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PurposeThis paper uses a social capital theoretical framework to examine how the relational dimension of business networks affects the networking activities of female entrepreneurs. In particular, the study examines the role of trust on women's networking behaviour and the part played by government business development officers in supporting women entrepreneur's opportunity recognition behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThe research used mixed methods to gather and analyse data. A survey instrument was used to gather quantitative data and qualitative data was gathered from interviews and written responses to open‐ended questions included in the survey.FindingsThe quantitative findings suggest firstly that approximately 20 per cent of the reason why women entrepreneurs belong to formal business networks is to search for business opportunities; however, their experience of trusting significantly affects their perception of the potential benefits of networking activities. Moreover, government development officers appear not to positively affect women entrepreneur's trusting behaviour.Research limitations/implicationsThe sampling process could have caused bias in the data collection and therefore the generalisability of the findings may be compromised. This is because the sample came from a state with the most start‐ups and therefore it is likely that these women are more entrepreneurial than normal. In addition, there may be bias in the type of women entrepreneur likely to have responded to the survey. It seems likely that the women entrepreneurs that would respond to this questionnaire are apt to be more entrepreneurial in their behaviour of recognising new opportunities, thereby biasing the sample used. Finally, another limitation of this study is common methods bias in relation to the data collected using self‐report questionnaire.Practical implicationsThe findings have implications for government because these findings suggest that they have wrongly assumed that entrepreneurs will behave in "politically constructed business network" the same way as they behave in social networks where trust levels develop over time. This may be the reason why trust was such an important variable in affecting these women entrepreneurs' networking behaviour. The findings suggest that if women entrepreneurs are to be supported to grow, the government should focus its scarce resources on building trust within these formal business networks, so that women can build the relational trust context needed to share information likely to lead to good business opportunities.Originality/valueThe paper provides information on the role of trust on women's networking behaviour.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to first examine whether intellectual capital (IC) information is considered in firm valuation. Next, to examine two issues: financial analysts' investment recommendations when faced with different combinations of performance levels (i.e. above or below industry average) of financial and IC measures, and the role of financial and IC measures with different performance levels and holding periods (i.e. short‐term vs long‐term) for the investment on analysts' recommendations.Design/methodology/approachThe first part of the paper used secondary (both archival and survey) data. The second part was an experiment.FindingsThe findings in the first part show that, after controlling for the effect of financial performances on firm value, measures of IC are still significant explanatory variables (of firm value). The second part shows that the financial and IC measures affect financial analysts' investment recommendations differently depending on the measures' levels of performance and the time horizon for holding the investments.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of the paper are as follows: the use of secondary data from a single country limits its generalizability; and the results of the experiment are parameterized by the research design such as the amount of information provided to the financial analysts. Extending the analyses to other settings and using time‐series data represent future research opportunities.Originality/valueThe research makes three contributions to the IC literature. First, it extends the studies on the relevance of IC in capital market research by broadening its scope to include measures of IC other than R&D intensity. Next, it provides evidence of the informativeness of IC measures in market valuation of firms and analysts' recommendations, thus lending credence to the arguments of reports and researchers for more external communication of IC information. Finally, this study is one of the first to examine a broader scope of IC in the capital market context and the use of IC by sophisticated market participants. With policy‐makers and standard‐setting bodies considering proposals to enhance information on IC in financial reports, it is important to broaden the scope of IC metrics and understand their role in enhancing firm value to develop a framework for reporting IC.

