Corruption,Culture, and Communism

Cultural factors, as measured by the two dimensions of values identified by Inglehart, explain 75% of the variation in the Perceived Corruption Index across non-communist countries. A strong ‘survival’ orientation contributes twice as much as a strong ‘traditional’ orientation to higher levels of corruption. When controlling for these cultural variables, communism and post-communism increase the levels of corruption even further, both directly and by contributing to heavier emphasis on survival values. Communism created structural incentives for engaging in corrupt behaviors, which became such a widespread fact of life that they became rooted in the culture in these societies – that is, the social norms and practices prevailing in communist societies. The transitions toward democracy and market economies have not yet erased this culture of corruption. In addition, the process of privatization itself has opened myriad opportunities for corruption. The effects are manifest in comparisons of corruption in non-communist and (post-)communist countries in five cultural zones.     

Profiles of adult survivors of severe sexual,physical and emotional institutional abuse in Ireland

Adult survivors of institutional abuse were interviewed with a comprehensive assessment protocol which included the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Institutional Child Abuse Processes and Coping Inventory, the Structured Clinical Interviews for Disorders of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV axis I disorders and personality disorders, the Trauma Symptoms Inventory, a Life Problems Checklist, the Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory and the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale. Profiles were identified for subgroups that described severe sexual (N = 60), physical (N = 102), or emotional (N = 85) abuse as their worst forms of maltreatment. Survivors of severe sexual abuse had the most abnormal profile, which was characterised by higher rates of all forms of child maltreatment and higher rates of post‐traumatic stress disorder, alcohol and substance abuse, antisocial personality disorder, trauma symptoms and life problems. Survivors of severe emotional abuse were better adjusted than the other two groups. The profile of survivors of severe physical abuse occupied an intermediate position between the other two groups. A thorough assessment of abuse history and current functioning should be conducted when providing services to adult survivors of institutional abuse, since this may have important implications for the intensity of services required. Survivors of severe sexual abuse may require more intensive services. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Corporate planning and the chief executive

This study has analyzed how 295 chief executive officers formulated their overall corporate strategy. The analyses reveal the insights of the practising chief executive officers about the strategic mixes of functions (marketing, finance, production, etc.) and the strategic configurations of functions which they perceived strategic for the accomplishment of their particular firm's major objectives and goals. The web of interrelationship among primary and supportive functions (i.e. configuration of functions) provides a different approach to the study of overall corporate strategy.     

Restricted domination parameters in graphs

In a graph G, a vertex dominates itself and its neighbors. A subset S ⊂eqV(G) is an m-tuple dominating set if S dominates every vertex of G at least m times, and an m-dominating set if S dominates every vertex of G−S at least m times. The minimum cardinality of a dominating set is γ, of an m-dominating set is γ _m , and of an m-tuple dominating set is mtupledom. For a property π of subsets of V(G), with associated parameter f_π, the k-restricted π-number r _k (G,f_π) is the smallest integer r such that given any subset K of (at most) k vertices of G, there exists a π set containing K of (at most) cardinality r. We show that for 1< k < n where n is the order of G: (a) if G has minimum degree m, then r _k (G,γ _m ) < (mn+k)/(m+1); (b) if G has minimum degree 3, then r _k (G,γ) < (3n+5k)/8; and (c) if G is connected with minimum degree at least 2, then r _k (G,ddom) < 3n/4 + 2k/7. These bounds are sharp. Research supported in part by the South African National Research Foundation and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.     

会呼吸的电池——由空气产生电力的新能源

连续供应能源的电池 近百年来,人类的科技飞速进步,不论是军事武器还是民用设旌的发展,都是一日千里,近10年来更是与日俱增.因为科技发展的快速,加上全球人口的增长,能源的使用也不断地增加. 目前最重要的能源当属石油,而世界上石油的产量几乎全控制在几个主要的产油国家,这些产油国家组成石油输出国组织,简称OPEC.     

Exploring heterosexual women's anti-lesbian attitudes

Previous research on attitudes toward gays has mostly focused on heterosexuals' attitudes toward gay men, with little research specifically directed at anti-lesbian attitudes. Using a sample of 269 undergraduate heterosexual women, the present study tested two feminist propositions: Anti-lesbian attitudes would be associated with (1) conservative beliefs regarding the female gender-role and (2) attitudes toward men that support the differential status of women and men in the patriarchy. Findings based on a series of multiple regression analyses support these propositions across three components of anti-lesbian attitudes (contact apprehension, morality beliefs, and stereotypic beliefs). Directions for future research on anti-lesbian attitudes are discussed.     

Family Theory Versus the Theories Families Live By

I argue that there is significant disjunction between the way that families live their lives and the way that we theorize about families. Using the metaphor of positive and negative spaces from the art world, I argue that there are many negative spaces in our theorizing—everyday family activities that take up considerable time, energy, and attention but that are poorly represented in our theorizing about families. Specifically, there are three negative spaces that call out for more attention, including the realm of spirituality, emotions, and myths; activities related to consumption; and time and space.