Retention Of Members Research Articles

The Underlying Effects of Celiac Disease and Subsequent Implications on Deployment in the United States Army.

The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the etiology, pathology, and treatments for celiac disease (CD), as well as to provide context as to how CD impacts the U.S. military. To conduct this review, the authors surveyed recent epidemiology and immunology literature in order to provide a detailed summary of the current understanding of CD, its diagnosis, and the real-world impacts within the Department of Defense (DoD). We described the gluten proteins and both the immune response in CD. We further describe the underlying genetic risk factors and diagnosis and pathogenesis of the disease and conclude the review with a discussion of how current DoD regulations impact U.S. military readiness. Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder that results in damage to the small intestine. Ingestion of gluten in a CD patient is usually followed by villous atrophy in the small intestine, often along with other gastrointestinal symptoms. Around 1% of patients diagnosed with CD can experience complications if gluten-free diet is not followed, including intestinal lymphoma and hyposplenism. Therefore, a patient showing possible symptoms should discuss the diagnostic process with their healthcare providers to ensure adequate understanding of serological and genetic tests along with the histological examination of intestinal biopsy. Patients should seek consults with registered dietitians to structure their diets appropriately. Considering the prevalence and incidence of CD and gluten intolerances are increasing, the military should consider providing gluten-free Meals Ready-to-Eat as an option for all service members. Given the retention of service members with CD, subsequent admission of personnel with mild CD that does not affect the duties will allow the DoD access to a growing population of fully capable service members with critical technical skills who are eager to serve the USA.

Group Cohesion for Enhanced Operation of Agricultural Community-Based Projects in Gauteng Province, South Africa

Collective operation of smallholder farmers and cooperatives has been attributed to many mishaps and malfunctions. Such knowledge creates misperceptions regarding agricultural cooperatives and their usefulness in development. This study investigated member commitment, group cohesion and membership retention in agricultural production cooperatives. The main aim was to identify possible practical measures for enhanced performance and increased sustainability in farmer organizations. Data was collected from 92 participants that were currently operating as cooperative members. A combination of descriptive statistics, Perceived Cohesion (PC) and Binary Logistic Regression methods were employed for analysis. Results of the study indicate that group cohesion is influenced by trust among members, internal communication, financial performance of the cooperative, involvement of members in decision making, and role of the organization in the community. Strategies for increased group cohesion that were recommended in the study include information sharing and transparency at all levels of operation, and collective decision making and planning in organizations.

The Impact of Employer Brand on Faculty Members Retention in the Egyptian Universities

This research presents information on employer branding and faculty members retention as a critical issue in the higher education sector in Egypt and creates an understanding of the importance of the concept in an organizational context. The research analyzes three dimensions, i.e., development value, economic value, and application value and examines their impact on faculty members retention. By applying to the higher education sector in Egypt a comparative study between public and private universities. The researcher found that the employer brand has a partial effect on the retention of faculty members in higher education in Egypt. There is no difference in the impact of the employer brand on the retention of faculty members in private universities than in public universities. Development value was the most influential factor on faculty members' retention, followed by application value. Economic value has no effect on faculty retention in universities.

Use AI to Help Retain Members

The Membership Management ReportVolume 17, Issue 4 p. 6-6 Member Retention Use AI to Help Retain Members First published: 01 March 2021 https://doi.org/10.1002/mmr.31692Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume17, Issue4April 2021Pages 6-6 RelatedInformation

