Abstract: Researchers and practitioners alike have taken note of the potential value of an organization's IT infrastructure. IT infrastructure expenditures account for over 58 percent of an organization's IT budget and the percentage is growing at 11 percent a year. Some even have called IT infrastructure the new competitive weapon and see it as being crucial in developing a sustained competitive advantage. Unique characteristics of an IT infrastructure determine the value of that infrastructure to an organization. One characteristic, IT infrastructure flexibility, has captured the attention of researchers and practitioners. In fact, in most recent surveys featuring issues of most importance to IT executives, the development of a flexible and responsive IT infrastructure and related topics are always at or near the top of the responses. Although the importance of IT infrastructure flexibility has been established, the development of a valid, reliable instrument to measure this construct has not been reported in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to better define the IT infrastructure flexibility construct and to develop a valid, reliable measurement instrument for this construct. In addition to the definition and operationalization of the IT infrastructure flexibility construct, this study explores the instrument's predictive validity with possible antecedent and consequent variables.

Abstract: Based on an extensive review of the literature and field surveys, the paper proposes a conceptualization and operationalization of corporate citizenship meaningful in two countries: the United States and France. A survey of 210 American and 120 French managers provides support for the proposed definition of corporate citizenship as a construct including the four correlated factors of economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary citizenship. The managerial implications of the research and directions for future research are discussed.

Abstract: The analysis of policy-based party competition will not make serious progress beyond the constraints of (a) the unitary actor assumption and (b) a static approach to analyzing party competition between elections until a method is available for deriving reliable and valid time-series estimates of the policy positions of large numbers of political actors. Retrospective estimation of these positions in past party systems will require a method for estimating policy positions from political texts. Previous hand-coding content analysis schemes deal with policy emphasis rather than policy positions. We propose a new hand-coding scheme for policy positions, together with a new English language computer-coding scheme that is compatible with this. We apply both schemes to party manifestos from Britain and Ireland in 1992 and 1997 and cross validate the resulting estimates with those derived from quite independent expert surveys and with previous manifesto analyses. There is a high degree of cross validation between coding methods, including computer coding. This implies that it is indeed possible to use computer-coded content analysis to derive reliable and valid estimates of policy positions from political texts. This will allow vast volumes of text to be coded, including texts generated by individuals and other internal party actors, allowing the empirical elaboration of dynamic rather than static models of party competition that move beyond the unitary actor assumption. eriving reliable and valid estimates of the policy positions of key actors is fundamental to the analysis of political competition. Various systematic methods have been used to do this, including surveys of voters, politicians, and political scientists, and the content analysis of policy documents. Each method has advantages and disadvantages but, for both theoretical and pragmatic reasons, policy documents represent a core source of information about the policy positions of political actors. We explore various ways to extract information about policy positions from political texts. We are particularly interested in using computer-coding techniques to derive reliable and valid estimates of the policy positions of political actors. This is not mere laziness on our part, a lack of stomach for the hard graft of expert coding. If analyses of party competition are to move beyond both static models and a view of political parties as unitary actors, this requires information on the policy positions of actors inside political parties and on the development of these over time and between elections. The laborious expert "hand-coding" of text is simply not a viable method for estimating the policy positions of huge numbers of political actors, for example, all members of a legislature. Any serious attempt to operationalize a model of internal party policy competition, or of dynamic policy-based party competition or coalition government between elections, implies using computer-coding for estimating the policy positions of key political actors. We first review existing methods for estimating policy positions from political texts. These have for the most part concentrated on the expert coding of party manifestos. We then suggest ways to improve these, dealing with both expertand computer-coded content analysis. We then explore the impact of our suggestions upon estimates of party policy positions derived from British and Irish manifestos issued during the 1992 and 1997 general elections in each country, positions for which a range of

Abstract: In many popular intervention methodologies aimed at stimulating sustainable rural development (in the widest possible sense) the idea of ‘participation’ is a leading principle. This article will demonstrate that the process in which actors are supposed to participate is often thought of as being a process of planning, decision-making and/or social learning. It will be argued that such an operationalization of development processes is based on inconsistent theoretical assumptions, and can easily lead to unproductive development interventions due to an inability to handle conflicts. As an alternative it is proposed to use negotiation theory as a basis for organizing participatory development efforts. The implications of such a shift in thinking about participation are far-reaching: it requires new modes of analysis, and different roles, tasks and skills for facilitators of participatory processes.

