Contract Governance and the Canadian Public Sector

This essay examines the changing character of public sector work in the Canadian federal public service context. It is based on an empirical examination of various forms of contractual relations currently operative within the Canadian state and on a comparative approach of other western liberal state reform initiatives. We argue that contract governance is an ongoing process involving distinct interrelations between the public and private sectors. In this context, we identify various forms of contract governance and flexibility schemes that have been enfolded and refolded into the conventional structures of governance, and unfolded into a liminal space between the state and civil society through the establishment of nonstandard work and the creation of alternative service delivery programmes

Issue 17: Private Sponsorship in Canada: The Resettlement of Syrian Refugees in the Kitchener-Waterloo Region

The number of refugees in need of resettlement in the world is estimated to surpass 1.44 million people in 2020, with Syrians currently representing 40% of refugees in need of resettlement. In late 2015, the Canadian government made a commitment to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees and, since then, there has been abundant research analysing the large-scale resettlement process, its successes, limitations, and lessons for future policymaking and host communities. This Policy Points contributes to these analyses by unpacking the particular lessons from the Kitchener-Waterloo region, and highlighting the resettlement experiences of privately sponsored Syrian refugees in this area. It draws on policy, program, and scholarly documents, and on a selection of 55 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with mainly privately sponsored (and some government-assisted) Syrian refugees on their experiences of resettlement in southern Ontario, Canada. In this Policy Points, we emphasize that strong leadership by governments and civil society groups and organizations is crucial in the private sponsorship of Syrians, and that more policy attention and research are needed to improve the private sponsorship program in the K-W region

The properties and environment of primitive solar nebulae as deduced from observations of solar-type pre-main sequence stars

The following topics were discussed: (1) current observation evidence for the presence of circumstellar disks associated with solar type pre-main sequence (PMS) stars; (2) the properties of such disks; and (3) the disk environment

The evolution of young stellar object disks and their environment

The main efforts were directed towards determining the frequency of disk occurrence and the timescales for disk evolution for solar-type and intermediate mass stars. The results of the investigation showed that optically thick disks are accretion disks. The projected accomplishments are also discussed

Characterization and analysis of N2 plasma DC glow discharge at different voltage

In this work, the plasma glow discharge characteristics of nitrogen gas will be studied and analyzed at different pressures, and we will study the effect of these pressures on the I-V curve, the Panchen curve, the I-P curve, the current-voltage curve, and their effect on the electrical conductivity of the generated plasma. The distance between the glow electrodes was (15.5) cm. The pressures that were used in this work were (0.025, 0.05, 1.5, 5) T. The results indicated that the discharge was operating in the atypical glow region. On the other hand, the discharge current decreased as the gas pressure increased. On the other hand. Also, the conductivity decreased in its values with the increase in applied pressure as well as the voltage of the plasma focus

An investigation of antecedents and consequences of organisational commitment among government administrative employees in Saudi Arabia

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Organisational commitment, viewed as a measurable psychological state, is a core variable of interest in Organisational Behaviour research. It has been studied for more than four decades, largely focusing on the identification of its antecedents and consequences. One widely used conceptualisation is Meyer and Allen‘s (1991) three-component model of commitment, which considers commitment as having three forms: affective, continuance and normative (emotional attachment to an organisation, the perceived cost associated with leaving it and the perceived obligation to remain in it). This research contributes in three ways to improving our understanding of public-sector work behaviour, with particular reference to organisational commitment. Firstly, it examines the multi-dimensionality of organisational commitment. Secondly, it explores the relationships between Meyer and Allen‘s three components, modifying the concept of continuance commitment to include two sub-components, high personal sacrifice and low perceived alternatives, thus proposing a four-factor model, Antecedents and Consequences of Organisational Commitment Components (ACOCC). Thirdly, it considers antecedent variables, including Hofstede‘s (1980) four cultural dimensions (individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, power distance and masculinity/femininity), as well as selected consequences: in role behaviour, organisational citizen behaviour and employee intention to leave. These selected variables are deemed to be suitable for Saudi Arabian culture and have never been tested before in that context. The study investigates how the commitment components are associated with and mediate relationships with the set of possible work behaviours. Using a sample of 700 employees from different organisation levels (drawn from 16 Saudi ministries in two cities, Riyadh and Jeddah) the hypotheses were tested through structural equation modelling, which confirmed the fit of the proposed recursive ACOCC model. The regression paths were significant between the antecedents (opportunities for learning, impersonal bureaucratic arrangements and Hofstede‘s four cultural dimensions) and affective and normative commitment, as well as for continuance commitment for reasons of high personal sacrifice. Intention to leave and organisational citizen behaviour were fully mediated by the commitment components. Thus the findings reveal the level and form of organisational commitment among public-sector employees and of relationships between the antecedents and consequences of that commitment in a non-Western culture, specifically Saudi Arabia. In particular, they highlight the significant mediation role of organisational commitment. The findings also permit exploration of a number of issues pertaining to cultural dimensions impacting on organisational commitment. Noteworthy here, for example, is the high degree of uncertainty avoidance found among Saudi public-sector top-level managers. These different results have important implications for the nature and management of commitment among government employees in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries as a whole

Internal Family Systems (IFS) in Indian Country: Perspectives and Practice on Harmony and Balance

Today\u27s Indigenous peoples straddle several worlds. This article explores the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model as a healing, psycho-therapeutic modality that offers an accessible language and framework for those whose knowledge is drawn from both Indigenous worldviews and Western worldviews. IFS is viewed through the lens of Indigenous Knowledge Research (IKR). A description of an IFS workshop presented at the Society of Indian Psychologists annual conference in 2012 gives an introduction to the basic concepts of IFS. Although IFS, a bio/psychosocial/spiritual/energy healing model, has gained wide acceptance over the last twenty years as a non-pathologizing way to reduce the impacts of trauma and increase compassionate respect, it is not well known in Indian Country. A distinguishing aspect of the model is the belief that the core self has interconnecting, healing, and leadership qualities that are different from other parts (or sub-personalities of an individual. IFS and IKR hold resonant values, methodologies, and worldviews which invite wider application of IFS healing in Indian Country

Damage of Governmental Building Due to Geotechnical Properties (Case History)

This paper is a case study for a governmental building in a site located at Katamia zone (an extension of Great Cairo, Egypt). The site is belonging the Great Cairo Bus Station under the authority of Ministry of Transportation. It consists of two buildings and a shed for buses cleaning and lubrication. The buildings had been constructed since 15 years. However after two years of construction many cracks were noticed in the main building. Furthermore, after another few years, sever cracks had appeared in different parts of the building and the concrete water tank on the roof of same building had suffered from failure. The aim of this study is to know and examine the reasons of these cracks and damages which happened to the building, particularly the other building suffered no cracks or damages although it was built on the same soil and under the same conditions. Observation of the building movements were recorded over several years as well as soil investigation around and under the building. A structural analysis and an estimation of stresses under foundation have been calculated using a three dimensional finite element program before and after deformation. At the end of study the causes of the failure had been determined and conclusions were draw