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Downsizing
Selected AbstractsGraduate Medical Education Downsizing: Perceived Effects of Participating in the HCFA Demonstration Project in New York StateACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 2 2001Linda L. Spillance MD Abstract. Objective: Financial support for graduate medical education (GME) is shrinking nationally as Medicare cuts GME funds. Thirty-nine hospitals in New York State (NYS) voluntarily participated in a Health Care Financing Administration demonstration project (HCFADP),the goal of which was to reduce total residency training positions by 4-5%/year over a five-year period, while increasing primary care positions. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of downsizing on emergency department (ED) staffing and emergency medicine (EM) residency training. Methods: Structured interviews and surveys of NYS program directors (PDs) were conducted in October,December 1999. Simple frequencies are reported. Results: One hundred percent of 17 PDs completed the interviews and seven of 12 participants in the HCFADP returned surveys. Twelve of 17 programs participated in HCFADP and two programs downsized outside HCFADP. Seven of 12 participants lost EM positions. Six of 12 programs were forced to exclude outside residents from rotating in their ED, leading to a need for one participating program and one non-participating program to find alternative sites for trauma. Five of 12 institutions provided resident staffing data, reporting a reduction in ED resident coverage in year 1 of the project of 9-40%. Programs compensated by increasing the number of shifts worked (4/12), increasing shift length (1/12), decreasing pediatric ED shifts (1/12), decreasing elective or research time (2/12), and decreasing off-service rotations (4/12). Six departments hired physician assistants or nurse practitioners, two hired faculty, and two hired resident moonlighters. Six of 12 programs withdrew from HCFADP and returned to previous resident numbers. Eight of 12 PDs thought that they had decreased time for clinical teaching. Conclusions: A 4-5% reduction in residency positions was associated with a marked reduction in ED resident staffing and EM residency curriculum changes. [source] Downsizing: The cure that can killGLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 6 2009William F. Roth In a tough economy, many U.S. businesses turn to downsizing as a quick cost-cutting strategy. The author argues that the price isn't worth it, and that operational effectiveness, not efficiency, is the key to survival. The author discusses the systemic effects of downsizing and the impact on longer-term productivity. He cites alternatives to downsizing taken by Nugget Market, Dorner Mfg. Corp., and Lincoln Electric and then explores the case of an organization that rejected layoffs and instead utilized all its employees' expertise to design and implement improvements that produced increased productivity, revenue growth, and higher profitability. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Does Deinstitutionalization Increase Suicide?HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 4 2009Jangho Yoon Objectives. (1) To test whether public psychiatric bed reduction may increase suicide rates; (2) to investigate whether the supply of private hospital psychiatric beds,separately for not-for-profit and for-profit,can substitute for public bed reduction without increasing suicides; and (3) to examine whether the level of community mental health resources moderates the relationship between public bed reduction and suicide rates. Methods. We examined state-level variation in suicide rates in relation to psychiatric beds and community mental health spending in the United States for the years 1982,1998. We categorize psychiatric beds separately for public, not-for-profit, and for-profit hospitals. Principal Findings. Reduced public psychiatric bed supply was found to increase suicide rates. We found no evidence that not-for-profit or for-profit bed supply compensates for public bed reductions. However, greater community mental health spending buffers the adverse effect of public bed reductions on suicide. We estimate that in 2008, an additional decline in public psychiatric hospital beds would raise suicide rates for almost all states. Conclusions. Downsizing of public inpatient mental health services may increase suicide rates. Nevertheless, an increase in community mental health funding may be promising. [source] Recent trends of genitourinary endoscopy in childrenINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 7 2005KATSUYA NONOMURA Abstract Downsizing and refinement of the pediatric endoscope in video-monitoring systems have facilitated genitourinary endoscopy even in small children without any traumatic instrumentation. Indications for endoscopy in children with hematuria or tractable urinary tract infection have been tailored for the rareness of genitourinary malignancy or secondary vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) as a result of infravesical obstruction. Most mechanical outlet obstructions can be relieved endoscopically irrespective of sex and age. Endoscopic decompression by puncture or incision of both intravesical and ectopic ureteroceles can be an initial treatment similar to open surgery for an affected upper moiety. Endoscopy is necessary following urodynamic study to exclude minor infravesical obstruction only in children with unexplained dysfunctional voiding. Genitourinary endoscopy is helpful for structural abnormalities before and at the time of repairing congenital urogenital anomalies. Endoscopic injection therapy of VUR has been established as a less