bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
STRESS CONCENTRATION FACTOR FORMULAE WIDELY USED IN JAPAN
Authors: Ida K. , Uemura T.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— This report presents a brief outline of three papers on stress concentration factor formulae, which have been frequently referred to in Japanese technical literature. Most well known is a book entitled “Stress Concentration” [1] while Refs [2,3] have often been quoted for cases of fillet joints. The stress concentration factor covered in this report is the so‐called theoretical, elastic stress concentration factor. A discussion on plastic stress concentration factors is not in the scope of this report.
THE LOCAL FRACTURE STRESS AS A FRACTURE TOUGHNESS PARAMETER TO CHARACTERIZE AN HETEROGENEOUS WELD ZONE
Authors: Chen J. H. , Hu X. J. , Wang G. Z.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— The toughnesses of specimens of heterogeneous multipass weldments with various ratios of weld metal to base metal can be characterized by a single value of the local fracture stress within a narrow scatter band. Relationships were found between the normalized value of this parameter and the lower bound values of fracture toughness parameters such as the fracture load, the energy absorbed, and the crack opening displacement. These facts indicate that using such a toughness parameter, it is possible to assess a heterogeneous multipass weldment by a single value; within a narrow scatter band. Further experiments indicate that this parameter could be measured on specimens simulating the microstructure of the weakest zone where cleavage cracking is initiated.
MECHANICALLY SHORT CRACK GROWTH FROM NOTCHES IN A MILD STEEL
Authors: Verreman Y. , Espinosa G.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— Two L‐notched specimens made of mild steel (average grain size =30 μm) and having root radii of 0.1 mm and 3 mm, and also a smooth surface specimen were cyclically loaded at different stress levels at R=−1 and at R= 0. A technique based on miniature strain gauges was successfully used to monitor the depth and the opening level of mechanically short cracks of depths from 0.015 mm to 0.5 mm. Three dimensional FEM computations were made to obtain appropriate calibration curves for varying crack aspect ratios and gauge eccentricities as well as notch plastic strain distributions. The fracture of L‐notched specimens having a root radius of 0.1 mm was characterized by an early and multiple crack initiation phase (defined by a crack depth of 30 μm), and the short crack growth rates showed a mechanical behaviour different from that of long cracks (large discrepancies at the same ΔK‐value, crack deceleration at R=−1 even beyond the notch plastic zone). For smooth surface specimens both the initiation and the propagation of a single short crack represented important fractions of the total life; the short crack growth rates were high and continuously increasing. The notch influence was highly reduced when the stress singularity is truncated by a 3 mm radius. The cracking behaviour was, in several aspects, close to that at smooth surfaces. The evolutions of crack closure were analyzed in each condition (transient decrease and stabilized value of the closure ratio U=ΔKeff/ΔK) and were shown to have a strong influence on short crack growth. Most of the short crack growth rates obtained in the various geometry/loading conditions are well consolidated with LEFM long crack growth rates using the ΔKeff parameter.
TWO PARAMETER DESCRIPTION OF CRACK GROWTH INITIATION INCLUDING THICKNESS EFFECTS THROUGH PROBABILISTIC MODELLING
Authors: Shehu S. , Nilsson F.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— The main object of this study is to apply the J‐Q model in the transition region with emphasis on the thickness effects and the effects of constraint directly on the lower bound. If only cleavage without prior ductile growth is considered, then in the transition region the thickness effect may be small below a certain thickness. A model for predicting lower bounds from a limited number of data proposed by Stienstra and Anderson has been applied in connection with a J‐Q constraint correction. The results are in good agreement with the predictions from a complete statistical analysis. A statistical analysis of the experimental data of cleavage without prior ductile growth, made after a J‐Q constraint correction, shows that the latter is an appropriate procedure for evaluating small scale yielding fracture toughness of individual specimens or structures under such conditions.
THE FRACTURE BEHAVIOUR OF A CENTRE CRACKED TENSILE SPECIMEN
Authors: Lei Y. , Neale B. K.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— This paper reviews the stress intensity factor, limit load, compliance and J‐integral functions for a centre cracked tensile (CCT) specimen available in the literature. Compliance and J‐integral functions are derived from the optimum stress intensity factor and limit load solutions. The functions are compared with the results obtained from two‐dimensional finite element analyses of the specimen.

