Organizational Web Research Articles

Environmental impacts of farm land abandonment in high altitude/mountain regions: a systematic map of the evidence

Abstract Background Environmental impacts of farm land abandonment can be viewed as either an opportunity for ecological restoration to a state prior to agricultural establishment, or as the loss of an on-going process of land management and an associated threat to biodiversity. Whether land abandonment poses an ecological opportunity or threat depends upon the agricultural history and the presence of ecological systems that depend upon regular management for their existence. In Europe, many ecosystems have developed in the presence of agriculture and the loss of continued management resulting from land abandonment can have significant negative ecological impacts. Around 56 percent of the utilised agricultural area (UAA) of the EU is classified as ‘less-favourable areas’ and much of this is mountainous. The small-scale and extensively managed farmlands that are common in mountain areas are particularly vulnerable to marginalisation and abandonment. The work herein will form the first systematic synthesis of the evidence of impacts of farm land abandonment in mountain areas across the globe. Methods This review will take the form of two interrelated systematic maps, cataloguing the existing evidence across a wide range of variables such as setting, methodology, scale, measured outcomes etc. Mapping will be undertaken both at abstract-level at a coarse scale and at full text-level at a finer scale. Literature databases, organisational web sites, and search engines will be used to collate all of the available literature regarding the impacts of agricultural land abandonment. All studies investigating farmland abandonment in mountainous regions with an appropriate comparator and measuring an appropriate outcome will be included. Outcomes will be coded in a partly iterative process but will include; natural hazards (fire-/flood risk, land/mud slides), soil (fertility, erosion), water (chemistry, eutrophication, sediment load, hydrology), ecosystem functioning (biodiversity, abundance, invasive species presence), socio-economics (e.g. health, wellbeing, employment). The systematic map outputs will be in the form of searchable databases of relevant and obtainable (full text only) literature, coded by subject, methodology and study design, and internal validity.

Eleven Tips to Find Course Materials When Time is Limited

New faculty and others have limited time to develop new courses and course lectures. Using a short course on human factors and nuclear power as a case study, the author identified tips for finding course-related online resources, which can accelerate the development of course materials. The 11 resources include (1 and 2) course syllabi in the education resources sections of society web sites or otherwise posted on the web, (3) lecture material linked to those syllabi, (4) lectures on the web found using the topic name and “.ppt” extension, (5) graphics found using the Google image tool, (6) books on Amazon.com sorted by relevance, (7) key articles found using Google Scholar, (8) key articles found using databases such as Web of Knowledge and Scopus, (9) reports on industry specific web sites (e.g., Electric Power Research Institute), (10) standards on the International Standards Organization web site listed under technical committee work programs, and (11) videos on YouTube.

064 Identifying, Describing and Evaluating Guideline Implementability Tools

BackgroundResearch shows that guidelines are more easily translated to practice when accompanied by information that helps users accommodate, implement and evaluate use of the recommendations. Guidelines vary in whether and...

Touristic web sites performances and governance typologies

The paper aims to highlight and discuss the results of the research, still in progress, about the influence of web sites governance for the touristic promotion of the territory on the criteria through which these communication channels are planned and used. To this purpose the research will compare the Private, Public and No Profit organizations web sites on the basis of two groups of performance parameters regarding, from one side, the offer of information and, from the other, the offer of services. In particular the first set of parameters is composed by: multilinguism, number of images, level of interactivity and of information up-to dating together with the facility of navigation; while the evaluation of services offer refers to online services, e-commerce, integration with the territory items and events. The main hypothesis the research aims to test is, according to the common sense, that the private governance of web sites, respect to the no profit and public one, is mostly addressed to the services than information offer. The relevance of this research topic derives from the consideration of web as a primary channel for the diffusion, processing, search and storage of information about the tourism. Another reason is the increasing resources invested by private and public bodies in the publishing and maintaining of tourism web sites that represent themselves a territory to be explored and enjoied by web tourists.

Testing the Impact of Message Interactivity on Relationship Management and Organizational Reputation

Assessing Web site interactivity from the contingent message interactivity perspective, this study investigated whether message interactivity of organizational Web sites and blog sites influence perceptions of relationship management and reputation. Guided by interactivity, relationship management, and organizational reputation theories, this study found that regardless of familiarity of the company, people evaluated organizations that responded back to their comments as more trustworthy and committed, and as having better control of mutuality and communal relationships, and higher satisfaction, compared to organizations that did not respond back. Additionally, high contingent message interactivity projected higher organizational reputation compared to low contingent message interactivity, regardless of familiarity.

