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While many reviews of job stress and the stressor-strain relationship have been conducted, such reviews typically focus exclusively on quantitative data. In the current paper, we review qualitative studies on occupational stress that met two criteria: (1) the studies employed qualitative methods; (2) the stressors, strains and/or coping strategies were grouped into identifiable, higher-order categories. Results indicated that the nature of the stressors experienced varied by (a) occupation, (b) country, (c) seniority and (d) gender. The review further revealed that organizational constraints, work overload and interpersonal conflict were relatively universal stressors. Anger and annoyance were the most frequently reported psychological strains in the United States and the United Kingdom, while Chinese workers exhibited tension and anxiety and Indian workers exhibited acceptance. Coping strategies also varied by gender, occupation and country. Research on gender differences suggested that, compared to men, women tended to report more interpersonal stressors. Differences in the ways in which the two types of methodologies are applied, as well as their relative strengths and weaknesses, underline the value of qualitative approaches to the study of occupational stress, especially when used in conjunction with quantitative methods in mixed-methods studies. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the key decisions lobbies make are which political players to lobby, at what stage or stages to intervene in the policy process and which strategies and tactics to use. This paper addresses the lack of sources of knowledge beyond the United States for understanding these key decisions. It argues that the manner in which the design of legislative institutions establishes the balance of power between political parties and individual politicians has a significant influence on all three choices of the target of lobbying, the stage of the policymaking process in which to lobby and the strategies and tactics used by lobbies. Data to support the arguments are presented from a survey of groups in India and China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]