The legitimation of foriegn organisational forms: the role of translation and theorisation

I draw on an in-depth longitudinal analysis of the adoption of an American organizational form, namely ‘Academic Health Science Centre’ (or ‘AHSC’), in the field of the British health care from 1989 to 2009 to examine translation processes of foreign organizational forms. I draw upon two institutional approaches that have been traditionally treated separately – institutional translation and theorization – to examine how the translation was successful, given the significantly different institutional contexts of the two countries. I found that the adoption of the new and foreign organizational form as in the present case study unfolds over three phases – activation, dormancy, and reactivation. I also found that translation and theorization operated in configurations that underpinned the three phases of the process. In addition, my empirical data also supported that translation is actually not a planned and purposeful process, as extant research implies. Rather, translation is embedded within complexity and randomness, which can be conceptualized by using the garbage can model. I thus argue that successful translation depends on the presence of various elements: strategic actors with motivation, opportunity, and capacity to promote the organizational form; existence of powerful problems; and field receptivity that facilitates the organizational form. These findings contribute to two literatures. The first contribution is to the translation literature by providing more nuanced view of translation and a new insight into how translation actually works by drawing on the garbage can model. More importantly, they highlight the temporal dimension in the translation process. The second contribution is to the theorization literature by highlighting strategies underlying theorization that contributes to legitimacy of foreign organizational forms.Open Acces

California Education Foundations: A Mixed Methods Study

Limited and unstable funding for education has inspired supporters of schools to seek private funds to help pay for public education. Private funds generated at the local level could also, conceivably, reinstate at least a modicum of local control of public schools. Local control, in California at least, has been minimized over the last 30 years as a result of a number of legal decisions related to equity and ballot initiatives such as Proposition 13. One mechanism for channeling private funds to public schools is nonprofit education foundations linked to schools or districts. The total number of these foundations has been growing exponentially throughout California and other states for the last three decades. Over the same period, the total assets of education foundations and the revenue generated for beneficiary schools and districts has grown as well. As education foundations become more influential in public school systems, questions arise about their impact on issues of equity and the distribution of power, as well as about their overall efficacy in promoting school improvement and student achievement. Before such nuanced questions can be addressed, however, some sort of mapping of existing education foundations and their operations is required. This study represents an initial step in this mapping process and provides baseline information for future policy studies. T he study employed a two-phase, mixed-methods research design. The first phase of the study entailed analyzing both existing databases about nonprofit organizations and the results of a survey administered as part of the study. Data from phase 1 describe general characteristics of nonprofit education foundations in California and identify how different education foundations address the following key organizational elements identified in the literature on nonprofit organizations: organizational structure, board governance, fundraising, program delivery, advocacy efforts, and community relationships. The second phase of the study consisted of case studies of three different education foundations. Findings from this phase complemented the study\u27s quantitative results by providing relatively thick description of each organization\u27s mission, structure, external relationships, measures of success, and advocacy efforts. The cases also documented the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats articulated by key stakeholders

The Policies of State Succession: Harmonizing Self-Determination and Global Order in the Twenty-First Century Tai-Heng Cheng, State Succession and Commercial Obligations

I differ with Cheng\u27s appraisal of certain events and think that we need a more sophisticated analysis of the twin policy goals he identifies and embraces--self-determination and global order--before they can offer real policy guidance. But State Succession and Commercial Obligations stands out as a rigorously researched, original, and insightful effort to understand this quite confused and opaque body of international law. Cheng\u27s work will both enable and encourage a more candid, reasoned, and constructive debate about the global policies at stake each time “a state fundamentally changes its structures of power and authority, and an authoritative international response is needed to manage disruptions to international arrangements that may result from that change.” Briefly, I find Cheng\u27s analysis of the dynamics of State succession relative to commercial obligations sophisticated, pragmatic, descriptively comprehensive, and, for the most part, normatively compelling. But it may be too ambitious. Defining disruptions to global commerce as the principal indicia of State succession tends to inflect, and at times to bias, the general analysis of the diverse phenomena that fall within the rubric of State succession. This commercial focus can obscure or normatively predispose our understanding and appraisal of equally vital, but non-economic, dimensions of State succession, including the core policy goals--self-determination and global order--that Cheng identifies and recommends. And to a certain extent, this compromises the work\u27s descriptive accuracy and normative appeal

Product Complexity and Strategic Alliance on Drug Approval

Management of the business-government relationship is critical for firm performance in regulated industries. In this paper, we predict a U-shaped relationship between product complexity and the time to approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Moreover, we argue that this association is contingent on the types of strategic alliances (i.e., R&D alliance, Marketing alliance) of the focal firm in that those alliances help FDA and pharmaceutical companies achieve harmony. Using the approved drugs by FDA from 1999 to 2016 as the sample, our hypotheses are supported by the empirical analysis on US pharmaceutical firms. The findings have important implications to achieving harmony between pharmaceutical firms and regulatory agencies

Product Complexity and Strategic Alliance on Drug Approval

Management of the business-government relationship is critical for firm performance in regulated industries. In this paper, we predict a U-shaped relationship between product complexity and the time to approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Moreover, we argue that this association is contingent on the types of strategic alliances (i.e., R&D alliance, Marketing alliance) of the focal firm in that those alliances help FDA and pharmaceutical companies achieve harmony. Using the approved drugs by FDA from 1999 to 2016 as the sample, our hypotheses are supported by the empirical analysis on US pharmaceutical firms. The findings have important implications to achieving harmony between pharmaceutical firms and regulatory agencies

Communication Deficit and Monetization of Political Contests at the Electoral Commission of Ghana

