Service Charge Management at the Dawning of the Age of the Professional Statement

Purpose – The paper provides a snapshot analysis on the state of service charge management at the point in which its regulatory framework by RICS changed from a voluntary code of practice to a mandatory professional statement. Design/methodology/approach – The data consist of a unique eight-year longitudinal study of service charge statements and practice (2010-2017). Because of the confidential nature of such business-sensitive information, these are a priceless study of real world practice over such a long period and are able to illustrate both annual compliance, but also the year-on-year changes. Given this, it is recognised that data are skewed in favour of compliance because they are derived from an actively managed portfolio. Findings –The results continue to illustrate long-running problems of non-compliance with ‘required’ metrics. Given the inherent bias in the data, this is especially difficult to excuse. The paper also analyses the results in the light of the new RICS professional statement, which requires mandatory compliance. Whilst some of the metrics are advisory, there remain questions over how the RICS might realistically enforce so many practitioners to change their existing performance and how willing the Institution might be to actually prosecute failure. It also revisits the issue of institutionalised benchmarking of standards. Intriguingly, there are islands of almost perfect compliance, which offers an interesting contrast and raises further research questions on why some practitioners provide such exemplary work. Research limitations/implications – The data are derived from the clients of a UK property management consultancy. This does preclude any randomness to the sampling. However, the richness of the data and the methodology adopted provide valid data. Originality/value – This work offers both unique data and an eight year longitudinal analysis, but also a timely comparison with the requirements within a new RICS Professional Statement. This shift in regulatory regime reinforces the value of the work

Formality and Informality and the Generation of Occupational Performance: a case study on the commercial service charge

Purpose (limit 100 words) The paper utilises formality-informality modelling to examine occupational change, using commercial service charge management as its case study. Design/methodology/approach (limit 100 words) This is a conceptual paper that develops a typology for applying formalisation to occupational change and then utilises historiography to generate a narrative on the evolution of service charge management. Findings (limit 100 words) Formality is seen as a method of improving transparency and performance, as a 'modern' response to a range complaints about professional performance. Whilst real improvement failed to develop, a 'snowball' of continued formalisation remained the perceived solution leading to centralisation of measures of professional performance. Research limitations/implications (limit 100 words) The work is a conceptual paper that develops a historiography on the development of service charge administrative practice. Whilst it relies on objective data and secondary literature, the narrative that is developed is subjective and interpretive. Originality/value (limit 100 words) The conceptual nature of the work offers potential insights into occupational organisation. It suggests that formalising procedures in itself does not improve performance

Can the collective intentions of individual professionals within healthcare teams predict the team's performance : developing methods and theory

Background: Within implementation research, using theory-based approaches to understanding the behaviours of healthcare professionals and the quality of care that they reflect and designing interventions to change them is being promoted. However, such approaches lead to a new range of methodological and theoretical challenges pre-eminent among which are how to appropriately relate predictors of individual's behaviour to measures of the behaviour of healthcare professionals .The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the theory of planned behaviour proximal predictors of behaviour (intention and perceived behavioural control, or PBC) and practice level behaviour. This was done in the context of two clinical behaviours – statin prescription and foot examination – in the management of patients with diabetes mellitus in primary care. Scores for the predictor variables were aggregated over healthcare professionals using four methods: simple mean of all primary care team members' intention scores; highest intention score combined with PBC of the highest intender in the team; highest intention score combined with the highest PBC score in the team; the scores (on both constructs) of the team member identified as having primary responsibility for the clinical behaviour. Methods: Scores on theory-based cognitive variables were collected by postal questionnaire survey from a sample of primary care doctors and nurses from northeast England and the Netherlands. Data on two clinical behaviours were patient reported, and collected by postal questionnaire survey. Planned analyses explored the predictive value of various aggregations of intention and PBC in explaining variance in the behavioural data. Results: Across the two countries and two behaviours, responses were received from 37 to 78% of healthcare professionals in 57 to 93% practices; 51% (UK) and 69% (Netherlands) of patients surveyed responded. None of the aggregations of cognitions predicted statin prescription. The highest intention in the team (irrespective of PBC) was a significant predictor of foot examination Conclusion: These approaches to aggregating individually-administered measures may be a methodological advance of theoretical importance. Using simple means of individual-level measures to explain team-level behaviours is neither theoretically plausible nor empirically supported; the highest intention was both predictive and plausible. In studies aiming to understand the behaviours of teams of healthcare professionals in managing chronic diseases, some sort of aggregation of measures from individuals is necessary. This is not simply a methodological point, but a necessary step in advancing the theoretical and practical understanding of the processes that lead to implementation of clinical behaviours within healthcare teams

Rola samorządów w kształtowaniu polityki mieszkaniowej. Przykład Wielkiej Brytanii

Paper describes the role of UK local government in generating housing polic

Understanding of BRCA VUS genetic results by breast cancer specialists.

