bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protein kinase C is essential for viability of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae
Authors: Penn Tina J. , Wood Mark E. , Soanes Darren M. , Csukai Michael , Corran Andrew John , Talbot Nicholas J.
Published: July 2015

Protein kinase C constitutes a family of serine–threonine kinases found in all eukaryotes and implicated in a wide range of cellular functions, including regulation of cell growth, cellular differentiation and immunity. Here, we present three independent lines of evidence which indicate that protein kinase C is essential for viability of Magnaporthe oryzae. First, all attempts to generate a target deletion of PKC1, the single copy protein kinase C‐encoding gene, proved unsuccessful. Secondly, conditional gene silencing of PKC1 by RNA interference led to severely reduced growth of the fungus, which was reversed by targeted deletion of the Dicer2‐encoding gene, MDL2. Finally, selective kinase inhibition of protein kinase C by targeted allelic replacement with an analogue‐sensitive PKC1AS allele led to specific loss of fungal viability in the presence of the PP1 inhibitor. Global transcriptional profiling following selective PKC inhibition identified significant changes in gene expression associated with cell wall re‐modelling, autophagy, signal transduction and secondary metabolism. When considered together, these results suggest protein kinase C is essential for growth and development of M. oryzae with extensive downstream targets in addition to the cell integrity pathway. Targeting protein kinase C signalling may therefore prove an effective means of controlling rice blast disease.
From Aristotle to Sadat: A Short Strategic Persuasion Framework for Negotiators
Authors: Weiss Joshua N.
Published: July 2015

Persuasion is undoubtedly a critical negotiation skill. But while the literature has examined its role in negotiation, few, if any, scholars or practitioners have offered a clear strategic framework for putting persuasion into negotiation practice. The ethos, pathos, and logos modes of persuasion elucidated by Aristotle in the fourth century B.C.E. provide a clear, understandable, and easy‐to‐apply framework that students and trainees can use to prepare for negotiation, to deploy during the negotiation process, and to conduct debriefings following a negotiation. In this article, I describe how to apply this Aristotelian framework and explain an additional dimension of persuasion in negotiation that I believe is also critical: timing. Through the real‐world example of Anwar Sadat and his trip to Jerusalem, I demonstrate how this framework has worked in practice.
Conflict Management in Public–Private Partnerships: The Case of theLondonUnderground
Authors: Currie Denise , Teague Paul
Published: July 2015

Public–private partnerships (PPPs) have become common inter‐organizational arrangements associated with “new public management.” Discussion about their effective operation has often focused on successful management methods, with less discussion about how these arrangements specifically overcome obstacles and problems. In this article, we seek to address this deficiency in the literature by analyzing the conflict management system employed within theLondonUndergroundPPP(when it was still in operation). We conclude by identifying several lessons from this case that we believe should inform the design of such systems, one of which is the role of knowledge management.
When Webb Met Follett: Negotiation Theory and the Race to the Moon
Authors: Davis Albie M.
Published: July 2015

In this article, I examine the connection between pioneering management theorist Mary Parker Follett and James E. Webb, who led the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the 1960s as the United States geared up to put an astronaut on the moon. Follett, who died in 1933, has had a significant impact on the development of negotiation and conflict resolution theory over the last fifty years. Since the advent of the Internet, her work has attracted a growing international audience. The stimulus for this article was the rediscovery of two documents, a letter and a lecture transcript, that indicated that Follett had “a profound influence” on all that Webb did at NASA. In the article, I describe Follett's theories and the evidence of her influence on Webb. I also explare the impact of her ideas on how he managed NASA, and, in particular, on his working relationship with President John F. Kennedy.
Quality care as ethical care: a poststructural analysis of palliative and supportive district nursing care
Authors: Nagington Maurice , Walshe Catherine , Luker Karen A
Published: July 2015

Quality of care is a prominent discourse in modern health‐care and has previously been conceptualised in terms of ethics. In addition, the role of knowledge has been suggested as being particularly influential with regard to the nurse–patient–carer relationship. However, to date, no analyses have examined how knowledge (as an ethical concept) impinges on quality of care. Qualitative semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 26 patients with palliative and supportive care needs receiving district nursing care and thirteen of their lay carers. Poststructural discourse analysis techniques were utilised to take an ethical perspective on the current way in which quality of care is assessed and produced in health‐care. It is argued that if quality of care is to be achieved, patients and carers need to be able to redistribute and redevelop the knowledge of their services in a collaborative way that goes beyond the current ways of working. Theoretical works and extant research are then used to produce tentative suggestions about how this may be achieved.
Transforming a conservative clinical setting: ICU nurses' strategies to improve care for patients' relatives through a participatory action research
Authors: Zaforteza Concha , Gastaldo Denise , Moreno Cristina , Bover Andreu , Miró Rosa , Miró Margalida
Published: July 2015

