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Invisible Mothers: Unseen yet Hypervisible After Incarceration, the new book by Dr. Janet Garcia-Hallett, has almost innumerable contributions to the field. The first thing that the reader will likely notice that makes this work stand out is the impact of Garcia-Hallett’s positionality as an Afro-Latina mother on the holistic understanding of the experiences of the Black and brown women as mothers and victims of the racist American carceral system. Garcia-Hallett grew up in Harlem, witnessing the transformation of her community due to the takeover of the penal system. For this book, she interviewed 37 mothers in New York City with histories of incarceration, and her writing skilfully puts the reader in her shoes as she presents the findings from her interviews, which took place in their kitchens, booths in McDonald’s, and at tables in shelters. In her exploration of these women’s experiences, Garcia-Hallett departs from the traditional pitiful exploration of their lives, but instead, paints a complicated, multifaceted picture of women engaging actively in many different types of motherwork, while facing almost constant obstacles from racist and misogynist criminal legal and child welfare systems that criminalize, pathologize and penalize their survival of their marginalization, rather than helping ‘save’ children and their mothers. She provides a critical and structural analysis while also introducing each woman as deeply unique in her strengths and challenges and is able to acknowledge the importance of the children without letting them overshadow the mothers. This is no small feat.

Several predictions of sperm competition theory are not well supported empirically. One potential reason is that most current theory and empirical research ignore how the social environment influence the temporal dynamics of mating. We propose that understanding these dynamics is key to understanding sexual selection and improving the predictive power of theory. To demonstrate the importance of these dynamics, we quantify how males’ social role, interactions among males, and current social environment influence the timing of mating in Symphodus ocellatus, a species with three alternative male reproductive tactics. Nesting males spawn synchronously with females; sneakers and satellites sneak-spawn with some time delay. Satellites also cooperate with nesting males. We found that satellites have shorter sneak-spawning delays than sneakers, a benefit of their cooperation with nesting males. Sneak-spawning delays decreased with increasing nest activity for sneakers but not for satellites, suggesting that sneakers may benefit from increased sperm competition intensity. Current sperm competition models ignore this potential benefit, which may be why the prediction that males should decrease investment when sperm competition involves more than two males is not well supported. Our study provides insight into mechanisms that drive variation in the timing of spawning, which could explain mismatches between theoretical and empirical results.

Firm speed has long been a construct of interest among managers and researchers. Despite its importance, making a ceteris paribus comparison of speed can be challenging. In the current paper, we suggest an alternative to the conventional way of capturing the speed ceteris paribus. First, we illustrate the concept of faster speed in strategic management research. Second, we use numerical simulation data to illustrate the challenges of the conventional methodology, known as the nonlinear transformation of variables. We show that this method is difficult to apply and may produce an inaccurate measurement of the concept unless the exact functional form is chosen. Third, we suggest an alternative methodology, known as data envelopment analysis. This accounts for the challenges of the conventional methodology when we do not know the accurate functional form for nonlinear transformation, while performing as well as the best of the conventional approach. Finally, by using actual firm data, we show that our suggested methodology can be an effective alternative to the conventional approach of capturing a firm’s speed.

Conventional wisdom suggests that an increase in a firm’s operational effectiveness will increase its economic performance. However, we show that an increase in a firm’s operational effectiveness can decrease its economic performance. Specifically, a firm’s increase in operational effectiveness of its existing projects following a positive demand shock can limit its profitable growth as its strategic resources are not allocated to pursuing new projects, thereby incurring opportunity costs that can lower its economic performance. We corroborate this reasoning in the context of the liquefied natural gas industry, which experienced a positive demand shock in 2000 due to energy market liberalization. We find empirically that a firm’s operational effectiveness increases its Tobin’s Q in the pre-shock period and reduces it in the post-shock period.

