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This paper takes a structured literature review (SLR) approach to identify gaps in the literature and suggest future research opportunities. It focuses on corporate governance (CG) performed outside the formal board of directors’ structure and examines research of alternative CG of small and medium-sized entities (SMEs).

The authors use the SLR method to search the Scopus database, extracting and synthesising findings relating specifically to SMEs’ CG. These are tabulated and described using bibliometric software.

The authors highlight an absence of tailored theoretical approaches to understanding CG in SMEs, which differs from the governance of larger entities. They also find evidence of alternative governance structures in SME CG.

Further research should embrace management and other theoretical perspectives and expanded methodologies, nuances in understanding offered in contextualised settings and awareness of practical implications to better understand the specific setting of CG in SMEs.

SMEs seek to access the scarce resources and skills external to their formal CG structures. Regulators and resource providers should mobilise facilitation and training for this expansion.

The authors synthesise a large body of literature to extract findings specific to SMEs. A unique contribution is our focus on alternative forms of CG in SMEs. Evidence of alternative boards points to resolutions for human capital shortages in SMEs.

Characteristic challenges that define autism spectrum disorder (ASD), coupled with comorbid conditions and poor communication with providers, can lead to inadequate healthcare. The majority of previous work has focused on children. The purpose of this paper is to examine the healthcare experiences of young adults with ASD within the US healthcare system.

An online questionnaire was utilized to examine: the accessibility of healthcare for those with ASD: do they make their own appointments, fill out paperwork independently, go in the examination room on their own; the quality of care they receive: what are their medical needs, how effectively can they communicate their needs, do providers understand their disability; and the outcomes of care: do they understand their recommended care, can they follow healthcare instructions accurately, are they satisfied with the care received. The authors compared responses of those with ASD (n=16) with those of parents of adults with ASD (n=50), as well as a matched comparison group of young adults without ASD (n=42) for statistical differences using the Fisher Exact test. The authors also asked parents about their time costs of assisting their adult children through the healthcare process.

The results suggest that those with ASD overestimated their ability to manage their healthcare needs, felt more positively about the healthcare they received than was warranted, and were significantly less independent in managing their healthcare than their peers. Parents experienced losses and costs in terms of lost productivity, household work, and personal time.

This study furthers the understanding of the healthcare experiences of young adults with ASD which is crucial to dissecting problems which hamper access to quality care.

THE importance of the book as an educational agency has so long been recognized, that it will be unnecessary for me to dwell upon that side of the question. Yet it is impossible to ignore it altogether, for it is in the educational power of the book that we find the main reason for the existence of the school library. The elementary schools carry education up to a certain point, and the technical schools and universities take it up and carry it still further, but it is the library—or at any rate the book—which co‐ordinates the whole ; many people, indeed, have no education beyond the elementary school, except what they obtain from books. From this, the part played by the school library becomes obvious. Not only is it a powerful educator in itself, but it prepares the individual for the use of the Public Library and of books in general in the period following school life. Also, I need hardly point out that, although the use of the text‐book is dis pensed with as far as possible, the whole modern system of teaching is founded on the use of books.

In 2016, 1 in 54 children were estimated to have autism in the USA compared to 1 in 2,500 in 1955. This study aims to consider whether there has been a worldwide rise in incidence over time that is contributing to the rise in prevalence.

A systematic review of the literature with strict inclusion criteria was performed to identify large population-based studies that include raw incidence rate data with clearly defined diagnostic criteria. The data from the included studies were pooled and analysed descriptively to compare incidence rates by decade.

Seven studies were included in the final quantitative analysis including incidence rate data from 1988 to 2015 with 29,026 cases, over a total of 69,562,748 person years. Considering the most robust data, the incidence rate ratio between the decade 1990–1999 and 2000–2009 provides an estimated relative risk of 4.21 (95% CI; 4.11–4.32). If we compare the limited data available in 1988–1989 and 2010–2015, there is an estimated 75 times (95% CI 49.56–115.04) increased rate of diagnosis.

