bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Release of Propranolol and Diclofenac from Low Mw DL-Poly(Lactic Acid)
Authors: Mamouzelos N. J. , Proikakis C. S. , Tarantili P. A. , Andreopoulos A. G.
Published: July 2003

The controlled release of two drugs, i.e. the sodium salt of diclofenac and propranolol was studied, by using low molecular weight D,L Poly(lactic acid) as a matrix. Tabletsof the above polymer containing those drugswere immersed into bufferswith variouspH valuesand delivery was recorded as a function of time, via UV-spectroscopy. The results showed that the polymer is appropriate for such biomedical applications, as generally, it ensures complete drug delivery within 45–60 days, which is acceptable for most cases. On the other hand, the release rate depends on many parameters including the interactionsamong drug, matrix and the surrounding liquid, which adds complexity to the process and requires careful investigation for proper design of a controlled release system.
Hemocompatibility of Medical Connectors with Biopassive or Bioactive Surface Coatings
Authors: Wendel Hans P. , Hauser Nils , Briquet François , Ziemer Gerhard
Published: July 2003

Although medical connectors compose very small parts of the extracorporeal circulation (ECC) systemthey represent a critical localization where early thromboembolic processes can manifest. In the present study we modified an in vitro closed-loop model with fresh human whole blood for the preclinical evaluation of the hemocompatibility of three types of medical connectors: non-coated (control); with silicone-, and heparin-coating. Each single loop consists of five polycarbonate connectors joined together by five pieces of silicone tubes. Thrombin-antithrombin-III, β-thromboglobulin (β-TG), PMN-Elastase, terminal complement complex, CD 11b expression, and surface-absorbed fibrinogen were measured. After 1 and 2 h recirculation, platelet loss, release of β-TG, and adsorption of fibrinogen were significantly higher ( p<0.05) within the non-coated connectors compared to the silicone- and heparin-coated groups. Following this experiment, the connectors were filled again with fresh heparinized whole blood from the same donor to evaluate the influence of prior blood contact. Here, the activation of platelets and coagulation was dependent on the duration of the blood preincubation period.

Probably, the coated surfaces possess a reduced, or selective adsorption of plasma proteins, which in turn leads to a faster creation of a blood-friendly secondary superficial membrane, and prevents a further denaturation and hence activation of the adsorbed proteins.
Endothelial Cell Seeding of a 4-mm I.D. Polyurethane Vascular Graft
Authors: Fields Charles , Cassano Anthony , Allen Cynthia , Meyer Andrew , Pawlowski Kristin J. , Bowlin Gary L. , Rittgers Stanley E. , Szycher Michael
Published: July 2003

We evaluated the extent (luminal coverage) of the endothelial cell (EC) lining/neointimal development and the thromboresistance of electrostatically EC seeded small diameter Chrono Flex-polyurethane vascular grafts. The evaluation consisted of harvesting autologous, canine jugular vein ECs, electrostatically seeding the polyurethane grafts (4-mm I.D., length = 6 cm) with the harvested ECs, implanting the grafts in a canine femoral artery model for four to six weeks, and excising the grafts for histological and scanning electron microscopy evaluations.

Results of the histological evaluation (mid-graft region only) indicated that electrostatic EC seeding led to neointimal development and to minimal to no thrombus formation within the EC seeded grafts. The unseeded control grafts resulted in no neointimal development and substantial thrombus formation on the graft luminal surfaces. Scanning electron microscopy examination demonstrated a mature, confluent endothelium with a ‘‘cobblestone’’ appearance on the EC seeded graft luminal surface after six weeks.

We conclude that electrostatic EC seeding enhanced the development of a neointima and reduced the incidence of thrombosis in polyurethane grafts implanted in a canine femoral artery model.
Transaction Costs and the Land Use Planning Process
Authors: Dawkins Casey J.
Published: July 2003

Urban scholars have recently begun to employ transaction costs as a heuristic device to understand the land use planning process. This emphasis on transaction costs can be traced to Ronald H. Coase’s “The Problem of Social Cost,” an article that calls into question the traditional market failure justification for public policy intervention. This article reviews the normative debate surrounding the Coase Theorem and the effects of this debate on positive analyses of the land use planning process. An emphasis on the transaction costs of public policy intervention provides a useful framework for understanding the private demand for land use plans, the organizational dimension of land use plan implementation, and the impact of alternate land use planning systems on the land development decisions of private landowners.
Case Studies of Planners at Work
Authors: Fischler Raphaël
Published: July 2003

