Hippotherapy and life habits with children with motor deficit and neurodevelopmental impairment: A pilot survey of parents

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-49
Author(s):  
Alex Potvin-Bélanger ◽  
Andrew Freeman ◽  
Claude Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Motor Deficit ◽  
Life Habit ◽  
Rehabilitation Professionals ◽  
Life Habits

PURPOSE: Hippotherapy is used by rehabilitation professionals to assist children with various diagnoses. Despite parents’ pivotal decision-making role regarding their children’s life and treatment, little is known about their perceptions of hippotherapy’s utility. This pilot study explored parents’ opinions regarding hippotherapy’s impact on their child’s life habits, as guided by the Disability Creation Process model. METHODS: A survey was conducted in September/October 2017 with the parents of children with varied diagnoses receiving hippotherapy in Quebec. The survey asked parents to priority rank life habit categories and then grade hippotherapy’s service characteristics and impact on children’s life habits. Descriptive analysis and proportion tests were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The parents of 26 children completed the survey. These children were on average seven years old with multiple diagnoses (e.g., autism spectra, developmental delay). A positive impact was perceived for 10 of 12 life habit categories, with a statistically significant association found with Mobility and Interpersonal relationships. It was not possible to calculate the association between the profession involved and hippotherapy effects due to the small sample size. CONCLUSION: This investigation provides some promising results regarding the benefits of hippotherapy for children’s life habits.

scholarly journals Trends and Opportunities of Tertiary Education in Safety Engineering Moving towards Safety 4.0

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 524
Author(s):  
Vendula Laciok ◽  
Katerina Sikorova ◽  
Bruno Fabiano ◽  
Ales Bernatik
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Work Organization ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Safety Engineering ◽  
Safety And Health

Industry and related work and workplaces are constantly changing as a result of the implementation of new technologies, substances and work processes, changes in the composition of the workforce and the labor market, and new forms of employment and work organization. The implementation of new technologies represents certain ambivalence. Next to the positive impact on workers’ health, new risks and challenges can arise in the area of process and occupational safety and health of people at work. On these bases, it follows the need for predicting and handling the new risks, in order to ensure safe and healthy workplaces in the future. The aim of most forecasting studies is not only to identify new emerging risks, but also to foresee changes that could affect occupational safety and health. However, a number of questions still require proper investigation, i.e., “What impact do new emerging risks have on tertiary education in the area of Safety engineering? Has tertiary education already reacted to progress in science and research and does it have these innovations in its syllabus? How are tertiary graduates prepared for the real world of new technologies?” This paper represents a first attempt in the literature to provide answers to the raised questions, by a survey approach involving academics, Health Safety and Environment (HSE) industrial experts and university students in the Czech Republic. Even if statistical evaluation is limited to a single Country and to a small sample size, the obtained results allow suggesting practical recommendations that can contribute to ensuring new challenges in the area of education by addressing relevant culture issues needed to support new workplace realities according to the newly defined Safety 4.0.

Foreign direct investments, democracy, and economic growth in Turkey

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazif Durmaz
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Cointegration Analysis ◽  
Foreign Direct Investments ◽  
Bounds Testing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run

Purpose In the last decade, foreign direct investment (FDI) flows have increased dramatically in the world, especially in the emerging economies. Some of these countries make changes in their market conditions that will improve the civil rights and liberties to attract better FDI flows. The purpose of this paper is to test the linkage between democracy and FDI flows to Turkey. Design/methodology/approach The present study employs a bounds testing procedure developed (Pesaran et al., 2001) for cointegration analysis on six different long-run models with selected determinants of FDIs with yearly data from 1977 to 2011. Findings The intuition the paper empirically provides how improvements in democracy have a significant positive impact on FDI flows to Turkey. The results may also put forward that, in the long run, FDI inflows will have spillover effects in Turkey’s economy. Research limitations/implications Although one drawback in the study is having a small sample size of 35 observations, estimating six different long-run models is one way to overcome it. Thus presented results may be in short of simplification for some readers. This, however, opens an opportunity for future studies to further the proposal by employing in different models and/or longer data sets if possible. Practical implications A stable government policies, more civil freedom, and sustained institution politics should not be ignored in Turkey given its geopolitical location. Originality/value This paper satisfies the established need to study of democracy and FDI flows link is necessary in an emerging market such as Turkey.

