bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anthropology and Computers: Promise and Potential
Authors: Read Dwight W.
Published: August 2008

Much of current software is based on an algorithmic approach ill suited for the openended analysis using qualitative data that is typical of anthropological research. The potential for effective analysis of qualitative data exists, but will need a different kind of software that is more exploratory in its orientation. A limited survey of what anthropologists are doing with computing shows that there is interest in programs that enable one to work and deal effectively with qualitative data. Keywords: qualitative data analysis, text processing, information processing, multimedia, data representation.
Linking Leisure Interests to the RIASEC World of Work Map
Authors: Armstrong Patrick Ian , Rounds James
Published: August 2008

The present study presents an interpretive framework for linking leisure interests, measured by the Leisure Interest Questionnaire (LIQ), to J. L. Holland's (1997) circumplex model of the world of work. Published data representing correlations between the LIQ and Holland's RIASEC interest types were obtained from Hansen and Scullard (2002). Leisure interest measures were integrated into the RIASEC circumplex using the technique of property vector fitting. By explicitly testing the structural hypothesis in Holland's model, a clearer picture of the relations between work and leisure interests emerge. Visual presentation of leisure interests in the context of the RIASEC circumplex may facilitate the use of the LIQ in applied settings. In particular, an exploration of leisure interests as part of a larger discussion of interests and aspirations may enhance the career-counseling process with clients who are struggling with clarifying their career development plans.
Career Development Strivings
Authors: Dik Bryan J. , Sargent Adam M. , Steger Michael F.
Published: August 2008

This article describes and demonstrates a novel approach to assessing goals and motives among individuals engaged in the career decision-making and planning process. Participants generated five career development strivings, rated each striving along several dimensions (self-efficacy, outcome expectations, sense of calling, spiritual significance, and materialism), and completed measures of conceptually related and unrelated variables. Results indicated adequate to strong internal consistency reliability for the strivings appraisal scale scores, and the pattern of correlations support the convergent and discriminant validity for scores obtained using this approach. We conclude that the career development strivings strategy has great potential as a flexible and efficient tool for use in career development research and practice.
Large Scale Survey Data in Career Development Research
Authors: Diemer Matthew A.
Published: August 2008

Large scale survey datasets have been underutilized but offer numerous advantages for career development scholars, as they contain numerous career development constructs with large and diverse samples that are followed longitudinally. Constructs such as work salience, vocational expectations, educational expectations, work satisfaction, and occupational attainment are readily available. With a few notable exceptions, studies of these datasets are infrequent in the career development literature. This article reviews the strengths and weaknesses of these datasets for career development research, the technical aspects of complex sample design, and software options for analyses. Career development scholars must understand complex sample design and analysis strategies to avoid drawing inappropriate conclusions from analyses of large scale survey data. Through illuminating the potential of large scale survey datasets, providing a more user-friendly introduction to the features of complex sample design, and reviewing data analysis options, this article aims to increase the utilization of large scale survey datasets by career development scholars.
A Report On Pseudepigrapha Research Since Charlesworth's Old Testament Pseudepigrapha
Authors: DiTommaso Lorenzo
Published: August 2008

This essay examines the state of research on the Pseudepigrapha and related literature since the publication of J.H. Charlesworth's Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (1983—85). The current research is rich in scope, generally excellent in quality, and truly international in character. While in previous decades only a few scholars of the first rank were associated with the study of this literature, now many of the best scholars work in the field. In addition, the widespread availability of the Pseudepigrapha in translation has precipitated a far greater familiarity with these texts. Although there is still work to be done, it is not too much to suggest that at no point in the past has the Pseudepigrapha been the object of such remarkable and sustained work.
Josephus's Portrayal of Phinehas
Authors: Bernat David
Published: August 2008

In the Antiquities portrayal of Phinehas and his exploits, Josephus engineers a number of small, but potent, alterations of the biblical narratives in which the Aaronide appears. These revisions become Josephus's vehicle for ad vancing his views on issues such as penitence, ritual atonement and priestly succession. Perhaps the most striking feature of Josephus's representation of Phinehas is its autobiographical character. By casting Phinehas as priest, diplomat, general and prophet, Josephus inserts himself into the scriptural setting, and recreates Phinehas according to his own self-image.
Vita Apologetica: The Lives of Josephus and Paul in Apologetic Historiography
Authors: Gnuse Robert
Published: August 2008