This study focuses on change strategies generated through a dialogical–reflexive–participatory process designed to improve the care of families of critically ill patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) using a participatory action research in a tertiary hospital in the Balearic Islands (Spain). Eleven professionals (representatives) participated in 11 discussion groups and five in‐depth interviews. They represented the opinions of 49 colleagues (participants). Four main change strategies were created: (i) Institutionally supported practices were confronted to make a shift from professional‐centered work to a more inclusive, patient‐centered approach; (ii) traditional power relations were challenged to decrease the hierarchical power differences between physicians and nurses; (iii) consensus was built about the need to move from an individual to a collective position in relation to change; and (iv) consensus was built about the need to develop a critical attitude toward the conservative nature of the unit. The strategies proposed were both transgressive and conservative; however, when compared with the initial situation, they enhanced the care offered to patients' relatives and patient safety. Transforming conservative settings requires capacity to negotiate positions and potential outcomes. However, when individual critical capacities are articulated with a new approach to micropolitics, transformative proposals can be implemented and sustained.
Against The Bifurcation Of Virtue
Authors: Ahlstrom‐Vij Kristoffer
Published: July 2015

It has become customary in the virtue epistemological literature to distinguish between responsibilist and reliabilist virtue theories. More recently, certain problems affecting the former have prompted epistemologists to suggest that this distinction in virtue theory maps on to a distinction in virtue, specifically between character and faculty virtue. I argue that we lack good reason to bifurcate virtue in this manner, and that this moreover counts in favor of the virtue reliabilist.
The Plant Genome Integrative Explorer Resource: PlantGenIE.org
Authors: Sundell David , Mannapperuma Chanaka , Netotea Sergiu , Delhomme Nicolas , Lin Yao‐Cheng , Sjödin Andreas , Van de Peer Yves , Jansson Stefan , Hvidsten Torgeir R. , Street Nathaniel R.
Published: July 2015

Accessing and exploring large‐scale genomics data sets remains a significant challenge to researchers without specialist bioinformatics training.

We present the integrated PlantGenIE.org platform for exploration of Populus, conifer and Arabidopsis genomics data, which includes expression networks and associated visualization tools. Standard features of a model organism database are provided, including genome browsers, gene list annotation, Blast homology searches and gene information pages. Community annotation updating is supported via integration of WebApollo.

We have produced an RNA‐sequencing (RNA‐Seq) expression atlas for Populus tremula and have integrated these data within the expression tools. An updated version of the ComPlEx resource for performing comparative plant expression analyses of gene coexpression network conservation between species has also been integrated.

The PlantGenIE.org platform provides intuitive access to large‐scale and genome‐wide genomics data from model forest tree species, facilitating both community contributions to annotation improvement and tools supporting use of the included data resources to inform biological insight.
Arctic plant origins and early formation of circumarctic distributions: a case study of the mountain sorrel, Oxyria digyna
Authors: Wang Qian , Liu Jianquan , Allen Geraldine A. , Ma Yazhen , Yue Wei , Marr Kendrick L. , Abbott Richard J.
Published: July 2015

Many plant species comprising the present‐day Arctic flora are thought to have originated in the high mountains of North America and Eurasia, migrated northwards as global temperatures fell during the late Tertiary period, and thereafter attained a circumarctic distribution. However, supporting evidence for this hypothesis that provides a temporal framework for the origin, spread and initial attainment of a circumarctic distribution by an arctic plant is currently lacking.

Here we examined the origin and initial formation of a circumarctic distribution of the arctic mountain sorrel (Oxyria digyna) by conducting a phylogeographic analysis of plastid and nuclear gene DNA variation.

We provide evidence for an origin of this species in the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau of southwestern China, followed by migration into Russia c. 11 million yr ago (Ma), eastwards into North America by c. 4 Ma, and westwards into Western Europe by c. 1.96 Ma. Thereafter, the species attained a circumarctic distribution by colonizing Greenland from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Following the arrival of the species in North America and Europe, population sizes appear to have increased and then stabilized there over the last 1 million yr. However, in Greenland a marked reduction followed by an expansion in population size is indicated to have occurred during the Pleistocene.
Human leukocyte antigens and genetic susceptibility to lymphoma
Authors: McAulay K. A. , Jarrett R. F.
Published: July 2015

