Opportunities for early intervention: bringing perpetrators of family violence into view

This report calls for earlier and more proactive intervention in family violence, arguing that while family violence has finally come to attention as a systemic wrong in need of a National Plan, a significant gap exists in our collective response. Executive summary This report turns the spotlight on perpetrators of family violence. In doing so, it calls for earlier and more proactive intervention - explaining that, while family violence has finally come to attention as a systemic wrong in need of a National Plan, a significant gap exists in our collective response. Equally, while victims of family violence must remain our priority, these victims will also remain at risk unless we step back and widen our gaze. In other words, until we adjust the lens and bring those who use violence and coercion more clearly into view - until we intervene at the source of the problem - the cycle of this violence will simply roll on. This may manifest in assaults against the same or subsequent partners, in the damaging effects we know are experienced by children, in the behaviour of  adolescents, or in the tragic escalation that can devastate an entire community. Either way, it will manifest as core business in our courts and as an ongoing drain on our economic and social wellbeing

Development of an innovative method for the evaluation of fungal contamination of surfaces

The objective of this technical report is to compare the ability to capture fungal spores through samples performed with three different methods: Rodac contact plates, cotton pad and a pad prepared with a dusting cloth (DC pads) selected from those available on the market. The tests were conducted using a suspension of Aspergillus niger conidia equal to 0.5 MacFarland diluted 1/30, 1/40, 1/50, 1/100. With each of these dilutions 3 sterile tiles of stainless steel were contaminated, each divided into 16 small squares, in the center of which 0.1 ml of the dilution chosen was placed and left to dry (for a total of 12 sheets). In addition, we have used other 6 tiles to repeat the experience with dilutions 1/40 and 1/50. A total of 288 squared surfaces were contaminated: 96 of these were sampled with Rodac contact plates, 96 with cotton pads and 96 with DC and then inseminated in Petri plates. Sabouraud dextrose agar was used as culture medium for the first 12 plates, while, for the other 6 plates Sabouraud dextrose agar added with lecithin and polysorbate 80 was used. All plates were incubated at 37 degrees for 18 hours. To estimate the differences among the sampling methods and the dilutions tested, multiple linear regression was used. The analysis showed that the number of colonies harvested at dilution 1/40 is 13% higher (P = 0.09) than the number harvested at dilution 1/50 and the number of colonies harvested at dilution 1/30 is 6% higher than dilution 1/50 (P = 0.52). With regard to the comparison between the number of colonies harvested with Rodac contact plates, with cotton pads and DC pads, regression analysis shows that cotton pads harvest a number of fungal cfu 5 times higher than those detected with Rodac plates, while DC pads harvest a number of fungal ufc 6 times higher than those detected with Rodac plates (P < 0.00005). These results, although preliminary, indicate that DC pads are a sensitive and simple approach for the environmental control of fungal contamination

Subcontracting: Innovative Labor Strategies

[Excerpt] Over the past 15 years, U.S. corporations have searched desperately for ways to turn back stiff foreign competition. One of their strategies has been subcontracting—letting work out to outside firms, so as to gain access to both better production techniques and cheaper, more docile labor. Responding to subcontracting will be one of the principal challenges facing labor in the 1990s. The impact of subcontracting has already been quite severe, particularly for unionized workers. Tens of thousands of workers have lost their jobs, and others have taken pay cuts. Unions are responding to this challenge by using both collective bargaining and public policy mechanisms. This article will focus on innovative efforts by two unions: the Steelworkers (USWA) and the Auto Workers (UAW). It is not surprising that both these examples come from heavy manufacturing, since this was the unionized sector first hit by foreign competition; other sectors have not been faced with the problem as severely until recently. Even though the circumstances may differ, workers in sectors as diverse as hospitals, telecommunications and airlines can learn from the auto and steel industry experience because in these industries, deregulation has intensified competition in much the same way that the rise of foreign competition has affected manufacturing

Innovative Tokyo

This paper compares and contrasts Tokyo's innovation structure with the industrial districts model and the international hub model in the literature on urban and regional development. The Tokyo model embraces and yet transcends both industrial districts and international hub models. The paper details key elements making up the Tokyo model-organizational knowledge creation, integral and co-location systems of corporate R&D and new product development, test markets, industrial districts and clusters, participative consumer culture, continuous learning from abroad, local government policies, the national system of innovation, and the historical genesis of Tokyo in Japan's political economy. The paper finds that the Tokyo model of innovation will continue to evolve with the changing external environment, but fundamentally retains its main characteristics. The lessons from the Tokyo model is that openness, a diversified industrial base, the continuing development of new industries, and an emphasis on innovation, all contribute to the dynamism of a major metropolitan region.Labor Policies,Environmental Economics&Policies,Public Health Promotion,ICT Policy and Strategies,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,ICT Policy and Strategies,Environmental Economics&Policies,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Innovation

Predicting Innovative Behavior Among Employess in a Manufacturing Company: The Role of Psychological Capital

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between psychological capital and workplace innovative behavior. The importance of innovative behavior in the competitive business world has been widely recognized. Previous studies have examined variables related to innovative behavior both at personal and organizational levels; however, there is a paucity of research looking at psychological capital as the predictor of workplace innovative behavior. In this study psychological capital and innovative behavior of 149 non-managerial employees in an apparel manufacture company were measured using Psychological Capital Scale (20 items, α = .872) and Innovative Behavior Scale (nine items, α = .874). The regression analysis shows a significant positive correlation between these two variables (r = .519, p < .01) and 27% of variance in innovative behavior can be explained from psychological capital. The results are discussed in relation to its theoretical contribution and practical implications in organizational contexts

Firms’ Innovative Performance: The Mediating Role of Innovative Collaborations

While existing studies have provided many insightful discussions on the antecedents to innovative collaborations and the benefits of collaborative behavior, few studies have focused on the mediating role of innovative collaborations in enhancing the firm’s technological innovative performance. In this paper, we investigate the mediating role of the firm’s innovative collaborations in the relation between government innovation support and the firm’s product and process innovation intensities. As a mediating factor in the innovation process, innovative collaborations form part of the innovative inputs that contribute to the firm’s product and process innovation intensities. Using arguments derived from the resource-based theory, we found that while receipts of government innovation support help increase the firm’s level of innovative inputs as observed in its collaboration intensity, it is equally important for firms to internalize management practices that encourage maximum leverage of government innovation support for pursuits of innovative collaborations. In a similar vein, while innovative collaborations are necessary for realizing innovative outputs including product and process innovations, it is not a sufficient condition for achieving strong innovative performance. The firm’s internal capabilities as observed in its learning, R&D, resource allocation, manufacturing, marketing, organizing, and strategic planning abilities have a positive influence on the relationship between innovative collaborations and innovative outputs.Innovative Performance; Innovative Collaboration; Firm’s Contextual Factors

Innovative environment for business development

Innovativeness is one of the main determinants for a company’s development and when searching for the correlation between innovativeness and development one needs to apply quantative measures. This work includes a model for a company’s assessment in its technology and environment innovative aspects. The concept of quantative assessment of environment is presented through determining innovation structure and coming up with a general innovation index. It is an important element in creating a diagnostic tool to be applied in the area of innovativeness and development interdependences.Preparation and printing funded by the National Agency for Research and Development under project “Kreator Innowacyjności – wparcie dla Przedsiębiorczości akademickiej