Although treatises on planning published since the 1960s show that alternative paradigms have dominated planning theory over the years, case studies of municipal planning practice display a remarkable continuity in the lessons that researchers have drawn about the qualities that planners should possess to be effective practitioners. This is due, at least in part, to the very nature of case studies as in depth investigations of behaviors and motivations. The article analyzes the way in which researchers have used case studies to build planning theory. It reviews their conclusions on required individual abilities and compares them with the author’s own empirical observations.
Virtual Reality and Urban Simulation in Planning: A Literature Review and Topical Bibliography
Authors: Simpson David M.
Published: July 2003

The following literature overview and bibliography was initially compiled while the author was a faculty member at Texas A&M University. The initial compilation was incorporated into a 1997 NSF grant application titled Virtual Reality and Urban Simulation Technology: Theory, Development and Application for Planning and Natural Hazards. The author accepted a position at the University of Louisville in June 1999, and in the fall of that year and the spring of 2000, the bibliography was updated to reflect the recent additions to this field. A selection of urban simulation–related Web sites are included in the last section of the bibliography.
Worker Telecommunication and Mobility in Transition: Consequences for Planning
Authors: Helling Amy , Mokhtarian Patricia L.
Published: July 2003

Although planners have been interested in work-related telecommunication and mobility arrangements chiefly as means of transportation demand management, even telecommuting, the most promising in this regard, seems to have limited longrun potential to reduce congestion. However, such work arrangements do affect workers’ travel needs and thus themix of travelers, destinations, and trip purposes, as well as equitable access to housing, jobs, and amenities. They are also likely to further disperse residences in the long run, with consequences for both land use and transportation, except where counterbalanced by workers’ rising time values and/or increased uncertainty about future travel destinations or times. Thus, the authors recommend that academic researchers and metropolitan planning organizations cooperate to identify effects of telecommunication-and mobility-enabled work arrangements on travel and location behavior in the long run and at the detailed scale necessary for truly forward-looking planning.
Visualization Tools and Methods in Community Planning: From Freehand Sketches to Virtual Reality
Authors: Al-Kodmany Kheir
Published: July 2003

As new computerized visualization tools become available, planning professionals who engage in public participation planning must have a practical understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of each tool in order to choose the ones appropriate for a given context. This article reviews both traditional and computerized visualization tools and attempts to provide a general map for planners as they navigate through the multitude of options that currently exist for visualization in public participation planning. The article is organized around a conceptual model that shows the relationship between eight visualization tools (four traditional and four computerized) and two types of communication media.
Disentangling the Concept of Density
Authors: Churchman Arza
Published: July 2003

At first glance, the concept of density is wonderfully appealing to planners. It is an objective, quantitative, and, by itself, neutral term. However, a second and third glance reveals that it is a very complex concept. Some of the complexity is inherent to the nature of the phenomena associated with density, but part of the complexity stems from the different ways in which density is defined and used in different countries and different disciplines. This review of the literature presents this complexity in an attempt to contribute to a better understanding of the concept and a more careful approach to its use. The review includes both academic and practice literature from the planning, urban studies, and environment-behavior disciplines and selected planning documents from countries around the world.
Readings on Race, Gender, Class, and Ethnicity: Results of a Course Survey
Authors: Sen Siddhartha
Published: July 2003

This bibliography presents relevant readings from forty-one courses taught in fifteen graduate planning programs in the United States. Issues of race, gender, class, and ethnicity were a major theme in these courses, which were taught from the 1994-95 to the 1997-98 academic years. The readings are grouped into nine broad categories in this bibliography: community development and neighborhood planning; economic development planning and regional economics; environmental and natural resources planning; housing, real estate development, and zoning; international planning and development; physical planning, urban design, and historic preservation; planning theory, history, practice, and education; public policy and human services planning; and miscellaneous readings. The bibliography is by no means an exhaustive list of sources on these topics. It reflects the material that was employed by planning academicians primarily in the mid-1990s.
Administrative Discretion and Urban and Regional Planners’ Values
Authors: Forsyth Ann
Published: July 2003

This article explores the possibilities for using administrative discretion to do planning that reflects urban and regional planners’ own deeply held values. The article first charts the broad character of administrative discretion and the limits of discretion. Potential problems include a lack of accountability, manipulation, unpredictability, intrusiveness, and poor decision making. The second section of the article examines one area of value-based planning—progressive planning. It concludes that administrative discretion may provide enough space for value-based planning, but using discretion for such actions often requires testing a set of ethical and political limits of working within governments.
Assessing the Performance of Affordable Loans: Implications for Research and Policy
Authors: Quercia Roberto G.
Published: July 2003

