bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aesthetics and Substance in Qualitative Research Posters
Authors: Russell Cynthia K. , Gregory David M. , Gates Marie F.
Published: March 2007

Poster presentations of qualitative research are increasing in number. Currently, no guidelines exist for preparing qualitative research posters to assist researchers in designing posters that will be maximally effective. In this article, we present guidelines for qualitative posters, developed from our evaluation of qualitative posters at research conferences and a review of the literature. Areas discussed include content, text, materials, component arrangement, and visuals. Although qualitative research celebrates creativity, consideration of these areas will help researchers ensure that their messages are clearly received by the largest possible audience.
One-Point Wonders: Using Student Experiences as a Way to Make Ob Theory Come Alive
Authors: McNeely Bonnie L.
Published: March 2007

Need some good examples of organization behavior (OB) concepts to illustrate course material? Why not ask your students? This article describes how having students write short stories (about one or two paragraphs) about their personal experiences can enhance your OB class in several ways. Students reported reading more of the course material and having an increased interest in the OB class because of this assignment. Being required to submit one incident for each chapter covered in the semester also boosts class attendance. Teaching courses in OB can be made easier, richer, more enjoyable, and more fun by utilizing one-point wonders.
Introducing Race into the Undergraduate Organizational Behavior Course
Authors: Waters Harry
Published: March 2007

The case is presented that many traditional undergraduate organizational behavior (OB) courses leave unaddressed race-related problems that are relevant to both minority students and Whites entering an increasingly diverse workplace. Accordingly, instructors of undergraduate OB courses may have concerns about the mechanics of introducing the topic of race into their courses. The following article outlines a four-faceted format as a possible way that race can be successfully introduced into the undergraduate OB course. Issues of what can be taught, in what manner, and what potential problems can be anticipated are addressed.
Reconceptualizing the Small Business Consulting Course: A Response to the Porter and Mckibbin Criticisms
Authors: Buller Paul F.
Published: March 2007

Graduate business education has been criticized for its inattention to integration of the curriculum and the development of specific skills in interpersonal relations, leadership, written and verbal communications, and in decision making under conditions of uncertainty. This article outlines a model for an MBA-level course in small business consulting with the potential for effectively addressing these shortcomings. The advantages and limitations of this model are discussed.
Stage 3: Adventures in Team Teaching
Authors: Silver William S. , McGowan Robert P.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the trials and tribulations of team teaching in the integrated MBA format. Beginning with a discussion of various forms and issues associated with team interdependence, it then addresses several key aspects of team teaching: differing teaching styles, sharing the workload, team grading, and team decision making. The article concludes with general observations about the team teaching process.
Individual and Situational Precursors of Successful Action Learning
Authors: Raelin Joseph A.
Published: March 2007

Action learning is based on exposure to managers and teachers engaged in the solution of real-time problems. This article reports on a study of three action learning programs to determine individual and situational factors that lead to useful behavioral outcomes. Students improved the most in questioning competencies as well as in some of the traditional mangerial skill domains. This study also found a strong association between action science proclivities and action learning outcomes.
Expanding the Concept of Diversity: Discussing Sexual Orientation in the Management Classroom
Authors: McQuarrie Fiona A. E.
Published: March 2007

Although diversity in the workforce is an important issue for organizations and management educators, sexual orientation is one source of workforce diversity that is rarely examined. However, students may feel uncomfortable discussing the issue in the classroom. This article describes an exercise conducted to see whether students' analysis of a case study differed if the protagonist was homosexual or heterosexual. The results, which showed differences between the two groups, and the implications for management education are described.
The Twilight Zone of Diversity
Authors: Livingstone Linda Parrack , Livingstone Bradley Thomas
Published: March 2007

You are about to enter the twilight zone of diversity. We often feel like we have entered the twilight zone when it comes to discussions about diversity and educating students about the implications of diversity for organizations. This exercise is designed to increase awareness about diversity and about false assumptions associated with diversity that lead to stereotypical and discriminatory views. The activity uses an excerpt from Twilight Zone: The Movie to illustrate these concepts and to generate discussion about dealing with diversity. Suggestions for integrating this activity into discussions on a variety of topics related to diversity are provided.
Behind and Beyond Kolb's Learning Cycle
Authors: Vince Russ
Published: March 2007

