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The purpose of this paper is to investigate perceived stressors and coping behaviours in student nurses on a pre-registration programme of study. Stress in student nurses has been identified with decreased emotional well-being and poor academic achievement. The significance of stress and coping behaviours in students during training has implications for education and practice.

The present study recruited 87 pre-registration student nurses in a cross-sectional design. Bivariate and multivariate analyses assessed the differences in field and year of study and the students’ perceived stress and coping behaviours.

The findings showed that stress is a significant issue in nurse training. Fifty-three per cent of the participants had levels higher than the mean. Interestingly, the present study found that high-perceived stress was associated with avoidance behaviours. The most common type of perceived stress and ranked by highest factor were from written assignments and a lack of professional skills and knowledge. Their peer group and everyday life activities were shown as potential ways of coping with stressors. Thus, it seems reasonable to focus support on decreasing avoidant and enhancing stress-reducing behaviours.

Psychological stress and coping behaviours must be considered together, as perceived stress is bound by the ability to ameliorate stress by managing helpful and unhelpful behaviours.

The findings may suggest that a potential benefit could come from the provision of helpful strategies such as peer group support and reduction of avoidant behaviours. Also, there seems to be a need for greater mental health literacy in dealing with stress during training.

Coated components endure harsh conditions on oil rigs. Lighting components have survived one of nature's toughest tests — installation on oil rigs — with the help of Xylan, a fluoropolymer‐based coating from Whitford Plastics. Andrew Chalmers & Mitchell, a manufacturer of lighting equipment for the oil industry, has had its products coated with Xylan by ICL Technical Plastics Ltd in Glasgow, enabling them to withstand constant attack from corrosive exhaust fumes and to absorb the stresses caused by thermal cycling.

The day of standards is over, one hard‐headed public librarian has said. It may be true that in Britain the emphasis among both public and academic libraries has shifted to inter‐library comparisons and, less clearly, to self‐assessment kits. But published guidelines too, however tentative in appearance, can have tactical importance and may come into the hands of student unions, staff associations and other bodies. How useful does the latest British document look? A College Principal and a Tutor‐Librarian from Staffordshire each make their own assessment.

Early access to senior decision makers and investigations has improved outcomes for many conditions. A surgical clinical decisions unit (CDU) was created to allow rapid assessment and investigation by on-call senior surgical team members to facilitate decision making and, if appropriate, discharge within a set time frame (less than four hours). The purpose of this paper is to compare outcomes for unscheduled general surgery admissions to the hospital before and after commissioning this unit.

Prospectively collected hospital episode statistics data were compared for all general surgical admissions for one year prior to (July 2010-June 2011) and two years after (July 2011-June 2013) the introduction of the CDU. Statistical analysis using the Mann Whitney U-test was performed.

More patients were discharged within 24 hours (12 per cent vs 20 per cent, p < 0.001) and total hospital stay decreased (4.6 days vs 3.2 days, p < 0.001) following introduction of CDU. Admission via A & E (273 vs 212, p < 0.01) was also decreased. Overall there was a 25.3 per cent reduction in emergency surgical admissions. No difference was noted in 30-day readmission rates (47 vs 49, p=0.29).

The introduction of a CDU in has increased early discharge rates and facilitated safe early discharge, reducing overall hospital stay for unscheduled general surgical admissions. This has decreased fixed bed costs and improved patient flow by decreasing surgical care episodes routed through the emergency department (ED). In all, 30-day readmission rates have not been influenced by shorter hospital stay. Service redesign involving early senior decision making and patient investigation increases efficiency and patient satisfaction within unscheduled general surgical care. Not original but significant in that the model has not been widely implemented and this is a useful addition to the literature.

An empirical examination of the product elimination decision‐making processes in American and British manufacturing firms was presented. Specifically, two areas of the product elimination decision‐making process are presented: (1) the precipitating circumstances which “triggered” the product elimination decision‐making process to begin; and (2) the variables used to make the elimination/retention are reviewed. It was concluded that the decision making processes were similiar in the two countries.

This paper proposes a framework for connecting the involvement construct’s antecedents of Internet marketing, measured involvement degree, related constructs and consequences of consumer behavior. The research first determined the factors that influence the degree of Internet marketing involvement then established the different involvement degree clusters by measured involvement. Finally, the relationship among influence factors, Internet marketing involvement degree, and consequences of consumer behavior was analyzed. Based on the research findings, this paper discusses the possible Internet marketing strategies for a variety involvement degree clusters.

The increased utilization and popularity of logistics partnerships dictates the necessity of a robust and soundly constructed theoretical foundation for examining these alliances. Towards achieving this goal, this paper proposes and develops the symbiotic logistics concept. Symbiotic logistics relationships occur when two or more organizations develop a synergistic relationship(s) within their logistics systems in order to enhance each firm's ability to serve the demands of their ultimate customer. Provided the needs of the ultimate customers are fulfilled, symbiotic logistics relationships remain a win‐win proposition for the participants. The underlying factors behind the development of these relationships are explored. The potential impediments to the successful implementation of symbiotic logistics relationships are examined as well as recommendations for resolving these difficulties.

Explores the role of retail development in urban regeneration. Focuses on Castle Vale in Birmingham and considers the benefits arising from new retail development, the challenges for retailers and lessons for the future marketing of deprived areas. Castle Vale is one of the best examples of public sector regeneration. Managed by a Housing Action Trust, the regeneration scheme sought to improve housing, improve the quality of life for residents and work with the community to achieve positive change. A key retail element focused on the redevelopment of a run‐down shopping centre and the attraction of new tenants. The Castle Vale story demonstrates how obstacles can be overcome through the application of effective organisation, consultation, partnerships and marketing principles, and the importance of creating (or re‐creating) a positive image for an area (and its community) to attract retail investment. Draws on in‐depth interviews with key managers and stakeholders associated with the Castle Vale project.

Some twenty years ago, however, the realisation came that the economy of the animal body calls for the activities of substances with functions apparently akin, in many respects at least, to those of the hormones, which the body itself is nevertheless unable to produce, and therefore must receive them in its food. The indispensable functions of these, like those of the hormones, are adequately fulfilled by extraordinarily small amounts of each one. These food constituents yield therefore no appreciable supply of energy, nor do they serve in any ordinary sense as structural materials. Their presence like that of the hormones is necessary rather for the normal progress of active events. They have dynamic functions. I am alluding, of course, to the vitamins.

This paper explores the paradigm of international development that has persisted for the past five decades, and asks whether a fresh approach is needed – one that builds on the developmental potential of the corporate sector, not just on donor aid.

This article explores both how corporations contribute to development and also the challenges in incorporating them into the wider processes of international development. This is achieved through the examination of two key sets of literature. The first is that regarding the effectiveness of the existing approach to international development. The second, smaller but growing, explores the impact that the corporate sector has had on raising countries out of poverty.

This paper finds that despite the cost and effort, most developing countries remain just that – developing. Where countries have developed, there is strong evidence to suggest that this has been the result, not of international aid, but of a thriving corporate sector. Yet companies remain outside the prevailing development paradigm, and their contribution to lifting countries out of poverty remains poorly understood. This paper makes a number of recommendations in relation to further research that is needed, and also policy approaches that need to be explored.

It is apparent from this paper that more and detailed scholarly work is needed to improve further our understanding of how companies contribute to development.

For policy makers this paper demonstrates an urgent need to develop better and more thorough‐going processes to engage with the corporate sector.

The role that companies play in international development remains under‐explored. This paper is therefore a novel contribution to this debate, and one that has significant implications for both the academic and policy communities.