59,475 research outputs found
Policy Risk and Private Investment in Ontarioâs Wind Power Sector
Even though governments may adopt favourable regulatory policies for renewable power generation, their ability to encourage private sector investment depends also on the presence of regulatory governance institutions that provide credible long-term commitments to potential investors. In the case of Ontario we contend that, despite large market potential and comparatively strong regulatory incentive policies, weak regulatory governance is one factor that has accounted for the challenges in attracting and implementing large scale private investment in power generation at a reasonable cost. We find empirical support for our arguments in a unique survey of 63 wind power firms that assessed private sector opinions about the investment environment for renewable energy in Ontario. Compared to a range of factors, firms rated the stability of regulatory policy among the weakest aspects of Ontario?s business environment. However, policy stability ranked among the most important factors in firms? assessments of the attractiveness of alternative jurisdictions in their location decisions. Subsequent interviews revealed that firms have responded to this risk in Ontario by explicitly pricing it into wind project financial models â implying higher wind power prices for ratepayers â and by directing investment funds to other jurisdictions. We argue that policy stability in Ontario may be improved by devolving greater decision-making authority to regulatory agencies in the energy sector and by strengthening their institutional independence.
Designing whole-systems commissioning: lessons from the English experience
The paucity of formal evidence, allied to the requirement for strategies that are sensitive to local history and context, means that a âblueprintâ for successful strategic commissioning is not currently available for adoption. We are therefore confined to proposing âdesign principlesâ for those seeking to embark upon a transition towards a whole systems approach to strategic commissioning. People and relationships are of critical importance all the way through the chain from strategic commissioning to micro-commissioning. Most crucially, experience suggests that structural solutions alone cannot deliver effective relationships and will not be effective when relationships are neglected. The need to ensure staff, partner and political buy-in suggests that relationship management and consensus-building are an integral component of the leadership role in moving toward strategic commissioning. As with any major re-organisation, the move to strategic commissioning is essentially a change management initiative and therefore will stand or fall according to whether it adheres to good practice in the change management process. Central to this, and to achieving commissioning outcomes, is the requirement for meaningful service user and public engagement. Effective commissioning emphasizes individual capabilities as well as needs, and community assets as well as deficits and problems. Adoption of strategic commissioning approaches is still at the developmental and learning stage and arguably all structural arrangements should be regarded as transitional
Requirements: The Key to Sustainability
Software's critical role in society demands a paradigm shift in the software engineering mind-set. This shift's focus begins in requirements engineering. This article is part of a special issue on the Future of Software Engineering
Analyzing inter-organizational systems from a power and interest perspective
Inter-organizational systems (IOS) are ICT-based systems that enable organizations to share information and to electronically conduct business across organizational boundaries. Especially since the increasing availability of the Internet, there have been less technological barriers to implement IOS. However, that does not imply that IOS-possibilities are implemented successfully in all occasions: other barriers may remain. Innovation is not only a technical process of ?solving problems?, it also involves economic and political processes in which interests are articulated, alliances are built and outcomes are struggled over. To explore this observation, this paper presents a model that helps to describe and analyze IOS from a power and interest perspective of multiple parties. To illustrate this model, eight case studies of IOS are discussed, of which two in more depth. After that, we will put the findings of the analysis in a broader perspective. The paper concludes with the assertion that the scope for the design of an effective IOS depends on a combination of technical, economic and social
Implementing State Health Reform: Lessons for Policymakers
Drawing on five states' experiences, discusses questions and considerations, including the need to coordinate state agencies' work and share data, simplify eligibility and enrollment procedures, and involve community groups and businesses in outreach
Designing a CompensatedâKidney Donation System
Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs) are the third most common type of osteochondral lesion and can cause pain and instability of the ankle joint. Episurf Medical AB is a medical technology company that develops individualized implants for patients who are suffering from focal cartilage lesions. Episurf have recently started a project that aims to implement their implantation technique in the treatment of OLTs. This master thesis was a part of Episurfâs talus project and the main goal of the thesis was to find the optimal implantation angle of the Episurf implant when treating OLTs. The optimal implantation angle was defined as the angle that minimized the maximum equivalent (von Mises) strain acting on the implant shaft during the stance phase of a normal gait cycle. It is desirable to minimize the strain acting on the implant shaft, since a reduction of the strain can improve the longevity of the implant. To find the optimal implantation angle a finite element model of an ankle joint treated with the Episurf implant was developed. In the model an implant with a diameter of 12 millimeters was placed in the middle part of the medial side of the talar dome. An optimization algorithm was designed to find the implantation angle, which minimized the maximum equivalent strain acting on the