The finite element results have confirmed the accuracy of the compliance and limit load functions available in the literature and suggest that the unloading compliance technique, based on crack mouth opening displacement, could be developed for a CCT specimen. Non‐linear finite element analyses have shown that J can be estimated from the measured load versus load‐point displacement behaviour providing a/W≥ 0.5
DETERMINATION OF THE ENERGETIC PARAMETERS CONTROLLING CLEAVAGE FRACTURE INITIATION IN STEELS
Authors: Linaza M. A. , Rodriguez‐Ibabe J. M. , Urcola J. J.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— The process of brittle fracture in steels can be divided into three distinct steps: (1) initiation of a microcrack in a brittle particle, (2) propagation of the microcrack into the surrounding matrix and, finally, (3) crack progression through the matrix. Depending on microstructure, temperature and loading rate, the critical step which controls cleavage fracture is subject to change. In this work the behaviour of different microalloyed steels is considered and the energies γpm and γmm, which define the stress necessary for the microcrack to surmount steps 2 and 3 have been experimentally determined. While the γpm value remains constant around 7 J/m2, it has been observed that γmm is dependent on temperature. At −196°C the value is lower than 50 J/m2 and at room temperature it is higher than 200 J/m2. This increase in the matrix‐matrix energy with temperature increases the probability of microcracks, generated in particles, arresting at grain boundaries. This is the reason why refinement of grain size has an important effect in improving the fracture toughness at room temperature.
GENERALIZED SIZE EFFECT EQUATION FOR QUASIBRITTLE MATERIALS
Authors: Planas J. , Guinea G. V. , Elices M.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— Structures made of quasibrittle materials show a marked decrease in strength as their size increases; this is the well known size effect on strength. This contribution proposes a general formula to predict with great accuracy the size effect of pre‐cracked specimens. Such a formula provides the basis to determine experimentally the fracture parameters of a cohesive crack model from the measurement of the peak load in specimens with an initial crack. The formula is applicable whenever the fracture of the material can be described by a cohesive crack model with initial linear softening, as is generally accepted for concrete. Experimental evidence is presented showing that the formula is reasonably accurate also for rock.
REINFORCEMENT FRACTURE AND TENSILE DUCTILITY IN SPHERE‐REINFORCED METAL‐MATRIX COMPOSITES
Authors: Llorca J. , Martínez J. L. , Elices M.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— Sphere‐reinforced metal‐matrix composites are modelled as a three dimensional array of hexagonal cylinders, each one with a broken or intact spherical reinforcement at its centre. Using this model, the stress‐strain response of the composite in uniaxial tension was obtained. A parametrical analysis of the influence of matrix and reinforcement properties as well as volume fraction on the ductility of these composites was performed. It was found that the decrease in ductility with respect to the unreinforced matrix depended mainly on the reinforcement/matrix strength ratio and on the defect distribution in the particulates.
A CONSTITUTIVE MODEL FOR ELASTIC‐PLASTIC DEFORMATION UNDER CYCLIC MULTIAXIAL STRAINING
Authors: Navarro A. , Brown M. W.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— The yield criterion is interpreted as defining the metric of the stress space. Hydrostatic stresses correspond to null geodesies. The plastic strain increment represents a normal projection of the increment undergone by a certain scalar function (hardening function) which depends only on the distance between stress points. This establishes a flow rule formally equivalent to the Prandtl‐Reuss equations. Consideration of un‐loading processes leads to the analysis of equivalent paths and to the definition of a generalized length or separation which provides a new representation of kinematic hardening.
THE DAMAGE PROCESS IN A FINITE‐SIZED BRITTLE SPECIMEN WITH INTERACTING MICROCRACKS
Authors: Carpinteri A. , Yang G. P.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— The whole damage process in a finite sized specimen with interacting microcracks is simulated by a method combining the closed form crack solutions with boundary elements. Interactions among microcracks and boundary elements are taken into account with an explicit interaction matrix. A coalescence criterion is assumed to rule the intersection behaviour and propagation arrest. The fatal coalescence cluster resulting in the failure of the specimen, out of many intersections of propagating microcracks, is identified with a particular coalescence matrix. The numerical model proposed in this paper can be used to simulate the damage process in a brittle specimen of any shape, under arbitrary plane stress conditions.
FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH PREDICTION IN SPECIMENS SIMILAR TO SPUR GEAR TEETH
Authors: Blarasin A. , Guagliano M. , Vergani L.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— The problem of fatigue crack propagation in surface treated specimens similar to gear teeth is analysed. Experimental fatigue tests were carried out on carburized, and carburized and shot peened, specimens. In order to predict crack propagation and to consider the effect of the treatments, different models of the cracked specimens were realized. Two numerical approaches were followed: the finite element method and the weight function technique. Two‐ and three‐dimensional finite element models were constructed, and the stress‐intensity factors were evaluated by considering the effect of both the load and the residual stresses due to the treatments. The agreement between these and those obtained through the weight function technique is good. The weight function approach was used directly in the computer software package (which allows crack propagation predictions) and considered the effects of hardness and residual stresses. The comparison between theoretical predictions and experimental results validated the approach followed.
THE FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF CRACKED CONCRETE
Authors: Plizzari G. A. , Cangiano S. , Alleruzzo S.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— Cracks are among the most common flaws in civil engineering structures and, considering the cyclic nature of the variable loading patterns, it is evident that the evaluation of the structure safety factor should consider the stability of cracks when fatigue loading occurs.

