The Impact of Telecommuter Rail Cars on Modal Choice, MTI Report 04-01

Telecommuter technologies on rail cars enable a traveler on public transit to access the Internet, thereby enhancing the ability to work while traveling to and from work. This technology brings new opportunities for employers to expand their potential labor pool and for employees to shift the costs of work-related travel. Research into more “traditional” forms of telecommuting arrangements such as working from home, a dedicated telecenter, or while traveling on business has found numerous benefits for society, employers, and employees. The present study asks to what extent does the opportunity to engage in paid work while commuting to and from the workplace result in a shift in commuter modal choice away from automobile travel toward public transit. We present evidence that consumer demand for public transit is particularly elastic with respect to the value of time spent traveling. This study provides evidence that by implementing telecommuter technology on rail cars, society could benefit by a significant increase in ridership on public transit. Such benefits should encourage the relevant stakeholders to pursue the implementation and promotion of this technolog

Navigating Austerity: Balancing ‘Desirability with Viability’ in a Third Sector Disability Sports Organisation.

Research Question Adopting a case study approach, this article draws upon resource dependence theory (RDT) to examine the impact of austerity upon a third sector sport organisation (TSSO) that specialises in delivering disability sport provision in Liverpool, England. Research Methods In-depth qualitative data was collected from 15 semi-structured interviews with senior officials belonging to the TSSO. Data were thematically analysed to explore stakeholders’ perspectives of how the wider fiscal environment has affected the organisation and how such impacts have been managed. Results and Findings The findings illustrate the financial challenges faced by the TSSO as a consequence of reductions in available funding. The article then demonstrates how the TSSO manages resources to weather such financial challenges and attempt to grow its delivery capability through partnership and network development. Implications This article identifies the implications imposed upon the TSSO in a time of austerity and explores, using an RDT lens, the management and growth strategies employed by the organisation to navigate these complex circumstances without compromising a steadfast commitment to its mission values

Anisotropic Assembly of Colloidal Nanoparticles: Exploiting Substrate Crystallinity

We show that the crystal structure of a substrate can be exploited to drive the anisotropic assembly of colloidal nanoparticles. Pentanethiol-passivated Au particles of approximately 2 nm diameter deposited from toluene onto hydrogen-passivated Si(111) surfaces form linear assemblies (rods) with a narrow width distribution. The rod orientations mirror the substrate symmetry, with a high degree of alignment along principal crystallographic axes of the Si(111) surface. There is a strong preference for anisotropic growth with rod widths substantially more tightly distributed than lengths. Entropic trapping of nanoparticles provides a plausible explanation for the formation of the anisotropic assemblies we observe

Does ECG and Arrhythmia Simulation Training in Adjunct to Didactics Improve Medical Students’ Clinical Skills Compared to Didactics Alone?

Medical Schools continue to face the challenge of bridging the gap between classroom education and its application in the clinical environment. Several studies have shown utility of incorporating simulation training into a variety of healthcare related topics. We hypothesize that incorporating ECG and arrhythmia simulation training in adjunction to ECG and arrhythmia didactics; it would improve Year-3 medical students’ preparedness for managing arrhythmias in the clinical setting

A reconceptualization of fear of failure in entrepreneurship

Fear of failure both inhibits and motivates entrepreneurial behavior and therefore represents a rich opportunity for better understanding entrepreneurial motivation. Although considerable attention has been given to the study of fear of failure in entrepreneurship, scholars in this field have investigated this construct from distinct disciplinary perspectives. These perspectives use definitions and measures of fear of failure that are potentially in conflict and are characterized by a static approach, thereby limiting the validity of existing findings about the relationship between fear of failure and entrepreneurship. The purpose of this paper is to delineate more precisely the nature of fear of failure within the entrepreneurial setting. Using an exploratory and inductive qualitative research design, we frame this construct in terms of socially situated cognition by adopting an approach that captures a combination of cognition, affect and action as it relates to the challenging, uncertain, and risk-laden experience of entrepreneurship. In so doing, we provide a unified perspective of fear of failure in entrepreneurship in order to facilitate progress in understanding its impact on entrepreneurial action and outcomes

Is Engagement Alone Sufficient to Ensure “Active Learning”?

“Active Learning” is commonly defined as any instructional method that engages students in the learning process. However, active learning encompasses a broad range of educational methods and its impact on learning outcomes has been variable. In 2015, our IM clerkship redesigned its half-day learning sessions from a largely passive didactic style of lecturing to more active learning approaches. We further revised the curriculum in 2016 to further convert the sessions to primarily case based learning led by a faculty or resident. The goal of our intervention was to increase the Self-Reported Engagement Measure (STOBE) of each didactic session and improve educational outcomes

An analysis of third sector sport organisations in an era of ‘super-austerity’

This article investigates the impacts of ‘super-austerity’ upon sport-focussed third-sector sport organisations (TSSOs) in England and how they negotiate the implications of an increasingly constrained fiscal climate. Set against the backdrop of the recent election of the Conservative government (in 2015), the research explores the relationship of these TSSOs to both local and central government. To do this, the authors draw upon semi-structured interviews undertaken with the chief executive officers/managers of 14 TSSOs of varying size and scope. The article reports how TSSOs have acted to negotiate the advances of ‘super-austerity’ and move to obtain resource sufficiency. The findings also offer an insight into how sustained government spending cuts and a concomitant residual commitment of local authorities to sport are shaping not only TSSOs relationships with the public sector but also with each other. The article discusses the role of sport in the overall function and remit of the TSSOs that comprise the sample as the sector adapts to compliment a ‘smarter’ state

National Culture and Entrepreneurship: A Review of Behavioral Research

Conceptual arguments for the association between cultural characteristics and entrepreneurship have existed for decades but only in the last 10 years has this relationship been the focus of empirical scrutiny. In this article, we review and synthesize the findings of 21 empirical studies that examine the association between national cultural characteristics and aggregate measures of entrepreneurship, individual characteristics of entrepreneurs, and aspects of corporate entrepreneurship. The study concedes that a predominant number of empirical studies have used Hofstede's conceptualization of national culture and that other domains have been underdeveloped. A preliminary model that integrates past findings is extended. The review highlights fruitful avenues for future research. </jats:p

Building an inclusive cycling "movement": Exploring the charity-led mobilisation of recreational cycling in communities across Merseyside, England.

This article examines the charity-led implementation of an inclusive cycling programme across Merseyside in the North West of England. The project itself is delivered via a network of cycling 'hubs' that the charity has set up and run typically in deprived communities. Using resource mobilisation theory (RMT), the article specifically examines how the Cycling Projects charity mobilises a raft of diverse resources from the financial to the human, and from the cultural to the physical, to drive and sustain its Pedal Away product. To do this, the article utilises qualitative data captured from 15 in-depth semistructured interviews undertaken with stakeholders both internal and external to the charity, as well as focus group data yielded from programme participants (n=32). The findings illustrate how the charity is able to garner and exchange resources from its partners and funders, and the ways in which it mobilises both participants and personnel from within the communities it serves. As an original contribution to the sport management field, this article demonstrates both the value and applicability of RMT as a theoretical framework by which to understand how a non-profit organisation derives the resources it requires in order to deliver a network of community embedded recreational cycling programmes