Health workforce governance and professions: a re-analysis of New Zealand’s primary care workforce policy actors

Background: This article contributes to the health workforce planning literature by exploring the dynamics of health professions in New Zealand’s Primary Care sector and deriving broad lessons for an international audience. Professions tend influence health policy and governance decisions and practices to retain their place, status and influence. Therefore, understanding their power dynamics and the positions that they have on workforce policies and issues assists workforce governance or health system reform plans. Methods: Using the infrequently reported health workforce policy tool, actor analysis, a reanalysis of previously collected data is undertaken using an actor-based framework for the study of professionalism. Two models were developed, (1) the framework’s original four-actor model and (2) a five-actor model for the comparison of the Medical and Nurse professions. Existing workforce actor data were reclassified, formatted, and entered into actor analysis software to reveal the professions’ relative power, inter-relationships and strategic workforce issue positions. Results: In the four-actor model, the Organised user actor is found to be most influential, while the others are found to be dependent. In the five-actor model, the Medical and Nurse professions are individually more influential than their combined position in the four-actor model. Practicing professionals and Organised user actors have strong converging inter-relationships over workforce issues in both models, though in the five-actor model, the Nurse profession has weaker coherency than the Medical profession. The Medical and Nurse professions are found to be in opposition over the workforce issues labelled divisive. Conclusions: These results reflect the professions’ potential to influence New Zealand’s Primary Care sector, indicating their power and influence over a range of policy and reform measures. As such, the four lessons that are derived from the case indicate to policy makers that they should be aware of situational contexts and actor power, take care when encountering divisive issues and try to achieve broad-based support for proposed policies

The isotopic evolution of the British lithosphere

A Sm-Nd mineral isochron obtained from an olivine gabbro yields an age of 375 +/- 34 Ma (M.S.W.D. = 0.006) and represents the formation age of the Lizard Igneous Complex. Two magmatic suites are recorded in the complex, an early trace element enriched (ENd375 = + 8.9 - + 10.1) and a late MORB-like( ENd375 = + 9.2 - + 11.7). The early magmatic suite records a decoupling between low Sm/Nd and high (143Nd/144Nd)375 ratios and indicates that the low SW/Nd ratios were generated immediately prior to the petrogenesis of the early magmatic suite, due to either i) L.REE enrichment of the source or ii) enrichment processes during magma genesis.The marked L.REE depletion of the spinel lherzolites, which comprise the majority of the Lizard peridotite, reflects multiple, small percentage (Two suites of metabasaltic rocks occur in the Mona Complex (Anglesey), the Gwna Group ((Ce/Yb)N = 0.6 - 2.1) and New Harbour Group ((Ce/Yb)N = 0.3 - 0.5). The Gwna Group yield a whole-rock Sm-Nd isochron of 595 +/- 86 Ma (M.S.W.D. = 1.5) with an initial ratio equivalent to ENd of 7.1 +/- 1.0. This isochronous relationship and large variation in the degree of L.REE enrichment indicates, as in the case of the early magmatic suite of the Lizard Complex, that the low Sm/Nd ratios were generated immediately prior to the petrogenesis of the metabasalts.Nd model ages of the Mona gneisses, a sediment and the Coedana Granite, in conjunction with the age of the Gwna Group, argue for an origin of the entire Mona Complex during the late Precambrian.The Lower Palaeozoic subduction related volcanism of southeast Ireland occurs in 2 distinct suites, north and south of the Leinster Granite. The southern suite has trace element, Sr and Nd isotope systematics equivalent to the present day calc alkaline volcanism of Java. It is estimated that 80% of the Sr and 50% of the Nd in these rocks are slab derived. The northern tholeiitic suite is markedly trace element enriched, and the rocks show a correlation between their Sm/Nd and (143Nd/144Nd)I ratios, and the % of slab derived Nd. The calculated Sr/Nd ratio of the slab component is 19, such that mixing lines between slab and mantle wedge components are straight lines on an ESr vs ENd diagram. It is not possible to distinguish between an ancient LILE and L.REE enrichment event, circa 1100 Ma, or sediment subduction to account for the isotopic systematics of the slab component.The dioritic primary magma to the Leinster Granite is predominantly derived from juvenile lower crust. The maximum mantle component involved in the diorites' petrogenesis is 30% and the maximum TCHUR age of the lower crust is 720 Ma. The primary dioritic magma assimilated Lower Palaeozoic sediments and fractionated a plagioclase, K feldspar and biotite assemblage, resulting in the production of granitic rocks with more and less radiogenic Sr and Nd isotope ratios respectively.Lower curstal xenoliths from central Ireland and the Midland Valley of Scotland indicate that crustal accretion occurred during both Grenvillian and Late Precambrian ti~es. The N.E. Ox Mount, lins inlier also provides evidence of a Late Precambrian crust forming event (605 +/- 39 Ma). (No evidence of Archaean crust is found in these regions.) The lower crustal garnet granulite xenoliths from Ireland and the Midland Valley represent possible crustal components involved in the petrogenesis of both the pre and post-tectonic Caledonian granites of Central Scotland.The majority of basement rocks of southern Britain formed during the Late Precambrian with only the Rushton Schists and Rosslare Complex having Nd and Sr isotope systematics characteristics of old, >1300 Ma, crust. Late Precambrian and Cambro-Ordovician sediments have Nd isotope systematics equivalent to the majority of the Late Precambrian basement rocks. Subsequent to the closure of the Iapetus Ocean the sedimentary pile within southern Britain records the gradual introduction of an "ancient" crustal component, presumably from the mixed Archean/Proterozoic terrains of northern Europe. A steady state is reached by Jurassic times such that present day coastal sediments have equivalent Nd isotope systematics to those of Jurassic sediments

