The authors distinguished 3 approaches to the study of perceived person-environment fit (P-E fit): (a) atomistic, which examines perceptions of the person and environment as separate entities; (b) molecular, which concerns the perceived comparison between the person and environment; and (c) molar, which focuses on the perceived similarity, match, or fit between the person and environment. Distinctions among these approaches have fundamental implications for theory, measurement, and the subjective experience of P-E fit, yet research has treated these approaches as interchangeable. This study investigated the meaning and relationships among the atomistic, molecular, and molar approaches to fit and examined factors that influence the strength of these relationships. Results showed that the relationships among the approaches deviate markedly from the theoretical logic that links them together. Supplemental analyses indicated that molar fit overlaps with affect and molecular fit gives different weight to atomistic person and environment information depending on how the comparison is framed. These findings challenge fundamental assumptions underlying P-E fit theories and have important implications for future research.

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The phenomenology of fit: linking the person and environment to the subjective experience of person-environment fit.

We surveyed three distinct samples of employees (Ns of 238, 102, and 981) in order to examine relations among various types of underemployment, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions. Each dimension of underemployment is explored as a case of poor person-job fit, and the fit literature is used to produce hypotheses about these relations. We also developed and validated the 9-item Scale of Perceived Overqualification (SPOQ) to tap employee perceptions of surplus education, experience, and KSAs (knowledge, skills, and abilities). In general, perceptions of underemployment were associated with poor job satisfaction, particularly for facets with a direct causal relationship with the specific dimension of underemployment, such as overqualification and satisfaction with work. Perceived overqualification was also related to lower affective commitment, and higher intentions to turnover. For part-time work, negative attitudes were only found when employees expressed a preference for full-time work; a similar trend was not found for temporary workers, however. Implications for theory, research, and practice are delineated. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Underemployment, job attitudes, and turnover intentions

Using the first six waves of the European Community Household Panel (ECHP), a largescale comparative survey collected annually since 1994, we establish some stylised facts about the extent and determinants of work-related training in European Union (EU) countries. We investigate gender differences within and across EU countries in training participation, using decomposition analysis. We focus on: access to “lifelong learning”, fixed-term contracts, part-time versus full-time work, public/private sector affiliation, educational attainment, and the individual’s position in the wage distribution prior to training. We find that, overall, women are no less likely than men to undertake training and considerably more likely to train in four countries. The differing effects of characteristics and ‘returns’ can explain the gaps. There is no significant training-age profile for women and a strong negative profile for men. In several countries there is a negative association between fixed-term contacts and training, particularly for men. In most countries and, for both sexes, training is positively associated with public sector employment, high educational attainment and a high position in the wage distribution.

Training in Europe

This study reports results from a meta-analysis of 28 correlates of pay level satisfaction involving 240 samples from 203 studies conducted over the past 35 years. Results are presented in 4 categories: primary determinants, antecedents, correlates, and outcomes of pay satisfaction. The authors controlled for pay in examining relations between correlates and pay level satisfaction, as suggested by theory and when primary studies were available to do so. The authors found support for many of the relations suggested by a theoretical model and also note some limitations in the research that has tested this model. The authors recommend changes and additions to the model and suggest additional primary research in specific areas.

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A meta-analysis of the antecedents and consequences of pay level satisfaction.

“I Have a Job, But . . .”: A Review of Underemployment

Objective and subjective underemployment relationships to job satisfaction.

The purpose of this article is to report the findings of a test of a recently developed lean beef product and associated educational material. The results of meat product competitive positioning analysis indicate beef and pork were generally perceived to be less healthful than poultry, lean beef, fish, and the lean beef test product. Poultry, on the other hand, was perceived by the respondents to be more susceptible to having high chemical content while the lean beef test product was perceived to be low in chemical content. In general, the results of the study indicate that the branded lean beef product that was tested can be favorably positioned in the market relative to important competing meat products. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Linda J. Khan

Papers

Objective and subjective underemployment relationships to job satisfaction.

Competitive product positioning analyses of a lean beef product concept