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Services offered by contractors in physical distribution activities have developed considerably in recent years. Contractors are now more sophisticated in their business approach and are much more professional in selling their services. This article describes a practical and structured approach to purchasing contractor services. It includes specifying precise requirements in writing, and the contents of such a service specification; how to go about choosing suitable contractors and subsequently developing the right working relationship. The article discusses how to monitor subsequent performance and control costs; it provides a useful checklist for the user involved in contracted operations.

This paper aims to report on the interlending and document supply activity across the North West of England carried out by health libraries in the National Health Service (NHS). NHS libraries provide a service to NHS staff and students on clinical placement and provide access to the latest published evidence contained in specialist periodicals and textbooks.

Data were analysed over an extended period from 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2015. These data are provided annually in the form of a statistical return and are collated regionally. Data were obtained by all library services for both document supply activity and inter-library loans.

During the period of the analysis, there has been a significant drop in activity for both document supply and inter-library loans. In 2005/2006, there were 45,147 articles supplied via document delivery networks, this had fallen to 8,642 in 2014/2015. Similarly, in 2005/2006, there were 5,627 inter-library loans supplied, this has also fallen to 3,732 in 2014/2015.

The observed drop in document supply and inter-library loans across the NHS North West occurred during the time of significant change in how NHS staff and students access the latest evidence. In 2005/2006, many NHS libraries were still investing in print journals and textbooks. Over the past 10 years, there has been a substantial increase in access to consortia purchased online journals in addition to a growth in the availability of open access content.

Prior research suggests that perceived levels of a subordinate auditor’s competence affects audit reviewers’ judgments. We extend this line of research by investigating the effects of perceived client competence (hereafter, ClientComp) and its interaction with subordinate auditor’s competence (hereafter, AuditorComp) on audit reviewers’ judgments. Using data from highly experienced CPA audit managers, senior managers, and partners, we find a significant main effect for AuditorComp, but not for ClientComp. We also find that when AuditorComp is high, levels of ClientComp do not affect audit reviewers’ judgments. However, we cannot support the hypothesis that when AuditorComp is low ClientComp will significantly affect audit reviewers’ judgments. These mixed results suggest that in the post-SOX (2002) era regulatory environment, audit reviewers may be exercising heightened professional skepticism about ClientComp whenever they consider clients’ assertions.

In this chapter, I analyze the decision calculus of President Donald Trump, using the Applied Decision Analysis (ADA) method (Mintz, 2005, Mintz & DeRouen, 2010). I analyze seven foreign policy decisions taken in the first six months of Trump’s presidency. I find that in his decision-making process, President Trump applies six dimensions. My analysis reveals that the imagery dimension has affected President Trump’s decisions across the board, and led to the rejection of non-compensatory alternatives. Based on my research, I conclude that President Trump demonstrated a poliheuristic decision code. Furthermore, from my analysis derives that President Trump’s decision-making process is mostly intuitive. Moreover, this chapter reveals a polythink syndrome in Trump’s decision unit, manifested in the battle between his two groups of advisors, known as the nationalists and globalists.

Inadequacies in several micronutrients in complementary foods, notably iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B6 and riboflavin have been reported. Moringa oleifera leaf powder (MLP), prepared from dried moringa leaves is nutrient-rich and has been explored for the treatment of micronutrient deficiencies among children in developing countries. This increasing interest in the use of moringa oleifera leaves to improve complementary foods notwithstanding, the unique sensory characteristics of the leaf powder potentially holds implications for the acceptability of local diets that are fortified with it. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the levels of MLP fortification that are most acceptable for feeding infants and young children.

The authors performed a review of the literature, with the aim of investigating the sensory attributes and acceptable levels of fortification of complementary food blends fortified with different levels of MLP.

The minimum amount of MLP to be added to a complementary food blend to observe significant improvements in its nutritional value was estimated to be about 10 per cent. However, at this 10 per cent fortification level also, sensory attributes of the products begin to become less desirable.

