Business Commons^™

Chaos, Reports, And Quests: Narrative Agency And Co-Workers In Stories Of Workplace Bullying, Stacy Tye-Williams, Kathleen J. Krone

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This study examined narratives that targets of workplace bullying told about their difficult work experiences along with how co-workers were framed in these narratives. Three different narrative types emerged from their accounts: chaos, report, and quest narratives. Co-worker responses of support or lack thereof were related to the construction of various narrative forms and the level of narrative agency evident in target accounts. The study has important implications for the difference co-workers can make in a target’s ability to withstand bullying and narrate his or her experience.

The Paradox Of Knowledge Creation In A High-Reliability Organization: A Case Study, Ivana Milosevic, A. Erin Bass, Gwendolyn Combs

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

We employed an instrumental case study of a multisystem hydroelectric power producer, a high-reliability organization (HRO), to explore how new knowledge is created in a context in which errors may result in destruction, catastrophic consequences, and even loss of human life. The findings indicate that knowledge creation is multilevel, nested within three levels of paradox: paradox of knowing, paradox of practice, and paradox of organizing. The combination of the lack of opportunity for errors with the dynamism of the HRO context necessitates that individuals work through multiple paradoxes to generate and formalize new knowledge. The findings contribute to the literature …

Contagion Effect Of Global Leaders’ Positive Psychological Capital On Followers: Does Distance And Quality Of Relationship Matter?, Joana S. P. Story, Carolyn M. Youssef-Morgan, Fred Luthans, John E. Barbuto Jr., James A. Bovaird

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

A key assumption of effective international human resource management (IHRM) is that global leaders influence and serve as role models for their followers, regardless of the inherent distance (physical and frequency of interaction) between them in today’s global context or the quality of the relationship. Although considerable attention has been devoted to cultural differences between global leaders and their diverse followers and teams, this study investigates the impact that distance and quality of the relationship has on a sample of a Fortune 100 multinational firm’s global leaders’ level of positive psychological capital (PsyCap) contagion effect on their followers located around …

The Recruitment Paradox: Network Recruitment, Structural Position, And East German Market Transition, Richard A. Benton, Steve Mcdonald, Anna Manzoni, David F. Warner

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Economic institutions structure links between labor-market informality and social stratification. The present study explores how periods of institutional change and post-socialist market transition alter network-based job finding, in particular informal recruitment. We highlight how market transitions affect both the prevalence and distribution of network-based recruitment channels: open-market environments reduce informal recruitment’s prevalence but increase its association with high wages. We test these propositions using the case of the former East Germany’s market transition and a comparison with West Germany’s more stable institutional environment. Following transition, workers in lower tiers increasingly turned toward formal intermediaries, active employee search, and socially “disembedded” …

Beyond The Bright Side: Dark Personality At Work, Peter D. Harms, Seth M. Spain

P. D. Harms Publications

Despite the long history of the psychological study of dark personality characteristics and the recent surge of interest in the topic, much work remains to fully understand the breadth and depth of the impact of dark personality in the workplace. This commentary briefly covers the history of dark personality, discusses the place of this special issue within that history, and then proposes a number of avenues for future research in terms of defining, measuring, and providing a more comprehensive theoretical framework for the study of dark personality.

Effects Of Psychological Capital On Mental Health And Substance Abuse, Dina V. Krasikova, Paul B. Lester, Peter D. Harms

P. D. Harms Publications

Luthans, Youssef, Sweetman, and Harms proposed a holistic approach to psychological capital that involves examining psychological capital and its effects across multiple life domains, including work, relationships, and health. This article focuses on the effects of psychological capital on objective health outcomes. Using data from a sample of 1,889 U.S. Army soldiers, we demonstrate that soldiers with higher levels of psychological capital prior to deployment were less likely to receive diagnoses for mental health problems and substance abuse postdeployment. In addition, the effects of psychological capital on mental health diagnoses were mediated by soldiers’ overall health perceptions.