Familial aggregation, coupled with ethnic variation in incidence, suggests that inherited susceptibility plays a role in the development of lymphoma, and the search for genetic risk factors has highlighted the contribution of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex. In a landmark study published almost 50 years ago, Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) was the first disease to be associated with HLA variation. It is now clear that Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)‐positive and ‐negative HL are strongly associated with specific HLA polymorphisms but these differ by EBV status of the tumours. HLA class I alleles are consistently associated with EBV‐positive HL while a polymorphism in HLA class II is the strongest predictor of risk of EBV‐negative HL. Recent investigations, particularly genome‐wide association studies (GWAS), have also revealed associations between HLA and common types of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Follicular lymphoma is strongly associated with two distinct haplotypes in HLA class II whereas diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma is most strongly associated with HLA‐B*08. Although chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is associated with variation in HLA class II, the strongest signals in GWAS are from non‐HLA polymorphisms, suggesting that inherited susceptibility is explained by co‐inheritance of multiple low risk variants. Associations between B‐cell derived lymphoma and HLA variation suggest that antigen presentation, or lack of, plays an important role in disease pathogenesis but the precise mechanisms have yet to be elucidated.
CLAUSA restricts tomato leaf morphogenesis and GOBLET expression
Authors: Bar Maya , Ben‐Herzel Ori , Kohay Hagay , Shtein Ilana , Ori Naomi
Published: July 2015

Leaf morphogenesis and differentiation are highly flexible processes. The development of compound leaves is characterized by an extended morphogenesis stage compared with that of simple leaves. The tomato mutant clausa (clau) possesses extremely elaborate compound leaves. Here we show that this elaboration is generated by further extension of the morphogenetic window, partly via the activity of ectopic meristems present on clau leaves. Further, we propose that CLAU might negatively affect expression of the NAM/CUC gene GOBLET (GOB), an important modulator of compound‐leaf development, as GOB expression is elevated in clau mutants and reducing GOB expression suppresses the clau phenotype. Expression of GOB is also elevated in the compound leaf mutant lyrate (lyr), and the remarkable enhancement of the clau phenotype by lyr suggests that clau and lyr affect leaf development and GOB in different pathways.
Erythema multiforme associated with zonisamide in a dog
Authors: Ackermann Amanda L. , Frank Linda A. , McEntee Michael F. , May Elizabeth R.
Published: July 2015

This report describes a dog that developed erythema multiforme in temporal association with administration of the sulphonamide‐based anticonvulsant drug zonisamide. Similar adverse drug reactions have been associated with sulphonamide antimicrobial drugs. Caution should be exercised when prescribing this medication for dogs with known hypersensitivity to sulphonamides.
Cardiac malposition (ectopia cordis) in a cat
Authors: Lopez Melinda M. , Kuzma Alan B. , Margiocco Marco L. , Cheng Teresa , Enberg Trevor B. , Head Laurie
Published: July 2015

Objective

To describe a case of cardiac malposition in a cat, and the successful management of the anomaly.

Case Description

A 2‐year‐old male neutered male British Shorthair cat weighing 7.58 kg was referred for bicavitary effusion. Ultrasonography and echocardiography demonstrated displacement of the heart into the abdomen through a diaphragmatic defect. Clinical signs of right‐sided congestive heart failure were attributed to mechanical restriction of diastolic function by a constrictive segment of fibrous pericardium and to impaired venous return due to a kink in the caudal vena cava. Surgical repositioning of the heart into the thoracic cavity and a subtotal pericardectomy were performed, and the diaphragmatic defect was repaired. The patient recovered well postoperatively.

New or Unique Information Provided

The diagnosis and management of cardiac malposition has not been previously described in cats. With timely diagnosis and surgical intervention, a favorable outcome is possible.
Mathematical model for predicting sludge accumulation in septic tanks based on operational parameters: effect of hydraulic mixing
Authors: Al Momani Fares
Published: July 2015

Reporting sludge accumulation in septic tanks as a constant rate is no longer accepted, and there is a need for a model that predicts sludge accumulation in septic tanks taking into consideration the continuous consumption of sewage solids by microorganisms. This study presents the development of mathematical model that predicts sludge accumulation in septic tanks and to investigate the effect of mixing on solids digestion. The mathematical model takes into consideration the effect of different operational parameters (influent and effluent) as well as the bacterial kinetics in predicting the sludge accumulation in septic tanks. The model predicts with R2 > 0.88 the sludge accumulation rate in standard septic tank calculated by empirical models developed by Weibel in 1955, and by Bounds in 1995. The model was also used to estimate the typical pump‐out interval for different tank volumes and the sludge accumulation inside septic tanks at different operational parameters.
Formant compensation for auditory feedback with English vowels
Authors: Mitsuya Takashi , MacDonald Ewen N. , Munhall Kevin G. , Purcell David W.
Published: July 2015