Importance—Satisfaction Analysis of Deer Management Cooperative Members

ABSTRACTOur study explored the utility of using Importance‐Satisfaction Analysis (ISA) to identify critical attributes to deer management cooperative (DMC) member satisfaction. With white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginanus) management by landowners becoming an increasingly popular conservation tool, DMCs represent an approach by private landowners and hunters to collaboratively improve deer herds and hunting quality. Deer management cooperatives are a group of landowners and hunters voluntarily working together to improve the quality of wildlife, habitat, and hunting experiences on their collective acreage. Deer management cooperatives show promise in providing dual benefits to hunter satisfaction and large‐scale conservation efforts such as increasing habitat connectivity. Heterogeneity of satisfaction for deer hunting is well‐documented and DMC member satisfaction is an important factor in member retention and recruitment. We surveyed 2,817 members of 45 DMCs across five states (Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, New York, and Texas) using ISA methodology to better understand their satisfaction with their experience. Hunters’ responses (n = 459) to the 22 attributes measured were segmented by their divergent motivations for DMC membership, resulting in four unique clusters for comparison (Solitude Members, Social Members, Representative Members, and Quality Harvest Members). Our results indicated that motivations for membership influenced importance and satisfaction ratings, further elucidating that multiple types of hunters and members exist within DMC networks. Areas of agreement among the four DMC clusters were the need for Neighbors to follow Quality Deer Management practices, that DMCs are performing well on members Seeing deer and Co‐op members sharing similar harvest goals, and that Preventing crop damage and the Lease value of the DMC property are low priorities. However, there was little agreement in quadrant placement among the four membership clusters for the remaining 17 attributes indicating the importance of DMCs understanding their individual members’ motivations for joining. By retaining satisfied members, DMCs can continue to provide the hunting quality expected as well as the tangential conservation benefits. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.

Performance of Agricultural Farmers’ Groups and Cooperatives in Eastern Bhutan

The number of farmers' groups (FGs) and cooperatives (Coops) increase annually in Bhutan. However, studies on their performance are limited. Thus, this study (1) examined the performance of agricultural FGs and Coops and (2) determined the association between the performance of FGs and Coops and their selected characteristics in six districts of Eastern Bhutan. The results were generated from the data collected through group interviews of 60 groups (53 FGs and 7 Coops) in early 2020. The cooperative performance index was used to divide groups into three performance levels: (1) early transition to growth, (2) mid-transition to growth, and (3) model groups. The results showed that most groups (62%) were in mid-transition to growth, followed by the early transition to growth and model groups with 20% and 18%, respectively. FGs and Coops performed weakly in areas of management, marketing, and retention of members. The frequency of meetings and the number of literate members were positively correlated with the groups' performance. Overall, this study suggests the requirement of supports in areas of initial institutionalisation of groups, management, marketing, and product diversification to strengthen existing FGs and Coops.

"The Adjunct Faculty Are Our Lifeblood" An Institution's Response to Deliver Value to Volunteer Community Faculty.

Because of the importance of and increasing competition for unpaid community faculty's time, we qualitatively evaluated the adjunct community faculty experience in order to identify mechanisms to improve the recruitment, training, and retention of these faculty members. The authors captured community faculty and key stakeholder opinion through interviews, focus groups, and a survey to elucidate their perspective of roles, responsibilities, facilitators, and barriers for providing quality teaching and learning experiences. After evaluating the data, we created an impact/effort matrix to guide suggested changes. Key medical education stakeholders reported adjunct community faculty members were critical to delivery of the medical school curriculum and shared methods and barriers for retaining members. Adjunct community faculty focus groups revealed two major themes: (1) personal experience and motivation, and (2) individual advantages and institutional barriers that influence being a faculty member. The survey and impact/effort matrix led to interventions including an Office of Community Faculty to implement recruitment and retention programs and provide more comprehensive oversight, a clinical scheduling hub, improved access to specialists for community faculty, and awards to recognize the critical contributions of community faculty members. As competition for community placements increases, including community faculty voices to inform action is an effective investment that enables an institution to direct resources towards interventions that maximize their support and engagement. Including community faculty perspectives also increases faculty's ability to participate in training the next generation of physicians.

Female helpers signal their contribution to chick provisioning in a cooperatively breeding bird

