Tuning into performance and satisfaction in nonprofit orchestras: One link between transformational leadership and satisfaction is through reduction in conflict

In this study, we tested hypotheses concerning volunteers' not‐for‐profit work, specifically the relations of transformational leadership with performance and satisfaction as well as the question of how task and relationship conflict fit into these relations. We argue that conflicts are detrimental to satisfaction and performance and that the frequency of conflict can be reduced through transformational leadership. We analyzed data from a large sample of lay orchestra musicians (N = 1,535) and found that musicians' perceptions of their conductors' transformational leadership style were positively related to both the performance and satisfaction of the musicians. Furthermore, we found that conflict mediated the relation between transformational leadership and satisfaction to some extent. The mediation occurred via the frequencies of both task and relationship conflicts even though the frequency of conflict was quite low in this sample in general.     

DISTANCE EDUCATION PROVISION BY UNIVERSITIES: HOW INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXTS AFFECT CHOICES

Decisions about distance education are made too often without adequately considering the broader institutional context. This paper explores how a better understanding of 'macro' contexts can lead to more successful choices at the 'micro' level of designing and developing specific programmes. Six models derived from distance learning practices are examined. Analyses of these experiences highlight three primary institutional and political characteristics that have a critical influence on distance education outcomes: private or public emphasis; degree of dedication to distance learning; and holistic or incremental strategy. Three secondary dimensions are also discussed: technology mix; financial and production models; and target markets.     

The Use of Tracking Technologies for the Analysis of Outdoor Mobility in the Face of Dementia: First Steps into a Project and Some Illustrative Findings From Germany

As people age in place, cognitive impairment is a major threat to maintaining out-of-home mobility. The SenTra project measures outdoor mobility by taking advantage of tracking technology in an interdisciplinary project involving researchers from geography, social work, gerontology, psychology, and medicine disciplines. The project assesses mobility patterns of urban-dwelling demented and mildly cognitively impaired elders and cognitively intact persons over a period of 3 years in Israel and Germany. The main objectives are to learn more about out-of-home mobility by means of global positioning system/geographical information system technology, to analyze the relationships between cognitive functioning, mobility behavior, and well-being, to examine the ethical implications of the use of advanced tracking technologies in this population, and to assess the potential of tracking technologies in the diagnosis of various types of cognitive impairment. The article presents preliminary findings to illustrate the potential of interdisciplinary data analyses to be performed later in the project. Pilot data were drawn from a combined psychiatric, psycho-social, and tracking data assessment of a group of 19 men and women between 63 and 80 years of age (7 who were healthy, 6 who were mildly cognitive impaired, 6 who were demented) living in Germany. The findings revealed that healthy participants have better health and higher levels of well-being and smaller networks compared to elders who are cognitively impaired. Examples of daily outdoor trips indicate meaningful mobility patterns and the need to combine psycho-social and geographical data to understand the relationships between outdoor mobility, socio-structural dimensions, behavior patterns, and well-being. By achieving its aims, the project will be able to make a substantial contribution to basic, applied, and clinical knowledge gaps in the area of mobility and cognitive impairment research.     

Frailty in the Old Age as a Direct Marker of Quality of Life and Health: Gender Differences

Social Indicators Research - Aging of the population emphasizes the need for research on aging-related problems, among which frailty is a key element because of its clinical as well as social...     

Adaptive designs for pivotal trials: discussion points from the PSI Adaptive Design Expert Group

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) is currently preparing a guideline on 'methodological issues in confirmatory clinical trials with flexible design and analysis plan'. PSI (Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry) sponsored a meeting of pharmaceutical statisticians with an interest in the area to share experiences and identify potential opportunities for adaptive designs in late-phase clinical drug development. This article outlines the issues raised, resulting discussions and consensus views reached. Adaptive designs have potential utility in late-phase clinical development. Sample size re-estimation seems to be valuable and widely accepted, but should be made independent of the observed treatment effect where possible. Where unblinding is necessary, careful consideration needs to be given to preserving the integrity of the trial. An area where adaptive designs can be particularly beneficial is to allow dose selection in pivotal trials via adding/dropping treatment arms; for example, combining phase II and III of the drug development program. The more adaptations made during a late-phase clinical trial, the less likely that the clinical trial would be considered as a confirmatory trial. In all cases it would be advisable to consult with regulatory agencies at the protocol design stage. All involved should remain open to scientifically valid opportunities to improve drug development.     

Data-adaptive estimation of the treatment-specific mean

An important problem in epidemiology and medical research is the estimation of the causal effect of a treatment action at a single point in time on the mean of an outcome, possibly within strata of the target population defined by a subset of the baseline covariates. Current approaches to this problem are based on marginal structural models, i.e. parametric models for the marginal distribution of counterfactual outcomes as a function of treatment and effect modifiers. The various estimators developed in this context furthermore each depend on a high-dimensional nuisance parameter whose estimation currently also relies on parametric models. Since misspecification of any of these models can lead to severely biased estimates of causal effects, the dependence of current methods on such parametric models represents a major limitation.     

From facts to stories or from stories to facts? Analyzing public relations history in public relations textbooks

Leading PR-historiography provides a picture of an evolutionary process of public relations activity in which PR develops from a manipulative to a two-way, dialogue-oriented communication process. We analyzed a number of public relations textbooks to determine how their authors present PR history. Our major findings are: (1) The construct of the progressive development of PR is evenly spread throughout textbooks; (2) The majority of textbooks simply rely on storytelling and not on a theory-driven approach to PR history as we would prefer to see in PR textbooks that are used to teach university students; (3) The PR history presented in the books seems to be influenced by a paradigmatic stance. However, citation context analysis did not enable us to trace back the dissemination of this viewpoint to one paradigmatic author, and so we assume that the so-called obliteration effect prevents this proof.