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to explore the challenges of integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) with other strategic foci into the supply/contractor chain, both conceptually and empirically, with a focus on one sectorial case: the Norwegian upstream petroleum industry. It compares contradictory theories of strategic focus and explores their implications for the organisation of the supply chain and discusses challenges and solutions for operative CSR‐oriented supply chain managementDesign/methodology/approachThe empirical analysis, inspired by the cognitive mapping approach, seeks to elicit the strategic profiles of the oil majors and suppliers/contractors in the petroleum industry. This is based on textual analysis of core statements of overall business strategy such as the CEO's and the Chairman's statement letter to the shareholders. The paper also draws on research and workshops with petroleum companies and their suppliers in the North Sea, as well as contracting experts and researchers taking part in the EU‐TRENDS project which focused on satisfying Europe's future demands and needs for sustainable, secure, safe and clean energy supplies.FindingsThe strategic profiles of the petroleum companies and their suppliers/contractors indicate that, while they coincide on many points, there is considerable discrepancy as far as CSR and HSE are concerned. The suppliers/contractors tend to emphasise the technology dimension more strongly than the petroleum companies. HSE and CSR are, on average, strategically under‐communicated within the supply industry compared with the petroleum companies, but there is also considerable variation within each group.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper explores how transaction cost theory may help frame managerial challenges and approaches in integrating CSR consistently throughout supply chains. It shows some of the limitations of the "rationalist" model of industrial organisation both at the firm level and at the supply chain level and discusses possible expansions into broader managerial approaches.Practical implicationsThe paper highlights some of the managerial challenges and basic approaches for integrating CSR consistently throughout the value chain.Originality/valueThe originality of the article lies conceptually in linking the CSR literature to transaction cost theory of industrial organisation. Empirically the article presents new insights into strategic foci of the petroleum companies and their supply chain.

PurposeTo build awareness of an emergent global network of sustainability consortia, the network's Sustainability for the Americas (SFTA) regional cluster, its pilot US‐Brazil Sustainability Consortium (USBSC), its subsequent North American Sustainability, Housing and Community Consortium (NASHCC), the process through which these consortia are emerging and evolving to sustained implementation, planned parallel academic and project funding tracks, and models, tools and techniques used for knowledge transfer. To build awareness of an emergent global sustainability network of multi‐national consortia of universities and non‐institutional partners created to promote sustainability and innovation that connects people, ideas, and resources for a sustainable future; and to invite people interested in multi‐national partnering to enter into a dialogue that can lead to emergence of a multi‐national consortium.Design/methodology/approachThe paper establishes the need for key universities to lead society to a sustainable future. It builds understanding of the role of international partnering, global networking, global media networking, multi‐sector partnering, and sustainability consortia in this leadership. It identifies efforts of the Land Design Institute (LDI) at Ball State University and key partners to facilitate emergence of a global network of sustainability consortia. It reviews the model through which these consortia are emerging and evolving to sustained implementation, including the model's parallel academic and project funding streams. It focuses on the SFTA initiative, including its pilot consortium, as a case‐study in phased emergence and evolution to sustained implementation of these consortia. It presents the consortia model for integrating internal and external knowledge networks; and processes, tools, and techniques used by consortia to lead society to a sustainable future. It reviews the model's nested curricula and international collaborative partnership approach to building sustainability leadership. It builds on experiences to date in this pilot consortium to make suggestions for future consortia.FindingsPaper findings include the relative ease of consortium emergence, seeding, implementation start‐up, and acquiring academic funding; relative difficulty of achieving sustained implementation and project funding; increased awareness of the need for project seeding; and a new understanding of the catalytic benefits of consortia, including increased faculty interaction, development, and productivity including professional papers, journal articles, and proposals for external funding.Originality/valueThe paper fulfills the need for effective models, processes, tools and techniques for international partnering to lead society to a sustainable future.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish empirically whether there is any foundation in the premise that female officers' lesser tenure and/or lower levels of commitment than men explain their lack of career progress. Although the number of women in UK police forces has grown rapidly, it appears that they continue to be under‐represented in senior ranks.Design/methodology/approachUsing whole population surveys of two county police forces in the UK the paper compares the promotion of men and women police officers controlling for tenure. The paper then compares the organisational commitment of male and female officers and analyses whether female officers experience managerial and organisational influences that undermine their organisational commitment compared to men.FindingsThe findings refute some of the widespread beliefs about reasons for female officers' lack of progress in their policing careers since the analysis indicates that gender differences in length of tenure and organisational commitment can be discounted as possible explanations for lack of advancement in these two police forces. Overall, the results clearly show that female officers are just as committed as male officers and thus cannot be justified as a reason for lack of career progression.Research limitations/implicationsIt is accepted that survey methods such as ours do not capture the entirety of employee feelings and responses since they tend to homogenise male and female working experiences. However, survey methods do have the advantage that it is possible to generalise from the results and thus these two studies allow us to suggest that our findings can be viewed as providing insights to other UK police forces.Practical implicationsThe relatively low levels of organisational commitment found should be a cause for concern for senior managers in the Police. The key importance that management has in influencing organisational commitment has been shown by our findings and this indicates the importance of the current Police Leadership Development Board's agenda to improve workforce management skills to encourage transformational leadership styles.Originality/valueThe paper make an original contribution by refuting widely held assumptions about the reasons for under‐representation of female officers in senior ranks. It also contributes to the sparse literature that examines organisational commitment in the police and its antecedents.

