The conceptualisation and measurement of occupational hierarchies: a review, a proposal and some illustrative analyses

Occupational data are central to much research in the field of social stratification. Yet there is little consensus on how such data are most appropriately classified and scaled. We evaluate occupational scales currently in use on the basis of a fourfold typology. This cross-classifies scales, on the one hand, according to whether they are intended to be ??synthetic?? or ??analytic?? and, on the other, according to whether they are based on ??subjective?? or ??objective?? data. Focusing chiefly on issues of validity, we argue that scales of the analytic-objective type are those which, for most purposes, can be used to best advantage in stratification research. We illustrate our argument by applying scales of occupational earnings and occupational status in analyses of the worklife occupational mobility of men in Britain, using the data-set of the National Child Development Study.     

Linking Mission to Learning Activities for Assurance of Learning

Can accreditation-related requirements and mission statements measure learning outcomes? This study focuses on triangulating accreditation-related requirements with mission statements and learning activities to learning outcomes. This topic has not been comprehensively explored in the past. After looking into the requirements of AACSB, ISO, and the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (QF), “mission/objective/goal/outcome, improvement, learning, activities, review, and consistent” were identified as the key elements which can be applied to designing learning activities with a teaching log. From teachers' observations and studying the reflections of learners, it was found that “Ability, Affection, All-round Development and Appreciation” improved to align with the elements of the mission statement “Capable and Caring.” It was found that guest lectures by academics and industry practitioners can also help nurture learners' overall development. These findings are of great value as a mission statement is intended to lead to action and continuous improvement; and accreditation exercises involve mission verification and validation. Longitudinal studies of a similar nature are suggested to further test the findings of the present study.     

The Challenge of Risk Reporting: Regulatory and Corporate Responses

Corporate collapses such as those of Ansett Australia, Centaur Mining, Enron, HIH and One. Tel have rekindled regulators' concerns about the lack of transparency in financial reporting on risks and uncertainties. This paper examines the broad conceptual issues and regulatory responses so far in leading jurisdictions and investigates risk reporting of Australian entities operating in the mining sector. The limited and uneven level of reporting on risk found, in this study, if replicated in other industries and jurisdictions, provides justification for standard-setters considering more explicit requirements than the existing piecemeal rules of restricted scope.     

Why Do Fund Families Release Underperforming Incubated Mutual Funds?

Although the average incubated mutual fund outperforms nonincubated funds by up to 3.41% annually, a large number of released funds underperform during incubation. We find that launching underperforming incubated mutual funds is associated with objectives that attract large inflows and lower relative risk. These findings are consistent with the use of incubation to maximize fee revenue through means other than the flow‐to‐performance relationship. We also find that underperforming incubated funds are incubated longer suggesting that families release funds opportunistically to take advantage of outperformance when it is observed.     

Women's employment transitions around child bearing

Women's increasing participation in the labor force since the 1950s demands that knowledge about their labor supply needs to keep pace with the changing world. One important change has occurred among mothers of small children, they are increasingly working for pay in successive generations, as the break in their employment has become increasingly shorter. Legislation was enacted in the UK to outlaw unequal pay and discrimination in employment on the basis of gender, while statutory maternity leave was introduced in 1976 and extended in 1986. The proportion of mothers taking maternity leave has since increased, as has full-time employment among mothers. The authors examine the transitions into and out of paid work which women make after childbirth, helping to determine whether recent generations of mothers have benefitted from the policy changes, whether all have benefitted equally, and whether any effects persist beyond the period around the first childbirth. Study data are drawn from the fifth sweep of the National Child Development Study (NCDS) 1958 birth cohort at age 33. The experiences of mothers in the 1958 generation suggests that women have begun to benefit from the equal opportunities provisions enacted in Britain during the 1970s. The age of the youngest child is the most important determinant of women's participation over the preschool years, and relatively better educated women have the highest degree of continuity in employment across childbirth.     

‘A shelter is not a home’: Voices of homeless women in the City of Tshwane

ABSTRACT

In response to a request from the City of Tshwane that homelessness in the city be explored, a research team was established in 2014. The research was divided into four pillars: conceptual/theoretical perspectives of homelessness; narratives and experiences of homeless and former homeless people, particularly women; documentation of current practices to curb homelessness in the city; and policies that address homelessness in City of Tshwane. This article focuses on the second pillar. Individual interviews and one focus group interview with eight women were conducted. The results revealed four storylines: a shelter was halfway home; shelters had restrictive and protective regulations; reconnection programmes with families were required; and hope – as a matter of survival. Improving people’s economic status (not providing shelters) was the permanent solution to homelessness. Emphasis was on women’s right to equal status in housing issues which are guided by well-founded policies that are women friendly.     

Strategic planning–financial performance relationships in banks: a causal examination

An integrative model of relationships among managerial, environmental, and organizational factors, strategic planning intensity, and financial performance was developed and tested using data from 112 banks. The results suggested that the intensity with which banks engage in the strategic planning process has a direct, positive effect on banks’ financial performance, and mediates the effects of managerial and organizational factors on banks’ performance. Results also indicated a reciprocal relationship between strategic planning intensity and performance. That is, strategic planning intensity causes better performance and, in turn, better performance causes greater strategic planning intensity. Finally, the results hold implications for other financial services institutions subject to similar conditions that banks must operate under. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.