Taiwanese health authorities are increasingly applying case management as a health care delivery strategy in the community. However, most Taiwanese public health nurses (PHNs) do not receive case management education because there are few education programs available. Several limitations in existing evaluative studies of case management continuing education programs were identified. These methodological weaknesses limit the conclusions that can be drawn about the effectiveness of these education programs. Hence, the purpose of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate a collaborative case management continuing education program for Taiwanese PHNs. The study was divided into three phases, with an expanded theoretical framework used to guide the program development, implementation and evaluation. Phase One conducted focus group discussions in order to assess the educational needs of Taiwanese PHNs. Phase Two developed a collaborative education program based on the findings of a literature review and the needs assessment. The initial program was evaluated by an expert panel and pilot testing was undertaken. Phase Three implemented and evaluated the program using an experimental research design and mixed evaluation methods. Three outcome levels were assessed, namely reaction, learning and performance by examining changes in PHNs' case management knowledge, skills and practice. The participants in the study were PHNs employed in health centres in Taipei City. The program itself involved 16 hours of workshops through four half-day sessions, conducted every two weeks during the participants' work time and at their workplace. Two types of data, focus group data and questionnaire data, were collected during the course of the study. The focus groups were conducted before and after the program delivery, for the needs assessment and program evaluation, using a subset of the participants. The focus groups were moderated by the researcher, who used a focus group discussion guide to collect data. The other data set was collected using self-report questionnaires. The participants were randomly allocated into two groups using cluster sampling, the experimental and comparison groups. Both groups were given questionnaires before the education program commenced, and then again eight weeks after the program was completed. For ethical considerations, PHNs in the comparison group also received the same program after data collection. The results revealed that the majority of participants were satisfied with the program. The education intervention significantly improved PHNs' case management knowledge, performance skills confidence, preparedness for case manager role activities, frequency of using case management skills, and frequency of using these role activities. A number of changes in case management practice were reported, in particular that the participants tended to follow the case management process more often and focus more on the quality of case management. This study was guided by an integrated theoretical framework, and used a clustered randomised controlled design to assess the effectiveness of the program across multiple levels of outcomes, hence addressing the design deficits identified in the prior evaluative studies. This study therefore provides an important contribution to the fields of nursing and case management by developing, implementing and evaluating a case management education program. Additionally, the program itself offers an evidence-based educational experience for PHNs and provides a new tool for nursing education in the context of Taiwan.

South Africa abandoned its apartheid system in 1994, which enabled the country to be integrated into the global economy. Due to the lack of global competitiveness, between 70 and 80% of start-ups fail within five years (Goosain, 2004:23). People lost their jobs and the unemployment rate escalated from 17% to 28% (Kingdon and Knight, 2003). Government increased its support to small businesses in order to stimulate economic growth and development as an alternative means of job creation. However, studies conducted to determine the performance of small businesses reveal that most of these businesses fail irrespective of the support they receive from government due to a lack of financial management skills. The study being reported here investigated which financial management skills owners/managers of small business have and which ones are lacking in order to recommend appropriate training interventions required to develop and improve the financial management skills of such owners/managers and ultimately the management of their businesses. A literature review was conducted regarding the small business environment, training interventions and financial management skills. Financial management skill sets relevant to small business were identified and listed for empirical research purposes. Empirical research was conducted on the target population within the indicated geographical area. The study confirmed that most small business owners/managers have limited financial skills. Recommendations will be put forward on the type of skills future training needs to focus on. / Finance and Risk Management and Banking / M. Com. (Business Management)

