Resource assessment for potato biorefinery : side stream potential in Northern Ostrobothnia

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Sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin vaikutukset pieniin yrityksiin

Tiivistelmä. Tutkimus kuvaili sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin vaikutuksia pieniin yrityksiin ja se perustui aikaisempaan tieteelliseen aineistoon. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää, minkälaisia vaikutuksia sosiaalisen median markkinoinnilla on pieniin yrityksiin ja minkälaisia askeleita pienen yrityksen voisi olla hyvä ottaa sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin suhteen. Tutkimuksessa esiteltiin ensin sosiaalisen median ja sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin käsitteet siten, että niiden sisältö auttaa ymmärtämään kokonaiskuvan tutkimuksen aiheesta. Seuraavaksi eriteltiin tarkemmin eri sosiaalisen median alustojen tarjoamia mittareita ja niiden tuomia hyötyjä, kuten markkinoinnin tarkempaa kohdentamista juuri yrityksen omalle kohderyhmälle. Tämän jälkeen tutkimuksessa käytiin läpi sosiaalisen median markkinointiin liittyviä vaikutuksia niin positiivisessa kuin negatiivisessakin mielessä. Positiivisista vaikutuksista esille nousivat muun muassa sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin kustannustehokkuus sekä toisaalta muiden markkinointikulujen vähentyminen, parempi näkyvyys sekä suusanallisen viestinnän lisääntyminen. Negatiivisista vaikutuksista esille nousivat muun muassa resurssien rajallisuuden tuomat ongelmat, virheiden vaikutus yrityksen maineeseen sekä kysymykset turvallisuuden suhteen. Tutkimuksen aihe oli tärkeä, koska sosiaalinen media on viime aikoina nostanut päätään erityisesti markkinoinnin osa-alueella yritysten keskuudessa: On tärkeää huomioida sen vaikutukset yrityksiä kohtaan varsinkin tilanteessa, jossa yritys on kiinnostunut markkinoimaan toimintaansa sosiaalisen median avulla ja toisaalta myös silloin, kun arvioidaan sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin kehittymistä tulevaisuutta ajatellen

Cancer Survivors’ Social Context in the Return to Work Process:Narrative Accounts of Social Support and Social Comparison Information

Purpose: Returning to work is a process that is intertwined with the social aspects of one’s life, which can influence the way in which that person manages their return to work and also determines the support available to them. This study aimed to explore cancer patients’ perceptions of the role of their social context in relation to returning to work following treatment. Methods: Twenty-three patients who had received a diagnosis of either urological, breast, gynaecological, or bowel cancer participated in semi-structured interviews examining general perceptions of cancer, work values and perceptions of the potential impact of their cancer diagnosis and treatment on work. Interviews were analysed using the iterative process of Framework Analysis. Results: Two superordinate themes emerged as influential in the return to work process: Social support as a facilitator of return to work (e.g. co-workers’ support and support outside of the workplace) and Social comparison as an appraisal of readiness to return to work (e.g. comparisons with other cancer patients, colleagues, and employees in other organisations or professions). Conclusions: Two functions of the social context of returning to work after cancer were apparent in the participants’ narrative: the importance of social support as a facilitator of returning to work and the utilisation of social comparison information in order to appraise one’s readiness to return to work. The role of social context in returning to work has largely been absent from the research literature to date. The findings of this study suggest that social support and social comparison mechanisms may have a significant impact on an individual’s successful return to the workplace

Oppimisen tavoitteiden ja strategioiden asettelu yhteisöllisen oppimisen tilanteissa seitsemännen luokan oppilailla

