On The Method of Discrete Probability Distributions in Risk and Reliability Calculations–Application to Seismic Risk Assessment

If the point of view is adopted that in calculations of real-world phenomena we almost invariably have significant uncertainty in the numerical values of our parameters, then, in these calculations, numerical quantities should be replaced by probability distributions and mathematical operations between these quantities should be replaced by analogous operations between probability distributions. Also, practical calculations one way or another always require discretization or truncation. Combining these two thoughts leads to a numerical approach to probabilistic calculations having great simplicity, power, and elegance. The philosophy and technique of this approach is described, some pitfalls are pointed out, and an application to seismic risk assessment is outlined.     

ORGANIZATION OF EXPERIENCE AMONG FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE IMMEDIATE PRESENT: A GESTALT/SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

How processes of family functioning are conceptualized influences a therapist's understanding and use of immediate experiential phenomena in the therapy setting. This article outlines two basic formulations that generate different conceptual perspectives of immediate phenomena. One recognizes that the family system has a time-enduring stability, while the second postulates that the family system has an immediate and temporary organization. The latter position is developed as an appropriate and useful application of systems thinking. Integrating systems thinking and Gestalt Therapy provides a framework for this application, one that recognizes individual experience as organized and as embedded in a mutual causal, self-maintaining system of the whole. The nature of such wholes, how they maintain their stability, their potential for change, and implications for therapy are described.     

Behavioral epidemiology and social area analysis: The study of blackout looting

This article describes the use of social area analytic techniques in the study of the looting which occurred during the Con Edison power failure of July 13 and 14, 1977. Detailed procedures are outlined of the systematic collection and analysis of data which were developed from available data. Analyses contrasting competing explanatory theoretical models for blackout looting are presented. The central dependent variable is ratio of looted to retail stores. Both the numerator and denominator are aggregated to the census tract level.     

Teaching Note—Challenges in the Classroom on LGBTQ Topics and Christianity in Social Work

This article provides guidance in facilitating the development of culturally sensitive skills for working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) populations that take into account power and privilege. Social work faculty and students have an ethical obligation to be competent and aware of privilege. When working with LGBTQ populations, this means addressing personal and social values and beliefs about gender and sexuality. Faculty may not feel prepared to address the influence of Christianity, the dominant religion in the United States, on social forces affecting LGBTQ populations and on social workers’ religious feelings when working with these individuals. This article describes pedagogical techniques and provides guidance for developing faculty and student competence and awareness when working with LGBTQ populations.     

The role of organizational leaders in employee emotion management: A theoretical model

The actions of organizational leaders are important determinants of the emergence, management, and consequences of employee emotional experience. However, the nature and dimensionality of leader emotion management and the behaviors that constitute such management are largely unknown. The authors present a comprehensive, theoretically-derived model of leader emotion management which clarifies the nature of emotion management and its role in leadership. This model also delineates the knowledge and skill-based antecedents of emotion management and the consequences of such management. Specifically, we propose linkages between particular KSAOs and specific emotion management dimensions and between those dimensions and particular individual and organizational outcomes. The model is meant to serve as a framework to guide empirical efforts in investigating the nature and correlates of leader emotion management.     

Evaluating the consequences of abandoning unprofitable customers: A comparison of direct and indirect abandonment strategies

Due to the increasing use of customer databases in many industries, companies nowadays have high visibility about the profitability of individual-level client relationships. This has led some researchers to recommend the implementation of value-based customer management strategies, including the abandonment of unprofitable customer relationships. In this context firms are faced with the choice between direct and indirect abandonment approaches. While direct abandonment strategies tend to be more efficient than indirect ones (i.e., immediate termination of the relationship vs. hoping that the unprofitable customer may leave on her own) they are also claimed to be associated with more severe negative reactions and higher abandonment cost. Based on two surveys among 965 US customers we provide evidence that, despite these beliefs, direct and indirect abandonment strategies do not differ in their negative impact on the abandoning firm. Given that (indirect) abandonment costs are therefore likely to be similar for both approaches, direct abandonment appears to be the recommendable approach for relationship dissolution.