Move for Change Part II: a European survey evaluating the impact of the EPDA Charter for people with Parkinson's disease

Background and purposeThe Move for Change campaign is a three-part series of pan-European surveys designed by the European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA) to assess the impact that the EPDA Charter for People with Parkinson's disease (PD) has had since its launch in 1997. Here, we report results from the second survey, focusing on the third right of the Charter; that is, ‘all patients have the right to have access to support services’. Although the level of evidence for different support services varies, it is important to ensure that patients can access services with clinically proven benefits.MethodsThis survey comprised nine questions administered online via the EPDA and PD organization Web sites. Accessibility of support services was defined as ‘services/medication/multidisciplinary healthcare professionals, etc. being available and on hand to patients when required’.ResultsNeurologists and general practitioners (GPs) received highest accessibility results (90.0 and 87.0% of respondents, respectively), with moderate results for physiotherapists (68.0%) and PD organizations (72.0%) and lower results for PD specialist nurses (26.0%), occupational therapists (23.0%), and counselors (27.0%). Support provided by neurologists and PD specialists was considered to be ‘very helpful’ by 59.0 and 55.7%, respectively, whilst only 31.8% of respondents gave such favorable ratings to GPs. Funding of services was variable across Europe.ConclusionsThese data demonstrate the challenges faced by PD patients in accessing the adequate care and support required throughout the course of their disease. These findings can assist healthcare professionals and policymakers in improving access to support services for patients and their families across Europe.

From Web Site Visitor to Online Contributor: Three Internet Fundraising Techniques for Nonprofits

According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS), over 1 million public charity nonprofits existed in the United States in 2009, funded by $1.4 trillion in revenues from contributions, gifts, and grants (22 percent); program service revenues, including government contracts and fees (67 percent) and other sources, including dues and special event income (11 percent) (NCCS, 2010). A large number of these organizations are human services nonprofits employing social workers and providing mental health, housing, and other types of basic direct services to clients needing assistance. These nonprofit organizations are facing financial conditions that are perhaps the worst in the last three decades. Federal funding for social services is expected to stay flat or decrease (Calmes, 2010). States are experiencing revenue shortfalls that average nearly 12 percent less in 2009 than in 2008 (Pew Center on the States, 2009). Foundation funding has fallen (Foundation Center, 2009). Finally, individual giving to organizations that work with the poor has decreased (Center on Philanthropy, 2009). The effects of these diminished funding streams are serious. Federal grants are much more competitive than before, states are delaying payments for long periods of time to nonprofits that provide services, and nonprofits are finding themselves eating up their cash reserves, leaving them vulnerable to going out of business. Only 18 percent of surveyed nonprofits expect to break even in 2010 (Nonprofit Finance Fund, 2010). Because each of the ways that nonprofit organizations have traditionally raised funds is becoming less productive, alternative means of raising funds should be explored. This article presents three techniques derived from for-profit Internet marketing efforts that are promising additions to current efforts by nonprofits. Internet marketing is an unknown area for most nonprofits, and nonprofits have not appeared as a topic at any of the sessions of the Internet Marketing Conference since its inception in 2000 (Internet Marketing Conference, 2010). Although the techniques discussed here are used by some businesses, even in the for-profit world there is considerable ignorance about the best approaches to Internet marketing. Here, affiliate marketing, online donations and memberships, and information products are defined and discussed in turn. AFFILIATE MARKETING Affiliate marketing is a process by which an organization drives traffic from its Web site to another organization's Web site to promote a product or service for a percentage of the sale price (Brown, 2008). It is vital that the product be of significant benefit to the individual buying it, else the nonprofit will get a black eye for lending its name to an inferior or useless product. Affiliate marketing is different from hosting advertisements on a Web site because the nonprofit can make a very strong link between its mission and the sale. (This should keep the nonprofit on the correct side of the unrelated business income tax, but it is wise to consult an experienced lawyer to be sure.) With Internet affiliate marketing, the organization is really advertising one or a few products at a time, not an entire commercial entity. Affiliate marketing is not the same as signing up as a member of a company's charitable donation network, as when a local grocery store chain provides an organization with a card that is scanned, with a certain percentage of the amount purchased going to the nonprofit. Agencies should sign up for such programs and promote them. But, in this situation, there is no clear connection between the nonprofit's mission and the grocery store. It is simply a way to receive corporate donations. A nonprofit can begin affiliate marketing in two ways: (1) by linking to a company (as in the grocery store example) and (2) by promoting specific products that are directly beneficial to the targeted audience. …