In recent years, mortgage originators, government-sponsored enterprises, and others have changed underwriting guidelines to make borrowing more affordable to traditionally underserved populations such as low-income and minority households. Unfortunately, there is anxiety about the performance of these affordable loans. The key concern stems from the fear that affordable loans may be riskier than other loan products. This article reviews the research evidence and explores two types of reasons for the conflicting nature of that evidence. These reasons include the practices of the institutions involved in mortgage lending and methodological considerations. Implications for research and policy are derived from the review.
Facilitating Self-Esteem and Social Supports in a Family Life-Skills Program
Authors: Wichroski Mary Anne , Zunz Sharyn J. , Forshay Elizabeth
Published: July 2003

Apreliminary study of a statewide life-skills job-readiness program in which 116 female Temporary Assistance to Needy Families recipients participated found that significant gains made in curricular areas were positively correlated with self-esteem and social supports. The responses to a qualitative survey and ethnographic data revealed these women's strengths and the ways in which gender may have facilitated positive outcomes.
The Vulnerability of American Indian Women in the New Welfare State
Authors: Brzuzy Stephanie , Stromwall Layne , Sharp Polly , Wilson Regina , Segal Elizabeth
Published: July 2003

This article focuses on the unequal impact of PRWORA and TANF programs on American Indian women and their children in Arizona, despite exemptions from time limits on high-unemployment reservations. It discusses whether gaming, a controversial form of economic development in tribal communities, is a potential benefit to American Indian women and presents implications for social work practice and advocacy.
Welfare Reform and Mutual Family Support: Effects on Mother-Led Mexican American Families
Authors: Weinberg Sylvia B.
Published: July 2003

Time limits for the receipt of welfare were imposed on San Antonio's Mexican American mother-led families earlier than for welfare participants in other states. This article examines the effects of this social experiment on an already vulnerable population and addresses the effects of family support, both given and received, on the women's reliance on welfare and on work.
Environment Through a Gendered Lens: From Person-in-Environment to Woman-in-Environment
Authors: Kemp Susan P.
Published: July 2003

Building on interdisciplinary work by critical and feminist scholars in geography, architecture and urban planning, and history, this article proposes a reworking of social work's person-environment formulation to incorporate gender and its implications more fully. Three interlocking domains are addressed: (a) women's subjective experiences of their everyday environments; (b) the connections among these environmental experiences, the geography of women's lives, and larger social categories such as race/ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation; and (c) women's environmental strengths, resources, and agency.
Stalking: The Constant Threat of Violence
Authors: Sinwelski Shari A. , Vinton Linda
Published: July 2003

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have passed antistalking legislation. This article discusses the history and dynamics of stalking and contemporary efforts to define and regulate stalking behavior, along with interventions for victims and stalkers.
Specific Practice Strategies for Empowerment-Based Practice With Women: A Study of Two Groups
Authors: Parsons Ruth J.
Published: July 2003

Although it is commonly agreed in the social work literature that empowerment principles are appropriate and helpful in work with women, it is not always clear how to implement these principles. This article presents the qualitative study of two groups—a political advocacy group and a group for survivors of domestic violence—that identified specific behaviors of social workers and experiences of clients that facilitate the empowerment of women.
Constructing Learning Sites for Solidarity and Social Action: Gender Autobiography for Consciousness Raising
Authors: Comerford Susan A. , Fambrough Mary J.
Published: July 2003

This article reports on the use of gender autobiography as a tool and process in courses on women's issues and human behavior in the social environment. The authors argue that despite political, social, and economic advances made by women, inequities persist, and collective action toward their amelioration has been inhibited by women's lack of understanding of and appreciation for the diversity of their experiences and contexts. The use of the gender autobiography heightens appreciation for diversity by deconstructing essentializing notions of gender while enabling the reconstruction of relationships of solidarity among women through the discovery of commonalities of experience under patriarchy. Thus, effective participation in the feminist project becomes possible.
Negotiating Images: Popular Culture, Imagination, and Hope in Clinical Social Work Practice
Authors: Béres Laura
Published: July 2003

This article discusses the findings of a study of reflective clinical social work practice with women who had experienced wife assault. Literature, practice, and research suggest that it may be beneficial to examine, within the therapeutic setting, clients' engagement with popular cultural texts and what they have learned from them. Through the process of engaging women in reflecting on their learning sites and negotiating images within their favorite popular cultural texts, it also became clear that it would be necessary to examine conceptions of hope. Thus, approaches to addressing hope within practice are also discussed.
The PTSD Diagnosis: Is It Good for Women?
Authors: Berg Susan H.
Published: July 2003

