Routine surveillance data underestimate incidence of foodborne gastrointestinal (FGI) illness and provide little information on illness related to travel. We analysed data from the Welsh Health Survey to estimate population incidence, and to examine risk factors for FGI and factors associated with consulting a doctor. Reported frequency of any FGI in the 3 months before interview was 20.0% [95% confidence interval (CI) 19.5-20.4; equivalent to 0.8 episodes per person-year], and for travel-related FGI was 1.6% (95% CI 1.5-1.8). In the final model, sex, age group, marital status, self-reported health, long-term illness, smoking and alcohol consumption were all independent predictors of FGI. People who consulted a doctor were likely to be older, in poorer health, taking regular medication, or to report mental illness. FGI is common but risk factors for illness and consultation differ and impressions of the epidemiology of the disease based on surveillance data are therefore distorted.

The development of soft and technical skills as part of tertiary education courses is key to enhancing the employability skills of graduating students. Within the accounting profession there is little agreement over which skills should be developed and a wide range have been suggested as relevant. A sample (n = 62) of higher education educators and industry practitioners were surveyed to elicit their assessments of the importance of a range of employability skills. Exploratory Factor Analysis was used to group the skills into six factors that helped to provide a better understanding of the skills and how they could be grouped for teaching purposes.

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Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) plays an increasingly important role in international trade resolution. The decisions have significant financial and in many cases policy implications, yet little is known about the formation of the ad-hoc panels and the decision-making process. Drawing on empirical evidence from interviews with key actors in the ISDS system, this article argues that influence plays a central role in both processes. The analysis further develops the framework for understanding influence in international decision-making to accommodate external factors (those visible to those appointing the decision-makers) and internal factors (those factors that become visible in the decision-making room). It draws our attention to the nuanced relationship and distinction between the characterization of influence in both contexts and poses a challenge to the traditional focus of appointments based on power and prestige which neglects the group decision-making context and the multifaceted construction of influence in this increasingly important method of adjudication.