PurposeThis paper seeks to evaluate the role and the nature of the interventions by primary healthcare organizations in Quebec during the ice storm of 1998. The two basic questions are: to what extent CLSC perform their socio‐community mission during this disaster? Are there some contingencies factors that explain variation between CLSC in their intervention?Design/methodology/approachData collection is based on face to face discussion held with 19 managers responsible for the disaster's plan for their CLSC, 59 professionals that took an active and direct role in disaster interventions and 25 collaborators from municipalities and diverse community organisms. On top of the face to face discussions, a questionnaire was remitted to all the interviewees.FindingsThe research provides a qualified analysis of the interventions of the CLSCs and identifies what works well (performance factors), what went wrong (non performance factors) and what varies from one territory to another (variance or contingencies factors). The results of this research corroborate most of the reports brought about by the theories of disaster management planning to the look at the importance of plans, the development of a culture of prevention and of civil security, the importance of the training as much for the leaders as for the professionals. Moreover, primary healthcare organizations such as CLSC's in Quebec have a strategic positioning in disaster because of the multidisciplinary functioning of their teams and their knowledge of the local community.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited to the interventions of CLSCs and the interventions of other professionals of the health system or from volunteers are not considered.Practical implicationsThe social community mission of organizations such as the CLSC can be optimized using four specific plans: the clientele plan, the training plan, the local consultation plan and the multidisciplinary plan. Specific recommendations on each aspect are identified to help managers and professionals in the attainment of their socio‐communitarian mission.Originality/valueThe research provides interesting data on the contribution of multidisciplinary teams (nurses, doctors, social workers, psychologists, ergotherapists, etc.) as well as from their managers and first line collaborators. It puts in evidence their strengths and weaknesses and identifies ways of improving disaster interventions.

