Michael Edwards, Josie Soutar and David Best
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the design and methodology of the REC-CONNECT project and to determine whether a co-produced approach to research in this area between…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the design and methodology of the REC-CONNECT project and to determine whether a co-produced approach to research in this area between those with lived experience, those delivering recovery support, and those investigating recovery evidence, generated greater project impact.
Design/methodology/approach
A co-productive approach was taken during project planning, training delivery, data collection and community connecting activity. Workshop evaluations were collected at each training session that provided data on worker/peer volunteer wellbeing, workshop efficacy and organisational factors. Community connectors used REC-CAP for evaluating improvements in clients’ community engagement.
Findings
Whilst co-production as a research approach broke down barriers between theory and practice and delivered a wider community asset map, a number of hurdles emerged: buy-in of all participants; culture/competing agendas; overcoming sense of disenfranchisement of people in recovery; and resources, tools and timescales of research requirements.
Research limitations/implications
This is a small study in Sheffield. As such, data are limited. However, the implications spread to other vulnerable groups in other areas are evidenced, and the principles offer sustainability and partnership that go beyond time-limited projects.
Social implications
Co-production as an approach to research in the substance misuse field has a meaningful impact on the “end-user” of people in recovery through empowerment, better connected recovery pathways and evidence-to-practice-based support models.
Originality/value
The project advanced the emerging principle of reciprocal asset-based community development and designed a co-produced model to create a team of professional, volunteer and peer community connectors to engage and connect new individuals to recovery with existing community assets, and who themselves emerged as a community asset through the project.
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Martin Barrett, Gareth J. Jones, Kyle S. Bunds, Jonathan M. Casper and Michael B. Edwards
Athletic departments play an important role in sustainability-based collaborative processes due to their boundary spanning connections with both internal and external university…
Abstract
Purpose
Athletic departments play an important role in sustainability-based collaborative processes due to their boundary spanning connections with both internal and external university stakeholders. As a result, athletic department representatives have become prominent members of university participant-governed network structures. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of dedicated “athletics green teams” as a unique form of control and coordination by considering how green team interactions support and augment the collaborative network of actors who are responsible for executing athletics sustainability practices on university campuses.
Design/methodology/approach
A sociocentric analysis is used to explore the network of a green team at a large American university. The analysis focuses on examining the size, composition and structure of relations involving green team members that facilitated various forms of information transmission and strategic action(s).
Findings
The results highlight how the presence of the athletic department in the green team provides heterophilous and multiplex relations across the collaborative network and how the green team itself provides a unique forum for planning and coordination, which is critical for providing more sophisticated, advanced structures for sustainability.
Practical implications
The findings of this study should reassure practitioners involved in convening green teams that such shared governance structures add value to athletics sustainability collaborative processes. In addition, subtle changes to the network governance structures has the potential to streamline the contribution of athletic departments to university sustainability initiatives and help project a more cohesive “Athletics” sustainability message that transmits across the collaborative network.
Originality/value
The outcomes of dedicated athletics green teams have been explored from a largely qualitative perspective. However, this study applies a novel relational approach to understand the shared governance value-added within a largely intra-organizational collaborative network.
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Yanan Sun, Guoyin Zhang, Michael G. Edwards and Chenfeng Li
The purpose of this paper is to systematically investigate the hydraulic fracture branching phenomena in porous media under different loading conditions and the stepwise…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to systematically investigate the hydraulic fracture branching phenomena in porous media under different loading conditions and the stepwise phenomenon. The effect of the pore pressure in hydraulic fracturing branching is studied, and more evidence for the stepwise phenomenon with the peridynamics approach is provided.
Design/methodology/approach
A fully coupled fluid-filled explicit peridynamics model is developed to simulate the complex evolution of crack branching and stepwise phenomena in saturated porous media. Based on the peridynamics theory, an explicit time integration scheme is used to solve the coupled equation system including rock deformation, fluid flow and fracture propagation. Using the proposed model, a series of peridynamic computational tests are performed to examine two common kinds of phenomena observed in hydraulic fracturing: the crack branching phenomenon and the stepwise phenomenon.
Findings
For crack branching phenomenon, the results obtained indicate that sufficient loading is required in order to initiate the crack branching process. Compared with the stress applied on crack surfaces condition, crack branching is more easily induced with the stress applied on boundaries. In addition, for the fluid-driven crack (stress applied on crack surfaces), the existence of pore pressure will depress the growth and branching of the crack. For stepwise phenomena, the results obtained indicate that the peridynamics is a promising tool to study the stepwise phenomenon. The stepwise phenomenon is more distinct under mechanical loading conditions due to the solid behaviour. A sudden jump or crack extension will happen when enough energy is accumulated in the hydraulic fracturing system.
