A Comparison of Socially Responsible and Conventional Investors

Socially responsible investment is a rapidly emerging phenomenon within the field of personal investment. However, the factors that lead investors to choose socially responsible investment products are not well understood, especially in an Australian context. This study provides a comparative examination of conventional and socially responsible investors, with the aim of identifying such factors. A total of 55 conventional investors and 54 ethical investors participated in the study by completing mailed questionnaires about their investment and general behaviour and their attitudes and beliefs. Results indicated some important differences between socially responsible and conventional investors in their beliefs of the importance of ethical issues, their investment decision-making style, and their perceptions of moral intensity. These results support the notion that socially responsible investors differ in critical ways to conventional investors, and are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications.     

Expanding scope of practice: inter-professional collaboration or conflict?

With the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, interdisciplinary fights are becoming more public with more to come. Currently, the most visible fight is over scope of practice (SOP) expansion, state laws that govern advanced practice nursing and vary idiosyncratically by state. Until there is an expansion of SOP, APNs in many states will not be able to provide services to the fullest extent of their training and knowledge, skills, and experience and patients will continue to go without care. For physicians, the values and identity associated with the history of the medical profession being dominant transcend the policy details and budgetary considerations that might be viewed as "interests. For nursing, the values for trust and professional recognition associated with providing high-quality care to all is central to the profession's identity and transcend the interest-based conflict. A mediator can challenge thought leaders from both professions to acknowledge their core values, to facilitate discussions in which each side accepts those aspects of the other's values that it can agree with, and then build on those shared beliefs.     

The Iowa model: a proposed model for nursing administration

The purpose of the Iowa Model is to serve both as a heuristic device and as a framework for articulating knowledge for nursing administration research, practice, and education. The model delineates two domains of knowledge (systems and outcomes), each with three levels (patient aggregates, the organization, and the health care system). Concepts useful for knowledge development are identified for each level. Practice, research, and curricular applications of the model are made.