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Kinds of Forums Selected AbstractsINTELLIGENTLY DESIGNING DELIBERATIVE HEALTH CARE FORUMS: DEWEY'S METAPHYSICS, COGNITIVE SCIENCE AND A BRAZILIAN EXAMPLEPOLITICS & POLICY, Issue 6 2008Shane Ralston No abstract is available for this article. [source] South Africa's Workplace Forum system: A Stillborn Experiment in the Democratisation of Work?INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS JOURNAL, Issue 3 2001Geoffrey Wood The 1995 South African Labour Relations Act introduced a system of Workplace Forums, a form of works council. Currently, Forums are only operational in a small minority of workplaces. This article explores the reasons underlying the apparent failure of this new system. [source] Introduction to a Debate on the World Social ForumINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2005AHMED ALLAHWALA Social Forums, modeled on the World Social Forums, are not social movements in the classic sense. They are not, and do not purport to be, the organizational form through which basic social change will be achieved, or can best be pursued. But they do bring together elements of many social movements, afford an opportunity for coalition-building among them, frequently around urban issues, and thus make a significant contribution to achieving such change. Conceivably they may be the foundation for an international social movement for change, but if so it is likely to coalesce about a specifically political program. Some concrete suggestions are made which might enhance their effectiveness. Les Forums sociaux, sur le modèle des Forums sociaux mondiaux, ne sont pas des mouvements sociaux au sens traditionnel. Ils ne sont, ni ne sont censés être, la forme d'organisation permettant d'atteindre ou de mener au mieux un changement social fondamental. Cependant, ils réunissent des composantes de nombreux mouvements sociaux, leur offrent une possibilité de créer une coalition (souvent autour de problèmes urbains) et contribuent ainsi fortement à l'évolution visée. En théorie, ils peuvent servir de base à un mouvement social international en faveur d'un changement, quoique ayant alors tendance à s'unir sur un programme politique. Les suggestions concrètes qui sont formulées peuvent en améliorer l'efficacité. [source] Are Social Forums the Future of Social Movements?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2005PETER MARCUSE Social Forums, modeled on the World Social Forums, are not social movements in the classic sense. They are not, and do not purport to be, the organizational form through which basic social change will be achieved, or can best be pursued. But they do bring together elements of many social movements, afford an opportunity for coalition-building among them, frequently around urban issues, and thus make a significant contribution to achieving such change. Conceivably they may be the foundation for an international social movement for change, but if so it is likely to coalesce about a specifically political program. Some concrete suggestions are made which might enhance their effectiveness. Les Forums sociaux, sur le modèle des Forums sociaux mondiaux, ne sont pas des mouvements sociaux au sens traditionnel. Ils ne sont, ni ne sont censés être, la forme d'organisation permettant d'atteindre ou de mener au mieux un changement social fondamental. Cependant, ils réunissent des composantes de nombreux mouvements sociaux, leur offrent une possibilité de créer une coalition (souvent autour de problèmes urbains) et contribuent ainsi fortement à l'évolution visée. En théorie, ils peuvent servir de base à un mouvement social international en faveur d'un changement, quoique ayant alors tendance à s'unir sur un programme politique. Les suggestions concrètes qui sont formulées peuvent en améliorer l'efficacité. [source] A Structural Solution to Communication Dilemmas in a Virtual CommunityJOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, Issue 3 2007Dongyoung Sohn In a many-to-many communication setting like a virtual community, individuals may be strongly tempted to free-ride on others' contributions, which would eventually lead to the collapse of the community. To find a structural solution to the "communication dilemma," this study compared the performances of 2 communication structures,one based on the interpersonal networks (network-generalized exchange: NEX; e.g., blogs) and the other based on a public electronic bulletin board (group-generalized exchange: GEX). In a 2 × 2 × 2 longitudinal between-subject experiment, it was found that changing GEX to NEX could increase the contributions made by individuals. Furthermore, NEX was found to be an effective structure for N-person communication particularly when a large number of individuals were involved. The findings imply that an individual's cooperative motivation is a function of the incentive structure of a particular form of information exchange, which means that altering the exchange form may be a possible solution to the communication dilemmas in virtual communities. Résumé Une solution structurelle aux dilemmes de communication dans une communauté virtuelle Dans un contexte de communication multivoque comme celui d'une communauté virtuelle, les individus peuvent être fortement tentés de profiter des contributions des autres tout en s,abstenant eux-mêmes de contribuer, ce qui en définitive mènerait à l'effondrement de la communauté. Afin de trouver une solution structurelle au « dilemme de communication », cette étude