Paul and Josephus both were apologists for their religious communities and thus shared many attributes in common. Since the book of Acts, crafted in the late first century, was contemporary with Josephus's writings, some critical scholars have suggested dependence by one of these authors upon the other. This article suggests that the author of Acts may have been in spired by Josephan texts when crafting biographical narratives about Paul. The article evaluates possible connections between Acts and Josephan texts in regard to: (1) their references to the same political events in Palestine, (2) the broad educational experiences of both men, (3) shipwreck experi ences of both men and (4) visions of dream images, which communicated life-altering messages to both men.
Identity Transformation and Authorial Identification in Joseph and Aseneth
Authors: Penn Michael
Published: August 2008

The plot of Joseph and Aseneth often focuses on the identity of the story's main character; the narrative becomes increasingly concerned with the successful conversion of Aseneth from the impure daughter of a pagan priest to a suitable, Jewish wife for Joseph. Recent scholarship of Joseph and Aseneth often focuses on the identification of the story's author; scholars have become increasingly concerned with whether the work was originally written by a Jew or a Christian. An examination of the role of kissing in Joseph and Aseneth can help us better understand the process of identity transformation within the narrative and it may also help us with the identification of the text's author.
Protection of Mutual Interests? Employment Protection and Skill Formation in Different Labour Market Regimes
Authors: Edlund Jonas , Grönlund Anne
Published: August 2008

■ The `varieties of capitalism' school argues that firm-specific skills are more common in coordinated than in liberal economies and that appropriate training is facilitated by employment protection legislation. We compare the level of firm-specific skills across 21 countries with different capacities for labour market coordination. The data provide very limited support for the thesis, showing large variation among the coordinated countries. The results indicate `varieties of coordination', which have different implications for the incidence and consequences of firm-specific skill. Improved operationalization of the skill concept seems urgent.
National Industrial Relations and Local Bargaining Power in the US and German Telecommunications Industries
Authors: Doellgast Virginia
Published: August 2008

■ This article compares the process and outcomes of collective negotiations over the outsourcing of call centre jobs in US and German telecommunications firms. In the USA, the Communication Workers of America relied on coalitions with politicians and other organizations to lead successful public campaigns; while in Germany, ver.di used coordinated bargaining with works councils to leverage their strong codetermination rights. Variation in access to resources between countries helps explain differences in the unions' ability to negotiate strong collective agreements on outsourcing and to influence restructuring decisions.
European Works Councils as Risk Communities: The Case of General Motors
Authors: Fetzer Thomas
Published: August 2008

■ The European works council (EWC) at General Motors is widely regarded as an outstanding example of cross-border trade union cooperation. This article reconstructs its development as a European trade union `risk community', which since the mid-1990s has faced unprecedented challenges to workers' interests as a result of intra-European competition for investment and GM's strategy of corporate globalization. To a limited extent, the EWC offered a European solution to local and national problems, but cross-border cooperation has remained fragile and issue-specific, and has implied a Eurocentric notion of trade union internationalism.
European Companies without European Works Councils: Evidence from Portugal
Authors: Costa Hermes Augusto , Araújo Pedro
Published: August 2008

■ This article analyses the impact of the European Works Councils (EWCs) Directive in Portuguese multinationals. Though seven Portuguese companies are covered by the provisions of the Directive, only one EWC exists. Some of the main obstacles to the establishment of EWCs in Portugal are identified. The experience of the Banco Espírito SantoGroup, where the only Portuguese EWC currently exists, is discussed.
Communist Legacies, Gender and the Impact on Job Satisfaction in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Lange Thomas
Published: August 2008

■ This article studies potential legacy effects of a communist gender order, and in particular the impact on job satisfaction, in five Central and Eastern European labour markets. The empirical basis is derived from a sub-sample of the third wave of the European Values Study. There are substantial differences between male and female employees, some of which appear to reflect the persistent influence of a communist gender order, but several findings also highlight the importance of post-communist experiences. The evolving character of Central and Eastern European gender regimes requires a closer case-study approach to uncover the relationship with job satisfaction in further detail.
Social Partnership in Greece: Is There a Europeanization Effect?
Authors: Tsarouhas Dimitris
Published: August 2008

■ How should one understand the influence of Europeanization on social partnership? This article examines the impact of the European Employment Strategy (EES) on Greek social partnership and the role of employers and unions in the formulation of labour market policy. It identifies two potential levels of influence: first-level change which leads to an alteration of policy discourse, and second-level change which opens up space for reforms in policy actors' preferences and institutional resources. Empirical findings show a loose and indirect link between the advancement of Greek social partnership and the EES. Policy legacies and institutional inadequacies are decisive. Nonetheless, contrasting the Greek and Italian cases reveals the room for manoeuvre available to unions willing to invest in organizational restructuring and a bigger say in the policy process.
Children's conceptualizations of the word `Information'
Authors: Shenton Andrew K. , Nesset Valerie , Hayter Susan
Published: August 2008

