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PurposeVirtual work presents new challenges for managers compared to using ordinary, face‐to‐face work practices. The purpose of this paper is to show how different virtual work types are related to different challenges that require different managerial and co‐operation approaches.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical data were gathered during a period of two years using a questionnaire (3,156 respondents from 323 companies representing different Estonian service sector branches) and interviewing.FindingsThe paper concludes that a higher level of work virtuality leads to a lower level of work satisfaction, mainly due to inappropriate management techniques and problems related to information and communication technology‐mediated communication.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample consists of only service sector organizations, limiting generalization of the results to the practice of manufacturing companies.Practical implicationsThe results will help managers of service organizations to prepare and choose appropriate management techniques for working with virtual workforce.Originality/valueThe paper shows that service sector organizations operate with different degrees of virtuality that lead to different challenges and consequently require different management techniques.

This research reports learning strategies of the first-year Estonian university students in mathematics. The data were collected during two years from 440 university students of different disciplines. The respondents were among students who take at least one compulsory mathematics course during their first study year. The participants filled out a Likert-type questionnaire that was developed using previously published instruments. The aim of this research was to examine the 69-item LIST questionnaire first time for Estonian university students. By means of an exploratory factor analysis, 9 factors out of 12 were confirmed. The research confirmed most of the components identified in earlier studies. It validates the use of the instrument in further studies of learning strategies at the university level in Estonia. This gives a positive signal about the usefulness of the instrument, as the component structure remains stable in different populations. Keywords: learning strategies, LIST questionnaire, mathematics education, mathematics related affect, university mathematics.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is related to the person's gender, weight and age. However, associations between the body types and disease related values are not clear. All the subjects participated in the study of a new mud therapy course in Estonian medical spas and had knee OA. The mean age of the subjects was 61.7 years (62.0 years for women and 61.1 years for men). Based on the 5 SD heightweight classification, devised by the Centre for Physical Anthropology at the University of Tartu, the subjects were divided into five classes (1 -small height and weight; 2 -medium height and weight; 3 -big weight and height; 4 -big weight, small height; 5 -small weight, big height). The results showed that knee OA was more prevalent in women than men. 39.8% of the subjects were obese. Leptomorphic females and males prevailed among the subjects (28.5% and 26.8%, accordingly). Therefore, the height is also one factor which is associated with knee OA. Females had more problems with their knees than males. The group of small females had more problems with both knees, but pycnomorphic females complained more about knee pain in the last month before the study. Therefore, they used more analgesics. In both genders, the more problematic knee was the right knee. The class of medium males also had more problems with both knees. They had the highest values of the morning stiffness of the knee and knees crepitus in active motion.

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