Involvement in and perception of the free-time context for adolescents in youth protection institutions

What adolescents do, with whom, and at which arenas, represent the contextual dimensions of adolescents' daily free-time. Since free-time may be particularly significant for many developmental processes in adolescence, it is important to understand the impact free-time may have on vulnerable youth. This study used the Experience Sampling Method to examine the free time of adolescents who are taken care of by the Child Welfare Organization (Oslo, Norway). When a sample of experiences (n = 479) from 20 adolescents living in youth protection institutions was compared to a sample of experiences (n = 741) from a non-institutionalized comparison group, results showed differences in perception of and involvement in daily after-school contexts. The adolescents from the youth protection institutions reported significantly fewer self-involving activities and spent their free time in different arenas compared to their peers. Further analyses disclosed differences in the perceptual experiences associated with activity, social group and arena.     

Professionals in the NHS – a case study of business process re-engineering

Rather than providing evidence of business process re-engineering (BPR) as another example of cultural change rhetoric, this case study shows BPR as a substantive initiative that has had a considerable impact on health care professionals. A hybrid of differing bureaucratic professions allows for a diversity specific to the health service. The study highlights a number of controversial issues unique to health care professionals, particularly in the areas of job redesign, multiskilling and empowerment.     

Human Resourcing in Practice: Managing Employment Issues in the University

Participant observation in two universities is used to throw light on processes of sensemaking engaged in by managers concerned with human resourcing issues. Analysis of managerial sensemaking in the case study organizations is carried out using concepts from earlier sociological theorizing about human resource or personnel management, treating these theoretical ideas as resources for use in the researchers' own sensemaking. It is shown that theoretical 'sense' can be made of the managerial or 'lay' sensemaking in the universities in terms of a need to handle various tensions which are inherent in all employment management work in industrial capitalist societies. And it is argued that there is clear continuity between what is currently occurring and has occurred in the past. This interpretation is shown to differ from that of an alternative approach in social science sensemaking, that which uses the notion of a new paradigm of 'HRM'.     

MULTIVARIATE VOLATILITY MODELING OF ELECTRICITY FUTURES

We model the dynamic volatility and correlation structure of electricity futures of the European Energy Exchange index. We use a new multiplicative dynamic conditional correlation (mDCC) model to separate long‐run from short‐run components. We allow for smooth changes in the unconditional volatilities and correlations through a multiplicative component that we estimate nonparametrically. For the short‐run dynamics, we use a GJR‐GARCH model for the conditional variances and augmented DCC models for the conditional correlations. We also introduce exogenous variables to account for congestion and delivery date effects in short‐term conditional variances. We find different correlation dynamics for long‐ and short‐term contracts and the new model achieves higher forecasting performance compared to a standard DCC model. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The ownership and use of small kitchen domestic appliances: case study,Liverpool

The nutritional habits of UK consumers have become a cause for concern with an increasing number of people suffering from diseases related to nutrition. The way in which food is prepared may contribute to the nutritional content of the diet. Traditional methods of cooking and eating are being influenced by increased ownership of domestic appliances. This study aimed to carry out a cross sectional study of people living on Merseyside to determine the ownership and use of small kitchen domestic appliances in relation to the possible consequences the appliances may have on the nutrient intake of the individual. An opportunistic sample of 276 female adults aged 25–70 years was recruited from amongst university staff and community groups within Merseyside. Data were collected using a self‐completion questionnaire consisting of questions concerning personal details, the ownership and use of domestic appliances that may influence nutrient intake. The Liverpool John Moores University Ethics Committee granted ethical approval. Microwave ovens, electric toasters and grills were owned by 80% of the population. Coffee makers, handheld electric food mixers, sandwich makers, blenders and food processors although owned by over 45% were used by the majority only once a week or less. Newer items such as a bread maker were owned by 9% who were significantly more likely to have a professional occupation. Those with unskilled occupations were significantly more likely to own a deep fat fryer and least likely to own a food processor. Those aged 25–34 years were significantly least likely to own a handheld food mixer. Households comprised of couples with or without children were significantly more likely to own sandwich makers, bread makers, food processors and handheld food mixers. No difference in the use of the appliances was found with occupational group or age. A large percentage of people own a variety of domestic appliances, the use of which may have a beneficial effect on their nutrient intake, however, it is of concern that those in the lower socio‐economic group were more likely to own appliances that will have a negative effect on their diet.     

Carol Corrado,Jonathan Haskel,Javier Miranda,and Daniel Sichel (eds.): Measuring and accounting for innovation in the twenty-first century (NBER studies in income and wealth,volume 78)

Business Economics -     

Commerce with a conscience: corporate control and academic investment

Corporations have been investing in academia to an extent that could be classified as a corporate takeover of universities. Intra‐university critics see this as an ethical problem, because of the degree of business control over university policies and decisions which accompanies the funding. University critics rarely suggest that the corporate funding be given up, returned, or even limited. What they protest against is corporate control, which they see as threatening university autonomy, and as inimical to the public good. Multi‐university conferences have been held focusing on this problem, and the most serious solution proposed thus far is to construct a relevant code of ethics regulating and limiting corporate involvement, through standards and guidelines which corporations will then have to subscribe to, in order to fund universities. However, there is a conflict of interest here. Universities have a public trust and a fiduciary duty not to compromise education. This implies a covenant not to cede power to outside interests, not to use university resources, or faculty and students, as a means to an educationally irrelevant end. Universities cannot sell out. However, it seems equally dishonest not to offer their students a well‐funded first‐rate, quality education in applied fields with current skills, maximum research opportunity, and the corporate ties that would allow them to obtain jobs. We examine three cases showing errors made by universities in ceding control to corporate investment, and draw some policy conclusions.     

Do We Have a Redundant Set of Cost–Efficiency Targets in the NHS?

There has been a long history of hospital trust cost–efficiency targets being used in the National Health Service (NHS), but there is little evidence about whether they are effective in reducing hospital unit costs and reducing the dispersion of unit costs between trusts. In 1997, the new Labour government announced that it would replace the purchaser efficiency index with a new approach to securing cost–efficiency gains from trusts. Since 1999/2000 trust efficiency targets have been based on reference costs. This article presents evidence to suggest that efficiency targets have not been effective and that the new reference cost based system of targets is irrelevant. The efficiency gains that trusts seek to achieve are those that emerge from the purchaser funding formula and the contracting process.