Past studies have shown that speakers spontaneously adjust their speech acoustics in response to their auditory feedback perturbed in real time. In the case of formant perturbation, the majority of studies have examined speaker's compensatory production using the English vowel /ɛ/ as in the word “head.” Consistent behavioral observations have been reported, and there is lively discussion as to how the production system integrates auditory versus somatosensory feedback to control vowel production. However, different vowels have different oral sensation and proprioceptive information due to differences in the degree of lingual contact or jaw openness. This may in turn influence the ways in which speakers compensate for auditory feedback. The aim of the current study was to examine speakers' compensatory behavior with six English monophthongs. Specifically, the current study tested to see if “closed vowels” would show less compensatory production than “open vowels” because closed vowels' strong lingual sensation may richly specify production via somatosensory feedback. Results showed that, indeed, speakers exhibited less compensatory production with the closed vowels. Thus sensorimotor control of vowels is not fixed across all vowels; instead it exerts different influences across different vowels.
GLOBALIZATION AND REGIONALIZATION: SINGAPORE'S TRADE AND FDI
Authors: CHIA SIOW YUE
Published: July 2015

The Singapore economy has undergone rapid growth and structural transformation from a Third World laggard to a First World sophisticated and dynamic economy. It has overcome constraints of land and natural resources by adopting free trade and investment strategies and building on its global and regional maritime and air links. However, despite its very high per capita income, Singapore's technological, innovative and entrepreneurial capabilities are not on par with the most advanced economies. High dependence on foreign multinational corporations (MNCs) and government-linked-companies (GLCs) has contributed to the underdevelopment of local private enterprise and innovation. High dependence on "foreign talent" has also contributed to the underdevelopment of local talent. For future sustainable development, Singapore has to succeed as an innovative economy, and the state will have an important role as facilitator of local innovation and enterprise.
Hopf automorphisms and twisted extensions
Authors: Montgomery Susan , Vega Maria D. , Witherspoon Sarah
Published: July 2015

We give some applications of a Hopf algebra constructed from a group acting on another Hopf algebra [Formula: see text] as Hopf automorphisms, namely Molnar’s smash coproduct Hopf algebra. We find connections between the exponent and Frobenius–Schur indicators of a smash coproduct and the twisted exponents and twisted Frobenius–Schur indicators of the original Hopf algebra [Formula: see text]. We study the category of modules of the smash coproduct.
The arithmetical rank of the edge ideals of graphs with pairwise disjoint cycles
Authors: Barile Margherita , Macchia Antonio
Published: July 2015

We prove that, for the edge ideal of a graph whose cycles are pairwise vertex-disjoint, the arithmetical rank is bounded above by the sum of the number of cycles and the maximum height of its associated primes.
Firm Boundaries and Innovation: Empirical Evidence from Entrepreneurial Finance
Authors: Hall Thomas
Published: July 2015

High-technology innovation often takes place in small, independent startups; it can also take place in the research-and-development facilities of large, established corporations. A third possibility is that innovation will take place in a hybrid of these two ideal types, for example via corporate venture capital (CVC) or via distribution channel agreements. Using detailed data on a large number of high-technology firms located in the US, Western Europe and Israel, we test a set of predictions about innovation and firm boundaries that flow from previous empirical studies and formal models. Our central research questions relate to how the boundaries of the firm are affected by the level of competition in product markets, portfolio firm research intensity, national institutions, cash flow risk, innovation risk by rivals, and managerial resources. We find some evidence that hybrid organization is more likely (relative to stand-alone startup status) for more established firms (with more employees and larger revenues). Hybrid organization is also more likely when competition is declining, less likely when competition is static, and no more likely when competition is growing. In addition, our results are consistent with previous findings that CVC is associated with herding behavior as opposed to participation in the most innovative industry segments. Hybrid organization is associated with patent possession by the high-tech startup, but CVC partners are less concerned than other investors (VCs) that the patents provide useful barriers to entry. Results pertaining to cash flow risk, research intensity, management team, and innovation risk by rivals were neither consistent in terms of sign nor robust to various specifications.
Postdiagnostic Statin Use and the Risk of Lethal Prostate Cancer in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study
Authors: Chan June M. , Kenfield Stacey A. , Paciorek Alan , Platz Elizabeth A. , Giovannucci Edward L. , Stampfer Meir J.
Published: July 2015

Background: Observational studies suggest potential chemopreventive benefits of statins on prostate cancer outcomes, but data on the impact of postdiagnostic use are sparse.

Methods: We examined the association of postdiagnostic statin use and risk of lethal prostate cancer (metastases or prostate cancer death, N = 242) among 3,949 men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study between 1992 and 2008 and followed through 2010 (33,302 person years). We used Cox proportional hazards regression models to estimate relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for age, time period, time from diagnosis to questionnaire, body mass index, vigorous physical activity, smoking, aspirin use, clinical stage, PSA at diagnosis, Gleason score, primary treatment, and comorbidities.

Results: We found no statistically significant association between postdiagnostic current use of statins or duration of statin usage and the outcome of lethal prostate cancer [N = 242 cases; multivariate HR = 0.97 (95% CI, 0.72–1.31) for current use yes/no; HR = 0.85 (95% CI, 0.59–1.22) for 1 to 5 years of use, 0.96 (95% CI, 0.66–1.38) for 6+ years of use vs. never use].

