Les tactiques d'influence1 des directeurs des ressources humaines employées auprès de l'équipe de direction du secteur public québécois

Abstract: This study examines the use of influence tactics by Human Resources managers with the members of the Quebec public-sector management team. The results indicate that they use a large number of influence tactics, that they use more frequently “soft” tactics than “hard” ones or “neither soft nor hard” ones, and they choose their tactics based on a cost-benefit analysis. Furthermore, the analyses reveal that respondents whose feelings of self-efficacy are high will not attempt to influence or use “soft” tactics any more frequently than respondents with low feelings of self-efficacy. Finally, the results indicate that our respondents exercise influence effectively.     

Competitive Loss,Gendered Backlash and Sexism in Politics

Political Behavior - Politics is often seen as a zero-sum game, so understanding how competition affects political behavior is a fruitful, yet underexplored area of study. Reactions to competition...     

Entomotoxicology, experimental set-up and interpretation for forensic toxicologists

Forensic entomotoxicology studies the usefulness of insects as alternative toxicological samples. Use of insects as alternative matrix for drug detection is well documented and recommended when conventional matrices such as blood, urine or internal organs are no longer available. However, several limitations of entomotoxicology have been highlighted, especially concerning interpretation of the drug concentrations in insects on human forensic cases. In addition, the lack of knowledge in pharmacokinetic of drugs in insects, large variability of experimental set-up and toxicological analysis compromise the utility of this science. This review focuses on the current knowledge of factors influencing drug detection in insects. Reasons for the current limitations, but also recommendations for future research are discussed and proposed in this paper.     

Quand les attitudes au travail sont tributaires de la progression de carrière: analyse dans le cadre de la modernisation de la gestion des ressources humaines

Sommaire: À partir d'une analyse de la littérature, puis d'une étude empirique auprès d'un échantillon homogène de fonctionnaires fédéraux, l'article examine les liens entre, d'une part, les principaux indicateurs psychologiques et attitudinaux au travail (indicateurs souvent utilisés pour prédire la propension à quitter des employés) et d'autre part, les étapes de carrière de ces mêmes employés. En établissant les étapes de carrière en fonction des préoccupations de carrière actuelles des employés, les résultats démontrent que les répondants aux périodes d'exploration et de désengagement de leur carrière rapportent ceci: de façon généale, leurs attitudes au travail sont plus négatives que ceux qui se situent aux périodes d'établissement et de maintien. Les constats de l'étude soulèvent des enjeux importants pour la gestion des ressources humaines dans le secteur public et laissent entrevoir des pistes pratiques d'intervention pour une plus grande mobilisation et rétention des employés. Abstract: Through an analytical review of the literature, followed by an empirical study conducted among a homogeneous sampling of federal public servants, the article examines the relationships between, on the one hand, the key psychological and attitudinal indicators in the workplace (indicators that are often used to predict an employee's propensity to quit his or her employment) and, on the other hand, the career steps of these same employees. When the career steps are established on the basis of the employees' actual concerns in terms of their careers, the results demonstrate that respondents who are either in the exploration or disengagement phase of their careers report the following: in general, their attitudes towards work are more negative than the attitudes of those who are in the middle of establishing or maintaining their careers. The study's findings raise important issues with respect to human resources management in the public sector, and suggest practical avenues for action aimed at ensuring greater employee mobilization and retention.     

Clozapine dose-concentration relationships in plasma, hair and sweat specimens of schizophrenic patients

The aim of the present study was to establish an analytical method for the determination of clozapine in sweat and to determine whether the clozapine level in hair and sweat were correlated to the daily dose of clozapine delivered to patients. Twenty-six subjects treated with clozapine at 200-700 mg/day for refractory psychosis were included in the study. Clozapine was determined in plasma by liquid chromatography coupled to a diode array detection system, after extraction with an organic solvent at pH 9.5. Clozapine was extracted from hair and sweat patches specimens by incubation in methanol overnight at 40 degrees C. The residues were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry in the electronic impact mode of detection. It was possible to determine clozapine in concentrations ranging from 30 to 1016 ng/ml in plasma (n = 22), from 0.17 to 34.24 ng/mg in hair (n = 23) and from 49 to 5609 ng/patch in sweat (n = 20). Preliminary results suggest a lack of correlation between daily regimen of clozapine and plasma levels of the drug. Therefore, a better dose-concentration relationship was observed in our study between daily dose and hair concentration (r = 0.542, P < 7%) or between daily dose and sweat concentration (r = 0.589, P < 6%), but with wide variations for patients at the same posology. However, the idea of using quantitative drug measurements in hair or sweat to ascertain whether a patient has taken his treatment exactly as prescribed will remain inapplicable.     

Methadone determination in puparia and its effect on the development of Lucilia sericata (Diptera, Calliphoridae)

This paper describes a sensitive UPLC-MS/MS method for quantification of methadone and 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP) in single empty puparial case of Lucilia sericata. Larvae were reared on substrates spiked with different concentrations of methadone (0-4 μg/g). Methadone was quantified in puparia reared on high concentrated substrates (0.8-4 μg/g). The major metabolite of methadone (EDDP) was not detected, confirming rapid elimination of metabolites by the larvae before pupation. The effects of methadone on the development of L. sericata were also investigated. No effect on sex ratio was detected. A significant difference was calculated for emerged adults but no trends could be observed. Concerning the developmental curve, a significant difference was observed between control and high methadone concentrations using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test.     

Global poverty and responsibility: Identifying the duty-bearers of human rights

Many rights theorists argue that global poverty violates certain human rights, so that responsibility to address poverty involves carrying out the duties that correspond with relevant rights-claims. Liberatirians argue that the rights and duties associated with global poverty, especially what are sometimes thought of as “positive” rights, or rights of assistance, are inappropriately agent-neutral, giving them less justificatory force than agent-relative rights and duties. To counter libertarian concerns, Thomas Pogge tries to reframe the responsibilities corresponding to human rights as institutional rather than as belonging to agents. While admirable, his approach inadequately expalains the relationships between institutional responsibility and individual and collective action. A better way to respond to libertarian concerns—that is also compatible with Pogge’s emphasis on institutional responsibility—is to show that the duties regarding global poverty are indeed agent-relative, but by virtue of individual and collective action within institutions.     

Costing governmental services in a reformed environment: Unreachable goal or unfinished business?

This article assesses the impact of New Public Management (NPM) reforms in the public sector from a cost consciousness perspective. Using an action‐research methodology, we analyze the intensity of the external pressures that influence the institutional logic under which public sector organizations manage their costs. The field work shows that even after decentralization, public sector organizations appear unable to move their costing function from expense control to cost management unless external pressures motivate managers to complete the reform. We propose that the probability of success of reforms is increased when organizations are subject to strong pressures that could take the form of individual incentives or external threats.