bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Local Worlds of Suffering: An Interpersonal Focus for Ethnographies of Illness Experience
Authors: Kleinman Arthur
Published: March 2007

Ethnography is advanced as a methodology that links the humanities and social sciences with the health sciences. Ethnography deepens the study of human suffering by refraining the experience of illness as interpersonal processes in a moral context. Because ethnography's validity depends on the skills and training of the ethnographer, medical ethnographers must be effectively prepared to conduct research studies. This will become a serious issue in the development of qualitative research within the health sciences.
Loss and Grief among Family Caregivers of Relatives with Dementia
Authors: Collins Clare , Liken Michelle , King Sharon , Kokinakis Candance
Published: March 2007

This study describes family caregiver perceptions of the experience of loss and grief as it occurs prior to and following the death of a relative with dementia. A content analysis was conducted of responses to open-ended questions by a sample of 82 primary caregivers participating in a longitudinal study who had experienced the death of their relative with dementia. Six themes were identified: loss of person and relationship, loss of hope, predeath grief, expectancy of death, post-death relief, and caregiving reflections. Implications for clinical practice and research are presented.
The Concerns of Pregnant Women with Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Smeltzer Suzanne C.
Published: March 2007

Although multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common acquired neurological disorder among young adults, commonly striking young women in their childbearing years, little is known about the concerns of women with MS who become pregnant. Without information about concerns, worries, and fears experienced at this time, health care providers are unable to provide anticipatory guidance to assist the pregnant MS patient in coping with these concerns. The purpose of this study was to identify the concerns of pregnant women with MS. A qualitative, descriptive study was undertaken; 15 pregnant women with MS were interviewed using a semistructured interview guide. Content analysis was used to identify recurrent themes and categories of concerns from the transcripts of the interviews. Concerns that were identified focused on pregnancy itself, labor and delivery issues, breast-feeding, and short- and long-term parenting issues. The unpredictability of MS resulted in uncertainty that permeated many of the concerns identified by the participants.
Aggregating Qualitative Findings: An Approach to Theory Development
Authors: Estabrooks Carole A. , Field Peggy Anne , Morse Janice M.
Published: March 2007

The authors suggest that findings of independent, similar research articles may be aggregated into a cohesive study. Such a procedure greatly enhances the generalizability of the original studies and produces a relatively solid mid-range theory. In this article, the criteria for selecting studies, possible problems inherent in the aggregation approach, and potential areas for application are discussed.
Women's Experiences of the Meaning of Empowerment
Authors: Sheilds Laurene E.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this exploratory study is to understand and develop the concept of empowerment from a theoretical and a practical perspective with a particular focus on women's perception of the meaning of empowerment in their lives. The 15 study participants consisted of women aged 21 to 71 who self-identified with the concept of empowerment in response to a recruitment flyer. The women participated in semistructured in-depth interviews with a follow-up opportunity for group participation. Qualitative analysis of the results indicated that women experience empowerment as a multifaceted expansive process with three central themes: the development of an internal sense of self, the ability to take action based on their internal sense of self, and a salient theme of connectedness. The subcomponents of the transformational process will be defined and results will be discussed in the context of current understanding of empowerment and women's health.
A Qualitative Assessment of Primary Care Physicians' Perceptions about the Ethical and Social Implications of Offering Genetic Testing
Authors: Geller Gail , Holtzman Neil A.
Published: March 2007

Due to the increasing likelihood that new genetic tests will be incorporated into primary care, we investigated the preparedness of primary care physicians to offer such tests. As a follow-up to a national survey of physicians' knowledge and attitudes regarding genetics, we conducted five focus groups with a total of 39 survey respondents from 5 specialties and 4 states. Semi-structured questions were used to generate and guide discussion about participants' perceptions of (a) ethical obligations regarding genetic decision making and (b) barriers to widespread genetic testing. This article describes those perceptions. Participants believed that the goals of full disclosure and non-directiveness in genetic counseling were neither possible to achieve nor desirable in primary care. There were consistent gender differences, with female physicians reportedly deferring to patients in decision making more often than males. Participants seemed aware of the costs of genetic tests and the social risks to patients of disclosing confidential genetic information to insurance companies. Results have implications for the training of primary care providers.
Application of the Focus Group Methodology to Educational Program Development
Authors: Halloran James P. , Grimes Deanna E.
Published: March 2007

