-quantification and persistence intentions. Building on goal conflict theory, sharing diverts consumers' focus away from the goal itself and toward others' evaluation and judgment, which makes the focal goal more ambiguous. Moreover, the negative effect depends on who is the sharing audience. When consumers share with close others who hold a similar goal with them, the negative effect of sharing is dramatically reversed.Practical implicationsThe present research offers guidelines to managers about how to design self-tracking system to increase user's engagement and how to establish social community on social media platform to motivate users' goal pursuit.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the research of self-quantification from consumer behavior perspective. It also enriches interactive marketing literature by broadening self-quantification relevant research from social interaction dimension.

The performative Katherine Mansfield

<p>This thesis looks at the role of performance in Katherine Mansfield’s life and its influence on her writing technique. It argues that there is a consistent thread of active engagement with performance throughout Mansfield’s life which profoundly influenced the content, construction and technique of her writing. It is divided into three chapters. The first examines Mansfield’s early years and the cultural context of colonial, Victorian Wellington and its performance culture as well as the familial and educational influences that surrounded her. The second chapter explores her later cultural context in London in the first decade after the turn of the century. The importance of popular culture such as music hall is examined, and Mansfield’s professional and personal performance experience is defined. The third chapter involves a close reading and analysis of Mansfield’s dramatic techniques through the examination of the stories as well as her use of theatrical imagery, motifs, allusions and plot details.</p>

The performative Katherine Mansfield

<p>This thesis looks at the role of performance in Katherine Mansfield’s life and its influence on her writing technique. It argues that there is a consistent thread of active engagement with performance throughout Mansfield’s life which profoundly influenced the content, construction and technique of her writing. It is divided into three chapters. The first examines Mansfield’s early years and the cultural context of colonial, Victorian Wellington and its performance culture as well as the familial and educational influences that surrounded her. The second chapter explores her later cultural context in London in the first decade after the turn of the century. The importance of popular culture such as music hall is examined, and Mansfield’s professional and personal performance experience is defined. The third chapter involves a close reading and analysis of Mansfield’s dramatic techniques through the examination of the stories as well as her use of theatrical imagery, motifs, allusions and plot details.</p>

Satisfaction of Township Hospitals Health Workers on How They Are Paid in China

Background: Township Hospitals (THs) are crucial providers in China’s primary health delivery system. Low job satisfaction of THs health workers has been one of biggest challenges to strengthening the health system in China. Even huge amounts of studies confirmed low remuneration level as a key demotivating factor though few studies have explored the feelings of health workers on how they were paid. Objective: To analyze how the key design of Performance-based Salary System (PBS) influences the satisfaction of health workers on the payment system in China’s THs. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 47 THs in Shandong China, and a total of 1136 participants were recruited. Expectancy theory was applied to design the measurements on designs of PBS. The associations between PBS design and satisfaction of health workers were analyzed by logistic regression. Results: Three key components of PBS design were all related to the satisfaction of health workers. Those health workers who were aware of assessment methods were more likely to be satisfied with how they were paid (OR = 2.44, p < 0.001) compared with those being not aware of the methods. The knowledge on personal performance was also associated with being satisfied (OR = 3.34, p < 0.001). The percentage of floating income in total income was negatively associated with the satisfaction, and one percentage point increase in floating income proportion could result in the possibility of being satisfied decreasing by 2.82% (95%CI −4.9 to −0.7, p = 0.01). Subgroup analysis found that only in those with lower value on monetary income, the negative influence of more floating income was significant. Conclusions: When policymakers or managers apply performance-related payment to incentivize certain work behavior, they should pay attention to the design details, including keeping transparency in the performance assessment criteria, clear performance feedback, and setting the proportion of the performance-related part based on the preference of health workers in certain cultural settings.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOB SATISFACTION AND INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE OF IT EMPLOYEES

