Search results

Need has persisted as a central concept in health policy debate. Despite confusion over its meaning and derivation it seems to summarise a belief by many policy makers that the concerns of health policy go beyond the merely economic. Economists, on their side, frequently stop at the borders of economics, leaving the concept of need to others, preferring where possible the concepts of demand and supply. This state of affairs increases the risk that the relationship of health care need to economic theory will not be well understood by policy makers, and that economists will misunderstand why their policy advice, when given, is so frequently ignored.

Norman Daniels has presented a concept of health care need which he proposes as the basis for the distribution of health care resources, plausibly to define and provide a philosophical justification for a decent minimum of health care. Daniels′ construction is reconsidered and criticisms both from the literature and those new to this discussion are investigated.

This study evaluates the efficiency of teaching hospitals using a variable returns to scale, input oriented, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology. Hospital executives, healthcare policy-makers, taxpayers and graduate medical education benefit from studies that look to improve the efficiency of teaching hospitals. Data for 164 University Health Consortium Hospitals (UHC) in 1998 and 154 in 2001 were analyzed using DEA. The results indicate that efficiency in UHC Hospitals improved from 64.8% in 1998 to 69.6% in 2001 for an increase of 7.4%. From a management perspective, it shows opportunities for improved management and the realignment of resources to better meet demand. From a policy perspective, the research highlights the problems associated with improving efficiency while providing graduate medical education.

Probleme des Plastizitätsthcorie (Problems of the Theory of Plasticity). By William Prager [Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel and Stuggart, Sf 12.50].

The authors explore several aspects of communications theory to identify their relevance to managing a project-based productivity improvement intervention. The literature on communication accommodation theory, groupthink and trust appear to have important implications for improvements. The purpose of this paper is to develop a research methodology used in conducting empirical data collection in the field to test the developed conceptual framework. The authors emphasize the importance of management theory to project-based interventions. The focus of this work is summarized by the research question: “what facets of communication impact on the success of a project-based improvement intervention?”.

Following a focused literature review, learnings from specific research were used to identify a series of propositions. The scope of the work was established to limit the range of issues under review. Next, a conceptual framework was designed that allowed a case study to be tested with regard to validity of the propositions. Further testing will be undertaken in a single company.

There is clear evidence showing the relevance of effective communication when executing an intervention to seek performance improvement. In particular, understanding the need of stakeholders’ is paramount that allows the design of a communications strategy. Each phase in a project-based intervention requires different styles of communication. There is also a need to have varying degrees of trust. Total unchallenged trust invariably leads to groupthink that hinders critical decision making.

The work contributes to the understanding of the application of communication theory to project-based interventions – that invariably aim at performance improvement initiatives. While currently the work is in the early stages of research, it does nevertheless show some useful early findings. Clearly further work is needed in international projects in the context of multi-cultural teams and external stakeholders.

With many interventions failing to meet their planned objectives there is a need to isolate possible reasons and to rectify or mitigate the causes. Project management and change management training should include a comprehensive understanding of management theories. This research will contribute to this knowledge base.

Project-based activities are used in most walks of life; the need for excellent management is therefore important. Invariably interventions involve considerable capital investment and their success advances productivity of nations. Understanding and integrating communication theories to their management, therefore, has significant social benefits.

The importance of communications is identified in the project management literature and adjunct disciplines. Professional associations and leading bodies in performance and project management, while emphasizing the need for excellent communication, have not adequately addressed underpinning theories. There is little research focusing on communication accommodation theory, groupthink and risk in the context of project management. The authors’ have not been able to identify any research on an integrated framework that combines these theories with managing a project-based performance improvement intervention.

A variety of enabling technologies such as synthetic speech, print enlargement on CRT screens, braille printers and displays, and communications technology has made library operations at the American Foundation for the Blind accessible to persons who are blind or visually impaired. INMAGIC software, a versatile database management system, has automated many library functions and has been integrated with other adaptive technologies. In addition to other applications, INMAGIC is used to update and create bibliographies and accession lists in inkprint, large print, or braille formats (with tape cassette versions available on request). Sidebars discuss the Xerox/Kurzweil Personal Reader (KPR); closed circuit television (CCTV); computers with speech; large print enhancements; Inmagic, Inc.—the company; and, in some depth, the functionality of INMAGIC.