Issue Of Shortages Research Articles

Using technology to ameliorate the effects of healthcare staff shortages during pandemics

ABSTRACT Although technologies facilitate the provision of quality patient monitoring and management solutions, limited information is available on how technology can be deployed in the management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients for addressing the health care workforce shortages. In this study, the author assessed the existing evidence to determine how technologies could be used to solve the issue of workforce shortages in the management of COVID-19 patients. The researcher utilized a quantitative analysis approach. Data were extracted from a total of 11 studies. The use of technologies such as mobile-based apps; telephone service; and video, virtual, and electronic intensive care units (ICU) alleviates the challenge of shortages in the workforce. However, financing and legal challenges impede the full implementation of technology in the management of COVID-19. According to the findings, managers need to adopt suitable ways of addressing the highlighted challenges to effectively use technology to address challenges associated with workforce shortages in the inpatient setting, such as in the emergency department and ICU and home-based care.

Assessing the effects of workforce diversity on project productivity performance for sustainable workplace in the construction industry

AbstractRecent studies on workforce diversity have preached that workforce diversity could have a positive impact on productivity if it is managed and utilized well. Due to the global trend of increasing workforce diversity in construction projects, it is crucial to understand the factors affecting workforce diversity and their impact on productivity for developing a sustainable environment for workforce diversity. However, little attention has been given to how workforce diversity may affect productivity performance in the construction industry. Thus, this study aims to assess the impact of workforce diversity on project productivity performance (PPP). Twenty‐one diversity factors were identified via literature review and validated by industry experts, followed by a survey conducted with 58 firms working in Singapore. The responses were analyzed and used to develop a partial least squares structural equation model. The outcomes from the model signified that the diversity aspects such as efficient decision‐making and countering the issue of skilled labor shortages had the highest impact in their respective categories of “Skill and education” and “Age and experience.” Therefore, this study contributes to the core body of knowledge and practice both in defining workforce diversity factors and in assessing the relationship between diversity factors and productivity. Furthermore, feasible strategies that match the factors prioritized by the level of the impact on PPP were proposed. These can help construction organizations to understand the untapped potential of workforce diversity and its impact on PPP, ultimately enhancing the productivity of the industry and sustainable diversity in the workplace.

Comparison and Analysis of Custard Apple Seed Oil with Engine Lubricant (Bio Lubricant)

Now a day’s the prices are increase and the decline of fossil fuels is generating a great deal of need to find an alternative lubricant from non-edible oil seeds. To order to solve the issue of energy shortages, an alternative energy source must be required. Vegetable oils are perceived to be alternatives to mineral oils for lubricant base oils because of certain inherent technical properties and their biodegradability. Vegetable oils with high oleic contents are considered to be the best alternative to substitute conventional mineral oil-based lubricating oils and synthetic esters. This paper mainly reveals about extraction of oil from custard apple seeds and the study of its composition and physic-chemical properties. Custard apple seeds were tested for their physicochemical properties in the production of biological lubricants. Research indicated that 27.5 percent of oil content in the seeds. The bio lubricant was analyzed for a quality test such as density, viscosity, flashpoint, fire point, calorific value.

Agrarian dynasties as a social and professional resource

The relevance of this article lies in the consideration of agrarian dynasties as a social and professional resource for strengthening the agrarian sector of the economy, as one of the aspects of solving the problem of professional self-determination of rural youth and raising the prestige of agrarian professions. The article is analytical in nature. In the post-Soviet years, there was a tendency to reduce the dynasty of families, although professional continuity is a necessary foundation for the development of the country's economy. The development of knowledge-intensive technologies, the creation of a new generation of technology, a decrease in the share of physical labor does not solve the issue of personnel shortages in the countryside. Not every young man, even a native of the village, is ready to devote his life to the agrarian profession. Therefore, the task of preserving and increasing agrarian dynasties remains urgent. The article delimits the concepts of an agrarian professional dynasty and an agrarian family dynasty. The task contributes to solving several problems: fixing personnel in the countryside; development of agricultural production, introduction of knowledge-intensive technologies; rural development; raising the prestige of agrarian professions among young people. The growth of the number of professional dynasties in our country is influenced by family ties. The problem of preserving agrarian dynasties and professional self-determination of rural youth is being studied at the State Agrarian University of the Northern Trans-Urals (Tyumen). At the university, students with "village" roots are approximately 64 %. According to the analysis of research among university students, the family remains the greatest value for the younger generation of the village, and the number of students who decided to continue the family dynasty remains stably small at the level of 14 %, but, given the negative attitude towards rural labor in the post-Soviet period, this is a good indicator. The results of the survey on professional agrarian dynasties are well correlated with the survey of students about their return after graduation to live and work in the village. There are 14–18 % of such in different years. Respondents cite various reasons for reluctance to return to their small homeland – low incomes in rural areas, social problems, underdeveloped infrastructure, etc. The author believes that the real reason for this problem is much deeper – in dislike of his native land and rural labor, in interruption of mental and historical memory and disregard for family native peasant traditions. The problem of continuing agrarian dynasties is not so much the problem of individual parents or the youngest person, but of society as a whole. Conclusion: support for agrarian dynasties contributes to the return of young people to the village, raises the prestige of agricultural professions, helps to qualitatively solve the personnel issue and the issue of rural development.

