Journal articles on the topic 'Global staffing practices'

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the control mechanisms used by multinational corporations (MNCs) from emerging economies to manage their subsidiaries in developed countries and their implications for human resource management practices. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on data collected through in-depth case studies and interviews with senior subsidiary managers of 12 major Indian information technology (IT) MNCs operating in Australia. Findings Indian IT MNCs rely heavily on the use of people-centric controls exerted through global staffing practices (via the transfer of parent-country nationals), which, in turn, influence their subsidiary’s discretion over their HR practices. The use of people-centric controls allows Indian IT multinationals to replicate parent-country HRM practices in their Australian subsidiaries in an ethnocentric manner and significantly leverage the people-based competitive advantages from India through short- and long-term expatriate assignments. Research limitations/implications The study investigates control and HRM practices from a single country and a single industry perspective. It provides an insight into the normative means of control in foreign subsidiaries of MNCs and enhances our understanding by explaining the integrated relationship that control mechanisms (and their people-centric components) have with HRM practices including the global staffing approaches and expatriate management practices of emerging MNCs. Practical implications Indian MNCs are using their business model to leverage the Australian immigration and skilled visa programme to maintain cost advantages. However, the immigration legislation in developed countries needs to be capable of allowing emerging multinational corporations (EMNCs) to maintain such advantages as developed countries seek to attract foreign direct investment from emerging economies. Originality/value The results indicate that the control practices of EMNCs are similar to the controls exerted by MNCs from developed countries. They also show that EMNCs do not adopt a portfolio approach to global staffing, and that the people-centric components of their control have a clear impact on their subsidiaries’ HRM practices.

Introduction: Emergency departments (ED) globally are addressing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with varying degrees of success. We leveraged the 17-country, Emergency Medicine Education & Research by Global Experts (EMERGE) network and non-EMERGE ED contacts to understand ED emergency preparedness and practices globally when combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We electronically surveyed EMERGE and non-EMERGE EDs from April 3–June 1, 2020 on ED capacity, pandemic preparedness plans, triage methods, staffing, supplies, and communication practices. The survey was available in English, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish to optimize participation. We analyzed survey responses using descriptive statistics. Results: 74/129 (57%) EDs from 28 countries in all six World Health Organization global regions responded. Most EDs were in Asia (49%), followed by North America (28%), and Europe (14%). Nearly all EDs (97%) developed and implemented protocols for screening, testing, and treating patients with suspected COVID-19 infections. Sixty percent responded that provider staffing/back-up plans were ineffective. Many sites (47/74, 64%) reported staff missing work due to possible illness with the highest provider proportion of COVID-19 exposures and infections among nurses. Conclusion: Despite having disaster plans in place, ED pandemic preparedness and response continue to be a challenge. Global emergency research networks are vital for generating and disseminating large-scale event data, which is particularly important during a pandemic.

Introduction. As more trainees engage in global health electives, the call for best practices in predeparture preparation grows. However, many residency programs may not have the infrastructure or staffing in place to consistently meet these expectations. Objective. To assess the feasibility, benefits, and limitations of having residents trained to facilitate and implement a global health preparatory simulation curriculum. Approach. In 2016, we had 5 residents undergo online Simulation Use for Global Away Rotations (SUGAR) facilitator training. Since then, we have conducted 3 simulation sessions from 2016 to 2018. Feedback was obtained from 75% of our participants, which was found to be similar to feedback obtained from attending-led models. Lessons Learned. A resident-led global health preparatory curriculum provides a sustainable model for residency programs without placing additional burden on attending faculty.

Globalization has a most important implication for human resource management practice in general. For some, globalization creates pressures for taking best, a transferable set of HRM practices that can spread around the world. It is a force that touches the lives of people living in all countries of the world. In the age of globalization, there is an opportunity to enter new markets, to improved job opportunities and higher remuneration for skilled employees. The challenges are equally numerous. Organizations need to deal with a mature workforce; and they must attract, integrate and maintain multicultural employment pools; human rights and business practices to be successful. The shortage between the demand and supply of talent is likely to increase, notably for high skilled employees and for the next generation of business executives. Global staffing and management of the workforce effectively in diverse culture are the key goals of global human resources. Organizations that manage these challenges effectively will find success and improve the lives of human resources throughout the world.

This paper examines the impact of enterprise bargaining on employment relations practices in the Australia automotive assembly sector in the context of the globalization of the industry. While there has been convergence towards lean production principles among the four auto assemblers, arising from global trends, there has also been divergence resulting from enterprise bargaining, among other variables. Strong similarities are apparent between the companies in areas such as work organization, skill formation and enterprise governance, whereas there are differences in remuneration and staffing practices. However, it remains to be seen whether decentralized bargaining will continue to yield greater differentiation in employment relations among the automotive manufacturers in an increasingly globalized industry.

For the last 10 years, the World Health Organization has been celebrating World Hand Hygiene Day on the 5th of May, bringing together the global healthcare ecosystem to celebrate hand hygiene. This day was created to raise awareness about the importance of hand hygiene in healthcare settings, as well as to focus on a specific annual topic to be highlighted to a global audience. The World Health Assembly designated 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, and the slogan of this year’s 5th of May was “Nurses and Midwifes: Clean Care is in Your Hands”. This 5th of May helped us to highlight the need for increased staffing and hand hygiene training. In this paper we aimed to raise awareness about the global impact linked to adherence to proper hand hygiene practices by nurses and midwives.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine human resource management (HRM) practices of the top 25 companies identified as “best” in India in 2011. This paper provides insights into HRM practices of a leading country in Asia that is playing a very important role in the global economy. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper will use for its research analysis the business reports of the Outlook Business Magazine and AON Hewitt. AON Hewitt is a global human resource consulting company and is an established authority in identifying “best” companies in India since 2004. A qualitative content analysis was done of the business report to identify predominant themes. Findings The analysis identified how the “best” 25 Indian companies offer progressive HRM practices that required careful investment and collaboration. This research showcases seven specific HRM themes that include elaborate staffing, investment in learning, work–life balance, egalitarian practices, developmental performance culture, generous benefits and engagement initiatives. Practical implications This paper provides preliminary guidelines for global practitioners who may be interested in doing business in India. It also provides a model of “best” HRM practices adopted by 25 companies that could help other organizations identify successful HRM practices in India. Among the 25 companies, 16 are Indian companies and 9 are subsidiaries of multinationals. Originality/value This paper outlines HRM “best” practices of organizations in an emerging Asian economy that has not been addressed before. This paper hopes to bridge this paucity in the extant literature by showcasing the “best” HRM practices from 25 “best” companies in India. It also provides an Indian model of “best” HRM practices that can be tested by other scholars for future studies.

Abstract Avoidable acute-care admissions are linked to negative health outcomes for patients and are costly to insurers. Home health care agencies (HHAs) are important players in preventing these admissions. Research on best practices to prevent acute-care admissions in the home health care context is limited. The purposes of this study were both to discover what practices HHAs are implementing in Medicare-certified home health care episodes to prevent acute-care admissions, and to learn what barriers HHAs face in implementing these practices. This study used mixed methods including qualitative and quantitative elements. Seven key informant interviews were used to develop a web survey that was emailed to all Medicare-certified HHAs in Massachusetts (response rate 12.43%, n=23). Using qualitative methods including thematic review, open-coding, and member-checking this study developed a four-categorization method. The categories are assessment, interventions, communication, and global practices. The study also developed a taxonomy for describing barriers to implementing practices. The distribution of responses for the new taxonomic categories were: patient-related (32.35%), staffing-related (29.41%), software-related (17.65%), physician/hospital-related (14.29%), and reimbursement/regulation-related (5.88%). This study fills a gap in research by describing the realities of home health care practice in the context of avoidable acute-care admissions. The categorization of best practices and the taxonomy of barriers developed in this study provide frameworks for understanding HHA practice. Further research is needed to effectively reduce avoidable acute-care admissions during and after Medicare-certified home health care episodes.

