Evaluating employee assistance programs. A review of methods, outcomes, and future directions

Renewed interest in assisting troubled employees has led to an upsurge in the development of employee assistance programs, coupled with demands for demonstrable effectiveness. This review examines the nature and scope of these programs, their administrative and methodological context, and the types and outcomes of evaluation studies conducted thus far. Proposals for improving future investigations through a number of different approaches and strategies are then made.     

On the limiting properties of social indicators

Characteristics of the population and economic measures that constitute traditional social indicators are compared with more recent “quality of life” measures to demonstrate that social indicators are always value statements at the policy level. The possibility of alternative perspectives is illustrated. It is suggested that an awareness of the assumptions implicit in any given indicator is as important as the data they provide.     

Dietary and Inhalation Intake of Lead and Estimation of Blood Lead Levels in Adults and Children in Kanpur, India

This research was initiated to study lead levels in various food items in the city of Kanpur, India, to assess the dietary intake of lead and to estimate blood lead (PbB) levels, a biomarker of lead toxicity. For this purpose, sampling of food products, laboratory analysis, and computational exercises were undertaken. Specifically, six food groups (leafy vegetables, nonleafy vegetables, fruits, pulses, cereals, and milk), drinking water, and lead air concentration were considered for estimating lead intake. Results indicated highest lead content in leafy vegetables followed by pulses. Fruits showed low lead content and drinking water lead levels were always within tolerable limits. It was estimated that average daily lead intake through diet was about 114 microg/day for adults and 50 microg/day in children; tolerable limit is 250 microg/day for adults and 90 microg/day for children. The estimated lead intakes were translated into the resultant PbB concentrations for children and adults using a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model. Monte Carlo simulation of PbB level variations for adults showed that probability of exceeding the tolerable limit of PbB (i.e.,10 microg/dL) was 0.062 for the pre-unleaded and 0.000328 for the post-unleaded gasoline period. The probability of exceeding tolerable limits in PbB level was reduced by a factor of 189 in the post-unleaded scenario. The study also suggested that in spite of the introduction of unleaded gasoline, children continue to be at a high risk (probability of exceeding 10 microg/dL = 0.39) because of a high intake of lead per unit body weight.     

基于提前期的多阶通用件库存模型

针对单个企业内部应用通用件的环境,在假定一个多阶生产系统的基础上,对应用通用件的库存量水平及其成本进行了分析,建立了多阶通用件库存模型,提出通过对采用通用件和不采用通用件的成本差异的比较,来决策多阶生产系统中在哪一阶工序采用通用件,并求解出每一阶工序优化的基本库存水平。     

Consumer trust in B2C e-Commerce and the importance of social presence: experiments in e-Products and e-Services

Reducing social uncertainty—understanding, predicting, and controlling the behavior of other people—is a central motivating force of human behavior. When rules and customs are not sufficient, people rely on trust and familiarity as primary mechanisms to reduce social uncertainty. The relative paucity of regulations and customs on the Internet makes consumer familiarity and trust especially important in the case of e-Commerce. Yet the lack of an interpersonal exchange and the one-time nature of the typical business transaction on the Internet make this kind of consumer trust unique, because trust relates to other people and is nourished through interactions with them.This study validates a four-dimensional scale of trust in the context of e-Products and revalidates it in the context of e-Services. The study then shows the influence of social presence on these dimensions of this trust, especially benevolence, and its ultimate contribution to online purchase intentions.     

从哲理诠释、精神信仰到成德成人——20世纪以来“致良知”教研究的基本定位与反思

“致良知”教作为王阳明思想的重要内容,既是其讲学的立言宗旨,又是王门诸子学习、实践活动中的思想纲领。20世纪以来,关于“致良知”教的研究主要形成了哲理诠释与精神信仰两种不同诠释路径。反观20世纪以来阳明“致良知”教的两种研究取径,都不可回避一个更为本质的问题——成德成人。成德成人的德性教养既是儒学一以贯之的内在精神,更是阳明“致良知”教的本旨意涵,其意义就在转化个体生命情感、精神意志的过程中显现出人人本有且知是知非的良知。在成德成人的基础上,哲理诠释的路径蕴涵着精神信仰的价值追求,而精神信仰的路径又表现出哲理诠释的普遍性面相。这既关涉如何体贴阳明哲学的真精神,也向当代儒学研究提出了应当如何诠释儒学传统价值的重要问题。     

行政诉讼履行法定职责实体判决论——以“尹荷玲案”为核心

“司法审查有限原则”是行政诉讼法的基本原则,这导致了“履行法定职责实体判决”存在争议。“尹荷玲案”不但证成了履行法定职责实体判决存在的正当性,而且明确了该判决适用的“双阶要件”,即“理由具备、事实清楚、法律规定明确”的一般要件,与“法效果唯一性”的特别要件。其中“法效果唯一性”分为两种情况:一是羁束行政行为,二是行政裁量收缩为零,这恰与《行政诉讼法》修改后“给付判决”与“履行判决”的规定相契合。纵观司法实践,重做判决、履行判决、给付判决形成了“程序性判决—提示性判决—履行法定职责实体判决”3种判决方式,体现了三者功能的相似性。作为实质化解争议的履行法定职责实体判决,也彰显了司法推动制度发展的功能。     

从“嗑瓜子事件”看教师教育惩戒权规制

我国法律明确规定班主任有权采取适当方式批评教育学生，但对何谓适度并未作出清晰界定。因此，班主任批评教育学生时容易将惩戒越界为体罚，同时，因为缺乏评价标准，涉及惩罚学生的事件往往成为舆论热点。2014年底，湖南省娄底卫校某班主任因惩罚学生而引发的“嗑瓜子事件”，迅速成为网络热点，再次证明了规制教师教育惩戒权的必要性。应在坚持反对体罚的前提下，厘定“教育惩戒”与“变相体罚”两个概念的关系，并对教育惩戒权行使作详细规定。     

吉林省廉租房政策实施效果、存在问题及对策

立足于吉林省廉租房政策实施效果的全面调查数据,概述了吉林省廉租房政策实施效果,以独特的视角深入分析了廉租房政策推行过程中出现的一些亟需解决的共性问题,提出了针对性的解决对策。     

A Security Model and Legal Guarantee for Chinese Maritime Shipping: As Exemplified in the Response to Piracy along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road

The Belt and Road Initiative is an important decision for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Maritime security has a significant place in this process. In recent years, there have been frequent violent terrorist incidents at sea, including piracy, armed hijackings and terrorist attacks, posing a dire threat to both international and Chinese maritime transport interests and seriously challenging the fulfillment of the maritime part of the “Belt and Road Initiative.” Five direct measures can be taken to protect ocean shipping from violence at sea. One example is the defensive measures taken against the Somali pirates. The employment of armed guards from professional security companies on board ship is an effective model for guaranteeing maritime security; it not only meets the standards of international law, but is also legally permitted in many developed countries and regions, and is thus strategically significant for overall Chinese maritime security. In the Chinese context, this model carries its own legal risks. We should embrace a new approach to national security law, strengthen legal guarantees and make concerted efforts to provide warship (military aircraft) escorts to jointly build an optimum model of Chinese maritime security in order to ensure the realization of core Chinese maritime interests.