Valuable assets: phase 2 of a general formal investigation into the role and status of classroom assistants in Scotland's secondary and special schools

The aim of this research is to extend existing data by considering classroom assistants in secondary and special schools in Scotland. The research examines the work and employment of classroom assistants and in particular explores the reasons for any role stretch amongst this group

Higher and Further Education Students' Income, Expenditure and Debt in Scotland 2007-08

This report presents findings from the second study of the income, expenditure and debt of students studying higher education (HE) and further education (FE) in Scotland in 2007-08. The study was commissioned by the Scottish Government and conducted by the Scottish Centre for Employment Research at the University of Strathclyde Business School in conjunction with colleagues from the Business School and Department of Economics of the University of Glasgow. The aim of the study is to examine Scottish-domiciled higher and further education students' finances, particularly their income, expenditure, debt and savings, and their attitudes to the financing of study in Scotland. Where appropriate this data is then compared to the findings of the previous 2004-05 Scottish survey as well as a control group of young Scots who are not students

Impact of robotics-led organisational change on the pharmacy workforce - preliminary findings : report for the pharmacy & prescribing support unit, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde

This report looks at the preliminary findings on the impact of robotics-led organisational change on the pharmacy workforc

Impact of large-scale automation on healthcare staff

New technological advancements are often a driver for change in the redesign of services. More research is needed to better understand the impact of socio-technical dimensions on the implementation of new technological systems in hospital pharmacy. This paper aims to analyse the experiences arising from the large-scale automation of medicines distribution. The introduction of new technology may not only lead to unintended first-order consequences, but can also generate potentially serious adverse feedback loops between the social and technical dimensions. In addition, the longer-term impact of new technology may be quite different for different groups of healthcare staff

Innovation in healthcare systems : a socio-technical perspective

We have investigated the large-scale automation of medicines distribution in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, which is the largest regional health organisation in the UK. The pharmacy service is delivered on 14 hospital sites, involving approximately 530 pharmacy staff and an annual expenditure on medicines of around €138 million.The empirical evidence on the success of technological innovations in healthcare systems is decidedly mixed. There is considerable evidence on both theoretical and empirical grounds that the severity of implementation problems is likely to increase disproportionately with the scale and complexity of a healthcare technology installation. A key finding from the initial stage of our research was that the introduction of new technology in healthcare may not only lead to unintended first-order consequences such as initial staff resistance, but can also generate potentially serious adverse feedback loops between the social and technical dimensions of the new system. A key finding from the second stage of the research is that the longer-term impact of new technology may be quite different for different groups of healthcare staff. New automated systems may free front-stage staff from more routine administrative activities, enabling them to spend more time directly with patients. On the other hand, back-stage staff may well find that their learning opportunities and promotion possibilities are curtailed as a result

Genome-wide association and linkage identify modifier loci of lung disease severity in cystic fibrosis at 11p13 and 20q13.2

A combined genome-wide association and linkage study was used to identify loci causing variation in CF lung disease severity. A significant association (P=3. 34 × 10-8) near EHF and APIP (chr11p13) was identified in F508del homozygotes (n=1,978). The association replicated in F508del homozygotes (P=0.006) from a separate family-based study (n=557), with P=1.49 × 10-9 for the three-study joint meta-analysis. Linkage analysis of 486 sibling pairs from the family-based study identified a significant QTL on chromosome 20q13.2 (LOD=5.03). Our findings provide insight into the causes of variation in lung disease severity in CF and suggest new therapeutic targets for this life-limiting disorder

The Five Obstacles that Hamper Better Understanding of Graduate Labour and Skills

This Issues Paper focuses on understanding the supply,demand, development and deployment of graduate skills. Successive governments across the UK have sought to expand higher education. The assumption is that this wave of graduates will be used differently in the workplace, in turn pushing firms up the value chain,thereby creating a high skill, high valued-added economy. While policy makers have not questioned the importance of graduate skills, more recently there has been at least some recognition that demand matters as well as supply. However policy thinking is not helped by the differing academic accounts of the impact of graduate labour. This Issues Paper sets out the limitations offered by these differing accounts and argues that they highlight the methodological and conceptual limitations of current research of graduate labour. These limitations are obstacles that need to be overcome to improve both academic understanding and government policy thinking about the impact of graduates in the workplace

The forgotten factories : suppliers, supermarkets and dignity at work in the contemporary economy

Paper examining dignity at work in terms of the relationship between suppliers and supermarkets in the modern economy

'At the end of the day they want the stuff out of the door and they don't care how we do it' : understanding the nature of work in grocery distribution and warehousing

This paper explores the dynamics of organisational restructuring and the changing nature of work in distribution centres that supply the UK major multiples. Retail supply chains, involving the large supermarkets, are a central feature of the contemporary service economy. The consequences of the market domination of the major retailers have featured prominently in public policy debate. For supermarkets to meet their profit and expansion targets, a reliable and cost-efficient network of supply organisations and an efficient distribution network that ensure the product reaches the stores is essential. Grocery distribution and warehousing provides the vital link between food manufacturing and customer satisfaction and consumption within the stores. There is some research which explores the implications of these inter-firm relationships for work organisation within the sector. Referring to the instigation of ‘lean logistics’, Wright and Lund’s (2003, 2006) studies of the Australian grocery and distribution industry highlight the impact of retailer dominance on the supply chain and illustrates a general shift in work organisation. They highlight a range of information technologies, such as supply chain management, warehouse and transport management systems, which enable the integration of data across the supply chain. This research indicates the variations in the resulting labour use strategies suggesting that within this highly concentrated product market the nature of workplace change amongst these inter-linked organisations has become increasingly complex and dependent on a range of contingencies. The Institute of Grocery Distribution (2007) also indicates that the UK is increasingly recognized for its 'leading edge performance' within the highly demanding food and grocery logistic sector. Indeed 94.3% of food and grocery stock is supplied via a retail warehouse rather than direct from supplier to store with evidence suggesting that overall warehouse stock inventories increasing (IGD 2007). Drawing from qualitative research evidence from four case-study organisations our research examines how organisational restructuring and changing inter-firm relations impacts upon employment and workplace practices with distributors and warehousing. We explore how and at whose instigation the nature of work is changing within these inter-linked organisations. The case-studies have been selected to represent the diversity within the sector; notably two from third-party distribution and warehousing companies and two supermarket distribution depots. In each case-study a number of semi-structured interviews with key managers and trade union representatives were conducted coupled with focus groups with warehouse staff and drivers. Some of these themes referred to above do recur in our study. Indeed much of the research evidence highlights classic labour process issues – notably changes in work organisation, the impact of technology, work intensification, skill utilisation, and employee voice. But we want to add an emphasis on what is under-researched: notably the impact of dominant customer in shaping the direction and nature of work restructuring within these distribution and warehousing organisations. Analytically, we wish to contribute to the growing debate on inter-organisational relations that requires a framework that moves beyond the characteristic labour process focus on immediate workplace dynamics per se. Our concern therefore is to understand the nature of work within these organisations as part of a wider configuration of production, distribution, exchange and consumption (Glucksmann 2005)

The role of trade unions in effective skills utilisation : three Scottish case studies

This report explores the issue from the unique perspective of workers and trade unions rather than that of employers