a comparé le rendement de deux structures de communication : l,une fondée sur les réseaux interpersonnels (NEX)(p. ex. les blogues) et l'autre s,appuyant sur un babillard électronique public (GEX). Dans le cadre d'une expérience longitudinale inter-sujets de 2 x 2 x 2, il est apparu que de changer GEX pour NEX pourrait augmenter le nombre de contributions faites par des individus. De plus, il fut observé que NEXétait une structure efficace pour la communication N personnes, particulièrement lorsqu,un grand nombre d'individus étaient impliqués. Les conclusions laissent entendre que la motivation incitant à coopérer d,un individu est fonction de la structure incitative d'une forme particulière d'échange d,information, ce qui signifie que de modifier la forme de l'échange peut être une solution possible aux dilemmes de communication dans les communautés virtuelles. Abstract Ein struktureller Lösungsansatz bei Kommunikationsdilemmata in virtuellen Gemeinschaften In einer Vielpersonen-Kommunikationsumgebung, wie z.B. virtuellen Gemeinschaften, können Personen leicht in Versuchung geraten, ohne eigene Anstrengung von anderen Teilnehmern zu profitieren, was letztendlich zum Zusammenbruch der Gemeinschaft führen kann. Um eine strukturelle Lösung zu diesem "Kommunikationsdilemma" zu finden, wurden in dieser Studie zwei Kommunikationsstrukturen hinsichtlich ihrer Leistung verglichen: eine Struktur basierend auf interpersonalen Netzwerken (NEX) (z.B. Blogs) und die andere basierend auf einem öffentlich zugänglichen elektronischen Forums (GEX). In einem Längsschnittexperiment (2x2, between-subject-design) konnte gezeigt werden, dass ein Wechsel von GEX zu NEX mit einem Zuwachs der Individualbeiträge einherging. Darüber hinaus zeigte sich NEX als effektive Struktur für N-Personen- Kommunikation, besonders dann, wenn eine größere Anzahl an Individuen beteiligt ist. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass die Motivation einer Person zur Kooperation die Funktion der Anreizstruktur einer bestimmten Form des Informationsaustauschs ist. Dies bedeutet, dass eine Veränderung der Austauschsform eine mögliche Lösung für Kommunikationsdilemmata in virtuellen Gemeinschaften sein kann. Resumen Una Solución Estructural a los Dilemas de Comunicación en una Comunidad Virtual En escenarios de comunicación de muchos contra muchos como lo es en una comunidad virtual, los individuos pueden estar tentados fuertemente de aprovechar las contribuciones de los otros, lo cual puede eventualmente llevar al colapso de la comunidad. Para encontrar una solución a este "dilema de comunicación," este estudio comparó el rendimiento de 2 estructuras de comunicación , una basada en una red interpersonal (NEX)(a saber, blogs) y la otra basada en un tablón público de anuncios (GEX). En un experimento longitudinal entre sujetos 2 x 2 x 2, se encontró que cambiando GEX por NEX puede incrementar las contribuciones hechas por los individuos. Más aún, se encontró que NEX era una estructura más efectiva para la comunicación de N-persona particularmente cuando un número grande de individuos estuvieron involucrados. Los resultados significan que la motivación de cooperación de un individuo está en función de la estructura de incentivo de esa forma particular de intercambio de información, lo que significa que alterando la forma de intercambio puede ser una solución posible al dilema de comunicación de las comunidades virtuales. ZhaiYao Yo yak [source] "Just Chengtu" versus "Classic Chongqing": Two Municipal Internet Forums and China's Intercity RivalryASIAN POLITICS AND POLICY, Issue 4 2009Meimei Zhang [source] Cervicomental "Turkey Gobbler": A New Source for Full-Thickness GraftsDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 4 2002FIACS, Lawrence M. Field MD A LARGE NUMBER of sources for full-thickness grafts have been described. The concepts of adapting liposuction techniques from cosmetic surgery to reconstructive surgery, especially with flap reconstructions, have been well documented by this author and others in many forums over many years.1,7 However, obtaining the excess skin of the lower neck in those patients with "turkey gobbler" deformities utilizing liposuction aspiration and dissection techniques has not been previously documented. This same approach might at times be valuable in very obese necks with excessively redundant skin as well. [source] Internet forums: a self-help approach for individuals with schizophrenia?ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 6 2005H. Haker Objective:, To study if and how online self-help forums for individuals with schizophrenia are used. Method:, We analysed 1200 postings of 576 users in 12 international schizophrenia forums regarding communicative skills [fields of interest and self-help mechanisms (SHM)]. Results:, The forums were predominantly used by affected individuals, few relatives or friends. The fields of interest of the users concern daily problems of the illness like symptoms and emotional involvement with the illness. Self-help mechanisms mostly used are disclosure and providing information. Emotional interaction e.g. empathy or gratitude were comparatively rare. Conclusion:, Individuals suffering from schizophrenia participate in online self-help forums using the same SHM, discussing similar topics as do individuals with other psychiatric disorders as well as not affected relatives and caregivers. Therefore, this tool seems to be a useful approach to cope with alienation and isolation, albeit only a small number of