Improving Intergroup Relations

High response rates have traditionally been considered as one of the main indicators of survey quality. Obtaining high response rates is sometimes difficult and expensive, but clearly plays a beneficial role in terms of improving data quality. It is becoming increasingly clear, however, that simply boosting response to achieve a higher response rate will not in itself eradicate nonresponse bias. In this book the authors argue that high response rates should not be seen as a goal in themselves, but rather as part of an overall survey quality strategy based on random probability sampling and aimed at minimising nonresponse bias. Key features of Improving Survey Response: A detailed coverage of nonresponse issues, including a unique examination of cross-national survey nonresponse processes and outcomes. A discussion of the potential causes of nonresponse and practical strategies to combat it. A detailed examination of the impact of nonresponse and of techniques for adjusting for it once it has occurred. Examples of best practices and experiments drawn from 25 European countries. Supplemented by the European Social Survey (ESS) websites, containing materials for the measurement and analysis of nonresponse based on detailed country-level response process datasets. The book is designed to help survey researchers and those commissioning surveys by explaining how to prioritise the reduction of nonresponse bias rather than focusing on increasing the overall response rate. It shows substantive researchers how nonresponse can impact on substantive outcomes.

The design and manufacture of reliable products is a major challenge for engineers and managers. This book arms technical managers and engineers with the tools to compete effectively through the design and production of reliable technology products.

Learn how to improve the quality of health care offered by your institution using data you already have Improving Health Care Quality: Case Studies with JMP ® teaches readers how to systematically identify problems, collect and interpret data, and solve issues in the real world. Relying on JMP ® software, the authors walk readers through the process of applying quality improvement techniques to real-life health care problems. The case studies provided in the book vary significantly and provide a wide-ranging view of the application of quality improvement techniques in the health care field. Studies regarding length of stay of diabetes patients to benchmarking the costs of hip replacement all serve to illuminate and explain the underlying concepts of statistical analysis. The authors break each case study down into several sections, including: Background and Task Data and Data Management Analysis Summary Concepts and Tools Exercises and Discussion Questions Each section reinforces the lessons learned in each case study and helps the reader learn to apply statistical data to their own health care quality problems.

Unique coverage of manufacturing management techniques–complete with cases and real-world examples. Improving Production with Lean Thinking picks up where other references on production processes leave off. It is increasingly important to integrate and systematize lean thinking throughout production/manufacturing and the supply chain because the market is becoming more competitive, products are becoming more complex, and product life is getting shorter and shorter. With a practical focus, this book encompasses the science and analytical background for improving manufacturing, control, and design. It covers specific methodologies and tools for: * Material flow and facilities layout, including a six step layout design process * The design of cellular layouts * Analyzing and improving equipment efficiency, including Poka-Yoke, motion study, maintenance, SMED, and more * Environmental improvements, including 5S implementation With real-life case studies of successful European and American approaches to lean manufacturing, this reference is ideal for engineers, managers, and researchers in manufacturing and production facilities as well as students. It bridges the gap between production/manufacturing and supply chain techniques and provides a detailed roadmap to improved factory performance.

What types of mental health care are right for the 21st century—in all countries, around the world? What is the best balance of primary care and specialist mental health care for people with mental illness? What is the best evidence for effective treatments and services? Which methods are most suitable for answering these questions? These are the tough issues addressed by this book. Leading experts from across the world bring their experience to bear in a series of chapters that set out the very best evidence in this field. They present clear accounts of what is known, extensively referenced, with critical appraisals of the strength of the evidence and the robustness of the conclusions that can be drawn. This book was inspired by the work of Michele Tansella on the development of community care globally. It comprises four sections, identifying the challenges associated with providing mental health services in high-, middle- and low-income countries, then describing ways to meet these challenges. A section on new research methods to produce practical evidence is a novel aspect of the book. The final section addresses how best to deliver new forms of care, bearing in mind the human resources available. The chapters extensively cite specific studies to enhance the practical relevance. Much of the cited research involves service users so their voice is heard throughout the text. Mental health is rapidly becoming recognised as one of the leading global health challenges. This book adds to our knowledge of the challenge and the solutions and stands to make a significant contribution to global mental health.