Although information has become increasingly prevalent in young people's lives, minimal research has addressed children's attitudes to the word itself. This paper scrutinizes questionnaire-based data to explore how 45 eight- to ten-year-old Canadians understood the term. `Information' was often considered to be material that met a need, covered particular territory or was associated with action by an individual. The youngsters identified many features they believed characteristic of `good information'; where these requirements were not met the material was frequently deemed `bad information'. The research findings have implications for teachers and librarians, as well as for researchers investigating children's information needs.
The development of information search expertise of research students
Authors: Kai-Wah Chu Samuel , Law Nancy
Published: August 2008

This study identifies the development of information search expertise of 12 beginning research students (six in education and six in engineering) who were provided with a set of systematic search training sessions over a period of one year. The study adopts a longitudinal approach in investigating whether there were different stages in the development of search expertise for the research students, and examines the contributing factors in their progress from one stage of expertise to the next. The inclusion of both education and engineering students allows the researcher to examine whether search expertise development is different for students in different domains. This study provides a model which relates students' growth and development in research expertise to information search expertise. The results show that every student went through three stages of information needs during graduate studies, and the changes in information needs reflect the students' growth in knowledge of their subject. It was also found that the research students had problems in finding relevant information sources and that they needed to at least achieve a competent level of expertise in order to effectively locate information.
Information literacy in Tanzanian universities
Authors: Lwehabura Mugyabuso Julius , Stilwell Christine
Published: August 2008

A study was undertaken in four Tanzanian universities to investigate the status and practice of information literacy (IL) so as to determine the best ways of introducing or improving IL programmes. This article reports on the findings related to challenges and opportunities that could influence the effective implementation and introduction of IL programmes in Tanzanian universities. Data for the study was collected using a questionnaire-based survey administered to teaching staff, librarians and undergraduate students. Semi-structured interviews collected data from Deputy Vice Chancellors (DVCs) for academic affairs, Faculty Deans, Library Directors and a Library Head. The findings of the study showed that IL was new in the university curricula although some IL rubrics were being practised. Lack of adequate resources, lack of an IL policy, lack of proactive solutions among librarians coupled with the need for adequate library staffing and training, and collaboration between librarians and teaching staff in IL activities were all identified as challenges facing IL effectiveness. Also identified were potential opportunities such as the support by the majority of university stakeholders to mainstream IL and make it a compulsory course. These opportunities would allow the introduction of effective and sustainable IL programmes. The article concludes that librarians should seize the opportunities that are available to spearhead IL while at the same time making sure they tackle the identified challenges.
Books in a virtual world
Authors: Armstrong Chris
Published: August 2008

Over recent years there has been considerable confusion over the use of the term `e-book', and this article examines the variety of definitions used to date while proposing a definitive construct. Beginning by examining the definitions of `book', the paper moves on to consider the essential element of a book — the content, and to examine publishing and structural aspects of e-books, as well as their place in libraries, before arriving at a final definition. The definition and its derivation embrace all of the issues that affect the way in which e-books are understood and used today. In conclusion, the article looks at both the genesis of e-books, and the stage of acceptance and adoption that they have reached, with brief reference to 3rd-generation e-book readers available at the time of writing.
Healthcare personnel's use of e-information sources in Riyadh governmental hospitals
Authors: Khudair Ahmad A. , Cooke Louise
Published: August 2008

ICT has enabled a wide dissemination of information and a sharp increase in the magnitude of electronic information sources. The use of e-information sources by healthcare personnel within Saudi Arabia has received little research attention. This paper discusses the use of e-information sources by healthcare personnel in the kingdom. A questionnaire with open-ended questions was designed to collect data from 11 governmental hospitals and health centres in Riyadh. It identified a range of problems and obstacles that impact on the use of electronic information sources. The identification of these difficulties opens the way for development and improvement of the current situation.
Code switching in Ahdaf Soueif's The Map of Love
Authors: Albakry Mohammed , Hancock Patsy Hunter
Published: August 2008

This article examines the phenomenon of code switching in The Map of Love (1999) by the Egyptian—British writer Ahdaf Soueif. Though she chooses English as a medium for her creative expression, Soueif deploys Arabic in her narrative to represent different aspects of the linguistic and cultural norms of Egyptian society. The article's methodology is informed by Kachru's framework on contact literature and his categorization of the occurrence of literary code switching or bilingual creativity into different strategies that encompass cultural and linguistic processes. The results indicate the predominance in The Map of Love of the discourse strategies of employing lexical borrowing, culture-bound references and translational transfer. Finally, the article analyzes the functional motivation of code switching in the postcolonial context of the novel and how the use of certain creative strategies might enhance or diminish the narrative's effectiveness and readability.
No Voice Too Small: A Response to a Study Abroad Program in Mexico
Authors: Valentin Marta I.
Published: August 2008

