Drivers and Outcomes of Long‐term Orientation in Cooperative Relationships

We argue in this paper that a buyer may deliberately develop long‐term orientation as a governance mechanism to deal with risks arising from exchange hazards, and to reduce the opportunistic behaviour of a supplier. While the exchange hazards of asset specificity pose a safeguarding problem, those of market uncertainty pose an adaptation problem. We test our model on a sample of 221 procurement partnerships. Our results show that satisfactory prior history of a supplier, asset specificity of the buyer and market uncertainty are all positively related to a buyer's long‐term orientation towards a supplier. Consistent with the idea that asset specificity and market uncertainty pose different governance problems, we find that satisfactory prior history reduces the positive relationship between asset specificity and a buyer's long‐term orientation, but enhances the positive relationship between market uncertainty and a buyer's long‐term orientation. We also find that a buyer's long‐term orientation fully mediates the relationship between satisfactory prior history and a supplier's opportunistic behaviour. Finally, implications on the theory and the practices of relationship governance are discussed.     

Living life for others and/or oneself: The social development of life orientations

A range of social science research suggests Americans are becoming more self-oriented over time, and that this focus comes at a cost to general concern with community. Examining data from a large-scale national study of college students, we explore this influential hypothesis on two fronts. First, we empirically investigate whether people who are especially concerned with personal achievement are necessarily less concerned about contributing to their community. Contrary to most iterations of the individualism thesis, we find that significant numbers of individuals are concerned with both personal success and political/social involvement. To explore further, we expand this supposed single dimension into a fourfold typology, showing that many people are ‘idealists’ (concerned with both self and others) and ‘apathists’ (relatively unconcerned with either). After broadening the taken-for-granted egoist/altruist continuum, we explore antecedent social structural, aspirational, and social psychological factors that predict membership in these value preference groups. The findings from our preliminary model suggest that these broad orientations are shaped by a complex array of factors across multiple domains.     

An Assessment of America's Tobacco-Free Colleges and Universities

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the extent to which US campuses identified as “100% tobacco-free” by the American Lung Association of Oregon adhered to the American College Health Association's the most recent guidelines and recommendations promoting tobacco-free environments in colleges and universities. Participants: A key informant from 162 of 175 institutions (92.6% response rate) completed an online survey between January 2010 and February 2010. Methods: The variables under study were assessed via a cross-sectional research design. Participants completed a 35-item survey regarding their school's tobacco policies, procedures, and enforcement practices. Results: Although the vast majority of schools had written policies and procedures in place, schools with current policies were the most compliant. Numerous opportunities for improved adherence were identified in the results. Conclusions: Findings from this study may help institutions in the development and implementation of a new tobacco policy, as well as strengthen policies among existing tobacco-free schools.     

AUTONOMY AND RELATEDNESS IN MARITAL FUNCTIONING

The current investigation expands the focus of cognitive behavioral formulations of marriage by exploring the constructs of autonomy and relatendness in marriage. One hundred forty-one married couples matched to the 1990 U.S. census data on age, race, and income completed a number of self-report marital inventories including the Autonomy and Relatendness Inventory (Schaefer, Edgerton, & Burnett, 1991). Autonomy was measured by evaluating spouses' perceptions of the extent to which partners encouraged a sense of independence and individuality for the spouses. Relatedness was measured by evaluating spouses' perceptions of the amount of closeness that partners provided. It was found that autonomy and relatedness were significantly positively correlated with each other, as well as with marital adjustment for both males and females. It was found that for females, the provision of relatedness (as reported by their husbands) was significantly related to the standards that they held for the relationship. In addition, it was found that for females, the provision of relatedness (as reported by their husbands) was significantly related to the standards that husbands held for the relationship. However, no significant relationships were found between husbands' standards and relatedness (either as reported by wives or husbands). It was concluded that it is appropriate to help couples think of autonomy and relatedness as being tow important aspects of marriage that can exist together and are related to a satisfying marriage. Implications of the findings suggest that marital therapists could expand the conceptualization of marital therapy beyond being primarily relationship focused to include attention to individual needs of the spouses. Relatedness was measured by evaluating spouses' perception of the amount of closeness that partners privided. It was found that autonomy and relatedness were significantly positively correlated with each other as well as with marital adjustment for both males and females. It was found that for females, the prpvision of relatedness(as reported by their husbands) was significantly related to the srandards that they held for the relationship. In addition, it was found that for females, the provision of relatedness(as reported by their husbands)was significantly related to the standards that husbands held for the relatinship. How-ever, no significant relationships were found between husbands' standards and     

Estimating rates of population change for a neotropical parrot with ratio,mark-recapture and matrix methods

Robust methods for estimating rates of population change ( u ) are necessary for applied and theoretical goals in conservation and evolutionary biology. Traditionally, u has been calculated from either ratios of population counts (observed u or u obs ), or population models based on projection matrices (asymptotic u or u asy ,). New mark-recapture methods permit calculation of u from mark-resighting information alone (realized u or u rea ), but empirical comparisons with other methods are rare. In this paper, rates of population change were calculated for a population of green-rumped parrotlets ( Forpus passerinus ) that have been studied for more than a decade in central Venezuela. First, a ratio method based on counts of detected birds was used to calculate u obs. Next, a temporal symmetry method based on mark-recapture data (i.e. the u -parameterization introduced by Pradel, 1996) was used to calculate u rea . Finally, a stage-structured matrix model based on state-specific estimates of fecundity, immigration, local survival, and transition rates was used to calculate u asy . Analyses were conducted separately for females and males. Overall values of u from the three methods were consistent and all indicated that the finite rate of population change was not significantly different from 1. Annual values of u from the three methods were also in general agreement for a majority of years. However, u rea from the temporal symmetry method had the greatest precision, and apparently better accuracy than u asy . Unrealistic annual values of u asy could have been due to poor estimates of the transitional probability of becoming a breeder ( é ) or to a mismatch between the actual and the asymptotic stable stage distribution. In this study, the trade-off between biological realism and accuracy was better met by the temporal symmetry than the matrix method. Our results suggest that the temporal symmetry models can be applied with confidence to populations where less information may be available.