Archetype change in professional organizations: Survey evidence from large law firms

This paper examines the proposition that the traditional archetype of the professional partnership is said to have changed into a more 'business-like' entity, the managed professional business. It broadens the restricted case sample base on which much of the evidence has been adduced, by developing a survey questionnaire through which 197 large British law firms were sampled. Change, consistent with the notion of a more commercially oriented and consciously managed organization, is concentrated in the market-facing area of the firm but coexists with areas of continuity in the governance of the firm and its strategic management. The findings reveal a more managerial form of organization in which the core elements of the traditional form of professional organization have not been transformed. These results contest the assertion of either transformational or sedimented change found in other, case-based research and suggest that archetype change needs theoretically to be distinguished from the general phenomenon of greater managerialism within the professional service firm.

Voice and speech characteristics and vocal hygiene in novice and professional voice broadcast journalists

Knowledge of differences in voice and speech characteristics between novice and professional broadcasters is essential for effective education of broadcast journalism students. Because newsreaders rely on optimal voice production, information pertaining to vocal hygiene is also important. The first aim of this study was to compare the voice and speech characteristics of professional newsreaders, student newsreaders and control participants. The second aim was to compare the awareness and use of vocal hygiene across these groups. Professional radio newsreaders, broadcast journalism students and two matched control groups were included in the study. Each participant recorded a news bulletin and completed a questionnaire on vocal hygiene. Data analysis of the recording included objective analysis and perceptual ratings by a panel of three judges. Significant student-professional differences were found. Compared to both the students and the control groups, the professional newsreaders had greater variation in speaking fundamental frequency, a faster rate of speech, fewer pronunciation errors and higher perceptual ratings on vocal quality, emphasis, continuity, phrasing and style of newsreading. Female professional newsreaders had a higher speaking fundamental frequency than both their control participants and the student newsreaders. Comparison of vocal hygiene awareness revealed few significant differences between any of the groups.

A atuação do professor de Educacao fisica nos centros de atencao álcool e drogas

Esta dissertação teve como objetivo conhecer e analisar a atuação do professor de Educação Física no tratamento de pessoas que fazem uso prejudicial de álcool e outras drogas, especificamente em dois Centros de Atenção Psicossocial Álcool e Drogas (CAPSad) da região da Grande Vitória, ES, buscando elementos para subsidiar a questão a partir dos professores e demais integrantes da equipe multidisciplinar. Antes de adentrar no tema da pesquisa, considerei necessário expor os caminhos que fizeram com que se encontrassem, ao longo da história, os personagens protagonistas deste trabalho – professor de Educação Física e CAPSad. Para isso, retomei a Reforma Psiquiátrica Brasileira, a instituição dos CAPS, as intervenções políticas em álcool e outras drogas e a inserção do professor de Educação Física na saúde mental/saúde pública. A metodologia empregada foi a observação e a condução de entrevistas semiestruturadas com os professores e trabalhadores da equipe de saúde. Na descrição e análise dos dados, foi possível constatar que há certa semelhança nas atividades desenvolvidas pelos professores em ambos os CAPSad, os quais demonstraram a participação na equipe de modo multidisciplinar e intersetorial. A pesquisa demonstrou a relevância dos professores de Educação Física não somente como mais um membro da equipe, portador de uma série de intervenções, mas como um trabalhador que pode vir a somar significativamente com o campo da saúde mental. Mesmo não possuindo formação específica para atuarem, os professores se mostraram comprometidos com o trabalho dos CAPSad a partir de práticas corporais e outras atuações que evidenciam as relações humanas.

Organisational and professional commitments: the influence in nurses´organizational citizenship behaviours

The way an employee behaves in his work can be influenced by the organisational and professional commitment. Nurses are professionals who are guided by organisational and professional goals and values. Among nurses, professional commitment may be an important antecedent of organisational citizenship behaviours. The study shows how organisational and professional commitment is related with nurses’ organisational citizenship behaviours. Data from a sample of 420 nurses working in two hospitals --- the Hospital of St. Marcos, Braga and the Hospital Centre of Alto Ave, Guimarães and Fafe units were collected. The main findings are as follows: (a) organisational commitment and professional commitment contribute to the explanation of nurses’ organisational citizenship behaviours, (b) affective organisational commitment, continuance organisational commitment --- personal sacrifice, affective professional commitment and continuance professional commitment explain 28.6% of variance of organisational citizenship behaviours. © 2013 Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave (IPCA). Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Concepções e práticas de um centro de actividades ocupacionais

