Whither The People Management Function? An Evolutionary Global Overview of The Management Of People At Work

This study was largely prompted by the debate on the people management function in Zimbabwe that led to the change of name of the Institute of Personnel Management of Zimbabwe (IPMZ) to the Institute of People Management of Zimbabwe (IPMZ) and developments in other countries vis a vis the profession. The paper is based on both theoretical literature on the evolution of people management and empirical literature from different countries. The study showed that there is no agreement on the understanding and treatment of the people management function. This study recommends, among other things, a broader and more strategic thinking / understanding of the management of people at work department. Key words: people management, human resource, personnel, function, IPMZ, evolution, work.

The Efficacy of Health Education and Condom Distribution in Combating HIV and AIDs at Unilever Harare (2004-2005)

This study explores the efficacy of health education and condom distribution as corporate responses to combating HIV/ AIDS at the workplace using Uniliver Zimbabwe as case study. The study established that the HIV/AIDS epidemic destabilises labour, the psychosocial environment and organisational activities. This study reveals that the Unilever corporate health education and condom distribution programme is not meshed in socio-structural pillars and thus remains largely less effective in combating HIV/AIDS at the workplace. We therefore recommend integration of bio-medical and socio-structural approaches to increase the effectiveness of the responses to HIV/AIDS; involvement and participation; co-management of programmes between management and employees; and context based programmes. This study shows that beneficiaries should be treated as active participants to ensure success of the intervention programmes. Otherwise it remains sheer wastage of resources and energy. Key words: health education, condom, HIV/AIDS, Uniliver, Harare, corporate response

Domestic Violence in Urban Areas in Zimbabwe: a Case Study of Glen Norah (Harare)

This study revealed that domestic violence is highly prevalent in Glen Norah and that it has sexual, emotional, psychological, economic, political and social dimensions. The main perpetrators of domestic violence are men; women and children are the main victims. The study also revealed that legislation is not widely adhered to and that most cases of domestic violence are not reported. Awareness and sensitisation programmes done by the state and non state actors are useful but cultural and economic factors hamper their usefulness. The main recommendations are that domestic violence should be criminalised, legislation should be tightened and victims should be supported and protected. Domestic violence is a threat to all forms of human development. Therefore it is everyone’s duty to eliminate domestic violence. Key words: domestic violence, urban, perpetrators, legislation, awareness, culture

University Students’ Perceptions on Effectiveness of Female Lecturers in Zimbabwe

In this study we address pertinent cultural issues in the academia: the influence of upbringing and cultural contextual factors on perception and attitude to human relationships and capabilities. In the study we examine the perception of both male and female university students on the competence of their female lecturers. We randomly sampled two universities in Zimbabwe for this study: one state university and one private university. Although the study was guided by the mixed research design, the dominant approach to data collection and analysis was the qualitative design. In fact, the qualitative design was the most appropriate approach in dealing with perceptions, emotions and feelings. The study establishes that, on average, university (male and female) students rate their female lecturers lowly when compared to their rating of male lecturers. We thus conclude that students look down upon female lecturers and view them as ineffective. This perception has been found to be a result of culture and socialisation. There is therefore need to de-socialise and re-socialise children and youth so that they grow up with positive attitudes towards women and their capabilities in their communities. Key words: perceptions, effectiveness, gender, gender-bias, sex, culture, academia, lecturer, stereotyping

World Wind 3D Earth Viewing

World Wind allows users to zoom from satellite altitude down to any place on Earth, leveraging high-resolution LandSat imagery and SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) elevation data to experience Earth in visually rich 3D. In addition to Earth, World Wind can also visualize other planets, and there are already comprehensive data sets for Mars and the Earth's moon, which are as easily accessible as those of Earth. There have been more than 20 million downloads to date, and the software is being used heavily by the Department of Defense due to the code s ability to be extended and the evolution of the code courtesy of NASA and the user community. Primary features include the dynamic access to public domain imagery and its ease of use. All one needs to control World Wind is a two-button mouse. Additional guides and features can be accessed through a simplified menu. A JAVA version will be available soon. Navigation is automated with single clicks of a mouse, or by typing in any location to automatically zoom in to see it. The World Wind install package contains the necessary requirements such as the .NET runtime and managed DirectX library. World Wind can display combinations of data from a variety of sources, including Blue Marble, LandSat 7, SRTM, NASA Scientific Visualization Studio, GLOBE, and much more. A thorough list of features, the user manual, a key chart, and screen shots are available at http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov

Start a Math Teacher Circle: Connect K-12 Teachers with Engaging, Approachable, and Meaningful Mathematical Problems

