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This paper reports results of analyses made at an all-female Gulf Arab university measuring the nature and extent of biases in students' evaluation of faculty. Comparisons are made with research reporting the nature of similar relationships in North America. Two issues are investigated: 1) What variables (if any) bias faculty evaluation results at an all-female Arab university? 2) Are biasing variables different in nature or magnitude to those reported at North America universities? Using the population of 13,300 faculty evaluation records collected over two school years at Zayed University, correlations of faculty evaluation results to nine potentially biasing factors are made. Results show biases to faculty evaluation results do exist. However, biases are small, and strikingly similar in nature to those reported at North American universities.

Masculinity is a core cognitive structure that plays a central role in organising attitudinal and behavioural processes. Yet there is limited research focussing upon the meaning of masculinity for men who have a past history of violent behaviour, who experience psychotic phenomena and reside in secure forensic settings. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Q-methodology was used to elucidate the factors regarding how men who experience psychotic phenomena perceive their masculinity. Ten participants from a secure forensic setting performed a 49-statement Q-sort task.

Principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation was performed on the ten completed Q-sorts which revealed a three-factor solution, accounting for 57 per cent of the variance in the data. The factors were interpreted and discussed under the following headings: “assured and asserting maverick”, “calm, confident, composed conformist” and “nurturing provider in the face of adversity”. This revealed that men with psychosis have different, predominantly pro-social explanatory frameworks for their representation of masculinity.

This study revealed that men with psychosis have different, predominantly pro-social explanatory frameworks for their representation of masculinity. However, the study was limited by its lack of longitudinal assessment and the inclusion of a greater number of participants may have enhanced the representativeness and generalisability of the findings.

Therapeutic discussions in respect of masculinity itself could provide men with the opportunity to develop newer, more adaptive conceptualisations of themselves, help them develop greater self-awareness and understanding of the sources of their presenting concerns, which in turn could enhance a provisional formulation of their difficulties. It would also be potentially valuable to understand how these patterns of masculinity map onto coping, recovery style and service engagement. Furthermore, services could also benefit from becoming more aware of hospitalisation being a shameful perhaps stigmatizing time for men with psychosis.

It may be useful for people working in healthcare settings to be aware of how the service users they support perceive their masculinity, so the existential and deeper needs of male patients are provided with enough consideration. This is an important point, as some individuals are often reluctant or neglect to enquire about individual’s psychotic experiences and gender identification.

Although forensic psychiatric care is primarily populated by men who have committed violent acts, there is a limited research focussing upon the meaning of masculinity in this context. This is in spite of evidence which shows that maladaptive perceptions of masculinity can be reinforced during time spent residing in secure settings. The cultural constructs of masculinity and their respective impact upon the diagnosis, management and outcome of psychosis has also received little attention. Therefore, this research represents new and significant contributions to the field.

This paper aims to provide academic instruction librarians with a model for integrating concepts from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework into “one-shot” library instruction sessions without losing the practical experience of searching the library resources.

The authors adapted the Cephalonian method as the structure of first-year library instruction sessions for an English composition class. The sessions were re-designed to emphasize the core concepts of information literacy while incorporating active learning activities and discussion.

The authors found the Cephalonian method to be a useful structure for incorporating aspects of the ACRL Framework into the first-year library instruction program. The call-and-response format fosters conversations and leads seamlessly into hands-on activities. When used as part of “flipped” instruction, the Cephalonian method allows instructors to engage students who have completed the online portion and those who have not.

This paper offers librarians practical ideas for incorporating the information literacy concepts outlined in the ACRL Framework into one-shot instruction sessions.

With the recent adoption of the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education by ACRL, there is a need for practical examples of how to incorporate the frames into existing library instruction programs.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a RELQUAL‐construct and to test its impact on satisfaction in Norwegian business relationships.

This study is based upon a survey and random sample of small and medium‐sized companies in Norway. Initially, respondents were contacted by phone and a total of 581 surveys were mailed. A total of 212 surveys were returned, a response rate of 36.5 percent.

Two principal findings are: business relationships characterized by commitment/continuity and coordination/cooperation indicate a higher degree of a company's perceived satisfaction of the supplier; and business relationships characterized by opportunism/distrust and dependence indicate a lower degree of a company's perceived satisfaction of the supplier.

The RELQUAL‐construct and its impact on satisfaction in business relationships appears to be accurate for those Norwegian business relationships studied, but only further work in examining other companies will verify its universal applicability if it is to be seen as a valid and reliable measurement for other companies' business relationships too. Suggestions for further research are provided.

This study is of managerial interest to executives since it provides a framework of dimensions to be considered in corporate efforts in maintaining satisfactory levels of relationship quality in business relationships.

The RELQUAL‐construct makes a contribution to theory since it proposes a higher order‐construct and measurement instrument for the benefit of other researchers and practitioners in the field.

The purpose of this paper is to compare similarities and differences in perceived quality of business relationships in Norway and Sweden.

The Norwegian and Swedish sampling frames consisted of 600 small‐ and medium‐sized firms in each country. A response rate of 36.5 percent was achieved in Norway and 21 percent in Sweden. Leading executives from both countries were used as key informants because they are the primary decision‐makers most knowledgeable about their firm's interactions with suppliers.

The findings indicate that there are a series of significant differences and associations between the perceived quality of business relationships in small and medium‐sized firms in Norway and Sweden, though both countries resemble each other in both socio‐economic indicators and cultural dimensions.

One suggestion for further research is to replicate the study in other industries, business relationships, and countries. Another is to undertake a longitudinal approach of the focal areas of “perceived quality” and “supplier criteria”.

