Specialised Supported Education for Australians with Psychotic Disorders

Australia has a network of Federally funded disability employment and vocational rehabilitation services, including a proportion of outlets that specialise in providing services for persons with psychiatric disabilities. However, neither Federal nor State Governments currently provide or fund disability‐specific education assistance to persons with psychiatric disabilities. To begin considering whether Specialised Supported Education is indicated for persons with psychotic disorders, we examined data collected in a national ‘Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers Australia, 1998’. International studies of the effectiveness of overseas Supported Education programs were also examined to identify the forms of assistance most likely to warrant consideration in Australia. U.S.A. evidence indicates that Specialised Supported Education is emerging as an effective career development option for persons with psychotic disorders. An example of an innovative Specialised Supported Education program is provided to illustrate how this type of program can be implemented in Australia.     

Stress Hormone Changes and Marital Conflict: Spouses’ Relative Power Makes a Difference

We investigated the impact of relative marital power on 72 newlywed couples’ endocrinological responses to marital conflict. Marital power was determined by comparing spouses’ reports of dependent love for one another. Less powerful spouses displayed elevated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) responses to a conflict discussion. Shared power appeared to have a beneficial effect on wives’ but not husbands’ ACTH responses. Spouses’ cortisol levels declined over time, except for wives who were less powerful and for husbands who shared power with their wives. Conflict behaviors did not differ as a function of this marital power index. These data suggest that relative levels of general emotional power in relationships may play an important role in spouses’ physiological responses to marital conflict.     

Now or Later?--Endogenous Timing of Threats

Whereas early threats are chosen before bargaining, late threats are determined after bargaining ended in conflict. Instead of exogenously imposing the timing of threats, these are derived endogenously as in indirect evolution or endogenous timing. Based on a duopoly market, we first derive the equilibrium for all possible constellations regarding the timing of threats. Our analysis surprisingly justifies the early timing of threats as suggested by Nash (1953).     

CURBSIDE RECYCLING IN THE PRESENCE OF ALTERNATIVES

We measure the extent to which curbside access affects quantity recycled. We use novel data to distinguish between new recycling and material diverted from other recycling modes. We find that the marginal impact of expanding curbside programs on total recycled quantities is small, in part because curbside programs significantly cannibalize returns from drop-off recycling centers. Failure to account for cannibalization from other modes may substantially overestimate the benefits of curbside programs. We conclude with simple cost-effectiveness comparisons. Results suggest that incremental expansion of curbside access may not be cost-effective. ( JEL Q53, Q58, H72)     

Improved minimax estimation of a normal precision matrix

Let S_{p × p} have a Wishart distribution with parameter matrix Σ and n degrees of freedom. We consider here the problem of estimating the precision matrix Σ^?1 under the loss functions L₁(σ) tr (σ) - log |σ| and L₂(σ) = tr (σ). James-Stein-type estimators have been derived for an arbitrary p. We also obtain an orthogonal invariant and a diagonal invariant minimax estimator under both loss functions. A Monte-Carlo simulation study indicates that the risk improvement of the orthogonal invariant estimators over the James-Stein type estimators, the Haff (1979) estimator, and the “testimator” given by Sinha and Ghosh (1987) is substantial.     

Turning Three Sides into a Delta at General Motors: Enhancing Partnership Integration on Corporate Ventures

General Motors had enjoyed global operations that were based on exports, acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances throughout the 20th century. Its global-programme strategy appeared assured. However, the carmaker came unstuck when it came to creating a large-scale collaborative effort involving its own internal units. The Delta Small Car Program, involving three fully internal GM units, was terminated after its goals failed to materialise. The carmaker’s long-standing cultural tradition of autonomy for its units was what made collaboration between them difficult. We examine this GM global programme, placing it in its historical context. Our primary database consists of the perceptions and experiences offered to us by a cross-section of programme participants. By examining partner integration at the working level, we identify insights and offer recommendations pertaining to venture structure and dynamics and their role in venture success.     

ASSESSING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SYMPTOMS OF ALLERGIC RHINOCONJUNCTIVITIS AND POLLEN COUNTS

The relationship between daily pollen counts during the peak pollen season and hay fever symptoms in known sufferers of pollen allergy was investigated in a Sydney hospital‐based study. This paper develops statistical models for both the short term (day to day) associations and the longer term relationships between these time series. Possible effects of asthma status are investigated. The analyses illustrate how different relationships between time series may be explored in a simple way by working on different time scales with suitably transformed variables.     

Challenging the Rhetoric of Choice in Maternal Labour‐Force Participation: Preferred Versus Contracted Work Hours

The notion of choice in maternal labour‐force participation (LFP) is a contentious one, with assertions that LFP is a direct result of either personal inclinations, such as employment commitment or external factors, such as historically available opportunities. This article suggests an alternative framework for understanding and testing choice in LFP using preferred versus contracted work hours. It explores these constructs quantitatively in a group of working mothers (N = 275) with dependent children and investigates qualitatively the underlying reasons for discrepant preferred versus contracted work hours in a sub‐sample of these women with under‐school‐aged children (N = 20). The results show that nearly two‐thirds of women working full time would prefer to work part time and the major reasons for not acting on their preferences is because of the nature of the job and the lack of career opportunities available for part‐time employees.