Managers often need to stay motivated and effectively motivate others. Therefore, they should rely on evidence-based interventions to manage the daily routine of motivational dynamics at work. This research answered how self-determination-theory-based interventions change employees’ motivation and motivational consequences during short time frames (i.e., within an hour, within a few weeks/months). Field study one focused on assessing the effectiveness of a one-day training workshop in helping improve managers’ work motivation, basic psychological needs satisfaction/frustration, and changing managers’ needs-supportive/thwarting behaviors within a few weeks. Results supported the training effectiveness as managers were rated less needs-thwarting by their direct subordinates and self-reported improvement in needs satisfaction/frustration six weeks after completing the training program. Online study two used the mean and covariance structure analysis and tested the three types of basic psychological needs supportive/thwarting and control conditions (3x2x1 factorial design) on the situational motivation, vitality, and general self-efficacy for playing online word games within 30 minutes. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the scalar measurement invariance, then latent group means comparison results showed consistently lower controlled motivation across the needs-supportive and thwarting experimental conditions. During a quick online working scenario, the theory-based momentary intervention effectively changed situational extrinsic self-regulation in Amazon MTurk participants. Supplementary structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses using experience samples supported the indirect dual-path model from basic needs satisfaction to vitality and general efficacy via situational motivation. We discussed the theoretical implications of the temporal properties of work motivation, the practical implications on employee training and organizational change programs, and the limitations.

The grand challenge of preparing for climate impacts through climate adaptation relies on intermediaries, including local NGOs, consulting firms, and government agencies. Climate adaptation elicits evaluative tensions coming from what we call the dual organizational complexity. The dual organizational complexity includes evaluation ambiguity in (1) the interconnectedness and co-evolutionary dynamics of locally bounded social and ecological systems and (2) an increasingly complex network of interconnected organizations, including a diverse set of public, private, and semi-private actors who provide funding, market power, and expertise. We find that intermediaries address evaluative tensions through organizational scaffolding or building socio-material infrastructures that can support resilience and increase evaluative and adaptive capacity for future projects, albeit imperfectly. Importantly, we argue that climate adaptation needs facilitators with the capacity to connect very localized bottom-up needs to top-down resources in a continuous cycle of resource allocation, communication, and accountability, especially in the face of the increasing organizational complexity involved.

As the world continues to ponder issues of equity and diversity, U.S. public schools face an expanding demographic divide between teachers and students. While diverse groups of public school students show an increase in population, the teaching workforce in the U.S. remains overwhelmingly White. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine how preservice teachers (PST) are being prepared to be culturally responsive. A total of 26 studies published between 2006 and 2020 were reviewed. The results indicate that PSTs’ learning experiences are varied and tend to be stand-alone approaches focused on changing the attitudes and beliefs of PSTs. Findings also bring to light the vagueness of terminology used in the research to define cultural groups of students, the conspicuous absence of studies related to LGBTQ+ populations, and the lack of study replications. Implications for future research are discussed.

As emerging digital technologies have been used for disruptive innovation and business models, an essential component for hospitality researchers and practitioners is to determine the role of disruptive technologies and innovation in hospitality businesses. This study synthesizes prior research on disruptive innovation and identifies disruptive technologies in the hospitality context. A thematic analysis was performed through a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis approach using 23 publicly traded hospitality companies. Results reveal that disruptive technology and innovation are among the most critical strategic aspects in contemporary hospitality firms. This study provides contributions to hospitality researchers and practitioners to implement disruptive technologies for superior business performance. This study is among the first to introduce and synthesize disruptive technologies and innovation in the hospitality context.

This study provides a new perspective on the determinants of the spread of voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) adoption by incorporating the potential role of its adoption by industry competitors. We find supportive evidence that firms make CSR adoption decisions in response to competitive pressure as well as institutional mimetic pressures. Based on an event history analysis of longitudinal data from a sample of 711 Korean publicly traded firms over a 12-year period, our findings suggest that the CSR behavior of competitors is positively associated with a focal firm's earlier adoption of CSR, leading to the diffusion of CSR across firms. Specifically, this study shows that the pure rivalry-driven pressure from non-leader competitors has a stronger positive relationship with earlier CSR adoption. The results also indicate that a firm's CSR adoption decision is accelerated by competitive rivalry as well as social pressures arising from institutional mimetic isomorphism.