Many K-12 math teachers are not ready to teach from a conceptual and inquiry-oriented perspective because they have an algorithmic understanding of mathematics. One solution is to create a math teacher circle (MTC), which provides conceptual and inquiry-based learning activities and builds professionalism among the teachers. In this paper, we describe the origins of two such MTCs, highlighting the process of identifying leadership team members, submitting the grant proposal for seed money, and hosting launch events, intensive summer workshops, and monthly meetings during the academic year. We also share opportunities for professional development for college and university faculty, including research linked to shifts in in-service teacher attitudes. We finish the paper with several of this year’s best activities used at our MTC meetings, including fair division, extensions and generalizations of numerical and algebraic patterns, and applications in cryptography

Degradation and forgone removals increase the carbon impact of intact forest loss by 626%

Intact tropical forests, free from substantial anthropogenic influence, store and sequester large amounts of atmospheric carbon but are currently neglected in international climate policy. We show that between 2000 and 2013, direct clearance of intact tropical forest areas accounted for 3.2% of gross carbon emissions from all deforestation across the pantropics. However, full carbon accounting requires the consideration of forgone carbon sequestration, selective logging, edge effects, and defaunation. When these factors were considered, the net carbon impact resulting from intact tropical forest loss between 2000 and 2013 increased by a factor of 6 (626%), from 0.34 (0.37 to 0.21) to 2.12 (2.85 to 1.00) petagrams of carbon (equivalent to approximately 2 years of global land use change emissions). The climate mitigation value of conserving the 549 million ha of tropical forest that remains intact is therefore significant but will soon dwindle if their rate of loss continues to accelerate

Professional responses to 'parental alienation': research-informed practice

Parental alienation was historically a term rejected by courts in England and Wales, but lawyers and social workers have noted an increase in the incidence of its use, possibly driven by campaign groups and media narratives. The two statutory services that provide independent social work advice to courts in England and Wales, respectively, on children’s best interests in parenting disputes, have taken different approaches to developing practice guidance in response to concerns about the recent use of alienation terminology. A review of international research and domestic case law was undertaken as part of the development of guidance in Wales. This review revealed a dearth of reliable evidence on the concept of parental alienation, its prevalence, effects and measures for intervention. This article builds on that review and recent developments to discuss the progress being made in practice to counter myths about alienation and considers how best to support practitioners in resisting pressures to conform to these powerful narratives

Opportunities for lattice QCD in quark and lepton flavor physics

This document is one of a series of whitepapers from the USQCD collaboration. Here, we discuss opportunities for lattice QCD in quark and lepton flavor physics. New data generated at Belle II, LHCb, BES III, NA62, KOTO, and Fermilab E989, combined with precise calculations of the relevant hadronic physics, may reveal what lies beyond the Standard Model. We outline a path toward improvements of the precision of existing lattice-QCD calculations and discuss groundbreaking new methods that allow lattice QCD to access new observables.Comment: USQCD whitepape

Perceived barriers to accessing mental health services among black and minority ethnic (BME) communities: a qualitative study in southeast England

Objective: In most developed countries substantial disparities exist in access to mental health services for black and minority ethnic (BME) populations. We sought to determine perceived barriers to accessing mental health services among people from these backgrounds to inform the development of effective and culturally acceptable services to improve equity in healthcare. Design and Setting: Qualitative study in Southeast England. Participants: Twenty-six adults from BME backgrounds (13 men, 13 women; aged >18 years) were recruited to two focus groups. Participants were identified through the registers of the Black and Minority Ethnic Community Partnership centre and by visits to local community gatherings, and were invited to take part by community development workers. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify key themes about perceived barriers to accessing mental health services. Results: Participants identified two broad themes that influenced access to mental health services. First, Personal and environmental factors included inability to recognize and accept mental health problems, positive impact of social networks, reluctance to discuss psychological distress and seek help among men, cultural identity, negative perception of and social stigma against mental health, and financial factors. Second, factors affecting the relationship between service user and healthcare provider included the impact of long waiting times for initial assessment, language barriers, poor communication between service users and providers, inadequate recognition or response to mental health needs, imbalance of power and authority between service users and providers, cultural naivety, insensitivity and discrimination towards the needs of BME service users, and lack of awareness of different services among service users and providers. Conclusions: People from BME backgrounds require considerable mental health literacy and practical support to raise awareness of mental health conditions and combat stigma. There is a need for improving information about services and access pathways. Healthcare providers need relevant training and support in developing effective communication strategies to deliver individually tailored and culturally sensitive care. Improved engagement with people from BME backgrounds in the development and delivery of culturally appropriate mental health services could facilitate better understanding of mental health conditions and improve access