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This paper aims to investigate mediating effects of employees’ work engagement in the relationships between their personal resources (i.e. self-efficacy, organizational-based self-esteem and optimism) and turnover intention within Korean organizations.

A total of 571 survey responses collected from Korean organizations were utilized and analyzed to test the proposed research hypotheses by using structural equation modeling.

The results showed that all of personal resources had a positive impact on work engagement and work engagement had a negative impact on turnover intention. The results also revealed that although both organizational-based self-esteem and optimism had a negative impact on turnover intention, self-efficacy had an impact on turnover intention with the opposite way. In addition, work engagement mediated the relationships among self-efficacy, organizational-based self-esteem, optimism and turnover intention.

The findings of the study could suggest practical implications when human resource development (HRD) professionals consider appropriate human resource interventions (e.g. training intervention) as to how to create and maintain a working environment where employees are facilitated and learned to have high levels of personal resources (i.e. self-efficacy, organizational-based self-esteem and optimism), which leads to enhancing employees’ work engagement and positive outcomes (e.g. lower turnover intention).

Given that little research effort has been made to investigate the relationships among personal resources (i.e. self-efficacy, organizational-based self-esteem and optimism), work engagement and turnover intention, this research contributes to the HRD literature by adding empirical evidence of the relationships in the context of Korean organizations.

The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the short form of personal optimism and self-efficacy optimism-extended (POSO-E) among Indian teachers.

Two studies were conducted to adjudge the reliability and validity of the scale. In the first study, the sample of 510 respondents was randomly divided into subsamples. The first subsample was subjected to the Exploratory Factor Analysis which yielded a two-factor solution explaining 71.02% of the variance. This model was subjected to the Confirmatory Factor Analysis using a second subsample. Acceptable model fit indices suggested factorial validity of the two-dimensional POSO-E among Indian teachers. In the second study, acceptable Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability estimates (greater than 0.70) indicated the scale's reliability. Also, as expected, personal optimism, self-efficacy optimism and overall optimism reported a positive correlation with spiritual well-being and a negative association with distress. It confirmed the criterion validity of the POSO-E among Indian teachers.

The results showed appreciable psychometric properties of the POSO-E in the context of Indian teachers. The study offered a valid and reliable scale to measure teachers' optimism levels. It is poised to generate renewed interest among scholars to emphasize teachers' positive and optimist thinking. The findings also reported a positive association between teachers' optimism and spiritual well-being. It suggests that spiritual practices and interventions could be used to develop an optimistic academic workforce.

The study is one of the pioneer studies that evaluated the reliability and validity of the POSO-E among Indian teachers.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among perception of past portfolio returns, optimism and financial decisions.

The relationships are examined using a data set of both retail and institutional investors in Malaysia and estimated using ordinary least square regression.

The results demonstrate that perception of past portfolio returns influences both retail and institutional investors’ trading and risk taking. Optimism measured as relative investment optimism and personal investment optimism similarly influences both groups of investors’ financial decisions. However, perception of past portfolio returns causes only retail investors to exhibit optimism. The results furthermore show that only for retail investors perception of past portfolio returns indirectly influences financial decisions, through the mediating channel of optimism.

The findings on the influences of perception of past portfolio returns and the mediating channel in decision process help to understand the differences between retail and institutional investors. Retail investors are found to be more susceptible to optimism. Therefore, regulators in Malaysia may enhance their initiatives by incorporating the peril of forming optimistic expectations in financial decisions, by giving special focus on retail investors.

This paper focuses on investors’ perception of past portfolio returns and its influence on various financial decisions, unlike past portfolio returns or market returns. Also, this paper is among the first to demonstrate the mediating channel of optimism in investors’ decision process.

The purpose of this paper is to test the cognitive construct of optimism (positive future outcome expectancies) and the age-gender differences in Indian sample.

The sample consists of 363 older, middle-aged and younger male and female employees. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey based research design.

Results revealed that middle-aged employees have high levels of optimism as compared to the old age and younger employees. Further, the males reflected high optimism levels in comparison to female employees in middle and old aged adult employees, whereas females have higher optimism level in younger age in Indian select organisations.

The study suggests that the continuous changes in the lifespan lead to changes in one’s attitude and hence results in behavioural changes. The research indicates that optimism should be cultivated in the individuals by providing training and development to promote the competence and skill-building events which would help in enhancing the productivity resulting in better understanding of the scenario at workplace.

The work supplements the existing literature on positive attitude or outcome expectancies by adding to the lifespan development theory.

The purpose of this paper was to validate the short version of personal optimism and self-efficacy optimism scale developed by Gavrilov-Jerkovic et al. (2014) on a sample of 398 employees working in private and public sector organizations in India.

The study needs to test the psychometric properties of the Indian version of scale by using exploratory factor analysis, convergent validity, discriminant validity and confirmatory factor analysis.

The results supported for the two-dimensional factor-structure of optimism in consonance with Gavrilov-Jerkovic et al. (2014).

The findings will benefit both the management and the employees. Also, the study expands the existing literature on the variable in the Indian context.

The work validates and provides a unique instrument to measure the employee optimism that can help the management and the employees to focus on themselves to increase the positivity to provide an innovative and creative environment. Also, the work supplements the existing literature on positive attitude or outcome expectancies and helps in establishing the bi-dimensional nature of the construct of optimism.

The purpose of this paper is to test the competing explanations of stated preferences for firm characteristics, optimism and overconfidence for trading activities in a single framework.

A survey methodology is followed to collect the data among retail investors in Malaysia using simple random sampling.

