Healthy People in a Healthy Economy: A Blueprint for Action in Massachusetts

Examines the recession's effects on health and the cost of chronic disease. Suggests proven strategies for schools, municipalities, state government, payers, employers, the food industry, physicians, philanthropies, and media to promote healthy behaviors

Effectiveness of HRD for developing SMEs in South Asia

Today South Asia is host to a large youth bulge which is entering the labor market every year posing challenging questions for the national governments in the context of employable skills, space for entrepreneurship, innovation and economic freedom. SME sector provides an opportunity for the young to exercise their ideas and ideals. However a prerequisite for the young to be innovate is the how countries produce and retain a high end human capital. This study provides a review of national socio-economic policies in South Asian region - which answer such challenges.human resource development, small and medium enterprises, economic growth, competitiveness

FOOD, NUTRITION, CULINARY, AND PACKAGING SCIENCE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH, EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FOCUSING ON CHILDHOOD NUTRITION

The objective of this research project was to develop a two-semester Applied Interdisciplinary Product Development (AIPD) course for sophomore students in the Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences (FNPS) department that would increase students’ confidence in skills pertaining to product development of food products and childhood nutrition, increase their sense of connection with the department, and would better prepare them to enter industry than students that did not participate in the course. A Subject Knowledge Assessment (SKA) was used to evaluate the mean difference value (MDV) of food science, nutrition, packaging science, and general product development knowledge gained through the AIPD course. An Exit Questionnaire (EQ) was used to evaluate attitudes pertaining to product development knowledge and skills, pedagogy, department engagement, and industry readiness. The Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) evaluates a student’s level of importance and resultant satisfaction with various aspects of their college or university experience. For this research study, the SSI was used to evaluate responses of the treatment group before and after the AIPD course. SKA results indicated that the MDV were significantly different between the treatment and control groups in the overall score and in every subject score area except packaging science. EQ quantitative results indicated that mean scores between the treatment and control groups were significantly different in seven of the nine statements pertaining to product development knowledge and skills, both statements pertaining to pedagogy, and the statement pertaining to department engagement. EQ qualitative results indicated that the response to working in interdisciplinary teams was exceptionally positive. Students embraced the two-semester course format and experiential learning elements. Some students commented on the desire for more structure, greater clarity in objectives, and well-defined deadlines. For the SSI, the level of satisfaction of the item “The instruction in my major field is excellent.” was significantly lower in the post-response of the treatment group than the pre-response. Overall, the research project was considered a successful intervention for engaging sophomores, increasing students’ confidence in skills pertaining to product development of food products and childhood nutrition, increasing engagement with the FNPS department, increasing industry readiness of students for internships and co-ops

Use of the Silver-Level Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate as a Pre-hire Screening Tool

At a statewide level in Arkansas, the Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate (ACRC) is marketed as a means for assessing and exhibiting individual worker skill levels and as an additional aggregate credential to be presented alongside high school and college degree attainment levels. Employers from multiple sectors use the ACRC as a pre-hire screening tool and to determine incumbent worker eligibility for advancement. Despite having been in place in the state for nearly a decade with over 65,000 Arkansans earning an ACRC, prior to this study no research had been conducted to determine the effectiveness of the ACRC as a pre-hire screening tool. The research question of this study focused on the silver-level ACRC and the perception of human resource managers at manufacturing firms in Arkansas regarding the certificate’s influence on hiring higher-performing employees. The study sought out the managers’ perceptions related to employee safety, productivity, and retention. Data collection for this mixed methods study was conducted in two phases. The first phase included an online quantitative survey of 23 human resource managers at manufacturing firms in Arkansas. The second phase included in-person interviews of a subset of the original survey participants. Nine interviews were conducted to further explore the issues of employee safety, productivity, and retention as related to the ACRC. Findings from the study concluded that use of the silver-level Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate as a pre-hire screening tool does lead to hiring higher performing employees. This study further concluded that employee productivity is positively impacted more than safety or retention, and that overall performance of employees with the certificate was improved as compared to those without it

