Stepfather Involvement and Stepfather–Child Relationship Quality: Race and Parental Marital Status as Moderators

Stepparent–child relationship quality is linked to stepfamily stability and children's well‐being. Yet, the literature offers an incomplete understanding of factors that promote high‐quality stepparent–child relationships, especially among socio‐demographically diverse stepfamilies. In this study, we explore the association between stepfather involvement and stepfather–child relationship quality among a racially diverse and predominately low‐income sample of stepfamilies with preadolescent children. Using a subsample of 467 mother–stepfather families from year 9 of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, results indicate that stepfather involvement is positively associated with stepfather–child relationship quality. This association is statistically indistinguishable across racial groups, although the association is stronger among children in cohabiting stepfamilies compared to children in married stepfamilies.     

REPORTING OF MANAGEMENT FORECASTS: AN EIGENVECTOR MODEL FOR ELICITATION AND REVIEW OF FORECASTS

Increasingly, business firms will be disclosing management forecasts in financial reports to investors. Single estimates based on a consensus view (e.g., Delphi estimates) may be used. It seems logical, however, to consider methods that seek formally to derive internally consistent subjective views regarding the sensitivity of assumptions and interacting events on forecasts. The major purpose of this paper is to extend micro-level cross-impact analysis to a macro-level eigenvalue analysis approach that elicits views of the effects of assumptions and interaction events on entire scenarios. Both methods are illustrated and contrasted. They are complementary rather than alternative methods. In particular, each method offers some potential in the development of operational guidelines for elicitation and reporting of management forecasts. In addition, the eigenvalue analysis offers several key advantages that make it potentially useful in preparing entire scenario forecasts.     

Shop Performance Implications of Using Cells,Partial Cells,and Remainder Cells*

This paper considers the application of cellular manufacturing (CM) to batch production by exploring the shop floor performance trade‐offs associated with shops employing different levels of CM. The literature has alluded to a continuum that exists between the purely departmentalized job shop and the completely cellular shop. However, the vast majority of CM research exists at the extremes of this continuum. Here, we intend to probe performance relationships by comparing shops that exist at different stages of CM adoption. Specifically, we begin with a hypothetical departmentalized shop found in the CM literature, and in a stepwise fashion, form independent cells. At each stage, flow time and tardiness performance is recorded. Modeling results indicate that, depending on shop conditions and managerial objectives, superior shop performance may be recorded by the job shop, the cell shop, or by one of the shops between these extreme points. In fact, under certain conditions, shops that contain partially formed cells perform better than shops that use completely formed cells. Additional results demonstrate that in order to achieve excellent performance, managers investigating specific layouts need to pay especially close attention to changes in machine utilization as machine groups are partitioned into cells.     

Towards a neo-Birminghamian conception of subculture? History,challenges, and future potentials

This article discusses the theoretical development of subcultural theory. It first provides a brief history of subcultural theory. It then attempts to outline the central requirements which should be fulfilled by a neo-Birminghamian conception of subculture that takes valid critiques of the CCCS into account, while maintaining the theoretical richness and analytical qualities of the concept. This includes putting social structures, including class in intersection with gender and ethnicity, back into subcultural theory, in a way that allows for grasping complexity. The article moves on to argue that the development of such a conception of subculture could potentially be realized by entering a theoretical dialogue with Bourdieu’s sociology and feminist accounts of intersectionality. Furthermore, it suggests that such a theoretical conception may be highly relevant to current research areas such as gangs/street culture and Jihadism.     

Indigenous persons with disability in remote Australia: research methodology and Indigenous community control

Abstract

Decolonisation aims to deconstruct the hegemonic traditional Western academic practices and values that oppress Indigenous peoples. Decolonising research methodologies is a relatively new practice in disability research in colonised nations. This paper details the Indigenous community-controlled research methodology that underpinned a disability research project with the Anangu and Yarnangu of Central Australia, ‘Walykumunu Nyinaratjaku: To Live a Good Life’. The project aimed to identify and explore how to support Indigenous people with a disability in the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Lands to live a good life. The research was structured on a decolonising methodology to situate the control and governance of the research with the Indigenous peoples. Our experience could assist other disability researchers working with Indigenous peoples in remote communities.     

Mobile Children: Small Captives of Large Structures?

All over Europe more parents are living apart and children increasingly commute between two homes. This article explores children’s mobility. Two questions are raised. First, do children with ‘modern’ (consensual unions) family background, commute more? Second, can mobility between parental homes impinge on children’s everyday welfare? In conclusion, the article discusses whether commuting is solely in the child’s best interest. Could it be argued that children’s welfare is sacrificed for parent’s interests, and even ‘captives’ of a globalised society in need of people ‘lighter on their feet’? The case of Norway is used to illustrate a general developmental pattern.     

UNIVERSITY STARTUP INTENSITY AND FACULTY QUALITY

Using a theoretical model of university technology transfer and licensing survey data from 1991 to 2013, we show that greater faculty quality and venture capital availability is positively associated with licenses to startups. We employ a two‐stage game of licensing terms (royalty rate and fixed fee) and development efforts to show that under reasonable conditions, licensing to a startup rather than an established firm will be more attractive to a technology transfer office (TTO) because the inventor's ownership share in a startup firm will increase total development efforts by the inventor and licensee. TTOs will be more likely to target startup licensees when the marginal effect of the faculty inventor's additional development effort on the probability of success is large relative to that of the venture capitalist or established firm. Empirical evidence supports the results of the model; using Associated University Technology Data licensing survey data and employing panel and cross‐sectional analyses, we show that an increase in the quality of engineering faculty has roughly twice the positive impact on startup licenses than on established firm licenses. Startup licensing is also strongly impacted by venture capital availability within institutions over time. (JEL L24, L26, D86)     

What Makes Inheritance Fair in Stepfamilies? Examining Perceptions and Complexities

This article examines the complexity of fairness in the inheritance process within the context of divorce, remarriage, and stepchildren. Interpersonal social justice theory and qualitative vignette methods were used to explore family members' perceptions of fair inheritance outcomes and processes for financial assets and personal possessions. Findings identify decision rules for determining fair outcomes, including treating biological and stepchildren equally and differently. Who participates, what structures are relied upon, the role of information, and ethical interpersonal treatment were identified as key factors when determining fair processes. Understanding fairness provides a sound basis for helping stepfamily members navigate unavoidable inheritance decisions.     

Uncompensated emotional labor,racial battle fatigue,and (in)civility in digital spaces

Emotional labor was originally theorized by Arlie Hochschild in the context of domestic labor. Since her early theorization, popular culture and social scientists have adopted the term to refer to emotion work that is exhibited in a manner of financially compensated social settings. Emotional labor refers to the process by which individuals are expected to conform to a set of societal guidelines, ensuring that their emotions conform to that performance. As the use of social media grows, emotional labor plays an increasing role in the lives of people of color—across media platforms. We frame the ever‐present negotiation involved in racialized interactions online as a type of uncompensated emotional labor that results in racial battle fatigue. Next, we position emotional labor as an intrinsic part of the experience for social media users of color because digital media is by default a White, racialized space. Lastly, we argue that current research on civility does not account for the emotional labor of people of color. We offer an original view of uncompensated emotional labor that is inclusive of cross‐platform, racialized emotional labor that can result in racial battle fatigue.