The emergence and growth of the HIV pandemic mandates the availability of nurses with the knowledge and skills to respond to the needs of infected persons. To develop relevant continuing education on HIV/AIDS for practicing nurses, the investigators applied focus group methods to assess the perceived learning needs of nurses caring for persons with HIV disease in a variety of settings. Findings of critical knowledge and skills in HIV nursing practice, plus suggested processes by which nurses prefer to acquire the knowledge and skills were used to construct a training program. This article describes the procedures used for focus group formation and moderation, data collection and analysis, and application of findings to program development. Data from training participants' evaluation of program content and process are discussed as a measure of the utility of this application of the focus group methodology.
Ethics in Focus Groups: A Few Concerns
Authors: Smith Mickey W.
Published: March 2007

Although the focus group methodology has become an increasingly popular research measure in the past 15 years, very little has been written about the ethical issues. Although the question of ethics is not unique to this approach, there are ethical issues that are specific to the focus group interview. The major issue to consider as a researcher using this technique is the potential of over disclosure by the participants, particularly if the research topic is sensitive. As researchers we are obligated to insure that participants in our studies are not harmed (physically or psychologically) by our research. To provide research participants the safest environment possible, the researcher must have an understanding and ability to apply ethical theories to their situations. This article discusses ethical theories, specific ethical concerns to focus groups, the role of the researcher in such cases, and makes recommendations for future consideration.
An Analysis of the Grounded Theory Method and the Concept of Culture
Authors: Barnes Donelle M.
Published: March 2007

Researchers increasingly include multicultural respondents in qualitative research studies. The grounded theory method, a currently popular qualitative methodology, seeks to interpret data for theory development. However, analysis of respondents from a culture(s) significantly different from the researcher's culture requires special attention to methodological issues. Requirements for conducting a grounded theory analysis with respondents from varying cultural orientations include personal or professional experience in the respondent's culture, professional literature of the respondent's culture around the phenomenon of interest, data analysis conducted in the language of the respondents, and a constant comparison of emerging concepts from the cultural perspective of the respondents. Only by attending to the cultures of the respondents and of the researchers can the social sciences create sufficiently rich inductively derived grounded theory.
Reconstructing My Life: Becoming a Long-Term Survivor of AIDS
Authors: Barroso Julie
Published: March 2007

This naturalistic study reports the ways of becoming a long-term survivor of AIDS. Ethnographic interviewing techniques were used to interview a purposive sample of 14 men and 6 women who had AIDS for at least 3 years and who were living in the Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida, area. Part of a larger study on the phenomenon of surviving AIDS, the ways of becoming a long-term survivor are embedded within 5 dimensions that allowed participants to reconstruct their lives within the context of AIDS. The reconstructed life was a process supported by normalizing, focusing on living, taking care of oneself, being in relation to others, and triumphing. This study offers health care providers strategies to assist people in all stages of HIV disease to find health within the context of their illness.
The Ouch! Factor: Problems in Conducting Sensitive Research
Authors: Alty A. , Rodham (née Gadd) K.
Published: March 2007

Qualitative health research often slams into sensitive barriers in attempting to understand the phenomena under scrutiny. John D. Brewer pointed out that textbooks tend to view areas of sensitivity as purely ethical issues. However, research within sensitive areas requires practical solutions that are not always linked to ethical dilemmas. Practical difficulties abound and demand flexibility and tact on the researcher's part if valuable research is to be carried out. As qualitative researchers, the authors share personal trials and tribulations that have been successfully overcome and integrated into completed research projects. This article outlines some of the problems and pitfalls that may be encountered while conducting sensitive research and offers some ideas that may enable researchers to deal with the "ouch! factor" in a professional and confidential manner. Above all, the authors hold that a sense of humour is one of the essential ingredients for surviving the unexpected ouch! factor.
Treatment-Seeking Patterns of Chronic Recidivists
Authors: Hartwell Stephanie W.
Published: March 2007

Many substance abusers return to substance abuse treatment. This article uses the life-history interview method to explore why chronic substance abuse recidivists, from their perspective, repeatedly access substance abuse treatment programs. This approach reveals that their intentions for accessing treatment are not based on abstinence but rather in response to other, more immediate needs. Therefore, relapsing and returning to treatment is normative for chronic recidivists and patterned by their differential social and institutional associations.
Outlasting Disruption: The Process of Reinvestment in Families with ADHD Children
Authors: Kendall Judy
Published: March 2007

The goal of the research described in this article was to generate a grounded theory of how parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) coped with this chronic behavioral disorder. Interview data from 15 families with ADHD children (N = 59) were analyzed using the grounded theory method. Data analysis revealed that parents out-lasted the disruption of ADHD through three subprocesses of "reinvesting": making sense, recasting biography, and relinquishing the "good ending." Findings suggest that there is a developmental trajectory of how parents adjust to the disorder over time and that there is a need for increased social and mental health services for all members of the family over the course of the disorder.
An Assessment System for Collaborative-Writing Groups: Theory and Empirical Evaluation
Authors: Beard John D. , Rymer Jone , Williams David L.
Published: March 2007

