Archival Data (archival + data)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Comparing Personality Scales Across Time: An Illustrative Study of Validity and Consistency in Life-Span Archival Data

JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 1 2000
Leslie R. Martin
The goals of this study were: (a) to examine whether personality scales, meaningful in contemporary terms, could be derived from archival data; and (b) to use these scales to aid our understanding of the relation of personality to mortality. NEO PI-R data and a battery of archival items, taken from Terman's Life Cycle Study, were collected on two new samples (sample 1 mean age = 11.9, n = 167; sample 2 mean age = 22.2, n = 203). Measurement invariance of the archival scales was assessed, and validity was examined using both rational analyses and associations with the Five Factor Model. It was demonstrated that interpretable scales can be derived from 50- to 70-year-old archival data. The archival adult personality data were then used to predict mortality. Conscientiousness remains the strongest personality predictor of longevity. Criteria for establishing the validity of archivally derived scales are suggested. [source]


Identifying functional impairment with scores from the repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status (RBANS)

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 5 2010
Valerie L. Hobson
Abstract Objective To examine the link between RBANS scores and functional impairment. Functional status was evaluated through informant report using the clinical dementia rating (CDR) scale. Methods Archival data were reviewed from records of 99 patients in a memory disorder clinic (MDC) research database. Consensus-based diagnoses were Alzheimer's disease (AD; n,=,48), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n,=,48), AD with vascular components; (n,=,2) and dementia due to psychiatric conditions (n,=,1). Results The RBANS language index score was significantly related to CDR domain scores of community affairs (p,<,.01), home and hobbies (p,<,.01), personal care (p,<,.05), memory (p,<,0.01), and judgment (p,<,0.01). RBANS immediate memory index scores were significantly related to (p,<,0.05) the CDR Memory and judgment and problem solving domains. Based on these findings, follow-up regressions were conducted. Semantic fluency was significantly related to CDR memory (p,<,0.01), judgment (p,<,0.05), community affairs (p,<,0.05), home/hobbies (p,<,0.05), and personal care (p,<,0.05) functional domains. Picture naming was significantly related to the CDR personal care domain (p,<,0.05). List learning was significantly related to CDR memory functional domain (p,<,0.01) and judgment (p,<,0.05). Lastly, story memory was significantly related to the CDR judgment domain (p,<,0.05). Conclusions The RBANS may be an indicator of functional impairment as well as a neuropsychological testing tool. The use of the RBANS could reduce the amount of testing that is administered to the patient, or can provide a way to compare other measurements of functional impairment to assess accuracy of findings. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Violence and race in professional baseball: Getting better or getting worse?

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 2 2002
Thomas A. Timmerman
Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between race and violence in the context of professional baseball. Specifically, I used the number of times a batter was hit by a pitch (per plate appearance) as an indicator of being the victim of an indirect violent act. Archival data were gathered from 4,273 players from 1950 to 1997, yielding 27,022 individual records. Even after controlling for player ability and league rules, race was a significant predictor of being hit. Specifically, from 1950 to 1997, the rate at which Blacks were hit was approximately 7.5% greater than the rate for Whites. The rate at which Hispanics were hit was approximately 7.6% greater than the rate for Whites. Testing year as a moderator revealed that the Black-White difference was much greater in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1970 to 1989, race was not a significant predictor of being hit. Contrary to the hypotheses, from 1990 to 1997, Whites and Hispanics were hit at a significantly higher rate than Blacks (23.0% and 29.0%, respectively). Additional analyses revealed no relationship between pitcher race and batter race in hit-by-pitch events from 1997 to 1999. The findings are discussed with respect to group threat theory and the distinction between covert and overt aggression. Aggr. Behav. 28:109,116, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


An Exploration Into the Internal Dynamics of a School-Based Mental Health Collaboration

JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 5 2006
Kenneth Wm.
School-based collaboratives are one delivery model that satisfies this expanding role. Lacking in the research on this emerging setting, particularly in the realm of mental health, is information that gives insight into the interactions that occur between collaborative partners who may have opposing aims. This study explores 2 outcome measures, timeliness of implementation of the treatment plan and parental satisfaction with the treatment plan and the influence of the professional view of collaborative partners on these outcomes. Archival data were collected from patient charts on 101 Hispanic students, 73.3% of who were male and the sample mean age was 11.3 years. These data were analyzed using multiple regression techniques. Results revealed that time to implementation was impacted by the diagnosis alignment of participating partners, a proxy for professional view, as was parental satisfaction. Satisfaction was not influenced by timeliness, indicating alternative outcome desires. (J Sch Health. 2006;76(5):164-168) [source]


Can Changes in Differential Dropout Rates Reduce Adverse Impact?

PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2004
A Computer Simulation Study of a Multi-wave Selection System
A simulation was used to explore the effects of variations in the rate at which applicants drop out of selection processes on racial differences in selection outcomes. Archival data was used to simulate a realistic range of selection scenarios in which test score differences between groups and selection ratios varied. The basis for dropping out was manipulated in two separate studies. Study 1 simulated dropout decisions that occurred at random within racial subgroups; in this study, dropout rates of minority versus White candidates were varied. Study 2 examined dropout decisions that occurred as a function of test scores. Results from both studies showed that mean test score differences between White and minority applicants have the largest influence on adverse impact. Interventions designed to reduce the tendency of minority applicants to withdraw from selection are likely to have, at best, small effects on the adverse impact of selection tests. [source]


Beyond treatment of individual behavior problems: an effective residential continuum of care for individuals with severe behavior problems

BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS, Issue 1 2007
Terry J. Page
We report on one component of a residential continuum of care designed to integrate children and adolescents with severe behavior problems into community residential and educational placements. The continuum featured three components: a behavior stabilization unit, campus apartments, and community group homes. Data are reported for a 5-year period, during which 116 children and adolescents were admitted to a behavior stabilization program for treatment of severe self-injury, aggression, and/or property destruction, and non-compliance. Additional problems for some admissions included stereotypy, feeding disorders, sleeping disorders, seizure disorders, and other medical conditions. Archival data were collected retrospectively on age, gender, length of stay, prescribed medications, function of problem behaviors, acuity level of behavioral interventions, and discharge site. Analysis of data indicated (1) the behavior stabilization unit was successful in reducing occurrence of severe behavior problems, and increasing adaptive behaviors, (2) Seventy-three individuals were able to successfully transition to a campus apartment program that had been designed as a step-down program from the behavioral stabilization unit, and (3) Sixty-seven individuals were able to transition to community group homes. The benefits of a residential continuum of care for individuals with severe behavior problems are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Business Group Affiliation, Firm Governance, and Firm Performance: Evidence from China and India

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2009
Deeksha A. Singh
ABSTRACT Manuscript Type: Empirical Research Question/Issue: This study seeks to understand how business group affiliation, within firm governance and external governance environment affect firm performance in emerging economies. We examine two aspects of within firm governance , ownership concentration and board independence. Research Findings/Insights: Using archival data on the top 500 Indian and Chinese firms from multiple data sources for 2007, we found that group affiliated firms performed worse than unaffiliated firms, and the negative relationship was stronger in the case of Indian firms than for Chinese firms. We also found that ownership concentration had a positive effect on firm performance, while board independence had a negative effect on firm performance. Further, we found that group affiliation , firm performance relationship in a given country context was moderated by ownership concentration. Theoretical/Academic Implications: This study utilizes an integration of agency theory with an institutional perspective, providing a more comprehensive framework to analyze the CG problems, particularly in the emerging economy firms. Empirically, our findings support, as well as contradict, some of the conventional wisdom, and suggest useful avenues for future research. Practitioner/Policy Implications: This study shows that reforms in general and CG reforms in particular are effective in emerging economies, which is an encouraging sign for policy makers. However, our research also suggests that it may be time for India and China to stop the encouragement for the empire building through group formation in the corporate world. For practioners, our findings suggest that firms need to balance the need for oversight with the need for advice, while selecting independent directors. [source]


Supply Management Under High Goal Incongruence: An Empirical Examination of Disintermediation in the Aerospace Supply Chain

DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 3 2008
Christian L. Rossetti
ABSTRACT Aftermarket sales and profits are becoming an increasingly important part of an original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) business model. Because replacement parts often do not require further manufacturing, OEMs act as intermediaries in the aftermarket. As with any intermediary, the OEM must concern itself with suppliers disintermediating its supply chain selling replacement parts directly to the OEM's customers. We frame supply chain disintermediation (SCD) as a principal,agent contracting problem between an OEM buyer and a supplier. Hypotheses relate contract conditions, goal incongruence, supplier capabilities and contract enforcement to SCD. The data are collected from the aerospace industry using a multimethod study, combining an Internet-based survey with archival data. Causal modeling with structural equation modeling (SEM) shows general support for the hypotheses. Particularly, SCD is positively related to buyer,supplier goal incongruence. The agency model offers insights that differ from previous transaction-cost-based models of buyer,supplier relationships. OEM buyers with a lucrative aftermarket should consider aligning goals through incentives rather than relying entirely on economic hostages associated with specific assets. [source]


A Geographic Information Systems,based, weights-of-evidence approach for diagnosing aquatic ecosystem impairment

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 8 2006
Katherine E. Kapo
Abstract A Geographic Information Systems,based, watershed-level assessment using Bayesian weights of evidence (WOE) and weighted logistic regression (WLR) provides a method to determine and compare potential environmental stressors in lotic ecosystems and to create predictive models of general or species-specific biological impairment across numerous spatial scales based on limited existing sample data. The WOE/WLR technique used in the present study is a data-driven, probabilistic approach conceptualized in epidemiological research and both developed for and currently used in minerals exploration. Extrapolation of this methodology to a case-study watershed assessment of the Great and Little Miami watersheds (OH, USA) using archival data yielded baseline results consistent with previous assessments. The method additionally produced a quantitative determination of physical and chemical watershed stressor associations with biological impairment and a predicted comparative probability (i.e., favorability) of biological impairment at a spatial resolution of 0.5 km2 over the watershed study region. Habitat stressors showed the greatest spatial association with biological impairment in low-order streams (on average, 56% of total spatial association), whereas water chemistry, particularly that of wastewater effluent, was associated most strongly with biological impairment in high-order reaches (on average, 79% of total spatial association, 28% of which was attributed to effluent). Significant potential stressors varied by land-use and stream order as well as by species. This WOE/WLR method provides a highly useful "tier 1" watershed risk assessment product through the integration of various existing data sources, and it produces a clear visual communication of areas favorable for biological impairment and a quantitative ranking of candidate stressors and associated uncertainty. [source]


Participation Patterns in Home-Based Family Support Programs: Ethnic Variations,

FAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 1 2003
Karen McCurdy
This study investigated the relationship between ethnicity and retention among families participating in a national network of home-based family support programs. Using archival data collected on 224 African American, 227 European American, and 219 Latino American mothers of newborns and 153 home visitors, multivariate analyses indicate greater participation by African American and Latino parents as compared with European American parents. Retention predictors vary by ethnicity. Strategies to form a supportive parent-provider alliance are discussed. [source]


EXPLAINING THE UTILIZATION OF RELATIVE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT: A MULTI-THEORETICAL STUDY USING DATA FROM SWEDEN

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2009
Tobias Johansson
One of the more lasting imprints that New Public Management (NPM) has made in the public sector is an increase in the popularity of performance measurement. In Sweden, performance measurement has gained popularity in the public sector, not least at the local government level with the use of relative performance evaluation (RPE). Because utilization of RPE is a decentralized and optional mode of governance, a somewhat heterogeneous practice has evolved. The aim of this paper is to examine the causes of this differentiated practice. We jointly examine economic, political and institutional/cultural explanations in order to account for the utilization of RPE. The empirical material consists of archival data and a questionnaire sent to all Swedish municipalities in late 2005. We show that RPE adoption and use partly has different antecedents and that the institutional/cultural perspective appears to have greater explanatory power than economic and political, not least as a consequence of the potential to explain decoupling and the importance of change facilitating capabilities. The investigation contributes specifically to the literature on the utilization of RPE in local governments and more generally to the literature on why and to what extent management accounting practices are utilized. [source]


The comparative roles of home and host supervisors in the expatriate experience

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2009
George S. Benson
Abstract This study investigates the impact of home and host supervisors on expatriate success. Using survey and archival data on 206 expatriates of a large U.S. professional services firm, we hypothesize that high-quality leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships with home and host supervisors have different outcomes. Relationships with host-country supervisors have greater influence on in-country and short-term outcomes, including adjustment and intentions to complete the assignment. Home-country supervisors, on the other hand, have a greater influence over expatriates' subjective fit with their jobs and longer-term perceptions of how the overseas assignment will impact their career. Using a separate survey of home and host supervisors at the same firm, we found that one reason that home and host supervisors infl uence expatriates differently may be because home supervisors are more likely to see professional development as a goal for expatriate assignments. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


