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Long-term Commitment (long-term + commitment)
Selected AbstractsTrust, commitment and team working: the paradox of virtual organizationsGLOBAL NETWORKS, Issue 4 2004Alf Crossman The findings of a case study in an international information technology consultancy indicate that multiple relationships arising from the alliance-based structure require clear commitment to enable the development of trust as a basis for longer-term partnership. Paradoxically, the perceived low level of commitment from the organization does not engender the high level of trust and commitment required from virtual teams to maximize their performance. However, over time and with extended exchanges, the commitment level and form may evolve, thus necessitating a realignment of existing psychological understanding and trust between the actors. If there is general agreement that an upward shift from short-term to long-term commitment is beneficial to all, then the virtual arrangement will continue to be effective. [source] What if the UK or Sweden had joined the euro in 1999?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCE & ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2007An empirical evaluation using a Global VAR Abstract This paper attempts to provide a conceptual framework for the analysis of counterfactual scenarios using macroeconometric models. As an application we consider UK entry to the euro. Entry involves a long-term commitment to restrict UK nominal exchange rates and interest rates to be the same as those of the euro area. We derive conditional probability distributions for the difference between the future realizations of variables of interest (e.g. UK and euro area output and prices) subject to UK entry restrictions being fully met over a given period and the alternative realizations without the restrictions. The robustness of the results can be evaluated by also conditioning on variables deemed to be invariant to UK entry, such as oil or US equity prices. Economic interdependence means that such policy evaluation must take account of international linkages and common factors that drive fluctuations across economies. In this paper this is accomplished using the Global VAR recently developed by Dees et al. (J. Appl. Econometrics, 2007, forthcoming). The paper briefly describes the GVAR which has been estimated for 25 countries and the euro area over the period 1979,2003. It reports probability estimates that output will be higher and prices lower in the UK and the euro area as a result of entry. It examines the sensitivity of these results to a variety of assumptions about when and how the UK entered and the observed global shocks and compares them with the effects of Swedish entry. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Service Use and Costs of Support 12 Years after Leaving HospitalJOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 4 2006Angela Hallam Background, There have been major changes in the provision and organization of services for people with intellectual disabilities in England over the last 30 years, particularly deinstitutionalization and the development of the mixed economy of care. The experiences of the people who participated in the Care in the Community Demonstration Programme in the mid-1980s provide evidence of the immediate and longer-term effects of the reprovision policy. Methods, Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence was gathered on service use and costs for over 250 people 12 years after they left long-stay hospitals for community living arrangements. Comparisons were made with the situation in hospital, and 1 and 5 years after leaving. Relationships between costs after 12 years and individual characteristics assessed before people left hospital were explored. Results, Community care at the 12-year follow-up remained more expensive than hospital-based support, although the average cost was lower than at either of the 1- or 5-year community follow-up points. Service users were living in a wide variety of accommodation settings. Management responsibility fell on National Health Service (NHS) trusts, local authorities, voluntary agencies, or to private organizations or individuals. After standardizing for users' skills and abilities, costs in minimum support accommodation were significantly lower than those in residential and nursing homes, costs in staffed group homes significantly higher, and costs in hostels slightly lower. When looking at differences between individuals, no relationship was found between costs and outcomes although, overall, people were better off in the community than they had been when in hospital. Conclusions, Reprovision planning for hospital and other institutional modes of care requires major and long-term commitment of resources. Quality of life improvements can be achieved at a cost little different in the long-run from that for hospital care. The link between needs and costs (reflecting the services intended to meet those needs) would be made stronger through the individualization of care. [source] Mating triggers dynamic immune regulations in wood ant queensJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009G. CASTELLA Abstract Mating can affect female immunity in multiple ways. On the one hand, the immune system may be activated by pathogens transmitted during mating, sperm and seminal proteins, or wounds inflicted by males. On the other hand, immune defences may also be down-regulated to reallocate resources to reproduction. Ants are interesting models to study post-mating immune regulation because queens mate early in life, store sperm for many years, and use it until their death many years later, while males typically die after mating. This long-term commitment between queens and their mates limits the opportunity for sexual conflict but raises the new constraint of long-term sperm survival. In this study, we examine experimentally the effect of mating on immunity in wood ant queens. Specifically, we compared the phenoloxidase and antibacterial activities of mated and virgin Formica paralugubris queens. Queens had reduced levels of active phenoloxidase