An assessment system for collaborative-writing projects helps create a positive learning experience for all group members by rewarding each individual for his or her participation. Unlike assessment systems that evaluate only the group product, the system proposed here balances product and process, the lat ter embracing individual skills at interacting and contributions to the collaborative composing. The results of a systematic study of students' atti tudes toward their classroom experiences seem to corroborate our perspective as practitioners: With this assessment system, group members felt that they participated fully and practiced effective interactional behaviors, that they be came involved in the collaborative-writing process, and that the reward system was fairer than a single group grade.
Power and Politeness
Authors: GRAHAM MARGARET BAKER , DAVID CAROL
Published: March 2007

In addition to reflecting the social and power relationships between the writer and the reader as well as the degree of imposition, politeness strategies in administrative writing also reflect the values of the organization. Operating in the egalitarian climate perpetuated in a university setting, administrators obscured their legitimate power when they wrote nonroutine memos to faculty. Hiding and de-emphasizing their empowerment by using indirectness, tentativeness, indebtedness, and personalization, academic administrators achieved a high level of politeness. This intensified politeness contrasts with the moderated politeness used in a corporation that openly accepts hierarchy and promotes efficiency. This study, therefore, offers a context-based approach to analyzing administrative writing, an approach that can be used to uncover discourse strategies in other organizational sites.
On-Line Documentation
Authors: McCABE KATHLEEN
Published: March 2007

This article considers on-line documentation's place in a two-year college's technical communication program. Such a course can be successful if instructors (1) emphasize design principles rather than a particular software package; (2) build on rhetorical skills students already possess, while developing the new skills necessary for authoring documents for the computer screen; and (3) acknowledge the need for their own professional development.
Assessment Methodology, Context, and Empowerment: The Ace Model of Skill Development
Authors: Wagner Sharon L. , Moffett Richard G.
Published: March 2007

The assessment, context, and empowerment (ACE) model is offered as a framework for designing a course in which students and instructors work as partners to develop students’ skills. The use of this model provides students with targeted opportunities for practice on multiple skill dimensions while linking the dimensions to relevant contexts. In a triangular procedure, students receive developmental feedback from three sources: themselves, their peers, and their instructor. Procedures for student empowerment, special responsibilities for the instructor, and lessons learned from using this approach are outlined.
A Reflection on Competency-based Education: Comments from Europe
Authors: Hill Jeanne , Houghton Pamela
Published: March 2007

This article reports on the rationale, design, implementation, and outcomes of new competency-based courses at a U.K. university. Follow-up research among students and staff members indicates that students taking the competency-based courses appear to be much more skilled than their predecessors in the academic and vocational areas taught on the courses, are receiving higher grades, and are having good success in being selected for jobs. The article also provides a model for design and delivery based on experiential and metacognitive theory and on research asking students for their reactions to this new way of learning and their preferences for competency-based course design.
Contract Grading: Encouraging Commitment to the Learning Process through Voice in the Evaluation Process
Authors: Hiller Tammy Bunn , Hietapelto Amy B.
Published: March 2007

Contract grading allows students to make important choices about what, how, and when to learn, thereby facilitating the development of a partnership learning environment in which students are likely to retain more information, make better use of information, and be more highly motivated to learn than in teacher-directed learning environments. This article argues the central role of contract grading in postmodern pedagogy and discusses in depth how to implement contract grading efficiently and effectively. It also addresses a significant benefit of using contract grading: Students learn multiple fundamental management concepts and skills experientially by engaging in the contract grading process.
Five Classroom Exercises for Sensitizing Students to Aspects of Japanese Culture and Business Practice
Authors: Van Buskirk Bill
Published: March 2007

Many graduating business students will enter employment situations in which it will be extremely helpful to have an awareness of Japanese culture. This article describes five experiential exercises that can be used to build students' understanding of key dimensions of Japanese culture that are particularly important to people who may find themselves working for or doing business with a Japanese firm.
Dealing with Student Conceptions and Misconceptions about Worker Attitudes and Productivity
Authors: Brown Darrel R.
Published: March 2007

It is often difficult to find ways to get students to become involved with course concepts at a personal level. This article describes a survey-feedback approach for personally engaging students in the discussion of their beliefs about American workers' attitudes and productivity. The questionnaire instrument used in the exercise, sample data, and suggestions for extending the approach to other topic areas are also included.
"Experience Base" Learning: A Classroom-as-Organization Using Delegated, Rank-Order Grading
Authors: Putzel Roger
Published: March 2007