Employment in Poland 2007: Security on flexible labour market

This Report is a third in the series Employment in Poland. It consists of four Parts, devoted to empirical analysis of the impact of macroeconomic shocks on EU New Member States labour markets‘ in 1996-2006; utilization of flexible forms of employment on Polish labor market, determinants of wages and wage inequalities in Poland; effectiveness of ALMP in Poland, respectively. In Part I, we present how the cyclical upturn propagated on Polish labour market in 2003-2007 and how the performance of that market evolved relatively to other EU countries. Then we apply a panel SVECM to study propagation of macroeconomic shocks in eight CEE countries which joined the EU in 2004. We show that demand side shocks (foreign demand and labour demand shocks) were of foremost importance to unemployment and employment fluctuations in the region. At the same time, we argue that the wage shocks, thought of as wage rigidities, were important internal disturbances affecting the developments on the labour markets in the region. Part II is devoted to atypical forms of labour employment. We show that in all CEE countries the incidence of nonstandard employment arrangements is much lower than in Western Europe. Although Poland stands out in the whole EU with its dynamic spread of temporary employment and integration of temporary work agencies in the functioning of the labour market, in general the potential of atypical employment in Poland and other CEE is largely unfulfilled when it comes to work- life balance or supporting the economic activity of people who find it difficult to work full-time due to age or health reasons. In case of Poland, we study in more detailed way the legal, infrastructural and tax-related factors affecting the utilisation of nonstandard forms of employment. In Part III, we study wage developments in Poland from macro- and micro-perspective alike. We argue that wage growth in Poland exhibited a significant inertia during the transition period. We find that the concurrent rise of wage inequalities in Poland was due to the fact that rapid technological progress favoured some professional and social groups more than others. The increasing return on formal education and rising premiums on work in managerial positions as well as increasingly diverse individual and market characteristics of Polish workers seem to play the key role. The public sector stands out with higher wage compression than private sector. We show also that, in international comparison, the gender wage gap in Poland is relatively small. Notwithstanding the above, even if differences in individual and employer characteristics as well as working time are taken into consideration, women still earn about ten percent less than men. Part IV focuses active labour market policies (ALMP). We assess the ALMP spending and structure in Poland and we use the survey, conducted for the purposes of this Report, to study to effectiveness of ALMP. To our knowledge, it is the first attempt at producing a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation of ALMP effectiveness in Poland in the recent years. Applying Propensity Score Matching, we find that intervention and public works turn out to be completely inefficient when it comes to enhancing employment chances of the unemployed. At the same time, even for those programs that are characterised by positive net efficiency, such as internships and traineeships, the deadweight loss is also high, i.e. support is extended to groups whose situation is relatively good, whereas more difficult cases are neglected. Thus, the placement of ALMP participants in Poland is sub-optimal, which partly reflects very poor job broking and counseling done by PES. We complete the report with policy implications

Career and Technical Education: Developing a Well-Equipped Workforce

Evidence today suggests there is a skills gap among employable young adults. This study was based on a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program evaluation that was conducted in a rural school district in North Carolina. The study examined the perceptions of the program by CTE High School teachers, CTE Community College instructors, CTE local employers, and CTE program graduates. The focus was the overall functioning of the program and its ability to form students who are college and career ready through attainment of important future ready attributes. The study was conducted through a mixed methods approach. Data were collected from two instruments. First, quantitative data were collected by the completion of a survey. Next, qualitative data were collected from focus group interviews. Collecting the quantitative data first, and then further explaining the responses through qualitative data, formed an explanatory sequential design. Two important resources that were used to determine components of effectiveness included the 12 elements from the National Assessment of Career and Technical Education framework and the 17 attributes of a North Carolina future ready graduate. Together, these resources aligned with categories connected to college and career readiness. Data found that strengths of the district CTE program included academic and skill attainment, partnership opportunities, and workplace alignment. The greatest weakness involved fluent communication between the CTE groups

Advancing adult learning in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

This report presents available evidence on adult education and training in Europe and Central Asia (ECA), differentiating two separate types: continuing vocational education and training (CVET) for the employed, sought either by employers or individuals, and retraining and second chance education for the non?employed. This paper presents available evidence on the extent and patterns of lifelong learning in ECA. It argues that advancing adult education and training in ECA is important not only to meet the new skills demands but also to respond to a rapidly worsening demographic outlook across most of the region. While it is not equally important for all ECA countries, adult education and training should be high on the agenda of those ECA economies that are closest to the technological frontier and facing a demographic decline, such as the new European Union (EU) member States and Russia. The paper lays out a framework for government action to advance adult learning in ECA through a mix consisting of policy coordination between government and the enterprise sector, a sound regulatory regime and appropriate financial incentives.Access&Equity in Basic Education,Education For All,Primary Education,Teaching and Learning,Gender and Education