Development of thermal insulation sandwich panels containing end-of-life vehicle (ELV) headlamp and seat waste

Recycling automotive waste has increasingly become an alternative solution towards producing sustainable materials given the rising issue of raw material shortages and waste management challenges at global level. The improper end-of-life vehicle (ELV) waste management poses detrimental impacts on the environment. This paper proposes a novel method to develop thermal insulation sandwich panels using ELV waste, motivated by the critical needs of creating high-performance thermal insulation for buildings. Six sandwich panels (P1-P6) of different weight and ratio of shredded ELV particles were manufactured. The sandwich panels structure was made of three layers: a core, and a glass face sheet bonded to each side. The core structure composed of Polycarbonate (PC) from headlamp lenses and polyurethane (PU) from seat, bonded using resin casting approach. Thermal conductivity of the samples was measured using guarded hot-plate apparatus. Results corroborated that thermal conductivity of ELV-based sandwich panels reduced remarkably compared to panel without ELVs, recorded at 15.51% reduction. Composition gives the best thermal performance was made of mixed ELV core materials of ratio 50%PC:50%PU, it has a thermal conductivity value of 0.1776 W/mK. The transparency data were obtained using Haze-gard plus haze meter. The best luminous transmittance value was exhibited by P2 (100% PC), 67.47%. The best clarity value and haze value were shown by P6 (25% PC: 75% PU), 55.13% and 52.6% respectively. ELV waste can be recycled to develop useful sustainable thermal insulation to improve thermal and optical transparency performance of buildings as a substitute for conventional materials which have a relevance for future façade concepts.

Staff shortages in Swedish elderly care – reflections on gender and diversity politics

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss how the labor shortage is described at the national level and how these problematizations correlate to gender and diversity politics. The paper is overview of the governance of staff shortages in elderly care, how it is articulated and how the governmental scenario of solutions, which includes the channeling of unemployed migrants into elderly care. Politicians and public media describe the situation as desperate and the issue of the staff shortages in elderly care is described as a state of crisis. A highly profiled solution is to open up elderly care for unemployed migrants.Design/methodology/approachBy analyzing specific management strategies for controlling a phenomenon, the paper will also be able to highlight values surrounding the phenomenon. The ambition is to understand how institutions, authorities and organizations handle practical forms of knowledge that are aimed to implement a particular policy or working method within the welfare system.FindingsOne important aspect of the findings is the ways in which these official political discourses link the issues of migration and the shortages of staff in elderly care. But also visualize factors in how the government bodies with the formal responsibilities and authorities express their concerns about these links and the quality of the elderly care more generally.Originality/valueIt is well-known that migrants are employed to take care of the growing population of elderly in Europe. In Spain and Italy, for example, immigrants are frequently employed directly by families to care for their elderly family members. This type of employment entails a series of new social risks. The most important of those risks is the global “care chain” that these arrangements incur for the sending families, who lose a family member on whom they depend. This paper is connecting the international research on the global “care chain,” but focuses on the Swedish context, where the migrants already are established and elderly care work is not linked to migration in the same way. However, the experience of migration and the importance of transnational and cultural knowledge can be influential in understanding the changing processes in Swedish elderly care, not the least as the question of staff recruitment has been linked to migration by the highest political levels.

