Exploration of the Socioecological Determinants of Hong Kong Workers' Work-Life Balance: A Grounded Theory Model.

BACKGROUND: Although a growing body of research has investigated the theoretical and empirical models of work-life balance (WLB), the propositions of this phenomenon remain nonunified. Thus, a grounded theory approach was adopted to explore the viewpoints of workers regarding WLB and its determinants and consequences. METHODS: Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted to investigate the attitudes and experiences of Hong Kong workers towards WLB, in which 50 workers were interviewed. All data of interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded into five levels of the socioecological framework (i.e., intrapersonal level, interpersonal level, organisational level, community and government policy). RESULTS: The grounded theory model established that work-life balance and personal context mutually affected each other, and work-life balance was unidirectionally affected by the environmental context. The ability to maintain a continual satisfied physical and mental states among multiple roles under the emergence of unexpected environmental factors was proposed as the definition of work-life balance. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study offer essential research insights into the importance of WLB, the dynamic features for workers to sustain balance and constructing a reliable and exhaustive assessment model for work-life balance for future studies.

O contexto do visitante na experiência museal: semelhanças e diferenças entre museus de ciência e de arte / The personal context of a museum experience: similarities and differences between science and art museums

Destaca-se, neste artigo, o desenvolvimento de pesquisas que elucidem não só o perfil socioeconômico do visitante e do não-visitante de museus, mas também seus hábitos culturais, interesses gerais de lazer e percepções de arte, ciência e outros temas tratados por essas instituições. Quanto mais soubermos sobre o contexto pessoal do visitante, mais poderemos aperfeiçoar sua experiência museal, de modo a instigar sua ida e seu retorno aos museus, nos quais terá suas expectativas, seus desejos e necessidades mais amplamente respondidos. Enfatiza-se, também, a importância da cultura local para a formação do contexto pessoal e para a construção de cada experiência museal. Apresentam-se exemplos da bibliografia sobre o tema, com destaque para os trabalhos desenvolvidos no Brasil e as contribuições que pesquisas em museus de arte podem trazer para os museus de ciências.

The article focuses on the development of research that illuminates not only the socioeconomic profiles of museum visitors and non-visitors but also their cultural habits, general entertainment interests, and their perceptions of art, science, and other topics addressed at these institutes. The more we know about a visitor's personal context, the more we can enhance his or her museum experience, thereby encouraging further museum visits during which his or her expectations, wishes, and needs will be more fully met. The article also focuses on how local culture plays an important part in shaping both personal context as well as each museum experience. Some examples are provided from the literature, above all concerning studies in Brazil and the contributions that research at art museums may have for science museums.