Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a highly infectious disease, with high potential for transmission to close contacts, particularly among healthcare workers. This is the first systematic study investigating hospital nurses' physical and psychological health status and the kinds of healthcare used-stratified by the level of contact with SARS patients-during the 2003 outbreak in Hong Kong. Nurses in moderate-risk areas appeared to have more stress symptoms than those working in high-risk areas. It is essential to design hospital support systems and occupational health policy to promote the psychological well-being of nurses during future outbreaks of emerging infections.

This study used a questionnaire to assess perceptive differences in corporate social responsibility among business students in the United States, China, and India. The study fi nds that American and Indian respondents attached more importance to the noneconomic aspects of social responsibility than Chinese respondents. Chinese students were more accepting of making facilitating payments to get things moving. Indian respondents placed more emphasis on philanthropy while the US group emphasized legal obligations. In the choice of business goals, there is generally little difference between the three nationality groups. The two main goals selected are taking care of owners' interests and consumers' needs. The study's fi ndings have implications for business school curriculum, public policy, and multinational corporations.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Factors affecting employee empowerment practices in China hotels ABSTRACTThe authors seek to explore factors affecting employee empowerment practices in China with specific reference to the hotel sector. Using an open ended questionnaires survey and focus groups, an in-depth examination of the perceptions of hotel managers in China regarding their interpretation and practice of empowerment within their workplace is provided. Notably, this study provides tentative indicators of significant culturally-driven differences in the understanding and application of employee empowerment between western-centric contexts, both in research and practitioner terms, and those perceived to apply in China. Empowerment in China is seen to relate much more to the individual and the merits or otherwise of that person than is the case with organizationally-driven empowerment in western countries. The understanding of empowerment by hotel managers in China relates to the extent to which the responsible manager has personal trust for that employee. This research, therefore, offers major implications for international hotel companies located or planning to locate in China and seeking to apply established empowerment policies within the China hotels. They are also of importance to expatriate managers working in China and to Chinese managers aspiring to work overseas within their hotel management careers.

No abstract

Nursing patients with SARS was challenging as the disease was highly contagious and potentially lethal, and not much was known about this disease. In addition to the use of frontline treatment, infection control and sensitivity to individual responses to sudden and catastrophic illness were required to support these patients. From this outbreak of SARS, we have learned the importance of infection control in containing and controlling the disease. Other lessons included the need to strengthen the surge capacity in our hospitals and support health care workers during the crisis.