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This paper aims to explore how tensions and alignments between different actors’ needs in a transformative services network affect balanced centricity, which is an indicator of well-being. Balanced centricity describes a situation in which all network actors’ interests and needs are fulfilled simultaneously. In such cases, all actors are better off, which increases both individual actors’ and overall actor-network well-being.

The empirical study takes place in nursing homes in which in-bed baths represent co-created service encounters that affect the well-being of focal actors (i.e. patients), frontline service employees (i.e. nurses) and transformative service mediators (i.e. family members), who have potentially competing needs. Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach, the study inductively explores and deductively categorizes actors’ personal experiences to gain deep, holistic insights into the service network and its complex web of actor interdependencies.

The resulting conceptual model of balanced centricity identifies actors’ lower-order needs as different manifestations of the psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. If actors’ needs are aligned, their psychological needs can be satisfied, which facilitates balanced centricity. If actors exhibit competing needs though, balanced centricity is impeded.

This study establishes actors’ psychological needs as the origin of tensions/alignments in multi-actor networks that impede/contribute to balanced centricity. Transformative service providers should try to address all actors’ psychological needs when co-creating services to achieve network well-being.

This study adopts a novel, multi-actor perspective and thereby presents a conceptual model that contributes to the understanding of balanced centricity. Future research could test this model in other transformative service settings.

Since the publication of the report of the Lancet Commission on Brandy and the prosecutions that followed, much attention has been given to the subject, and although no great additions to our knowledge of the composition of this spirit have recently been made, practical use is now being made of information which has been at our disposal for five years or more, which has already had far‐reaching effects upon the trade.

THIS month is that in which librarians of public libraries are concerned with budgets. In spite of occasional croakings, it is fair to say that the worst of the crisis is over, and, if prosperity is not here, it is at least on the way. It will be interesting to learn if the cuts which some libraries had to make in their appropriations will be continued this year. Libraries have demonstrated beyond disproof that they have played a part in the depression in raising some of the gloom from the minds of the people, and can make reasonable claim to have financial consideration of the fact. Fortunately, in our worst times, the grotesque cutting which public libraries in the United States were called to endure was not suffered here.

Active travel, such as walking and cycling, has direct physical health benefits for older people. However, there are many barriers to walking and cycling including issues with the maintenance of pavements, sharing the path with other users, lack of public seating and benches, proximity of speeding traffic and narrow pavements. To create better public spaces, it is important to consider safety and accessibility of the public realm but also elements such as character, legibility, adaptability and diversity. The aesthetics of space cannot be overlooked too, in order to attract older people to use the public realm. Issues such as shared space pose different challenges for older people, though research would suggest if traffic volumes are low then sharing space with other users improves for older people.

Although under many conditions a carefully made weld should introduce no special corrosion risk, the fact remains that welding raises special corrosion problems. The reasons are discussed by Dr. Evans in the first part of his article. He then considers in particular the corrosion of welded stainless steel and aluminium alloys, corrosion fatigue, and hydrogen blistering and cracking.

This chapter presents a summary of existent evidence regarding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Minority Ethnic Groups (MEGs) in the United Kingdom Compared to White British, MEGs have historically experienced lower levels of health and socioeconomic outcomes and the COVID-19 crisis seems to have widened these inequalities. In particular, evidence gathered between 2020 and early 2021 suggests that MEGs, and especially MEGs women, experienced a substantive deterioration in mental health. Furthermore, Black and South Asian groups were more likely to contract the infection and die than any other ethnic group. Access to preventative services and healthcare, plus residential and employment segregation seem to be important factors in explaining mortality rates due to COVID-19. Finally, data released by NHS on vaccinations (until August 2021) show that Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities are lagging behind the rest, with a very low proportion of these groups receiving the first dose. Getting everyone vaccinated should be a priority for the Government in order to reduce the impact of COVID-19 and avoid new outbreaks. The evidence collected and summarised in this chapter calls for further attention on, and action to mitigate, the widening gaps in health and socioeconomic attainments across ethnic groups.

Prior studies have demonstrated that simple linear discriminant models can be highly successful in identifying financially distressed companies, and therefore useful in predicting corporate failures. Such models have been shown to be both industry and country specific even though their variable selection has been narrow. These models have remained incredibly robust over time despite variations in the definition of the ‘distressed’ state employed for modelling purposes. This paper extends such analysis to the main and second boards of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) in Malaysia, with particular reference to their designation of PN4 companies (those classified as ‘distressed’ in accordance with Practice Note No. 4 introduced in February 2001). The findings of the study show that a single discriminant model has high classificatory power for both boards of the KLSE, and that the optimum model comprises financial ratio variables common to other published models. Previous findings are therefore shown to be substantially generalisable to a new environment and to a different definition of distress.

Forensic health-care workers are frequently exposed to behaviours that challenge and traumatic material, with notably high levels in developmental disorder (DD) services. The provision of support is key in alleviating distress and improving work functioning. This paper aims to incite clarity on whether staff in DD services are more likely to access trauma support. The prevailing needs and outcomes for this population are also explored.

Data was extracted retrospectively from a database held by an internal trauma support service (TSS) for staff working in a secure psychiatric hospital. Overall, 278 permanent clinical staff accessed the TSS between 2018 and 2020, 102 (36.7%) of whom worked in an adult DD forensic inpatient service.

Staff working in DD services were over-represented in referrals to the TSS with a greater number of referrals per bed in DD services than in non-DD services (0.94 vs 0.33). DD staff were comparatively more likely to access support for non-physical, psychologically traumatic experiences. Psychological needs and outcomes following support were comparable between staff across services.

The findings highlight the more frequent need for trauma support of staff in forensic inpatient DD settings. Embedding a culture of safety and openness, and establishing appropriate and responsive models of staff support reflect key priorities for inpatient DD health-care providers, for the universal benefit of the organisation, workforce and service users.

This study offers novel insight into levels of access to support for staff working with people with DDs.