Designing systems for job satisfaction

This article puts forward the proposition that the present philosophy associated with the design of computer systems is too technically orientated. Human needs are not sufficiently catered for and the attainment of motivational objectives such as an increase in job satisfaction is not seen as part of the systems designers function. A more humanistic approach is required in which the human part of any man-computer system is specifically designed so as to improve the quality of working life of those people interacting with the system.     

Distributional effects of international commodity price stabilization: Do the aggregate gains apply to individual producing countries?

This paper demonstrates the different producer gains and losses that can occur from a price stabilization scheme in a same market. An international buffer stock model integrated in a trade flow model of commodity exports of the Latin American economies is used to simulate two representative products: coffee, where instability in the world market has originated mainly from changes in supply, and copper, where the major source of world market disturbances have been demand shifts. The results show that global generalizations as to the net benefits or costs of price stabilization are erroneous at the producer country level in supply or supply/demand dominated instability, a condition that typifies many primary commodity markets.     

Rationale and procedures for nesting semi-structured interviews in surveys or censuses

Demographers who use survey data and census data from health and demographic surveillance areas can gain substantially from expanding their repertoire of methods to make use of qualitative methods. Similarly, those who conduct and analyse data primarily from semi-structured interviews or focus groups can benefit from information provided by survey research. This paper presents a systematic mixed-methods model-data-linked nested studies-for sampling respondents for semi-structured interviews from survey or census lists. The paper outlines how to conduct these types of study, and their technical and analytical advantages. It highlights the benefits of building on a strong foundation, the ability to compare samples, and the expansion of the range of evidence for, or against, the validity of the substantive findings. Case studies from two data-linked nested projects-in Malawi and South Africa-are used to describe in detail the nested-study approach.