Human Resource Management Best Practices and Globalization: The Universality of Common Sense

Popular strategies for reform have come directly from the private sector in what is perhaps the most profound redefinition of public administration since the field first emerged as an identifiable specialty. The purpose of this paper is to examine the context out of which these reforms have grown, the challenges that have arisen as a result, and cases where private sector reform strategies have been successfully (and sometimes unsuccessfully) applied in human resource management (HRM). We discuss the benefits and hazards of many of the reforms and conclude that restoring a measure of confidence in the legitimate role of the civil service is essential for nations dealing with the challenges of globalization.     

RACE, CLASS, AND OPPORTUNITY: CHANGING REALITIES AND PERCEPTIONS

Michael Hout provided empirical validation of the part of William J. Wilson's controversial 1978 claim concerning the increased influence of class on social mobility but not of his claim that the influence of race became less important than that of class. Anomia/despair as an indication of Americans'perceptions of life chances in 1973, 1976, 1980 and 1984 is used in this article. The findings show no agreement between perception and reality (that Wilson described) on the declining influence of race and the increasing influence of class. In addition, Wilson's dominant theme of deteriorating conditions for lower-class blacks and continuing progress for upper-class blacks was contrary to the data on perception. Barriers to continued mobility faced by more successful blacks is given as a possible explanation of the discrepancy between black mobility and black perception of life chances.     

BEYOND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION?

Resource mobilization theory became the dominant paradigm for studying social movements in the 1970s because it was better able to account for the 1960s cycle of protest than previous theories of collective behavior. After almost two decades of theoretical development, the resource mobilization framework is now under increasing challenge. Drawing on research on women's movements in the United States, this article identifies ten issues which collectively pose a major theoretical challenge to the dominance of resource mobilization theory and which may initiate a paradigm shift to a new framework for the study of social movements.     

How nonprofits adapt to a stringent environment

Results from a survey of nonprofit human service agencies in Arizona are presented. Most agencies reported steady or declining revenues, increased competition with other agencies, and rising demand for services from clients who cannot pay. The strategies used to adapt to these changes ranged from small-scale productivity enhancements to responses involving a complete restructuring of the agency as well as cutbacks in client services. The discussion focuses on the implications of the results for the continued viability of these agencies and their ability to maintain their commitments to poor clients.     

A study of coping behaviours and teacher burnout

This study investigated whether or not factors of teacher burnout were associated with adaptive and maladaptive coping behaviour. It was found, in a sample of 365 US (north Texas) school teachers, that many physical and psychological problems (e.g., stomach aches and depression) were related to teacher burnout factors. Furthermore, the data showed that certain maladaptive coping mechanisms (e.g., excessive alcohol consumption) were associated with higher teacher burnout, while adaptive coping strategies (e.g., hobbies) were related to lower burnout levels among school teachers. An association was also revealed between certain demographic factors (e.g., gender) and coping behaviour.