Abstract: Management accounting information plays an important role in motivating individuals to improve performance (cf., Atkinson, Banker, Kaplan, and Young 1997). This role tends to be operationalized by linking compensation to performance, typically through the provision of financial incentives. Theoretically, financial incentives motivate people to exert additional effort, which in turn should improve task performance. However, a large body of empirical evidence indicates that financial incentives frequently do not lead to increased performance (e.g., Young and Lewis 1995; Jenkins et al. 1998). Consequently, it is important to examine variables that may interact with financial incentives in affecting task performance. This paper presents an extensive review of laboratory studies on financial incentives and examines the relations between type of task and type of incentive scheme, respectively, and task performance. We posit that performance in tasks of varying types (which we view as a surrogate for the gap bet...

Abstract: Relationships and interactions should be an important focus of attention in organizational scholarship. In contrast to traditional research approaches that focus on independent, discrete entities, methodologies oriented torelational concerns in organizations allow researchers to study the intersubjective and interdependent nature of organizational life. In addition to providing historical and philosophical bases for a perspective which emphasizes relationality, we review the growing number of methods that capture relational aspects of organizational life. Examples include network analysis, and "complexity" modeling, correspondence analysis and participatory research, case study methods, the learning history approach, psychometrics, and action inquiry. Our goal is to establish a "palette" of methodological choices for the researcher interested in operationalizing a relational perspective within organizational research/practice.

Abstract: The literature on interactivity includes many assumptions and some definitions but few tools for operationalizing the concept of interactivity in computer-mediated environments. This article takes an early step in filling that gap. In-depth interviews with 10 individuals who work and teach in the field of interactive communication led to a conceptual definition of interactivity based on six dimensions: direction of communication, time flexibility, sense of place, level of control, responsiveness, and perceived purpose of communication. Suggestions are made for applying these dimensions to multiple forms of computer-mediated communication. Future research should empirically test the existence and application of these dimensions.

Abstract: In this response, we clarify several misunderstandings of the understanding/acceptance principle and defend our specific operationalization of that principle. We reiterate the importance of addressing the problem of rational task construal and we elaborate the notion of computational limitations contained in our target article. Our concept of thinking dispositions as variable intentional-level styles of epistemic and behavioral regulation is explained, as is its relation to the rationality debate. Many of the suggestions of the commentators for elaborating two-process models are easily integrated into our generic dual-process account. We further explicate how we view the relation between System 1 and System 2 and evolutionary and normative rationality. We clarify our attempt to fuse the contributions of the cognitive ecologists with the insights of the original heuristics and biases researchers.

Abstract: Disappointed by the lack of consistent and robust findings, scholars suspect that the problems may be related to our research methods and have frequently called for longitudinal, clinical, and psychometric studies of succession. This article compares the findings from one such study with representative studies in the literature. Examining the operationalization of key variables used to study succession antecedents, processes, and organizational consequences, it reveals possible reasons for the disappointing results and suggests ways of strengthening those operationalizations. In addition to suggesting refinements in the measurement of performance, the comparative exercise demonstrates why current proxies for personality and power may create difficulty. It concludes that both field and large-sample research stand to benefit from a closer collaboration. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract: Although definitions of democracy commonly include all adults, measures of democracy often fail to include women. In this article, I demonstrate that this incorrect operationalization can affect: (1) our measurement of transition dates to democracy, (2) our description of the emergence of democracy, and (3) our understanding of the causes of democratization. I begin by outlining the disjuncture between the definition of democracy and its measurement in a number of studies, (e.g., Muller, 1988, Huntington 1991, and Rueschemeyer, Stephens and Stephens, 1992). I then illustrate the consequences of omission in these studies and finish with the suggestion that a possible solution lies in graded measures of democracy.