Can Resilience Be Developed At Work? A Meta-Analytic Review Of Resilience-Building Programme Effectiveness, Adam J. Vanhove, Mitchel Herian, Alycia L. U. Perez, Peter D. Harms, Paul B. Lester

P. D. Harms Publications

Organizations have increasingly sought to adopt resilience-building programmes to prevent absenteeism, counterproductive work behaviour, and other stress-related issues. However, the effectiveness of these programmes remains unclear as a comprehensive review of existing primary evidence has not been undertaken. Using 42 independent samples across 37 studies, the present meta-analysis sought to address this limitation in the literature by summarizing the effectiveness of resilience-building programmes implemented in organizational contexts. Results demonstrated that the overall effect of such programmes was small (d = 0.21) and that programme effects diminish over time (d_proximal = 0.26 vs. d_distal = 0.07). Alternatively, …

The Mcdonaldization Of Academic Libraries?, Brian Quinn

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

George Ritzer, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, has proposed an influential thesis that suggests that many aspects of the fast food industry are making their way into other areas of society. This article explores whether his thesis, known as the McDonaldization thesis, is applicable to academic libraries. Specifically, it seeks to determine to what extent academic libraries may be considered McDonaldized, and if so, what effect McDonaldization may be having on them. It also investigates some possible alternatives to McDonaldization, and their implications for academic libraries.

Adpr 450/850: Public Relations Theory And Strategy—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Ming Wang

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

I decided to join the Peer Review of Teaching program to achieve the following three objectives: to better align course objectives with course content, to improve ways of documenting and assessing student learning, and to fit the course into the broader curriculum.

Participation in the Peer Review of Teaching program has been most illuminating and beneficial. I got to focus on tackling three tangible objectives for my ADPR 450/850 Public Relations Theory and Strategy class. Then I got to apply many ideas introduced in this program, such as backward design principle and assessment methods, in my teaching. I had the …

Hrd And Employment Preparation Of Women Refugees: An Integrative Literature Review, Minerva Tuliao

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This paper explores the HRD and employment preparation of women refugees. As half of any refugee population, women refugees have the potential to greatly contribute to social and economic development of the country of their resettlement, but many remain unemployed or underemployed. The review of literature includes the effectiveness of available refugee employment services, crucial factors for employment, and the various challenges that women refugees face in employment preparation. Implications for HRD research and practice are discussed.

The Fuzzin' Facts, Rebel Alliance, Mitch Ohnstad, Rebekka Erks, Erin Prohaska, Ryan Mueksch, Rachel Foehlinger, Laura Bergen, Sean Davis

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Advertising Projects

The challenge for this campaign is to expose the facts about sexual health and safe sex practices in a light-hearted manner in order to make it a more comfortable topic to talk about so that more people understand the need to get the facts, get tested and get involved to help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in Nebraska.

Talk. Act. Thrive. (You)Nified, Amitynine, Amy Okell, Cristina Petrisor, Dayton Stange, Connor Schulte, Amanda Schmidt, Courtney Sehn, Brandon Weeldreyer, Colin Burt, Anh Thoai Dinh

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Advertising Projects

This project was developed in response to the following challenge: create messaging to promote a more welcoming and inclusive climate on campus while branding the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center.

Broadband In Nebraska: Current Landscape And Recommendations, Nebraska Information Technology Commission, Nebraska Broadband Initiative, Nebraska Public Service Commission, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nitc Community Council, Nebraska Department Of Economic Development, Aim

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

N ebraska’s broadband vision is that residents, businesses, government entities, commu-nity partners, and visitors have access to affordable broadband service and have the necessary skills to effectively utilize broadband technologies.

Objectives

To increase economic development opportunities, create good-paying jobs, at-tract and retain population, overcome the barriers of distance, and enhance qual-ity of life in Nebraska by stimulating the continuing deployment of broadband technologies which meet the need for increasing connection speeds.

To increase digital literacy and the widespread adoption of broadband technolo-gies in business, agriculture, health care, education, government and by individu-al Nebraskans.

Goals

The following goals and targets help …

'Making For Innovation' Will Be First Class At Nic [Nebraska Innovation Campus], Troy Fedderson

Nebraska Innovation Studio

'Making for Innovation' will be first class at Nebraska Innovation Campus.

A new course will allow up to thirty students to get hands-on experience and help launch the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Maker Space in the spring semester.

The course, "Making for Innovation," will be the first to meet at Nebraska Innovation Studio — formerly the UNL Maker Space — on Nebraska Innovation Campus (http://innovate.unl.edu). Shane Farritor, Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and Liana Owad, Maker Space Coordinator, will guide the class.