schizophrenia forums are found in the Internet. [source] Injecting risk behaviour and related harm among men who use performance- and image-enhancing drugsDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 6 2008BRIONY LARANCE Abstract Introduction and Aims. Performance- and image-enhancing drugs have the potential to be a significant public health issue. Detailed data on PIEDs injection are difficult to obtain because of the illicit and unsupervised way in which many PIEDs are used, and the hidden nature of the group. Our study examines the patterns of use, risk behaviours and related harm associated with PIEDs injection. We also report the ways in which PIEDs users currently seek injecting equipment and harm-reduction advice. Design and Method. Data were obtained via a structured questionnaire administered in face-to-face interviews with 60 men who used PIEDs (primarily anabolic androgenic steroids) for non-medical purposes. Results. Although the rates of needle sharing were low (5%), the men more frequently reported re-use of needles/equipment, injecting from a shared container (bladders, vials, etc.), injecting other illicit drugs, injecting insulin and targeting small muscle groups. Self-reports of being hepatitis C antibody positive were associated with lifetime use of heroin and injection of other illicit drugs. All HIV positive participants were gay/bisexual men. Participants reported a range of other injection-related injuries and diseases such as fevers, scarring and abscesses. ,Risky' injectors (38% of participants) were more likely to initiate PIEDs use at a younger age, use PIEDs in a larger number of cycles per year and report involvement in a violent/aggressive incident than ,low risk' injectors and report involvement in a violent/aggressive incident than ,low risk' injectors. Participants mainly reported seeking information about PIEDs from internet sites (62%) and friends (55%). Conclusions. An over-reliance on personal networks and internet forums limits this groups' access to objective harm reduction advice and primary care services. Targeted, PIEDs-specific interventions are needed. [source] Southern African social movements at the 2007 Nairobi World Social ForumGLOBAL NETWORKS, Issue 1 2009MILES LARMER Abstract How relevant is the anti-globalization movement to the ideas and activities of social movements seeking to achieve economic justice and greater democratic accountability in southern Africa? Case study research in four southern African countries (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Swaziland) indicates that, while aspects of the anti-globalization approach resonate with civil society and social movement actors (for example, an emphasis on mass participation and the internationalization of campaigning), the global social justice movement frequently displays the characteristics of globalization. These include: unaccountable decision-making; profound (yet largely unacknowledged) inequality of access to resources; and an imposed and uniform organizational form that fails to consider local conditions. The World Social Forum (WSF) held in Nairobi in January 2007 provided many southern African social movement actors with their first opportunity to participate in the global manifestation of the anti-globalization movement. The authors interviewed social movement activists across southern Africa before and during the Nairobi WSF about their experiences of the anti-globalization movement and the Social Forum. An assessment of the effectiveness of this participation leads to the conclusion that the WSF is severely limited in its capacity to provide an effective forum for these actors to express their grievances and aspirations. However, hosting national social forums, their precise form adapted to reflect widely varied conditions in southern African states that are affected by globalization in diverse ways, appears to provide an important new form of mobilization that draws on particular elements of anti-globalization praxis. [source] Research and development at the health and social care interface in primary care: a scoping exercise in one National Health Service regionHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 6 2002Jo Cooke MA Abstract The present project aimed to identify research activity at the health and social care interface in primary care within one National Health Service region, and to determine levels of research capacity and support within social services. The study was commissioned by a primary care research network (PCRN) in order to assess opportunities to increase research capacity within social services. Data were collected in two phases from 61 managers, team leaders and senior practitioners in social care, and six public health representatives in health authorities, using telephone interviews and focus groups. The findings highlighted a lack of infrastructure and support for research and development in social care. However, many social care respondents wanted opportunities to develop research skills with healthcare colleagues. Despite poor support, many small-scale projects were described, and many respondents showed an enthusiasm for engaging with research. Methods in use included surveys, action research, needs analysis and evaluation of service developments. Many examples of user involvement were given. Interface projects were usually instigated by interagency forums and funded from multiple sources. Most project work was motivated by service improvement or development, rather than aiming