Social firms: Building cross-sectoral partnerships to create employment opportunity and supportive workplaces for people with mental illness

A major barrier to employment for people with mental illness is limited access to supportive and non-discriminatory workplaces. Social firms are businesses committed to employing up to 50% of people with a disability or other disadvantage and to providing supportive work environments that benefit workers. Little research has been conducted to understand the features and social processes that support the vocational experiences of employees with mental health issues in social firms. Objective: This ethnographic study sought to explore the experiences of nine employees at one Australian social firm. Participants: Nine employees of a social firm, with and without mental illness. Methods: Study methods used included participant observation, interviewing and document analysis. Results and conclusions: The study highlights the complexity of running a socially-invested business, and the importance of cross-sectoral partnerships to support their operational success. Natural workplace supports, adequate training and support infrastructure and enabling participation in the business, were identified as important to creating a supportive workplace. Partnerships within the workplace and in support of the workplace are discussed. Future growth and development of partnerships are recommended to support the establishment of social firms.     

拉丁美洲的东亚移民

帝国主义通过扭曲遭受其影响的国家的经济,导致人口迁移与大量移民。19世纪,帝国主义势力渗透到远东的许多国家。在帝国主义与中国的贸易关系中,英国对茶叶的需求量相当大(其次是丝绸),但除了清政府需要的白银外,没有其他可交换的物品。为防止国库的耗尽和平衡贸易条款,英国商人于是寻求扩大中国的鸦片市场。东印度公司首先抢占了这个市场,然后鸦片贸易便被私人企业所垄断。在最大的经销商中,英国的贾丁与马西森公司位列其中(Hanes and Sanello,2002)。中国人的禁烟努力导致了1839—1842年和1856—1860年的两次鸦片战争,中国被迫割让香港给…     

Comparison style, physical self-perceptions, and fitness among older women

This study examined the relationships between older women's comparison styles, physical self-perceptions, and functional fitness. Participants were community-dwelling women (N = 102, age 65-99) living in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Individuals were categorized as relying primarily on social comparisons, temporal comparisons, or a combination of both styles. Also of interest was whether individuals evaluated themselves positively or negatively when making comparisons. Participants who evaluated themselves positively as compared with others were found to have higher levels of physical self-perception. Analyses revealed that women who relied primarily on temporal comparisons had higher self-perceptions of their functional ability than those who relied on a combination of comparison styles. An avoidance of both temporal and social comparisons was also related to higher levels of physical self-perception.     

An online learning course in Ergonomics

For the past two years, the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Haifa has offered an online course to third year occupational therapists on the topic of Ergonomics for Health Care Professionals. The development and implementation of this course was funded by the Israeli Ministry of Education. Unique teaching materials, developed and uploaded to the University's server via "High Learn", included interactive and self-directed documents containing graphics, animations, and video clips. Extensive use was made of the discussion forum and survey tools, and students submitted all assignments online. For the final topic, an expert in ergonomics from Boston University delivered a lecture via two-way videoconferencing. The course site included comprehensive library listings in which all bibliographic materials were made available online. Students accessed course materials at the University in a computer classroom and at home via modem. In an accompanying research study, the frequency of student usage of the various online tools was tracked and extensive data were collected via questionnaires documenting students' demographic background, preferred learning style, prior usage of technology, satisfaction with the course and academic achievement. This paper focuses on the results of the research study that examined how the students responded to and coped with teaching material presented and accessed in this format.     

Inclusion as Social Practice: Views of Children with Autism

This study illuminates the social realities of inclusion of 16 high functioning children with autism (HFA) in public schools in the United States. The study suggests that the practice of inclusion rests primarily on unaffected schoolmates rather than teachers, who typically are occupied monitoring academic progress and disciplinary transgressions across a range of children. Utilizing ethnographic observations and video recordings of quotidian classroom and playground activities, the analysis elucidates how classmates employ a range of positive and negative inclusion practices that either integrate or distance autistic children. Ethnographic observations of the study population indicate that the children whose diagnosis was fully disclosed enjoyed more consistent social support in the classroom and on the school playground. The study further suggests that high functioning children with autism exhibit a range of reactions to negative inclusion practices such as rejection and scorn. Such reactions include oblivion, immediate behavioral response, and emotionally charged accounts of disturbing school incidents shared after-the-fact with family members. Significantly, these observations indicate that HFA children can be cognizant of and distressed by others' derisive stances and acts, despite symptomatic difficulties in interpreting others' intentions and feelings.     

数字资本主义在数字健康领域对公共利益价值内涵的重构

近年来,所有主要的大型消费科技公司都进入了健康研究领域。这种谷歌式数字健康引出一个问题,即在研究中,公共利益如何得以维系?只有将谷歌式数字健康置于数字资本主义的政治经济中,才能更好地突出公共利益和公共价值问题。以往的研究通常把谷歌式数字健康框定在一个双重的、不可通约的分析逻辑中,其中：私人利益与公共利益是对立的,经济价值与社会价值是对立的。虽然有助于揭示数字资本主义的剥削潜力,但是这种分析逻辑是有缺陷的,因为它只承认关于公共利益的一种理解。通过借鉴博尔坦斯基和泰弗诺的价值理论分析框架,可以发现：谷歌式数字健康对公共利益的价值内涵进行了多重塑造,不仅包括公民价值(为社会做好事),还包括市场价值(创造更多财富)、工业价值(提高生产效率)和项目价值(创新和实验)以及活力价值(促进生命健康)。如果把治理方案看作是一系列价值准则的组合,那么就可以设计出实现和保障公共利益的治理方案。基于此,提出研究进路：探索和构建更丰富的体现公共利益的价值准则体系,对其进行批判性评估,最终制定出能确保“公民”价值的可行治理方案。     

Episiotomy practice in the Middle East: A Lebanese teaching tertiary care centre experience

Problem

There is lack of data on the rate of episiotomy in Lebanon and the study’s hospital.

Maternal Health in Post-Soviet Georgia

ABSTRACT

During the post-Soviet economic and political transformation, underprivileged social groups frequently experienced economic instability, financial insecurity, and lack of political representation. During the transition from communism to democracy Georgian women with low social status experienced not only economic hardship but also deterioration of health. Among the negative outcomes of post-Soviet transition were unsafe motherhood, increased cigarette and alcohol consumption, unsafe sex, increased gender violence, and a decline of maternal health. This article analyzes maternal health conditions of Georgian women after the collapse of the Soviet Union.