Women's occupational attainment: The effects of work interruptions, self-selection, and unobserved characteristics

This paper addresses specification issues concerning the estimation of women's occupational attainment. Attainment models generally assume independence of error terms across equations, and whether this assumption is made or whether correlation of error terms is assumed is found to have important substantive implications, particularly with respect to education. While education affects first-job status, when first-job status is controlled, education has no significant effect on current attainment. A woman's first-job status appears, then, to be of major importance, and if she enters a job for which she is overqualified, education may not be relied upon to improve her occuppational status in the future. As in the analysis of earnings, it is important not only to include years of experience, as is usual in attainment models, but to include whether a recent work interruption has occurred. This is a significant and important variable in both the correlated and uncorrelated errors models, but the uncorrelated errors model appears to understate the magnitude of effect.     

Cognitive Algebra in Sport Decision-Making

Two studies examined whether simple algebraic rules that have been shown to be operative in many applied settings may also be found in sport decision-making. The theoretical framework for these studies was the Functional Theory of Cognition (Anderson, Contributions to information integration theory. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 1996). The way in which novices but already experienced team sport players (soccer, basketball, and handball players) combine different informational cues (relative importance of the game, numerical status of the team, current score, and time left to play) for deciding a quick restart of play near the end of a match was examined. The basic finding are consistent with the proposition that the knowledge bases at work for judging the appropriateness of this type of sport decisions are structured according to simple algebraic rules.     

Positive Connections: a programme for children who have a parent with a mental illness

Mental health professionals working with parents who suffer from a mental illness often overlook the children within the family. Children whose parents are mentally ill face numerous obstacles to their own emotional development and these children are at higher risk for developing mental illnesses than other children. These risks can be decreased if protective or positive interventions are available for the children. This article will describe the development and implementation of Positive Connections, an effective intervention programme specifically designed for children whose parents have been diagnosed with a mental disorder. The effectiveness of this programme has been evaluated using both qualitative and quantitative research strategies, and the results are presented.     

The nursing home crisis: a consumer study of Texas nursing home care

This article discusses the findings of a consumer-oriented survey to ascertain the perceptions of Texas nursing home residents, their families, and nursing home administrators about what factors they believe contribute to quality of care. The findings from previous studies and established practice standards are then used to further delineate the practice roles and functions of social workers in nursing facilities (NFs) and to inform social work curriculum.     

Comparative perspectives on changes to Canada's paid parental leave: Implications for class and gender

In 2001, Canada extended the length of time parents could claim benefits. When combined with maternity benefits, a total of 50 weeks of benefits is available for qualifying parents. This places Canada at the forefront of liberal welfare regimes in benefits for new mothers and parents. However, an examination of the nature and impact of these changes suggests that they further exacerbate gender and class divisions in access to, and take-up of, these benefits. A discussion of major trends in parental leave policies in Europe identifies the types of changes that are most likely to reduce the gender and class inequalities apparent in current policies.     

"Just like I'm saving money in the bank": client perspectives on care coordination services

Older adults face many challenges to community living. The literature has not sufficiently explored the roles of care coordination in the maintenance of housing and access to health care among older adults, particularly from their own perspectives. This qualitative study analyzes the findings from 25 interviews and 6 focus group discussions (48 participants) with a multiethnic sample of older adults in the New York City area. Care coordination services appear to assist older adults access health care, and to a lesser extent, maintain affordable housing. Disparities in access to care coordination appear to remain for immigrant, minority and suburban populations.     

KINSHIP,RECIPROCITY AND VULNERABILITY: SOCIAL RELATIONS IN THE INFORMAL ECONOMY

This paper examines the notion that informal interhousehold transfers of goods and services in the communal economy are based upon reciprocity. Patterns of interhousehold transfer of goods and services are described, and the significance of kinship (or familial obligations) in shaping patterns of informal exchange are discussed. Data from a 1990 survey of household and residential organisation in Brisbane are used. Differences in income, labour force participation and the density and character of householders' social networks are considered as factors shaping contemporary interhousehold economic activity. Implications for our understanding of people's economic vulnerability are drawn from the observations.     

Practice wisdom: the art and science of social work

Practice wisdom is the foundation for effective practice and encompasses both the art and science of social work. The divide between practice and theory has existed since the profession emerged and practice wisdom is the bridge to this gap. The epistemology and ontology of practice wisdom highlights its importance for research, education and practice for the next generation of social workers. The work of Howard Goldstein is critical in the examination of the artistry of practice wisdom, which can be taught and measured by supporting the development of critical thinking and reflection skills of students. Capturing the essence of practice wisdom lays the foundation for developing a pedagogy that promotes its development in social work students.     

EDUCATION

This paper illustrates how multivariate spectral analysis can be used to analyze complex, dynamic, business systems. Important temporal aspects of multiple time series are captured in the frequency domain by the coherence, phase, and gain statistics. A computer simulation of a time domain model produces sample results which demonstrate how the timing relations between two series can be reversed when the effects common to both series are partialled out. Finally, an empirical multivariate analysis of beef prices is used to determine the timing relations among prices at different levels of the production-distribution system.     

Board governance of Strategic Change: An assessment of the literature and avenues for future research

Boards of directors play a central role in governing corporate strategic change. We systematically review corporate governance research on strategic change published over the past 40 years, differentiating between strategic change types and board characteristics. We identify three developments: a focus on specific strategic change types, board composition and structure, and North American listed firms as a dominant study context. Yet, our analysis of the literature shows that research on board governance of interrelated strategic changes, on different board roles and behaviour, and on the governance of strategic changes across different contexts remains underdeveloped. To address these research gaps, we suggest three future research avenues: (1) examining how boards govern interrelated changes in a strategic change portfolio and its evolution over time; (2) studying the mediating relationship between board governance (particularly different board roles and behaviour), strategic changes, and corresponding outcomes; and (3) gaining a better understanding of the role of context in board governance of interrelated strategic changes. We contribute to corporate governance research by developing a framework that synthesizes extant research on the relationships between different board governance variables and strategic change types, highlights important research gaps, and outlines several future research directions to address these gaps. Our framework and literature overview serve as analytical tools to examine whether boards are well-designed and prepared to govern multiple and interrelated strategic changes.