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-03-13T14:36:26Z No. of bitstreams: 1 janitorres.pdf: 2701889 bytes, checksum: b99ea32f1f066c832b88484b2b2927b6 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-03-13T19:30:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 janitorres.pdf: 2701889 bytes, checksum: b99ea32f1f066c832b88484b2b2927b6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-13T19:30:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 janitorres.pdf: 2701889 bytes, checksum: b99ea32f1f066c832b88484b2b2927b6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-15 / Esta pesquisa, desenvolvida no Programa de Pós-graduação Profissional em Gestão e Avaliação da Educação Pública da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, apresenta como objeto de estudo a formação recebida no Processo Seletivo Interno (PSI) 2014 da Secretaria de Estado de Educação do Rio de Janeiro (SEEDUC/RJ), tendo como caminho a eficiência ou não no preparo do servidor para assumir a gestão de uma unidade escolar. Serão pormenorizados a descrição do contexto de mudanças na rede estadual de educação do Rio de Janeiro, bem como o processo de seleção e a formação básica do gestor escolar na rede como estudo de caso na Regional Serrana II que serve como recorte da Secretaria. A pesquisa, de abordagem qualitativa, vale-se de um questionário como instrumento de coleta de dados, aplicado aos servidores participantes. Para avaliação dos fatos em estudo, algumas teorias explanadas como as de Brandão (2012), Brandão e Bahry (2005), Burgos e Canegal (2013), Godoy (2009), Lück (1996, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012), Machado (2011, 2013), Machado e Miranda (2012), Mintzberg (2010), dentre outros, deão suporte à discussão sobre a formação de gestores escolares e as dimensões de competências exigidas desses profissionais. Giram em torno da análise questões como: perfil, trajetória acadêmica e profissional, participação da formação no Processo Seletivo Interno de 2014, conteúdos estudados na formação e realização do estágio pós PSI. Quanto às conclusões da pesquisa de campo, após exame mais detalhado, os dados apontam que ainda são necessários ajustes que se coadunem com as expectativas pretendidas tanto pela própria Secretaria de Educação quanto pelos próprios servidores. Um Plano de Ação Educacional propõe, de forma colaborativa, contribuições que sejam executadas por um grupo de trabalho da Regional Serrana II, sendo acompanhado pela Diretoria de Formação e Desenvolvimento de Pessoas da SEEDUC/RJ, para melhor orientação aos novos diretores. / This research, developed in the Professional Graduate Program in Management and Public Education Evaluation of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, has as object of study the training received in the process Internal Selection (PSI) 2014 state of Rio's Secretary of Education January (SEEDUC / RJ), with the way the efficiency or not in the server's preparation to take over the management of a school unit. They will be detailed description of the context of changes in the state education network in Rio de Janeiro, as well as the selection process and basic training of school managers in the network as a case study in the Regional Serrana II serving as clipping of the Secretariat. The research, qualitative approach makes use of a questionnaire as a data collection instrument, applied to the participating servers. For evaluation of the facts under study, some theories esplanades such as Brandão (2012), Brandão and Bahry (2005), Burgos and Canegal (2013), Godoy (2009), Lück (1996, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012 ), Machado (2011, 2013), Machado and Miranda (2012), Mintzberg (2010), among others, dean support the discussion on the formation of school managers and dimensions of skills required of these professionals. Revolve around analyzing issues such as: profile, academic and professional career, participation in training in Internal Selection Process 2014 contents studied in the formation and realization of post PSI stage. On the conclusions of the field research, after closer examination, the data show that they are still necessary adjustments that are consistent with the desired expectations both for their own Department of Education as the servers themselves. An Educational Action Plan proposes collaboratively, contributions that are executed by a Regional Working Group Serrana II, accompanied by the Directorate of Training and Personnel Development of SEEDUC / RJ, for better guidance to new directors.

This study examined the effectiveness of the LEAST Approach to Discipline with junior high school teachers having behaviorally disordered pupils in their classes. The sample consisted of twenty junior high school teachers who were paired on the basis of quantity and problem severity of behaviorally disordered pupils in their classes. Each matched pair was split and randomly assigned to the experimental and control group. Treatment consisted of eight hours of training in the LEAST approach. Subsequently, each experimental teacher was observed in class and given feedback regarding his application of the LEAST approach. The control group received no treatment. Following treatment, a two-month data collection period ensued. During this time data was collected for both groups on seven dependent variables. Specifically these were (1) teacher deviancy management skills, (2) pupil perception of the classroom environment, (3) pupil compliance, (4) office referrals, (5) teacher-parent conferences, (6) pupil absences and (7) non completed assignments.

