RFM customer analysis for product-oriented services and service business development: an interventionist case study of two machinery manufacturers

Journal of Management and Governance - This study examines how original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can segment their product-oriented services customers with the help of a recency, frequency,...     

Stretching the borders: how international business travel affects the work–family balance

This study examined the consequences of international business travel for the balance between work–family domains by exploring how international business travellers and travellers’ partners manage the boundaries between work and family in order to maintain the balance. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used in analysing the semi-structured interviews of 10 male travellers and 10 partners. Because of its irregular nature, international business travel affects the personal life and the family of business travellers. Work-related travel also has an impact on how travellers and their partners construct, manage and negotiate borders between work and family in order to avoid an imbalance between these domains. Integration of work and family is usually inevitable in international business traveler families. Integration may lead to role blurring and thus lead to imbalance.     

A lattice of participation: reflecting on examples of children's and young people's collective engagement in influencing social welfare policies and practices

The article introduces four case studies from Wales, France and Finland and explores the situated, intergenerational and dynamic nature of collective participation in child welfare settings. Collective participation is conceived of as a process of engagement in which children and young people have some influence over the initiation or direction of a project; and as seeking a product, or outcome. The case studies represent a range of forms of collective engagement and highlight some key resources which supported children's participation (communicative spaces, time, money, knowledge, social position, attitudes, social networks, institutional commitment, equipment, food and transport). Challenges encountered in achieving effective participation in different nations within Europe are also identified, related to generation barriers and the distribution of resources. These elements are used to construct a lattice of participation: a model for conceptualising children and young people's collective engagement in participatory projects. The model provides a tool for visualising how, at different stages of a project, actors (children, young facilitators, adults and institutions) exercise influence by directing the use of different resources, such as finance and time. It invites reflection on why influence is limited in some stages of a participatory project, and how it is supported in other stages.     

Raising awareness of transformative ecosocial work: Participatory action research with Australian practitioners

This article reports on Participatory Action Research with social work practitioners who collaboratively explored the effects on professional practice when practitioners raise their awareness of an ecosocial work approach. Although contemporary research in the profession has contributed to the ongoing development of ecosocial work, there is a notable lack of collaboration with social work practitioners. Using a transformative ecosocial work model of practice, researchers together with social workers from a range of practice contexts met as co‐inquirers to plan, implement and evaluate ecosocial work interventions. As part of a larger international study, this article reports on research outcomes within the Australian context. Overall, results indicate that practitioners incorporated interventions across personal, individual, group and organisational levels of practice, but were constrained by structural elements at broader levels. Continuing the development of ecosocial work requires further collaborative exploration with practitioners, which takes into consideration communities and broader social and political systems. Key Practitioner Messages: ? This research endeavours to contribute to the evidence‐base for progressing transformative ecosocial work in professional practice; ? Using Participatory Action Research (PAR), this research was done in collaboration with social work practitioners as co‐inquirers to develop ecosocial work interventions; ? A range of ecosocial work interventions were implemented at the personal, individual, group and organisational levels.     

Debt problems and life transitions: a register-based panel study of Finnish young people

This register-based panel study analyzed the impacts of key life events on debt problems among emerging adults using a within-individual design. In this study, 8093 Finnish young people (born 1988–1990) were monitored for 9 years (2005–2013). The data comprised information from administrative registers, including information about debt enforcement, which was used as an indicator of debt problems. Key life events included leaving home, obtaining the first full-time job, and becoming a parent. Debt problems were highly common. They increased after leaving home, especially among those leaving home at a young age. Obtaining the first full-time job was not regarded as a major event in the context of debt problems, although having a job was associated with a lower level of debt problems. Such problems increased after becoming a parent. The results imply that life-changing events can have an impact on economic problems.     

Social workers' conceptions of how the local living environment is related to social exclusion

The article is concerned with how community-based social workers conceptualize the relationship between the local living environment and social exclusion and inclusion processes. It provides a brief overview of general urban theory concerning the significance of the local living environment in a globalized world and looks at how social workers understand the mechanisms of spatial marginalization and urban segregation. In addition, the article examines social workers' views on sustainable living environments that support inclusion. It is argued that, through their daily work, social workers have a special yet restricted view on social exclusion and inclusion processes. Their knowledge could contribute to efforts to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of spatial marginalization because they work in a position from which they can see the consequences and interdependencies of multiple issues between structural changes and individual survival in the context of the local living environment.     

Emergency departments and street-involved youth: factors influencing utilization

Homeless youth often have untreated health problems and experience barriers to care. Existing evidence suggests that homeless youth use emergency departments (EDs) more frequently than other youth. We hypothesized that street youth with access to primary care services would be less likely to utilize EDs for health care. Data were drawn from a study of housing security and changes to it over time among 150 youth (16–20 years) recruited from service agencies for street-involved youth. Our findings show that those with access to primary care were actually more likely to use the ED, suggesting that access may encourage further engagement with the health care system. Findings support the need to better understand why access to primary care increases ED use and what could be done to change this pattern.     

Effects of exercise on health-related quality of life and fear of falling in home-dwelling older women

This randomized, controlled trial evaluated the effects of exercise on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and fear of falling (FoF) among 149 home-dwelling older women. The 12-mo exercise program was intended to reduce the risk of falls and fractures. HRQoL was assessed by the RAND-36 Survey, and FoF, with a visual analog scale, at baseline, 12 mo, and 24 mo. On all RAND-36 scales, the scores indicated better health and well-being. The exercise had hardly any effect on HRQoL; only the general health score improved slightly compared with controls at 12 mo (p = .019), but this gain was lost at 24 mo. FoF decreased in both groups during the intervention with no between-groups difference at 12 or 24 mo. In conclusion, despite beneficial physiological changes, the exercise intervention showed rather limited effects on HRQoL and FoF among relatively high-functioning older women. This modest result may be partly because of insufficient responsiveness of the assessment instruments used.     

Applying health determinants and dimensions in social work practice

Dimensions and determinants related to physical health, mental health and well-being can be used as tools in social work practice. These frameworks are useful for assessment, planning and intervention activities in complex client situations, alerting social workers to consider diverse features and processes that influence well-being in people's lives. They can be applied in social work with individuals, families, groups, and communities. In our view health and well-being need to be viewed holistically, broadly and in each unique situation, changing over time over the life course. Literature based on key word searches of concepts we use in our teaching and research and that has informed our conceptualisation of dimensions and determinants in physical health, mental health and well-being, is reviewed. A case illustration is presented to illustrate how the dimensions and determinants are used to inform practice and compare and apply alternative frameworks. Finally, the implications of these and other frameworks for social work, not only in health care settings, but also in other fields of social work practice, are discussed.