A herstory of public relations: Teresa Dorn,from Scott Cutlip to Burson-Marsteller Europe (1974–1995)

ABSTRACT

This research concentrates on Teresa Dorn’s contributions to the history/herstory of public relations through the analysis of her first 20 years in the profession, 15 of which were devoted to making Burson-Marsteller a prominent multinational company in Spain and Europe. The study explores the process of how Burson-Marsteller became one of the top consultancies in a country with a newly established democracy through the report of a life history. This methodology leads to a better understanding of when, why, and how the first international consultancy was settled in Spain and succeeded under the guidance of an American female practitioner.     

The implications of different ethnicity categorisation methods for understanding outcomes and developing policy in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Identifying with more than one ethnicity is becoming increasingly common in New Zealand. It is therefore important that the methods of categorising ethnicity used by government agencies and researchers effectively account for diverse ethnic identities. The aim of this research was to assess the impact of using different methods of categorising ethnicity on understanding outcomes in New Zealand, using Census 2013 information about tobacco smoking among the population aged 15+ years as an illustration. Prioritised, total response and single/combination categorisation methods were compared. Prioritised and total response categorisation generally produced similar prevalence estimates and patterns for smoking status, although estimates diverged somewhat for Māori ethnic groups and to a lesser extent for Pacific Peoples and Asian ethnic groups. Single/combination categorisation indicated that combination ethnic groups tend to have smoking outcomes between those of the constituent groups. Categorisation method had a considerable impact on the size of some ethnic groups. Prioritised ethnicity categorisation may be inappropriate for use by government agencies and for policy-relevant research principally concerned with children, young people, Māori or Pacific Peoples. Single/combination categorisation is useful for understanding the associations between ethnicity and outcomes, however previous work suggests this method should be used with caution.     

“Take-the-Best” and Other Simple Strategies: Why and When they Work “Well” with Binary Cues

The effectiveness of decision rules depends on characteristics of both rules and environments. A theoretical analysis of environments specifies the relative predictive accuracies of the “take-the-best” heuristic (TTB) and other simple strategies for choices between two outcomes based on binary cues. We identify three factors: how cues are weighted; characteristics of choice sets; and error. In the absence of error and for cases involving from three to five binary cues, TTB is effective across many environments. However, hybrids of equal weights (EW) and TTB models are more effective as environments become more compensatory. As error in the environment increases, the predictive ability of all models is systematically degraded. Indeed, using the datasets of Gigerenzer et al. (1999, Simple Heuristics That Make Us Smart, New York: Oxford University Press), TTB and similar models do not predict much better than a naïve model that exploits dominance. Finally, we emphasize that the results reported here are conditional on binary cues.     

Poverty in Russia

This article concentrates on poverty debates during the last few years of the Soviet Union under Gorbachev and in Russia today under Yeltsin. Some references to previous years are made in order to provide some historical context for these debates. The article is divided into two parts: the first examines debates on the definitions of poverty, while the second looks at its depth and extent. The discussion will provide one more illustration of the now generally accepted thesis that the way poverty is defined inevitably affects the extent of measured poverty and the policy measures for its amelioration.     

Fear,Shame, and Health Promotion

Abstract

Drinking games are associated with excess alcohol use and alcohol-related problems, yet it is unclear whether they are unique to the college environment or whether students come to college familiar with such games. The authors queried 1,252 students attending voluntary summer orientation programs about their experiences with drinking games. A majority (63%) indicated they had played drinking games and viewed them as a means to get drunk quickly and to socialize, control others, or get someone else drunk. Logistic regression analyses revealed that familiarity with drinking situations was associated with a greater likelihood of playing drinking games. Students who reported drinking more frequently and consuming greater quantities of alcohol than others, having lifetime marijuana use, and initiating alcohol consumption between the ages of 14 and 16 years were significantly more likely to have participated in drinking games. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering students' participation in drinking games when campus officials address alcohol use.     

Why College Health Matters

Abstract

“Epidemiology of Diarrhea in Travelers,” ROBERT STEFFEN, FRANZ VAN DER LINDE, KLAUS GYR, MEINRAD SCHAR. To investigate diarrhea in tourists on a worldwide scale, 16,568 passengers were interviewed during their flights home from 13 destinations in various climatic regions. Significant differences in diarrheal incidence were observed between individual destinations and also between hotels in the same area. The highest rates exceeded 50%. Younger persons were more often affected. Sex, travel characteristics, and a record of former tropical journeys influenced the incidence to a minor degree. Even in the tropics, diarrhea usually takes a short (average, 3.6 days) and mild (average of 4.6 stools per day) course. Prophylactic or therapeutic medication only slightly influenced these values. The various regions showed minor differences in chronology and symptomatology. This is consistent with quantitative rather than qualitative geographic variations in causative agents. The traditional nutritional recommendations for prophylaxis seemed to be unrealistc and usually unsuccessful. (Journal of the American Medical Association 1983;249:1176–1180.)     

On-Campus Programs to Support College Students in Recovery

Abstract

The author argues that referral of alcohol-abusing college students to off-campus treatment services, although necessary for some, is not optimal for many. He advocates the implementation of comprehensive on-campus services for students committed to recovery in order to optimize their treatment while allowing them to remain in school and work towards their degree. The author suggests that such on-campus recovery services provide additional benefits to the college or university as well as to other students, and he proposes that on-campus alcohol-abusing students in recovery can serve as important opinion leaders and role models for their peers.