Purpose – The main purpose of this research paper is to investigate the correlation between job satisfaction of employees in the IT sector and their personal performance. Additionally, the study examines the overall level of employee satisfaction, as well as if job satisfaction levels differ significantly among the studied demographic groups. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on quantitative analysis of data collected through a questionnaire containing answers of 126 international respondents from over 25 different IT companies. The research methods used are one-dimensional methods for preliminary analysis, Cronbach alpha for reliability and consistency, one-way ANOVA for mean values comparison and correlation analysis for examining relationships. Findings – The findings show a moderate statistically significant correlation between job satisfaction and employees’ personal performance, which is bidirectional as influence and presumably depends on other variables like work engagement, motivation, stress or exhaustion, which were not examined in the current study. Additionally, most of the employees in the researched sample define themselves as satisfied with their jobs. Statistically significant variation of the mean job satisfaction levels was observed in two of the examined demographic variables – gender and years in the current position. Practical implications – The research results can be beneficial for different organizations since job satisfaction is important for employees’ long-term retention, for increasing their commitment and loyalty towards the organization, as well as for the creation of a motivating and productive work environment. Employees’ job satisfaction and their personal performance should always be considered main organizational values and key for achieving excellent business results and market leadership. Originality/value – The results of the current research are important for validating the position of these researchers, who claim that a positive correlation between an employees’ job satisfaction and their personal performance in the workplace exists and should not be neglected. Additionally, it contributes towards a better understanding of job satisfaction among IT employees.

Sexual harassment at work within Belgian Defence: a prevalence study

IntroductionSexual harassment (SH) at work can have an impact on the general health and well-being and on the productivity of the employee. To date, the Belgian Armed Forces do not have any accurate data about SH. Therefore, this study assessed the prevalence of SH within Belgian Defence.MethodsThe prevalence of SH and staff mental well-being was investigated in a sample of 399 female soldiers. Using quantitative analysis, we measured the impact on mental well-being and the relation to demographic characteristics. Using a qualitative analysis in a subsample of eight female soldiers, we investigated barriers to reporting SH and the impact on professional performance and psychosocial well-being.ResultsThe prevalence of non-physical SH is 36.1% over the last 12 months and 64.4% over the course of a career. Physical SH has a prevalence of 16.1% and 43.4%, respectively. Rape prevalence was reported to be 1.4% over the past 12 months, 9% over the course of their career.One in three female soldiers suffer from reduced mental well-being, which was significantly associated with SH. In the interviews, female employees report an impact of SH on professional and personal performance. The willingness to report is low due to misunderstanding, disinformation and psychosocial insecurity.ConclusionHigh prevalence numbers were found suggesting an important impact on the professional performance and mental well-being of female military personnel. Organisational changes may create more willingness among victims to report incidents to the designated services.

Postgraduate pharmacist development- an evaluation of Jordanian pharmacist experiences to inform and shape an evidence-based professional development policy

Building capacity for developing skills as leadership, teamwork, and continuous academic support has become essential for fulfilling a successful pharmacy career. This study aims to assess Jordanian pharmacists’ views on professional development, namely: the continuous education infrastructure, strategies and programs for personal development, leadership skills, incentive schemes, drug information resources and digital services. As well as exploring options for better academic support delivered to pharmacists. To capture participant’s views, an online validated and reliable survey was developed. Non-probability sampling design was used. Participants were qualified pharmacists working at Royal Medical Services (RMS) and Community Pharmacists (CP). Comparison and descriptive statistics were used to report the results. A total of 271 pharmacists participated, 144 from RMS (8% more than the needed sample) and 127 CP (7% more than the needed sample). There was a strong desire amongst both RMS and PC groups for continuous educational training particularly in the following areas, first: Advanced counselling and communication skills (means = 8.99±0.145, CI 95% = 3.70–4.28 and 9.37±0.096, CI 95% = 4.18–4.56). Second: Personal development skills (mean = 8.92±0.142, CI 95% = 3.64–4.20 and 9.02±0.145, CI 95% = 3.73–4.30). Third, Pharmaceutical health promotion (mean = 8.05±0.180, CI 95% = 2.70–3.41 and 8.57±0.159, CI 95% = 3.26–3.89). Only 19.4% and 18.1% of the RMS and CPs respectively reported the presence of a written policy for personal development and leadership in their workplace. There were few incentives for pharmacists to participate in research. Few pharmacists used the available drug information and toxicology centers. The professional and continuous personal development of pharmacists support an evolving healthcare system. This study emphasizes the need for a tailored and documented postgraduate educational strategy, personal development, and leadership skills training in Jordan. Implementing a well-defined scheme of incentives should be encouraged to engage pharmacists in continuous professional development programs and pharmaceutical research. Such strategy and training should enhance both professional and personal performance.

