Reviewing performance: an analysis of the structure and functions of performance management reviews

This article proposes an analytical framework for conceptualising performance management reviews (PMRs). Drawing on multiple literatures, the article applies Pettigrew et al.'s (Pettigrew, A., Whipp R., and Rosenfield R., 1989. Competitiveness and the management of strategic change processes. In: A. Francis, and P.K.M. Tharakan, eds. The competitiveness of European industry: country policies and company strategies. London: Routledge) framework to develop our understanding of the context, process and content of PMR. The process elements of PMRs are the levers for managerial intervention as they determine the immediate outcome of PMR. They accomplish this task by acting on the content elements, transforming the subject of PMR into specific outcomes. The scope of the intervention, however, is constrained by factors in the organisation's context. This framework sheds light on various functions of PMRs, most notably strategy implementation.     

The Read Feed – Reviews

Trina Boykin Nolen reviews The Craft of Librarian Instruction: Using Acting Techniques to Create Your Teaching Presence; Elizabeth Parang reviews Encoding Space: Shaping Learning Environments That Unlock Human Potential.     

Barriers children face complaining about social work practice: A study in one English local authority

Despite the introduction of guidelines and procedures aimed at encouraging and supporting children and young people to complain about the services they receive, children in care still face barriers to doing so in practice. This paper explores what happens when children in care are dissatisfied with the services they receive. Specifically, this study examines the complaints procedure for children in care. The findings are based on semistructured interviews with children in care, social workers, senior managers, and independent reviewing officers from one English local authority. Thematic analysis of these data identified five emergent themes: (a) complaints by children in care are managed at the lowest possible level, (b) senior managers have an overly optimistic view about children in care being informed of complaint procedures and being encouraged to do so, (c) children in care are worried about complaining, which is recognized by professionals, (d) children's voices are often not heard, and (e) when issues are clearly defined, independent reviewing officers have some degree of success in resolving complaints from children in care.     

Income inequality,welfare regimes and aggregate health: Review of reviews

Wide income inequality in a society has been associated with worse aggregate health. Regarding the relationship, often termed as ‘the Wilkinson Hypothesis’, a number of empirical findings and related systematic reviews have reached inconsistent conclusions. In addition, the Scandinavian welfare regime is expected to have better aggregate health indicators in comparison with the other welfare regimes. The expectation is largely based on the Wilkinson Hypothesis because the regime has relatively narrow income inequalities. Again, related empirical findings and systematic reviews have produced inconsistent conclusions. This article reports on two rounds of ‘review of reviews’ (RR) over six previous (systematic) review articles. The first round of RR found that the review articles reached divergent conclusions. The second round of RR over another set of three review articles also demonstrated that their conclusions did not reach a consensus. Neither the hypothesised Scandinavia's good health nor the Wilkinson Hypothesis was given solid empirical backing.     

英汉语学术书评中的元话语比较研究

近午来对“元话语”的研究不断受到关注。相关的研究证明了元话语在众多体裁中的重要性——语篇、表明作者对命题的态度以及与读者互动交流。采用Hyland＆Tse（2004）的元话语理论框架,基于对语料库的分析,比较和探讨英、汉语学术书评中元话语使用的异同情况及相应的社会文化根源。     

基于SET和TAM的消费者在线评论的动因研究

基于SET和TAM,文章从社会-心理和技术的角度构建了消费者在线评论动因的影响因素模型,利用Amos22.0软件使用极大似然估计法就感知有用性、感知易用性、经济报酬、情感分享、评论成本、感知乐趣对消费者在线评论动因的影响进行研究。研究结果表明:感知有用性、经济报酬、情感分享显著影响消费者在线评论意愿,评论成本负向显著影响消费者在线评论意愿,而感知乐趣对其无显著影响。此外,感知易用性对消费者在线评论意愿无显著影响,但其对感知有用性呈显著影响。文章深入探讨消费者发表在线评论背后的动因,解决消费者在线发表评论意愿低等客观问题,对于互联网经济的长期发展具有非常重要的现实意义。      

读《马氏文通读本》札记

《马氏文通读本》是到目前为止最好的《马氏文通》版本之一,它已经成为"《马氏文通》研究"的经典之作。它的注释,评论者曾给予了很高的评价,但可商之处亦在,有观点主观并带臆断成分者,有证据不甚可靠而批评者,有解说不合原文旨意者,有分析不合原书体例者,有标点不当从而引起歧见者,因而需要加以讨论和澄清。     

基于在线评论的区域需求偏好识别方法

用户需求存在着区域差异，识别区域需求偏好是企业区域化经营策略的决策基础。为此，本文提出了一种基于在线评论的区域需求偏好识别框架。首先，从在线评论中提取产品特征，并判定产品特征的情感极性；然后，基于特征情感计算客户的产品满意度；最后，利用假设检验的方法识别特征情感极性和产品满意度的区域差异。为了验证框架的有效性，本文利用汽车之家网站上的汽车产品评论数据进行分析。实验结果表明，油耗、空间、外观和内饰等特征的情感极性以及产品满意度受区域因素的影响十分显著。研究结果建立起产品特征情感极性和产品满意度与区域特征的关联联系，为企业的区域化产品设计与营销策略提供理论支撑。     

Challenges in Multidisciplinary Systematic Reviewing: A Study on Social Exclusion and Mental Health Policy

In the clinical sciences, systematic reviews have proved useful in the aggregation of diverse sources of evidence. They identify, characterize and summate evidence, but these methodologies have not always proved suitable for the social sciences. We discuss some of the practical problems faced by researchers undertaking reviews of complex and cross‐disciplinary topics, using the example of mental health and social exclusion. The barriers to carrying out social science and cross‐disciplinary reviews are reported and some proposals for overcoming these barriers are made, not all of them tried and tested, and some of them controversial. Using a mapping approach, a wide‐ranging search of both clinical and social science databases was undertaken and a large volume of references was identified and characterized. Population sampling techniques were used to manage these references. The challenges encountered include: inconsistent definitions of social phenomena, differing use of key concepts across research fields and practical problems relating to database compatibility and computer processing power. The challenges and opportunities for social scientists or multidisciplinary research teams carrying out reviews are discussed. Literature mapping and systematic reviews are useful tools but methods need to be tailored to optimize their usefulness in the social sciences.