Public Complacency under Repeated Emergency Threats: Some Empirical Evidence

In the summer of 2004, the state of Florida was struck by fourmajor hurricanes consecutively. Using data collected from jurisdictionsexperiencing hurricanes, this study examines public complacencydefined as the tendency to ignore hurricane threat warnings.Results indicate that the public showed signs of complacencyunder repeated emergency threat warnings and there is a needto manage or reduce such tendency because a complacent publicis less prepared for emergencies. Importantly, the study findsthat the government plays a role in developing effective communicationstrategies to reduce public complacency and to enhance publicpreparedness in response to disasters.     

Knowledge Regarding Hymens and the Sex Education of Parents

The objective of this study was to ascertain beliefs and knowledge of pediatricians and parents regarding the hymen and to evaluate parental and pediatrician attitudes regarding sex education by pediatricians. Surveys were distributed anonymously to parents and pediatricians. Survey questions included knowledge of the female hymen and questions regarding attitudes toward sexual health education. There was a statistically significant difference in mean knowledge scores between pediatricians and parents regarding the hymen (3.7 versus 1.3; p < 0.0001). Almost two-thirds of pediatricians (63%) felt comfortable providing sexual health education directly to their patients, but only 41% felt comfortable educating parents. Pediatricians and parents demonstrate knowledge gaps about the hymen.     

Enterprise systems and performance of future city logistics

Abstract

Future cities are driven by the developments in Information and Communication Technology to support the triple bottom line requirements of sustainability. Logistics will play a critical role in future cities due to the increasingly micro-dynamic nature of socio-economics of these cities and globalised production and consumption patterns. Enterprise systems (ES), the founding applications to automate and integrate different business processes, will be the key enablers for providing the necessary support required by the future city logistics. However, the implementation of ES and realisation of proposed benefits within the estimated time frame is challenging due to the huge resource requirements in terms of manpower, budget and time. This study takes the antecedent (critical success factors) approach for the implementation process to establish a success predictive model for the realisation of ES benefits. The partial least square regression has been used to test the model. Moreover, this study explores the impact of ES benefits on the logistics performance indicators to explore the synergies between them. This is fundamentally important because future city logistics will rely heavily on appropriately designed and implemented (enterprise) information systems.     

A systematic review of research into the management of manufacturing capabilities

Abstract

Our study aims to explore the past and present knowledge related to the management of manufacturing capabilities and to assess the extent to which our knowledge of this field has developed. It places specific emphasis on the philosophical foundations of the field, while also providing a set of directions for future research. A systematic review is applied, covering 104 articles. The authors unfold a strong dominance of the positivist paradigm and call for a more balanced and informed approach in philosophical and, more specifically, methodological selection by scholars. In terms of the research content, a strong bias exists towards measuring the impact that certain manufacturing capabilities and various configurations of these may have on key performance indicators, such as cost. Our review warns on the dangers of following a dominant paradigmatic stance and on the limitations of researching a limited area of the complex and dynamic manufacturing capabilities arena.     

Elder self neglect: A geriatric syndrome or a life course story?

AimsTo explore the unique aspects of the elder self-neglect phenomenon and to achieve phenomenological understanding of self-neglect through the eyes of self-neglecting elders.MethodA qualitative study based on a sample of 16 self-neglecting elders. Data collection was performed through in-depth semi-structured interviews, followed by content analysis.FindingsFour major themes emerged from the older participants: “I was unlucky:” a life course of suffering; “That's the way it is:” self-neglect as a routine of life; “They tell me that I'm disabled:” old age as exposing situations of self-neglect; “My empire:” how do I perceive my old age.ConclusionsSelf-neglect is not necessarily an issue of old age, but is related to the person's life history. Self-neglect as a way of life accompanied the participants into old age, but it was not originated or created there. The overall message of the self-neglecting elders was to see them as human beings and not as old neglected people; not to label them as an “age syndrome” but to perceive them in a holistic and humanistic manner.     

Survival of the fittest: capacity building for small nonprofit organizations

This paper discusses capacity building activities designed for small nonprofits who are members of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida's ADEPT program. The Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida (SHFBCF) is a nonprofit organization that collects, stores and distributes donated food to more than 450 nonprofit partners in Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties. This project sought to delineate, design, and implement the capacity building trainings desired by ADEPT member agencies. It also analyzed the relationship between the number of clients served, number of staff, number of volunteers, and the training needs. At the conclusion of the capacity building trainings, data was collected to gauge participants' perceptions of the capacity building trainings and their perceived impact on the effectiveness of the ADEPT Program and its member agencies. The generalizability and applicability of the research results to other small community-based organizations providing social and human services is also discussed.     

Dynamic performance of a hybrid inventory system with a Kanban policy in remanufacturing process

In this paper we study a hybrid system with both manufacturing and remanufacturing. The inventory control strategy we use in the manufacturing loop is an automatic pipeline, inventory and order based production control system (APIOBPCS). In the remanufacturing loop we employ a Kanban policy to represent a typical pull system. The methodology adopted uses control theory and simulation. The aim of the research is to analyse the dynamic (as distinct from the static) performance of the specified hybrid system. Dynamics have implications on total costs in terms of inventory holding, capacity utilisation and customer service failures. We analyse the parameter settings to find preferred “nominal”, “fast” and “slow” values in terms of system dynamics performance criteria such as rise time, settling time and overshoot. Based on these parameter settings, we investigate the robustness of the system to changes in return yield and the manufacturing/remanufacturing lead time. Our results clearly show that the system is robust with respect to the system dynamics performance and the remanufacturing process can help to improve system dynamics performance. Thus, the perceived benefits of remanufacturing of products, both environmentally and economically, as quoted in the literature are found not to be detrimental to system dynamics performance when a Kanban policy is used to control the remanufacturing process.