bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consumer Participation in Health Planning: Policy and Political Implications
Authors: Grant Jane A.
Published: March 2007

This paper examines the implementation of the National Health Planning and Resources Development Act (P.L. 93-641) in three San Francisco Bay Area communities during the years 1976-1980. It focuses on a study of the role of consumers in the planning process and the policy and political implications of their participation. The results of the study point to the need to distinguish the effects of citizen participation on program outcomes from the effects on citi zens' own interests in the policy area. This finding has implications for how and under what conditions we may want to encourage opportunities for citizen participation in policy in the future.
And Lettuce Is Nonanimal: Toward a Positive Economics of Voluntary Action
Authors: Lohmann Roger A.
Published: March 2007

This paper sets out a positive conception of voluntary action as a unified type of economic activity, grounded in human group expe rience and based in autonomous, self-defining and self-regulating communities of nonmarket actors with shared mutual interests in identified common goods. Such common goods include many types of social services; community action; religious, scientific, and artistic endeavors; amateur athletics; and a broad range of other nonprofit activities. Key implications of the common goods approach, also known as endowment theory, include rejection of efficiency, maxi mization, Pareto-optimality, and other economic criteria as necessary and sufficient standards for evaluating rational choice and rational organization in the Commons, and substitution of more appropriate rational standards.
Volunteers' Life-Styles: Market Segmentation Based on Volunteers' Role Choices
Authors: Heidrich Katheryn Wiedman
Published: March 2007

This study applies market segmentation techniques to the problem of volunteer recruitment and retention in nonprofit voluntary orga nizations. Four types of volunteer roles are studied: direct service, leadership, general support, and member-at-large. A mail survey is analyzed, and the conclusion is reached that the volunteer market can be meaningfully segmented and that knowledge of volunteers' differing life-styles can lead to the effective targeting of particular groups.
Citizens Serving Government: The Extent and Distinctiveness of Volunteer Participation in Local Public Agencies
Authors: Sundeen Richard A.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the extent of volunteer participation in local gov ernment agencies, the distinctiveness of those volunteers in contrast to volunteers to other types of organizations, and the impact on public orga nizations by volunteers. A review of recent research indicates that volun teers can have a significant impact on the organizational practices and outcomes of local public agencies.
Comparison of Volunteers in Public and Nonprofit Human Service Agencies
Authors: Cnaan Ram A. , Goldberg-Glen Robin S.
Published: March 2007

In recent years, there has been a blurring of the traditional boundaries between the public and the nonpublic (for-profit and voluntary nonprofit) sectors. Studies in volunteerism to date have not yet addressed the issue of differences and similarities of volunteers in public and nonpublic agencies. In this article, we report on the first empirical study conducted of volun teers from the public and nonprofit sectors.
Commercial Venturing and the Transformation of America's Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies
Authors: Adams Carolyn , Perlmutter Felice
Published: March 2007

This article examines venturing, or the commercial sale of services and products, as a strategy employed by voluntary social agencies to bolster their faltering budgets. It reports the findings of a descriptive study of a population of 101 such agencies in greater Philadelphia. The authors suggest that the increase in commercial ventures by nonprofits is to some extent a by-product of the expansion of government contracting in the social welfare field. They conclude that even when successful, commercial ventures pose significant risks to nonprofit agencies.
Not-for-Profit Organizations in the Soviet Union: Turning On Some Lights
Authors: Reiner Thomas A.
Published: March 2007

This article describes the fledgling state and growth of not-for-profit orga nizations in the Soviet Union. The buoyant reappearance of this sector can be seen as a response to the legitimized recognition of gaps in service delivery at a time when social, political, and economic changes under perestroika create openings for new initiatives, which challenge the mono lithic system in place. As such, not-for-profits reflect state failure and, at the same time, tentative movements toward a civic society. Some continuity with prerevolutionary practices and institutions is noted.
Relationships Among Market Work, Work Aspirations, and Volunteering: The Case of Retired Women
Authors: Stephan Paula E.
Published: March 2007

Work by economists offers differing explanations for the volunteer partici pation of women. Mueller argues that women volunteer as a stepping- stone to employment in the market. Blau argues that, because of the constraints women face, volunteer activity serves as a substitute for work in the market. A synthesized view argues that both the substitution and the stepping-stone hypotheses help explain volunteer behavior. This paper examines whether such a synthesized view is consistent with the experi ences of retired women, using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynam ics. The empirical results strongly support the idea that retired women volunteer as a substitute for market work. The results are also consistent with the idea that some women may use volunteer participation as a stepping-stone to work in the market.
National Nonprofit, Voluntary Associations: Some Parameters
Authors: Smith David Horton
Published: March 2007

