Employing the Internal Marketing Theory to Explain How Knowledge Dissemination Can Be Enhanced in Organizations

Knowledge dissemination has been found to contribute positively to a firm’s performance. The internal marketing theory was employed to investigate how knowledge can be effectively disseminated in organizations to enhance organizational performance and innovation. The results indicated that a social learning environment is imperative to the knowledge dissemination process

Knowledge Transfer as Developmental Tool for Expatriates’ Preparation

The traditional approach of preparing employees for international assignments has been found to be inadequate and lacking. A conceptual framework is proposed on how expatriates with former international experience can utilize knowledge transfer as a developmental tool to aid in preparation for international assignments. It proposed that IHRM plays a strategic role by instituting programs for the selection and continuous development of the employees. Utilizing the push and pull strategy, with the push element denoting the selected candidates have international experience and high absorptive capacity. The pull mechanism indicates the organization intentionally institutes developmental, monitoring and evaluation programs

Assessing the Effects Social Media has on Online Learning

Online learning is social and participatory activity and demands more collaborative pedagogy for active learning. The purpose of this research is to review empirical studies to determine the effects social media has on learning. Social media is one of advancements in technology that has been instrumental in enhancing communication, collaboration, entertainment and learning. Social media is now being widely used in educational endeavors. Using thematic analysis, the review of literature of empirical studies identified four effects social media had on learning. These included acquisition of new knowledge, continuous learning, increased students’ engagement, and immediacy of learning with access to expert

Utilizing the U-Curve Model to Assess Cross-Cultural Training Programs for Low Context Expatriates Working in a High Context Culture

This study investigated the adequacy of cross-cultural programs to prepare expatriates to work in high context culture. Lysgaard (1955) U- curve adjustment theory was used as a logical theoretical platform for discussing the cross-cultural adjustment process for the expatriates in the pre-departure and post arrival stages. Results from empirical studies highlighted that five elements that should be included in the cross-cultural training programs. The five elements of anticipatory adjustment, cultural distance, cultural congruency, modes and methods and cultural diversity training would make training programs more suitable and be instrumental in improving expatriate’s performance and completion of foreign assignments

Exploring How Trainers Can Use Humor to Increase Self-Efficacy of Employees

Organizational success depends upon the effective execution of skills and usage of resources. It is the responsibility of workplace leadership to respond effectively to training needs, insufficiencies, and changes that affect the learning culture. One of the purposes of this research is to identify how these humor qualities might influence training and learning efforts. In addition to conventional approaches, making use of certain humor traits and styles benefit learning cultures since certain humor styles foster and cultivate self-efficacy. Employees with high self-efficacy gain more from training and contribute to the overall effectiveness of the organization by creating better products

Exploring Strategic Training Approaches that Lead to The Retention of Talented Employees

Training is an important segment of HRM practices, which supports the retention and development of employees because of the training given to employees. This research explored literature on strategic training and development approaches that leads to the retention of talented employees and classifies the different strategic methods into a framework

Addressing liver disease in the UK: a blueprint for attaining excellence in health care and reducing premature mortality from lifestyle issues of excess consumption of alcohol, obesity, and viral hepatitis.

Liver disease in the UK stands out as the one glaring exception to the vast improvements made during the past 30 years in health and life expectancy for chronic disorders such as stroke, heart disease, and many cancers. Mortality rates have increased 400% since 1970, and in people younger than 65 years have risen by almost fi ve-times. Liver disease constitutes the third commonest cause of premature death in the UK and the rate of increase of liver disease is substantially higher in the UK than other countries in western Europe. More than 1 million admissions to hospital per year are the result of alcohol-related disorders, and both the number of admissions and the increase in mortality closely parallel the rise in alcohol consumption in the UK during the past three decades. The new epidemic of obesity is equally preventable. Of the 25% of the population now categorised as obese, most will have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease many (up to 1 in 20 of the UK population) will have ongoing infl ammation and scarring that fi nally leads to cirrhosis. Of those patients with cirrhosis, 5-10% will get liver cancer. This increasing burden of liver disease is added to by chronic viral hepatitis; annual deaths from hepatitis C have almost quadrupled since 1996 and about 75% of people infected are estimated to be still unrecognised. The same applies to chronic hepatitis B infection, in which progression to cirrhosis and liver cancer also happens. The number of silently infected individuals in the UK is increasing every year as a result of immigration from countries with a high prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections. Costs to the UK's National Health Service are equally staggering, with estimates of £3.5 billion per year for alcohol-related health problems and £5.5 billion per year for the consequences of obesity. Obesity costs are almost certainly an underestimate now that the disorder is recognised as an important factor in several common cancers, including breast cancer and colon cancer.1 Obesity is a factor in metabolic disorders-the basis of diabetes, hypertension, cardiac diseases, and strokes. Furthermore, the poorest and most susceptible in society have the highest incidence of liver disorders, making liver disease a major issue for health inequalities. Of particular concern is the 2013 National Confi dential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) report,2 which showed that the care of patients acutely sick with liver disease dying in hospital was judged to be good in less than half of patients; other unacceptable fi ndings were the inadequate facilities and lack of expertise of those caring for patients. Also, it is increasingly evident that defi ciencies exist in primary care, which has crucial opportunities for early diagnosis and prevention of progressive disease. The aim of this Commission is to provide the strongest evidence base through involvement of experts from a wide cross-section of disciplines, making fi rm recommendations to reduce the unacceptable premature mortality and dsease burden from avoidable causes and to improve the standard of care for patients with liver disease in hospital. From the substantial number of recommendations given in our Commission, we selected those that will have the greatest eff ect and that need urgent implementation. Although the recommendations are based mostly on data from England, they have wider application to the UK as a whole, and are in accord with the present strategy for health-care policy by the Scottish Health Boards, the Health Department of Wales, and the Department of Health and Social Services in Northern Ireland. Our ten key recommendations are based on the strong evidence base and are in line with reports in 2014 of several other enquiries, including from the 2014 All Party Parliamentary Group on Hepatology3 and the All Party Parliamentary Group on alochol misuse. Results showing the value of a minimum unit price policy in targeting heavy drinkers were published in The Lancet in May, 2014, and the European Observatory on Health Polcy, together with the Department of Health and NHS England, has drawn attention to four areas of premature mortality, including liver disease, in which the UK lags behind other European countries. Such stark contrasts with our European neighbours are unacceptable and in this Commission we give clear, evidence-based policy proposals for the UK Government to use in closing the gap in liver disease

The importance of immune dysfunction in determining outcome in acute liver failure

Acute liver failure (ALF) shares striking similarities with septic shock with regard to the features of systemic inflammation, progression to multiple organ dysfunction and functional immunoparesis. While the existence of opposing systemic pro- and anti-inflammatory profiles resulting in organ failure and immune dysfunction are well recognised in septic shock, characterization of these processes in ALF has only recently been described. This review explores the evolution of the systemic inflammation in acute liver failure, its relation to disease progression, exacerbation of liver injury and development of innate immune dysfunction and extra-hepatic organ failure as sequelae. Defects in innate immunity are described in hepatic and extra-hepatic compartments. Clinical studies measuring levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and expression of the antigen presentation molecule HLA-DR on monocytes, in combination with ex-vivo experiments, demonstrate that the persistence of a compensatory anti-inflammatory response syndrome, leading to functional monocyte deactivation, is a central event in the evolution of systemic immune dysfunction. Accurate immune profiling in ALF may permit the development of immunomodulatory strategies in order to improve outcome in this condition