A management and organizational behavior class designed as a new paradigm (sociotechnical) organization expands the classroom-as-organization (CAO) model. Groups of students take different administrative roles and teaching responsibilities. Helped by a detailed manual, students manage, teach, and evaluate their peers. An elaborate control (grading) system makes this learning organization effective. Rank-order peer grading eliminates tests. Conflict occurs, but eventually students, like members of an autonomous work group, learn to manage responsibly. The professor delegates most tasks and becomes a coach but must contend with the college grading system and teaching colleagues unaccustomed to rank-order peer evaluation.
The Role of Managerial Experience in the Management Education Process: Status, Problems, and Prospects
Authors: Buckley M. Ronald , Wren Daniel A. , Michaelsen Larry K.
Published: March 2007

A number of authorities on management education believe that those who teach management should have managerial experience or have been in contact with real-world management practices. However, a significant number of management professors have had only minimal management experience. The authors make the case that this may be problematic. This shortcoming has an effect on the quality of the product we are providing to the business world. There is a need for a rethinking of the relationship between academia and practicing managers. A number of strategies that will help to remedy the shortcomings associated with the minimal managerial experience of management professors are offered.
Dialectical Inquiry as an Instructional Heuristic in Organization Theory and Design
Authors: Dehler Gordon E. , Welsh M. Ann
Published: March 2007

Teaching an introductory undergraduate organization theory and design (OT) course can be both challenging and frustrating, due in large part to students' lack of organizational experience as well as to the inherent complexity of the topics. This article describes a pedagogy that draws on dialectical inquiry (thesis-antithesis-synthesis) and involves students actively in classroom learning. Concepts are introduced through dichotomies as typically introduced in OT texts, and discussion elaborates the gray areas between contradictory anchors and relationships among concepts. Finally, addressing case analysis through dialectical debate provides students with an opportunity to better comprehend the often ambiguous and paradoxical nature of managing in contemporary organizations.
The Effectiveness of Teaching Business Ethics Using Moral Philosophy and Personal Ethical Codes
Authors: Ferris William P.
Published: March 2007

In an age when corporate ethics are coming under increasing public scrutiny, many worry that ethics and ethical behavior cannot be taught. This article reports on the use of moral philosophy in connection with a system of building student personal ethical codes with a business perspective within a senior-level course on business ethics. Preliminary documentation of success consisting of anecdotal testimony as well as statistical analysis of surveys administered at the end of the course and 9 months after the end of the course is presented.
"Why do we Ask them to Write, or Whose Writing is it, Anyway?"
Authors: Locke Karen , Brazelton Julia K.
Published: March 2007

This article's intent is to refocus the way in which we as educators think about and structure written assignments in our courses. Specifically, the authors argue for a shift in priorities: away from general skills such as the mechanics of writing or general analytic capability and toward a more particular focus on the specific ideas of unique individuals. They argue that by so doing, students are more likely to improve both their analytical and written skills. The authors illustrate this approach by describing the way in which they structure assignments, provide feedback, and create a climate for writing in organization behavior and accounting theory courses.
Integrating Service Learning into a Business School Curriculum
Authors: Lamb Christine H. , Swinth Robert L. , Vinton Karen L. , Lee James B.
Published: March 2007

The authors consider the systematic integration of service learning into a professional business school curriculum. Taking a developmental approach, students were involved in service-learning experiences throughout all 4 years of their education. Major barriers of faculty/organizational resistance, institutional infrastructure to support service-learning efforts, and pedagogical/curriculum design are addressed. The article focuses primarily on the pedagogical and curricular design and implementation of service-learning experiences that promote students' personal (moral) and professional (ethical) development.
Other People’S Money: A Visual Technology for Teaching Corporate Restructuring Cross-Functionally
Authors: Graham Lise , Peña Leticia , Kocher Claudia
Published: March 2007

This article presents a detailed plan for using the movie Other People's Money as an integrative technology to teach organizational behavior and finance concepts crossfunctionally. The movie depicts corporate restructuring issues in a comic manner, while still conveying a message. It incorporates topics such as differing organizational models and perpectives, leadership, managerial goals, and stakeholder needs/wants. It also helps students learn about mergers and acquisitions including topics like takeovers, tender offers, and greenmail while stimulating thinking aout complex ethical issues. This teaching tool can be incorporated in undergraduate or graduate business classes, or as a module for management education in corporate settings. The teaching notes include a vocabulary list, suggested stopping points with discussion questions, and a set of postmovie questions to reinforce related concepts and motivate further study.
The Role Of Coaching in Student Teams: A “Just-in-Time” Approach To Learning
Authors: Bolton Michele Kremen
Published: March 2007