This mixture of prose and poetry is the result of reflections on a study trip to Cuernavaca, Mexico. The prose provides the context and theological reflection on the experience, whereas the poetry is an attempt to communicate the plight and yet nobility of those whom I encountered. Part of our encounter with the indigenous people was to visit families and to hear their profoundly moving stories. The poetry published here is an attempt to do justice to and to share their stories.
A Feminist Theology of Disability
Authors: Freeman Doreen
Published: August 2008

Disability and long term incurable illness still attract a variety of demonisation and prejudice. This includes many of the same kinds of hostility that have faced women. Disabled people are blamed for their condition, regarded as bestial, grotesque and unclean. They are excluded from ritual spaces by Levitical law, modern prejudice and practical indifference. Feminist Theology has sometimes contributed to prevailing hostility, or at least, failed to counter it, in its insistence on the sacredness of the body. On the other hand, Feminist Theology can provide a method of deconstructing the religious texts and imagery that make devalued people effectively invisible. Feminist critique of patriarchal structures, campaigns for full human rights, and consciously inclusive communities may offer a route for wider inclusivity and celebration of diversity. Eco-feminism is built on a framework within which scientific and medical advances may be properly and critically examined.
Native Women's Double Cross: Christology from the Contact Zone
Authors: Donaldson Laura E.
Published: August 2008

One of the hallmarks of American Indian colonial experience was the arrival of Christian missionaries. The response of Native cultures to missionization has been complex, with some resisting the white (wo)man's religion and others embracing it. Throughout their contact with Christianity, however, many American Indians appropriated its stories on their own terms and for their own purposes. Stories about Jesus comprise one of the most important sites for this appropriation. This essay examines the ways in which the cultural production of American Indian women makes a crucial intervention in the debates about Jesus' identity. It argues that the narrative negotiations of Native women in the contact zone of Euro-American encounters transform the theological category of christology.
Speaking/Creating Reality: Religion, Feminism and Cultural Transformation
Authors: Warne Randi R.
Published: August 2008

This article argues that we live in a highly technical world in which people are disappearing. Religion does not have the tools to help us resist this extinction since it has itself diminished humanity by positing a perfect Other Being, which controls our lives. The author argues that we need to reclaim a sense of ourselves as essentialising animals. We need to have a more body-based sense of humanity, which will lead to a fuller awareness and acceptance of difference and combat hierarchical and alienating thinking.
Voicing Embodied Evil: Gynophobic Images of Women in Post-Exilic Biblical and Intertestamental Text
Authors: Milne Pamela J.
Published: August 2008

This article argues that Jung relies on dualistic and disembodied thinking in his treatment of women and that this has not helped improve our lot. The author suggests that Jung was influenced in his thinking by the biblical tradition, which is deeply gynophobic and imaged women as evil. The article illustrates how this thinking did not originate in the biblical writings but has been perpetuated through them even in psychological writings.
In Praise of Asphodel: A Jewish Feminist Appreciation
Authors: Sarah Elizabeth Tikvah
Published: August 2008

This article sets my own acquaintance with Asphodel in the context of her academic and life achievements. In this long life, she has both seen and influenced changes in the work of theology and social attitudes. Her own work has been seminal and inspiring. Her life has been as radical as her writing. The article draws on conversations with others of her acquaintance, as well as her writings. I end by honouring Asphodel as a gevirah, in scriptural terms.
The Hour is Coming, the Hour is Come: Church and Feminist Theology in Post-Revolutionary El Salvador
Authors: Taylder Sian
Published: August 2008

This paper examines the role of church and feminist theology in contemporary El Salvador, looking at their relationship with feminist and women's groups as well as political and civil society as a whole.

Field research carried out in the summer of 2000 indicates that church and society have changed greatly in the years since the signing of the peace accords that ended a long and bitter civil war. Faced with increased levels of poverty and domestic violence, political apathy has become endemic and the traditional role of the Catholic Church has been eroded. This article looks at the ways in which women negotiate a complex and ever-changing politico-religious scene, and asks whether feminist theologies of liberation can effect radical changes in society, challenge machismo and compulsory heterosexuality and undermine the perennial constraints of traditional gender codes.
The Challenge of Christian Responsibility in Times of War and Violence: The Case of Sri Lanka
Authors: Nesiah Anita
Published: August 2008

Christians and Christian Feminists have to respond to a whole variety of circumstances. This article asks whether the liberation theology that arose from the political struggles and violence of Latin America can be read onto the situation in Sri Lanka. The reality of war challenges male-centred doctrines of a 'just war', which ignore the many injustices of any war. Women and men are raped both in conquest and in custody Children are dispersed, orphaned, and turn to begging or prostitution, or take up arms. Christians tend to retreat to liturgical solutions, while secular women's organizations face the need to rebuild society. The article challenges the churches to join in the dual task of reflecting on the real traumas of war in the light of theology, and rebuilding the bloodstained, shattered community.
Justice for Women in War? Feminist Ethics and Human Rights for Women
Authors: Höglund Anna T.
Published: August 2008

