Michael B. Robinson, Elizabeth M. Thompson and Nicholas A. Black
The setting of explicit standards against specific criteria is a recognized part of the medical audit cycle, but often in practice it has been neglected, implicit judgements being…
Abstract
The setting of explicit standards against specific criteria is a recognized part of the medical audit cycle, but often in practice it has been neglected, implicit judgements being used instead. The conduct of a study to evaluate audit among physicians in four UK district general hospitals provided an opportunity to encourage the setting of explicit standards and observe the results. The subject chosen for audit by the participating physicians was the extent of use of intravenous thrombolysis in patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Standard setting was requested at initial peer review meetings held to review baseline results. This was followed up by a written request to lead consultants and subsequent telephone calls. Two out of the four participating hospitals set technical standards, which excluded patients with contra‐indications from the denominator. The other two hospitals set population standards as requested, one with considerable reluctance and scepticism. Each hospital set separate standards for definite AMIs and for probable AMIs. Six out of the eight standards set were achieved in at least one of four audits conducted in each hospital. Time trends were difficult to interpret because of small numbers. The amount of discussion between the lead consultant and colleagues about standards was highly variable, but there was no clear relationship between the process for agreeing standards in a particular hospital and subsequent attainment.
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Elizabeth Price and Rebecca Richardson
The purpose of this paper is to review selected publications in library-related literature and discuss the thematic approach to course design in colleges and universities and how…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review selected publications in library-related literature and discuss the thematic approach to course design in colleges and universities and how it has been implemented into information literacy (IL) courses.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review of peer-reviewed journals, professional journals, magazines and blogs contextualizes the thematic approach to instruction at the college and university levels. Search terms included “thematic approach”, “thematic approach in education” and “theme-based instruction”; the search was restricted to articles published in the past 20 years.
Findings
In addition to the IL courses, thematic-based instruction has been used in biology, chemistry, English, French literature, history, mathematics, philosophy and sociology courses in college and university campuses. While instructors report that the thematic approach enhances student learning, few studies have directly tested the impact. No studies have been published within the library science literature.
Originality/value
Thematic approach is a newer concept in the world of IL instruction. While many professional journal articles and blog posts provide in-depth case studies of how thematic-based instruction has been implemented, this article draws from all disciplines and features a succinct summary of what works, what does not work and how to best implement a thematic approach in an IL course.
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Life studies are a rich source for further research on the role of the Afro‐American woman in society. They are especially useful to gain a better understanding of the…
Abstract
Life studies are a rich source for further research on the role of the Afro‐American woman in society. They are especially useful to gain a better understanding of the Afro‐American experience and to show the joys, sorrows, needs, and ideals of the Afro‐American woman as she struggles from day to day.
Democracies typically impose onerous regulation on the conduct of bureaucratic officials and remarkably light regulation of the conduct of elected officials. The traditional…
Abstract
Democracies typically impose onerous regulation on the conduct of bureaucratic officials and remarkably light regulation of the conduct of elected officials. The traditional presumption was that politicians should be allowed to self-regulate. In many democratic regimes, politicians have shown themselves unable to carry this burden of public trust. As a result, political ethics is regulated from a perspective of public distrust, associated with fears of political corruption. Despite my personal reservations about professional ethics models (recorded here by reference to recent fictional work of novelist J.M. Coetzee), I revive a trust-based perspective to make a case for a regime of self-regulation for democratic politicians, based on a democratic hope that politicians can be trusted to act as responsible professionals.
William N. Thompson, Carl Lutrin, R. Fred Wacker and Elizabeth Vercher
Elazar’s typology of political cultures is examined. From his categorization of jurisdictions with aspects of 'moralistic' political cultures, five are selected: Wisconsin…
Abstract
Elazar’s typology of political cultures is examined. From his categorization of jurisdictions with aspects of 'moralistic' political cultures, five are selected: Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Connecticut, and France. Their recent political history is examined and it is demonstrated that these 'moralistic' type polities have abandoned policies which formerly condemned or at least contained legalized gambling. Instead each has responded to commercial pressures for expanded gambling. The reasons why ‘moralistic’ values in making decisions in this arena have been cast aside are examined. The reasons include an international cross-polity homogenization of political cultures, a blurring of the meaning of ‘moralistic’ in today’s politics, and above all, severe economic crises that take precedence over other values.