The Potential and Precariousness of Partnership: The Case of the Kaiser Permanente Labor Management Partnership

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 1 2008
THOMAS A. KOCHAN
In 1997, the Kaiser Foundation Health Care and Hospitals, the Permanente Medical Federation, and a coalition of unions signed a national agreement creating one of the most ambitious labor management partnerships in U.S. history, initially covering some 58,000 employees. Based on field research and archival data, this paper analyzes the first eight years of this partnership in light of three strategic challenges,initiating, governing, and sustaining partnership,and the organizational challenge of partnership in a highly decentralized organization. [source]


Audit Programs and Audit Risk: A Study of Japanese Practice

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 1 2006
Hironori Fukukawa
The current paradigm in audit practice for evidential planning is the Audit Risk Model. However, the notion of relevant risks has broadened with the adoption in recent years of holistic audit approaches encompassing business and process risks and an increased focus on fraud risks. This study examines whether audit planning is ,risk adjusted' using archival data from 235 clients from a well-established audit firm in Japan. We address all four aspects of audit planning (nature, extent, timing and staffing) and examine a wider variety of client risks than prior archival studies in order to reflect the current holistic audit approaches of global auditing firms. The main results indicate that although audit planning is based on the level of and change in assessments of many audit risk variables, the associations between client risks and audit plans are rather modest. In this respect, our findings are consistent with those from prior research. We also find that client risks that comprise business risk and fraud risk affect audit planning to some extent. Finally, we report exploratory results suggesting a substitution effect between audit planning judgments in response to higher client risks such as increasing the extent of validity tests while decreasing the extent of confirmations. [source]


An examination of the role of perceptions in neighborhood research,

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
Mark W. Roosa
Accumulating research demonstrates that both archival indicators and residents' self-reports of neighborhood conditions are useful predictors of a variety of physical health, mental health, substance use, criminal, and educational outcomes. Although studies have shown these two types of measures are often related, no research has systematically examined their relationship. With a sample of Mexican Americans, this study examined this relationship and demographic factors that might account for variations of residents' perceptions of their neighborhoods. Results showed that country of birth, social class, family structure, and gender moderated relations between archival variables and adults' perceptions of danger. Thus using information from both archival data and self-reports should improve the ability of neighborhood researchers to understand individual differences in responses to neighborhood conditions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Ranking institutional settings based on publications in community psychology journals

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 8 2007
Leonard A. Jason
Two primary outlets for community psychology research, the American Journal of Community Psychology and the Journal of Community Psychology, were assessed to rank institutions based on publication frequency and scientific influence of publications over a 32-year period. Three specific periods were assessed (1973,1983, 1984,1994, 1995,2004). Findings indicate that there were a large group of institutions that published articles during these periods. Those academic institutions that had the most published articles as well as the largest influence, based on citations by other authors, were identified. Using archival data from the community psychology literature represents one approach for identifying those settings that made substantial contributions to the development and growth of the field. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 35: 967,979, 2007. [source]


Comparing Personality Scales Across Time: An Illustrative Study of Validity and Consistency in Life-Span Archival Data

JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 1 2000
Leslie R. Martin
The goals of this study were: (a) to examine whether personality scales, meaningful in contemporary terms, could be derived from archival data; and (b) to use these scales to aid our understanding of the relation of personality to mortality. NEO PI-R data and a battery of archival items, taken from Terman's Life Cycle Study, were collected on two new samples (sample 1 mean age = 11.9, n = 167; sample 2 mean age = 22.2, n = 203). Measurement invariance of the archival scales was assessed, and validity was examined using both rational analyses and associations with the Five Factor Model. It was demonstrated that interpretable scales can be derived from 50- to 70-year-old archival data. The archival adult personality data were then used to predict mortality. Conscientiousness remains the strongest personality predictor of longevity. Criteria for establishing the validity of archivally derived scales are suggested. [source]


