Behavioral Activation Treatment for Smoking (BATS) in smokers with depressive symptomatology

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2/3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura MacPherson ◽  
Anahi Collado ◽  
Carl W. Lejuez ◽  
Richard A. Brown ◽  
Matthew T. Tull

Purpose Cigarette smoking remains the primary preventable cause of mortality and morbidity globally. The overarching goal of the paper is to disseminate the Behavioral Activation Treatment for Smoking (BATS), which integrates behavioral activation principles with standard treatment guidelines to assist individuals in achieving short- and long-term smoking cessation. Through a series of sequential steps, BATS guides individuals who wish to quit smoking to increase their engagement in healthy, pleasurable, and value-consistent activities. Design/methodology/approach The document provides the BATS rationale and contains an abridged manual for use by clinicians and/or researchers in the context of clinical trials. Findings: BATS is accruing empirical evidence that suggests its ability to promote successful smoking cessation outcomes while decreasing any associated depressive symptoms. Findings BATS is accruing empirical evidence that suggests its ability to promote successful smoking cessation outcomes while decreasing any associated depressive symptoms. Practical implications A description of key components, forms, and strategies to address common treatment barriers are included. Originality/value BATS’s strong roots in learning theories and its idiographic nature allow for the intervention to be implemented flexibly across a wide range of settings and smoking populations. The treatment may also be combined seamlessly with pharmacotherapies. BATS targets both cigarette smoking and depressive symptoms, which constitute a significant barrier to cessation, through a common pathway: increasing rewarding activities. The treatment offers a parsimonious complement to standard smoking cessation treatments.

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wageeh A. Nafei

<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Although the phenomenon of Organizational Silence (OS) is widely seen in organizations, there is little empirical evidence regarding its nature and components. The purpose of this research is to identify the types of OS and its effects on JE at Menoufia University Hospitals in Egypt.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach</strong>: To assess OS, refer to (OS questionnaire, Schechtman, 2008; Brinsfield, 2009) and JE (JE questionnaire, Rich et al., 2010). Five dimensions of OS are constructed and measured in order to examine their effects on JE at Menoufia University Hospitals in Egypt. Out of the 338 questionnaires that were distributed to employees, 300 usable questionnaires were returned, a response rate of 88%. Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) was used to confirm the research hypotheses.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Results indicate that supervisors’ attitudes to silence, top management attitudes to silence and communication opportunities are associated and predict ES behaviour. The research has found that there is significant relationship between OS and JE. Also, the research has found that OS directly affects JE. In other words, OS is one of the biggest barriers to organizational engagement of the employees at Menoufia University Hospitals in Egypt.</p><p><strong>Practical implications:</strong> This research contributes to stimulate scientific research, particularly in terms of testing the model content, as well as studying the research variables and the factors affecting them. In addition, this research pointed to the need for organizations to adopt a culture which encourages and urges employees to speak in the labor issues and the non-silence in order for the administration to be able to realize these issues and try to solve them first hand in order to prevent their aggravation.</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>Although the phenomenon of silence is expected in organizations, there is little empirical evidence in the literature aimed at defining, analyzing, and coping with it. Silence climate has an impact on the ability of organizations to detect errors and learn. Therefore, organizational effectiveness is negatively affected. This research aims to measure the effect of OS on JE. Based on the findings of this research, some important implications are discussed.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Frost ◽  
Kate Walters ◽  
Jane Wilcock ◽  
Louise Robinson ◽  
Karen Harrison Dening ◽  
...  

PurposePost-diagnostic dementia care is often fragmented in the United Kingdom, with great variation in provision. Recent policies suggest moving towards better community-based care for dementia; however, little is known on how this care is delivered. This study aimed to map the post-diagnostic dementia support provided in England a decade after the introduction of a National Dementia Strategy.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-methods e-survey (open Nov 2018–Mar 2019) of dementia commissioners in England recruited through mailing lists of relevant organisations was conducted. The authors descriptively summarised quantitative data and carried out thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses.Findings52 completed responses were received, which covered 82 commissioning bodies, with representation from each region in England. Respondents reported great variation in the types of services provided. Information, caregiver assessments and dementia navigation were commonly reported and usually delivered by the voluntary sector or local authorities. Integrated pathways of care were seen as important to avoid overlap or gaps in service coverage. Despite an increasingly diverse population, few areas reported providing dementia health services specifically for BME populations. Over half of providers planned to change services further within five years.Practical implicationsThere is a need for greater availability of and consistency in services in post-diagnostic dementia care across England.Originality/valuePost-diagnostic dementia care remains fragmented and provided by a wide range of providers in England.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1021-1039
Author(s):  
Kaz Stuart ◽  
Mark A. Faghy ◽  
Elaine Bidmead ◽  
Ruth Browning ◽  
Catriona Roberts ◽  
...  

