Flexible working and organisational change: the integration of work and personal life

In a final large group session of a working conference in the Tavistock group relations tradition, members were concerned about who would get the consultants' 'blessing' as confirmation of their learning during the course of the conference. Some members referred to Jacob's fight at the river Jabbok and other parts of the Jacob legend from the Old Testament book of Genesis as a metaphoric frame to disentangle and explore their experiences. This concern mirrored a more general theme, which is as old as mankind - the theme of inheritance and succession. In this paper this theme will function as a frame for a broader exploration of the Jacob legend, the early development of psychoanalysis, the Tavistock tradition of group relations and the experience of organizational role holders in family businesses and other organizations. Instead of merely regarding inheritance and succession as a handing over, it will be postulated that assuming an inherited legacy requires a certain self-authorization on the part of the heir in order to own and further develop it. The capacity for containment of frustration and the ability to feel the pain of longing are requisites for ultimately taking up one's inheritance in the ongoing tradition of one's world.     

Corporate social responsibility attribute rankings

This research presents the findings of a rank order evaluation of corporate social responsibility attributes by a target public (N = 72) of a contemporary corporate social responsibility campaign. The results indicate that publics value corporate honesty above other corporate social responsibility behaviors.     

Effects of Employment-Based Programs on Families by Prior Levels of Disadvantage

This study examines how welfare and employment policies affect subpopulations of low-income families that have different levels of initial disadvantage. Education, prior earnings, and welfare receipt are used to measure disadvantage. The analysis of data from experiments suggests that employment-based programs have no effects on economic well-being among the least-disadvantaged low-income, single-parent families, but they have positive effects on employment and income for the most-disadvantaged and moderately disadvantaged families. These programs increase school achievement and enrollment in center-based child care of children only in moderately disadvantaged families. The most-disadvantaged families are found to increase use of child care that is not center based. Parents in these families experience depressive symptoms and aggravation. The findings raise questions about how to support families at the lowest end of the economic spectrum.     

Enlisted Service Members' Transition Into the Civilian World of Work: A Cognitive Information Processing Approach

For many enlisted service members in transition, securing new jobs or careers is among their top priorities (B. Litz & S. M. Orsillo, 2004; U.S. Army Garrison Vicenza, n.d.). The complexity of enlisted soldiers' transitions combined with the significant number of 1st‐term enlisted soldiers returning to civilian life calls for career counselors to heighten their awareness of the specific needs of enlisted service members' entering or reentering the civilian sector. This article presents cognitive information processing theory as a foundation for working with enlisted military personnel who are transitioning into the civilian world of work.     

Drop-off Detection with the Long Cane: Effects of Different Cane Techniques on Performance

This study compared the drop-off detection performance with the two-point touch and constant contact cane techniques using a repeated-measures design with a convenience sample of 15 cane users with visual impairments. The constant contact technique was superior to the two-point touch technique in the drop-off detection rate and the 50% detection threshold. The findings may help an orientation and mobility instructor select an appropriate technique for a particular client or training situation.     

Have you really come a long way? women’s access to power in the United States

Although vast social and political changes over the past decades have opened many opportunities for women, many activists and academics maintain that women continue to face significant barriers to entry into positions of power and influence. The vast majority of American leaders are white and male, but the representation of women in the professions has begun to rise as more and more women enter the leadership ranks of various professions. This article provides a profile of women who currently hold positions of power in the United States—who they are, what sectors they represent, and how their opinions on social and political issues compare and contrast with one another. Analyzing data from the Study of Leadership Characteristics, a recently completed national survey of American elites, this article examines the structure and gender composition of elites in the United States, revealing patterns of both conflict and consensus among women elites.     

Young Urban African American Adolescents' Experience of Discretionary Time Activities

This cross‐sectional study examined the daily discretionary time experiences of 246 (107 boys, 139 girls) fifth through eighth grade urban African American adolescents using the Experience Sampling Method. Relations between the types of activities (i.e., active structured, active unstructured, passive unstructured) engaged in during discretionary time and self‐reported levels of motivated engagement, positive affect, confidence, and perceived alienation were explored. Results indicated that active structured activities occupied a small but important amount of young adolescents' discretionary time. Adolescents experienced the highest mean levels of motivated engagement and confidence, and the lowest mean levels of alienation when involved in these types of activities. Higher levels of positive affect were associated with participation in active as opposed to passive activities. Findings suggest that urban African American young adolescents experience more positive emotional states when they are involved in active, structured activities.     

Predicting Adolescents' Organized Activity Involvement: The Role of Maternal Depression History,Family Relationship Quality,and Adolescent Cognitions

Although the potential benefits of organized activity involvement during high school have been documented, little is known about what familial and individual characteristics are associated with higher levels of participation. Using structural equation modeling, this longitudinal study examined the extent to which maternal depression history (i.e., risk), family relationship quality, and adolescents' cognitions (i.e., self‐worth and attributional style), predicted organized activity involvement during high school among 145 adolescents, controlling for socioeconomic status and adolescent depressive symptoms. Results showed that risk predicted less adolescent high school activity involvement, and this relation was mediated by family relationship quality. Family relationship quality indirectly affected activity involvement through adolescent cognitions. The overall predictive model generally supported the importance of the interplay between family and individual factors in predicting activity involvement during high school.