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This paper aims to answer the question: What are the impacts of implementing in-state procurement preference policies on the economy of the state of South Carolina?

Toevaluate the impacts, the following six economic indicators were analyzed: jobs, personal income, real disposable income, output (sales), gross state product and value added. The data were collected from the South Carolina Procurement Services Office and were then analyzed using the Regional Economic Model Policy Insight (REMI PI+) for economic forecasting and policy analysis. The results from the REMI PI+ showed that implementing in-state preference policies benefitted the state and its communities economically.

Specifically, from 2010 until 2017, the total economic impact of implementing preference policies generated $17m in total output, 135 total job-years, $10.22m in gross state product (GSP), $10.27m in value added, $7.52m in income and $5.14m in real disposable personal income. The impact on the wholesale trade industry was over $5m in total industry output and approximately 27 jobs-years. In the manufacturing sector, the total impact was over $4m in output and approximately 17 jobs-years. The impact on the construction industry was approximately $3m in output and approximately 30 jobs-years. Although the values of these economic indicators were very small compared to the size of the state economy, they did outweigh the direct cost of implementing preference policies, thus demonstrating that overall the in-state preference policies contributed to South Carolina’s economy. However, further research is warranted to identify more precisely the benefits and costs of implementing preference policies.

Testicular cancer affects approximately 550 men in Australia each year. Early intervention, with the potential to reduce the burden of this serious disease, requires a strong understanding of the factors that influence help‐seeking. In the current qualitative retrospective study, the symptom‐recognition and help‐seeking experiences of 11 men aged between 28‐44 years who had undergone treatment for testicular cancer were examined. Analysis of the semistructured telephone interview data indicated that most men sought help early, and were treated promptly. A few men, however, described prolonged help‐seeking delays. The factors implicated in help‐seeking delays included lack of knowledge about testicular cancer; initial misattribution of symptoms; slowly progressing or low‐severity symptoms; a busy lifestyle; embarrassment about having a genital examination; and a fear of orchidectomy and its potential threat to masculinity. Further research using quantitative methodology is required to determine the relative importance of these various factors on help‐seeking delays.

This article revisits two vital questions largely ignored in the scholarly literature devoted to professionalism in government. First, is the public purchaser a professional? And second, is public purchasing a profession? Our reexamination of the first question led us to conclude that a public purchaser that meets certain requirements in government purchasing practices distinct from traits reserved for recognized traditional professions such as law, medicine and clergy can be a professional. Furthermore, when we analyzed the basic criteria that characterized a profession such as the existence of esoteric knowledge, rigorous formal training, codes of ethics, representative association, autonomy in practice, and criteria for admission into the occupation, we concluded that public purchasing is a profession.

By implementing various forms of preference policies, countries around the world intervene in their economies for their own political and economic purposes. Likewise, twenty-five states in the U.S. have implemented in-state preference policies (NASPO, 2012) to protect and support their own vendors from out-of-state competition to achieve similar purposes. The purpose of this paper is to show the connection between protectionist public policy instruments noted in the international trade literature and the in-state preference policies within the United States. This paper argues that the reasons and the rationales for adopting these preference policies in international trade and the states' contexts are similar. Given the similarity in policy outcomes, the paper further argues that the international trade literature provides an overarching explanation to help understand what states could expect in applying in-state preference policies.

Within controlled environments such as prisons or forensic facilities, strong sanctions and other factors can inhibit the expression of offence-linked behaviours otherwise observable in community settings. For example, institutional restrictions may distort the offender’s habitual expression of aggressive behaviours such that the individual’s aggressive characteristics are less intense or observable. Thus, the influences of controlled settings can make it difficult for staff to capture idiosyncratic evidence of change or lack thereof over time or with treatment. The purpose of this paper is to describe an assessment and measurement framework that can be used to assist treatment and correctional staff collectively focus attention on relevant characteristics and behaviours idiosyncratically linked to offending.

The authors use the terms “offence analogue behaviours (OAB)” to describe proxies of offence behaviours observable in controlled settings and “offence replacement behaviours (ORB)” as the contrasting positive, pro-social skills and strategies that the individual implements to change and manage problem areas linked to aggression and criminality. This paper discusses the application and practical utility of the framework and an associated assessment and measurement tool; the Offence Analogue and Offence Replacement Behaviour Guide (Gordon and Wong, 2009-2013).