Abstract: The objective of our paper is to contribute to the accounting education literature by demonstrating that there are significant differences among final year undergraduate accounting students in the United Kingdom, Australia, India, and Malaysia with respect to an important concept in auditing, namely, perceptions of external auditors’ independence. To attain this objective, we make an original contribution to accounting cross-cultural studies by operationalizing culture in terms of independent and interdependent construals of selfhood. These fundamental core cultural differences are important because they play a major role in regulating psychological processes including perceptions. Additionally, to gain insight into the evolving complexities associated with understanding culture in a global economy, the concept of acculturation is invoked in hypothesis formulation. We find support for the hypothesis that students from countries with greater political, economic and socio–cultural interactions (UK and Australia) are likely to have greater similarities (i.e., lesser variations) in their perceptions of external auditors’ independence, compared to students from countries that have less acculturation (other pairs of countries). The results have implications for improving learning and teaching of auditing in the four countries. Specifically, accounting educators may like to ensure that the meaning intended in the various national and international auditing pronouncements with respect to external auditors’ independence is effectively communicated to students within specific national cultural contexts. Our findings may also be useful to various international bodies whose objectives are to harmonize auditor education. The results also suggest that there is a need to critically question the assumptions made by professional accounting firms operating cross-nationally that it is possible to attain a single global set of audit procedures and codes of professional conduct.

Abstract: CARE officially adopted Household Livelihood Security (HLS) as a programming framework in 1994. Over the past 5 years, CARE has been working to institutionalize the approach in its programming worldwide. This has neither been a smooth nor easy process. Significant progress has been made in improving concepts, strengthening their application, and understanding their implications on program design and evaluation. This paper describes how HLS has been operationalized in CARE. Drawing on lessons learned from a number of countries, the paper shows how livelihood concepts and tools have been taken into account in strategic planning, diagnosis, design, implementation, monitoring, reformulation and evaluation. Household Livelihood Security continues to be the cornerstone framework that CARE uses to carry out its programming efforts. It allows CARE to have a more holistic view of the world to inform our programming decisions, enabling the organization to better understand the root causes of poverty. In addition, it helps to clearly identify opportunities and leverage points for positive change. Application of the livelihood framework should not be considered a linear process, but rather a flexible, dynamic and iterative process over time. Taking a holistic view does not always mean that one must undertake multiple interventions. Application of the HLS framework can be done using various entry points. Over the past several years, CARE has identified several analytical lenses that have been incorporated into a HLS holistic analysis to better understand the root causes of poverty. These analytical lenses include basic needs, a human rights perspective, civil participation and action, gender and the policy environment. These various lenses are significantly influencing the future directions of CARE programming. In the end, the HLS framework is helping CARE make strategic choices about where to concentrate its limited resources and how to leverage its comparative advantages to achieve the most positive and lasting change. It is through these efforts that CARE will contribute to the global effort to end poverty.

Abstract: The purposes of political discourse include (a) clarifying citizens' understanding of the issue, (b) helping citizens reach their best reasoned judgment as to which course of action will solve a problem, (c) increasing citizen participation in the political process, and (d) socializing the next generation into the procedures and attitudes they need to be active citizens. A responsibility of psychology within a democratic society is to provide the theory, research, and normative procedures needed to make political discourse constructive. Constructive controversy provides a theory, validated by research, that has been operationalized into a normative procedure. Constructive controversy exists when one person's ideas, information, conclusions, theories, and opinions are incompatible with those of another, and the 2 seek to reach an agreement. A political decision is reached through the following procedure. Citizens form advocacy groups and present the best case possible for the alternative course of action t...

Abstract: Integrated approachesto environmental management are increasingly being advocated in literature and practice. One of the keys to operationalizing the concept is stakeholder co-ordination. In this paper, the authors present a systematic, descriptive framework for examining co-ordination practice. The framework is a diagnostic tool which can be used to examine the range of formal and informal rules that define stakeholder interaction. We do not propose that any one type of arrangement is more effective than another, but argue that clearly specified arrangementsare a prerequisite for developing an effective integrated approach. The co-ordination diagnostic can be used to analyse co-ordination settings; when combined with evaluation criteria and participant knowledge, it can be used to develop options for improving co-ordination arrangements.