This study is of managerial interest, as the framework may be applied by firms to monitor and evaluate ongoing supplier relationships and, in extension, their current customer relationships. It would be of interest to see if similarities exist amongst other cultures of the focal areas, and/or if there are differences across other countries that are decidedly different from those in Norway and Sweden.

This paper makes a contribution to inter‐organizational theory since it outlines a conceptual framework of focal areas of “perceived quality” and “supplier criteria” for examining business relationships across industries and countries for the benefit of other researchers.

The purpose of this paper is to test a measurement model of a META‐RELQUAL construct.

This study is based upon a survey and random sample of small‐ and medium‐sized companies in Norway. Respondents were contacted by phone and a total of 581 surveys were mailed. In total, 212 surveys were returned generating a response rate of 36.5 percent.

The goodness‐of‐fit measures of the tested measurement model of the META‐RELQUAL construct were all found to be within the recommended guidelines. The recommended guidelines for convergent, discriminant and nomological validity, as well as construct reliability, were all met. It is concluded that the measurement properties of the META‐RELQUAL construct applied in Norwegian manufacturer‐supplier relationships indicate acceptable validity and reliability.

The tested META‐RELQUAL construct appears to be accurate for those Norwegian business relationships studied, but only further testing in other companies will verify its universal application if it is to be seen as a valid and reliable measurement for other companies' business relationships too. Suggestions for further research are provided.

This study is of managerial interest to executives since it provides a framework of constructs to be considered in corporate efforts in maintaining satisfactory levels of relationship quality in business relationships.

The META‐RELQUAL construct makes a contribution to theory since it outlines a higher order construct and measurement instrument for the benefit of other researchers and practitioners in the field.

The objective of the pilot study reported on here was to identify some of the more elusive “costs and benefits” of work‐based learning (WBL) placements. This was addressed by exploring the views and experience of a small number of human resource development (HRD) professionals who currently offer supervised work‐based learning placements to full‐time post‐graduate HRD students.

The small qualitative study outlined was a pilot, focused initially on the perceptions of one set of stakeholders within the placement process, the HRD professionals. By means of questionnaires and interviews the participants were invited to reflect on their interpretation of the tangible and intangible costs and benefits to the organisation, the supervisor/mentor, the student and the university.

The findings imply that there are a number of non‐financial costs and benefits that may not be widely recognised but which may have significance when seeking/agreeing placement opportunities.

This is a small‐scale study, and may have limited transferability.

In due course the study will be extended to examine the perspectives of other stakeholders.

Evidence from the literature suggests that obtaining and sustaining good quality WBL placements can be difficult. A reflection on potential “non standard” costs and benefits may assist organisations to weigh up these more ephemeral but potentially important factors and aid decision‐making about the viability and desirability of offering WBL placements and at the same time develop awareness of non‐standard costs and benefits amongst those seeking to set up placements for their students.

This article describes a project that explored the views, experiences and aspirations of young people with Down's Syndrome and their family carers. Each young person had gone or was going through the transition to adulthood. Following a scoping study, young people who were leading the lives of their choice, for example through use of person‐centred planning or direct payments, were interviewed, and their stories were published in a booklet. The next phase brought other young people and their families together in workshops to support them in planning for their future, based on the information from the booklet. Interviews with the young people and their families dispelled the myth that parents are obstacles to progress and change. All families actively supported their son or daughter to achieve their aspirations and had high expectations for them.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a cross‐cultural RELQUAL‐scale in supplier‐distributor relationships in Sweden and the USA.

The Swedish and US sampling frames consisted each of a random sample of 600 owners and managers of distribution firms of specialty tools and fasteners. A total of 161 usable surveys were returned from the US‐survey, for a response rate of 27 percent, while 121 usable surveys were returned from the Swedish survey, for a response rate of 20 percent. An overall response rate of 24 percent was achieved across both countries.

The paper provides support for the dimensional distinctiveness of cooperation, coordination, specific assets, satisfaction, trust, and commitment. Four of the dimensions are reflective of relationship quality or the “cross‐cultural RELQUAL‐scale” (cooperation, coordination, trust, and commitment) and relationship quality was found to be associated with relationship‐satisfaction with suppliers. A test of metric invariance confirmed the RELQUAL‐scale is appropriate for cross‐cultural research.

Examining the tested in other industrial and cultural contexts and countries in other inter‐organizational settings could help establish the generality of findings beyond Sweden and the USA and that beyond the context of the distributor‐supplier relationship of fasteners and specialty tools.

The “cross‐cultural RELQUAL‐scale” is of interest to business practice as it provides a structure of dimensions to be considered in the organizational effort of maintaining satisfactory levels of relationship quality with suppliers.

The paper focuses on two different cultural contexts, which is an approach rarely seen in inter‐organizational research. The focal constructs are frequently included in inter‐organizational research, but have previously not been included in the same empirical study of RELQUAL.

That the health of the body is very closely connected with the nature and quantity of the food we take is a statement in the nature of a self‐evident proposition. When we desist from eating food, starvation sets in after a longer or shorter period, according to the individual; when we eat too much or drink too much, distressing symptoms as inevitably supervene. Moreover, the quantity of food or drink consumed is not the only factor. The quality also is a matter of supreme importance, as in cases of malnutrition, while the various forms of blood disease, more or less loosely classed together as anæmia, appear to be associated to some extent with the question of nourishment. Without going so far as extreme partisans do who would seek to prove that all diseases are ultimately due to the consumption of unsuitable food, as witness, for instance, the views of the more advanced vegetarians and fruitarians, who attribute cancer and other maladies to the eating of meat, it is obvious that a very close connection exists between the health of the body and the nature of our food supply.