ON MODELING ADVERTISING PULSING DECISIONS

Based on empirical findings in the literature, sales response to advertising pulsing policy (APP) is modeled mathematically. The implications for APP are discussed. This policy is compared with an alternative policy of uniform expenditures (UAP), a commonly used strategy. The results of the research indicate that substantial savings in advertising budget or an increase in sales revenues may be achieved for a firm using APP.     

共谋职业化背景下中国社会工作研究与实务发展的路径——中国社会工作教育协会2008年年会述评

本文基于对中国社会工作教育协会2008年年会的介绍。通过总结和评述年会期间的相关研讨,来探析职业化背景下中国社会工作研究与实务的发展之路,以期对年会的讨论成果有较好的归纳和分析,并对之后相关的研究与讨论有所借鉴。     

社会调查中的定性研究方法浅析

定性研究作为社会调查的方法之一,近30年来在国外社会科学研究领域得到了广泛的运用。本文介绍了定性研究方法的产生及概念界定,从定性研究与定量研究的对比中阐释了定性研究的不同特点,分析了定性研究的过程及收集材料的方法,最后展示了定性研究方法发展的最新进展。     

社会工作研究方法教学与实践模式探讨

社会研究方法和社会工作的学科性质决定,社会工作研究属于应用研究,理论与实践并重,实践性是其最为突出的特色。社会工作研究与社会工作实务紧密相关,资料分析只是研究的基础,推动实务才是其主要内容。笔者经过几年来的教学与实践活动,总结出一套基于研究过程的链式教学和课内课外实践相结合的不断进阶式的教学实践模式,形成教与学的多维互动。     

Stillbirth in Australia 3: Addressing stillbirth inequities in Australia: Steps towards a better future

Persistent disparities in stillbirth risk and care are present in Australia. Eliminating these disparities is possible with a commitment to enhancing and scaling up models of culturally safe maternity care shown to be effective for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and those of migrant and refugee backgrounds. Campaigns to improve public awareness of stillbirth also play an important role in reducing stillbirth risk and consequences. To achieve reach and impact in communities at risk, messaging needs to be framed around the social and cultural context of women’s lives. Here we describe important initiatives underway within the Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence to develop a coordinated national approach to stillbirth prevention and care in communities that bear a disproportionate burden of stillbirth.     

Shared service center research: A review of the past,present, and future

More than 75% of Fortune 500 companies have established models of shared services with the aim of gaining superior performance by cost savings and service enhancements. Despite scholars' complaints about scant shared service center (SSC) research, this study shows that the actual shortcoming in this stream concerns a high fragmentation of the academic literature (e.g., we found 137 works in the initial search and 83 works in a refined screen). In this first comprehensive literature review, we synthesize peer-reviewed articles and classify them into 4 perspectives according to their research questions (i.e., determinant, process, control, and outcome). We identify 17 major research areas across these perspectives. Additionally, we provide information on methodologies and theories. On the basis of the literature synthesis, we discuss opportunities and gaps and propose an agenda for future research. Specifically, we suggest 3 potential research directions (i.e., direct relationships, mediating, and outcome effects) regarding SSCs during their operational maturity phase.     

Qualitative research on leadership: A critical but appreciative review

This article reviews a large number of articles that derive from qualitative research on leadership that were published prior to 2004 in peer-reviewed journals. The article then goes on to examine critically but appreciatively the ways in which qualitative research on leadership is and is not distinctive. This review shows that while qualitative research has made some important contributions to certain areas of leadership, such as the role of leaders in the change process, it is sometimes not as distinctive, when compared to quantitative research, as might be supposed. The piece also examines studies that combine quantitative with qualitative research. The different ways in which the two approaches are combined is a particular emphasis in this examination. In addition, the article explores the issue of whether the corpus of research that has been accumulated by qualitative researchers can be combined with that of quantitative researchers. A central ingredient of the discussion of qualitative research is the tendency for many researchers not to build sufficiently on the studies of leadership conducted by others. It is argued that giving greater attention to this issue will allow the contributions of qualitative research on leadership to become clearer.     

An Exploratory Analysis of the Value of the Skills of IT Personnel: Their Relationship to IS Infrastructure and Competitive Advantage

Determining and assessing the requisite skills of information technology (IT) personnel have become critical as the value of IT has risen in modern organizations. In addition to technical skills traditionally expected of IT personnel, softer skills like managerial, business, and interpersonal skills have been increasingly cited in previous studies as mandatory for these employees. This paper uses a typology of IT personnel skills—technology management skills, business functional skills, interpersonal skills, and technical skills—and investigates their relationships to two information systems (IS) success variables, IS infrastructure flexibility and the competitive advantage provided by IS. The study investigates these relationships using the perceptions of chief information officers (CIOs) from mostly Fortune 2000 companies. The contributions of this study are: IT personnel skills do affect IS success, technical skills are viewed as the most important skill set in affecting IS infrastructure flexibility and competitive advantage, and modularity is viewed as more valuable to competitive advantage than integration. Several explanations are offered for the lack of positive relationships between the softer IT personnel skills and the dimensions of IS success used in this study.     

消费者低碳消费行为的心理归因和政策干预路径:一个基于扎根理论的探索性研究

引导消费者的生活方式和消费模式转向低能耗、低污染、低排放的方向是当前一个重大课题。然而,消费者为什么会实行低碳消费行为模式(即低碳消费行为归自何种心理)?如何促进和引导消费者的低碳消费行为(即低碳消费行为如何才能持续)?对于这两个关键性问题目前还缺乏深度的研究。本文通过深度访谈,应用扎根理论这一探索性技术探究低碳消费行为的深层次心理归因(解决第一个问题)及相应的政策干预路径(解决第二个问题)。研究发现,个体心理意识、社会参照规范两个主范畴是低碳消费行为的内部和社会心理归因。但它们对于低碳消费行为的促成机理并不一致:个体提高心理意识产生相应的低碳消费行为,这归于认知性学习范畴;个体观察参照群体的消费模式及其结果产生特定的低碳消费行为,这归于观察性学习范畴。不同心理控制源的个体(内控型还是外控型)之间也存在一定的差异。低碳传播沟通和情境结构变革两个主范畴是低碳消费行为的政策干预变量,且它们是相互补充、相互配合的。通过传播沟通影响个体心理意识、社会参照规范,通过情境结构变革影响低碳消费行为的成本收益结构成为主要的政策干预路径。这些研究结论可以为政府制定有效的干预政策,为引导消费者的消费行为模式提供理论基础和政策借鉴...