Adoption of managerial innovations: effect of adoption rationales on the adoption process

The aim of the research is to explore the complex phenomenon of the adoption of managerial innovations by organisations, with an attempt to identify relationships between various elements of this process. Four case studies were compiled using interview data from selected managers. The data provided a means of subjecting the rationales that Sturdy (2004) posited for the adoption of managerial innovations to empirical inquiry. The study also seeks to explore how the identified rationales may relate to two main characteristics of the subsequent adoption process, namely, the timing of adoption in the life cycle of the innovation and how long the adoption process takes. To our knowledge, this study represents the first empirical exploration of the adoption rationales posited by Sturdy and their subsequent impact on the adoption process. The findings of the study will be of value to academics interested studying the adoption of managerial innovations and also practising managers who must make adoption decisions and manage the adoption process. It is recognised that the study is exploratory in nature and suggestions for further research are proposed

An Assessment of Hpv Vaccination By Georgia Physicians: Knowledge, Barriers, Supports, Practices, and Adherence to Acip Guidelines and Recommendations

The purpose of this study was to examine Georgia physicians\u27 administration of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to 11-12 year old females according to the Advisory Council Immunization Practices (ACIP) guidelines, their intention to recommend HPV vaccine to 11-12 year old males, and their perceived knowledge and barriers associated with HPV vaccination. A distinction between urban and rural was examined to determine if there were differences in HPV vaccination recommendation. A stratified sample was created from the Georgia Vaccine For Children (VFC) provider list. The final sampling frame included 264 (n = 264) providers. Of these, 218 physicians were contacted yielding a response rate of 82.6%. Forty-two were located in rural counties and 176 were located in urban counties. Examination of perceived barriers, perceived knowledge and administration practices revealed no differences between urban and rural physicians. Approximately one in ten Georgia physicians (12%) who responded reported they always vaccinate 11-12 year old females. The number increased to one in five (22.9%) who always vaccinate females age 13-17 years, suggesting parents or physicians may be delaying vaccination until females are older than12 years. Approximately one quarter (23.7%) recommend the vaccine to their male patients. More than half (59.4%) reported insufficient insurance coverage for the vaccine as a barrier to vaccinating males and females. In multivariate logistic regression models, variables independently associated with not recommending to 11-12 year old females included: female gender of the physician (OR, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.02-9.29) and parental barriers (OR 1.15; CI, 1.04-1.29). There were no associated findings with not recommending male vaccination. Findings from this study may serve as a helpful resource for further assessment of HPV vaccination in Georgia and targeting educational and policy interventions

SOCIALIZATION, SOCIAL SUPPORT, AND SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY: AN EXAMINATION OF THE GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) face the unknown as they negotiate their multiple roles and identities within the graduate school and classroom setting as teachers, students, and researchers. The purpose of this study is to identify the role that institutionalized socialization, social support, and behavioral observation and modeling play for GTAs as they navigate their way through the organizational socialization process. Interviews with twenty two current and former graduate teaching assistants from a Communication department at a large, southeastern university (GSU) were conducted and analyzed. Findings indicate that institutionalized socialization, which exists at both the graduate school and departmental level, serves to both reduce and create uncertainty and anxiety for GTAs based on messages communicated and also serves the purpose of relationship formation. In examining the social support aspect, findings indicate that the socialization process is facilitated for GTAs through House‘s (1981) four categories of emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal support. Finally, behavioral observation aids in the socialization process for GTAs. Observation is used by GTAs to obtain information about teaching behaviors, specifically what they should and should not do in the GSU classroom. Observation also highlighted both positive and negative aspects of the departmental culture and helped GTAs to understand how things work in the department. Implications, limitations, ideas for what can be done to improve the process for GTAs, and areas for future research are also discussed

A comparative international review of power sector reform and its impact on access to electricity by poor communities

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-111).Since the early 1980's, a number of countries have been undertaking power sector reform. Very often the drivers for change included the need to reduce reliance on public finances and to obtain foreign capital, either to service loans, or for investing in new capacity. Latin American countries were the forerunners in this regard, with Chile amongst the first. The other main driver was to improve the financial and technical performance of the electricity industry. The rationale for this initiative could also be found in other factors, which are discussed as the countries are dealt with individually later in this document. One important aspect thereof is clearly the 'public benefit' implications of power sector reform, which are more pressing in developing countries. Until the 1980's, the electricity industry was viewed as a natural monopoly, and the concept of economies of scale reinforced this point of view. However, with dramatic technology improvements, it became possible to generate electricity competitively in smaller power plants, and thus alternatives to monopolistic industries were increasingly feasible. Competition is now possible in generation and supply. Developers other than the state can participate in the industry either as Independent Power Producers (IPPs) or as distributors and suppliers of electricity. According to the principle of competition, the introduction of new players into the market should lower electricity prices. This study investigates if this holds true in developing countries and whether power sector reform slows down or accelerates electrification access for the poor

