The Effect of Sexual Harassment on Female Naval Officers: A Phenomenological Study

Sexual harassment has grown to epidemic proportions since being documented as a workplace problem. Court cases are rising along with costs to organizations from litigation, turnover, absenteeism and stress-related medical claims. Courts are continually refining the legal definition of sexual harassment, resulting in a steady expansion of employers\u27 liability. Perceptions of men and women regarding what constitutes sexual harassment differ markedly as do their responses to sexually oriented behaviors at work. Development of a formula for effectively preventing sexual harassment is, therefore, a complex and perplexing exercise. Two of three women serving in the military report that they have been sexually harassed. Women account for over 10% of service personnel, but the nature of military jobs encourages men with macho images to gravitate toward its ranks, further aggravating the problem of overcoming sex-role stereotypes. Despite these obstacles, the military, unlike civilian organizations, can strongly enforce sanctions against those who disobey stated policies. As an example, the Navy\u27s policy of zero tolerance for drug abuse has resulted in a nearly drug-free Navy. Its policy of zero tolerance for sexual harassment has not been similarly effective. Eight women officers give their perspective on the Navy\u27s efforts to prevent the kind of sexual harassment they encountered. The consequences of the harassment they experienced are described in detail. This descriptive research employed a phenomenological methodology in concert with survey and archival data to reach a more complete understanding of the effect of the sexual harassment experience on mature, well-educated, female managers. Results indicate that the institutional character of the Navy places it at a disadvantage in narrowing perceptual differences of its personnel. Creating change in an embedded culture which, by law, restricts job assignments for its women is a challenging prospect. Revising customs in an organization which reveres its heritage is even more daunting. Pending legislation which mandates equality of job assignments, re-socialization is the key to long-term change. The goal of this research has been to create an understanding of the need for that change. Without this additional insight, the actions of organizational leaders will not support their stated policy of zero tolerance

Go to work or report sick? A focus group study on decisions of sickness presence among offshore catering section workers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To identify and explore the factors promoting sickness presenteeism among offshore catering section workers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty men and women, working in the offshore catering section onboard three offshore oil and gas production platforms on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, participated in three focus groups. Data from the focus groups were analysed according to a phenomenological approach, and supported by theories on presenteeism.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results show that the decision to attend work despite illness, first and foremost, was based on the severity of the health complaint. Other factors identified were; the individual's location once the health complaint occurred, job satisfaction, the norms of the team, and experiences of how company policies on sickness absenteeism were implemented by the catering section leaders.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Offshore working conditions may promote sickness presenteeism. The factors promoting sickness presenteeism onboard the platforms reflected experiences of a healthy work environment.</p

Direct current arc-plasma synthesis of B-C powder product

Measurement of blood oxygen saturation in biological tissue is of great interest for medical applications as it allows the detection of pathological alterations. Fibre based re-emission spectroscopy enables this parameter to be determined minimally-invasively in organ tissue inside the human body. In this report a measurement system for the contactless determination of blood oxygenation, as well as simulations regarding light diffusion in tissue are presented

Everyday uses of standardized test information in a geriatric setting : a qualitative study exploring occupational therapist and physiotherapist test administrators' justifications

Background: Health professionals are required to collect data from standardized tests when assessing older patients' functional ability. Such data provide quantifiable documentation on health outcomes. Little is known, however, about how physiotherapists and occupational therapists who administer standardized tests use test information in their daily clinical work. This article aims to investigate how test administrators in a geriatric setting justify the everyday use of standardized test information. Methods. Qualitative study of physiotherapists and occupational therapists on two geriatric hospital wards in Norway that routinely tested their patients with standardized tests. Data draw on seven months of fieldwork, semi-structured interviews with eight physiotherapists and six occupational therapists (12 female, two male), as well as observations of 26 test situations. Data were analyzed using Systematic Text Condensation. Results: We identified two test information components in everyday use among physiotherapist and occupational therapist test administrators. While the primary component drew on the test administrators' subjective observations during testing, the secondary component encompassed the communication of objective test results and test performance. Conclusions: The results of this study illustrate the overlap between objective and subjective data in everyday practice. In clinical practice, by way of the clinicians' gaze on how the patient functions, the subjective and objective components of test information are merged, allowing individual characteristics to be noticed and made relevant as test performance justifications and as rationales in the overall communication of patient needs