Three‐quarters of Britain's teenagers believe they do not know enough about the dangers of alcohol according to a recent MORI poll of 7,000 16 to 19‐year‐olds. The survey also…
Abstract
Three‐quarters of Britain's teenagers believe they do not know enough about the dangers of alcohol according to a recent MORI poll of 7,000 16 to 19‐year‐olds. The survey also showed that, although most young people use alcohol sensibly and responsibly, 53 per cent have at least one drink a week. A minority misuse alcohol in a way that causes them occasional problems, which could lead to greater difficulties in later life.
The purpose of this paper is to trace debates between state and federal governments, and community stakeholders, leading to the establishment and abolition of the first attempt at…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to trace debates between state and federal governments, and community stakeholders, leading to the establishment and abolition of the first attempt at a university for Western Sydney, established as Chifley University Interim Council.
Design/methodology/approach
The historical analysis draws from published papers, oral history accounts, and original documents in archives of the University of Sydney and the University of Western Sydney.
Findings
Higher education reform in the 1980s in Australia was fought out as an extension of broader issues such as “States rights”, the rising political power of peri‐urban regions, long‐standing tensions between state and Commonwealth bureaucracies, and the vested interests of existing tertiary education and community groups.
Originality/value
This is the only existing study of attempts to found Chifley University, and one of the few available studies which take a social and contextual approach to understanding the critical reforms of the 1980s leading up to the Dawkins Reforms of 1988‐1990.
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Julie Eatock, Dorian Dixon and Terry Young
This study seeks to examine the extent to which mainstream tools and strategies are applied in the medical devices sector, which is highly fragmented and contains a high…
Abstract
Purpose
This study seeks to examine the extent to which mainstream tools and strategies are applied in the medical devices sector, which is highly fragmented and contains a high percentage of small companies, and to determine if company size impacts on manufacturing strategy selection.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was developed and disseminated through a number of channels. Responses were received from 38 companies in the UK and Ireland, describing 68 products taken to market in the past five years.
Findings
Because of the limited scope of the survey, the findings are indicative rather than conclusive, and interesting trends have emerged. New to the world products were much more likely to exceed company expectations of market success compared to derivative products. It was found that the majority of these innovative products were developed by small companies. Large companies appear to favour minor upgrades over major upgrades even though these prove – on the data presented – to be less successful overall.
Practical implications
These results provide those engaged in this sector with comparative information and some insights for further improvement. The reported trends with respect to company size and product complexity (or degree of novelty) are particularly illuminating. Academically, this sets some expected trends on a firmer footing and unearths one or two unexpected findings.
Originality/value
It is believed that this is the largest survey of determinants of success in UK medical device companies and it provides a comparison with other sectors.
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Kirandeep Chahal, Tillal Eldabi and Terry Young
The purpose of this paper is to develop a generic framework for hybrid (integrated deployment of system dynamics and discrete event simulation) simulation which can be applied in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a generic framework for hybrid (integrated deployment of system dynamics and discrete event simulation) simulation which can be applied in the healthcare domain.
Design/methodology/approach
As hybrid simulation in an organisational context is a new topic with limited available data on deployment of hybrid simulation in organisational context, an inductive approach has been applied. On the basis of knowledge induced from literature, a generic conceptual framework for hybrid simulation has been developed. The proposed framework is demonstrated using an explanatory case study comprising an accident and emergency (A&E) department.
Findings
The framework provided detailed guidance for the development of a hybrid model of an A&E case study. Findings of this case study suggest that the hybrid model was more efficient in capturing behavioural impact on operational performances.
Research limitations/implications
The framework is limited to only SD and DES; as agent‐based is another simulation method which is emerging as a promising tool for analysing problems such as spread of infectious diseases in healthcare context, inclusion of this into the framework will enhance the utility of the framework.
Practical implications
This framework will aid in the development of hybrid models capable of comprehending both detail as well as dynamic complexity, which will contribute towards a deeper understanding of the problems, resulting in more effective decision making.
Social implications
It is expected that this research will encourage those engaged in simulation (e.g. researchers, practitioners, decision makers) to realise the potential of cross‐fertilisation of the two simulation paradigms.
Originality/value
Currently, there is no conceptual framework which provides guidance for developing hybrid models. In order to address this gap, this paper contributes by proposing a conceptual framework for hybrid simulation for the healthcare domain.
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Julie Eatock, Malcolm Clarke, Claire Picton and Terry Young
Accident and emergency (A&E) departments experience a secondary peak in patient length of stay (LoS) at around four hours, caused by the coping strategies used to meet the…
Abstract
Purpose
Accident and emergency (A&E) departments experience a secondary peak in patient length of stay (LoS) at around four hours, caused by the coping strategies used to meet the operational standards imposed by government. The aim of this paper is to build a discrete‐event simulation model that captures the coping strategies and more accurately reflects the processes that occur within an A&E department.
Design/methodology/approach
A discrete‐event simulation (DES) model was used to capture the A&E process at a UK hospital and record the LoS for each patient. Input data on 4,150 arrivals over three one‐week periods and staffing levels was obtained from hospital records, while output data were compared with the corresponding records. Expert opinion was used to generate the pathways and model the decision‐making processes.
Findings
The authors were able to replicate accurately the LoS distribution for the hospital. The model was then applied to a second configuration that had been trialled there; again, the results also reflected the experiences of the hospital.
