Saints and sinners: Competing identities in public relations ethics

Public relations ethics is confused and often superficial in its approach, relying heavily on traditional theory, with only occasional reference to more recent developments in professional ethics, particularly feminist and global ethical perspectives.     

我国图书馆员的专业教育与终身学习

首先阐述了专业教育和终身学习的涵义、目的、作用及二者的关系;进而从图书馆的行业特性、我国图书馆的人员现状和图书馆可持续发展的内在要求三方面论述了我国图书馆员进行专业教育和终身学习的重要性和迫切性;最后指出了新世纪图书馆员加强专业教育和终身学习的措施。     

Support for midwives – A model of professional supervision based on the recertification programme for midwives in New Zealand

Following a traumatic practice experience the physiological and psychological effects experienced by midwives are exacerbated as a result of dysfunctional health organisations and the counterproductive behaviours therein. It is suggested the stress experienced would have been reduced if support in the form of professional supervision had been available.The aim of this article is to demonstrate that professional supervision should be viewed as a competency requirement by the Midwifery Council of New Zealand and incorporated into the midwifery recertification programme. A model of professional supervision for midwives based on the recertification programme is introduced and the importance of reflection on practice emphasised. Providing support by means of professional supervision in the midwifery recertification programme, has the potential to make midwives feel valued, improve their job satisfaction, reduce violence in the workplace, aid in the attrition rate and improve the care for the childbearing woman.     

The Electronic Workstation

Microcomputers in human services promise to enlarge and enhance professional practice through the development and utilization of an electronic workstation. An electronic workstation incorporates a computer and related technology to organize and focus professional activities. This paper discusses the nature of a professional workstation, describes a working example, and explores the development, benefits and limitations of this new resource for human service professionals.     

试论伦理思想在伊斯兰教中的核心地位

伊斯兰教是以道德为本的宗教。在伊斯兰教中 ,宗教信仰是基础 ,伦理道德是核心。离开信仰 ,道德无以寄托 ;离开道德 ,信仰无以落实。信仰之路也就是道德完善之路 ,信仰的最高境界也就是道德的至境。无论是伊斯兰兴教的出发点、最终目的 ,还是伊斯兰教的主旨 ,都说明伦理道德在伊斯兰教中居于核心地位。阐明伦理道德在伊斯兰教中的地位 ,对于我们正确理解伊斯兰教的真谛具有积极意义。     

教师口语——师范生必备的基本功

提高师范生口语表达能力,必须重视“教师口语”这门实践性与操作性较强的课程。在“教师口语”课程中,将普通话训练贯穿始终,使师范生掌握教学口语技巧及艺术特征,更好地适应未来教育教学工作的需要。     

Asymmetric Forecast Densities for U.S. Macroeconomic Variables from a Gaussian Copula Model of Cross-Sectional and Serial Dependence

Most existing reduced-form macroeconomic multivariate time series models employ elliptical disturbances, so that the forecast densities produced are symmetric. In this article, we use a copula model with asymmetric margins to produce forecast densities with the scope for severe departures from symmetry. Empirical and skew t distributions are employed for the margins, and a high-dimensional Gaussian copula is used to jointly capture cross-sectional and (multivariate) serial dependence. The copula parameter matrix is given by the correlation matrix of a latent stationary and Markov vector autoregression (VAR). We show that the likelihood can be evaluated efficiently using the unique partial correlations, and estimate the copula using Bayesian methods. We examine the forecasting performance of the model for four U.S. macroeconomic variables between 1975:Q1 and 2011:Q2 using quarterly real-time data. We find that the point and density forecasts from the copula model are competitive with those from a Bayesian VAR. During the recent recession the forecast densities exhibit substantial asymmetry, avoiding some of the pitfalls of the symmetric forecast densities from the Bayesian VAR. We show that the asymmetries in the predictive distributions of GDP growth and inflation are similar to those found in the probabilistic forecasts from the Survey of Professional Forecasters. Last, we find that unlike the linear VAR model, our fitted Gaussian copula models exhibit nonlinear dependencies between some macroeconomic variables. This article has online supplementary material.     

Bridging the gap between social work practice and community based welfare agencies

This article argues that social work in the UK needs to renegotiate its relationship with community welfare agencies. It begins by examining what we mean by local community and how welfare needs reflect complex non-linear dynamics unique to the local circumstances. It is argued that these are not always recognised in centralised policy agendas. The article broadly draws a parallel between policy issues for the European Community and for the national state. The drive for both is towards uniformity, which potentially fails to acknowledge the unique circumstances at both the national level between nations and the local level between communities.

The focus of the analysis is the lack of engagement with the subtleties of the local within the arena of social work education and practice. With the opportunity presented by the introduction of a new social work degree in the UK, the authors describe how a social work programme in Liverpool undertook a piece of research with the aim of creating an appropriate place for community welfare agencies in practice placements, the academic curriculum and, ultimately, with the next generation of social work practitioners. Eight welfare agencies within the proximity of Liverpool University, an area known as Toxteth, agreed to participate in the research to investigate what kind of placement module would enable local welfare agencies to engage meaningfully in the social work degree. Out of this process emerged a model for research based curriculum development involving local community agencies and academic institutions. More specifically for Liverpool, it placed the notion of social work's relationship with local community welfare at the heart of professional development for qualifying social workers, paving the way in this region of England for closer links between welfare agencies associated with civil society and professional social workers.     

网络传播对大学生思想道德的影响

网络传播就像一把双刃剑,它既有利于大学生增强主体意识,形成开放的精神,更新学习观念,增强自主学习能力,推动大学生的社会化进程,也容易使大学生的民族认同感弱化,形成思维惰性,模糊大学生的道德评价标准,影响其自律意识的形成。论题分析了网络传播对大学生思想道德的影响,提出了相应的对策与建议。