A sample of national nonprofit organizations drawn from the national Encyclopedia of Associations (1988) is examined. Principal findings include that these organizations have recently grown at 3.6 percent per year; are mainly work or leisure oriented; have a mean age of eighteen years (younger than in a 1975 study); have mainly individual (rather than organizational) memberships, a median size of 445 (much higher for individuals than organizations), and small staffs (median estimated to be zero); and show declining concentration in the Washington, D.C., New York City, and Chicago metropolitan areas as a set (but a rise in Washington, D.C., locations). Some interpretations of the data are offered.
Hispanic Nonprofit Organizations in the State of California
Authors: Koldewyn Phillip
Published: March 2007

This article presents an initial assessment of the numbers and functions of nonprofit organizations within the California Hispanic community, whose population will soon constitute one-third of the state total. The changing social and political realities accompanying rapid population growth have stimulated a notable expansion in numbers and kinds of nonprofit groups. Changing realities have also motivated key organizations to replace older, piecemeal approaches to community problems with regional and strategic ones.
Project Jupiter: report and assessment
Authors: Isaacs Margaret
Published: March 2007

The articles reports on the progress of Project Jupiter, a University Grants Committee funded project sponsored by the JANET (Joint Academic Network) user group for libraries and managed by Glasgow University. The project sought to train library staff in the use of the JANET computerized networked information system by means of seminars, published information, ad-hoc courses and other promo tional activities. The article discuss es the changes that have been made to JANET during the 5 years of the project and the ways in which these have been reflected in Project Jupiter and reports on the use of JANET within libraries; training in libraries; types of documentation developed for users; and, in particu lar, the setting up and success of the electronic bulletin board: Bulletin Board for Libraries (BUBL).
New model librarians: a question of philosophy?
Authors: Roberts Norman
Published: March 2007

The constrained operating circum stances of academic libraries in recent years have produced significant mod ifications of practice. The latter, in turn, have resulted in both explana tions and justifications of events. A new professional philosophy is grow ing out of this debate. This review examines certain aspects of the new model librarianship as these are pre sented in recent publications.
Population size and functional efficiency in public library authorities: the statistical evidence
Authors: Midwinter Arthur , McVicar Murray
Published: March 2007

Regression analysis is used to analyse the available statistical evidence on the range, cost and usage of UK public libraries to determine whether any gen eral relationship exists between the pop ulation size served by a public library authrority and its functional efficiency, while recognizing that some aspects of the impact of size require a more quali tative assessment. Examines the perfor mance of the smallest authorities against the UK national average. The statistical analysis of service provision over the 1980s is based on the returns made by the chief librarians to the annual Public Library Statistics (Actuals) produced by CIPFA's (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) Statistical Information Service. The general mea sures of service used in the study consist of: total number of service points; lend ing limit (maximum number of items allowable on loan); issue period; and opening hours (including mobile libraries). Results provide some confir mation of diseconomies of scale in small library authoritites, which incur greater per capita expenditure than larger author ities. Concludes that size is not the only factor determining the scope and range of services. The research was supported by a grant from the British Library, Research and Development Department.
The provision of information to industry: a comparative study of Saudi Arabia and the UK
Authors: Arif Mohammad , Meadows A.J.
Published: March 2007

Reports the results of a questionnaire study to compare the methods of access to industrial information, by companies in Saudi Arabia, with similar informa tion access in the UK. The objectives of the study were: to determine what major information sources are available to Saudi Arabian and UK industrial con cerns ; to examine the level of service and relevance of the information pro vided ; to investigate how aware indus tries are of information sources and to what extent they use them; and to look for differences in the use of informa tion as a function of the type of compa ny concerned. The survey examined the size of firms, Saudi and UK govern ment information sources, Saudi and UK non-government information sources, numbers of different informa tion sources used by firms, the industrial sector use of information and the types of business information sources. Respondents were asked how useful they found the information that they obtained and whether they experienced any problems in acquiring it The survey was supplemented by interviews with key information providers and users. Results suggest that current informa tion provision in Saudi Arabia may be sufficient in terms of number and range of providers for the existing demands of industry. However, UK experience sug gests that this provision will need to evolve as industrial activity develops.
The transiency of CD-ROM? A reappraisal for the 1990s
Authors: Stratton Barbara
Published: March 2007