Abstract: To revitalize the discussion on dominant logic our paper aims to establish the forgotten link between dominant logic and firm performance. To do so, the concept is enhanced conceptually and operationalized by developing a framework including firms’ conceptualization of the business (external environment) and of themselves (internal environment) and performance. The framework is applied to a longitudinal study of two consumer electronics firms. The empirical evidence shows that differences in dominant logic lead to different strategic reactions to developments in the industry, and thus result in performance differences.

Abstract: This volume performs an enormous service for all clinicians who treat traumatized patients or are involved with individuals who have suffered traumas. It is comprehensive, exhaustively researched, and carefully edited. Although it clearly is in the tradition of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and is best used as such, it makes ample reference to historical and descriptive literature and to contemporary psychodynamically oriented clinicians, such as van der Kolk, Herman, and Lindy. Perhaps of greatest use, it explores a number of topics of special interest to those who treat traumatized patients and offers detailed treatment recommendations for highly specific situations. The book is divided into three sections: Theory and Empirical Foundations, Treatment Domains, and Trauma across the Lifespan. Although the second section is by far the largest and the most likely to be of use to the average practitioner, the first section offers excellent reviews of approaches to behavioral formulation (Naugle and Follette) and of current outcome literature (Blake and Sonnenberg). The third section addresses applications of basic CBT trauma strategies to children (O'Donohue et al.) and to older adults (Hyer and Woods). The meat and potatoes of this volume is in the second section, where a number of authors explore war trauma, sexual trauma (including revictimization), trauma-related guilt and anger, dissociation, comorbid substance abuse, the impact of traumatic experiences on couples, and other related topics. Some of these chapters are both specific and ingenious—for instance Wagner and Linehan's reworking of psychodynamic approaches to dissociation into a behavioral formulation, which meets current CBT standards of rigor and operationalization while not disconnecting from previous work in this area. Kubany has contributed an excellent chapter on dysfunctional cognitions of guilt and how to approach them. And Cloitre describes her approach to sexual revictimization in hair-raising but exquisitely sensitive and clinically useful terms. A clinician not trained in CBT will be able to pick up on a number of basic cognitive-behavioral strategies in this book that will serve as organizing principles for further exploration. Themes such as hierarchical approach to fear stimuli, interpersonal effectiveness training, the importance of behavioral analysis as a guide to treatment, and decisions about imaginal versus in vivo exposure appear frequently enough that a motivated non–behaviorally trained reader will absorb many basic principles of cognitive-behavioral formulation and treatment planning almost without effort by simply reading this book carefully. Such a reader will also note the frequency with which some more typically dynamic concepts, such as alexithymia, are referenced, so that the book will not feel like foreign territory. In fact, if there is one major problem with this volume, it is repetition. The chapters by Walser and Hayes on acceptance and by Kohlenberg and Tsai on healing within the therapeutic relationship, although fine works on their own, overlap with a number of others in the volume. There also is a tendency to describe therapies as if each is a brand new, separate modality (e.g., Kohlenberg and Tsai's “functional analytic psychotherapy,” Compton and Follette's descriptions of “traditional behavioral couple therapy” and “integrative couple therapy,” and Walser and Hayes's “acceptance and commitment therapy.” When added to the better known dialectical behavior therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, these create the impression that cognitive-behavior therapy is merely a collection of idiosyncratic techniques that are proprietary to their creators; this mystifies, rather than illuminates, the principles informing the very methods that are so well described elsewhere in this volume. One other critique is a small one concerning a portion of a dialogue that some readers may find disturbing. Kohlenberg and Tsai describe patient–therapist dialogue in great detail. In general, this is helpful; but at one point the therapist asks the patient to “take in my love for you” (p. 318). Although probably not absolutely contraindicated, such statements would be found overly stimulating or boundary-confusing by many clinicians and patients, particularly given the overlap between some patients described in this book and those with borderline personality disorder. But in general this is an extremely well-written volume that is grounded in theory and outcome research and also immediately translatable into clinical practice. The detail in which protocols and interventions are described adds significantly to its worth. Clinicians and academicians whose work involves community mental health, forensics, or disempowered populations of any kind will find it invaluable, as will anyone who speculates on the nature of catastrophe, misfortune, and evil.

