Ethical frameworks of “Tomorrow’s Business Leaders”

This research explores the influence of five ethical frameworks on business students’ decision regarding the resolution of an ethical dilemma in a simulation. The frameworks of ethical tests are: Utilitarianism (the greatest good for the greatest number); Self-interest (maximizing the benefits to the individual); Categorical Imperative (universal principles of morality); Legality (rules, laws, etc.); and Light of Day (possibility of one’s actions being discovered). Results showed that the strongest influences were the Categorical Imperative, Self-Interest, and Legality. Among demographic variables, only age was related to the students’ decision or the ethical tests.     

White,black, and Hispanic male youths in central city labor markets

Data from the 1% 1980 Census Public Use Sample are used to estimate the determinants of employment and wage rates for out-of-school male youths residing in central cities. Separate calculations are undertaken for white, black, and Hispanic youths. Independent variables include individual, family background, and local labor market characteristics. Three basic findings emerge. First, racial inequality persists, with whites showing the best outcomes, Hispanics second, and blacks at the bottom. Second, underlying these unequal outcomes are rather different patterns of effect for personal and family characteristics by race. Note-worthy here is the Hispanic pattern of low reliance on schooling and high reliance on family. Finally, net of these effects, intercity differences are interesting and important. These include negative effects of city size and race composition effects which show white gains where blacks and Hispanics are a larger share of the population.     

Is there an optimum number of night shifts? Relationship between sleep, health and well-being

By concentrating on the impact of a specific shift-system feature on the well-being of those concerned, rather than on the impact of the shift system as a whole, one might be able to offer more meaningful suggestions as to what constitutes a better form of shift system. The present study focused on the impact of the number of consecutive night shifts worked on the health and well-being of two groups of nurses (permanent night and rotating shift). All nurses completed a copy of the Standard Shiftwork Index, which is a set of questionnaires designed for comparing the effects of different types of shift system on large groups of workers. It includes measurements of psychological ill-health, physical ill-health, chronic fatigue, social and domestic disruption, attitudes towards shiftwork, sleep quality and sleep habits. Results showed clearly the impact of the number of consecutive nights worked on health and well-being, not directly, but indirectly through the impact on sleep duration and sleep quality. Sleep duration was shown to increase with more consecutive nights worked. This in turn was found to predict sleep quality, which in turn was found to be the stronger direct predictor of psychological and physical ill-health i.e. better health was associated with longer and better quality sleeps. Explanations in terms of circadian adaptation are discussed.     

The econometric modelling of social preferences

Experimental data on social preferences present a number of features that need to be incorporated in econometric modelling. We explore a variety of econometric modelling approaches to the analysis of such data. The approaches under consideration are: the Random Utility approach (in which it is assumed that each possible action yields a utility with a deterministic and a stochastic component, and that the individual selects the action yielding the highest utility); the Random Behavioural approach (which assumes that the individual computes the maximum of a deterministic utility function, and that computational error causes their observed behaviour to depart stochastically from this optimum); and the Random Preference approach (in which all variation in behaviour is attributed to stochastic variation in the parameters of the deterministic component of utility). These approaches are applied in various ways to an experiment on fairness conducted by Cappelen et al. (Am Econ Rev 97(3):818–827, 2007). Various models that we estimate succeed in capturing the key features of the dataset. Conclusions concerning fairness-related behaviour depend crucially on the choice of econometric model.     

REVIEWS

Boss, P. (2006). Loss, trauma and resilience: Therapeutic work with ambiguous loss .
Lebow, J. L. (Ed.). (2005). Handbook of clinical family therapy.
Selekman, M. (2005). Pathways to change: Brief therapy with difficult adolescents .     

The resolutions of separation: Are marital reconciliations attempted?

