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1 – 4 of 4Ronald H. Heck and Robert C. Voliter
A structural model was proposed and tested concerning the impact of background and psycho‐social variables on high school seniors’ (N = 2,731) reported substance use and…
Abstract
A structural model was proposed and tested concerning the impact of background and psycho‐social variables on high school seniors’ (N = 2,731) reported substance use and educational outcomes. The findings indicated that interpersonal variables (e.g., school adjustment, delinquency, relationships with parents and community) primarily affected reported substance use. Intrapersonal variables (e.g., self‐concept, attitudes toward school), however, were unrelated to substance use. Moreover, background, psycho‐social variables and substance use were also related to a variety of student perceptions about their educational experiences and future aspirations. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for school personnel working with high school students.
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Jayna R. Sheats, David Biesty, Julien Noel and Gary N. Taylor
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the economics of various printing processes proposed for small‐scale electronic products such as radio frequency identification tags, smart…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the economics of various printing processes proposed for small‐scale electronic products such as radio frequency identification tags, smart cards, and wireless sensors, and to present a new transfer printing method.
Design/methodology/approach
The costs of several types of microstructuring techniques were calculated from commercial product data, along with a detailed spreadsheet simulation of inkjet printing for microelectronics. A new material for transfer printing was developed, along with suitable tooling for placing small and thin dice on flexible substrates.
Findings
The cost analysis of inkjet printing suggests that it may not be substantially less expensive than conventional silicon technology for this purpose, while achieving inferior performance. Offset printing is cheaper but further from practicality. The new transfer printing process successfully prints very small silicon dice at high speed, and appears to meet the market needs with respect to cost, product performance and flexibility in readily producing different designs.
Research limitations/implications
The cost analysis depends on assumptions which are not all well known, and which change with time. The new method has not yet been run in a high‐volume production mode. Such experience will be necessary to fully confirm its value.
Originality/value
This analysis identifies cost factors which have not been generally appreciated in public discussions of printed electronics. The transfer printing process offers a unique way to make cost‐effective use of silicon integrated circuits which are much smaller than any that appear in products today, and may have ramifications beyond the original target of tags and sensors.
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Nikolaos Karfakis and George Kokkinidis
The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical conceptualisation of guilt and the depoliticization of downsizing practices. The authors begin with a critical review of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical conceptualisation of guilt and the depoliticization of downsizing practices. The authors begin with a critical review of the relevant management literature aiming to establish the discursive normalization and individualization of (un)employment. The authors then use secondary sources to reflect on the downsizing process. A process that, as the authors argue, is distinguished into three separate but interconnected phases: corporate memos (phase 1), termination scripts (phase 2) and the role of outplacement services (phase 3). By examining this process, the aim is to point to the mechanisms through which downsizing practices are neutralized and depoliticized.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual work that provides a systematic overview of the existing management literature on downsizing and guilt. Use of other secondary sources (corporate memos and termination scripts) is also employed to draw links between the discursive normalization of downsizing as identified in the relevant literature and the specific organizational processes and practices implemented by corporations during downsizing. The authors identify common ideas and themes that cut across the relevant literature and the secondary sources and aim to offer a theoretical conceptualisation of guilt and the depoliticization of downsizing practices.
Findings
This paper argues that downsizing discourses and practices contribute to the feelings of personal responsibility and self-blame, reinforcing an individualistic understanding of work and unemployment that excludes more structural ones, and that it helps in reproducing the existing structures of power.
Research limitations/implications
The study recognizes that employees’ reactions are not only unpredictable but also constantly evolving, depending on personal and social circumstances. The authors also recognize that the work is based on secondary sources much of which talk about practices in US companies, and thus the authors are and should be cautious of generalizations. The authors hope, however, that the authors will encourage further empirical research, particularly among organization studies and critical management scholars, on downsizing practices and guilt. For the authors’ part, the authors have tried to offer a critical reflection on how guilt is produced through corporate discourses and practices, and the authors believe that further empirical investigation on the three phases of the downsizing process (as identified in our work) and the lived experience of (un)employment is needed. As corporate downsizing discourses and practices frame (un)employment in strictly individualist and behavioral terms, the authors wish to emphasize the need for further theoretical investigation and political contestation. The authors, therefore, hope that the work will contribute to the relevant literature on downsizing practices and open up the discussions around layoff policies and the structural conditions of (un)employment.
Originality/value
The paper shows that downsizing practices and feelings of guilt are strongly linked to and exemplify the “individualization” of social and political issues such as work and unemployment. The authors suggest that individualization signifies, in some sense, a retreat from organized collective resistance and mobilization based upon class and that the prevalence of the ideology of individualism (and its correlative, meritocracy), over alternative explanations and solutions to such public issues, helps in reproducing existing structures of power and inequity.
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After the closing of four of the five historically Black college and university (HBCU)–based library and information science (LIS) graduate programs (leaving only that of North…
Abstract
Purpose
After the closing of four of the five historically Black college and university (HBCU)–based library and information science (LIS) graduate programs (leaving only that of North Carolina Central University), there is a need to revitalize HBCU-LIS degree program pathways to increase racial diversity in LIS education.
Design/methodology/approach
This mixed-methods study entails survey and interview research with HBCU librarians. The researchers explored participants’ professional experiences and perspectives on creating partnerships between HBCU institutions and LIS graduate programs.
Findings
Participants demonstrated substantial experience, expressed high levels of job satisfaction, viewed pipeline programs favorably and believed that LIS can be strengthened through the inclusion of HBCU educational practices and students.
Practical implications
This study provides recommendations and a model for forging culturally competent and reciprocal HBCU–LIS degree program partnerships.
Social implications
Community-led knowledge of HBCUs can disrupt rescue and deficiency narratives of these institutions. Such prejudices are detrimental to HBCU-LIS degree program partnerships.
Originality/value
Past HBCU-LIS degree program pipeline partnerships did not culminate in research or published best practices. This paper presents literature-derived and community-sourced guidelines along with a model for future initiatives.
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