PurposeEnterprise application integration (EAI) aims to integrate various enterprise applications, such as legacy systems, enterprise resource planning systems, and best‐of‐breed business applications, to aid in promoting organizational goals. EAI is a relatively new area of concern for researchers and practitioners and research on its adoption by organizations remain to be examined.Design/methodology/approachThis paper extends prior research by providing a systematic examination of both generic and specific dimensions of facilitators and inhibitors for the adoption of EAI technology. A rigorous validation of these factors was established. A case study was conducted to refine the developed instrument.FindingsThe results indicate that EAI adoption is facilitated by generic as well as specific factors to this technology.Research limitations/implicationsSeveral limitations of the study need to be mentioned at this stage. First, the research design of this study has incorporated only one site to examine and enrich the list of facilitators and inhibitors of EAI adoption. It is not known whether these results would apply to other organizations, other technologies and whether the project size has some influence on the results. More empirical work is needed to increment the developed instrument. The results of this study have three specific implications for future research. First, this study can be replicated to examine the effect of these facilitators on EAI project performance. Second, more research can be conducted to validate dimensions identified in this study. A survey may strengthen the validation process of the developed instrument and the structure of the dimensions and constructs used. Finally, the results of this study and the developed instrument can be applied on other technologies such as web services, etc.Practical implicationsThe paper extends King and Teo's list to include EAI‐specific factors. Second, it validates the instrument through the card sorting procedure and a case study. The identified dimensions can be used in future research on EAI adoption. The results have also important managerial implications. Managers who are planning to adopt EAI technology can use the developed instrument to assess systematically the facilitators and inhibitors of this technology in their organizational context.Originality/valueThis study extends and accumulates on Teo's framework for inhibitors and facilitators of IT adoption in the EAI context.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a means‐end value chain framework to understand two supply chain party's values by presenting a value‐matching framework.Design/methodology/approachUsing means end theory, qualitative data from third party logistics (3PL) providers and manufacturers were used to construct means end value hierarchies to demonstrate how values between buyers and sellers can be mismatched.FindingsIn comparing the responses from the 3PLs and manufacturers, examples were found of exchange‐specific value matches and exchange‐specific value mismatches. The analysis showed that the 3PL managers interviewed were seeking to provide the value of being "market‐driven" (refers to a reactive business logic, which favors incremental adjustments to changes in the business environment), while the manufacturers desired their 3PLs to be "market‐driving" (refers to innovative business logic by providing break‐through ideas, practices and processes).Research limitations/implicationsThis research focuses more attention on an important objective of the marketing concept often overlooked in the business‐to‐business relationship literature: fulfilling the local firm's needs. This paper extends the use of the MEVHM and expands its applicability beyond understanding the focal firm's values to all exchange parties, including suppliers, third parties and cooperative alignments with competitors. Additionally, this paper contributes to the literature by suggesting that exchange values are a type of value important in achieving functional exchanges, and the concept of "value matching".Practical implicationsApplying the MEVHM to both the focal firm and their supply chain exchange party provides a decision analysis tool for the management of exchanges. Additionally, this paper's model can be a guiding mechanism for managers to assist in the exchange party search and selection process.Originality/valueThe literature and the qualitative study suggest that the MEVHM could be a useful tool in understanding supply chain partners. However, this should be performed while fulfilling the firm's need (e.g. at a profit). In order for a focal firm to fulfill these needs from a particular exchange, it must understand the value it desires from that exchange. Not only is the MEVHM applicable to gain understanding of the exchange party's values of a particular exchange, but it is also an appropriate tool to gain understanding of the focal firm's exchange values.

Includes abstract.|Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-103). ; As the world refugee population continues to rise, so the debate over how to best assist those who have been displaced intensifies. Humanitarian practices often have a disempowering effect on individuals instead of helping them to become self-sufficient. This problem is compounded by the gap between the realities on the ground and the overarching policies of both governments and organizations. In South Africa, the plethora of social issues, the lack of long-term solutions for refugee resettlement and the unsuccessful implementation of national policies relating to refugees contribute to the xenophobia that has become prevalent across the country. When the xenophobic sentiment turns violent, the Somali community has been targeted in the most extreme ways. Using the oral history methodology, this study draws on 17 life story interviews with Somali refugees residing in the Cape Town area. The interviews focus on the refugees' experience with humanitarian organizations and the government policy of their host country. By exploring their memories of Somalia and their relationship to their homeland, as well as their experiences in exile, it becomes evident that the Somalis' personal histories impact on how they negotiate the different forms of assistance that are available, or the lack thereof. Those who have had little control over their own lies in the past continue to have greater difficulty reaching their financial and educational goals, integrating onto South African society, and accessing the rights granted to them by law. Those who historically had some amount of agency continue to do so, despite the disempowering effects of mass assistance programs. In order for governments and organizations to be successful in their mission to assist and resettle refugees, they must have a more complete understanding of the history and cultural norms of assistance of the communities with whom they are working, as well as the realities of the current circumstances. The oral history method, with its ability to account for personal subjectivity, narrative authority, and historical agency, allows for in-depth exploration into the impact of policies created by the external bodies of international aid organizations, national governments, and local organizations at the grassroots level.

