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Last year we published an article (RDM, May 1973) by these same authors which described how they approached their commission from the DITB to undertake a study of the manpower situation in distribution, in order to assist the Board in its policies. Now the main results of the survey have been published by the DITB (sec page 50), and it has provided a wealth of material which is being used by the DITB in planning its training policy. It also offers a sound basis for detailed analysis of distributive manpower. In this article the authors do not attempt to cover the whole range of information on employment, occupations, labour turnover and training. Rather than that, they examine specifically what changes have taken place and are currently going on in the sphere of employment in distribution, particularly in relation to women, part‐timers, and young people. In addition they look at the possible impact of two pieces of legislation — the Raising of the School Leaving Age (ROSLA) and the Equal Pay Act. They refer to several sources, as the DITB survey itself gives a picture of only one point in time. Further articles will draw together other findings relating to labour turnover, recruitment, and aspects of training.

Distribution has for years been handicapped by problems of high labour turnover and mobility. In this article, the second in a series arising from the study of manpower structure carried out by the Institute of Manpower Studies for the DITB, the flow of people both out of and into companies in the industry is considered. Sepcifically, information is presented on labour wastage, and sources and levels of recruitment for various occupations in the industry. The background to this study, which was completed in 1973, was originally outlined in this magazine (May 1973), and in our last issue (Sept/Oct), the main features of employment in the industry were examined. Prior to the main results the author looks at the statistics available nationally which in themselves highlight the need for improved information on manpower flows in distribution. A further article in the series will follow shortly.

Since our visit to England last year with the American Librarians, we have often mentally discussed the reason why so many of the libraries of the United States are in the hands of women, and so few in Great Britain. Tradition and habit are of course responsible to a great degree in the latter case. The majority of the libraries in Great Britain are not a new growth; they have always been in the hands of men, therefore they always must be. They have been built up slowly as conservators of the literature of the ages, and it is fitting that wise and learned men should have them in charge.

The domination of people's working lives by machines, the deterioration of the environment, the inhumanity of conveyor‐belt production — all are factors which threaten the quality of life. Must retailing, with its tendency towards large‐scale operations, massive merchandising, and a diminishing reliance on personal service, slavishly follow the same pattern? Jan de Somogyi's contention is that this need not happen; his theme sets out how to combine the benefits of economies of scale with good personal communications and the policies in which each individual is important. It is an attempt to discuss one of the most crucial issues of our complex technological society through the eye of a retailer. This is a slightly abridged version of a paper originally read to the Manchester Statistical Society, which we are publishing (with their kind permission) in two parts. The second part to be published will discuss the question of social dimensions.

The purpose of this paper is to document key elements of union strategy at Sydney (Lidcombe) branch of Australia's Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) in an attempt to document and critique its branch level strategy in the year immediately after the removal of the Howard‐Costello Government.

A case study approach is used in analysing data obtained from internal CFMEU documents and correspondence; interviews with the New South Wales State Secretary of the CFMEU Andrew Ferguson, union organisers, one former organiser who worked for a number of years at Western Sydney but is now with a white‐collar union in the education sector, and construction workers; CFMEU official publications; news media stories and a series of building site visits. The authors use a theory framework of Roman Catholic social teaching to frame the discussions and analyze the case study findings.

In focus groups with construction workers, the authors find one challenging external constraint for the CFMEU: reaching out to and meeting effectively the needs of younger workers especially those from families hostile to unionism. However, younger workers seem to hold a mix of individualistic and collectivist philosophies. The final case shows the CFMEU organiser Tulloch to be adaptable and flexible in the heat of industrial disputation. Finally, the fact that building workers brought the asbestos issue to CFMEU's attention in the final case study shows union willingness to pursue issues not initiated by the union.

The paper documents the fact that the CFMEU has the ability and potential to rebuild its influence on building sites in Sydney and win further favourable outcomes for exploited and vulnerable workers within its sphere of influence. Through the theoretical framework, the authors point that as it does so it will assist in bringing to fruition the Roman Catholic social teaching that presents strong trade unions as a valid form of collective voice for workers and a way for collective and individual labour to retain in practice the dignity that God has already clothed them with.

