The role of zooarchaeology in the interpretation of socioeconomic status: a discussion with reference to Medieval Europe

Social inequality is ubiquitous in human society, and the concept of social standing has been of fundamental importance throughout time (Price and Feinman 1995). The inference of social status has encountered problems in many areas of archaeology (see Orser 1990; Grenville 1997), and the use of zooarchaeology as part of an integrated approach may contribute to our understanding of important issues (Crabtree 1990). This paper reviews the various criteria used to infer socioeconomic status from faunal assemblages, taking examples from a variety of contexts, but concentrating primarily on medieval Europe, and England in particular. The problems associated with the application of zooarchaeological methods to this sphere of research are discussed, and some possible solutions proposed. It is suggested that zooarchaeology can play an important role in answering questions relating to socioeconomic standing, provided that it forms part of a wider archaeological strategy

Examining Moral Hazard in the Healthcare Insurance Market

This study aims to examine the effect of insurance coverage on medical expenditure in the United States. The data was gathered from the Household Component Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and is a cross-sectional data set with a sample size of approximately 1500 observations. The study also distinguishes between public and private insurance coverage to compare the potential moral hazard in the two separate markets. The results of this study suggest that insurance status, specifically public, has a strong positive effect on healthcare expenditure. This result, combined with a negative relationship between household income and healthcare expenditure, suggests that the source of financial funds rather than the ability to pay determines the demand for healthcare services. The study indicates that individuals are very sensitive to the financial incentives provided by public insurance and inefficiencies within the public insurance market should be examined by future research

Bone and antler combs: towards a methodology for the understanding of trade and identity in Viking Age England and Scotland

This paper outlines the methodology of a doctoral research project at the University of York. The medium of study is the bone and antler hair comb, and the approach is one of integration. The project’s aims are twofold: to elucidate the means of distribution of these artefacts, and to develop our understanding of identity in Viking Age England and Scotland. The first phase of the project involves the review of methods of raw material analysis, whereby new and established identification criteria will be tested on a large sample of modern material. Should the results prove promising, the techniques will be employed in a study of combs from Viking Age contexts in northern England and Scotland. These zoologically-based methods will then be integrated with techniques taken from other areas of artefact analysis. Style and manufacture will be investigated through a variety of statistical and map-based techniques. These fine-grained analyses will develop our understanding of the way in which these objects were produced and exchanged. Building from these bases, a study of context and associations, together with a review of ethnohistoric evidence from the period, should help to elucidate the comb’s role in the construction of identity

A business taking the social initiative : the Carter Holt Harvey Tasman case : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management, Massey University

This thesis explores the workplace of a sustainable award-winning company in a small New Zealand town. Its special focus is on investigating how employees perceive the firm's exercising of social responsibility in relation to its various communities and, in particular, its support of social initiatives. Qualitative methods were used and multiple sources of evidence drawn on, in order to allow a broad range of historical, attitudinal and behavioural issues to be analysed in this single case study. The results demonstrated that employees tended not to view their employer's social initiatives in isolation, but to adopt a much broader focus that took into account other aspects of organisational life. Consequently, some employees were critical of the extent of support given the external community, while others (particularly those involved in social initiatives) saw room for expansion of the firm's support. Key factors found to be influencing the way in which employees' perceived the firm's support of social initiatives were the employer's workplace performance, the strong family-oriented workplace culture, and individuals' concerns for the local community. Business outcomes perceived to arise from employees' involvement in the firm's environmental and community initiatives included more satisfied and professionally-skilled employees with a higher personal profile, and a significantly enhanced reputation for the firm. The employer was thought to be mostly concerned with the latter outcome, and to be largely unaware of the potential for human resource benefits to simultaneously be accrued as employees engaged in social initiatives. Areas identified for future research include how the skills and attributes acquired during the participation experience may impact on individual performance and affect team productivity; how employee forums established to promote management-employee collaboration on social initiatives may contribute towards the simultaneous development of more trusting and fruitful relationships, and improved interpersonal skills; and how both the separation and sharing of social and cultural values may influence the evolution of business-community relationships, and the nature of social initiatives supported by firms as they interact with their local communities

Phonology is Fundamental in Skilled Reading

There is controversy about the importance of phonology in skilled reading. Event-related potential (ERP) evidence from the initial moments of visual word recognition indicates that processing sub-lexical phonology is fundamental to skilled reading. The early timecourse of this phonological activation explains the predictive power of phonological awareness for early reading development, affirms the importance of phonological processing in learning to read, and illuminates the persistent challenges of dyslexia

Combs, Contact and Chronology : Reconsidering Hair Combs in Early-Historic and Viking-Age Atlantic Scotland

Analysis of an important collection of bone/antler hair combs from Atlantic Scotland has illuminated the chronology of early-medieval Scandinavian settlement in the region. Application of a new typology, identification of variations in manufacturing practice and analysis of spatial patterning throw light on the development of combs traditionally seen as characteristic of early-historic Atlantic Scotland. The application of new techniques of raw material analysis demonstrates the probable use of reindeer antler in combs of ‘native’ style. However, none of these combs is from contexts that can confidently be dated to the 8th century or earlier, and the pattern is indicative of Norse-native coexistence (peaceful or otherwise)in the 9th century, but not before. The comb evidence demonstrates a Scandinavian presence throughout Atlantic Scotland from early in the Viking Age, but also highlights the importance of contact with Ireland and Anglo-Saxon England