Antecedents and consequences of nurse managers' perceptions of organizational support

The antecedents and consequences of nurse managers' perceptions of organizational support were evaluated. Study results revealed that changeable work environment factors are important precursors of perceptions of organizational support, which, in turn, result in positive work attitudes and better health.     

Ethical Frameworks and Planning Theory

The turbulence which characterized the 1980s created uncertainty as to the role and purpose of planning in liberal democracies. Instrumental rationality is no longer defensible as a guiding doctrine and major questions arise concerning the relationship of planning to the market economy and the political process. The realization that the problems confronting planners are not amenable to technocratic solutions has led to recognition of the political and therefore essentially ethical nature of the planning activity. However, whilst there is widespread recognition that fundamental ethical dilemmas underpin both planning practice and theory, little explicit consideration has been given to the nature of the normative frameworks available. The purpose of this paper is to critically review the ethical frames of reference implied in the most influential theories within planning and to evaluate their relevance to practice. The paper highlights the extent to which debate has been, and continues to be, dominated by procedural questions, the rejection of universalism in favour of relativity and subjectivity, and a focus on individual interests rather than more general concern with the common good. Reluctance to engage with debates of a more foundational nature concerning ends and values is questioned and planning theorists are urged to reconnect with the fundamental issue of planning’s contribution to the creation of desirable futures. — Les troubles et difficultés des années quatre-vingt ont créé une incertitude quant au rôle et aux objectifs de la planification dans les démocracies libérales. La rationalité instrumentale comme doctrine dirigeante n’est plus défendable et des questions importantes se posent quant à la relation de la planification avec l’économie de marché et le processus politique. Les responsables de la planification ont puis conscience du fait que les problèmes qu’ils recontraient ne pouvaient pas être résolvé de manière technocratique – cela les a conduit à prendre en compte la dimension politique et donc fondamentalement éthique de la planification. Néanmoins, malgré la reconnaissance générale des dilemmes éthiques qui sont derrière la pratique et la théorie de la planification, la nature des structures normatives disponibles a rarement été puis en compte. Le but de cet article est de faire une revue critique des systèmes de référence implicites dans les théories de la planification les plus influentes et d’évaluer leur applicabilité pratique. L’article souligne à quel point le débat a été et reste dominé par des questions de procédure, par le rejet de l’universalisme en faveur de la relativité et de la subjectivité, et par une attention particulière donné aux intérêts individuels plutôt que par une préoccupation plus générale pour le bien commun. Le refus de considérer des problèmes plus fondamentaux concernant les fins et les valeurs est mis en cause. Les théoriciens de la planification doivent revenir à la question fondamentale de la contribution de la planification à la création d’un avenir meilleur.     

The Legitimacy of Pay and Performance Comparisons: An Analysis of UK University Vice Chancellors Pay Awards

This article examines UK University Vice Chancellors (VC) pay awards. The empirical analysis, covering the period 1997–2002, evaluates the impact upon VC pay awards of university performance measures, internal pay comparisons and two external pay comparisons, that is, the pay of other VCs and the pay of chief executive officers (CEOs) leading comparable‐sized UK firms. For the total sample, we find no evidence that VC pay awards are related to any of the performance measures, although for the pre‐ and post‐1992 subsamples there is some evidence that pay awards are related to some ‘mission‐relevant’ performance measures. All the analyses show a positive relationship between changes in the proportion of other highly paid employees and VC pay awards, which suggests that internal pay comparisons play an important role in remuneration committee decision making. As anticipated, the two external pay benchmarks have very different effects upon VC pay awards; the pay received by other VCs produces a marked ‘mean reversion’ in pay levels while the pay of CEOs running comparable‐sized UK firms had a highly significant positive impact upon VC pay awards. Following the insights of institutional theory, we interpret this conservatism by university remuneration committees as stemming primarily from legitimation concerns rather than financial constraints.     

Market Architecture and Nonlinear Dynamics of Australian Stock and Futures Indices

This paper studies the All Ordinaries Index in Australia, and its futures contract known as the Share Price Index. We use a new form of smooth transition model to account for a variety of nonlinearities caused by transaction costs and other market/data imperfections, and given the recent interest in the effects of market automation on price discovery, we focus on how the nonlinear properties of the basis and returns have changed, now that floor trading in the futures contract has been replaced by electronic trading.     