THE CONTRIBUTION OF THIRD-PARTY INDICES IN ASSESSING GLOBAL OPERATIONAL RISKS;,

JOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2010
KUNTAL BHATTACHARYYA
In the face of global uncertainties and a growing reliance on third-party indices to obtain a snapshot of a country's operational risks, we explore the related questions: How accurately do third-party indices capture a country's operational risk, and how does the operational risk of the country, in turn, affect the volume of its import and export supply chains? We examine these questions by empirically investigating 81 member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) using archival data collected from UN agencies, independent think tanks, the WTO, and the Economist Intelligence Unit. We use seven third-party indices to gauge a country's internal environment and map those indices to corresponding country-specific operational risks to further understand the consequent effects of those operational risks on trading volume. Results provide strong evidence for the use of certain third-party indices in assessing operational risk. In addition, operational risks are found to negatively affect the volume of import and export supply chains, albeit in varying degrees. [source]


An improved method for determination of Holocene coastline changes around two ancient settlements in southern Anatolia: a geoarchaeological approach to historical land degradation studies

LAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2003
Y. Bal
Abstract Two well-known ancient sites in southern Anatolia were selected to investigate and quantify the impact of historical land degradation on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. These sites are the Luwian settlements of Kelenderis (modern Ayd,nc,k) and nearby Nagidos (Bozyaz,), both in Mersin Province and both occupied since around 4000,BP. Changes in local climatic conditions over this period have produced variations in the rates of fluvial transport of sediment/soil from the hinterland into the relevant deltaic regions, thus influencing rates of coastal progradation and aggradation. In addition, both eustatic and neotectonic movements have contributed to deltaic subsidence and/or hinterland uplift, with consequential impact on coastal evolution (positive or negative). The novel geoarchaeological methodology adopted in this study involves the creation of a graphical archive from detailed and standardised measurements taken from rectified mono- and stereoscopic aerial photographs. These archival data were then integrated with data from several types of historical map and field measurements in order to develop a geographical information system (GIS) database that could be interrogated, enabling graphical models of past coastal change to be constructed and calculations then made of the coastal configurations at successive historical periods. These calculations reveal that over the past 6000 years there has been only limited erosion/degradation in the karstic hinterland supplying the sediment to these two study sites (contrary to some previous statements concerning the high degradation risk of Mediterranean karst terrains). Furthermore, rates of progradation in each delta appear to have become diminished or even reversed in the past several decades as a result of both natural and anthropogenic factors. The precise contribution of neotectonic movements in this seismically active zone remains unquantified and is a topic requiring further interdisciplinary study. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Counting individual galaxies from deep 24-,m Spitzer surveys

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006
G. Rodighiero
ABSTRACT We address the question of how to deal with confusion-limited surveys in the mid-infrared (MIR) domain by using information from shorter-wavelength observations over the same sky regions. Such information, once applied to apparently extended MIR sources, which are indeed ,blends' of two or more different sources, allow us to disentangle the single counterparts and to split the measured flux density into different components. We present the application of this method to the 24-,m Spitzer archival data in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey ELAIS-N1 (GOODS EN1) test field, where apparently extended, ,blended' sources constitute about 20 per cent of a reliable sample of 983 sources detected above the 5, threshold down to 40 ,Jy. As a shorter-wavelength data set, we have considered the public Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) images and catalogues of the same field. We show that the 24-,m sample is almost unbiased down to ,40 ,Jy and the careful application of the deblending procedure does not require any statistical completeness correction (at least at the flux level considered). This is probed by direct comparison of our results with results in the literature that analysed the same data set through extensive Monte Carlo simulations. The extrapolation of the source counts down to fainter fluxes suggests that our 24-,m sample is able to resolve ,62 per cent of the cosmic background down to a flux level of 38 ,Jy. [source]


