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Technological innovations and IT developments have been hailed as the key influence on changing work‐styles. However, the workplace is being shaped more and more by people and their needs. Supported by industry research, this paper aims to identify and explore some of the various elements and forces that have an impact on the space planning process.

The paper gathers current thought leadership, trends and external research together with the author's research, comments and opinions on optimizing space management. Global workplace trends are compared to author's observations in Dubai.

Real estate costs, building attributes, space planning concepts, technology and product innovations for the workplace are examined, as they have an influence on the role of people in the workplace. A case study provides the background and details of a revolutionary work‐style – iWork, developed by Sun Microsystems, and shows how it was adapted to meet the requirements of their regional headquarters in Dubai.

The current phenomenal growth of Dubai could impact some cited statistics over a short period of time.

The paper offers guidelines and ideas for facilities managers to assess the possibility of adopting similar space planning and work‐style programmes within their own organisations.

Aside from the practical space planning guidelines, the paper also offers facility managers an introductory insight the challenges of establishing an office in Dubai – one of the fastest growing economies and cities in the world.

A study of “the relationship between the characteristics and life experiences of entrepreneurs” has just been completed at the University of Derby. The four‐fold purpose of this study, was to: identify and evaluate from existing literature the personal traits and characteristics of entrepreneurs and the main factors or life experiences which may affect their characteristics; identify from the authors primary research, the personal traits and characteristics of entrepreneurs; to identify from the authors primary research which factors or life experiences affect particularly the characteristics of entrepreneurs; and, finally, to assess whether there is any correlation between the characteristics and life experiences of the entrepreneurs investigated in this study and those identified by other academic studies.

The Bureau of Economics in the Federal Trade Commission has a three-part role in the Agency and the strength of its functions changed over time depending on the preferences and ideology of the FTC’s leaders, developments in the field of economics, and the tenor of the times. The over-riding current role is to provide well considered, unbiased economic advice regarding antitrust and consumer protection law enforcement cases to the legal staff and the Commission. The second role, which long ago was primary, is to provide reports on investigations of various industries to the public and public officials. This role was more recently called research or “policy R&D”. A third role is to advocate for competition and markets both domestically and internationally. As a practical matter, the provision of economic advice to the FTC and to the legal staff has required that the economists wear “two hats,” helping the legal staff investigate cases and provide evidence to support law enforcement cases while also providing advice to the legal bureaus and to the Commission on which cases to pursue (thus providing “a second set of eyes” to evaluate cases). There is sometimes a tension in those functions because building a case is not the same as evaluating a case. Economists and the Bureau of Economics have provided such services to the FTC for over 100 years proving that a sub-organization can survive while playing roles that sometimes conflict. Such a life is not, however, always easy or fun.

People in prison face a disproportionate risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), but there is a paucity of evidence on trends in STIs in prisons in England. This study aims to describe trends in chlamydia test-positivity and syphilis prevalence by using two different methodologies in prison settings.

This study used routinely collected chlamydia surveillance data reported by all primary diagnostic laboratories in England from 2018 to 2022 to identify tests undertaken in prisons. Separately, this study used data from a pilot syphilis serology pilot study of four prisons in England. A descriptive analysis was undertaken to describe chlamydia test-positivity and syphilis seroprevalence by demographic characteristics.

Between 2018 and 2022, the number of chlamydia tests carried out in prisons increased by 2.0% (17,177–17,514) whilst the number of positive diagnoses decreased by 12.0% (957–840). The overall test-positivity in 2022 was 4.8% (840/17,514) which was marginally lower than that of the community; test-positivity was highest in 15–19 year-olds. Overall, syphilis prevalence was 3.9% (43/1064). Prevalence was highest in the women’s prison site at 6.4% 27/398). The range in male prison sites was between 0.5% and 3.5%.

Use of two methods enabled us to better understand the burden of STIs in a vulnerable population. Chlamydia test positivity was marginally lower than community levels but still indicated a high burden of infection, in particular for the 15–24 age group. Syphilis prevalence was high across all age groups in prisons, highlighting the need for more systematic assessment of STIs in prisons to allow for earlier identification and treatment of infections.