Abstract: The Natural Step (TNS) is internationally promoted as the basis of a scientific consensus on sustainability. TNS appears potentially consensual because it argues from a position of summary trends that are scientifically informed. However, comparison with other sustainability principles shows that this appearance is unjustified. Firstly, this is because sustainability principles vary widely in their implications and purpose. Secondly, TNS is ambiguous in its approach to risk assessment and controversial in its implied proposal for zero growth in the physical parameters of the human economy, biodegradable material excepted. Two concepts from the sociology of science are used to account for international corporate and public uptake of TNS, despite its ambiguity and highly precautionary message. These are the boundary object and anchoring devices. TNS illustrates how operationalization of sustainability theories unavoidably involves value judgements relating to the choice of features to be sustained, despite any scientific content that those theories may have. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Abstract: PART ONE: THE CONCEPTS What Is Social Science Research Methodology? Dividing Up the World Using Variables in the Social Sciences Operationalization Just Exactly What Do You Mean by That? Sampling Where to Look for Answers Writing a Research Paper Research Methodology as a Rhetorical Strategy PART TWO: THE APPLICATIONS Fieldwork Looking at People in Actual Environments The Experiment Surveys Content Analysis

Abstract: “Intensive case management” (ICM) programs for people with serious mental illness are found widely throughout the United States. However, there is no standard definition or conceptualization of ICM. Despite these differences, ICM aspires to a set of common principles and core functions derived from the concept of continuity of care. This study attempted to identify the elements of ICM program theory by integrating information from the ICM literature with survey and focus-group data reflecting the perspectives of three distinct ICM respondent groups (researchers/administrators, program managers, and case managers). The findings suggest a strong consensus about the structural dimensions of ICM, but a moderate consensus about their operationalization. More generally, the results support viewing ICM as more “client oriented,” in contrast with conventional case management programs that are more “system driven.”

Abstract: Education reform has been a major undertaking in Latin America in the 1990s. Extending the coverage of educational opportunities is a principal aspect of reform. Improving the quality of education delivered in schools is of equal importance, in some cases more important, in Latin American countries where education has been of a low standard in public schools. It is not enough to study macro education policies as they are articulated by governments and operationalized by centralized ministries of education. What is promised or envisioned on paper is often quite different from what actually happens in school establishments. It is important to understand, at the micro level, how schools are functioning in practice as they implement educational policies for improving the quality of education. The focus of this study is on schools and what they can teach us about achieving quality in basic education. Educational policies and social reality come together in classrooms in schools. This study is not just concerned with how well schools are implementing policies. Nor is it concerned with evaluating education reform programmes. It is concerned with learning from schools toward a better understanding of the practical realities of teaching children from the perspective of the school establishment, within its community and its student population. The study concentrates on the school as the center of learning and decision-making and studies what happens in school at close hand. It is hoped that these lessons can be useful and be taken into account in assisting education programmes, policies and strategies toward improving educational quality. The special focus of this study is on poor children in poor schools. The Chilean education authorities provided an outstanding opportunity to study what schools can teach us in relation to their national programme aimed at improving the quality of education and educational outcomes in some of Chile's 900 poorest primary schools, known as the 'p900 Programme'. The approach applies a macro quantitative methodology to identify the poorest performing schools based on their comparative school results on standardized examinations and trends in these results during the decade of the 1990s. At the micro level, a representative group of schools was then visited and in-depth interviews were conducted to obtain qualitative insights needed to understand school and pupil performance and to identify factors that might be subject to change. An original research methodology was developed for this purpose. The study is organized as follows. The first section sets the stage, raises the policy issues with respect to achieving educational quality and describes the organization of the research approach. The second section presents the in-depth school reports that are in effect management audits. The third section synthesizes the lessons learned from the school interviews and makes proposals in a dozen or so key areas of school quality. It also presents in the words of the school officials, teachers, students, parents, and administrators, their views on the 'p900 Programme', on children in harsh environments, on teachers and student performance, and on the problem of lack of parental involvement. It is hoped that this macro-micro research approach will be implemented further in Chile and in other countries.