From blues to rainbows: the mental health and well-being of gender diverse and transgender young people in Australia

This study of gender diverse and transgender young people reveals high rates of depression, suicidal thoughts and anxiety. Introduction This report is the culmination of many months of engagement across Australia with young people aged between 14 and 25 who have shared their thoughts, understandings, experiences, hopes and dreams with us through an online survey and online interviews. Their narratives are insightful, touching, and hopeful. Young voices have told us how they care for themselves as well as shining a light on how health services, schools, government and policy makers can better serve their needs. This research was designed to expand on findings from previous Australian research with young people that found that gender-questioning and transgender young people not only experienced higher rates of self-harm and suicidal thoughts, but were also more likely to be involved in activism than their cisgender and same-sex attracted peers. This later finding is a potentially positive one and points to the need for research to not only explore the mental health needs of these young people but also the ways in which they advocate and care for themselves in the face of discrimination and abuse

Development of a choose-your-own adventure physics course

Everyday Physics is an online, algebra-based, contextualised introductory physics course that has been running since 2013 with increasing student enrolments. In 2018, over 1,000 students took this course as an elective (not core to any program). The course is designed such that students explore the physics underlying common phenomena such as hot air balloon flight and flowing rivers. The course was designed with twelve topics, one for each week of a twelve-week semester. In 2019, with the University of New South Wales’ shift from semesters to nine-week terms, students could not complete all twelve topics in the compressed format. To address this, we redesigned the course, allowing students to pick eight of the twelve available topics. We expected this change to be popular with students, because giving students choice allows them to be in control of their learning, as per self-determination theory (Niemiec & Ryan, 2009). To make this work practically, the twelve topics were divided into three streams and assigned a level. Comprehension of higher-level topics is dependent on a sufficient understanding of lower-level topics; students had to complete the lower-level topics to “unlock” the higher ones. For example, a level 1 topic is, “How does a street light work?”, which covers basic circuit theory. The level 2 topic that follows on from this is, “Why does your kettle boil?”, which covers electrical power and some thermal physics. In the final exam, students are given twelve questions, one from each topic, and their eight highest marks count. This motivates many students to complete more than the required eight topics. Students complete three experiments at home throughout the course, which are due at fixed points during the term. The experiments, of which there are six in total, are designed to be completed with common household equipment and are associated with certain topics. We made sure that these were distributed in such a way that no matter what path the students chose through their learning (i.e., what topics they decided to complete), they would have completed the right number of topics with experiments at the required times. A major assessment in the course is a report where students design their own experiment to explore a concept of interest to them. This assessment includes a peer-review exercise to ensure students feel supported and allow them to learn from each other. These assessments are available from the ACDS resource repository (Angstmann et al., 2021). These changes have improved the course, and students are responding positively to the increase in autonomy that it allows. REFERENCES Angstmann, E., Jackson, J., Dixon, T. & de la Pena, M. (2021). At-Home Labs for First Year Physics. ACDS Resource repository: https://www.acds.edu.au/resource/at-home-labs-for-first-year-physics/ Niemiec, C. P., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom: Applying self-determination theory to educational practice. Theory and Research in Education, 7(2), 133–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/147787850910431

Environmental transmission of Toxoplasma gondii: Oocysts in water, soil and food

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic protozoan parasite that can cause morbidity and mortality in humans, domestic animals, and terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. The environmentally robust oocyst stage of T. gondii is fundamentally critical to the parasite\u27s success, both in terms of its worldwide distribution as well as the extensive range of infected intermediate hosts. Despite the limited definitive host species (domestic and wild felids), infections have been reported on every continent, and in terrestrial as well as aquatic environments. The remarkable resistance of the oocyst wall enables dissemination of T. gondii through watersheds and ecosystems, and long-term persistence in diverse foods such as shellfish and fresh produce. Here, we review the key attributes of oocyst biophysical properties that confer their ability to disseminate and survive in the environment, as well as the epidemiological dynamics of oocyst sources including domestic and wild felids. This manuscript further provides a comprehensive review of the pathways by which T. gondii oocysts can infect animals and people through the environment, including in contaminated foods, water or soil. We conclude by identifying critical control points for reducing risk of exposure to oocysts as well as opportunities for future synergies and new directions for research aimed at reducing the burden of oocyst-borne toxoplasmosis in humans, domestic animals, and wildlife

The language of pain ? better requirements for pain tools

We describe a co-design method for development of an assessment tool for chronic pain. Here, by taking a "research through design" approach, we visualized and shared various strands of our domain knowledge. From this, a common understanding of the relevant issues was seen to emerge, which in turn facilitated creativity among the group. Thereafter, a collective proposal for a pain assessment tool was formulated After outlining this proposal, we move on to argue that, based on our experience this method provides a useful platform for interdisciplinary collaboration in healthcare technology development