Complementary and Alternative Information Resources for the Treatment of Asthma

Complementary and alternative therapies are increasingly important to asthmatic patients, and by extension, to their physicians. Online complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) information about asthma is available in multiple formats from subscription, evidence-based summaries to topical overviews on medical and CAM organizational web sites. This article compares the extent and quality of CAM information on the treatment of asthma across a variety of online resources.

Tobacco Industry Strategies to Minimize or Mask Cigarette Smoke: Opportunities for Tobacco Product Regulation

The tobacco industry has developed technologies to reduce the aversive qualities of cigarette smoke, including secondhand smoke (SHS). While these product design changes may lessen concerns about SHS, they may not reduce health risks associated with SHS exposure. Tobacco industry patents were reviewed to understand recent industry strategies to mask or minimize cigarette smoke from traditional cigarettes. Patent records published between 1997 and 2008 that related to cigarette smoke were conducted using key word searches. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office web site was used to obtain patent awards, and the World Intellectual Property Organization's Patentscope and Free Patents Online web sites were used to search international patents. The search identified 106 relevant patents published by Japan Tobacco Incorporated, British America Tobacco, Philip Morris International, and other tobacco manufacturers or suppliers. The patents were classified by their intended purpose, including reduced smoke constituents or quantity of smoke emitted by cigarettes (58%, n = 62), improved smoke odor (25%, n = 26), and reduced visibility of smoke (16%, n = 18). Innovations used a variety of strategies including trapping or filtering smoke constituents, chemically converting gases, adding perfumes, or altering paper to improve combustion. The tobacco industry continues to research and develop strategies to reduce perceptions of cigarette smoke, including the use of additives to improve smoke odor. Surveillance and regulatory response to industry strategies to reduce perceptions of SHS should be implemented to ensure that the public health is adequately protected.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Ethical Conduct of Humanitarian Medical Missions

Ethical Conduct of Humanitarian Medical Missions

Unverifiable Accomplishments and Publications on Applications for Gynecologic Oncology Fellowships

Selection of physicians for fellowships in obstetrics and gynecology subspecialties has become increasingly competitive. The number and quality of research publications is an important factor in the selection process. We sought to estimate the incidence of unverifiable publications among gynecologic oncology fellowship applicants. We reviewed the applications to a single gynecologic oncology fellowship program during 2004-2008. Articles and book chapters reported as published, in press, submitted, or in progress were searched for systematically by three reviewers using PubMed and Google. χ2 analysis was used to evaluate associations between demographic factors and unverifiable publications. Two hundred forty-three applications met the inclusion criteria. Of the 35 applicants who listed membership in Alpha Omega Alpha, four (11%) were not listed on the organization's web site as inductees. Of the 464 articles reported as published or in press, only 387 (83%) could be verified. Of the 148 applicants who reported at least one published or in press article, 44 (30%) had at least one unverifiable publication. On multivariable analysis, only male gender increased the likelihood of unverifiable ("ghost") publications (odds ratio 2.1, 95% confidence interval 1.1-4.1). Of the 282 manuscripts reported as submitted or in progress, only 126 (45%) were published. Of the 124 applicants who reported at least one submitted or in progress manuscript, 88 (71%) had at least one unverifiable manuscript. The proportion of unverifiable publications listed on gynecologic oncology fellowship applications is concerning. Stringent review of applications before interview invitations and match list submission is warranted.