Data gathering for actor analyses: A research note on the collection and aggregation of individual respondent data for MACTOR

The augmentation of future studies with data on actors and their interactions is suggested as a means to reduce uncertainty and to account for extreme or unexpected future outcomes due to the involvement of multiple actors and their competing perspectives and options. In the context of New Zealand’s health workforce forecasting environment, this research note presents a systematic method to gather and aggregate actor data developed for a recent foresight study. The method identifies the issues encountered and solutions developed when gathering data from time poor respondents representing diverse and sometimes oppositional actors, and for the coding and aggregation of these data for use in LIPSOR’s actor analysis tool, MACTOR. Worked examples are provided to demonstrate the method’s application with the software

Co-creation online : the potential of Web 2.0 tools to enable it and impact usage

There is little in the existing literature that provides practical information on the link between co-creation and the internet as well as guidance on how to facilitate cocreation in the online environment. This study sought to address these gaps and particularly the lack of guidance on the practical act of co-creation and the relationship between co-creation and the online environment. A quantitative research methodology with a descriptive design was followed. The data for the study was collected by way of an internet survey. The population for the research was defined as the users of the online cycling social network, www.thehubsa.co.za. A topic explaining the purpose of the study and inviting users to participate was posted on the website. The study revealed the existence of a new two factor solution related to the separate co-creation and Web 2.0 applications constructs. In this respect the Interact and Use components (co-creation) as well as the Creating and Sharing components (Web 2.0 applications) could provide the foundation for construct validity for more comprehensive scales.The ability of a user to Author content on a website was found to be of particular practical importance in facilitating co-creation. Providing this functionality to a customer may be the key to the missing “how to” element of online co-creation. The ability of a social networking website, such as www.thehubsa.co.za, to encourage general product/service usage appears to be the main attraction to advertisers. Advertisers looking to build their brands may not necessarily obtain the same benefits from the website. Findings regarding impact on usage were inconclusive and further research is suggested. CopyrightDissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010.Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)unrestricte

Verifying the declared origin of timber using stable isotope ratio and multi-element analyses

The FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade) regulations were introduced in 2003 with the intention of reversing the rate of destruction of the world’s forests. One of the European Union’s aims is to halt the import of illegally acquired and endangered timber. The timber trade law (regulation (EU) 995/2010) stipulates that importers of tropical timber must be able to identify the origin of timber used in their products, and from the 3rd March 2013, it is a criminal offence to sell endangered timber in the European Union without a FLEGT licence. There are few analytical methods available to determine the declared origin of timber. The current procedure involves checking of shipping documents and visual checks of common timber species for origin identification. In this project, one hundred timber core samples of Sapele (Entandrophragma), Rosewood (Dalbergia) and Ebony (Diospyros) trees were taken from across West Africa and Madagascar. The δ2H, δ13C, and δ18O isotopes of the extracted cellulose were determined by using an elemental analyser coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (EA-IRMS). The study revealed that δ2H and δ18O of cellulose showed no correlation with δ2H and δ18O of precipitation water, suggesting the leaf-to-air-vapour pressure difference (VPD), as well as alternative ground water sources may influence the isotopes laid down in cellulose of tropical timber. Additionally, multi-element profiles of the timber samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), to assess the potential for geographical origin discrimination based on the combined profile of stable isotope ratios and multi-element concentrations. Using the multivariate statistical technique of canonical discriminant analysis (CDA), data were processed enabling a cross validation rate of 86.6%. Twelve elemental variables were selected by the CDA for the multivariate analysis (Mo, Zn, Ca, As, δ13C, δ18O, Sb, Mn, Pb, Cu, La, Ba), which provided maximum discrimination between the timber samples originating from Ghana, Cameroon, The Congo, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Madagascar. Hence, the combination of the methodologies of stable isotope ratio and trace element analysis offers an effective approach to verifying the declared origin of timber

Oil & Ethnocentrism: A study of Global Oil & Gas Organisations

This dissertation will examine the concept of ‘ethnocentrism’, or a belief in the superiority of one’s own cultural norms and values, against the backdrop of the Global Oil & Gas Service industry. Using Howard Perlmutter’s framework, ethnocentrism will be tested and analysed across distinct areas of international business; staffing and cultural prevalence, the management of international subsidiaries and corporate and national culture. Data will be collected from experienced Oil & Gas managers from several leading Global Service businesses, using interviews and it will thus be questioned whether the firms employing these professionals, as well as the individuals themselves have adopted a truly ‘global’ and cosmopolitan mindset, or whether they and their organisations still feel tied or associated with a national identity in a business sense. Upon study, it was revealed that ethnocentrism was largely absent amongst the organisations studied, aside from in the field of subsidiary management, whilst strong corporate cultures had the effect of nullifying ethnocentric tendencies. That said, even within the field of subsidiary strategy, the high levels of centralization and rigidity which have been argued as characteristic of an ethnocentric firm could also be the result of other variables capable of influencing a firm’s strategy and international structure

Oil & Ethnocentrism: A study of Global Oil & Gas Organisations

This dissertation will examine the concept of ‘ethnocentrism’, or a belief in the superiority of one’s own cultural norms and values, against the backdrop of the Global Oil & Gas Service industry. Using Howard Perlmutter’s framework, ethnocentrism will be tested and analysed across distinct areas of international business; staffing and cultural prevalence, the management of international subsidiaries and corporate and national culture. Data will be collected from experienced Oil & Gas managers from several leading Global Service businesses, using interviews and it will thus be questioned whether the firms employing these professionals, as well as the individuals themselves have adopted a truly ‘global’ and cosmopolitan mindset, or whether they and their organisations still feel tied or associated with a national identity in a business sense. Upon study, it was revealed that ethnocentrism was largely absent amongst the organisations studied, aside from in the field of subsidiary management, whilst strong corporate cultures had the effect of nullifying ethnocentric tendencies. That said, even within the field of subsidiary strategy, the high levels of centralization and rigidity which have been argued as characteristic of an ethnocentric firm could also be the result of other variables capable of influencing a firm’s strategy and international structure