Peer Group Affiliation of Children: The Role of Perceived Popularity,Likeability, and Behavioral Similarity in Bullying

To understand children's peer group affiliation, this study examined to what extent children in naturally occurring groups resemble each other on bullying, likeability, and perceived popularity. Participants were fourth‐ to sixth‐grade pupils (N = 461). Peer groups were identified using the social cognitive map procedure. Resemblance on bullying, likeability, and perceived popularity was evaluated by means of variance components models. Resemblance in peer groups was strongest for perceived popularity, followed by bullying and likeability. Moreover, resemblance on bullying could for a large part be attributed to the high‐perceived popularity of the group, and to a lesser extent, to the low likeability of the group. It is concluded that children showing bullying seem to affiliate with each other most of all to attain or maintain their position in a perceived popular peer group. Results stress the importance of considering the functionality of bullying from a group perspective.     

Civic Spaces: Mexican Hometown Associations and Immigrant Participation

The study of civic participation and social capital in the United States has, until recently, been silent on the role of immigrant-serving organizations. There is a new line of scholarship, which indicates that ethnic organizations are generally disadvantaged in relation to White mainstream organizations on factors such as resources and political visibility. Our fieldwork on Mexican hometown associations (HTAs) in Los Angeles shows that transnational associations are even more disadvantaged than ethnic organizations that primarily serve the native born. However, this marginality leaves some counterintuitive advantages, namely the creation of safe spaces where undocumented immigrants, recent immigrants, and those with limited English proficiency can get involved in civic and political activities. We explore the extent to which these dynamics vary by gender and immigrant generation, and over time as Mexican hometown associations increasingly turn their attention to political issues in the United States.     

Estimating the optimal order quantity and the maximum expected profit for single-period inventory decisions

The paper considers the classical single-period inventory model, also known as the Newsboy Problem, with the demand normally distributed and fully observed in successive inventory cycles. The extent of applicability of such a model to inventory management depends upon demand estimation. Appropriate estimators for the optimal order quantity and the maximum expected profit are developed. The statistical properties of the two estimators are explored for both small and large samples, analytically and through Monte-Carlo simulations. For small samples, both estimators are biased. The form of distribution of the optimal order quantity estimator depends upon the critical fractile, while the distribution of the maximum expected profit estimator is always left-skewed. Small samples properties of the estimators indicate that, when the critical fractile is set over a half, the optimal order quantity is underestimated and the maximum expected profit is overestimated with probability over 50%, whereas the probability of overestimating both quantities exceeds again 50% when the critical fractile is below a half. For large samples, based on the asymptotic properties of the two estimators, confidence intervals are derived for the corresponding true population values. The validity of confidence intervals using small samples is tested by developing appropriate Monte-Carlo simulations. In small samples, these intervals attain acceptable confidence levels, but with high unit shortage cost, for the case of maximum expected profit, significant reductions in their precision and stability are observed.     

Mad, Bad, or Reasonable? Newspaper Portrayals of the Battered Woman Who Kills

A heated debate about battered women who kill abusive male partners started in the 1970s. In this study, we tracked the public discourse on battered women who kill by coding 250 newspaper articles published between 1978 and 2002. Using four typifying models, we found that leading explanations for why battered women kill medicalized then criminalized their actions; they were mad then bad. We also found that reporters used quotes from claims makers supporting conventional or medical typifications of battered women to a much greater degree than statements from alternative, feminist sources. In conclusion, simplified, sensational and conventional understandings of crime causation drove the social construction of “the battered woman who kills”. She may be mad or bad, but rarely has she been portrayed as reasonable. Suggestions for promoting feminist narrative in the media are also provided.     

Understanding information systems infrastructure in engineering SMEs: A case study

The benefits of integrated enterprise-wide information systems (IS), such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, are widely accepted. The implementation of such systems in large organisations is established with many in their second or third generation. However, in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) the maturity and extent of their IS infrastructure is less clear. In engineering SMEs, this infrastructure needs to support not only business processes but also the activities of design and manufacture.In this case study, our goal is to provide a better understanding of current IS infrastructure, the functional elements of IS infrastructure, integration and expenditures are explored in ten engineering SMEs. A model of IS functionality is developed and used to identify and classify functional elements within the firms and to compare and contrast the IS infrastructures. The findings are contrasted with the SME literature and conclusions and implications developed.     

The effect of immigration on religious belief and practice: A theologizing or alienating experience?

Using data from the New Immigrant Survey, we examine the religious beliefs and practices of new legal immigrants to the United States. We find that Christian immigrants are more Catholic, more Orthodox, and less Protestant than American Christians, and that those immigrants who are Protestant are more likely to be evangelical. In addition to being more Catholic and more Orthodox than American Christians, the new immigrants are also paradoxically less Christian, with a fifth reporting some other faith. Detailed analysis of reported church attendance at places of origin and in the United States suggest that immigration is a disruptive event that alienates immigrants from religious practice rather than “theologizing” them. In addition, our models clearly show that people who join congregations in the United States are highly selected and unrepresentative of the broader population of immigrants in any faith. In general, congregational members were more observant both before and after emigration, were more educated, had more cumulative experience in the United States, and were more likely to have children present in the household and be homeowners and therefore yield biased representations of all adherents to any faith. The degree of selectivity and hence bias also varies markedly both by religion and nationality.     

The employment disadvantage of being a smoker

Three studies were done to examine the effects of being a tobacco smoker on employment prospects. In Study 1, thirty-two subjects reviewed application forms and rated four applicants as prospective employees. The subjects rated the nonsmoker version of the job applicants significantly more highly for hiring. In Study 2, forty-four subjects stated whether they preferred to hire smokers or nonsmokers and estimated the preference of employers generally. Those who stated a personal preference gave their reasons. Seven personal reasons for preferring a nonsmoker were mentioned by at least two subjects. The reasons ranged from dislike of tobacco smoke to concern about smokers taking more sick leave. In Study 3, which involved forty-six subjects, degree of endorsement of the attitudes underlying four of the seven preference reasons were found to be associated with degree of preference for non-smokers. The results of the three studies provide potentially useful information for job applicants and for individuals who design smoking prevention interventions.