Use Of Secondary Data Sources Research Articles

Staff satisfaction and organisational performance: evidence from a longitudinal secondary analysis of the NHS staff survey and outcome data

BackgroundThe search for causal links between human resource management (HRM) and organisational performance has dominated academic and practitioner debates for many years. However, much of this work comes from contexts outside health care and/or the UK.ObjectivesThis study tested the later stages of a well-established HRM model, testing whether or not there was evidence of causal links between staff experience and intermediate (staff) and final (patient and organisational) outcomes, and whether or not these differed in parts of the NHS. We used large-scale longitudinal secondary data sets in order to answer these questions in a thorough way.Data sourcesSearches were conducted using Health Management Information Consortium, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Social Sciences Citation Index and EBSCOhost(from inception to May 2012).MethodsStaff experience data came from the national NHS staff surveys of 2009, 2010 and 2011, with trust-level measures of staff absenteeism, turnover, patient satisfaction, mortality and infection rates gathered from the same NHS years. Several analytical methods were used, including multilevel analysis, mediated regression, latent growth curve modelling and cross-lagged correlation analysis.ResultsIn general, the pattern was that better staff experiences are associated with better outcomes for employees and patients. Multilevel analysis found that the positive effects of staff perceiving equal opportunities on employee outcomes were especially strong, as were the negative effects of aggression and discrimination. Organisational-level analysis showed that better staff experiences (particularly those associated with better well-being and better job design, and more positive attitudes about the organisation generally) were linked to lower levels of absenteeism and greater patient satisfaction. There was some evidence that the relationship with absenteeism is causal, although the causal link with patient satisfaction was less clear-cut. Some relationships between staff experience and turnover, and some between staff experience and patient mortality, were also found (and a few with infection rates), with longitudinal analysis comparatively unclear about the direction of causality. Although many staff experiences were associated with absenteeism and patient satisfaction, these effects were not mediated and the reason staff experiences are linked to patient satisfaction appears to be separate from the link with absenteeism. In general, there is no single group of staff (or geographical region) for which staff experiences are the most important. However, nurses’ experiences generally had the strongest effects on absenteeism, followed by medical/dental staff. Few clear or explainable patterns for other staff group effects were found. Absenteeism was most readily predicted by staff experience in the West Midlands. Two Action Learning Sets of managers, and patient and public involvement representatives broadly supported the emerging findings of the factors that seemed to be important indicators of staff satisfaction and organisational outcomes.LimitationsThe relatively blunt nature of the data used meant that conclusions about the direction of causality were less clear. More specific limitations included that we had to limit outcome variables to those that were available already, that many variables were available for acute trusts, and that we could not break down data further within trusts or years.ConclusionsOverall, the research confirmed many expected links between staff experiences and outcomes, providing support for that part of the overall HRM model in the NHS. However, conclusions about the direction of causality were less clear (except for absenteeism). This is probably due in part to the relatively blunt nature of the data used. Future research may involve the careful evaluation of interventions designed to improve staff experience on more specific groups of staff, and the continued use of secondary data sources, such as those used in this report, to answer more specific, theoretically driven questions.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.

Has globalisation rendered the state paradigm in controlling crimes, anachronistic?

Purpose – This purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamics of globalisation on the state’s ability to fight crimes. Given the complicated dynamics of the global market influence on crime control and prevention, the paper has analysed the theory of globalisation and how it manifests itself across or within different states. While, it is internationally acclaimed that globalisation has become a fact of life, it needs to be noted that not all countries have been able to harness its benefits. Therefore, globalization has manifested itself differently in different states. This paper examines the dynamics of globalization on sovereign states in the context of their ability to control and prevent crimes, the influence of open border controls, the new crimes typologies, articulating whether modern state approaches are adequate to caution them against contemporary global challenges. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is written drawing on experiences of the UK, the European Union and in other jurisdictions farther afield. I have used a range of secondary data sources such as analysing data in newspaper, journal papers, textbooks and online sources. The paper has also drawn on some of my earlier scholarly work but internalised to suit the purposes for writing it. Findings – This paper finds that unless states first position themselves properly to pervasive global changes and challenges, they risk being continuously sidelined (swamped). Globalisation and its offshoot effects on traditional states approaches have elicited a wide range debates and controversies. The conclusion one draws in the analysis of the global influence in fighting traditional and non-traditional crimes would usually depend on where one stands/leans in contemporary debate on these twin issues. Research limitations/implications – The study was undertaken using a qualitative research methodology, relying heavily on the analysis of secondary data sources. By the very nature of this methodology, it would have been better to carry out interviews and to gain a first hand experience on issues this paper was written on. This is because qualitative research methodology thrives in a natural setting where the researcher interacts with his/her constituent subjects directly. This would also have mitigated the potential for bias inherent in the use of secondary data sources. Practical implications – The paper is important in demonstrating that states need to be more proactive to benefit from globalisation and its influences. They cannot afford to be laid back lest they are submerged by pervasive global influences in its various manifestations. The paper has highlighted that relaxing border controls could be bad for states because it has the potential to send wrong signals to dangerous criminals. The state needs to reclaim some of its lost sovereign space to remain relevant in asserting its influence on what happens and does not happen inside its borders. Social implications – States have no choice but to come together and forge common interstate initiatives. This will enable them to deal with overlapping global exigences effectively. There is no state (whether it likes or not) that can afford to act unilaterally when it come to overlapping global exigences. Originality/value – The analysis of the paper is based on contemporary challenges and narratives of globalisation and its influence on crimes control. It is nevertheless written in a distinctive way to foster the objectives of writing it.