Tiivistelmä. Oppimisen itsesäätely nähdään aktiivisena prosessina, jossa oppijat asettavat tavoitteita omalle oppimiselleen ja pyrkivät saavuttamaan ne seuraamalla, säätelemällä ja hallinnoimalla kognitiotaan, motivaatiotaan ja käyttäytymistään. Kun oppimisen säätely tapahtuu ryhmässä, puhutaan jaetusta säätelystä. Oppimisen jaetun säätelyn ennakointivaiheessa ryhmä hyödyntää yhteistä tietoa tehtävästä neuvotellakseen yhteisen tavoitteen ja strategian tavoitteen saavuttamiseksi. Yhteisöllisesti tapahtuva oppiminen mahdollistaa yhdessä oppimisen. Yhteisöllisessä oppimisessa ryhmän jäsenillä on yhteinen tehtävä, jossa tavoitteena on jaettujen merkitysten ja yhteisen ymmärryksen rakentaminen vuorovaikutuksessa ryhmän jäsenten kanssa. Tässä pro gradu -tutkielmassa tarkastellaan oppimisen tavoitteiden ja strategioiden asettelua yhteisöllisen oppimisen kontekstissa. Tutkielman tavoitteena on selvittää, asettavatko oppilasryhmät jaettuja tavoitteita ja strategioita. Lisäksi tavoitteena on tutkia, kuinka tarkkoja ja minkä tyyppisiä tavoitteita oppilasryhmät asettavat oppimiselleen. Edelleen tavoitteena on selvittää, millaisia oppimisstrategioita oppilasryhmät suunnittelevat käyttävänsä tavoitteiden saavuttamiseksi. Teoreettisessa viitekehyksessä avataan yhteisöllisen oppimisen, oppimisen säätelyn, tavoitteenasettelun ja oppimisstrategioiden käsitteistöä ja teoriaa. Tutkimusaineisto on kerätty osana Oulun yliopiston CLEVER ( Making Complex Learning Processes Visible for Enabling Regulation) -tutkimushanketta. Tutkimukseen osallistui yhteensä 94 seitsemännen luokan oppilasta, joista muodostettiin 30 oppilasryhmää. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu oppilasryhmien tavoite- ja strategiavastauksista. Tutkimus on toteutettu laadullisen sisällönanalyysin menetelmiä hyödyntäen. Aineiston analyysissä on käytetty sekä teoriaohjaavaa että aineistolähtöistä lähestymistapaa. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että suurin osa oppilasryhmistä asetti jaetun tavoitteen yhteisöllisen oppimisen tilanteissa. Tutkimuksessa esiintyi myös oppimistilanteita, joissa jaettua tavoitetta ei onnistuttu asettamaan. Jaetun oppimisstrategian asettaminen osoittautui tutkimuksessa haastavammaksi, sillä sen asettaminen epäonnistui lähes puolessa oppimisen tilanteissa. Oppilasryhmien asettamista tavoitteista suurin osa painottui suoritukseen. Tarkkuuden näkökulmasta oppilasryhmät asettivat vain vähän korkean tason tavoitteita. Oppimisstrategiana ryhmät suunnittelivat käyttävänsä pääosin resurssienhallintastrategioita, joissa korostui työskentelyn aktiivisuuden säätelyyn liittyvät strategiat. Tutkimuksen johtopäätös on, että oppilasryhmät eivät onnistuneet neuvottelemaan yhteisiä tavoitteita ja strategioita ja näin ollen yhteisöllisen oppimisen lähtökohdat voivat jäädä toteutumatta. Tutkimustulosten perusteella oppilaat tarvitsevat tukea tavoitteiden ja strategioiden asetteluun niin yksilö- kuin ryhmätasolla

Employer's management of employees affected by cancer

Return to work (RTW) following treatment can be problematic for cancer survivors. Although some people affected by cancer are able to continue working, a greater proportion of these survivors end up unemployed, retire early or change jobs than those without a diagnosis of cancer. One of the reasons for not returning to work is the lack of understanding and support from employers and supervisors. Currently, it is not clear what factors are likely to influence the employer’s management of employees recovering from cancer. This article reports the outcome from a review of the published literature on factors related to the current employer management of employed cancer survivors

Usefulness and engagement with a guided workbook intervention (WorkPlan) to support work related goals among cancer survivors

