Promotions and Incentives in Nonprofit and For-Profit Organizations

[Excerpt] Using data from the 1992–95 Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality, an employer survey, the authors document a new empirical finding that workers are less likely to receive promotions in nonprofit organizations than in for-profit firms. The study also uncovers evidence that wage increases associated with promotion were of comparable magnitudes in the two sectors, as was the potential for within-job wage growth; nonprofits were less likely than for-profits to base promotions on job performance or merit; nonprofits were less likely to use output-contingent incentive contracts to motivate workers; and the observed difference in promotion rates between the nonprofit and for-profit sectors was more pronounced for high-skilled than for low-skilled workers. The authors also propose a theory, based on the idea that nonprofit workers are intrinsically motivated to a greater extent than are for-profit workers, that potentially explains the broad pattern of evidence they uncover

Neural Basis of Motivation Lateralizes with Motor Control

According to decades of research on affective motivation in the human brain, approach motivational states are subserved by the left hemisphere and avoidance states by the right hemisphere. Here we show that hemispheric specialization for motivation reverses with handedness. This covariation provides initial support for the Sword and Shield Hypothesis, according to which hemispheric laterality of affective motivation is causally linked to motor control for the dominant and non-dominant hands

Ecosystem Good and Service Co-Effects of Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration: Implications for the U.S. Geological Survey’s LandCarbon Methodology

This paper describes specific ways in which the analysis of ecosystem goods and services can be included in terrestrial carbon sequestration assessments and planning. It specifically reviews the U.S. Geological Survey’s LandCarbon assessment methodology for ecosystem services. The report assumes that the biophysical analysis of co-effects should be designed to facilitate social evaluation. Accordingly, emphasis is placed on natural science strategies and outputs that complement subsequent economic and distributional analysis.ecosystem services, carbon sequestration, land use planning

Unmet Community Needs and Overall Community Satisfaction of Older Adults in Fulton County, Georgia

Most individuals indicate a strong preference to remain in their homes and communities as they age. Aging in place can offer both economic and health benefits. As the population continues to age, it is especially critical that communities facilitate aging in place. This study aims to inform local policy by addressing two goals. First, determine potential unmet needs of older adults in Fulton County, Georgia through conducting a descriptive analysis; and second, determine predicting factors of community satisfaction through estimating a logistic regression model, based upon an adaptation of Bronfenbrenner’s social-ecological framework. Descriptive findings showed that local senior centers and meal services are prevalent. However, potential unmet needs include housekeeping, home repair, transportation, social involvement, and awareness of a senior resource hotline. The regression model revealed home repair services and demographics including marital status, education, race, and income were statistically significant predictors of overall community satisfaction in this study

Does the Firm Size Matter on Firm Entrepreneurship and Performance? U.S. Apparel Import Intermediary Case

This is the post-print version of the article found in the Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development (http://www.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=jsbed). DOI 10.1108/14626000910932926Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and performance is dependent upon firm size within a small- and medium-size enterprise (SME) population, using non-manufacturing, industry-specific empirical data. Design/methodology/approach: Survey methodology was employed, using a national sample of U.S. apparel import intermediary (AII) SMEs. Regression analysis was performed to determine the type of the moderator variable, firm size, and to test statistical significance of the firm size effect on the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and performance measures. Findings: The study's results suggested that the firm size effect was present on the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and SMEs' longevity performance; however, there was no statistical significance of the firm size effect on the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and SMEs' creative contribution or profitability performance. Research limitations/implications: Although the study results were based on randomly selected nation-wide surveys, the findings should be viewed as industry- and time-specific; generalization to a larger population, or to other firms, must be undertaken with caution. Practical implications: These findings help to recognize and understand the heterogeneity of the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and performance even within a population of SMEs. Therefore, the results suggest that AII SME managers should put different emphasis on firm entrepreneurship, depending upon specific goals and the firm size. Originality/value: The study shows that different approaches to SME entrepreneurship research are needed to recognize diversity within an SME population. The study also supports that performance measures are not necessarily correlated, thus justification of selection is critical

Research investigation of seepage control for dams and levees

The problems of a century old levee system have provided excellent research for the Corp of Engineers and others in the design and construction of earth dams for flood control, navigation and multi-purpose projects. A special problem on which valuable knowledge has been gained is that of seepage control. The experiences obtained in recent years have been supplemented by theoretical developments in the field of soil mechanics, but it is believed that considerable information will be gained on seepage control from further investigation and experience. The safety factor to prevent failure from seepage is believed to be the most critical in the present design of levees. It is important because the levee like a chain is only as strong as the weakest link. If the levee fails at one point the whole district is flooded. The damage estimated due to a single break in a levee protecting about 50,000 acres in 1944 was between 2 and 3 million dollars. Millions of dollars are being spent to construct levees for flood protection. About 5 million dollars was appropriated for levee construction in the St. Louis District alone for the year of 1949. This is a small part of the national program. Any effort in research, testing, or study for design of corrective measures to protect levees and dams from destruction due to seepage is believed worth while. The results of some experiments and design follow --Introduction, page ii

Critical Teacher Inquiry: Collaborative Action Research Using Post-Structuralist and Cross-National Provocations

This study reports on the work of six early childhood teachers and the researcher as they enacted a variation of collaborative action research in a university-based early childhood center. The project included cross-national provocation via a “day in the life” video from an infant-toddler center in Milan, Italy. In addition, the model utilized a post-structural approach known as deconstructive talk (Lenz Taguchi, 2008) to facilitate teachers’ critical reflective inquiry into their own narratives. Teachers viewed the video from Milan, discussed provocations from the video, set foci of inquiry for their own classrooms, video recorded in their own classrooms, and undertook multiple rounds of interpretation and analysis of the video documentation. Deconstructive talk within the rounds of interpretation provided an approach to uncover assumptions and allowed for exploration of the sources of knowledge underlying their pedagogical approaches. Findings reveal the areas of their own practice teachers scrutinized and the processes the group employed to engage in critical, reflective thinking about epistemological foundations of pedagogy. Particular areas of inquiry included teachers’ involvement and intervention, teachers’ roles and relationships, children’s social negotiations, and children’s use of space and materials. In addition, the findings report on how the teachers used this particular collaborative action research process to transform and reconstruct new, locally-situated epistemologies in order to inform daily pedagogical decisions. Implications of the project contribute to discourse in early childhood about possible models that foster transformative teacher discourse and situated knowledge construction