Survey Of Lincoln Area Businesses About Skill And Training Requirements, Eric Thompson

Bureau of Business Research Publications

his report discusses the results from the Make it Work for Lincoln survey of employers conducted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Bureau of Business Research (UNL-BBR). The survey of employers in the Lincoln Metropolitan Area was conducted under contract with the Nebraska Department of Labor and with the participation of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and ATD-Lincoln. The report examines the types of occupations Lincoln area employers are searching for and hiring, and the types of difficulties employers face when hiring. The survey also asks about the types of training which employers provide. Business responding to the survey reported …

Gender Differences In Narcissism: A Meta-Analytic Review, Emily Grijalva, Daniel A. Newman, Louis Tay, M. Brent Donnellan, Peter D. Harms, Richard W. Robins, Taiyi Yan

P. D. Harms Publications

Despite the widely held belief that men are more narcissistic than women, there has been no systematic review to establish the magnitude, variability across measures and settings, and stability over time of this gender difference. Drawing on the biosocial approach to social role theory, a meta-analysis performed for Study 1 found that men tended to be more narcissistic than women (d = .26; k = 355 studies; N = 470,846). This gender difference remained stable in U.S. college student cohorts over time (from 1990 to 2013) and across different age groups. Study 1 also investigated gender differences in three …

Unl To Sublease Space At Innovation Campus, Chris Dunker

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Nebraska Innovation Campus could move closer to independence when the University of Nebraska Board of Regents considers giving the research and development park more authority over its operations. Regents are set to consider allowing the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to approve sublease swithin its master-leased areas of Innovation Campus, as well as add structures to the terms of directors overseeing campus operations. UNL's footprint at Innovation Campus has expanded significantly this year after regents approved a $4.5 million lease for space in the Food Innovation Center. That 117,000-square-foot area, set to open in summer 2015, will be the new home to …

A New Course Offered At Nebraska Innovation Studio On Nebraska Innovation Campus, Nebraska Innovation Campus

Nebraska Innovation Studio

A new course offered at Nebraska Innovation Studio on Nebraska Innovation Campus.

In spring semester 2014, Shane Farritor, PhD, and Liana Owad, MFA, taught “Making for Innovation” which covered techniques used to bring ideas to reality. This was the first class to meet at Nebraska Innovation Studio – the UNL makerspace – located on Nebraska Innovation Campus.

The course was built on two basic ideas. The first, that building and hands-on problem solving are important paths to innovation. The act of building prototypes and physical models leads to improved creative thinking and is in important path to the conception of …

Results Of The November Survey Of Nebraska Business: December 12, 2014, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Summary: Respondents to the November 2014 Survey of Nebraska Business maintained an optimistic outlook for sales and employment. November respondents were much more likely to expect sales to rise (29%) than fall (19%) at their business over the next six months and more likely to plan to increase employment (14%) than to reduce it (4%). Within the state, respondents from the Omaha area and Southeast Nebraska were the most optimistic, particularly about sales. Respondents from Central Nebraska were close to state averages. Respondents in Northeast Nebraska and West Nebraska had a neutral rather than optimistic outlook. When asked about the …

Results Of The October Survey Of Nebraska Business: November 7, 2014, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Summary: Respondents to the October 2014 Survey of Nebraska Business regained an optimistic outlook for sales and employment. October respondents were much more likely to expect sales to rise (30%) than fall (18%) at their business over the next six months and more likely to plan to increase employment (11%) than to reduce it (7%). This outlook was much more optimistic than the mixed outlook reported in September. Within the state, respondents from the Omaha area were the most optimistic in their outlook for sales and employment over the next six months. Respondents from Southeast and Central Nebraska were only …

Successful Communities: What Is Desired And What Is Present In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska, 2014 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben

Nebraska Rural Poll

Rural Nebraskans are looking for many things in a community. The characteristics of a community that most believe are absolutely essential include social dimensions (sense of personal safety), economic dimensions (jobs/economic opportunities), some basic services (a quality school system, available medical services, affordable housing, quality housing and well maintained infrastructure) and environmental dimensions (a clean and attractive natural environment).