Ayla Stein Kenfield, Liz Woolcott, Santi Thompson, Elizabeth Joan Kelly, Ali Shiri, Caroline Muglia, Kinza Masood, Joyce Chapman, Derrick Jefferson and Myrna E. Morales
The purpose of this paper is to present conceptual definitions for digital object use and reuse. Typically, assessment of digital repository content struggles to go beyond…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present conceptual definitions for digital object use and reuse. Typically, assessment of digital repository content struggles to go beyond traditional usage metrics such as clicks, views or downloads. This is problematic for galleries, libraries, archives, museums and repositories (GLAMR) practitioners because use assessment does not tell a nuanced story of how users engage with digital content and objects.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reviews prior research and literature aimed at defining use and reuse of digital content in GLAMR contexts and builds off of this group’s previous research to devise a new model for defining use and reuse called the use-reuse matrix.
Findings
This paper presents the use-reuse matrix, which visually represents eight categories and numerous examples of use and reuse. Additionally, the paper explores the concept of “permeability” and its bearing on the matrix. It concludes with the next steps for future research and application in the development of the Digital Content Reuse Assessment Framework Toolkit (D-CRAFT).
Practical implications
The authors developed this model and definitions to inform D-CRAFT, an Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant project. This toolkit is being developed to help practitioners assess reuse at their own institutions.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first to propose distinct definitions that describe and differentiate between digital object use and reuse in the context of assessing digital collections and data.
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Martha Crowley, Julianne Payne and Earl Kennedy
Labor process research has documented a shift in the nature of control – from techniques that aim to limit worker discretion to consent-oriented controls that are believed to…
Abstract
Labor process research has documented a shift in the nature of control – from techniques that aim to limit worker discretion to consent-oriented controls that are believed to generate greater effort by increasing intrinsic rewards or bonding employees to managers and/or the firm. Over the past several decades, however, growing pressure to increase profits has prompted firms to adopt cost-cutting strategies that have eroded job security, relationships with management and commitment to organizational goals. This study investigates how a changing labor process and rising job insecurity shape workers’ orientations toward work, managers and the firm, and in turn influence workplace behavior. Analyses of content-coded data on 212 work groups confirms that discretion-limiting controls (supervision, technology and rules) are associated with more negative orientations and/or reductions in effort (with variations across distinct forms of control), while investment in workers’ human capital (but not involvement of workers in decision-making) has the reverse effect – generating more positive orientations toward work, managers and the firm, and (in turn) promoting discretionary work effort and limiting covert effort restriction. Implications of insecurity are more complex. Both layoffs and temporary employment reduce commitment to the organization, but layoffs generate conflict with management without reducing effort, whereas temporary employment limits effort without producing conflict. We illuminate underlying processes with evidence from the qualitative case studies.
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Daniel A. Wren, Regina A. Greenwood, Julia Teahen and Arthur G. Bedeian
This paper aims to highlight myriad accomplishments of C. Bertrand Thompson, who is perhaps most well known as a scientific-management bibliographer and a Taylor disciple, in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to highlight myriad accomplishments of C. Bertrand Thompson, who is perhaps most well known as a scientific-management bibliographer and a Taylor disciple, in the belief that his contributions as a pioneer management theorist and consultant in Europe deserve to be more widely known and more deeply appreciated.
Design/methodology/approach
Archival, primary and secondary sources were used in the research.
Findings
Thompson was among the first to bring management consulting to Europe. He understood the importance of adapting scientific-management principles to meet the diverse needs of each client for whom he consulted. Thompson’s strong belief and value system remained constant throughout his life.
Practical implications
Understanding the needs of customers or clients and adapting systems to meet those needs is essential in achieving success as a consultant.
Originality/value
By drawing on rarely accessed published and unpublished materials, this paper discusses Thompson’s many contributions to management thought and practice, most of which previously have not been highlighted in the referent literature.
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Discusses a research project which focuses on how decisions are made, rather than on who makes them, and in particular on the communication involved when all members of a family…
Abstract
Discusses a research project which focuses on how decisions are made, rather than on who makes them, and in particular on the communication involved when all members of a family participate in buying a product; the family is the most important consumer buying unit in society. Outlines how respondents were recruited in northeast Scotland, with children between 13 and 15 targeted; the research consisted of a questionnaire, interviews, and a decision‐mapping tool in the form of posters. Distinguishes formal and informal communication modes, the former tending to prevail if the decision was urgent; two‐way communication or one‐way, ie parent to child; and communications pairs and subgroups, including parent communication, child communication, and parent and child communication. Concludes that the research families adopted varying degrees of formality and communication directions, and that parents and children often worked together rather than in opposition to each other, with the child focusing on the parent who was most interested in the product.