Beyond belief : Strategic taboos and organizational identity in strategic agenda setting

A comprehensive strategic agenda matters for fundamental strategic change. Our study seeks to explore and theorize how organizational identity beliefs influence the judgment of strategic actors when setting an organization's strategic agenda. We offer the notion of "strategic taboo" as those strategic options initially disqualified and deemed inconsistent with the organizational identity beliefs of strategic actors. Our study is concerned with how strategic actors confront strategic taboos in the process of setting an organization's strategic agenda. Based on a revelatory inductive case study, we find that strategic actors engage in assessing the concordance of the strategic taboos with organizational identity beliefs and, more specifically, that they focus on key identity elements (philosophy; priorities; practices) when doing so. We develop a typology of three reinterpretation practices that are each concerned with a key identity element. While contextualizing assesses the potential concordance of a strategic taboo with an organization's overall philosophy and purpose, instrumentalizing assesses such concordance with respect to what actors deem an organization's priorities to be. Finally, normalizing explores concordance with respect to compatibility and fit with the organization's practices. We suggest that assessing concordance of a strategic taboo with identity elements consists in reinterpreting collective identity beliefs in ways that make them consistent with what organizational actors deem the right course of action. This article discusses the implications for theory and research on strategic agenda setting, strategic change, a practice-based perspective on strategy, and on organizational identity.

Evaluation of New Cone-beam Computed Tomographic Criteria for Radiographic Healing Evaluation after Apical Surgery: Assessment of Repeatability and Reproducibility.

INTRODUCTION Conventional 2-dimensional radiography uses defined criteria for outcome assessment of apical surgery. However, these radiographic healing criteria are not applicable for 3-dimensional radiography. The present study evaluated the repeatability and reproducibility of new cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT)-based healing criteria for the judgment of periapical healing 1 year after apical surgery. METHODS CBCT scans taken 1 year after apical surgery (61 roots of 54 teeth in 54 patients, mean age = 54.4 years) were evaluated by 3 blinded and calibrated observers using 4 different indices. Reformatted buccolingual CBCT sections through the longitudinal axis of the treated roots were analyzed. Radiographic healing was assessed at the resection plane (R index), within the apical area (A index), of the cortical plate (C index), and regarding a combined apical-cortical area (B index). All readings were performed twice to calculate the intraobserver agreement (repeatability). Second-time readings were used for analyzing the interobserver agreement (reproducibility). Various statistical tests (Cohen, kappa, Fisher, and Spearman) were performed to measure the intra- and interobserver concurrence, the variability of score ratios, and the correlation of indices. RESULTS For all indices, the rates of identical first- and second-time scores were always higher than 80% (intraobserver Cohen κ values ranging from 0.793 to 0.963). The B index (94.0%) showed the highest intraobserver agreement. Regarding interobserver agreement, the highest rate was found for the B index (72.1%). The Fleiss' κ values for R and B indices exhibited substantial agreement (0.626 and 0.717, respectively), whereas the values for A and C indices showed moderate agreement (0.561 and 0.573, respectively). The Spearman correlation coefficients for R, A, C, and B indices all exhibited a moderate to very strong correlation with the highest correlation found between C and B indices (rs = 0.8069). CONCLUSIONS All indices showed an excellent intraobserver agreement (repeatability). With regard to interobserver agreement (reproducibility), the B index (healing of apical and cortical defects combined) and the R index (healing on the resection plane) showed substantial congruence and thus are to be recommended in future studies when using buccolingual CBCT sections for radiographic outcome assessment of apical surgery.

Ability to Work and Employment Rates in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-1-Infected Individuals Receiving Combination Antiretroviral Therapy: The Swiss HIV Cohort Study

Background.  Limited data exist on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals' ability to work after receiving combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). We aimed to investigate predictors of regaining full ability to work at 1 year after starting cART. Methods.  Antiretroviral-naive HIV-infected individuals <60 years who started cART from January 1998 through December 2012 within the framework of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study were analyzed. Inability to work was defined as a medical judgment of the patient's ability to work as 0%. Results.  Of 5800 subjects, 4382 (75.6%) were fully able to work, 471 (8.1%) able to work part time, and 947 (16.3%) were unable to work at baseline. Of the 947 patients unable to work, 439 (46.3%) were able to work either full time or part time at 1 year of treatment. Predictors of recovering full ability to work were non-white ethnicity (odds ratio [OR], 2.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20-3.54), higher education (OR, 4.03; 95% CI, 2.47-7.48), and achieving HIV-ribonucleic acid <50 copies/mL (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.20-2.80). Older age (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, .42-.72, per 10 years older) and psychiatric disorders (OR, 0.24; 95% CI, .13-.47) were associated with lower odds of ability to work. Recovering full ability to work at 1 year increased from 24.0% in 1998-2001 to 41.2% in 2009-2012, but the employment rates did not increase. Conclusions.  Regaining full ability to work depends primarily on achieving viral suppression, absence of psychiatric comorbidity, and favorable psychosocial factors. The discrepancy between patients' ability to work and employment rates indicates barriers to reintegration of persons infected with HIV.

