Silicon Valley: Labor\u27s High-Tech Stumping

[Excerpt] Nestled 50 miles south of San Francisco, Silicon Valley has been touted as the model for the future of industrial and corporate America. More important, it could serve as a blueprint for deploying the power of labor\u27s political action — and doing it right

Working Partnership USA: The Latest Initiative for a Council On the Cutting Edge

[Excerpt] Inject a dose of innovation and a lot of hard work, and there are over 600 local labor councils across the United States which can be jumpstarted to play pivotal roles in labor\u27s rebirth. Our experience in Santa Clara County (San Jose and Silicon Valley, California) demonstrates what can be accomplished when a central body moves aggressively to realize its full promise. New initiatives such as establishing a non-profit called Working Partnerships USA to promote an economic justice agenda, and forming the South Bay Campaign Management Institute to train and support labor\u27s candidates are rapidly becoming effective vehicles for political action, economic development, and community organizing

Establishing Processing Priorities: Recommendations from a 2017 Study of Practices in US Repositories

Building upon archival scholarship and previous solutions addressing backlog collections, this study seeks to identify a comprehensive, integrated, and effective strategy to establish and maintain processing priorities. This study is based on supporting research, which includes the results of a survey of archivists and the findings of five focus group discussions about processing priorities. Using these findings, the authors (a) consider whether this focus on an old problem has motivated archivists to find innovative solutions; (b) determine whether archivists are using these tools; (c) consider whether and how archivists have changed processing priority practices and policies; and (d) seek to clarify current metrics to establish overall processing priorities

A South African perspective on professional ballet dancers' career transitions (2018 - 2021)

The discourse of dancers' and career transitions has significantly increased since the 1980s, and much of the literature views the topic of dancers and career transitions from European, American and Australian perspectives. No literature from a South African perspective was found, and this research dissertation aims to fill this gap. This research explores the phenomenon of a dancer's career transition from a South African perspective through a microcosm - four interviews conducted with former professional ballet dancers from a single ballet company. The aim was to answer the main research question; What is the experience of South African ballet dancers transitioning from a full-time professional stage performing career to alternative careers or roles? A Phenomenological case study was applied to explore and identify the former dancer's transition experiences. Qualitative data was gathered through in-depth interviews with four former dancers who had been employed full-time by a single company in the Western Cape, South Africa. The transcripts of the data collected were analysed using thematic analysis, and four themes emerged: 1. Loss, grief and coping processes. 2. Preparation for an exit. 3. Support systems. 4. South African experience versus outside South Africa experience. Several established theories and models were used to underpin the interpretations and understandings of the experiences of these former dancers. These include Irina Roncaglia's Career Transition Model for Ballet Dancers (Roncaglia, 2006), Colin Murray Parkes' Psychosocial Transition Theory (1998), Margret Stroebe and Henk Schut's Dual-process Model of Coping and Bereavement (1995), Britton Brewer, Judy Van Raalte and Darwyn Linder's Athletic Identity (1993), and Carolyn Cutrona and Daniel Russell's ideas on types of Social Support (1990) along with an exploration on the profile of South African dancers. The research demonstrates that even though South African ballet dancers find themselves in different training and performing environments compared to their European, American and Australian counterparts, the experiences of dancers' transitioning out of a professional stage performing career have similar themes yet are unique for each individual. The research also comments on suggestions to improve South African dancers' experiences while considering the socio-economic climate of Dance in South Africa. Recommendations for further study are made, borne from the limitations and findings of this research. In closing, although zoomed into experiences from a single ballet company, the four themes provide an answer to the research question, which allows for a new perspective (South African) to be added to the already established dialogue of dancers and career transitions

Family, property, and negotiations of authority: Francoise Brulart and the estate management of noble women in early modern Burgundy

There is no question that early modern France was a patriarchal society. In fact, during this period, there was an increase in legislation further subordinating women under the authority of their fathers and then of their husbands. The legal identities of women as daughters and wives was officially negligible. However, this dissertation argues that in practice, family needs trumped the constricting legal prescriptions placed upon women. In examining the estate accounts, contracts, and family papers of the Saulx-Tavanes, Brulart, Le Goux, Joly, Marmier, and Baissey families, it is abundantly clear that women of both the noblesse de robe and noblesse d\u27épée were actively engaged in estate management which required negotiations of the legal hurdles placed in front of them. At least unofficially noblemen expected their wives to enter marriage armed with a cadre of managerial skills to be employed for the good of the family during their marriage and if necessary after. Furthermore, noble husbands, many of whom were legists themselves, seemed to have fully embraced women\u27s negotiations of familial authority as commonplace. ^ Françoise Brulart was a member of the noblesse de robe in Burgundy, albeit of the highest echelon, who married a prominent member of the noblesse d\u27épée, Claude de Saulx-Tavanes. From the onset of their marriage, Françoise and Claude worked together in a sort of collaborative partnership, one in which he clearly depended on her to take an active role in co-managing the estate and family economy. Upon his death, rather than naming a male relative as the trustee over his properties, he left Françoise in charge. In her viduity, she increased her assiduous estate administration while successfully continuing to promote and defend the family rights and assets. Françoise\u27s experiences and agency were far from singular. Through the analysis of documents involving not only Françoise Brulart, but also those of Louise Joly, Anne de Marmier and Anne de Baissey, it is clear that both in marriage and in widowhood, family success and advancement relied on the ability of noble women to administer the estates frugally, and to sustain, and if possible to grow, the family assets