Conclusions: We observed little evidence that statin usage after diagnosis of localized prostate cancer reduces risk of progression to metastatic disease or prostate cancer–specific death.

Impact: These results do not support statins as a chemopreventive agent for prostate cancer progression. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(10); 1638–40. ©2015 AACR.
Sutureless, Glueless, Scleral Fixation of Single-Piece and Toric Intraocular Lens: A Novel Technique
Authors: Kelkar Aditya , Shah Rachana , Kelkar Jai , Kelkar Shreekant , Arora Ekta
Published: July 2015

Sutureless, glueless, scleral fixation of an intraocular lens is a known technique of fixing a lens in the scleral pockets. However, this technique is applied to single-piece and toric lenses instead of 3-piece lenses, allowing the advantage of the use of premium lenses in patients with poor capsular support. Favourable results without complications of pigment dispersion, iris transillumination defects, dysphotopsia, elevated intraocular pressure, intraocular hemorrhage and cystoid macular edema with a well-centered, stable intraocular lens have been observed in the 3-month postoperative period in both cases.
Notes on Early Land Plants Today. 73. Genera of Lejeuneaceae established in the period 1884–1893: dates of validation and implications
Authors: Söderström Lars , Barrie Fred , Hagborg Anders , Crandall-Stotler Barbara , Gradstein Robbert , Stotler Raymond E. , Konrat Matt von
Published: July 2015

Dates of validation of generic names initially published as names in subgenera or sections of Lejeunea (mainly by Spruce) in the period 1884–1893 are established. Consequences for the dates of validations of specific names are analysed. Names not validly published (both generic and specific names) in this period are also identified. A few species names must be changed from those in common use today and two new combinations, Rectolejeunea versifolia and Lejeunea hyalina, become necessary.
A review of the genus Aalatettix with the description of a new species from China (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae)
Authors: ZHENG ZHEMIN , LIN LILIANG
Published: July 2015

A new species, i.e., Aalatettix nyalamensis sp. nov. is described from the Xizang Autonomous Region of China. All seven known species of genus, including A. nyalamensis sp. nov., were reviewed and a key to species of the genus Aalatettix is given. Type specimens are deposited in the Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Normal University.
On the genus Sunius Curtis, 1829 of Turkey II. Two new micropterous species and additional records from Western Anatolia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae)
Authors: ANLAŞ SİNAN
Published: July 2015

Two new species of the genus Sunius Curtis, 1829 are described from Denizli province of Western Anatolia and illustrated: Sunius yagmuri sp. n. from Akkaya Hill and Sunius golgeliensis sp.n. from Gölgeli Mountains. Additional records of five species of Sunius are reported. A total of 32 species are now known from Turkey, 28 of them are endemic.
Hiring Child Welfare Caseworkers
Authors: Bernotavicz Freda , Locke Amy
Published: July 2015

When this study was conducted, both authors were on the staff of the Maine Child Welfare Training Institute. The Institute is a collaborative program of the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine and the Maine Department of Human Services.
Rebels, Criticizers, Backstabbers, and Busybodies
Authors: Johnson Pamela R. , Indvik Julie
Published: July 2015

There is an age-old business adage that says “85 percent of a manager's success comes from the ability to deal with people.” While dealing with a department full of different personalities is an on-going challenge, the changing nature of work has made working with people a much more complex problem. Some companies are fraught with stress, tension, anxiety, and low morale. Those factors can foster employees' feelings of helplessness, rage, despair, and anger. As a result, workers act out in a myriad of ways. Unresolved behavioral problems can turn into financial losses when angry employees turn into litigious employees. This paper will discuss the background leading to these problems, characteristics of disruptive employees, the changing nature of the law, employment practices liability insurance, and what employers can do to help.
Exploring the Relationship between Commitment Profiles and Work Attitudes, Employee Withdrawal, and Job Performance
Authors: Somers Mark , Birnbaum Dee
Published: July 2015

Four commitment profiles, based on levels of commitment to the organization and the career, were used to explore the relationship between distinct patterns of commitment and work-related outcomes with a sample of professional hospital employees. As two distinct forms of organizational commitment have been identified affective and continuance commitment separate profiles were constructed for each type of organizational commitment in conjunction with career commitment. Results for profiles based on affective commitment were consistent with prior research findings, in that employees committed to both their organization and their career exhibited the most positive work attitudes and the strongest intention to remain with the organization. Unexpectedly, the dually committed also had the strongest intensity of job search behavior, but these efforts did not translate into higher incidences of turnover. No differences were observed across commitment profiles with respect to job performance. The synergistic effect between affective and career commitment was not observed for profiles based on continuance commitment to the organization. Employees committed only to their careers exhibited more positive work outcomes than did those committed only to their organizations. The implications of these findings for management practice were discussed.
An Exploratory Study of Administrative Workers in the Arts
Authors: Townsend Anthony M.
Published: July 2015