Research limitations/implications
In this study, the explicit method is used, which means it is conditionally stable, and the critical time step needs to be decided. The reason to use the explicit method is for the study purpose; the explicit method is faster and has no need for matrix inversions.
Originality/value
This study helps to understand the effect of the pore pressure in hydraulic fracturing branching and provides more evidence for the stepwise phenomenon with peridynamics.
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Robyn Ramsden, Richard Colbran, Tricia Linehan, Michael Edwards, Hilal Varinli, Carolyn Ripper, Angela Kerr, Andrew Harvey, Phil Naden, Scott McLachlan and Stephen Rodwell
While one-third of Australians live outside major cities, there are ongoing challenges in providing accessible, sustainable, and appropriate primary health care services in rural…
Abstract
Purpose
While one-third of Australians live outside major cities, there are ongoing challenges in providing accessible, sustainable, and appropriate primary health care services in rural and remote communities. The purpose of this paper is to explore a partnership approach to understanding and addressing complex primary health workforce issues in the western region of New South Wales (NSW), Australia.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors describe how a collaboration of five organisations worked together to engage a broader group of stakeholders and secure commitment and resources for a regional approach to address workforce challenges in Western NSW. A literature review and formal interviews with stakeholders gathered knowledge, identified issues and informed the overarching approach, including the development of the Western NSW Partnership Model and Primary Health Workforce Planning Framework. A stakeholder forum tested the proposed approach and gained endorsement for a collaborative priority action plan.
Findings
The Western NSW Partnership Model successfully engaged regional stakeholders and guided the development of a collaborative approach to building a sustainable primary health workforce for the future.
Originality/value
Given the scarcity of literature about effective partnerships approaches to address rural health workforce challenges, this paper contributes to an understanding of how to build sustainable partnerships to positively impact on the rural health workforce. This approach is replicable and potentially valuable elsewhere in NSW, other parts of Australia and internationally.
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Richard Colbran, Robyn Ramsden, Michael Edwards, Emer O'Callaghan and Dave Karlson
While Australia has continued to invest in polices and strategies aimed at improving rural health service provision, many communities still confront a disproportionate share of…
Abstract
Purpose
While Australia has continued to invest in polices and strategies aimed at improving rural health service provision, many communities still confront a disproportionate share of the rural workforce shortage. The NSW Rural Doctors Network (RDN) contributes its perspectives about the importance of a whole of life career and the meandering stream concept to support the retention of health professionals rurally. We unpack these concepts and examine how they bring to light a new and useful approach to addressing rural workforce challenges and potentially contribute to building a stronger integrated care approach.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach used involved tapping into RDN's 30-years of experience in recruitment and retention of remote and rural health professionals, combined with insights from relevant existing and emerging evidence.
Findings
We suggest that reframing retention to consider a life stage approach to career will guide more effective targeting of rural health policies, workforce planning, collaborative approaches and allocation of incentives. We posit that an understanding and acceptance of modern lifestyles and career pathways, and a celebration of career commitment to serving rural communities, is necessary for successful recruitment and retention of Australia's future rural health workforce beyond the training pipeline.
Originality/value
We outline and visually represent RDN's meandering stream approach to building and retaining a capable rural health workforce through addressing life cycle and workforce level needs. This perspective paper draws on RDN's direct experience in the field.
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Robyn Ramsden, Richard Colbran, Ellice Christopher and Michael Edwards
Education, training and continuing professional development are amongst the evidence-based initiatives for attracting and retaining rural and remote health professionals. With…
Abstract
Purpose
Education, training and continuing professional development are amongst the evidence-based initiatives for attracting and retaining rural and remote health professionals. With rapidly increasing access to and use of digital technology worldwide, there are new opportunities to leverage training and support for those who are working in rural and remote areas. In this paper we determine the key elements associated with the utility of digital technologies to provide education, training, professional learning and support for rural health workforce outside the University and tertiary sector.
Design/methodology/approach
A scoping review of peer-reviewed literature from Australia, Canada, US and New Zealand was conducted in four bibliographic databases – Medline complete, CINAHL, Academic Search complete and Education Complete. Relevant studies published between January 2010 and September 2020 were identified. The Levac et al. (2010) enhanced methodology of the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) framework was used to analyse the literature.
Findings
The literature suggests there is mounting evidence demonstrating the potential for online platforms to address the challenges of rural health professional practice and the tyranny of distance. After analysing 22 publications, seven main themes were found – Knowledge and skills (n = 13), access (n = 10), information technology (n = 7), translation of knowledge into practice (n = 6), empowerment and confidence (n = 5), engagement (n = 5) and the need for support (n = 5). Ongoing evaluation will be critical to explore new opportunities for digital technology to demonstrate enhanced capability and retention of rural health professionals.