scholarly journals Creating and sustaining collaborative multi-institutional industry site visit programs: a toolkit

F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 1317
Author(s):  
Tammy R.L. Collins ◽  
Kiri Hoff ◽  
Molly Starback ◽  
Patrick D. Brandt ◽  
Christopher E. Holmquist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Program Implementation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Outcome Data ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Site Visit ◽  
Contract Research Organization ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Graduate Trainees

Background: As more early career scientists enter into diverse career pathways, visiting local companies or organizations can support their exploration of these paths. As an efficient way to facilitate this, we developed a collaborative regional site visit program: the Enhancing Local Industry Transitions through Exploration (ELITE) Consortium.  Consortium members arrange half-day visits to local industry sites, thus providing companies and trainees the opportunity to meet and identify potential professional and career opportunities. Three different training institutions worked cooperatively in the development and maintenance of the program. The ELITE Consortium was developed with eight phased steps; guidelines and operating procedures were created for each of these steps and are provided along with sample materials for institutions interested in building similar programs. Methods: Prior to fully developing the program, trainee interests were evaluated via questionnaire. During program implementation and thereafter, program directors tracked attendance and collected career outcome data from publicly available sources to identify first job positions after training. Regression analyses and chi-squared analyses were used to examine site visit matches and career outcome data. Results: Analyses suggest a positive impact of site visits on postdoctoral and graduate trainees’ career outcomes at companies or institutions that match a similar sector (e.g., for-profit) and type (e.g., biotech, pharmaceutical, contract research organization). Despite a small sample size, evidence suggests an especially positive impact on trainees who organize site visits to companies compared with those who simply participate. Conclusions: The ELITE Consortium was successful in helping trainees explore and identify a multitude of career paths. Trainees attained employment either directly or in related companies and institutions visited by ELITE participants. The joint, three-institution, flexible nature of the ELITE Consortium positively impacts the program’s sustainability and reach. The toolkit provided here will help other institutions to replicate and adapt the program with minimal effort.

scholarly journals What determines forward-looking information disclosure in Bangladesh?

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-239
Author(s):  
Pappu Kumar Dey ◽  
Manas Roy ◽  
Mohsina Akter
Keyword(s):  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Multiple Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Female Representation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Forward Looking

PurposeThe study aims to examine the level and extent of forward-looking information (FLI) disclosure and identify the determinants driving the FLI disclosure (FLID) in the context of an emerging and developing economy.Design/methodology/approachThe sample includes annual reports of the top 30 listed companies in Bangladesh for the years 2013–2017. The content analysis approach is used to examine the practice of FLID and to determine the extent of FLID based on the index. Multiple linear regression analysis is performed to identify the determinants of FLID.FindingsThis research finds that board size, auditor's global affiliation, leverage and profitability have a substantial positive impact on FLID. By contrast, firm size and listing age have a significant negative association with FLID. Moreover, contrary to our expectation, female representation in the boardroom has an inverse effect on FLID. This study, however, does not suggest any significant impact of board independence.Research limitations/implicationsSmall sample size may limit the generalizability of the findings. Besides, the FLID index score may be affected by the subjective judgment while analyzing the content of the annual report.Practical implicationsThe findings of this paper may assist the regulators and policymakers in incorporating this new reporting paradigm in regulations. Alternatively, the current research can serve as a basis to further understand the importance of FLID for the stakeholders.Originality/valueThis empirical study contributes to the current FLI literature in Bangladesh. A handful of studies have been done to examine the nature and level of FLID and find out the determinants of FLID in the developing countries. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no study yet has been explored on FLID and its determinants by classifying them as qualitative and quantitative in Bangladesh.

