Evaluating a County-Sponsored Social Marketing Campaign to Increase Mothers' Initiation of HPV Vaccine for their Pre-teen Daughters in a Primarily Rural Area

Routine vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer, is recommended for 11-12 year old girls, yet vaccine uptake is low. This study evaluates a social marketing campaign initiated by 13 North Carolina counties to raise awareness among parents and reduce barriers to accessing the vaccine in a primarily rural area. The 3-month campaign targeted mothers of girls ages 11-12 and healthcare practices serving pre-teen girls in four counties. Principles of social marketing were: product (recommended vaccine against HPV), price (cost, perception of safety and efficacy, and access), promotion (posters, brochures, website, news releases, doctor's recommendation), and place (doctors' offices, retail outlets). We analyzed (1) website traffic, hotline calls, and media placement; (2) cross-sectional surveys of mothers and providers; and (3) HPV immunization rates in intervention versus non-intervention counties. Of respondent mothers (n=225), 82% heard or saw campaign messages or materials. Of respondent providers (n=35), 94% used campaign brochures regularly or occasionally in conversations with parents. HPV vaccination rates within six months of campaign launch were 2% higher for 9-13 year old girls in two of the four intervention counties compared to 96 non-intervention counties. This evaluation supports campaign use in other primarily rural and underserved areas.     

Spiritual Considerations for Managers: What Matters Most to Workforce Members in Challenging Times

A survey conducted among 50 members of the Los Angeles Workforce, all within the age range of 20–50 years, and with a minimum of 2 years of work experience and a minimum of 2 years of college education, delivered results that may be of interest to managers in their efforts to enhance workers’ satisfaction and successfully transcend the challenges of these times. The focus of this study was on values that mattered most in challenging times to members of the workforces. The hypothesis that inner- and inter-human aspects would be considered more important than money and status in such times was highly supported, with values such as love and relationships, and positive motivation, in an overwhelming lead. While financial worries were undoubtedly considered, it was underscored that in times of trouble, employees reach inwardly and outwardly to inner-human and inter-human connectedness.     

Planning,Changing Landscapes and Tourism in Singapore

The paper discusses approaches to certain forms of official planning, the values which underpin them and implications for tourism, with particular reference to Singapore and its natural and cultural resources. Government efforts to mould nature and culture through planning, in accordance with visions of its preferred states, are reviewed and some concerns about the extent of interference and the results are revealed. The landscapes created may be excessively ordered and lacking in spontaneity, with doubts about authenticity, features that adversely affect their sustainability as visitor attractions. Insights are thus afforded into underlying imperatives and the linkages which connect planning, environmental and social policies, political ideologies, and tourism in relatively newly independent states and more widely.     

Impact of public involvement in research on quality of life and society: a case study of research career trajectories

This case study illustrates the research career trajectory of two lay researchers after they joined a Big Lottery funded study to explore loneliness and isolation among older people living in a town in the north of England, UK. The two lay researchers were of pensionable age themselves and engaged in all aspects of the research process as full members of the research team. Following research methods training and their substantive input into study design, they engaged fully in an approach of peer‐interviewing of other older adults as the main study method. Following this initial exposure to undertaking research, these exemplars of public involvement in research went on to be involved in other research as co‐researchers at a local and national level. Initially the paper sets out the lay researchers' personal backgrounds and expectations from involvement in research. The impact of their involvement in research on their quality of life and that of their community is presented. Latterly, the societal impact of the lay researcher's involvement is examined. The difference they made to the initial study design and conduct is described first followed by their development as substantial research resources for other studies and community initiatives. Overall the impact of these lay researchers has been significant and the paper provides an example of how involvement in research can impact on individuals and communities to great effect.     

