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This study examined the relationship between lateness, absenteeism, and overall job performance among nursing home employees. We addressed four issues: (a) agreement between subordinate and superior in their ratings, (b) the stability of rated lateness and rated absenteeism over 6 months, (c) the correlation between ratings of lateness and absenteeism assigned by the worker to himself or herself and the corresponding ratings from supervisors, and (d) the relationship of rated lateness and rated absenteeism to impressions of overall job performance. Neither attendance nor punctuality showed interrater agreement between the worker and his/her supervisor on either of the two occasions. Ratings of attendance were not stable across time for either the subordinate (r 5.16) or the supervisor (r 5.04), but punctuality ratings showed moderate temporal stability over 6 months for both subordinate (r 5.59) and supervisor (r 5. 41) impressions. On the first administration of the rating form, attendance and punctuality were not significantly correlated to each other in either the workers' self-ratings (r 5.17) nor the supervisors' ratings of the workers (r 5.08). On the second administration, however, these two facets were moderately correlated with each other in both workers' (r 5.54) and supervisors' (r 5. 39) impressions of employee behavior. Compared with attendance, punctuality was somewhat more highly correlated with impressions of overall job performance from the perspective of the worker herself/himself as well as the supervisor.

The computer has become a useful tool for purchasing managers in administering contracts and in daily operations. Additionally, computer support for contract negotiations may also be provided. This article investigates the use of a computerized Negotiation Support System, or NSS, as an aid to a purchasing manager, and to the sales manager with whom he or she is dealing, in a typical industrial buying/selling negotiation. After reviewing the results of three prior studies using student subjects, the article reports on an empirical study — using purchasing managers as subjects — designed to test the effectiveness of an early version of an NSS. In this laboratory test of the NSS, the managers arrived at better contracts (higher joint outcomes and more balanced contracts) in less time when provided with the NSS. From the results of the study and the comments of NSS users, a number of implications for practicing purchasing managers are identified. The article concludes with suggestions about which organizations should develop an NSS and how they should begin the development effort.

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