Mats Å. Hallgren, Torbjörn Sjölund, Håkan Kallmén and Sven Andréasson
PRIME for Life is an alcohol risk reduction program that has been used and refined in the USA for over 20 years. A Swedish version of the program has recently been adapted for use…
Abstract
Purpose
PRIME for Life is an alcohol risk reduction program that has been used and refined in the USA for over 20 years. A Swedish version of the program has recently been adapted for use among Swedish high‐school students (age 18‐19). The objective of the study is to evaluate the effects of the program on youth alcohol consumption (including high risk drinking), attitudes and knowledge about the effects of alcohol use.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a randomised controlled trial involving 23 schools and 926 students. Data collection was conducted with questionnaires focusing primarily on drinking behaviour. Participants were followed up at five and 20 months to assess changes in drinking behaviour, knowledge and attitudes towards alcohol.
Findings
No significant program effects on drinking behaviour were found. Knowledge about the effects of alcohol consumption on health increased after the intervention, as did negative attitudes towards alcohol, but these effects eroded over time.
Originality/value
Despite being widely used in the USA and Sweden, the impact of PRIME for Life is under‐reported in the literature. This is the first independent evaluation of the program focusing on high school age youth. The findings do not support the efficacy of the program as a risk reduction or behaviour change tool in a school environment.
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Mats A. Hallgren Hakan Kallmen, Hakan Leifman and Torbjorn Sjolund Sven Andreasson
Mats Å. Hallgren, Håkan Källmén, Håkan Leifman, Torbjörn Sjölund and Sven Andréasson
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of the PRIME for Life risk reduction program in reducing alcohol consumption and improving knowledge and attitudes…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of the PRIME for Life risk reduction program in reducing alcohol consumption and improving knowledge and attitudes towards alcohol use in male Swedish military conscripts, aged 18 to 22 years.
Design/methodology/approach
A quasi‐experimental design was used in which 1,371 military conscripts from ten regimens were assigned to either a control or program intervention group. Changes in alcohol consumption, knowledge and attitudes towards alcohol use were assessed with self‐report questionnaires at baseline, and again 5 months and 20 months after the program.
Findings
Pre to post program reductions in total alcohol consumption and “high risk” consumption were reported in both the control and intervention group. There were no statistically significant group interactions over time, indicating that factors beyond the intervention alone were responsible for the reductions in alcohol consumption. Attitudes towards consumption improved significantly in both groups at five months before returning to baseline levels at 20 month follow‐up.
Originality/value
PRIME for Life is one of the most widely used alcohol and drug risk reduction programs in the United States and has recently been implemented in parts of Sweden to reduce alcohol consumption and related harm. To our knowledge, this is the first peer‐reviewed evaluation of the effectiveness of the PRIME for Life program.
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Ingrid Kihlander, Mats Magnusson and Magnus Karlsson
This chapter presents results from initial studies on personal certifications of innovation management professionals, drawing from a Swedish context. The results capture…
Abstract
This chapter presents results from initial studies on personal certifications of innovation management professionals, drawing from a Swedish context. The results capture motivations for, as well as effects from, the certification process. They are discussed from the perspective of how this is relevant for developing and enhancing innovation leadership competencies. Increased knowledge, enhanced professional communication, and strengthened self-confidence related to innovation management were identified as outcomes for individuals pursuing the certifications. Further, this laid the ground for increased visibility, expanded network, and thus more opportunities to influence innovation work. An overarching theme appearing in the study is how a certification can contribute to strengthening the legitimacy of working with innovation management, and thus serve as an enabler for innovation management practice and subsequently innovation leadership. Effects from the certification that may be beneficial for successful innovation leadership include the opportunity for practitioners to articulate their own experiences and competencies, in addition to improving the impact of their efforts utilising innovation terminology. For organisations, knowledge of personal certification can be used both for recruitment and for development of existing personnel and their innovation leadership. Through a longer perspective, it can also contribute to decreasing the dependence on a few specific individuals and instead strengthen the long-term organisational innovation capabilities.
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Damian Hodgson and Svetlana Cicmil
The purpose of this paper is to review the formation and evolution of the “Making Projects Critical” movement in project management research.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the formation and evolution of the “Making Projects Critical” movement in project management research.
Design/methodology/approach
Retrospective and discursive paper.
Findings
Reflections on tensions and challenges faced by the MPC movement.
Originality/value
The paper establishes the historical trajectory of this movement and clarifies the tensions and challenges faced by MPC.
