Privileging an activist vs. a corporate view of public relations history in the U.S.

This article elaborates on the argument that the history of U.S. public relations has been distorted by the emphasis on corporate functions of public relations. The dominant corporate-centric view of U.S. public relations history often claim that public relations developed as a response to activists who attempted to interfere with business operations. That myopic, corporate-centric view has perpetuated a negative view of public relations as merely a tool of “big business”. In the past as well as the present, corporations have been learning from and co-opting activists’ innovative public relations techniques. By alternatively grounding U.S. public relations history in the works of activists, we open possibilities for re-imagining the field and legitimizing activists’ works as a positive, central component in public relations theory and research. We end by providing resources educators can utilize to teach a more balanced view of public relations history in the U.S.     

Optimal and Heuristic Models for Lot Splitting in a Flow Shop

This paper investigates optimal lot-splitting policies in a multiprocess flow shop environment with the objective of minimizing either mean flow time or makespan. Using a quadratic programming approach to the mean flow time problem, we determine the optimal way of splitting a job into smaller sublots under various setup times to run time ratios, number of machines in the flow shop, and number of allowed sublots. Our results come from a deterministic flow shop environment, but also provide insights into the repetitive lots scheme using equal lot splits for job shop scheduling in a stochastic environment. We indicate those conditions in which managers should implement the repetitive lots scheme and where other lot-splitting schemes should work better.     

Influence of Partner Type on Acceptability and Likelihood of Use of a Rectal Microbicide Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States and Puerto Rico

This study examined how acceptability of placebo gel with receptive anal intercourse (RAI) and likelihood of future rectal microbicide use varied across partner types. Because no rectal microbicide is available yet, use of placebo permitted the study of gel use behavior in real-life circumstances. A total of 87 men who have sex with men (MSM) aged 18 to 30 years inserted placebo gel rectally before RAI during 12 weeks. Using mixed-methods design, participants completed a behavioral questionnaire and in-depth interview. In all, 62 men (71.3%) reported gel use with a lover (i.e., spouse equivalent, boyfriend), 32 (36.8%) with a one-night stand (i.e., man with whom you had sex once), and 29 (33.3%) with an “other” male partner. While gel acceptability was high across partner types, use with lovers was facilitated by trust and familiarity; yet trust made participants believe protection was less necessary. Conversely, participants expressed high likelihood of using gel with one-night stands, whom they perceived as riskier; yet they felt less comfortable discussing gel with them, often resorting to covert use or forgoing gel. A successful microbicide will be positioned as a sexual pleasure enhancer so that men can present it to their lovers and other partners as a gel that improves sex and secondarily prevents human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).     

‘Going Out’ or Staying In? The Expansion of Chinese NGOs in Africa

This article examines the overseas behaviour of Chinese non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) in two African nations, Ethiopia and Malawi, with varying political regime types. Our findings suggest that, irrespective of regime type, Chinese NGOs have yet to make a substantial impact in either nation. We argue that, despite the strength of the Chinese state and high levels of international development assistance given, domestic politics and regulatory frameworks in host nations still matter a great deal. Our study suggests that the Chinese model of international development will continue to be one in which temporary one‐off projects are favoured; and, insofar as social organisations will play a role, they will be in the domain of government‐organised NGOs rather than grassroots NGOs.     

A Mathematical Programming Approach to Production Decisions in the Emerging Aquaculture Industry

The creation of new food sources is an important advancement in the search for solutions to food shortages in both developing and underdeveloped countries. Aquaculture, the production of aquatic animals under controlled conditions, offers exciting new possibilities for alternative protein sources in a wide variety of locales. This paper presents a mathematical programming model designed to aid the manager of an aquaculture facility in production scheduling and the evaluation of new technologies in this rapidly changing environment.     

TRUST,RECIPROCITY, AND RULES

Many economic interactions rely on trust and trust violations can have serious economic consequences. Simple minimum standard rules are attractive because they prevent egregious trust violations. However, they may undermine more trusting and reciprocal (trustworthy) behavior that otherwise would have occurred, leading to worse outcomes. In an experimental trust game, we test the efficacy of exogenously imposed minimum standard rules. Rules damage trust and reciprocity, reducing economic welfare. While sufficiently restrictive rules restore welfare, trust and reciprocity never return. Results indicate that participants are concerned about payoffs while also using the game to learn about trust and trustworthiness of others. (JEL C72, C90, D63, D64, L51)