after mating, but elevated antibacterial activity 7 days after mating. These results indicate that the process of mating, dealation and ovary activation triggers dynamic patterns of immune regulation in ant queens that probably reflect functional responses to mating and pathogen exposure that are independent of sexual conflict. [source] The Fruits of Their Labors: A Longitudinal Exploration of Parent Personality and Adjustment in Their Adult ChildrenJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2000Marjorie Solomon This longitudinal study of several aspects of parenting examines how children "turn out" as adults. Ratings of adjustment (educational and occupational attainment as well as social and emotional maturity) in young adult children (aged 25,37) were made on the basis of information from 64 mothers who were participants in a longitudinal study of women's lives. As hypothesized, mothers who were demanding yet responsive, sensitive, and psychologically mature at ages 27 and 43 had children with higher overall adult adjustment scores. Other factors correlated with adjustment included the mother's long-term commitment to being a wife and mother, and the cohesiveness of the home environment. In their 50s, characteristics of parents associated with adult child adjustment were different for men and women (competence in women and forcefulness and individuality in men). Divorce was not a negative factor, and mothers' paid work (after age 27) was positive at a trend level. [source] Overview of Guidelines for Establishing a Face Transplant Program: A Work in ProgressAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 5 2010M. Siemionow Since 2005, nine face transplants have been performed in four countries: France, the United States (US), China and Spain. These encouraging short-term outcomes, with the longest survivor approaching 5 years, have led to an increased interest in establishing face transplant programs worldwide. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to facilitate the dissemination of relevant details as per our experience in an effort to assist those medical centers interested in establishing a face transplant program. In this article, we address the logistical challenges involved with face transplantation; including essential program requirements, protocol details, face transplant team assembly, project funding, the organ procurement organization and the coroner. It must be emphasized that face transplantation is still experimental and its therapeutic value remains to be validated. All surgical teams pursuing this endeavor must dedicate an attention to detail and should accept a responsibility to publish their outcomes in a transparent manner in order to contribute to the international field. However, due to its inherent complexity, facial transplantation should only be performed by university-affiliated medical institutions capable of orchestrating a specialized multidisciplinary team with a long-term commitment to its success. [source] Modelling the impact of vaccination on the epidemiology of varicella zoster virus in AustraliaAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 6 2005Heather F. Gidding Objective: To model the impact of universal varicella vaccination in Australia. Methods: The results of an Australia-wide serosurvey for varicella zoster virus (VZV) immunity were used to parameterise realistic, age-structured deterministic models (RAS) developed by Brisson and colleagues. We examined the impact of a vaccination program for one-year-olds alone, and with a catch-up campaign for 11 -year-olds, on the incidence of varicella and zoster, using Australia's population structure. Morbidity was then determined by calculating the number of hospital in-patient days. Results: Infant vaccination is predicted to reduce the incidence of varicella. However, zoster incidence is expected to increase initially, assuming exposure to varicella boosts immunity to zoster. Accumulated morbidity from both varicella and zoster is predicted to remain above that expected without vaccination for the first 70 years of an infant program (assuming 90% coverage with boosting for 20 years). However, after 70 years the net health savings from vaccination are predicted to increase substantially. Conclusions and Implications: Infant vaccination is expected to be a successful long-term commitment to reducing morbidity associated with VZV infection in Australia. [source] Spanish psychiatric reform: what can be learned from two decades of experience?ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2001José Luis Vázquez-Barquero Objective:,The objective of the paper is to describe the impact of Spanish psychiatric reform on the organization and functioning of mental health services. Method:,This paper is based on official administrative reports and on relevant related publications. Results:,The most significant achievements of Spanish psychiatric reform have been: (i),the development of a new organization of mental health care, decentralized in character and territorially based; (ii),the integration of psychiatric patients in general health care; (iii),the creation of an extensive community network of health centres; and (iv),the development of more positive attitudes towards mental illness. However, our analysis also reveals the existence of significant deficiencies. Conclusion:,Analysis of the Spanish experience shows that the process of psychiatric reform depends basically on long-term commitments, which in a system such as Spain's must come from central administration and also from the autonomous communities. [source] Redefining the future: Youthful biographical constructions in the 21st centuryNEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, Issue 113 2006Carmen Leccardi Full Professor of Cultural Sociology The author connects the changing meanings of youth in contemporary western societies with the transformations in the representation of the future. The new youthful biographical constructions can be considered a central outcome of these parallel changes: they avoid long-term commitments and structure themselves around the idea of changeability. [source] | |||||||||||||