A Checklist for Ascertaining Study Cohorts in Oncology Health Services Research Using Secondary Data: Report of the ISPOR Oncology Good Outcomes Research Practices Working Group

ObjectivesThe ISPOR Oncology Special Interest Group formed a working group at the end of 2010 to develop standards for conducting oncology health services research using secondary data. The first mission of the group was to develop a checklist focused on issues specific to selection of a sample of oncology patients using a secondary data source. MethodsA systematic review of the published literature from 2006 to 2010 was conducted to characterize the use of secondary data sources in oncology and inform the leadership of the working group prior to the construction of the checklist. A draft checklist was subsequently presented to the ISPOR membership in 2011 with subsequent feedback from the larger Oncology Special Interest Group also incorporated into the final checklist. ResultsThe checklist includes six elements: identification of the cancer to be studied, selection of an appropriate data source, evaluation of the applicability of published algorithms, development of custom algorithms (if needed), validation of the custom algorithm, and reporting and discussions of the ascertainment criteria. The checklist was intended to be applicable to various types of secondary data sources, including cancer registries, claims databases, electronic medical records, and others. ConclusionsThis checklist makes two important contributions to oncology health services research. First, it can assist decision makers and reviewers in evaluating the quality of studies using secondary data. Second, it highlights methodological issues to be considered when researchers are constructing a study cohort from a secondary data source.

PRM20 Comparing the Use of Secondary Data Sources in Two Types of Journals During 2010

PRM20 Comparing the Use of Secondary Data Sources in Two Types of Journals During 2010

The links between supply chain disturbances and resilience strategies

The purpose of this paper is to establish links between supply chain disturbances and corresponding strategies of resilience to counter them. To this end, an inductive research approach is used, examining a sample of 38 cases. Secondary data from the cases is used to identify disturbances which affected the corresponding supply chains and the resilience strategies used by managers. The empirical evidences shows that the negative effects of supply chain disturbances can be categorised into a number of supply chain failure modes. In addition, a set of resilience strategies was identified that could be used to overcome those failure modes. A conceptual model, with links between supply chain disturbances, failures and resilience strategies, is proposed. The limitations of this research result from the use of secondary data sources. The findings are only valid for the selected case studies and, consequently, may not be applicable in other scenarios. Future research should focus on detailed case studies that investigate cross-functional applications across the organisation and the supply chain.

Expanding Horizons and Deepening Understanding via the Use of Secondary Data Sources

While primary data analysis has been popular in logistics and supply chain research, secondary data methods have been overlooked. These methods, however, have the potential to generate a variety of important opportunities to expand the horizons of logistics and supply chain research. In this article, we emphasize the use of secondary data analysis and how it can address contemporary challenges in logistics and supply chain research. Our review of the logistics and supply chain literature identifies six important methodologies that can be useful for secondary data generation and analysis. We discuss how these methods can help effectively address various logistics research questions.

The Formula One Australian Grand Prix: Exploring the triple bottom line

This case highlights issues associated with the Formula One (F1) Australian Grand Prix held in the city of Melbourne, Victoria. The event receives substantial government funding and therefore the worth of the event receives consistent public scrutiny. Jim Kranger, CEO of the Victorian Major Events Corporation, is put in charge of assessing the value of the event to the State of Victoria. The results of Kranger's report will determine whether the government will continue to financially support the event. Kranger realizes that he must consider economic, social, political, and environmental issues. The case highlights the challenges that Major Events Corporations, and by extension, the government face in providing public funding to a sport event. The case also highlights the problems with economic impact studies and the need to focus on the triple bottom line approach by examining the economic, social, and environmental issues associated with the event. Further, the case highlights issues relating to the use of secondary data sources to make decisions. The case encourages students to consider the theoretical and practical issues at the cross-section of sport event, destination, and stakeholder management.