The author discusses Kolb's learning cycle and the propositions that give rise to it. The author considers the importance of the cycle within mainstream management education and development and then takes a more critical view, looking both behind and beyond the learning cycle at issues that can be developed out of its current conceptualization. The author argues that a more comprehensive picture of experiential learning in management education might be based on developments around emotional and political aspects of Kolb's model. These developments are intended to acknowledge additional, often omitted, aspects of learning from experience within management education and development. The author offers three particular areas for the development of skill and knowledge in the practice of management education.
Parallel Thinking: A Technique for Group Interaction and Problem Solving
Authors: Peterson Tim O. , Lunsford Dale A.
Published: March 2007

If we want students to develop into good problem solvers and to be able to interact in decision-making groups, then we have to teach them techniques for thinking. The education system has generally considered thinking a by-product of learning other information. However, De Bono (1971, 1976) has convincingly argued and demonstrated that thinking must be developed directly. This article addresses a specific thinking technique to be used by problem-solving and decision-making groups. This thinking technique assists groups in thinking and interacting in parallel. The article describes the technique and then shows how to apply it to some very popular cases and experiential exercises.
Using Educational Outcomes and Student Portfolios to Steer Management Education
Authors: Magill Sharon L. , Herden Richard P.
Published: March 2007

In response to numerous external pressures, business schools today are struggling to enact and evaluate educational outcomes to help establish both validity and accountability. This article describes the process used by a management department to create an outcomes document that serves as a student guide for skills development. Student portfolios are now a required part of the curriculum to measure the attainment of knowledge, skills, and abilities. The article concludes by discussing the ramifications of these processes (for curriculum, students, and faculty) as well as articulating the lessons learned from this process, which may serve to guide other institutions.
A Semester-Long Experiential Exercise to Develop Workplace Understanding: The Role Assignment Exercise
Authors: King Wesley C.
Published: March 2007

To understand diversity issues, students must have an experience with diversity that transcends the factual knowledge that is most often the focus of college classes. This article summarizes the use of a journal-writing project as a pedagogical tool for developing this understanding through the process of self-discovery. Multidimensional evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, is presented to support the efficacy of using this tool in the development of student learning about diversity issues. The article concludes with reflections based on the use of the journal in four introductory undergraduate organizational behavior classes and caveats for using the journal as a pedagogical tool.
Cardiac Patients and Spouses
Authors: Hilbert Gail A.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the relationships among satisfaction with family function and emotional states of a nonprobability sample of sixty-six myocardial infarction (AM patients and their spouses who were recruited from hospitals in the Delaware Valley. Patients and spouses completed the Family APGAR and the Affects Balance Scale. It was found that both patients and spouses experienced substantial emotional distress when compared with the norms for nonclinical subjects. They were highly correlated on both measures, particularly for positive emotion and satisfaction with family function (p < .0001). Satisfaction with family function was significantly correlated with positive affect for spouses (p < .05). These results suggest the importance of assessment of satisfaction with family function and emotional status of both MI patient and spouse, with spouses with lower satisfaction with family function being at greater risk for emotional distress.
Resolutions and Risk-Taking in Juvenile Detention
Authors: Anderson Nancy Lois Ruth
Published: March 2007

A discussion of adolescent high-risk behavior and associated stigma is presented from the perspective of teenagers confined in juvenile detention. Data contributing to this discussion originate from a qualitative research study designed to discover the meaning detained adolescents associate with substance use/abuse and to describe how they make substance-related decisions while in juvenile detention. is pilot study was part of a program of ongoing ethnographic research in the setting of a large metropolitan juvenile detention facility (JDF). Twenty teenagers participated in the study during interviews and focus group discussions. A major theme among all six focus groups involved resolutions to quit drugs and alcohol after release. The trajectory of substance abuse interwoven in these discussions most frequently began with problems at home, progressed to substance abuse and other high-risk behaviors, and culminated in detention. AU of the groups gave suggestions for the kind of help teenagers need most: someone to listen and to care.
Elastic Parameters of Brittle, Elastic Solids Containing Slits — Mean Field Theory
Authors: Sumarac Dragoslav , Krajcinovic Dusan , Mallick Kaushik
Published: March 2007

The present study focuses on the derivation of effective elastic properties for a two-dimensional elastic continuum containing several different distributions of rec tangular slits. The emphasis of the study is placed on the slit induced anisotropy and com parison of results derived using three different methods belonging to the class of mean field theories. Added is a short study of higher order theories incorporating direct interac tion of adjacent slits.
Determination of Large Strain Multi-Axial Creep Rupture Criteria Using Notched-Bar Data
Authors: Othman A.M. , Hayhurst D.R.
Published: March 2007