Biased technical change in hospital care and the demand for physicians

BackgroundThe development of labour productivity is relevant for accurately planning future staffing requirements, especially in sectors where technological developments may drive labour substitution. The present study investigates how labour productivity has developed across Dutch medical specialists (2007–2017) and discusses its implications for workforce planning, also in relation to the existing literature.MethodsA regression model is developed in which the number of full-time equivalents is related to production (admissions), hospital characteristics and a trend parameter. The trend parameter captures the average annual change in the number of full-time equivalents per production output and is a measure for labour productivity. The model is applied to a micro-data set of Dutch hospitals in the period 2007–2017 across 24 different specialties using regression methods.ResultsThe results indicate an increase in the number of full-time equivalents per admission has increased for most specialisms and that labour productivity has thus decreased. However, there is considerable heterogeneity and uncertainty across different specialisms.ConclusionsThe results amplify the issue of medical personnel shortages driven by the growing demand for health care. The research outcomes are linked to the existing literature regarding physicians’ productivity. Changes in accountability such as using relative value units, incentive payments, use of staff and mid-level providers, and technology have been discussed, and some consensus has been reached.

The Willingness to Employ Immigrants in Polish Organizations

Abstract Objective: For a long time Poland has been perceived as a rather homogenous society. However, cultural diversity and differences started to become visible after 1989 and have gained on importance since then. Combined with an increasing shortage of native workforce, the question of immigrants’ employment by Polish organisations becomes a burning issue. We have therefore decided to determine whether the fact of employing immigrants or the intention to do so in the foreseeable future affects the perception of foreign workers and the necessity of hiring them Methodology: For this purpose, we conducted a survey among 263 entrepreneurs from the Opolskie Voivodship. Findings: The study has demonstrated a very strong, statistically-relevant correlation between the willingness to employ immigrants and the attitude towards an employee’s country of origin. Also correlations between other analysed variables have been found statistically relevant Value Added: The paper is an introduction to a debate on the role of immigrants on the Polish labour-market as it presents the point-of view of employers and their willingness to employ immigrants. Recommendations: It is recommended for decision-makers to facilitate access of a wider group of immigrants to the Polish labour market, especially since a significant group of employees recognises the upcoming issue of workforce shortages and the necessity to reach for foreign employees in order to stay competitive.

Laboratory Evaluation on the Performance of Porous Asphalt Mixture with Steel Slag for Seasonal Frozen Regions

Porous asphalt mixtures with steel slag (PAM-SS), as an eco-friendly and low-cost pavement material, are conducive to addressing the issue of urban floods and natural resource shortages. The primary objective of this paper was to explore the feasibility of the application of PAM-SS for seasonal frozen regions, and ascertain the optimal replacement percentage of natural aggregate. Steel slag coarse aggregate (SSCA) was used to replace basalt coarse aggregate (BCA) at four levels (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) by equal volume. The volume characteristics, mechanical properties, low-temperature cracking resistance, water stability, and freeze-thaw (F-T) durability of the mixture were assessed. The results indicated that the low-temperature cracking resistance of the mixture was significantly enhanced and acoustic emission (AE) energy was uniformly released by the incorporation of steel slag. Furthermore, the porosity, permeability, Marshall stability (MS), and the resistance against water damage and F-T cycles were also significantly improved. Based on the experimental results, the complete replacement of natural aggregate is advisable to obtain an optimal overall performance.

The role of professional groups in policy change: Physician's organizations and the issue of local medical provision shortages in France and Germany

AbstractThis article proposes an endogenous perspective on policy change, combining the analysis of the policy process (policy framing, decision and implementation) with the analysis of the transformation of professional groups and their organizational representation. It deals with the case of territorial undersupply in primary care provision, which has become a key issue in healthcare policies in France and Germany since 2000 (the analysis goes up to 2018). Policy changes in these two health insurances systems cannot be explained only by the salience of the problem, framed as “medical deserts” in France and as “lack of physicians” in Germany. We propose an explanation based on the internal fragmentation of the medical profession, playing a paradoxical role: as limiters of change (for the established and institutionalized organizations) and as promoters of change (for the medical entrepreneurs shaping new organizations defining and supporting new primary care service structures).

Attracting and managing talent, how are the top three hotel companies in India doing it?