Grabbing or investment? On judging large-scale land acquisitions

Although analyses of large-scale land acquisitions (LSLA) often contain an explicit or implicit normative judgment about such projects, they rarely deduce such judgment from a nuanced balancing of pros and cons. This paper uses assessments about a well-researched LSLA in Sierra Leone to show that a utilitarian approach tends to lead to the conclusion that positive effects prevail, whereas deontological approaches lead to an emphasis on negative aspects. LSLA are probably the most radical land-use change in the history of humankind. This process of radical transformation poses a challenge for balanced evaluations. Thus, we line out a framework that focuses on the options of local residents but sets boundaries of acceptability through the core contents of human rights. In addition, systemic implications of a project need to be regarded.

Cognitive Comparative Advantage and the Organization of Work: Lessons from Herbert Simon's Vision of the Future

In a marvelous but somewhat neglected paper, 'The Corporation: Will It Be Managed by Machines?' Herbert Simon articulated from the perspective of 1960 his vision of what we now call the New Economy the machine-aided system of production and management of the late twentieth century. Simon's analysis sprang from what I term the principle of cognitive comparative advantage: one has to understand the quite different cognitive structures of humans and machines (including computers) in order to explain and predict the tasks to which each will be most suited. Perhaps unlike Simon's better-known predictions about progress in artificial intelligence research, the predictions of this 1960 article hold up remarkably well and continue to offer important insights. In what follows I attempt to tell a coherent story about the evolution of machines and the division of labor between humans and machines. Although inspired by Simon's 1960 paper, I weave many other strands into the tapestry, from classical discussions of the division of labor to present-day evolutionary psychology. The basic conclusion is that, with growth in the extent of the market, we should see humans 'crowded into' tasks that call for the kinds of cognition for which humans have been equipped by biological evolution. These human cognitive abilities range from the exercise of judgment in situations of ambiguity and surprise to more mundane abilities in spatio-temporal perception and locomotion. Conversely, we should see machines 'crowded into' tasks with a well-defined structure. This conclusion is not based (merely) on a claim that machines, including computers, are specialized idiots-savants today because of the limits (whether temporary or permanent) of artificial intelligence; rather, it rests on a claim that, for what are broadly 'economic' reasons, it will continue to make economic sense to create machines that are idiots-savants.

Do Exposure Suits Produce a 'Race to File'? An Economic Analysis of a Tort for Risk

Conventional tort law does not allow victims of exposure to a toxic substance to seek compensation until they develop actual symptoms of illness. This may effectively bar recovery because at the time the illness arises, injurers may be judgment proof. One possible response is to allow a tort for risk that allows victims to seek expected damages at the time of exposure. However, critics charge that this could create a 'race to file' wherein victims rush to file suit to ensure that they will get a share of the injurer's limited assets. We show that such a race may or may not occur in equilibrium, and that when it does occur, not all victims choose to file at exposure if bankruptcy is an inevitable result. If bankruptcy is not inevitable, it is possible that a tort for risk will trigger bankruptcy, although a no-bankruptcy equilibrium always exists and Paretodominates the bankruptcy equilibrium. We examine the consequences of the various tort-for-risk equilibria on the compensation of exposure victims, litigation costs, and injurer care.

Validation of an instrument for assessing the medicolegal death investigation system: A public health approach

Background. This study validated the content of an instrument designed to assess the performance of the medicolegal death investigation system. The instrument was modified from Version 2.0 of the Local Public Health System Performance Assessment Instrument (CDC) and is based on the 10 Essential Public Health Services. ^ Aims. The aims were to employ a cognitive testing process to interview a randomized sample of medicolegal death investigation office leaders, qualitatively describe the results, and revise the instrument accordingly. ^ Methods. A cognitive testing process was used to validate the survey instrument's content in terms of the how well participants could respond to and interpret the questions. Twelve randomly selected medicolegal death investigation chiefs (or equivalent) that represented the seven types of medicolegal death investigation systems and six different state mandates were interviewed by telephone. The respondents also were representative of the educational diversity within medicolegal death investigation leadership. Based on respondent comments, themes were identified that permitted improvement of the instrument toward collecting valid and reliable information when ultimately used in a field survey format. ^ Results. Responses were coded and classified, which permitted the identification of themes related to Comprehension/Interpretation, Retrieval, Estimate/Judgment, and Response. The majority of respondent comments related to Comprehension/Interpretation of the questions. Respondents identified 67 questions and 6 section explanations that merited rephrasing, adding, or deleting examples or words. In addition, five questions were added based on respondent comments. ^ Conclusion. The content of the instrument was validated by cognitive testing method design. The respondents agreed that the instrument would be a useful and relevant tool for assessing system performance. ^