The findings show simultaneous identification of stated preferences for firm characteristics, optimism and overconfidence as determinants of trading activities. Preferences for firm’s profitability characteristics, management and product-related attributes and risky characteristics are likely to decrease investors’ trading activities. On the other hand, preferences for firm’s liquidity and trading volume characteristics with relative financial-domain optimism, personal investment optimism and better-than-average aspect of overconfidence are likely to increase investors’ trading activities.

This finding implies that investors should be careful not only in assessing firm’s characteristics but also need to understand the effects of optimism and overconfidence in trading decisions.

The study considers various aspects of optimism and overconfidence, and the stated preferences for firm characteristics, unlike one aspect of these behavioral biases and indirect observation of preferences for firm characteristics. Furthermore, the study considers trading frequency, annual portfolio turnover and trading intention, whereas earlier studies considered only one or two of these trading decisions.

The study examines a mediated, moderated process of students' intellectual engagement from optimism, academic self-efficacy and academic burnout.

Five hundred and twenty-seven participants who completed a self-reported questionnaire were selected using a convenient sampling technique. PLSc was used to test the proposed hypotheses.

Results showed that optimism positively affects students' intellectual engagement and academic self-efficacy. Additionally, academic self-efficacy correlates positively with students' intellectual engagement and further mediates the relationship between optimism and intellectual engagement. Finally, the moderation effect of academic burnout was positive and non-significant.

This paper is among the first to have tested a model including optimism, academic self-efficacy, intellectual engagement and academic burnout in a university setup from a developing country perspective.

This study aims to explore how family incivility is linked to workplace bullying among employees. This study examines the role of psychological safety as an explanatory mechanism linking both. This paper also looks into the moderating roles of optimism between family incivility and psychological safety and organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) between psychological safety and workplace bullying.

Drawing from the conservation of resources theory and work home resources model, this study developed various hypotheses. The proposed relationships were tested using responses gathered from 260 teaching faculty across the universities in India. This study used Warp-PLS for data analysis.

The findings suggest that psychological safety mediated the relationship between experienced family incivility and workplace bullying. This study also found support for the mediating role of psychological safety. Further, this study has proved that trait optimism and OBSE are boundary conditions influencing the outcomes of family incivility.

The findings have practical implications for teachers, educational institution leaders and policymakers. This study augments the importance of cultivating optimism and OBSE to combat conflicting situations. Employees who practice optimism on a daily basis are high in psychological safety and when supported with OBSE by the institution, the impact of family incivility and its adverse effects in the workplace is reduced, curbing the instances of workplace bullying.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to establish the role of “organizational resource,” OBSE, as a coping mechanism in tackling the adverse effects of family incivility. From a resource perspective, this study is one of the first to look into the enablers and inhibitors of resource creation in an individual while experiencing family incivility.

Electronic government procurement is an important platform that promotes efficient, transparent, competitive and agile delivery of procurement activities in public sector organisations. Implementing units who play a major role exhibits different attitude towards new technology. The purpose of this paper is to assess if there is any significant difference between optimistic and discomfort implementing units in relation to the implementation and intention to use the Ghana Electronic Procurement System (GHANEPS).

Technology Readiness, Technology Acceptance and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and Diffusion Innovation Theory constituted the theoretical foundation. Guided by a cross sectional survey design, quantitative data from a sample of 181 procurement officers was collected using structured questionnaires. The hypothesised relationships were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).

Although there were some observable differences, the bootstrap results show that the difference was not significant, implying that these two groups do not differ much about the GHANEPS introduction and implementation. This is justifiable in the case of Ghana because public policies are made by top officials, and those in the grassroot or implementation domain have no choice but to act accordingly.

This study focused on metropolitan, municipal, district assemblies, public hospitals, tertiary institutions and senior high schools.

The study contributes to the critical antecedents for electronic procurement implementation and public sector management literature. It provides public institutions and practitioners with empirical evidence on how beliefs and perceptions of implementing units about electronic public procurement has some influence on attitude towards usage and intention to use. Positive attitudes and perceptions of the public procurement officers can be reinforced through adequate training and awareness creation.

This study outcomes can serve as philosophical underpinnings for societal development.

This study used a multi-group analysis to examine if there is any significant difference between these two categories of implementing units (optimistic group and discomfort group) in relation to facilitating conditions, personal innovativeness, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and ultimately to attitude and intention to use GHANEPS.

In order to understand the driving forces behind intensified job demands (IJDs), the purpose of this paper is to examine demographic factors, structural work-related factors, personal and job resources as antecedents of IJDs.

The study is based on cross-sectional (n=4,963) and longitudinal (n=2,055) quantitative data sets of Austrian employees. Data sets were analyzed via regression analyses.

The results showed that IJDs, as assessed through five sub-dimensions: work intensification, intensified job-related, career-related planning and decision-making demands, intensified demands for skills and for knowledge-related learning, remained fairly stable overtime. The most consistent antecedents of IJDs were personal initiative and ICT use at work. Job resources, e.g. variety of tasks and lacking support from supervisor, related to four sub-dimensions of IJDs.

The findings suggest that personal (being initiative) and job resources (task variety) may have negative effects as they associated with IJDs. Moreover, supervisors’ support is crucial to counteract IJDs.

Employers should recognize that certain personal (e.g. personal initiative) and job-related resources (e.g. lacking supervisory support) might implicate higher IJDs, which, in turn, may cause more job strain as IJDs can be conceived as job stressors.

IJDs have received very little research attention because they are new job demands, which however, can be expected to increase in future due to faster technological acceleration in working life. The study has methodological value as longitudinal design was applied.