A comparison of applications of microcomputers in production

Earlier research has established that the full potential of microcomputers is not being achieved by production management in small companies. Moreover, questionnaire results and in-company interviews were used to support suggested reasons for this situation. This paper reports further work carried out to examine the issues raised in far more detail. Collaboration took place with nine separate companies over a range of applications. Three of these case studies are presented in detail, and general conclusions drawn relating both to these specific studies and to the total collaboration.     

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Two problems are always present in any research: reliability and validity, and this paper will attempt to assess reliability and validity in relation to dietary data. Reliability means stability of results over a period of time or in similar situations. (It is very difficult to find two identical situations, especially outside a laboratory, as some variation is always introduced.) Validity refers to the accuracy of techniques and results. It includes the idea of measuring methods and results against a standard or criterion.     

A SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY OF COLLECTIVE ANXIETY ATTACKS: The "Mad Gasser" Reexamined

This article presents a social-psychological theory to explain collective behavior involving unusual somatic reactions. The authors term this social phenomenon a "collective anxiety attack," to distinguish it from the psychiatric label of "mass psychogenic illness." First, the article contrasts fundamental assumptions of a psychiatric-medical interpretation with a social-psychological interpretation. Next, the article illustrates the difference using a reinterpretation of and new data about the classic case of the "mad gasser of Mattoon." Then, the authors present a social-psychological theory which suggests that collective anxiety is induced by a shared belief in a threat rumor. Once a belief in an imminent threat spreads widely enough to create a consensual definition of the situation, the belief intensifies fear and distorts individual perception. Belief in the threat rumor creates psychological stress and expectancy effects that shape an individual's somatic reactions, so that expectations of feeling sick result in symptoms of sickness. In conclusion, the article suggests a program for research and ways of managing collective anxiety attacks.     

Leader-Member Exchange across two hierarchical levels of leadership: concurrent influences on work characteristics and employee psychological health

Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory suggests that the quality of the leader–employee relationship is linked to employee psychological health. Leaders who reside at different hierarchical levels have unique roles and spheres of influence and potentially affect employees' work experiences in different ways. Nevertheless, research on the impact of leadership on employee psychological health has largely viewed leaders as a homogeneous group. Expanding on LMX theory, we argue that (1) LMX sourced at the levels of the line manager (LM) and senior management (SM) team will be differentially linked to employee psychological health (assessed as worn-out) and that (2) these relationships will be mediated by perceived work characteristics (reward and recognition, workload management, quality of relationships with colleagues and physical environment). Structural equation modelling on data from 337 manual workers partially supported the hypotheses. Perceptions of the physical environment mediated the relationship between LMX at the LM level and employee psychological health, whereas perceptions of workload management mediated the relationship between LMX at the SM level and psychological health. These findings corroborate arguments that leaders are not a uniform group and as such the effects of LMX on employees will depend on leadership hierarchy. Implications for expanding leadership theory are discussed.     

Psychiatric Rehospitalization of Children and Adolescents: Implications for Social Work Intervention

This study explored factors associated with the psychiatric rehospitalization of children and adolescents. A retrospective archival review was conducted on 403 children and adolescents admitted into an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Results indicated that 16% were readmitted in the same year. Children and adolescents who had a prior history of psychiatric rehospitalization, lived in a residential treatment facility, and had a diagnosis of oppositional/defiant or conduct disorder were more likely to be rehospitalized. Psychosocial factors must be considered in predicting and preventing psychiatric rehospitalization. Clinical social workers should include therapeutic foster care as an option for aftercare placements of youth exhibiting externalizing behaviors and/or with a history of multiple restrictive care placements.     

Recent developments in nonlinear stochastic modelling of social processes

After a brief review of social applications of Markov chains, the paper discusses nonlinear (“interactive”) Markov models in discrete and continuous time. The rather subtle relationship between the deterministic and stochastic versions of such models is explored by means of examples. It is shown that the behaviour of nonlinear systems over time periods of practical interest depends critically on the total size as well as on the system parameters. Particular attention is paid to strong and weak forms of quasi-stationarity exhibited by stochastic systems.