The Mediator as Face-Giver

Face issues under the surface can make mediation akin to negotiating a minefield. This article proposes to help mediators map the terrain, uncovering critical face issues that can stymie the negotiation. The author demonstrates how, by using face-giving techniques to diffuse uncovered face issues, mediators can help move the parties through sensitive conflicts to sustainable resolution—with egos and relationships intact.     

The Impact of Officer and Agency Characteristics on the Likelihood of Arrest in Domestic Violence Situations among Rural Law Enforcement Officers

Domestic violence cuts across all demographic groups. The factors related to why police officers arrest in some domestic violence situations but not others have been often studied. Little research, however, has been conducted on the arrest views of rural police officers. One hundred seventy line officers in six rural Midwestern counties were surveyed to determine the impact of officer personal characteristics and agency type on arrest decisions in various hypothetical domestic violence scenarios. First, the same situational factors appeared to be important in shaping the arrest decision in domestic violence calls of rural officers as have previously been found with urban officers. Second, the characteristics of officers and the type of agency had some impact on the likelihood of arrest, particularly if there was evidence of a physical assault. Third, the presence of evidence of a physical assault helped shape the arrest decisions of rural officers. Fourth, situational factors were more important than officer characteristics and the type of agency. Nancy Hogan and Shannon Barton contributed equally to the paper. The authors thank Janet Lambert for editing and proofreading the paper. The authors also thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions.     

Using state polls to forecast U.S. Presidential election outcomes

This paper uses pre-election polls to forecast U.S. Presidential election outcomes in the states and the Electoral College. The approach is notable in three ways. First, we employ state-level polls to predict voting outcomes in the states; second, we associate probabilities with alternative election outcomes, and third, we identify states most likely to be pivotal in the Electoral College. Using information available on the day before the election, we estimated that the probability of a Republican victory in the Electoral College in the 2004 election was 47.27%.     

The impact of distributive and procedural justice on correctional staff job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment

Correctional staff are the heart and soul of any correctional facility. While there was a significant body of research on the impact of the work environment on correctional staff, this study sought to expand that knowledge by examining the effects of distributive and procedural justice on correctional staff job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Multivariate models were estimated. Both forms of organizational justice had negative effects on job stress and organizational commitment; however, only procedural justice, but not distributive justice, had a significant impact on job satisfaction.     

Quand les attitudes au travail sont tributaires de la progression de carrière: analyse dans le cadre de la modernisation de la gestion des ressources humaines

Sommaire: À partir d'une analyse de la littérature, puis d'une étude empirique auprès d'un échantillon homogène de fonctionnaires fédéraux, l'article examine les liens entre, d'une part, les principaux indicateurs psychologiques et attitudinaux au travail (indicateurs souvent utilisés pour prédire la propension à quitter des employés) et d'autre part, les étapes de carrière de ces mêmes employés. En établissant les étapes de carrière en fonction des préoccupations de carrière actuelles des employés, les résultats démontrent que les répondants aux périodes d'exploration et de désengagement de leur carrière rapportent ceci: de façon généale, leurs attitudes au travail sont plus négatives que ceux qui se situent aux périodes d'établissement et de maintien. Les constats de l'étude soulèvent des enjeux importants pour la gestion des ressources humaines dans le secteur public et laissent entrevoir des pistes pratiques d'intervention pour une plus grande mobilisation et rétention des employés. Abstract: Through an analytical review of the literature, followed by an empirical study conducted among a homogeneous sampling of federal public servants, the article examines the relationships between, on the one hand, the key psychological and attitudinal indicators in the workplace (indicators that are often used to predict an employee's propensity to quit his or her employment) and, on the other hand, the career steps of these same employees. When the career steps are established on the basis of the employees' actual concerns in terms of their careers, the results demonstrate that respondents who are either in the exploration or disengagement phase of their careers report the following: in general, their attitudes towards work are more negative than the attitudes of those who are in the middle of establishing or maintaining their careers. The study's findings raise important issues with respect to human resources management in the public sector, and suggest practical avenues for action aimed at ensuring greater employee mobilization and retention.     

Women and Men in Jail: Attitudes Towards and Experiences of Domestic Violence

This study explores the pre-arrest domestic violence victimization and attitudes towards domestic violence reported by women and men confined in a Midwestern metropolitan jail. Results indicated that women in the jail sample had more fear for the safety of battered women than men in the jail sample. Women in jail were more likely than men in jail to view the legal system as a deterrent to domestic violence. Logistic regression models were constructed to explore associations between jail detainees’ pre-arrest experiences of domestic violence and their gender, age, education, race, parental status and other violent victimizations. The variables associated with pre-arrest domestic violence victimization were being a woman, a parent, a victim rape and a victim of threats with a deadly weapon.