The finite element method has been developed and used to study the creep rupture of axi-symmetrically notched round bars that are subjected to constant axial load for long periods at constant elevated temperature. The objective was to determine the multi-axial stress rupture criterion from the results of large strain uni-axial creep data and of rupture data for a particular notched round bar geometry.
On the Low Endurance Fatigue of Rubber-Toughened Adhesives and Its Implication on Characterization of Damage
Authors: Abou-Hamda Moustafa , Mai Yiu-Wing , Lowe Adrian
Published: March 2007

A high sensitivity test method has been developed for axial strain con trolled fatigue testing of flat sheet specimens. The low strain fatigue behaviour of a high performance epoxy film adhesive (FM73) and a cast lab-made rubber-toughened epoxy resin has been established over a specified range of applied total strain amplitude. This has aided the characterization of damage evolution and the determination of related cyclic and monotonic stress/strain properties.
Differing Theoretical Perspectives and Cross-National Variation in Thefts in Less Developed Nations
Authors: Neapolitan Jerry
Published: March 2007

This research examined cross-national variation in thefts, focusing exclusively on less developed nations, as these nations are developing in a historical and situational context that is substantially different from the one under which already developed nations evolved. The research employed a larger sample of nations than has been used by any previous cross-national research on property crimes, and analysis included variables representing the three major theoretical perspectives on cross-national crime. Three additional variables-an indicator of political rights, the percentage of the population that is Protestant, and the percentage that is Catholic-were included in tile analysis in order to represent previously neglected political and cultural aspects of nations. Of the variables representing tile three major theoretical perspectives, only Gross Domestic Product per Person exhibited a significant association to theft rates. Both Political Rights and Percent Protestant exhibited significant positive association to theft rates. Tile implications of these results are discussed.
Participation Training, Agreement, and Teacher Participation in Decision Making
Authors: Bartunek Jean M.
Published: March 2007

This study investigates the effects of participation training and agreement or disagreement among teachers and their principals on the teachers' desires for participation in decision making as well as their perceptions that participation would increase decision effectiveness. The results indicate that teachers who had received participation training liked participating signifi cantly more when therewas teacher-principal agreement than when there was disagreement. Conversely, teachers who had not received such training felt that participation would result in more effective decisions when there was teacher-principal disagreement than when there was agreement. Furthermore, when there was agreement, teachers who had received participation training rated the amount of desired participation and the amount of participation likely to achieve effective decisions higher than did the untrained teachers. When there was disagreement, the opposite tended to occur. Implications of the results for participation training are discussed.
Empathy as a Relevant Instructor Variable in the Experiential Classroom
Authors: Coffman Stephen L.
Published: March 2007

This study augments earlier work suggesting that an instructor's empathy is an important factor in the learning outcomes in an interpersonal-communi cation class. The results support a commitment by interpersonal-communi cation teachers to empathic classroom behavior in order to facilitate more meaningful learning experiences.
Critical Issues for Planned Change in Human Service Organizations: A Case Study and Analysis
Authors: Martinko Mark J. , Tolchinsky Paul D.
Published: March 2007

This article discusses the critical issue emerging in the implementation of change strategies designed to improve the effectiveness of human service delivery systems. A review of the literature supports the notion that human service organizations have been largely ignored in the development of change and intervention theories. As a result, little specific information is available regarding the implementation of improvement strategies in human service delivery systems. The article describes the process by which change was intro duced and implemented in a human service organization. Entry activities, data collection techniques, the action planning process, and the evaluation procedures used in the present intervention are discussed. The article concludes with a dis cussion of the differences in implementing planned change in human service, as opposed to business and industrial, organizations. Suggestions, theoretical guidelines, and a model are provided for future interventions.
The Chief Executive Officer and Successful OD Efforts
Authors: Wayne Boss R. , Boss Leslee S.
Published: March 2007

The central role of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in effective organization development (OD) efforts is illustrated by data that were collected from 160 personnel in five organizations before and after a one-year OD effort. The results indicate that the CEO is clearly the single most important person in successful OD efforts. Further, data from questionnaires and interviews indicate that there is more to successful change efforts than merely the passive involvement of the CEO. Successful OD efforts require positive changes on the part of all organizational personnel in general, and on the part of the CEO in particular. The primary reason for the importance of the CEO is that most organizations place the CEO at the focal point of power in order to increase organizational effectiveness.
Temporary or Permanent Middle-Management Groups?
Authors: Bushe Gervase R.
Published: March 2007

In this study of 415 middle managers in four different manufacturing plants involved in QWL change projects, differences in managers' QWL-related attitudes on seven scales are compared between those involved in permanent problem-solving groups, temporary groups, and those with no group experience at all. Those in permanent groups have significantly more positive attitudes than those in temporary groups on all seven scales. Those in temporary groups tend to have more negative attitudes than those with no group experience. Themes of powerlessness and empowerment are used to explain the results, and implications for overcoming managerial resistance to worker participation are highlighted.
Upward Influence Activity in Strategic Decision Making
Authors: Schilit Warren Keith
Published: March 2007