This article discusses the feminist response to the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is used to identify and treat the psychological symptoms of women who have been sexually and physically abused.Feminist reaction to PTSD is often contentious and appears to divide along political lines, roughly conceptualized as liberal, radical, and socialist.The author reviews the theoretical stances of these factions in regard to gender issues, politics, and psychology and considers their responses (actual or probable) to the PTSD diagnosis.
Domestic Violence Among AFDC Recipients: Implications for Welfare-to-Work Programs
Authors: Sable Marjorie R. , Libbus M. Kay , Huneke Diane , Anger Kathleen
Published: July 2003

This article reports on a 1996 prevalence study of domestic violence and other partne and family-related problems among 404 female aid to families with dependent children (AFDC) recipients in the Kansas City, Missouri, metropolitan area. Almost one third of the women had been abused sometime in their lives, and 10% had been abused in the past year. The women stated that abuse or lack of support reduced their ability to work, but not as often as did lack of child care and transportation. Thus, domestic violence may affect women's success in finding and keeping jobs.
Employment and the Use of Welfare Among Male and Female Heads of AFDC Households
Authors: Hardina Donna
Published: July 2003

Studies have found that single mothers on welfare rarely find fulltime, permanent jobs at adequate wages, but few have examined the impact of gender on the likelihood that welfare recipients will leave welfare and find employment. Using data on 500 primary wage earners in two-parent aid to families with dependent children (AFDC) households, this study compared men's and women's receipt of welfare, employment, and hours of work and types of jobs available to them. Exit from welfare and employment were predicted using such factors as Gender, High School Graduation, Age, Disability, and Number of Children in the Household.
Feminist Links, Postmodern Interruptions: Critical Pedagogy and Social Work
Authors: Pennell Joan , Ristock Janice L.
Published: July 2003

Postmodern perspectives can constructively interrupt conventional views as long as social workers remain linked to feminist and other intersecting emancipatory movements. This article deconstructs the dichotomy between science and practice and presents a class exercise to illustrate how an analysis of feminist links–postmodern interruptions can promote a self-critical and proactive education in foundation courses for largely female students in historically marginalized regions of Canada and the United States.
A Multivariate Analysis of Risk Markers for Dating Violence Victimization
Authors: Harned Melanie S.
Published: July 2003

The present study examines the predictive ability of three categories of risk markers for psychological, sexual, and physical victimization by dating partners among a large sample of university women and men ( n = 874). Fifteen variables operationalized the three categories, and results of regression analyses indicate that the bidirectional aggression variables were the best predictors of dating violence victimization, followed by the situational factors; victim attributes did not significantly predict victimization. The results also indicate that differential patterns of risk markers are evident across types of dating violence victimization. In addition, risk markers for victimization by dating partners were found to vary somewhat for women and men
Using Demographic Risk Factors to Explain Variations in the Incidence of Violence Against Women
Authors: O'Donnell Christopher J. , Smith Angie , Madison Jeanne R.
Published: July 2003

This article offers statistical support for the contention that demographic risk factors influence the incidence of some women's experiencing violence more than others. Our results were generated using a binary probit model and 6,332 observations from the 1996 Australian Women's Safety Survey. For purposes of comparison, we identified a set of benchmark demographic characteristics as those occurring most frequently in the data set and estimated that if a woman were to have all of these characteristics, the probability she would have experienced violence in the past 12 months was 6.7%. We found that the risk varied with levels of postschool education, income, ethnic background, number and age of children, marital status, and age. Employment status, school-leaving age, and socioeconomic status had no statistically significant effect on the risk of experiencing violence once other factors were considered. This analysis may provide a basis for violence reduction and prevention programs.
The Impact of Subjective and Expressed Anger on the Functioning of Psychiatric Outpatients With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Franklin C. Laurel , Posternak Michael A. , Zimmerman Mark
Published: July 2003

Research has shown that anger may be related to the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study investigates the impact of anger on patients with PTSD in a general psychiatric population. Participants diagnosed with PTSD were grouped according to current levels of subjective and inappropriately expressed anger: (a) low subjective and expressed anger; (b) elevated subjective anger and low expressed anger; (c) low subjective anger and elevated expressed anger; and (d) elevated subjective and expressed anger. It was hypothesized that participants reporting elevated levels of subjective anger coupled with recent overt expression would be more impaired and distressed than individuals with PTSD in the other anger groups, after comorbid diagnoses were controlled. The elevated subjective and expressed anger group was more impaired/distressed on global measures and their elevated anger affected some measures of behavioral functioning. Findings are discussed in light of the literature on anger and PTSD.
Recent Stressful Life Events, Sexual Revictimization, and Their Relationship With Traumatic Stress Symptoms Among Women Sexually Abused in Childhood
Authors: Classen Catherine , Nevo Ruth , Koopman Cheryl , Nevill-Manning Kirsten , Gore-Felton Cheryl , Rose Deborah S. , Spiegel David
Published: July 2003

