‘We Don't Have to Take This’: Zero Tolerance of Violence against Health Care Workers in a Time of Insecurity

Doctors, nurses and other health care workers in the UK are said to be increasingly aware of the ‘risks of the job’ as a result of mounting verbal abuse, threats and assaults from patients and their relatives. In the late 1990s the UK government introduced a policy of ‘zero tolerance’, which it claimed was designed to minimize the risk of such violence. Current policy refers to the need to be tough on offenders and encourage a culture of respect. In this article we review this strategy and the reasons for its introduction and consider some of the potential consequences. The article starts with an account of the policy, the definition of violence that underpins it and how it has been measured, and assesses the evidence regarding prevalence. This is then interpreted in the context of wider policies of zero tolerance to crime, and debates about risk, anxiety and insecurity.     

基于转换成本的供应链成员讨价还价能力研究

为研究影响供应链成员讨价还价能力的诸因素以及它们起作用的内在机制,建立了供应链上下游之间考虑退出威胁的讨价还价博弈模型,模型的均衡解揭示了转换成本对供应链成员策略形成机制的影响;同时通过对讨价还价能力的数学定义,结合模型分析得出供应链成员的讨价还价能力是其转换成本的减函数,并进一步指出市场份额、信息量、学习能力和忍耐度等因素影响供应链成员讨价还价能力的内在机制。     

中国崛起与世界秩序的重塑——兼论中美权力转移下的冲突与包容

美国一些学者和政客认为,中国崛起和“中国模式”本质上对美国构成了严重威胁,削弱了美国在世界的主导地位,而美国的全球霸权和利益决定了其对华政策和太平洋战略。中国绝不希望中美交恶,也不希望世界体系发生动荡,把握中国和世界未来前途命运的关键是如何处理非均衡的大国关系,特别是与现存超级大国的关系。把现实主义、理想主义、自由主义、建构主义、马克思主义等理论与中国崛起的实践结合起来,创造性地解决中国崛起与世界秩序的关系,实现合作共赢,必将为中国与人类的和平发展和共同繁荣开辟广阔光明的前景。     

Attachment Style and Tolerance for Ambiguity Effects on Relational Repair Message Interpretation Among Remarrieds

This study examined the role of the dispositional variables of attachment style and tolerance for ambiguity on the interpretation of relational repair messages. Respondents completed questionnaires that measured attachment style and tolerance for ambiguity and made interpretations of hypothetical repair messages from their spouses with varying levels of equivocation. The resulting interpretations were measured along the dimensions of honesty, competence, and politeness using Likert-type scales. Regression and multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) demonstrated that both of the traits influenced the interpretation of repair messages, although in somewhat different ways and along different dimensions.     

Risk tolerance and a retailer's pricing and ordering policies within a newsvendor framework

This paper evaluates the pricing and ordering policies of a retailer, facing a price-dependent stochastic demand, within a newsvendor framework, under different degrees of risk tolerance and under a variety of optimizing objectives. These are (i) maximizing expected profit, for a retailer who may be risk-seeker, risk-averse or risk neutral; (ii) deriving a maximin strategy of maximizing a minimum guaranteed profit and (iii) modeling the probability of exceeding a target profit, as a constraint or as an objective. Some analytical properties and numerical examples illustrate the main features of the models and provide some comparative policy analysis across the model.     

《智者纳旦》与莱辛的后期神学思想

莱辛是德国18世纪著名剧作家、文学史家和哲学家。《智者纳旦》是他一生中最后的一个剧本,也是他的神学思想的集大成之作。剧本写于莱辛与葛茨的神学论战之后,莱辛借剧中人物之口说出了自己的宗教宽容和人道主义思想。在启蒙运动高举"反基督教"的大旗时,作为德国启蒙运动大将的莱辛却通过自己的世界观理解了基督教教义,强调基督教的重要性,宣扬宗教宽容和人道主义。     

Chemical Sensitivity in the Workplace

Abstract

The debate continues to rage in the medical community and amongst policy makers. This debate centers on a new disease mechanism commonly known as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). Magill and Suruda (1998) grouped the theories of etiology of MCS into four broad categories: physical, stress, misdiagnosis, and illness belief. A new name for this illness has recently been advanced as well, toxin-induced loss of tolerance (TILT). Problems with chemical sensitivity are especially troubling for workers and their employers. Employees seeking relief under the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) are requesting accommodations based on their reactions to chemicals. Employers are beset with claims for accommodations in the workplace, disability claims, and worker's compensation claims. Courts are trying to make sense of chemical sensitivity with respect to accommodations in the workplace. Court decisions regarding MCS issues are varied and oftentimes highly controversial. Primary social problems and mental health issues associated with chemical sensitivities are economic costs and loss of enjoyment of life by MCS sufferers. Economic costs are spread throughout the system; however, their major manifestations are lost worker production, increased demands on services, and the long-term costs associated with supporting a growing disabled subset of the population comprised of chemically injured workers. Social and mental health costs are seen in escalating cases of depression, divorces, behavioral acting out, isolation, anxiety attacks, and chronic medical problems.

Social workers are particularly well suited to advocate for accommodations in the workplace and for social policy change on behalf of those suffering from chemical sensitivity. Their training in systems and ecosystems theory makes them well aware of the importance of the environment on the individual. That training includes knowledge of utilizing strengths based approach to problem solving, and clinical training in mental health, which leads to empowerment for the client.     

Understanding the “Difficult” Patient from a Dual Person Perspective

This article examines the concept of the difficult patient from a two person perspective. Patient characteristics and behaviors may be problematic but the degree of difficulty is also related to therapist expectations, affective responses and needs, and capacity for tolerance. Suggestions for enhancing tolerance are offered. The shift from a one person to a two person perspective is illustrated by a case presentation.     

Homosexual Moral Acceptance and Social Tolerance: Are the Effects of Education Changing?

Using data from the General Social Survey, this research evaluates the effect of education on both the moral acceptance and social tolerance of homosexuality in America and how that effect has been changing. In terms of moral acceptance, it is shown through multivariate logistic regression that while education is associated with more liberal attitudes, it has not significantly influenced trends. In the second part of the analysis, these results are compared to a similar investigation of social tolerance. From this, it is seen that education has a stronger connection with tolerance, but its effect has been decreasing over time.     

Tolerance and Economic Performance in American Metropolitan Areas: An Empirical Investigation1

This article exploits differences in the Gay Index representing diversity and tolerance to estimate the effect of talent on economic performance in U.S. metropolitan areas, and proposes a theory of mechanism of talent distribution and its economic consequences. The index shows there were different degrees of tolerance in early years in different metropolitan areas, with different associated talent. Areas that had high tolerance in early years are more likely tolerant and diverse currently, and can attract more talent. Exploiting differences in the Gay Index as an instrument for current talent, this study estimates a large effect of talent on income per capita. Findings also suggest that other factors, such as high technology and amenities, do not affect regional development directly but do so indirectly by attracting talent.