Optimal row-column designs for complete diallel crosses

Universally optimal row-column designs for complete, diallel crosses are investigated. Three series of designs that require just one replication of the crosses are provided. A series of designs having two replications of each cross is also provided.     

Simultaneous estimation of the multivariate normal mean under balanced loss function

This paper considers simultaneous estimation of multivariate normal mean vector using Zellner's(1994) balanced loss function which is defined as follows:

where 0 < w < 1 and for i = 1,…,p and j = 1,…,n, X_ij is distributed as normal with mean θi and variance 1. It is shown that the sample mean, X, is admissible when p <3. For p ≥3, we obtain that James-Stein type estimator which has uniformly smaller risk than that of sample mean X.     

A Simple Method for Computing the Arl of [ILM0001]-Charts with Zone Tests

In practice the [ILM0002]-chart has been augmented with one or more zone tests to improve the sensitivity of detecting small shifts in the process mean. The average run length (ARL) is one of the indices used to evaluate the performance of control chart procedures. Two unified patterns of transition probability matrices and four closed form expressions of the ARL are found based on the Markov Chain approach. These closed form expressions can be used for computing the ARL for both one-sided and two-sided [ILM0003]-charts with zone tests.     

Complexities of discretion in social services in the third sector

Policy analysts have devoted considerable time to examining the problem of the policy implementation gap, with one important strand in the literature following Michael Lipsky's work on street-level bureaucracy and discretion. In this paper, we aim to contribute to the literature concerning shifts in government/third sector organisation contractual arrangements and whether they constitute a significant (post-neoliberal) development in policy implementation. Using a case study of contracted government services in Australia, we revisit the conception of discretion to reflect on the impact of these changes and document their implications for the use of discretion in management and front-line worker practices.     

Measuring Flexicurity: Precautionary Notes,a New Framework,and an Empirical Example

Recently, there has been an increase and abundance of literature measuring flexicurity across countries. However, there is yet to be any agreement on the definition of the key concepts of flexicurity as well as the framework in which to base one’s research. Due to this, the outcomes found in the existing studies are rather diverse, far from reaching a consensus, and can be misleading. This paper addresses the issues by first introducing a framework, namely, the various levels and stages of flexicurity, as well as introducing some key issues that should be addressed when doing flexicurity indicators research. In addition, an empirical example is given to show how the framework derived can be used to carry out flexicurity research, and to show how by not regarding these frameworks one can come to misleading outcomes.     

Child Support Enforcement and Sexual Activity of Male Adolescents

Strong child support enforcement requires fathers to take financial responsibility for their children and may also encourage more responsible sexual behavior. Using the 1997 – 2001 waves of the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (N = 4,272), this article examines the association between child support enforcement and the sexual activity of male adolescents. Stronger child support enforcement was associated with fewer sexual partners, less frequent sexual intercourse, and a higher likelihood of using contraceptive methods among adolescents who had had sexual intercourse in the 12 months preceding data collection. The effects of child support enforcement were particularly strong for non‐White adolescents and those living in high‐poverty areas. These findings suggest that strengthening child support enforcement may be associated with reductions in some aspects of male adolescents’ sexual activity.     

Identifying and Predicting Offending Trajectories among Poor Children

Using data from the Seattle Social Development Project, we identify childhood predictors of offending trajectories among poor children. Five trajectories are identified: nonoffenders, late onsetters, desisters, escalators, and chronic offenders. Among initial nonoffenders, late onsetters are distinguished from nonoffenders by early alcohol drinking. Among youths already delinquent at age 13, escalators are distinguished from desisters by poor family management, family conflict, association with antisocial peers, the presence of troubled children in their neighborhoods, and drug availability. In contrast to prior findings for a general urban sample, family factors significantly predict desistance from offending by age 18 in children from low-income families.     

Between two worlds in Asia: Korean youth in Singapore

Migration within Asia has increased dramatically in recent years; however, very little is known about how Asian immigrant adolescents adapt to their new Asian environments. The present study explores the processes of acculturative stress and identity formation among Korean adolescents living in Singapore. Using focus group discussions among 17 Korean adolescents, the study finds five overarching themes on acculturative stress and identity formation: feeling superior but separated; peer pressure to keep being a Korean; less stress in speaking English; more stress in learning another language; Chinese, pride that ‘I am a Korean’, and multiculturalism. The study findings emphasize the role of context of reception as important in understanding the acculturative stress and identity development of Korean adolescents in Singapore. The implications for quantitative research are discussed.     

The Dawn is Too Distant: The Experience of 28 Social Work Graduates Entering the Social Work Field in China

Nurturing new, competent social work professionals requires multilevel preparation extending from school to the workplace. However, not much has been done to understand this school-to-work transition process in countries where the social work profession is still in an early stage of development. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory qualitative study of 28 new social workers in China, where social work is an emerging profession, on how they entered the field and what challenges they encountered. Their stories indicate that what they learned in school did form a foundation for the establishment of their professional identity in the workplace. However, due to workplace politics and to the lack of recognition of their professional status, they experienced an unsettling induction process. Coupled with the challenges of inadequate financial compensation, the careers of these new social workers may face an early end despite the great future for the profession promised by the government. Implications of this study for social work education in China are also discussed.     

The Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale: a rational/theoretical approach

This article reports the development and psychometric properties of a new scale that measures internalized homophobia in lesbians: the Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale (LIHS). This 52-item measure was developed using a rational/theoretical approach of test construction and includes five subscales. Research findings, based on a sample of 303 female participants, supported the reliability and validity of the LIHS in assessing internalized homophobia in lesbians. Implications for research and practice are discussed.