Degree Of Family Involvement Research Articles

UK Vietnamese Businesses: Cultural Influences and Intracultural Differences

Current UK policy views the encouragement of enterprise by black and minority ethnic (BME) communities as a key strategy of both its social inclusion and its competitiveness agenda. However, the evidence suggests that the take-up of business support by these groups is very limited, and recent research has argued for the need for more culturally sensitive provision and a better understanding of the diverse needs of different BME groups. This paper reports on a study of first-generation and second-generation Vietnamese businesses in London, designed to explore traditional cultural influences on business practice. The results suggest that, as with many other ethnic groups, attitudes towards the family, trust, and language have a key impact on the start-up and operation of the businesses. However, this study suggests that the ways in which these three factors impinge on business practice vary between the older first generation (the original ‘boat people‘), the UK-educated second generation, and younger more recent immigrants, and is also mediated by sectoral influences, the pressures of the marketplace, and the degree of family involvement in the business. In particular second-generation and recent immigrants were less likely to adopt traditional collectivist approaches to the running of their business compared with the first generation, but their business practice was still often influenced by strong family loyalties. The author argues that theories of ethnic minority enterprise that advocate a mixed-embeddedness approach need to incorporate an historical dimension. The findings emphasize the need for enterprise-support policy to take account not only of intercultural differences, but also the intracultural differences that exist within different ethnic minority groups. The author makes a number of suggestions as to how policy and practice should be adapted accordingly.

Family Businesses’ Contribution to the U.S. Economy: A Closer Look

In 1995, we were commissioned to conduct research on the impact of family businesses on the U.S. economy. A search of all relevant research led to the conclusion that the majority of existing data relating to family businesses’ economic contributions were not grounded in empirical research, and the definitions used to distinguish family businesses from other enterprises were ambiguous or non-existent. In 1996, we published a paper providing a framework for assessing the economic impact of family businesses across three ranges, defined by the degree of family involvement in the businesses. This paper revisits that research and updates and improves the original findings based on more recent data.

A School-Based Cardiovascular Exercise and Nutrition Program With Parent Participation: An Evaluation Study

This study examined the efficacy of a school-based exercise and nutrition program with a parent component. Second-grade and fourth-grade classrooms were assigned randomly to a treatment and a control group. The school-based treatment program focused on decreasing fat and cholesterol intake and increasingly physical activity with a parent educational component. Children in the treatment group scored significantly higher and demonstrated greater improvement on fitness/nutrition knowledge and on vegetable and fruit servings. Parents who participated in the intervention increased their scores on the fitness/nutrition knowledge test. There also was a significant association between degree of family involvement, higher grain servings, and lower cholesterol intake. The results within the study limitations were interpreted to suggest that the program was primarily effective in enhancing knowledge changes for both children and their parents.

Central America: The State of Psychosocial Care in Pediatrics

Four free-standing children's hospitals, two large pediatric units in general hospitals, and clinics and other health care facilities that serve children in four countries in Central America were visited in the summer of 1985 This paper summarizes the degree of family involvement and the play opportunities for patients present in these institutions and assesses the likelihood of future developments in psychosocial care in the pediatric facilities of Central America.

Family participation in the treatment of alcoholism

The effect of family involvement on the efficacy of alcoholic treatment was investigated. Degree of family involvement, as measured by the participation of the wives of 60 alcoholics in a hospital family lecture series, was compared to recidivism rates and to completion of the in‐patient treatment program. The wives' participation was closely related to whether or not their husbands completed in‐patient treatment. Participation also appeared to be related to recidivism although additional services in the area of counseling for discharged alcoholic patients and their families are obviously needed.

Work prescription for cardiacs in the convalescent stage.

AS IS WELL KNOWN, physiological measurement of impaired cardiac capacity is fraught with the same difficulties involved in estimating "physical fitness." Even more, the former type of determination precludes maximum cardiovascular stress. The sociological plane introduces further complications. Impairment of cardiovascular function may not necessarily be equated with "disability." Satisfactory and productive activity really expresses a state of relativity, as the ability (or disability) of an individual is a resultant of several intrinsic and extrinsic factors. These are, on the one hand, the physiological capacity and the emotional integration of the individual; and on the other hand, the degree of family involvement, the nature of job requirements, and even the particular community attitudes and legal (compensation laws) outlook in regard to employment of the handicapped. Nevertheless, some estimate of a patient recovering from a cardiovascular breakdown is desirable for several reasons. In view of the lack of any information,