The US approach to employment regulation has created conditions in which ‘high road’ employee management practices can be costly for employers, while limited regulation gives firms ample freedom to pursue ‘low road’ strategies. Within this context, US firms face increasing domestic and global pressures to cut labor costs of all types, particularly businesses operating in the retail service industry with many low-skilled, hourly jobs. Yet as recent organization- and job-level studies document, not all such jobs are created equal. This article considers potentially different business strategies applied to the same job, that of restaurant waiter, within the distinct public policy contexts of two US states. The authors analyze practices related to waitstaff wages, benefits, and staffing and scheduling reported by managers at 16 sites of two national restaurant chains positioned in different lower-end segments of the full-service restaurant industry; and in suburban Seattle and Chicago, reflecting divergent state minimum-wage policy approaches. Findings reveal variation in employer practices across sites, often patterned by chain and state.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the factors needed for the development of global human resources for leadership assignments in foreign subsidiaries. The paper aims to find an answer to enhance expatriate mission accomplishment rate at subsidiaries abroad.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines the development of global human resources. In-depth face-to-face interviews were employed to collect data from eight senior HR managers in three financial institutions in Taiwan, while data from 28 expatriates in the overseas subsidiaries were obtained from asynchronous e-mail interviews. Conventional content analysis was used to code categories directly from the data.FindingsThe results of the study revealed that organizational policies do not focus on developing global human resources. To portray a global image, the focus is on staffing overseas subsidiaries with foreigners and Taiwanese that can speak English. Development to prepare staff for expatriation is limited to pre-departure training that focused mainly on language and cultural awareness training. However, organizational support during expatriation and repatriation is important. Expatriates view security briefing crucial and familiarization visit helps them to decide whether or not to accept expatriation. Organizational policies favor those that were not expatriated in terms of career progression deter managers from accepting international assignments.Originality/valueIt highlights some best practices in developing global human resources taking into consideration the herd mentality and social perspective. Social support, social learning and social capital are instrumental in developing global human resources as these hasten cultural adjustment.

ObjectiveThough one of the most common surgeries, there is limited information on variability of practices in cataract surgeries. ‘Eyefficiency’ is a cataract surgical services auditing tool to help global units improve their surgical productivity and reduce their costs, waste generation and carbon footprint. The aim of the present research is to identify variability and efficiency opportunities in cataract surgical practices globally.Methods and Analysis9 global cataract surgical facilities used the Eyefficiency tool to collect facility-level data (staffing, pathway steps, costs of supplies and energy use), and live time-and-motion data. A point person from each site gathered and reported data on 1 week or 30 consecutive cataract surgeries. Environmental life cycle assessment and descriptive statistics were used to quantify productivity, costs and carbon footprint. The main outcomes were estimates of productivity, costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and solid waste generation per-case at each site.ResultsNine participating sites recorded 475 cataract extractions (a mix of phacoemulsification and manual small incision). Cases per hour ranged from 1.7 to 4.48 at single-bed sites and 1.47 to 4.25 at dual-bed sites. Average per-case expenditures ranged between £31.55 and £399.34, with a majority of costs attributable to medical equipment and supplies. Average solid waste ranged between 0.19 kg and 4.27 kg per phacoemulsification, and greenhouse gases ranged from 41 kg carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) to 130 kg CO2e per phacoemulsification.ConclusionResults demonstrate the global diversity of cataract surgical services and non-clinical metrics. Eyefficiency supports local decision-making for resource efficiency and could help identify regional or global best practices for optimising productivity, costs and environmental impact of cataract surgery.

ObjectivesCOVID-19 has prompted the reconfiguration of hospital services and medical workforces in countries across the world, bringing significant transformations to the work environments of hospital doctors. Before the pandemic, the working conditions of hospital doctors in Ireland were characterised by understaffing, overload, long hours and work–life conflict. As working conditions can affect staff well-being, workforce retention and patient outcomes, the objective of this study was to analyse how the pandemic and health system response impacted junior hospital doctors’ working conditions during the first wave of COVID-19 in Ireland.Methods and analysisUsing a qualitative study design, the article draws on semi-structured interviews with 30 junior hospital doctors. Informed by an abductive approach that draws iteratively on existing literature and empirical data to explain unexpected observations, data were analysed using inductive and deductive coding techniques to identify the key themes reflecting the experiences of working in Irish hospitals during the first wave of COVID-19. We use the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research to present this research.ResultsOur analysis generated three themes which demonstrate how COVID-19 prompted changes in medical staffing which in turn enhanced interviewees’ work environments. First, interviewees felt there were more doctors staffing the hospital wards during the first wave of the pandemic. Second, this had positive implications for a range of factors important to their experience of work, including the ability to take sick leave, workplace relationships, collective workplace morale, access to senior clinical support and the speed of clinical decision-making. Third, interviewees noted how it took a pandemic for these improvements to occur and cautioned against a return to pre-pandemic medical staffing levels, which had negatively impacted their working conditions and well-being.ConclusionsInterviewees’ experience of the first wave of COVID-19 illustrates how enhanced levels of medical staffing can improve junior hospital doctors’ working conditions. Given the pervasive impact of staffing on the quality of interviewees’ work experience, perhaps it is time to consider medical staffing standards as a vital job resource for hospital doctors and a key policy lever to enhance medical workforce retention. In a global context of sustained COVID-19 demands, pressures from delayed care and international health worker shortages, understanding frontline experiences and identifying strategies to improve them are vital to the development of more sustainable work practices and to improve doctor retention.

Purpose of the study: The main purpose of this study is to provide a new, macro-level model of strategic staffing to bridge the gap in the knowledge regarding how practices within recruitment and selection systems can work to provide a competitive advantage among various sectors. This study identifies the various methods of recruitment and selection process through a systematic review of literature, which would be the right fit for attracting and selecting employees in an organization. Design/methodology/approach: Content analysis method is adopted to review the literature and subcategories were formed to analyze the research. Literature was collected from 40 articles of a reputed journal from 2010 to 2018. Main findings: The review of literature revealed that the recruitment and selection process is carried out in organizations by adopting latest technologies like online portals, outsourcing, job fair, campus interviews, and mobile recruitment applications. The representation of this practice is to find the best candidate for an organization. Besides adopting the latest technology, consideration of the expatriate factor would lead to an effective way of recruitment practices in finding out the right candidate for the right job and thus create a healthier work environment. The expatriate factors have not been considered well in the Indian context, but have been given importance in the global context in the process of recruitment and selection. Social Implications: Highlighting the significance of various recruitment practices results in the selection of the right person in the right job, which enhances a healthier working environment in organizations, in turn rendering high quality products and services to the society. Originality of the study: Prior research has studied various factors that influence internal recruitment, external recruitment, and selection process. This study is an attempt to analyze the expatriate factors and other factors through the content analysis method.

The parts and commitments of Human Resources divisions are changing as the present day business goes up against difficulties of globalization. The overall inventory of capacity is less of its long stretch solicitation, and the contrast among request and supply is a test for supervisors everywhere. The insufficiency between the ask for and supply of capacity is most likely going to continue expanding, conspicuously for high talented workers and for the best in class time of business executives. By and by affiliations need to place progressively imperative highlight on pulling in human capital rather than cash related capital. Overall staffing and organization of a workforce different in culture and vernacular aptitudes and dispersed in different nations are the key destinations of overall HR. Simply those global endeavors ready to alter their human resource practices to the changing overall work financial circumstances will have the ability to pull in and hold high performing delegates. Associations with the ability to foresee their business needs and their workforce needs – especially for high aptitudes will get the unequivocal advantage.

Objective: To explore the strategies registered and licensed practical nurses implemented to lessen the possibility of driving while drowsy after working nights in hospitals, nursing homes, and home health facilities. A review of literature indicated shift work, circadian rhythm interruptions and multiple stressors such as age, caring for children/aging parents and working multiple jobs may affect drowsy driving. Studies on global drowsy driving and cultural differences may affect international applicability. Further research was needed to better understand drowsy driving best practices, training modalities for health care workers, and developing a multidisciplinary collaboration between management and night-shift workers.Methods: A qualitative, exploratory multiple-case method was utilized. Registered and licensed practical nurses (N = 12) were interviewed.Results: Identified themes including three major themes emerged from the data analysis. 1) Fatigue is a significant challenge that impedes driving home safely. 2) Night nurses experience significant additional stressors relating to caring for family, school, and multiple jobs. 3) Multiple strategies are helpful, but they do not replace the body’s need for sleep. Strategies for managing drowsy driving and anxiety/stress producing issues were offered.Conclusions: Twelve-night shift workers shared the challenges drowsy driving and anxiety/stress producing issues outside of the work-related duties. Health care administrators may use the results to gain insight for training nurses for the night shift to prevent drowsy driving injuries and fatalities. The results of the study may offer a platform for further investigation that may uncover best-practice strategies for health care administrators staffing other types of 24-hour medical care facilities.