Studiens syfte är att studera hur grundskollärare beskriver sitt arbete med elevers valkompetens, särskilt när det gäller att uppmärksamma könsmönster och stärka elevers självförtroende för att kunna göra väl underbyggda val. För datainsamling användes en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer och en tematisk analys för att analysera insamlad data. Resultatet visade att lärarna ansåg sig spela en viktig roll för elevers valkompetens. Detta genom att hjälpa eleverna ta in och bearbeta information kring utbildningar och yrken. Men även genom att i sin dagliga undervisning arbeta för att utmana de könsmönster som finns i samhället och stärka elevernas situationsspecifika självförtroende genom bland annat positiv feedback. Studiens resultat tyder på att lärarna, genom sitt arbete med att stärka elevernas valkompetens, bedriver vägledning i ett generellt perspektiv utan att alltid vara medvetna om det. / The purpose of this essay is to study how compulsory school teachers describe their work with students’ career management skills (CMS), especially when it comes to paying attention to gender patterns and strengthening students’ self-efficacy in order to make well-founded choices. A qualitative method with semistructured interviews was used to answer the purpose of this essay and a thematic analysis was used to analyze the gathered data. The results showed that the teachers viewed themselves to play an important role in their students’ career management skills. This by helping their students collect and process information about different educations and vocations. But also by challenging gender patterns in society in the daily interactions with their students, together with strengthening their students’ self-efficacy through positive feedback, among other things. The results of this study indicates that the teachers, through their efforts to strengthen the students’ career management skills, provide guidance in a general perspective without always being aware of it.

Många som drabbas av utmattningssyndrom (UMS) upplever en nedsatt kognitiv förmåga och att sjukdomen blir en brytpunkt och ett vägval som kräver en väl fungerande handlingsplan inför framtiden. Denna studie har intervjuat individer med UMS och frågat hur de ser på karriärvägledning, om den behövs och vilken typ av vägledning som de efterfrågar. Resultaten från de kvalitativa intervjuerna analyserades utifrån careershipteorin och konstruktivistisk teori och visar att personer med UMS är i behov av en livsförändring som kräver ny insikt, utsikt och framsikt för en lyckad återgång till arbetslivet och ett hälsosamt förhållningssätt till arbete och prestation. Vidare framkom det ett behov av ett holistiskt förhållningssätt där individens egen livshistoria sätts i centrum då det inte finns några mediciner eller färdiga lösningar som passar alla. Karriärkompetens och livslångt lärande är centrala delar av denna studie och med en fördjupad kunskap inom detta område kan en studie- och yrkesvägledarens insats, det vill säga karriärvägledning, vara till stor nytta för personer med UMS. / Many people who suffer from fatigue syndrome (UMS) experience a reduced cognitive ability that becomes a turning point, leading to a crossroad that requires a well-functioning action plan for the future. In this study, interviews with people that are or have been diagnosed with UMS have shared their opinions regarding career guidance, whether career guidance is needed, and what type of guidance they perceive as needed. The results from the qualitative interviews were analyzed drawing on careership theory and constructivist theory, showing that people with UMS are in need of a life change that requires new insight, perspective and foresight for a successful return to work and a healthy way of relating to work and accomplishment. Furthermore, the study shows that there is a need for a holistic approach where the individual's own life story is put at the center, since no medications or ready-made solutions that suit everyone exist. Career management skills and lifelong learning are central parts of this study and with an expertise within this area, a career counsellor’s contribution, i.e. career guidance, can be of great benefit to people with UMS.

For children with hearing loss, spoken language development often requires the use of hearing aids. Young children often have to rely on their parents or other adults to confirm that their hearing aids are functioning correctly; however, less than 50% of parents check their child’s hearing aids every day. Because of the significant likelihood that a hearing aid malfunction could go unnoticed, it is recommended that children learn hearing aid self-management skills in elementary school and become independent with these skills by middle school. Using the ICF Model of disability, self-management skills should include more than just hearing aid skills, but also skills such as self-advocacy; these can be grouped under one umbrella as “hearing loss self-management skills”. Pediatric self-management skills are associated with improved outcomes for other complex health conditions and have been shown to be responsive to pediatric-focused interventions. While there have been studies to design engaging ways of increasing these hearing loss self-management skills in adults, few have involved children. This study seeks to answer the following two research questions: the first, “What are the baseline hearing loss self-management skills in middle school-aged children?”; the second, “Are educational videos an effective way to increase hearing loss self-management skills in middle school-aged children?”. To answer the first question, children between the ages of 11 and 14 who use at least one hearing aid were asked to answer questions based on the Audiology Self-Advocacy Checklist – Middle School (ASAC-MS) on a scale of “Never/Rarely/Sometimes/Almost all the Time”, to observe their baseline self-reported skills. To answer the second question, a playlist of seven narrated videos with subtitles and visible faces for lipreading was created to address the different topics of the ASAC-MS. The participants were asked to watch these videos and answer the ASAC-MS again. While data collection is not complete, the research team anticipates that most participants will rate their skills in the Rarely or Sometimes categories in the pre-intervention ASAC-MS, and anticipates that the post-intervention ASAC-MS scores will be higher than the pre-intervention ASAC-MS scores. Answering these two research questions is an important step in identifying the needs of current young hearing aid users and identifying ways to meet these needs. Improved hearing loss self-management skills may result in improved speech and language for children with hearing loss in the future.