This cross-sectional study examined whether previous life stressors are associated with current traumatic stress symptoms in women who were sexually abused in childhood. Fifty-eight treatment-seeking women, sexually abused in childhood and meeting criteria for current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in response to their childhood sexual abuse, participated in this study. Participants were administered a structured interview to assess PTSD as well as selfreport measures to assess acute stress reactions, other trauma-related symptoms, sexual revictimization as an adult, and recent stressful life events. Recent stressful life events were shown to be associated with PTSD symptoms, acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms, and other trauma-related symptoms. Sexual revictimization was associated with trauma-related symptoms but not PTSD symptoms or ASD symptoms. Implications for clinical intervention and future research are discussed.
The Correlates of Abuse and Witnessing Abuse Among Adolescents
Authors: Luster Tom , Small Stephen A. , Lower Richard
Published: July 2003

This study examined the correlates of four types of adverse experiences with a large sample (N = 17,465) of adolescents from a midwestern county. The four types of adverse experience were physical abuse, sexual abuse, witnessing the physical abuse of another person, and harassment by peers at school. The three outcomes of interest were binge drinking, self-reported grade point average (GPA), and feelings of sadness and depression. Of interest was whether each type of adversity was related to the three outcomes when the other types of adversity were controlled. Among both males and females, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and witnessing physical abuse were associated with binge drinking, feelings of sadness and depression, and lower GPA, whereas harassment by peers was associated with feelings of sadness and depression.
The Role of Own and Perceived Partner Attachment in Relationship Aggression
Authors: Bookwala Jamila
Published: July 2003

This study explored the main and interactive effects of respondents'own attachment styles and their perception of the romantic partner's attachment style on expressed and received aggression in a sample of 161 male and female undergraduates who reported on a heterosexual romantic relationship. Overall, 52.8% reported expressing at least one act of aggression, and 39.1% reported sustaining such an act from their partner. Regression analyses indicated that describing (a) one's partner as more preoccupied, (b) self and partner as more preoccupied, and (c) self as secure and partner as dismissing predicted higher levels of expressed aggression. Higher levels of sustained aggression were associated with describing (a) self as more fearful and partner as more preoccupied, (b) partner as more preoccupied, and (c) partner as less fearful. These results suggest that interpersonal perception may play an important role in the level of relation-ship aggression reported to occur in romantic relationships.
Abuse by Siblings and Subsequent Experiences of Violence Within the Dating Relationship
Authors: Simonelli Catherine J. , Mullis Thomas , Elliott Ann N. , Pierce Thomas W.
Published: July 2003

The present study examined the association between abuse by siblings and subsequent experiences of dating violence, comparing this to the relationship between parental abuse and dating violence. For males, dating violence was associated with abuse by older and younger brothers and sisters. For females, dating violence was associated with abuse byolder siblings but not by younger siblings. Dating violence among males was more strongly associated with sibling abuse than with parental abuse. In contrast, for females, dating violence was more strongly associated with abuse by parents. Examination of the type of violence revealed that emotional and physical aggression received from parents and siblings were associated with expressed emotional dating violence among males and with expressed physical dating violence among females. The findings support the hypothesis that abuse by siblings, like abuse by parents, may contribute to a cycle of violence in the lives of persons victimized by sibling abuse.
Risk of Sexual Victimization in College Women
Authors: Combs-Lane Amy M. , Smith Daniel W.
Published: July 2003

Recent investigations of risk factors for adult sexual assault have focused on a varietyof behavioral and cognitive variables, including victim risk-taking behaviors. In this study, cognitive appraisals of riskyactivities, behavioral intentions to engage in risk-taking behaviors, and alcohol use were examined in relation to future involvement in risk-taking behaviors and the incidence of sexual assault in a sample of college women. At Time 1, 50 (26%) participants reported a historyof sexual victimization and at Time 2, 16 (12.7%) reported new sexual victimizations. Discriminant function analysis indicated that alcohol use and expected involvement in risky activities at Time 1 were associated with new sexual victimizations at Time 2. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that alcohol use and expected involvement in risky activities at Time 1 were predictive of frequencyof involvement in riskyse xual activities at Time 2. The implication of these findings for future research is discussed.
American Film Violence
Authors: Browne Nick , Webb Theresa , Fisher Kevin , Cook Bernard , McArthur David , Peek-Asa Corinne , Kraus Jess
Published: July 2003

