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In the services literature, there is a significant lack of studies that focus on the phase preceding the ending of a relationship – that is, the phase during which there is a weakening of a customer relationship. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyse the fading process of customer relationships in the service industry. First, it aims to discover empirical triggers for the fading of customer relationships. Second, it aims to identify dimensions of fading in customer relationships and to reveal underlying elements in these dimensions. Third, it aims to disclose the main critical risk elements of fading in customer relationships in specific fading groups. A mail survey is conducted in one case company in the service industry. The data are reduced by means of factor, discriminant, and classification analysis. Dimensions of fading in customer relationships include alliance partners, personal telephone services, technical support services, and award points.

The purpose of this paper is to explore educator competencies and roles needed to perform participatory patient education, and develop a comprehensive model describing this.

Data collection in the qualitative study proceeded through two phases. In the first phase, 28 educators were involved in exploring educator competencies needed to perform participatory, group-based patient education. The paper used qualitative methods: dialogue workshops, interviews and observations. In the second phase, 310 educators were involved in saturating and validating the insights from phase one using workshop techniques such as brainstorming, reflection exercises and the story-dialogue method. A grounded theory approach was used to analyse data.

A model called “The Health Education Juggler” was developed comprising four educator roles necessary to perform participatory patient education: the Embracer, the Facilitator, the Translator and the Initiator. The validity of the model was confirmed in phase two by educators and showed fit, grab, relevance, workability and modifiability.

The model provides a tool that can be used to support the focus on “juggling” skills in educators: the switching between different educator roles when performing participatory, group-based patient education. The model is useful as an analytical tool for reflection and supervision, as well as for observation and evaluation of participatory, group-based patient education.

The study proposes a comprehensive model consisting of four equally important roles for educators performing participatory, group-based patient education.

Compared with the history of many other countries, sport has had an exceptional role in the Finnish transformation from a young to a mature nation. Finland has a relatively long tradition in the sociology of sport. The interest has been focused on a wide range of physical activities. At the same time, the parent discipline of sociology has been a “mother” science in the field; as such the more representative term in Finland for this area is the “social science of sport and physical activity.” Finnish sociology of sport is strongly concentrated in Jyväskylä and most of the scholars in the field have been educated at the University of Jyväskylä. Recently the research in the field has spread to other universities and new perspectives have enriched the research. The critical mass of Finnish sociology of sport is not very big. Approximately 400 students have graduated in the field during its history and approximately 60 have worked in the field as professional researchers. Most of the publications in the field are for a domestic audience. The group of internationally active scholars is relative small. The variety of research themes is nevertheless wide. However, interest has continued in a few of them, and has focused on several researchers. In this respect, the most central themes have included changes in sports culture, socialization into sport and physical activities, gender and physical activities, the social significance of sport and physical activity, and organized sport movements.