Competing Arguments (competing + argument)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


The struggle for methodological orthodoxy in nursing research: The case of mental health

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2003
Edward White
ABSTRACT: This paper is not intended as an exhaustive review of contemporary mental health nursing research. Rather, the intention is to explore some of the competing arguments for different methodological approaches in social research, using mental health nursing as a case example. The paper questions the extent to which the artificially dichotomized debate over quantitative versus qualitative research impacts upon the working lives of practitioners, managers and policy makers. In particular, the paper traces the development of survey method, during this its centennial anniversary year. It also traces its subsequent decline, in favour of what will be referred to as the new methodological orthodoxy in nursing research. It is also interwoven with occasional accounts of personal experience, drawn from an international perspective. The paper calls for a rapprochement between different wings of methodological opinion, in deference to a publicly unified position for nursing research in which the achievement of quality becomes the over-arching concern. [source]


The (Ir)Relevance of Militarized Interstate Disputes for International Trade

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2002
Quan Li
Do military disputes between two states suppress trade between their firms? Both liberals and realists suggest that conflict occurrence reduces bilateral trade. However, using a rational expectation argument, Morrow (1999) proposes that conflict occurrence and trade should be uncorrelated statistically. Empirical evidence to date both supports expectations and appears contradictory and inconclusive. We offer a theory that reconciles, encompasses, and extends the competing arguments, explaining the empirical inconsistency. By incorporating rational expectations and uncertainty into the profit calculus of trading firms, the theory identifies the conditions under which various properties of a conflict (onset, duration, and severity) should and should not reduce bilateral trade ex ante and ex post. We test the ex post effects in two datasets that cover either a wider range of countries or a longer time period than previous quantitative studies. Both an unexpected MID onset and the unexpectedness of a MID onset reduce bilateral trade substantially ex post. Preliminary tests suggest that MID duration and severity also affect bilateral trade ex post. We conclude by discussing the implications of our research. [source]


The House of Lords and the Northern Ireland Conflict , A Sequel

THE MODERN LAW REVIEW, Issue 3 2006
Brice Dickson
This article begins by commenting on an analysis undertaken by the late Stephen Livingstone of 13 cases relating to the troubles in Northern Ireland decided by the House of Lords between 1969 and 1993. It then attempts to repeat the analysis in respect of 12 such cases decided between 1994 and 2005. Areas of law arising for consideration during both periods include the rules on the use of lethal force, aspects of substantive criminal law and criminal procedure and the rights of persons arrested or imprisoned. The more recent cases also raise fundamental questions concerning the status and meaning of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. The article concludes that there has been a sea-change in the way the Law Lords have handled the Northern Irish cases. From treating them in a way which might have suggested a built-in bias in favour of police, army and government perspectives, they have moved to analysing the competing arguments in the light of more modern approaches to statutory interpretation, the rule of law and human rights. [source]


Different strokes: regulatory styles and environmental strategy in the North-American oil and gas industry

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 6 2001
Sanjay Sharma
The environmental management and policy literature presents competing arguments for and against different styles of environmental regulations , command-and-control versus flexible regulations that enable voluntary actions. On the one hand, it is argued that firms will not adopt minimum environmental standards without command-and-control regulations and that such regulations may actually result in competitive benefits for first movers. On the other hand, the literature argues that command-and-control regulations stifle innovation and that flexible regulations encourage proactive environmental strategies that lead to competitive benefits for organizations. This study compared the environmental strategies and competitiveness of oil and gas firms in two different regulatory contexts , the command-and-control based US environmental regulations and the flexible collaborative Canadian context. The study found no significant differences in the degree to which firms within the two contexts were more or less proactive in their environmental strategies or in the extent of competitiveness associated with corporate environmental strategies. Follow-up interviews with 12 Canadian and US companies indicated that regulations appeared to be more important drivers of corporate environmental practices at initial stages and eventually other external and internal drivers became more important influences on corporate environmental strategies. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [source]


Learning from mothers: how myths, policies and practices affect the detection of subtle developmental problems in children

CHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2007
J. Williams
Abstract Background Recent research has revealed increasing concerns over the number of children entering school with unidentified developmental problems, even though there are ostensibly comprehensive health services available for mothers and their children in the pre-school years. Recognizing that early detection and early intervention reduce the likelihood of long-term health and educational problems, it is important to understand why so many children are not detected with developmental problems in their pre-school years. Methods This doctoral study utilized the knowledge and experience of mothers to draw attention to reasons why children with subtle developmental problems are not identified until school age. A qualitative methodology utilized a synthesis of interpretive biography and literary folkloristics as a method of collecting, reading and interpreting personal stories. Three literary theories, arising, respectively, from the tenets of semiotics, neoMarxism and post-structuralism, were used to critically deconstruct the mothers' stories. Results The findings highlight a number of factors that influence the interaction between mothers, health professionals and members of the community, and how these interactions impact on the early detection of children's developmental problems. The findings illustrate the influence of societal myths on how mothers and health professionals view their roles, and on how they think about and respond to the child's problem. They also confirm the value placed on professional knowledge and the role it plays in communications between mothers and health professionals. Finally, they draw attention to how competing arguments about diagnosis and labelling delay identification and access to intervention programmes for children. Conclusion Health professionals working with mothers and young children should be aware of how their values, beliefs and communication styles affect their professional practice, especially when interacting with mothers who raise concerns about their children. State policies that limit access to early intervention programmes should also be reconsidered so that young children are not excluded from assistance. [source]