In an earlier article, Tony McSean and Derek Law suggested that CD- ROM is a transient technology likely to be supplanted. This article re- examines the authors' hypothesis in light of subsequent developments. Compares CD-ROM with online information retrieval, suggesting that the poorer currency of CD-ROM may be solved by providing complemen tary online and CD-ROM services. Discusses the provision of parallel printed, online and CD-ROM ver sions, networking issues, and the impact of CD-ROM on printed prod ucts. McSean and Law failed to pre dict the revolution in personal computers and to appreciate the effect of networking capabilities. The per ceived problem of CD-ROM disc capacity and low retrieval speeds still remain problems for very large data bases. Considers current applications of CD-ROM for enabling electronic libraries and for document and data base delivery, particularly over net works such as JANET. Concludes that McSean and Law's assertion that CD- ROM is a transient technology has proved to be quite correct in that all information technology has proved to be transient. However, CD-ROM has proved a useful and attractive technology, offering an alternative to online databases which is much more user friendly, and, depending upon sufficient volume of end-user use, more economical than online.
Up to standard? A study of the quality of records in a shared cataloguing database
Authors: Chapman Ann
Published: March 2007

In modem, shared computerized cat aloguing, the interrelationship of types of record usage means that the quality of the source bibliographic records, and any changes made to them after initial creation, can affect users, sometimes in significant and unforeseen ways. Reports on a research project, carried out by the UK Office for Library and Information Networking (UKOLN), Bath University, using bibliographic records on the BLCMP Database, to investigate record quality. The tech nique used to measure the quality of the database was a simple count of the number of records edited. Overall, the standard of records available to member libraries in this large shared cataloguing database was found to meet the needs of the majority of member libraries, with records found for approximately 90 per cent of items, and around 80 per cent of the records found, being used without editing. As more libraries automate, and with the increasing ability for users to search catalogues of institu tions other than their own over net works, the quality of retrospectively converted records needs to be addressed.
Rebuilding the Public Library Service?
Authors: Stoker David
Published: March 2007

Public libraries and public librarians are popular targets for criticisms, claim ing that they are both anti-books and anti-library users, and are interested only in the latest technical innovations, preferring computers and similar gad gets which, it is claimed, separate 'literate human beings' from old fashioned things like books'. Other criticisms focus on the adoption of commercial and populist values in the provision of library services and call for public libraries to return to traditional library services'. On the other hand, there is just as vociferous a lobby, both inside and outside the library profession, that sees the traditional public library as catering only to a middle class and literate minority and having little impact on the younger generation raised in the age of television and video. Public librarians are also called upon to cater for spe cific groups within society or those with special needs. Considers what might be regarded as the central functions of public libraries at the turn of the 20th century with particular reference to: the 1991 Out of Hours study of town cen tre decline; the Comedia study; and the Department of National Heritage's offi cial review of the UK public library service in England and Wales. Cites the mission statement for public libraries included in the latter report but points out that mission statements are only valuable if they can be translated into spe cific strategies. Concludes that the first step must be a concerted period of dis cussion within the library profession followed by a public relations exercise to mobilise public support.
The role of information in the information technology trade between the UK and Saudi Arabia
Authors: Jifri Sharaf , Meadows Jack
Published: March 2007

Many developing countries see an expansion of the use of information tech nology (IT) as a key to future prosperity, and hope to establish an indigenous industry which will supply at least some of their needs. Some may even devel op into IT exporters. Since initially this will involve importing IT from developed countries a study was conducted which took the example of Saudi Arabia as a developing country and that of the UK as a developed country in order to study the type of importing and exporting information system that must operate to satisfy both sets of information needs. On the basis of an ear lier pilot study of 28 UK IT exporters, a series of null hypotheses were set up to guide the investigation, namely that there were no differences in: the uti lization of information sources between Saudi Arabian IT importers and UK IT exporters; the utilization of information sources between those UK IT exporters involved with Saudi Arabia and those who were not; the effect of size of the firm on the utilization of information sources; and the obstacles to accessing information sources facing both Saudi IT importers and UK IT exporters. Data collection was by means of questionnaire surveys sent to 220 likely UK exporters and 128 Saudi Arabian importers. It is concluded that information transfer between the Saudi and UK IT importing and exporting systems occurs on an extensive and continuing basis but its efficiency is hampered, in part, by differing attitudes to the interface, and in part by a dif fering use of information channels.
Should academic libraries lend LIS journals?
Authors: German Richard , Oppenheim Charles
Published: March 2007

