The medical device development landscape in South Africa: Institutions, sectors and collaboration

A characterisation of the medical device development landscape in South Africa would be beneficial for future policy developments that encourage locally developed devices to address local healthcare needs. The landscape was explored through a bibliometric analysis (2000–2013) of relevant scientific papers using co-authorship as an indicator of collaboration. Collaborating institutions thus found were divided into four sectors: academia (A); healthcare (H); industry (I); and science and support (S). A collaboration network was drawn to show the links between the institutions and analysed using network analysis metrics. Centrality measures identified seven dominant local institutions from three sectors. Group densities were used to quantify the extent of collaboration: the A sector collaborated the most extensively both within and between sectors; local collaborations were more prevalent than international collaborations. Translational collaborations (AHI, HIS or AHIS) are considered to be pivotal in fostering medical device innovation that is both relevant and likely to be commercialised. Few such collaborations were found, suggesting room for increased collaboration of these types in South Africa

Exploring the Career Advancement Experience of Black Women on Their Journey to Executive Levels in Large American Corporations

Corporations began hiring Black people into management positions in the 1960s and 1970s following the passage of the Civil Rights Act (1964) which made it unlawful to discriminate in hiring based on race, gender, religion, or country of origin. Black men were the first to benefit from this change in the law and Black women began to appear in entry level management roles in the 1980s. Forty years later, there have only been four Black women CEOs in the history of the Fortune 1000, the largest American companies based on reported revenues. This level of representation is closer to zero than 1 % despite over 6 % of the American population self-reporting as Black or African American women. The purpose of this study was to explore the career advancement journey of Black women who achieved the executive level in Fortune 1000 companies to identify what events were most critical in helping or hindering their career advancement. The research design was an exploratory, qualitative study using critical incident technique (Flanagan, 1954). The study consisted of 20 participants, Black women who had achieved executive level in Fortune 1000 companies with a minimum of 15 years of management experience. The analysis of the data revealed two over-arching themes across the participants: the experience of being the first and/or only woman, Black person, or Black woman and a small group of sustaining beliefs shared by the Black women. These beliefs served to sustain them over their career advancement journeys. Consistent with the critical incident methodology, the antecedents or what led to the incidents, the incidents themselves, and the outcomes of the incidents were all analyzed for themes. The study data was reviewed to identify practical implications and recommendations for Black women leaders, people who advocate for Black women in leadership, leadership in companies, and people in positions in diversity, equity, and inclusion. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu/) and OhioLINK ETD Center, (https://etd.ohiolink.edu)

Constructing early graduate careers:navigating uncertainty in transition

There has been a growing pressure on higher education to be seen to deliver positive graduate outcomes. The prospects of graduates attract the attention of many commentators including the media, employers, government and universities themselves. Literature about graduate career destinations has tended to draw upon quantitative data about trends while more local and qualitative commentary about the experience of graduates has been scarcer. This study seeks to address this gap by exploring the meaning-making that graduates confer to early careers in an uncertain labour market. The context of this study is the population of one northern university in England. Graduates of Arts, Creative Arts and Humanities and Business and Law are investigated. Data collected included a survey, followed by interviews; research was timed to occur to capture experiences in the first two years after graduation. The study aims for an integrative approach which acknowledges the potential of varied schools of thought (including labour market studies, management, psychology, career guidance and sociology), and has adopted the anthropological theory of Figured Worlds, as a novel lens to consider how individuals author themselves in an economic context characterised by uncertainty. Findings reveal the considerable identity work engaged in by individuals in reflecting upon their situation. Diversity, complexity and contradictions are normal in how graduates confer meaning to their early careers. The space to author selves is influenced by competing discourses about employability, contested notions of what being a successful graduate is as well as various “standard plots” about careers. More expansive and nuanced notions of being a graduate emerge which question public policy which narrowly defines positive outcomes. A new theoretical model which includes both social and individual factors is borne out of the analysis, which contributes to career guidance theory and practice