Work, Economy and Organizations Commons^™

An Analytical Framework For Studying The Politics Of Consumption: The Case Of The National Consumers' League, Wendy A. Wiedenhoft Murphy

Sociology

Consumption is not often addressed in the literature on social movements even though consumer organizations and consumer tactics have been successful in achieving social change. This paper offers an analytical framework for studying the politics of consumption, which suggests that consumers can be conceived of collectively as active agents rather than passive individuals. I capture this active agency through four concepts: mobilization, problematization, identification, and contention. I focus on one consumer organization, the National Consumers' League, and its three consumer tactics, white lists, white labels, and legislation, in order to demonstrate how the analytical framework I construct can be applied.

Perspectives About Occupational Justice: Can Poverty And Occupational Deprivation Influence Child Development?, Barbara P. White Otr/L, Ph.D., Sajay Arthanat, Elizabeth L. Crepeau

The University Dialogue

In this paper we will explore the concept of occupational justice, a term that describes a basic human right to have the opportunities and rights to participate in those activities and occupations that define us as individuals, family and community members by providing meaning and purpose to our lives. Conditions of poverty preclude the ability to participate in a wide range of activities and occupations that support well-being. An anticipated outcome of our paper is to explore how poverty negatively influences engagement in those activities and occupations that support health, productivity and life satisfaction.

The Vicious Cycle: Poor Children, Risky Lives, Bruce L. Mallory

The University Dialogue

The proposed essay will address the question, "What are the short and long-term effects of poverty on the development, educational experiences, and life chances of young children?"

Asian American Nonprofit Organizations In U.S. Metropolitan Areas, Chi-Kan Richard Hung

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

This article analyzes the characteristics of Asian American nonprofit organizations in major U.S. metropolitan areas. The data are based on internet archives of nonprofit organization Form 990 and related information. Asian American nonprofits are less than 20 years old on average. They remain a relatively small part of the nonprofit sector. Religious organizations are generally the largest group among Asian American nonprofits, followed by cultural organizations, service agencies, and public interest associations of similar proportions. Asian American secular organizations as a group tend to be younger, are more likely to by in central cities, in wealthy and poor communities, as …

Poverty, Money, And Happiness, Nick Smith

The University Dialogue

In this paper I plan to ask some potentially disorienting questions about the relationship between poverty, money, and happiness.

Low-Wage Workers Really Feel The Squeeze, Randy Albelda

Economics Faculty Publication Series

In the United States, it has been generally assumed that those who held a steady job could make ends meet but in today’s labor market nothing could be further from the truth. Workers in low-wage jobs can face double jeopardy: insufficient income to cover their basic needs and lack of access to job-related benefits to supplement their earnings. Public work supports — programs to help families fill basic needs such as health care, child care, food, and housing — can fill the gaps, and for many, they do. Still, in Massachusetts close to one out of every four individuals in …

Domestic Work, Amanda Moras

Sociology Faculty Publications

This encyclopedia entry provides a brief history of domestic work and its relationship to race and ethnicity in the United States.

Poverty And Community: Understanding Culture And Politics In Poor Places, Mil Duncan

The University Dialogue

This lack of participation, low trust and failure to invest in community wide institutions allows corrupt politics to emerge in poor inner cities and rural communities, and then that bad politics in turn becomes an obstacle to change and development. Those in charge see schools and local government as sources of patronage jobs and political power rather than as public institutions to serve the common good. Politics and political forces become part of the problem instead of part of the solution. Only investment and organizing can turn the poor community around and provide real opportunity for low income residents to …

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Stop No Evil: How Do We Uncover And Combat The Loss Of Educational Opportunity For American Poor?, Sarah M. Stitzlein

The University Dialogue

In my position paper, I will urge Americans to fulfill the promise of equal educational opportunity and to avoid further entrenchment of the cycle of poverty. Some residents of largely homogeneous New Hampshire tend to be less knowledgeable about issues of racial resegregation, because racial difference is rarely seen and cries of racial inequality are not heard. Additionally some view social class struggles as a problem of remote northern NH or of particular dilapidated cities in the south. My paper will combat these shortsighted views by foregrounding the pervasive lack of educational opportunity for local poor. This will initiate conversation …

Work-Family Culture: Current Research And Future Directions, Jeanine K. Andreassi, Cynthia A. Thompson

WCBT Faculty Publications

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the role of the work environment—specifically, the culture of support for work–family balance—in understanding employees' work attitudes and behaviors, as well as their stress levels and general well-being. It defines work–family culture and related constructs such as perceived organizational family support. Work–family culture has been defined as the “shared assumptions, beliefs, and values regarding the extent to which an organization supports and values the integration of employees' work and family lives.” It also addresses the important consideration of a national context for understanding work–family culture and offers insights for future research. Some …

Np2020: Issues And Answers From The Next Generation, Dorothy A. Johnson Center For Philanthropy

Research, Reports, and Publications

A report of a three-day conference on nonprofit leadership, held in Grand Rapids, MI in July 2007, identified that there is a leadership deficit, mentoring is needed for emerging leaders, structural challenges create barriers to nonprofit careers, and Generation X and Y believe the nonprofit sector needs more diversity. Funder support for infrastructure and operating costs, and communication to facilitate the generational leadership transition were identified as key to mitigating the leadership deficit.

