Responses from 303 of 411 North Carolina municipalities determined that use of modern personnel practices was greatest in recruitment/selection, moderate in compensation/benefits and employee rights/regulations, and marginal in performance appraisal. Factors affecting greater use were larger work force and presence of city managers. (SK)

Review of Information Age literature found not enough evidence that information industries will reenergize economies or provide high-quality jobs. Virtual organizations are hard to identify. Women do the bulk of low-skill, low-paying telework jobs, reinforcing sex roles and class divisions. Remote workers are often vulnerable and cut off from…

After operating an outsourced library onsite for six years, the computer company Sun Microsystems converted the eight outsourced workers into full-time, regular staff. The Sun library manager demonstrates the advantages of outsourcing: core competencies, cost savings, and value added. (AEF)

Identifies major subjects of state labor legislation in 1998: increases in minimum-wage rates, prevailing wage changes, child-labor revisions, workplace surveillance regulations, and bans on employment discrimination. Offers a state-by-state summary of labor legislation. (JOW)

Survey data from 100 Singapore organizations revealed the following: they tend to recruit women more for operations than supervisory/management jobs; 44% consider gender a selection criterion; recruitment ads often specify gender; and women's opportunities for promotion and training are limited as is their access to flexible work arrangements and…

Examines the influence of race and place on nurse education and employment after World War II. Comparing the postwar experiences of foreign and African American nurses, it argues that local hiring patterns have sustained low rates of minority participation in nursing. (66 references) (Author/JOW)

Defines return on investment (ROI); describes the individual articles included in this special section of the journal which focuses on the process of ROI in organizations. Together, this collection of articles displays a wide variety of views about the necessity for ROI and the quality and quantity of its use. (AEF)

The Salient Beliefs Review is an instrument that examines seven dimensions (change, balance, energy, community, calling, harmony, and unity) in relation to behavior and workplace policies and practices. It can be used to measure the degree of congruence between individual beliefs and the perception of company policy and practices. (SK)

Analysis of 1991 survey data on federal employees indicates that a variety of presumably family-friendly policies were used to varying degrees. Use of policies and employee perceptions of organizational understanding of family demands had very difference effects on work-family balance and job satisfaction. (Contains 57 references.) (SK)

Develops a model for privacy regulation in workplaces that identifies three elements: environmental mechanisms (physical elements of workspaces), behavioral mechanisms (overt and cognitive behaviors expressing territoriality or adaptation), and social mechanisms (organizational policy and social supports for individual and group privacy. (Contains…

A survey of 2,528 Australian organizations found that 44% had used some teleworkers, 15% did regularly. Larger organizations were more likely to use them. Most telework was done at home. In one-third of companies all teleworkers were male, in one-fourth over 75% were female. Teleworkers were most likely to be in management, information technology,…

Identifies the top 100 companies in terms of the amount spent on training and development, the number of hours of training per employee, percentage of payroll spent on training, and tuition allotment per employee. Describes best practices in succession planning and leadership development, mentoring, and job shadowing and provides a detailed…

A case study of the impact of video technology on surgical work identified technological foundations of two structures in decentralized work units. Unilateral control by a dominant actor in a team works best with segmented tasks and face-to-face context. Teams with group-based coordination work best when team actions involve complex…

The paper provides an analysis of the take-up of modern apprenticeships in Scotland for the period 1999-2001. The methodology includes secondary data sources and a case study. The findings indicate that, although the numbers participating in the MA scheme have increased, there remain major concerns both with completion rates and the quality of the…

Faculties are aging along with the rest of society. Low retirement rates and slow growth limit the number of new hiring opportunities in many institutions. Universities face a series of common challenges that will shape higher education in the 21st century. In order to maintain high quality faculties in the coming years, universities must develop…