Social criticism in the novels of Sinclair Lewis

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, 1937. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

How organisations know what they know : a survey of knowledge identification methods among Australian organisations

Literature surrounding the Knowledge Management process of identifying what knowledge exists within an organisation is scarce. This research project set out to fill the research gaps surrounding that particular Knowledge Management process called Knowledge Identification. This paper reports on the findings of a survey sent to 973 Australian organisations to investigate their Knowledge Identification practices. The survey findings show that while organisations do perceive Knowledge Identification to be important, the practice of KI has not reached mainstream adoption yet. The reasons why and why not, and the range of methods organisations currently use to establish what knowledge exists within their four walls are identified. The survey findings also reveal two opposing approaches organisations take in practising KI: proactive KI and reactive KI.<br /

Relationships of Clinical, Psychologic, and Individual Factors with the Functional Status of Neck Pain Patients

AbstractObjectiveThe objective of this study was to use both generic and disease-specific functional measures examining relationships of clinical, psychologic, and individual factors with the functional status of neck pain patients.MethodsPatients who visited a university-based spine clinic and reported neck pain were included in this study. A comprehensive computerized survey questionnaire was used to collect the information related to this study. The questionnaire also contained a generic measure, short form 12-item survey (SF-12), and a disease-specific measure, neck disability index (NDI). Correlation and multiple regression analysis were conducted to examine the relationships.ResultsA range of clinical, psychologic, and individual factors emerged to be significant predictors of the NDI or physical component of the SF-12 (PCS). The predictors of higher NDI included higher levels of neck pain, higher levels of back pain, higher levels of pain in arm or shoulder areas, not working, lower education, higher stress, the presence of depression or anxiety, and smoking. The predictors of lower PCS included not working, higher levels of back pain, higher levels of neck pain, lower education, female sex, the presence of cardiovascular disorders, the absence of cervical disk disorders, and older age.Conclusions The  predictors  of  the  NDI  or  PCS  appear to be multidimensional. Interventions designed to maximally improve the functional status of neck pain patients should be multifaceted and involve multidisciplinary teams. Selection of the most appropriate functional measures for an intervention study should consider differences between the generic and disease-specific measures in terms of their respective relationships with targeted factors. Prospective studies are needed to confirm the relationships observed in this study

Toward More Effective Knowledge Management: An Investigation Of Problems In Knowledge Identification

One of the first knowledge management (KM) processes, on which subsequent processes depend, has been largely under-researched. A review of the literature shows that in contrast to other processes, the process of Knowledge Identification (KI) has been less researched. More specifically, what problems face KM stakeholders with respect to KI is yet to be understood. Despite this lack of understanding, a number of KI methods exist and new ones are emerging. This paper has identified and critiqued some of the KI methods. However, whether these KI methods areperceived as effective by KM stakeholders, what other KI methods are currently being used, and what factors influence the effectiveness of KI methods, remain unclear. These constitute research gaps which this research will contribute to fill. This research project will consist of three phases. To collect data, surveys, interviews, and case studies will be used. A mix of quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods will be carried out on data collected. The results of the data analysis will provide deeper understanding of the problems surrounding KI, and will be used to develop a model of factors influencing the effectiveness of KI methods

Developing a Theory of Knowledge Identification Effectiveness in Knowledge Management

This paper reports on research conducted to explore the problems that organisations have with respect to a key first step in effective Knowledge Management: Knowledge Identification. The paper reports on the results from an exploratory, interpretive investigation on the problems organisations have with respect to identifying what knowledge exists within their boundaries. The research conducted 17 interviews of Knowledge Management practitioners, the data from which were analysed using domain analysis and cognitive mapping. The research identified 25 lower-level problems with Knowledge Identification and 4 higher-level factors that potentially explain Knowledge Identification Effectiveness: Knowledge Needs Identification, Knowledge Recording, KI Methods Effectiveness and KI Operationalisation. The paper explains the four factors and formulates them into a nascent (untested) theory that explains Knowledge Identification Effectiveness, which is further hypothesised to influence Knowledge Management Effectiveness

Non-Western small states:activists or survivors?

In this introduction to the collection, we explain its focus on non-Western small states. While the terms ‘non-Western’ and ‘small states’ are problematic – we discuss these problems here – the smallness and non-Westerness of the states studied by the contributing authors set them apart in a way that has attracted little academic attention so far. They allow them to operate with fewer normative and practical constraints than their bigger, Western counterparts; offer them a wide range of (often historically forged) political ties; and force them to draw on a diversity of approaches and strategic thinking, and a creativity, that they are too rarely credited for. Non-Western small states, rather than being mere survivors constrained to the world’s periphery, are better understood as activist states intent on existing. The collection offers a range of analytical keys to make sense of these states and their role in the international scene

Vacation posts on Facebook:A model for incidental vicarious travel consumption

Vicarious consumption of travel is ubiquitous. However little is known about the psychological processes this initiates or the potential for resultant behaviors beyond direct steps toward patronage. We address this gap through developing and testing the incidental vicarious travel consumption model (IVTCM), which draws from well-established knowledge of the self-concept and compensatory consumption. In the context of vicariously consuming idyllic vacation posts on Facebook, the model identifies the following: individuals’ travel-related self-discrepancies may become active, leading to feelings of dejection, initiating five possible compensatory consumption behaviors (Direct, Symbolic, Dissociation, Escapism, Fluid). A sequential mixed-method design (total n=860) provides support for the IVTCM. The primary contributions of the paper are as follows: first the IVTCM can be used to understand different forms of vicarious travel consumption. Second, specific understanding on the impact of idyllic vacation posts is contributed, furthering knowledge on the role of social media within touris

Time in a Bottle: The Evolutionary Fate of Species Discrimination in Sibling Drosophila Species

Disadvantageous hybridization favors the evolution of prezygotic isolating behaviors, generating a geographic pattern of interspecific mate discrimination where members of different species drawn from sympatric populations exhibit stronger preference for members of their own species than do individuals drawn from allopatric populations. Geographic shifts in species' boundaries can relax local selection against hybridization; under such scenarios the fate of enhanced species preference is unknown. Lineages established from populations in the region of sympatry that have been maintained as single-species laboratory cultures represent cases where allopatry has been produced experimentally. Using such cultures dating from the 1950s, we assess how Drosophila pseudoobscura and D. persimilis mate preferences respond to relaxed natural selection against hybridization. We found that the propensity to hybridize generally declines with increasing time in experimental allopatry, suggesting that maintaining enhanced preference for conspecifics may be costly. However, our data also suggest a strong role for drift in determining mating preferences once secondary allopatry has been established. Finally, we discuss the interplay between populations in establishing the presence or absence of patterns consistent with reinforcement