Behaviours whose primary function is not signalling can convey information that other individuals can use to make relevant decisions. In cooperatively breeding vertebrates, feeding young that are not own offspring typically provides indirect fitness payoffs, but group members may also benefit directly by advertising their contribution to their social mates, to either increase their ‘social prestige’ or obtain a share of territory commodities (‘pay to stay’). Evidence of such a signalling component of brood provisioning, however, remains controversial. In the cooperative society of carrion crows, Corvus corone , male subordinates have little chance of independent reproduction and do the best of a bad job by helping to raise the current brood. The value of future reproduction is instead higher for subordinate females, which, because they have better prospects of finding a breeding vacancy, generally invest less than males in helping at the nest. Under these circumstances, dominants are expected to be more vigilant over the contribution to brood provisioning by female subordinates, which in turn, might need to show their helpfulness to retain group membership. In accordance with this idea, we found that female retained offspring increased the ‘visibility’ of their contribution by provisioning in front of the dominant breeders significantly more than any other category of group members. In addition, retention of group membership for female offspring was associated with their perceived effort in chick feeding. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis of ‘pay to stay’ and suggest that a signalling component of helping can arise in a ‘typical’ kin-based cooperative society. • In carrion crows, retained offspring and immigrants help at the nests. • Female helpers often provision the brood in front of the dominant breeders. • Their perceived effort correlates with the probability of remaining in the group. • By advertising their work, they show that they are paying a rent for staying. • For female helpers, brood provisioning may therefore have a signalling component.

Riscos evidenciados pelas empresas do setor educacional listadas na bolsa de valores brasileira

Neste texto apresenta-se resultados de pesquisa pela qual se investigou os riscos evidenciados pelas empresas de serviços educacionais, listadas na Brasil, Bolsa e Balcão - antes BM&FBovespa. Utilizou-se pesquisa descritiva, documental e qualitativa, baseado nos fatores de risco constantes no relatório da administração e no formulário de referência. Dentre os 119 fatores de riscos encontrados 65,22% das informações foram transcritas por duas ou mais empresas, com a prática do isomorfismo mimético; 54% dos fatores de riscos estão relacionados à própria empresa, sendo a estratégia de crescimento e a retenção dos membros de administração os mais destacados. Os riscos relacionados ao mercado foram os principais, seguido pelos riscos do tipo operacional, legal e estratégico, e o risco menos evidenciado foi o ambiental.Palavras-chave: instituições de ensino superior; evidenciação de riscos; formulário de referência.

Faculty retention in regional medical schools in Iran: a qualitative content analysis

Background and purposeRecruitment and retention of competent faculty members are important in maintaining and improving the quality of education and research performance of universities. The aim of the present study was to find out the faculty members’ views, experiences, and attitudes to identify the reasons for faculty attrition and retention in regional medical schools in Iran.MethodsIn this qualitative study, we used a content analysis method. The participants included 12 faculty members who had been transferred to type I universities, four faculty members who had applied for transfer, four with more than 10 years of experience and working in the type 3 universities with no intention to be transferred. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, which were conducted either face-to-face or via phone calls. The interview was developed for this study (Supplementary file). To measure the trustworthiness of the data, we evaluated four components of credibility, transferability, dependability, and conformability, as proposed by Lincoln and Guba.ResultsThe findings were classified into three categories and 14 subcategories. The first category was “retention facilitators” including four subcategories of facilitated communication, proximity to major universities, gaining experience, and support by authorities. The second category was “retention threats” including six subcategories of social infrastructure, individual dimension, occupation dimension, economic dimension, sense of respect, and executive management. The third category was “retention strategies” which included four subcategories of recruitment and promotion processes, inter-university collaboration with type I universities, facilitation of the scientific growth, and fulfilment of the safety needs.ConclusionSeveral factors play a role in the faculty members’ retention in regional medical schools in Iran. Authorities can create a more positive environment by devising a suitable reward system, supporting academic activities, and increasing the level of faculty autonomy practically to develop a sense of belonging among them and reduce the intention to be transferred among their human resources.

Angry, Frustrated, and Silent: Women’s Responses to Microaggressions Within the Discipline That Coined Microaggressions

The number of women entering the field of psychology has steadily increased to nearly 75% over the past decade (APA, 2019). During this time, the number of women in psychology who identify as racial and/or ethnic group member has also increased (APA, 2019). The discipline of psychology prides itself on inclusivity and has worked to increase the retention of members with varying cultural and gender identities (APA n.d.b., & APA, n.d.c.). Shifts in composition, however, have not been reflected among higher ranking professionals within the field (e.g., faculty, supervisors; Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, 2015). This disparity warranted a qualitative investigation on the experiences, emotions, and reactions to microaggressions for women emerging in psychology (n = 264). Although psychology-related professionals aspire to be more inclusive and maintain an explicit orientation to social change, microaggressions have a large purview from which no field is excluded. Findings from women’s narrative responses revealed 4 types of microaggressions, 11 elicited emotion themes, and 6 types of reactions to microaggressions. Results highlight how women manage their emotions and reactions to microaggressions in institutional environments while considering individual and collective stigma consciousness. Monitoring and documenting the social conditions of this field can increase support and allyship, which facilitates retention for women pursuing and earning doctoral degrees in psychology.