Control And The Protean Career: A Critical Perspective From The Multinational’S International Assignees, Marian Crowley-Henry, David Weir

Articles

Mainstream management literature and research regarding the international career has long focused on the traditional expatriate experience. In this discourse the tendency has been to outline the benefits and issues to be considered for organizations and individuals embarking on international assignments. In contrast this chapter focuses on a special group whose positioning in the structures of employment and organization is in some ways exemplary of developing trends in the global labor force. They are the highly educated permanent expatriates who remain in the host country indefinitely (that is without a pre-determined organizational option of repatriation to their initial home country). …

An Exploration Of Generation Y'S Experiences Of Offshore Fly-In/Fly-Out (Fifo) Employment, Tayla Carter

Theses : Honours

Australia is currently experiencing an ageing of its population, which has the potential to significantly impact on society, namely, employment. With the entry of Generation Y (Gen Y), the Australian workforce consists of four generations who are working increasingly longer hours. Extended working hours has been recognised as a risk factor for several undesirable consequences and is distinctive of fly in/fly out (FIFO) employment. The purpose of the review is to explore the literature which addresses the impact of FIFO employment with a following emphasis on issues surrounding Gen Y. A range of published work was incorporated from the fields …

Housing As A Community Asset, Milan Wall

Heartland Center for Leadership Development Materials

Slides of a presentation, Housing as a Community Asset, presented by Milan Wall, Co-Director of the Heartland Center for Leadership Development, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, created December 19, 2007.

How Would You Describe Housing in Your Community?

What Makes For Effective Labor Representation On Pension Boards?, Johanna Weststar, Anil Verma

Management and Organizational Studies Publications

This article examines the efficacy of labor representation on pension boards. Using existing literature and interviews with labor trustees, this article develops a model where a more formal approach to recruitment and selection, skill acquisition, and accountability is hypothesized to aid labor trustees in achieving effective integration and representation on pension boards. Data indicate that labor trustees are placed in a challenging environment with insufficient support from their union, other trustees, or the board. These findings have important implications for the selection, training, and integration of labor trustees and the success of a labor agenda on pension issues.

The Research Practices And Needs Of Non-Profit Organizations In An Urban Center, Randy Stoecker

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

How do nonprofit organizations use data and research? What challenges do they face in conducting research and managing data? In spring of 2004, 80 nonprofit organizations in Toledo, Ohio returned a survey on their research and data needs and practices. The survey found that nonprofits collect data on a wide variety of topics, but do not use much of the data that they collect, and do not collect much data that could be useful for other groups, particularly neighborhood organizations. The average nonprofit in the survey has five employees and four volunteers who, together, spend 56 hours per week collecting, …

Data Note: Disability And Occupation, Frank A. Smith, David Clark

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

It is well-documented that people with disabilities have a significantly lower rate of employment than people without disabilities (36% versus 74% according to the 2006 American Community Survey (ACS). Less is known about the types of work they do. Using the occupational classification system within the ACS, researchers explored the prevalence of people with disabilities within occupational groupings and discuss its relationship to occupational growth. Future analysis will address variation across disability groups.

Chinese Loyalty To Supervisor Questionnaire Development, Ding-Yu Jiang, Bor-Shuian Cheng, Chi-Ying Cheng, Li-Fang Chou

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Loyalty to supervisor is a prevalent but under-investigated phenomenon in Chinese organizations. One plausible reason for this is the lack of a reliable and valid measure of loyalty in the Chinese context. This study aims to develop a valid measure of Chinese loyalty to supervisor. In Study 1, we identify a four-dimension construct of loyalty to supervisor that consists of 11 sub-dimensions (factors) on the basis of loyalty literature. The four dimensions are: identification with supervisor, task assistance, obedience, and sacrifice for supervisor. In Study 2, a 40-item Chinese loyalty to supervisor scale was developed and examined by three independent …

Thornberry, Martine (Calhoun), 1905-1972 (Mss 179), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 179. Chiefly correspondence related to government service for the Works Progress Administration and as Indian reservation school teacher, and as postmistress at Livermore, Kentucky. Includes materials related to Thornberry's military service and artwork from her Indian students.

Institutional-Anomie, Political Corruption, And Homicide Rates, Jerry K. Daday, Lisa M. Broidy, Dale Willits

Sociology Faculty Presentations

Messner and Rosenfeld’s institutional-anomie theory (IAT) has advanced our understanding of cross-national variation in homicide rates. Empirical tests of IAT have primarily examined how non-economic institutions alleviate or mitigate the mal-effects of economic inequality and economic deprivation. As economic institutions gain strength and dominance, non-economic institutions tend to weaken and are forced to accommodate the market. This creates an elevated state of institutional anomie that is conducive to higher violent crime rates. Most cross-national quantitative tests of IAT have examined the comparative strength of economic and social support institutions (especially social welfare) and find support for the theory. However, prior …

Board Of Directors Training, Heartland Center For Leadership Development

Heartland Center for Leadership Development Materials

Board of Directors Development

Roles and Responsibilities

Time Devoted to Six Basic Elements

Obstacles

Strategies

Ethics

Recruitment

The State Of Working New Hampshire 2007, Allison Churilla

Carsey Publications

The author of this annual update on the state's workforce finds that wage growth in the state has not kept up with the rising cost of living in New Hampshire. This negative impact exists despite the state's low unemployment rates and high labor force participation rates. This brief was prepared in cooperation with the Economic Policy Institute.