The practice, in some academic libraries, of lending periodicals to staff and students can frequently lead to frustration and disappointment on the part of other users pursuing the same articles. Reports results of a survey of periodicals lending policies in university libraries, focusing on library and information science periodicals which are unique in that they have an additional user group in academic libraries, namely professional library staff. Explores the views of users, level of complaints about these policies, and compares loan periods, recall policies, photocopying charges and other related issues. Questionnaires were sent by electronic mail and post to academic departments and libraries in the UK, Ireland, North America, Australasia, and Scandinavia. Concludes that: the lending of periodicals causes problems for academic staff, library staff and, especially, for students; only a minority of academic libraries lend periodicals, with lending being more popular in the UK than the USA; and there is a clear difference of perception between librarians and their users about the difficulties involved. Suggests possible solutions, including: electronic access; duplicate copies of key periodicals for circulation among library staff; study packs and short loan arrangements; lending of older, bound volumes; and the making of loose issues reference only.
The future of the human indexer
Authors: Ward Martin L.
Published: March 2007

Considers the principles of indexing and the intellectual skills involved in order to determine what automatic indexing systems would require in order to supplant or complement the human indexer. Argues that good indexing, especially in technical fields, requires: considerable prior knowledge of the literature; judgement as to what to index and to what depth; reading skills; abstracting, cataloguing and classification skills. Illustrates these features with a detailed description of the abstracting and indexing processes involved in generating entries for the mechanical engineering database, POWERLINK. Briefly assesses the possibility of replacing human indexers with specialist indexing software with particular reference to the Object Analyzer from the InTEXT automatic indexing system and applying the criteria described for human indexers. Concludes that, at present, it is unlikely that automatic indexers will replace human indexers, but when more primary texts are available in electronic form, they may be a useful productivity tool for dealing with large quantities of low grade texts (should such material be wanted in the textbase).
Entrepreneurial Infrastructure in Singapore: Developing a Model and Mapping Participation
Authors: Tan Teck-Meng , Tan Wee-Liang , Young John E.
Published: March 2007

Entrepreneurial infrastructure, as the term is used in this article, represents the facilities and services present within a given geographic area which encourage the birth of new ventures and the growth and development of small- and medium- sized enterprises. The model of entrepreneurial infrastructure developed here and applied to the nation of Singapore suggests that they provide support to poten tial new business owners, owners of small growing businesses, and existing small- and medium-sized enterprises by way of assisting them with tasks, physical and monetary resources, information and knowledge. This article also develops a map ping function to predict the likelihood of participation in the entrepreneurial in frastructure with the help of interviews with representatives of twelve small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Implications of Managerial Knowledge Diversity: Some Spanish Evidence
Authors: Entrialgo Montserrat , Fernandez Esteban , Vazquez Camilo J.
Published: March 2007

This article develops a theoretical model to account for the impact of the alignment between managerial characteristics and strategic orientation on organisational success. Specifically, two central propositions were evaluated: (a) organisations pursuing markedly dissimilar strategies will be led by top management team possessing markedly dissimilar attributes, and (b) organi sations that more completely align the profile of the top management team with the requirements of their strategies will perform significantly better than others not achieving such an alignment. Findings from a sample of 233 small and medium entrepreneurs in a Spanish territory suggest that these two propo sitions are valid.
Employment, Efficiency and Entrepreneurship in Small Industry: A Study of the Baking Industry in Punjab, India
Authors: Singh Sukhpal
Published: March 2007

Small industry continues to play a very important role in development, particularly in developing economies. However, recent changes particularly in the policy have questioned their role and relevance for development as many ills plague this sector. The small industries sector today is viewed as inefficient, highly capital intensive and outdated in terms of production technology and, consequently, products. This article examines some aspects of small industry in the context of the secondary food processing, consumer industry—the baking industry—in the state of Punjab, India. It was found that the employment generated by the small-scale sector is irrelevant to the local economy and, therefore, does not cater to its needs. The small-scale baking industry also exhibits on the one hand elements of being capital intensive and on the other, low productivity. This industry, as such, is less efficient compared to the large-scale sectors of industry. As far as entrepreneurship is concerned, refugee households, who had started with meagre funds, dominate this industry. Only of late have entrepreneurs hailing from other diverse backgrounds started entering this sector.
Terrorism and Rural Entrepreneurship in Punjab
Authors: Bal Gurpreet , Judge Paramjit S.
Published: March 2007