This study focuses on an exploration of value differences between administrative workers in the arts and workers in for-profit business organizations. Data were collected among both for-profit and arts workers to determine if there are differences in the things they value in the workplace. Analyses indicate that there are differences between the groups' work values. The managerial implications of the study are then discussed at length. Here has been an increasing appreciation of the special problems and administrative imperatives faced by managers in semi-public organization and not-for-profit arts organizations in particular. Most arts organizations function somewhere in the gray area between a public agency (as they are frequently supported by, and responsible to, both municipal and Federal programs) and true not-for-profits. As such, administrators in arts organizations look to the experiences of both public agencies, as well as not-for-profit organizations, to provide guidance on the daily management of their organizational mission.
Beware and Prepare: The Government Workforce of the Future
Authors: Green Marnie E.
Published: July 2015

A crisis is looming in governments across the nation, and yet few are taking heed. The crisis is one that, in hindsight, would have been easy to predict and relatively simple to address. However, few jurisdictions are taking the time, energy, or political risk to prepare for the storm that is about to hit. The predicted crisis results from changing worker beliefs, and wavering workplace values, coupled with striking demographics that will alter the face of the government workforce. The time is now for government agencies, small and large, rural and urban, to begin analyzing and preparing for the future. This article will discuss some of the most critical issues facing government workforce planners, offering strategies for addressing the issues and for adapting to the new beliefs within traditional civil service systems.
Finding the Needle in the Haystack: The Challenge of Recruiting and Retaining Sharp Employees
Authors: Langan Shelley
Published: July 2015

Today's employers, both public and private, are facing a crisis never before experienced in most managers' and supervisors' careers. This crisis is having a direct impact on the ability of organizations to meet the ever-growing demand for their products and services. What makes this crisis so unique is that it does not involve traditional hard cost issues. The crisis that is hardest hitting businesses today, across the board, is recruiting and retaining qualified employees.
Developing Staffing Strategies That Work: Implementing Pragmatic, Nontraditional Approaches
Authors: Bechet Thomas P.
Published: July 2015

Most organizations understand the benefits that a longer-term approach to staff planning can bring. Many actually attempt to develop staffing strategies (or strategic workforce plans, as they are also known). Unfortunately, these organizations often find that the “traditional” approaches to workforce planning that they try to use are ineffective, and expected benefits are not realized. The answer to this problem lies not in trying to implement the traditional approach more effectively, but in implementing a completely different kind of process for strategic staffing. This paper describes (and provides examples of) some of those “less traditional,” but more effective approaches.
Strengthening Personnel Management in Developing Countries: Lessons Learned, Lessons Forgotten, and an Agenda for Action
Authors: Klingner Donald E. , Campos Violeta Pallavicini
Published: July 2015

This symposium introduction first sets the stage by briefly discussing why developing countries are different, based on how public personnel management in the United States evolved over the past two centuries, compared to the evolutionary process in developing countries today. Next, it introduces the three contributors who analyze current human resource management trends in Latin American and the Caribbean and discusses their impact on HR professionals there. Finally, it discusses some lessons we have learned about strengthening personnel management in developing countries, some lessons we may have forgotten, and an agenda for action by international organizations and individuals that can reinforce developing countries' own efforts.
Public Personnel Management in the Caribbean: A Comparative Analysis of Trends in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and Grenada
Authors: Pérez Donatila Germán
Published: July 2015

After first describing the characteristics of five Caribbean island nations (the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and Grenada), this article discusses their respective public personnel management systems. Each country differs with respect to laws, structures and procedures. But they share common geographic and historical characteristics that have had a profound effect on public personnel management. Specifically, their common antecedents have affected how they develop civil service systems, training and evaluation, recruitment and selection, pay and benefits, and other aspects of the administrative career system. In conclusion, the article presents an analysis of common trends in the evolution of public personnel systems in all these countries, based on their common necessity to increase the effectiveness and rationality of the public services their governments provide.
Strategic Suggestions for Survival When Providing Public Administration Training in Under-Developed Settings: The Case of Swaziland
Authors: Daly John L. , Green Marnie E.
Published: July 2015

This article offers strategies for improving one's technical assistance and training effectiveness in underdeveloped managerial setting. The author's suggestions are based on observations gained while providing technical assistance and training to government officials and civil servants in the Kingdom of Swaziland during 1998 and 1999. The examples provided relate to Swaziland. Nevertheless, they are applicable in many other similar settings. These survival strategies will be of great value to individuals seeking coping skills in unfamiliar surroundings. This is particularly true for first-time international consultants.
Effective Employee Discipline: A Case of the Internal Revenue Service
Authors: Guffey Cynthia J. , Helms Marilyn M.
Published: July 2015