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to determine institutional commitment to sustainability by examining Natural Resource Extension program inputs, activities, and participation. Design/methodology/approach – A document analysis of Natural Resource Extension planning and reporting documents was conducted to provide contextual and historical data for the study and 58 in‐depth interviews were conducted with Natural Resource Extension personnel in the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and the Oregon State University Extension Service. Findings – This research moves beyond the familiar teaching and research functions of higher education institutions and focuses on Cooperative Extension, which is the outreach arm of universities. The paper discusses challenges and opportunities associated with implementing sustainability through these outreach education programs. In both Alabama and Oregon, the Agriculture, Home Economics, and 4‐H programs dominate human and economic resource investment in Cooperative Extension. Natural Resource Extension programs in Alabama and Oregon represents 6 and 14 percent, respectively, of all program expenditures in Cooperative Extension. Both states have educational programs that address sustainability of natural resources and those programs were interdisciplinary in nature. Little evidence is found extensive participation in Natural Resource Extension programs by environmental groups, minorities, and other non‐traditional clientele. Lastly, Oregon's political context was more conducive to broadening Natural Resource Extension program work in sustainability. Practical implications – Educational institutions such as Natural Resource Extension programs at universities play a significant role in educating private landowners, the public, and professionals about various aspects of forestry and natural resources. Based on this study of Natural Resource Extension programs in Alabama and Oregon, the following are needed for extension to address natural resource sustainability through its educational programs: sufficient intellectual and financial commitment to sustainability, diverse and inclusive participation in programs, and collaborative interdisciplinary programming. The analysis presented here can aid other educators as they explore sustainability through educational programming. Originality/value – Since, Natural Resource Extension programs address societal concerns through problem solving, grassroots education, and research and technology dissemination, they are poised to do work in the sustainability arena. No study to date has examined sustainability from the aspect of Natural Resource Extension educators in Oregon and Alabama. An understanding of current investment in sustainability through education is fundamental to building a strong Extension program in this area.

Abstract Background In this study the focus is on social insurance officers judging applications for disability pensions. The number of applications for disability pension increased during the late 1990s, which has resulted in an increasing number of disability pensions in Sweden. A more restrictive attitude towards the clients has however evolved, as societal costs have increased and governmental guidelines now focus on reducing costs. As a consequence, the quantitative and qualitative demands on social insurance officers when handling applications for disability pensions may have increased. The aim of this study was therefore to describe the social insurance officers' experiences of assessing applications for disability pensions after the government's introduction of stricter regulations. Methods Qualitative methodology was employed and a total of ten social insurance officers representing different experiences and ages were chosen. Open-ended interviews were performed with the ten social insurance officers. Data was analysed with inductive content analysis. Results Three themes could be identified as problematic in the social insurance officers' descriptions of dealing with the applications in order to reach a decision on whether the issue qualified applicants for a disability pension or not: 1. Clients are heterogeneous. 2. Ineffective and time consuming waiting for medical certificates impede the decision process. 3. Perspectives on the issue of work capacity differed among different stakeholders. The backgrounds of the clients differ considerably, leading to variation in the quality and content of applications. Social insurance officers had to make rapid decisions within a limited time frame, based on limited information, mainly on the basis of medical certificates that were often insufficient to judge work capacity. The role as coordinating actor with other stakeholders in the welfare system was perceived as frustrating, since different stakeholders have different goals and demands. The social insurance officers experience lack of control over the decision process, as regulations and other stakeholders restrict their work. Conclusion A picture emerges of difficulties due to disharmonized systems, stakeholder-bound goals causing some clients to fall between two stools, or leading to unnecessary waiting times, which may limit the clients' ability to take an active part in a constructive process. Increased communication with physicians about how to elaborate the medical certificates might improve the quality of certificates and thereby reduce the clients waiting time.

