(Not)Hanging on the Telephone: Payment systems in the New Sweatshops

'The ultimate objective of empirical work on incentives should be to find out why firms use the compensation systems they doàhuge advances in our understanding could be made by a concerted effort to collect data on contracts.' So concludes the 1998 Journal of Economic Literature survey on compensation systems. This paper does just that. It presents very detailed case study evidence on contracts in four organizations, three of which are call centres, the fastest growing sector of employment in the UK. This evidence is used to test predictions from the New Economics of Personnel (NEP) concerning the incidence of payment systems. We also contrast and test predictions from NEP with those of the earlier British Institutional School, which anticipated many of NEP's ideas on payment systems. Variations in the ratio of performance-related to basic pay among our organizations can, broadly, be explained by the costs and benefits of monitoring inputs and measuring output, which comprises the core of NEP. Indeed, the monitoring of our case study employees is the theme which binds the paper together û for call centres Jeremy Bentham's 1791 Panopticon was truly the vision of the future.

A Review of Papua New Guinea's Red Meat Industry

Livestock Production/Industries,

Records management capacity and compliance toolkits : a critical assessment.

This article seeks to present the results of a project that critically evaluated a series of toolkits for assessing records management capacity and/or compliance. These toolkits have been developed in different countries and sectors within the context of the e-environment and provide evidence of good corporate and information governance. Design/methodology/approach - A desk-based investigation of the tools was followed by an electronic Delphi with toolkit developers and performance measurement experts to develop a set of evaluation criteria. Different stakeholders then evaluated the toolkits against the criteria using cognitive walkthroughs and expert heuristic reviews. The results and the research process were reviewed via electronic discussion. Findings - Developed by recognised and highly respected organisations, three of the toolkits are software tools, whilst the fourth is a methodology. They are all underpinned by relevant national/international records management legislation, standards and good practice including, either implicitly or explicitly, ISO 15489. They all have strengths, complementing rather than competing with one another. They enable the involvement of other staff, thereby providing an opportunity for raising awareness of the importance of effective records management. Practical implications - These toolkits are potentially very powerful, flexible and of real value to organisations in managing their records. They can be used for a "quick and dirty" assessment of records management capacity or compliance as well as in-depth analysis. The most important criterion for selecting the appropriate one is to match the toolkit with the scenario. Originality/value - This paper aims to raise awareness of the range and nature of records management toolkits and their potential for varied use in practice to support more effective management of records

10 out of 10 for Scottish school design? : providing an accessible, sustainable environment for 21st century education

This paper describes an on-going research project which aims to measure the extent to which the social model of disability is embedded within the school design process in Scotland. Proponents of the disability movement have called for societal structures to be reconceived based on the divergent capacities of the individual. The social model of disability can be used to explain the way in which disability is conceptualised as a barrier created by external factors which is imposed over and above an individual’s impairment. This model is used as a basis for conceiving a ‘social model of architecture’ and exploring the progress of architectural practice in responding to change. The largest school building programme in the history of Scotland has taken place, yet there is no conclusive research evaluating the performance of accessible design. This project investigates the inclusive education discourse in Scotland and its relevance to the built environment, the extent to which best practice guidelines are being met and the degree to which accessibility is considered throughout different stages of the design process. Results will be analysed to discuss the extent to which the social model is embedded within current school design and the case of Scotland’s schools will be used to develop a framework for implementation which takes into consideration a holistic view of the entire design process

Directional solidification of superalloys

This invention relates to the directional solidification of superalloys, in particular nickel-based superalloys, by imposition of a predetermined temperature profile in the solidification front and, depending on the desired results, a predetermined rate of advance of said solidification front, whereas castings of markedly superior fatigue resistance are produced

The Link Between Intimate Partner Violence, Substance Abuse and Mental Health in California

Presents findings about how Californians who have been victims of intimate partner violence as adults are more likely to report serious psychological distress, violence-related substance abuse, and need for mental health and/or substance abuse services

Gait and cognition: mapping the global and discrete relationships in ageing and neurodegenerative disease

Recent research highlights the association of gait and cognition in older adults but a stronger understanding is needed to discern coincident pathophysiology, patterns of change, examine underlying mechanisms and aid diagnosis. This structured review mapped associations and predictors of gait and cognition in older adults with and without cognitive impairment, and Parkinson's disease. Fifty papers out of an initial yield of 22,128 were reviewed and a model of gait guided analysis and interpretation. Associations were dominated by the pace domain of gait; the most frequently studied domain. In older adults pace was identified as a predictor for cognitive decline. Where comprehensive measurement of gait was conducted, more specific pathological patterns of association were evident highlighting the importance of this approach. This review confirmed a robust association between gait and cognition and argues for a selective, comprehensive measurement approach. Results suggest gait may be a surrogate marker of cognitive impairment and cognitive decline. Understanding the specific nature of this relationship is essential for refinement of diagnostics and development of novel therapies

Cooperation after War: International Development in Bosnia, 1995 to 1999

This paper discusses how predispositions, incentives, the number and heterogeneity of participants, and leadership (Faerman et al. 2001) jointly influenced the international effort to develop Bosnia and Herzegovina. International coalitions, task forces, and advisory groups are increasingly charged with implementing reforms following civil conflict. This requires a complex web of interorganizational relationships among NGOS, donors and host nations at both global and ‘ground’ levels. To better understand development assistance, attention must be paid to the relationships between these varied players. We find that four factors influenced relationships between policy, donor, and implementing organizations; and those strained relationships, in turn, affected development success. The paper draws on interviews, conducted in Bosnia, with 43 development professionals, observation of development meetings in Tuzla and Sarajevo, and review of related documents from international development programs.international development, interorganizational relationships and cooperation