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1 – 10 of 99Helena Morténius, Amir Baigi, Lars Palm, Bengt Fridlund, Cecilia Björkelund and Berith Hedberg
The purpose of this paper is to understand how organisational culture influences the intentions of primary care staff members (PCSM) to engage in research and development (R&D)…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand how organisational culture influences the intentions of primary care staff members (PCSM) to engage in research and development (R&D).
Design/methodology/approach
The participants (n=30) were PCSM employed in a care centre in south-western Sweden. The study had an observational design with an ethnographic approach. The data were collected by means of observations, interviews and analysis of documents.
Findings
The results revealed the perceptions of PCSM in two domains, research and clinical practice, both of which existed at three different cultural levels: visible (structures and policy), semi-visible (norms and values) and invisible (taken-for-granted attitudes).
Research limitations/implications
It is difficult to conduct a purely objective ethnographic study because the investigation is controlled by its context. However, it is necessary to highlight and discuss the invisible level to improve understanding of negative attitudes and preconceptions related to the implementation of R&D in the clinical setting.
Practical implications
By highlighting the invisible level of culture, the management of an organisation has the opportunity to initiate discussion of issues related to concealed norms and values as well as attitudes towards new thinking and change in the primary health context.
Originality/value
This paper is one of the very few studies to investigate the influence of organisational culture on the intentions of PCSM to engage in R&D.
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Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American…
Abstract
Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American preemptive invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and the subsequent prisoner abuse, such an existence seems to be farther and farther away from reality. The purpose of this work is to stop this dangerous trend by promoting justice, love, and peace through a change of the paradigm that is inconsistent with justice, love, and peace. The strong paradigm that created the strong nation like the U.S. and the strong man like George W. Bush have been the culprit, rather than the contributor, of the above three universal ideals. Thus, rather than justice, love, and peace, the strong paradigm resulted in in justice, hatred, and violence. In order to remove these three and related evils, what the world needs in the beginning of the third millenium is the weak paradigm. Through the acceptance of the latter paradigm, the golden mean or middle paradigm can be formulated, which is a synergy of the weak and the strong paradigm. In order to understand properly the meaning of these paradigms, however, some digression appears necessary.
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Rather than organize as traditional firms, many of today’s companies organize as platforms that sit at the nexus of multiple exchange and production relationships. This chapter…
Abstract
Rather than organize as traditional firms, many of today’s companies organize as platforms that sit at the nexus of multiple exchange and production relationships. This chapter considers a most basic question of organization in platform contexts: the choice of boundaries. Herein, I investigate how classical economic theories of firm boundaries apply to platform-based organization and empirically study how executives made boundary choices in response to changing market and technical challenges in the early mobile computing industry (the predecessor to today’s smartphones). Rather than a strict or unavoidable tradeoff between “openness-versus-control,” most successful platform owners chose their boundaries in a way to simultaneously open-up to outside developers while maintaining coordination across the entire system.
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Adi Ainurzaman Jamaludin, Nila Keumala, Ati Rosemary Mohd Ariffin and Hazreena Hussein
Three residential colleges located in a university campus at the capital city of Kuala Lumpur and built in different decades were selected for landscape studies with respect to…
Abstract
Three residential colleges located in a university campus at the capital city of Kuala Lumpur and built in different decades were selected for landscape studies with respect to species and position of the trees, as well as the effects of the current landscapes as a shelter in reducing solar radiation on buildings, as a pre-assessment for the Low Carbon Cities Framework (LCCF) and assessment system. These landscape designs were carefully studied through on-site observation. The name and location of the matured plants were redrawn and visualised with standard normal photographs. The studies revealed that the old residential college landscape is dominated by tropical forest trees which are able to provide a significant shade to the buildings and offered a potential to achieve sustainable development due to a higher rate of carbon sequestration. While, palm and hybrid fruit plants were most extensively cultivated in the landscape of new residential colleges due to low maintenance and being fast growing.
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Reports on a survey conducted to investigate acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children in developing countries, looking particularly at the Philippines. Explores the role of…
Abstract
Reports on a survey conducted to investigate acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children in developing countries, looking particularly at the Philippines. Explores the role of the National Committee for Acute Respiratory Infections and states its objectives and responsibilities. Asserts that state of health is associated with community structure, environmental factors, and social and psychological conditions. Finds also that maternal factors are important determinants in the incidence of ARI episodes, for example, the mother’s characteristics, level of health knowledge, her illness control activities, age, level of education, number of children, smoking behaviour, and the extent to which she has to fulfil other tasks. Explains the methodology used in the survey, the sampling procedure and research instruments used. Indicates that poor housing and living conditions should become the focal point of developmental efforts, and that better nipping in the bud health management should be encouraged through health education programmes.