Unfortunately, when asked if these characteristics are present in their current community, some of these areas are lacking. One of the more extreme cases involves jobs/economic opportunities. Seventy-seven percent of the respondents say these are absolutely essential in order for them …

City, Unl Partner To Create Unique Renewable Energy System At Nic, Leslie Reed

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Through a unique renewable energy system, UNL students and Lincoln residents help provide energy to heat and cool Nebraska Innovation Campus when they shower and flush. The Centralized Renewable Energy System, or CRES, warms and cools buildings by exchanging heat from treated wastewater discharged from a city facility next to the research park. Sustainable energy strategies are an important part of Nebraska Innovation Campus' value proposition, NIC executive director Dan Duncan said. "It's part of the culture we want to build at Innovation Campus," he said. "We need to do things differently and we need to think about things differently." …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: November 21, 2014, Eric Thompson, William Walstad

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Summary: The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) fell by 0.10% during October 2014. The slight decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, is the second consecutive decline and suggests that Nebraska economic growth will moderate. In particular, state economic growth is expected to slow in the first four months of 2015. Two components contributed to the decline in the leading economic indicator in October. First, there was a significant increase in the value of the U.S. Dollar. Such an increase reduces the competiveness of exporters in Nebraska and throughout the …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: October 17, 2014, Eric Thompson, William Walstad

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Summary: The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) fell by 0.45% during September 2014. The decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, is the second in three months and suggests that Nebraska economic growth will slow. In particular, state economic growth is expected to slow in the first quarter of 2015. Three components contributed to the decline in the leading economic indicator in September. Most importantly, there was a significant increase in the value of the U.S. Dollar. Such an increase reduces the competiveness of exporters in Nebraska and throughout the …

Nebraska Innovation Campus Poised For Next Phase Of Growth, Melissa Lee

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Phase I of development at UNL's Nebraska Innovation Campus is ahead of schedule, with facilities taking shape that will attract talent, open new opportunities for students and faculty and grow Nebraska’s economy. The historic 4-H Building, linked to a new building, forms Innovation Commons, a state-of-the-art facility that houses a conference center and where Innovation Studio, a “maker space” for innovators and a business accelerator are underway. Already, the conference center has hosted a “demo day” for Nebraska startup businesses that attracted 300 attendees interested in entrepreneurship. A Food Innovation Center, scheduled to open in 2015, will house UNL’s growing …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: September 19, 2014, Eric Thompson, William Walstad

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Summary: The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) rose by 1.37% during August 2014. The rise in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, is the fifth in six months. The increase in the LEI-N represents a strong upward bounce after a decline during July. Taking to two months together, results suggest that Nebraska should experience solid economic growth during the first few months of 2015. Three components contributed to the rise in the leading economic indicator in August. Single-family building permits rose during August while initial unemployment claims declined. Both measures improved …

Results Of The August Survey Of Nebraska Business: September 5, 2014, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Summary: Respondents to the August 2014 Survey of Nebraska Business remain positive in their outlook for sales and employment at their business. More respondents expect sales to rise (28%) than decline (20%) in the next six months. Similarly, more expect to increase (13%) rather than reduce (7%) employment. These August results were very consistent with findings from July and mark the seventh consecutive month in which Nebraska businesses held a positive outlook. Within the state, respondents located in Southeast Nebraska were especially positive in their outlook for sales and employment. Respondents from Northeast Nebraska and West Nebraska had only limited …

Results Of The September Survey Of Nebraska Business: October 3, 2014, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Summary: Respondents to the September 2014 Survey of Nebraska Business are far less optimistic about sales and employment than in recent months. The overall outlook is mixed. More respondents expect to increase (9%) employment rather than reduce (7%) it over the next 6 months. However, more expect sales to fall (26%) than rise (23%). Within the state, respondents from the Omaha area and Central Nebraska are solidly optimistic in their outlook for sales and employment. By contrast, respondents from Northeast Nebraska and West Nebraska anticipate a decline in employment and sales. When asked about the most important issue facing their …

Perceptions Of Crime And Safety In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2014 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans are not worried or not very worried about either crime in their community or about personally being a victim of crime. However, persons living in or near larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to be worried or very worried about crime. Furthermore, most persons living in or near communities with populations less than 10,000 are not worried or not very worried about crime in their community.

Trust also remains high in the rural areas. Most rural Nebraskans say they count on their neighbors to watch their property while they are …

Climate Change And Its Implications For The Insurance Industry, Adam Liska, Eric Holley

Adam Liska Papers

Climate change will lead to a probable increase in the occurrence of weather-related disaster events. These events could lead to declining revenue in the insurance industry, the world’s largest economic sector, with revenue of $4.6 trillion per year, or 7% of the global economy (Mills, 2012). Climatic events have accounted for 72% of global insurance claims and insured losses from 1980 to 2012, totaling $0.97 trillion (Munich Re, 2013). Estimated losses are ~0.5% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and losses are increasing at ~6% a year in real terms (Lomborg, 2010). The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change …