This article focuses on methods to improve student satisfaction and learning in team projects. The article describes in detail three sequential modules that the instructor can present in class to improve student team performance and learning: (a) starting student teams off on the right foot, (b) helping teams manage diversity and conflict, and (c) helping students learn from their teamwork experience. The article also highlights the role of the teacher as a learning coach during the teambuilding process, tying specific classroom behaviors to each of the three instructional modules. The discussion is supported by survey results on student teams involving 76 business school faculty and 199 undergraduate students. The article concludes that student team projects constitute a valuable peer-centered learning experience only when instructors are active coaches, giving just-in-time feedback and providing focused and concrete guidance at strategic intervals during the semester.
Using Web-Enhanced Instruction in an Interpersonal Skills Course
Authors: Human Sherrie E. , Kilbourne Lynda M. , Clark Thomas D.
Published: March 2007

Although the importance of incorporating interpersonal skills courses into the management curriculum has been well documented, the use of electronic learning resources in behavioral science courses is in its infancy. This article describes the introduction of and student response toWeb-enhanced instruction in an Interpersonal Skills course required of Xavier UniversityMBA students. It provides a guide to specific Web self-assessment instruments, suggests assignments that integrate online tools with other course pedagogies, includes examples of Web-driven in-class interactive activities and out-of-class reflective activities, presents a model of key implementation and pedagogical factors, and discusses implications to consider in using online assessments.
Dietary Fiber Nursing Intervention
Authors: Rodrigues-Fisher Lorraine , Bourguignon Cheryl , Good Barbara Vonthron
Published: March 2007

Constipation is a major complaint of older adults. Approximately 30% of older adults use laxatives at least once weekly, and laxatives account for 1% of physician prescriptions in addition to approximately 700 over-the-counter preparations. This study evaluated the efficacy of a fiber and fluid nursing intervention on the maintenance of bowel movements and elimination aid withdrawal in residents of a long-term health care facility. The findings indicated that the number of bowel movements reached a peak at 3 months and returned to baseline values at the 6-month point while the use of both laxatives and stool softeners decreased significantly. Enema and suppository use was so infrequent at baseline and throughout the study that changes in these variables were statistically insignificant. The results demonstrate that a natural means of maintaining bowel movements using a fiber and fluid nursing intervention can significantly decrease the number of laxatives and stool softeners needed by residents of a long-term facility.
Fiber-Fortifiled Feedings in Immobile Patients
Authors: Grant Louise P. , Wanger Laura I. , Neill Kathleen M.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this pilot study was to test methods to measure the effects of a fiber-fortified, enteral feeding (Jevity™) on the bowel habits of an immobile, tube-fed group of patients. Three experimental patients received fiber-fortified feedings for seven weeks, whereas four control patients received their usual enteral feeding. Measurements of the number of stools, the consistency of stools, the formula volume delivered, the daily water volume, the body temperature, the urinary output, and the bowel medications were made during three phases—a baseline, an adjustment, and a treatment period. Patients who receive the fiber-fortified enteral feedings had more stools and better consistency of stools than did those patients who did not receive the fiber-fortified formula. Results indicated that fiber-fortified feedings should be added gradually to immobile, tube-fed patients' diets under close supervision. Although measuring the effects of a new feeding in immobile, tube-fed patients is labor-intensive, it can be accomplished successfully.
A Behavioral Medicine Intervention in Persons with HIV
Authors: Nicholas Patrice Kenneally , Webster Ann
Published: March 2007

This study used a pretest-posttest pre-experimental design to examine the effect of a 10-week behavioral medicine support group intervention in a sample of persons with HIV Using Solomon's psychoneuroimmunologic framework, the 10-week behavioral medicine program focused on the mind/body interaction, the relaxation response, coping with illness, hardiness, and nutrition. Pearson correlation coefficients and t tests were performed on the pre- and postintervention measures of hardiness, social support, immune function, and perceived health status. Results of the study indicated that hardiness (preintervention) and CD4 counts (pre- and postintervention) were significantly correlated with health status; however, CD4 counts decreased over the course of the behavioral medicine program. Implications for nursing and recommendations for further research are discussed.
After-the-Fact Strategies Mexican Americans Use to Prevent HIV and STDs
Authors: McQuiston Chris , Doerfer Laura Bani , Parra K. Ivan , Gordon Ann
Published: March 2007

