Organizational diagnosis in practice: a cross-classification analysis using the DEL-technique

In this paper, an empirical research about organizational diagnosis in The Netherlands is presented. The main research question is whether the usage of the kind of conceptual organizational diagnosis model and computer support in diagnosing problem situations is contingent upon background characteristics of management consultants and their agencies. The DEL-technique was applied to test a number of propositions among 72 respondents of a random sample of 300 Dutch consulting agencies. The results indicate that size of an agency, educational specialization, and work experience are important characteristics with respect to their usage of conceptual organizational diagnosis models. Computer support was not found to be dependent on management consultant and agency characteristics in the specific hypothesized relationships.     

Spatial variability of epibiotic assemblages on marina pontoons in Singapore

Berthing pontoons, one of the most ubiquitous structures in marinas, are known to provide recruitment substrate for a variety of marine biota but little has been reported on their capacity to support epibiotic organisms in tropical marinas, and even less is known about the factors that shape their distribution in such environments. We surveyed the epibiotic assemblages on the sides of pontoons in three Singapore marinas and examined the environmental conditions that influenced their distribution. A total of 94 taxa were recorded, with each marina hosting 43–65 taxa. Assemblages among marinas were highly distinct, and, key discriminants included components of biotic (alcyonarians, hexacorallians, bivalves, and annelids), as well as abiotic (sediment, bare area and shell fragments) origin. While the assemblage variation among marinas was influenced by local environmental conditions (e.g. water motion and sedimentation rate) and pontoon material, the variation in distribution within each marina was best explained by the distance of the pontoons from the marina’s entrance (epibiotic diversity and taxa richness were lower away from the marina entrance). Knowledge on the distribution of epibiotic assemblages on pontoons is essential to identify the factors that contribute to spatial variation and encourage the design and construction of ecologically-friendly marinas. Our findings suggest that improvements to pontoon design and layout would help to augment marina biodiversity, enhance the ecology of urbanised coasts, and mitigate development impacts.     

Workplace flexibility and new product development performance: The role of telework and flexible work schedules

This paper investigates the effects of telework and flexible work schedules on the performance of teams in new product development projects. Organizations increasingly introduce workplace flexibility practices that provide flexibility with regard to where or when the employee works. The findings of NPD teams in five cases, situated in two telecommunication firms, show that telework has a positive effect on NPD performance through enabling knowledge sharing, cross-functional cooperation and inter-organizational involvement. This improves the speed and quality of product development, provided that face-to-face contact is not completely replaced by virtual contact. A basic level of face-to face contact is necessary to offset the negative effects of telework on the quality of the shared knowledge, which are larger when the knowledge is sticky. Flexible work schedules and unexpectedly hot-desking were found to increase telework usage. This implies for managers that workplace flexibility needs enablers and cannot do without a sufficient level of face-to-face contact.     

From the specter of Mao to the spirit of the law: Labor insurgency in China

Theory and Society -     

Birth Spacing in the Netherlands. The Effects of Family Composition, Occupation and Religion on Birth Intervals, 1820–1885

In this article, Dutch family reconstructions from the period 1820–1885 are analyst. Cox regression on birth intervals discloses that couples deliberately increased birth intervals already before the onset of the fertility transition. Spacing was not related to a targeted family size or to the sex composition of the family. Rather, the (temporary) burden of young, dependent children induced the parents to delay the next conception. Catholics and orthodox Protestants had shorter birth intervals than liberal Protestants, either because they rejected breastfeeding or because they were reluctant to experiment with birth spacing. Relatively long birth intervals were prevalent in the lowest social groups, whereas farmers and the self-employed middle class tended towards short intervals.     

Korea''s spatial development strategies for an era of globalisation

The impact of globalisation upon the Korean economy is an important issue to Korean researchers. This paper is concerned with the current spatial policy and planning in Korea which is designed to facilitate the benefit from globalisation. As such, the paper discusses the meaning of globalisation in order to provide a framework for the review of policies and strategies. There follows a review of Korean policies within the area which have been adopted, as well as those which are expected to be followed in the future. The paper concludes with some critical comments about the approach which has been followed.     