Our primary goal is to develop an integrated, quantitative assessment tool evaluating how human economic activities influence spatial patterns of urbanization, and how land-use change resulting from urbanization affects stream water quality and aquatic ecosystem health. Here we present a prototype of a holistic assessment tool composed of three “building blocks” simulating the social and economic structures, spatial pattern of urbanization, and watershed health as determined by various metrics. The assessment tool is applied to Dutchess County, New York and two of its largest watersheds, Wappinger and Fishkill Creek watersheds, demonstrating how an explicit link can be established between human economic activities and ecosystem health through changes in land use.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the emergence of school-based, secular, mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for educators and students that aim to cultivate mindfulness and its putative benefits for teaching, learning, and well-being.

The paper has four sections: (a) a description of indicators of increased interest in mindfulness generally and in education; (b) substantive and functional definitions of mindfulness; (c) rationales for the potential value of mindfulness for teaching, learning, and well-being; and (d) a review of extant research on MBIs for teachers and students in schools.

On the basis of this review, it is concluded that school-based MBIs represent a promising emerging approach to enhancing teaching, learning, and well-being in schools; but that more research, with more rigorous study designs and measures, need to be done to establish the scientific validity of the effects of school-based MBIs for teachers and students alike.

The rise of CSR followed a demand for CSR standards and guidelines. In a sector already characterized by a large number of standards, the authors seek to ask what CSR schemes apply to agribusiness, and how they can be systematically compared and analysed.

Following a deductive‐inductive approach the authors develop a model to compare and analyse CSR schemes based on existing studies and on coding qualitative data on 216 CSR schemes.

The authors confirm that CSR standards and guidelines have entered agribusiness and identify a complex landscape of schemes that can be categorized on focus areas, scales, mechanisms, origins, types and commitment levels.

The findings contribute to conceptual and empirical research on existing models to compare and analyse CSR standards. Sampling technique and depth of analysis limit this research, but the authors offer insights into patterns of CSR standard development in agribusiness and point to important research avenues.

These findings can help agribusiness managers to select and analyse CSR standards and other forms of CSR guidance.

Standard and guidance setting activities can be expected to have real‐life effects on CSR outcomes. These effects need to be better understood by policy makers and stakeholders. The authors' meta‐analysis contributes to further research on who or what influences standard development.

Models to compare CSR schemes are rare and often focus on a small number of cases. The authors provide decision makers and researchers with insights into structural conditions through a meta‐analysis of a larger number of CSR schemes.

Pilot upgrade training is critical to aircraft and passenger safety. This study aims to identify variances in the US Air Force C-130J pilot upgrade training based on geographic location and provide a model to enhance policy that will impact future pilot training efforts that lower cost and increase operator quality and proficiency.

This research employed a mixed-method approach. First, the authors collected data and analyzed 90 C-130J pilots' aviation records and then contextualized this analysis with interviews of experts. Finally, the authors present a modified version of Six Sigma's define–measure–analyze–improve–control (DMAIC) that identifies and reduces the variances in C-130J pilot training, translating into higher quality outcomes.

The results indicate significant statistical variances across geographically separated C-130J pilot training organizations. This leads some organizations to have higher proficiency levels in specific tasks and others with comparative deficiencies. Additionally, the data analysis in this study enabled a recommended number of flight hours in several distinct categories that should be obtained before upgrading a pilot to aircraft commander to enhance standards.

This research was limited to C-130J pilot upgrades, but these results can be implemented within any field that utilizes hours as a measure of experience. Implications from this research can be employed to scope policy that will influence pilot training requirements across all airframes in civilian and military aviation.

This research proposes a process improvement methodology that could be immediately implemented within the C-130J community and, more importantly, in any upgrade training where humans advance into higher echelons of a profession.

The purpose of this paper is to expand project management theory about practice and theory for practice through a new conceptual model developed from the transformational production management, strategic management and complexity bodies of theory.

This research uses a grounded theory methodology. A preliminary model is developed and tested against two case studies. The model is revised and tested using a purposively selected focus group before being presented in this paper.

The research indicates that the “final state convergence model” which has been synthesized from the transformational production management, strategic management and complexity theories. The model illuminates the complexities that can exist within the practice of project management.

The final state convergence model provides a novel approach to synthesizing new bodies of theory into traditional project management theory.

The model challenges practitioners to think beyond their current conceptual base of traditional project management methodologies, systems, and processes toward a broader conceptualization of project management.

The research adds to the theory about practice and theory for practice through the development of a new model which not only illuminates the complexities of project management but enriches and extends the understanding of the actual reality of projects and project management practices.