Despite its commonality rape in war has long been an invisible war crime. Gender-based violence has escaped sanction because it has been shielded into the private sphere. Although rape in war is a form of public violence committed by soldiers representing a state it continues to be conceived as a private crime, committed by individual men. If women's human rights are to be respected in war and in peace the imaginary border between the public and the private has to be abandoned. In this article rape in war is studied as a case of injustice for women in violent conflict. Arguments against feminist versions of ethics of care are formulated as these theories fail to challenge the public/ private distinction due to deep and constitutive gender norms. As an alternative, a narrative, feminist ethic of justice is presented based on women's narratives of experienced injustice in war. The theoretical model is developed through the integration of values derived from the ethics of care and thereby dismisses the distinction between public and private and between reason and emotion. The conclusion is that both substance and form of human rights must be based in concrete, situated gendered people's experiences of getting their human rights violated.
Re-vision and Revelation: Forms of Spiritual Power in Women's Writing
Authors: Walton Heather
Published: August 2008

This article explores contrasting strategies in feminist critical theory in order to interrogate divergent fictional representations of women's spiri tual power. The first critical strategy uses the resources of gynocriticism to present a positive view of women's authorship, agency and ability to revi sion religious forms. The second demonstrates poststructuralist concerns with the repressed other/ s of dominant cultural forms and the power these possess to provoke political change and new visions of the divine. It is argued that both strategies offer positive contributions to religious femi nists as they wrestle with male-centred spiritual traditions.
Theological Matricide, Essentially
Authors: Tatman Lucy
Published: August 2008

This essay contains a brief analysis of five ways the terms 'essentialism' and 'essentialist' have been used and defined both traditionally and in recent Western European and North American feminist Christian theological texts. Given these possible meanings, several of which contradict each other, the author also explores the political and epistemological consequences of using the terms. She suggests that rather than indicating a theologian's metaphysical assumptions, they seem to function to discredit the epistemic competence of any theologian so characterised. She also asks why it is the case that only some feminist Christian theologians are so characterised, when, given the multiple meanings of 'essentialism', everyone is vulnerable to being named an essentialist.
Theological Integrity and Human Relationships*
Authors: Hampson Daphne
Published: August 2008

By conceptualizing woman as the problem, we repeat rather than deconstruct or analyze the social relations that construct or represent us as a problem in the first place. If the problem is defined in this way, woman remains in her traditional position : the 'guilty one', the deviant, the other. It is more productive and accurate to locate both men and women as characters within a larger context: the relations of gender. From this feminist perspective men and women are both prisoners of gender, although in highly differentiated but interrelated ways.1
Support for Social Health Insurance in South Africa
Authors: Smith M.J. , Solanki G.C. , Lalloo R. , Myburgh N.G. , Cornell J.E.
Published: August 2008

A national cross-sectional survey was carried out in South Africa to gain an understanding of the perceptions and priorities of the likely members of a future social health insurance (SHI). More than 1,000 employees were interviewed in a variety of employment sectors, including state and parastatal organisations, formal and informal private sectors. This article reports on respondents’ level of support for a compulsory contribution towards a hospital insurance scheme funding care at public sector hospitals in South Africa.

The results showed that only 11 per cent of employees supported an SHI scheme if public hospitals remain as they are. Support increased to 53 per cent if preferential access to treatment was offered to those contributing to the scheme. Support was almost unanimous (87 per cent) if public hospitals were improved. The levels of support differed by current type of health insurance.

Thus, support for a compulsory SHI tax to fund care in public hospitals was conditional upon either improving the hospitals or providing differential treatment to contributing members. If one or both of these conditions are not met, its long-term success will be compromised.
A Comparison of Costs to Patients with Tuberculosis Treated in a DOTS Programme with Those in a Non-DOTS Programme in South India
Authors: Muniyandi M. , Rajeswari R. , Balasubramanian R. , Narayanan P.R.
Published: August 2008

Tuberculosis is a curable disease, yet it is the largest single infectious cause of death among adults in the world. India accounts for one-third of the global TB burden. Its economic burden in India is enormous as it perpetuates and exacerbates poverty. The revised national Tuberculosis Control Programme (the DOTS Strategy) is currently being implemented in India. The purpose of this study was to compare the costs to tuberculosis patients treated in a DOTS Programme with the costs to patients treated in a non-DOTS Programme in south India.

