The role of personnel migration in the introduction of innovations

The study examined the extent of transfer of aerospace management techniques that accompanied the movement of personnel. Sixty individuals who were formerly employed in aerospace were questioned regarding the management techniques they had introduced into their current workplace. In some instances, the information given by the respondent was validated by nonaerospace colleagues. The results clearly demonstrated that the movement of personnel may act as a mechanism for transfer. For all respondents, the mean number of techniques introduced was greater than five. In 13 cases, 100 per cent of the aerospace management techniques currently used were introduced by the respondent; in 15 cases, at least 50 per cent currently in use were introduced by the respondent. The process of introduction was also examined. The managers reported using several steps to encourage transfer including familiarization with the environment, introduction of new goals, adaptation of the technique, persuasion, coercion, and the hiring of co-workers with similar attitudes. The results also indicated that successful innovators were self-confident, had a detailed knowledge of the innovation, were convinced of its value, and were frequently in positions of authority. Finally, results indicated that the introduction was more likely to be adopted in smaller and/or newer institutions, where “discipline” and a team concept existed in management, and when superiors were supportive. Recommendations were made for future research.     

Jurors'Evaluations of Expert Testimony: Judging the Messenger and the Message

Jurors are laypersons with no specific expert knowledge, yet they are routinely placed in situations in which they need to critically evaluate complex expert testimony. This paper examines jurors'reactions to experts who testify in civil trials and the factors jurors identify as important to expert credibility. Based on in-depth qualitative analyses of interviews with 55 jurors in 7 civil trials, we develop a comprehensive model of the key factors jurors incorporate into the process of evaluating expert witnesses and their testimony. Contrary to the frequent criticism that jurors primarily evaluate expert evidence in terms of its subjective characteristics, the results of our study indicate that jurors consider both the messenger and the message in the course of evaluating the expert's credibility.     

The Domestic Use of Drones: An Ethical Analysis of Surveillance Issues

Drone surveillance can be regarded either as a justifiable, impartial practice serving the interests of all or as an oppressive technique catering to the interests of some at the expense of others. This analysis is an effort to weigh the ethical prospects and problems in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by asking whether surveillance of civilians is ethical. To address this question, classical philosophical and modern behavioral approaches to ethics are used. The inquiry begins with the importance of the issue, followed by its evolution and current status. After describing the method of analysis, the article examines arguments for and against domestic monitoring. The unique utility of drones can accomplish much in the public interest while simultaneously creating moral hazards. The conclusion discusses accountability standards, model legislation provisions, and regulatory criteria for aerial vehicle surveillance.     

The differential predictive validity of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory: the role of gender

Most criminogenic risk assessments are developed and empirically validated on samples of boys or samples comprised of mostly boys, and subsequently applied to girls. Using a sample of male (n = 1,267) and female (n = 453) probationers, the purpose of the current study was to examine the potentially differential performance of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) and the instrument’s eight domains for female juvenile offenders. Findings revealed gender differences in the predictive validity of the YLS/CMI in which girls scored significantly higher on the risk assessment, but recidivated at significantly lower rates than boys two years following the administration of the assessment. The predictive validity of the instrument was impacted by these gender differences in which the YLS/CMI total score was a better predictor of recidivism for boys (area under the curve (AUC) = .623) than girls (AUC = .565). The only subscales that significantly predicted recidivism for girls were the family (AUC = .607) and personality (AUC = .572) domains, whereas all of the subscales significantly predicted recidivism for boys. Directions for future research as well as gender-responsive assessment, programming, and policy implications are discussed.     

Explaining Organizational Variety in Evaluation Quality Assurance: Which Conditions Matter?

The growth in evaluation practice has not always gone hand in hand with an increase in the actual quality of these evaluations. This article addresses this concern, by examining the factors that explain organizational variety in the application of evaluation quality assurance measures. We present the results of an analysis of 18 Flemish (Belgian) public sector organizations. To unravel different explanatory trajectories, we combine two comparative methods that rely on Boolean analysis: the most similar different outcome/most different similar outcome technique on the one hand, and crisp set qualitative comparative analysis on the other hand.     

Unequaled Acts of Injustice: Pan‐Indigenous Encounters with Colonial School Systems

This essay reviews a recent film dealing with the forced removal of Australian Aboriginal children from their communities by the Australian government for the best part of 60 years. It uses the review to draw parallels between Australian Aboriginal ‘stolen generations,’ the colonial schooling experienced by the indigenous Maori of New Zealand, the ‘mission school syndrome’ suffered by First Nations people in North America, and the routine punishment for language offenders experienced by the Coorg people from India. Anachronistic as they may seem, such racist policies are not relics of the past but features of modern governance that have only been abandoned relatively recently. In some cases, their ramifications are only just beginning to be felt. Some of the implications for criminology are touched upon. The film is situated in the context of existing video and literary materials dealing with the issue of schooling as a tool for assimilation that readers may find equally informative.     

The ABCs of Communication

People in every culture tend to regard the way they do things as"normal."This includes the communicative practices and norms that people learn from interacting inside their culture.But in regard to ways of speaking,what may seem natural to one person may be odd or misunderstood by someone outside that culture.What seems natural to the speaker is actually ritualized behavior,generated and governed by cultural norms.