Hispanics make up less than 10% of the U.S. population but account for 83,923 (17%) of all U.S AIDS cases and are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Nurses have a mandate to provide culturally competent care, but to do so, they must understand what their clients' needs are and how best to deliver nursing care. A key finding of this exploratory focus group study with newly immigrated Mexican Americans in North Carolina was that respondents were actively striving to prevent HIV or STDs. Their preventive practices for both HIV and STDs centered around a "gonorrhea model" of prevention and casual transmission. The emphasis was not on the biomedical model of transmission or prevention (condoms use). The findings also suggested that the level of counseling for prevention needs to be targeted differently for men than for women.
Too Tough to Die
Authors: Wade-Benzoni Kimberly A.
Published: March 2007

As a resident of lower Manhattan, the author reflects on her own experience of September 11 and discusses how terror management theory (TMT) can help explain behavior following the attacks. TMT predicts and research confirms that mortality salience increases the need for people to feel that they are a part of enduring social entities (such as church or nation). By identifying themselves with larger social groups that are not subject to the mortal fate of the individual human being, people can symbolically evade death, thus enabling them to buffer the anxiety arising frommortality awareness. Connecting oneself to future generations serves a similar function because it allows people to feel as though they can “live on” beyond their own deaths.
The Death of the Subject and the Life of the Organization
Authors: Baack Donald , Prasch Thomas
Published: March 2007

Challenges to traditional notions of subjectivity have been a central preoccupation of new theory over the past 20 years, yet the clear applicability of such reconceptions of the subject to organizational studies has received little attention. This article traces the development of arguments about subjectivity from the influential essays of Roland Barthes and Michel Foucault and then summarizes more recent ideas about the nature of relational or positional subjectivity. These new theoretical developments are applied to organizational analysis, closing with suggested applications of new subjectivity to specific topics in organizational theory and behavior.
A Damage Mechanics Approach to Fatigue Assessment in Offshore Structures
Authors: Li D.L. , Chow C.L.
Published: March 2007

This article is intended to describe the development of a fatigue damage model capable of assessing fatigue damage in offshore structures. This is achieved by for mulating a set of damage coupled constitutive and evolution equations which make the for mulation of a unified approach possible under both low and high cycle fatigue damage and consistent with the structural dynamic response of the changing/deteriorating material be haviors. The structural analysis for the whole designed period, say about 30 years, can be carried out with the aid of the proposed analytical procedure, in which the fundamental characteristics of sea wave statistics responsible for the structural dynamic response can be sufficiently considered. An offshore structure subject to complex ocean environment is described by a general stochastic system which embeds a group of stochastic subsystems, each characterizing a duty cycle. An effective analytical method is established by introduc ing the concept of duty strain range with a clear mathematical definition and its analytical solution which covers all possible spectral parameters. The history-dependent damage is also included in the damage model so that the overload effects can be analyzed. It should be pointed out that the whole procedure can be fully computerized such that the practical or engineering significance of varying design variables can be readily highlighted.
Chronic Offenders in China
Authors: Liu Jianhong , Messner Steven F. , Liska Allen E.
Published: March 2007

Using survey data from a sample of inmates in the city of Tianjin, this paper investigates the applicability of the concept of chronic offenders in China. Three general questions are addressed. First, in light of the historically low crime rates, is there an identifiable chronic offending group in Chinese society? Second, if there is such a group of chronic offenders, is this group characteristically violent? Third, does this group exhibit similar or different patterns of recidivism in comparison with other offenders? The results reveal a complex pattern. When attention focuses on violations that elicit severe sanctioning (court action), there is no evidence of a chronic offending group. However, when administrative sanctions by the police are included in the examination, a chronic offender group can be discerned. This Chinese chronic offender group is relatively small in size, but, as in the U.S., these offenders are more likely than others to be involved in violent offending. These chronic offenders are also more likely than other offenders to progress from nonviolent to violent offending after initial contact with the criminal justice system.
Criminal Justice Research and International Paradigms: Neoliberal Institutionalism, Regimes, and Emerging Structures
Authors: Russell Gregory D.
Published: March 2007

Scholars in criminal justice, as in public administration, borrow their research paradigms from other fields. This has benefits and, of course, limitations. One benefit is to take advantage of rigorous explorations already conducted in the use of certain concepts and variables. Researchers in public administration and criminal justice, however, have largely ignored the scholarship in international organizations. This paper outlines the differing research approaches in international relations, paying particular attention to the neoliberal institutionalist paradigm. One focus of that paradigm is the analysis of emerging international agreements on policy issues. To date, little work has been done on emerging regimes in criminal justice. This paper sets out the research design and suggests potentially fruitful approaches to such research.
The Leader-Member Exchange as a Link between Managerial Trust and Employee Empowerment
Authors: Gómez Carolina , Rosen Benson
Published: March 2007

