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We use an innovative technique to examine an enduring but recently neglected question: How do environmental turbulence and complexity affect the appropriate formal design of organizations? We construct an agent-based simulation in which multidepartment firms with different designs face environments whose turbulence and complexity we control. The model's results produce two sets of testable hypotheses. One set pinpoints formal designs that cope well with three different environments: turbulent settings, in which firms must improve their performance speedily; complex environments, in which firms must search broadly; and settings with both turbulence and complexity, in which firms must balance speed and search. The results shed new light on longstanding notions such as equifinality. The other set of hypotheses argues that the impact of individual design elements on speed and search often depends delicately on specific powers granted to department heads, creating effects that run contrary to conventional wisdom and intuition. Ample processing power at the bottom of a firm, for instance, can slow down the improvement and narrow the search of the firm as a whole. Differences arise between our results and conventional wisdom when conventional thinking fails to account for the powers of department heads—powers to withhold information about departmental options, to control decision-making agendas, to veto firmwide alternatives, and to take unilateral action. Our results suggest how future empirical studies of organizational design might be fruitfully coupled with rigorous agent-based modeling efforts.

This article touches on the debate surrounding trans-national ethnic identities as a stabilising or destabilising factor. The discussion cuts to the heart of the question of whether the conflict in the Great Lakes region can be depicted as an ethnic conflict in the first instance. The article commences with a discussion of identity as a concept central to the understanding of ethnic identity. The focus subsequently shifts to the link between ethnic identity and conflict. Ethnic identity and ethnic conflict within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are explored within the conceptual framework established in the first two sections. The author concludes that ethnic conflicts in the DRC can in most instances be attributed to mobilisation along ethnic lines to obtain objectives ranging from basic needs to the regional security objectives. The author points out that there are undoubtedly ethnic dimensions to the conflict, but the conflict is too complex and multi-dimensional to be reduced to a mere clash between rival ethnic groups. The conflict in the DRC and the region as a whole is not an ethnic conflict, neither are ethnic differences or the fact that ethnic groups stradle national borders a root cause of the conflict. Ethnic identities have merely been employed as a basis for mobilisation and alliance to serve the objectives of individuals, groups and countries. (Politeia/DÜI)

This article reports on a cross-cultural analysis of television coverage of the 2003 Iraq War that seeks to assess & understand the dimensions of objectivity in the news during wartime. A total of 1,820 stories on five American networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel [FNC]) & on the Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera were included in the study. The study assessed bias on two levels: tone of individual stories & the macro-level portrait of the war offered by each network. Results showed that at the story level, the overwhelming number of stories broadcast by Al Jazeera & the American networks other than FNC were balanced. Yet the data also revealed a strong bias in support of the American-led war effort at FNC & important differences in how the various networks covered the war. Also, broadcasters showed a war devoid of blood, dissent, & diplomacy, focusing instead on a sanitized version of combat. Overall, the study found evidence that the news norm of objectivity is defined in large part by culture & ideology more than events, as the norm would imply. The study also explored in detail the coverage of embedded reporters to assess their objectivity & compare their coverage to other types of reporters, especially "unilaterals" with whom they shared the battlefield. 6 Tables, 35 References. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Inc., copyright 2005 by the President and the Fellows of Harvard College.]

Food plots are a vital element for the survival of game bird species such as bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) on Fort Riley Military Installation in Kansas. However, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) tend to eat the sorghum when it starts to ripen in September and continue feeding on it through November and December, often leaving no food for the quail during the winter. We conducted pen and field trails to determine if repellents were an effective and feasible method to protect grain sorghum food plots from deer damage. Two-choice pen trials with both deer and game bird species were used to determine preference and avoidance of milo treated with Liquid Fence® and Plantskydd™. Individual food plots on Fort Riley were used to test both repellents' effectiveness in protecting a 6-row perimeter around established food plots. When given a choice both bobwhite quails and pheasants avoided Plantskydd (P < 0 .001). Both repellents were avoided versus the control in the pen trials for white-tailed deer (P < 0 .0001); however, we found no difference in seed head damaged between field control plots and plots treated with Liquid Fence or those with Plantskydd (F7,23 = 0.88, P = 0.54). Although milo treated in the pens deterred white-tailed deer, we feel the use of repellents for treating food plots may be cost prohibitive and less effective than other deterrents such as netting fences.

