The effects of functional electrical stimulation cycling on gait parameters in diplegic cerebral palsy: a single-blind randomized controlled trial

PurposeTo investigate the effects of functional electrical stimulation cycling (FES-C) training in addition to conventional physical therapy on gait, muscle strength, gross motor function, and energy expenditure in ambulatory children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.Materials and methodsTwenty children with diplegic cerebral palsy were randomly assigned to FES-C group (n = 10) or control group (n = 10). Subjects trained 3 days/week for 8 weeks. Control group received conventional physical therapy. The FES-C group additionally received FES-C training. The functional muscle test was used for muscle strength assessment. Vicon-3D system was used for gait analysis. Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) was used for motor function assessment and calorimeter was used for energy expenditure. Measurements were performed at the baseline, at the eight week and at the sixteenth week.ResultsFunctional muscle strength, gross motor function, and energy expenditure improved more in the FES-C group after training and follow up (p 0.05). Pelvic tilt while walking decreased after training in the FES-C group (p < 0.05).ConclusionsFES-C applied in addition to conventional physical therapy in children with diplegic cerebral palsy is more effective than conventional physical therapy for increasing functional muscle strength, improving gross motor function functions, and reducing energy expenditure

Sustainable Supply Chain Management in the Fast Fashion Industry: An Analysis of Corporate Reports

In\ua0recent decades, the\ua0fast\ua0fashion\ua0industry\ua0has been characterized by widespread operations across both developing and developed countries. Due to the economic, social and environmental problems\ua0in\ua0developing countries, companies increasingly focus on sustainability and try to ensure the same quality and standards\ua0in\ua0working and production conditions throughout their\ua0supply\ua0chains. Although the tension\ua0in\ua0the exchange of resources between developing and developed countries lies at the heart of current sustainability activities, what these companies are actually doing to manage their\ua0supply\ua0chain\ua0has not yet been explored\ua0in\ua0depth\ua0in\ua0the literature. Drawing on the theoretical framework of Seuring and M\ufcller (2008), the current study attempts to fill this void by conceptually mapping the current situation of\ua0sustainable\ua0supply\ua0chain\ua0management\ua0(SSCM)\ua0in\ua0the\ua0fast\ua0fashion\ua0industry\ua0by analysing\ua0reports\ua0from 9 companies that use the same reporting guidelines. The results of the study reveal that these companies focus significantly on supplier compliance with their code of conduct, employing further monitoring and auditing activities to prevent production problems\ua0in\ua0developing countries, improve overall\ua0supply\ua0chain\ua0performance and set sustainability criteria for their suppliers

A Longitudinal Study on Newcomers’ Perception of Organisational Culture

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse how\ua0newcomers’ perceptions of\ua0organisational\ua0culture\ua0can change over time. The\ua0study\ua0tries to address whether initial working experience changes\ua0newcomers’ perceptions about the ideal\ua0organisational\ua0culture, and whether these perceptions converge with those of their supervisors. Design/methodology/approach –\ua0A\ua0longitudinal\ua0survey was carried out on\ua0a\ua0sample of undergraduate students to measure shifts in their perceptions of\ua0organisational\ua0culture\ua0over time. In order to interpret the results in terms of actual\ua0organisational\ua0culture,\ua0a\ua0survey was also conducted with the students’ immediate supervisors. Findings – Applying\ua0a\ua0factor analytic procedure to the aggregate sample of\ua0study, the items of an existing scale were reduced to\ua0a\ua0six-dimensional structure. Based on the results of statistical analysis, the\ua0study\ua0revealed that initial working experience might affect students’\ua0perception\ua0of\ua0organisational\ua0culture\ua0and make these perceptions converge with those of their immediate managers. Specifically, the students’ perceptions about the importance of stability and success orientation dimensions changed over time. By the end of the process, they found supportiveness and people orientation more important, similarly to their supervisors. Practical implications – This\ua0study\ua0reveals the critical role of supervisors in the transmission of\ua0organisational\ua0culture\ua0to\ua0newcomers. Additionally, it demonstrates the importance of work-based learning for acquiring work-related and technical beliefs, as well as obtaining initial ideas about the\ua0culture\ua0of\ua0a\ua0real organisation. Originality/value – The\ua0study\ua0can specifically contribute to the growing literature on\ua0organisational\ua0culture\ua0by demonstrating the impact of initial working experience on\ua0newcomers’ perceptions, and how they adopt the\ua0culture\ua0of their new organisations to become\ua0a\ua0part of this\ua0culture

Embedding social innovation process into the institutional context: Voids or supports

Social\ua0innovation\ua0(SI) is a complex construct that is lacking a unifying paradigm in\ua0social\ua0sciences. However, together with the recent attention towards\ua0social\ua0change, it requires a theoretical perspective that analyzes the construct within its\ua0institutional\ua0context\ua0(IC) without forgetting that the term is socially constructed. This current study aims to contribute to the literature by exploring and describing the inter-linkages between\ua0institutional\ua0voids\ua0(IVs)/institutional\ua0supports\ua0(ISs) perspectives and SI\ua0process\ua0by positioning the actor as the catalyzer and the change-agent. The study tries to explore if existing IVs or\ua0supports, which are embedded in\ua0social-welfare, commercial or public-sector logics, stimulate SI and result in the development of these ideas. The research setting is deliberately selected as a developing country that deals with plenty of IVs and suffers from the lack of ISs; a research setting that exhibits a high degree of heterogeneity and a low institutionalization level. The results indicate that IVs stimulate SIs mostly at the incremental and\ua0institutional\ua0level where IS is inadequate. The heterogeneity of IVs and a low degree of institutionalization result in the heterogeneity of actions undertaken for SI. Implications for practitioners and scholars are recommended at the end of the paper