This article aims at describing the process whereby entrepreneurship among members belonging to a particular caste and religion emerged as a result of terrorism. Rural entrepreneurship saw drastic changes during the last two decades. The once dominant business class found themselves in a situation where it was difficult for them to oper ate. The subversive activities—a resultant of terrorism—created panic and induced many to close down their family run businesses and proceed to urban areas in search of safer environments. Their vacuum was filled up by the agricultural class, which as a result of the green revolution was economically emerging as an entity to reckon with. The Jat Sikhs were the beneficiaries of this revolution. Terrorism paved their entry into the domain of business. Using a case study methodology, the authors have documented the process as it happened in one village. The authors argue that similar situations could also be witnessed in rural Punjab as well. This article therefore points out the significance of political factors, which the authors argue, cannot be ignored in any study on entrepreneurial development. Similar situations are seen almost all across. The new social groups, as the authors put forth, do not observe the rules of the game. The process of intimidating the well-established social and economic groups from all walks of life through adoption of violence has become the order of the day. The authors are very critical of the disharmony and the imbalance that such processes will create.
Intrapreneurship: Assessing and Defining Attributes of Intrapreneurs
Authors: Sayeed Omer Bin , Gazdar M.K.
Published: March 2007

Using a sample of 101 managers, an attempt is made to assess and validate the Intrapreneurship Scale developed by Lessem way back in 1988. This scale comprised seven conceptually defined dimensions, namely, adventurer, innovator, designer (enabler), leader, entrepreneur, change agent and animateur. The study concluded that the alpha coefficients at the item level as well as the overall alpha and split half reliabilities establish the relevance and usefulness of four out of seven dimensions. These are adventurer, innov ator, entrepreneur and animateur. However, the other three dimensions, i.e., designer, leader and change agent subscales showed relatively poor consist ency estimates. In the context of all future researches, the authors suggest that there is a need to assess more extensively the intrinsic properties of the Intrapreneurship Scale using the interval level measurement more than the ordinal level measurement.
What Makes Entrepreneurs Learn and How Do They Do It?
Authors: Young John E. , Sexton Donald L.
Published: March 2007

What motivates entrepreneurs to learn and grow in their business is a question the answer to which has been attempted in this article. Similarly, answers to some questions like the existence of specific processes which help in generating motives for learning, the mechanisms adopted by entrepreneurs to acquire knowledge for growing their businesses, and so on, have been attempted. We all know that solving novel problems is one way which helps entrepreneurs acquire requisite knowledge. These problems are seen to proliferate more in rapidly changing environments and as businesses grow. This article is based on an empirical research which makes an attempt to uncover the processes that generate the necessary motivation to learn. It categorises learning motives and also identifies the basic external and internal learning activities which are practised by entrepreneurs. The benefits that can accrue to those who become familiar with and utilise these findings are also discussed at length. The article finally suggests an agenda for future research on entrepreneurial learning.
WTO and Survival of Small-scale Industry: The Five Myth Entrepreneurial Framework with Case Study of Rajkot Diesel Engine Industry
Authors: Shukla Paurav
Published: March 2007

This article is an attempt to see the impact that WTO has made on the small- scale sector and also to see how the same, if addressed in the right perspective, could lead to increasing competitiveness thereby requiring the need for change. The article has tried to understand how the small-scale, which is known for being innovative, collaborative and friendly, would survive in this changed situation. This study is located in the once successful and now declining Rajkot diesel engine industry in India. The author presents to the readers a conceptual frame—'five myth framework', as an outcome of this study. The author also gives an elaboration of possible solutions that entrepreneurs could adopt to overcome some of these myths.
Entrepreneurship and the Growth of Firms: An Exploratory Study of the Dyestuffs Industry in Ahmedabad
Authors: Awasthi Dinesh N.
Published: March 2007

The paper attempts to understand the entrepreneur's role in the growth of firms by comparircg the performance of high and low growth (small-scale) firms in the dyestuffs industry in Ahmedabad. The paper observes that the factors usually associated with the making of entrepreneurial personality in India, such as family occupation, economic background and educational experience may facilitate the entrepreneur's entry into business; they do not ensure growth. It is the General Enterprise Tendency which matters. The author finds a close association between the managerial capabilities of the entrepreneur and growth of firms, and argues that until the enterprise expands beyond a level, the owner-manager has to combine both entrepreneurial and managerial roles.
Ideology, Environment and Entrepreneurship : Typologies from Islamic Texts and History
Authors: Akbar M.
Published: March 2007

Are some religions more conducive to creating entrepreneurial personalities than others? The question has been long debated with reference to the prin cipal religions of the world. Most works discussing this issue have confined themselves to analysing the basic tenets of concerned religions; few have drawn on historical data, indicating the actual behaviour pattern of the fol lowers of these religions. This paper looks at the ideology of Islam as well as the historical experiences of Islamic societies to dispel the popular notion that the Islamic tenets are inherently anti-entrepreneurial.
Effects of Industrial Merger on Productivity and Profitability: A Review
Authors: Wahid Abu N.M.
Published: March 2007