Decreasing acceptance of biotechnologies over time has been reported in Europe. Studies claim that attitudes are negative, even hostile, and that people are very worried about genetic engineering in food and medicine. However, such studies are mostly based on surveys and these have significant methodological problems, such as low response rates, which may indicate that only those with strong views respond, thus biasing the sample. Here an alternative method, involving "topic‐blind" recruitment of participants and a behavioral measure (food tasting), was used. We show that in a topic‐blind sample of 100 individuals, 93% willingly tasted and ate what they believed to be genetically modified (GM) food in an experimental setting, and 48% said they would buy GM food in the future, results that are surprising in the context of other reports about attitudes and intentions toward GM food. Purchasers and nonpurchasers differed in their attitudes toward GM food on key risk‐related scales (particularly on a dread‐not dread scale—a measure of integral affect—and an ethical‐unethical scale). Despite these differences, however, and despite their negative attitude, most nonpurchasers (85.7%) still tasted the GM apple. Incidental affect (state stress and trait worry) was not found to influence risk‐related judgments about GM food. Integral affect (dread of GM plants and animals used for food) and concerns about the future risks of GM animals in food were found to be key predictors of willingness to purchase GM food.

In the article we ask how long Norwegian recipients of social assistance stay on aid over an eight‐year period? We focus on the populations selected, the design of the study and how spells are recorded and measured. The data set includes nearly the entire 1995 cohort of social assistance claimants (n = 155,000), and contains individual information over eight years (1992–1999), which is the maximum length of a single continuous spell. The study combines a retrospective and a prospective multiple cohort design. The data analysis shows that there is no simple answer to our question; the answer depends on the sample selected, the design, number of spells counted and the chosen measure of central tendency. We find that median duration times vary from two months to 40 months. The conclusion is that a point‐in‐time sample has clearly the longest duration. It makes a big difference whether one measures one or more spells. Because cycling is a common phenomenon, the sum of all spell durations is much higher than that of the first continuous spell. A retrospective design severely underestimates spell durations since many spells are right‐hand censored. As there is no single, adequate answer to our initial question, it is recommended that analysts of social assistance dynamics carefully specify their sample, design and spells counted.

Background: Personal space is the area individuals maintain around themselves into which others cannot intrude without arousing discomfort. Objective: We tested the hypotheses that psychological distancing of patients with schizophrenia would be a characteristic of 1) diagnosis and/or 2) syndrome. Methods: For this aim, 30 schizophrenic and 30 age matching normal males established comfortable interpersonal distances for 20 word-stimuli representing family members, significant others, self-images, emotionally neutral and threatening surroundings. The distances were assessed by a paper-and-pencil projective measure, the Comfortable Interpersonal Distance scale and the patients' psycho-pathological symptoms were quantified by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. t-tests and correlational analyses were employed to examine the relation-ships between the parameters of interest. Results: The rank order (hierarchy) of preferable interpersonal distances of patients with schizophrenia was similar to that of normal subjects. At the same time, psychological distance from family members and themselves was substantially larger among the patients. There were no significant correlations between any kind of interpersonal distance and positive syndrome of schizophrenia, while negative syndrome showed significant inverse association with distances from emotionally neutral and threatening figures and positive correlation with family member and self-image distances. Conclusion: The results suggest that the negative syndrome of schizophrenia attenuates the differences between interpersonal distances from generally close and distant persons.

The author examines the character of the changes taking place in contemporary Serbian society. He emphasizes at the same time that contemporary Serbian philosophy is facing these crucial questions as well, which without it cannot be even addressed, let alone solved. The key difference between modern West European and contemporary Serbian societies, seen from the perspective of philosophy, is demonstrated most clearly in the manner of constituting institutions and transforming the modern Serbian society. In the process of building modern institutions philosophy, not just in our country but throughout the Slavic East, has not had the role it played in Europe. Here lies the explanation why natural consciousness and an original ethos, though considerably modified, still remain unadapted and today represent a major obstacle to the establishment of the rule of European law. Without a change in the sense of justice and respect for the law it is impossible to accomplish the transformation of the society in which the law recognized by a democratic state could not be super ordinate to any reason. The crucial role of philosophy in this process is seen by the author not only in establishing modern European institutions and acceptance of the principle of European legislation, but above all in its influence on the transformation of the original ethos and establishment of new criteria on which the reflection, decision making and action of any individual would be based. .