Societies emerging from protracted conflict and violence face numerous challenges at the individual, community and national levels. Accordingly, a variety of strategies have been suggested for "healing" the wounds of the past and coping with the future, thereby facilitating national reconciliation and peace buildings. One of these approaches is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, TRC, believed to provide a veritable platform for victims and perpetrators alike, to have a voice that would enable them to come to terms with the horrifying past. In Africa, TRCs as strategies for coming to terms with the past in Africa came into prominence following the example of South Africa after the end of apartheid in 1994. Since then, TRCs have been set up in Rwanda and Sierra Leone, while one has been proposed for Liberia. From such a standpoint it is tempting to argue that there has emerged what we can call a "one size fits all" syndrome, that is, if the TRC "worked" for South Africa, a position that is the subject of intense debate within and outside that country, then it is "good" for Sierra Leone, Liberia or any other African society that is emerging from protracted violent conflict. The main purpose of this study, therefore, is to draw attention to the TRC phenomenon in Sierra Leone, to stimulate discussion on the diverse questions surrounding its rationale, processes and outcomes, especially its impacts on post conflict reconciliation in the country. Another goal of the project is to document the multiple and conflicting perceptions among various groups in the TRC processes, and how such perceptions were reflected in the Commission's work and recommendations. Finally, it is expected that the study would form the basis for future empirically grounded research and policy analysis, more extensive research and perhaps even collaboration, between the author and those working on innovative but home-grown mechanisms for promoting reconciliation in post war Sierra Leone and elsewhere. ; CONTENTS -- Introduction -- Objectives of the study -- Scope of the study -- Methodology -- Civil war and paradise lost -- TRCs and post conflict reconciliation: A synoptic review of the literature -- The Sierra Leone TRC: Matters arising -- Challenging assumptions of TRCs and post conflict reconciliation in Sierra Leone -- Perceptions of TRC processes in Sierra Leone -- Conclusion: Ownership, capacity and long-term utility of a truth commission

Abstract Background New graduates in the UK presently spend one year in training as Vocational Dental Practitioners (VDPs) in preparation for primary dental care. There is a growing recognition that the emerging workforce has very different professional expectations to those of earlier generations, with implications for the profession, patients and the performance of health systems. The objectives of this study were to investigate why VDPs' in England and Wales perceive they chose dentistry as a professional career; how they perceive their vision has changed and the implications for their professional career plans, both short- and longterm. Methods Purposive sampling of schemes was undertaken to include urban, rural and metropolitan schemes, schemes in areas with and without dental schools and geographic coverage across England and Wales. All VDPs in these schemes were initiated to participate in this qualitative study using focus groups. A topic guide was utilised to standardise data collection. Informants' views were recorded on tape and in field notes. Data were transcribed and analysed using Framework Methodology. Results A total of 99 VDPs participated in the 10 focus groups. Their choice of dentistry as a professional career was motivated by multiple categories of influence: 'academic', 'healthcare', 'lifestyle', the influence of 'family', 'friends', 'careers advice' and 'work experience'. Consideration of the features of the 'professional job' appears to have been key to their choice of dentistry and the 'active rejection of medicine' as an alternative career. Entry into the profession was proving a challenging process for some but not all VDPs. Informants perceived that their vision had been moderated as a result of 'personal student debt', 'national workforce initiatives', 'limitations on clinical practice' and the 'cost of additional training'. Short term goals focused around 'recovery from the past' and 'preparation for the future'. Longterm goals covered the spectrum of opportunities within dentistry. Factors influencing VDPs longterm career plans fell into six main categories: professional, personal, financial, political, social and cultural. Conclusion VDPs chose dentistry because they perceived that it provides a financially lucrative, contained career in healthcare, with professional status, job security and the opportunity to work flexibly. They perceive that their vision is challenged by changes affecting education and the healthcare system. Longterm professional expectations were closely linked with their personal lives and support a vision of a favourable work/life balance.