invasive surgical treatment. Pediatric endoscopy will play a greater role in the armamentarium for most pediatric urological diseases through the analysis of visual data and discussion on the indications for endoscopy throughout the world. [source] Downsizing and reorganization: demands, challenges and ambiguity for registered nursesJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 2 2004Anna Hertting MD Background., The 1990s were characterized by substantial financial cuts, and related staff redundancies and reorganizations in the Swedish health care sector. A large hospital in Sweden was selected for the study, in which downsizing had occurred between 1995 and 1997. The number of staff in the hospital was reduced by an average of 20%, and 10% were relocated to other departments. Objective., The aims of this study were to explore registered nurses' experiences of psychosocial ,stressors' and ,motivators', and how they handled their work situations, following a period of personnel reductions and ongoing reorganization. Method., Interviews were undertaken with 14 nurses working in one Swedish hospital. Nurses were interviewed in 1997 about the recent and last round of redundancies, and were followed up 1 year later in 1998 and again in 2001. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed for thematic content. Results., Five themes emerged in relation to nurses' perceived stressors, motivators, and coping options: ,distrust towards the employer', ,concurrent demands and challenges', ,professional ambiguity, ,a wish for collaboration', and ,efforts to gain control'. A common feature was duality and ambiguity in nurses' descriptions of the phenomena studied, meaning that identified themes had underlying sub-themes with both negative and positive dimensions. Conclusions., The concurrence of ,ever-growing job demands' and ,work going unrewarded' contributed to a feeling of being taken advantage of by the employer. The ,waste of human resources' and ,competence drain' that followed redundancies provoked anger. Unfulfilled collaboration with doctors was a major stress producer, which related to both the downsized work organization, and the complex ,deference-dominance' doctor,nurse relationship. The well-being of nurses depends on being an equal/parallel health professional in a comprehensive team that shares knowledge and improves collaborative care of patients. A consciously formulated nursing philosophy emerged as a health-promoting resource. This study demonstrates the importance of analysing feelings relating to professional ambiguity and gaining influence in a gender-related, hierarchical environment, and the need to support professional assertiveness in relation to superiors and doctors. It is also important to stress considerations that relate to differences in the age, care philosophy, and psychosocial health conditions of nurses. [source] Disciplining Investment Bankers, Disciplining the Economy: Wall Street's Institutional Culture of Crisis and the Downsizing of "Corporate America"AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 2 2009Karen Ho ABSTRACT Countering the "mystique" of finance as abstract and disembedding, in this article I approach the financial market from the site of investment banking corporate culture to concretize large-scale processes and access its effects in the world. By investigating Wall Street investment banks' role in two pivotal socioeconomic phenomena,rampant downsizings throughout "corporate America" and the financial bubble and bust of 2001,I explore whether financial crises and corporate downsizing can be better understood via Wall Street's quotidian practices. I draw theoretical inspiration from the figure of the downsized investment banker, who embodies and connects Wall Street's rationales for downsizing as well as "the effects." Although shareholder value and externalized market justifications are Wall Street's models for understanding downsizing, I move beyond these dominant assumptions, demonstrating that bankers' own work experiences, market temporalities, and organizational culture serve as an incisive model to explain Wall Street's role in downsizing and financial crisis. [Keywords: Wall Street, corporate downsizing, financial markets, shareholder value, organizational culture] [source] Downsizing of Enzymes by Chemical Methods: Arginine Mimics with Low pKa,Values Increase the Rates of Hydrolysis of RNA Model CompoundsANGEWANDTE CHEMIE, Issue 36 2009Johan Ein talentierter Imitator: Sehr viel schneller werden katalytische Reaktionen von RNA-Modellen, wenn zwei Argininreste und zwei Histidinreste in einem gefalteten Polypeptidkatalysator durch Reste mit einer Guanidiniocarbonylpyrrol(Gcp)-Seitenkette (siehe Struktur) ersetzt werden. Gcp übernimmt nicht nur die Funktionen von Arg und His, sondern übertrifft diese sogar leistungsmäßig. [source] Development of microreactor array chip-based measurement system for massively parallel analysis of enzymatic activityELECTRONICS & COMMUNICATIONS IN JAPAN, Issue 4 2009Yosuke Hosoi Abstract Microarray chip technology such as DNA chips, peptide chips, and protein chips is one of the promising approaches for achieving high-throughput screening (HTS) of biomolecule function since it has great advantages in feasibility of automated information processing due to one-to-one indexing between array position and molecular function as well as massively parallel sample analysis as a benefit of downsizing and large-scale integration. Mostly, however, the function that can be evaluated by such microarray chips is limited to affinity of target molecules. In this paper, we propose a new HTS system and enzymatic activity based on microreactor array chip technology. A