Purpose Global business travel spending reached a record breaking $1.2tn in 2015 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016) and the average Indian traveling is now at a phenomenal high for both business and leisure travel. In this context, the paper aims to investigate how the top hotels in India are addressing the issue of human resource shortages and training and how they are preparing for the future when the market, the customer profile and employee expectations are undergoing a major change. In essence, brand loyalty could be minimal and competition intense. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a case study approach and reviews how participating hotels are addressing their talent attraction and retention issues and differentiating their people management processes. Findings The processes used by top hotel companies provide an overview as to how they manage people and how they will need to innovate to assess progress of the measures and initiatives they are taking. They will also have to be more global in their approach. Originality/value The findings will be of interest to managers who are responsible for hiring and managing employees. The study also has implications for policymakers and higher education institutions in relation to managing skill shortages that exist in the hotel industry.

Data Analytics in Smart Healthcare: The Recent Developments and Beyond

The concepts of the smart city and the Internet of Things (IoT) have been facilitating the rollout of medical devices and systems to capture valuable information of humanity. A lot of artificial intelligence techniques have been demonstrated to be effective in smart city applications like energy, transportation, retail and control. In recent decade, retardation of the adoption of data analytics algorithms and systems in healthcare has been decreasing, and there is tremendous growth in data analytics research on healthcare data. The results of analytics aim at improving people’s quality of life as well as relieving the issue of medical shortages. In this special issue “Data Analytics in Smart Healthcare”, thirteen (13) papers have been published as the representative examples of recent developments. Guest Editors also highlight some emergent topics and opening challenges in healthcare analytics which follow the visions of the movement of healthcare analytics research.

The Eco-Costs of Material Scarcity, a Resource Indicator for LCA, Derived from a Statistical Analysis on Excessive Price Peaks

The availability of resources is crucial for the socio-economic stability of our society. For more than two decades, there was a debate on how to structure this issue within the context of life-Cycle assessment (LCA). The classical approach with LCA is to describe “scarcity” for future generations (100–1000 years) in terms of absolute depletion. The problem, however, is that the long-term availability is simply not known (within a factor of 100–1000). Outside the LCA community, the short-term supply risks (10–30 years) were predicted, resulting in the list of critical raw materials (CRM) of the European Union (EU), and the British risk list. The methodology used, however, cannot easily be transposed and applied into LCA calculations. This paper presents a new approach to the issue of short-term material supply shortages, based on subsequent sudden price jumps, which can lead to socio-economic instability. The basic approach is that each resource is characterized by its own specific supply chain with its specific price volatility. The eco-costs of material scarcity are derived from the so-called value at risk (VAR), a well-known statistical risk indicator in the financial world. This paper provides a list of indicators for 42 metals. An advantage of the system is that it is directly related to business risks, and is relatively easy to understand. A disadvantage is that “statistics of the past” might not be replicated in the future (e.g., when changing from structural oversupply to overdemand, or vice versa, which appeared an issue for two companion metals over the last 30 years). Further research is recommended to improve the statistics.

Results of EAHP’s 2018 Survey on Medicines Shortages

Aims and objectivesThe aim of the 2018 EAHP Survey on Medicines Shortages was to provide a clearer picture on the issue of medicines shortages, including the impact on hospital pharmacists’...

Ekonomski razvoj u republici Slovačkoj - ostvareni rezultati i perspektive budućeg razvoja

Slovakia's accession to the EU provided a positive impulse for further economic development, describing the main indicators of the business environment, including the analysis of the general macroeconomic environment, GDP and the labor market. The Slovak Republic focuses on current trends regarding the issue of shortages of skilled labor and employment of foreigners. The most important tasks that the Slovak Government must provide in Slovakia are sustainable economic growth combined with job creation and improving business conditions. Foreign direct investment and corporate sector are major factors that will initiate growth of the economy and employment in Slovakia. New investments also mean modernization of production, new technologies, creating new jobs and progress of the economy. This paper puts a special emphasis on the benefits of the fourth industrial revolution, impersonated in the automation and digitalization of processes and continuous innovations, which resulted in the economic growth and development in Slovak Republic.

Uptake of Antibiotics and Their Toxicity to Lettuce Following Routine Irrigation with Contaminated Water in Different Soil Types

Abstract To address the issue of global freshwater shortages, wastewater has become an increasingly valuable alternative for crop irrigation. As a result, trace levels of emerging contaminants, inc...