The experiences of active duty military spouses with advanced degrees in maintaining and advancing their careers.

Individuals married to active duty military members experience a significantly higher rate of un/underemployment than their civilian counterparts; those with advanced degrees are most impacted. Occupation is central to individual identity and adaptation; therefore, individual occupational struggles can impact family systems. Evidence shows military spouse career concerns impact service member retention, making spouse employment related to national security; however there is limited research on active duty spouses, particularly those with advanced degrees. This phenomenological study explored the experiences of activity duty military spouses with advanced degrees focusing on maintaining and advancing their careers. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used to explore experiences of military spouses with advanced degrees actively seeking to work in their profession. Inductive content analysis was used to derive overarching themes to respond to the research questions. Four major themes emerged: uniqueness of military life impacts; professional adaptation: flexibility, creativity and reinvention of the professional self; enhanced sense of duty/professional integrity; and need for enhanced forms of career support. Military spouses with advanced degrees value and have a right to occupation, including work. Military life presents unique barriers to this. Results have implications for healthcare providers and policy-makers.

Networks Composition, a Relevant Factor to Their Resilience: Insights from Agricultural Innovation Platforms in Uganda

Management of project networks involves understanding the characterization of membership, in terms of breadth, depth, and motivations for joining. This study sought to assess the effect of network composition on resilience of project networks among agricultural innovation platforms (AIPs) in Central and South Western Uganda. Like any network, having the right number and value of members is critical in the formation and functioning of an innovation platform. The study was anchored on social network theory adopting explanatory research design grounded on positivistic research philosophy. The study population comprised of 220 actors with a stratified sample of 132 actors in the 22 AIPs in Central and South Western Uganda. Out of the 132 sampled actors, 103 were interviewed representing 78% response rate generally considered adequate for further data analysis. The study used SPSS to analyse data through descriptive and inferential statistics. All study variables were tested at a confidence level of 95%. Results revealed that network composition was moderately embraced among the AIPs but has a significant effect on resilience of project networks. Based on these conclusions, the study recommends that AIP leaders should put in place appropriate mechanisms, which encourage attraction and retention of members while according due attention to their individual interests. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing an empirical model, which can be easily adopted by AIPs as well as validating tenets of the theoretical framework by anchoring the study among agricultural based project networks.

The Alzheimer's Prevention Registry: Success metrics and lessons learned in registry member retention through online engagement campaigns

AbstractBackgroundWe developed the web‐based Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry (APR) program to provide resources to the AD scientific community, aiming to accelerate recruitment and enrollment into studies and to complement local efforts. Considerable efforts have been given to strengthening retention and engagement of APR members over time, regardless of whether they enroll in an AD study.MethodsAdults age 18+ are eligible to join the APR at www.endALZnow.org. At enrollment, individuals provide their name, email address, zip/postal code and year of birth; after enrollment they provide additional demographic information. Immediately after enrollment members begin receiving APR emails welcoming and orienting them to the APR. The APR sends members monthly newsletters and study opportunity announcements via email for engagement and retention purposes. We developed a 4‐part re‐engagement campaign for members who either have not opened an APR email within 6 months or fall below our engagement scoring model. If a member does not act on a re‐engagement email, then APR removes them from its email distribution list. Only “actively engaged” members remain on the APR email distribution list.ResultsThe APR has enrolled >347,000 members since its launch in 2012. As of January 2020, 86,175 people are considered “actively engaged” members of the APR. In 2019, 12 monthly e‐newsletters were sent to APR members. The average e‐newsletter open rate was 45% (compared to nonprofit healthcare industry average of 16%); and the average e‐newsletter click rate (percentage of APR members who clicked on the email in relation to those who opened/viewed the email) was 24% (compared to the industry average of 1.6%). In 2019, 36 study opportunity emails were sent to APR members with similar open and click rates. To date, approximately 54,000 members have been added to the re‐engagement campaign, and nearly 10,000 (18.5%) have been successfully re‐engaged.ConclusionDeploying online engagement campaigns as a retention tool is a valuable resource for the APR. Thoughtfully engaging and re‐engaging APR members promotes increased likelihood of email opens and clicks when study opportunities are offered. Future work will examine the relationship between email engagement and responsiveness to study opportunities.

