Cultivating a Healthy Second Nature - Nature, Culture, and Morality in Danish Parents’ Narratives about their Children’s Overweight and Weight Loss

Professional explanations for the causes of childhood overweight vary greatly and no particular weight loss methods have proved successful. Nevertheless, parents are generally regarded as primarily to blame for overweight children and also perceived as key to successful weight loss. Based on semi-structured interviews with twelve mothers and two fathers of overweight preschool children, we use a narrative approach to focus on parents’ own aetiological explanations as well as their hopes for a resolution. In their stories of how their children became overweight, parents draw on a number of explanations that refer to both natural and cultural causes which to a large extent mirror the available professional explanations, and in their stories of future possibilities, parents hope to develop a healthy second nature in their children. We argue that the parents employ these hopes and explanations as narrative devices to position themselves as moral actors in relation to the prevalent and widespread idea of childhood overweight as caused by parental failure. The parents’ narratives offer valuable insight into the exceptionally morally charged position of parenting within the social and cultural context of childhood overweight and weight loss

Cultivating a Healthy Second Nature - Nature, Culture, and Morality in Danish Parents’ Narratives about their Children’s Overweight and Weight Loss

Professional explanations for the causes of childhood overweight vary greatly and no particular weight loss methods have proved successful. Nevertheless, parents are generally regarded as primarily to blame for overweight children and also perceived as key to successful weight loss. Based on semi-structured interviews with twelve mothers and two fathers of overweight preschool children, we use a narrative approach to focus on parents’ own aetiological explanations as well as their hopes for a resolution. In their stories of how their children became overweight, parents draw on a number of explanations that refer to both natural and cultural causes which to a large extent mirror the available professional explanations, and in their stories of future possibilities, parents hope to develop a healthy second nature in their children. We argue that the parents employ these hopes and explanations as narrative devices to position themselves as moral actors in relation to the prevalent and widespread idea of childhood overweight as caused by parental failure. The parents’ narratives offer valuable insight into the exceptionally morally charged position of parenting within the social and cultural context of childhood overweight and weight loss

How doctors build community and socialize into a clinical department through morning reports. A positioning theory study

PHENOMENON: The morning report is one of the longest surviving hospital practices. Most studies of the morning report focus on the effectiveness of formal medical training, while focus on social and communicative aspects is rarer. This study explores the social interactions and communication in morning reports, examining the ways in which they contribute to the construction of professional identity and socialization into the community of the clinical department.APPROACH: We used a qualitative explorative design with video observations of morning reports. Our data consisted of 43 video-recorded observations (in all, 15.5 hours) from four different hospital departments in Denmark. These were analyzed using the theoretical framework of positioning theory.FINDINGS: A key finding was that each department followed its own individual structure. This order was not articulated as such but played out implictly. Two alternative storylines unfolded in the elements of the morning report: 1) being equal members of the specialty and department, and 2) preserving the hierarchical community and its inherent positions.INSIGHTS: The morning report can be seen as playing an important role in community making. It unfolds as a "dance" of repeated elements in a complex collegial space. Within this complexity, the morning report is a space for positioning oneself and others as a collegial "we", i.e., equal members of a department and specialty, at the same time as "having a place" in a hierarchal community. Thus, morning reports contribute to developing professional identity and socialization into the medical community.</p

Classification and biomarker identification of prostate tissue from TRAMP mice with hyperpolarized 13C-SIRA

publishedVersio

Science in the clinic: a qualitative study of the positioning of MD-PhDs in the everyday clinical setting

Abstract Background MD-PhDs have been hailed as significant to the advancement of medicine and health care. Yet when it comes to which positions MD-PhDs should be holding in the clinic and the academic world, there seems to be no real consensus. This article examines the ways in which a PhD-degree may contribute to medical doctors’ professional practice in the clinic and discusses the positioning of MD-PhDs in the clinic. Methods The study is explorative and qualitative, based on interviews with MD-PhDs, their physician colleagues without a PhD-degree, and their leaders. Positioning theory was applied as the analytical framework for data analysis. Results We found two opposing positions cutting across the groups of informants with one side critiquing the MD-PhDs for not doing enough research and for using the PhD-degree to climb the career ladder, while the other side emphasized the ways in which MD-PhDs increase the clinical focus on evidence-based medicine and integrate it with clinical decision making, thereby enhancing patient care. Conclusions A debate is needed to establish more clearly how we wish to position MD-PhDs in the clinic, which in turn will give us a better idea of how many to educate and how to make better use of their competencies

Kingsland AS

We wrote our bachelor thesis project in cooperation with Kingsland AS, a Norwegian brand of high-end equestrian apparel. They have expanded successfully in Europe, and are in the process of expanding to both Asia and the U.S. Kingsland has had operations in the U.S. since 2008, but the U.S. market entry has been challenging due to problems with their distributors. This has led to difficulties in establishing brand value and a unique positioning in the market. Because of these problems Kingsland wants more control over their U.S. operations, and is now reviewing their options. Our client wanted us to develop a detailed marketing plan on how Kingsland should re-enter the U.S. equestrian market. We have studied the industry and the target market in the U.S. The focus has been on retailer purchasing behavior, consumer behavior and customer demand. In order to clarify the U.S. market, conducting research was essential. We gathered secondary data to develop general knowledge about the industry and the target market. Secondly, we conducted primary data through both qualitative and quantitative research. The qualitative part consisted of depth-interviews, both with a local retailer, and with an experienced female equestrian. The quantitative consisted of an online consumer survey and a telephone retailer survey. In addition, we met with the CEO of Kingsland, Carsten Mikkelsen, and went with him on an exhibition for retailers in the industry. The research indicated that the industry of English equestrian apparel size is approximately $400-$700 million, and the financial growth since the recession has led to a growth in demand for equestrian apparel. The retailer situation is fragmented with over 1000 retailers. The majority of retailers determine their product offerings based on customer demand, and about 50% know or have heard of Kingsland. The competition is high, with primary competitors such as Ariat, Pikeur, Tailored Sportsman, Kerrits and Ovation. Kingsland’s competitive advantage is their unique breeches concept, their European style and exceptional quality. The consumer research indicated that most of the respondents had heard of Kingsland, but very few were familiar with the brand. We also discovered that Kingsland’s product line might be too decorative for the U.S. consumer who tends to prefer more conservative products. Based on our research, we have developed our recommended strategy that can be divided into five subcategories; branding, product line, price, retailer and consumer. The branding strategy consists of a recommendation of brand positioning in the U.S., and a change of logo. Concerning the product line strategy, we recommend that Kingsland only introduce their competitive product line of show jumping and dressage, in addition to their Breeches Concept. The pricing strategy recommends Kingsland to adjust some of their prices to remain above-market, but still at a premium price point. The retailer strategy consists of building relationship with high-end retailers in the industry. In final, the consumer strategy consists of recommendations on promotional activities, such as sponsorship, ads in magazines, catalogs and a social media plan. LIMITATIONS It is taken into consideration that the study conducted has limitations. The study does not include the entire U.S. equestrian market, but a niche within the market that might deviate from other equestrians. Further, the marketing budget is quite small for covering such an extensive market. In addition, limitations during primary research occurred and did affect the reliability and validity of the research findings