Diversity-Konzept 2011–2014 der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main

The “Diversity Concept of the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main 2011–2014” is based on the goals as laid down in the University Development Plan 2011. The Goethe University combined various instruments for working out the concept, not least in order to ensure adequate participation: on the one hand, guided interviews were conducted, for example, with employees in advisory functions, members of the AStA (General Students’ Commit-tee), etc. On the other hand, Internet research, an open space workshop, as well as four strategy and awareness-raising workshops on various topics were organized. The concept was developed in close cooperation with the vice president responsible for gender and diversity, Prof. Dr. Roser Valenti, the Senate Commission “Advancement of Women, Equal Opportunity, and Diversity”, the “Project Supervision Group Diversity Poli-cies”, and the Equal Opportunities Office. The Goethe University already has various concepts and target agreements on gender equal-ity and family support. The Diversity Concept therefore includes no measures on these top-ics. With the expiry of the Plan for the Advancement of Women in 2014, all of the other reports and measures related to equal opportunity and diversity will be consolidated in a central “Gender Equality & Diversity Action Plan of the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main” (GEDAP) and updated every four years.Das »Diversity-Konzept der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main 2011 – 2014« basiert auf den im Hochschulentwicklungsplan 2011 festgelegten Zielen der Universität. Für die Erarbeitung des Konzeptes hat die Goethe-Universität verschiedene Instrumente kombiniert, nicht zuletzt, um eine ausreichende Partizipation zu gewährleisten: So wurden zum einen Leitfadeninterviews mit Beschäftigten in Beratungsfunktionen, Mitgliedern des AStA und anderen geführt. Zum anderen wurden eine Internetrecherche, ein Open-Space-Workshop sowie vier Strategie- und Sensibilisierungs-Workshops mit unterschiedlichen Themenstellungen organisiert. Das Konzept entstand in enger Zusammenarbeit zwischen der für Gleichstellung zuständigen Vizepräsidentin, Prof. Roser Valenti, der Senatskommission »Frauenförderung, Gleichstellung und Diversität«, der »Projektsteuerungsgruppe diversityPolicies« und dem Gleichstellungsbüro. An der Goethe-Universität liegen bereits verschiedene Konzepte und Zielvereinbarungen zur Geschlechtergleichstellung und Familienförderung vor. Das Diversity-Konzept sieht deshalb dazu keine Maßnahmen vor. Mit Auslaufen des Frauenförderplans im Jahr 2014 werden gleichstellungs- und andere diversitätsbezogene Berichte und Maßnahmen in einem zentralen »Gender Equality & Diversity Action Plan« (GEDAP) der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main zusammengefasst und alle vier Jahre fortgeschrieben

Determinants of cooperation with institutional partners and innovation - performance of Polish manufacturing enterprises. Research outcomes

The aim of this paper is to assess of the influence of institutional cooperation (with research institutes and universities) on the innovation performance of companies as well as determinants of such cooperation. The analysis was based on data from the Polish version of the Community Innovation Survey (CIS) for 2008-2010. The sample consists of 7783 medium-sized and large manufacturing enterprises from sections C to E. Based on the results of a structural equation model it has been concluded that there is a statistically significant relation between institutional cooperation and innovation performance of the researched companies, as well as (in the case of cooperation with Polish companies) in the introduction of product innovations new for the country, Europe or the world. The analysis of critical values between parameters enables the establishment of a hierarchy of company features which determines such cooperation. These include the system of employee incentives for the creation of intellectual property, company size and own R&D -department. The application of the employee incentive system better explains the decision to establish cooperation with Polish companies than with foreign ones. However a feature which is not institutional cooperation friendly is belonging to a larger group of companies. Key words: institutional cooperation, innovation -performance, Polish CIS, PolandPreparation and printing funded by the National Agency for Research and Development under project “Kreator Innowacyjności – wparcie dla Przedsiębiorczości akademickiej

Devolution as process: institutional structures, state personnel and transport policy in the United Kingdom

Devolution has been described as a key ‘global trend’ over recent decades as governments have decentralised power and responsibilities to subordinate regional institutions (Rodriguez-Pose and Gill, 2003). UK devolution is characterised by its asymmetrical nature with different territories granted different institutional arrangements and powers. In this paper, we seek examine the role of state personnel in mobilising the new institutional machinery and managing the process of devolution, focusing on transport policy. Our research shows a clear contrast between London and Northern Ireland, on the one hand, and Scotland and Wales, on the other, in terms of the effectiveness of political leaders in creating clear policy priorities and momentum in transport