implant shaft. The optimal implantation angle was found to be a sagittal angle of 12.5 degrees and a coronal angle of 0 degrees. Both the magnitude and the direction of the force applied to the ankle joint in the simulated stance phase seemed to influence the maximum equivalent strain acting on the implant shaft. A number of simplifications have been done in the simulation of this project, which might affect the accuracy of the results. Therefore it is recommended that further, more detailed, simulations based on this project are performed in order to improve the result accuracy.Fokala broskskador pĂ„ talusbenet Ă€r den tredje vanligaste typen av fokala broskskador och kan ge upphov till smĂ€rta och instabilitet av fotleden. Episurf Medical AB Ă€r ett medicintekniskt företag som utvecklar individanpassade implantat för patienter med fokala broskskador. Episurf har nyligen pĂ„börjat ett projekt dĂ€r deras teknik ska anvĂ€ndas i behandlingen av fokala broskskador pĂ„ talusbenet. Den hĂ€r masteruppsatsen var en del i Episurfs talusprojekt och dess huvudmĂ„l var att finna den optimala implantationsvinkeln av Episurfs implantat i behandlingen av fokala broskskador pĂ„ talusbenet. Den optimala implanteringsvinkeln definierades som den vinkel som minimerade den effektiva von Mises-töjningen som verkade pĂ„ implantatskaftet under stance-fasen i en normal gĂ„ngcykel. Det Ă€r efterstrĂ€vansvĂ€rt att minimera belastningen pĂ„ implantatskaftet eftersom en reducering av belastningen kan förbĂ€ttra implantatets livslĂ€ngd. En finita element-modell av en fotled behandlad med Episurfs implantat utvecklades för att för att finna den optimala implantationsvinkeln. I modellen placerades ett implantat med en diameter pĂ„ 12 millimeter pĂ„ mittendelen av talus mediala sida. En optimeringsalgoritm utformades för att finna implantationsvinkeln som minimerade den effektiva von Mises-töjningen pĂ„ implantatskaftet. Den funna optimala implantationsvinkeln bestod av en vinkel pĂ„ 12.5 grader i sagittalplan och en vinkel pĂ„ 0 grader i koronalplan. BĂ„de storleken och riktningen pĂ„ kraften som applicerats pĂ„ fotleden under den simulerade stance-fasen av gĂ„ngcykeln verkade pĂ„verka belastningen pĂ„ implantatskaftet. Ett antal förenklingar har gjorts i projektets simuleringar, vilket kan pĂ„verka noggrannheten i resultatet. DĂ€rför rekommenderas att ytterligare, mer detaljerade simuleringar baserade pĂ„ det hĂ€r projektet görs för att förbĂ€ttra resultatets noggrannhet
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Developing Interventions for Scaling Up UK Upcycling
open access articleUpcycling presents one of many opportunities for reducing consumption of materials and energy. Despite recent growth evidenced by increasing numbers of practitioners and businesses based on upcycling, it remains a niche activity and requires scaling up to realise its potential benefits. This paper investigates UK household upcycling in order to develop interventions for scaling up upcycling in the UK. Mixed methods were used in four stages: (a) Interviews to gain insights into UK upcycling; (b) a survey to discover key factors influencing UK upcycling; (c) intervention development based on the synthesis of interviews and survey; and (d) use of a semi-Delphi technique to evaluate and develop initial interventions. The results showed approaches to upcycling (e.g., wood, metal and fabric as frequently used materials, online platforms as frequently used source of materials), context for upcycling (e.g., predominant use of home for upcycling), factors influencing UK upcycling with key determinants (i.e., intention, attitude and subjective norm), important demographic characteristics considering a target audience for interventions (i.e., 30+ females) and prioritised interventions for scaling up (e.g., TV and inspirational media and community workshops as short-term high priority interventions). The paper further discusses implications of the study in terms of development of theory and practice of upcycling
The Knowledge Application and Utilization Framework Applied to Defense COTS: A Research Synthesis for Outsourced Innovation
Purpose -- Militaries of developing nations face increasing budget pressures, high operations tempo, a blitzing pace of technology, and adversaries that often meet or beat government capabilities using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies. The adoption of COTS products into defense acquisitions has been offered to help meet these challenges by essentially outsourcing new product development and innovation. This research summarizes extant research to develop a framework for managing the innovative and knowledge flows. Design/Methodology/Approach â A literature review of 62 sources was conducted with the objectives of identifying antecedents (barriers and facilitators) and consequences of COTS adoption. Findings â The DoD COTS literature predominantly consists of industry case studies, and thereâs a strong need for further academically rigorous study. Extant rigorous research implicates the importance of the role of knowledge management to government innovative thinking that relies heavily on commercial suppliers. Research Limitations/Implications â Extant academically rigorous studies tend to depend on measures derived from work in information systems research, relying on user satisfaction as the outcome. Our findings indicate that user satisfaction has no relationship to COTS success; technically complex governmental purchases may be too distant from users or may have socio-economic goals that supersede user satisfaction. The knowledge acquisition and utilization framework worked well to explain the innovative process in COTS. Practical Implications â Where past research in the commercial context found technological knowledge to outweigh market knowledge in terms of importance, our research found the opposite. Managers either in government or marketing to government should be aware of the importance of market knowledge for defense COTS innovation, especially for commercial companies that work as system integrators. Originality/Value â From the literature emerged a framework of COTS product usage and a scale to measure COTS product appropriateness that should help to guide COTS product adoption decisions and to help manage COTS product implementations ex post
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