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This study is to examine factors contributing to the variability in chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and asthma hospitalization rates when the influence of patient characteristics is being simultaneously considered by applying a risk adjustment method.

A longitudinal analysis of COPD and asthma hospitalization of rural Medicare beneficiaries in 427 rural health clinics (RHCs) was conducted utilizing administrative data and inpatient and outpatient claims from Region 4. The repeated measures of risk-adjusted COPD and asthma admission rate were analyzed by growth curve modeling. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) method was used to identify the relevance of selected predictors in accounting for the variability in risk-adjusted admission rates for COPD and asthma.

Both adjusted and unadjusted rates of COPD admission showed a slight decline from 2010 to 2013. The growth curve modeling showed the annual rates of change were gradually accentuated through time. GEE revealed that a moderate amount of variance (marginal R ² = 0.66) in the risk-adjusted hospital admission rates for COPD and asthma was accounted for by contextual, ecological, and organizational variables.

The contextual, ecological, and organizational factors are those associated with RHCs, not hospitals. We cannot infer how the variability in hospital practices in RHC service areas may have contributed to the disparities in admissions. Identification of RHCs with substantially higher rates than an average rate can portray the need for further enhancement of needed ambulatory or primary care services for the specific groups of RHCs. Because the risk-adjusted rates of hospitalization do not vary by classification of rural area, future research should address the variation in a specific COPD and asthma condition of RHC patients.

Risk-adjusted admission rates for COPD and asthma are influenced by the synergism of multiple contextual, ecological, and organizational factors instead of a single factor.

The authors aim to develop and test a theory of dual responsibility to explain the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm performance. The authors empirically examine whether firms that meet their economic and social responsibilities simultaneously perform better than firms that fail to do so. In doing so, the authors theoretically extend and empirically test Barney's (2018) call to incorporate the stakeholder perspective with resource-based view (RBV). The authors also examine the moderating effects of firm status on this relationship.

The authors use a longitudinal panel sample of 137 S&P 500 firms and data for the years between 2004 and 2013 collected from multiple data sources. The authors use stochastic frontiers analysis to measure firm capabilities in the areas of R&D, operations and marketing. These capability measures are then used along with CSR measures and a measure of firm status to test the hypotheses of this study. The authors also conducted several robustness checks and various supplementary analyses using different econometrics techniques and different operationalizations of the key variables of interests.

The results show that firm CSR is positively related to firm performance and that the effect of CSR on performance is stronger for firms with higher levels of R&D capability and operational capability. The authors also find support for the three-way interaction between CSR, economic responsibility and firm status, suggesting that firms high in both social and economic responsibilities and status will enjoy the highest levels of performance.

The findings of this study are based on large, publicly listed firms in North America. Therefore, their generalizability to other contexts and other types of firms require additional research. The reliance on KLD measures is also a limitation, especially because they have not reported CSR ratings after 2013.

For practicing managers, the main implication of this study is that an optimal balance between market and nonmarket strategies is key for superior performance.

The continued debate regarding the firm's purpose can be understood by focusing equally on the two main responsibilities of firms: nonsocial responsibility and social responsibility toward all stakeholders.

The study answers the call to incorporate stakeholder theory into the RBV of the firm by highlighting the critical role of firm capabilities in the relationship between CSR and performance. The study also highlights the role that firm status plays in the relationship between market and nonmarket strategies and firm performance.

This paper aims to clarify opportunities for collaborative interactions between cooperating teachers (CTs) and preservice teachers (PTs) in practice-based teacher preparation programs (TPPs). The study aimed to explore the discursive moves that facilitate collaboration between one CT and PT.

Grounded in the critical sociocultural theory, this study applied a qualitative microanalytic approach to the study of coaching interactions for the purpose of understanding why and how collaborative discourse developed between a CT and a PT.

This study of discourse moves within collaborative coaching interactions revealed collaborative interactions developed from strategic repositioning of social roles, which created space for authentic problem-posing by both the CT and the PT, and the co-construction of teaching events, which supported more specific planning toward future lessons; and routine and appreciative use of observational data created space for co-construction and co-inquiry.

This study illuminated the complex social and discursive dance embedded within collaborative interactions. The findings also suggested that the project of co-constructing curriculum with someone is a powerful and necessary experience for a PT because it is through this co-construction that PTs learn how to design meaningful curriculum and critically reflect on practice.

