Challenging the international peacebuilding evaluation discourse with qualitative methodologies

Monitoring and evaluating international peacebuilding efforts have become more sophisticated over the past years, but still relies on managerial approaches that often do not capture the complexity of war, peace and the grey areas in between. The article argues that organizations should embrace qualitative approaches more widely and introduces ethnographic vignettes as one example to explain the complexity of post-conflict situations. By understanding the personal dimension, the life- and work-styles of international peacebuilders, the current evaluation discourse can become more meaningful-both for organizational learning and sustainable peace efforts on the ground. The article ends by highlighting some approaches that deserve more attention and that promise to help to critically enhance current and future debates about the evaluation of peacebuilding.     

服务企业绩效差异源泉的理论与实证分析

"服务企业绩效差异的主要源泉是来自行业效应还是企业效应?",通过对2002-2009年中国服务业上市公司的研究,利用方差分析法衡量了行业、企业、年份的主效应以及年份与行业的交互效应对服务企业绩效差异的影响程度。结果显示:(1)服务业有较强的成长能力,可能会有一轮新的资本规模扩张形势;(2)企业效应对服务业上市公司盈利能力起着决定性影响,服务企业要获得可持续超常盈利能力的根本途径,是运用其独特的、无法被模仿的资源来创造可持续的竞争优势,而非多元化进入更有获利能力的产业,更不可能依赖于宏观经济环境的变动;(3)与盈利能力不同,年份效应对服务业上市公司成长能力的影响仅次于企业效应,这种差异性深刻地揭示出投资者的非理性和资本市场亟待完善。     

论价值语言

语言有描述语言和价值语言之分。虽然在纯粹的描述语言和纯粹的价值语言之间也存在兼有描述和价值二重性的混合语言,但这并不能作为没有描述语言与价值语言之分野的依据。价值语言有两种功能,一是评价对象,一是指令人。价值语言的类型有评价语言与指令语言、自然价值语言与人工价值语言、肯定性价值语言与否定性价值语言、原生价值语言与派生价值语言之分。价值语言内部还存在四个级别的差异,它们相互之间存在统摄与被统摄的关系,并由此形成一个有内在逻辑关联的有机系统。价值语言在性质上似乎与以真假为值的传统语言逻辑不相容,但实际上,价值语言也一直遵守的是传统语言逻辑。如果我们将传统语言逻辑所注重的真假值改为对错值,那么,传统逻辑就既可在实际上与价值语言相容,也可在名义上和性质上与价值语言相容。     

AD HOC MODEL BUILDING USING TIME-VARYING PARAMETER MODELS*

Decision support for managers and policy makers, such as required in planning and evaluation efforts, often requires ad hoc behavioral modeling to account for context-specific phenomena and to handle data limitations. This paper introduces a systematic approach useful for meeting these requirements in which time-varying parameter estimation plays an important role. A case study evaluating the impacts of public policy actions on residential natural gas conservation illustrates the approach.     

基于层次分析的广东区域竞争力评价

选取国内八省市为比较对象,运用层次分析法对广东区域竞争力表现及竞争力潜力进行评价,得出了广东在国内八省市中的竞争力排位,分析了广东在区域竞争力方面的优劣势,并就提升广东整体区域竞争力提出了相应建议。     

Graphic Feedback,Performance Feedback,and Goal Setting Increased Staff Compliance With a Data Collection Task at a Large Residential Facility

Because of budgetary constraints, human service organizations frequently expect consultants to recommend methods to enhance staff performance that require little or no additional funding. The current study utilized a multiple baseline across settings design to evaluate and compare the effects of a single intervention and a packaged intervention including graphic feedback and goal setting on approximately 200 direct care staff as a group, to improve the data collection procedure at a residential treatment facility. The single intervention showed some improvement, whereas the packaged intervention yielded substantial improvements and was maintained.     

信息技术在中小学体育工作中应用的实效性评价研究

随着基础教育改革的深入，信息技术在各科教学中的应用越来越普遍，体育也不例外。为了探讨和了解信息技术在中小学体育中应用的实际效果，本研究从信息技术应用于中小学体育的实效性内涵入手，对信息技术应用于中小学体育的实效性评价目标、原则、方法以及在实践中应处理的关键问题进行初步探讨，以期促进信息技术在中小学体育中的实际应用。     

Keeping an Uphill Edge

Abstract

Several behaviors in a ski shop were identified as being deficient using Austin's Performance Diagnostic Checklist (2000) and Daniels and Daniels' PIC/NIC Analysis (2004). During a 4-week baseline, 7 cleaning behaviors were monitored and 5 were subsequently targeted in an intervention package using an ABC design. The intervention included: a task clarification session, a posted behavioral checklist, graphic feedback of the group's performance for the previous week, and daily task-specific feedback. Immediately after the checklist was posted, the frequency of employee cleaning behaviors increased 52%. Cleaning behaviors increased an additional 12% after the implementation of daily task-specific feedback. Results suggest the interventions generalized to the 2 cleaning behaviors not mentioned in the task-clarification session.     

A study of DEA models without explicit inputs

In performance evaluations, data without explicit inputs (such as index data, pure output data) are widely used. To directly use such data, this paper presents a study on building DEA models without explicit inputs, so-called DEA-WEI models, which are applicable to the evaluation applications where inputs are not directly considered. We provide an axiom foundation of these kinds of models, and further discuss how to incorporate value judgments of decision makers into these DEA-WEI models. Several such models are derived. Finally, applications of the DEA-WEI models are presented.     

Perceived professional standards and roles of public relations in China: Through the lens of Chinese public relations practitioners

As the first quantitative examination of perceived public relations professional standards in China using an online survey, this study was designed based on the standards of professional standards inventory Cameron, Sallot, & Lariscy (1996) constructed and tested among practitioners in the U.S. The survey results suggest six dimensions of perceived standards of professional performance: (1) role and function in organizational strategic planning, (2) sufficiency in professional training and preparedness, (3) gender and racial equity, (4) situational constraints, (5) licensing and organizational support, and (6) participation in the organizational decision-making team. Four dimensions of public relations roles were also identified by the survey participants: (1) brand promotion facilitator, (2) public information specialist, (3) media relations counsel, and (4) conflict management expert. Primary practice area was found to affect how Chinese practitioners perceive the six clusters of professional standards and the four identified public relations roles. These findings provide insights for both practitioners and researchers on how Chinese public relations practitioners view public relations as a profession and how the profession currently holds its professional standards in China.