“Maintaining Connections but Wanting More”: The Continuity of Familial Relationships Among Assisted-Living Residents

Social support is a key component of well-being for older adults, particularly for those who have moved from independent living to assisted living involving a transformation of roles, relationships, and responsibilities. Twenty-nine assisted-living facility residents were interviewed to understand the perceived continuity of relationships with family and friends. An inductive approach to thematic analysis revealed 1 main theme and 3 subthemes. The main theme that emerged was: maintaining connections but wanting more. Residents appreciated maintaining connections with family and friends, but often expressed feelings of discontentment with the continuity of former relationships. The subthemes included: appreciating family and friends, waiting for more, and losing control. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Analysis of Travel Times and CO2 Emissions in Time‐Dependent Vehicle Routing

Due to the growing concern over environmental issues, regardless of whether companies are going to voluntarily incorporate green policies in practice, or will be forced to do so in the context of new legislation, change is foreseen in the future of transportation management. Assigning and scheduling vehicles to service a pre‐determined set of clients is a common distribution problem. Accounting for time‐dependent travel times between customers, we present a model that considers travel time, fuel, and CO₂ emissions costs. Specifically, we propose a framework for modeling CO₂ emissions in a time‐dependent vehicle routing context. The model is solved via a tabu search procedure. As the amount of CO₂ emissions is correlated with vehicle speed, our model considers limiting vehicle speed as part of the optimization. The emissions per kilometer as a function of speed are minimized at a unique speed. However, we show that in a time‐dependent environment this speed is sub‐optimal in terms of total emissions. This occurs if vehicles are able to avoid running into congestion periods where they incur high emissions. Clearly, considering this trade‐off in the vehicle routing problem has great practical potential. In the same line, we construct bounds on the total amount of emissions to be saved by making use of the standard VRP solutions. As fuel consumption is correlated with CO₂ emissions, we show that reducing emissions leads to reducing costs. For a number of experimental settings, we show that limiting vehicle speeds is desired from a total cost perspective. This namely stems from the trade‐off between fuel and travel time costs.     

Bayesian Spatial Analysis for the Evaluation of Breast Cancer Detection Methods

This study investigated the impact of spatial location on the effectiveness of population‐based breast screening in reducing breast cancer mortality compared to other detection methods among Queensland women. The analysis was based on linked population‐based datasets from BreastScreen Queensland and the Queensland Cancer Registry for the period of 1997–2008 for women aged less than 90 years at diagnosis. A Bayesian hierarchical regression modelling approach was adopted and posterior estimation was performed using Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques. This approach accommodated sparse data resulting from rare outcomes in small geographic areas, while allowing for spatial correlation and demographic influences to be included. A relative survival model was chosen to evaluate the relative excess risk for each breast cancer related factor. Several models were fitted to examine the influence of demographic information, cancer stage, geographic information and detection method on women's relative survival. Overall, the study demonstrated that including the detection method and geographic information when assessing the relative survival of breast cancer patients helped capture unexplained and spatial variability. The study also found evidence of better survival among women with breast cancer diagnosed in a screening program than those detected otherwise, as well as lower risk for those residing in a more urban or socio‐economically advantaged region, even after adjusting for tumour stage, environmental factors and demographics. However, no evidence of dependency between method of detection and geographic location was found. This project provides a sophisticated approach to examining the benefit of a screening program while considering the influence of geographic factors.     

马来班顿体和土生华人班顿体比兴中的自然物象

对某些学者而言,马来班顿体也许是马来世界和马来灵魂的完美镜像。班顿体是一种口头文学,它扎根于许多不同的族群中,通过口头方式代代相传。本文的研究焦点是马来和马来西亚土生华人班顿体,其中有些文本直接录自马六甲和新加坡的口述者,分析的重点是马来班顿体首联中对自然的偏爱是如何在土生华人班顿体中得到强调的。此外,强调自然比兴的这种手法是马来班顿体和土生华人班顿体冲突后产生的“镜像效应”。这两种班顿体中反复出现的自然景象强调了当时与之紧密相关的日常生活,同时也形成了班顿体独特的审美性。