Modelling the reliability of search and rescue operations with Bayesian Belief Networks

This paper uses a Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN) methodology to model the reliability of Search And Rescue (SAR) operations within UK Coastguard (Maritime Rescue) coordination centres. This is an extension of earlier work, which investigated the rationale of the government's decision to close a number of coordination centres. The previous study made use of secondary data sources and employed a binary logistic regression methodology to support the analysis. This study focused on the collection of primary data through a structured elicitation process, which resulted in the construction of a BBN. The main findings of the study are that statistical analysis of secondary data can be used to complement BBNs. The former provided a more objective assessment of associations between variables, but was restricted in the level of detail that could be explicitly expressed within the model due to a lack of available data. The latter method provided a much more detailed model, but the validity of the numeric assessments was more questionable. Each method can be used to inform and defend the development of the other. The paper describes in detail the elicitation process employed to construct the BBN and reflects on the potential for bias.

A History of Core Skills Policy Development in Scotland

The primary aim of the paper is to critically review the development of policy and practice in the area of Core Skills within both the compulsory and post- compulsory years of education. The research design is based upon an analysis of policy documents, interviews with key informants and the use of secondary data sources. An historical analysis for the period 1979-2006 is also provided of policy development in the field of Core Skills including the demand for generic foundation skills from employers. The main conclusion of the research is that policy-makers in Scotland are currently at a cross-roads with the very notion of generic Core Skills and that this, in turn, could lead to the abandonment of the policy of ‘embedding’ skills within the school and college curriculum.

Reconciling Multiple Data Sources for Implementing the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) in Tanzania

The Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) was approved by the United Nations as one of the first activity-based statistical accounting systems under the system of national accounting. Since its formalization as a framework for adoption by individual countries, implementation has been a slow and challenging process. One factor that has challenged implementation in Tanzania is the availability of quality data from existing national statistical programmes. This paper evaluates the quality of secondary datasets for prioritized TSA implementation. The results provide a critical stimulus to adopting the TSA through the use of secondary data sources.

Sensitivity of macroecological patterns of South American parrots to differences in data sources

ABSTRACTA criticism of macroecological studies has been their extensive use of secondary data sources. In this note we evaluate how different data sources affect macroecological patterns for the parrots of South America. We mapped extents of parrot occurrence based on four sources of range maps. We compared basic statistics for geographical range size distribution (mean, variance and skew) and calculated correlations between geographical range size estimates and grid cell species richness estimates. Finally, results from multiple regression analyses of species richness against six environmental variables were also compared. We found that patterns were very robust to the data source, with only relatively slight quantitative differences. Our results reinforce the notion that patterns emerging from macroecological analyses are robust to variations in data sources and cannot be merely artefacts resulting from low data quality, notably poorly defined mapping and conflicting taxonomy.

Domestic Energy Situation in Nigeria: Technological Implications and Policy Alternatives

Using data from a recent study, the paper describes the domestic energy situation in Nigeria, noting specific technical innovations in this sector. The energy policy environment, and the emerging technological capabilities are discussed. Field data were collected using a variety of research techniques, including interview survey, indepth interviews, focus group discussions, and the use of secondary data sources. The data were collected from the following target groups households in selected rural and urban towns (totalling 585 households), consumers and suppliers of various domestic energy resources, and local fabricators of enduse appliances. The existing institutional capabilities and capacities were also assessed. Study findings present a basic description of households and types of domestic fuel in use, and the dynamics of the demand and the supply of domestic fuels, including the choice of fuel, the profile of users, fuel switching, trends in fuel costs, technical innovations and institutional capabilities and capacities. A framework for rethinking and replanning technology policy in the domestic energy sector is also presented.

Developing a nursing management practice atlas: Part 1, Methodological approaches to ensure data consistency.

Challenges associated with the use of secondary data sources for benchmarking in nursing administration research are identified. A methodological approach for ensuring data consistency is presented in part one of this two-part series. Part two (September 2000) will provide an analysis of the nursing management data, based on a set of nursing and financial resource benchmarking variables identified by the senior nurse executives of these sites. Initial findings show evidence of data consistency across similar hospitals.

Physician and Patient Factors Associated with Differences in use of New Versus Established Therapeutic Agents

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine a secondary source of data and attempt to identify physician and patient related factors which are associated with the prescribing of new prescription drugs. Eight drugs introduced to the general market between January, 1977 and December, 1980 were selected as “new drugs” for study. Study drug utilization was compared to that of established drugs of the same therapeutic categories to determine whether there were significant differences in the relative frequencies of use between the new drugs and the established drugs with respect to physician and patient characteristics. The major conclusions of the study were 1 that treatment variables (the drug(s) examined, patient’s disease and the treatment setting) are important considerations in establishing an association between prescribing behavior and physician and patient characteristics; (2) the use of secondary data sources to study these associations can serve a limited but useful function in an overall, compr...