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Manuel Barbero, Kenneth Leung and John Antypas
Let's say you're a mobile worker and have a one‐hour layover at an airport, during which you want to connect to the office. You could race to a wireline phone, unpack your PC…
Abstract
Let's say you're a mobile worker and have a one‐hour layover at an airport, during which you want to connect to the office. You could race to a wireline phone, unpack your PC, connect the wires, and wait to establish a network connection. In 20 minutes you might complete one task, such as synchronize e‐mail. Or, you could us a wireless messaging device such as a Palm Pilot and begin the transaction immediately after getting off the plane. You would not be chained to one place, and probably would be able to complete more work in half the time. Welcome to the wireless revolution.
Lars Mäncher, Christopher Zerres and Thomas Breyer-Mayländer
The aim of the research is to identify the factors that create an authentic company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement and to investigate whether an authentic CSR…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the research is to identify the factors that create an authentic company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement and to investigate whether an authentic CSR engagement influences the purchase intention. In addition, the study attempts to provide insights into the mediation role of attitude toward the company and frequency of purchase on purchase intention.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, a theoretical framework is developed in which major antecedents of authentic CSR are identified. A specific example of a brand and its corporate social responsibility activities was used for the study. An online questionnaire was used to collect the data. To verify the hypothesis, structural equation modeling with the partial least squares method was used. A total of 240 people participated in the study.
Findings
The results of the study confirmed that CSR authenticity positively influences consumer purchase intention. Furthermore, the hypothesized impact of CSR authenticity on attitudes toward the company and frequency of purchase could be verified.
Originality/value
Although there is research on the antecedents influencing the consumer's perceived authenticity of CSR, it has not addressed differences in impact and has not presented a full picture of influencing antecedents. In addition, CSR proof as a new antecedent is investigated in the study. Moreover, research on outcomes of perceived CSR authenticity still lacks depth. The study therefore addresses this research gap by providing an extensive research framework including antecedents influencing CSR authenticity and outcomes of CSR authenticity.
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Late life depression is often associated with a poor response to antidepressants; therefore an alternative strategy for therapy is required. Although several studies have reported…
Abstract
Late life depression is often associated with a poor response to antidepressants; therefore an alternative strategy for therapy is required. Although several studies have reported that phosphatidylserine (PS) may be effective for late life depression and that omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA have also proven beneficial for many higher mental functions, including depression, no concrete conclusion has been reached. This study was performed to clarify the effect of PS and omega-3 fatty acid-containing supplement for late life depression by not only clinical evaluation but also salivary cortisol levels. Eighteen elderly subjects with major depression were selected for the study. In all, insufficient improvement had been obtained by antidepressant therapy for at least 6 months. The exclusion criteria from prior brain magnetic resonance images (MRI) included the presence of structural MRI findings compatible with stroke or other gross brain lesions or malformations, but not white matter hypersensitivities. They took a supplement containing PS 100 mg, DHA 119 mg and EPA 70 mg three times a day for 12 weeks. The effects of the supplement were assessed using the 17-item Hamilton depression scale (HAMD17) and the basal levels and circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol. The study adopted them as indices because: salivary cortisol levels are high in patients with depression, their circadian rhythm related to salivary cortisol is often irregular, and these symptoms are alleviated as depression improves. The mean HAM-D17 in all subjects taking the supplement was significantly improved after 12 weeks of taking the supplement. These subjects were divided into 10 non-responders and 8 responders. The basal levels and circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol were normalized in the responders while not in non-responders. PS and omega-3 fatty acids, or other elements of the supplement, may be effective for late life depression, associated with the correction of basal levels and circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol.
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The enormous improvement in child health in this country—in infant mortality and morbidity, in physical growth and well‐being, are self‐evident. Not only do we see the physical…
Abstract
The enormous improvement in child health in this country—in infant mortality and morbidity, in physical growth and well‐being, are self‐evident. Not only do we see the physical improvement in our children, but it strikes visitors from overseas more forcibly, and there can be few other countries in the world which can boast such swarms of healthy, vigorous children. If this was preventive medicine's only success, it would be worth many times over the money spent on this branch of the National Health Service, which is little enough in all conscience: about £20 millions a year compared with over £400 millions for curative medicine. Can any of the undoubted great and dramatic advances of the latter match the far‐reaching effects of this one achievement of preventive medicine?
The problem addressed is how policies to promote sustainable development may be implemented in market practice. The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework on…
Abstract
Purpose
The problem addressed is how policies to promote sustainable development may be implemented in market practice. The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework on which further research on sustainable market practice can be based.
Design/methodology/approach
Literature and conceptual analysis as regards sustainable development and policies to promote sustainable markets. Frameworks from theorizing about markets and about institutions.
Findings
The context of policy initiatives aiming at sustainable development is characterized by substantial heterogeneity and is inherently conflictual and multidimensional. Stakeholders, NGOs, governments as well as market actors are involved in policy processes. A market practice perspective is suggested. Specific issues for research are how policy practice interacts with market practice and how sustainable markets actually perform sustainable development over time and space.
Practical implications
Implications for how policy actors and market actors might act to bridge the gap by awareness of market shaping process in market practice.
Originality/value
Contribution to holistic understanding of links between policies, market practice and sustainable development.
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