This article profiles the violence that occurs in the films that compose the most popular (topgrossing) genres of 1994: comedy, drama, and action. The critical features used to describe film violence are intentionality, frequency, seriousness, consequences, explicitness, and severity (damage to the body of the recipient). Scales for seriousness, explicitness, and severity were systematically applied to the films using frame-by-frame analysis. Although the initiators of violence in American films employ lethal violence in nearly half the violent events, depiction of any consequences to the recipient's body occurs in 1 out of 10 cases. Throughout, the effects of violence on the victim's body are mystified by a form of narrative that occults and minimizes consequences arising from clearly depicted intentional assaults. So far as violence is concerned, the Hollywood body is an impossible one, merely a dramaturgical figure.
An Investigation of the Ward and Hudson Pathways Model of the Sexual Offense Process With Child Abusers
Authors: Bickley James A. , Beech Anthony R.
Published: July 2003

In all, 87 male child abusers, who had sexually offended exclusively against children, were included in this study. The participants' ages ranged from 21 to 75 ( M = 39.5, SD = 12.6). The majority of the participants (62%) had offended outside the family, 15% had offended inside the family, and 23% had offended both inside and outside the family. Of the participants, 36% had offended against boys, 33% against girls, and 31% had offended against both sexes. And 53% of the sample had a previous conviction for a sexual offense.
Teacher Conceptualization of Child Abuse in Schools in the New Millennium
Authors: Shumba Almon
Published: July 2003

This study seeks to determine teacher trainees' and teachers'c onceptions of what is and what is not abuse of pupils by teachers within the school context.
Father Involvement in Childhood and Trouble With the Police in Adolescence
Authors: Flouri Eirini , Buchanan Ann
Published: July 2003

This longitudinal study investigated the role of early father involvement (at age 7) in juvenile delinquency controlling for the effect of mother involvement at age 7 and other risk and protective factors. For both genders, family size in childhood and low academic motivation in adolescence were positively related to trouble with the police at age 16. Uniquely for boys, IQ and father involvement were negatively related to trouble with the police. Trouble with the police in adolescence was also related with non-intact family structure in childhood in girls, and with parental criminality in boys
Correlation Between Different Experiences of Intrafamilial Physical Violence and Violent Adolescent Behavior
Authors: Yexley Melinda , Borowsky Iris , Ireland Marjorie
Published: July 2003

This research examined the relationship between different experiences of family physical violence and the violent behaviors of attempted suicide, fighting, and gun-carrying at school among 133,794 adolescents in Minnesota public schools. Levels of violence against self and others were compared for male and female youth reporting the following family histories: (a) both direct victim of physical violence and witnessing physical violence, (b) only direct victim of physical violence, (c) only witnessing physical violence, and (d) neither direct victim of physical violence nor witnessing physical violence. Any experience of familial physical violence was significantly associated with increased levels of violence toward self and others
Partner Abuse Group Intervention
Authors: Augusta-Scott Tod , Dankwort Juergen
Published: July 2003

Since the time that work with men who batter was expanded to include psychosocial intervention, the question of victim safety and effective practice has been one of its most prominent themes. Over the decades, an education model evolved that embodied both sociopolitical concerns about woman abuse and practice expertise from community workers and the helping professions. In reviewing that development and current intervention, this article proposes that a narrative therapy approach in group intervention with men who batter might be promising in effectively engaging this population to end their abuse. Mindful of the need for committed participation, program and client accountability, and safety for victimized partners, current practice is examined in findings from a recent qualitative study conducted in Nova Scotia, Canada, with domestic violence group facilitators
DROP:The Revenge of the DB Plan
Authors: Perdue Grady
Published: July 2003

A recent innovation in defined benefit (DB) plans is providing a new form of compensation to longterm employees. Although initially implemented in public sector pension plans, the ability of private sector pension plans to replicate this new form of deferred compensation could slow or even reverse the shift from DB to defined contribution (DC) plans. A Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) is a provision in a DB plan that gives long-term employees the opportunity to leave their jobs with both their traditional DB retirement annuity and a lump-sum accumulation resembling that of a DC plan. DROP is an enhancement that may be added to a DB plan but is impossible to add to a DC plan. Professionals who work in the area of compensation and benefits design need to understand this new DROP provision for DB plans so that they are prepared to help propose these plans when appropriate, assist management in understanding these plans when proposed by employees and unions and help to implement these plans.
Facing Upto the Labor Shortage
Authors: Griffin Floyd J. , Fox Jerry
Published: July 2003