The Dominican Republic (DR) experienced an economic boom related to tourism development over the last 30 years. Subsequently, consumption has increased, accompanied by an exponential growth in inorganic waste. Without adequate solid waste management, an environmental crisis has developed. Plastic waste litters roadsides, streets, streams, and beaches, threatening the very industry that enabled it. Informal waste collectors are on the front line of addressing, if not alleviating, the crisis but are regarded as marginal and inconsequential. A new waste regime is inevitable and imminent. Waste collectors are justifiably concerned that new systems may threaten their livelihoods. As such, they leverage their work, vis-à-vis a gift economy, to place themselves as essential to addressing the environmental crisis.

We conducted a formative research study on the peninsula of Samaná, in the northeast corner of the Dominican Republic, focused on how people viewed, categorized, and handled solid waste. With the passage of a new law, a motivated government administration is now addressing the solid waste crisis on the peninsula. Here, we examine some of the pre-existing attitudes about the solid waste of Samaná residents. Results from the study reveal that, contrary to many assumptions, local Dominicans are aware of the waste crisis and, in fact, are often depressed and anxious over it, even as they feel angry and helpless about how to resolve it. On closer examination and drawing on Appadurai’s theoretical framework of “-scapes,” we can understand that the waste crisis is not a local problem, and, as such, sustainable solutions need to include a broader effort to control plastic entering the environment.

Whole-body dynamic fluoro-D-glucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) imaging through continuous-bed-motion (CBM) mode multi-pass acquisition protocol is a promising metabolism measurement. However, inter-pass misalignment originating from body movement could degrade parametric quantification. We aim to apply a non-rigid registration method for inter-pass motion correction in whole-body dynamic PET. 27 subjects underwent a 90-min whole-body FDG CBM PET scan on a Biograph mCT (Siemens Healthineers), acquiring 9 over-the-heart single-bed passes and subsequently 19 CBM passes (frames). The inter-pass motion correction was executed using non-rigid image registration with multi-resolution, B-spline free-form deformations. The parametric images were then generated by Patlak analysis. The overlaid Patlak slope K_i and y-intercept V_b images were visualized to qualitatively evaluate motion impact and correction effect. The normalized weighted mean-squared Patlak fitting errors (NFEs) were compared in the whole body, head, and hypermetabolic regions of interest (ROIs). In K_i images, ROI statistics were collected and malignancy discrimination capacity was estimated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). After the inter-pass motion correction was applied, the spatial misalignment appearance between K_i and V_b images was successfully reduced. Voxel-wise normalized fitting error maps showed global error reduction after motion correction. The NFE in the whole body ( p \,\,= 0.0013), head ( p \,\,= 0.0021), and ROIs ( p \,\,= 0.0377) significantly decreased. The visual performance of each hypermetabolic ROI in K_i images was enhanced, while 3.59% and 3.67% average absolute percentage changes were observed in mean and maximum K_i values, respectively, across all evaluated ROIs. The estimated mean K_i values had substantial changes with motion correction ( p \,\,= 0.0021). The AUC of both mean K_i and maximum K_i after motion correction increased, possibly suggesting the potential of enhancing oncological discrimination capacity through inter-pass motion correction.

This article examines racial capitalism from a semiotic perspective, arguing that economic value, like language and race, can be described in situated and indexical terms. I attempt to show how raciolinguistic bias in and around the workplace is linked to a larger labor market in which minoritized labor is reproduced in a systemic way, and to explore hegemonic formations of racialization in the workplace and beyond. The jumping-off point for much of my argument is the work of the historian and political theorist Cedric Robinson.

Police social workers are crucial components of police departments when individuals or communities experience crises. They perform essential tasks, including well-being checks, crisis intervention, de-escalation, mediation, safety planning, referrals to community services, and other preventative measures to stabilize clients in crisis. The chapter will define police social work and give the reader insight into the stabilization approaches used by police social workers to prepare clients for their next level of care. The chapter begins with a brief history of the evolution of police social workers within the context of public policy and their most recent call to action to address mental health crises. The authors utilize a multi-tier approach to highlight stabilization approaches used by police social workers with a focus on empowering individuals, families, and communities to collaborate on solutions. The chapter uses case scenarios drawn from the experiences of police social workers and interns to demonstrate stabilization approaches. A racial equity, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed lens informs the approach to stabilizing client systems in law enforcement settings. © 2023, IGI Global. All rights reserved.