prototype of the automated and massively parallel measurement system for fluorometric assay of enzymatic reactions was developed by the combination of microreactor array chips and a highly sensitive fluorescence microscope. Design strategy of microreactor array chips and an optical measurement platform for the high-throughput enzyme assay are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 92(4): 35,41, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.10056 [source] Graduate Medical Education Downsizing: Perceived Effects of Participating in the HCFA Demonstration Project in New York StateACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 2 2001Linda L. Spillance MD Abstract. Objective: Financial support for graduate medical education (GME) is shrinking nationally as Medicare cuts GME funds. Thirty-nine hospitals in New York State (NYS) voluntarily participated in a Health Care Financing Administration demonstration project (HCFADP),the goal of which was to reduce total residency training positions by 4-5%/year over a five-year period, while increasing primary care positions. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of downsizing on emergency department (ED) staffing and emergency medicine (EM) residency training. Methods: Structured interviews and surveys of NYS program directors (PDs) were conducted in October,December 1999. Simple frequencies are reported. Results: One hundred percent of 17 PDs completed the interviews and seven of 12 participants in the HCFADP returned surveys. Twelve of 17 programs participated in HCFADP and two programs downsized outside HCFADP. Seven of 12 participants lost EM positions. Six of 12 programs were forced to exclude outside residents from rotating in their ED, leading to a need for one participating program and one non-participating program to find alternative sites for trauma. Five of 12 institutions provided resident staffing data, reporting a reduction in ED resident coverage in year 1 of the project of 9-40%. Programs compensated by increasing the number of shifts worked (4/12), increasing shift length (1/12), decreasing pediatric ED shifts (1/12), decreasing elective or research time (2/12), and decreasing off-service rotations (4/12). Six departments hired physician assistants or nurse practitioners, two hired faculty, and two hired resident moonlighters. Six of 12 programs withdrew from HCFADP and returned to previous resident numbers. Eight of 12 PDs thought that they had decreased time for clinical teaching. Conclusions: A 4-5% reduction in residency positions was associated with a marked reduction in ED resident staffing and EM residency curriculum changes. [source] Alternative Pathways to Community and Economic Development: The Latrobe Valley Community Partnering ProjectGEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2005JENNY CAMERON Abstract Conventional approaches to development in areas that are experiencing economic decline invariably focus on business growth through interventions such as incentives, infrastructure development and job readiness training. This paper reports on a pilot project aimed at developing an alternative approach to community and economic development in the context of the Latrobe Valley, Victoria, a resource region that has experienced downsizing and privatisation of its major employer, the state-owned power industry. The project was shaped by a poststructuralist concern with the effects of representation. It sought to challenge familiar understandings of disadvantaged areas, the economy, community and the research process in order to open up new ways of addressing social and economic issues. The resulting four-stage research project was informed by the techniques of asset-based community development and action research, as well as by discourses of the diverse economy and communities of difference. During the two-year span of the project, four community enterprises were developed. The varying degrees of success they have met with in the four years since the project concluded highlight the critical role of local agencies such as the council in providing ongoing support for such endeavours. [source] Downsizing: The cure that can killGLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 6 2009William F. Roth In a tough economy, many U.S. businesses turn to downsizing as a quick cost-cutting strategy. The author argues that the price isn't worth it, and that operational effectiveness, not efficiency, is the key to survival. The author discusses the systemic effects of downsizing and the impact on longer-term productivity. He cites alternatives to downsizing taken by Nugget Market, Dorner Mfg. Corp., and Lincoln Electric and then explores the case of an organization that rejected layoffs and instead utilized all its employees' expertise to design and implement improvements that produced increased productivity, revenue growth, and higher profitability. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Career success after stigmatizing organizational eventsHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2007Monika Hamori This article examines the effect of six types of stigmatizing organizational events on employees' career moves to another employer: criticism of the organization in the media; resignation of key individuals from the organization; downsizing; a drop in net income; lawsuits launched by the Securities and Exchange Commission, competitors, or customers; and lawsuits launched by employees. Stigmatizing events that signal the decline of corporate performance are the most devastating for professional career success. Outsiders, on the other hand, are less sensitive to an organization's involvement in lawsuits launched by public authorities or employees. Stigmatizing events affect the career success of every professional in the organization, irrespective of his or her hierarchical level. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Work redesign: Eight obstacles and opportunitiesHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2005Michael A. Campion Successful work-design initiatives must overcome many obstacles in order to have their intended impact. This article outlines eight obstacles to work redesign: (1) influences on multiple outcomes, (2) trade-offs between different approaches, (3) difficulty in choosing appropriate units of analysis, (4) difficulty in predicting the nature of the job, (5) complications from individual differences, (6) job enlargement occurring without job enrichment, (7) creating new jobs as part of growth or downsizing, and (8) differences between longterm and short- term effects. This article examines the nature of these eight obstacles, reviews prior research on this topic, and outlines suggestions for managing these obstacles in practice. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Closing science-practice knowledge gaps: Contributions of psychological research to human resource managementHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2004Michael J. Burke Evidence of science-practice knowledge gaps among managers (Rynes, Colbert, & Brown, 2002), coupled with major changes occurring in the workplace over the last ten years, suggest the need for human resources practitioners to become as current as possible on how research findings can assist in improving the management of HR. Nine articles in this special issue provide rich information for understanding the contributions of psychological theories and research findings to HR management and, consequently, for closing science-practice knowledge gaps. More specifically, the articles bring together pairs of scientists and practitioners to address science-practice knowledge gaps in the areas of recruiting and selecting workers, managing performance, training and developing individuals, managing groups and teams, compensating employees, leading others, assessing employee attitudes, managing diversity, and managing downsizing. We hope these articles will stimulate and promote a broader perspective concerning the relevance and value of psychological research for improving HR practices and organizational functioning. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Nanostructured Electrodes: The Role of Surface and Interface Energy on Phase Stability of Nanosized Insertion Compounds (Adv. Mater.ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 25-26 200926/2009) The cover shows three structures of the Li-ion battery electrode material LixFePO4 having two coexisting phases Li-rich: dark blue, Li-poor: light blue. The vertical decreasing dimension represents the downsizing of the particle size which leads to more similar Li-ion equilibrium concentrations in both phases, as indicated by the lower contrast between the blue shaded Li-ions. This result, reported by Marnix Wagemaker and co-workers on p. 2703, helps explain the changes in equilibrium properties in nanostructured insertion compounds such as Li-ion battery electrodes and H-storage materials. [source] High-Commitment Work Practices and Downsizing Harshness in Australian WorkplacesINDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 3 2007RODERICK D. IVERSON This study examines the relationship between high-commitment work practices (HCWP) and downsizing. The results based on a large, representative sample of Australian workplaces supported our predictions. Consistent with previous research, HCWP was positively related to workforce reduction. However, workplaces with more HCWP used less harsh strategies (e.g., more employee-friendly approaches to downsizing) such as voluntary layoffs and early retirement than the harsher strategy of compulsory layoffs. The implications of these findings are discussed. [source] A socio-cognitive interpretation of the potential effects of downsizing on software quality performanceINFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 3 2010Paul J. Ambrose Abstract Organizational downsizing research indicates that downsizing does not always realize its strategic intent and may, in fact, have a detrimental impact on organizational performance. In this paper, we extend the notion that downsizing negatively impacts performance and argue that organizational downsizing can potentially be detrimental to software quality performance. Using social cognitive theory (SCT), we primarily interpret the negative impacts of downsizing on software quality performance by arguing that downsizing results in a realignment of social networks (environmental factors), thereby affecting the self-efficacy and outcome expectations of a software professional (personal factors), which, in turn, affect software quality performance (outcome of behaviour undertaken). We synthesize relevant literature from the software quality, SCT and downsizing research streams and develop a conceptual model. Two major impacts of downsizing are hypothesized in the conceptual model. First, downsizing destroys formal and informal social networks in organizations, which, in turn, negatively impacts software developers' self-efficacy and outcome expectations through their antecedents, with consequent negative impacts on software development process efficiency and software product quality, the two major components of software quality performance. Second, downsizing negatively affects antecedents of software development process efficiency, namely top management leadership, management infrastructure sophistication, process management efficacy and stakeholder