This study examines the perceived upward influence capabilities of middle-level managers (MLMs) in various strategic decisions. It was found that (1) MLMs exerted influence primarily in less risky strategic decisions and tended to be successful in their upward influence interactions; (2) MLMs from financial and marketing divisions were more influential in strategic decisions than were MLMs from other functional areas; (3) MLMs from private sector organizations and from small organizations exerted more influence in risky strategic decision than did their counterparts in public sector and large organizations; and (4) the best predictor of successful upward influence activity and of more risky interactions was number of years working for a particular superior.
Visions of Current and Future Issues in Organization Development
Authors: Brown-Hinckley Beverly P.
Published: March 2007

The complexity of the issues and dilemmas that face organization development consult ants today are directly related to the increasing complexity of the environment and systems in which we do our work. Using an "open systems" framework, this article examines the current state, the future state, and the gaps and deficiencies between the two. This is intended to be a provocative examination, from the author's point of view, of those areas that are rarely discussed although they continue to create barriers to truly positioning the profession in ways which are seen as adding societal and systemic value. Specifically, this article describes those key current issues which are operative in how we define ourselves and our profession; the work we do and our relationships with our clients; the areas of deficiency which lesson our effectiveness and ability to respond to the needs of our clients; and last, those future issues for the profession and the oppor tunities that could lead to personal and professional enhancement of our willingness and ability to meaningfully impact the direction of our profession.
Organizational Script Development Through Interactive Accommodation
Authors: Poole Peter P. , Gray Barbara , Gioia Dennis A.
Published: March 2007

Scripts, a type of cognitive structure that retains knowledge of events for a particular context, have been used to research recall and recognition tasks but have been largely neglected in the study of organizational settings. In this study the major focus is on the development of common scripts by organizational members for a frequently occurring organizational activity. This study demonstrates how members of a simulated, nascent organization come to adopt a set of tasks for accomplishment of a joint activity through interactive accommodation of subunit goals. Over time tasks co-evolve into a well-known pattern of events for the activity. We provide evidence of the development of organizational scripts, that is, cognitive and behavioral, across organizational members for the pattern of events associated with the activity.
The Relationship of Accountability and Interdependent Behavior to Enhancing Team Consequences
Authors: Fandt Patricia M.
Published: March 2007

The study examines a relationship that links accountability and interdependent behavior to enhanced team consequences. The high-accountability teams relied on more interdependent behaviors, experienced greater satisfaction with their team, and expressed higher success than low-accountability teams. Implications for practicing managers and for strengthening training programs are discussed.
A Firm-Level Analysis of Employee Attrition
Authors: Bennett Nathan , Blum Terry C. , Long Rebecca G. , Roman Paul M.
Published: March 2007

Using a sample (n = 297) of private sector firms, this article considers the role that firm characteristics, work force characteristics, location, and employee benefits practices have in explaining employee attrition. Hierarchical regression analyses suggest that benefit practices are associated with turnover, even when controlling for firm characteristics, firm setting, and work force characteristics. Specifically, firms where benefits were a higher percentage of total labor costs and firms whose benefits packages were described to be of higher quality experienced less attrition. Implications of the findings for human resource management are discussed.
A Model of Primate Visual-Motor Conditional Learning
Authors: Fagg Andrew H. , Arbib Michael A.
Published: March 2007

Observations of behavior and neural activity in premotor cortex of monkeys learning to pair an arbitrary visual stimulus with one of a set of previously learned behaviors are modeled with a network comprising a large number of motor selection columns. Reinforcement learning is used to recognize new visual patterns and acquire the appropriate visual-motor conditions. The architecture employs a distributed representation in which a single pattern is coded by a small subset of columns. A column is initially able to respond to many different inputs; as it learns to trigger a motor program, its responses become more narrowly defined. Each column's output is a set of votes for the various motor programs. The votes for each program are collected by selection units, which drive a winner-take-all circuit to determine whether a particular motor program is executed. The model is successful in reproducing the sequence of behavioral responses given by the subjects, as well as a number of phenomena that have been observed at the single-unit level. Finally, we offer a comparison to the backpropagation learning algorithm that demonstrates key principles which have been designed into our algorithm.
How Culture Can Guide Evolution: An Inquiry into Gene/Meme Enhancement and Opposition
Authors: Best Michael L.
Published: March 2007

