Evaluating the effectiveness of the first breast cancer awareness campaign in the United Arab Emirates: Lessons learned and next steps

Following an innovative breast cancer awareness campaign in the United Arab Emirates, a dual language survey of 500 women and in-depth interviews were conducted. The study found television advertising to be the most optimal awareness communication method, particularly among Emirati and other Arab women respondents. The research also found strong support for a year-long awareness campaign.     

Qualitative research on homosexual and bisexual behavior relevant to HIV/AIDS

The spread of the international AIDS pandemic has drawn attention to the urgent need for data on human sexual behavior; yet the lack of an established tradition of theory and method in sex research has limited the development of research initiatives in this area. This has been particularly true in the study of homosexual and bisexual behavior, which has relied heavily on the use of quantitative survey methods that largely fail to address cross‐cultural differences in the structure and meaning of same‐sex sexual experience. More qualitative approaches offer the possibility of investigating homosexual and bisexual behavior within a broader social and cultural context and can therefore play an important role in developing a framework for the comparative analysis of behavioral data. This article seeks to contribute to the development of theory and method in sex research by outlining key research issues and possible methodologies for the qualitative investigation of homosexual and bisexual behavior in relation to HIV/AIDS.     

Getting down to business: defining competencies for entry-level youth workers

In January 2004, the National Collaboration for Youth approved a list of core competencies needed by entry-level youth development workers for effective youth development practice. This chapter provides an overview of these competencies, explaining why and how the list was created, outcomes, and recommendations for next steps.     

Are we making progress? Not in haematology!

It will be shown, through the presentation of recent research findings, that haematology is a neglected area in terms of sensitive care of the dying. The Australian evidence indicates that scant progress has been made in relation to even the most basic palliative care practices such as sensitive, honest information giving or appropriate referral to the palliative system. Rather, the data show that during terminal trajectory, patients from these diagnostic groups and their families remain trapped in processes within the high-tech, curative system that are not responsive to the needs of the dying.     

A survey of problematic sexualized behaviors of children in the New York City Child Welfare System:estimates of problem, impact on services, and need for training

Forty-eight of 52 (92%) agencies contracted with the New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS) responded to a survey about problematic sexualized behaviors (PSB) of children in different levels of care within the child welfare system. Results revealed that almost all agencies reported PSB within their foster boarding home and residential treatment centers. A majority of agencies perceived PSB to be a significant problem for which staff and families were not sufficiently trained. These findings highlight many avenues for advocacy, clinical intervention, and staff development.     

Volunteerism and Social Work Educators: Findings from a National Survey

Abstract

This study reports the results of a national survey designed to identify the nature and levels of volunteer work that social work educators contribute to the social welfare sector. Findings reveal that nearly all social work educators engage in formal volunteer work and perform a variety of roles in human service agencies. The most common volunteer activities are advocacy, administration and consultation. The least common volunteer activities are evaluation, data management and emergency services. Study results also indicate that tenure status and primary teaching area are positively associated with the amount and type of volunteer work performed.     

Boardroom Operational and Financial Control: an Insider View*

This study examines the control processes and their dynamics at the board level of two non‐profit organizations with a view to penetrating and exploring directors' control orientations, discourse and decisions in their holistic context. In comparison with the predominantly survey‐ and interview‐based prior research on board‐level control, this study offers a distinctly processual view through its employment of a longitudinal complete member researcher participant observer methodology. Three primary themes of boardroom control focus are identified and analysed. These are control reporting, director's control orientation and the board's budgetary control approach. Directors' strategic orientation is found to be the primary driver of their exercise of control, with reporting systems and routine monitoring emerging as adjuncts to their primary strategic control focus. Strategy‐triggered control activity exhibits itself largely via directors' cost–benefit and risk management analyses communally developed in the course of board meeting exchanges.     

Is Small Always Beautiful? A Dialogue

For quite a few years the two authors have been engaging in dialogues about management issues. Using as a model Plato's dialogues between Socrates and his various students, we have tried to clarify the nature of a concept by asking questions and thinking carefully about the answers. We disagree about many things, but agree that we respect each other's opinions, and can clarify our own viewpoints by debating them respectfully with another. For this dialogue, we decided to focus on the question of the scale of business operations. One of us has a particular preference for small scale enterprise, and for the localisation of the economy, because he believes that the giganticism of corporations is behind many of the problems we face today. As you will see, the other protagonist disagrees, arguing instead that other issues than scale are at the root of why some businesses do bad things.