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Although different facets of managerial third‐party intervention in organizations have been explored, we know little about how managers should intervene in different disputes for resolving them successfully. In this study, a prescriptive model of intervention strategy selection proposed by Elangovan (1995) is tested. Data on successful and unsuccessful interventions were collected from senior managers in different organizations. The results show that following the prescriptions of the model leads to a significant increase in the likelihood that an intervention would be successful as well as in the degree of success of the intervention, thereby supporting a contingency view of dispute intervention.

As a result of sustained gender imbalance in the construction industry, research continues in the fields of attraction and retention of female employees. In Melbourne, Australia, an investigative survey was carried out to evaluate the relationship between motivation at work and gender. The survey also aimed to ascertain if professional men and women in the construction industry were motivated and demotivated by the same variables. The research concluded that there was no statistically significant difference in total motivation and demotivation levels between male and female employees. There were, however, significant differences with regard to the perceived attractiveness and unattractiveness of certain work place and job characteristics. Some characteristics were not gender discriminatory in their unattractiveness. Evidence presented in this paper can lead to a useful re‐appraisal of how the construction industry can create a more attractive workplace environment that entices more employees of either gender to remain in the industry.

Describes an in‐depth study of the attitudes to food, food consumption patterns and health of young vegetarian women (aged 15‐30). Studies women as the ratio of female to male vegetarians is 2:1. Self‐completed questionnaires formed the basis of the study and provided information on length of time and degree of commitment to vegetarianism, affect on social relationships, and moral and health factors and food factors influencing the decision to become vegetarian. Food factors appeared to be less distinctive than moral and health factors. Concludes that more research is required, particularly into the strict vegan section of the population.

A survey, conducted in ten secondary schools in Nottingham and involving 492 respondents aged 11‐16, examined the relationship between adolescents′ attitudes towards food components such as fat, protein and fibre and their attitudes towards the role of specific food items containing those components in maintaining a healthy diet. The results showed that attitudes towards selected food components tended to be held more strongly than attitudes towards foods containing those components. Thus whilst nearly 80 per cent respondents favoured a reduction in fat intake, only 45.8 per cent favoured a decrease in butter consumption. Attitudes towards specific food components and specific food items are a function of a number of complex inter‐related variables which require further investigation.

Presents the results of a self‐completed questionnaire aimed at determining the dietary patterns of all meals on wheels (MOW) for elderly recipients in Leicester which was distributed to 1,500 people in November 1990. A response rate of 75 per cent was achieved (32.8 per cent male and 67.2 per cent female), the greatest proportion being in the 80‐89 age range, with 91.1 per cent of the total number of recipients receiving four or five meals per week from the MOW service. Seventy‐four per cent of all recipients reported consuming other meals or snacks in addition to their MOW. The remaining 26 per cent failed to report eating anything else but their MOW. Of the total who reported eating other meals or snacks, 73.9 per cent reported they had breakfast, 12.8 per cent a mid‐morning snack, 23.4 per cent a mid‐afternoon snack, 58.8 per cent an evening meal/snack and 26 per cent supper. Presents a further breakdown of the main food patterns on each of these eating occasions, the major foods being convenience (bread, biscuits, cake etc) with little evidence of hot meal preparation.

The dietary awareness of primary school children towards selected food items and components including bread, potatoes, dairy products, fat, fish, meat, fresh fruit, salt, sugar and sweets was evaluated using an interview technique. The children were asked whether they ought to eat more, the same or less of each food and the results are presented for the sample of younger and older children. The results indicate that these selected food items can be broken down into three main areas. First there are those where the majority of children thought we ought to increase consumption; bread, potatoes, dairy products, fish, meat and fresh fruit. Second there is a group of food components including salt, fat and sugar in which there is closer similarity in those advocating more or less consumption. Third there are the food products such as sweets where there are significant differences between age groups, and changes in attitude occur in a limited age span. A discussion of the implications of this work for nutrition education, new food product development and socio‐economic policy is presented together with recommendations for future research.

Reports a survey of 507 parents of 7 to 11‐year‐old children in the Central Television district of the UK to ascertain what food products children requested and the effects of television advertising on children′s food preferences. The questionnaire found that 45 per cent of products requested had an extrinsic sugar content and 39 per cent of requests were for advertised foods. In addition a wide range of products were requested reflecting sophisticated tastes and, sometimes, healthy eating concern. Discusses the contradictory nature of messages about food that children receive and suggests that healthy eating campaigns should use specific food items as examples and advertisements should convey non‐misleading nutritional information.

As a result of a marketing study to evaluate the consumer characteristics, service provision and degree of satisfaction with meals‐on‐wheels, recipients were found to have different characteristics from the general population, being on average, older, widowed, living alone, having little social contact, in poor health and not very mobile. A large majority received four or more meals per week; a hot meal was more popular than a cold one and the most popular time of delivery was around midday. A large majority of recipients were satisfied with the service.

Examines the perceptions of consumers towards beef and beef products following the 1990 outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and changes in purchasing behaviour by a survey, in 1991, of a total of 252 consumers in two locations. Results indicate that risk perceptions towards seven beef products varied and although this was not related to the age of consumers it did differ according to changes in purchasing behaviour at the time of the outbreak: 31.3 per cent of respondents changed their beef consumption at the time of the scare but the proportion of consumers persisting with consumption change fell over time.

People experiencing homelessness often have complex needs requiring a range of support. These may include health problems (physical illness, mental health and/or substance misuse) as well as social, financial and housing needs. Addressing these issues requires a high degree of coordination amongst services. It is, thus, an example of a wicked policy issue. The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenge of integrating care in this context using evidence from an evaluation of English hospital discharge services for people experiencing homelessness.

The paper undertakes secondary analysis of qualitative data from a mixed methods evaluation of hospital discharge schemes and uses an established framework for understanding integrated care, the Rainbow Model of Integrated Care (RMIC), to help examine the complexities of integration in this area.

Supporting people experiencing homelessness to have a good discharge from hospital was confirmed as a wicked policy issue. The RMIC provided a strong framework for exploring the concept of integration, demonstrating how intertwined the elements of the framework are and, hence, that solutions need to be holistically organised across the RMIC. Limitations to integration were also highlighted, such as shortages of suitable accommodation and the impacts of policies in aligned areas of the welfare state.

The data for this secondary analysis were not specifically focussed on integration which meant the themes in the RMIC could not be explored directly nor in as much depth. However, important issues raised in the data directly related to integration of support, and the RMIC emerged as a helpful organising framework for understanding integration in this wicked policy context.

Integration is happening in services directly concerned with the discharge from hospital of people experiencing homelessness. Key challenges to this integration are reported in terms of the RMIC, which would be a helpful framework for planning better integrated care for this area of practice.

Addressing homelessness not only requires careful planning of integration of services at specific pathway points, such as hospital discharge, but also integration across wider systems. A complex set of challenges are discussed to help with planning the better integration desired, and the RMIC was seen as a helpful framework for thinking about key issues and their interactions.

This paper examines an application of integrated care knowledge to a key complex, or wicked policy issue.