Rethinking the patient: using Burden of Treatment Theory to understand the changing dynamics of illness

<b>Background</b> In this article we outline Burden of Treatment Theory, a new model of the relationship between sick people, their social networks, and healthcare services. Health services face the challenge of growing populations with long-term and life-limiting conditions, they have responded to this by delegating to sick people and their networks routine work aimed at managing symptoms, and at retarding - and sometimes preventing - disease progression. This is the new proactive work of patient-hood for which patients are increasingly accountable: founded on ideas about self-care, self-empowerment, and self-actualization, and on new technologies and treatment modalities which can be shifted from the clinic into the community. These place new demands on sick people, which they may experience as burdens of treatment.<p></p> <b>Discussion</b> As the burdens accumulate some patients are overwhelmed, and the consequences are likely to be poor healthcare outcomes for individual patients, increasing strain on caregivers, and rising demand and costs of healthcare services. In the face of these challenges we need to better understand the resources that patients draw upon as they respond to the demands of both burdens of illness and burdens of treatment, and the ways that resources interact with healthcare utilization.<p></p> <b>Summary</b> Burden of Treatment Theory is oriented to understanding how capacity for action interacts with the work that stems from healthcare. Burden of Treatment Theory is a structural model that focuses on the work that patients and their networks do. It thus helps us understand variations in healthcare utilization and adherence in different healthcare settings and clinical contexts

The interface between transactional and relational orientation in small service firm's marketing behaviour

This paper presents and discusses findings of a cross-country study of small service firm marketing behavior. These findings demonstrate that small service firms are flexible in the marketing approaches that they adopt. They reveal that such firms are transactional and relational orientated in their marketing activities and that for growing firms, marketing activities are used to create short-term transactions and form relations with key stakeholders. This finding implies that transactional and relationship marketing should be regarded as complementary. The findings presented also demonstrate that the marketing approach selected by participating small firms is determined by a range of customer characteristics of which repeat business is only one. An integrated framework containing elements of transactional and relational approaches is proposed as an appropriate way of describing the marketing behaviours of investigated firms

Visor

A visor is a piece of plastic object that can protect or cover the eyes area. Visor is designed transparent to protect the face and eyes. Therefore, the visors can disguise as a mask. For example, some of helmet in suit of the armour can protect our eyes and in automobile, the driver or front passenger can lower the part of windshield to block the sun. In the year 1924, Hathway has invented the car visor. Originally, he calls it as the glare shield because its function to block out the harmful sun’s x-ray. Therefore, Henry Ford from the creator of the Ford company patented the Hathway’s invention in 1938 that led many innovations to Ford Corp. The main of this purpose is to reduce the direct sunlight to driver’s eyes

Exploring the role of servitization to overcome barriers for innovative energy efficiency technologies – the case of public LED street lighting in German municipalities

In this paper we analyse the case for public application of LED street lighting. Drawing from the energy services literature and transaction cost economics, we compare modes of lighting governance for modernisation. We argue that servitization can accelerate the commercialisation and diffusion of end-use energy demand reduction (EUED) technologies in the public sector if third party energy service companies (ESCo) overcome technological, institutional and economic barriers that accompany the introduction of such technologies resulting in transaction costs. This can only succeed with a supportive policy framework and an environment conducive towards the dissemination of specific technological and commercial knowledge required for the diffusion process

Optimizing Franchisee Sales and Business Performance in Retail Food Sector

This paper aims at identifying attributes of players in franchising process that contribute in delivering satisfaction in purchasing and operating the outlets in Mexico. The discussion also focuses the impact of cultural diversities in franchisee selection, outlet management and achieving high performance. Franchisee relationship has been evaluated in reference to principal determinants attributing to the enhancement of satisfaction and strengthening franchisor-franchisee ties. It has been observed in the study that performance of franchisee outlets is a function of outlet attraction, supply and manufacturing management, quality, price, and promotional strategies as functional factors. Besides, relational variables including personalized customer services, leisure support and customer convenience also influence the performance of outlets.Franchising, performance measurement, market demand, sales management, retailing, store organization, pricing, promotional strategies, customer value and business growth