This study, using 1987–88 National Survey of Families and Households data, has examined the prevalence and characteristics of ever-separated white women who attempt a marital reconciliation. Marital reconciliations are quite common as 44% of the separated women attempt a reconciliation. There is some support for the thesis that those with the fewest resources and greatest reliance on the relationship are the most likely to attempt a reconciliation. In comparing these findings with previous research on the marital dissolution process, there is little consistency in the relationship that the sociodemographic variables have with attempting a reconciliation and with the success of an attempted reconciliation. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Value orientations of clinical social work practitioners

Six hundred and forty-two of 1,218 randomly sampled social workers in Texas certified as Advanced Clinical Practitioners responded to a pretested, mailed questionnaire as part of a study of personal value systems and personality traits. Agency practitioners, combination practitioners and those in private practice only are compared on their rank ordering of eight statements corresponding to four value orientations: (1) entrepreneurial, (2) social, welfare/change, (3) low risk, and (4) providing psychotherapy. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann Whitney tests yielded significant differences between the three groups. Nonprivate practitioners and those in private practice only were found to have almost symmetrically juxtaposed personal value systems. Combination practitioners were found to be a distinct group with a unique value system different in important respects from both nonprivate practitioners and from those in private practice only. Comparisons with other studies and implications for future research are discussed.     

GLOBAL LOG-CONCAVITY OF THE LIKELIHOOD IN MODELS WITH GROUPED DISCRETE DATA

The paper considers the property of global log-concavity of the likelihood function in discrete data models in which the data are observed in ‘grouped’ form, meaning that for some observations, while the actual value is unknown, the realisation of the discrete random variable is known to fall within a certain range of values. A typical likelihood contribution in this type of model is a sum of probabilities over a range of realisations. An important issue is whether the property of log-concavity in the ungrouped case carries over to the grouped counterpart; the paper finds, by way of a simple but relevant counter-example, that this is not always the case. However, in two cases of practical interest, namely the Poisson and geometric models, the property of log-concavity is preserved under grouping.     

Abstracts

Avery, A., Ridley, C, Leslie, L., and Milholland, T. Relationship Enhancement with Premarital Dyads: A Six-Month Followup. American Journal of Family Therapy , 1980, 8 , 3, 23–31.
Bader, E., Microys, G., Sinclair, C, Willett, E. and Conway, B. Do Marriage Preparation Programs Really Work: A Canadian Experiment. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy , 1980, 6 , 2, 171–179.
Hof, L., Epstein, N., and Miller, W. Integrating Attitudinal and Behavioral Change in Marital Enrichment. Family Relations , 1980, 29 , 241–248.
L'Abate, L. Screening Couples for Marital Enrichment Programs. American Journal of Family Therapy , 1980, 8 , 3, 74–77.
Nelson, R. C. and Friest, W. P. Marital Enrichment through Choice Awareness. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy , 1980, 6, 4, 399–407.
Wagner, V, Weeks, G. and L'Abate, L. Enrichment and Written Message with Couples. American Journal of Family Therapy , 1980, 8 , 3, 36–45.
Wampler, K. S., and Sprenkle, D. H., The Minnesota Couple Communication Program: A Follow-Up Study, Journal of Marriage and the Family, August , 1980, 42 , 3, 577–584.     

Abstracts

Ansell, C. Counter-transference: A story. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice
Gurman, A. S. Behavioral marriage therapy in the 1980s: The challenge of integration. American Journal of Family Therapy
Madanes, C, Dukes, J. & Harbin, H. Family ties of heroin addicts. Archives of General Psychiatry
Rausch, V. Cholecystectomy with self-hypnosis. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis
Saposnek, D. T. Aikido: A model for brief strategic therapy. Family Process
Wells, R. A. Engagement techniques in famiy therapy. International Journal of Family Therapy
Goolishian, H. A. & Anderson, H. K. Discussions: Engagement techniques in family therapy. I. International Journal of Family Therapy
Epstein, N. B. Discussions: Engagement techniques in family therapy. II. International Journal of Family Therapy
Zuger, B. Homosexuality and parental guilt. British Journal of Psychiatry