Web’s critical survey analysis with respect to current loopholes

Vulnerabilities are the loopholes that arise due to poor programming. Web applications are considered to be very vulnerable to attack as compared to desktop programs on sole computers. Keeping this thing in our minds, we decided to find out all the possible in Saudi Arabian organization’s web servers. To assess these vulnerabilities, we selected number of open source tools and tested about 169 most popular web servers of government, financial and academic organizations and commercial organizations. This problem seemed interesting to us because of two reasons, first, security is a burning issue of the world and it can be minimized by finding out the vulnerabilities. By finding out vulnerabilities, it becomes easy to fix them. Secondly, it is in the interest of Saudi Arabian national goals. This problem was not addressed before for Saudi Arabian organizations web servers, so, that is why it carries high importance. Our solution to this problem is to check each server with two different assessment tools. The purpose of using two different tools is to avoid false positive and false negative. Our purpose is not to hack these respectable organizations but to assess them with respect to security so that these may not be the victim of future cyber attacks. We will enlist all the found by the tools with respect to their organizations. The will be shown anonymously and with the level of severity. These will be followed by a graph showing the versus vulnerabilities relationship. A graph on “recommended patches versus vulnerable organization server” is also included for those organizations that are conscious about their organization privacy and confidentiality. Saudi organization may contact us to know about their web server to fix them in time. Key words: Saudi Arabia, critical analysis, websites, loopholes, assessment.

Web Site Evaluation of Iranian Tourism and Hospitality Organizations: An E-Commerce Web Site Features Model

Iran possesses a rich range of natural, cultural, and manmade tourism resources, much of which is unique in the world. Tourism is the fastest growing industry around the world and holds the highest share of countries' GDPs compared to other industries; this presents a unique opportunity for Iran. This research focuses on evaluating the current status of Iranian tourist organization Web sites in order to study their adoption of e-commerce applications. A Web site evaluation model is used to study 207 sites to reveal the status of the tourist organizations and to find out their reasons for having a Web presence. Iran tourism's competitive advantages and weaknesses are also studied. Based on this, the weak points and missed potential of the Web sites are extracted to help managers enhance their e-commerce activities in Iran's tourism industry.

Corruption and democracy in Brazil: the struggle for accountability

The book's essays take a multidimensional approach to the accountability matrix in Brazil. The first section of the book investigates the complex interrelationships among representative institutions, electoral dynamics, and public opinion. In the second section, authors address nonelectoral dimensions of accountability, such as the role of the media, accounting institutions, police, prosecutors, and courts. In the final chapter, the editors reflect upon the policy implications of the essays, considering recommendations that may contribute to an effective fight against political corruption and support ongoing accountability, as well as articulating analytical lessons for social scientists interested in the functioning of accountability networks.Brazil, the world's fourth largest democracy, has been plagued in recent years by corruption scandals. Corruption and Democracy in Brazil: The Struggle for Accountability considers the performance of the Brazilian federal accountability system with a view to diagnosing the system's strengths, weaknesses, and areas of potential improvement; taking stock of recent micro- and macro-level reforms; and pointing out the implications of the various dimensions of the accountability process for Brazil's democratic regime.Timothy Power and Matthew Taylor have produced a compelling, comprehensive volume on accountability dynamics in Brazil that will inform future policy and research regarding corruption. The analyses in this book raise important questions for practitioners and for the general public. In pursuit of answers to these questions, this team of researchers does not sugarcoat matters. They document dimensions of improved accountability as well as resilient dynamics of impunity. This well-organized book is accessible to academics, policy makers, and students. --Charles H. Blake, James Madison UniversityCorruption stories are often told as lurid tales of individual greed. This book persuasively insists instead that corruption and the responses to it are embedded deep in national institutions--one might say they are politics by other means. This first-rate collection presents a powerful analysis of recent Brazilian democracy in practice, showing how accountability institutions have greatly strengthened since the transition to democracy, while remaining weak in ways that undermine citizens' trust in their government. While closely focused on Brazil, the book also embodies an approach worth emulating for studying corruption elsewhere. --Kathryn Hochstetler, University of WaterlooBy focusing on the largest democracy in Latin America, Brazil, a country with both a history vexed by political corruption and an elaborate web of accountability-enhancing institutions and organizations, Timothy Power and Matthew Taylor have produced a study of extraordinary value for comparative politics. They have gathered a rich array of original research by top scholars on major areas of the network of accountability. Each chapter answers the editors' core questions regarding how corruption operates, can be detected, and is preventable, while making clear those aspects that remain a drag on Brazil's quality of democracy. --Alfred P. Montero, Carleton CollegeThis is a timely, insightful, and cohesive volume that will greatly benefit students of Brazil and analysts of corruption in developing countries. The authors are very much on top of their subject matter, much of which is not easily accessible in the academic literature despite the emphasis on corruption being so pervasive and harmful. --Wendy Hunter, University of Texas, Austin

