Purchase Of New Equipment Research Articles

Short-Term Efficacy of Back Injury Intervention Project for Patient Care Providers at One Hospital

A one-year Back Injury Prevention Program was initiated at a 440-bed acute care hospital in 1996 in response to concerns over high incidence and severity of back injuries among nursing staff and others. The program included an ergonomic evaluation of patient handling, pilot testing and purchase of new equipment, a train-the-trainer program, and training of 374 nurses and other patient handling staff (approximately one-half of the nursing staff). An impact evaluation, measured by comparing self-reported knowledge, work practices, and back pain among a subset of trainees and controls revealed an increase in knowledge of risk factors, a marginal increase in the use of mechanical devices to transfer patients, and a significant decrease in repositioning of patients in bed among trained versus control subjects (p = .017). Over the course of the program, the number of back injuries was 30% below the average of the prior 3 years, with the number of reported injuries in the final quarter (immediately following the training program) approximately one-seventh of the three prior quarters. It is concluded that back injury training may increase knowledge of risk factors and controls and may impact behaviors over which individuals have control (e.g., how often they move patients). However, training effectiveness is limited when engineering controls such as patient transfer devices are unavailable.

Successful Adjustment in Indian Industry: the Case of Ludhiana's Woolen Knitwear Cluster

This paper examines the case of adjustment in a labor-intensive export industry (woolen knitwear) to understand how traditional sectors in developing regions cope with external crises and rise above them. India's woolen knitwear industry, concentrated in Ludhiana, recently survived two crises—the collapse of its largest export market (the former Soviet Union), and the simultaneous opening up of the domestic market to freer trade. After an unusually short downturn, the cluster not only recovered rapidly, but is increasingly diversifying into more demanding and competitive external markets. Four factors are key to explaining this surprisingly resilient recovery. First, the best performing firms had a strong and simultaneous presence in dynamic segments of the domestic market alongside exports. This generated key organizational learning, and built managerial and production capacities that helped firms adapt quickly to more demanding markets later. Second, an important feature of the learning relationship between first-time exporters and their foreign buyers was the small-scale nature of contracts and a “customization of fit” between the producer and the feedback-giving intermediary. Third, better performing firms paid equal if not greater attention to making organizational changes in their work practices than to the purchase of new equipment. Fourth, the embedded nature of production networks, and the government's past programs to assist local firms have indirectly helped create a dynamic middle-tier of locally-rooted exporters who appear to be leading the cluster's transformation and modernization.

Feasible engineering noise controls in General Motors Corporation

The implementation of engineering noise controls on existing, rebuilt, and new equipment must take into account both technological and economic feasibility. Retro‐fitting engineering controls to existing noisy equipment on the production floor, while desirable and in some instance necessary, can have serious negative economic consequences. Costs resulting from decreased productivity, increased maintenance, frequency of replacement, and possible increased floorspace requirements are all factors which must be considered. General Motors Corporation, (GM, while pursuing the investigation and implementation of feasible engineering noise controls on existing equipment, places special emphases on the purchase of new equipment. The “General Motors Corporation Sound Level Specification for Machinery and Equipment,” Revision February 1979, specifies a maximum time‐weighted average sound level of 80 dB (A). Measurements are taken at the operator's ear location and on the measurement envelope as specified in “NMTBA Noise Measurement Techniques” Second Edition dated January 1976. GM, working in conjunction with its suppliers, has experienced considerable success in achieving feasible engineering controls through the application of the GM Purchase Specification.

The Flexible Choledochoscope: A Welcome Addition to the urologic Armamentarium

With diminishing availability of funds for the purchase of new equipment the flexible fiberoptic choledochoscope has obviated the need for the purchase of new, expensive duplicative instruments.This flexible scope has provided us with the ability to perform operative nephroscopy with excellent mobility, and resolution with added biopsy, grasping and cauterizing capabilities. Additionally, we have used this instrument to retrieve self-retaining stents from ureteroileal anastomoses, to perform routine cystoscopic examinations on patients with frozen pelves and to perform retrograde ureteral catheterizations through a suprapubic cystotomy.The modern urologist should familarize himself with this instrument, already available in most institutions, since it is a useful and versatile addition to the urologic armamentarium.

Marketing to Non‐Managers

Through a case‐study, this paper discusses how ‘non‐managers’ take part in the purchasing of new equipment This influence on the diffusions of innovation is demanding a reorientation of marketing strategy for the selling of technology. It is concluded that the new strategies must adapt to both unions and individuals on the ‘shop floor’ of the customer firm. Some evidence from democratisation research is presented, which could help marketers in predicting when unions and employees take an active interest in purchasing decisions.

A new automated procedure for the colorimetric determination of glucose

A simple, inexpensive automated procedure is described for the determination of plasma or serum glucose. The procedure is linear, specific for reducing sugars and correlates well with o-toluidine procedures. It may be adopted by laboratories currently using the ferricyanide reduction technique without the purchase of new equipment.

Anything new in AVequipment?

The proliferation of new equipment for education is a fact of life to teachers and school administrators. How does an educationist keep up with all the new developments and still keep his sanity? How does an educationist assess the true value of a new medium or a new machine? How does he justify the expense involved? Unfortunately, there is no neat and easy answer to any of these questions. The growing number of new educational machines is enough to make any-body dizzy. Yet, ignoring educational technology and procrastinating decisions will not make the problems go away. Knowledge and experimentation may lead to some intelligent conclusions, but all too often educationists dodge the issue or allow themselves to become victims of clever salesmen. All too often decisions concerning new learning equipment are made under pressure—pressure from business, pressure from politicians. Precious little evaluation and classroom experimentation are applied to the purchase of new equipment.

MUNICIPAL VERSUS CONTRACT STREET CLEANING IN WASHINGTON, D. C

Washington, the Nation's capital, is among the few of the important cities of this country-and probably the latest one-to abolish altogether the practice of performing its street cleaning operations under contract, and to take over such operations as a municipal function. The contract system had been in vogue since the establishment of the present system of government, when, on recommendation of the commissioners of tbe District of Columbia, Congress, by an act of March 2, 1911, authorized the said commissioners to undertake the work when In their judgment it could be accomplished more advantageously to the interests of the District of Columbia. Accordingly, such operations were commenced as a municipal function on July 1, 1911. Necessarily during the first year the department was put to considerable expense towards the purchase of new equipment, horses, etc., and naturally many experiments were resorted to and changes made before the forces engaged in the work could be properly organized for so important a task. Notwithstanding these changes in methods as the work progressed, which necessarily impaired the maximum efficiency of the force engaged, but which were dictated by knowledge gained by experience, and notwithstanding also the considerable expense attached to the purchase of new equipment, the office was able to show at the end of the first year's operations that the average costs were less than the contract prices. At the end of the second year, June 30, 1913, the records disclosed that for the expenditure of the same amount of money, over 25 per cent. more work was accomplished than during the last year of the contract system. Unfortunately, the quality of the.work, being a matter of observation and judgment, cannot be shown in figures, but the whole interest of the municipal authorities in charge of street cleaning, is to have the work well done, while the object of the contractor was to do it well enough to be paid. The stock is largely supplied by horses from the fire and police departments which have become unfit for fast worik but are splendidly able to do the work of street cleaning and were originally the best that could be bought. They are kept better and fed better than tlie contractor's horses. All equipment is kept in perfect condition. The men are well paid, work hard, are employed and discharged according to their ability to work; and thoroughness at all times is insisted on. There seems to be no reason then for the efficiency being less, and the testimony of old employees of the department and impartial citizens who have been sufficiently interested to