The purpose of this paper is to suggest that the “skills” or “employability” agenda which has long been anathema to the Humanities disciplines need not be the threat it appears to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to suggest that the “skills” or “employability” agenda which has long been anathema to the Humanities disciplines need not be the threat it appears to represent. This paper aims to examine the concept of realistic work environments and their focus, not only the provision of hard and soft skills, but also the democratic and transformational power they provide for the students who work in them.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper will focus on the challenges of running a realistic work environment and the issues this raises for both the facilitator and the students. Working with the authors own experience and a framework of models such as situated learning and student‐centred learning, the challenge and excitement of working with an informal mixed curriculum and forms of assessment that measure reflective and experiential learning is discussed.
Findings
Applying the Rogerian person‐centred approach to self‐transformation and to learning, it is argued that these situated learning spaces provide real opportunities for growth and development and that the shared sense of responsibility provides students with an opportunity to develop and transform in ways that are often hard to realise in the delivery of traditional Humanities modules.
Originality/value
Whilst Humanities subjects aim, in theory at least, to provide a developmental bridge between being and becoming, so too do employability skills, and it is in the developmental dimension that the two can meet and work well together. With this in mind the audience is encouraged to think about the challenges facing the Humanities in the burgeoning knowledge economy.
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Abstract
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THE annual election of the Library Association Council for 1946 is over. Of course, only a small part of the Council has been before the electors. The results follow an…
Abstract
THE annual election of the Library Association Council for 1946 is over. Of course, only a small part of the Council has been before the electors. The results follow an old‐established precedent, but are nevertheless curious. Why is it that country members seem not to be interested in their selection of candidates who come from the metropolitan area? There were two to be elected for London and those successful were Frank M. Gardner with 572 and Captain Richard Wright with 501 votes; there were five Country Councillors required and Miss M. F. Austin (854) and Messrs. W. A. Munford (831), F. G. B. Hutchings (817), E. Wisker (716) and E. Osborne (601) were elected. Besides the London candidates who were successful by ballot, Mr. W. B. Stevenson (447) and Mr. E. Sydney (360) will serve on the Council for shorter periods in the room of Mr. J. D. Stewart and S/Ldr. J. D. Cowley. It will therefore be seen that there is considerable disparity in the voting for the two parts of the Council. As we say, this is rather curious as it follows a long established tradition. The new members are Mr. Gardner, Mr. Stevenson, Miss Austin, Mr. Munford and Mr. Wisker; this appears to us to be a very interesting and useful team. They have already shown by definite work, mostly in the A.A.L., that they are qualified leaders amongst the younger librarians. We wish them good fortune in the carrying out of their part in the reconstruction period ahead.
Michael Opara, Robert Rankin, Ran Ling and Thien Le
In this study, the authors revisit Alberta's public-private partnership (P3) program after 20 years of field level experience by retracing its historical emergence and…
Abstract
Purpose
In this study, the authors revisit Alberta's public-private partnership (P3) program after 20 years of field level experience by retracing its historical emergence and institutional evolution given its political context. Specifically, the authors adopt a path dependence perspective to reconstruct and reexamine Alberta's P3 program emergence, reflect on the successes achieved, and articulate challenges that must be overcome to institutionalize P3s as part of Alberta's infrastructure delivery environment in the future.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting a constructivist approach and a case-based methodology, the authors (re)analyze the activities of governmental agents, private industry, and other actors as part of a new infrastructure policy introduced in 2002 to transform the provincial institutional landscape to accommodate P3.
Findings
The authors find Alberta's P3 emergence was driven by the necessity of its infrastructure deficits, political expediency, and resource scarcity. Furthermore, with well-entrenched conservative political actors as gatekeepers, Alberta's P3 implementation demonstrated stability and incremental change simultaneously, consistent with core elements of path dependency. Following the introduction of P3 in Alberta, the province lacked formal institutional structures that would transition its P3 program from good to great and enable it to become firmly embedded in the public infrastructure delivery landscape. With the subsequent absence of P3-convinced (political) leadership and uncertainty about its P3 policy direction, Alberta was unable or unwilling to consolidate the progress made at the start of the program.
Originality/value
Most recently, the emergence of new political leadership in Alberta has (re)catalyzed policy progress, pointing toward a more methodical program approach, and suggesting a rediscovered confidence in P3s in the province with the establishment of a P3 Office (P3O), including nascent formal rules for unsolicited bids. These recent changes in our view make for a much more anchored policy and could lead to program sustainability and eventual institutionalization. Given the unpredictability of the recent political change, a more robust analysis of the relationship between political party control, leadership, and P3 stability is required to anticipate future policy and organizational obstacles.
