Globalization leads to an extension of the performance content demanded of employees. Consequently, the latter are confronted with an increase of requirements to fulfil, of obstacles to overcome, and, in this context, it seems that to consider oneself capable to respond to such demands is as important as one’s objectively possessed abilities. Numerous research has shown the beneficial aspects of a high perceived self-efficacy. These beneficial aspects and the variable distribution of the level of this feeling among populations led us to hypothesize the normative nature of this perceived self-efficacy. Three populations (line managers, non-managerial employees and students) have responded to a questionnaire on perceived self-efficacy. The executives were asked to indicate, for each item, whether they would appreciate (or not) an employee adopting the behaviour listed in the item; the non-executives were required to indicate the degree to which each proposal corresponded to their usual behaviour, and the students were asked to select the items that an employee should tick off in order to be well seen (vs. badly seen) by their supervisor. Our results confirm our hypothesis: managers significantly appreciate employees who show a high level of perceived self-efficacy (SEP). We also note that adopting such behaviours is effective among non-executives, meaning that, if we take into consideration the fact that self-presentation with neutral instructions often produces socially desirable responses, the employees are aware of this valorisation. Finally, we see that such awareness is directly confirmed by our third population, i.e., by the fact that the future employees, in this case the students, are indeed aware of this valorisation.
1 June 2015 in Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences
One of the main concerns of automobile manufacturers is the optimization of cars conceiving. For this reason the integration of clients’ perceptions in the manufacturing process is an important aspect of product development. This paper aims to study the perception of young drivers over the elements of discomfort that occur while driving a vehicle. 40 subjects, young drivers (technical university students) participated in the study and were investigated in connection with the main elements of discomfort experienced in the car. Valuation of discomfort was based on descriptions of study participants, descriptions in which they were asked to specify what they perceive as discomfort in the car. On one hand, the results show us a representation of what does discomfort for young drivers mean, and on the other hand, it shows the important role that the thermal factor has in assessing comfort / discomfort in the vehicle
Air analysis inside vehicles is a problem that can be interpreted from several perspectives. This research is oriented towards the perception of air quality within a car, regarding a situation of cars in stationary traffic. Carbon dioxide measurements were made using a Trotec Data Logger Air Quality CO2 BZ30 machine inside different standing vehicles with up to five occupants, with and without circulating air. The perception of the air quality was measured on a Likert-type scale with seven levels on a sample group of 60 students. The results highlight, on the one hand, the conditions under which the CO2 in the cabin air can reach concentrations which are, according to new data, considered to influence the cognitive capacity of occupants in the car, and on the other hand, they present a global assessment of the air quality in the vehicle when critical values of CO2 have been reached. If the air exchange rates inside a car are low, this degrades the air quality in such a way that it affects the concentration and reactions necessary for safe driving without perceiving any discomfort that would put the drivers or the passengers on alert.
This study investigated the attitude of Romanian medical students and doctors toward business ethics by measuring the preference for a particular ethical philosophy, namely, the preference for Machiavellianism, moral objectivism, social Darwinism, ethical relativism, and legalism. At the same time, this study aimed to explore the influence of sex, age, and ethics education on the attitude toward business ethics. The data collection was performed using a voluntary self-administered online survey including the Attitudes Toward Business Ethics Questionnaire (ATBEQ) instrument. Our findings show that the values based on which Romanian medical students and doctors make business decisions belong predominantly to the moral objectivism philosophy, which is grounded on rational actions based on a set of objective moral standards.
We present a study that looks at the relationship between the ethical climate, considered as a set of social norms, and judgments and behaviors in the workplace. In this case we think that an ethical rule reflecting the climate is only actualized in conduct and/or decisions if the rule is applicable, is shared, and is the subject of social expectations. A total of 277 professionals responded to a questionnaire measuring the normativity of three ethical rules, socio-moral judgment, trust in supervisors, turnover intention, and discrimination as well as abusive supervision. The results confirm our hypothesis. This leads to a different view of how the ethical climate is measured and constructed in the workplace.