James C. Petersen

Handbook of Science and Technology Studies

Keywords: STS ; science and government Reference Record created on 2005-06-20, modified on 2016-08-08

Commitment, Absenteeism, and Turnover of New Employees: A Longitudinal Study

Longitudinal data were collected to explore the relationships among loss of commitment, absenteeism, and employee turnover. Using a median-based approach to investigate the structure of withdrawal among 52 nurses and 36 accountants, it was found that both loss of commitment and increased absenteeism preceded turnover. Decreases in commitment were better predictors of turnover than increases in absenteeism, although stayers in both occupational groups were distinguished by unchanging patterns of zero median days absent. Implications for the progression theory of job withdrawal are discussed.

Religious Affiliation and Social Participation: Differences Between Lutherans and Catholics

etiology of suicide and Weber’s investigation of the relationship between religion and the rise of capitalism, social scientists have been interested in behavioral differences between Catholics and Protestants. One area in which differences have been reported is social participation. At present we have contradictory data about, and virtually no explanation of, the relationship between religious affiliation and participation in secular voluntary associations. While somewhat better information is available on the relationship of religious affiliation and rates of church participation, many ambiguities remain. Unfortunately, churches have often been excluded from discussions of voluntary associations even though the rationale for excluding them is weak (Sills 1968, p. 364). Further investigation of the relationship between religious affiliation and various forms of social participation should contribute to theory construction and explanation in both the sociology of religion and the study of voluntary associations.

One Does What One Can

One of the problems that continues to plague the study of all aspects of voluntarism is that the relevant research literature is spread across such a diverse range of journals and other sources that no researcher can hope to regularly monitor all of it. To see what was currently being researched, I reviewed a fairly wide variety of key sources published in the 1980s. In addition to selected books

Ideological Diffuseness and Internal Democracy in Voluntary Associations

as a significant problem, little comparative research on this topic has been conducted. Previous research on this problem has been largely limited to case studies of single organizations. The present research investigates the relationship between the diffuseness of organizational ideologies and internal democracy with data from thirty Protestant denomination.1 Undoubtedly one of the reasons that this research topic has been neglected is the ambiguity of the concept of democracy. Perhaps the most striking characteristic of the literature on democracy is the lack of consistency with which the concept is used. Definitions of democracy include those that focus on the existence of certain procedures such as elections, majority rule, and the protection of minority rights; the nature of participation such as widespread participation, elite participation, opportunities for participation, and rank and file influence on leaders; and the nature of opposition such as effectiveness of opposition, institutionalization of opposition, turnover of officers, survival of factions, and legitimacy of opposition.

Notes from the cancer underground: health attitudes and practices of participants in the laetrile movement.

In an earlier paper in this journal we presented data on the social characteristics of participants in the Laetrile movement [1]. In this note we present data on the health attitudes and practices of these people. A description of the symposium at which the data were collected and details of the methodological procedures are contained in the earlier paper. It should be emphasized that the data should be viewed as exploratory. Completed questionnaires were obtained from 252 people. Virtually all were white, most were female (60%), middle-aged (the mean age was 44 years), highly educated (61% had some college experience and 15% had done post-graduate work), and rural or from small towns (65%). A number of the items on health attitudes and practices were taken from the National Health Survey, thus allowing comparisons with national norms.

Alternative Futures for Applied Sociology

The future of applied sociology is being shaped by a variety of factors including the historical development of the discipline, the institutional context of colleges and universities, and a wide variety of social trends related to the goals and funding of higher education. Five alternative scenarios for the future of applied sociology are set forth: “Down and Out,” “Subfield Status,” “Increasing Focus,” “Ascension of Applied Sociology,” and “Leaving Home.” Internal and external factors shaping contemporary higher education and their possible impacts on the future of applied sociology are considered in order to assess the likelihood of the five alternative futures.

The Political Consequences of Organizational Cultures: Mergers, Acquisitions, and Joint Ventures

Over the past decade, two major intellectual movements have challenged the traditional manner in which organizations have been conceptualized. The first, the renaissance of interest in organizational power and politics1 was largely initiated and developed by scholars of organizations. The second, the growth of interest in corporate and organizational cultures2, has both popular and scholarly roots. With few exceptions3, the organizational politics and organizational culture literatures have been sharply distinct. This independence is somewhat surprising since both approaches share a good deal of common ground in their critiques of the rational model of organizations. This paper attempts to demonstrate the utility of integrating these approaches by exploring the political consequences of organizational cultures in corporate mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures.

Citizen Participation in Science Policy: Introduction To the Special Issue:

The explosion of citizen organizations, public interest groups, and protest movements which has occurred during the past decade has been fueled both by citizen participation mandated by government agencies and by grassroots citizen activism. Both of these sources have contributed as well to the increased involvement of citizens in the formulation of science and technology policy. Few areas, however, have traditionally been less receptive to citizen input. Through appeals to elitist values, scientists and technical experts have attempted to justify domination of decision making on issues with a strong technical content.