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The purpose of this paper is to study the variance of post‐privatization performance outcomes by three institutional arrangements taken place in the process of ownership transfer…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the variance of post‐privatization performance outcomes by three institutional arrangements taken place in the process of ownership transfer in Taiwan.
Design/methodology/approach
The logistic regression models were used for the study to link the likelihood of performance improvements after privatization with a set of explanatory variables.
Findings
The findings from the research suggest an indispensable role of supportive policy measures, including market openness, post‐privatization involvement of government and corporate reforms prior to privatization, in the performance effects of privatization.
Research limitations/implications
Both the sample size and time frame available for a quantitative analysis are constrained by the progress of Taiwan's privatization. A questionnaire survey, as part of a more integrated model, is suggested to follow this study and probe into organizational or strategic changes after privatization.
Practical implications
The study shows that performance improvement of privatized firms cannot be taken for granted merely by ownership change; instead, the performance gains of privatization could be realized only in concert with other institutional arrangements, including market openness, the modest and short‐term bureaucratic control after privatization, and corporate health prior to privatization.
Originality/value
The study aims to add to the body of literature by identifying sources of performance changes in privatized firms, based on Taiwan's experience in privatization. Taiwan represents an interesting example of a country in the process of catching up in terms of economic development, as well as one whose institutional environment stands between western and transition countries. As such, the use of Taiwan's data may lead to an assessment of the generalizability of conclusions drawn from prior research conducted in both kinds of countries.
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This paper begins by describing the trends and drivers of privatisation, as well as the benefits derived from privatisation programmes. It then considers the ownership debate…
Abstract
This paper begins by describing the trends and drivers of privatisation, as well as the benefits derived from privatisation programmes. It then considers the ownership debate, i.e. whether superior performance of state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) can be achieved under state ownership. While empirical work shows that private ownership is associated with superior performance, the experience of Singapore is a clear example to the contrary. Singapore Telecom is described as a case where state ownership combined with several contextual factors has led to sustained world‐class performance, in spite of global trends such as deregulation and technological advancement which create turmoil and reduce profitability in the telecommunications industry. These contextual factors include a clear corporate strategy combined with an efficiency focus by Singapore Telecom, a long‐term national policy of infrastructure improvement as a strategic resource for national economic development, and a robust economic and regulatory environment. The implications of the Singapore experience are then discussed.
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Rahim Ashkeboussi and Ahmad Tootoonchi
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the success of privatization based on the performance of relevant macroeconomic variables before and after privatization.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the success of privatization based on the performance of relevant macroeconomic variables before and after privatization.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the labor market and economic indicators in Latin America and the Caribbean during 1990‐2002 and 1993‐2004, the researchers investigate whether different stabilization and liberalization strategies and the industry sequencing result in different macroeconomic performance for transition and emerging economies.
Findings
The results of this study revealed that based on the changes in macroeconomic variables, privatization in Latin America and the Caribbean failed to meet its intended goals, and successful privatization plan is indeed related to appropriate economic reform and effective macroeconomic stabilization policies.
Practical implications
This research leads to the conclusion that macroeconomic stabilization, industry sequencing and market liberalization are necessary prerequisites for a fair, equitable and transparent privatization process.
Originality/value
The study provides useful information on privatization, economic reform and effective macroeconomic stabilization policies with an emphasis on Latin America and the Caribbean.
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Åsa Weinholt and Tobias Andersson Granberg
The purpose of this paper is to analyse costs and benefits from new collaborations in daily emergency response and to demonstrate how cost-benefit analysis (CBA) can be used for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse costs and benefits from new collaborations in daily emergency response and to demonstrate how cost-benefit analysis (CBA) can be used for evaluating effects from these kinds of collaborations.
Design/methodology/approach
CBA is used to evaluate two collaborations. The cases are: security officers that respond to fire and rescue service (FRS) calls; and home care nurses that assist the FRSs when they respond to urgent medical calls. Interviews, public documents and incident reports have been used as sources of data.
Findings
Most costs are relatively straightforward to estimate. More difficult to estimate are the turn-out costs, including the services that cannot be performed when the new actors take on new assignments. One important benefit from these kinds of collaborations is reduced response time. Other benefits include increased situational awareness and improved preventive work in Case 1, as well as improved working conditions for the traditional resources and increased medical competence in Case 2. The analysis indicate that the case with the security officers most likely was socially beneficial, while the case with the home care nurses at the time of the study was not.
Originality/value
The authors provide a thorough description and analysis of two interesting new ways of performing daily emergency response. Furthermore, the authors depict how CBA can be used to structure the analysis and evaluation of new initiatives in emergence services and how it can be used for identifying improvement potential. The authors also identify and discuss what is needed in terms of documentation as well as research, for it to be possible to improve the quantitative analysis of these kinds of initiatives.