Supervised group exercise (SGE) is recommended for people with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Recent literature suggests that its contents and dosage must probably be revised. As a first step... Show moreSupervised group exercise (SGE) is recommended for people with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Recent literature suggests that its contents and dosage must probably be revised. As a first step towards renewal, this study examined the current SGE organisation and content for people with axSpA in The Netherlands. A pen-and-paper survey was sent to the boards of the 82 local patient associations affiliated with the Dutch Arthritis Society in 2016. One member of each board was asked to complete questions on the nature and organisation of SGE and one of the supervising therapists to complete questions on the SGE supervision and contents. The questionnaire was returned by representatives of 67/82 (82%) local patient associations, of which 17 (25%) provided axSpA-specific SGE (16/17 SGE programmes with both land-based exercise and hydrotherapy and 1/17 with only hydrotherapy). These involved in total 56 groups with 684 participants and 59 supervisors, of whom 54 were physical therapists and 21 had had postgraduate education on rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). Besides mobility and strengthening exercises and sports (17/17), most programmes included aerobic exercise (10/17), but rarely with heart rate monitoring (1/17), patient education (8/17), periodic assessments (2/17), or exercise personalisation (1/17). In the Netherlands, a quarter of local patient associations organised axSpA-specific SGE, mostly containing land-based exercises combined with sports and hydrotherapy. Most supervisors lacked postgraduate education on RMDs and most programmes lacked intensity monitoring, patient education, periodic assessments, and personalisation, which are needed for optimising exercise programmes according to current scientific insights. Show less
Dekker, T.J.A.; Charehbili, A.; Smit, V.T.H.B.M.; Dijke, P. ten; Kranenbarg, E.M.K.; Velde, C.J.H. van de; ... ; Kroep, J.R. 2015
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a nominal term clearly resonates with scholars and practitioners alike. As a scientific concept, however, it has often been criticized for its lack of... Show moreCorporate social responsibility (CSR) as a nominal term clearly resonates with scholars and practitioners alike. As a scientific concept, however, it has often been criticized for its lack of definitional precision and poor measurement. The upshot of this analysis is that since the CSR concept adds nothing of value to existing frameworks in the field of management and organisation, such as the economizing and legitimizing perspectives, it is best to discard it altogether. Generally, criticasters have also contended that CSR distracts from the fundamental economic role of businesses. From a different perspective, CSR has been criticised as being nothing more than superficial window-dressing. Along those lines, as one of the downsides, it has been asserted that CSR could become the victim of its own popularity. For example, the campaign group Friends of the Earth sees some companies’ interest in CSR as a cynical ‘PR exercise’. Hence, in their view, ‘greenwashing’ – self-styled ethical brands – could suffer a backlash from their own CSR spin. Another critical argument often disseminated is that CSR is an attempt to pre-empt the role of governments as a watchdog over powerful multinational corporations. Clearly, the CSR phenomenon has attracted strong positive and negative opinions from both scientists and society. On the one hand, the author agrees with the criticisms conversed; they provide a realistic view and certainly contain an element of truth. However, as will be demonstrated throughout this study, she also agrees with the view of Porter and Kramer. If businesses were to use the same frameworks that guide their core business, CSR could be effectively incorporated into the core operations and could become a source of opportunity, innovation, and competitive advantage for business, as well as a source of social progress. As will be explained infra, the author has chosen to direct her research towards legal and semi-legal frameworks that support and guide business organisations and to examine how these frameworks interact with CSR. Show less