We study the relationship between genetic evolution, learning, and culture. We start with the sim ulation environment of Hinton and Nowlan in which individual learning was shown to guide genetic evolution towards a difficult adaptive goal. We then consider, in lieu of individual learn ing, culture in the form of social learning by imitation. Our results demonstrate that when genes and culture cooperate, or enhance one another, culture too is able to guide genetic evolution towards an adaptive goal. Further, we show that social learning is superior to individual learning insofar as it with genetic evolution converges more quickly to the goal. However, the social learn ing algorithm results in slower genetic assimilation of adaptive alleles than with individual learn ing. It is as if, we argue, the adaptive values are stored in the culture rather than in the genes. Finally, we consider what happens when culture and genes pursue diametrically opposed goals. Here we show that culture, in the form of social learning, is no real match when opposed to genet ic evolution with individual learning. In fact, only the most herculean of social learning algorithms is able to keep a neutralizing toe-hold against the slow plodding force of genetic evolution. Finally, our results suggest that in both cases, opposition and enhancement, transmission forces such as the ratio of teacher to learner are central to the success of social learning.
Concurrent Resource Allocation (CRA): A Heuristic for Multi-Project Scheduling with Resource Constraints in Concurrent Engineering
Authors: Kara S. , Kayis B. , Kaebernick H.
Published: March 2007

Concurrent Engineering (CE) has gained immense popularity around the world as a means of accelerating product develop ment, reducing cost, and increasing quality. CE achieves this by overlapping tasks and executing them in parallel. Different and inde pendent surveys conclude that significant benefits can be achieved as a result of implementing CE. However, CE radically affects the way projects are managed due to the complexities and uncertainties caused by executing tasks with incomplete information. This re quires careful planning and organization prior to implementing CE projects, otherwise delays in project completion and deterioration in project performance may occur due to the uncertainties in the process. Although the literature suggests that one of the essential ele ments for successfully implementing CE is careful and detailed project planning, very little attention is devoted to addressing this prob lem. This is due to the fact that CE is a relatively new concept and product development projects could be extremely complex [9]. In practice, project managers try to address uncertainty and resource allocation in a multi-project environment by using traditional project management tools and techniques.

In this paper, a new multi-project scheduling heuristic is developed and used to address the problem of resource constraint scheduling in a multi-project CE environment. This proposed multi-project scheduling heuristic considers the unique characteristics of CE projects such as concurrency and dual-level project management structure.

The superior performance and capability of the proposed multi-project scheduling heuristic are demonstrated by applying them to a case study gathered from an Australian manufacturing firm. In addition, the applicability of the available multi-project scheduling heuristics to the CE environment is also investigated. It is concluded that the new multi-project scheduling heuristic performs better than traditional ones in terms of minimizing project completion time and optimizing resource utilization.
Information Management for Concurrent Engineering: Research Issues
Authors: Prasad Biren , Morenc Roger S. , Rangan Ravi M.
Published: March 2007

The development of products in large industrial organizations involves numerous engineers from different disciplines working on interdependent components Objectives are sometimes in conflict The need for overall coordination, consistency, control, and integrity of data, design ideas, and design rationale is critical The information generated by each designer must be viewed in the context of information generated by other designers, the enterpnse historical data, and the organization as a whole. The paper outlines major requirements facing concurrent engineering (CE) It focuses on the ability of collaborating designers to proceed independently, correlate interdependency, use existing information (data, knowledge, and processes), and negotiate conflicts arising from design inconsistencies To provide information-based support for such environments a concept of design schemata is introduced to support the concurrent, collaborative, and historical aspects of CE environments from an enterprise perspective.

The need for a data dictionary that supports these schemata and its different dimensions is also recognized The dictionary provides conceptual centralization of design information relative to the enterprise. This includes data, as well as its definition (meta-data), and must allow the design process to evolve in a global enterprise perspective These discussions lead to a series of research issues that must be addressed by the CE research community.
A Knowledge-based Engineering Environment for Automated Analysis of Nozzles
Authors: Saxena Mukul , Irani Rohinton K.
Published: March 2007

This paper describes a new, and unique, system for design and analysis of a family of parts with a specific focus on gas-turbine nozzles. The system, built on the tenets of knowledge-based engineering (KBE) within an object-oriented framework, supports the notion of scalable products that can be resized through reparametrization. The KBE system for the parametric design of nozzles has been integrated with a topology and geometry utility system (TAGUS) and geometry-based mesh generators (QUADTREE and EXTREME) to develop a turnkey system. The resulting system is shown to help reduce the design cycle time and to increase engineering productivity by representing design and manufacturing information as part of the complete product definition.
PreAmp—a Pre-competitive Project in Intelligent Manufacturing Technology: an Architecture to Demonstrate Concurrent Engineering and Information Sharing
Authors: Smith Gregory L. , Muller James C.
Published: March 2007