This study offers new understandings around how collaborative talk in educational discourse transpires and why providing opportunities for PTs to take a more active role in their own learning is important.

The purpose of this paper is to use insights from role congruity theory to explore how organizational context moderates the relationship between the representation of women on boards and corporate social performance (CSP).

The hypotheses are tested using a panel of S&P 500 firms observed from 2001 to 2011. The authors utilize the generalized estimating equations technique with Heckman’s two-stage approach to correct for endogeneity.

The findings reveal that four firm-level variables – voluntary initiative membership, deviation from prior financial performance, internationalization and product diversification – moderate the relationship between the representation of women on boards and CSP. These findings suggest that women directors have the ability to prioritize and advocate for social issues in the boardroom to a greater extent when firms provide a context that values their communal orientation. In contrast, the relationship between women directors and CSP weakens when the context encourages a focus on the bottom line.

This study reconciles mixed findings from previous research and contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between women directors and social performance by providing a theory-driven perspective of the circumstances under which women directors have a stronger or weaker impact on CSP. The authors extend role congruity theory by integrating contextual factors that may either diminish or amplify the effects of the expected directors’ gender roles on their behavior and decision making.

The aim of this study is to identify factors that influence drivers' route choice response to travel time information about both the expressway and local streets provided by variable message signs on arterial roads.

A stated preference questionnaire survey was conducted to collect behavioral data. The generalized estimating equations (GEEs) method with a logit link function was used to model driver response and account for correlations within repeated observations from the same respondent. Four GEEs‐based estimations with different working correlation structures were conducted and compared with each other as well as the conventional maximum likelihood estimation.

Driving experiences, expressway delays, causes of delay, and the number of traffic lights on local streets are factors influencing route choice decisions. A new finding is that there exist differences in response behavior among employer‐provided car, taxi and private car drivers. On the modeling aspect, the exchangeable structure was the most appropriate in this study.

This study indicates the effectiveness and appropriateness of the GEEs method and suggests further examination of GEEs' performance.

The route choice probability model established by this study will facilitate better investment, design and assessment of dynamic information services in transportation management.

The dynamic information this study concerns has rarely been addressed in the literature. Little literature to date has applied the GEEs method in information response modeling. This study reaches solider conclusions about the GEEs method.

The purpose of this paper is to consider whether regional currency integration in sub-Saharan Africa ameliorates global macroeconomic shocks by considering the impact of the 2008-2009 global financial crisis on economic growth. This suggests that Central Africa Franc Zone (CFAZ) eurocurrency union membership amplifies the effects of global business cycles in sub-Saharan Africa.

The authors estimate the parameters of a quantity theory model of economic growth within a Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) Framework.

Parameter estimates from GEE specifications reveal that the contraction in credit during the financial crisis of 2008-2009 had larger adverse growth effects on sub-Saharan African countries who were members of the CFAZ eurocurrency union. The authors also find that sub-Saharan African countries who were members of the CFAZ eurocurrency union were more likely to experience a contraction in credit.

As far as the authors can discern, no existing empirical growth models use a GEE framework to estimate parameters of interest. The GEE parameter estimates are distribution-free, robust with respect to unknown forms of heteroskedasticity, and control for a wide variety of error structures that can induce bias in panel data parameter estimates.

Alcohol and cannabis are the two most commonly used substances by young people in many developed nations. The purpose of this paper is to explore the longitudinal relationships between risky substance use (binge drinking and cannabis use) and psychological distress, emotional and behavioural difficulties, and truancy among Australian adolescents.

A total of 527 students (Mage=13.4 years, SD=0.43; 67 per cent female) from seven Australian schools completed an online self-report survey on four occasions over two years (baseline, 6, 12 and 24 months). The survey assessed binge drinking (5+ standard drinks on one occasion), cannabis use in the past six months, psychological distress, emotional and behavioural difficulties (Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire), and truancy. Generalised estimating equations (GEEs) were conducted to examine the longitudinal relationship between the substance use outcomes and each predictor variable.

At baseline, 3 per cent of students reported binge drinking and 6 per cent had used cannabis in the past six months. Rates of binge drinking significantly increased over time (21.1 per cent at 24 months) however, rates of cannabis use remained relatively stable (8.8 per cent at 24 months). Multivariate GEE analyses indicated that higher levels of hyperactivity/inattention, more days of truancy and being female were independently and consistently associated with binge drinking over time. Conduct problems was the only factor to be independently associated with cannabis use over time.

