Maintaining the roots of economic development in an era of globalized production

The globalization of economic activity is being driven by market processes. The market based indicators used to measure its progress mask serious and wide-spread economic problems that also undermine our economic future. Alternative indicators, designed to give a more accurate reading of our economic well being, are being developed, but more work and wider acceptance of the concepts are needed. An examination of economic theory reveals that there is no basis for the claims that market based guideposts and decision making lead to inherently superior results and provide support for the search for non-market criteria in the evaluation of economic development. The labor movement has long sought to establish international standards as one criterion of production. A review of the global approach of the ILO, the narrowly focused European Union agreements, and the treaty-based fair deal movement provides guidance for future directions for policy work.     

Sixty years at Cornell

The School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University has been teaching and researching for over 60 years. Joan S. Livingston, the Executive Editor of the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, describes the activities of the school.     

Litigation Patterns in Automobile Bodily Injury Claims 1977–1997: Effects of Time and Tort Reforms

This study uses data from the Insurance Research Council to investigate changes in the use of attorneys and in the filing of legal claims to resolve automobile third‐party bodily injury claims between 1977 and 1997. We find results consistent with the general public perception that the use of attorneys and the filing of legal claims have increased over the study period. In addition, we find evidence that tort reforms enacted by the states have slowed the rates of increase in the use of attorneys and in the filing of legal claims to resolve automobile insurance claim disputes.     

Evaluating a County-Sponsored Social Marketing Campaign to Increase Mothers' Initiation of HPV Vaccine for their Pre-teen Daughters in a Primarily Rural Area

Routine vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer, is recommended for 11-12 year old girls, yet vaccine uptake is low. This study evaluates a social marketing campaign initiated by 13 North Carolina counties to raise awareness among parents and reduce barriers to accessing the vaccine in a primarily rural area. The 3-month campaign targeted mothers of girls ages 11-12 and healthcare practices serving pre-teen girls in four counties. Principles of social marketing were: product (recommended vaccine against HPV), price (cost, perception of safety and efficacy, and access), promotion (posters, brochures, website, news releases, doctor's recommendation), and place (doctors' offices, retail outlets). We analyzed (1) website traffic, hotline calls, and media placement; (2) cross-sectional surveys of mothers and providers; and (3) HPV immunization rates in intervention versus non-intervention counties. Of respondent mothers (n=225), 82% heard or saw campaign messages or materials. Of respondent providers (n=35), 94% used campaign brochures regularly or occasionally in conversations with parents. HPV vaccination rates within six months of campaign launch were 2% higher for 9-13 year old girls in two of the four intervention counties compared to 96 non-intervention counties. This evaluation supports campaign use in other primarily rural and underserved areas.     

Spiritual Considerations for Managers: What Matters Most to Workforce Members in Challenging Times

A survey conducted among 50 members of the Los Angeles Workforce, all within the age range of 20–50 years, and with a minimum of 2 years of work experience and a minimum of 2 years of college education, delivered results that may be of interest to managers in their efforts to enhance workers’ satisfaction and successfully transcend the challenges of these times. The focus of this study was on values that mattered most in challenging times to members of the workforces. The hypothesis that inner- and inter-human aspects would be considered more important than money and status in such times was highly supported, with values such as love and relationships, and positive motivation, in an overwhelming lead. While financial worries were undoubtedly considered, it was underscored that in times of trouble, employees reach inwardly and outwardly to inner-human and inter-human connectedness.     

Planning,Changing Landscapes and Tourism in Singapore

The paper discusses approaches to certain forms of official planning, the values which underpin them and implications for tourism, with particular reference to Singapore and its natural and cultural resources. Government efforts to mould nature and culture through planning, in accordance with visions of its preferred states, are reviewed and some concerns about the extent of interference and the results are revealed. The landscapes created may be excessively ordered and lacking in spontaneity, with doubts about authenticity, features that adversely affect their sustainability as visitor attractions. Insights are thus afforded into underlying imperatives and the linkages which connect planning, environmental and social policies, political ideologies, and tourism in relatively newly independent states and more widely.     

Impact of public involvement in research on quality of life and society: a case study of research career trajectories

This case study illustrates the research career trajectory of two lay researchers after they joined a Big Lottery funded study to explore loneliness and isolation among older people living in a town in the north of England, UK. The two lay researchers were of pensionable age themselves and engaged in all aspects of the research process as full members of the research team. Following research methods training and their substantive input into study design, they engaged fully in an approach of peer‐interviewing of other older adults as the main study method. Following this initial exposure to undertaking research, these exemplars of public involvement in research went on to be involved in other research as co‐researchers at a local and national level. Initially the paper sets out the lay researchers' personal backgrounds and expectations from involvement in research. The impact of their involvement in research on their quality of life and that of their community is presented. Latterly, the societal impact of the lay researcher's involvement is examined. The difference they made to the initial study design and conduct is described first followed by their development as substantial research resources for other studies and community initiatives. Overall the impact of these lay researchers has been significant and the paper provides an example of how involvement in research can impact on individuals and communities to great effect.     

(How) Do research and administrative duties affect university professors’ teaching?

We analyse the interaction between university professors’ teaching quality and their research and administrative activities. Our sample is a high-quality individual panel data set from a medium-size public Spanish university that allows us to avoid several types of biases frequently encountered in the literature. Although researchers teach roughly 20% more than nonresearchers, their teaching quality is also 20% higher. Instructors with no research are 5 times more likely than the rest to be among the worst teachers. Over much of the relevant range, we find a nonlinear and positive relationship between research output and teaching quantity on teaching quality. Our conclusions may be useful for decision-makers in universities and governments.