Intergroup conflict and intergroup effectiveness in organizations:theory and scale development

Many see the absence of conflict between groups as indicative of effective intergroup relations. Others consider its management a suitable effectiveness criterion. In this article we demarcate a different approach and propose that these views are deficient in describing effective intergroup relations. The article theorizes alternative criteria of intergroup effectiveness rooted in team representatives' subjective value judgements and assesses the psychometric characteristics of a short measure based on these criteria. Results on empirical validity suggest the measure to be a potential alternative outcome of organizational conflict. Implications for both the study of intergroup relations and conflict theory are discussed. © 2005 Psychology Press Ltd.

The impact of brand owner on consumers' brand perceptions : a development of Heider's Balance Theory

Studies have shown that the brand “owner” is very influential in positioning the brand and when the brand “owner” ceases his or her active role the brand will be perceived differently by the consumers. Balance Theory (HBT), a cognitive psychological theory, studies the triadic relationships between two persons and an entity and predicts that when a person’s original perception of the relationship is disturbed, the person restructures to a new balanced perception. Consequently, this research was undertaken to: conceptualize the brand owner’s impact on consumer’s brand perception; test the applicability of both the static and dynamic predictions of the Heider’s Balance Theory in brand owner-consumer-brand relation (OCB); construct and test a model of brand owner-consumer-brand relation; and examine if personality has an influence on OCB. A discovery-oriented approach was taken to understand the selected market segment, the ready-to-wear and diffusion lines of international designer labels. Chinese Brand Personality Scale, fashion proneness and hedonic and utilitarian shopping scales were developed, and validated. 51 customers were surveyed. Both traditional and extended methods used in the Balance Theory were employed in this study. Responses to liked brand have been used to test and develop the model, while those for disliked brand were used for test and confirmation. A “what if’ experimental approach was employed to test the applicability of dynamic HBT theory in OCB Model. The hypothesized OCB Model has been tested and validated. Consumers have been found to have separate views on the brand and the brand owner; and their responses to contrasting ethical and non-ethical news of the brand owner are different. Personality has been found to have an influence and two personality adapted models have been tested and validated. The actual results go beyond the prediction of the Balance Theory. Dominant triple positive balance mode, dominant negative balance mode, and mode of extreme antipathy have been found. It has been found that not all balanced modes are good for the brand. Contrary to Heider’s findings, simply liking may not necessarily lead to unit relation in the OCB Model.

Transducer diffraction theory and development of an ultrasonic tomogram

The work described in this thesis is the development of an ultrasonic tomogram to provide outlines of cross-sections of the ulna in vivo. This instrument, used in conjunction with X-ray densitometry previously developed in this department, would provide actual bone mineral density to a high resolution. It was hoped that the accuracy of the plot obtained from the tomogram would exceed that of existing ultrasonic techniques by about five times. Repeat measurements with these instruments to follow bone mineral changes would involve very low X-ray doses. A theoretical study has been made of acoustic diffraction, using a geometrical transform applicable to the integration of three different Green's functions, for axisymmetric systems. This has involved the derivation of one of these in a form amenable to computation. It is considered that this function fits the boundary conditions occurring in medical ultrasonography more closely than those used previously. A three dimensional plot of the pressure field using this function has been made for a ring transducer, in addition to that for disc transducers using all three functions. It has been shown how the theory may be extended to investigate the nature and magnitude of the particle velocity, at any point in the field, for the three functions mentioned. From this study. a concept of diffraction fronts has been developed, which has made it possible to determine energy flow also in a diffracting system. Intensity has been displayed in a manner similar to that used for pressure. Plots have been made of diffraction fronts and energy flow direction lines.

Human resource development for inclusive procurement by intermediation:a situated learning theory application

This paper fills an important gap in the human resource development (HRD) literature by considering the role that NGO intermediation initiatives can play in bringing together and developing corporate procurement officials (CPOs) and ethnic minority business owner-managers (EMBOs) supplying goods and services. It has been suggested that such initiatives hold great promise in helping ethnic minority businesses escape from their disadvantageous sectoral concentration in the UK. Using situated learning theory as an application lens, the main aim of this paper is to demonstrate how nurturing communities of practice of CPOs and EMBOs and facilitating their interaction can help their professional development and their approaches to procuring and supplying, respectively. The paper reports on the authors' experience with an action research programme encompassing two intermediation initiatives of this kind. The lessons drawn from this study are useful for all those concerned with HRD for inclusive procurement; intermediaries promoting inclusive procurement, large procurers who are willing to engage with supplier diversity and ethnic minority suppliers who wish to access corporate procurement systems and 'break-out'. © 2013 Taylor & Francis.