Background. The activities of logistics companies require introduction of mana­gement tools of corporate social responsibility (CSR) at the strategic and operational level today. Accordingly, the issues of specific features, manifestation forms and promising areas of development of socially oriented logistics business are relevant. Analysis of recent research and publications has shown that there is a wide range of publications about CSR nature, principles, forms and its implications for enterprises. However, the features of socially oriented development programs by logistics companies are not studied. The aim of the article is to investigate the peculiarities of manifestation of corporate social responsibility, the forms and directions of its implementation in the activities of lo­gistics service providers in the context of modern global challenges. Materials and methods. Methods of comparative analysis, synthesis, systema­tization, generalization were used in this paper. Results. Thanks to socially oriented approaches to doing business, logistics com­panies are often able to achieve significant resource savings, solve staffing issues, support innovative development, establish and maintain transparent and mutually beneficial rela­tionships with all stakeholders in supply chains. The main areas of CSR for logistics companies are environmental, which is manifested in the plane of transport and ware­housing operations; economic area ensures the efficiency and reliability of logistics chains, development of economic systems; social area is in the context of labor relations and ensuring consumer rights. Operators of the Ukrainian logistics services market are actively implementing CSR practices and confirm this fact with certificates of compliance with international standards. During the COVID-19 pandemic, logistics companies significantly expanded socially oriented business practice. Conclusion. In the context of the global pandemic crisis, new threats and challenges are emerging for logistics operators, related to their increased accountability to society and growing risks to the uninterrupted functioning of supply chains. Keywords: corporate social responsibility, logistic companies, sustainable deve­lop­ment programs, socially oriented activities, virtuous partnership, standards of sustain­nable business development.

Information systems are the back bones of every organization in the modern era of business management. It is inevitable for these organizations to use information system so as to face the global competition and survive in the market. No organization and country is an exception to it. Human resources management is one of the crucial departments in every organization that uses management information systems. HR information systems help to identify potential employees, maintaining complete records on existing employees and creating programs to develop employee skills and talents. This helps the top level management to identify the future manpower requirements in order to meet the long term goals and objectives, middle level management to monitor, analyze the recruitment, promotion, allocation and compensation and lower level management to track the recruitment and placements. HRIS can also support various human resource practices such as workforce planning, staffing, salary, compensation forecasts, budgets and industrial relations. The current research is mainly focused on human resource information systems (HRIS) perception and effectiveness. The required data was collected through primary and secondary sources. The research approach is both quantitative and qualitative. A sample of 100 respondents working in different department of commercial bank of Ethiopia, Dessie district were taken for the study. The findings of this research results in employees are satisfied with salary, job position, promotion scheme, and working environment but worried about the system about information sharing of human resource and their difficulty to store, retrieve, share and maintain information.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the specific practices senior leaders need to engage in to best support their organization’s leadership development initiatives. All organizations invest billions of dollars around the world in leadership development, but there is surprisingly little attention given to the important role that senior leaders play in supporting these efforts. This paper draws upon focus group research with those responsible for designing and implementing leadership development initiatives to identify the strategic role senior leaders play in formal leadership development efforts. Design/methodology/approach To explore this issue, we conducted structured focus groups with over 250 executives, HR leaders and talent managers from over 30 different global organizations. Participants were responsible for leadership development in their respective organizations, averaged 44 years of age, 18 years of work experience, and were 54 per cent men and 46 per cent women. These focus groups were being used to solicit the input of those responsible for leadership development to identify the specific things senior leaders need to do to best support these leadership development efforts. The participants were asked to answer the following question, “Based on your experience, what specific things do senior leaders in your organization need to do to best support your efforts at developing high performance and strong leadership talent?” Findings Focus groups identified a series of key senior leader behaviors that are necessary to support an organization’s leadership development efforts. These findings, included the importance of senior leadership commitment to the process, the identification of specific leadership behaviors necessary to support these initiatives, the requirement of clearly understanding the organizations leadership development process, providing appropriate financial, staffing and technology resources to support these efforts, creating a climate of continuous learning and role modeling appropriate behaviors, among other findings. Research limitations/implications While the focus groups in this research and the subsequent qualitative and quantitative analysis of the findings were rigorous, the participants were not a randomly selected group and were by definition a convenience sample. At the same time, the implications of this research are significant on this important subject and provide a solid baseline for both practitioners and researchers alike to help explore, identify and build on best practices for senior leaders to support organizational leadership development initiatives. Practical implications Leadership is the key to success in any organization. To maintain that success, leadership development and continuous learning is imperative. This paper provides ten specific practices based on the focus group research that can help senior leaders create a more supportive environment for effective leadership development initiatives. The methodology used to identify these factors can be duplicated in other organizations to help them build an appropriate model for senior leader support for leadership development in their enterprise. Social implications The social implications for improving any organizations’ leadership is significant. It is known that effective leaders foster innovation, improve teamwork, create a more positive workplace, drive continuous improvement in quality, reduce turnover and improve the financial performance of most enterprises. With this backdrop, organizations can and must do everything in their power to accelerate leadership development and to engage in activities that do so. This paper will help pinpoint leaders and leadership development researchers and experts in that direction. Originality/value This manuscript offers a unique perspective on the role of senior leaders from the perspective of those who design leadership development programming in their organizations. And given both the readership and focus of this journal, this is an important perspective which takes into account the operational demands of leadership development in the strategic role senior leaders play in supporting these efforts.

Purpose The purpose of this new resource-stratified guideline is to provide expert guidance to clinicians and policymakers on implementing palliative care of patients with cancer and their caregivers in resource-constrained settings and is intended to complement the Integration of Palliative Care Into Standard Oncology Care: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update of 2016. Methods ASCO convened a multidisciplinary, multinational panel of experts in medical oncology, family medicine, radiation oncology, hematology/oncology, palliative and/or hospice care, pain and/or symptom management, patient advocacy, public health, and health economics. Guideline development involved a systematic literature review, a modified ADAPTE process, and a formal consensus-based process with the Expert Panel and additional experts (consensus ratings group). Results The systematic review included 48 full-text publications regarding palliative care in resource-constrained settings, along with cost-effectiveness analyses; the evidence for many clinical questions was limited. These provided indirect evidence to inform the formal consensus process, which resulted in agreement of ≥ 75% (by consensus ratings group including Expert Panel). Recommendations The recommendations help define the models of care, staffing requirements, and roles and training needs of team members in a variety of resource settings for palliative care. Recommendations also outline the standards for provision of psychosocial support, spiritual care, and opioid analgesics, which can be particularly challenging and often overlooked in resource-constrained settings. Additional information is available at www.asco.org/resource-stratified-guidelines . It is the view of ASCO that health care providers and health care system decision makers should be guided by the recommendations for the highest stratum of resources available. The guideline is intended to complement but not replace local guidelines.

Global staffing is an important aspect of the human resource management, and international assignments play vital role for expanding and building global skills. Many factors affecting the success of international assignments, cross-cultural adjustment received the most attention from researchers. International experiences of expatriate can influence expatriate adjustment because expatriate’s international experience involves living, thinking and learning new set of business practice in foreign business environment. This study focused on international experiences and mentoring behavior on expatriates adjustment. Firstly, this study explored international experiences and mentoring behavior on expatriate adjustment. Secondly, this study explored expatriate adjustment on job performance. The results of this study explained that international experiences and mentoring behavior has positive influence on expatriate adjustment and expatriate adjustment has positive relationship on job performance.