Vol. 1: The Excellence of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutions in Korea: Yeungjin College Case Study

To tackle the issue of skill shortages, many governments are restructuring their respective school systems into more demand-driven systems, which are expected to improve overall school outcomes and external efficiency. In order to assist TVET institutes and governments with the development of innovative methods to improve the outcomes, this study seeks to provide suggestions drawn from an in-depth case study of a successful TVET school. The selection criteria for the case study’s subject required a school to have high external outcomes, i.e. graduate employment rate. The study then assessed whether or not the select school possesses four premise factors (high quality teacher, relevant curricula, strong leadership, and school-industry linkages) and how these factors contribute to the improvement of the graduate employment rate. The study gathered data via survey and interviews of both faculty and students. As for the survey, 693 out of 1,400 juniors and 23 out of 71 professors responded. The interviews were a face-to-face, one-on-one style with structured, open-ended questions. Ten students and ten professors were interviewed separately in a closed room, and 60 minutes was allotted for each session. After coding the raw data, certain themes emerged. The findings suggest that Yeungjin College possesses all the stated premise factors, and the factors directly and/or indirectly influences the graduate employment rate via the enhancement of employability. Additionally, the most determining factor can be altered within different contexts (e.g. TVET policy, labor market) and times.

Determinants of stakeholders' attitudes to xenotransplantation.

Advances in xenotransplantation have the potential to resolve the issue of organ shortages. Despite this, the procedure is expected to meet with a degree of resistance from the public. The purpose of this study was to identify the relevant factors influencing stakeholders' attitudes towards xenotransplantation. A multidimensional survey instrument measuring attitudes to xenotransplantation, including the factors that predict such attitudes, was developed based on earlier studies and validated. It was then completed by 469 respondents who were stratified in accordance with stakeholder groups in Malaysia. A single-step SEM analysis was then conducted to estimate the measurement and create a structural model using IBM SPSS Amos version 20 with a maximum-likelihood function. The attitudes of Malaysian stakeholders towards xenotransplantation were moderately positive (mean score of 4.20). The most important direct predictor of attitude to xenotransplantation was perceived benefit (β=0.59, P<.001) followed by perceived moral concern (β=-0.32, P<.001). Perceived risk had a strong positive association with moral concern (β=0.65, P<.001), while attitude to nature had a positive association with perceived benefit (β=0.16, P<.01) and a negative association with perceived risk (β=-0.19, P<.01). Religiosity had a positive relationship with perceived risk (β=0.13, P<.05) while engagement with biotechnology had a positive relationship with perceived benefits (β=0.26, P<.001) and a negative association with risks (β=-0.15, P<.05) and moral issues (β=-0.11, P<.05). The Malaysian stakeholders were cautious about xenotransplantation. This study showed that their views regarding the application are complex and multifaceted.

Identifying Motivational Factors of Pre-service EFL Teachers

Abstract For over sixty years what motivates individuals to become teachers and how they perceive teaching as a career have been investigated through a growing body of research. The underlying reasons for the research are mostly the problems of teacher shortages and teacher quality. To maintain informed and intelligent generations, teacher quality and teaching cover an important ground in the development of many countries all around the world. The issue of teacher shortages and teacher quality not only differs from one country to another but also from one field to another. In this regard, English language teaching (ELT) is one of the fields that experience teacher shortage and teacher quality issues in Turkey than other teaching fields. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the motivations of pre-service EFL teachers for choosing ‘teaching as a profession and their perceptions about teaching career’. A total of 210 preservice EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers voluntarily participated in the study. The data was gathered by utilizing a motivation scale. The results revealed that prior experiences as a learner, social utility values were the most significant motivation factors for teacher trainees. The findings were discussed in relation to language teacher education.

PELATIHAN PEMBUATAN ALAT PENJERNIHAN AIR PADA MASYARAKAT KECAMATAN SEBAWI KABUPATEN SAMBAS

The problematic issue of water shortages is always happens in dry season because of rainwater absorption in the peat soil which dominates most of the Borneo region especially Rantau Panjang subdistrict. The river water around peatlands area has typical smell, colour, and taste. Peat water has to be processed rightly before it is used to fulfill domestic needs. Therefore, there should be an effort to process the peat water appropriately through counseling and training in producing simple water purifier which is easy to operate. This dedication on the training in producing water purifier was conducted at Sebawi district in Sambas regency. There were 24 residents of Rantau Panjang subdistricts attended this training. The training began with the counseling in how to produce water purifier. The counseling aimed at transferring knowledge of the importance of clean water for the residents of Rantau Panjang subdistrict. The next activity was the training in producing water purifiers from simply and locally available materials. In this activity, the participants were given opportunity to practice producing water purifier. The participants were so enthusiastic in this training. Keywords: training, producing, water purifier equipment.