Background: Returning to work after cancer is associated with improved physical and psychological functioning, but managing this return can be a challenging process. A workbook based intervention (WorkPlan) was developed to support return-to-work among cancer survivors. The aim of this study was to explore how participants using the workbook engaged with the intervention and utilised the content of the intervention in their plan to return-to-work. Methods: As part of a feasibility randomised controlled trial, 23 participants from the intervention group were interviewed 4-weeks post intervention. Interviews focussed on intervention delivery and data was analysed using Framework analysis. Results: Participants revealed a sense of empowerment and changes in their outlook as they transitioned from patient to employee, citing the act of writing as a medium for creating their own return-to-work narrative. Participants found the generation of a return-to-work plan useful for identifying potential problems and solutions, which also served as a tool for aiding discussion with the employer on return-to-work. Additionally, participants reported feeling less uncertain and anxious about returning to work. Timing of the intervention in coordination with ongoing cancer treatments was crucial to perceived effectiveness; participants identified the sole or final treatment as the ideal time to receive the intervention. Conclusions: The self-guided workbook supports people diagnosed with cancer to build their communication and planning skills to successfully manage their return-to-work. Further research could examine how writing plays a role in this process

Enhancing return-to-work in cancer patients, development of an intervention and design of a randomised controlled trial

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Compared to healthy controls, cancer patients have a higher risk of unemployment, which has negative social and economic impacts on the patients and on society at large. Therefore, return-to-work of cancer patients needs to be improved by way of an intervention. The objective is to describe the development and content of a work-directed intervention to enhance return-to-work in cancer patients and to explain the study design used for evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention. METHODS: Development and content of the intervention The work-directed intervention has been developed based on a systematic literature review of work-directed interventions for cancer patients, factors reported by cancer survivors as helping or hindering their return-to-work, focus group and interview data for cancer patients, health care professionals, and supervisors, and vocational rehabilitation literature. The work-directed intervention consists of: 1) 4 meetings with a nurse at the treating hospital department to start early vocational rehabilitation, 2) 1 meeting with the participant, occupational physician, and supervisor to make a return-to-work plan, and 3) letters from the treating physician to the occupational physician to enhance communication. Study design to evaluate the intervention The treating physician or nurse recruits patients before the start of initial treatment. Patients are eligible when they have a primary diagnosis of cancer, will be treated with curative intent, are employed at the time of diagnosis, are on sick leave, and are between 18 and 60 years old. After the patients have given informed consent and have filled out a baseline questionnaire, they are randomised to either the control group or to the intervention group and receive either care as usual or the work-directed intervention, respectively. Primary outcomes are return-to-work and quality of life. The feasibility of the intervention and direct and indirect costs will be determined. Outcomes will be assessed by a questionnaire at baseline and at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after baseline. DISCUSSION: This study will provide information about the effectiveness of a work-directed intervention for cancer patients. The intention is to implement the intervention in normal care if it has been shown effective. Trial registration: NTR165

"Done more for me in a fortnight than anybody done in all me life." How welfare rights advice can help people with cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In the UK many people with cancer and their carers do not have easy access to the welfare benefits to which they are entitled adding further strain to the process of dealing with cancer. It is estimated that nine out of ten cancer patients' households experience loss of income as a direct result of cancer, which, due to its socio-economic patterning disproportionately affects those most likely to be financially disadvantaged. In the UK proactive welfare rights advice services accessed via health care settings significantly increase benefit entitlement among people with health problems and this paper reports on a qualitative study examining the impact of a welfare rights advice service specifically designed for people affected by cancer and their carers in County Durham, North East England (UK).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty two men and women with cancer or caring for someone with cancer who were recipients of welfare rights advice aged between 35 and 83 were recruited from a variety of health care and community settings. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken and analysed using the Framework method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most of the participants experienced financial strain following their cancer diagnosis. Participants accessed the welfare rights service in a variety of ways, but mainly through referral by other professionals. The additional income generated by successful benefit claims was used in a number of ways and included offsetting additional costs associated with cancer and lessening the impact of loss of earnings. Overall, receiving welfare rights advice eased feelings of stress over financial issues at a time when participants were concerned about dealing with the impact of cancer. Lack of knowledge about benefit entitlements was the main barrier to accessing benefits, and this outweighed attitudinal factors such as stigma and concerns about benefit fraud.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Financial strain resulting from a cancer diagnosis is compounded in the UK by lack of easy access to information about benefit entitlements and assistance to claim. Proactive welfare rights advice services, working closely with health and social care professionals can assist with the practical demands that arise from dealing with the illness and should be considered an important part of a holistic approach to cancer treatment.</p