Enculturation of professional contract nurses: a concept analysis

The concept enculturation, an essential component of integration into the work arrangement of professional contract nurses, also known as travel nurses, is analyzed. These registered nurses are contracted by hospitals through health care staffing service firms, for temporary work assignments. The work of travel RNs involves frequent recurring episodes of integration to health care teams at hospitals throughout the nation. Rodgers Evolutionary Method (Rodgers & Knafl, 2000) is applied to analyze the concept of enculturation, leading to a pragmatic perspective on its meaning and utility. This work may contribute new knowledge applicable to future nursing research.     

THE RISE AND USE OF BALANCED SCORECARD MEASURES IN AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS

This paper examines the rise and use of balanced scorecard performance measurement systems in Australian government departments. Through a survey of all Australian federal, state and territory government departments we find that Australian government departments include a broad set of financial and non‐financial measures within a balanced scorecard approach. Theoretically, our findings lend support for both economic and ‘external’ institutional rationales for the implementation and use of balanced scorecard measures. We find that those government departments reporting greater implementation of balanced scorecard performance measures also report greater benefits for organisational decisions. Our findings shed light on the use, and further potential, of BSC performance measurement systems as part of the management control system in Government departments.     

Discipline,representation and dispute resolution—exploring the role of trade unions and employee companions in workplace discipline

This article reports findings that suggest that trade union representation both protects worker interest and also facilitates the informal resolution of disciplinary disputes. However, this is dependent on robust representative structures and high‐trust relationships with employers. Conversely, non‐union companions were found to have no substantive impact on disciplinary processes and outcomes.     

Kapitalizm: Russia’s Struggle to Free Its Economy

Contrary to the situation prevailing in most of Europe and North America, Brazilian economics can be justly described as pluralist, an outcome frequently ascribed to the role played by the Brazilian economics association (ANPEC) as conflict mediator. A crucial episode took place in the early 1970s, when ANPEC chose to welcome the filiation of the heterodox program at the University of Campinas (Unicamp) against threats of withdrawal from one of its most prestigious members, the Getúlio Vargas Foundation. After characterizing the nature of pluralism in current Brazilian economics, the article uncovers the process that led ANPEC to adopt a “pluralist” attitude, and how this related to the Brazilian political context from the 1970s. The outcome was significantly influenced by the actions of other institutions involved in Brazilian economics at the time, notably the Ford Foundation and the team of Vanderbilt University economists working in Brazil under a USAID contract. Choices made within a delicate political context opened the door to the institutionalization of theoretical plurality as a stable feature of the scholarly community of Brazilian economists.     

A better approach by management in drug testing

Discussed here are a number of drug abuse and drug testing issues. This article presents an overview of current developments in the area of drug testing in the workplace. There is an analysis of legislation, federal and state court decisions, and key legal arguments. These decisions and arguments are discussed in the context of employee rights and responsibilities. Also presented are the legal and ethical aspects of drug testing in the workplace. The authors make a case for a rehabilitative rather than a punitive approach to employee drug abuse.     

The Uses of Advanced Information Technology in Audit Planning

Expert systems, intelligent databases and other forms of advanced information technology are quickly becoming pervasive tools in accounting and auditing. All the major public accounting firms are either using such systems in their auditing practice or have them under development. This paper describes the use of several systems used for audit planning. These are divided into three functional areas: audit risk assessment, internal control evaluation and audit program development. The advantages and disadvantages of these systems as they relate to auditing are discussed.     

Corporate returns and cash conversion cycles

This study examines the relationship between profitability measures and management of ongoing liquidity needs for a large cross-section of firms over a twenty-year period. Long-run equilibrium relationships between the cash conversion cycle, a measure of ongoing liquidity management, and alternative measures of profitability are tested using both nonparametric and multiple regression analysis. Industry and size differences are controlled. While there are exceptions to the general finding for specific firms and for specific industries, the paper offers strong evidence that aggressive working-capital policies enhance profitability.     

THE STRATEGIC CONTINGENCIES THEORY OF POWER: MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES

The strategic contingencies theory of power proposed by Hickson et al. (1971) has been tested and compared to an alternative perspective. In the alternative perspective, the theory has been modified to include control of strategic contingencies as a moderating variable in the relationships between power and its determinants. A field study, using questionnaire and interview responses of 54 administrators at five universities, partially supports the modified theory.