A shortage of quality, entry-level construction employees has prompted Patio Enclosures, Inc., North America's largest producer of custom sunrooms, to establish an innovative Apprentice Program. The goal of the program is to attract, train, retain and reward men and women who want long-term, high-paying careers in the construction industry. The Apprentice Program is a motivational training system that rewards employees with promotions and pay raises for reaching certain achievements during their career. Program entrants receive salary and title increases as they move through various construction skill levels. These employees can then also become salespeople, installation supervisors, office supervisors or branch managers as these career opportunities become available within the company. As an added benefit, employees who work at Patio Enclosures, Inc. for one year become part owners of the $73 million company through participation in the Employee Stock Ownership Plan established two years ago. This article describes the company’s unique program and the dramatic drop in turnover that the program has achieved.
New Incentives are on the Rise
Authors: Hutson Darryl
Published: July 2003

In today’s tight labor market, businesses are finding they have to offer more creative packages that go beyond traditional compensation just to stay competitive. With unemployment at historically low levels, jobs are plentiful and employee turnover is a major concern for businesses of all kinds. This article uses national survey data of employees and employers and case studies to explain why an increasing number of U.S. companies are using incentives and “sticky” rewards in the workplace. It describes how these programs can be incorporated into a company’s comprehensive efforts to attract and retain the best employees in a tight labor market.
Designing State-of-the-Art Executive Stock Ownership Guidelines
Authors: Winograd Leslie L. , Aisenbrey Beverly W.
Published: July 2003

The purpose of a stock compensation program is, typically, to create an incentive for executives to focus on improving stock price as well as to increase stock ownership. Unfortunately, companies have found that compensation is often delivered without an increase in actual share ownership. As a result, guidelines for appropriate levels of executive stock ownership have become popular as a way to force or encourage executives to retain shares from stock compensation programs. Although there are a number of arguments for and against these programs, many of the flaws and criticisms can be addressed through design and administration. This article provides a detailed look at stock ownership program design, including the types of guidelines that can be implemented, how shares can be counted toward meeting goals and approaches to compliance and monitoring. It also discusses other methods of encouraging and forcing ownership.
How to Deal with Wage and Hour Class Action Lawsuits
Authors: Davis Robert P.
Published: July 2003

Class action overtime and minimum wage cases are “hot” for plaintiffs’ lawyers. Those lawyers are focusing on corporate practices such as exempt status, incentive compensation and flexible scheduling as sources for new cases. Senior managers, including compensation professionals, need to evaluate and respond carefully to employee complaints, the source of most lawsuits in this area. A mishandled response to a complaint also can lead to a wage and hour retaliation lawsuit for punitive damages. Wage and hour class actions in federal court operate under an “opt-in” procedure that is very different from other class actions. The number of records and the need for detailed information on human resources practices mean that managers have a critical role in the defense of wage and hour class actions.
Designing Pay and Rewards to Make M&As Work
Authors: Zingheim Patricia K. , Schuster Jay R.
Published: July 2003

Too many companies are missing the opportunity to create a strong bond between their business and workforce during mergers and acquisitions. Although companies spend much effort on executive pay and rewards at this time, often the general workforce, where the skills and competencies for which the merger or acquisition was undertaken reside, is ignored. Providing a strong and positive deal for the people the company needs to retain makes sound business sense. This process must start during due diligence and initial planning and involve reward designs that make the new organization attractive. People work for more than pay, and we are entering the age of total rewards that include the components of providing a compelling future, the opportunity for individual growth, a positive workplace that excites, and, of course, total pay. This article provides suggestions about why and how to make rewards a powerful positive when companies are joining forces.
Leveraging Technology via Knowledge Portals
Authors: Ambrose Brian A.
Published: July 2003

Human Resources departments face the unique challenge of providing increased employee services while maintaining staff levels and reducing costs. To reduce costs and the administrative task load on HR, companies will increasingly use technology to educate and provide information to employees. Companies are looking for a system that will integrate with their existing HRMS and those of company benefit providers, allowing such services as online enrollment and other selfservice benefit transactions as well as serving as a gateway to knowledge portals. Knowledge portals make it easier for employees to find answers by recognizing an individual user and bringing information focused on that particular user’s needs to the forefront. With so many workers experiencing information overload, simpler methods of accessing data and using online benefits systems are greatly needed.
Using EIM Technology to Successfully Motivate Employees
Authors: McIntyre Nina
Published: July 2003

Enterprise incentive management (EIM) is based on a simple premise: People will do what they are paid to do. Through automation, planning, calculation, modeling and management, EIM technology enables companies to transform incentive compensation into a strategic tool, aligning the goals of employees, partners and channels across the extended enterprise. It is this alignment that drives greater motivation and performance, often increasing both employee output and corporate income.
When to Stop Negotiating Individual Packages for International Assignees
Authors: Nurney Steven P.
Published: July 2003

