Bridging the work-family policy and productivity gap: A literature review

This paper uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine the relationship between work-family conflict and six work outcomes: performance, turnover, absenteeism, organizational commitment, job involvement, and burnout. Also reviewed are studies on the effects of employer (work-family) policies aimed at reducing such conflict. Policies to aid employees in managing work and family roles can be expensive, and studies show that they are often marginally effective. The review shows that relationships between work-family policies and organizational effectiveness is mixed and their connection to work-family conflict often under-examined. Work-family conflict is a critical link that may shed light on policy impacts. Suggestions on how future studies can build bridges between practitioners and academics and more clearly examine organizational effectiveness links are provided.     

On shifting ground: First-time parents’ ideal world of paid work and family time

We examined first-time fathers’ and mothers’ perspectives about their ideal world of support in the context of dominant social ideology, ethno-cultural ideals, and the pragmatics of their everyday family, workplace, and socioeconomic circumstances during their first 18 months as parents. Twelve Canadian-born and six Chinese immigrant couples participated in individual in-depth interviews. We conducted a three-part analysis: fathers’ perspectives, mothers’ perspectives, and couples’ perspectives. Fathers focused on fulfilling dual fathering ideals of ‘time with family’ and ‘providing for family’; mothers emphasized fulfilling a mothering ideal of ‘caring for children'. Examining couples’ perspectives revealed a more nuanced understanding of their shared focus on ‘caring for family'. Parents in this study found the current social ideal of the ‘new’ father, who is both financial provider and nurturing co-parent, appealing, yet difficult to achieve. Couples wanted informal (i.e. family and social network) support, along with formal (i.e. workplace and childcare) support to enable them to provide family care and financial stability for their family. Findings contribute to understanding family and paid work experiences and decision-making among couples as new parents. We offer insights into the complexity of intersections among social ideals, personal expectations, family care, and paid work for fathers and mothers.     

Work-family culture and job satisfaction: does gender and parenting status alter the relationship?

Previous studies on work-family culture have examined its relationship with different employee outcomes (e.g., work-family conflict, job satisfaction, commitment) but neglected one important question; namely, who are most likely to benefit from a supportive work-family culture in terms of positive employee outcomes? The aim of this study was to shed new light on the work-family culture–job satisfaction linkage by examining the moderator effects of gender and parenting status in this relationship. Specifically, we asked whether gender and parenting status would alter the association between work-family culture and job satisfaction. We hypothesized – on the basis of traditional gender roles – that women, and especially mothers, would benefit most from a family supportive organizational culture. We utilized three divergent samples gathered from male (N=768) and female (N=1364) employees in Finland: (1) a female-dominated sample from social and health care; (2) a male-dominated sample from paper industry; and (3) more gender-mixed sample from the ICT company. Work-family culture was described through its positive (work-family support) and negative facets (work-family barriers), whereas job satisfaction was operationalized via a facet-based scale. Hierarchical moderated regression analyses performed separately for the three different organizations revealed that the results for mothers and fathers under the condition of high work-family support differed in the paper mill and the information and communication technology (ICT) company. Thus, in addition to gender, the type of organization also moderated the relationship. Specifically, in the paper mill, mothers benefited more from high work-family support than fathers, whereas in the ICT company the reverse situation held: fathers benefited more than mothers. Thus, high work-family support was associated with higher job satisfaction among mothers in the paper mill and among fathers in the ICT company.     

当事人和解的公诉案件诉讼程序解读与完善展望

2012年新修订的刑事诉讼法增设的“当事人和解的公诉案件诉讼程序”适当扩大了和解程序的适用范围,部分公诉案件被纳入和解程序。这对于规范司法实践,保证案件处理效果,促进社会矛盾化解都具有积极意义。但无论是从新法对刑事和解理念的重视程度以及刑事和解可以适用的案件范围来看,当事人和解的公诉案件诉讼程序与司法实践中已广泛开展的刑事和解活动还有一定差距。在对新法刑事和解三条规定解读的基础上,在准确把握刑事和解制度的主旨前提下,分析了新法对当事人和解的公诉案件诉讼程序的制度设计之不足并展望完善之策。     

文化全球化:表述、想象与反思

文化全球化跨越了文化的边界,打破了文化表达方式的单一性,并日益成为诠释事物的文化场景。在这种场景之下,形成了趋同论、异质论与融合论三种不同的观点,它们就文化全球化的发展趋势及其影响展开争论。尽管在表达方式上存在差异,趋同论与异质论均带有文化西方化的含义,具有文化中心主义的色彩。而融合论超越了趋同论与异质论的矛盾之处,强调文化本土化的地位,认为文化在相遇之后可以相互借鉴。这种趋势代表着文化全球化的未来。     

《麦田里的守望者》中霍尔顿叛逆性格的转变

从小说叙述策略的角度进行分析,证明霍尔顿在成长的过程中其叛逆性格正逐渐地发生转变,由于其个人的局限性和当时社会环境的制约,最终无路可退的霍尔顿还是从逃遁走向了与社会妥协之路。     

理论刑法向经验刑法的迈进——刑事和解视野下被害人地位的补足

在“国家-犯罪人”二元模式下,刑事和解提供提升和补足被害人地位的契机,被害人也应从幕后走向台前。刑事和解不应局限于侵犯个人法益的犯罪,侵犯公共法益的犯罪也具有刑事和解的正当性和必要性。同时,树立赔偿的惩罚机能和赎罪性质对于正确看待“以钱买刑”具有重要意义。刑事和解对于刑法理论的最大贡献在于从经验中推动刑法的迈进,纯理论的思辨刑法必将成为历史,未来的刑法将是充满活力的经验刑法。由经验到规范,实践经验与刑法规范的互动牵引着刑法的发展。     

论刑事和解制度的价值功效

刑事和解体现出了一种综合的价值取向,它既不是单纯地追求正义,也不是仅仅追求效益,而是在追求正义结果的过程中兼顾效益,以此达到保障人权的终极目的。这三个方面共同构成了完整的刑事和解价值体系。     

解决执行难问题的对策建议

法律制度的供给不足是造成我国执行难的重要原因之一,有效解决执行难,要从制定单独的强制执行法入手,通过重视执行和解的特殊作用,强化媒体曝光、劳务抵债、征信系统＂黑名单＂记录等执行方法和执行措施,并引入检察机关对执行程序的监督机制等。