Integrating Racially and Ethnically Diverse Communities Into Planning for Disasters: The California Experience

Racially/ethnically diverse communities suffer a disproportionate burden of adverse outcomes before, during and after a disaster. Using California as a locus of study, we sought to identify challenges and barriers to meeting the preparedness needs of these communities and highlight promising strategies, gaps in programs, and future priorities. We conducted a literature review, environmental scan of organizational Web sites providing preparedness materials for diverse communities, and key informant interviews with public health and emergency management professionals. We identified individual-level barriers to preparing diverse communities such as socioeconomic status, trust, culture, and language, as well as institutional-level barriers faced by organizations such as inadequate support for culturally/linguistically appropriate initiatives. Current programs to address these barriers include language assistance services, community engagement strategies, cross-sector collaboration, and community assessments. Enhancing public-private partnerships, increasing flexibility in allocating funds and improving organizational capacity for diversity initiatives were all identified as additional areas of programmatic need. Our study suggests at least four intervention priorities for California and across the United States: engaging diverse communities in all aspects of emergency planning, implementation, and evaluation; mitigating fear and stigma; building organizational cultural competence; and enhancing coordination of information and resources. In addition, this study provides a methodological model for other states seeking to assess their capacity to integrate diverse communities into preparedness planning and response.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

An empirical approach to ECRM-increasing consumer trustworthiness using online product communities

Online business communities are fast emerging as new organizational tools for customer relationship management, marketing, brand management and for a multitude of other purposes such as building strong online trust and reciprocity. This study has been conducted to do an analysis of the online community of Apple in detail by using Netnography, which is a new qualitative, interpretive research methodology that uses Internet-optimized ethnographic research techniques to study an online community. As a marketing research technique, ‘Netnography’ uses the information publicly available in online forums to identify and understand the needs and decision influences of relevant online consumer groups. The identification of parameters that aids participant trustworthiness can aid long-term strategic decision making. It is deduced that increased consumer participation in a community results in increased reciprocity, and more accurate peer-to-peer responses translate into greater peer acceptance, which is indicative of greater trustworthiness of a participant. This implies that trustworthiness and popularity of a forum member is a direct function of his ability to give correct answers (level of Consumer Product knowledge) to participants and their level of participation. Peer-to-peer consumer interaction is useful, and relevant incentives to consumer evangelists will be in the long-term organizational interest. Concepts of business online communities – coupled with commerce, content and communication – are widely discussed as the essential components of a successful organizational web presence. In a marketing context, the significance of a community can be viewed as an extension of the relationship marketing paradigm. The interest in the online communities from a marketing perspective is driven by the belief that the complex network of personal relationships and increasing identification with the group as a community provide a foundation for a very attractive business model. Customers and other stakeholders are only likely to be interested in communities that offer them value.

Preserving the Literature of Women's and Gender Organizations: The Availability of Newsletters in Libraries, Commercial Online Databases, and Organizational Web sites

The article attempts to discover the availability of print newsletters created by women's and gender organizations in libraries, as well as to reveal whether text versions of these newsletters exist in commercial online databases and on the Web sites of women's and gender studies organizations. The author researched a sample set of newsletters produced by twenty-nine national and international organizations to find answers to the following questions: How many libraries hold print copies of these newsletters? Do any women's and gender studies databases include these newsletters, and if so, do any databases provide access to the texts of these publications? Do the Web sites of these organizations provide online access to the newsletters, and if so, are the Web sites archiving any part of them? Organizations were chosen based on several criteria. The results of the study revealed that such newsletters are not systematically being preserved. The author provides several solutions to counter this problem so that this vital literature will not be lost.

Review of the Role of Faith- and Community-Based Organizations in Providing Comprehensive Sexuality Education

This article reviews the role of faith- and community-based organizations in providing comprehensive sexuality education for adolescents in the United States. To gather information about these organizations, a broad approach was used that included a formal literature review, systematic searches through organizational Web sites, and the convening of a panel of experts who support comprehensive sexuality education in faith- and community-based organizations. This paper provides an overview of the context in which community- and faith-based organizations provide comprehensive sexuality education, the various approaches taken, and the challenges, needs, and recommendations for these programs.