In the present paper, the behaviour of cracked concrete subjected to cyclic loading is experimentally investigated by means of direct tension tests. In particular, the experiments concern cycles that stay below the critical concrete softening curve.

The results show that, depending on the maximum load, damage could occur and that the cyclic envelope curve is very close to the monotonic quasi‐static curve. On the basis of the experimental results, an empirical model for subcritical crack growth for cracked concrete under low‐cycle fatigue loading is proposed.
THE ROLE OF DYNAMIC STRAIN‐AGEING IN THE ENVIRONMENT ASSISTED CRACKING OBSERVED IN PRESSURE VESSEL STEELS
Authors: Atkinson J. D. , Yu J.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— The dynamic strain ageing (DSA) behaviour of A533B Class 1 reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel, containing 5 ppm of free nitrogen, has been investigated over a wide range of strain rates from 3 × 10−7 to 3−10−3s−1 and temperatures from 20 to 350°C. The DSA was observed within certain temperature ranges at all strain rates tested and its hardening effect in terms of the maximum strengthening stress (s̀p) decreased linearly with the increase of log strain rate. The temperature to stimulate DSA was observed to increase with increasing strain rate. The apparent activation energies of the characteristic strain rates for the onset, and peak of DSA have been determined, and their implications have been discussed. Compared with the available data, a positive effect of free nitrogen content on s̀p has been evaluated. It has been found that the occurrence of susceptible environment assisted cracking (EAC) of A533B steel in high temperature water is co‐related to the DSA behaviour. The results suggest that DSA reduces the ductility of RPV steel and its role in enhancing the EAC of RPV steels should not be neglected, in view of the coincidence with susceptibility zones for DSA and EAC in terms of strain rate and temperature.
ANALYSIS OF CRACK INITIATION AND PROPAGATION IN FRETTING FATIGUE: THE EFFECTIVE INITIAL FLAW SIZE METHODOLOGY
Authors: Fellows L. J. , Nowell D. , Hills D. A.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— A number of fretting fatigue tests were carried out on CMV steel and INCO 718 alloys under closely controlled experimental conditions. A fracture mechanics‐based lifing model was developed and the Paris Law employed to predict fatigue lives under a range of experimental conditions. An effective initial flaw size was used to describe initiation and early propagation of cracks. This approach was found to give good predictions of fatigue life of specimens for different values of bulk stress under the same fretting load.
A NEW MODEL FOR THE NUMERICAL DETERMINATION OF PITTING RESISTANCE OF GEAR TEETH FLANKS
Authors: Glodež S. , Flašker J. , Ren Z.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— A numerical model for determining the pitting resistance of gear teeth flanks is presented in this paper. The model considers the material fatigue process leading to pitting, i.e. the conditions required for crack initiation and then simulation of fatigue crack propagation. The theory of dislocation motion on persistent slip bands is used to describe the process of crack initiation, where the microstructure of a material plays a crucial role. The simulation of crack growth takes into account both short crack growth, where the modified Bilby, Cottrell and Swinden model is used for simulation of dislocation motion, and long crack growth, where the theory of linear elastic fracture mechanics is applied. The stress field in the contact area of meshing spur gear teeth and the functional relationship between the stress intensity factor and crack length are determined by the finite element method. For numerical simulations of crack initiation and crack propagation in the contact area of spur gear teeth, an equivalent model of two cylinders is used. On the basis of numerical results, and with consideration of some particular material parameters, the service life of gear teeth flanks is estimated. The developed model is applied to a real spur gear pair, which is also experimentally tested. The comparison of numerical and experimental results shows good agreement and it can be concluded that the developed model is appropriate for determining the pitting resistance of gear teeth flanks.
INFLUENCE OF A NEGATIVE R RATIO ON THE CREEP‐FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF THE N18 NICKEL BASE SUPERALLOY
Authors: Pommier S. , Prioul C. , Bompard P.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— Crack growth rate measurements, performed on smooth specimens during creep‐fatigue testing of the N18 nickel base superalloy at 650°C, reveal a strong detrimental effect of the compressive part of the loading cycle. This effect is attributed to the residual stresses in the wake of the crack, which promote early crack opening. A finite element analysis is conducted in order to predict the evolution of the opening stress level as a function of the stress ratio. Good agreement is found between numerical and experimental results. The influence of the constitutive equation of the material on the crack closure level is tested and the effects of kinematic hardening and viscosity are more specifically examined. An engineering simplified method is proposed to determine the opening stress intensity factor as a function of crack length, stress ratio and maximum stress. This method, developed for cracks in smooth specimens, is then applied to small cracks growing from a notch root. Good agreement is found between the results given by the engineering simplified method and the result of the finite element analysis.
Forecasting Earnings Using Geographical Segment Data: Some UK Evidence
Authors: Roberts Clare B.
Published: April 2007