The articles in this volume represent anthropological approaches to the study of external and internal boundaries in Europe. The authors raise fascinating methodological and empirical questions by approaching European societies from the perspective of a discipline usually working on the basis of greater cultural distance between scholars and the objects of their research. Moreover, the volume tackles a subject usually understood as a political project and a political problem, E.U. Europe, in an original non-political-science perspective. The volume's case studies are all based on bottom-up views of Europe, with fieldwork the methodology of choice. The first articles focus on institutions. Cris Shore and Daniela Baratieri's article focuses on the ambivalent results of attempts by European schools, which cater mainly to Eurocrats in Brussels and Luxemburg, to replace nationalism with a sense of European identity or nationhood, while Gregory Feldman discusses Estonian programs for the integration of Russian-speakers and Davide Però addresses the position of Italy's left-wing parties and public to the "new immigration." While these essays argue that "Europe" may not be as destructive to national (institutional) boundaries or the nation state as is often supposed, the next block of articles tackles migration across boundaries in a more conventional perspective, focusing on particular immigrant groups. Helen Kopnina discusses Russians in London and Amsterdam, while Christina Moutsou focuses upon immigrants in Brussels and Jacqueline Waldren examines Bosnians in Mallorca. To me, the case study of Turkish migrants in West Berlin by Sabine Mannitz is particularly intriguing, because it uses the peculiar experience of a lesson on Jews' fate in the Holocaust in which the teacher cast immigrants as permanent outsiders in Germany to explore pupils' sense of boundaries, and the East-German West-German divide appeared to loom much larger for immigrants than that between foreigners and Germans. The last section focuses on concrete and contested boundaries in European states and towns: William F. Kelleher, Jr. discusses Northern Ireland, Greek towns are the focus of Venetia Evergeti and Eleftheria Deltsou's article and South Tyrol is examined by Jaro Stacul. The volume makes for diverse and diversifying reading, and can only be highly recommended to anyone interested in innovative perspectives on the fate of the European project.

Background: New graduates in the UK presently spend one year in training as Vocational Dental Practitioners (VDPs) in preparation for primary dental care. There is a growing recognition that the emerging workforce has very different professional expectations to those of earlier generations, with implications for the profession, patients and the performance of health systems. The objectives of this study were to investigate why VDPs' in England and Wales perceive they chose dentistry as a professional career; how they perceive their vision has changed and the implications for their professional career plans, both short- and longterm. Methods: Purposive sampling of schemes was undertaken to include urban, rural and metropolitan schemes, schemes in areas with and without dental schools and geographic coverage across England and Wales. All VDPs in these schemes were initiated to participate in this qualitative study using focus groups. A topic guide was utilised to standardise data collection. Informants' views were recorded on tape and in field notes. Data were transcribed and analysed using Framework Methodology. Results: A total of 99 VDPs participated in the 10 focus groups. Their choice of dentistry as a professional career was motivated by multiple categories of influence: 'academic', 'healthcare', 'lifestyle', the influence of 'family', 'friends', 'careers advice' and 'work experience'. Consideration of the features of the 'professional job' appears to have been key to their choice of dentistry and the 'active rejection of medicine' as an alternative career. Entry into the profession was proving a challenging process for some but not all VDPs. Informants perceived that their vision had been moderated as a result of 'personal student debt', 'national workforce initiatives', 'limitations on clinical practice' and the 'cost of additional training'. Short term goals focused around 'recovery from the past' and 'preparation for the future'. Longterm goals covered the spectrum of opportunities within dentistry. Factors influencing VDPs longterm career plans fell into six main categories: professional, personal, financial, political, social and cultural. Conclusion: VDPs chose dentistry because they perceived that it provides a financially lucrative, contained career in healthcare, with professional status, job security and the opportunity to work flexibly. They perceive that their vision is challenged by changes affecting education and the healthcare system. Longterm professional expectations were closely linked with their personal lives and support a vision of a favourable work/life balance.