participation with consequent negative impacts on software quality performance. This theoretically grounded discourse can help demonstrate how organizational downsizing can potentially impact software quality performance through key intervening constructs. We also discuss how downsizing and other intervening constructs can be managed to mitigate the negative impacts of downsizing on software quality performance. [source] The story of socio-technical design: reflections on its successes, failures and potentialINFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2006Enid Mumford Abstract., This paper traces the history of socio-technical design, emphasizing the set of values it embraces, the people espousing its theory and the organizations that practise it. Its role in the implementation of computer systems and its impact in a number of different countries are stressed. It also shows its relationship with action research, as a humanistic set of principles aimed at increasing human knowledge while improving practice in work situations. Its evolution in the 1960s and 1970s evidencing improved working practices and joint agreements between workers and management are contrasted with the much harsher economic climate of the 1980s and 1990s when such principled practices, with one or two notable exceptions, gave way to lean production, downsizing and cost cutting in a global economy, partly reflecting the impact of information and communications technology. Different future scenarios are discussed where socio-technical principles might return in a different guise to humanize the potential impact of technology in a world of work where consistent organizational and economic change are the norm. [source] Neoadjuvant flutamide monotherapy for locally confined prostate cancerINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 4 2003KOJI YOSHIMURA Abstract Background: We compared the clinical effects and impact on quality of life (QOL) of patients who received a 3-month course of flutamide monotherapy before radical prostatectomy with those who received a 3-month course of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist monotherapy. Methods: Thirty-seven patients with non-metastatic prostate cancer were enrolled in this study (19, flutamide; 18, LHRH agonist). The rates of change of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and testosterone levels, downsizing of prostate volume, the rate of organ confined disease, adverse effects and perioperative scores measured using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Prostate Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-P) and the Sapporo Medical University Sexual Function Questionnaire (SMUF) were analyzed. Results: At radical prostatectomy, pathological variables were not significantly different in the two groups. Serum testosterone level was significantly higher (mean 359.2 compared to 10.5, P < 0.001), complete response rate of PSA (13% compared to 57%, P = 0.028) and rate of downsizing of prostate volume (mean, ,17.7% compared to ,35.4%, P = 0.038) were significantly lower in the flutamide group than in the LHRH group. After neoadjuvant hormone therapy, the scores on the sexual problem domain of EORTC-P (P = 0.033) and sexual desire score of SMUF (P = 0.021) were significantly higher in the flutamide group than in the LHRH group. At a median follow-up of 34 months after prostatectomy, biochemical failure-free survival rate in the flutamide group did not differ from that in the LHRH group. Conclusion: This study suggests that flutamide monotherapy can be an acceptable modality as an option for neoadjuvant hormone therapy. [source] Downsizing and reorganization: demands, challenges and ambiguity for registered nursesJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 2 2004Anna Hertting MD Background., The 1990s were characterized by substantial financial cuts, and related staff redundancies and reorganizations in the Swedish health care sector. A large hospital in Sweden was selected for the study, in which downsizing had occurred between 1995 and 1997. The number of staff in the hospital was reduced by an average of 20%, and 10% were relocated to other departments. Objective., The aims of this study were to explore registered nurses' experiences of psychosocial ,stressors' and ,motivators', and how they handled their work situations, following a period of personnel reductions and ongoing reorganization. Method., Interviews were undertaken with 14 nurses working in one Swedish hospital. Nurses were interviewed in 1997 about the recent and last round of redundancies, and were followed up 1 year later in 1998 and again in 2001. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed for thematic content. Results., Five themes emerged in relation to nurses' perceived stressors, motivators, and coping options: ,distrust towards the employer', ,concurrent demands and challenges', ,professional ambiguity, ,a wish for collaboration', and ,efforts to gain control'. A common feature was duality and ambiguity in nurses' descriptions of the phenomena studied, meaning that identified themes had underlying sub-themes with both negative and positive dimensions. Conclusions., The concurrence of ,ever-growing job demands' and ,work going unrewarded' contributed to a feeling of being taken advantage of by the employer. The ,waste of human resources' and ,competence drain' that followed redundancies provoked anger. Unfulfilled collaboration with doctors was a major stress producer, which related to both the downsized work organization, and the complex ,deference-dominance' doctor,nurse relationship. The well-being of nurses depends on being an equal/parallel health professional in a