The influence of flexible management practices on the sharing of experiential knowledge in the workplace: a case study of food service helpers

Previous studies have shown that the job knowledge and prudent knowledge of experienced workers constitute a wealth that needs to be shared in workplaces to promote worker integration, job retention and occupational health and safety. It appears, however, that certain management practices undermine this knowledge sharing process. This case study of food service helpers in institutional food service departments is part of a research project aimed at comparing the impact of different work organization methods on knowledge sharing in the workplace on the basis of case studies carried out in several organizations. The results of this case study reveal that by destabilizing and weakening the work teams, flexible management practices create an environment that is not conducive to experiential knowledge sharing.     

Homelessness and Children's Use of Mental Health Services: A Population-Based Study

This study examined whether children who become homeless differ from other low-income children in their mental health service use before and after their first homeless episode, and to what extent homelessness is associated with an increased likelihood of mental health service use. Differences between children with and without new onset of sheltered homelessness in the use of mental health services emerged following homelessness and widened over time. Sheltered homelessness and foster care placement history were associated with increased odds of receiving inpatient and ambulatory mental health services. Findings underscore the importance of collaborations between homeless assistance, foster care, and mental healthcare in efforts to mitigate family homelessness and collateral needs among homeless children.     

The Construction of a Simple Book

A book is made for a horse race, and punters place their bets. The problem considered here is how the bookmaker should construct his book. Before this can be solved, it has to be determined how the punters will react to any proposed book. Much of the detailed discussion is confined to a race with two horses, though some results apply in the general case. The punters' problem is solved using a utility function, special attention being paid to the case of constant risk-aversion. Two solutions are provided for the bookmaker's problem, dependent on whether it is desired to maximize expected gain, or achieve the same gain whatever horse wins.     

Parenting a child with a disability: An examination of resident and non-resident fathers

Children with disabilities often require, more extensive family involvement and greater paternal support than other children. Yet these children are the children least likely to live with their fathers. This paper uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 from the United States to examine the association between child disability and resident and non-resident biological fathers’ supportiveness, relationship, and monitoring of their children. Regression analyses indicate significant challenges for all fathers of children with disabilities. Children of resident fathers report more positive interactions than children of non-resident fathers. However, earlier co-residence and more frequent contact significantly improve the quality, of father-youth relationships among men who do not live with their children.     

Wildcat strikes in U.S. manufacturing, 1960–1977

Using data from theBureau of Labor Statistics: Historical File, a model of wildcat strike incidence is estimated. The model supports the hypothesis that the incidence of wildcat strikes is related to the underlying relationship between the parties. In addition, national economic and political trends, industry-specific factors, and firm-specific factors have an impact on strike activity.     

Effects of nonverbal-oriented social awareness training program on social interaction ability of learning disabled children

Educator-researchers have proposed that the learning disabled child's lower peer sociometric ratings could be influenced by the learning disabled child's reduced sensitivity to the nonverbal components of communication. The present study used a posttest-only control group design to test the relationship between a nonverbal-oriented social acceptance training method and social ratings. Thirty-three elementary learning disabled children were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. Before the treatment began, all subjects were tested on their nonverbal decoding ability. Results indicated that the subjects receiving the nonverbal-oriented social affect training were rated significantly higher on both the peer acceptance scale and the social interaction rating scale. There was no significance interaction between treatment condition and pre-experimental nonverbal sensitivity aptitude.