Comparison of machine learning approaches and statistical methods for estimation of airborne chemical exposures

Accurate quantitative estimation of exposure using retrospective data has been one of the most challenging tasks in the exposure assessment field. To improve these estimates, some models have been developed using published exposure databases with their corresponding exposure determinants. These models are designed to be applied to reported exposure determinants obtained from study subjects or exposure levels assigned by an industrial hygienist, so quantitative exposure estimates can be obtained. ^ In an effort to improve the prediction accuracy and generalizability of these models, and taking into account that the limitations encountered in previous studies might be due to limitations in the applicability of traditional statistical methods and concepts, the use of computer science- derived data analysis methods, predominantly machine learning approaches, were proposed and explored in this study. ^ The goal of this study was to develop a set of models using decision trees/ensemble and neural networks methods to predict occupational outcomes based on literature-derived databases, and compare, using cross-validation and data splitting techniques, the resulting prediction capacity to that of traditional regression models. Two cases were addressed: the categorical case, where the exposure level was measured as an exposure rating following the American Industrial Hygiene Association guidelines and the continuous case, where the result of the exposure is expressed as a concentration value. Previously developed literature-based exposure databases for 1,1,1 trichloroethane, methylene dichloride and, trichloroethylene were used. ^ When compared to regression estimations, results showed better accuracy of decision trees/ensemble techniques for the categorical case while neural networks were better for estimation of continuous exposure values. Overrepresentation of classes and overfitting were the main causes for poor neural network performance and accuracy. Estimations based on literature-based databases using machine learning techniques might provide an advantage when they are applied to other methodologies that combine `expert inputs' with current exposure measurements, like the Bayesian Decision Analysis tool. The use of machine learning techniques to more accurately estimate exposures from literature-based exposure databases might represent the starting point for the independence from the expert judgment.^

Metodología del racionalismo crítico y cambios teóricos : el caso de la metrología

La metodología del racionalismo crítico permite ajustar una teoría cuando aparecen problemas. En metrología surgieron nuevas exigencias para las mediciones que provienen de los mercados globalizados. Esa situación está provocando el desplazamiento de la concepción tradicional por la teoría de incertidumbre. Este trabajo examinó ese cambio, evaluando ambas teorías y determinando sus aproximaciones a la verdad y los motivos para cambiarlas. Se realizó un análisis lógico de la bibliografía especializada para determinar la preferencia teórica. Se concluyó que la teoría de la incertidumbre es más confiable, porque define mejor mensurando y condiciones de medición. Las certificaciones de trazabilidad documentan las calibraciones periódicas de los instrumentos de medición, garantizando la verdad como criterio regulador, para que mantengan su validez y confiabilidad. Además, el racionalismo crítico permitió evaluar este cambio en metrología como una evolución en el mundo del conocimiento objetivo.

Reflexiones en torno al proceso de implementación de un programa social en el campo de la actividad física en poblaciones vulnerables : Aportes para la formación del profesorado de Educación Física y la mejora de las políticas públicas

En este artículo se propone describir y analizar el proceso de implementación de un Programa social de intervención en poblaciones vulnerables a través del deporte, la actividad física y el juego recreativo que se desarrolla desde 2011 en tres espacios socio-residenciales de villa o asentamiento urbano informal del Partido de la Matanza. El programa social es analizado en diferentes aspectos claves de su proceso de implementación. Estos aspectos fueron abordados a través de una investigación cualitativa con objetivos amplios y un enfoque integral, en esta oportunidad se reflexiona sobre un avance de investigación que privilegia las percepciones y representaciones de los docentes técnicos que ejercieron el rol docente en el marco del Programa y se realizan algunos aportes para pensar la mejora en las futuras acciones y en la formación del profesorado.Se realizaron 6 grupos focales y se estima que los insumos generados serán útiles para la mejor planificación de las prácticas docentes y formación específica de los futuros profesores. Asimismo, se espera poder aportar elementos de análisis y de juicio para la gestión de políticas públicas en el campo del deporte y la actividad física como estrategia de integración social

Las leyes sobre vagancia : Control policial y práctica judicial en el ocaso de la frontera (Tandil 1872-1881)

