Rob Gandy, Karen Kershaw and Ian Beaumont
Nomenclature is of fundamental importance in healthcare. Different professionals interpret different terms in different ways. This has implications for measurement, clinical…
Abstract
Nomenclature is of fundamental importance in healthcare. Different professionals interpret different terms in different ways. This has implications for measurement, clinical governance, risk management and any comparative studies where clear definitions are not predetermined. A project to determine how aseptic dispensing activity in pharmacies and clinical areas should be measured found this to be the case, primarily between nurses and pharmacists. It was essential to have consistently used terms and definitions for the purposes of the project. A preliminary list was audited with senior staff in clinical areas to ascertain local views and practices. Commonly used alternatives and other relevant terms were identified. The results were validated by a multidisciplinary workshop to determine a final list. Evaluation of these and wider examples highlights the many implications and the need for the issue to be directly addressed, particularly in a multi‐professional environment.
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In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of…
Abstract
In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.
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Ian Kitching has been appointed head of technical services at Valspar Paints.
Explores the burgeoning literature on HRM with the aim of assessingits distinctiveness in terms of the arguments expounded by Guest in 1989in his article “Personnel Management and…
Abstract
Explores the burgeoning literature on HRM with the aim of assessing its distinctiveness in terms of the arguments expounded by Guest in 1989 in his article “Personnel Management and HRM: Can You Tell the Difference?”. Summarizes Guest’s article, drawing out his three main approaches; reviews each of the three themes in terms of later contributions to the subject; evaluates the distinctiveness of HRM in relation to the three approaches laid down by Guest; and, finally, raises some issues of discussion and conclusion on the distinctiveness of HRM, its efficiency claims and its effects on the practice of personnel management.
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It has often been said that a great part of the strength of Aslib lies in the fact that it brings together those whose experience has been gained in many widely differing fields…
Abstract
It has often been said that a great part of the strength of Aslib lies in the fact that it brings together those whose experience has been gained in many widely differing fields but who have a common interest in the means by which information may be collected and disseminated to the greatest advantage. Lists of its members have, therefore, a more than ordinary value since they present, in miniature, a cross‐section of institutions and individuals who share this special interest.
After the Mandela government took power in 1994 in South Africa, one of its highest priorities was providing power to the impoverished rural areas, and particularly the…
Abstract
After the Mandela government took power in 1994 in South Africa, one of its highest priorities was providing power to the impoverished rural areas, and particularly the infrastructure‐poor black “townships.” In addition to a scarcity of resources, multiple stake‐holders with very different agendas were integrally a part of the decision‐making process. To this extent, what happened with the electricity industry is a metaphor for the multiple issues—social, economic, and political—which had to be negotiated by the new society. The multiple stake‐holders were brought together in a “Forum,” a non‐regulatory advisory body which was designed to specifically include all relevant interested parties in an open (“transparent”) problem‐solving process. This forum system was extensively used in the 18–24 months immediately before and after the 1994 elections to deal with a host of issues. The National Electricity Forum (NELF) was one of the earliest and most successful of these forums. This case reviews the build‐up to the 1994 elections, describes how the forum process worked, and outlines its structure.
Since the first Volume of this Bibliography there has been an explosion of literature in all the main areas of business. The researcher and librarian have to be able to uncover…
Abstract
Since the first Volume of this Bibliography there has been an explosion of literature in all the main areas of business. The researcher and librarian have to be able to uncover specific articles devoted to certain topics. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume III, in addition to the annotated list of articles as the two previous volumes, contains further features to help the reader. Each entry within has been indexed according to the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus and thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid information retrieval. Each article has its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. The first Volume of the Bibliography covered seven journals published by MCB University Press. This Volume now indexes 25 journals, indicating the greater depth, coverage and expansion of the subject areas concerned.
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Richard Dunford, Suresh Cuganesan, David Grant, Ian Palmer, Rosie Beaumont and Cara Steele
The concept “flexibility” is ubiquitous as a rationale for organizational change. However, its broad application is accompanied by a general lack of definitional agreement or…
Abstract
Purpose
The concept “flexibility” is ubiquitous as a rationale for organizational change. However, its broad application is accompanied by a general lack of definitional agreement or theoretical cohesion. The purpose of this paper is to propose the merits of an alternative approach – applying a discourse perspective to the use of flexibility as a rationale for organizational change.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper first illustrates the broad referencing of flexibility as a desired organizational characteristic. It then discusses the associated lack of theoretical coherence associated with the use of the concept “flexibility” before arguing the merits of a discourse perspective on flexibility as a rationale for organizational change.
Findings
This paper identifies a set of questions to frame a discourse perspective on the use of “flexibility” as a rationale for organizational change.
Research limitations/implications
The questions derived in this paper provide a research agenda for an investigation of the use and effects of the concept “flexibility” in the context of organizational change.
Practical implications
The questions derived in this paper provide practice‐based insights into how the concept “flexibility” is and/or could be used in the context of organizational change.
Originality/value
“Flexibility” is a ubiquitous concept as a rationale for organizational change and its use is accompanied by a diversity of definitions and conceptual frameworks. The originality of this paper is that rather than seeking to provide yet another definition – or attempting a resolution of definitional differences – it argues the merits of a discourse perspective on the use and effect of the concept flexibility in the context of organizational change.
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The new Mental Health Act 2007 substantially amends the Mental Health Act 1983. In this article, some of the most important changes are highlighted, including changes to the…
Abstract
The new Mental Health Act 2007 substantially amends the Mental Health Act 1983. In this article, some of the most important changes are highlighted, including changes to the definition of mental disorder, the new professional roles of approved mental health practitioner and responsible clinician, and the new powers for Supervised Community Treatment. The likely impact of these changes for people with learning disability and professionals working with them is discussed.