When is collaboration not collaboration? When it's militarized

In adopting the medical lobby's preferred definition of collaboration where midwives are legally compelled to seek endorsement for their care plan from an obstetrician, Determination 2010 connotes a form of militarized collaboration and thus negates all that genuine collaboration stands for--equality, mutual trust and reciprocal respect. Using Critical Discourse Analysis, the first half of this paper analyses the submissions from medical, midwifery and consumer peak organisations to the Maternity Services Review and Senate reviews held between 2008 and 2010 showing that Determination 2010 privileges the medical lobby worldview in adopting a vertical definition of collaboration. The second half of the paper responds to the principal assumption of Determination 2010--that midwives do not voluntarily collaborate. It argues by reference to a qualitative inquiry conducted into select caseload maternity units in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales during 2009-2010 that this presupposition is erroneous. The evidence shows that genuine collaboration is possible without legislative force but it requires a coalition of the willing among senior midwives and obstetricians to institute regular interdisciplinary meetings and clinical reviews and to model respectful behaviour to new entrants.     

Rhetorical Theory and the Critique of National Identity Construction

A striking feature of scholarship on national identity is the relative absence of rhetorical theory, or theory related to the persuasive dimensions of discourse, especially given the fact that rhetorical theorists have been concerned with the manufacturing of public opinion and collective identity for over two millennia. To address this absence, this article discusses how rhetorical theories dealing with narrative theory, the social construction of publics, rhetorical constraints, ideology critique, public memory, political history and post-national identity help both to illuminate and critique emergent patterns of national identification.     

Pay equity in occupations: the nursing profession

The issue of comparable worth has been discussed in great detail, both in the media and in academic journals. This study provides an in-depth look at one female-dominated profession - the nursing profession. The focus of the analysis is on the determinants of individuals' decisions to participate or not participate in the nurse labor market. If the determinants are economic in nature, then comparable worth can be discussed in an economic framework. If, however, the decision is based on real or socialized differences in preferences, then other approaches may prove more valuable. This study finds that the choices made by the surveyed nurses were non-economic in nature.     

Culinary culture and globalization: an analysis of British and German Michelin-starred restaurants

The high-end restaurant segment in Britain and Germany has long been shaped by the cultural hegemony of French haute cuisine, perpetuated by multiple processes, including the influence of the Michelin or Red Guide. Traditionally, this hegemony has been expressed in the prevalence of French expatriate chefs, culinary techniques and style and even restaurant culture. This paper investigates whether processes of globalization have weakened or even undermined this French cultural dominance in fine-dining restaurants and their culinary culture. To this end, the study identifies the various forms taken by globalization processes in this industry segment and then assesses their impact on the dominance of the French paradigm of culinary culture. The investigation focuses on British and German Michelin-starred restaurants, underlining both commonalities and divergences in the process of interaction between French, global and local influences. The study employs a qualitative method, using a number of case studies to discern cross-industry patterns. All chefs with two or three stars in the two countries, i.e. 45 chefs, were selected for the analysis of their cuisine.     

Meeting the Service Needs of Young Fathers

Until the early 1980s, the needs of young fathers went largely unnoticed by policy makers and social service providers. Many programs for adolescent fathers originally started in order to benefit teenage mothers and their children (Leitch et al., 1993). It was later recognized that young fathers also need assistance to successfully become productive and responsible adults (Robinson, 1988; Leitch et al., 1993; Kiselica, 1995). Program designs have been based on a set of implicit assumptions: 1) if programs are offered, young fathers will enroll; 2) the services will meet the needs of participants; 3) once young men enroll in a program, they will use the services that are available; and 4) the services will be beneficial for recipients and will produce positive outcomes (Kiselica, 1995; Children and Youth Funding Report, 1998; Smith, 1997; DeParle, 1998). However, only limited research has been conducted to explore whether these assumptions are appropriate or to document programmatic successes and difficulties (Achatz and MacAllum, 1994; Marsh and Wirick, 1991; Sander, 1993). This paper adds to the literature by reviewing each of the assumptions within the context of one program's experience. It considers issues associated with outreach and enrollment, service delivery, and achieving desired outcomes for program participants.     

If it’s so good,why not make them do it? Why true dialogue cannot be mandated

True dialogue—as opposed to two-way communication—is a very specific and inescapably principled form of communication with benefits for all participants. This paper asks whether, given its highly-desirable form and function, governments could use legislation to require organizations to conduct true dialogue. An analysis of practitioner insights, however, shows the nature of the relationship between organisations and their stakeholders, and their perspectives on each other and the communication between them, preclude the conduct of true dialogue. The empirical data from this study allow the identification and articulation of these barriers to dialogue, moving the field of dialogue studies in public relations on from the assertion that true dialogue is hard to find in practice. This research allows practitioners and scholars alike to say why true dialogue does not happen. Because of this, it is possible to start developing strategies for dealing with—and perhaps overcoming—the barriers.     

Gender and the labour market in Europe: Britain, Germany and France compared

This paper has two objectives: to contrast patterns of female labour market participation in three West European societies and to develop a theoretical approach which can encompass both universal features of gender divisions in the labour market and nationally specific ones. Empirically, the focus is on the different levels and forms of labour force participation over the female life cycle, particularly on any resul-tant employment casualization. Consideration is also given to patterns of horizontal and vertical segregation and to pay. The differences between the three countries are explained by positing the existence of nationally specific gender profiles with a differential impact on labour market patterning along gender lines. These profiles are constructed by gender regimes at the level of the state which, in turn, are the result of political struggles and compromises of a variety of political actors. The paper utilizes European statistical data and secondary sources.     

An international study of ethics

This study presents the results of a survey of graduate students from three cultural backgrounds. English, German, and American business students responded to an eleven-item survey designed to assess one's beliefs about what is necessary to succeed in graduate business programs. The results indicate that the attributes which students believe are required to succeed differ among cultures, with the greatest differences occurring between the American and European respondents.