The current state of the office of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana can be couched as a bleeding pillar in Ghana’s electoral democracy pending crisis. In spite of the numerous reform measures undertaken by the EC to improve the quality delivery of its constitutional mandate, communication deficit and the increasing monetization of parliamentary and presidential contestation poses a serious threat to broader participation and competition in Ghana's future electoral fortune. Thus, the objective of the paper was to interrogate the issues of communication inefficiencies and monetization of political contestations by the Electoral Commission of Ghana and proffer pragmatic solutions that can be taken into consideration in years ahead due to the past and recent experiences of neighbouring countries within the sub-region. The study employed the qualitative research methodology to elicit responses from 12 experts in the field of elections. Apart from the primary data generated from the field, secondary sources were consulted to situate the discussion in the existing debate in the literature. The findings of the study revealed that monetization of the political contest has negative implications for a competitive political contest--disqualification of citizens with capable minds from contesting in a multi-party democracy) whilst communication deficit was found to be deepening public distrust in the Electoral Commission of Ghana. The study, therefore, recommended among others the creation of a three-man office solely responsible for managing the commission's website and other electronic outlets, and the immediate activation and implementation of the provision in the 2020 Strategic Plan of the Electoral Commission which has remained dormant after 2016 elections

Nature, Virginia\u27s Economy, and the Climate Threat

The Commission\u27s charge is to propose solutions to you for climate-related issues facing the Commonwealth. Our Symposium today also takes up that challenge. In this booklet you will find research and recommendations for you -- and all of Virginia\u27s governing bodies – for how best to protect our state\u27s priceless and economically essential natural heritage as climate changes disrupt our ecosystems. Paper prepared for Environmental Studies Senior Seminar. Faculty advisers: Dr. Peter D. Smallwood and Stephen P. Nas

Formal and Informal Institutional Legacies and Inward Foreign Direct Investment into Firms:Evidence from China

This paper explores the influence of informal institutional legacy on contemporary foreign direct investment (FDI). This study is situated in the context of China’s Treaty Port Era (1842–1943). Hypotheses are posited and tested related to how the treaty port policies and overseas Chinese communities of cities established during that period created formal and informal institutional legacies that positively influence the likelihood and volume of contemporary inward FDI firms receive. This research suggests that despite and because of the Cultural Revolution’s traumatic shock, informal institutions helped formal institutions morph into informal rules and thus created a lingering legacy effect. Drawing on a longitudinal sample of Chinese firms’ data and historical materials that provide information about treaty ports and overseas Chinese communities, this study finds supporting evidence that informal institutional legacy is important for contemporary FDI and brings history back into the international business literature. This study provides practical implications by suggesting that, given the increasing turbulence and uncertainties in emerging markets and transnational economies, building and maintaining connections with transnational community actors of these countries could take advantage of the informal institutions to mitigate risks and sustain international business activities. International investors could also benefit by investing in locales with rich transnational community connections.<br/

California’s Flawed Surface Water Rights

California sprang into existence following the discovery of gold in 1848. Aside from domestic use, the first major use of water in California was in mining. The first mining consisted of placer mining of alluvial deposits in stream beds throughout the Sierra foothills. As those deposits were depleted, hydraulic mining arose, in which high-pressure jets of water were used to remove overlying earth from upland gold- bearing deposits. That type of mining, first employed in 1853, required substantial water diversions. When California entered the Union in 1850, the English common law was adopted as the “rule of decision” in courts, including the doctrine of riparian rights for surface water1 (it was also the governing doctrine in the rest of the Union). Riparian rights entitle the owner of land bordering a surface water body (“riparian” land) to use the water on his or her riparian land. This is a right to use water, not a right of ownership, and it inheres only in riparian lands. Riparian rights remain with the riparian land regardless of changes in ownership. Water under a riparian right cannot be used on nonriparian land.2 The right is shared equally among all riparians: they own access to the stream as “tenants in common.” They can divert water as long as this does not impair the rights of other riparians. No specific quantity attaches to a riparian right. If a riparian originally applied X, this does not preclude him from applying 5X later. Nonuse does not terminate the right. There is no recording of the volume diverted. No institution administers the ripar- ian right. Disputes are resolved through litigation among riparians. The riparian doctrine was logical where it originated, in a humid region with plentiful streamflow. Streamflow is treated as a common pool to be shared among all riparian landowners. But in an arid region like California, where rivers can run dry by the late summer and annual streamflow can vary by an order of magnitude, there needs to be a specific mechanism for allocating limited streamflow. The riparian right lacks this

Wildfire Exposure To Critical Habitat Of Endangered And Threatened Species In California

Researchers, fire ecologists and wildlife managers are concerned about impact to endangered and threatened species and their critical habitat due to the projected increase in future wildfires. Wildfires have been studied in California for the last six decades and have been increasing at an alarming rate since the 1980’s. In this study, I use the 2018 spatial dataset for critical habitat of federally endangered and threatened species located in the state boundaries of California and compare it to a spatial dataset for wildfires that have occurred over the span of 32 years (1984 to 2016). Trends are derived from spatial data by using ArcGIS and Tableau software. A macroscale analysis was conducted to determine what species types are most sensitive to wildfire encroachment. Then I conducted a microscale to determine which specific endangered and threatened species are threatened by wildfire to determine which recovery plans should be reviewed. Analyses indicted that critical habitat for amphibian, bird and insect endangered or threatened species types are most sensitive to wildfire encroachment. Five specific species that are more impacted than others: Arroyo southwestern toad, California red-legged frog, California condor, coastal California gnatcatcher, and Quino checkerspot butterfly. Life traits were researched for these species and recovery plans were examined for wildfire mitigation strategies. Modifications were made based on these considerations and life traits. Results and future recommendations include specific recovery plan updates that should include wildfire mitigation strategies, research on wildfire impacts on these species, and ideas with regards to how this data can be used in the best interest of the species, ecosystem, and wildlife managers