Five Ways To Boost Member Retention

Five Ways To Boost Member Retention

Turnover Intentions in the STEM Fields: The Role of Departmental Factors

The underrepresentation of women faculty in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) remains a persistent feature of academia, with turnover being a contributing factor. The departmental context is likely implicated in the decision to stay or leave, as it is one of the key defining features of faculty members’ work experiences. Using the job-demands resources theoretical approach, this study examines how four facets of university departments – department climate, department chair support, perceived injustice, and scholarly isolation – are related to turnover intentions among STEM tenure-system faculty, along with whether these relationships differ by gender. Data are from STEM tenure-system faculty at a mid-sized university located in the upper Midwest (N = 117 faculty members). The findings indicate each facet of the department is related to STEM faculty members’ turnover intentions, regardless of gender. Taken together, these findings suggest that improving the department atmosphere may enhance retention of men and women STEM faculty members alike.

From Intention to Action: Operationalizing AGA Diversity Policy to Combat Racism and Health Disparities in Gastroenterology

From Intention to Action: Operationalizing AGA Diversity Policy to Combat Racism and Health Disparities in Gastroenterology

Member Retention and Donations in Nonprofit Service Organizations: The Balance Between Peer and Organizational Identification

Prior research has established that it is valuable for members to have strong organizational identification with nonprofit service organizations. However, research has not examined whether and how members are influenced by other members of a nonprofit. This paper analyzes how peer identification influences member retention and donations using survey data and actual member behavior. It distinguishes identification with the organization from identification with peers. The theory-based econometric model shows that the effect of a member’s peer and organizational identification on the likelihood of he/she will remain a member depends on the member’s relationship stage. Organizational identification has a large effect on member retention in the earlier periods of membership. However, for members of eight years or more, the favorable effect of peer identification becomes larger. Results also show that peer identification has a negative impact on donations whereas organizational identification has a positive effect regardless of stage of the member-nonprofit relationship. This paper also introduces a new construct, peer identity overlap, which influences peer identification. The article discusses how nonprofit service organizations can foster support and affirmation among members, value alignment among members, peer identity overlap, and organizational identification, as well as manage different stages of the relationship.

Keep Testing Member Retention Strategies

The Membership Management ReportVolume 16, Issue 8 p. 5-5 Articles Keep Testing Member Retention Strategies First published: 01 July 2020 https://doi.org/10.1002/mmr.31529Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume16, Issue8August 2020Pages 5-5 RelatedInformation

Should I stay or should I go? Visit frequency as fitness centre retention strategy

ABSTRACT Rationale/Purpose: While there have been many previous studies on the impact of service quality, satisfaction, and loyalty on retention, mainly through qualitative surveys, there has not been an in-depth observation of the direct impact of visit frequency on long-term commitment using quantitative data. Design/methodology/approach: This study empirically tests 2,385 members across a chain of fifty fitness clubs in South Korea for one year from membership enrolment using logistics regression analysis. Findings: The research reveals and validates that visit frequency plays a significant impact. It shows that the member’s age also has a significant impact on the frequency and retention. This study shows how the first quarter of the year demonstrates a pattern to enhance retention predictability and reliability. Practical implications: With these findings, this study offers implications for retention-related factors in the earlier period of membership rather than tangible fitness centre-related factors in enhancing retention and long-term commitment to physical exercise. Research contribution: This is the first study that reveals the drop-out predictability by directly establishing the relationship of visit frequency and membership retention by tracking a one-year membership cycle.