Children’s response to co-branded products: the facilitating role of fit

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 1032-1052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Charry ◽  
Nathalie T. M. Demoulin
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Branding Strategies ◽  
Consumption Intentions ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to represent the first empirical investigation of co-branding strategies whose target is children. It analyses such strategies’ potential in the context of brand extension for non-familiar brands combined with familiar ones and provides managerial implications for both brands. Design/methodology/approach – A leisure centre-based survey was used to collect information on children’s attitudes, evaluations of fit and consumption intentions of co-branded products. Findings – The findings confirm that co-branding strategies may have a very positive impact on attitudes towards partner brands, intentions to consume co-branded products and the host brand. They also indicate that consumption intentions for other products from the host product category are enhanced. From a theoretical perspective, the study stresses the essential mediating role of brand fit. Indeed, this construct appears to enable preadolescents to integrate simultaneous evaluations of two brands while constructing their attitudes towards one product. The asymmetric spill-over effect is also confirmed, with the non-familiar (weaker) brand benefiting more from the co-branding than the familiar (strong) brand. Research limitations/implications – The main limitations pertain to the small sample size and the absence of direct behavioural measures that could be added through later research. It would also be interesting to study further the concept of fit and the nature of the underlying mediating process (cognitive vs affective) among the target audience, as well as to analyse the impact of the various types of co-branding (functional vs symbolic). Practical implications – The derived guidelines suggest how non-familiar brands to the pre-adolescent target (including retailers’ brand) may expand their businesses through successful alliances with a more familiar brand that is viewed favourably. Social implications – In this study, concerns were high to select a co-branded product that does not harm children’s health, to the contrary (vegetable soup with cheese). The results demonstrate that the tactic may increase the target’s intentions to eat products that it would not necessarily fancy (as often the case for healthy products) while contributing to the positive development of economic actors. In this, the paper shows that economic interests should not always be opposed to social welfare. Originality/value – This study investigates the very popular strategy of brand alliance among an original target (eight-to 12-year-olds) and identifies the original process through which preadolescents appraise two brands that endorse one product, a unique marketing context. This represents an important starting point to further studies on brand alliances.

Sustainable chemistry teaching at the pre-university level

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 784-802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suganty Kanapathy ◽  
Khai Ern Lee ◽  
Mazlin Mokhtar ◽  
Sharifah Zarina Syed Zakaria ◽  
Subarna Sivapalan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Public University ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Sustainable Chemistry ◽  
Chemistry Teaching ◽  
Content Type ◽  
University Level ◽  
Chemistry Module

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the knowledge levels, attitudes and behaviours regarding the concept of sustainable development among pre-university programme educators, as well as the potential barriers and opportunities they face in adopting the concept of sustainable development in the teaching of the pre-university level chemistry module at a public university in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted with eight educators of a pre-university programme at a public university located in Selangor, Malaysia. This pre-university programme exposes students to advanced courses in science, which are very much like first-year university courses for candidates who are interested in gaining admission to degree programmes. For this study, the focus was on chemistry educators only. The collected data were analysed through descriptive analysis following which interviews were conducted with the respondents. Findings In general, the educators have good knowledge and attitudes towards the concept of sustainable development. Moreover, their projected knowledge (K), attitude (A) and behaviour (B) focus more on environmental dimensions, as opposed to other sustainable development dimensions. While the integration of the concept of sustainable development in chemistry teaching is restricted by a few barriers, such as content-based learning, lack of guidebooks related to sustainable development and an overcrowded curriculum, positive responses from the chemistry educators indicate that there are opportunities to implement sustainable chemistry concepts in the pre-university chemistry module. Research limitations/implications The present study was conducted with several limitations; the data were obtained from a small sample size at an institute located within a public university. The respondents of this research consisted of only three existing chemistry educators and five administrators who are also educators. Further studies about sustainable chemistry teaching should include samples from other public and private universities. Originality/value This paper is instrumental in assisting the Ministry of Education, administrators, as well as educators within the pre-university sector to shift their goals towards sustainable chemistry teaching to achieve success in education for sustainable development.

Value-based selling: a multi-component exploration

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 360-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Kienzler ◽  
Daniel Kindström ◽  
Thomas Brashear-Alejandro
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Sales Performance ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Support ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate factors that affect the use of value-based selling and the subsequent influences on salespeople’s sales performance.Design/methodology/approachIndustrial salespeople from five steel manufacturers were surveyed. Scales measure three components of value-based selling: comprehension, crafting and confirmation. Partial least squares path analysis tested the conceptual model.FindingsSalespeople’s learning orientation has the greatest impact on the use of value-based selling. Managerial support exerts a positive effect on crafting. Salespeople’s experience has a positive impact on comprehension and confirmation. The implementation of value-based selling has a positive effect on sales performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is cross-sectional, with a small sample size (n= 60). The data were collected from a single source (i.e. salespeople).Practical implicationsThe results suggest that value-based selling is a multi-component sales process that requires balancing managerial actions among individual and organizational factors.Originality/valueThis paper presents a broad evaluation of measures and assessments of value-based selling in business-to-business sales settings. The findings provide new elaborations on the theoretical and practical implications of value-based selling and reveal which individual and organizational factors affect the usage of value-based selling.

