Pesticides: Can We Do Without Them?

These are the teaching notes for a case study in which students sift through and organize information on pesticide use presented to them from the perspective of different stakeholders. The case asks a fundamental question, "Can we do without pesticides?", and gives students an opportunity to explore the issues surrounding that question. Developed for an environmental issues course, the case would be appropriate for any introductory course that addresses human-environment interactions. As they pursue the case, students will be able to define the terms pest and pesticide and give specific examples; discuss benefits and harmful effects of pesticide use; discuss implications of banning pesticides; and articulate the ecological, ethical, economic, social, and political issues involved. Educational levels: High school, Undergraduate lower division

Getting on the E List: E-Mail Use in a Community of Service Provider

This case examines how a community of organizations providing service to people experiencing homelessness made use of an electronic mail list. Current economic conditions have encouraged organizations in various sectors—including nonprofits—that might normally compete for scarce resources to collaborate with one another to increase their chances of survival. One set of tools likely to be of value in such relationships includes various online discussion technologies. An examination of this community’s email list use over a three-year period suggests a somewhat complex picture regarding technology use. More specifically, some issues both constrain and enable use. Additionally, seemingly basic and minimal uses of the list provided not only the greatest functionality for the users, but also led to several unanticipated consequences for those involved

The Interconnectedness Between Home Builders and the Asian American Community

California’s ethnic and cultural diversity has always influenced its housing market, lifestyle, and business investments. A great example of this is the increasing Asian-American demand for new housing in the Los Angeles Basin. Using The Olson Company as an example, this article investigates the interconnectedness and mutual influence between home builders and the Asian-American community. We will present demographic trends showing how the tenfold increase of Asian-Americans in California since 1960 has dynamically influenced Southern California’s inner and outer suburbs. Combined with an analysis of the Asian-American buyer profile from The Olson Company‘s home sales in Southern California, we find that demand for “smart growth” urban product is strong within this population segment. A psychographic analysis of these buyers draws conclusions for basic site and product design and marketing approaches. Several recent examples of projects in the West San Gabriel Valley highlight how the challenges of limited supply conditions in an essentially built-out urban landscape can be overcome via the interconnectedness of builders and homebuyers

Households' responses to spousal job loss: 'all change' or 'carry on as usual'?

Economic theory suggests that when a primary earner within a couple loses their job, one potential response is for the secondary earner to seek additional paid work to bolster their household finances. Yet, the empirical quantitative evidence regarding any such 'added worker effect' is mixed. To investigate why this might be, we explore the processes behind household responses to job loss through qualitative interviewing techniques. The findings indicate that the use of additional spousal labour is only one response of many alternatives and typically only invoked in cases of serious financial hardship

Strategies for reducing nonresponse in a longitudinal panel survey

This article provides an evaluation of some of the fieldwork procedures and survey systems used on the British Household Panel Study (BHPS). The BHPS procedures for dealing with nonresponse through panel maintenance systems, tracking procedures, and refusal conversion during fieldwork are described. The analysis uses data from the first four waves of BHPS from 1991 to 1994, to examine longitudinal patterns of response and reasons for refusal. The reasons for refusal or for becoming a non-contact over the life of the panel are discussed. The process of refusal conversion is described together with conversion outcomes. Finally the effect of interviewer continuity on maintaining the co-operation of sample members is examined. The article argues that in the context of a longitudinal panel survey, having a relatively complex set of procedures in place is critically important to minimise nonresponse and maintain high response rates over time