85 Background: The purpose of the new ASCO resource-stratified guideline on global palliative care (Osman H, Shrestha S, Temin S, et al, Palliative Care in the Global Setting: ASCO Resource-Stratified Practice Guideline, JGO, 2018) is to provide expert guidance to clinicians and policymakers on implementing palliative care in resource-constrained settings and was intended to complement the 2016 “Integration of Palliative Care Into Standard Oncology Care: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update”. Methods: ASCO convened a multidisciplinary, multinational panel of experts. Guideline development involved a systematic review, a modified ADAPTE process of existing high-quality guidelines and a formal consensus-based process with the expert panel and additional experts (consensus ratings group), as well as open comment. Results: The systematic review included 48 full-text publications regarding palliative care in resource-constrained settings, along with cost-effectiveness analyses; the evidence for many clinical questions was limited. These provided indirect evidence to inform the formal consensus process, which resulted in agreement of ≥ 75% (by consensus ratings group including expert panel). Conclusions: The recommendations help define: the models of care, staffing requirements, and roles and training needs of team members in a variety of resource settings for palliative care. Recommendations also outline the standards for provision of psychosocial support, spiritual care, and opioid analgesics, which can be particularly challenging and often overlooked in resource-constrained settings.

Исследовано современное состояние и экономические тенденции развития молочного скотоводства, выявлены основные проблемы, сдерживающие развитие, и предложены направления стимулирования повышения эффективности отрасли. Использованы метод группировок, монографический, абстрактнологический, статистический, аналитический методы. Установлено, что 4 региона восстановили объем производимого молока в 2018 году к 1990 году, среди которых Дагестан занимает 1 место с индексом 249,1 при 54,9 по России в среднем. Выявлено, что стремительные темпы увеличения объемов молока в регионе достигнуты за счет личных подсобных хозяйств населения, в которых индекс роста за этот же период составил 334,8, что противоречит сложившейся тенденции сокращения роли этого сектора в аграрной структуре повсеместно. Узким звеном молочного скотоводства Дагестана являются неудовлетворительное состояние работы по совершенствованию породнопродуктивных качеств скота, кормление и содержание сельхозживотных. Слабо выстроена работа по научноинновационному и кадровому обеспечению молочного скотоводства, не налажена работа по изучению и тиражированию эффективного опыта других регионов в этой отрасли. Отсутствует выстроенная система по стимулированию привлечения инвестиций в создание и модернизацию животноводческих ферм молочного направления, что негативно сказывается на раскрытии значительного потенциала региона в молочном животноводстве. Предложены обоснованные направления стимулирования возрождения молочного скотоводства на основе эффективного использования существующих форм государственной поддержки. В целях реализации генетического потенциала районированных пород скота предложено обеспечить создание сети пунктов по искусственному осеменению, в том числе мобильных, с субсидированием части затрат на их формирование. Выработаны предложения по совершенствованию системы кормозаготовки и кормления на основе расширения объемов заготовки сочных кормов и внедрения современных форм применения полнорационных кормосмесей. Обоснованы направления улучшения технологий содержания молочного скота, определены пути стимулирования модернизации отрасли за счет совершенствования форм государственной поддержки.The study involved the analysis of the current state and economic trends in dairy farming to determine cardinal problems restricting the development and proposed the policies for promoting the efficiency within the branch. The analysis is based on the results of grouping, monographic, abstractlogical, statistical and analytic methods. In 2018, four regions succeeded to achieve milk output level of 1990, among them Dagestan ranges the first with the index of 249.1 with the average index in Russia being 54.9. The study evidences that the high growth rate of milk output in the region is due to the production of private subsidiary farms of the population, in which the growth index was 334.8 within the same period, what is contradictory to the current global trend of declining the role of this sector in the agrarian system. The bottleneck of dairy farming in Dagestan is the unsatisfactory activity in the improvement of cattle breed and performance characteristics, feeding and rearing of farm livestock. There is no adequate research and staffing policy in dairy farming, no work for studying and disseminating successful practices of other regions in this field. There is no system for promoting investments in the development and renovation of dairy farms what has a negative impact on the realization of the region productive capacity in dairy farming. The authors propose reasonable promotion policies for revival of dairy farming on the ground of effective use of existing forms of state support. With the purpose to take advantage of the breeding potential of areaspecific cattle breeds, the authors propose developing a network of artificial insemination centers including mobile ones, while financing a part of expenses for their development. The article presents proposals on improving fodder conservation system and feeding through the increase of a volume of succulent feed conservation and the implementation of advanced approaches of using total mixed rations. The authors substantiate guidelines for improving dairy cattle farming technologies, define ways for promoting the branch modernization through the elaboration of the forms of state support.

This chapter discusses the current state of hospital-based simulation, including the unprecedented events of 2020's global COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital-based simulation training requires a new approach. The realities of social distancing and the operational demands of hospital staffing ratios warrant creative adaptations of traditional simulation training methods. Hospitals used simulation to improve patient outcomes by training healthcare staff and students through telesimulation, and tested systems and equipment using in situ simulation (ISS). Latent safety threats (LSTs) were identified and corrected to improve patient outcomes. Hospital-based simulation has been incorporated into newly licensed registered nurses (NLRNs) residency programs to prepare them for competent practice. Simulations are also used for preparing staff for low-incidence, high-risk medical emergencies or disasters, such as active shooter events. Hospital-based simulation training adds value to healthcare systems, but requires more evidence of its quantitative and qualitative impacts.

This chapter discusses the current state of hospital-based simulation, including the unprecedented events of 2020's global COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital-based simulation training requires a new approach. The realities of social distancing and the operational demands of hospital staffing ratios warrant creative adaptations of traditional simulation training methods. Hospitals used simulation to improve patient outcomes by training healthcare staff and students through telesimulation, and tested systems and equipment using in situ simulation (ISS). Latent safety threats (LSTs) were identified and corrected to improve patient outcomes. Hospital-based simulation has been incorporated into newly licensed registered nurses (NLRNs) residency programs to prepare them for competent practice. Simulations are also used for preparing staff for low-incidence, high-risk medical emergencies or disasters, such as active shooter events. Hospital-based simulation training adds value to healthcare systems, but requires more evidence of its quantitative and qualitative impacts.

The pressure to find the ‘right’ personalities to strengthen customer service and working teams has made staffing decisions critical for organizations. Therefore, recruitment is more often outsourced and done so on a global level. By analyzing interviews with recruitment consultants, this article explores how consultants work in order to find the recruitment candidates with the most potential for their clients. It discusses recruitment as a process of affective decision-making where consultants use their ‘gut feelings’, that is, their own embodied affects, to secure the optimal ‘organizationperson fit’. Different kinds of details in the candidate’s appearance and micro-movements of the body cause ‘good vibrations’ or ‘strange feelings’ in the consultant’s affective body, which guides the selection among the candidates. By deconstructing the concept of ‘affect’, the article develops an understanding of recruitment as a practice where the embodied histories of consultants themselves play a key role in recruitment. The article claims that, as a result of competition in the business, the recruitment consultant relies on stereotypical performances of the ideal worker.

The global drive to vaccinate against severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) began in December 2020 with countries in Europe, Middle East, and North America leading the roll out of a mass-vaccination program. This systematic review synthesised all available English-language guidelines and research regarding mass-vaccination for COVID-19 until 1 March 2021—the first three months of the global mass-vaccination effort. Data were extracted from national websites, PubMed, Embase, Medline and medRxiv, including peer and non-peer review research findings. A total of 15 national policy documents were included. Policies were summarised according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) framework for mass vaccination. All included policies prioritised front-line health care workers and the elderly. Limited information was available regarding staffing, cold chain, communication strategies and infrastructure requirements for effective vaccine delivery. A total of 26 research studies were identified, reporting roll-out strategies, vaccine uptake and reasons for refusal, adverse effects, and real-life estimates of efficacy. Early data showed a reduction in SARS-CoV-2 cases, hospitalisation and deaths in settings with good coverage. Very low rates of vaccine-related serious adverse events were observed. These findings provide an overview of current practice and early outcomes of COVID-19 mass-vaccination, guiding countries where roll-out is yet to commence.