PurposeThis paper proposes a biopsychosocial (BPS) analysis of COVID-19 experiences which enhances understanding of complex and interrelated factors and leads to the proposition of a BPS recovery framework.Design/methodology/approachOnline narrative research was used to explore people's experiences of COVID-19 and was conducted over a four-month period. The call was distributed via a short open-ended qualitative online survey advertised on social media platforms and 305 responses came from across England.FindingsThe findings illustrate people with a narrow range of BPS characteristics experienced over a wide range of BPS impacts which are nuanced, complex and dynamic. Left unaddressed these may create future adverse BPS characteristics. An integrated BPS framework for recovery is proposed to avoid such further negative outcomes from the pandemic.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample contained a bias in age, gender and living arrangements.Practical implicationsThe paper offers a clear framework to enable integrated holistic recovery/regrowth planning.Social implicationsUsing the framework would reduce social and health inequities which have been recently deepened by COVID-19 in the long-term.Originality/valueThe paper is original in its use of a BPS analytical framework.


2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Mittenzwei ◽  
Stefan Mann

Purpose Outside farming, pluriactivity is generally considered as undesirable, whereas agricultural economists tend to recommend part-time farming. This contradiction is to be solved. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach Linking tax-payer and statistical farm-level data from Norway, the authors tested how profitable part-time farming is for Norwegian farm households. Findings The analysis showed that concentrating on either working on-farm or off-farm generates a higher household income than combining the two. Practical implications Part-time farming may be a lifestyle decision, but apparently is not economically optimal for most farms. Originality/value The contribution solves an apparent contradiction between the discourses inside and outside agriculture.


Sensor Review ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Bloss

Purpose – Review of the advancements in non-contact laser sensors for much more accurate real time speed as well as length measurements. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth review of a number of applications of laser sensors. Findings – A wide range of manufacturers in the converting industries have solved measurement problems and realized major improvements in product quality, cost of production and productivity by applying laser measurement as well as reduction in scrap. Practical implications – Others with the need to make very accurate measurements of speed and length in real time may find that laser sensors may provide the answer. Originality/value – An expert insight into how to solve real time speed and length measurement problems.


2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 15-16

Purpose – Describes a blended-learning program at Barclays bank that won bronze in the 2015 Learning Awards. Design/methodology/approach – Examines the reasons for the program, the form it takes and the results it is achieving. Findings – Explains that the program, named Colleague Curriculum, is designed to create a learner-led blend of learning for more than 135,000 Barclays employees. Practical implications – Highlights the program’s flexibility, which helps to ensure that it is suitable for a wide range of employee skills and cultures. Social implications – Sites the learning program in the context of Barclays’ Transform program, a long-term journey of change which aims to make the bank the partner of choice for all its stakeholders. Originality/value – Reveals how technology can help to transform an organization’s learning.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sampsa Hyysalo ◽  
Mikael Johnson

Purpose – “User” is the lingua franca term used across IT design, often critiqued for giving a reductionist portrayal of the human relationship with technologies. The purpose of this paper is to argue that equating “user” with flesh and blood “people out there” is naïve. Not only that, it closes important options in conducting human-centered design. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conceptually elaborate a relational understanding of the user and integrate research findings on user representations found at the intersection of human-centered design and social studies of technology. Findings – The user is best understood as a relational term that bridges between people out there and renditions of them relevant for design. A distinction between “user representations” and “engaged use” is a key distinction to clarify this further. Research to date demonstrates that R & D organizations have a wide range of user representations and positioning human-centered design to these would advance its likely yield. Research limitations/implications – The strategic positioning of user studies and other human-centered design within R & D organizations is a growing research area that merits further research. Practical implications – Descriptions of users would benefit from being more strategic in order to become viable amidst other design concerns. This can be aided by, for instance, visualizing the “users” that different fractions in the company rely on and compare these to the users indicated by human-centered design. Originality/value – The paper makes an original reconceptualization of the user and integrates literature on user representations to open new options for conducting human-centered design.