These findings provide valuable information about psychosocial risk factors for harmful alcohol and cannabis use. A better understanding of these associations is critical for informing substance use prevention efforts in the future.

This study examines whether there are unintended consequences that emerge from status interventions in task groups in relation to cohesion and solidarity. Past theorists have argued that inconsistent status structures produce weaker levels of cohesion and solidarity in comparison to consistent status structures.

Data come from an online experiment involving mixed-sex dyads interacting in one of three conditions. Participants individually completed an ambiguous problem-solving task and then worked together over Zoom audio to form a group decision. In the three conditions, participants were either given no performance feedback before the problem-solving task or were informed the male or the female participant performed better on a pretest related to the task. The conversations were recorded and analyzed using measures related to paraverbal synchronization and accommodation.

In terms of self-reported cohesion, there appeared to be a difference, albeit a weak one, in only the inconsistent-status condition, with female participants reporting higher levels of cohesion in comparison to males. However, in terms of solidarity, there was no significant difference between the conditions.

Although inconsistent status structures were associated with weaker perceptions of cohesion, it did not appear to impact solidarity like theorists have suggested. Status structures do not appear to impact group solidarity.

The nature of group membership in conjunction with status consistency/inconsistency may produce the significant differences in solidarity that theorists have suggested.

To date, there has been little empirical examination of how status consistency affects cohesion and solidarity. Relatedly, the current study advances the research on vocal accommodation by analyzing status and solidarity simultaneously.

As school districts continue to devalue social studies through a narrowed focus on English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, this study investigated elements of curricular control in a district lacking a formal, purchased curricular program in the elementary grades. Without prescribed and scripted lessons, it was hypothesized that teacher autonomy would allow greater opportunities to investigate social studies concepts and skills.

Without prescribed and scripted lessons, it was hypothesized that teacher autonomy would allow greater opportunities to investigate social studies concepts and skills. Bernstein's theory of pedagogic discourse guided this study's analysis of power and control. This manuscript describes a micro-level discourse analysis that applies Gee's tools on interview data from two teachers.

Findings demonstrate some opportunities for teacher autonomy, but hierarchical control from administration persists and influences teacher decision-making. As researchers continue to argue for the increased presence of elementary social studies, this study demonstrates that the lack of a formal scripted curricular program presents opportunities for teachers, but administrative control endures and hinders teacher autonomy and instructional decision-making.

The data size and number of participants in this study may present limitations that impact generalizability. However, the focus for this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the messaging from two teachers. Comparability and translatability were identified as factors for research design to establish legitimacy (LeCompte and Preissle, 1993).

When considering implications from this study, two elements are considered. First, the continued devaluation of social studies persists, despite the implementation of Common Core standards. As a result, other measures must be investigated and implemented to ensure the subject is elevated to a more prominent position representative of its importance to a democracy. To accomplish this goal, teacher input and autonomy must also be respected to ensure a quality curriculum is utilized in the classroom. While teachers may exert control, albeit limited, in their instructional decision-making, many others are reliant on purchased programs that do not allow even this narrow classroom influence.

In this study, teachers' language use demonstrated external administrative control as well as autonomous decision-making. Their assigned schedule privileged ELA and math through the allocation of time. Moreover, administrators stated that social studies is not a priority, a sentiment counter to participants' values. Therefore, while they recognized the inherent benefit of the subject to their students, hierarchical power controlled the classification and framing of instruction. A weakened classification and framing structure must be sought to allow more opportunities for purposeful integration of content through messaging systems that are more responsive to students' needs.

Whether older or younger entrepreneurs may be better positioned to achieve performance outcomes for their ventures is a much debated question. Here, we draw on Galenson℉s theory of creativity to propose a contingency perspective for understanding the relationship between entrepreneur age and venture performance, suggesting that a venture℉s level of innovativeness plays a moderating role. Results from a representative sample of 1,182 nascent entrepreneurs revealed mixed support for our hypotheses. While a negative relationship was found between entrepreneur age and performance for those developing “innovative” ventures, no relationship was found between entrepreneur age and performance for those developing “imitative” ventures.