Staying well or burning out at work: Work characteristics and personal resources as long-term predictors

The aim of this longitudinal study was to recogmize the work characteristics and personal resourcesthat are associated with burnout symptoms in the long term. The empirical analyses are based onsample data (n = 174) from a larger survey in 1986 and from a 10-year follow up in 1776 conducted inan international industrial foresty enterprise. The participants were drawn from those worken inFinland, the home country of the enterprise, who responded to the questionnaires at both times. Theparticipants were classified into those having no burnout and those with serious burnout. In order tocompare the groups a multivariate analysis of variance and t-tests for two independent groups wereused. Four job-related and five organizational factors, 10 work environment hazards and threeindividual variables wereused as a predictors. Change variables were formed from the predictors. Allthe significant changes in work and personal resources during 10 years had shifted to the positivedirection in the no-bumout group, and to the negative direction in the serious burnout group.Discriminant analysis was used to identify linear combinations of quantitative predictor variables thatbest characterized the differences between the groups. Both the cross-sectional and the longitudinalpredictors showed that factors related to the social processes at work seem to be crucial to burnout. Ofthe individual resources, a strong sense of coherence seems to be of particular importance.     

The emergence of sustainable manufacturing practices

Sustainable manufacturing appears to be a rapidly developing field and it would be expected that there is a growing body of knowledge in this area. Initial examination of the literature shows evidence of sustainable work in the areas of product design, supply chain, production technology and waste avoidance activities. Manufacturers publish metrics showing significant improvements in environmental performance at high level but information on how these improvements are achieved is sparse. Examining peer-reviewed publications focused on production operations there are few cases reporting details and there has been little prior analysis of published sustainable manufacturing activity. Moreover, the mismatch between academic and practitioner language leads to challenges in interpretation. This article captures and analyses the types of sustainable manufacturing activities through literature review. In turn, this can help manufacturers to access examples of good practice and help academics identify areas for future research.     

World Health Organization Regional Assessments of the Risks of Poliovirus Outbreaks

While global polio eradication requires tremendous efforts in countries where wild polioviruses (WPVs) circulate, numerous outbreaks have occurred following WPV importation into previously polio‐free countries. Countries that have interrupted endemic WPV transmission should continue to conduct routine risk assessments and implement mitigation activities to maintain their polio‐free status as long as wild poliovirus circulates anywhere in the world. This article reviews the methods used by World Health Organization (WHO) regional offices to qualitatively assess risk of WPV outbreaks following an importation. We describe the strengths and weaknesses of various risk assessment approaches, and opportunities to harmonize approaches. These qualitative assessments broadly categorize risk as high, medium, or low using available national information related to susceptibility, the ability to rapidly detect WPV, and other population or program factors that influence transmission, which the regions characterize using polio vaccination coverage, surveillance data, and other indicators (e.g., sanitation), respectively. Data quality and adequacy represent a challenge in all regions. WHO regions differ with respect to the methods, processes, cut‐off values, and weighting used, which limits comparisons of risk assessment results among regions. Ongoing evaluation of indicators within regions and further harmonization of methods between regions are needed to effectively plan risk mitigation activities in a setting of finite resources for funding and continued WPV circulation.