to produce generalisable knowledge. Barriers to conducting research included lack of confidence, research skills and time, as well as workload demands, lack of cover to release staff for research and lack of supervision. Research was not seen as legitimate work in some social care environments or as part of a career path. Existing joint working initiatives (such as the National Service Frameworks) were highlighted as flashpoints for potential research and evaluation activity. The findings suggest clear opportunities for PCRNs to develop research capacity at the interface with social care; for example, by signposting available resources, providing training grants and secondments for social care staff, and supporting interagency networks with a focus on evaluation. In turn, experience in promoting user involvement in social services could add value to research expertise at the primary care,social care interface. [source] Social participation in health in Brazil and England: inclusion, representation and authorityHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 3 2009Marian Barnes BA MA PhD Abstract Aim, This article offers a brief description and analysis of public participation in health in Brazil and England in order to highlight different motivators and tensions within an acceptance of participation as official policy. Sources/methods, The article draws on a range of research in both countries and an analysis of official documents relating to participation. It is based on collaboration between researchers deriving from broad programmes of work on public participation in which the authors are involved. Argument, There is a tension between different principles underpinning collective public involvement in health both within and between countries. Different aspirations or claims have been made about what such participation will achieve and there are trade-offs between design principles that have consequences for issues such as who takes part and thus also for what can be achieved. The democratic origins of public participation are more evident in the Brazilian situation than in England, but there are still questions about the inclusivity of the practices through which this is achieved. The English picture is both more diverse and dynamic, but formal decision-making power of participatory forums is less than in Brazil. Whilst social justice claims for participation have been made in both countries, there is as yet limited evidence that these have been realized. [source] Pandemic influenza communication: views from a deliberative forumHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 3 2009Wendy A. Rogers BA (Hons) BM.BS PhD MRCGP FRACGP Abstract Objective, To use a deliberative forum to elicit community perspectives on communication about pandemic influenza planning, and to compare these findings with the current Australian national communication strategy. Design, Deliberative forum of 12 persons randomly selected from urban South Australia. Forum members were briefed by experts in infection control, virology, ethics and public policy before deliberating on four key questions: what, how and when should the community be told about pandemic influenza and by whom? Results, The forum recommended provision of detailed and comprehensive information by credible experts, rather than politicians, using a variety of media including television and internet. Recommendations included cumulative communication to build expertise in the community, and specific strategies to include groups such as young people, people with physical or mental disabilities, and rural and remote communities. Information provided should be practical, accurate, and timely, with no ,holding back' about the seriousness of a pandemic. The forum expressed confidence in the expert witnesses, despite the acknowledged uncertainty of many of the predictions. Discussion and Conclusion, The deliberative forum's recommendations were largely consistent with the Australian national pandemic influenza communication strategy and the relevant literature. However, the forum recommended: release of more detailed information than currently proposed in the national strategy; use of non-political spokespersons; and use of novel communication methods. Their acceptance of uncertainty suggests that policy makers should be open about the limits of knowledge in potentially threatening situations. Our findings show that deliberative forums can provide community perspectives on topics such as communication about pandemic influenza. [source] Listening to the views of people affected by cancer about cancer research: an example of participatory research in setting the cancer research agendaHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 1 2006David Wright PhD Abstract Aim, The study ,Listening to the Views of People Affected by Cancer About Cancer Research' is currently exploring the views people affected by cancer have about cancer research and identifying their research priorities. Integral to this is the broader aim of ensuring an effective, collaborative participation of patients and carers in the design and conduct of the study. On the basis of experiences with the study to date, the latter is explored in this paper. Design, The study adopts a ,participatory research' approach entailing the formation of a ,reference group' and a subsequent patient and carer co-researcher group. Patient and carer members of these groups were identified through the patient forums of UK cancer networks and by approaching ,hard