The issues of professional accountability, faculty member development, and enhancing higher education quality in universities are gaining importance. A strategy that could increase personal control over teaching practices in addition to improving professional development among faculty members is peer review of teaching (PRT). Five themes that are important in determining the feasibility of PRT are (a) benefits of peer review in developing faculty members, (b) barriers to peer review of teaching, (c) gaps in literature, (d) potential problems to teaching practice, and (e) opportunities. Of the 65 studies identified, 34 were selected for further analysis, and drawing on PRT and the SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat) framework, 27 studies were selected for content mapping. Textual narrative synthesis was used to further categorize the review findings into the four quadrants of the SWOT framework. This analysis highlights a positive strategy in promoting PRT in higher education.

Background Context A subgroup of patients with acute/sub-acute low back pain (LBP) presenting with trunk movement control deficits, pain provocation with segmental testing, and segmental hypermobility have been clinically identified as having movement coordination impairments (MCI) of the trunk. It is hypothesized that these patients have proprioceptive, postural and movement control impairments of the trunk associated with LBP. While, trunk control impairments have been identified in patients with chronic LBP, they have not been investigated in this subgroup or closer to symptom onset. Purpose To identify trunk motor control (postural control and movement precision) impairments in a subgroup of patients with acute/sub-acute LBP who have been clinically identified to have MCI and determine association of these impairments with pain and fear of movement. Study Design/Setting Observational design; University biomechanics lab and clinical practice. Patient Sample Thirty-three patients with acute/sub-acute LBP identified with trunk MCI and 33 gender, age, and BMI matched healthy controls. Outcome Measures Self-report Measures Numeric Pain Rating Scale, Oswestry Disability Questionnaire, Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire. Physiologic Measures Postural control, Movement precision Methods Center of pressure movement was measured while subjects attempted to volitionally control trunk posture and movement while sitting on a platform with a hemisphere mounted underneath. This created an unstable surface that required coordinated trunk control to maintain an upright-seated posture. Postural control was tested using eyes-open and eyes-closed balance protocols. Movement precision was tested with a dynamic control test requiring movement of the center of pressure along a discrete path. Group trunk motor control performance was compared with ANOVA and t-Test. Performance association with pain and fear of movement were assessed with Pearson’s Correlations. Funding for this study was provided by the National Institutes of Health (xxxxxxx; $xxx,000), with no study specific conflicts of interest to report. Results Patients’ postural control in the eyes closed condition (P=.02) and movement precision (P=.04) were significantly impaired compared to healthy controls, with moderate to large group difference effect sizes. These trunk motor control impairments were not significantly associated with the patients self-reported pain characteristics and fear of movement. Conclusions Patients with clinical identification of trunk MCI demonstrated decreased trunk motor control, suggesting impairments in proprioception, motor output, or central processing occur early in the back pain episode. This information may help to guide interventions to address these specific limitations, improving delivery of care.

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This systematic review of theoretical approaches is to determine whether the recruitment and selection process in SMEs shows evidence of a strategic ‘fit’ and second, examining the extent of a structured, innovative and flexible recruitment and selection process. HR managers may be aware of Strategic Human Resource Management but their understanding of recruitment and selection process as a HR architecture linking the firm and HR strategy may be vague. Findings in literature shows that priority research tends to be non-HRM related functions. HRM practices are seen as less important. The review also shows evidence that recruitment and selection is an under researched area and no specific research papers provided insights on the concept of ‘fit’ in recruitment and selection. Although general literature presents various models of recruitment but the compatibility between the individual, job and environment – ‘fit’, as a strategic process in SMEs seems disconnected and unexplored. This suggests that the HRM functions in the Malaysian SMEs are treated and perceived as secondary, routine and an insignificant function.

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