Search results

Despite a large literature on talent management there is very little research on the comparative attitudes of employees in talent pools with those not in talent pools. This is an important omission as employee reactions should influence how effective talent programmes are and how they can be designed and evaluated. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to explore the work-related attitudes of employees who are members and non-members of talent pools.

Matched samples of employees working in a single public sector, scientific organization were surveyed using a standard survey and open questioning to elicit and compare the voices of included and excluded employees.

Employees in talent pools were more positive about their future prospects than employees outside talent pools who reported feelings of lower support from the organization, stronger feelings of unfairness and had lower expectations of the organization’s interest in them.

More matched-sample studies are necessary to further understand how employee reactions to talent pool membership are mediated by context.

Organizations should consider how employees will react to the design and implementation of talent pools and try to alleviate any adverse reactions. Two threats in particular are the depression of affect among excluded employees and failure to sustain positive affect among the included employees.

This is one of very few studies to explore employee reactions to talent programmes in a single organization. The single-site design controls for a large number of variables that confound inter-organizational studies of talent pool membership.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Michelle Walker.

In this single case study, Michelle gives a short background to the development of her depression and is then interviewed by Jerome.

Michelle sets out the reasons she developed depression. These map onto the research conducted by Brown and Harris some 50 years ago, showing how social factors can create a vulnerability to develop depression.

Single case studies provide us with one person’s narrative. That narrative is, however, unique and can often offer us insights that are lost in large statistical surveys.

Michelle found that the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) approach really helped her. However, she should never have had to wait as long as she did for that help. Mental health services must respond quickly, even if only to offer a triage assessment.

Brown and Harris identified four key vulnerability factors for depression in women. Michelle met three of these. How many other women are in a similar situation and are suffering in silence?

We can learn a lot from the factors that helped Michelle recover from her depressive episode: medication, CBT, the support of her mother, education, finding her soulmate and, although she does not say it, her own rugged determination and personal resilience.

This study explores whether particular forms of negative (i.e. antisocial) relating, as measured by the eight scales of the shorter Person’s Relating to Others Questionnaire (PROQ3), were associated with specific types of offend‐ing behaviour. The participants were 923 male offenders at a therapeutic community prison who had completed the PROQ3 on admission. The PROQ3 scores of eight offense groups identified on the basis of an offender’s index offense were compared using a one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA). In addition, because most prisoners had committed a range of offenses, the PROQ3 scores of ‘pure’ offenders (who had committed only one type of offense) were also com‐pared. Neutral distance (e.g. suspicion, self‐reliance) and lower closeness (e.g. fear of rejection and disapproval) were the PROQ3 scales most significantly associated with criminality in general and dishonest offenders demonstrated the broadest range of negative relating. Implications of findings for therapy are discussed.

Hypersexuality and gender dysphoria have both been described in the literature as symptoms of mania. Hypersexuality is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 as part of the diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder. Gender dysphoria is less often described and its relation to mania remains unclear. This case report describes a young homosexual man presenting in a manic episode with co-morbid amphetamine abuse whose mania was marked by hypersexuality and the new onset desire to be a woman. Both of these symptoms resolved with the addition of valproic acid to antipsychotics. This case report presents the existing literature on hypersexuality and gender dysphoria in mania and describes a treatment option that has not been previously reported.

New small businesses are the cornerstone of many small rural communities. They provide needed products and services, new opportunities for employment, and general vitality. The economic impact these businesses have on their town and county are important indicators of an area’s success. The purpose of this paper is to examine newly started small businesses that are within three or four years of age or less, and examine factors that may have led to their success or failure. Here, sources of advice, means of financial support, and background experience of the firm’s founder have been found to be correlated with the business success.

The analysis using Probit regression yielded four models wherein female owners, family help with a business and Hispanic ownership had significant models predicting performance all of these were negative relationships. The factors correlated with business success as proposed are presented. Of course correlation does not imply causation, which means that the authors cannot be sure that a factor that is associated with business success will lead to business success. But, this is an important first step in determining whether there are significant differences between successful and unsuccessful businesses.

The findings showed that experience with previous business ownership had a distinct impact and the marketing efforts were also important for profitability. The other factors were not significant. A second phase to the analysis using Probit regression yielded four models wherein female owners, family help with a business and Hispanic ownership had significant models predicting performance all of these were negative relationships. This represents the difficulties that are encountered with these groups in garnering the support and financial means they need to succeed. It was also interesting that the use of a business plan did not help the businesses succeed.

Using a Probit Regression and χ² analysis of the data is the most appropriate and accurate analysis for a date set of this type. There is much more to be accomplished with rural entrepreneurship and the use of these techniques would be appropriate for this type of data.

Business plans are important for the business founder to predict potential costs and profits. In this study however, the authors did not find that having a business plan differentiated business’s performance. If it can be replicated, it will be important to find out what is unique about rural areas that lead to this finding. If business plans do not help, then what type of preplanning will help? If this finding is correct, business development agencies may wish to cut back resources devoted to writing a business plan, and devote them to other areas. Being a member of business network group also is not associated with business success.

The growth of rural entrepreneurial businesses is well documented. These businesses provide many social impacts to the local community not only by providing products or services need but also by providing employment. This research is imperative to providing the best success plan for these businesses as the proliferate.

There has been very little research on rural entrepreneurship. This study takes a unique look at a rural community and the success or failure of their businesses over a one-year period when most small businesses succeed or fail. There is much more to be done on examining the tools they need to be successful.

The paper aims to ascertain how local authorities and other services are responding to central government strategies to make support for family carers a priority.

A web-based audit of local authority public information for carers was undertaken (n=50). The sample covered different parts of England and different local authority types.

A small minority of local authority web sites mention that they operated Carers’ Registers. Overall local authorities offer different resources to carers, ranging from discounts in the local area to access to emergency card registration. Some use online information as a communication channel. Overall local authority online information for carers seems to be variable in quality, accessibility and purpose. We conclude that growth in the collection of information by primary care services in England risks duplicating some of the functions of, and problems with, local authority activities. Local commissioning should minimise confusion and make optimal use of carers’ information. Carers should not have to navigate confusing, variable, parallel systems and outreach is needed for those who do not use electronic media, such as some older carers.

This was a small-scale study nested within a larger project. It is possible that the web sites we interrogated were atypical, although we did take steps to prevent this.

The study's strength lies in its originality of approach undertaking a specific audit of material that is publicly available and reflecting on a subject that has not previously been explored in the context of information for carers.

This paper aims to analyze how the administrative structure of pension regulators affects regulatory capture or regulatory influence. It uses a historical institutionalist methodology to analyze regulatory capture.

The authors argue that the less complex allocation of regulatory authority in Ireland makes it more susceptible to regulatory capture or regulatory influence by the regulated industry than in the USA. Also, it is argued that stand-alone agencies are more susceptible to regulatory capture than are agencies that are embedded within larger departments of government. The authors present a five-step process in regulatory capture, with the later steps being used by the regulated industry if the earlier ones have failed.

The authors find that if the regulated industry has difficulty achieving regulatory capture through influencing the executive branch of government, it can also attempt to influence the legislative and judicial branches, as evidenced by a regulatory episode the USA has recently completed. Ireland has also recently completed reforms that may make regulatory capture more difficult. With a complex regulatory structure including overlapping authority as in the USA, when one agency has been strongly influenced by the regulated industry, another agency may take action to protect the public.

The paper presents international evidence as to the effect of the administrative structure of regulators on regulatory outcomes. It tests a hypothesis that the more complex, overlapping allocation of regulatory authority in the USA makes it less susceptible to regulatory capture.