The Development of the Generalization Algorithm Based on the Rough Set Theory

This paper considers the problem of concept generalization in decision-making systems where such features of real-world databases as large size, incompleteness and inconsistence of the stored information are taken into account. The methods of the rough set theory (like lower and upper approximations, positive regions and reducts) are used for the solving of this problem. The new discretization algorithm of the continuous attributes is proposed. It essentially increases an overall performance of generalization algorithms and can be applied to processing of real value attributes in large data tables. Also the search algorithm of the significant attributes combined with a stage of discretization is developed. It allows avoiding splitting of continuous domains of insignificant attributes into intervals.

Critical Race Theory: Focusing the Lens on Human Resource Development

The challenge that continues to face HRD is how to integrate real concerns for diversity into programs, practices, and research. Critical race theory was used as a lens to examine work on diversity published in Human Resource Development Quarterly (HRDQ). Eight publications were selected and analyzed.

Attachment Theory Shaping Adult Development: Impact on Mentoring Experiences

Mentoring is increasingly used for career and psychosocial development. Very few studies that have investigated the role of individual differences in mentoring relationships have addressed the attachment styles of mentors and protégés. The purpose of this study is to find the connections between attachment styles, adult development, and mentoring experiences.

The Design and Development of Educational Immersive Environments: From Theory to Classroom Deployment

Computer game technology is poised to make a significant impact on the way our youngsters will learn. Our youngsters are ‘Digital Natives’, immersed in digital technologies, especially computer games. They expect to utilize these technologies in learning contexts. This expectation, and our response as educators, may change classroom practice and inform curriculum developments. This chapter approaches these issues ‘head on’. Starting from a review of the current educational issues, an evaluation of educational theory and instructional design principles, a new theoretical approach to the construction of “Educational Immersive Environments” (EIEs) is proposed. Elements of this approach are applied to development of an EIE to support Literacy Education in UK Primary Schools. An evaluation of a trial within a UK Primary School is discussed. Conclusions from both the theoretical development and the evaluation suggest how future teacher-practitioners may embrace both the technology and our approach to develop their own learning resources.

Jung and Goddess: the significance of Jungian and post-Jungian theory to the development of the Western Goddess Movement

This study is concerned with the significance of Jungian and post-Jungian theory to the development of the contemporary Western Goddess Movement, which includes the various self-identified nature-based, Pagan, Goddess Feminism, Goddess Consciousness, Goddess Spirituality, Wicca, and Goddess-centred faith traditions that have seen a combined increase in Western adherents over the past five decades and share a common goal to claim Goddess as an active part of Western consciousness and faith traditions. The Western Goddess Movement has been strongly influenced by Jung’s thought, and by feminist revisions of Jungian Theory, sometimes interpreted idiosyncratically, but presented as a route to personal and spiritual transformation. The analysis examines ways in which women encounter Goddess through a process of Jungian Individuation and traces the development of Jungian and post-Jungian theories by identifying the key thinkers and central ideas that helped to shape the development of the Western Goddess Movement. It does so through a close reading and analysis of five biographical ‘rebirth’ memoirs published between 1981 and 1998: Christine Downing’s (1981) The Goddess: Mythological Images of the Feminine; Jean Shinoda Bolen’s (1994) Crossing to Avalon: A Woman’s Midlife Pilgrimage; Sue Monk Kidd’s (1996) The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman’s Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine; Margaret Starbird’s (1998) The Goddess in the Gospels: Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine; and Phyllis Curott’s (1998) Book of Shadows: A Modern Woman’s Journey into the Wisdom of Witchcraft and the Magic of the Goddess. These five memoirs reflect the diversity of the faith traditions in the Western Goddess Movement. The enquiry centres upon two parallel and complementary research threads: 1) critically examining the content of the memoirs in order to determine their contribution to the development of the Goddess Movement and 2) charting and sourcing the development of the major Jungian and post-Jungian theories championed in the memoirs in order to evaluate the significance of Jungian and post-Jungian thought in the Movement. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the original research question: what is the significance of Jungian and post-Jungian theory for the development of the Western Goddess Movement? Each memoir is subjected to critical review of its intended audiences, its achievements, its functions and strengths, and its theoretical frameworks. Research results offered more than the experiences of five Western women, it also provided evidence to analyse the significance of Jungian and post-Jungian theory to the development of the Western Goddess Movement. The findings demonstrate the vital contributions of the analytical psychology of Carl Jung, and post-Jungians M Esther Harding, Erich Neumann, Christine Downing, E.C. Whitmont, and Jean Shinoda Bolen; the additional contributions of Sue Monk Kidd, Margaret Starbird, and Phyllis Curott, and exhibit Jungian and post-Jungian pathways to Goddess. Through a variety of approaches to Jungian categories, these memoirs constitute a literature of Individuation for the Western Goddess Movement.