For the success of nutrition interventions that involve the use of MLP to improve the nutritional quality of complementary foods, there is a need to consider the acceptability of the sensory attributes of the formulated blends in the target group. Safety of MLP as an ingredient in infant foods must also be investigated.

The authors of this paper make recommendations for the use of MLP to fortify complementary foods to ensure its success as a food fortificant in nutrition interventions. The researchers are not aware of any published study that focuses on this subject.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of flexible working arrangements (FWAs) and particularly reduced hours working arrangements on a Dual Agenda of gender equity and workplace effectiveness, in a case study organization employing a relatively high proportion of women scientists.

In‐depth interviews based on the initial stages of collaborative interactive action research (CIAR) are used within a case‐study approach. The interviews explored working practices, the assumptions underpinning them and their un/intended consequences.

The main form of FWA used in the organization, four days a week, is double edged and complex in its effects. It supports mothers, but at a cost because of gendered assumptions. Despite a commitment to flexibility and “work‐life balance”, the gendered construction of the ideal worker and ideas of competence conflated with hegemonic masculinity, remain powerful. This, together with a prevalent “good mother” ideology, undermines both gender equity and workplace effectiveness.

This paper is of value to both researchers and policy makers. It shows that highly developed work‐life balance or flexible working polices are not sufficient to enhance gender equity and points to the importance of surfacing and challenging gender assumptions in science, engineering and technology. It emphasizes the need to move forward from policy to practice.

This paper contributes to a growing body of work using initial stages of the CIAR methodology and showcases the theoretical insights gained by such an approach.

The purpose of this paper is to perform a context analysis about a specific Kaizen program, suggestion systems in permanent teams, and identified the barriers and facilitators that companies encounter while implementing them from the workers’ perspective.

The authors applied an inductive method, the Grounded Theory, to develop a specific context theory using the information that emerged from a convenience sample of 182 workers in several countries.

The facilitators and barriers identified for the workers in the field study are aligned with those identified in previous studies, generally obtained using information provided by managers. The methodology enabled us to identify the relationships between them and their level of relevance.

The main limitations were linked with the source of the data as the authors worked with a convenience sample and only analyzed the information provided by the workers.

The identified facilitators, their relationships and their relevance, contribute to understand the functioning phenomena of suggestion systems in permanent teams to facilitate organizations using this continuous improvement program more effectively.

The originality of this study, apart from identifying facilitators from the workers’ perspective, is that the used method enabled us to identify the relationships between them and know how the operators perceived their relevance.

This conceptual paper aims to explore the leadership of Korean middle managers in a cross-cultural context.

This paper presents three propositions in relation to perceived charisma, individualized consideration and inspirational communication of Korean transformational leadership at home and overseas, especially in comparison with Anglo-Saxon countries such as North America and the UK.

Following the notion of implicit theory of leadership, this paper argues that the effectiveness of Korean leadership may depend on cultural dimensions such as collectivism/individualism and power distance.

In this paper, the perspective of transformational leadership with its universal appeal to various cultures in examining the effectiveness of Korean leadership at home and overseas has been adapted.

This illustration of the Korean leadership in a cross-cultural context sheds light on the challenges facing the Korean management in global contexts.

Despite significant ongoing investment abroad by Korean conglomerates, relatively little has been written on Korean leadership in cross-cultural contexts. This paper could stimulate further studies in this area.

Contributions describing the 15th Conference on Computers, Freedom and Privacy: Panopticon, covering selective highlights of papers, presentations and the overall context of this meeting.

Observations and descriptions of key themes and ideas that were presented in a conference framework.

Significant participation at this conference.

This is the primary forum for the exploration of issues and challenges relating to the internet and freedom today, focusing on the impact that emerging surveillance societies have on the net and individuals particularly in light of the data mining and data sharing of personal information, combined with and the close partnership between corporations and government.

How problems and issues are resolved by others and realizing that the power of sharing information is greatest when solutions are creative and openly shared.

Good to share information and network with colleagues on issues relating to privacy.