The use of learning management platforms in school context - a national study

This report results from a national study carried out under the Project “Educational application of learning management platforms”, supported and funded by the Computers, Networks, and Internet in Schools department of the Portuguese Ministry of Education- General Directorate for Innovation and Educational Development. This report has been developed by the ICT Competence Centre of the Faculty of Sciences- University of Lisbon, during the school year 2007/2008

How and When Socially Entrepreneurial Nonprofit Organizations Benefit From Adopting Social Alliance Management Routines to Manage Social Alliances?

Social alliance is defined as the collaboration between for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Building on the insights derived from the resource-based theory, we develop a conceptual framework to explain how socially entrepreneurial nonprofit organizations (SENPOs) can improve their social alliance performance by adopting strategic alliance management routines. We test our framework using the data collected from 203 UK-based SENPOs in the context of cause-related marketing campaign-derived social alliances. Our results confirm a positive relationship between social alliance management routines and social alliance performance. We also find that relational mechanisms, such as mutual trust, relational embeddedness, and relational commitment, mediate the relationship between social alliance management routines and social alliance performance. Moreover, our findings suggest that different types of social alliance motivation can influence the impact of social alliance management routines on different types of the relational mechanisms. In general, we demonstrate that SENPOs can benefit from adopting social alliance management routines and, in addition, highlight how and when the social alliance management routines–social alliance performance relationship might be shaped. Our study offers important academic and managerial implications, and points out future research directions

First Catholic Church of England and Wales safeguarding structure to protect children from Clerical Sexual Abuse: A Commentary on Nolan (2001) till Cumberlege (2007)

The current commentary analyses the Nolan Report (2001) and the Annual Reports (2001-2007) of the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and vulnerable Adults (COPCA) formed as a result of the Nolan Report (2001). The commentary determines how wilfully the Catholic Church of England and Wales responded to the Nolan recommendations. This paper explores the success of this first child-safeguarding model (2001 - 2007) in relation to the deficiencies and structural modifications suggested by the Cumberlege Commission (2007). In conclusion, the commentary identifies a range of shortcomings and difficulties in the establishment of a uniform and secure child protection mechanism within the Catholic Church of England and Wales

A Clash between the Business and Political Climates in Sweden - Gender in the European Structural Fund Partnerships

In this paper we highlight and discuss a Swedish equality paradox in two different spheres: entrepreneurship and politics. We focus on the EU Structural Funds and women entrepreneurs' access to resources through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Combining human geography and political science, we draw upon network and partnership theory posing questions concerning the room for manoeuvre for women entrepreneurs to gain access to relevant networks, to create new networks in order to establish relations with EU related partnerships, and to gain access to the process of allocating EU structural fund financial resources

Behind the veil: women-only entrepreneurship training in Pakistan

Practical implications – For women entrepreneurs living in an Islamic society, this analysis has implications for understanding the importance and effectiveness of entrepreneurial training especially in a women-only setting. For policy makers, it turns the spotlight on the need for creating an environment conducive to female entrepreneurship consistent with socio-cultural structures and gender asymmetries. Originality/value – There are no comparable previous data on the learning preferences and outcomes of this particular demographic group.Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the gender-related challenges of Pakistani women entrepreneurs, to explore these women's particular capacity-building needs, and to assess the impact of capacity-building programs on the establishment and performance of the women's enterprises. Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins with a review of various theoretical contexts through which to understand women's entrepreneurship in an Islamic socio-cultural context. From this, the paper derived two working propositions: women in Islamic Pakistan face particular barriers to becoming entrepreneurs; these barriers can be reduced by women-only training in entrepreneurial competences. These propositions are examined in a three-part longitudinal process: a field survey to gather information about the training needs of current and potential women entrepreneurs, the design and delivery of a women-only training module, a follow-up survey with participants, 18 months later. Subjects and participants were randomly selected, and segmented according to entrepreneurial factors and characteristics. Findings – Results confirm that the barriers perceived by women entrepreneurs in Islamic Pakistan can be alleviated through women-only training that allows participants to develop capital and competences. Greater clarity about learning outcomes desired and achieved by women entrepreneurs in an Islamic socio-cultural context can be a basis for designing improved training and education programmes, with a view to women's economic empowerment