Originality/value
To date there has been limited examination of research that addresses the value of digital platforms on continuing professional development, education and support for rural health professionals outside the university and tertiary training sectors.
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US foundations make up such a large part of the economy that they form a distinct economic sector. In the UK this is commonly referred to as the third sector. The first and second…
Abstract
Purpose
US foundations make up such a large part of the economy that they form a distinct economic sector. In the UK this is commonly referred to as the third sector. The first and second sectors are private business and the government itself. In the United States, the third sector controls over $3 trillion and enjoys exceptional liquidity. This article aims to provide a blueprint for a highly productive engagement of foundations and banks to harness these assets for the benefit of not‐for‐profit organizations, the depositing foundations, and the banks themselves
Design/methodology/approach
The paper explains how these third sector enterprises., intent on being helpful, are so befuddled structurally that they have failed to do what any person would do with similar liquid assets, It then supplies an organizational and marketing methodology for harnessing some of those assets to the benefit of the respective missions of foundations, not‐for‐profit organizations, and for‐profit banking companies.
Findings
A modest reorganization of existing bank and philanthropic structures will open the door to harmonious engagements between foundations and banks for their mutual benefit and for the benefit of their clients and beneficiaries.
Originality/value
The findings herein are a novel utility which comes into being through the innovative engagement of foundations, not‐for‐profit organizations, and banking companies that want to enjoy low risk, high reward expansion of both deposits and assets.
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David M. Gordon advanced labour economics with his theory of labour market segmentation, in which jobs rather than the marginal productivity of individual workers were the unit of…
Abstract
David M. Gordon advanced labour economics with his theory of labour market segmentation, in which jobs rather than the marginal productivity of individual workers were the unit of analysis. He advanced economic historiography and macroeconomics by conceptualising social structures of accumulation – a framework built on the foundation of his institutionalist training and enriched by his study of Marxist economics. By appropriating methods from other social science disciplines into econometrics, he augmented empirical analysis in economics. He was a founding member of the Union of Radical Political Economics and its journal, the Review of Radical Political Economics – that advanced and promoted heterodox, radical, and Marxist economists in the United States. His contributions to economics, to organised labour, and to the New School for Social Research, where I studied with him, were stunning.
Part 1 lays out some context about the New School Graduate Faculty where Gordon taught. Part 2 explores what historical forces, including his family, led to his expansive creativity. Part 3 summarises how he expanded labour economics to include the relations as well as the technology of production, linked his understanding of the production process to a historical materialist view of labour in the United States, then extended that to econometric analyses of the US macroeconomy. Part 4 presents a bibliometric analysis to provide some idea of the impact of his work. I end with some concluding remarks.
Details
Keywords
- David M. Gordon
- labor market segmentation
- social structures of accumulation
- New School for Social Research
- United States
- B. History of economic thought
- methodology and heterodox approaches
- C. mathematical and quantitative methods
- J. labor and demographic economics
- N. economic history
- economic development
- innovation
- technological change and growth
The PRIME contract is revolutionising the property industry. It has enabled the UK Government’s Department of Social Security to outsource not just its facilities management and…
Abstract
The PRIME contract is revolutionising the property industry. It has enabled the UK Government’s Department of Social Security to outsource not just its facilities management and property management but also its entire property portfolio and the risks associated with it. PRIME will provide the Department with 22 per cent cost savings over the life of the contract, give it the flexibility to downsize its portfolio to 60 per cent of its original size and replace hundreds of separate service provision contracts with one service provider, Trillium. Trillium is one of the new types of property service providers who are taking advantage of the historical failure of traditional property owners to give occupiers what they want in terms of service and flexibility. The implications for corporate real estate are enormous ‐ who better to deal with occupier problems like surplus space, flexibility, property market risk and service quality than the supply side of the industry. The potential benefits for those property providers on the supply side who are positioned to take advantage are substantial ‐ instead of just rental income from one property for one occupier, there is the opportunity to capture all occupancy cost revenue for an entire portfolio. The occupier can potentially save costs, increase flexibility, reduce risk and more closely align its corporate real estate with its business strategy.
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One of Sir Michael Edwards' cardinal rules of good management is that no organisation can be successful if it tolerates internal politics. Manifestly one of the features of the UK…
Abstract
One of Sir Michael Edwards' cardinal rules of good management is that no organisation can be successful if it tolerates internal politics. Manifestly one of the features of the UK National Health Service is that it is riven with internal politics. The tendency to indulge in internal political activity arises from the desire of individuals, departments and professional groups to protect and expand their own empires, spheres of influence and level of activity. It is said that this is a natural human activity and this may be so, but nevertheless if it is harmful to the organisation it is possible to temper and if necessary control it without, as so often happens, shedding blood in the process.