Designing and facilitating collaboration in R&D: A case study

This case study aims to highlight the strategic decisions and managerial practices in the formation and operation of a co-located research unit within a national laboratory. The empirical evidence is based on interviews with members of the research unit as well as responses from a research environment survey. The findings of the case study suggest specific strategies that are conducive not only for the co-location of research units but also for research management in general. Principal among these are the need to balance increases in diversity and complexity with mechanisms of integration and the use of specific management practices and leadership qualities that support these activities.     

Overtime and Undertime: An Analysis of Hours Worked*

Drawing on 1980 Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS), this study compares the determinants of annual hours of work for whites, blacks, and mainland-born Puerto Ricans residing in the New York SMSA in 1979. Two theoretical approaches are tested; a neoclassical specification and an extended structural model. The analysis supports both approaches. Few differences in coefficients exist between white and minority men, but the hours of minority women are less sensitive to family demands than are those of white women. The implications of these and other findings are discussed.     

“Feeling Warmth and Close to Her”: Communication and Resilience Reflected in Turning Points in Positive Adult Stepchild–Stepparent Relationships

With the goal of understanding the development of positive stepchild–stepparent relationships, the researchers focused on turning points characterizing the interaction of adult stepchildren who have a positive bond with a stepparent. Engaging a relational turning points perspective, 38 stepchildren (males and females, ages 25 to 52 years old) who reported a positive stepparent relationship were interviewed, generating 269 turning points which were categorized into 15 turning point types and coded by valence. Turning points occurring most frequently were: prosocial actions, quality time, conflict/disagreement, changes in household/family composition, and rituals. Findings are discussed, including implications for developing and enacting resilient and positive stepchild–stepparent relationships and future directions for researchers wanting to focus on positive family interaction.     

Gender, Job Searching, and Employment Outcomes among Mexican Immigrants

Past quantitative research has typically disregarded the effect of gender on the relationship between social capital and immigrant adaptation. However, recent theory and qualitative evidence suggest that gender is a significant factor moderating this association. I use Mexican Migration Project (MMP) data regarding Mexican immigrant experiences in the U.S. to examine quantitatively how the process of job searching, and the effects of network-based job searching, vary by gender. Results show no evidence of overall sex differences in the likelihood of using network (i.e., family-based or friend-based) or individual (i.e., non-network) job search methods, but there are sex differences in the processes affecting job search method used. Settlement increases women’s use of their friend networks to obtain work, while for men, it decreases the use of networks of any kind. Contrary to conventional wisdom, women who use network-based job searches are less likely to obtain formal sector employment than women who find work without network assistance. Conversely, using network-based job searches increases the likelihood that men will find work in the formal sector. Since employment in the formal sector is correlated with wages, as well as nonwage benefits, this suggests that using networks in the job search has markedly different effects on the overall economic well-being of male and female Mexican immigrants in the U.S.     

Salt tolerance of common green roof and green wall plants

Detrimental effects of road deicing salt on vegetation are well known and have been well studied, with the exception of typical green roof plants, which could experience damage on green roofs with public access and green walls near roadways in cold climates. Two studies were conducted comparing salt tolerance of five Sedum species, two Allium species and a mixture of turf grasses when exposed to six levels of salinity applied either as foliar spray or as liquid applications to the soil. A third study compared salt tolerance when plants were placed at three distances from a major highway. Response variables measured included survival, a health score from 0 to 5, and a growth index. Allium cernuum, A. senscens and S. ellecombianum were relatively tolerant of both saline spray and soil inundation at high saline concentrations in terms of survival, mean health scores, percentage of healthy plants and growth index. Sedum reflexum was much less tolerant of saline spray at higher salinity concentrations and soil inundation regardless of salinity levels. Distance from the road had no effect on plant survival rates but plants farthest from the road had higher mean health scores and a greater percentage of healthy plants than plants closer to the highway.     

Public Participation in the New NHS: No Closer to Citizen Control?

Over the last decade support for increasing public participation in decisions regarding the planning and delivery of health services has become a familiar feature of the policy agenda for the UK National Health Service. This paper reviews current Labour policy towards public participation and reports on the response of primary care groups (PCGs) to recent Labour directives to make patient and public involvement an integral part of the way they work, presenting the findings of a survey conducted in one English health region. The experience of these PCGs suggests that, despite the diverse backgrounds of board members, there is marked consensus between local and central decision makers as to their understanding of public participation. Whilst academic debates have tended to conceptualize participation in dualist terms as a form of consumerism or of citizenship, the survey data suggest that in the context of local implementation public participation is framed within a new public management perspective which values it as an aid to organizational learning. The findings of this study highlight obstacles to securing effective public participation, including a lack of substantive guidance regarding policy implementation that produces uncertainty amongst local decision makers as to how best to proceed. The inherent limitations of public participation within the new public management paradigm suggest that democratic renewal, one of the goals of the government's modernization agenda, is unlikely to be achieved.     

Companion animals in families of children with autism spectrum disorder: Lessons learned from caregivers.

Companion animals (i.e., pets) have been increasingly recognized for the roles they play in families, including those with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This cross-sectional study explored the unique functions of companion animals within families with a child with ASD. Phenomenology was used to analyze the responses of participants (N = 338) who responded to a survey offered through the Interactive Autism Network. The study initially focused on dogs; however, the analysis was forced to expand to other species due to the data provided by participants. Seven major themes emerged: bonding and benefits, learning opportunities, barriers, grief, fit (match of family characteristics with those of the companion animal), safety, and alternative animals. Successful fit between companion animals and families was often described as necessary for beneficial functions. Barriers included necessary cost and time, as well as required supervision of interactions to enhance safety of the children and animals.     

Being “easy”: Women’s desire to accept help in later life

ABSTRACT

This article examines the concept of being “easy” as a quality that female caregivers aspire to as they envision their potential care in later life. It draws on data from a qualitative study exploring the significance of caregiving to adult daughters’ perspectives and plans for their own aging. Caregivers’ experiences differ based upon their perception of how easy or difficult it was to care for their loved one. The former exemplifies a positive way to approach aging and the receiving of care. Being easy describes an attitude that these caregivers desired for their own later life.     

Organizational strengths and challenges of Kenyan NGOs serving orphans and vulnerable children: a template analysis

This qualitative study of Kenyan non-governmental organizations (NGOs) identified strengths and challenges associated with service provision to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). From September to December 2006, data were collected by Kenyan research assistants in 34 NGOs in Nairobi and Eldoret. In-depth interviews were used to explore the perceptions of directors and staff in relation to organizational strengths and challenges in serving OVC. Structuration theory and template analysis were used to identify higher-order codes related to strengths and challenges of human agents, organizations and societal forces. Emergent themes and supporting interview quotations are presented to highlight common patterns across organizations, including strengths such as staff commitment, client outcomes, and resourceful communities, as well as challenges such as lack of staff, funding, and parental involvement. Through the analysis we uncover insights about the recursive relationship between micro and macro realities in Kenyan NGOs and the accompanying human and social transformations that result from providing services to OVC.