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Maurizio Bevilacqua, Filippo Emanuele Ciarapica and Ilaria De Sanctis
The purpose of this paper is to analyze relationships between operational characteristics and business growth in Italian manufacturing companies comparing high lean performers…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze relationships between operational characteristics and business growth in Italian manufacturing companies comparing high lean performers (HLPs), which are companies with a high degree of application of lean practices, and low lean performers (LLPs). This analysis aims at highlighting the effect of the implementation level of lean practices on operational characteristics of Italian companies and, as a consequence, on business growth.
Design/methodology/approach
A classification in “LLPs” and “HLPs” of Italian manufacturing industries has been developed in order to measure the company’s degree of application of lean practices. A survey was carried out, and a combination of cluster analysis and multi-group structural equation path model was developed in order to answer research hypotheses.
Findings
Results suggest that HLPs are characterized by a greater number of employees and a larger turnover. The operational characteristics that contribute to the business growth owing to the introduction of lean practices are as follows: the range of different finished products managed, the delivery reliability, and speedy response to warranty claim. No differences between HLPs and LLPs in terms of business growth have been highlighted when companies vary the batch size, reduce the medium production time, reduce the percentage of finished products which are subject to claim, and increase the percentage (of turnover) of R&D investment. The study highlights that “LLPs” companies are apparently capable of changing their production schemes and adjusting themselves better for customizing their products.
Practical implications
Companies that aim at implementing lean practices should focus their attention on practices that affect the operational characteristics that contribute to the business growth. Moreover, because of the complexity and effort for the implementation of certain lean practices connected to supplier, workforce, quality, and production efficiency, these practices are more suitable only for large firms with enough resources.
Originality/value
As an attempt to offer strategic and operational perspective on Italian lean practices implementation, this study examined how the degree of application of the different lean practices has an impact on operational and companies’ performance. Hence, even if the present study is limited to the Italian manufacturing companies, it could be a representative of companies that are operating in developed countries that are facing the so-called “anemic growth.”
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Evangelos Psomas, Jiju Antony and Nancy Bouranta
The purpose of this paper is to determine the current state of the Lean principles adopted by food small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the current state of the Lean principles adopted by food small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Design/methodology/approach
The case study approach was undertaken in order to gain insights into Lean adoption. Nine Greek food SMEs certified according to the ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS) and the ISO 22000 food safety management system (FSMS) were approached. Interviews were conducted with the chief executive officers and the company managers in charge of the QMS or FSMS, based on a structured questionnaire.
Findings
The food SMEs participating in the present study adopt Lean principles to a high extent. However, there is room for further improvement.
Research limitations/implications
The fact that the data collected suggests subjective business evidence and not objective as well as the fact that only two representatives of each of the nine food SMEs were conducted, comprise the main limitations of the present study. So, the results should be considered with caution, as far as the Lean adoption in the Greek food sector is concerned. Based on these limitations, future research suggestions can be made.
Practical implications
Based on the present study, suggestions can be made regarding the successful adoption of Lean principles, not only for the sample SMEs but also for the whole of the food sector. More specifically, by determining the strengths and weaknesses of the food SMEs’ efforts to adopt Lean, suitable managerial initiatives can be undertaken by these companies as well as the whole sector to fully adopt Lean and derive the respective benefits.
Originality/value
The paper provides insights into the adoption of Lean principles in the Greek food sector. This is the first study in the field of Lean that has been carried out in the Greek food SMEs.
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Automation is no longer an option; it is no longer “if” but “when” and “how”. This book has been written for senior librarians who recognise this, for their line managers to whom…
Abstract
Automation is no longer an option; it is no longer “if” but “when” and “how”. This book has been written for senior librarians who recognise this, for their line managers to whom the detailed work has been delegated, and for the junior staff, library and clerical, who need to know not only how to operate a system, but why it works as it does.
The First International Conference on Bibliographic Access in Europe attracted delegates from twenty‐seven countries to the University of Bath in September 1989. The conference is…
Abstract
The First International Conference on Bibliographic Access in Europe attracted delegates from twenty‐seven countries to the University of Bath in September 1989. The conference is the successor to the earlier conferences ‘Online Public Access to Library Files’ which were held at the same location in 1983, 1985 and 1987. The changed focus of the conference reflected Philip Bryant's, (Director of the Centre for Bibliographic Management at Bath) view that a lot had been written about OPACs and that they ought to be viewed in the wider context of bibliographic access, which in turn was now an international issue. The decision to focus on Europe was timely, given moves towards greater integration within the European Community. The international nature of the gathering was emphasised by the provision of simultaneous translation between English, French and German, and papers presented by speakers from more than ten countries. The major themes of the conference were the role of networks and CD‐ROMs in providing bibliographic access, and standards associated with both the contents of records and their transfer.