Practical implications
This demonstrates that the coping strategies, such as re‐prioritising patients based on current length of time in the department, employed in A&E departments have an impact on LoS of patients and therefore need to be considered when building predictive models if confidence in the results is to be justified.
Originality/value
As far as the authors are aware this is the first time that these coping strategies have been included within a simulation model, and therefore the first time that the peak around the four hours has been analysed so accurately using a model.
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On many levels, “follow‐the‐sun” management makes a glorious kind of sense. The idea goes something like this: Start a process in the East, say Japan or Hong Kong, where the sun…
Abstract
On many levels, “follow‐the‐sun” management makes a glorious kind of sense. The idea goes something like this: Start a process in the East, say Japan or Hong Kong, where the sun rises. When those workers leave their offices at the end of the day, a new team further west in, say, London, arrives fresh to continue the job. Later in that same 24‐hour period, a bunch of New Yorkers can complete the task. Three hours later, those in Silicon Valley can arrive to find the finished project on their desks. Everyone works on their own turf in a standard 9‐to‐5 day, but four times the amount of work is done.
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Julia Teresa Atiles, Jonathan Robert Douglas and Martha Allexsaht-Snider
The purpose of this study was to explore early childhood teachers’ sense of efficacy for working with immigrant children. In addition, this study examined the relationship of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to explore early childhood teachers’ sense of efficacy for working with immigrant children. In addition, this study examined the relationship of early childhood teachers’ sense of efficacy to their multicultural attitudes.
Design/methodology/approach
Ninety early childhood teacher participants completed a demographic questionnaire, as well as the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale, long form (Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy, 2001) and Teacher Multicultural Attitude Survey (Ponterotito et al., 1998).
Findings
The statistical analysis resulted in a significant difference found between teachers’ sense of efficacy when working with Latinos versus when working with Marshallese students, t(82) = 4.64, p < 0.001, and that the teachers’ sense of efficacy was positively correlated with their multicultural attitudes score, r = 0.266, p = 0.013.
Research limitations/implications
The finding that early childhood teachers have differing levels of efficacy for working with different populations of immigrants, and that efficacy seems to be linked to multicultural attitudes, has implications for teacher educators and for professional development initiatives.
Practical implications
This appears to be an important starting point for professional learning efforts directed at teachers with lower levels of efficacy for working with their diverse students.
Originality/value
There was no prior research done focusing on different immigrant populations and the corresponding teachers’ sense of efficacy when working with them. The results shown support the idea that teachers’ multicultural attitudes appear to be significantly linked to their sense of efficacy, when working with immigrant students, especially within the area of student engagement.
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The texturalcentric model of non‐attribute‐based visual and tactile response to textural fabric surfaces was used to elicit definitive qualities or dimensions of textural fabric…
Abstract
The texturalcentric model of non‐attribute‐based visual and tactile response to textural fabric surfaces was used to elicit definitive qualities or dimensions of textural fabric surfaces. Multidimensional scaling analysis permitted subjects to provide numeric judgements of fabrics rather than using words with individuals' historic definitions of those terms, or without understanding some terms. Objectives of the study included validating the attributes identified by college students, and ascertaining the persistence of attributes that contribute to visual and tactile perception of adult women (25–45 years of age) and older women (60 years of age and older). One‐hundred‐and‐twenty subjects (50 per cent adult, 50 per cent older) provided visual or tactile ratings of the similarities of 30 fabrics. Data were subjected to multidimensional scaling analysis and coefficients of congruence were calculated. Dimensions or characteristics of fabrics were named using bipolar adjectives: rough to smooth, plane to depth, irregular to regular surface units, shiny to matt, fine to coarse, lightweight to heavyweight, simple to complex, hard to soft compressibility, pliable to stiff, harsh to slippery, small units to large units, open to compact, and soft to bumpy‐rough. From these, a schema for the textural perception of fabric surfaces, was modelled.
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Brian Grinder, Vincent J. Pascal and Robert G. Schwartz
The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of the early American clock industry as an entrepreneurial endeavor and to focus on the innovative marketing and financing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of the early American clock industry as an entrepreneurial endeavor and to focus on the innovative marketing and financing practices that helped transform the industry during the first half of the nineteenth century.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses the historical method to identify the critical factors that allowed the clock industry to expand. Primary sources were consulted whenever they were available, and a survey of the existing clock literature was conducted.
Findings
The nineteenth century New England clock industry provides a rich field of exploration into the entrepreneurial practices of the early American Republic and provides us with many insights that are applicable to the modern entrepreneur. The clock makers and peddlers who moved clock making from a backwater cottage industry to a modern international industry are examples of entrepreneurship at its best. From a marketing perspective, the clockmakers made use of the existing peddler system in order to create a market for their products. From a financial perspective, the clockmakers innovated when a ready source of capital was unavailable and made extensive use of credit.
Practical implications
This paper points out the importance of viewing entrepreneurship from a historical perspective. Furthermore, it finds that successful clock entrepreneurs understand the usefulness of connections, recognize traps to be avoided (such as the “Cottage Industry Syndrome”), and resolve to be persistent and optimistic in the face of adversity.
Originality/value
This is the first study of the early American clock industry to consider the entrepreneurial aspects that contributed to its successful transformation into an international industry.