This article examines the relationship between managerial trust and employee empowerment. Hypotheses derived from leader-member exchange (LMX) theory suggest that the quality of leader-member relations mediates the linkage between managerial trust and employee empowerment. Data from 128 manager-employee dyads from 13 organizations support this model. Whereas previous research has pointed to the influence of organizational and social structural variables on empowerment, this research shows the importance of manager-employee relationships on perceived empowerment. Implications for researchers and managers leading empowerment initiatives are discussed.
A Framework for Investigating the Link between Workplace Romance and Sexual Harassment
Authors: Pierce Charles A. , Aguinis Herman
Published: March 2007

Workplace romance and sexual harassment are pervasive social-sexual phenomena in organizations. However, the processes through which dissolved workplace romances are most likely to foster sexually harassing behavior between former romantic partners are not known. The authors propose that the following factors play a critical role in influencing the likelihood that terminated workplace romances lead to sexually harassing behavior: (a) type of workplace romance as defined by pairing of each partner’s primary romance motive, (b) partners’ social power, (c) initiation of romantic relationship dissolution, (d) male partner’s sexual harassment proclivity, (e) nature of each partner’s residual affective state, and (f) organization’s tolerance for sexual harassment. Based on the role of these factors, the authors provide a framework and propositions that serve to guide future research addressing the link between dissolved workplace romances and sexually harassing behavior. Methodological considerations and implications for management are also discussed.
A Field Study of Job Insecurity during a Financial Crisis
Authors: Adkins Cheryl L. , Werbel James D. , Farh Jiing-Lih
Published: March 2007

A major trend in the workplace is a recognition of the increasingly temporary nature of the work relationship. Even universities, which have traditionally offered long-termjob security in the form of academic tenure, are not immune from that trend. Some universities no longer offer tenure, and financial pressures sometimes threaten the job security of tenured faculty. The increased focus on the temporary nature of the work relationship may lead to a sense of job insecurity among employees. The present study examined antecedents and outcomes of job insecurity following significant budget cuts at a major university. Perceptions of receiving sufficient and accurate information from organizational sources, tenure status, and tolerance for ambiguity predicted job insecurity. Job insecurity, in turn, predicted job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and withdrawal behaviors. Turnover for a 2-year period following the budget cuts was predicted by survey variables.
Interorganizational Cooperation: How Effective for Grassroots Organizations?
Authors: O'Sullivan Elizabethann
Published: March 2007

The study empirically examined the value of interorganizational rela tions to voluntary associations; the data are from questionnaires sent to rape crisis centers in the United States. Interorganizational cooperation was studied as it was associated with structural variations and as it affected organizational effectiveness. No relationship was found between structure and cooperation; however, centers with staff tended to have community ties and more of them. The more centralized the decision making, the more organizational contacts; the difference between this and previous research seems to be due to differences in conceptualization of centralization. Cooperation was not found to be related to demands for services or speakers; there was a relationship to the extent of programs designed to train agency personnel. The number of interorganizational contacts was directly related to the number of volunteers active in a center and to the number of minority-group members. It was concluded that there are no benefits from expending undue effort to make commun ity contact, nor are politically oriented groups, which eschew formal relations, necessarily handicapped.
Assessing Planned Change
Authors: Porras Jerry I. , Patterson Kerry
Published: March 2007

In order for planned organizational change to advance in both theory and practice, there must be a concomitant advancement in the willingness and ability of change agents to assess the change process effectively. This paper explores the current OD assessment milieu and proposes a model to help clarify assessment. Each feature of the model is defined, and charac teristic problems are discussed in light of current methods and theory. As a means of summary, guidelines are proposed to enhance the assessability of potential change activities.
Mentors in Organizations
Authors: Burke Ronald J.
Published: March 2007

This study examined mentoring relationships in organizations as experienced by protégés. The sample, 80 men and women in early career stages, provided data using questionnaires. Three-quarters of the group had one or more mentors. The findings were both supportive of some previous conclusions and contradictory to others. In general, the mentoring experience was a positive one for proteges. Implications for management development are offered. The presence of mentoring in organizations is also considered in relation to specific organizational outcome variables.
Relationships Among Personality, Conflict Resolution Styles, and Task Effectiveness
Authors: Jones Robert E. , White Charles S.
Published: March 2007

Using a sample of 114 MBA students in a Business Policy simulation, relationships among personality, conflict-handling modes of behav ior, and group task effectiveness are hypothesized and tested Empiri cal support was found associating personality with preference for the smoothing forcing and confrontation modes of conflict resolution. These preferences were associated with actual behaviors and the ac tual behaviors were associated with group task effectiveness.
Women's Work Orientations: Something Old, Something New
Authors: Fagenson Ellen A.
Published: March 2007