Patients registered between June and December 2000 (455 in DOTS area, 441 in non-DOTS area) in Tiruvallur district were interviewed, collecting information on demographics, socio-economic characteristics of patients, expenditure incurred due to illness, and effect of illness on employment.

Results showed that in the DOTS area, treatment success rate was higher, patient costs were less, and patients returned to work early. These findings establish the economic benefits to patients treated under DOTS and lend support to rapid expansion of the programme, particularly in low-income countries.
Public Financing of Health Services in India
Authors: Guruswamy M. , Mazumdar Sumit , Mazumdar Papiya
Published: August 2008

The issue of financing health care has assumed greater significance in the developing world, mainly due to changing role of the state in providing health care. This article examines the levels, trends and patterns of public expenditure on health during 1995 to 2006 in India, both at the national and state levels. We find that public expenditure on health as a proportion of GDP has remained stagnant over the years, and revenue expenditure accounting for the larger share. Among the states, the relatively poor ones were found to be spending more on health, both per capita and as a proportion of GSDP, compared to the richer states. It was seen that expenditure on health by the state had not grown adequately along the path of overall economic prosperity, and private out-of-pocket expenditure seemed to be on the rise. The article cites a few alternative health financing strategies based on recent initiatives across the country, which needs to be reviewed with true intent, aiming equitable, unbiased and universal access to health care in the years to come.
Introduction of User Fees
Authors: Ahsan M. Kamrul , Bartlema Jan
Published: August 2008

One of the priorities of the Bangladesh Health and Family Planning Programme is to focus on a cost recovery policy by the introduction of user fees to improve quality and financial sustainability. To assist the policy we propose an operations research-based cost recovery model to find the best ‘service mix’ from outdoor, indoor, emergency and diagnostic services for sub-district-level health facilities. The model considers budget, patient flow patterns, resource availability, service demand and equity principal constraints. The study offers proposals to assist the decision-making process for the introduction of a user fee and considers how much to charge, which services to start with, and which to include later.
Socio-economic Factors and Household Health Expenditure
Authors: Rout Himanshu Sekhar
Published: August 2008

Health is influenced by socio-economic factors like whole life-course, the neighbourhood in which one lives, past socio-economic factors, stress history, diet, income, education and many other factors. In this connection, the present article is a micro-level study based on primary data to find out the impact of income and education on household health expenditure in Orissa. It is found that income and education have positive and significant influence on health. Therefore, to tackle poverty—and, hence, health—it is necessary to consider the individual as well as the community. Community development projects that involve people in improving the local environment can provide a useful vehicle within which a wide variety of approaches can be used. Health planners and administrators may be involved in the planning process of the government to reduce poverty, and adopting policies for more equitable distribution of income. They can also recommend a specific health tax (an earmarked so-called hypothecated tax) devoted to health care. Again, spending more on health services does not necessarily buy better health. It needs efficient management and use of resources. A principle of equality of opportunity for access to services on the basis of need and equal risk, irrespective of ability to pay, should be followed.
A Study of Drug Expenditure at a Tertiary Care Hospital
Authors: Vaz F.S. , Ferreira A.M. , Kulkarni M.S. , Motghare D.D. , Pereira-Antao I.
Published: August 2008

This article analyses the annual drug expenditure at Goa Medical College Hospital using ABC-VED analysis in order to identify drug categories requiring greater supervisory monitoring.

Inventory control techniques ABC, VED and ABC-VED matrix analysis were utilised to study the drug expenditure at the hospital. The data was collected for the financial year 2005–6.

Out of the 348 drugs, around 12.93 per cent of the drugs were found to account for 69.45 per cent of the annual drug expenditure (45 drugs) and were classified as category A drugs. Another 19.54 per cent of the drugs (68 drugs) consumed 20.48 per cent of the budget (B category), while the remaining 67.53 per cent (235 drugs) accounted for only 10.07 per cent of the annual drug expenditure (C category). Forty-three drugs (12.36 per cent) were classified as vital drugs, and 164 (47.12 per cent) and 141 (40.52 per cent) were considered essential and desirable drugs respectively. Based on ABC-VED matrix analysis, around 22.99 per cent of drugs were classified as category I, accounting for 74.80 per cent of the total drug expenditure. Category II drugs (41.67 per cent) consumed 21.68 per cent of the total drugs budget, while the remaining 35.34 per cent drugs (category III) accounted for only 3.52 per cent of the total drug expenditure.