The article explores the possibilities and problems of the process of harmonization of the HR audit in the field of international practice, taking into account the specifics of the market environment of Ukraine. The views of different authors on the problem of HR auditing were investigated. The idea was justified that the harmonization of accounting and financial reporting of economic entities is closely linked with the globalization of economic processes and the economy as a whole on a global scale, the processes of informatisation and digitalization of society, the same as for HR processes. During considering the concept of “HR audit” it should not be forgetting about the legislative component — HR audit is aimed, inter alia, at identifying violations with the law for timely management of weaknesses in the policy of the enterprise in the field of labor. Categorization of observations by impact of importance (high-risk, medium-risk, low-risk — categorization) was investigated; examples for high-risk observations (on the example of: workforce planning, service contract modalities) and medium-risk (on the example of: recruitment process governance, alignment of strategy and work plans, HR functional capacity in Country Offices, talent acquisition in Cos, recruitment processes in Cos, employee on-boarding, training and separation, national non-staff salary scales and pay adjustments, staffing and structure review exercises, social security transfers to service contracts, automation, information and data management, oversight of HR functions in Cos) are given in consideration with agreed actions of HRM and auditor. The ratings (satisfactory, partially satisfactory or unsatisfactory) of an HR audit that are part of the system of evaluating the adequacy of company’s audit risk management, control and governance processes were investigated. The point that the human resource auditing is something that many companies do annually, just as they audit their financial information (despite of their field of activity) is overlined in the article. The harmonization of the HR audit in the field of international practice is a process of unification of methods and principles of auditing in the form of standards is observed.

PurposeInformation is scarce on healthcare managers' understanding of simulation educators' impact on clinical work. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore healthcare managers' perceptions of the significance of clinically active simulation educators for the organisation.Design/methodology/approachHealthcare managers were invited to be interviewed in a semi-structured manner. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify and analyse patterns of notions describing the managers' perceptions of simulation educators' impact as co-workers on their healthcare organisations.FindingsThe identified relevant themes for the healthcare unit were: (1) value for the manager, (2) value for the community and (3) boundaries. Simulation educators were perceived to be valuable gatekeepers of evidence-based knowledge and partners in leadership for educational issues. Their most prominent value for the community was establishing a reflective climate, facilitating open communication and thereby improving the efficacy of teamwork. Local tradition, economy, logistics and staffing of the unit during simulation training were suggested to have possible negative impacts on simulation educators' work.Practical implicationsThe findings might have implications for the implementation and support of simulation training programs.Social implicationsHealthcare managers appreciated both the personal value of simulation educators and the effect of their work for their own unit. Local values were prioritised versus global. Simulation training was valued as an educational tool for continual professional development, although during the interviews, the managers did not indicate the importance of employment of pedagogically competent and experienced staff.Originality/valueThe study provided new insights about how simulation educators as team members affect clinical practice.

Managers of Australasian Herbarium Collections (MAHC) is a sub-committee of the Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (CHAH) and provides advice and recommendations pertaining to the management of herbarium collections. It was formed in 2009 based initially on Australian herbaria, and later incorporated New Zealand herbaria. MAHC currently has 18 member institutions representing both government funded, and university based herbaria, and includes both the largest (National Herbarium of Victoria - MEL) and smallest collections (Macquarie University - MQU) in the region. The group meets in person annually, and holds regular conference phone calls throughout the year. MAHC has proved itself to be a very cohesive committee, despite time, sizing, staffing, and funding differences. It prides itself in being inclusive, cooperative, collegiate, collaborative and supportive. It has a strong mentor approach toward early career collections managers or those new to collections management. The group has a healthy forward planning outlook, developing, promoting and implementing collections management policy, recommendations, guidelines and standards. This cohesion has resulted in a toolkit of resources that are freely available and strives for a unified world class best practice herbarium curation. Some of these universally agreed tools include templates, biosecurity documents, disaster mitigation and preparation for Nagoya Protocol implementation for Australia and New Zealand. MAHC supports new international initiatives and manages the day to day running of programmes such as the Global Plants Initiative project imaging all vascular type specimens housed in Australasia. MAHC collaborates with CHAH and the data sub-committee, HISCOM (Herbarium Information Systems Committee), for continued improvements in sharing digital data and specimens via the Australasian Virtual Herbarium (AVH https://avh.chah.org.au/) and Atlas of Living Australia (ALA https://www.ala.org.au/) services. This talk will use examples to highlight the effectiveness and success of a unified group in: developing standard practice in curation, incorporating improved curation procedures, and its ability to be agile, responding to incidents at an international level.

BackgroundSurgical critical care is crucial to the care of trauma and surgical patients. This study was designed to provide a contemporary assessment of patient types, injuries, and conditions in intensive care units (ICU) caring for trauma patients.MethodsThis was a multicenter prevalence study of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma; data were collected on all patients present in participating centers’ trauma ICU (TICU) on November 2, 2017 and April 10, 2018.ResultsForty-nine centers submitted data on 1416 patients. Median age was 58 years (IQR 41–70). Patient types included trauma (n=665, 46.9%), non-trauma surgical (n=536, 37.8%), medical (n=204, 14.4% overall), or unspecified (n=11). Surgical intensivists managed 73.1% of patients. Of ICU-specific diagnoses, 57% were pulmonary related. Multiple high-intensity diagnoses were represented (septic shock, 10.2%; multiple organ failure, 5.58%; adult respiratory distress syndrome, 4.38%). Hemorrhagic shock was seen in 11.6% of trauma patients and 6.55% of all patients. The most common traumatic injuries were rib fractures (41.6%), brain (38.8%), hemothorax/pneumothorax (30.8%), and facial fractures (23.7%). Forty-four percent were on mechanical ventilation, and 17.6% had a tracheostomy. One-third (33%) had an infection, and over half (54.3%) were on antibiotics. Operations were performed in 70.2%, with 23.7% having abdominal surgery. At 30 days, 5.4% were still in the ICU. Median ICU length of stay was 9 days (IQR 4–20). 30-day mortality was 11.2%.ConclusionsPatient acuity in TICUs in the USA is very high, as is the breadth of pathology and the interventions provided. Non-trauma patients constitute a significant proportion of TICU care. Further assessment of the global predictors of outcome is needed to inform the education, research, clinical practice, and staffing of surgical critical care providers.Level of evidenceIV, prospective observational study.

ObjectiveTo synthesise data concerning the views of commissioners, managers and healthcare professionals towards the National Health Service (NHS) Health Check programme in general and the challenges faced when implementing it in practice.DesignA systematic review of surveys and interview studies with a descriptive analysis of quantitative data and thematic synthesis of qualitative data.Data sourcesAn electronic literature search of MEDLINE, Embase, Health Management Information Consortium, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Global Health, PsycInfo, Web of Science, OpenGrey, the Cochrane Library, NHS Evidence, Google Scholar, Google, ClinicalTrials.gov and the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number registry from 1 January 1996 to 9 November 2016 with no language restriction and manual screening of reference lists of all included papers.Inclusion criteriaPrimary research reporting views of commissioners, managers or healthcare professionals on the NHS Health Check programme and its implementation in practice.ResultsOf 18 524 citations, 15 articles met the inclusion criteria. There was evidence from both quantitative and qualitative studies that some commissioners and general practice (GP) healthcare professionals were enthusiastic about the programme, whereas others raised concerns around inequality of uptake, the evidence base and cost-effectiveness. In contrast, those working in pharmacies were all positive about programme benefits, citing opportunities for their business and staff. The main challenges to implementation were: difficulties with information technology and computer software, resistance to the programme from some GPs, the impact on workload and staffing, funding and training needs. Inadequate privacy was also a challenge in pharmacy and community settings, along with difficulty recruiting people eligible for Health Checks and poor public access to some venues.ConclusionsThe success of the NHS Health Check Programme relies on engagement by those responsible for its commissioning, management and delivery. Recognising and addressing the challenges identified in this review, in particular the concerns of GPs, are important for the future of the programme.

