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The purpose of this paper is to describe a jurisdiction-wide implementation and evaluation of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in Ontario, Canada, highlighting innovative strategies and lessons learned.

To obtain an accurate provincial representation, six cancer centres were chosen (based on their IMRT utilization, geography, population, academic affiliation and size) for an in-depth evaluation. At each cancer centre semi-structured, key informant interviews were conducted with senior administrators. An electronic survey, consisting of 40 questions, was also developed and distributed to all cancer centres in Ontario.

In total, 21 respondents participated in the interviews and a total of 266 electronic surveys were returned. Funding allocation, guidelines and utilization targets, expert coaching and educational activities were identified as effective implementation strategies. The implementation allowed for hands-on training, an exchange of knowledge and expertise and the sharing of responsibility. Future implementation initiatives could be improved by creating stronger avenues for clear, continuing and comprehensive communication at all stages to increase awareness, garner support and encourage participation and encouraging expert-based coaching. IMRT utilization for has increased without affecting wait times or safety (from fiscal year 2008/2009 to 2012/2013 absolute increased change: prostate 46, thyroid 36, head and neck 29, sarcoma 30, and CNS 32 per cent).

This multifaceted, jurisdiction-wide approach has been successful in implementing guideline recommended IMRT into standard practice. The expert based coaching initiative, in particular presents a novel training approach for those who are implementing complex techniques. This paper will be of interest to those exploring ways to fund, implement and sustain complex and evolving technologies.

This paper aims to propose comparing the performance of three algorithms based on different population-based heuristics, particle swarm optimization (PSO), artificial bee colony (ABC) and method of musical composition (DMMC), for the districting problem.

In order to compare the performance of the proposed algorithms, they were tested on eight instances drawn from the Mexican electoral institute database, and their respective performance levels were compared. In addition, a simulated annealing-based (simulated annealing – SA) algorithm was used as reference to evaluate the proposed algorithms. This technique was included in this work because it has been used for Federal districting in Mexico since 1994. The performance of the algorithms was evaluated in terms of the quality of the approximated Pareto front and efficiency. Regarding solution quality, convergence and dispersion of the resulting non-dominated solutions were evaluated.

The results show that the quality and diversification of non-dominated solutions generated by population-based algorithms are better than those produced by Federal Electoral Institute’s (IFE’s) SA-based technique. More accurately, among population-based techniques, discrete adaptation of ABC and MMC outperform PSO.

The performance of three population-based techniques was evaluated for the districting problem. In this paper, the authors used the objective function proposed by the Mexican IFE, a weight aggregation function that seeks for a districting plan that represents the best balance between population equality and compactness. However, the weighting factors can be modified by political agreements; thus, the authors decided to produce a set of efficient solutions, using different weighting factors for the computational experiments. This way, the best algorithm will produce high quality solutions no matter the weighting factors used for a real districting process. The computational experiments proved that the proposed artificial bee colony and method of musical composition-based algorithms produce better quality efficient solutions than its counterparts. These results show that population-based algorithms can outperform traditional local search strategies. Besides, as far as we know, this is the first time that the method of musical composition is used for this kind of problems.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the potential of visual (i.e. non-textual) research methods in community-based participatory research.

The authors draw on a case illustration of a photo- and video-voice campaign involving rural communities in British Columbia, Canada.

The authors find that visual research methods, in the form of photo- and video-voice campaigns, allow participants to form ties between their community and the broader sociocultural, natural and political milieu in which their community is located. The authors highlight the benefits of using such methodological approaches to capture an emic perspective of community building.

The contribution of this study is twofold. First, this study uses a photo- and video-voice campaign to showcase the role of visuals in articulating community pride – that is, how locals construct identity – and a sense of belongingness. Second, by focusing its analytical gaze on the idea of “community,” this paper revisits the importance of active involvement of research participants in the execution of empirical studies. Ultimately, the authors urge organization and management studies scholars, as well as those working in the social sciences more broadly, to further explore the value of innovative community-based research approaches in future work.

Little is known about how assistive technology standards have been implemented in preservice teacher preparation. This chapter provides a review of the literature concerning the importance of evidence-based practice and the research base supporting assistive technology in order to set the context for reporting the results of a comprehensive national study of the status of assistive technology state standards for teachers in all of the 50 states (plus Washington, DC). This chapter includes the findings of the study, the research that the study was based upon, and a review of relevant research in the fields of assistive technology, educational technology, and evidence-based practice. Only six states reported having AT standards and six states reported having AT competencies. Three states reported having both standards and competencies, yielding nine unique states (out of 51) with AT standards and/or AT competencies. Regression analyses to determine the relationship between the study variables and national reading and math performance of students with disabilities were inconclusive. The implications of the study findings and recommendations for future research are presented.

The purpose of this article is to analyse the weaknesses of governance institutions in constraining grand corruption arising from the government procurement of large foreign-funded infrastructure projects in the Philippines. The weaknesses are revealed in the description and analysis of two major scandals, namely, the construction of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant during the Marcos era and the National Broadband Network project of the Arroyo presidency.