Pre-competitive research and development is one method of examining industry-wide concerns and determining future directions It disperses the cost and risk of such projects across many companies. The subject of this paper is one such project in the area of design and manufacturing of printed circuit assemblies (PCAs) known as Pre Amp The paper discusses the Pre Amp origin, its goals, and technology issues to be assessed by the program. It continues with an in-depth discussion of the Pre Amp system architecture and the components of that architecture. The paper highlights knowledge acquisition and rule definition architecture Discussion continues with system components that address new concepts in concurrent engineering (e.g. manufacturing resource editor and producibility advisor). The paper concludes with a summary of how Pre Amp supports concurrent engineering and a schedule of system prototypes and pilots.
Modelling Manufacturing Capability to Support Concurrent Engineering
Authors: Molina Arturo , lan Andrew Ellis Timothy , lan Marr Young Robert , Bell Robert
Published: March 2007

Providing a consistent source of manufacturing information to both users and applications is key to the successful CAE support of con current engineering This paper describes an information model that aims to fulfill this role This information model, which has been named the "Manufactunng Model," is intended to enable the manufacturing capability of a particular facility to be reliably represented The model consists of three types of information, namely manufacturing resources, processes and strategies The Manufacturing Model has four levels based on a de-facto standard (i e , Factory, Shop, Cell, Station) This information model has been modelled in EXPRESS and developed using the Booch Object Oriented Methodology In order to validate this approach the characteristics and capabilities of a number of complex contemporary turn ing centres and related manufacturing processes have been modelled at the Station Level An experimental software implementation of the Sta tion level has been developed using DEC Object/DB and C ++ The Manufacturing Model is one key element of a prototype research system called the Model Oriented Simultaneous Engineering System (MOSES) which aims to support concurrent engineering more effectively than con ventional CAE systems
Specification of a Flexible Manufacturing System Using Concurrent Programming
Authors: van de Mortel-Fronczak J.M. , Rooda J.E. , van den Nieuwelaar N.J.M.
Published: March 2007

Because of the growing complexity, the design of and reasoning about modern industrial systems becomes increasingly difficulty. In order to understand and estimate the dynamic system behaviour, appropriate models have to be used. In many cases, existing mathematical models like queuing networks, Markov chain models, or perturbation analysis cannot be applied. In such cases, usually a model is constructed that can be validated by means of computer simulation. Since industrial systems exhibit concurrency, formalisms developed to reason about con current systems are also well suited for developing models in this specific application area. Models of systems can be expressed, for instance, in terms of Petri nets or in terms of programs written in a concurrent programming language, like Timed CSP. Both approaches, originating from computer science, are increasingly often applied in modelling of manufacturing systems. In this paper, we present a simple modular approach to the specification of (discrete) industrial systems that is based on concurrent programming. As an illustration, we present a model of a flexible manufacturing cell. The specification language used is modular and, therefore, allows for hierarchical modelling. To specify the information and control flows, a VDM-like notation is used.
Deciding between Sequential and Concurrent Tasks in Engineering Design
Authors: Smith Robert P. , Eppinger Steven D.
Published: March 2007

It is generally desirable to complete design tasks concurrently in order to reduce the overall development time However, com pleting tasks concurrently may sometimes increase the total amount of rework that must be done, thereby increasing the total engineering effort, the development cost, and the lead time. The technique descnbed in this paper helps to decide between serial and concurrent sched uling of multiple tasks in a two-stage design process. Using information about task interdependencies, this method calculates the amount of time and the amount of effort (in engineer-weeks) required for any suggested assignment of tasks to the two stages. The paper suggests an approach for minimizing time, or effort, or both, by adjusting the schedule of which tasks should be completed at which time. The method is applied to data from a computer workstation design problem.
Computer-Aided Requirement Management for Product Definition: A Methodology and Implementation
Authors: Tseng Mitchell M. , Jianxin Jiao
Published: March 2007

Product definition has been recognized as one of the deciding factors in designing a product for success in the marketplace It in volves a tedious elaboration process enacted between customers, marketers, and designers. Difficulties associated with product definition for developing product specifications are observed as contextual mismatching, lack of definite structures in requirements, lack of structured mapping, and life-cycle requirements. Facing these difficulties, it is imperative to explore requirement management methodologies and de velop computer tools to support requirement management automation.
Family Grief and Mourning
Authors: Rotter Joseph C.
Published: March 2007