to reach' representatives directly through community groups and participating study sites. Findings, Experiences from this study illustrate that a ,participatory research' approach is appropriate in engaging patients and carers in the research process. Establishing a group of people affected by cancer in the study was found to be particularly effective in enhancing the design and conduct of the research. Conclusions, ,Participatory research' offers an effective means of involving patients and carers throughout the research process, thus strengthening the relevance and appropriateness of research findings and methods. [source] Global Government Health Partners' Forum 2006: eighteen months laterINTERNATIONAL NURSING REVIEW, Issue 2 2010J. Foster rn FOSTER J., GUISINGER V., GRAHAM A., HUTCHCRAFT L. & SALMON M. (2010) Global Government Health Partners' Forum 2006: eighteen months later. International Nursing Review57, 173,179 Background:, The challenge of global health worker shortages, particularly among nurses, has been the topic of numerous forums over the last several years. Nevertheless, there has been little attention given to the roles of government chief nursing and medical officers as key partners in addressing health worker shortages. This partnership and its potential impact on the adequacy of the global health workforce was the focus of the most recent Global Government Health Partners (GGHP) Forum held in November 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This forum was uniquely designed to create a context for government chief nursing officers and chief medical officers to engage in a joint learning and planning experience focused on positioning their leadership to impact health workforce issues. Aim:, This article describes an 18-month follow-up evaluation of the outcomes of the GGHP. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the impact of the forum experience on the actions of participants based on the country-level plans they produced at the forum. This important feedback is intended to inform the design of future partnered global forums and gain insights into the utility of forum-based action plans. The evaluation process itself has served as an opportunity for the engagement of university faculty, students and staff in a global service learning experience. Conclusion:, The outcomes of this evaluation indicate that important progress has been made by countries whose leadership was involved in the forum, and was also an important learning activity for those participating in the conduct of the study. [source] Dispute resolution in federal systemsINTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 167 2001Michael Crommelin This article deals selectively with four broad approaches to conflict management in federal systems of government: formal dispute resolution,informal dispute resolution, dispute avoidance, and popular dispute resolution. Courts undertake the task of formal dispute resolution through judicial review: issues of current significance include judicial concepts of federalism, the reference jurisdiction, Scottish devolution, and supranational federalism and the European Court of Justice. Examples of informal dispute resolution are few. The South African Constitution includes a provision, requiring parties to an intergovernmental dispute to exhaust all other remedies before resorting to litigation. The dispute resolution process contained in chapter 20 of the North American Free Trade Agreement may stimulate experimentation with similar models in federal systems. Dispute avoidance techniques are many and varied; they include the drafting of constitutional instruments and the use of intergovernmental forums within and outside the constitutional framework. The electoral process may be employed in federal systems to determine the fate of governments, specific legislative measures and proposed constitutional amendments. Each federal society has its own culture of conflict management, which exerts a subtle but significant influence on the operation of, and the relationship among, dispute resolution systems. [source] European Integration and Migration Policy: Vertical Policy-making as Venue ShoppingJCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 2 2000Virginie Guiraudon Since the beginning of the 1980s, migration and asylum policy in Europe has increasingly been elaborated in supranational forums and implemented by transnational actors. I argue that a venue-shopping framework is best suited to account for the timing, form and content of European co-operation in this area. The venues less amenable to restrictive migration control policy are national high courts, other ministries and migrant-aid organizations. Building upon pre-existing policy settings and developing new policy frames, governments have circumvented national constraints on migration control by creating transnational co-operation mechanisms dominated by law and order officials, with EU institutions playing a minor role. European transgovernmental working groups have avoided judicial scrutiny, eliminated other national adversaries and enlisted the help of transnational actors such as transit countries and carriers. [source] Doing weight: Pro-ana and recovery identities in cyberspaceJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Sarah Riley Abstract This paper explores the role of online ,body talk' (text-based communication about bodies and bodily experiences) in the management, negotiation and development of eating disorder related identities. Two anorexia related Internet discussion forums (a ,pro-ana' and a ,recovery' website) were analyzed through the means of discourse analysis. The analysis focused on the type of body-talk produced in the different sites and the functions of this talk in relation to eating disorder related identities. Three forms of body talk were identified: descriptions of doing something with the body; descriptions of the body and descriptions of bodily experiences. On both sites these forms of body talk reproduced the thin ideal; demonstrated valid claims of group membership; and, for the pro-ana group, dynamically (re)produced eating disorder related identities through the reframing of health/appearance concerns as markers of success. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Pasifika in the news: the portrayal of Pacific peoples in the New Zealand pressJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2006Robert Loto Abstract Pacific Islanders have faced discrimination in New Zealand particularly since the 1960s when communities began to be transplanted from their home nations to Aotearoa as cheap immigrant labour. Subsequently, the New Zealand vernacular has contained references to Pacific Islanders as ,overstayers', ,coconuts', ,bungas' and ,fresh off the boat' [FOB]. However, the legacy of a domineering relationship between the Palagi1 majority group and Pacific minorities2 that is captured by such derogatory terms is still evident in public forums such as the media. Using a quantitative content and qualitative narrative analysis, this paper documents portrayals of Pacific Islanders in New Zealand print media reports (n,=,65) published over a 3 month period. Findings reveal that Pacific people are predominantly portrayed as unmotivated, unhealthy and criminal others who are overly dependent on Palagi support. We consider this offered pacific identity formation with that implied for Palagi, which is active, independent, competent and caring. Issues in coverage are discussed in relation to how Pacific Islanders are encouraged to see themselves, and the health and social consequences of dominant practices in press coverage. We offer some suggestions as to how more equitable representations of Pacific people could be fostered in news media. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Asynchronous online discussion thread development: examining growth patterns and peer-facilitation techniquesJOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING, Issue 5 2009J.C.C. Chan Abstract This study extends the research on asynchronous online discussion (AOD) by providing a perspective on: (1) the growth patterns of discussion threads and (2) the influence of peer- or student-facilitation techniques on thread development. Using the Pointing, Questioning, Resolving and Summarizing (PQRS) facilitation techniques framework, the threaded discussions of seven AOD forums were carefully mapped out and each message in the postings was examined to determine the type of facilitation techniques applied. Results suggest that an online discussion thread grows either one of three patterns: a ,short thread pattern', an ,extended thread pattern' with an elongated structure or a ,split thread pattern' with a broad structure. Results also suggest that the use of Resolving and Summarizing facilitation techniques tends to foster early thread termination. Understanding how each PQRS student-facilitation technique impacts thread development reinforces the need to combine the use of ,questioning' techniques with other facilitation techniques to enhance thread continuity. We end by discussing some possible implications and issues for future research. [source] When groups decide to use asynchronous online discussions: collaborative learning and social presence under a voluntary participation structureJOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING, Issue 2 2009H.-J. So Abstract The purpose of this study is to explore how groups decide to use asynchronous online discussion forums in a non-mandatory setting, and, after the group decision is made, how group members use online discussion forums to complete a collaborative learning project requiring complex data gathering and research processes. While a large body of research on computer-mediated communication (CMC) has documented successful intervention strategies to promote and sustain online discussion forums, little of the research has examined the use of online discussion forums in voluntarily contexts, wherein the decision to use online discussion forums is a personal decision and participation is not a graded component. This study approaches the research questions using a naturalistic case study of one graduate-level blended learning course with 55 students. Employing both student interviews and content analysis methods, this study revealed that the factors affecting the group decision to use online discussion forums are (1) successful or unsuccessful experiences during the first trial, (2) perceived affordances of CMC tools, and (3) the interplay between the nature of collaborative tasks and perceived efficiency. The content analysis of online postings in two voluntary groups revealed that when groups decided to use online discussion forums, participation levels were almost equal among individual group members, and discussion threads were sustained until the final completion of the collaborative project. [source] The Effects of Interactive News Presentation on Perceived User Satisfaction of Online Community