The purpose of study is to investigate how guidance couselors in year 7-9 in primary school, work with students with intellectual disabilities, IF, to strengthen students´career management skills before various future choices, especially the choice of upper secondary special school. The study is carried out with qualitative semi-structured interviews with eight guidance counselors, all of whom have mentoring assignment for the special school. The result is analyzed on the basis of CIP theory, Cognitive Information Processing, which describes the decision-making process regarding elections and how career management skills develops during this process. The results show that guidance counselors work on the basis of sevrela different conditions and in differens ways. It is striking that guidance counselors work to create relationsships and broaden perspectives, in order to strengthen students´self awareness and develop knowledge about working life. Knowledge is the basis for students to be able to develop their career management skills. The study shows that guidance in compulsory school has challenges that limit the management space for students, wich affects the counselors´way of working. / Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur vägledare i år 7-9 i grundsärskolan, arbetar med elevermed intellektuell funktionsnedsättning, IF, för att stärka elevers valkompetens inför olikaframtida val, framför allt valet till gymnasiesärskolan. Studien är genomförd med kvalitativsemistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta stycken studie och yrkesvägledare som samtliga harvägledaruppdrag mot särskolan. Resultatet är analyserat utifrån CIP-teorin, CognitiveInformation Processing, som beskriver beslutsprocessen rörande val och hur valkompetensutvecklas under denna process. I resultatet framkommer att vägledare arbetar utifrån fleraolika förutsättningar och på olika sätt. Framträdande är att vägledarearbetar relationsskapande och perspektivvidgande, för att stärka elevernas självkännedom ochutveckla kunskaper om arbetslivet. Dessa kunskaper är grunden för att elever ska kunnautveckla sin valkompetens. Studien visar att vägledning i grundsärskolan har utmaningar sombegränsar handlingsutrymmet för elever vilket påverkar vägledarens arbetssätt.

[pt] O cenário atual das organizações tem demandado gestores capazes de atuar em um ambiente marcado por rápidas mudanças, relações de interdependência e diversidade da força de trabalho. Porém, o desenvolvimento das chamadas competências gerenciais não é um processo simples, pois envolve não apenas a compreensão das melhores práticas de gestão, mas também a capacidade para agir de modo diferente. Nesta pesquisa, buscamos uma maior compreensão do sujeito, em sua atuação organizacional, por meio de um olhar interdisciplinar, utilizando o referencial da teoria familiar sistêmica. Pretendemos avaliar como se expressam as experiências vividas na família de origem, na prática profissional dos gerentes. Para tal, realizamos 30 entrevistas, com gerentes de diferentes empresas. Os dados foram tratados utilizando-se análise de conteúdo. Verificamos que a família representa relevante força no desenvolvimento e na manutenção de características que compõem as competências de liderança, de motivação, de comunicação, de negociação e solução de conflitos, de tomada de decisão, de criatividade e de trabalho em equipe. Constatamos, também, que tais características podem se dar tendo em vista a origem étnica ou socioeconômica da família, a transmissão de posturas vindas de outros membros da família, os padrões familiares, os eventos críticos, as expectativas sobre o sujeito e os papéis por ele desempenhados, e as falas significativas de membros da família. Não ocorre, porém, uma simples relação de causa e efeito, tendo em vista que a família traz referências que podem ou não serem seguidas em seus múltiplos aspectos. Por fim, sugerimos que o conceito de autoconhecimento na literatura gerencial deva ser ampliado, para incorporar o conhecimento da dinâmica vivida na família de origem, pois esse parece ser um passo importante no processo de diferenciação do sujeito, refletindo-se na sua capacidade de escolher e adotar novos comportamentos. / [en] The current setting of organizations has demanded managers capable of working in environments marked by rapid changes, interdependency relationships and diversity of work force. However, the development of so called managerial competence is not an easy process, as it involves not only the understanding of the best managerial practices but also the capability to act in a different way. In this research, we pursue a better understanding of the individual in his organizational performance, through an interdisciplinary view, using the reference of systemic family theory. We seek to evaluate how the experiences lived by the family of origin are expressed in the professional practice of the managers. With that objective, we interviewed 30 managers from different companies, and the data were treated using content analysis. We found out that the family represents significant strength in the development and maintenance of characteristics which make up the competence of leadership, motivation, communication, negotiation and solution of conflicts, decision making, creativity and team work. We have concluded that those characteristics may also happen due to the ethnic as well as social and economical origins of the family, the transmission of postures deriving from the family members, family standards, critical events, the expectations regarding the individual as well as the roles played by him, and the significant talks by the family members. It does not, however, result in a simple cause and effect relationship, since families can set references which may or may not be followed in their multiple aspects. Finally, we suggest that the concept of self-knowledge in managerial literature should be widened, in order to incorporate the knowledge of dynamics lived in the family of origin, since this seems to be an important step in the process of differentiating the individual, reflecting upon his capability to choose and adopt new patterns of behavior.