This research employs a historical and comparative case approach to explore patterns of grand corruption and their resolution. Primary and secondary data sources including court decisions, congressional records, journal articles and newspaper reports are used to construct the narratives for each case.

Top-level executive agreements that do not require competitive public bidding provide an opportunity for grand corruption. Such agreements encourage the formation of corrupt rent-seeking relationships involving the selling firm, brokers, politicians and top-level government executives. Closure of cases of grand corruption is a serious problem that involves an incoherent and politically vulnerable prosecutorial and justice system.

This paper aims to contribute to research on grand corruption involving the executive branch in the Philippines, particularly in the procurement of large, foreign-funded government projects. It examines allegations of improprieties in government project contracting and the politics of resolving corruption scandals through the justice system.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the anti-corruption performance of the Philippine government, particularly under the leadership of President Benigno Aquino III.

The paper evaluates the anti-corruption measures as represented by pertinent laws as well as anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) under the Aquino administration.

The Aquino government has exercised remarkable political will in acting on high-profile cases involving former government officials, including former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. However, the government’s overall anti-corruption performance is hampered by outdated and conflicting laws, lack of compliance with anti-corruption laws and regulations by public officials and employees, poor ACA operational capacities, judicial inefficiency, deficient organizational systems and change-resistant government agencies, and selective and partial enforcement of anti-corruption laws. These problems are characteristic of Philippine political administrations and are arguably rooted in a system long characterized by fragile state institutions, strong oligarchic control, and weak citizenship.

The paper is intended to update scholars, policy makers, and anti-corruption practitioners interested in corruption, ACA performance, and political reform in the Philippines. It discusses corruption-related problems of public administration within the purview of political economy. Based on this perspective, it argues that the key to effective control of corruption is a change in the political system’s configuration rather than the mere change in leadership.

In an ever-interconnected world dominated by discourses on the internationalization and marketization of higher education, concerns related to language and employability have been the focus of recent debates. There is, however, a dearth of research investigating how these dimensions relate to one another in recent comparative and international higher education research. By focusing on how issues related to language and employability have been presented in recent higher education research worldwide, this chapter aims to contribute to our understanding of this concern. To achieve this goal, we conducted a scoping literature review using the Web of Science, Scopus, and the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) databases, considering the years 2011–2020. The findings, perhaps not surprisingly, suggested that language skills are perceived to be valued by both graduates and employers though the discussions predominantly focused on one language, English. The research focus on English for employability in Anglophone contexts is understandable. However, the fact that the trend is observed in contexts where the language is not the primary or official language seems to indicate the influence of internationalization of higher education and global labor markets primarily dominated by English. The literature also suggested that (English) language training in higher education programs needs to move from solely linguistic and qualification-related content areas to a broader sphere of English for communication purposes that cover both specialized disciplinary content and broader generic employability skills. Considering this finding, we suggest that higher education systems and institutions incorporate recent developments in English for occupational purposes in their curriculum. We also recommend that there needs to be a shift from the overwhelmingly English language-dominated discussions to more inclusive research that assesses the impact of other dominant languages on employability-related concerns.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the innovation process of organizations representing the main sectors of Brazilian economic activity.

The literature review focuses on analyzing the innovation process characteristics regarding the innovation types. The authors carried out interviews with executives and managers in charge of innovation at the leading large companies in the respective sectors analyzed. The data analysis of this qualitative research was structured in three steps. The first step is the analysis of data collected for encoding, the second step, the summarization of the common points presented by the companies in each sector and, finally, the interpretation of these data, aided by triangulation from secondary data that support the analysis of the collected primary data.

The main contribution of this study is to characterize the innovation process of organizations representing the main sectors of the Brazilian economy, with a classification regarding the sectoral innovation standard.

The authors’ intent is that the paper can contribute with a comparative analysis among companies of the same sector and, subsequently, among companies of the different surveyed sectors. Thus, the characterization aims to present the companies’ innovation process and the comparative analysis aims to verify the innovation sectoral patterns. In addition, as implications for management practice, some strategies for better knowledge management in the organization are suggested for each type of innovation.

The main theoretical contribution focuses on the development of a conceptual model that structures the analyzed variables of the constructs “innovation process” and “innovation sectoral patterns”, allowing not only the characterization but also the comparative analysis of the representative organizations present in the sample.

Participants in leadership development programs take part in multiple developmental experiences that can influence the composition of their social network and enhance social capital. However, further investment in such practices may be limited because little is known about the relationship between leadership development approaches, networking ability, and social capital. This study explores how common developmental approaches may contribute to social capital, taking into consideration the role networking ability plays in this relationship. This descriptive, correlational study included a sample of graduates (N= 231) from 15 statewide agricultural-based leadership development programs. Our findings reveal that: 1) Networking is an antecedent to social capital, 2) skill building and personal growth approaches to leadership development are significant predictors of networking ability, and 3) networking ability is a significant predictor of social capital.

The following is an annotated list of materials dealing with information literacy including instruction in the use of information resources, research, and computer skills related to retrieving, using, and evaluating information. This review, the eighteenth to be published in Reference Services Review, includes items in English published in 1991. A few are not annotated because the compiler could not obtain copies of them for this review.