It is now widely recognised that entrepreneurship is not necessarily an individual-centric response to profitable opportunities or synonymous with business start-ups. Corporations or established firms, too, can play an entrepreneurial role. Merger is one means through which two ormore firms can augment their business power, add to their product lines, expand their market reach and achieve various economies of scale. This paper critically reviews the existing literature on the effects of industrial merger and concludes that they are not easy to measure precisely.
Rural Industry and Development in Central Thailand: An Alternative Approach
Authors: Arghiros Daniel
Published: March 2007

Researchers in the area of rural industry are largely concerned with this sector's potential to generate wealth and employment. Notwithstanding the significance of such an approach, this paper argues that the development of rural industry is as much a social and political process as an economic one. A political economy approach can provide not only a holistic under standing of the social and political ramifications of rural industry, but can also contribute to a critique of development policy. This argument is illustrated here through an analysis of the brick-making industry in a central Thai district.
The Role of the Banker in Financing Medium-sized Firms in Belgium: Lender or Adviser?
Authors: Wtterwulghe Robert , Janssen Frank
Published: March 2007

This article analyses, on the basis of a field study, the role of banks in financing medium enterprises in Belgium. It shows that, like small firms, medium-sized businesses have a preference for self-financing. As far as external funding is concerned, debt is generally their main source. How ever, their low debt ratios indicate that, as compared to the large firms, these enterprises take less recourse to banks and, as a result, pay little attention to their financial function. The banker does not play an important role as an adviser either, except when the firm decides to raise funds through the stock market. The article calls for greater specialisation on the part of the banks so that they can avoid conflicts of interest arising out of the mismatch between their service priorities and the needs of their clientele.
Attitudes of Low-income Indivi duals Towards Entrepreneurship: An Assessment
Authors: Hood Jacqueline N. , Young John E.
Published: March 2007

This paper develops a framework to assess the attitudes of low-income individu als toward entrepreneurship on the basis of a survey of the residents of a public housing in a major south-western city in the United States. These attitudes are treated by the study as consequences of the conditions and context of life of the urban poor. Recognising the significance of entrepreneurship as a solution to urban poverty, it proposes a three-phase strategy to attract and motivate low- income individuals to take up entrepreneurial ventures.
Psychological Correlates of Entrepreneurial Performance among Women
Authors: Kaur Rajinder , Bawa Shally
Published: March 2007

This paper presents the results of an investigation into entrepreneurship among women by emphasising the psychological correlates, especially values and locus of control. The study has been conducted on a sample of 100 middle-class women entrepreneurs. The results clearly indicate that women take up business ventures for a variety of reasons. The more successful among them were found to score high on ability utilisation, achievement, advancement, economic rewards, personal development and prestige. However, no significant differences in locus of control were observed among women with varying degrees of success.
Imagining Organizational Transformation through Linguistic Suggestion
Authors: Banerjee Parthasarathi
Published: March 2007

Organization emerges as reality only through language. Transformation is such an emergence and it must get over the present context. A descriptive or implicative language fails to transcend the context. Linguistic suggestion of imageries and linguistic communion through imagination take departure from the present context and emerge as the new pleasurable transformed reality of organization. Linguistic holds the key to organizational transformation.
Ethical Issues in Change Management: An Empirical Study
Authors: Bhaskar A. Uday , Bhal Kanika T. , Ratnam C.S. Venkata
Published: March 2007

This research was conducted to study the ethical issues involved in managing change-related issues and assess whether people in organizations perceive them to be ethical. Besides assessing people's perceptions of ethicality, it also explored the reasons people give for judging a situation as ethical or unethical. Research was conducted using scenarios involving ethical dilemmas related to lay offs, skills obsolescence, misinfor mation and preference for younger over older employees. Results show that the respondents were divided over three situations, namely, lay offs, misinformation and preference for younger employees. The issue of skills obsolescence was considered unethical by most. The reasons given for judging a situation were different, implying that the ethical and unethical were not treated as two ends of a continuum.
The Meeting of Business and Spirituality: Its Evolutionary Significance
Authors: Srinivasan M.S.
Published: March 2007

Spirituality is now a much talked about subject. All over the world, after a long reign of heavy and soul- stifling materialism, people are seeking for a higher meaning in work and life, beyond the mundane and material aims. So religion and spirituality are coming back with the message of hope and peace. Business, which is a leading institution of our age and employs a large chunk of humanity, cannot escape from this new worldwide trend. Thus, the meeting of business and spirituality is already happening. This article examines the evolutionary significance of this meeting in the light of Sri Aurobindo's spiritual vision.
Teaching of Spiritual Values to Management Students: A Jesuit American Experience
Authors: Bausch Thomas A.
Published: March 2007

