Implications for partners of persons who initiate a significant, intentional, lifestyle change

grantor: University of TorontoThe purpose of this study was to examine the implications of significant, intentional, lifestyle change for the partners of persons initiating the change. This study focused exclusively on partners of persons who intentionally chose to reside full-time aboard a boat (liveaboard lifestyle) as an alternative to a land-based lifestyle. Interviews were conducted with 41 individuals, each of whom was experiencing one of six specific phases of implementing their lifestyle change. Participants were interviewed and tracked over a two year period from January 1995 to January 1997. All participants completed pre-interview questionnaires; an interview schedule was then administered in person, over the telephone, or in some instances, in writing. Subsequent to the major interview, participants provided follow-up data in written format. Factors which contributed to the non-initiating partners' derived benefits from the change included: an altered sense of independence; equal partnership in the change; and the quality of their relationship with their partners. Non-initiating partners who experienced the evolution of the proposed change from their partner's plan to 'our' plan, reported greater benefits and more derived happiness from the change than those who believed the proposed change remained solely their partners. Prior sailing experience and initial reactions to the proposed change were not determinants of benefits derived. The primary motivations to make the lifestyle change were the lure of travel and adventure, and the opportunity for self-growth and personal achievement. Several were motivated by a compelling need to have their partners 'live their dream'. The vast majority of study participants reported that the very act of supporting their partners dream enriched and enhanced their own lives in ways they had not previously imagined. The findings related to the non-initiating partners motivation to support his or her partner's proposed change may provide insight for those contemplating a similar lifestyle change. The factors that precipitated the convergence of a change that was externally imposed, to one that became chosen, planned for, and eventually achieved, has implications for couples contemplating making a similar significant lifestyle change as well as for those professionals who are engaged to assist potential change-makers.Ed.D

Gender-Roles and Role-Conflict in Feminist Lesbian and Heterosexual Women

Thirty-nine lesbian and 39 heterosexual feminist women were compared on (1) gender role orientation; (2) intra- and interrole conflict in daughter, intimate partner, and work roles; and (3) satisfaction with interpersonal relationships with parents, intimate partners, and co-workers/employers. The majority were Caucasian and either graduate students or professionals. Contrary to theoretical assumptions, lesbians and heterosexual women did not differ in gender role orientation. Heterosexual women reported more interrole conflict between daughter and work roles; whereas lesbians reported more interrole conflict between daughter and intimate partner roles, primarily as a result of perceived disapproval of their intimate relationships by others. Lesbians additionally reported less satisfaction with their relationships with co-workers and employers- Role conflict/satisfaction was not a function of disclosure vs. nondisclosure of sexual orientation for the lesbian women

Factors Distinguishing Samples of Lesbian and Heterosexual Women

This study utilized non-clinical samples of women and examined historical, familial, sexual, and attitudinal variables to assess differences between groups endorsing heterosexual or homosexual orientations. Drawing from social learnign theory, researchers expected the lesbian group to report more negative childhood sexual experiences with males, more positive childhood sexual experiences with females, more accepting parental attitudes toward sexuality and sexual experimentation, and more distant relationships with parents. Results indicate tha, rather than childhood sexual experiences distinguishing groups, respondents\u27 current attitudes are significant between-group discriminators. These findings are consistent with the recent body of literature that suggests that sexual orientation cannot be explained in terms of early sexual trauma or negative heterosexual experiences

Gender Roles and Role Conflict in Feminist Lesbian and Heterosexual Women

Thirty-nine lesbian and 39 heterosexual feminist women were compared on (1) gender role orientation; (2) intra- and interrole conflict in daughter, intimate partner, and work roles; and (3) satisfaction with interpersonal relationships with parents, intimate partners, and co-workers/employers. The majority were Caucasian and either graduate students or professionals. Contrary to theoretical assumptions, lesbians and heterosexual women did not differ in gender role orientation. Heterosexual women reported more interrole conflict between daughter and work roles; whereas lesbians reported more interrole conflict between daughter and intimate partner roles, primarily as a result of perceived disapproval of their intimate relationships by others. Lesbians additionally reported less satisfaction with their relationships with co-workers and employers. Role conflict/satisfaction was not a function of disclosure vs. nondisclosure of sexual orientation for the lesbian women