NewspapersJOURNAL OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION, Issue 4 2009Deborah S. Chung Using a statewide, Web-based survey, this study examines the associations between online community news audiences' uses of interactive features offered in various news presentations and the perceived satisfaction of community news sites. In addition, the study aims to identify associations between different types of interactive news presentation styles and levels of satisfaction. Results indicate that use of interactive features is positively associated with perceived satisfaction with the exception of forums and Q&A features. Results also reveal that customization features, such as content submissions, letter-to-the-editor, and e-mail byline links, are the sole significant positive predictor of perceived satisfaction toward community news sites. [source] Collaboration Online: The Example of Distributed ComputingJOURNAL OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION, Issue 4 2005Anne Holohan Distributed Computing is a new form of online collaboration; such projects divide a large computational problem into small tasks that are sent out over the Internet to be completed on personal computers. Millions of people all over the world participate voluntarily in such projects, providing computing resources that would otherwise cost millions of dollars. However, Distributed Computing only works if many people participate. The technical challenge is to slice a problem into thousands of tiny pieces that can be solved independently, and then to reassemble the solutions. The social problem is how to find all those widely dispersed computers and persuade their owners to participate. This article examines what makes a collaborative Distributed Computing project successful. We report on data from a quantitative survey and a qualitative study of participants on several online forums, and discuss and analyze Distributed Computing using Arquilla and Ronfeldt's (2001) five-level network organization framework. [source] The Vanishing Trial: An Examination of Trials and Related Matters in Federal and State CourtsJOURNAL OF EMPIRICAL LEGAL STUDIES, Issue 3 2004Marc Galanter This article traces the decline in the portion of cases that are terminated by trial and the decline in the absolute number of trials in various American judicial fora. The portion of federal civil cases resolved by trial fell from 11.5 percent in 1962 to 1.8 percent in 2002, continuing a long historic decline. More startling was the 60 percent decline in the absolute number of trials since the mid 1980s. The makeup of trials shifted from a predominance of torts to a predominance of civil rights, but trials are declining in every case category. A similar decline in both the percentage and the absolute number of trials is found in federal criminal cases and in bankruptcy cases. The phenomenon is not confined to the federal courts; there are comparable declines of trials, both civil and criminal, in the state courts, where the great majority of trials occur. Plausible causes for this decline include a shift in ideology and practice among litigants, lawyers, and judges. Another manifestation of this shift is the diversion of cases to alternative dispute resolution forums. Within the courts, judges conduct trials at only a fraction of the rate that their predecessors did, but they are more heavily involved in the early stages of cases. Although virtually every other indicator of legal activity is rising, trials are declining not only in relation to cases in the courts but to the size of the population and the size of the economy. The consequences of this decline for the functioning of the legal system and for the larger society remain to be explored. [source] Exploring the Political Side of Board Involvement in Strategy: A Study of Mixed-Ownership Institutions*JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 8 2006Davide Ravasi abstract This article reports on a comparative study of strategic decision-making and board functioning in nine firms. Findings indicate that the heterogeneity of interests represented on the board, members' possession of relevant knowledge, and the presence of ex-ante conflict resolution mechanisms combine in shaping if and how board members engage in strategy-related activities and how strategic decisions are taken. Findings extend current understandings about the strategic functions of the board (monitoring, advice, and resource-dependence), suggesting how, under certain conditions, boards may act as negotiation forums where directors search for a reconciliation between diverging shareholders' interests and views. [source] The relationship between NGOS and businesses in the public arena: An empirical analysis for SpainJOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2009Carmen Valor At the beginning of this century, corporate social responsibility was included in the public agenda. In certain countries, policy-making takes place in semi-public forums, in which NGOs are asked to participate. However, a different situation may be found in other countries. This paper analyses the relationship between businesses and NGOs in the public arena in Spain. By applying grounded theory, the authors summarize this relationship in the dynamics of approach-withdrawal. Firms have pushed to withdraw Advocacy NGOs from public forums, whose main purpose was policy-making. The explicit argument to justify this collective decision is the lack of foundational legitimacy of NGOs. Firms