It was concluded that the use of inventory control techniques needs to be made a routine practice in health care. Substantial improvement could be brought about not only in patient care, but also in the optimal use of resources by judicious practice of these methods.
Measuring Hospital Performance through Data Envelopment Analysis
Authors: Sodani P.R. , Madnani G.M.K.
Published: August 2008

Attempting to assess the performance of organisations that are health service providers is not only a difficult task, but also requires specialised evaluation techniques because of the non-parametric measurable characteristics of their product. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a unique technique used for studying the comparative operating efficiency of an organisation in terms of scale and technical efficiencies that are beyond the scope of conventional measures of performance. The knowledge of these efficiencies reveal those ‘black spots’ that can then be targeted for improvement. Though being a very powerful methodology for evaluation of health service providers, DEA is not observed to have attracted the interest of research scholars and professionals working in the field of health care. Perhaps, it may be because of incomprehensible mathematical derivations that seldom provide insight as to how, why and what is actually happening in the shadows of such complicated manipulations. The purpose of this article is merely to unwind the minutely spun structure of the model and provide researchers a ‘feel’ for the hidden fibres of operating efficiencies that are at the very core of DEA model. By doing so we hope to help novice researchers in the field of health care, who are less accustomed with quantitative techniques, yet are more alive and knowledgeable about the concepts dealt in this methodology.
Presidential and Congressional Support for "Independent" Regulatory Commissions: Implications of the Budgetary Process
Authors: Stewart Joseph , Anderson James E. , Taylor Zona
Published: August 2008

SENATOR PROXMIRE: Now, you are required somehow to submit your budget to the Office of Management and Budget, and yet you are considered to be an independent agency. How do you reconcile that contradition? There is no greater power than the power to determine the budget of an agency, to destroy it, and to enfeeble it by simply denying it the resources it needs. How can you be independent in any real sense of the executive branch if the Office of Management and Budget determines your budget? (U.S. Congress, 1974: 1050).
Structuration Theory and the Analysis of International Territorial Disputes: Lessons From an Application to the El Chamizal Controversy
Authors: Mumme Stephen P , Grundy-Warr Carl
Published: August 2008

This study argues that Structuration Theory (ST), developed by sociologist Anthony Giddens, has promise for improving our understanding of the dynamics of international territorial disputes. To tease out its analytical value, ST's basic assumptions are compared to those of two state-centric approaches within the international relations literature, dependency theory, and strategic coalition theory, and then applied to the case of a well-known territorial dispute between Mexico and the United States, the Chamizal controversy, which has been previously analyzed in dependency theory and strategic coalition theory terms. A comparison of the three approaches shows that an ST interpretation does not disqualify the rival explanations but adds value by drawing attention to analytical elements that tend to be neglected by state-centric explanations of dispute settlement. The study concludes by noting ST's potential applications within this issue- area.
Hobbes's Iconoclasm
Authors: Coleman Frank
Published: August 2008

This essay shows that Hobbes's thought rests on biblical foundations, casting him in an unfamiliar role — that of an iconoclastic prophet, a Jeremiah. He resembles the later prophets, particularly Jeremiah, in three ways: first by warring against idolatry, reconceived as the attribution of sanctity to mental images, "Phantasmes of the Brain," as Hobbes calls them (Leviathan ch. 45, 449, E.W 3: 651)—as distinguished from limiting such attribution to "graven images" (Deuteronomy 4: 28, Jeremiah 1: 16); second, by viewing iconoclasm, followed by catastrophic intervention, as the path to political regeneration; and third, by being centrally preoccupied with the implications of the biblical idea of a created nature for material, cultural, and political artifice. The essay further shows that the biblical cosmology underlying Hobbes natural and civil philosophy is not, as might be supposed, in conflict with the premisses of his scientific writings, but is harmonious and coincident with it.
A study of undue pain and surfing: using hierarchical criteria to assess website quality
Authors: Lorence Daniel , Abraham Joanna
Published: August 2008

In studies of web-based consumer health information, scant attention has been paid to the selective development of differential methodologies for website quality evaluation, or to selective grouping and analysis of specific `domains of uncertainty' in healthcare. Our objective is to introduce a more refined model for website evaluation, and illustrate its application using assessment of websites within an area of ongoing medical uncertainty, back pain. In this exploratory technology assessment, we suggest a model for assessing these `domains of uncertainty' within healthcare, using qualitative assessment of websites and hierarchical concepts. Using such a hierarchy of quality criteria, we review medical information provided by the most frequently accessed websites related to back pain. Websites are evaluated using standardized criteria, with results rated from the viewpoint of the consumer. Results show that standardization of quality rating across subjective content, and between commercial and niche search results, can provide a consumer-friendly dimension to health information.
Patients' use of the Internet for health related matters: a study of Internet usage in 2000 and 2006
Authors: Trotter Matthew I. , Morgan David W.
Published: August 2008