Food Value Chains: Creating Shared Value To Enhance Marketing Success

A new model of organization is beginning to pop up in the agribusiness sector that seeks to merge social mission objectives with core business operating principles. Known as food value chains, these business arrangements are distinguished by their commitment to transparency, collaborative business planning and exchange of market intelligence and business knowhow among chain partners, and their interest in developing business strategies and solutions that yield tangible benefits to each participant in the system. External factors that have contributed to the rise of food value chain enterprises in recent years include the growing segmentation of the consumer market, escalating demand for specialized, highly differentiated food products—even at higher price points—and the increasing appeal of food items that are produced in accordance with desired social or environmental welfare standards. The advent of low-cost communications technology has made possible new collaborative approaches to business management and oversight that operate according to a set of shared operational and ethical principles, founded on the idea of maintaining steady and open communication among all chain partners. As suppliers of highly differentiated—and highly sought after—food products, producers in food value chains typically have the opportunity to exert significant influence in price negotiations with buyers and retain a greater share of retail food spending than their counterparts in conventional supply chains. They also benefit from ongoing exposure to information about consumer purchasing habits and preferences from their downstream supply-chain partners. Meanwhile, aggregators and receivers in food value chains benefit from the provision of specialized products that can command higher prices in the marketplace and reduce their risk exposure through advance planning and price negotiations. The collaborative partnerships also provide natural opportunities to build on previous business successes by exploring and successfully executing innovative product launches and marketing strategies and evaluating opportunities for waste reduction and improvements in efficiency. This document is designed to provide guidance on how food value chains are initiated and structured, how they function, and the benefits they provide to participants, with the intent of encouraging their adoption where the opportunities for successful collaboration exist among organizations with compatible principles and complementary areas of expertise. It addresses which characteristics are desirable—and not—when seeking appropriate value-chain partners, and provides examples of how participation in a food value chain can be advantageous to all members. Special attention is devoted to exploring how values-based operating principles are defined and maintained in a food value chain and how these values are successfully communicated to buyers and to the public. The document also addresses the issue of shared leadership and succession-planning strategies within value-chain partnerships

Closing the gap between centralized and decentralized compound management approaches.

The demand for organized storage concepts to maintain, collect and distribute compounds has grown not only at pharmaceutical companies, but also at smaller research organizations and academic laboratories where there is the demand to store and retrieve substances systematically. However, budget limitations have prevented these smaller groups from buying costly storage systems offered by specialized commercial vendors. On the other hand, within pharmaceutical companies a need for inexpensive and flexible storage concepts has developed and complements the existing automated archives. For reasons of efficiency, most companies have built centralized facilities holding large collections of internal medicinal chemistry compounds to assist various, globally distributed research programs. This standardization and centralization though is not always ideal for a global organization. Therefore, site specific and localized requirements need to be addressed to ensure quick on site access to compounds without losing the global accessibility to them. In this article, we describe an approach towards a low cost and highly flexible store concept with manual compound stores of variable design addressing local needs, created to complement the existing automated stores. A key component of our implementation is the Compound Store Manager software which is capable of administering the different global stores. The developed backend system and centralized data management facilitates the operation and integration of the stores into an existing store environment

Women veterans and menopause: Knowledge and preferences

The increasing number and older age of women Veterans receiving care at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) requires health-care providers to adjust to their changing patient population. We explored women Veterans' self-reported knowledge of menopause, current/preferred sources of menopausal health information, and perceptions/barriers regarding treatment of menopausal symptoms. Three focus groups were conducted at two South Florida VHA facilities in 2014, which included 30 women Veterans (aged 45-60 years) who visited VHA primary care clinics at least once in the past year. Participants reported using various sources to obtain general and menopausal health information, particularly family, friends, and the internet. Some women also had discussions with their health-care providers, but believed not all VHA providers were knowledgeable about menopause. Most preferred older female providers, thinking they were better informed about menopausal issues. Women favored complementary/alternative therapies and were against using hormone therapy (HT) for symptom relief, although they felt they were insufficiently informed about HT. Menopausal-age women are the fastest growing group at VHA. To provide better care and enhance their experiences, the VHA must educate all primary care providers about menopausal care and strive to address women Veterans' menopausal concerns and preferences