‘Talking the talk’ – a discursive approach to evaluating management development

Much evaluation practice is guided by a theoretical anachronism. Systematized and formulaic approaches of chain reaction models of evaluation are based on conceptions of management which are over 50 years old. This study presents an evaluation of a management development intervention which used evidence of discursive shift in learners as an indicator of attitudinal and behavioural change brought about by the learning programme. The approach taken characterizes the learning event and the evaluation process as interventions which have the capacity to help learners to shape their identity and in which language is a mediator of learning. The results of the study, which applies both quantitative and qualitative techniques, are used to argue in favour of the deployment of a model of evaluation which has a focus on social and relational aspects of a managers' role.     

The Effects of Strategic and Structural Supply Chain Orientation on Operational and Customer‐Focused Performance

Supply chain orientation (SCO), or the implementation of a supply chain management philosophy, consists of two distinct, yet interdependent elements, namely strategic SCO and structural SCO. Strategic SCO involves integrating an SCM philosophy into the firm's strategy development, while structural SCO encompasses operational‐level behaviors and actions that reflect such a philosophy. This study extends the research on SCO by developing hypotheses on the contingent effects of strategic SCO and structural SCO on a firm's operational and customer‐focused performance. Drawing on the strategy‐structure‐performance framework, the study proposes that strategic SCO and structural SCO positively affect different dimensions of performance and that structural SCO plays a mediating role in the relationship between strategic SCO and performance. These relationships are tested using primary survey data and archival data from 183 manufacturers in the Midwestern US. Results confirm that strategic SCO is associated with both operational performance and customer‐focused performance, but structural SCO is only related to operational performance. Structural SCO acts as a mediator in linking strategic SCO with operational performance and customer‐focused performance and mediation effects are strengthened at higher levels of environmental dynamism.     

New Zealand’s engagement with the Five Ways to Wellbeing: evidence from a large cross-sectional survey

ABSTRACT

The Five Ways to Wellbeing were developed in 2008 as a set of simple daily practices for individuals to improve their wellbeing. While there is some evidence to support the association between individual practices and wellbeing, it is unknown whether engaging in multiple practices – and in certain combinations – is associated with higher levels of wellbeing. A survey was undertaken with 10,012 adults throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand, to assess individual wellbeing and participation in the Five Ways to Wellbeing (Connect, Give, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Be Active). Wellbeing was assessed with the Flourishing Scale (Md?=?46, IQR 39–49). Three objectives explored the cross-sectional association between the Five ways to Wellbeing and wellbeing: (1) multiple wellbeing practices and wellbeing, (2) clustering of multiple wellbeing practices, and (3) wellbeing practices as predictors of wellbeing. Results show that levels of wellbeing increased with each additional practice (rho?=?.53, p?<?.001), regardless of the combination. However, the most important predictors of wellbeing were Keep Learning (β?=?.23, p?<?.001) and Take Notice (β?=?.22, p?<?.001). Studies investigating ways to increase participation in the Five Ways to Wellbeing are warranted to promote wellbeing in Aotearoa.     

Disseminating research results to kids: practical tips from the Neighbourhoods for Active Kids study

ABSTRACT

Appropriately disseminating results to children are important because it respects the role they played in the research process. Clearly conveying complex messages to children, however, can be challenging and take a substantial amount of time for researchers. This paper reports on the results dissemination processes and accompanying critical reflection, that occurred during Neighbourhoods for Active Kids study – a community-based health research project with 1102 children aged 8–13 years residing in Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand. The results dissemination items included: an individual physical activity and food-purchasing behaviour summary, school physical activity and food-purchasing behaviour summary, colouring-in poster, a video, comic, results booklet, school summary report and school data. The results from critical reflection have been developed into five tips for disseminating results to children. The tips are: consult with children and incorporate their feedback throughout; allow space for change and adaptation; meet children where they are at in the digital world and in the physical world; it’s OK to ask for help; and be careful of the words you use. Findings can be used to inform results dissemination activities across a range of social science disciplines.     

Gender Differences in Self-Regulation Patterns and Attitudes Toward Driving Among Older Adults

ABSTRACT

The automobile is essential for many older adults to fulfill their daily needs, especially since many live where they lack access to public transit or other acceptable modes of transportation. Increased self-regulation is one way older drivers continue to drive safely and maintain mobility. This research considers whether self-regulation attitudes and patterns differ by gender. Results indicate that women and men report distinct patterns of self-regulation behaviors. Age, health status, and household status also interact with gender, influencing the extent of self-regulation. The results also show that women report lower levels of confidence in their driving skills than men, although the difference varies based on whether or not a woman lives alone. Implications of these results are considered for an aging population—particularly women—that over the coming decades will be more reliant on the automobile for transportation than ever before.     