Business support approaches for charities and other nonprofits

This study investigated three kinds of business support for nonprofit organisations—donations, sponsorship and coalignment deals (a commercial venture between the two partners), among a sample of major Australian corporates. Most businesses were more likely to donate to a charity if their competitors were known to do so. A similar finding was observed for the sponsorship of charities, cultural and sports organisations. Businesses expected charities to be genuine in their concern about social issues, but businesslike in their dealings with their supporter organisations. Pressures for the increased commercialisation of the relationship were observed, leading to dilemmas for the nonprofits. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications     

Educating young consumers – a food choice model

It has been acknowledged that it is only by obtaining a more detailed understanding of food choice that people’s diets can be improved. In Northern Ireland, research into food choice has been limited yet the Province has the second highest rate of heart disease in the world, indicating the need for change. This study investigated the food choices of 9‐ to 17‐year‐olds in Northern Ireland and the influential factors. A range of research techniques were employed incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods, namely observations, focus groups, picture associations, dietary case studies and questionnaires. The research indicated that the dietary patterns adopted by this group are characterized by a high consumption of fat, yet the reduction of fat tends to dominate the overall strategy for the prevention of obesity and lowering the risk of coronary heart disease. In addition, a high consumption of sugar products was evidenced along with a distinct dislike for healthier alternatives such as fruit and vegetables. The ‘skipping’ of meals, especially breakfast and a high prevalence of snacking was also apparent. However, these eating habits were found to be affected by various factors such as age and gender, emphasizing the complex nature of food choice. The findings from this research enabled the development of a model relating to the food choices of 9‐ to 17‐year‐olds in Northern Ireland, highlighting the influential factors and subsequent health implications.     

Power ARCH modelling of commodity futures data on the London Metal Exchange

A recent addition to the ARCH family of econometric models was introduced by Ding and co-workers wherein the power term by which the data is transformed was estimated within the model rather than being imposed by the researcher. This paper considers the ability of the Power GARCH class of models to capture the stylized features of volatility in a range of commodity futures prices traded on the London Metals Exchange (LME). The results of this procedure suggest that asymmetric effects are not generally present in the LME futures data. Further, unlike stock market data which is well described by the model, futures data is not as well described by the APGARCH model. Nested within the APGARCH model are several other models from the ARCH family. This paper uses the standard log likelihood procedure to conduct pairwise comparisons of the relative merits of each and the results suggest that it is the Taylor GARCH model which performs best.     

Mental illness at work: An assessment of co-worker reactions

Guided by Colella, Paetzold, and Belliveau (2004), we surveyed 305 employees on their reactions towards co-workers with mental illness. Co-workers were less likely to view longer/more frequent work breaks as appropriate accommodations for the mentally ill relative to flexible hours, banking of overtime hours, and counselling. Moreover, employees who believed that co-workers with mental illness were being equitably (or fairly) treated at work were more likely to report that they would self-disclose—and seek assistance for—a mental illness. Finally, employees with workplace contact with the mentally ill were more likely to support hiring people with mental illness. Copyright © 2009 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Risk and wealth effects of U.S. firm joint venture activity

Using a sample of US firms engaged in joint venture activity primarily in the 1990s, we test the hypothesis that joint venture activity is motivated by a desire for efficient risk sharing. We find that approximately ninety-six percent of our sample experiences a risk change in response to joint venture activity. A significant proportion of these experience a reduction in beta. No market price response is evident in conjunction with this reduction. In addition, the average parent firm experiences a significant increase in firm risk, which we attribute to taking on the risky joint venture. This increase in risk is particularly pronounced for firms engaged in international joint ventures and is accompanied by a positive market response. Investment stake, pre-venture firm profitability, size and private risk increasing characteristics appear to influence the wealth character of the joint venture. We interpret that there may be a positive market premium for international diversification effects and/or for the flexibility that the real option joint venture opportunity provides.     

Marriage, BMI, and wages: a double selection approach

Obesity rates have been rising over the past decade. As more people become obese, the social stigma of obesity may be reduced. Marriage has typically been used as a positive signal to employers. If obese individuals possess other characteristics that are valued in the labour market they may no longer face a wage penalty for their physical appearance. This paper investigates the relationship between marital status, body mass index (BMI), and wages by estimating a double selection model that controls for selection into the labour and marriage markets using waves 14 and 16 (2004 and 2006) of the British Household Panel Survey. Results suggest that unobserved characteristics related to marriage and labour market participation are causing an upward bias on the BMI coefficients. The BMI coefficient is positive and significant for married men only in the double selection model. The findings provide evidence that unobserved characteristics related to success in the marriage and labour market may influence the relationship between BMI and wages.