O presente trabalho tem como principal objectivo tentar conhecer e compreender as concepções educativas de um Centro de Actividades Ocupacionais face ao seu público-alvo em particular, as suas dimensões mais relevantes, os factores que as condicionam e os contextos que as limitam ou facilitam. Procurou-se conhecer as concepções e práticas dos actores educativos que intervêm na formação/educação junto de pessoas portadoras de deficiência mental adultas, clientes de um Centro de Actividades Ocupacionais, geograficamente situado em Lisboa. Para tal, elaborou-se um Estudo de Caso utilizando entrevistas semi estruturadas a sete profissionais do centro como técnica de recolha de dados, sendo estes posteriormente tratados através da análise de conteúdo. Assim, definiram-se como objectivos específicos do estudo: caracterizar as finalidades educativas do Centro de Actividades Ocupacionais; caracterizar as práticas de desenvolvimento para os adultos deficientes mentais; caracterizar o modo de participação dos clientes nas actividades: aspectos facilitadores e constrangimentos; identificar as dificuldades dos funcionários do Centro de Actividades Ocupacionais no atendimento aos clientes; caracterizar as iniciativas da instituição face à actualização profissional dos seus funcionários no sentido de fornecer respostas mais adequadas às necessidades dos clientes e, ainda, caracterizar de acordo com o ponto de vista dos actores educativos, a participação das famílias no processo de desenvolvimento dos clientes. Os resultados do estudo evidenciam que as actividades desenvolvidas no Centro de Actividades Ocupacionais se dividem entre as consideradas como socialmente úteis, como a montagem de material eléctrico, por exemplo, e as estritamente ocupacionais. Embora um dos objectivos do Centro de Actividades Ocupacionais seja a inserção do cliente na comunidade, da análise de dados ressalta que não existem muitas actividades que divulguem para o exterior o trabalho desenvolvido pelos adultos portadores de deficiência mental, promovendo pouca interacção dos indivíduos com a comunidade. As profissionais que participaram no estudo revelam motivação para trabalhar junto dos clientes e preocupação em melhorar o seu desempenho profissional, daí sentirem necessidade em adquirir formação contínua e partilhar experiências com outros profissionais. As famílias dos clientes são consideradas pelas participantes do estudo como sendo participativas no quotidiano do seu familiar, contudo existem factores que condicionam essa participação, como o envelhecimento dos progenitores. Abstract The present work aims to know and understand the educational conceptions of an Occupational Activities Center taking into consideration its target audience, particularly, its most relevant dimensions, the conditioning factors and its respective restrictive or facilitating contexts. The objective was to understand the concepts and daily practices of the educational actors that participate in the training/education of the mentally disabled adults who attend an Occupational Activities Center located in Lisbon. In that light, a Case Study was conducted using as the data collection technique semistructured interviews made to seven employees from the Center. This data was later on processed through content analysis. Thus, the following was defined as the study’s specific goals. To: characterize the educational purposes of the Occupational Activities Center; characterize development practices for the mentally disabled adults; characterize the clients’ participation process in the activities and the respective enabling and restrictive aspects; identify the Occupational Activities Center employees’ problems regarding client assistance; characterize the institution’s initiatives regarding the professional update of its employees in order to provide more adequate answers to its clients’ needs and, finally to identify from the educational actors’ perspective the participative role families’ take on when it comes to the clients’ development processes. The study results determine that the activities developed in the Occupational Activities Center are distinguished between the ones considered socially useful, such as the assembly of electric material, and the strictly occupational activities. Although one of the Occupational Activities Center goals is the insertion of the client within the community itself, the data analysis shows that there aren’t many activities that promote to the outside world the work performed by these mentally disabled adults, not advertising enough the individuals’ interaction with the community. The professional women who participated in the study show determination and motivation in working with the clients and also a concern in improving their professional performances, from this derives their need to attend continuous training and to share experiences with other professionals. The study's participants find the clients’ families involved in the daily routines of their relatives. Nonetheless, there are some factors that condition that involvement, such as the parents’ aging.