Well-grounded in theory, research, and practice, Improving Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations is a comprehensive resource that goes beyond traditional nonprofit management theory to offer the latest in cutting-edge thought on leadership for nonprofit organizations. The book offers a wealth of new directions and ideas for leadership and features chapters written by such well-known experts as Frances Hesselbein, Stephen Dobbs, Florence Green, and Jay Conger. Improving Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations discusses the most compelling leadership challenges and issues for nonprofit organizations and Shows that transformational leaders of nonprofits lead more effective organizations Includes a comparison of highly functioning for-profit boards with boards of nonprofit organizations Provides an analysis of dysfunctional boards Discusses for-profit «organizations of hope» that provide important leadership for social change and responsibility Suggests strategies for managing and motivating a volunteer workforce Presents a model for leading nonprofit projects Offers a valuable model for program evaluation in nonprofit organizations Considers the ongoing development of nonprofit leaders Includes strategies to develop leadership capacity

Improving Learning Transfer in Organizations features contributions from leading experts in the field learning transfer, and offers the most current information, ideas, and theories on the topic and aptly illustrates how to put transfer systems into action. In this book, the authors move beyond explanation to intervention by contributing their most recent thinking on how best to intervene in organizational contexts to influence the transfer of learning. Written for chief learning officers, training and development practitioners, management development professionals, and human resource management practitioners, this important volume shows how to create systems that ensure employees are getting and retaining the information, skills, and knowledge necessary to accomplish tasks on the job. Improving Learning Transfer in Organizations addresses learning transfer on both the individual and organizational level. This volume shows how to diagnose learning transfer systems, create a transfer-ready profile, and assess and place employees to maximize transfer. The book includes information on how to determine what process should be followed to design an organization-specific learning transfer system intervention. The authors focus on the actual learning process and show how to use front-end analysis to avoid transfer problems. In addition, they outline the issues associated with such popular work-based learning initiatives as action learning and communities of practice, and they also present applications on learning transfer within e-learning and team training contexts.

Nonprofit Essentials: Acknowledgment, Recognition and Stewardship (Part of the AFP Fund Development Series) is a concise and professional guide to donor relations in a format that is accessible, lively, easy to read, and that provides in-depth advice from an expert in the field. The book guides in creating and implementing each aspect of a donor relation plan, providing recommended solutions to frequently encountered dilemmas and including sample documents, checklists, and other tools to help shape an effective program.

How statistical thinking and methodology can help you make crucial business decisions Straightforward and insightful, Statistical Thinking: Improving Business Performance, Second Edition, prepares you for business leadership by developing your capacity to apply statistical thinking to improve business processes. Unique and compelling, this book shows you how to derive actionable conclusions from data analysis, solve real problems, and improve real processes. Here, you'll discover how to implement statistical thinking and methodology in your work to improve business performance. Explores why statistical thinking is necessary and helpful Provides case studies that illustrate how to integrate several statistical tools into the decision-making process Facilitates and encourages an experiential learning environment to enable you to apply material to actual problems With an in-depth discussion of JMP® software, the new edition of this important book focuses on skills to improve business processes, including collecting data appropriate for a specified purpose, recognizing limitations in existing data, and understanding the limitations of statistical analyses.

An up-to-date overview of current progress in improving crop quality and quantity using modern methods. With a particular emphasis on genetic engineering, this text focusses on crop improvement under adverse conditions, paying special attention to such staple crops as rice, maize, and pulses. It includes an excellent mix of specific examples, such as the creation of nutritionally-fortified rice and a discussion of the political and economic implications of genetically engineered food. The result is a must-have hands-on guide, ideally suited for the biotech and agro industries.