This study examines the question of whether or not the geographical segment data disclosed by UK companies can be used to generate forecasts of earnings that outperform forecasts based upon past consolidated data. One year ahead forecasts of attributable earnings or net income before extraordinary items are generated for both geographical sales data combined with a consolidated attributable earnings to sales margin and segmental earnings data. The forecasts are based upon forecasts of changes in the GNP of individual countries, both with and without the addition of forecasted inflation rates. It is found that models based upon both geographical segment sales and segment earnings outperform the random walk and random walk plus drift consolidated models for the years 1981 to 1983. The difference in the sizes of the errors generated by the segment data based models and the consolidated data based models are significant in the majority of cases especially when the errors are truncated at 100%. However, there is no additional advantage in terms of forecast accuracy in using segment earnings data rather than segment sales data.
Capital Market Reactions to Accounting Earnings Announcements in an International Context
Authors: Meek Gary K.
Published: April 2007

This study examines the association of four factors with U.S. securities market reactions to annual earnings announcements by non‐U.S. multinational corporations and by a control sample of U.S. firms. The four factors examined are firm size, the magnitude of earnings change, timeliness, and the presence or absence of a concurrent dividend announcement. The non‐U.S. corporations are from five countries ‐ Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Philippines, and United Kingdom. Results for the group of non‐U.S. firms indicate that firm size and timeliness are significant explanatory variables. For the control sample of U.S. firms, only size is significant.
The Debt/Equity Swap in Latin America– In Whose Interest?
Authors: Grosse Robert
Published: April 2007

This paper presents the basic analytics of a debt/equity swap and illustrates the concept with a detailed example of American Express Bank's swap transactions that began in 1986 and have resulted in construction of seven hotels in Mexico during the course of the swap agreement. The economics of the swap are presented from the lending bank's view, from the foreign direct investor's view, and from the borrowing country's view. It is concluded that: swaps offer net benefits to the borrower country when additional investment is generated (from the swap transaction itself and/or from encouraging further investment as a result of the swap policy); they offer net benefits to the lender when future loan servicing prospects are poor and viable investment opportunities exist; and they offer net benefits to the direct investor when the cost of financing the investment through the swap is less than for alternative financing sources.

The analytical framework presented here allows the bank lender to formally compare alternatives of holding impaired LDC loans on its books, selling the loans in the secondary market, trading the loans for loans from another country, and swapping the loans for equity investments in the borrowing country. It similarly allows the government policymaker to compare the relevant economic costs and benefits of swaps, so that better swap policies can be developed.
Financial Disclosure Levels and Foreign Stock Exchange Listing Decisions
Authors: Saudagaran Shahrokh M. , Biddle Gary C.
Published: April 2007

Firms are increasingly listing their shares on foreign stock exchanges. However, not all exchanges have had equal appeal. Anecdotal evidence suggests that when firms are making foreign listing decisions, they are influenced by financial disclosure requirements. As a result, regulatory authorities around the globe are weighing increasing demands for foreign capital and investment opportunities against the desire to protect domestic investors from possibly misleading foreign financial disclosures. The competitiveness of domestic stock exchanges often hangs in the balance.

This study examines a key question in this debate: whether firms' choices regarding alternative foreign stock exchange listings are influenced by financial disclosure levels. Examined are the listings of 302 internationally traded firms with at least one foreign listing, on one of nine major exchanges, as of year‐end 1987. Also examined are changes in listings between 1981 and 1987, an important design feature since these changes are more likely to have been influenced by differences across countries in financial disclosure levels during this period. Financial disclosure levels are obtained from a survey of 142 experts actively involved in the foreign listing process.

Test results based on the cross‐section of listings at year‐end 1987 are consistent with the hypothesis that exchange choices are influenced by financial disclosure levels. However, they do not lend support to a second hypothesis suggesting that this effect should operate only for firms whose domestic disclosure levels are lower than those of a given foreign exchange. Tests based on changes in listings between 1981 and 1987 support both hypotheses. Overall, the results lend credence to concerns expressed by regulatory authorities and exchange officials that stringent disclosure levels could reduce access to foreign capital and foreign investment opportunities.
Hedging Foreign Project Risk
Authors: Kulatilaka Nalin , Marcus Alan J.
Published: April 2007

We study the firm's hedging problem when there is uncertainty about whether its bid on a foreign project will be accepted. Most treatments of this problem suggest that foreign currency options are the preferred hedging instrument. However, we show that when the uncertainty pertaining to the realization of the foreign cash flow is unrelated to the exchange rate, which typically will be the case, futures dominate options as hedge vehicles.