Peculiarities of the professional education and qualification appraisal of assistants of pharmacists in Lithuania

Following the alterations and additions to the pharmaceutical law of Lithuanian Republic the pharmaceutical activity in Lithuanian pharmacies is carried out by pharmacy specialists – pharmacists and pharmacy assistants (pharmacy technicians). The ability of pharmacy specialists to adapt, to improve and to develop their competencies is one of the success preconditions for Lithuanian health care pharmacy sector. Work aim: to investigate the changes among the specialists employed in pharmacies and pharmacy sector as well as to highlight the necessity to develop the qualification of pharmacy assistants (pharmacy technicians) according to the modern pharmaceutical legal basis in Lithuania. In 2008–2011 the research in Lithuanian pharmacy sector was performed which identified the changes in the numbers of pharmacies and their staff: the number of pharmacies decreased, while the number of pharmacists increased and the number of the assistants of pharmacists (pharmacy technicians) decreased. The decrease in the number of the assistants of pharmacists (pharmacy technicians) and the danger of their extinction in the future has been identified. The qualification appraisal for pharmacy assistants (pharmacy technicians) is implemented through the leveling studies at the Pharmacy technique department at the Health care faculty of Kauno Kolegija University of applied sciences and pharmacy study programme at the faculty of Pharmacy of Medical Academy at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. 75 % of respondents use their own money to pay for the qualification appraisal, and 25 % of respondents get financial support for the qualification appraisal activities from the pharmacy managers.

Accounting logic and new professional in healthcare: a case study

The central place hospitals occupy in health systems transforms them into prime target of healthcare reforms. This study aims to identify current trends in organizational structure change in public hospitals and explore the role of accounting in attempts to develop controls over professionals within public hospitals. The analytical framework we proposed crosses the concept of “new professionalism” (Evetts, 2010), with the concept of “accounting logic” for controlling professionals (Broadbent and Laughlin, 1995). Looking for a more holistic overview, we developed a qualitative and exploratory study. The data were collected trough semi-structured interviews with doctors of a clinical hospital unit. Content analysis suggests that, although we cannot say that there is a complete and generalized integration of accounting information in the clinical decisions, important improvement has been made in that area. Despite the extensive literature developed on this topic, there is any empirical studies of authors are aware that allow us to realize how real doctors in reals day-to-day work integrated these trends of change in theirs clinical decisions.

Inter-professional partnership: a case study

O estudo caso apresentado neste artigo aborda a colaboração entre profissionais de múltiplas áreas disciplinares. Este estudo descreve como foi realizada a parceria entre a equipa de enfermagem e a equipa de psicologia clinica nas visitas domiciliárias com familias em risco. Igualmente, discute as dificuldades enfrentadas quando os profissionais não partilhavam os mesmos modelos de praticas colaborativas.

Efetividade do tratamento em fisioterapia na pubalgia num jogador de futsal

A pubalgia é uma inflamação que ocorre na região do osso púbis, ponto de origem – inserção de diversos músculos, como os adutores da coxa e os abdominais. É responsável pelo afastamento de atletas de diversas modalidades da sua prática desportiva. Objectivo: Analisar a efectividade do tratamento em fisioterapia num jogador de futsal profissional que apresenta sintomatologia de pubalgia. Método: Foi realizado um estudo de caso com um jogador de futsal de 28 anos atuante na posição ala/pivot. O atleta foi avaliado e tratado durante seis semanas. As sessões de tratamento incluíam electroterapia, crioterapia, termoterapia, exercícios de alongamento, de fortalecimento muscular e de mobilidade da pélvis, hidroterapia e ligaduras funcionais. Na avaliação da flexibilidade dos isquiotibiais, adutores da coxa, abdominais e iliopsoas (teste de Thomas) foi usado o goniómetro (marca Baseline), o teste muscular manual para avaliar a força muscular dos diversos músculos, a escala numérica para avaliar a dor e o teste de Gillet para avaliar a mobilidade sacro-ilíaca. Resultados: O jogador de futsal apresentou ganhos de flexibilidade de 6 graus nos isquiotibiais, abdominais, adutor (lado esquerdo) e iliopsoas (lado esquerdo), e de 7 graus no adutor (lado direito) e iliopsoas (lado direito). Houve também ganho de força muscular nos abdominais, porção superior e porção inferior atingindo o grau 5 (grau máximo) do teste muscular manual, aumento da mobilidade pélvica e diminuição do quadro álgico, passando de dor 5 para dor 1 na inserção do reto abdominal e nos adutores de dor 3 para dor 0 (sem dor) de acordo com a escala numérica. Conclusão: O tratamento proposto para este atleta foi eficaz, visto que, houve aumento da flexibilidade, força muscular e mobilidade pélvica, e diminuição da dor na região do púbis, o que possibilitou o retorno à actividade desportiva.