n this paper, I address the complex question of cultural stereotypes and how these kinds of categorising and simplifying notions of the perceived "other" and of 'difference' affect the special context of international project industry, a context where cultural diversity is one of the most prominent features. This paper aims at discussing the notion of cultural stereotypes as it appears in an empirical material consisting of field diaries written by Nordic students during their time as trainees at international industrial sites around the world.
I want to suggest that a deeper understanding of stereotypes and their role in cultural encounters can be achieved if an analysis of their contents and functions is connected to a more comprehensive existential question of how people in general create their world-views and interpret their reality. To enhance our understanding of the form and function of cultural stereotypes, I want to propose an alternative perspective in which to interpret them. In this article, I view stereotypes from the humanistic and theological perspectives of intercultural hermeneutics and as structuring components in the symbolic construction of reality (symboliska verklighetsbygget). The question of cultural encounters must not be addressed solely as a question of knowledge, I believe, but as a question also of attitudes and individual emotionally shaped dimensions. This can, I believe, contribute to a more dynamic and comprehensive understanding of the stereotypes and their significance in a world where cultural encounters have become everyday experiences.

While recent scholarship has attempted to clarify the Founders′ opposition to religious establishment, few pause to consider public establishment as a viable alternative. This study examines one of the eighteenth century's least likely proponents of religious establishment: David Hume. Despite his reputation as an avowed enemy of religion, Hume actually defends religion for its ability to strengthen society and to improve morality. These salutary qualities are lost, however, when society is indifferent about the character of the religion professed by its citizens. Hume's masterful History of England reveals that a tolerant established church is best equipped to reap the advantages of religion while avoiding the dangers of fanaticism. Hume's differences in this respect from Adam Smith and Alexis de Tocqueville are explored.In the last few years, we have witnessed a remarkable increase in public discourse about the role of religion in American life. From the spirited campaign rhetoric of vice-presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman to George W. Bush's faith-based initiative, our national leaders have demonstrated a growing willingness to bring religion into the public square. One result has been a renewed debate about the meaning of both the First Amendment and the Founders′ principle of nonestablishment. Often missing from this debate is a discussion of the deeper issues at play in the relationship between church and state. What exactly do individual citizens have to fear from a union of church and state?

Regulation is almost a synonym for public law. Government, relying on its sovereign powers, intervenes into freedom for the sake of social betterment. Reality less and less coincides with this traditional picture. Regulation is increasingly replaced by private or hybrid governance, i.e., by blends of private and public elements. Constitutional doctrine is not well prepared for the ensuing four-polar conflict. The four actors are government, the private regulator, its addressees, and the protectees. Constitutional doctrine treats private regulation as an exercise of freedom. The interest of protectees in good governance consequently lacks constitutional status. The conflict between private regulators and addressees is treated as if it were a normal conflict between two groups of individuals having opposing interests. An appropriate solution makes a difference between the constitutional protection of freedom and autonomy. The German constitution does indeed also protect autonomy, of municipalities, public broadcasters, universities, and private regulators. But the scope and level of protection against governmental interference reflects the governance task of private regulators. In a second respect, constitutional doctrine also ought to be amended. Private governance is rarely governance by law. It more often relies on social norms, technical code, incentives, or mixtures of legal with non-legal governance tools. The normative value of governance by law can be reflected in objective constitutional law. Finally, from all this a first set of insights can be derived for the constitutional treatment of hybrid governance.

Purpose.To determine whether practice of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique can affect medical expenses.Design.The evaluation was a quasi experimental, longitudinal, cost-minimization study.Setting.Province of Quebec, Canada.Subjects.This study involved 1418 Quebec health insurance enrollees who practiced the TM technique compared with 1418 subjects who were randomly selected from enrollees of the same age, sex, and region. TM subjects had chosen to begin the technique prior to learning about and choosing to enter the study.Measures.This 14-year, pre- and postintervention study retrospectively assessed government payments to physicians for treating the TM and comparison groups. Other medical expense data for individuals were unavailable. Data were inflation-adjusted. For each subject, least squares regression slopes were calculated to estimate pre- and postintervention annual rates of change in payments. We compared the groups' means and 1%, 5%, and 10% trimmed means (robust estimators) of the slopes.Results.Before starting meditation, the yearly rate of increase in payments between groups was not significantly different (p > .17). After commencing meditation, the TM group's mean payments declined 1% to 2% annually. The comparison group's payments increased up to 11. 73% annually over 6 years. There was a 13. 78% mean annual difference (p = .0017).Conclusions.The results suggest that the TM technique reduced payments to physicians between 5 % and 13 % annually relative to comparison subjects over 6 years. Randomized studies are recommended.