Crisis subjectivities: resilient,recuperable, and abject representations in the new hard times

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we explore a range of media representations that center on what we identify as crisis subjectivities. These are subjects presented as embodiments of economic and political crises, coming out of a context best described as the propagation of crisis as an ordinary, everyday occurrence. We trace the development of three main types of crisis subjectivities (resilient, recuperable, and abject) within this context, focusing on the ways in which these subjectivities are subsequently read back as the cause of broader structural crises, especially through their connection to discourses of postfeminism and the postracial. Formed through normative divisions of the population, i.e. racism, classism, and sexism, crisis subjectivities are also presented as disrupting normative temporality on multiple levels, interrupting narratives of progress, individual life trajectories, and the temporality of crisis itself. Within this context, normative discourses of time as linear, constant, and progressive are replaced by representations that emphasize time as discontinuous and disjunct, defined by unexpected accelerations, delays, and deferrals. Finally, we explore the way these crisis subjectivists and temporalities are articulated to discourses that suggest that the proper responses to crisis are individual resilience and self-management, while de-emphasizing structural analysis and collective action.     

Are Migrants Going Up a Blind Alley? Economic Migration and Life Satisfaction around the World: Cross-National Evidence from Europe, North America and Australia

Are migrants satisfied with their decision to move to another country? Research shows that the income-wellbeing relationship is weak in wealthy countries, usually countries of destination. Are then economic migrants mistaken? Employing data from the Gallup World Poll, a representative sample of the world population, we investigate whether a general pattern of association exists between income and the cognitive component of subjective wellbeing, and whether this pattern differs by immigration status in 16 high-income countries. In only a handful of countries do we find a distinctive immigrant advantage in translating income into higher life evaluation or life satisfaction: Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden. For immigrants in most of these countries, income increases cognitive wellbeing even in the fifth income quintile. Depending on the measure used, immigrants in Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy and the US only have positive income-wellbeing associations at or below the third quintile. We take this as evidence that, among recent arrivals, income is positively associated with wellbeing up to the point in which non-pecuniary factors associated with long-term residence become dominant. We also find a number of “frustrated achievers” among the foreign born in the US, France and Finland. These immigrants report a negative association, in absolute value, between income and life satisfaction or life evaluation.     

Negotiating Control: From Recognizing a Need to Making a Decision to Apply for a Housing Adaptation

ABSTRACT

A housing adaptation (HA) can enable independent living in one's own home, but deciding to change the home environment can be a thought-provoking matter. The aim of this study was to explore the applicant's perspective and decision-making process when applying for an HA grant. Seventeen persons were interviewed about their application for such a grant, and the data were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. The findings illustrated how the participants negotiated control in their everyday lives as they went from recognizing a need to then deciding to apply for an HA grant. Before coming to a decision, alternative solutions were considered and their expectations on the effect of having an HA were explored. This knowledge is useful for professionals and caregivers to help support people during the HA decision-making process.     

The College Student-Athlete: Psychological Considerations and Interventions

Abstract

This article reviews the literature dealing with problems brought by student-athletes to college counseling and mental health centers. Among the issues discussed are fear of success; identity conflict; social isolation; poor athletic performance; academic problems; and career or vocational concerns. In addition, the authors examine the paradox that although athletes experience as much or more psychological distress as non-athletes, research indicates that athletes use professional services less often than nonathletes. Finally, the authors review approaches to psychological intervention, including short-term psychotherapy, very brief interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy, and career/vocational counseling, and discuss special considerations for conducting therapy with athletes.     

Specificity of the Tuberculin Skin Test and the T-SPOT.TB Assay Among Students in a Low–Tuberculosis Incidence Setting

Abstract

Objective: Interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs) are an important tool for detecting latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Insufficient data exist about IGRA specificity in college health centers, most of which screen students for LTBI using the tuberculin skin test (TST). Participants: Students at a low–TB incidence college health center. Methods: TST and T-SPOT.TB were performed on prospectively recruited students. TB exposure risk was assessed using a questionnaire: Those at low risk were assumed to not have LTBI in order to calculate test specificity. Results: Of 184 students enrolled, 143 had results available for both TST and T-SPOT.TB. Agreement of the tests was 97% (kappa statistic 0.717; 95% confidence interval, 0.399–1.00). Among 124 low-risk students, specificity for TST and T-SPOT.TB were 98.4% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: T-SPOT.TB specificity was high among low-risk students. Additional studies such as cost-effectiveness analyses using T-SPOT.TB as a single or confirmatory test to TST are needed to contribute to LTBI screening policy decisions.