Green Jobs in a Sustainable Food System

The U.S. food sector is among the most productive in the world and is a significant driver of our economy. Yet, it's failing us in major ways -- putting public health, livelihoods and our environment at great risk. Obesity and diabetes rates are rising, communities are plagued by food deserts, and agriculture runoff is the biggest source of pollution in our rivers and lakes.The good news is that communities across the country are addressing this crisis in innovative ways. Through different community-based efforts, local activists and food advocates are finding ways to improve community health and environmental outcomes while creating a more economically equitable food system.It is within this context that this report identifies opportunities to transform jobs in the green economy and enhance environmental and economic equity outcomes in the future. The initial analysis promises opportunities for workers to build long-term skills, and emphasizes the importance of linking local efforts to broader regional and national policy platforms. This multi-level engagement and collaboration will help set in motion the systemic changes needed to create a more sustainable and equitable food system

THE INTEGRAL ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND THEIR IMPACT ON LEAN IMPLEMENTATION SUCCESS

ABSTRACT The increasingly competitive nature of the manufacturing industry has forced manufacturers to examine alternatives to traditional management philosophies. Although lean\u27s success had been proven it was not uncommon for companies that opt to implement lean concepts to meet with mixed results and sometimes even outright failure. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between organizational characteristics and issues associated with lean implementation. The study identified the following organizational characteristics (a) organizational leadership, (b) organizational culture, and (c) organizational change and examined the role each played in lean implementation efforts. The study also looked at sixteen individual (d) intrinsic organizational characteristics to determine the extent to which each impacted lean implementation efforts. The study utilized both qualitative and quantitative research tools. The qualitative component utilized both document analysis and interviews. The interviews were conducted with area business leaders who were members of the Department of Technology\u27s Industrial Advisory Committee at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The quantitative component utilized a separate on-line survey that was developed and administered to members of the Illinois Manufacturers\u27 Association. Results indicated highly capable leadership was the number one indicator of success for organizations that made the transition to lean. Other key factors included communication channels with an effective feedback system, the development of collaborative relationships between management and employees, being well versed in the practice of change management, and understanding how to effect change of cultural mores within an organization. The implications of understanding how the organizational characteristics discussed in the study affected lean implementation empowered organizations to effect change more successfully. The goal of implementing lean successfully required much more than a step by step process of implementing the lean tools in a particular order. It required a broad understanding of the things which cannot be seen; things such as, what constitutes highly capable leadership, knowing how to change the mores of organizational culture, and understanding how to overcome the barriers to successful change management. Understanding these complex relationships provided the basis upon which to advance lean implementation theory where it had been only marginally successful

Formalized Mentoring Program Model

This study focused upon the development of a formalized mentoring program model designed to facilitate the career development of aspiring administrators. The formalized mentoring program model consisted of key components that were found within the disciplines of andragogy, training/staff development, motivation, and educational psychology. Five elements were identified within the discipline of andragogy as essential ingredients of the formalized mentoring program model: (1) Self-directed learning, (2) Accumulated experience, (3) Readiness to learn, (4) Problem-centered orientation, (5) Educative environment. The best practices for staff development within the formalized mentoring program model were listed. Within the discipline of educational psychology, change was identified as the most important feature of the formalized mentoring program model. Four career stages were also incorporated. The humanistic approach to motivation was basic to the formalized mentoring program model. The implementation chronology of the mentoring program model was outlined, and served as an integral feature of the model; The following recommendations were offered: that organizations should (1) sponsor and support formalized mentoring programs as a regular component of their career development programs; (2) encourage a climate or organizational culture that is humanistic in approach and attitude, as a prior condition to the implementation of a formalized mentoring program; (3) utilize a formalized mentoring program model, and implementation chronology to initiate a formalized mentoring program; The following recommendations were offered for further study: (1) An implementation study should be conducted to apply the formalized mentoring program model in a school district; (2) A validation study should be conducted to determine the impact of the formalized mentoring program model on large, medium, and small sized school districts; (3) A validation study should be conducted to determine the impact of the formalized mentoring program upon the career development of aspiring administrators; (4) A longitudinal study should be conducted to determine the impact of the formalized mentoring program model upon effectiveness of administrators