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Rates of heavy drinking are consistently higher among U.S. military personnel than among civilians, particularly among young male personnel. In addressing drinking in the military, more information is needed on contextual factors influencing drinking to better understand the conditions that lead to or facilitate drinking. Results from 15 focus groups conducted with enlisted personnel at 2 Navy and 2 Marine Corps installations as part of formative research for an alcohol abuse prevention trial are reported in this article. The study explored the "drinking climate" of each installation in terms of shared attitudes and recognized norms regarding alcohol use and installation personnel's general understanding of policies concerning alcohol consumption. Analysis revealed several contextual factors that add to our understanding of drinking behaviors.

PurposeThis study sets out to investigate the influence of four work/life benefits on job choice and to examine individual differences that moderate the effects of work/life benefits during recruitment.Design/methodology/approachParticipants (n=125) completed an internet self‐efficacy survey measuring their sense of competence in being able to use the internet effectively. They also filled out a demographic questionnaire and a policy‐capturing survey which asked them to read numerous job descriptions and rate how likely it was that they would accept each job. The levels of four benefits (childcare, telecommuting, eldercare, flextime benefits) varied across job advertisements. Analyses examined the degree to which these four independent variables affected the willingness to accept a job offer.FindingsChildcare benefits influenced the job choices of 58 per cent of the sample. This exceeded the influence of flextime (33 per cent), telecommuting (26 per cent), and eldercare benefits (33 per cent). Childcare attracted women more than men. Internet self‐efficacy predicted the attractiveness of telecommuting.Research limitations/implicationsIt is important to consider the degree to which these findings generalize to non‐US job seekers, as well as applicants in more naturalistic settings.Practical implicationsKnowledge of influential work/life benefits (e.g. childcare) can enhance recruitment efforts in a competitive marketplace. Data on variables that moderate the attractiveness of work/life policies will enable organizations to further tailor their benefits to the types of applicants they seek.Originality/valueIn practice, work/life benefits are commonly offered in the hope of recruiting new employees. Yet, little is known about which benefits best attract new graduates. Moreover, research has only begun to examine individual differences that moderate the effect of work/life policies on recruitment outcomes. The present study addresses these gaps in the literature.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information , 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 02-15-2006 REPORT TYPE Technical Report DATES COVERED (From -To SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR'S ACRONYM(S)HPC-N5 SPONSOR/MONITOR'S REPORT NUMBER(S)Navy Human Performance Center Dam Neck Annex 2025 Tartar Ave, Suite 100 Virginia Beach, VA, 23461-1924 DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENTA -Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES ABSTRACTThe Navy Human Performance Center (HPC) and Navy Personnel Command (NPC) have reached the final phase of development for the Navy's Human Performance Feedback and Development (HPFD) and ePerformance system. This second and final iteration of usability testing was designed to verify the functionality of system revisions made as a result of recommendations offered in Schwerin et al. (2004) and gather user perceptions of system usability and cultural issues that may affect HPFD and ePerformance system implementation. This report documents the results of usability test and user survey data collection. Usability timing and errors analyses suggest that system enhancements as a result of the first usability study improved the overall usability of the HPFD and ePerformance system, but users still have significant difficulty finding, opening and creating HPFD and ePerformance documents. SUBJECT TERMSHPFD, ePerformance, Navy, usability testing, Human Systems Integration (HSI) • HPFD tasks were completed more quickly and with fewer errors than had been observed in previous research.• Users of HPFD and ePerformance systems required the Quick Reference Guide (QRG) to locate, open, and create documents.• Tasks were completed much more efficiently and with fewer errors when using a shipboard NSIPS-dedicated NMCI server.• Supervisors and nonsupervisors experienced similar user problems.• Overall, users were more satisfied with the professionalism, efficiency, and overall effectiveness of the revised HPFD and ePerformance systems compared to the previous versions.These positive findings represent a dramatic departure from previous usability research, reflecting system enhancements made prior to the current usability study and th...

The U.S. Navy has undertaken the second of two iterations of usability testing for the Navy's Human Performance Feedback and Development (HPFD) and ePerformance system. This second of two iterations included 34 officer and enlisted supervisors and nonsupervisors in usability testing conducted at three Navy