2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 1206-1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Scott Rosenbaum ◽  
Mauricio Losada Otalora ◽  
Germán Contreras Ramírez

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to illustrate that mall shoppers who participate in a mall’s experiential offerings, including entertainment and activities, do not necessarily exhibit more favorable attitudes or behaviors toward the mall than mall shoppers who do not participate in these offerings. Design/methodology/approach This study employs survey methodology from a sample collected in an expansive regional mall that offers customers experiential activities. Findings The findings show that mall shoppers who partake in mall-based activities are less satisfied, are less likely to spread positive word of mouth, and have lesser desire to return to the mall than shoppers who do not partake in these activities. The findings also reveal that mall expenditures are the same between shoppers who partake in mall activities and those who do not. Research limitations/implications Researchers have argued that malls can compete with digital retailers by offering shoppers experiential activities. Although segments of shoppers partake in these activities, this study finds that experiential investments do not result in significant favorable shopper outcomes. Practical implications Mall developers that implement experiential offerings as a means to combat competition from digital retailers may not attain managerially relevant results from doing so. Originality/value Although retailing academics and consultants espouse the idea that retailers can obtain financial benefits by creating memorable experiences for shoppers, this research offers empirical evidence that counters these speculations. In the case of enclosed malls, investments in experiential features and activities may not lead to improved shopper attitudes, behaviors, or sales.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 404-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Maija Hietajärvi ◽  
Kirsi Aaltonen ◽  
Harri Haapasalo

Purpose Project alliancing – a project delivery model used in delivering complex projects – demands new organizational capabilities for successful project implementation. The purpose of this paper is to define the concept of project alliance (PA) capability and to identify the elements that constitute an organization’s PA capability. Design/methodology/approach This study provides empirical evidence of PA capability based on an investigation of participants’ experiences of Finnish construction and infrastructure alliance projects. The adopted research approach is qualitative and inductive. Findings The paper conceptualizes PA capability and defines the elements that constitute an organization’s PA capability, including important activities in the pre-formation, development and post-formation phases of PAs and the contractual, behavioral, relational, and operational skills that organizations need for successful alliance project initiation and implementation. Practical implications The identified alliance project activities are targets for routinization and best practices that organizations can deploy from one project to another. The identified skills indicate areas in which organizations should build and develop expertise. Originality/value There is limited empirical research on the elements defining an organization’s capability to bid, manage and operate in alliance projects. This study presents some preliminary thoughts to augment knowledge of the successful initiation and management of alliance projects and to suggest why some organizations may be more successful than others in alliance projects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohith P. George ◽  
Brad L. Peterson ◽  
Oliver Yaros ◽  
David L. Beam ◽  
Julian M. Dibbell ◽  
...  

Purpose To introduce blockchain in simple terms for business lawyers to be able to spot the right issues and ask the right questions. Design/methodology/approach This article provides an overview of blockchain, identifies two example use cases, and highlights some of the most pressing legal issues, including issues to address in on-chain programming, off-chain agreements and other issues when determining whether to implement a blockchain solution. Findings This article concludes that there has been a significant growth in investment and interest in blockchain. Numerous companies across different sectors have developed blockchain proof-of-concepts, with some heading towards production deployments. At this point, commercial blockchain is largely in the pilot or proof-of-concept stage across a wide range of use cases, with payments and supply chain being two of the most promising use cases. This article also identifies possible legal issues associated with blockchain. Practical implications Despite the growing interest in blockchain, it is still a novel topic to many business lawyers. It is very important that lawyers are able to identify the right issues and ask the right questions. Originality/value Practical guidance from experienced lawyers in the Technology Transactions and Financial Services Regulatory & Enforcement practices.


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