2009 Impact Report

Summarizes the impact of the foundation's 2009 discretionary community investments in education, health, arts and culture, community and economic development, and human services, as well as its Initiative for Nonprofit Excellence. Includes plans for 2010

The Antecedents and Effects of Strategic Caring: A Cross-National Empirical Study

This study develops a new construct, strategic caring, defined as actions taken by top managers within stakeholder relationships to improve the well-being of both the stakeholders and the firm. This construct is based on a review of the multidisciplinary caring literature from which a definition of individual caring was developed through content analysis, and then subjected to conceptual inferences to the organizational level of analysis. Strategic caring focuses on a broad set of firm stakeholders, and this stakeholder orientation suggests that a firm can take actions to improve the well-being of these many stakeholder groups and perform as well as, or better, that firms that do not. It is proposed that in the short-term, strategic caring will have an inverse-U relationship with firm performance. For this study, the upper echelons theory was used as a framework to suggest that national institutions would impact top managers\u27 decisions which would impact firm performance for a wide array of firms operating throughout the global economy. Archival data were collected at the national and firm level as a preliminary investigation of strategic caring. Specifically, a global sample of over 9,000 firms from over 40 countries and 10 GICS industry sectors is used to develop and test a hierarchical linear model that investigates the relationships among national level institutions, organizational discretion, and strategic caring. Finally, the relationship between strategic caring and financial performance is tested using ordinary least-squares regression models. In this study, there was relatively weak support for the relationship between national institutions and strategic caring. However, there was a positive relationship between national freedom of the press and strategic caring. In addition, there was also partial support that there is a nonlinear relationship between strategic caring and firm performance. Surprisingly, a negative relationship was found between national humane orientation norms and strategic caring. There were also linear relationships found between strategic caring and market performance (positive) and firm profitability (negative). This study contributes to the upper echelons theory by providing evidence that the national institutional context is weakly related to firm outcomes suggesting that the industry context and/or individual characteristics of the members of the top management team may be more influential than national institutions. Nonetheless, I did find that some institutions are systematically related to strategic caring. Furthermore, strategic caring was found to be systematically related to short-term financial performance outcomes. When managers implement organization-wide initiatives based on strategic caring, they must carefully consider the expected costs and benefits of the initiatives as they attempt to balance short-term and long-term financial impacts

Renewed global partnerships and redesigned roadmaps for rabies prevention and control

Canine rabies, responsible for most human rabies deaths, is a serious global public health concern. This zoonosis is entirely preventable, but by focusing solely upon rabies prevention in humans, this "incurable wound" persists at high costs. Although preventing human deaths through canine rabies elimination is feasible, dog rabies control is often neglected, because dogs are not considered typical economic commodities by the animal health sector. Here, we demonstrate that the responsibility of managing rabies falls upon multiple sectors, that a truly integrated approach is the key to rabies elimination, and that considerable progress has been made to this effect. Achievements include the construction of global rabies networks and organizational partnerships; development of road maps, operational toolkits, and a blueprint for rabies prevention and control; and opportunities for scaling up and replication of successful programs. Progress must continue towards overcoming the remaining challenges preventing the ultimate goal of rabies elimination

Agriculture Policy Is Health Policy.

The Farm Bill is meant to supplement and secure farm incomes, ensure a stable food supply, and support the American farm economy. Over time, however, it has evolved into a system that creates substantial health impacts, both directly and indirectly. By generating more profit for food producers and less for family farmers; by effectively subsidizing the production of lower-cost fats, sugars, and oils that intensify the health-destroying obesity epidemic; by amplifying environmentally destructive agricultural practices that impact air, water, and other resources, the Farm Bill influences the health of Americans more than is immediately apparent. In this article, we outline three major public health issues influenced by American farm policy. These are (1) rising obesity; (2) food safety; and (3) environmental health impacts, especially exposure to toxic substances and pesticides

Social Discourse Between Humans and Animals

My project is to investigate social interaction through design. I am exploring to understand the social discourse between humans and animals. I propose an animal facility which houses adoptable dogs and cats as a method of bridging gaps in social interactions that are a result of the fast-paced media society we now live in. My thesis is an attempt to prove that the notions of architecture, animal and human, are interdependent of one another—that architecture is the vehicle working towards building a new relationship between humans and animals. Our domesticated animals rely on humans but we also lean on our furry friends in times of need forming a co-dependence with one another. I am utilizing Millennial’s love of these pets to create more social connections and even provide stress relief and therapy. This new animal facility seeks to draw the technology generation out of their homes by encouraging visitors to bring their own pets to socialize both the human and the animal while providing much needed interaction with the adoptable pets. Programs such as education, animal training, medical and grooming services, retail, and cafe spaces will be implemented to make this facility a place to dwell. By providing programs which encourage visitors to stay longer, I assert this will result in more adoptions. This facility seeks to create spaces which will bring together all walks of life

How We Fight: Strategies at Emergence among Animal Rights and LGBTQ Rights Organizations

The common approach to the study of strategy among social movement organizations focuses on it as a causal variable related to various movement outcomes. This research examines strategy as an outcome to understand factors related to the determination of strategy by US social movement organizations. The analysis focuses on organizations operating within the Animal Rights / Protection and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Queer (LGBTQ) Rights movements, using Multinomial Logistic Regression models. These models explore and find some significance to the relationship between finances and strategy. Qualitative analyses of four organizations — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Animal Humane of New Mexico, Lambda Legal, and Equality New Mexico — explore the role of leaders and other external factors relating to the development of strategy. The analyses find leaders\u27 experience and skills, resources, and the organizational context as determinants of movement strategy. Implications for theoretical and methodological studies of organizations and implications for activists are suggested, including the utility of mixed-method approaches

The Missouri Model: Reinventing the Practice of Rehabilitating Youthful Offenders

Describes a promising alternative to corrections institutions focused on smaller group homes, camps, and treatment facilities; relationships and direct supervision; and intensive youth development provided by specialists. Compares several states' data

Forward Annual Report 2013

The CFMC is your local center for philanthropy, working with donors and nonprofits to create healthy, safe, vibrant communities. We work with hundreds of individuals, families and businesses to provide a road map to fulfill their philanthropic vision. We act as a catalyst, providing a bridge between our fund holders and the needs of the community. Our staff has in-depth knowledge about the range of nonprofits working to make our communities stronger

The Papal Encyclical \u3cem\u3eLaudato Si’\u3c/em\u3e: A Focus on Sustainability Attentive to the Poor

This article seeks to reflect upon Laudato Si’, the papal encyclical on ecology and sustainable development, and uncover its apparent philosophical and practical approach to the environment. It begins with a discussion of paradigms of thought that outline the new ecological paradigm (NEP) suggested in the ecological literature, thereby helping to situate the ecosophy of Laudato Si’ within current thought. As we will show, Laudato Si’ differs from the NEP by linking the poor to our approach to sustainability and in its consideration of integral ecology. Specific principles for sustainability in business are then identified and strategic approaches are recommended, as are guidelines for an eco-justice approach to business and business education