THEORIES OF ETHNIC SOCIAL DISTANCE: COMPARATIVE EMPIRICAL TESTS FOR THREE DISTINCT ETHNIC GROUPS

Social science theories of ethnic division and antipathy are tested empirically using survey and zip code data for representative samples of whites, African Americans, and Mexican Americans in Texas. Ordered logistic regression tests estimate the effects of theoretically relevant variables on probabilities of racial and ethnic out-group social distance. Competing social science theories of ethnic and racial social distance are tested for multiple groups. Statistical support is found for group attachment/identity theories and realistic group conflict theories in explaining variance in out-group social closeness. The socioeconomic theory was not found to be an important predictor of out-group social closeness.     

Enhancing nonprofit resources through barter

This article discusses the objectives and formats that countertrade (barter) assumes as a means of expanding the financial and other resources of nonprofit institutions. Examples of the different types of agreements practiced by various types of institutions indicate the pervasiveness of the practice. The author calls for greater levels of institutional commitment to the proactive seeking and consummating of countertrade agreements.     

Pluralistic ignorance and hooking up

Hooking up--when two people agree to engage in sexual behavior for which there is no future commitment--has become popular on college campuses. In this study we examined the extent to which pluralistic ignorance affects hooking up. One hundred thirty-six female and 128 male college students answered questions regarding their own comfort and their perceived peers comfort in engaging in a variety of sexual behaviors while hooking up. We hypothesized and found that both women and men rated their peers as being more comfortable engaging in these behaviors than they rated themselves. Men expressed more comfort than did women in engaging in these behaviors, and both sexes overestimated the other gender s comfort with hooking up behaviors. Pluralistic ignorance appears to apply to hooking up on college campuses, and we explore some potential consequences of pluralistic ignorance in this context.     

Career Counseling and Possible Selves: A Case Study

Process-oriented case analyses, which are the natural next step in understanding career interventions, are beginning to reveal subtle process changes across sessions. In this case, a 37-year-old physical therapist, who expressed dissatisfaction with her current position, participated in 8 sessions of individual career counseling with an experienced doctoral-level career psychologist. The Possible Selves Questionnaire (PSQ; Markus, 1987), the Symptom 90-R Checklist (Derogatis, 1983), and the Career Decision Scale (Osipow, 1987) were administered at pretesting, after 4 sessions, and at posttesting. Four client- and 2 counselor-process measures were also administered following each session. Results revealed expected changes in traditional outcome measures, and an increase followed by a decrease in future possible selves. Anxiety and vocational information seeking followed a sine-shaped pattern, and sleep disturbance increased at midcounseling and posttesting. Session depth and smoothness were highest when anxiety and information seeking were lowest. These findings, which coincide with other case study results, were integrated using an activation theory model of career intervention in which moderate anxiety serves as a motivator for constructive behavior change.     

Measuring progress and evolution in science and technology – II: The multiple uses of technometric indicators

Science and technology development have become critical instruments in the public policy arena given their demonstrated impact on economic progress. As a consequence, a wide array of indicators for measuring and mapping scientific and technological activity, their progress and their outcomes, has been developed over recent decades (see for instance, European Commission, 2nd Report on S&T Indicators, 1997). The majority of these indicators relate to measuring and mapping the published journal and patent literature. In the second part of this review, we focus on a state-of-the-art overview of patent indicators and their multiple uses in supporting the development of science and technology policy. We also discuss the limitations and the pitfalls related to their use.     

Strategic management: New ventures and small business

This paper examines the factors influencing the formulation and implementation of strategy in new and small firms. Small businesses vary substantially in their resource positions, the goals of their founders and their potential. They also vary in stage of development: thus strategic management is examined separately in the start-up stage, the early-growth stage, and the later-growth stage. Intracorporate entrepreneurship in established firms is also considered. Despite this diversity, small firms create an environment for strategic management in which both the opportunities and constraints are different from those in large organizations.     

Cost-plus pricing when joint costs are present

Companies using cost-plus pricing often produce products that entail joint cost allocation. A problem they have encountered is that, while product prices are a function of the full cost, joint cost allocation methods using net realizable values depend on the product prices. This paper shows that when all costs and production quantities are known (or can be budgeted), it is possible to simultaneously determine unique product prices and cost allocations using the net realizable value method.