Loss of any type is difficult. Death of a loved one is particularly disturbing. The process of mourning this loss is uniquely handled by individuals and families. Family counselors must be aware of the symptoms of grief expressed by their clients and help them through the necessary mourning process. This article provides a snapshot of a very complex process and offers current references for further reading.
Identifying Personality Traits Associated with Attrition in Systematic Training for Effective Parenting Groups
Authors: Snow Jason N. , Kern Roy M. , Curlette William L.
Published: March 2007

Research has supported the use of the Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) program when working with families; how-ever, minimal attention has been given to the attrition issue. Given that STEP has been shown to be effective, there is a definite need to identify characteristics of those individuals who are likely to terminate prematurely. A study was conducted comprising 221 subjects to investigate the predictive power of the Basic Adlerian Scales for Interpersonal Success-Adult Form (BASIS-A) in relation to attrition in parenting groups. Results from the study indicated the attrition rate to be higher with individuals who had elevated scores on the Entitlement scale on the BASIS-A than individuals who do not have elevated scores.
Famiy Environments as Predictors of Personality Hardiness and Self-Efficacy
Authors: May Kathleen M. , Sowa Claudia J. , Niles Spencer G.
Published: March 2007

This study examined family environments and their relationship to two personal beliefs, personality hardiness and selfefficacy, in college students. Also examined was the use of family environments as predictors of personality hardiness and self-efficacy. Results and implications of these findings for counseling practice are discussed.
A Response to "School-Based Collaboration with Families"
Authors: Nicoll William G.
Published: March 2007

This article is an invited response to the ideas set forth in O'Callaghan's article, "School-Based Collaboration With Families: An Effective Modelfor a Society in Crisis." Advocacy for school-perspective to school referral interventions is applauded. Several areas of concern with the suggested model presented are, however, raised and discussed along with suggestions for improving upon the model by going beyond family therapy toward a multisystemic perspective for prevention, early intervention, and remedial services.
The "Re-Nesting" Effect: Implications for Family Development
Authors: Johnson Patrick , Wilkinson William K.
Published: March 2007

The return of adult children to parental homes is becomingan increasingly likely event for families. Young adults arereturning at a time in the family life cycle when they areattempting to separate from their families and their parentsare refocusing on their marriage. Although the "renesting"event negatively affects the development of some families,others manage to adjust and continue to attain their developmental tasks. Previous literature has focused almostexclusively on the negative experiences of families in suchsituations. This article provides a discussion and a casevignette that illustrate how families can cope with the renesting event and use it to address their developmental tasksmore directly and openly. Suggestions for counselors who areworking with families experiencing difficulty with this transition are provided.
Relationship Beliefs and Expectations of Satisfaction in Marital Relationships: Implications for Family Practitioners
Authors: Sullivan Bryce F. , Schwebel Andrew I.
Published: March 2007

Cognitive-behavioral models suggest that the beliefs and expectations individuals bring into relationships affect their thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and satisfaction in them. This article presents the findings of two studies that measured the relationship expectations of young adults, their level of irrational relationship-related beliefs, and their satisfaction in their current relationships. Some results included the following: Participants expected their own relationship satisfaction, when dating, engaged, and married, to exceed their perception of the average American's; and participants expected their relationships to progress from dating through marriage with ever-increasing levels of satisfaction (an outcome contrary to what couples typically experience). Those participants who had lower levels of irrational relationship beliefs than did their peers found their current dating relationships more satisfyzng. The zmplications of these findings for practice are discussed in this article.
Menopause: A Life Cycle Transition
Authors: Evarts Barbara Kess , Baldwin Cynthia
Published: March 2007

Menopause is an issue that family therapists need to address proactively to be of benefit to couples andfamilies during this transitional period in the family life cycle. This article provides background on the physical, psychological and psychosocial factors affecting the menopausal woman and herfamily and describes ways to address issues arising from these factors in counseling.
Styles of Conflict Management
Authors: Eckstein Daniel
Published: March 2007

This article features a questionnaire exploring different ways that couples approach conflict. Five animals-shark, owl, fox, turtle, and teddy bear-are used to represent different conflict management styles characterized by a combination of high (or low) personal goals and high (or low) relationship goals. The advantages and disadvantages of each style are also presented, as well as exnamples of when each pure typology is most appropriate. The article concludes with a series of integrating reflective "next-step" questionsforcouples.
Postmodern Ideas and Relational Conversations in Clinical Practice
Authors: Andrews Jennifer , Clark David J.
Published: March 2007