The 1,1000 ,m spectral energy distributions of far-infrared galaxies

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2006
A. Sajina
ABSTRACT Galaxies selected at 170 ,m by the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) Far-IR BACKground (FIRBACK) survey represent the brightest ,10 per cent of the cosmic infrared background. Examining their nature in detail is therefore crucial for constraining models of galaxy evolution. Here, we combine Spitzer archival data with previous near-infrared (near-IR), far-IR, and submillimetre (submm) observations of a representative sample of 22 FIRBACK galaxies spanning three orders of magnitude in IR luminosity. We fit a flexible, multicomponent, empirical SED model of star-forming galaxies designed to model the entire ,1,1000 ,m wavelength range. The fits are performed with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach, allowing for meaningful uncertainties to be derived. This approach also highlights degeneracies such as between Td and ,, which we discuss in detail. From these fits and standard relations we derive: LIR, LPAH, star formation rate (SFR), ,V, M*, Mdust, Td, and ,. We look at a variety of correlations between these and combinations thereof in order to examine the physical nature of these galaxies. Our conclusions are supplemented by morphological examination of the sources, and comparison with local samples. We find the bulk of our sample to be consistent with fairly standard size and mass disc galaxies with somewhat enhanced star formation relative to local spirals, but likely not bona fide starbursts. A few higher- z luminous infrared galaxies (LIGs) and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIGs) are also present, but contrary to expectation, they are weak mid-IR emitters and overall are consistent with star formation over an extended cold region rather than concentrated in the nuclear regions. We discuss the implications of this study for understanding populations detected at other wavelengths, such as the bright 850-,m Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) sources or the faint Spitzer 24-,m sources. [source]


Indicators of information and communication technology adoption in the nonprofit sector: Changes between 2000 and 2004

NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP, Issue 3 2006
Seth Finn
With the knowledge that information and communication technology (ICT) has brought about significant changes in the structure and functioning of businesses, this research provides information about the changes that have occurred in ICT adoption in nonprofit organizations between 2000 and 2004. Using archival data, it specifically investigates various indicators of ICT adoption and adoption readiness factors. Results illustrate that nonprofit organizations are beginning to position themselves to take advantage of the opportunities provided by ICT adoption. [source]


THE TRANSPORTABILITY OF JOB INFORMATION ACROSS COUNTRIES

PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2008
PAUL J. TAYLOR
Three Occupational Information Network (O*NET) instruments (Generalized Work Activities, Basic and Cross-Functional Skills, Work Styles) were administered to 1,007 job incumbents, from 369 organizations, performing 1 of 3 jobs (first-line supervisor, office clerk, computer programmer) in New Zealand, China, and Hong Kong. Data from these countries were compared with archival data collected from 370 incumbents holding similar jobs in the United States. Hypothesized country differences, derived from cross-cultural theory, received limited support. The magnitude of differences in mean item ratings between incumbents from the United States and the other 3 countries were generally small to moderate in size, and rank-orderings of the importance and level of work activities and job requirements were quite similar, suggesting that, for most applications, job information is likely to transport quite well across countries. [source]


Birth Order Effects and Rebelliousness: Political Activism and Involvement with Marijuana

POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2002
Richard L. Zweigenhaft
Frank Sulloway (1996) has claimed that later-borns are more likely to rebel against the status quo than are firstborns. The two studies reported here attempt to examine more fully Sulloway's claims about rebelliousness. The studies draw on archival data from studies of high school and college students in a midwestern state between 1969 and 1982. The current studies compare the effects of birth order, gender, family size, and father's education on two self-report measures: participation in protests and demonstrations, and involvement with marijuana. The data on involvement with marijuana provided support for Sulloway's thesis that later-borns are more rebellious than firstborns, but the data on participation in protests and demonstrations did not. These mixed findings, which contribute to the ongoing debate about Sulloway's theory, are discussed. [source]


George Bush and the 102d Congress: The Impact of Public and "Private" Veto Threats on Policy Outcomes

PRESIDENTIAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2003
Richard S. Conley
Using archival data uncovered at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, this article develops a typology of veto threats and compares the effect of "private" and "public" veto threats on policy outcomes in the 102d Congress (1991-1992) by legislative significance. The results suggest that formal models of veto threats have overstated the centrality of public rhetoric for an effective strategy. Private veto threats issued outside the public eye halted a host of minor legislation to which Bush objected. Veto threats that started off behind the scenes, only to be made public later, served as early signals that frequently won the president concessions on routine bills. By contrast, public threats on highly salient legislation were most likely to yield vetoes and inter-branch confrontation. [source]