The broadening of diagnostic criteria and its increasing application in clinical practice needs further consideration to ensure individuals receive the most appropriate personalised support. A true rise in the incidence of autism will influence the level of service provision required in future with the potential for significant under resourcing. More detailed assessment of the clinical characteristics of those diagnosed will help predict risk factors for specialist service involvement in future.

The Adult Asperger Assessment (AAA), comprising the Autism Questionnaire, the Empathy Quiotient and the Relatives Questionnaire is a commonly used screening tool designed to identify adults who may benefit from a further clinical assessment for autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the usefulness of this screening measure in a clinical setting.

This retrospective cohort study comprised of 192 service users referred for diagnostic assessment of Autism by a specialist service of the National Health Service. The authors evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the AAA by investigating if the Autism Questionnaire, the Empathy Quiotient and the Relatives Questionnaire were able to predict the diagnostic outcome of Autism in a clinical setting.

Scores from the Relatives Questionnaire can accurately predict diagnostic outcome. No evidence of accuracy for the Autism Questionnaire or the Empathy Quotient was apparent. Based on the findings, the authors recommend clinicians are cautious when interpreting results of the AAA.

It should be acknowledged that the results may not be generalisable to whole populations. Also, the authors used the full item versions of the scales; therefore, the findings are most applicable to studies which did similar.

This study highlights the need for investigation into the lack of validation of commonly used screening measures in autistic populations.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how using an entrepreneurial learning approach for assessment of internships could increase the reflected value of combining theory and practice articulated in students’ learning outcomes. Furthermore, the purpose was to investigate whether the applied approach led to enhanced perception of professional identity and new understandings of employability for students in the internship course.

A qualitative research design was the basis for investigation of the topics in focus. The data consisted of five focus groups, observation notes, and documentation from the exam situations. Two consecutive groups of students (2015 and 2016) participated in the study at a university of applied science in Denmark.

Results from the study provided evidence that students in internships collectively develop a comprehensive understanding of how to apply theory to practical settings. By working with an entrepreneurial learning approach in the professional practice, students reported an enhanced reflective understanding of learning outcomes and the theory-practice gap, developed an ability for opportunity identification, and established a grounded feeling of professional identity and employability.

The current pilot project serves as a full and context-rich case study that can inform educators about formative and summative assessment practices when designing internships courses. Furthermore, internship supervisors can get valuable insight into learning processes during an internship.

The suggested model for an entrepreneurial learning approach to assessment of internships provides a basis for further research within entrepreneurial learning and the application to design of assessment practices in this context.

People with intellectual disabilities (IDs) typically present with co-occurring communication difficulties. Research indicates that cognitive-linguistic impairment is predictive of poor health literacy, which can preclude individuals from developing a comprehensive understanding of their health, care and treatment needs. People accessing forensic intellectual and developmental disability (FIDD) services are more likely to engage meaningfully in treatment and rehabilitation only if they feel empowered to play active roles in their own care. Delivering proposed treatment programmes in an accessible format, which meets their language needs, is likely to promote this.

This paper aims to describe the development and evaluation of an easy read version of the “Ten point treatment programme” within an inpatient FIDD service. An expert panel comprising speech and language therapists and education professionals utilised a quality improvement method to develop this. Patients and staff evaluated this resource and gave feedback through surveys or meetings. The resource was refined based on responses, and a final version produced.

The easy-read Ten-Point Treatment programme resource was considered valuable by patients and staff from this service.

Future research should seek to pilot this resource, to explore alternative multi-modal means of accessible information provision coproduced at every level and to examine ways in which this resource could be incorporated within health-care consultations. Another research direction will be to assess the impact of this resource on comprehension, drawing upon objective, previously validated measures.

Provision of an easy-read version of the Ten-Point Treatment Programme may support individuals with communication difficulties to understand health and care information relevant to their inpatient admission and may empower them to take more active roles in their treatment pathway. It is important to acknowledge, however, that easy read is not an accessible means of information provision for all individuals with ID and that the empirical evidence for its impact is limited.

This is the first published attempt to evaluate the acceptability of an easy-read version of the Ten-Point Treatment Programme within an inpatient FIDD service in the UK.