comprehensive team that shares knowledge and improves collaborative care of patients. A consciously formulated nursing philosophy emerged as a health-promoting resource. This study demonstrates the importance of analysing feelings relating to professional ambiguity and gaining influence in a gender-related, hierarchical environment, and the need to support professional assertiveness in relation to superiors and doctors. It is also important to stress considerations that relate to differences in the age, care philosophy, and psychosocial health conditions of nurses. [source] Let Go or Retain?JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2009A Comparative Study of the Attitudes of Business Students, Managers About the Retirement of Older Workers This study's central research question is: "How do managers evaluate the desirability of early retirement of their employees, and under what circumstances and for what types of workers are they in favor of delay?" We sought to compare managers' and business students' decision making regarding older workers. We examined the extent to which student samples are appropriate to study organizational behavior. An identical factorial survey was carried out among 26 managers and 25 business school students. The results revealed that business students concentrate on performance-related individual characteristics when making selection decisions, whereas managers also recognize contextual factors (need for downsizing, tight labor market) and older workers' attitudes toward retirement. [source] Organizational Transformation in Transition Economies: Resource-based and Organizational Learning PerspectivesJOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 2 2003Klaus Uhlenbruck ABSTRACT The capitalist and socialist societies of the twentieth century assigned firms different roles within their economic systems. Enterprises transforming from socialist to market economies thus face fundamental organizational restructuring. Many former state-owned firms in the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe have failed at this task. These firms have pursued primarily defensive downsizing, rather than strategic restructuring, as a result of both internal and external constraints on restructuring strategies. Building on the organizational learning and resource-based theories, we analyse strategies available to management in privatized, former state-owned enterprises in transition economies to restructure their organization. Both internal forces promoting or inhibiting the restructuring process, and external constraints arising in the transition context are examined. A model and testable propositions are developed that explain post-privatization performance. Implications of our research point to the ways in which firms should manage and develop their resource base to transform to competitive enterprises. [source] Meanings of being a supervisor for care providers suffering from burnout: from initial signs to recuperationJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2009EVA ERICSON-LIDMAN RNT Aim, To illuminate meanings of being a supervisor for care providers suffering from burnout: from initial signs to recuperation. Background, Supervisors in health care, i.e. supervisors with first-line responsibilities for a work unit, are exposed to heavy demands, especially in times of downsizing and restructuring of the healthcare system. When care providers show signs of developing burnout, these demands are even greater. Methods, Interviews with 12 supervisors in health care were interpreted using a phenomenological-hermeneutic method. Results, Being a supervisor when someone in the work team shows signs of burnout means struggling to help them to continue working. In this predicament and being responsible for the unit, the supervisors are torn between focusing on relations and on production. When the care provider reports sick, they are left with feelings of hopelessness and self-blame. Conclusions and implications for nursing management, Supervisors face almost unmanageable strain, caught between conflicting demands. It seems important that supervisors are offered opportunities to share their feelings about this predicament as well as gaining increased knowledge about burnout. This is important if the supervisors are to give proper support, but it will also help to turn supervisory failure into development and to protect the health of the supervisors. [source] To stay or to go: voluntary survivor turnover following an organizational downsizingJOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, Issue 6 2002Gretchen M. Spreitzer This paper examines the relationship between survivor reactions to a downsizing and retention subsequent to a downsizing. We hypothesize that survivors who experience the downsizing as distributively, procedurally, and interactionally just and who see top management as trustworthy will feel more attached to the organization because each reduces the threat inherent in downsizing. In addition, we hypothesize that survivors who feel empowered will also feel more attached to the organization because they feel better able to cope with the downsizing. We further hypothesize that those survivors who feel more attached to the organization following the downsizing will be more likely to remain with the organization in the coming year. The theoretical model is tested on a sample of aerospace employees who survived an organizational downsizing. The trustworthiness of management, distributive justice, procedural justice, and three dimensions of empowerment are found to facilitate more organizational attachment. Higher levels of attachment are found, in turn, to facilitate less voluntary turnover in the year following the downsizing. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Joint line elevation in revision TKA leads to increased patellofemoral contact forcesJOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010Christian König Abstract One difficulty in revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the management of distal femoral bone defects in which a joint line elevation (JLE) is likely to occur. Although JLE has been associated with inferior clinical results, the effect that an elevated joint line has on knee contact forces has not been investigated. To understand the clinical observations and elaborate the potential risk associated with a JLE, we performed a virtual TKA on the musculoskeletal models of four subjects. Tibio- and patellofemoral joint contact forces (JCF) were calculated for walking and stair climbing, varying the location of the joint line. An elevation of the joint line primarily affected the patellofemoral joint with JCF increases of as much as 60% of the patient's body weight (BW) at 10-mm JLE and 90% BW at 15-mm JLE, while the largest increase in tibiofemoral JCF was only 14% BW. This data demonstrates the importance of restoring the joint line, as it plays a critical role for the magnitudes of the JCFs, particularly for the patellofemoral joint. JLE caused by managing distal femoral defects with downsizing and proximalizing the femoral component could increase the patellofemoral contact forces, and may be a contributing factor to postoperative complications such as pain, polyethylene wear, and limited function. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 28:1,5, 2010 [source] The impact of downsizing on the corporate reputation for social performanceJOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2004Stelios C. Zyglidopoulos Abstract This paper investigates the impact of downsizing on a firm's reputation for corporate social performance (RCSP). Drawing on the downsizing, corporate reputation and social responsibility literatures, a number of hypotheses concerning the impact of downsizing, and particularly the types of downsizing, on a firm's reputation for corporate social performance are developed and empirically tested. The main findings of this study are that, while downsizing seems to have a negative impact on the firm's RCSP, when one takes into account the kind of managerial action that led to downsizing (layoffs and/or divestitures), this impact differs between the two stakeholder groups, industry executives and financial analysts, which were investigated. This study also found that a high financial performance prior to downsizing led to a greater negative impact on the firm's RCSP. Copyright © 2004 Henry Stewart Publications [source] Six crucial leadership competencies for an era of downsizingLEADER TO LEADER, Issue 56 2010David Noer First page of article [source] An analytical approach for making management decisions concerning corporate restructuringMANAGERIAL AND DECISION ECONOMICS, Issue 8 2006Beixin Lin Internal corporate restructuring activities, such as downsizing, sale or termination of a business line, facility closure, consolidation, or relocation, often occur as part of managerial strategies intended to improve efficiency, control costs, and adapt to an ever-changing business environment. Such actions frequently result in fundamental changes in a business's organization, its strategies, its systems, and its operations. They can unsettle a business and often significantly affect current and future earnings and cash flows. In this paper we propose a novel decision-making model through the use of the dynamic programming technique to illustrate how management can determine the optimal timing and appropriate restructuring actions that maximize the benefits of a restructuring program. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Disciplining Investment Bankers, Disciplining the Economy: Wall Street's Institutional Culture of Crisis and the Downsizing of "Corporate America"AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 2 2009Karen Ho ABSTRACT Countering the "mystique" of finance as abstract and disembedding, in this article I approach the financial market from the site of investment banking corporate culture to concretize large-scale processes and access its effects in the world. By investigating Wall Street investment banks' role in two pivotal socioeconomic phenomena,rampant downsizings throughout "corporate America" and the financial bubble and bust of 2001,I explore whether financial crises and corporate downsizing can be better understood via Wall Street's quotidian practices. I draw theoretical inspiration from the figure of the downsized investment banker, who embodies and connects Wall Street's rationales for downsizing as well as "the effects." Although shareholder value and externalized market justifications are Wall Street's models for understanding downsizing, I move beyond these dominant assumptions, demonstrating that bankers' own work experiences, market temporalities, and organizational culture serve as an incisive model to explain Wall Street's role in downsizing and financial crisis. [Keywords: Wall Street, corporate downsizing, financial markets, shareholder value, organizational culture] [source] Envisioning change from the margins within: Human resource development (HRD) and corporate downsizingNEW DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT & CONTINUING EDUCATION, Issue 104 2004Daniela Truty This chapter addresses the contradictions inherent to working at the confluence of human resource development and adult education, as well as the opportunity for transformation in the workplace. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||