This paper begins with an exposition of the model of work rooted in Catholic social teaching and goes on to establish that it is through our work that we become the person who we potentially can be. The author upholds the servant leadership model advocated by Robert K. Greenleaf as an antidote to the dysfunctional trends in American life and business characterized by rampant individualism. While focusing its approach on the education of business students the paper presents two critical ideas from the underlying theology of Catholic social teaching—the concept of person and that of a universal call to holiness. Courage, moderation, justice, charity; science, knowledge and wisdom; and competence and prudence are highlighted as the elements of education for true leadership. Finally, the author underlines the increasing importance of understanding contextual and environmental issues relating to business which ought to provide a framework and conceptual foundation for an education that is much more than a set of tools and techniques.
Dharmic Management: A Concept-Based Paper on Inner Truth at Work
Authors: Hawley Jack
Published: March 2007

This paper is an inspired address by the author to engage in a momentous battle for character and human values in life and worklife. The keynote of the author's exposition on values-centred manage ment is the concept of dharma. Here the Indian ideal of dharma is compared to and contrasted with the Western notion of integrity. While integrity is based on the human virtues of wholeness, goodness and having the courage and self-discipline to live by the inner truth, dharma gives a radically different orientation to any human endeavour by upholding the notions of spirit, rightness, and fearlessness. There is also a distinction between individual dharma and organizational dharma, which the author defines as the organization's inner law. In the concluding part of the paper, the author crystallizes the wisdom contained in the Bhagavad Gita and asserts that hidden away in our inner nature is the law, the writ of our life that enables us to transcend the purposelessness of pomp, power, property and pedigree towards a more meaningful human existence.
Knowledge Transfer and the Guru-Shishya Model
Authors: Shrowty A.W.
Published: March 2007

This paper outlines an indigenous Indian approach for the training of engineers to fulfil the objective of effective technology transfer to a new site from the mother plant. The approach reflects the courage of conviction to translate the holistic and ancient model of knowledge transfer: the guru-shishya relationship. The requirements of such a model, the practical working out of these requirements, and the views of both shishyas and gurus after the experience are shared with great simplicity.
Understanding the Power, Responsibility, Leadership and Learning Links: The Key to Successful Ethics Management
Authors: Lloyd Bruce
Published: March 2007

This paper raises some fundamental questions about two of the most important issues in the world today: first, questions about the nature and relationship between power, responsibility and leader ship. Second, how this is related to the whole subject of learning. The core of the debate about leadership should be more about how and what we learn about responsibility, rather than the traditional preoccupation with power.

If we want to improve the quality of life in the twenty-first century, the one thing that we have to do today is to try to improve the quality of our learning. Why we learn? How we learn? What we learn? What we do with that learning?
The Common Morals Approach to Business Ethics
Authors: Smith Raymond D.
Published: March 2007

The paper anticipates increasing unethicalness of business in a hyper-competitive climate. An attempt is made to rediscover a core set of values and virtues reflective of traditional ethics to combat the crisis of business morality. The proposal for the 'common morals' view of ethics steers clear of the theoretical opposites of Kantian and Utilitarian ethics which seem to have little practical bearing on actual decision-making. The author quotes the findings of a research study in which 86 per cent of the corporate executives were found to use traditional methods like prayer, meditation and scripture reading to enhance their moral imagination, to sharpen their judgment and to strengthen their sense of duty. Further, he advocates a culture of reward and punishment which reinforces moral excellence. According to him, 'leading by example' is the most important requisite for ethicality in organizations.
Novices Work on Group Reports
Authors: FORMAN JANIS
Published: March 2007

This article identifies problems in the computer-supported group writing of MBA students who are both novice strategic report writers and novice users of technology that supports group work. These problems consist of lack of attention to readers' needs, attitudes, and expectations; poor conflict management; leadership problems; genre confusion; shaky definition of the strategic problem; poor commitment and attitudes toward use of new technology; poor computer policies and practices; and conflicting hardware and software preferences. The article suggests several reasons for these problems, draws implications for instruction of computer-supported group writing, and suggests topics for further research.
Climbing the Corporate Ladder
Authors: KARIS BILL
Published: March 2007

This article describes an audience analysis exercise that offers a striking series of examples of how one business communication textbook has been adapted over the years by its authors to accommodate these authors' changing perceptions of their audience. The exercise also attempts to make students aware of their own involvement in various discourse communities by means of a letter-writing activity and subsequent classroom discussion. Additionally, this article argues for the need to help students become aware of how the values and presuppositions of discourse communities affect communications within those communities.
Forming Constructs of Audience
Authors: BOCCHI JOSEPH S.
Published: March 2007