The OAB and ORB Guide has shown to be useful by directing the attention of treatment personnel to the here-and-now offence related behaviours displayed by offenders in custodial settings. In the absence of such focused attention, relevant proxy behaviours can often be masked in these highly controlled environments. The Guide is therefore a useful adjunct to identify such behaviours for treatment and for assessing treatment-related changes.

The OAB/ORB Guide was developed based on a conceptual framework derived from the empirical literature on correctional treatment, risk assessment, psychological theories and clinical practice. While there has been some positive pilot use of the Guide’s utility and preliminary research, at this point, empirical evidence is still lacking.

The OAB/ORB Guide provides quantified and structured guidelines to assess offence proxy and offence replacement behaviours observable day-to-day within controlled environments, such as during custody or supervised release to the community.

This guide was developed to assist staff with the identification, documentation and measurement of idiosyncratic negative and positive offence-related proxy behaviours observable across custodial or supervised contexts. Accordingly, the authors suggest that OAB/ORB guide information can be used to evaluate changes in risk over treatment and/or time. Further, the authors describe how this framework may enhance the efficacy of multi-disciplinary treatment and management teams. Two cases are used to illustrate the application of the Guide.

How well do you think parents understand you? Do you think it will be different when you are in their position? It may be a while before you have your own family; but if you think you can contribute to better understanding to bridge the “generation gap”, why not consider working with children when you leave school? Of course, it may be different when you are the adult in other children's lives.

This concurrent mixed methods study aims to collect quantitative data indicating current levels of podcast usage, demographics of those using podcasts, technologies used and perceptions of the podcasts. It also aims to collect qualitative data providing an expanded understanding on perceptions of the podcasts and suggestions for future enhancements.

Six sample podcasts were recorded and made available via New Zealand's UCOL – Universal College of Learning – web site in MP3 format. The target population was staff and students of UCOL. A web‐based survey instrument was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data with 86 complete responses received.

Results showed that there were differences found between the groups surveyed in perceptions and use of the library instructional podcasts. The majority of respondents thought the podcasts were “very good” with 71.1 per cent in favour of them. The most helpful podcast topics were identified, suggestions for future podcast topics were made, device ownership and required technologies were investigated, preferred times and places for listening to podcasts was ascertained and advantages and disadvantages were determined. The conclusion reached was that podcasting for library instruction does provide benefits and should be pursued.

Participants were self‐selected on a non‐random basis. For these reasons and also due to the low response rate it was not possible to stratify the sample set or generalise results. This method of selection may also have caused a bias in answers towards those already interested in podcasting technology.

As podcasting is a new phenomenon for libraries, little is known about its usage and perceived benefits especially in New Zealand. This research offered an opportunity to fill a small gap in the knowledge of the usage and perceptions of podcasting and future potential as a medium for library instruction. This study was intended as an intermediary step and further research is therefore needed to gain a full picture.

Current issues of Publishers' Weekly are reporting serious shortages of paper, binders board, cloth, and other essential book manufacturing materials. Let us assure you these shortages are very real and quite severe.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the theoretical link between blogs and organisational learning. It aims to provide a set of practical guidelines on how to overcome the challenges of implementing an organisational blog.

A literature review will be used to examine blogs and their association towards organisational learning and an illustration of how one company reacted to using blogs will be provided.

It was discovered that implementing blogs within organisations can present challenges that might be overcome through properly informing and educating staff about their organisational benefits. A set of guidelines is presented as an implementation checklist for companies considering using internal blogs.

The paper does not examine the adoption of blog use within multiple organisations but reflects on the challenges of running blogs in one specific organisation. The problems identified might not apply to all types of organisations. Further research will be required to determine this.

The paper provides a set of guidelines that allows organisations to assess whether blogging is right for them and suggests steps to take that can stimulate an organisational blogging culture.

The paper offers practical advice and guidelines that help management to overcome difficulties associated with the introducing of organisational blogs internally. The paper provides a novel academic perspective in which organisational blogs might not be as straightforward to implement as argued in the literature.