Conversely, options hedging will be appropriate when the viability of the foreign project depends also on an exchange‐rate contingency, as would be the case when the bidding firm can withdraw its bid if the foreign currency depreciates sufficiently.

In many cases, both futures and options will form part of the best hedge position. The general principle in forming the hedge is that futures will best offset exchange‐rate exposure the existence of which is not exchange‐rate contingent. Options will best hedge any costs or revenues that might occur in a foreign currency depending on the outcome of an exchange‐rate contingency.
The Economic Incentives and Consequences of Land Write‐Ups
Authors: Guo Miin H.
Published: April 2007

Firms in Taiwan are allowed to write up their assets when certain conditions are met. Tax benefits from higher depreciation expenses are granted to encourage corporate investment and capital maintenance. Land write‐ups, unlike write‐ups of depreciable assets, do not generate tax benefits. This paper investigates the economic incentives for firms in Taiwan to write up their land, and the security price reactions to land write‐ups.

An analysis of annual financial data for the manufacturing firms listed in the Taiwan Exchange between 1982 and 1992 shows that firms write up their land by a larger amount when raising capital. Firms with relatively higher debt‐asset ratios write up their land by a larger amount. Furthermore, the capital raised was invested in working capital or operational assets, but not in securities of other firms. The results suggest that land write‐ups may reduce firms' difficulties in raising external capital, and may enhance corporate investments. The result from capital market analysis offers weak evidence that land write‐ups are positively correlated with the market adjusted rate of returns of a firm's stock.
The Association Between Accounting Determined Risk Measures and Analysts' Risk Perceptions in a Medium‐Sized Stock Market
Authors: Selva Mohan
Published: April 2007

This paper investigates the association between financial analysts' risk perceptions and accounting and market determined risk measures in Hong Kong. Analyses from a survey of risk perceptions among analysts reveal that:

(1) Accounting determined risk measures, together with a contextual variable, explain 0.77 of the variation in perceptions. The statistic is comparable to those reported for the US and UK stock markets.

(2) Analysts perceive higher risk in companies expected to exhibit a decline in earnings.

(3) Correlation between perceptions and p‐e ratios is ‐0.74.

(4) Correlation between market beta and p‐e ratios/perceptions is not significant.

The results suggest that earnings expectations play a substantial role in the formation of risk perceptions and that risk perceptions may be a superior surrogate for ex ante market risk than beta. Implications for stock valuation in medium‐sized markets are discussed.
Profit‐Volume‐Exchange‐Rate Analysis for Planning International Operations
Authors: Baber William R. , Ijiri Yuji , Kang Sok‐Hyon
Published: April 2007

We extend the conventional Profit‐Volume (P‐V) analysis to develop a new model of Profit‐Exchange‐Rate (P‐ER) analysis to evaluate how exchange rate fluctuations impact profit. We begin by classifying costs as either “global cost” or “local cost” according to whether or not input prices are exchange‐rate sensitive. This classification is analogous to the familiar variable/fixed cost classification based on the cost sensitivity to volume change. Data for the U.S. and Japanese steel industries are used to illustrate the approach. We then combine the conventional Profit‐Volume analysis with the Profit‐Exchange‐Rate analysis to form a composite model, called Profit‐Volume‐Exchange‐Rate (P‐VER) analysis, where both volume and exchange rate vary. We show that this composite approach suggests the use of a single rate‐volume variable, similar to “person‐hours,” as the key planning‐control variable for international operations.
An Exploratory Study of the Effect on Forecast Accuracy of Using Different Geographic Segment Data Sources
Authors: Nichols Dave , Tunnell Larry , Waldrup Bob
Published: April 2007

The specific research question this study investigates is whether or not model‐based earnings forecasts utilizing COMPUSTAT's country specific geographic segment data produce more accurate earnings forecasts than model‐based forecasts utilizing data from actual geographic segment footnotes. This study compares the accuracy of earnings forecasts from models using the geographic segment information in actual geographic segment footnotes to the accuracy of earnings forecasts from models using the geographic segment information in the COMPUSTAT business segment tape. Evidence collected in this study indicates that geographic segment data provided in the COMPUSTAT business segment data base appears to make it possible to more accurately predict sales than does the geographic segment data provided in the same companies' actual geographic segment footnote.
The Organisation of Government
Authors: D. Sc. Sir Gwilym Gibbon, C.B., C.B.E.,
Published: April 2007

Note.—This article is based largely on a section of a volume dealing with problems of public administration which was in preparation when the war broke out. The reason for the article is that some of the recommendations in that section bear closely on questions of organisation which now confront the country. There is much more danger at a time like the present that the several departments, and departments within departments, will not work closely enough together as a team, and more definite articulation of the departments becomes desirable. The principal theme of the article is how this may best be achieved. Opportunity has been taken for a few brief comments on some other current questions.
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: BILLER PETER , HUDSON PAT , WALTHALL ANNE , JOUVE NICOLE WARD , SCIMÉ JOY A. , NICHOLSON BERYL , BUCKLEY MARY , RIDOUT KATHERINE
Published: April 2007

Book Reviews in this Article:

Danielle Jacquart and Claude Thomasset, Sexuality and Medicine in the Middle Ages,.