The Separation of Powers and Supreme Court Agenda Setting

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2010
Ryan J. Owens
This study employs the first systematic, empirical analysis that relies on archival data to examine whether the separation of powers influences justices' agenda votes. It spatially models how justices set the Court's agenda under a sincere approach as well as an SOP approach and compares the competing expectations derived therefrom. The results suggest that legislative and executive preferences fail to influence justices' votes. Across every model tested, the data show justices uninfluenced by the separation of powers. These results provide a strong rejoinder to SOP models, since the Court's agenda stage is the most likely stage of the decision-making process to show signs of an SOP effect. [source]


Commercial Innovations from Consulting Engineering Firms: An Empirical Exploration of a Novel Source of New Product Ideas

THE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2003
Ian Alam
Industrial firms interact with many outside organizations such as the customers, suppliers, competitors, and universities to obtain input for their new product development (NPD) programs. The importance of interfirm interactions is reflected in a large number of interdisciplinary studies reported in a wide variety of literature bases. As a result, several sources of new product ideas have been investigated in the extant literature. Yet given the growing complexity and risks in new product development, there seems to be a need for managers to obtain input from new and unutilized sources. Apparently, one source that industry has not tapped adequately for its NPD efforts is the consulting engineering firms (CEFs). To fill the aforementioned gap in the literature, this article explores the roles and suitability of CEFs in new product development by conducting a rigorous in-depth case research of new product idea generation in a large Australian firm manufacturing a variety of industrial products. To generate ideas for the sponsoring firm, longitudinal field interviews with 64 managers and engineers from 32 large CEFs were conducted over a one-and-one-half year period. The findings of the field interviews were combined with the documentary evidences and the archival data. This longitudinal data collection enabled the author to generate new product ideas over real time and to gain access to the information that otherwise might have been difficult to obtain. The results suggest that CEFs are a rich source of new product ideas of potential commercial value. However, industry is making little use of CEFs, which underscores the need for industrial firms to collaborate and to establish an effective idea transfer relationship with them. Moreover, the services of CEFs are not restricted to idea generation but can stretch across the entire NPD process. These findings of the study encourage product managers to conceptualize NPD as a highly synergistic mutually interdependent process between CEFs and industrial firms rather than simply an arm's-length consulting transactions. Given the dearth of research on idea generation with CEFs, this study highlights the findings that are novel and that go beyond the techniques of new product idea generation established in the extant literature. [source]


Houses and the ritual construction of gendered homes in South Africa

THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, Issue 4 2003
Linda Waldman
This article examines Griqua women's association with houses in historic, economic, and ritual contexts during the twentieth century. Using archival data, I argue that the connection between women and houses in South Africa stems from a complex interaction between their pre-colonial Khoi origins, Christian missionary activity, and apartheid government housing policy. Ethnographic research demonstrates how, during the second half of the twentieth century, women ritually stressed their association with houses, but were unable to sustain this dominance in everyday life. An examination of ritual, gender, and housing, in relation to material objects and space, provides insights into how a series of rituals performed in Griquatown facilitates both the expression of an unambiguous Griqua identity and daily multi-ethnic interactions. [source]


Stanford University Network for Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP): 24-month experience with telemedicine screening

ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 3 2010
Yohko Murakami
Abstract. Purpose:, To report the 24-month experience of the Stanford University Network for Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP) telemedicine initiative. Methods:, Retrospective analysis of the SUNDROP archival data gathered between 1 December 2005 and 30 November 2007 to evaluate this diagnostic technology for ROP screening. One hundred and sixty consecutively enrolled infants meeting ROP examination criteria were screened with the RetCam II and evaluated by the SUNDROP reading centre at Stanford University. Nurses obtained five or six images in each eye. All patients also received a dilated examination within 1 week of discharge. Outcomes included treatment-warranted retinopathy of prematurity (TW-ROP) and anatomical outcomes. Results:, In the initial 24-month period, the SUNDROP telemedicine initiative has not missed any TW-ROP. A total of 160 infants (320 eyes) were imaged, resulting in 669 exams and 7556 images. Seven infants were identified with TW-ROP; six underwent laser photocoagulation and one regressed spontaneously. The sensitivity was 100%, with specificity of 99.4%. No patient progressed to retinal detachment or other adverse outcomes. Conclusion:, The SUNDROP telemedicine screening initiative for ROP has been proven to have a high degree of sensitivity and specificity for the identification of treatment-warranted disease. All cases of treatment-warranted disease were captured. There were no adverse outcomes. [source]