The Correlation Between Self-Efficacy, Differentiated Instruction, and Gifted Training in Schools Serving Students Originating From Under-Resourced Homes

Teachers face the challenge of meeting diverse learners’ academic needs. Many learners from historically underrepresented student populations enter school with varying exposure to quality learning opportunities creating an academic gap and affecting gifted identification. Differentiation moved to the forefront of education as part of the response to intervention process and to meet gifted learners’ academic needs. However, many teachers may feel ill-equipped to address a wide range of ability levels. The classroom’s diverse and dynamic nature required efficacious teachers prepared to differentiate instruction effectively. The purpose of this bivariate correlational study was to examine the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy, teachers’ perceptions and frequency of use of differentiated instruction, and gifted endorsement for teachers in northwestern South Carolina whose districts serve a large student population originating from under-resourced homes and who also offer gifted programming. The sample consisted of 108 teachers from four districts. Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and Tomlinson’s differentiated instruction model guided the study as they relate to teachers’ perceptions and frequency of use of differentiation and training. Self-reported data from Likert-type surveys assessed teachers’ sense self-efficacy as measured by the Teachers’ Sense of Self-Efficacy Scale and perceptions and frequency of use of DI practices as measured by the Teachers’ Perceptions and Use of Differentiated Instruction Practices Survey. Bivariate linear regression analyses indicated that gifted endorsement did not predict teachers’ sense of self-efficacy, did not predict teachers’ perceptions of differentiated instructional practices, and did not predict teachers’ frequency of implementation of differentiated instructional practices

The Impact of Computer Security Regulation on American Companies

Since the mid 1990\u27s, e-business and electronic communication have spread rapidly and widely throughout the United States. According to one study, the majority of the U.S. population, fifty-four percent, used the Internet in September 2001, up twenty-six percent from the year before. Companies are targeting their e-business efforts to reach this expanding customer base. By entering the world of e-business, companies can benefit from lower transaction costs, improvement in the time to take products to market, cost savings in inventory and supply chain reduction, improved communications, and the ability to outsource organizational tasks such as payroll and customer-relations management. Cost savings and easy access for both online businesses and consumers depend on the ability of such online businesses to collect, store, transfer, and analyze vast amounts of data. As more and more business is conducted online, electronic security has become more of a concern. In 2001 alone, $380 million was lost due to breaches in electronic security. While terrorist attacks and financial fraud should motivate companies to carefully consider their information security, recent developments in the law require some companies to safeguard certain types of consumer information. Additionally, Internet users appear concerned about disclosing personal identifying information. According to a recent study, eightynine percent of Internet users are worried that companies may sell their private information, and eighty-one percent of Internet users who seek health information want the right to sue an online web company for violations of their privacy policies. Companies that wish to collect and use such data need to consider what steps they can take to reassure customers and to overcome their fears. The implementation of adequate security measures may improve consumer confidence. According to one survey conducted by Cyber Dialogue, retailers lost$6.2 billion in sales in 2001 from consumers concerned about the privacy of their information. The focus of this Article is on legal requirements for the implementation of security safeguards to protect the privacy of information

Work group inclusion : test of a scale and model

We develop a theoretically based 10-item measure of work group inclusion comprised of two components (belongingness and uniqueness) and use this measure to empirically test the nomological network of work group inclusion developed by Shore et al. In Phase 1, we use two samples of full-time employees to develop and refine items as well as establish content validity. In Phase 2, we demonstrate convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity with both conceptually related and unrelated constructs. In Phase 3, we use data from an additional sample of employees and supervisors to test criterion-related validity and mediation by examining the multilevel relationships between inclusion and important antecedents and outcomes. Across the three phases of our study, the results demonstrate support not only for the factor structure, reliability, and validity of our work group inclusion measure but also for a theoretical model in which the construct of inclusion has important implications for individuals and organizations

Stakeholder Focus Groups to Inform a Technology-Based Strategy of Preceptor Support

While preceptors are a vital link in student nurse practice education, ongoing support beyond an initial orientation is often lacking. It has been reported in the literature that preceptors experience stress related to difficulties in handling preceptee situations. They are frustrated by negative experiences centered on preceptor-identified hallmarks of unsafe practice including the inability to demonstrate knowledge and skills; attitude problems; unprofessional behavior; and poor communication skills. Their unrealized expectations for novices threaten their commitment to their preceptor role. As part of a larger study testing the effectiveness of podcasts as an ongoing method of preceptor support, this paper addresses the developmental stage of the podcasts. A team of academic and acute care nurse educators developed scripts for eventual filming of four podcasts focusing on unsafe practice issues, designed to provide continual support through web-based availability. The use of podcast technology is consistent with the learning styles of digital natives and is a demonstrated and valuable educational resource to review, reinforce, and clarify difficult concepts. These podcasts were informed through preceptor focus groups to address situational and environmental realism for student behaviors and preceptor responses