Background Identification of the essential components of the quality of the data collection process is the starting point for designing effective data quality management strategies for public health information systems. An inductive analysis of the global literature on the quality of the public health data collection process has led to the formation of a preliminary 4D component framework, that is, data collection management, data collection personnel, data collection system, and data collection environment. It is necessary to empirically validate the framework for its use in future research and practice. Objective This study aims to obtain empirical evidence to confirm the components of the framework and, if needed, to further develop this framework. Methods Expert elicitation was used to evaluate the preliminary framework in the context of the Chinese National HIV/AIDS Comprehensive Response Information Management System. The research processes included the development of an interview guide and data collection form, data collection, and analysis. A total of 3 public health administrators, 15 public health workers, and 10 health care practitioners participated in the elicitation session. A framework qualitative data analysis approach and a quantitative comparative analysis were followed to elicit themes from the interview transcripts and to map them to the elements of the preliminary 4D framework. Results A total of 302 codes were extracted from interview transcripts. After iterative and recursive comparison, classification, and mapping, 46 new indicators emerged; 24.8% (37/149) of the original indicators were deleted because of a lack of evidence support and another 28.2% (42/149) were merged. The validated 4D component framework consists of 116 indicators (82 facilitators and 34 barriers). The first component, data collection management, includes data collection protocols and quality assurance. It was measured by 41 indicators, decreased from the original 49% (73/149) to 35.3% (41/116). The second component, data collection environment, was measured by 37 indicators, increased from the original 13.4% (20/149) to 31.9% (37/116). It comprised leadership, training, funding, organizational policy, high-level management support, and collaboration among parallel organizations. The third component, data collection personnel, includes the perception of data collection, skills and competence, communication, and staffing patterns. There was no change in the proportion for data collection personnel (19.5% vs 19.0%), although the number of its indicators was reduced from 29 to 22. The fourth component, the data collection system, was measured using 16 indicators, with a slight decrease in percentage points from 18.1% (27/149) to 13.8% (16/116). It comprised functions, system integration, technical support, and data collection devices. Conclusions This expert elicitation study validated and improved the 4D framework. The framework can be useful in developing a questionnaire survey instrument for measuring the quality of the public health data collection process after validation of psychometric properties and item reduction.

An analysis of individual and department triage variances to identify, quantify, and improve markers of nurse triage accuracy. Rebecca Cotton, Richard Drew, Matthew Douma, Domhnall O’Dochartaigh, Candice Keddie, Karen Muncaster, Christopher Picard Background: Canadian Emergency Departments (ED) use the five-point Canadian Triage Acuity Scale (CTAS) to sort and prioritize patients according to acuity. CTAS scores are used to make decisions on patient flow, staffing complement, and funding. Despite this, there is a paucity of literature describing how CTAS data can be audited, and how the data can inform quality improvement/assurance (QI/QA). Implementation: Triage data downloaded from Tableau were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS 26. Staff were informed of the audit using email and social media, and invited to discuss the results with educators and administrators. Staff identified for intervention were approached individually with the administrative plan. Anonymized versions of the work plan were posted on the departmental audit board. Nurses triaging greater than 50% department average were offered the option to triage less frequently, while nurses triaging less than 50% the department average were preferentially placed in triage. Nurses triaging fewer than 100 patients per year were informed they would be relieved of triage responsibility unless their rates increased above threshold. Nurses “down-triaging” patients at rates greater than 2 SD were informed that if their practice remained outside 2 SD at repeat audit they would be relieved of triage responsibility until they voluntarily completed CTAS refresher training. Nurses with average assigned CTAS scores > 2 SD department average had 20 visits randomly audited per month for error/appropriateness. Evaluation Method: Computer-assisted analysis of complete triage records was conducted for August 2019 to August 2020 at the Misericordia Hospital Emergency. Complete triage entries of every patient triaged by all triage trained nurses in the department were examined. Nurse’s with practice variation two deviations from department mean were identified and received additional detailed audits. Items examined for error were: FTE adjusted triage frequency; average CTAS score assigned; triage score manual override “down/up-triage” rate; proportion of absent Numeric Pain Scores (NPS) for patients with primary presenting complaints of pain; and vital signs modifier error rates. Initial department averages were used for benchmarking individual nurses; zone averages were used to benchmark department performance. Nurses were interviewed, audit results and action plans were posted. Repeat audits were performed on a three-month basis and benchmarked to initial measures, and a staff awareness campaign was enacted to improve NPS scoring. Data were extracted using text-parsing algorithms programmed into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using IBM SPSS 26. Data were normally distributed and descriptive statistics were calculated using means and standard deviations. T-testing was used for comparisons, and all testing was two-tailed with a pre-defined significance set at 0.05. Results: After the 3rd quarterly audit and associated interventions, global improvements were appreciated in triage nurse practice. There was a 68% reduction in the need for administrative action (n=51, n=18) with reduced variance in individual nurse triage rates and a 50% reduction in nurses who triaged >50% more patients than their peers. 50% fewer nurses had a mean triage rate >.02 above or below department average, there was an 86% reduction in high risk vital sign error rates, a 78% reduction in ”down-triage” rates, and a 6.5% improvement in documentation of numerical pain scores. Advice and Lessons Learned:1) Triage data analytics can rapidly identify staff with significant deviations from the average,making auditing and QI/QA activities more efficient and effective. 2) Having a concrete performance management framework and dissemination plan in place areessential for auditing to have a significant impact on triage consistency and quality over time. 3) Future QI/QA work should consider expanding computer-assisted text parsing to identifypatients at risk for mis-triage for reasons other than vital sign derangement, which will allowfor broader ED rollout across the Edmonton Zone and beyond.

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings It is thought that Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in emerging nations have a weak economy, and as such want to learn from the host country of their subsidiary companies. However, it can be seen that via global staffing, rotation and extensive expatriation, cultural norms and values of the home country can be maintained and transferred. The headquarters of the Emerging MNC can use this method of control to centralize their decision-making and standardize their foreign operations. Using people as a form of control can thus impact on human resource management (HRM) practices. Originality The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has put enormous stress on healthcare systems and hospital staffing. However, through all this, families will continue to become pregnant, give birth, and breastfeed. Unfortunately, care of the childbearing family has been de-prioritized during the pandemic. Additionally, many healthcare practices during the pandemic have not been positive for the childbearing family or breastfeeding. Despite recommendations from the World Health Organization to promote early, direct breastfeeding and skin to skin contact, these and other recommendations are not being followed in the clinical setting. For example, some mothers have been forced to go through labor and birth alone in some institutions whilst some hospitals have limited or no parental visitation to infants in the NICU. Furthermore, hospitals are discharging mothers and their newborns early, limiting the amount of time that families receive expert lactation care, education, and technical assistance. In addition, some hospitals have furloughed staff or transferred them to COVID-19 wards, further negatively impacting direct care for families and their newborns. We are concerned that these massive changes in the care of childbearing families will be permanently adopted. Instead, we must use the pandemic to underscore the importance of human milk and breastfeeding as lifesaving medical interventions. We challenge healthcare professionals to change the current prenatal and post-birth practice paradigms to protect lactation physiology and to ensure that all families in need receive equal access to evidence-based lactation education, care and technical assistance.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a strain on healthcare services all over the world. With the rising range of healthcare providers diagnosed with COVID globally and with the second wave in India, the crisis has gained global attention and assistance. The healthcare system in India is under strain, putting frontline healthcare staff on edge. Long and exhausting work hours, quickly depleting supplies of personal protective equipment, day-to-night news reports of COVID-19 statistics, inadequate availability of particular drugs, and insufficient societal assistance may all lead to the additional emotional strain of these HCWs. Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress are very prevalent among HCWs. Employed in the high-risk division like infectious disorder and pulmonology, and to see a family member that has been diagnosed, deficient or inadequate hand hygiene before and after interaction with patients, insufficient PPE, direct patient interaction (12 times a day), long daily contact hours (15 hrs), and uncontrolled exposure were all linked to COVID-19 risk among Health Care Workers. Working with COVID-19 has demonstrated the interdependence of various components of the work system, such as personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, monitoring equipment, staffing, work setting, and so on. Healthcare workers should also implement a detailed ‘infectious disease preparedness and recovery strategy' to train and protect staff before and after a pandemic. Workers must be closely watched, supported, and, when possible, supplied with evidence-based practice after the crisis has passed.