David Levine, Reproducing Families. The political economy of English population history.

Mikiso Hane, Reflections on the Way to the Callows: Rebel Women in Pre‐war Japan.

Sandra M Gilbert and Susan Gubar, No Man's Land: The Place of the Woman Writer in the Twentieth Century.

Nancy F. Cott, The Grounding of Modern Feminism.

Brian Harrison, Prudent Revolutionaries, Portraits of British Feminists between the Wars.

Birgit Sawyer and Anita Goransson (eds), Manliga strukturer och kvinnliga strategier.

Susan Bridger, Women in the Soviet Countryside: women's roles in rural development in the Soviet Union.

Veronica Strong‐Boag, The New Day Recalled: Lives of Girls and Women in English Canada, 1919–1939.
Exploratory Factor Analysis: A Users’Guide
Authors: Ferguson Eamonn , Cox Tom
Published: April 2007

In 1978, Comrey wrote a guide to factor analysis in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. This paper provides an update of the information given by Comrey in relation to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) for work and organizational psychologists, and particularly those involved with test development, interpretation and validation. In doing so, it offers a user's guide to contemporary methods and available techniques and introduces heuristics for dealing with problems of skew and kurtosis, social desirability response set, and factor naming.
Selection Utility Models and Break‐Even Analysis
Authors: Mabon Hunter
Published: April 2007

Selection utility models have been developed over a number of decades and in recent years a standard terminology has been developed for evaluating the financial outcome of selection procedures. The aim of the present study is to analyse some of the features of the basic models and to show that they can be formulated in ways which will identify economic break‐even points and clarify decision‐making for HR professionals. It is shown that the standard deviation of monetary job performance and length of expected employment are much more sensitive variables than selection ratios and validity coefficients and that this is especially the case when length of employment is a function of test validity.
Does Conscientiousness Explain the Relationship Between Integrity and Job Performance?
Authors: Murphy Kevin R. , Lee Sandra L.
Published: April 2007

There is a meta‐analytic evidence that scores on integrity tests are related to measures of overall job performance, but it is not clear why this relationship exists. One hypothesis that would account for this correlation is that both integrity and performance measures are related to the personality trait conscientiousness, and that statistically controlling for conscientiousness would substantially reduce the integrity‐performance correlation. To test this hypothesis, we used the results of three meta‐analyses to estimate the components needed to calculate the partial correlation between integrity and performance, controlling for conscientiousness. Partialling had little effect; the best estimate of the corrected zero‐order and partial correlations between integrity and performance were 0.34 and 0.28, respectively. Sensitivity analyses suggest that imprecision in the estimates of the various components of this partial correlation cannot reasonably explain the small effects of partialling.
Selection Procedures in North America
Authors: Rowe Patricia M. , Williams Michael C. , Day Arla L.
Published: April 2007

The selection practices of organizations in Canada and the United States are reviewed. These practices are notable insofar as they rarely represent the most valid procedures, nor do they tend to be based on current research knowledge. Some reasons for the current state of selection and assessment procedures include knowledge of appropriate devices, professional competence, and client limitations. The challenge of complying with human rights legislation in North America is viewed by many practitioners as a selection constraint. It is argued, however, that legal requirements support valid selection practices by demanding professional accountability.
Management Selection in Australia: A Comparison with British and French Findings
Authors: Di Milia L. , Smith P.A. , Brown D.F.
Published: April 2007

The present study provided data on the cross‐national use of management selection methods by collecting information from the Australian context. The data is compared with the British and French findings obtained by Shackleton and Newell (1991). A total of 254 companies (53.4%) responded to the survey. The overall pattern of results indicated that Australian management selection methods were closer to the British than to the French findings. Compared to previous Australian studies, the present data indicated that the main selection tools being used are unchanged. Some evidence was found that selection methods may differ within organizations comprising the private sector and between the private and public sector. The business sector made significantly greater use of cognitive testing and assessment centres compared to manufacturing, retail and government sectors. The government sector reported a significant difference in using two or three interviewers. It is proposed that, although surveys of this type have been useful as general reviews of the area, future research would benefit by collecting: (1) data on the specific measures used, (2) distinguishing between internal and external recruitment, (3) distinguishing between private and public sector recruitment, and (4) ensuring respondents have the same conceptual understanding of the selection methods covered by the survey.
A Comparative Study of Knowledge of Changing Demographic Trends and the Importance of HRM Practices in Three European Countries
Authors: Hodgkinson Gerard P. , Snell Sarah , Daley Nigel , Payne Roy L.
Published: April 2007