Child Labour And Microfinance In Morocco: Using Microfinance To Reduce Child Labour And The Case Of The Al Amana Microfinance Institution, Kristyn Schomp

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Approximately 218 million children are child laborers worldwide. These children work as agricultural workers, prostitutes, handicraft producers, and in virtually in every other form of employment imaginable. But although the problem of child labour has been one of recent international focus, there are still 126 million children involved in some form of hazardous work each year.

The existence of such statistics can be attributed in part to the complex and multi-faceted nature of child labour. Similarly, the reasons for child labour can range from economic and political instability, migration, lack of work, and/or poor school systems. Therefore, the reduction of …

Connected Lives And Embeddedness: Reading Zelizer With Granovetter – A Review And Critique, Deirdre Caputo-Levine, Alwyn Lim, Celine. Wills

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Our concern is to read Viviana Zelizer’s Purchase of Intimacy inrelation to Mark Granovetter’s embeddedness framework. We compare Zelizer’s connected-lives approach to the embeddedness literature in orderto tease out the similarities, differences, and improvements in the wayseconomic sociologists examine the intertwining of economic and socialbehavior. We argue that although Zelizer and Granovetter both focus onthis intermeshing of socioeconomic action, their perspectives reflect theirdiffering starting points: economic transactions or intimate relationships.We believe Zelizer’s connected-lives approach gives fresh insight to thenew economic sociology but we have some reservations regarding hertreatment of reciprocity and power in intimate relationships.

Eitc Is Vital For Working-Poor Families In Rural America, William P. Colnes, Elizabeth Kneebone

Carsey Publications

In the 2004 tax year, tax filers claimed almost $40 billion through the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), making the EITC one of the largest federal programs that provides cash supports to low-income working families in the United States. The EITC is especially important to rural families throughout the United States. Among poor and near-poor families, those in rural areas are more likely to be working, and they are more likely to be working in low-wage jobs.

Employment Rates Higher Among Rural Mothers Than Urban Mothers, Kristin Smith

Carsey Publications

As men's jobs in traditional rural industries, such as agriculture, natural resource extraction, and manufacturing disappear due to restructuring of rural labor markets, the survival of the family increasingly depends on women's waged labor. Rural mothers with children under age 6 have higher employment rates than their urban counterparts but have higher poverty rates, lower wages, and lower family income, placing rural mothers and their children in a more economically vulnerable situation than urban mothers.

Child Poverty High In Rural America, William P. O'Hare, Sarah Savage

Carsey Publications

On August 28, 2007, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey show that 22 percent of rural children are living in poverty, up from 19 percent in 2000. On average, rates are highest in the nonmetropolitan South (27 percent) and have climbed the most in the nonmetropolitan Midwest (by 3.9 percentage points).

Unpacking Unintended Consequences In Planned Organizationalchanges: A Process Model, Guowei Jian

Communication Faculty Publications

The author develops a process model of the unintended consequences in planned organizational change that draws on the structuration, organizational change, and organizational tension literatures. The model depicts the communicative actions of both senior management and employees and reveals the dynamic through which unintended consequences unfold. The model extends theoretical understandings of planned organizational change and discusses how future research can build a dialectic and dialogic model of planned change focused on employee participation. The author illustrates the model with a case study of organizational change and its unintended consequences. The article concludes with insights on change management for practitioners …

Tools For Inclusion: Self-Determination: A Fundamental Ingredient Of Employment Support, Lora Brugnaro, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Persons with disabilities should direct their own job searches, from determining their interests and goals to researching employment opportunities to starting a new job. Doing so increases their sense of empowerment and can contribute to their employment success. Employment professionals have a facilitating role to play in the process. Job seeker self-determination practices should drive employment services' coordination, funding, and implementation.

Filipinas And Filipinos Evading States, Remaking The Politics Of Diaspora: Conceptualizing A Sociology Of Mass Removals, Peter Chua, Valerie Francisco

Faculty Publications, Sociology

The Philippine’s' ongoing labor export policy since the early 1970s has resulted in one of the largest national outflow of skilled labor and service workers and in the proliferation of gendered Filipino diasporic and migrant communities around the world. Poverty and very few economic opportunities in the Philippines explain a significant portion of this outflow. The labor export policy thus creates a structural opening for many to seek livelihood outside the Philippines. The government fosters this policy so that temporary migrant workers and immigrants settlers send remittances back to the Philippines, bolstering the national economy. Since the 1980s, Filipino migration …