A 2020 external review of science at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) noted that increased investment in informatics was a key element for becoming a modern knowledge institution. This review charged NMNH with developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy for the future of the museum’s informatics program including reorganization, innovation, and new approaches to staffing to address urgent needs in data science and informatics capacity. After completing assessments of current capacity and needs and the role of NMNH informatics within the global biodiversity informatics landscape, the informatics task force found that robust community building, both internally and externally, would be critical to an expanded vision of informatics at NMNH. Approaches for local and global community strategies across an organization, like NMNH and its people, go hand in hand. Solidifying a strong foundation locally is often necessary for enabling robust, coordinated participation and resource sharing at the global level. Although the task force's primary focus has been internal community building to support the increasing need for local informatics capacity, much of that internal work is closely aligned with and often driven by external participation and networks. It is also clear that many organizations are contending with similar challenges, highlighting the importance of sharing strategies and lessons learned through peer-to-peer discussions and knowledge sharing. Based on the results of the task force’s surveys, interviews and research, the new NMNH model will be anchored on the development of a community of practice. This model extends knowledge and strengthens communication and coordination with departments, programs, and collaborators both within the Smithsonian and globally. It focuses on expanding capacity through improved knowledge sharing, cross training and more strategic application of resources and tasking, hopefully resulting in a robust, innovative environment. Here we open discussions on the importance of community for increasing capacity in support of the expanding natural history informatics landscape and strategies for the future at many levels. We highlight findings from efforts of the NMNH task force to explore what successful, supported informatics capacity looks like and initial proposed plans for revitalizing the NMNH informatics program.