Two explanations for women's limited presence in top corporate positions were tested. The person-centered explanation argues that women's work orientations are contrary to the demands of top corporate positions. The organization-centered perspective suggests that women's orientations vary with respect to hierarchical level: The higher the position, the more "top-management" focused the orientation. Women's orientations towards their careers, organi zations, jobs, and subordinates were examined with respect to organizational level. The results provided some support for the organization-centered perspective. Person-centered predications were not supported. The implications of the findings are discussed.
The Effects of Group Cohesion and Leader Behavior on Subordinate Satisfaction
Authors: Dobbins Gregory H. , Zaccaro Stephen J.
Published: March 2007

The present study examined the effects of group cohesiveness and leader behavior on subordinate satisfaction in a military organiza tion. A total of 203 cadets completed measures of group cohesiveness, leader initiating structure, leader consideration, and several satisfac tion scales. Analyses indicated that (1) subordinates were more satisfied with leaders who exhibited high levels of initiating struc ture and consideration; (2) subordinates in high-cohesiveness groups were more satisfied than subordinates in low-cohesiveness groups; and (3) leader initiating structure and consideration were more positively related to subordinate satisfaction in high-cohesiveness groups than in low-cohesiveness groups. The results demonstrate the necessity of including group process variables in leadership theory and research. Implications of the findings forgroup effectiveness are also discussed.
The Future of American Organizations
Authors: Varney Glenn
Published: March 2007

The future of American management and the role organization development (OD) professionals play in organization change has emerged as a paramount concern to chief executive officers, managers, educational institutions, and many others in our society. This interview with one of the foremost thinkers on the subject of cultural and organizational change sets forth some very clear recommendations for improving American competitive positions in the world environment.
Cross-Cultural Influences on Work and Nonwork Contributors to Quality of Life
Authors: Keller Robert T.
Published: March 2007

The relative contributions of work and nonwork variables to quality of life were studied with a sample of 311 employed, white, Hispanic, and black Americans and Mexican nationals. Multiple regression and hierarchical regression analyses found no significant relationship between ethnic group membership and quality of life. As hypothesized, home life and family nonwork variables accounted for more unique variance in quality of life than did the work variables of job satisfaction, job stress, and job level. Self-esteem explained unique variance in quality of life across the sample.
Putting the Problem with the Fable on the Table
Authors: Nadler David A.
Published: March 2007

Choosing a consultant to work on behavioral process issues in organizations is a difficult task. It requires understanding of what these types of consultants actually do and how they work. Elements to look for during the search include positive chemistry with the client, a diagnostic bias, intellect, ability to understand the environment, ability to build relationships, and knowledge of professional limits. this information is best obtained by spending time with prospective consultants and talking with their clients. Ultimately, the client needs to trust his or her emotions.
Responses to the Alpha, Beta, Gamma Change Typology
Authors: Tennis Christopher N.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the manner in which the field of organization development has responded to the alpha, beta, gamma change typology of Golembiewski, Billingsley, and Yeager (1976a). The work of researchers investigating the concept is reviewed, and forces acting to limit its widespread application are identified. Finally, practical implications of the discipline's resistance to the concept are considered.
The Role of the Initial Interaction in Leader-Member Exchange
Authors: Dockery Terry M. , Steiner Dirk D.
Published: March 2007

The present research employed a correlational-design laboratory study to examine the initial-interaction component of a developmental model of Graen's leader-member exchange theory of leadership proposed by Dienesch and Liden (1986). The influence of ability, liking, and the three upward-influence tactics of ingratiation, assertiveness, and rationality on the quality of leader-member exchange was examined both from the perspective of group leaders and members. The 188 subjects were assigned to groups of 4 (a leader and 3 members). From the leader's perspective, liking for members and ability of members were the variables most consistently related to quality of leader-member exchange. From the member's perspective, all variables except self-assessed ability were related to quality of leader-member exchange. The differences in perspective between leaders and members are discussed.
The Relationship of Goal Setting to Organizational Profitability
Authors: Terpstra David E. , Rozell Elizabeth J.
Published: March 2007

A survey was conducted of organizations as to the extent of use of goal-setting theory and applications, and it was investigated whether organizations that used goal setting were more profitable than those that did not. A positive relationship was found between the use of goal setting and profitability. Thus the results provide some initial evidence for the possible impact of goal setting on organizational-level measures of performance. Industry type and organizational size appeared to have little influence on the use of goal setting; however, the relationship between the use of goal setting and profitability did vary somewhat by industry classification.