Boston College

About: Boston College is a education organization based out in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 9749 authors who have published 25406 publications receiving 1105145 citations. The organization is also known as: BC.

Distinguishing Features and Similarities Between Descriptive Phenomenological and Qualitative Description Research.

Abstract: Scholars who research phenomena of concern to the discipline of nursing are challenged with making wise choices about different qualitative research approaches. Ultimately, they want to choose an approach that is best suited to answer their research questions. Such choices are predicated on having made distinctions between qualitative methodology, methods, and analytic frames. In this article, we distinguish two qualitative research approaches widely used for descriptive studies: descriptive phenomenological and qualitative description. Providing a clear basis that highlights the distinguishing features and similarities between descriptive phenomenological and qualitative description research will help students and researchers make more informed choices in deciding upon the most appropriate methodology in qualitative research. We orient the reader to distinguishing features and similarities associated with each approach and the kinds of research questions descriptive phenomenological and qualitative description research address.

Family Systems Theory, Attachment Theory, and Culture*

Abstract: Family systems theory and attachment theory have important similarities and complementarities. Here we consider two areas in which the theories converge: (a) in family system theorists' description of an overly close, or "enmeshed," mother-child dyad, which attachment theorists conceptualize as the interaction of children's ambivalent attachment and mothers' preoccupied attachment; (b) in family system theorists' description of the "pursuer-distance cycle" of marital conflict, which attachment theorists conceptualize as the interaction of preoccupied and dismissive partners. We briefly review family systems theory evidence, and more extensively review attachment theory evidence, pertaining to these points of convergence. We also review cross-cultural research, which leads us to conclude that the dynamics described in both theories reflect, in part, Western ways of thinking and Western patterns of relatedness. Evidence from Japan suggests that extremely close ties between mother and child are perceived as adaptive, and are more common, and that children experience less adverse effects from such relationships than do children in the West. Moreover, in Japan there is less emphasis on the importance of the exclusive spousal relationship, and less need for the mother and father to find time alone to rekindle romantic, intimate feelings and to resolve conflicts by openly communicating their differences. Thus, the "maladaptive" pattern frequently cited by Western theorists of an extremely close mother-child relationship, an unromantic, conflictual marriage characterized by little verbal communication and a peripheral, distant father, may function very differently in other cultures. While we believe that both theories will be greatly enriched by their integration, we caution against the application of either theory outside the cultures in which they were developed.

Competition in the Market for Audit Services: The Effect of Supplier Concentration on Audit Fees

Abstract: . This article investigates the relationship between supplier concentration and competition in the market for audit services. The study is motivated by the concern that high levels of concentration may be detrimental, resulting in lower levels of competition, which could harm clients through higher fees and lower levels of service. However, a counterargument is that high levels of concentration may not be detrimental but may result because market leaders display exceptional performance, providing lower-priced audits (perhaps due to economies of scale) and/or enhanced service to clients. We obtained audit fee and financial data on 140 life and health insurance companies and 101 property and casualty insurance companies. Our findings indicate that concentration is negatively associated with fees, suggesting that higher levels of concentration are related to higher levels of price competition (i.e., lower fees). Additionally, we address the validity of concentration as a surrogate for competition by examining competition among the market leaders. Our analysis examines the fees paid by 47 insurance companies that switched auditors during the sample period. We investigate the effect of industry specialization on fees paid by clients that switch auditors, finding evidence of significant fee cutting among market leaders for each others' clients but no evidence of fee reductions for clients switching from nonleaders to market leaders. This is consistent with the claim that there is significant price competition for clients among the market leaders, suggesting that high concentration need not result in low levels of price competition (i.e., higher fees). Resume. Les auteurs analysent la relation entre la concentration des fournisseurs et la coocurrence sur le marche des services de verification. L'etude decoule de la preoccupation suivant laquelle des niveaux eleves de concentration pourraient etre prejudiciables et donner lieu a une intensite plus faible de la concurrence qui risquerait de leser les clients, en augmentant les honoraires et en diminuant la qualite du service. L'argumentation opposee veut qu'un degre eleve de concentration ne soit pas prejudiciable et puisse etre attribuable au fait que les chefs de file du marche affichent une performance exceptionnelle, offrant des services de verification a meilleur prix (peut-etre en raison d'economies d'echelle) et (ou) mettent l'accent sur le service a la clientele. Les auteurs ont recueilli des donnees relatives aux honoraires de verification et des donnees financieres provenant de 140 societes d'assurances vie et maladie et 101 societes d'assurances I.A.R.D. (incendie, accidents et risques divers). Les resultats de leurs recherches indiquent que la concentration est en relation negative avec les honoraires, ce qui donne a penser que des niveaux plus eleves de concentration sont relies a des niveaux plus eleves de concurrence relative au prix (c'est-a-dire a des honoraires inferieurs). Les auteurs se sont egalement penches sur la validite de la concentration a titre de substitut a la concurrence en examinant la concurrence que se livraient les chefs de file sur le marche. Ils ont analyse les honoraires verses par 47 societes d'assurance qui ont change de verificateurs au cours de la periode analysee. Us ont etudie l'incidence de la specialisation sectorielle sur les honoraires verses par les clients qui changent de verificateurs; les resultats de l'etude demontrent que les cabinets chefs de file reduisent leurs honoraires de facon appreciable a l'intention des clients de leurs concurrents appartenant au groupe des chefs de file; ces resultats ne permettent cependant pas de conclure a des reductions d'honoraires pour les clients qui passent de verificateurs n'appartenant pas aux chefs de file a des verificateurs chefs de file sur le marche. Ces constatations sont conformes a l'hypothese selon laquelle les chefs de file sur le marche se livrent une âpre concurrence relative au prix pour attirer la clientele, ce qui laisse croire que la concentration elevee ne donne pas necessairement lieu a une faible intensite de la concurrence relative au prix (c'est-a-dire a des honoraires superieurs).

The Measurement of Affect, Mood, and Emotion: A Guide for Health-Behavioral Research

Abstract: Prologue 1 Documenting the breadth and depth of the problem 2 Untangling the terminological Gordian knot 3 Should affective states be considered as distinct entities or as positioned along dimensions? 4 Are pleasant and unpleasant states independent or polar opposites? 5 Selecting a measure: a proposed three-step process 6 The old classics: measures of distinct states 7 Dimensional measures 8 Domain-specific measurement: challenges and solutions 9 Problems of domain specificity: examples from exercise Epilogue

The Point of Words: Children's Understanding of Metaphor and Irony

Abstract: Metaphor and Irony in Communication Philosophical and Linguistic Approaches to Metaphor and Irony Measures of Metaphor Constraints on Metaphor Comprehension Early Metaphors in Spontaneous Speech Metaphor and Cognition How Children Misunderstand Irony Constraints on Irony Comprehension Why Children Understand Metaphor before Irony References Index