The role of employee discipline from a management, employee, and union perspective is examined using the Internal Revenue Service as a case study example. The concept of discipline is defined and contrasted with punishment. Also, two discipline models — progressive discipline and positive discipline — are compared and contrasted. A hybrid discipline model used at the Internal Revenue Service is discussed; the roles and responsibilities of management, the union, and the employee in the discipline process are included also. In particular, the roles of IRS managers and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) are outlined. Results from the recently released IRS/NTEU National Equal Employment Opportunity Task Force Report are highlighted. Several discipline pitfalls are outlined including: cultural diversity issues, tolerance of poor performers, and lack of managerial training. To make the disciplinary process fairer and less stressful for managers and all employees, recommendations from the IRS/NTEU report are presented.
The Selection of Entry-Level Corrections Officers: Pennsylvania Research
Authors: Sproule Charles F. , Berkley Stephen
Published: July 2015

The article traces the 20-year evolution of procedures used to assess candidates for employment as entry-level corrections officers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The results of three test validation studies and other research, including adverse-impact analyses and job analyses, are discussed. The validated assessment procedures include video-based written tests, multiple-choice tests of reading comprehension and the ability to follow instructions, writing exercises, structured oral tests, physical ability tests, and medical employment guidelines. Other aspects of the assessment process, such as psychological screening and background investigations are also addressed. Research findings indicate that the assessment procedures currently in use in Pennsylvania for entry-level corrections officers are supported by a variety of validity evidence, are fair by gender and race, and are cost effective.
Rudeness at Work: Impulse over Restraint
Authors: Johnson Pamela R. , Indvik Julie
Published: July 2015

Office rudeness is on the rise. Catcalls, disparaging remarks whispered behind closed doors, and raging e-mails are testaments to the fact that many of us are overworked and stressed out. While much has been written about violence in the workplace, it is often the small and subtle egregious acts, the little incivilities, that take the largest toll.

Rudeness is at the low end of the continuum of workplace abuse; workplace rudeness isn't violence or harassment or even open conflict, although it can build up to any of those things. Links between the work environment and indicators of employee loyalty, commitment, and productivity show this is not a “fluff” issue. In addition, a recent study on workplace incivility reveals that rude employees and managers can cost a company millions of dollars a year. This paper will give some background on rudeness at work, identify the kinds and causes of poor behavior, enumerate the costs to organizations, and discuss what employers can do to reduce rudeness at work.
The Location of Subregional Offices: An Emerging Issue for HR Managers in Government
Authors: Fok Lillian Y. , Hartman Sandra J. , Fok Wing M.
Published: July 2015

As the 21st century approaches, HR managers are increasingly finding it necessary to “think outside the box” to find ways to deliver governmental services to users of those services who may be scattered widely throughout a region or territory. Specifically, the HR function finds itself faced with seemingly contradictory pressures: obtaining personnel to deliver top-quality service in an era of cynicism, when users are often skeptical of the ability of government to “come through” for them, and controlling costs and personnel budgets amid calls for reducing the size of government. In this paper, we propose that much progress toward dealing with these questions can be made, if HR managers begin by asking where the people delivering the services should be located. All too often, this approach has not been taken, and managers have simply assumed that cost savings are best effected by centralization, or that service is best provided in decentralized locations. We suggest that there may be no one best answer and provide methodology for use by HR managers in guiding their analysis. In this paper, three techniques that are understandable and practical for use by nonquantitatively oriented managers are used to analyze the situation confronting a large government agency. The techniques used are the traditional center-of-gravity method, the Ardalan's heuristic, and a proposed simulation routine. We compare results when these approaches are applied when the agency considers the establishment of one or more subregional offices. Results from the Ardalan heuristic and the proposed simulation routine are extremely close to each other. When applied to our case situation, we found that one additional office reduces total distance traveled by 25 percent and two additional offices reduce total distance traveled by close to 50 percent, a result with a potential for substantial savings to that agency.
Pre-Employment Testing on the Internet: Put Candidates a Click Away and Hire at Modem Speed
Authors: Mooney John
Published: July 2015

Many public sector agencies have discovered the Internet is vital to recruiting qualified candidates in today's fast-paced job market. The Riverside County, CA Human Resources Department has taken online recruiting to the next level and entered a relatively new (for the public sector) arena by implementing online pre-employment testing. Exchanging the more rigid traditional forms of written testing for the speed and flexibility of an Internet-based test was not a difficult choice. The organization has a tradition of using innovative recruiting methods and embracing technology. The transition to online testing continues to be a learning experience for human resources. This article outlines Riverside's implementation experience, some ways that the technology can heighten recruiting efforts, and offers some practical advice for any organization considering online testing.
Can Technology Ease the Pain of Salary Surveys?
Authors: Tobin Nona
Published: July 2015

