Planning to fail? A critique of current project definitions as a basis for benefit realisation

This paper explores the notion that current project definitions provide a singular view: that of project managers and this perspective leads to limited boundaries which are prejudicial to good project delivery. Thus, it takes a radically different view of project failure from that which is generally accepted. We will contend that viewing projects through this limiting lens often results in failure being attributed to reasons that are only symptomatic, and that root causes are not uncovered. The paper establishes that project failure is endemic and has existed for over 25 years. Attempts to apply control and prescriptive methodologies have made the position worse. We go on to describe an appreciative research project that uses a definition of projects emphasising the realisation of benefits, rather than production of outputs. We then give an overview of the success this has achieved so far. We conclude by making some proposals for further research

Student Wellness Needs in Rural Appalachia

The study reported here determined the youth risk behaviors of students in a rural high school. A 44-item questionnaire adapted from the Youth Risk Survey developed at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention was administered. Findings indicate that some issues of national concern were not confirmed in this West Virginia sample. Tobacco and steroid use were not significant issues in this study. The areas of suicide ideation and food choices, however, highlighted areas of concern. Implications for practice are proposed

Spatial statistics is a comprehensive tool for quantifying cell neighbor relationships and biological processes via tissue image analysis

Automated microscopy and computational image analysis has transformed cell biology, providing quantitative, spatially resolved information on cells and their constituent molecules from the sub-micron to the whole-organ scale. Here we explore the application of spatial statistics to the cellular relationships within tissue microscopy data and discuss how spatial statistics offers cytometry a powerful yet underused mathematical tool set for which the required data are readily captured using standard protocols and microscopy equipment. We also highlight the often-overlooked need to carefully consider the structural heterogeneity of tissues in terms of the applicability of different statistical measures and their accuracy and demonstrate how spatial analyses offer a great deal more than just basic quantification of biological variance. Ultimately, we highlight how statistical modeling can help reveal the hierarchical spatial processes that connect the properties of individual cells to the establishment of biological function