Victims’ experiences and satisfaction with a family justice center

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-251
Author(s):  
Heather Melton
Keyword(s):  
Help Seeking ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
Housing Services ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Multiple Services

Purpose The family justice center (FJC) model centralizes social and legal services available to intimate partner abuse (IPA) victims in order to facilitate their help-seeking and improve their experiences and the response to IPA. Little, yet promising, research has highlighted the effectiveness of this model. The purpose of this paper is to explore experiences of victims of IPA at one FJC. Design/methodology/approach In total, 24 respondents who utilized a FJC in a western county in the USA were interviewed using a survey that included both descriptive quantitative and qualitative questions. Descriptive analysis was performed on the quantitative portion and content analysis on the qualitative portion. Findings Most of the respondents used the FJC multiple times and for multiple services. Most were referred by a shelter or a hotline. The most common services used were housing services, followed by counseling. Overall, these respondents felt supported by FJC staff and were satisfied. However, some of the respondents who did indicate satisfaction in the quantitative portion of the survey expressed concerns in the qualitative portion. Research limitations/implications The study is limited by a small sample size; however, it has implications for recruitment, outreach and training as well as methodological implications for how FJCs should be evaluated. Originality/value This paper adds to the scant literature on FJCs and the FJC model.

scholarly journals Analysis of IT infrastructure flexibility impacts on IT-Business strategic alignment

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yugo Isal ◽  
Gayuh Pikarti ◽  
Achmad Hidayanto ◽  
Edson Putra
Keyword(s):  
Least Squares ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Strategic Alignment ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
It Infrastructure ◽  
Alignment Maturity ◽  
It Personnel ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose: To explore the impacts of IT infrastructure flexibility components (connectivity, modularity, compatibility, and IT personnel flexibility) on IT-business strategic alignment using Luftman’s strategic alignment maturity model.Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire was developed using 5-points Likert scale. The questionnaire was distributed to companies in Indonesia, where 48 companies filled the questionnaire completely. The data were analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) approach using WarpPLS version 3.0.Findings: This research found that amongst four components of IT infrastructure flexibility, only compatibility that gives a positive and significant impact to IT-business strategic alignment. This finding is remarkably in contrast to what had been found by Chung et al (2003) in which connectivity, modularity and IT personnel flexibility showed a positive impact on strategic alignment while compatibility did not.  Research limitations: This research used small sample size. More respondents are required to obtain more general conclusions. Practical implications: The findings of this study can be input for IT investment initiatives by first focusing on compatibility aspect of IT infrastructure which is considered having the most significant influence on strategic alignment.Originality/value: Previous study investigated IT infrastructure flexibility as a single concept, whereas our research investigated the components of IT infrastructure flexibility and their impact on strategic alignment. 

The impact of placements on students’ self-efficacy

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 228-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Placement ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between work placements and employability, through an analysis of the impact of a work placement on students’ self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach – The basis of this paper is a large-scale work-based learning module at the University of Birmingham, the “Professional Development Module”. Students completed questionnaires both before and after they undertaken their placements and the results from the questionnaires were compared. These results were then combined with the results of semi-structured interviews undertaken with students. Findings – The paper's findings support the view that a work placement has a positive impact on students’ self-efficacy, especially in relation to their confidence in making applications and/or attending interviews, and in articulating their skills and strengths. Research limitations/implications – While the relatively small sample size means that the paper's conclusions must remain provisional, it highlights the need for careers practitioners to encourage students to engage in critical self-reflection. The paper suggests that it is important for careers practitioners and researchers to engage in more collaborative projects in order for a fully rounded picture of the relationship between placements and employability to emerge. The paper shows that more research is needed into the relative impact of short- and long-term placements. Originality/value – The paper demonstrates the value of assessing students’ views both before and after their work placements so that these views can be compared directly.

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