Suchergebnisse

The prevalent egalitarianism, mateship and hierarchy in the New Zealand army and as expressed in the letters of a junior officer Roderick Moscrop McLeay to his wife Molly during his period overseas during World War Two is analyzed. The letters show that the New Zealand Army at war was a hierarchical organization with clear distinctions among the various ranks.

AbstractSince the mid‐1990s, the NZ Army has experienced difficulty retaining personnel in the electronic technicians trade. A systems thinking study, using the qualitative system dynamics approach, was undertaken to establish a better understanding of the causal factors of poor retention and recruitment, their interconnections and complex relationships and to identify leverage points to develop a turn‐around strategy. Separate group model building workshops were held with the apprentices, tradesmen, management and external stakeholders. Causal loop diagrams (CLDs) were developed for each stakeholder group and the three internal stakeholder group CLDs were merged for further analysis. The combined internal stakeholders' CLD and external stakeholders' CLD were used as the basis for the analysis of leverage points within the system, and to facilitate the development of action plans for the trade group. The paper outlines this systems thinking study and the subsequent implementation of the recommendations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Achilles tendon injuries are common overuse injuries in military populations. However, limited research has been undertaken looking specifically at the incidence and aetiology in army recruits. A pilot study was undertaken to investigate the incidence and aetiology of achilles tendinopathy in a group of 384 army recruits undertaking 12 weeks of intensive training. A descriptive questionnaire design was used to gather information. From this a total of 16 achilles tendon injuries were recorded during four intakes of recruits from the period January to August, 2003. An incident rate of 4.2% was recorded and a significant relationship (p<0.05) was shown between achilles tendon injury incidence, the female gender and footwear, indicating a problem with footwear in New Zealand Army recruits. A further aim of the study was to review the current literature with respect to achilles tendinopathy, the anatomy and function, biomechanics, histopathology and management. A systematic review was also undertaken looking at eccentrictype loading programs for achilles tendinopathy. A search of Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, PEDro physiotherapy System, Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Group, MEDLINE and CINAHL were used to identify studies from January, 1990 to August, 2003. The methodological quality of the papers was assessed using The Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Group generic evaluation tool. Following the evaluation it was concluded that the papers scored from poor to moderate indicating that the overall clinical efficacy of eccentrictype loading programs for the treatment of achilles tendinopathy may be questionable and that further more robust trials are required before strong conclusions can be drawn.

New Zealand's army education schemes were established in 1943, following overseas practice, with several objectives in mind. Those on active service often suffered from boredom, and the schemes' libraries, movies and study courses offered one means of boosting flagging spirits. At the same time, military personnel needed to be prepared for an eventual return to civilian life, and the educational programmes had an important role to play. Personnel could study a range of practical skills courses by correspondence, and engage in discussion groups on current affairs and the changing nation to which many of them would return. The army's study materials provide both an important source of contemporary social analysis and a means of acculturating servicemen and servicewomen into a new postwar citizenship. In this way, education and recreation were fused together in ways that dovetailed with individual needs on the one hand, and the New Zealand government's wish to foster aware and self‐governing citizens on the other. ; Peer Reviewed