This article discusses the value that can be added to public sector salary surveys through the use of the Internet. Several public sector coalitions (the San Francisco Bay Area Employee Relations Service; Chicago suburban area MetroNet; Orange County Division of the League of California Cities; League of Minnesota Cities; and Association of Metropolitan Municipalities) have applied technology to improve sharing compensation data. Also highlighted are commercial ventures that generate salary information on the web. In particular, the article covers the challenges faced by two ventures ( www.ClassAndComp.com and GovernmentJobs.com ) that are attempting to launch compensation analysis products for the public sector market. The conclusion of this research is that the full potential of the Internet technology for sharing public sector compensation information will only be realized if there is significant cooperation between jurisdictions within a recruitment area.
Strategic Human Resources Management in Government: Unresolved Issues
Authors: Tompkins Jonathan
Published: July 2015

The concept of strategic human resources management (SHRM) holds considerable promise for improving government performance. However, to realize this promise, it is necessary to invest the concept with clear meaning. This article explores unresolved issues regarding the meaning of SHRM and its relevance to public organizations. Arguing that the value of the concept is undermined by tying it too closely to strategic planning, the article offers an expanded, two-pronged understanding of SHRM. The personnel office, in addition to helping the agency implement strategic initiatives, also carries out an integrated personnel program guided by a coherent theory about what it should be doing and why.
Organizations' Relative Degree of Exposure to Selection Discrimination Litigation
Authors: Terpstra David E. , Kethley R. Bryan
Published: July 2015

This study examined nearly 400 federal court cases in which substantive, or primary, selection devices were legally challenged as being discriminatory. The findings indicated that the relative frequency of occurrence of discrimination charges varied for different types of organizations. Some industry sectors and some job types were associated with a much greater risk of exposure to litigation than others. For example, the government sector appeared to have a relatively high degree of exposure to selection discrimination litigation. The findings also indicated that the outcomes of the federal court cases (whether the ruling was for the defendant/employer or for the plaintiff) varied by industry type, job type, and type of discrimination charge. Specific recommendations are offered to organizations that operate in high risk industry sectors, and that have high risk job types, with an eye toward reducing the possibility of litigation.
Determinants of Job Satisfaction of Municipal Government Employees
Authors: Ellickson Mark C. , Logsdon Kay
Published: July 2015

What variables explain variation in job satisfaction among municipal government employees? Using data from a recent survey of over 1,200 full-time municipal employees, this research tests the relative influence of 11 environmental variables and 3 demographic factors on variation in job satisfaction among this rarely studied group of employees. The regression analysis revealed that environmental factors such as promotional opportunities, pay and benefits satisfaction, performance appraisal satisfaction, equipment and resources, training, workload, supervisory relationships, and most important of all, departmental esprit de corps were significantly, and positively, related to overall job satisfaction. In contrast, demographic variables were relatively poor predictors of job satisfaction. Over 50 percent of the variation in job satisfaction among municipal employees is explained using this model.
The Way We Learn: A Plan for Success
Authors: Lovejoy Larry
Published: July 2015

Do adult learners participate in discussions differently than non-adult learners? This is a question that can only be defined through the eyes of the learner. Of course, there are conclusions that can be drawn but the learner should start the thinking process by asking the following questions:

Are the questions to be addressed accurate and well-defined? Is the situation one where the conclusion can be assessed and determined by the learner?

This article will take a look at how adult learners learn and will focus on some thoughts and ideas regarding how a person learns. The key factors that will be addressed are: the environment, the decision-making process, and the leadership process. These factors will be used as part of the process for an adult learner to develop or nurture his or her leadership style.
Studies in Emotional Intelligence Redefine Our Approach to Leadership Development
Authors: Dearborn Katie
Published: July 2015

This article references the work of Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, Working with Emotional Intelligence, and co-author of Primal Leadership, creating an awareness of the contrast that exists between traditional training approaches and self-directed learning as we pursue leadership development. The emotional intelligence premise is overviewed and linked to the discussion of demonstrating a return on investment in our organizations as we deploy training programs to impact performance. The author contends that our traditional deployment of leadership development/communication skills training fails to produce sustainable change in behaviors and supports Goleman's initiatives to invest in the emotional intelligence of leaders with individualized plans to impact the climate and performance of an organization.
Training Needs Assessment: A Must for Developing an Effective Training Program
Authors: Brown Judith
Published: July 2015

Training needs assessment is an ongoing process of gathering data to determine what training needs exist so that training can be developed to help the organization accomplish its objectives. Conducting needs assessment is fundamental to the success of a training program. Often, organizations will develop and implement training without first conducting a needs analysis. These organizations run the risk of overdoing training, doing too little training, or missing the point completely.