A fines de la década de 1870, el gobierno provincial, con el objeto de lograr mayor control social sobre la población rural, implementó una reestructuración policial en la campaña bonaerense. La misma tenía por objetivo afianzar la propiedad privada y contribuir al mercado de trabajo, asimismo perseguía un fuerte interés en satisfacer la necesidad del estado de hombres en plena etapa de expansión de la frontera. La presión reclutadora del estado se reflejará en un aumento de detenidos por vagancia, dado que las leyes de represión de la vagancia del Código Rural permitían su penalización al servicio de las armas. El Código Rural sancionado en 1865 estipulaba dos normas procesales a cumplir en los acusados: formación de un sumario y constitución de un jury para su juzgamiento. Disposiciones que raramente se pusieron en práctica por los jueces de paz desde que esta legislación entró en vigencia. Será a fines de la década de 1870 cuando el gobierno exigirá más firmemente no solo la persecución de la vagancia sino también la aplicación de estas normas procesales en los acusados. Aún así, el análisis de la práctica judicial revelará que continuará existiendo una constante manipulación normativa sobre la base de dos valores que se intentaban afianzar, el trabajo y la propiedad. En los perjudiciales que atentaran contra estos dos valores, será en quienes se manipulará la normativa sancionada y se canalizará la presión reclutadora.

Forma y contexto : La tensión arendtiana en torno al problema del juicio

Este trabajo pretende ser una aproximación al pensamiento de H. Arendt desde la perspectiva del interés de la autora por el problema del juicio. Para ello nos concentraremos en la peculiar interpretación que Arendt realizó de la Crítica de la facultad de juzgar de Kant, texto del cual la filósofa se apropió para reflexionar sobre la política y no sobre la estética. A partir de dicho análisis mostraremos que tal interpretación presenta varias dificultades, que encuentran uno de sus principales puntos de origen en el inusual tránsito arendtiano de Aristóteles hacia Kant para el desarrollo de sus consideraciones políticas. En ese sentido, señalaremos las posibles razones del mencionado tránsito y trataremos de proponer una vía de conciliación a través de una contextualización apropiada del pensamiento de Aristóteles que nos permita reconectarlo con los intereses de la filosofía política de Arendt

Tragedia, oratoria y oralidad : Fórmulas retóricas en un proceso judicial (Esquilo, Euménides)

En la oratoria y en el drama esquíleo, las fórmulas retóricas -en tanto elemento común revelador de una cultura oral- pronunciadas en un juicio público, testimonian no sólo el acercamiento entre poeta y oradores en cuestiones referidas al léxico o la temática que se debatía en ambos espacios; en Euménides, revelan de manera singular pautas y valores sociales que definen el contexto cultural del castigo.

Theoría, poíesis y praxis en la filosofía política de Vico y Arendt

Este trabajo analiza si es apropiada la lectura de Arendt acerca de la posibilidad de que Vico aplicase los principios universales de la Scienza Nuova al mundo civil. Se intentará mostrar la plausibilidad de las siguientes tesis: a) existe cierta afinidad entre la finalidad "práctica" de la poesía en Vico y la categoría de narratividad en Arendt; b) existe una marcada diferencia en cómo ambos autores conciben la posibilidad de intervención sobre el mundo civil. Vico propone la función de la prudencia basada en el sentido común para evitar la ruina de las naciones; Arendt apuesta al juicio reflexivo y al pensamiento como medios de conjurar las catástrofes políticas

Psicología y delitos de lesa humanidad : Dispositivos de acompañamiento activo. Un aporte posible desde la psicología en los juicios por lesa humanidad

Con la puesta en marcha y desarrollo de los juicios por crímenes de lesa humanidad cometidos durante la última dictadura cívico-militar se inaugura un nuevo espacio de intervención para la psicología. El interés por ampliar y profundizar las posibilidades de trabajar en este campo impulsa a llevar adelante una tarea de investigación, conceptualización y desarrollo acerca de los aportes posibles de la psicología a las problemáticas que plantea el abordaje de las víctimas de los delitos de lesa humanidad en el marco de su tramitación judicial. Se analizará la evolución en el campo jurídico de las variables que permitieron el pasaje de la consideración de los delitos cometidos por el régimen militar a su calificación como delitos de lesa humanidad, condición fundamental que les confiere el carácter de imprescriptibilidad, lo cual habilita el relanzamiento de los juicios por estas causas y la consiguiente osibilidad de intervenir desde nuestra profesión. Para ello será necesario tener en cuenta tanto el análisis de las condiciones de inicio del campo de la salud mental y derechos humanos, como los requerimientos y posibilidades actuales del mismo. En este sentido, se presentará el diseño e implementación de un modelo de Dispositivo de acompañamiento activo dirigido a testigos-víctimas y querellantes en juicios por crímenes de lesa humanidad en contexto de acceso a la justicia