Recent changes in the demographic structures of industrialized nations pose a potentially serious threat to work organizations in terms of their ability to attract and retain high calibre personnel. Specifically, the number of young people in their late teens and early‐to‐mid twenties is on the decline at the present time, coupled with a long‐term recession, thus posing a dilemma for organizations concerned to develop and maintain a viable workforce. This article reports the findings of a three‐country comparative study, conducted in The Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom, designed to investigate the extent to which graduate employers are aware of current demographic trends in the labour market and what HRM policies they are instituting, given this context. The findings reveal considerable levels of ignorance across all three countries, suggesting that attempts by various Government bodies, employers' organizations, professional associations and academics to draw attention to the potentially serious consequences of inadequate planning and future skill provision have largely failed. The results indicate that many organizations are engaging in human resource strategies which are not well suited to meeting the challenges of the 1990s.
Dual‐career Couples: The Selection Dilemma in International Relocation
Authors: Harvey Michael
Published: April 2007

No one factor could have as great an impact on multinational corporations (MNCs) than the dual‐career phenomena. The selection of expatriate candidates is a complex process made more arduous by the career orientation of the expatriate's spouse. The need for a social support network is essential for the dual‐career family to increase the probability of successfully completing an expatriate assignment.
Should We Write Off Graphology?
Authors: Driver Russell W. , Buckley M. Ronald , Frink Dwight D.
Published: April 2007

The scientific study of graphology (handwriting analysis) has had a long history. Many practitioners believe that graphology is a valuable selection aid and use this technique in a selection context, and in some European countries it is quite well thought of. While a few articles have proposed that graphology is a valid and useful selection technique, the overwhelming results of well‐controlled empirical studies have been that the technique has not demonstrated acceptable validity. A review of relevant literature regarding both theory and research indicates that, while the procedure may have an intuitive appeal, graphology should not be used in a selection context.
The decomposition of social policy in Sweden
Authors: Marklund S.
Published: April 2007

The traditionally strong dominance of the state in social security in Sweden has been replaced by a more mixed structure. Individuals are increasingly covered by a mix of private welfare, employment‐based corporate welfare and state programmes. There are several reasons behind this development: shifts in the economic and political conditions, strong tax incentives for the individual to buy private insurance, increasing problems for the public system in covering the loss of income for middle and high income earners, repeated media reports that the public welfare system will go bankrupt in the near future and increasing reports on free‐riding and cheating in the area of public insurance. The advantage of the more mixed system may be its similarities to social insurance in some of the European Community Member States. However, from a social policy point of view there are also some dangers. There will be increasing tendencies towards inequality. In particular, the difference in social security conditions between the skilfully employed and marginal groups will be even more marked. The unemployed, the young and people with physical or mental handicaps will be left outside the private and corporate structures. There is also a marked risk that some individuals be reach a level of coverage well above the loss of income, and this will be a disincentive to work. Private and corporate welfare systems are also largely invisible in the sense that individuals may not even know under what conditions they are covered. Another problem is that public attitudes towards the public welfare system will increasingly become more negative and different in various parts of the population. The effect of this may be a vicious circle: public social policy becomes increasingly inefficient and unpopular among the working population and remains only as a marginal system for small marginal groups.
The privatization of social services in Israel and its effects on Israeli society
Authors: Doron A. , Karger H.J.
Published: April 2007

The privatization of social services is gaining popularity worldwide, and it is occurring in places as diverse as the United States and central and eastern Europe. It is also a concept that is now being widely adopted in Israel, where it is having a dramatic effect on the structure and function of Israeli social services. This article critically examines the issues involved in privatizing social welfare service in Israel. First, we explore the relationship between Israel's mixed welfare economy and privatization and examine the driving forces behind it. Second, this article investigates the moral and social dimensions of privatizing social in Israel and the implications of injecting the United States model of privatization directly into the Israeli welfare state. Finally, we explore whether privatization will lead to a better and more efficient method of funding and delivering social services in Israel.
Poverty and social conditions in Poland during the transformation to a market economy
Authors: Warzywoda‐Kruszynska W. , Grotowska‐Leder J.
Published: April 2007

