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The author, an early adopter of Aplia, describes the use of Aplia both pre- and post-acquisition by Cengage Learning. Students improve their exam scores (by 5 to 7 percent) and are receptive to using Aplia. Students report despite spending between 7 and 9 hours a week on Aplia assignments, they would gravitate to future offerings that included Aplia assignments.

The destiny of the electric vehicle (EV) marketplace will depend upon the behaviour of potential buyers and on how emerging markets allow EVs to be perceived as a mobility solution to the externalities generated by internal combustion (IC) vehicles. To this end it is important to ascertain the role played by psychological factors, along with instrumental attributes, especially among younger adults (future purchasers) in not yet mature markets. Our paper analyses and models the propensity to purchase an EV with respect to an equivalent IC vehicle. It contributes to the existing literature investigating younger adults' behaviour in an emerging market, focusing on the role of attitudes and perceptions. A stated preferences survey, built on real commercial scenarios (Renault ZOE vs Renault Clio), was designed and disseminated at the University of Cordoba (Argentina). Respondent behaviour was modelled within the random utility paradigm. First, heterogeneity among users was investigated through mixed multinomial logit formulation; The role of psycho-attitudinal factors was then explored through the specification of hybrid choice models with latent variables. Estimation results indicate the significant role of attitudes and perceptions in emerging markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romina Pace,1 Elham Rahme,1,2 Deborah Da Costa,1,2 Kaberi Dasgupta1,2 1Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada; 2Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the association between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and depression incidence in mothers and fathers during prenatal and postnatal periods.Patients and methods: Matched pairs (GDM vs no GDM) of randomly selected mothers with singleton live births (matched by age group, delivery year, and health region) and their partners (Quebec, Canada; cohort inception 1990–2007) were assessed for a composite outcome of depression/self-harm/suicide using a health administrative database. We examined the association of GDM and the composite outcome in the following three nonoverlapping periods: 1) 24 weeks gestation up to delivery; 2) delivery up to 1 year postpartum; and 3) 1 year postpartum to study end (March 31, 2012). We used stratified Cox proportional regression hazards models, with three models in mothers and three models in fathers, corresponding to each of the time periods of interest.Results: In the 58,400 mothers, women with GDM had a nearly twofold greater risk (adjusted HR: 1.82, 95% CI 1.28, 2.59) of being diagnosed with depression compared to those without GDM during the prenatal period. In the first year postpartum, there was no conclusive difference observed between the two groups of mothers (adjusted HR: 1.05, 95% CI 0.84, 1.30). Beyond the first year postpartum, there was an 8% increased risk (adjusted HR: 1.08, 95% CI 1.03, 1.14) of depression in women with a history GDM compared to those without. A total of 63,384 fathers were included in our analyses, and no association between GDM in one’s partner and depression was found during any of the three time periods evaluated.Conclusion: GDM is associated with an increased risk of depression in women particularly during pregnancy highlighting the need to screen for depression and provide supportive interventions during this period. Keywords: depression, self-harm, suicide, administrative health data, pregnancy, postpartum

The strategy of geographically diversifying a portfolio of commercial real estate assets is an intuitive approach for risk management. However, due to high concentrations of these assets in major metropolitan areas, investors may face additional constraints in the portfolio optimization process. The rank-size rule, a log-linear relationship between city rank and size, provides one of the greatest empirical regularities in regional science. As such, it serves as a possible theoretical guide to the weights given to properties by location in a commercial real estate portfolio. This paper sets forth some ideas relating to the concentration side of portfolio variance and the limiting effect that large concentrations may have on the ability to diversify risk. Two variants of the rank-size relationship – the Zipf distribution and the parabolic fractal distribution – are fitted to a variety of datasets to provide a sense of the degree of concentration in the commercial real estate industry. These empirical findings suggest the presence of limitations to geographical diversification that have varying degrees of severity across different property types or sectors of the commercial real estate market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to show the foundational place that communication theory and its practice occupies in functioning work systems. Design/methodology/approach: This paper defines the word communication in terms of the creation and interpretation of displays, describes what it means to have a theoretical foundation for a discipline, identifies and elaborates on the development driving force of human resource development (HRD), presents and explains a model of a work system in which HRD functions, and elaborates on the role, function, and place of communicative acts in the maintenance of the work system and the work of HRD professionals. Findings: The article posits that communication theory underlies the processes and activities of both scholars and practitioners of HRD. Finally, it argues that courses in communication theory and organizational communication are essential in the preparation of both scholars and practitioners. Research limitations/implications: Research on the vagaries of communication in work systems may need to focus on identifying the causes of more easily identified symptoms. Researchers must be constantly alert to the changing role of communication as both a symptom and a cause of effective and ineffective work system functioning. Practical implications: Since human resource development is applied, practiced, and used predominantly in work systems, sensitivity to the fundamental role that communication plays in work systems may allow HRD practitioners to take a communicative perspective in analyzing and solving problems. Originality/value: This article directs readers to the main, fundamental issue in organizations and highlights the central role of communication in the functioning and development of both the human resources and the work system. (Contains 1 figure.)

Abstract We consider the wagering market of National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) games when participating teams have secured playoff positions. We use both the opening and [...]

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between organizational commitment and organizational climate. Subjects were chosen from three large Australian automotive component manufacturing companies. A questionnaire was administered to 1,413 employees from forty-two countries of origin. A 97.8 percent response rate yielded 1,382 usable questionnaires. A significant correlation (0.66) between organizational commitment and organizational climate was discovered.

Notes that organizational communication and organizational learning share a common focus on how message processing occurs in institutional settings and how they affect and are affected by people and relationships. Proposes that the assessment of organizational learning represents an assessment of a subset of communication processes in an organization. Examines alternative ways in which organizational learning can be assessed. (PM)

Increases in workplace learning may occur concomitantly with ways in which knowledge is managed in an organization, and knowledge management effectiveness may be a function of how successfully an organization is able to put a technological infrastructure in place. Cultivation of climate and culture that support and encourage knowledge sharing may be more important than technological advancements. (Contains 15 references.) (Author/JOW)

Undergraduates were divided into four groups: 76 received training and completed the Natural Growth Goals Inventory and Organizational Learning Survey as pre- and posttests; 76 completed the NGGI only; 30 the OLS only; and 75 were trained and completed posttests. Both pretesting and training had a negative or boomerang effect on perceptions of the classroom as a learning organization. (SK)

Analyzes concepts of education and training within the context of liberal adult education, finding significant differences. Compares the performance and learning models in human resource development, concluding that learning is conceptually richer and more comprehensive. (SK)

Argues that learning is not solely about changes in behavior but must also involve cognitive awareness (knowledge and understanding). Learning processes are a better philosophical basis than behaviorism. A positive view of competence emphasizing autonomy and rationality is most consistent with organizational learning. (SK)