Danielle Mihram, G. Arthur Mihram and Caroline Gilson
To report on the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science held in St Louis, Missouri in February 2006.
Abstract
Purpose
To report on the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science held in St Louis, Missouri in February 2006.
Design/methodology/approach
An overview of the seminars, symposia, workshops and presentations at the conference.
Findings
The theme of the meeting was Grand Challenges, Great Opportunities. The meeting was attended by 4,000 registrants, 105 exhibitors; and 900 members of the press. The meeting highlighted the academic role and infrastructure of technology in different science applications, including publishing, and national policy.
Originality/value
A report of interest to library and information management professionals.
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James Williams and Caroline C. Hunt
College library staff must work to bring students and information technology together, especially where college‐wide computer literacy courses are not required. Teaching students…
Abstract
College library staff must work to bring students and information technology together, especially where college‐wide computer literacy courses are not required. Teaching students to use constantly changing computer technology should start from an assessment of their skills, needs, and preferred training methods. However, surveying a student population with a high percentage of commuters risks inaccuracy; if surveys are distributed by mail or in libraries, the survey‐takers are often self‐selected and thus not representative. One solution is to administer the surveys in the classroom, using a course that most students are required to take. The results of such a survey, conducted at the College of Charleston, reveal a surprising variety of needs and preferences.
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Hernán Montenegro, Reynaldo Holder, Caroline Ramagem, Soledad Urrutia, Ricardo Fabrega, Renato Tasca, Gerardo Alfaro, Osvaldo Salgado and Maria Angelica Gomes
This paper aims to: analyze the challenge of health services fragmentation; present the attributes of integrated health service delivery networks (IHSDNs); review lessons learned…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to: analyze the challenge of health services fragmentation; present the attributes of integrated health service delivery networks (IHSDNs); review lessons learned on integration; examine recent developments in selected countries; and discuss policy implications of implementing IHSDNs.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review, expert meetings, and country consultations (national, subregional, and regional) in the Americas resulted in a set of consensus‐based essential attributes for implementing IHSDNs. The analysis of 11 country case studies on integration allowed for the identification of lessons learned.
Findings
Studies suggest that IHSDNs could improve health systems performance. Principal findings include: integration processes are difficult, complex, and long term; integration requires extensive systemic changes and a commitment by health workers, health service managers and policymakers; and, multiple modalities and degrees of integration can coexist within a system. The public policy objective is to propose a design that meets each system's specific organizational needs.
Research limitations/implications
The analysis presented in this paper is qualitative.
Practical implications
Some policy implications for implementing IHSDNs are presented in the paper.
Originality/value
The research and evidence on integration remains limited. The paper expands the knowledge‐base on the topic, presenting lessons learned on integration and recent developments in selected countries, which can support integration efforts in the region.
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Microcredit schemes fashioned after the Grameen Bank model are widely acclaimed for their potential for empowering the poor through access to credit based on social collateral…
Abstract
Microcredit schemes fashioned after the Grameen Bank model are widely acclaimed for their potential for empowering the poor through access to credit based on social collateral. However, women market vendors in Ibadan refer to microcredit loans as owo komulelanta, a term which translates as “resting the breasts on a hot kerosene lantern,” a plain critique of the stringent conditions of loan repayment. This paper presents the lived experience of borrowers based upon ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2017 and 2019. It reflects on the Nigerian state's neoliberal policies of microfinance and the experience of women borrowers. The paper argues that social–emotional vulnerability of women borrowers is exacerbated by the acceptance of a loan due to the rigid system of repayment and harassment from providers.
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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of inbound open innovation and organizational inertia on radical innovation capability (RIC). It also seeks to explore whether…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of inbound open innovation and organizational inertia on radical innovation capability (RIC). It also seeks to explore whether the existence of organizational inertia has a moderating effect and influence on the relationship between inbound open innovation and RIC.
Design/methodology/approach
In this empirical research, the authors collected sample of patents in smart phone industry over the 2000-2016 period. Then, the authors examined the direct roles of inbound open innovation and organizational inertia, and the moderating role of organizational inertia by using hierarchical regression analysis.
Findings
Results found that cognitive inertia (CI) has a positive influence on firms’ RIC, but network inertia (NI) has a negative influence on RIC. CI also has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between inbound open innovation and RIC, but NI only has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between open search breadth and RIC. Inbound open innovation directly affects RIC.
Research limitations/implications
The authors collected the patent data of this study within the single industry and excluded other types of industries. And it may limit the generalization of the findings.
Practical implications
The paper includes implications for adopting an appropriate open search strategy and developing a better understanding of organizational inertia on firms’ radical innovation behavior. The findings suggest future directions to technology intensive industries for improving their RIC.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the relationship between organizational inertia and RIC within the framework of inbound open innovation.
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Edel Tierney, Leonor Rodriguez, Danielle Kennan, Carmel Devaney, Bernadine Brady, John Canavan, Cormac Forkan, Anne Cassidy, Pat Malone and Caroline McGregor
Participation is the active involvement of children and young people in decision-making regarding issues that affect their lives. It is crucial in the context of child protection…
Abstract
Purpose
Participation is the active involvement of children and young people in decision-making regarding issues that affect their lives. It is crucial in the context of child protection and welfare systems and how they respond to the needs of children and young people. The purpose of this paper is to report on the evaluation of child and family participation in an early intervention and prevention programme implemented by the Irish Child and Family Agency. It provides an analysis of a comprehensive, “whole organization” approach to understand how participation is embedded in policy and practice.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reports on a comparative qualitative case study of the perspectives of managers and practitioners about participation practice, identifying the facilitators and barriers, as well as their perspectives of the sustainability of participation within the agency and its partners. The authors draw on two complementary, theoretically informed studies evaluating participatory practice within the Agency using qualitative interviews with participants.
Findings
Overall, managers and practitioners had a positive attitude towards participation and identified examples of best practices. Facilitators included training, access to resources and the quality of relationships. Challenges for meaningful participation remain, such as the need to engage, hard to reach populations. Differences were identified regarding how embedded and sustainable participation was.
Originality/value
This paper provides a critical understanding of participation in practice and how to embed a culture of participation in child protection and welfare.
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Iselin Mauseth Steira and Marianne Steinmo
The purpose of this study is to explore how effective new venture teams are developed in venture creation programmes.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore how effective new venture teams are developed in venture creation programmes.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a multiple case study focusing on the development of effective new venture teams. Semi-structured interviews with 15 new venture teams from two different venture creation programmes were conducted and an abductive analysis approach was used.
Findings
Three key phases of the development of an effective new venture team are identified: (1) establishing a foundation for collaboration, (2) structuring the teamwork and (3) adapting to changes. Key activities undertaken by effective new venture teams in each phase are explicated. The findings suggest that new venture teams that are able to establish a foundation for team collaboration and teamwork structuring have the capacity to persevere through the challenges inherent in emerging ventures.
Originality/value
This study offers a much-needed practical perspective about how effective new venture teams are developed in venture creation programmes, and how venture creation programme educators can facilitate the development of effective new venture teams. For educators, these findings provide important insights about team-based learning in entrepreneurship education.