John, a very articulate 48-year-old Vietnam veteran, completes successful psychotherapy in 1 1/2 years. The hallmarks of this therapy are the use of social constructionist ideas and practices, especially the use of the reflecting team and the influence of the team's conversations on everyone who participated. John also challenges his difficult problems by continued commitment to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)practices, by journaling, and with the hope that he can assist his intern/therapist to learn how to do therapy well. Although this was a challenge as the intern'sfirst case, the developing supervision, consultation, and teamwork during the 1 1/2 years were inspirational to the client, therapist, and team.
Sexual Desire in Couples Living with Chronic Medical Conditions
Authors: Samelson Doreen A. , Hannon Roseann
Published: March 2007

When chronic disease strikes a couple, both the ill and well spouse are affected. A literature review of chronic disease reveals that an overlooked area of concern for couples living with a chronic disease is sexual desire. Diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, lupus erythematosus, diabetes mellitus, and breast cancer result in long periods of medical treatment and interfere with the couple’s normal routines. This can result in a loss of sexual desire. Specific causes of loss of desire in these couples include fatigue, changes in body image, concerns about fulfilling gender roles, fear, caregiving duties, sexual dysfunction, disease severity, and medical treatment. Counselors can design treatment plans that address loss of desire in couples living with a chronic disease by considering the underlying causes of loss of desire.
Perceptions of a White Female in an Interracial Marriage
Authors: Watts Richard E. , Henriksen Richard C.
Published: March 2007

This article presents a case study of the perceptions of a White female married to an African American male.
Using the Five-Factor Model of Personality to Enhance Career Development and Organizational Functioning in the Workplace
Authors: Lee Felissa K. , Johnston Joseph A. , Dougherty Thomas W.
Published: March 2007

Organizations engage in several activities that may affect individuals' career development, including employee staffing, training, formal mentoring programs, and career counseling. Assessing employees on the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality may be one way to improve each of these activities so that both employees and the organization benefits. The FFM consists of emotional stability, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Possible future directions for research and practice using the FFM for each of the mentioned activities is discussed. Several key issues include assessing motivation levels, identifying areas for training and development, and enhancing employee fit with work demands and within work relationships.
Environmental Congruence, Group Importance, and Well-Being Among Paratroopers
Authors: Meir Elchanan I. , Segal-Halevi Anat
Published: March 2007

The study examined the relation between variables of environmental congruence (or Person-environment fit; P-E fit) and group importance on the one hand and variables of satisfaction and somatic complaints on the other. Participants were 267 paratroopers who belonged to 35 units (environments). Both the diadic and the census methods were used to assign congruence scores. Findings showed (a) group importance correlated .55 and -.25 (p < .05) with satisfaction and somatic complaints, respectively, while congruence did not show significant correlations; (b) The nonlinear examination of the relationships showed a significant (p < .05) main effect for group importance on satisfaction and for the interaction of group importance and congruence both on satisfaction and on somatic complaints. It is suggested on the basis of these and earlier findings that group importance is a sufficient condition for satisfaction and that congruence interacts with it to enhance satisfaction. The superiority of the diadic method was not statistically confirmed.
The Relation of Career Maturity to Personality Type and Social Adjustment
Authors: Savickas Mark L. , Briddick William C. , Watkins C. Edward
Published: March 2007

Models of career maturity, first formulated at midcentury, have been criticized for not incorporating innovations in personality and developmental psychology. This isolation from general models of and debates about personal maturity has kept career maturity from receiving widespread acceptance in mainstream psychology. The present study investigated whether Super’s model of career maturity could be linked to Gough’s three-dimensional model of personality organization. To explore relations between the two structural models, 200 college students responded to Gough’s California Psychological Inventory and Super’s Career Development Inventory. Results showed that planful competence in career development related to greater realization of one’s potential and a higher degree of social adjustment. Furthermore, the results indicated that more mature attitudes toward career planning and exploration related to an adjustment style characterized by extroversion in interpersonal relationships and by a positive orientation to social norms.
Career Assessment With Asian-Americans
Authors: Leong Frederick T. L. , Leung S. Alvin
Published: March 2007

The current article provides a review of the issues and problems in conducting career assessment with Asian-Americans. Existing information about the assessment of career interests, vocational development, and work values as they pertain to Asian-Americans are reviewed. Special issues in career assessment with Asian-Americans such as occupational segregation in vocational choices, educational attainment, and family influences are also discussed. The article also presents cross-cultural issues to be considered in the assessment and test interpretation process with Asian-American clients. Wherever appropriate, guidelines for effective career assessment with Asian-Americans are offered in the discussion. In the final section, directions for future research to increase our knowledge base on career assessment with Asian-Americans are presented and discussed.