This research report examines the roles of convention, conflict, and conversation in the formation of audience constructs. One group of construction engineers and another group of design architects and engineers, both working in a bureaucratic setting, relied on disciplinary and institutional conventions while constructing, addressing, and invoking audiences. Incongruities among contextual conventions restricting audience analysis resulted in inappropriate textual features and necessitated conversation during corporate training. This conversation focused on redefining problems of audience analysis and accommodation. The problem solving associated with analyzing situational audiences during the composing process was possible only when writers understood the problem-posing conventions of their discourse communities.
Improved Interpersonal Relationships
Authors: CARROLL E. RUTH
Published: March 2007

Many teachers believe that lecture combined with individual writing assignments is the best method for teaching written business communication. In contrast, a second teaching method is the random assignment of students in written communication classes to cooperative learning groups. The author recently completed a study at Oklahoma State University comparing the effectiveness of straight lecture and cooperative learning group methods of teaching junior and senior college-level written business communication. Comments on diary sheets by students in cooperative learning groups indicated maturation in the area of interpersonal relationship skills—an unanticipated aspect of the study. The cooperative learning group method is recommended for teaching written business communication because it provides students an opportunity to learn to work cooperatively and share ideas in groups. No attempt is made to present the study, but suggestions and procedures for effectively structuring and implementing cooperative learning groups, including copies of handouts, are provided to encourage instructors to foster cooperative learning in written business communication.
Categorizing Professional Discourse
Authors: COUTURE BARBARA
Published: March 2007

Rhetorical categories can and should be developed by scholars of professional writing to identify how values held within professions constrain the ways discourse is interpreted in organizational settings. Empirical research (conducted by the author and others), discourse theory, and pedagogical practice in professional writing strongly suggest that at least three categories of professional writing exist: engineering, administrative, and technical/professional writing. The author demonstrates this claim and distinguishes the characteristics of these three categories. Engineering writing is shown to respond to professional values of scientific objectivity and professional judgment as well as to corporate interests. Administrative writing reflects the locus of decision-making authority and promotes institutional identity. Technical/professional writing aims to accommodate audience needs through complying with professional readability standards. Future research should focus on defining the characteristics of these varieties more precisely. Articulated definitions of these three varieties of professional writing can help scholars and practitioners better understand how discourse is framed and interpreted in organizational settings.
Ecological Disaster and Rhetorical Response
Authors: TYLER LISA
Published: March 2007

On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez struck a reef, releasing 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound. This study examines Exxon's communication efforts in the wake of that disaster and identifies communication practices on Exxon's part that damaged the corporation's credibility, antagonized the public, and contributed to the public perception of its corporate arrogance.
When Politeness is Fatal
Authors: MOORE PATRICK
Published: March 2007

Severe icing on the space shuttle Challenger's launch pad should have halted the launch on the morning of January 28, 1986. One Rockwell International manager told his subordinates to be sure NASA knew that Rockwell thought a launch was not safe. When the Rockwell subordinates spoke directly to NASA managers, however, they used politeness strategies like those enumerated by Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson to blur the directness of the Rockwell manager's message. The NASA managers interpreted the politeness of the Rockwell subordinates as meaning it was safe to launch. The Rockwell subordinates did not mean it that way, but the Challenger was launched.
Real-Time Computer Network Collaboration
Authors: MABRITO MARK
Published: March 2007

Previous research in computer-mediated communication in both the classroom and the workplace has found that patterns of interaction may differ between individuals communicating face-to-face versus communicating via a computer network. This present study, using a case study methodology, sought to analyze and compare the language of groups of business writing students as they communicated both face-to-face and on a real-time computer network. The study found that during network meetings, participation was more equal, responses tended to be more substantive and text specific, and students were more willing to offer direction than during face-to-face meetings. In addition, students reported a more positive evaluation of their network sessions.
Peer-Tutor Training
Authors: RANDELS JAMES , CARSE WENDY , LEASE JUDY E.
Published: March 2007

This study provides descriptive analysis of a 20-hour training program to prepare peer tutors to work in a writing lab. The subjects included 20 first-year MBA students who demonstrated proficiency in writing and interpersonal skills. Nine students chose to participate. The analysis includes conversations, actions, and reflections of peer tutors during the training period. The process involved instructors with peer-tutor training experience, a selection procedure that incorporated a student-centered philosophy, several general meetings to orient and deal with concerns about tutoring, and a number of simulated sessions that moved the tutors from sentence- to discourse-level concerns.