Abstract: The field of Special Education is relatively young and has experienced many changes during the second half of the 20th century. In addition, social, political, legal, and scientific forces have created controversy and fragmentation among professionals and parents of students with disabilities. The consistent controlling force has been and, will likely continue, to be the mandates and funding of the federal government. Social movements have impacted political and legal institutions independent of scientific research. This influence has caused changes within the field. Federal research priorities have been modified to correspond with the goals of these movements. Researchers followed this lead in order to receive funding. Practitioners have based their efforts either directly upon the tenets of the social movements or on the resulting research. What has resulted is a system of beliefs and practices. This paper describes historical and contemporary issues in the field of Special Education and offers predictions about the course of events in the coming decade. A consistent trend in special education and in social services, in general, is a growing life-span perspective. This trend defines several areas of increasing professional focus, early intervention and planning for transition to adulthood. The ongoing debates regarding funding of programs, discipline, and inclusion of students with disabilities in general education settings are more controversial. Other topics that will be discussed are teacher training and personnel shortages, parental and student rights, and the research to practice gap in instructional technology. The Trend Towards Inclusion It is antithetical to the primary tenet of special education practice, individualized educational programming, to argue for full inclusion of students with disabilities in general education settings. To contend that "all" students with disabilities should receive anything, other than an appropriate education, violates the letter and intent of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1997). Like many trends in education, inclusion is driven by parents, advocacy organizations, and professionals with an admirable focus on advocacy for the rights of children. Many special education professionals resisted the voyage into what were the uncharted ill-defined waters of inclusion. Proponents were clear about where instruction should occur but an empirical research base for what to attain and how to attain it was absent. Many proponents foresaw improved social skills in addition to the civil rights goals of the movement, but the social goals were never clearly operationalized to allow for meaningful evaluation. Intuitively, educational settings that mirror community, residential, and vocational settings have the highest likelihood of success. However, these outcomes have not received adequate attention in the research literature. Currently, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are required to document Transition Plans for secondary students with disabilities that establish post secondary goals. Educators have yet to reconcile program needs with placement options. It is likely that the coming decade will see the parallel purposes of IEPs, Transition Plans, and the determination of least restrictive environment becoming better integrated. The most striking feature of the inclusion movement has been that general educators are not included in decisionmaking with regard to inclusive practices at the same time that special education professionals tout consultation, collaboration, and parity. Students with disabilities had not succeeded in general education settings in the past and evidence that anything had changed was lacking. The unilateral nature of the inclusion movement tended to alienate many general educators who resented the adversarial tone of forced compliance. Still many general and special educators are willing to test inclusion given adequate administrative support and opportunities to work together (Villa, Thousand, Meyers, & Nevin, 1996). …

Abstract: Drawing on research from an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) project on ‘Benign and Malign Definitions of Conflictual Power in School Sector Decision Making: Theory and Practice’, the paper will examine the nature of non-decision making, how it is empirically operationalized and its practical realization in the school sector. Current research on school sector decision making concentrates almost exclusively on the role of decision makers and activities performed in formal decisionmaking arenas. These studies fail to consider an integral element of decision making, that is, the conscious or unconscious decision to exclude certain issues from formal locations of decision and from relevant decision makers. Reasons for non-decision making and the kind of issues which do not enter the political arena will be the focus of this paper. The impact of market forces on school decision making will also be considered.