The moderating effect of technology overload on the ability of online learning to meet students' basic psychological needs

PurposeMost students are considered digital natives and are presumably equipped to handle extensive technology use. However, online learning turns students into involuntary telecommuters when it is the primary modality. The prevailing trends of online learning, digital socialization, telehealth and other online services, combined with remote work has increased students' reliance on information and communications technologies (ICTs) for all purposes, which may be overwhelming. We examine how technology overload strains the ability of online learning to meet students' basic psychological needs (BPNs), which can decrease positive outcomes such as academic enjoyment and personal performance.Design/methodology/approachData was collected via an online survey of 542 university students and the proposed model was tested using partial least squares (PLS) regression.FindingsWe find that technology overload can diminish the positive relationship between online learning intensity and BPNs satisfaction, which is alarming because BPNs satisfaction is critical to students' positive experiences. Moreover, we find that technology overload and lack of technology experience can directly drive BPNs frustration, which decreases positive outcomes and increases academic anxiety.Originality/valueWe extend a theoretical framework for telecommuting to examine online learning. Additionally, we consider the role of technology overload and experience both as drivers and as moderators of students' BPNs satisfaction and frustration in online learning. Our results provide valuable insights that can inform efforts to rebalance the deployment of ICTs to facilitate online educational experiences.

Sound Embodiment of Rene Eespere’s Piano Cycles: Experience of Performance Analysis

The novelty of the article lies in expanding knowledge about the contemporary outstanding musicians using the example of the performance analysis of the piano cycles of the Estonian composer Rene Eespere in the context of their sound embodiment. The purpose of the article is to identify the specificity of the sound embodiment of R. Eespere’s piano cycles: “4 ostinato” and “24 preludes” (first book). The research methodology is based on an integrated approach that combines the principle of musical-theoretical and performance analysis, which are necessary for solving the tasks set in the article. Results and conclusions. The article examines the creativity of the Estonian composer Rene Eespere on the example of his piano cycles “4 ostinato” and “24 preludes” (first book). The paper detects the key tasks that arise before the performer and contribute to the sound embodiment of the proposed compositions. The basis for this research was the personal performance experience of the article’s author; work in the class of Professor S. Yushkevich; audio and video recordings of piano cycles, as well as direct communication with R. Eespere in the format of electronic correspondence. The article reveals the main features of his composer style, which synthesizes the traditions of Western European and national culture. In addition, the work shows R. Eespere’s gravitation towards minimalism in music. Ostinato is a characteristic manifestation of the composer’s creative thinking in these piano cycles. This compositional technique determines the different emotional orientation of each piece. The article also examines the variants of texture formulas in the proposed piano opuses, which require mobility from the performer in changing pianistic techniques. Analytical study of these works made it possible to identify the following performance tasks: the stability of intricate rhythmic complexes, subtle dynamic nuances, timbre variety, moderate pedalling, as well as the use of expressive key touch. In general, the sound embodiment of the piano cycles of the Estonian composer R. Eespere brings out new facets in understanding of musical context and contributes to the formation of a performance experience so valuable for the development of modern piano art.