BACKGROUND: Mainstreaming genetic medicine, increased media coverage and clinical trials for BRCA mutation carriers are leading oncologists into more patient discussions about BRCA genetic testing. BRCA variants of uncertain significance (VUS) occur in 10-20% of tests. VUS detection introduces additional uncertainty for patient and potentially clinician. We aimed to explore the ability of breast cancer specialists (BCS) in the UK to correctly respond to a VUS report. METHODS: A survey sent to 800 UK BCS collected demographics data, VUS general knowledge and interpretation and communication based on two genetics reports. A separate survey of UK clinical geneticists collected demographics data, laboratory reporting practice and methods used to clarify VUS pathogenicity including classification systems. RESULTS: Of the 155 BCS (22.5%) who completed the survey, 12% reported no genetics training. Ninety five percent referred patients for BRCA genetic tests, 71% felt unsure about the clinical implications of the test reports presented here. A VUS report from a patient with a positive family history was interpreted and theoretically communicated correctly by 94% but when presented with a different VUS report with no management guidance and negative family history, 39% did not know how to communicate this result to the patient. Geneticists reported multiple VUS classification systems; the most commonly used was word-based in 32%. CONCLUSIONS: A consistent and standardised format to report particularly VUS results across all diagnostic laboratories plus additional training of UK BCS will be necessary for effective mainstreaming of BRCA testing to the oncology clinic

Development of Conceptual Motivation Framework to Enhance Construction Labour Productivity in the UK

Motivation is essential because labour performance depends on motivation. The study presents vital motivation factors influencing labour productivity and the relationship between social compliance, motivation, and productivity for decision-making. The construction industry in the U.K. is to become the largest construction market by 2030. However, construction productivity in the U.K. is low relative to other industries, resulting in a skilled labour shortage and low productivity growth. Hence, the opportunities for research to improve productivity in constructing for the future through motivation by social compliance. The study conducts a critical literature review of 32 significant motivation and productivity articles from construction and other industries in an online database to identify 31 factors. The findings indicate that motivation mediates social compliance and productivity. The study developed a conceptual motivation framework that indicates a positive relationship with motivation, social compliance, and productivity. The next stage is empirically testing the framework on sites

Risk factors for alloimmunisation in the general patient population

For hospitals providing services to regional populations, difficulties are associated with transferred patients with poorly communicated medical history and a risk of alloimmunisation. Identification of patients at risk would assist in treatment planning. A retrospective study of alloimmunised patients was undertaken, comparing the demographics and diagnoses of this population with a control patient population. A preponderance of diagnoses of Sepsis, Haematological Malignancy, GIT Bleeds and Renal Failure was demonstrated in the alloimmunised population. Consistent with prior studies, RhD negative patients and female patients were over-represented in the study group, which was also on average significantly older

Energetic particle observations at the subsolar magnetopause

International audienceThe pitch-angle distributions (PAD) of energetic particles are examined as the ISEE-1 satellite crosses the Earth's magnetopause near the subsolar point. The investigation focuses on the possible existence of a particular type of distribution that would be associated with a source of energetic particles in the high-latitude magnetosphere. PADs, demonstrating broad, persistent field-aligned fluxes filling a single hemisphere (upper/northern or lower/southern), were observed just sunward of the magnetopause current layer for an extended period of many minutes. These distributions are a direct prediction of a possible source of energetic particles located in the high altitude dayside cusp and we present five examples in detail of the three-dimensional particle distributions to demonstrate their existence. From these results, other possible causes of such PADs are examined

Development of Conceptual Motivational Framework to Improve Construction Labour Productivity in the U.K.

The theoretical study presents vital motivational factors influencing labour productivity and understanding the relationship between motivation, social compliance, and labour productivity for decision-making. Labour motivation is essential because the quality of labour performance depends upon motivation. Labour who put forth more effort makes a big difference in company productivity. The construction industry in the U.K. is to become Europe’s largest construction market by 2030. However, the trend of construction industry productivity in the U.K. has been low relative to other industries resulting in a skilled labour shortage, project delays, high construction costs, and low productivity growth as foreign migrants execute most projects. The U.K. serves as a security for the concerns of Middle Eastern and other war-torn countries, including the effects of the Ukraine war. It is the largest market for U.S.A. service exports, thus accepting more migrants. Therefore, demands for housing projects are ever-increasing, leading to a rise in construction projects that present opportunities for research to improve productivity through motivation by enhancing social compliance. The findings indicate that motivation mediates social compliance and labour productivity and that the essential way to motivate labour is by upholding social compliance. The present study conducts a comprehensive literature review to identify motivational factors influencing labour productivity. The findings developed a conceptual motivational framework that indicates a positive relationship between motivation, social compliance, and labour productivity. The next level is to test the framework on construction sites empirically through pragmatism philosophy with quantitative and qualitative approaches

Team climate and quality of care in primary health care: a review of studies using the Team Climate Inventory in the United Kingdom

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Attributes of teams could affect the quality of care delivered in primary care. The aim of this study was to systematically review studies conducted within the UK NHS primary care that have measured team climate using the Team Climate Inventory (TCI), and to describe, if reported, the relationship between the TCI and measures of quality of care.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched. The reference lists of included article were checked and one relevant journal was hand-searched. Eight papers were included. Three studies used a random sample; the remaining five used convenience or purposive samples. Six studies were cross sectional surveys, whilst two were before and after studies. Four studies examined the relationship between team climate and quality of care. Only one study found a positive association between team climate and higher quality care in patients with diabetes, positive patient satisfaction and self-reported effectiveness.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>While the TCI has been used to measure team attributes in primary care settings in the UK it is difficult to generalise from these data. A small number of studies reported higher TCI scores being associated with only certain aspects of quality of care; reasons for the pattern of association are unclear. There are a number of methodological challenges to conducting such studies in routine service settings. Further research is needed in order to understand how to measure team functioning in relation to quality of care.</p