understand that these NGOs are not legitimized to be a counterbalancing force of corporations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Text-based video content classification for online video-sharing sitesJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Chunneng Huang With the emergence of Web 2.0, sharing personal content, communicating ideas, and interacting with other online users in Web 2.0 communities have become daily routines for online users. User-generated data from Web 2.0 sites provide rich personal information (e.g., personal preferences and interests) and can be utilized to obtain insight about cyber communities and their social networks. Many studies have focused on leveraging user-generated information to analyze blogs and forums, but few studies have applied this approach to video-sharing Web sites. In this study, we propose a text-based framework for video content classification of online-video sharing Web sites. Different types of user-generated data (e.g., titles, descriptions, and comments) were used as proxies for online videos, and three types of text features (lexical, syntactic, and content-specific features) were extracted. Three feature-based classification techniques (C4.5, Naïve Bayes, and Support Vector Machine) were used to classify videos. To evaluate the proposed framework, user-generated data from candidate videos, which were identified by searching user-given keywords on YouTube, were first collected. Then, a subset of the collected data was randomly selected and manually tagged by users as our experiment data. The experimental results showed that the proposed approach was able to classify online videos based on users' interests with accuracy rates up to 87.2%, and all three types of text features contributed to discriminating videos. Support Vector Machine outperformed C4.5 and Naïve Bayes techniques in our experiments. In addition, our case study further demonstrated that accurate video-classification results are very useful for identifying implicit cyber communities on video-sharing Web sites. [source] A hybrid approach to Web forum interactional coherence analysisJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 8 2008Tianjun Fu Despite the rapid growth of text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC), its limitations have rendered the media highly incoherent. This poses problems for content analysis of online discourse archives. Interactional coherence analysis (ICA) attempts to accurately identify and construct CMC interaction networks. In this study, we propose the Hybrid Interactional Coherence (HIC) algorithm for identification of web forum interaction. HIC utilizes a bevy of system and linguistic features, including message header information, quotations, direct address, and lexical relations. Furthermore, several similarity-based methods including a Lexical Match Algorithm (LMA) and a sliding window method are utilized to account for interactional idiosyncrasies. Experiments results on two web forums revealed that the proposed HIC algorithm significantly outperformed comparison techniques in terms of precision, recall, and F-measure at both the forum and thread levels. Additionally, an example was used to illustrate how the improved ICA results can facilitate enhanced social network and role analysis capabilities. [source] Indictments, Myths, and Citizen Mobilization in Argentina: A Discourse AnalysisLATIN AMERICAN POLITICS AND SOCIETY, Issue 4 2005Ariel C. Armony ABSTRACT Most accounts of the turmoil that shook Argentina in 2001,2 focused on the harmful impact of the financial environment, imprudent policymaking, and institutional weaknesses. These explanations paid little attention to the cultural frames and cognitive patterns that underlie the connection between civil society and political society. Based on a discourse analysis of Internet forums and presidential speeches, this article argues that the Argentine crisis cannot be fully grasped without considering the link between collective behavior and ingrained conceptions of national identity. The analysis finds that national myths and definitional questions of national purpose are key factors in the way citizens behave in the context of an economic and political crisis. [source] Learning to Dispute: Repeat Participation, Expertise, and Reputation at the World Trade OrganizationLAW & SOCIAL INQUIRY, Issue 3 2010Joseph A. Conti This mixed-method analysis examines the effects of repeat participation on disputing at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Differences between disputants in terms of their experience with WTO disputing processes affect the likelihood of a dispute transitioning to a panel review in distinct ways, depending upon the configuration of the parties. More experienced complainants tend to achieve settlements, while more experienced respondents tend to refuse conciliation. Strategies of experienced respondents are derived from the expertise generated from repeated direct participation and the normalcy of disputing for repeat players as well as the benefits accruing from a reputation for being unlikely to settle. Repeat players also seek to avoid disputes expected to produce unfavorable jurisprudence but do not actively try to create new case law through the selection of disputes. This research demonstrates a dynamic learning process in how parties use international legal forums and thus extends sociolegal scholarship beyond the nation-state. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||