The social welfare system in Poland was changed during the 1990s. The full employment policy, as a guarantee for social security, was abandoned and the institutions through which social resources were distributed were replaced. State‐owned enterprises previously fulfilled certain social functions; the necessary resources came from state subsidies and from obligatory funds: housing and social funds as well as a proportion of wage costs. Thus, the prices of many types of important consumption goods (such as food and housing) were fixed at a relatively low level. The elimination of subsidies resulted in the bankruptcy of many state‐owned enterprises which, in turn, led to the diminished importance of the social security function of industrial enterprises. Their role in the newly created social welfare system was taken over by social welfare centers, through which assistance was distributed to those in need. Besides the traditional recipients of social assistance, a growing number of unemployed people, who comprise approximately 14% of the productively active citizens, have also begun collecting assistance.
Welfare consequences of the Swedish disability service system
Authors: Hass U. , Jonsson D.
Published: April 2007

It has been frequently discussed whether the Swedish disability service system is efficient and whether it meets the demands of equity. The costs of the system for support and service were recently estimated to be USD 11 billion. This article describes the welfare situation for disabled people compared with the general population in Sweden. The Swedish disability service system has managed to provide disabled people with a disposable income over the subsistence minimum in Sweden, but also in the same range as for the general population. In other welfare parameters, disabled people appear to have great welfare losses compared with the general population. Evaluations of handicap technologies (such as service and support) aiming to reduce or compensate for these welfare losses have to meet the requirements of equity and efficiency of the Swedish disability service system.
Ethnicity as a risk indicator for musculoskeletal disease, long consultation times and care utilization A prospective visitor study of 438 consecutive adult consultations of a primary health care centre
Authors: Sundquist J. , Rosén U. , Johansson S.‐E
Published: April 2007

This article shows the influence of ethnicity (people born outside Sweden and in Sweden) and social class (socioeconomic class) on the distribution of diagnoses, consultation time and health care utilization in primary health care controlled for sex, age, marital status and educational level. The study was designed as a prospective primary health care utilization study during 7 consecutive weeks. Of a total of 439 adults who lived in the residential area, 290 were born in Sweden and 149 were born elsewhere. The data were analysed unmatched with logistic regression and Poisson regression in main effect models. People born outside Sweden received significantly more diagnoses per consultation than people born in Sweden. The strongest independent risk indicator for musculoskeletal disease was being born outside Sweden, with an estimated odds ratio (OR) of 5.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.70–8.72. Age over 44 was associated with increased odds for musculoskeletal disease. Respiratory disease, as an indicator of less serious disease, were significantly less common among people born outside Sweden (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.33–0.87). Being born outside Sweden was a risk indicator for consultations longer than 30 minutes (OR = 3.03, 95% CI=1.18–7.43). There were no differences between people born in Sweden and those born elsewhere in health and utilization. Social class was not associated with any of the dependent variables.
A cross‐cultural comparison of how social workers in Sweden and England assess a migrant family
Authors: Soydan H.
Published: April 2007

Vignettes are short descriptions of a social situation or a person that embrace references to what are thought to be the most important factors in the decision‐making of respondents. This article presents vignette data showing that social workers in Leicester, England and in Örebro, Sweden make different assessments when they are confronted with information about an immigrant family. One leading feature of the data is that all the respondents in Leicester immediately think that the information about the situation of the family might be false or malicious just because the family are immigrants. Another leading feature of the data is that a majority of the social workers in Örebro consider the information to be correct. Many of these social workers relate the problem to the family's cultural background. The empirical data are interpreted with concepts borrowed from the fields of culture and organization research, respectively. The most leading features of the data are interpreted in terms of ethnocentric, bureaucratic‐minded social workers (in Örebro) and culturally relativistic, client‐oriented social workers (in Leicester).
Early feeding problems: identification by parents and health care personnel
Authors: Bohlin G. , Hagekull B. , Lindberg L. , Thunström M. , Engberg G.
Published: April 2007

This study investigated the discrepancy between parental reports indicating a high prevalence of feeding problems during infancy and the relatively low identification rate of such cases at child health care centers. Thirty nurses were interviewed about definitions, prevalence, causes, and interventions for such problems. Thereafter, they were retrospectively asked about presence of feeding problems in 30 infants, for whom parents had reported existence of feeding problems, and in 30 control infants. A group (n=22) based on parent‐nurse agreement about the existence of a problem was compared with a group (n= 8) identified as problematic by parents only and with the control group. The parent‐nurse agreement group stood out as more burdened: infant growth was affected, there had been feeding history problems (breastfeeding, weaning and protracted meals) and the level of parental concern was higher. More infant respiratory infections were reported, and more medication had been prescribed for this group. Although nurses seemed to rely to a great extent on parental reports in identifying feeding problems, the present results suggested that the parent‐nurse discrepancy in identification rate may occur due to nurses' weighting of parental complaints with other factors such as the child's general condition and the family social situation.