Worries and Health in Adolescence: A Latent Variable Approach

In this study, the most salient worries of Dutch adolescents are examined and the most often reported symptoms are ranked. The relationship between worrying and health is explored using structural modeling as are the frequently found gender differences in these areas. Worrying is postulated as an indicator of psychosocial well-being along with affectivity, ease of parental communications, tiredness, and loneliness. Health, or physiological status, is indicated by reported symptoms, frequency of doctors visits, aspirin consumption, and a global health measure. Four hundred and sixteen high-school students (211 girls and 205 boys) fitted in a questionnaire during school hours. The structure of the bet fitting model was the same for boys and girls, indicating that gender differences are a question of degree, and not of different structural relationships. Psychosocial well-being explained 77% of the variance in physiological status. The implications of the findings for health education are discussed.     

Integrating human resource planning with strategic planning

Abstract: Human resource management, directly linked to operational and environmental forecasts, is a critical tool for public administrators as they respond to current difficult economic conditions. This paper describes new developments within the public service of Canada to improve the quality of human resource planning and to ensure its complete integration into the corporate planning system. Planning for human resources must start at the top when the major objectives of the organization are set. These objectives establish the framework within which the strategic plan and the operational plans must fit. The author describes the factors which contribute to the complexity of developing and administering human resource planning in the public service and the principal elements of the Policy and Expenditure Management System (PEMS). Then, a new system is described which is proposed to be introduced in the federal public service in 1985. Its purpose is the integration of human resource planning, including career planning, training and development, hiring and action to redress under-representation, with operational and strategic planning. Its tools include attrition forecasting, environmental scanning, models of the organization under varying circumstances, occupational analysis and job definition, and it must be supported by data bases of considerable quality. In the Canadian public service it has become evident that the roles of the manager and personnel specialist must change if human resource planning is to work. Managers must be trained and able to foresee the human resource implications of their strategic and operational plans. The specialist must be able to provide information and analytical support needed to turn implications into valid, realistic long- and short-term plans for the achievement of corporate goals through development and appointment of appropriate resources. Human resource plans must emanate from the basic objective of the organization set by the Chief Executive Officer and the executive team; they will succeed in direct proportion to the level of commitment and support awarded to them by Chief Executive Officers and the extent to which managers are held accountable for them.     

The development of air transport law within the European Community

I would like to acknowledge the funds provided by the ESRC and the help and advice of Professor John Usher.     

The Future of the Public Service Workforce: A Dialogue

It has been widely suggested that public service delivery of the future will be different to that of today. Added to this, we are currently witnessing significant changes in terms of the nature of work. Taken together these developments signal that we will see transformation in terms of the role of public servants and the public service workforce. Against this background, this paper presents a dialogue on the future of the public service workforce between Helen Dickinson and Helen Sullivan of the Melbourne School of Government, University of Melbourne and Graeme Head, New South Wales Public Service Commissioner. This paper offers insights from academics actively engaged in teaching the future public service workforce and a public service commissioner actively working to make a reality of a vision of the future.