Intensive care survivors’ experiences of ward-based care: Meleis’ theory of nursing transitions and role development among critical care outreach services.

Aims and objectives. To explore the psychosocial needs of patients discharged from intensive care, the extent to which they are captured using existing theory on transitions in care and the potential role development of critical care outreach, follow-up and liaison services. Background. Intensive care patients are at an increased risk of adverse events, deterioration or death following ward transfer. Nurse-led critical care outreach, follow-up or liaison services have been adopted internationally to prevent these potentially avoidable sequelae. The need to provide patients with psychosocial support during the transition to ward-based care has also been identified, but the evidence base for role development is currently limited. Design and methods. Twenty participants were invited to discuss their experiences of ward-based care as part of a broader study on recovery following prolonged critical illness. Psychosocial distress was a prominent feature of their accounts, prompting secondary data analysis using Meleis et al.’s mid-range theory on experiencing transitions. Results. Participants described a sense of disconnection in relation to profound debilitation and dependency and were often distressed by a perceived lack of understanding, indifference or insensitivity among ward staff to their basic care needs. Negotiating the transition between dependence and independence was identified as a significant source of distress following ward transfer. Participants varied in the extent to which they were able to express their needs and negotiate recovery within professionally mediated boundaries. Conclusion. These data provide new insights into the putative origins of the psychosocial distress that patients experience following ward transfer. Relevance to clinical practice. Meleis et al.’s work has resonance in terms of explicating intensive care patients’ experiences of psychosocial distress throughout the transition to general ward–based care, such that the future role development of critical care outreach, follow-up and liaison services may be more theoretically informed.

Pedagogia do esporte : pressupostos para uma teoria da avaliação da aprendizagem = Sport pedagogy: presuppositions for a learning assessment theory

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Timoshenko versus Euler beam theory: Pitfalls of a deterministic approach

The selection criteria for Euler-Bernoulli or Timoshenko beam theories are generally given by means of some deterministic rule involving beam dimensions. The Euler-Bernoulli beam theory is used to model the behavior of flexure-dominated (or ""long"") beams. The Timoshenko theory applies for shear-dominated (or ""short"") beams. In the mid-length range, both theories should be equivalent, and some agreement between them would be expected. Indeed, it is shown in the paper that, for some mid-length beams, the deterministic displacement responses for the two theories agrees very well. However, the article points out that the behavior of the two beam models is radically different in terms of uncertainty propagation. In the paper, some beam parameters are modeled as parameterized stochastic processes. The two formulations are implemented and solved via a Monte Carlo-Galerkin scheme. It is shown that, for uncertain elasticity modulus, propagation of uncertainty to the displacement response is much larger for Timoshenko beams than for Euler-Bernoulli beams. On the other hand, propagation of the uncertainty for random beam height is much larger for Euler beam displacements. Hence, any reliability or risk analysis becomes completely dependent on the beam theory employed. The authors believe this is not widely acknowledged by the structural safety or stochastic mechanics communities. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fast Transforms for Acoustic Imaging-Part I: Theory

The classical approach for acoustic imaging consists of beamforming, and produces the source distribution of interest convolved with the array point spread function. This convolution smears the image of interest, significantly reducing its effective resolution. Deconvolution methods have been proposed to enhance acoustic images and have produced significant improvements. Other proposals involve covariance fitting techniques, which avoid deconvolution altogether. However, in their traditional presentation, these enhanced reconstruction methods have very high computational costs, mostly because they have no means of efficiently transforming back and forth between a hypothetical image and the measured data. In this paper, we propose the Kronecker Array Transform ( KAT), a fast separable transform for array imaging applications. Under the assumption of a separable array, it enables the acceleration of imaging techniques by several orders of magnitude with respect to the fastest previously available methods, and enables the use of state-of-the-art regularized least-squares solvers. Using the KAT, one can reconstruct images with higher resolutions than was previously possible and use more accurate reconstruction techniques, opening new and exciting possibilities for acoustic imaging.

It's all very well, in theory: Theoretical perspectives and their applications in contemporary pedagogical research

Current debates about educational theory are concerned with the relationship between knowledge and power and thereby issues such as who possesses a truth and how have they arrived at it, what questions are important to ask, and how should they best be answered. As such, these debates revolve around questions of preferred, appropriate, and useful theoretical perspectives. This paper overviews the key theoretical perspectives that are currently used in physical education pedagogy research and considers how these inform the questions we ask and shapes the conduct of research. It also addresses what is contested with respect to these perspectives. The paper concludes with some cautions about allegiances to and use of theories in line with concerns for the applicability of educational research to pressing social issues.