Abstract: According to Joseph Schumpeter, entrepreneurs introduce new combinations that create market disequilibria. However, entrepreneurs also create their businesses by acting on already existing opportunity, thereby moving markets towards equilibrium. In any case, entrepreneurs change the economy by creating new economic activity. The overarching theme of this thesis is the conceptualization, operationalization and application of new economic activity as level of analysis in entrepreneurship research. Using a unique representative real-time longitudinal dataset of genuinely new firms (7000+ cases), a number of central issues in entrepreneurship are investigated. Performance and survival of new independent ventures, the capacity of young firms for continued entrepreneurship, the search for opportunity and the market newness of new ventures are some of the topics investigated. The thesis consists of two parts. Part one contains an introduction to common theory and methods as well as supplementing commentaries on the included papers. In addition, it also includes the overall conclusions on research methodology and entrepreneurship. Part two consists of six full papers on entrepreneurship that collectively assess the process and performance of the entrepreneurial event – the creation of new economic activity.

Abstract: Expert decision-makers often explain decisions by citing general principles. In some domains, however, it is nearly impossible to define principles intensionally so that they may be applied deductively. After investigating hundreds of professional ethics case opinions, we hypothesized that the decision-makers’ explanations extensionally defined principles over time, in effect, operationalizing them. To model this phenomenon computationally, we constructed SIROCCO, a system for retrieving principles and past cases. This paper presents empirical evidence that operationalization information can be leveraged to predict relevant principles and past cases more accurately than competing approaches that do not use such information.

Abstract: Information systems (IS) is a complex discipline constantly in need of additional operationalized theories and constructs. The need exists for methodologies that are qualitative and interpretive but result in theories and constructs that can be subjected to empirical testing. This paper proposes that revealed causal mapping (RCM) is a methodology that meets this need. This paper uses the domain of IS expertise to demonstrate the potential role of RCMs in IS research. Revealed causal maps fall in the category of evocative research methods. These methods are used where general theoretical frameworks are available but operationalization of concepts and specification of linkages among the concepts are still not available. While qualitative methods are especially useful in exploratory areas such as IS expertise, they cannot be used to test emergent theory. The theory must be transformed into testable hypotheses, and then operationalized into measurable constructs. Once this transformation is complete, the theory can be tested using established quantitative methods. Revealed causal maps can facilitate the transformation from qualitative inquiry to quantitative inquiry as an evocative research method.

Abstract: To integrate quality of life assessment with rehabilitation care, some correspondence is required between the concepts of quality of life and of rehabilitation. A notion of quality of life is presented in which quality is conceived as degree of goodness, and life as daily living. Rehabilitation is considered both a process of adaptation and assistance to that process. These notions of quality of life and of rehabilitation can together be operationalized through a model of daily living. An individual's appraisal of his own situation in relation to adaptation can be explained, assuming a hierarchy of internal standards. Explaining appraisal by others requires external standards. Both types of appraisal are important grounds for decisions regarding assistance. In addition, general ideas on justification of rehabilitation as assistance may influence such decisions. The model integrates both objective and subjective appraisal and ideas on justification into rehabilitation, thereby offering opportunities for theoretical underpinning of the practice.

Abstract: Article-at-a-Glance Background The increasing presence of managed health care in the United States has been accompanied by the widespread use of performance indicators to assess health plans along various dimensions of quality. Current performance indicator sets virtually ignore psychosocial and behavioral factors in the prevention and management of illness, especially chronic illness, in spite of documented evidence in the medical literature of the importance of these factors. Instead, current indicator sets focus primarily on biomedical interventions to prevent, treat, and manage illness. Methodology In a novel method for developing performance indicators—the use of a storytelling methodology—eight interdisciplinary panels, composed of health care experts at the community, state, and national levels, each completed two stories about patients with chronic illnesses. The first story described experiences a patient might have in the health care system as it is today; the second story retold the events that might transpire if attention to psychosocial and behavioral factors were integrated into the health care system. Findings Differences between the two sets of stories developed by the panels revealed common themes and specific areas where indicator development might prove fruitful. Performance indicators were identified from these themes, and work is underway to operationalize them; to identify barriers and opportunities for their inclusion in indicator sets; and to further document their potential health and cost-effectiveness. Discussion Although not scientifically rigorous, the storytelling method was found to provide consistent results and may be applied to many aspects of the health care planning process, health education, and quality improvement efforts.