This prospective questionnaire study investigated access to the Internet and use of the Internet for health related information. Patients attending the senior author's ENT clinic (204 in 2000; 209 in 2006) were asked two questions: do you have access to the Internet? Have you used the Internet to find health related information? Access to the Internet rose from 43 per cent (88) in 2000 to 70 per cent (147) in 2006, a significant increase ( p < 0.001). The Internet was used for health related information by only 32 patients (16%) in 2000 but by 114 (55%) in 2006, a dramatic and significant increase ( p < 0.001). Clearly patients and their families are increasingly using the Internet to access and seek health information. Clinicians cannot overlook this aspect of health provision when seeking to facilitate the transmission of information to their patients.
Organizational effects of information and communication technology (ICT) in elderly homecare: a case study
Authors: Vimarlund Vivian , Olve Nils-Göran , Scandurra Isabella , Koch Sabine
Published: August 2008

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) to support integrated healthcare services in elderly homecare is becoming more established. In particular, ICT can enable information exchange, knowledge sharing and documentation at the point-of-care (POC). The aim of this study was to explore these effects using the Old@Home prototype. Old@Home was perceived to contribute in developing horizontal links for communication between individuals who work together, independent of geographical distance or organizational affiliation, and to contribute to increased work efficiency. The prototype was further seen to reduce professional isolation by providing a holistic overview of the care process. User centred design and implementation of Old@Home was considered key to facilitating acceptance of organizational changes. Participation of care professionals not only led to a better understanding of the needs of involved organizations, but also increased end-users' involvement and commitment, stimulating them to test and improve the prototype until the final version.
When trust defies common security sense
Authors: Williams Patricia A. H.
Published: August 2008

Primary care medical practices fail to recognize the seriousness of security threats to their patient and practice information. This can be attributed to a lack of understanding of security concepts, underestimation of potential threats and the difficulty in configuration of security technology countermeasures. To appreciate the factors contributing to such problems, research into general practitioner security practice and perceptions of security was undertaken. The investigation focused on demographics, actual practice, issues and barriers, and practitioner perception. Poor implementation, lack of relevant knowledge and inconsistencies between principles and practice were identified as key themes. Also the results revealed an overwhelming reliance on trust in staff and in computer information systems. This clearly identified that both cultural and technical attributes contribute to the deficiencies in information security practice. The aim of this research is to understand user needs and problems when dealing with information security practice.
The organizing vision of integrated health information systems
Authors: Ellingsen Gunnar , Monteiro Eric
Published: August 2008

The notion of `integration' in the context of health information systems is ill-defined yet in widespread use. We identify a variety of meanings ranging from the purely technical integration of information systems to the integration of services. This ambiguity (or interpretive flexibility), we argue, is inherent rather than accidental: it is a necessary prerequisite for mobilizing political and ideological support among stakeholders for integrated health information systems. Building on this, our aim is to trace out the career dynamics of the vision of `integration/ integrated'. The career dynamics is the transformation of both the imaginary and the material (technological) realizations of the unfolding implementation of the vision of integrated care. Empirically we draw on a large, ongoing project at the University Hospital of North Norway (UNN) to establish an integrated health information system.
Men Under Pressure: Representations of the `Salaryman' and his Organization in Japanese Manga
Authors: Matanle Peter , McCann Leo , Ashmore Darren
Published: August 2008

In this paper we analyse representations of the Japanese salaryman and Japanese organization in Japanese manga, or graphic novels, during the turbulent decades from the mid-1980s to the present day. We argue that manga presents salarymen protagonists in a sympathetic yet not uncritical light, and that it displays support for and criticism of both the Japanese and American organizational models. In addition, we describe how these manga offer important critical challenges from the world of popular culture to the direction of change in Japanese business organizations since the 1980s. Moreover, we suggest that the manga may also provide salarymen with opportunities for critically re-evaluating their own working situations and for developing methods for surviving and thriving under the pressures of working within contemporary Japanese business organizations.
The (D)evolution of the Cyberwoman?
Authors: Czarniawska Barbara , Gustavsson Eva
Published: August 2008

In this paper, we examine Donna Haraway's idea of a liberating potential of cyborgization in the light of popular culture products related to organized work. We consider two different takes on this issue: women as technology and technology as women, and we start with the successive versions of Stepford Wives (the novel, the 1975 movie and the 2004 movie), and continue by tracing the evolution of the character of a cyberwoman, from William Gibson's Neuromancer (1984) and Idoru (1996), to Trinity from the Matrix trilogy. We show that cyborgization does not automatically denote liberalization, and suggest that the much greater popularity of the Matrix films compared to the intellectual projects of William Gibson means that stereotypes and strong plots survive, finding ever new forms of expression. We end the paper by pointing out the relevance of popular culture models for work in contemporary homes and other workplaces.