Women in Universities Women have been fighting for the right to participate in universities since 1873, when Sophia Jex Blake went to court with her fight to enrol at Edinburgh University. In rejecting her application, one of the judges stated: It is a belief, widely entertained, that there is a great difference in the mental constitution of the two sexes, just as there is in their physical conformation. The powers and susceptibilities of women are as noble as those of men; but they are thought to be different, and, in particular, it is considered that they have not the same power of intense labour as men .... (Scutt 224) In Australia, from the 1850s to the 1880s, both the University of Sydney and The University of Melbourne refused to admit women as students. In 1879, the Chancellor of the University of Sydney suggested that: The best course to be taken by advocates of advanced education for women, would be to found some sort of affiliated college for them in the vicinity of the University ... if there really be a widespread wish on the part of young women for a higher education ..." (Scutt 228). Having finally won the right to study at university in 1881, and to enter the academic workforce, women are still finding many of the old prejudices remain. Numerous studies have demonstrated that women's experiences in academe are qualitatively different from men's and that women are systematically paid lower salaries than men of equivalent academic achievement, age and length of service (Bagilhole 431-47; Loder 713-4; McElrath 269-81;). Studies have shown that differences in the experiences of male and female faculty are largely explained by gender (Booth & Burton 312-33; Everett 159-75; Over & Lancaster 309-18; Ready 7) and sex discrimination is highlighted as an ongoing contributor to the inequity (Allport 5-8; Hall & Swadener 1; Tuohy 8). A recent UNESCO-Commonwealth (http://www.unesco.org/) report states that: ... in spite of advances which women have made in many areas of public life in the past two decades, in the area of higher education management they are still a long way from participating on the same footing as men. With hardly an exception, the global picture is one of men outnumbering women at about five to one at middle management level and at about twenty to one at senior management level (Singh 4). The introduction in Australia of Sex Discrimination legislation (http://www.hreoc.gov.au/sex_discrimination/) in 1984 and more recently, Affirmative Action policies ( http://www.austlii.edu.au/) in employment and promotion rounds in some universities has not improved women's situation to the extent expected. In 1978, women held 16% of full time academic posts while gaining 25% of all higher degrees and 30% of undergraduate degrees (Commonwealth Government statistics cited by Over and McKenzie 61-71). In 1999, 54% of students were women yet women's participation in academe had only increased to 35% (DETYA) (http://www.deet.gov.au/). Women are mainly employed at the lowest academic levels. In 1999, 72% of women were employed at Levels A and B (Associate Lecturer/Lecturer) compared to 46% of men, with only 8% of women reaching Levels D and E (Associate Professor/Professor) compared to 26% of men. Women continue to be clustered in the traditionally female areas of Health, Education and Arts while few seem to have successfully broken through the barriers in the traditionally male areas of Engineering, Architecture or Agriculture (DETYA) (http://www.deet.gov.au/). Business has traditionally been viewed as a male preserve but enrolments have increased to the point where women almost equal men. However, the staff ratio of men to women remains very low at 70/30 (DETYA) (http://www.deet.gov.au/). The slow growth rate for women in academe belies the fact that more women than men are now completing university degrees. The purpose of this study was to determine how well the experiences of academic women in the male-dominated faculties of business and commerce, reflect the literature on women in universities, in general. Previous empirical studies have found inequitable treatment of women without necessarily exploring the processes of discrimination. The Study This study involved interviews with academic women who had been employed in faculties of business and commerce for at least five years. The research used the 'snowballing' technique: participants initially comprised women known to me but as these women told female colleagues of my study I was given the names of other women who were willing to participate. Participants comprised twenty-one women from three universities in Western Australia, two universities in New South Wales and one Victorian university. One woman had recently left academe and started her own business because of discriminatory practices she had encountered and another was contemplating leaving. In each university, women comprised a minority of the faculty and felt disadvantaged in some way. A semi-structured interview was used to explore with the women the issues that had been identified from previous studies of sex discrimination in the academic profession. Open-ended questions were used and the interviews conducted face to face, or, in the case of those interstate, via telephone or email. The women spoke frankly about their experiences. Findings and Discussion Promotion Each of the women in this study said that their university had established an internal promotion policy based on merit. However, they felt the greatest problem they had encountered in gaining promotion was in determining the criteria upon which they would be judged each year, and in meeting those criteria. "I have been chasing promotion for over five years. At first I was told that I would not be promoted until I got my masters degree so I worked really hard to complete it but then a male colleague was promoted without a masters. Once I got the masters I was told I needed to publish to be promoted but in the next year someone else was promoted without any publications. You go all out to meet the criteria each year but in the next year the promotions committee changes and so do the criteria for that year"(Lecturer applying for Senior Lecturer position). The promotion procedure at one university was explained by a Senior Lecturer who had served on promotion committees on two occasions. "There are about ten criteria upon which promotion can be based. When the applications are received we all get together to determine which are the criteria to be applied. In the last promotion round only four of the ten criteria were used so only people satisfying those criteria were selected." When asked whether the criteria were the same as the previous year she replied: "Last year there was more emphasis on qualifications and publications. This year community involvement and involvement in university affairs were judged as more important ... it varies from year to year". On questioning about the promotion procedures at their universities, women stated they were largely dissatisfied with the process, that they were presumed to be satisfied with their lot while the men were actively encouraged to apply. "I was told not to bother to apply (for a senior lecturer position) as I would not get it ... that there was a queue of people to be promoted before me - (named males) - and until they were promoted, I would not be considered" (Lecturer). "The position was advertised with a specific male applicant in mind and specifically excluded me by stating that the appointee must have supervisory experience. Women in my department are not given the opportunity to supervise students so I didn't even bother applying."(Lecturer aspiring to a Senior Lecturer position). One woman, upon inquiring why she was not promoted, was told that she should be grateful to have tenure and asked why she wanted to be promoted, anyway. "They would never have said that to a male, they would have expected a male to be working towards promotion" (Associate Lecturer). All women interviewed stated that they had problems keeping up with the 'goal posts' which moved from year to year. The 'moving of the goal posts' is one means by which universities are able to maintain the position of women at lower levels. Unsurprisingly, some women said they felt that promotion at their university was based on politics rather than merit. However, defining merit in universities is problematic. According to Burton (430), definitions of what is meritorious depend upon the power of particular groups to define it and, as a result, can change. The narrow view of merit is 'the best person for the job' which Burton (113) describes as an "overwhelming tendency to select in your own image". Burton (430) and Allport (5) claim universities define merit along male cultural lines with current selection, remuneration and career progression practices strongly influenced by an underlying gender bias. Burton (430) argues that there is still a tendency for work to be ranked as 'men's' or women's work with lower status attributed to the latter and an assumption that different skills and abilities are needed for each. Over and McKenzie (61-71) claim that women are disadvantaged by the fact that invalid merit criteria are applied to them which men as a group are more likely to satisfy. They state that the academic careers of most women do not fit the stereotypic male experience and it is mainly men who decide whether women should be promoted. At one university in the study, the merit criteria for senior lecturer include the requirement that aspirants have a number of overseas conference presentations. "Some of us are single working mothers and overseas conference attendance is out of the question because who's going to mind our children while we are away? The senior males were astonished when I mentioned that this was a problem for me. It had never occurred to them" (Associate Lecturer on why women at her university do not apply for promotion). Family Responsibilities The women commented on the numerous difficulties they had encountered in combining an academic career with responsibility for children. They felt that certain male faculty members perceived married women with children as lacking in career commitment, whereas married men with families were viewed as being more stable and committed to their careers. One married woman claimed that when she needed to go home to tend a sick child, her male Head of Department told her she should "get her priorities right". In 1992, Family Responsibility provisions were added to the Sex Discrimination Act (http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/pasteact/0/171/top.htm). However, it would appear that individual practice doesn't always follow as a result of changes in policy. Equal Pay On the subject of equal pay for equal work, the women said that they were often paid lower wages than their male colleagues despite having higher qualifications and equivalent teaching and research experience. Some women felt that the barriers between academic levels were used to artificially maintain the wage gap between men and women, regardless of qualifications and ability. This was felt to be particularly the case between the levels of Associate Lecturer (Level A) and Lecturer (Level B). "They find excuses to keep you at Associate Lecturer so that they can pay you less to do the same work that you would be doing as a lecturer ... lecturing, coordinating units and so on"(Associate Lecturer). "There are no men below Lecturer in my Department, either lecturing or with Masters degrees. As soon as they get their Masters they are promoted to Lecturer.... I'm coordinating units as an Associate Lecturer while some male lecturers have less responsibility' (Associate Lecturer with Masters degree and publications) Two women said that they had been performing higher level duties (Level B) for up to five years while working on their Masters but their university refused to pay them at the higher level until they had completed their degree. Even when they satisfied all the requirements for the Masters degree and had a letter from their supervisor saying they had satisfied all the requirements, the university refused to pay them until they had actually graduated, which was some time later. Shortly afterwards their university took on two men to perform the same duties, paying these at the higher level even though they had not completed a masters degree. One former lecturer claimed that she was employed at a time when there was a large turnover of staff in her department. A number of new staff were appointed of whom she was the only female. Although she and the other new staff were all employed at Lecturer Level B, it wasn't until later on that she discovered that the men were appointed at the top of the Lecturer salary scale while she was appointed at the bottom, with a salary differential of about10 000pa. This was despite the fact that both she and the men had similar qualifications and work experience at commencement. Teaching Loads Another complaint by women concerned inequitable teaching loads. An analysis in one Business School showed that women had higher teaching loads while men were given more time off for research. The women complained that the supervision of post-graduate students was divided up between the men, and women were excluded. Since research publication and student supervision are usually the most highly ranked criteria in academic promotion rounds, women who are not given the opportunity to participate in these areas are disadvantaged when applying for promotion. This problem is compounded since women are overwhelmingly employed at the lower levels where responsibility for the majority of teaching takes place. This leaves them with little time left to devote to research even if given the opportunity. The women also said they were often pressured into taking on higher duties than those prescribed in the Position Classification Standards for their level. They tended to acquiesce because of their need to prove they were better than men to gain promotion. One woman said that the extra administrative duties she had been given meant that she had less time for research which actually reduced her prospects for tenure and promotion. She said she didn't dare complain as the men in her department would use it as an excuse to question her commitment to her job. Conclusion An examination of women's perceptions and experiences in the workplace can help us understand the informal processes that work against women. The experiences of the women discussed in this paper provide an insight into the subtle processes that continue to operate in some higher education institutions to prevent women from reaching their full potential. Although equal opportunity legislation (http://www.hreoc.gov.au/about_the_commission/legislation/index.html) has been enacted to prevent discrimination and disadvantage to women, the implementation of policy does not always filter through to the operational levels. It is still possible to circumvent legislation in subtle ways, perhaps without even being aware that these practices are discriminative. The women in this study spoke frankly about their experiences and the difficulties they had encountered in gaining equal recognition to men, with very few satisfied that they were receiving equitable treatment. The women felt that their work was not valued as highly as that of the men they worked with and they were given less opportunities for advancement. Overall, the interviews with the women revealed interesting insights into their experiences in pursuing academic careers and in trying to gain recognition for their achievements. The collective experiences of the women provide an insight into the subtle ways in which disadvantage can be engendered. The findings of this study have serious implications for university administrators, particularly deans and heads of schools. There are many well-qualified women academics and universities cannot afford to overlook the valuable contribution these women can make to teaching, research and university governance. References Allport, Caroline. "Improving Gender Equity: Using Industrial Bargaining". NTEU Frontline4.1 (1996): 5-8. Bacchi, Carol. "The Brick Wall: Why So Few Women Become Senior Academics". Australian Universities Review36.1 (1993): 36-41. Bagilhole, Barbara. "Survivors in a Male Preserve: A Study of British Women Academics' Experiences and Perceptions of Discrimination in a UK University". Higher Education26 (1993): 431-47. Booth, Alison, and Jonathon Burton. "The Position of Women in UK Academic Economics". The Economic Journal110.464 (2000): 312-33. Burton, Clare. "Merit and Gender: Organisations and the Mobilisation of Masculine Bias." Australian Journal of Social Issues22 (1987): 424-35. Burton, Clare. An Equity Review of Staffing Policies and Associated Decision-making at Edith Cowan University. Report commissioned by ECU. 1994. DETYA. Selected Higher Education Statistics. 1999. Everett, James. "Sex, Rank and Qualifications at Australian Universities". Australian Journal of Management19.2 (1994): 159-75. Hall, Elaine, and Beth Blue Swadener. "Chilly Climate: A Study of Subtle Sex Discrimination at a State University". Initiatives (Online)59.3 (2000): 1. Loder, Natasha. "US Science Shocked by Revelations of Sexual Discrimination". Nature405.6787 (2000): 713-4. McElrath, Karen. "Gender, Career Disruption and Academic Rewards". Journal of Higher Education63.3 (1992): 269-81. Over, Ray, and Sandra Lancaster. "The Early Career Patterns of Men and Women in Australian Universities". The Australian Journal of Education28.3 (1984): 309-18. Over, Ray, and Beryl Mckenzie. "Career Prospects for Women in Australian Universities". Journal of Tertiary Educational Administration7.1 (1985): 61-71. Ready, Tinker. "West Coast US Recognizes Academic Gender Bias". Nature Medicine 7.1 (2000): 1. Scutt, Jocelyn. The Sexual Gerrymander.The Law Printer, 1994. Singh, Jasbir. "Women and Management in Higher Education: A Commonwealth Project." A.C.U. Bulletin of Current Documentation. 133 (1998): 2-8. Tuohy, John. "Sex Discrimination Infects Med Schools: Women Say Bias Blocks Chances for Advancement". USA Today2000. 8. Links http://www.unesco.org/ http://www.deet.gov.au/ http://www.hreoc.gov.au/sex_discrimination/ http://www.hreoc.gov.au/about_the_commission/legislation/index.html http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgibin/disp.pl/au/legis/cth/consol%5fact/aaeofwa 1986634/?query=title+%28+%22affirmative+action%22+%29 http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/pasteact/0/171/top.htm Citation reference for this article MLA Style Ellis-Newman, Jennifer. "Women and Work" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 4.5 (2001). [your date of access] < http://www.media-culture.org.au/0111/Ellis-Newman.xml >. Chicago Style Ellis-Newman, Jennifer, "Women and Work" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 4, no. 5 (2001), < http://www.media-culture.org.au/0111/Ellis-Newman.xml > ([your date of access]). APA Style Ellis-Newman, Jennifer. (2001) Women and Work. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 4(5). < http://www.media-culture.org.au/0111/Ellis-Newman.xml > ([your date of access]).