Does acquisition of a cooperative generate profits for the buyer? The Dairyworld case

This article examines the takeover of a cooperative (Dairyworld) by an investor‐owned firm (Saputo) that was not previously present in the industry, determines if this takeover generates greater returns for the investor‐owned firms (IOF), and on the basis of this evidence makes some inferences about the behavior and performance of cooperatives and IOFs. The empirical evidence strongly supports the conclusion that Saputo's stock price rose with its takeover announcement. This outcome is consistent with a number of explanations, including that Saputo was unaffected by hubris, a factor often suggested as the reason that many firms overbid when they undertake acquisitions. Dairyworld's poor liquidity and capital shortage problems, as well as a limited number of suitors, may have weakened its bargaining position in its dealings with Saputo. The observed increase in Saputo's stock price is also consistent with the possibility that, by taking over a cooperative, Saputo was able to decrease competition and thus increase its profits. A fruitful area for future research would be a rigorous theoretical and empirical determination of the impact that these various factors have on acquisition profitability. Such analysis is required before inferences about the behavior and performance of cooperatives and IOFs can be fully answered.     

(How) Do research and administrative duties affect university professors’ teaching?

We analyse the interaction between university professors’ teaching quality and their research and administrative activities. Our sample is a high-quality individual panel data set from a medium-size public Spanish university that allows us to avoid several types of biases frequently encountered in the literature. Although researchers teach roughly 20% more than nonresearchers, their teaching quality is also 20% higher. Instructors with no research are 5 times more likely than the rest to be among the worst teachers. Over much of the relevant range, we find a nonlinear and positive relationship between research output and teaching quantity on teaching quality. Our conclusions may be useful for decision-makers in universities and governments.     

Bunk bed injuries in Australia: the case for a mandatory safety standard

Bunk beds have long been recognised as a potential source of injury to children. This study was undertaken to establish an evidence base for a proposed injury reduction program and to determine whether or not there is a case for a mandatory safety standard. Recent literature on bunk bed safety was reviewed to provide an overview of the injury issues involved. Major sources of relevant Australian and international data were identified and the available data summarised. An in-depth analysis of Victorian data was undertaken to identify the nature and severity of injuries sustained and any patterns or trends, including age profiles. It is estimated that, in Australia, in the under fifteen age-group, there are at least 2,100 bunk bed-related injuries treated annually by hospital emergency departments. This represents a rate of about 50 injuries per 100,000 age-specific population. The majority of these injuries (86%) occur in children under the age of 10 years with injuries peaking in the 5-9 year age-group. The main cause of non-fatal injury is falls from the top bunk resulting in a fracture (33%), mainly to the upper extremity (75%). There have been at least two deaths from asphyxia in Australia in the past 10 years, due to entrapment in the bunk structure. It is clear from the current evidence that bunk bed injuries are a significant problem in Australia and represent a life-threatening hazard to young children in particular. The existing voluntary Australian/New Zealand Standard adequately addresses the safety issues raised by the examination of the literature and the analysis of the injury data. It is also clear that, in Australia, voluntary standards and the market place have been ineffective in achieving compliance. It is therefore recommended that the Australian Standard be made mandatory in an effort to significantly improve the safety of bunk beds in Australia.     

The Legal and Economic Evolution of Workers Compensation: Prospects for Enhancing Choice in the System

ABSTRACT: Workers compensation in the United States has been designed as a no-fault system that provides comprehensive medical and income benefits to employees with work-related injuries. Under its no-fault concept and the exclusive remedy doctrine, injured workers relinquish the right to sue their employer in tort in exchange for prescribed, guaranteed benefits that are paid promptly without protracted disputes. However, there is considerable evidence of increasing litigation in and outside the system that is undermining its no-fault principles and siphoning resources away from the efficient delivery of benefits to injured workers. This article reviews the legal and economic developments that are reshaping workers compensation and the threats they pose. The authors argue for a comprehensive reexamination of the structure of the system to resolve the conflicts among its stakeholders and improve its efficiency. Specifically, the authors explore several potential measures that would enhance worker and employer choice to reconcile their interests while restoring the nofault foundation of the system.