The relationship of race and gender to managers' ratings of promotion potential

The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationship of race and gender to managers' ratings of promotion potential for a sample of 1268 managerial and professional employees. Hierarchial regression analysis showed that controlling for age, education, tenure, salary grade, functional area, and satisfaction with career support, both race and gender were significantly related to promotion potential. Females were rated lower than males, and Blacks and Asians were rated lower than Whites. There were no interaction effects between race and gender.     

Population Exposure to Toxic Substances: Use of 1970 Census Data

A particulate sampling train has been constructed which satisfies the conflicting requirements of isokinetic sample extraction and constant flow rate through an inertial sizing device. Its design allows a variable fraction of the filtered emission gas to be added to the sample upstream of the inertial sizing device in order to maintain a preselected flow rate through this device while the gas flow rate into the sampling nozzle is adjusted to remain isokinetic with the local duct velocity. The prototype emission gas recycle (EGR) train was constructed by relatively simple modifications of a commercially available Method 5 sampling system, and much of the sampling technique is identical with Method 5 protocol. The train was tested by comparison of parallel runs in the EPA/SRI wind tunnel using redispersed fly ash. In one series of runs performed without inertial sizing devices, the EGR train and a colocated non- EGR train sampled 3-point traverses. The differences of the average mass concentrations measured by the two trains was 3.3 percent, with a standard deviation of 4.7 percent. In the next series of runs, identical cyclone inertial sizing devices were added to each train. The difference of the average mass concentration for these runs was 1.2 percent, with a standard deviation of 5.7 percent.     

The dual imperative in refugee research: some methodological and ethical considerations in social science research on forced migration

Social scientists doing fieldwork in humanitarian situations often face a dual imperative: research should be both academically sound and policy relevant. We argue that much of the current research on forced migration is based on unsound methodology, and that the data and subsequent policy conclusions are often flawed or ethically suspect. This paper identifies some key methodological and ethical problems confronting social scientists studying forced migrants or their hosts. These problems include non-representativeness and bias, issues arising from working in unfamiliar contexts including translation and the use of local researchers, and ethical dilemmas including security and confidentiality issues and whether researchers are doing enough to 'do no harm'. The second part of the paper reviews the authors' own efforts to conduct research on urban refugees in Johannesburg. It concludes that while there is no single 'best practice' for refugee research, refugee studies would advance its academic and policy relevance by more seriously considering methodological and ethical concerns.