As multinational organizations expand their global presence, their approach to setting compensation policy will eventually become more sophisticated. When first sending employees abroad, compensation decisions are relatively uncomplicated and often negotiated on a caseby- case basis. Yet, faced with increasing complexity in the nature and number of international assignments, employers face the need to develop a policy designed to avoid morale and equity problems. At what point does an employer stop negotiating international assignee packages on a case-by-case basis and set up a formal policy? The answer depends on several factors that may change or evolve as the company expands its presence and operations in the world arena. When the organization reaches that point, it must create a cost-effective, fair and equitable framework—whether using a one-size-fits-all policy or separate policies to address different assignment categories.
Earnings-at-Risk Incentive Plans: A Performance, Satisfaction and Turn over Dilemma
Authors: Renn Robert W. , van Scotter James R. , Barksdale W. Kevin
Published: July 2003

Earnings-at-risk (EAR) incentive plans are designed to enhance performance, in part, by creating base wage dissatisfaction that, in turn, triggers greater effort directed toward performance behaviors rewarded with incentive pay. However, employee disatisfaction with EAR plans in general and base wages in particular may also produce unintended consequences that counteract any benefits these plans produce. This study examines the reactions of 167 sales and customer-service employees working under an EAR plan. It also compares employee reactions to an EAR format versus a traditional compensation plan. The study suggests that managers who decide to adopt an EAR plan should be aware of the negative reactions employees may have to these plans, the level of personal control employees actually have over targeted performance behaviors and the need for a level playing field that does not put newer employees at a disadvantage.
Reward Practices and Organizational Performance
Authors: Allen Richard S. , Helms Marilyn M.
Published: July 2003

Many current reward practices have not been studied to determine whether their rewards are related to organizational performance. This article describes a study undertaken to explore the relationship between reward practices and organizational performance. The findings suggest that a small group of reward practices is linked to greater perceived organizational performance. Suggestions for managers as well as recommendations for further research are provided.
Competencies in the Real World: Performance Management for the Relationally Healthy Organization
Authors: Ford Kevin
Published: July 2003

Employees who focus on doing a few tasks well are less valuable to most organizations than employees who can adapt to the demands of constant change. Title and tenure have been replaced with performance and competencies. Competencies are the 40-60 behaviors that provide the most overall value to organizations, regardless of job descriptions. An effective system uses competencies for hiring, training, review and reward. Installing a competency-based system is not a simple undertaking, however. It requires culture change and a total commitment from management. If engaged properly, a competency-based system will cut expenses, reduce unwanted turnover, encourage healthy attrition, improve morale and increase the bottom line.
Project Management Salaries Worldwide
Authors: Ardis Sandra L.
Published: July 2003

The PMI Project Management Salary Survey— 2000 Edition updates information first published in 1996 and expands coverage to more than 40 industry affiliations in nearly 50 countries in seven major geographic regions around the world. Its purpose is to establish normative compensation and benefits data for the project management profession on a global basis. The study provides salary, bonus/overtime and deferred compensation information for 10 job categories within the project management profession. It also contains normative data for a comprehensive list of benefits and an array of other relevant parameters. This is a reliable research tool for managers and HR professionals who need to retain or recruit employees.
Federal Securities Registration Issues for Stock Option Plansa of Private Companies
Authors: Sirkin Michael S.
Published: July 2003

Under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, issuers with total assets of more than $10 million and a class of equity securities held by 500 or more persons must register that class of equity security, unless it has an exemption from registration. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) takes the position that stock options constitute a separate class of equity security. Although the SEC has provided relief to issuers that have granted stock options to 500 or more individuals, the conditions necessary to obtain relief raised significant problems. The SEC’s recent revision of the conditions necessary to receive relief from registering stock options under Section 12(g) alleviated some of the problems, but significant issues remain with regard to the applicability of the new relief. The article provides some guidance for plan managers.
Creating a Powerful Customized Workplace Reward Brand
Authors: Zingheim Patricia K. , Schuster Jay R.
Published: July 2003

Customer brands like Coke, Intel, Pepsi and General Mills provide differential advantage to great companies. Workplace brands can create a unique place to work that attracts and keeps the people you want. Branding the workplace is not new—lists of “best places to work” have been used for some time. But now we need to emphasize the business as we brand our workplace. This means creating a brand that works in good times and bad. This article argues that companies must go beyond providing liberal benefits and perquisites to be a best place to work. Companies need to emphasize workforce results, performance metrics, expectations communications, active career tracks and a win-win reward solution so both the company and workforce benefit. The article advocates a business approach to workforce branding that goes far beyond the standards outlined by Fortune’s and Working Mother’s best places to work lists.