Can Multinational Corporations Afford to Ignore the Global Common Good?1

Contemporary advances in the fields of globalization and technologies raise the question of the relationship between international business and the global common good. Half of the hundred biggest economies in the world are now corporations. Nation‐states were traditionally viewed as the guarantors of the common good; however, the current historical stage is marked by the waning of the role of government, and reveals an emerging situation characterized by a co‐responsibility of multiple agents in this respect. Three major evolutions are likely to induce multinational corporations (MNCs) to take the global common good into account: the imperative of the preservation of our biosphere, the rise of an anti‐globalization sentiment with all its potential consequences, and the necessity to design a global social contract. Besides, these three phenomena are interconnected, which adds to the pressure on MNCs to change their policies.     

Theory-based content analysis: A social influence perspective for evaluating group process

A critical overview of some major content and process analysis approaches is offered which argues that current schemes do not “make sense” of verbal group process with maximal coherence. The major causes are identified as (1) the lack of any compelling category organization (low internal coherence) coupled with (2) a general conceptual and empirical estrangement of content analysis from the remainder of group dynamics. These causes and some component subcauses are investigated. It is argued that a theory-based approach to content analysis, one that takes conceptual leads and category skeletons from established group dynamics theories, serves to maximize both internal and external coherence. A new process scheme, the Social Influence Rating Systems (SIRS), is constructed from social influence theory as one illustration of a theory-based derivation, and as an heuristic way of construing group verbalizations. An extensive pilot application of the SIRS to group psychotherapy interactions is reported. Preliminary analyses indicated that the scheme successfully partialled over three quarters of all statements into one or another of the influence categories employed, and that the content analytic results bore good resemblance to laboratory verifications of influence theory, as well as to accounts of the therapy process.     

Systematizing Knowledge of User Influence – A Study of User Advisory Boards in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

While there is a great deal of interest in, and literature describing user influence in mental health and substance abuse services at the individual level, there are fewer studies of collective user influence at the organizational level. This article presents the findings of a study of the development of user advisory councils in regional organizations providing substance abuse services, which were part of a national implementation project in Sweden. A survey of both users and professionals involved in the local projects, in addition to interviews with key actors at the national level, were completed and analyzed with reference to the results of a literature review. The overall aim of the study was to identify obstacles and success factors related to the development of collective user influence at the programme and system levels. The results indicated that there was an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards experience‐based knowledge and the potential for developing formal, collective user influence in these organizations. Users and professionals had common viewpoints regarding the obstacles and success factors, which included: addressing power relations, establishing legitimacy, assigning resources, investing in sustainability and planning for real participation. They were also substantially in agreement as to the strategies that would be needed in the future in order to move from ideology to action. These factors form the basis for a model that might be used to support the systematic implementation of this type of organized user influence.     

Institutionalized ambiguity. Conflict and continuity in the American hospital.

A closer look at historical attitudes toward hospitals illuminates contradictory expectations that make it difficult for the contemporary hospital to define and fulfill its role.     

Information technology enters the doctor's office: Part II--Six lessons about intended ... and unintended ... results

Part I of this article ("Six Design and Implementation Lessons," Physician Executive, Sept.-Oct. 1993, pp. 46-50) described an ambulatory utilization review (AUR) program designed and implemented by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and reviewed some of the lessons learned over the past five years. Those lessons pertained to the tasks of inventing a new information technology to measure and evaluate ambulatory care and some of the practical implementation issues associated with review of 30,000 small dollar value claims per day in 19 claim offices nationwide. This article turns to the basic purpose of AUR--to review the medical necessity and appropriateness of ambulatory utilization. One lesson learned about AUR in this context is that AUR works: savings from the program outweigh costs by almost 5:1. The more important lessons, however, stem from understanding how the savings are achieved, and what some of the other unintended benefits of the program are.     

Changing Strategy Processes and Strategy Content in Public Sector Organizations? A Longitudinal Case Study of NPM Reforms’ Influence on Strategic Management

New Public Management reforms have been argued to intensify the use of strategic management in public organizations, but there is a need to understand how reforms influence specific aspects such as strategy processes and strategy content. The NPM reforms are expected to formalize and professionalize strategy processes and strategy content towards greater competitiveness, but this may counter cooperation between organizations, which is essential in many areas for overall service provision. Research has provided little empirical knowledge about the simultaneous competition and cooperation in the public sector. This study offers such knowledge via a panel case study of five Danish upper secondary schools over a ten‐year period during a large NPM reform. The study includes three rounds of interviews with school principals before, during and after the reform, combined with secondary data. The study shows that, during reform implementation, strategy processes become more formalized and professionalized, and that teachers, in particular, lose influence. Regarding strategy content, the authors find an increase in external focus and competition, though schools maintain a focus on cooperation. The results suggest that NPM reforms can significantly change strategic management in public organizations, and that this is not necessarily at the expense of cooperation, at least in the short run.     

Research Self-Efficacy

This article discusses challenges that educators face in attempting to develop culturally competent social workers who understand the dynamics of oppression and embrace a commitment to promoting social justice. An educational model is described, focusing on the use of an interactive Web forum aimed at providing a safe vehicle for student dialogue. Usage patterns of the website are summarized and data from student evaluations are analyzed. The authors provide recommendations based on evaluating the use of computer technology to meet the challenges inherent in teaching and learning processes related to combining cultural diversity and societal oppression content.