This study experimentally explored hiring recommendations involving disabled job applicants. One hundred eight supervisors and mid‐level managers reviewed the cover letter and resume of an applicant and the job description for a simulated position. The applicant's type of disability and cause of disability were systematically manipulated in the resume and cover letter. The results demonstrated that subjects made different recommendations for hiring the applicant as a function of the type as well as the cause of the disability. Implications for employers' bias are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented.

This investigation provides an empirical scaling of software engineering practices derived from the software process maturity model developed by the Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University (Humphrey et al. [Humphrey, W. S., D. H. Kitson, T. C. Kasse. 1989. The state of software engineering practice: A preliminary report. Technical Report CMU/SEI-89-TR-1 ESD-TR-89-01, Carnegie-Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, Pittsburgh, PA.]). An analysis of data collected in an extended software maintenance study has shown that the responses to Humphrey's key software practice items fit the Rasch psychometric model providing an alternative framework in which to understand the software development practices. The Rasch model analysis describes the likelihood of a practice deployment for any level of evolution and provides precise and meaningful measures.

Organizations considering having their employees participate in workplace decision making are faced with significant decisions about the nature and extent of activities in such programs. In general, the managerial literature provides mixed reviews on the success of these types of programs. The present study examines, by means of Rasch model analysis, the experiences of a large sample of organizations undertaking a variety of participation-related activities. The results suggest that there is an underlying relationship among differing employee participation activities, and, consequently, attention must be given to the processes used to choose and implement those activities.

No abstract

No abstract