Understanding Medication Self-Management Capacity among Older Adults Living in Low-Income Housing Communities ABSTRACT Background: Medication self-management capacity (MMC) is an individual’s cognitive and functional ability to self-administer a medication regimen as prescribed. Poor MMC is an issue in older adults often resulting in negative health outcomes and loss of independence. Therefore, understanding low-income older adults’ capacity to manage their medications may help identify individuals who are at risk for developing medication mismanagement and guide future intervention strategies based on an individual need to promote safe medication use and healthy aging in place in the community. Objectives: 1) To determine the cognitive and physical functional deficiencies in MMC among low-income older adults, 2) To identify variables that predict deficiencies in MMC in this population, 3) To determine the impact of using pharmaceutical aids/services on MMC, and 4) To examine the association between MMC and emergency room (ER) visits. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of older adult residents living in low-income housing buildings served by the RHWP. At a study interview, information on demographics, medical history, and medication use was collected. MMC was evaluated using the Medication Management Instrument for Deficiencies in the Elderly (MedMaIDE) tool. Cognitive and functional status, health literacy and depression symptoms were assessed. ER visits were determined retrospectively over the last six months Descriptive analyses were performed to identify cognitive and physical functional deficiencies in MMC. Linear regression analysis was conducted to identify variables that predict MMC and assess the relationship between MMC and using pharmaceutical aid/service. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between ER visits and MMC. Results: A total of 107 participants were included, and 89% were African-American with an average age of 68.54 years (±7.23). They had an average of 4.92 (±2.85) comorbidities and used approximately 8 (±4.12) medications on a regular basis. The mean total deficiency in medication management was 3 (±2.00) as assessed by MedMaIDE. Lacking medication knowledge was common among the participants: 69.16% could not name and 46% state the indication of all of their medications, and 38.32% did not how and when all of their medications should be taken. When controlling for ADLs and falls, the mean total deficiency score in MedMaIDE increased among those with an educational level equal to high school or less compared with participants who had a higher educational level than high school [β=1.32, 1.24, p= 0.0195, 0.0415, respectively], and participants who reported difficulty reading prescription medication labels or opening medication bottles compared with those who did not report any difficulties [β=1.18, 1.43, p= 0.0036, 0.0047, respectively]. About 20.56% of participants were receiving assistance with medications from someone, and 79.44% used at least one pharmaceutical aid/service. However, receiving assistance with medications and using pharmaceutical aid/service were not significantly associated with MMC [p= 0.5334, 0.0853, respectively]. The participants reported a total of 23 (21.5%) ER visits within six months. The adjusted model for age, educational level, number of comorbidities, and ADLs suggested that for every one-unit increase in the total deficiency score, the odds of ER visits increased by 1.23 (p=0.1809) times. Conclusion: Many older adults who lived in low-income housing had impaired capacity to manage their medications independently. They appeared to have inadequate medication knowledge, which affects their cognitive ability to manage medications. Low educational level and health literacy and reporting trouble reading labels or opening medication bottles were predictors to deficient MMC. Future studies are needed to confirm whether or not MMC predicts those who may not able to remain living independently safely or who may need additional support with medications to remain independent.