In a novel approach, two part-time “Link Nurses” within an NE Hampshire practice of 16,500 patients were funded by a local charity, to assess and manage unmet needs of isolated frail elderly patients at home. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Patients in this vulnerable group with no recorded healthcare contact for a prolonged period were identified from practice computer records. One group was to be assessed at home, and appropriate interventions effected. Follow-up visits or telephone contacts also offered support to carers as well as isolated individuals. A matching quasi control group was identified but not visited, to assess the overall impact on the patients, GP and other healthcare contacts. Difficulties with the control group were encountered and addressed.

Important unmet healthcare needs were found amongst the visited patients, which the nurses were able to address themselves, or refer to the GPs or appropriate agencies. The control group demonstrated greater demand for out-of-hours, GP and district nurse contacts, and more unplanned hospital admissions.

Besides dealing with unmet needs at home, ongoing support by local GP nurses may reduce bed-blocking by moving away from “crisis management” of patients in this vulnerable group.

Few other trials have employed practice nurses to see and manage frail elderly patients in their homes.

INTRODUCTION To choose 1958 as the year terminating a study of the development of public library facilities in Argyll may seem somewhat arbitrary. The year is chosen as marking the completion of the County Library system as conceived at its commencement in 1946. It was only then that the last of the Burgh Libraries became integrated into the service and it could be said to cover the whole county. Further developments took place within the context of this service but the concern of this paper is to examine the history which led up to its establishment. This is done mainly through the study of original material such as correspondence and reports. Since much of the available material related to the protracted period of negotiation between the County Authorities and the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust it seemed possible to concentrate on the activity of the Trust in the general development of rural library services in Scotland. During the years spent in considering their own position the Argyll authorities collected much information concerning other areas. Argyll's efforts, or the lack of them, might have been placed in comparison with activity elsewhere. However, it became obvious that services in other areas developed on individual lines which made comparisons possible only in the broadest of terms. Similarly, the Trust operated a policy within broad and negotiable guidelines involving detailed regulation on only a minimum of issues which were considered to be vital.

A major difficulty identified many years ago in psychiatric care is the shortage of appropriate instruments with which to carry out valid and reliable therapeutic assessments which are behaviourally based and therefore appropriate for use in a variety of contexts. The aim of this project was to ascertain the utility of a forensic nursing risk assessment tool - Behavioural Status Index (BEST-Index). The paper aims to discuss these issues.

A multi-site cross-sectional survey was undertaken using mixed method design. Quantitative data was generated using BEST-Index to allow comparisons across three different levels of security (high, medium and low) in Scotland and Ireland. Qualitative data were gathered from patients and multi-disciplinary team (MDT) members using semi-structured interviews and questionnaire.

Measured over an 18-month period, there was a statistically significant improvement in behaviour, when comparing patients in high and medium secure hospitals. Two key themes emerged from patient and staff perspectives: “acceptance of the process” and “production and delivery of information”, respectively. The wider MDT acknowledge the value of nursing risk assessment, but require adequate information to enable them to interpret findings. Collaborating with patients to undertake risk assessments can enhance future care planning.

Studies using cross-section can only provide information at fixed points in time.

The BEST-Index assessment tool is well established in clinical practice and has demonstrated good utility.

This project has served to highlight the unique contribution of BEST-Index to both staff and patients alike and confirm its robustness and versatility across differing levels of security in Scottish and Irish forensic mental health services.

The research described here presents an approach to gamification for the classroom. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether students would perceive the gamification activities in a positive light. Previous research has contended that students need a positive mental attitude for effective learning. The core question was to examine student attitudes to gamification, not the success of the gamification itself.

Based on a survey of the gamification literature, and particularly drawing on the work of Groh (2012), this system is designed with three key principles in mind: relatedness, competence and autonomy. Classroom activities and associated software were designed and implemented. Almost 200 students were surveyed to determine their attitude to the gamification. The survey included both Likert-scale and qualitative responses.

A majority of the students reported that they found the gamification useful and enjoyable, only a minority of students (around 15 per cent) disagreeing with such statements. However, only a minority of students perceived a relationship between the gamification activities and games. The authors conclude that well-designed gamification systems can be well-received by students and suggest that the success of gamification projects may not lie in their ability to recreate the experience of a video game, but in the strength of the relatedness, competence and autonomy of the student experience.

The research is limited by the nature of the participants, who were drawn from videogame and media units and who may be predisposed to game-like activities.

This research demonstrates that students are able to perceive value in gamification in the classroom.