Innovation in Scotland : analysis of the community innovation survey 2009

Strengthening levels of innovation is one of the cornerstones of the Scottish Government‟s Economic Strategy. Innovation is a key catalyst for productivity growth as new ideas drive enterprise, create new products and markets and improve efficiency, delivering benefits to firms, customers and society. It is a crucial factor in determining competitiveness and national progress. Until recently, the most common and well known measure of innovation has been the ratio of national expenditure on R&D to GDP. Data shows that there has been a significant gap in business research and development (R&D) expenditure between Scotland and the UK, EU and OECD averages in recent years. Scottish Business Enterprise R&D (BERD) expenditure was 0.56% of Scottish GDP in 2009, lower than the rate for the UK as a whole (1.11%) and the EU (1.17%). Compared to other UK Government regions, Scotland ranked in 10th place out of the 12 regions. However, while R&D is useful for measuring technology-based activities, it is increasingly recognised that this is only one element of the broader concept of innovation and is frequently more relevant for manufacturing than for services. Evidence shows that firms introduce new products and services onto the market without necessarily performing R&D. A lot of innovation activity is based on (or embodied in) advanced machinery and computer systems purchased to implement new or improved processes and deliver new products and services. Innovation can also be purchased through rights to use patents, licences, trademarks and software. Innovation can also encompass training and new design and marketing processes. Evidence also shows that many firms adopt multiple, complementary innovation strategies, with the most innovative firms introducing both product and process innovations as well as marketing or organisational innovations. Therefore, productivity growth can be achieved through advances in technology combined with new approaches to creating and delivering of goods and services. There is now a solid body of evidence describing the relationship between research, innovation and economic development. The evidence suggests that investment in „intangible assets‟ that give rise to innovation (R&D, software, human capital and new organisational structures) now accounts for up to 12% of GDP in some countries and contributes as much to labour productivity growth as investment in tangible assets such as machinery and equipment. According to OECD estimates, investment in intangible assets accounted for around a quarter of labour productivity growth in the UK and other countries between 1995 and 2006. The Community Innovation Survey (CIS) allows an assessment of business innovation performance, wider than just R&D expenditure, across European Union countries. CIS collects a range of information from businesses on the types of innovation they are involved in, motivation for innovation, spending on a range of innovation activities beyond R&D, collaboration and linkages between businesses or with public research organisations, as well as data on sales from product innovations. In light of the growing recognition that innovation encompasses a wider range of activities, and that broader metrics are required to reflect this, the Innovation Survey provides a key data set to measure innovation within businesses

Scotland's business innovation performance 2008-10

This paper examines Scotland's innovation performance relative the UK, using the latest 2011 UK Innovation Survey. The analysis shows that Scotland has a smaller proportion of businesses that are 'innovation active' than the UK average and lies in the bottom quartile compared to other European countries. The data highlight some key differences between Scotland and UK innovation performance in areas such as markets, motivation for innovation and investment. The analysis helps identify some areas where further research should focus

Scotland's productivity performance : latest data and insights

This paper reviews the latest data and evidence on Scotland’s recent productivity performance, including comparisons with the UK and internationally. It analyses trends in a number of the drivers of productivity, and considers how these have influenced productivity performance. This analysis develops our evidence base further, helping to inform discussions on where policy should focus across the drivers of innovation, internationalisation, investment and inclusive growth. The evidence suggests that Scotland’s weak productivity growth and level is due to a mix of several factors, including: ‘labour hoarding’; low interest rates and ‘forbearance’ by banks; reduced business investment; slowing innovation; and a declining number of exporters. The analysis highlights the need to continue a policy focus on innovation, internationalisation and investment as ways to improve Scotland’s productivity performance and contribute to inclusive growth

Business investment performance in Scotland

Business investment (including spending on machinery, buildings, ICT, R&D) is a key driver of productivity. New data shows that Scotland’s business investment rate has been lower than nearly all other OECD countries for a number of years, resulting in a low level of capital stock per worker. Scotland’s low business investment is likely due to a number of factors, including: industrial structure: a small manufacturing sector and larger public sector; weak business R&D expenditure; low levels of competition, reducing the incentives to invest: management short-termism in some companies; low productivity reducing potential returns from investment; and, low wage growth reducing the cost of labour relative to capital. Business investment by Scottish-owned companies appears to be particularly low. Low business investment is likely a major reason for Scotland’s low productivity levels and growth

Performance of high growth firms in Scotland

High growth firms contribute disproportionately to economic growth. This paper summarises new data for Scotland, and compares performance to other UK regions in high growth performance. The analysis considers the proportion of the business base that achieves high growth, characteristics of high growth firms in terms of size and productivity, and the pattern of high growth across local authority areas. The analysis shows that high growth firms in Scotland contribute less to economic and productivity growth than those in other parts of the UK

Reducing Racial Disparities in Health Services Use: Exploring the Role of Racial Equity Training for Nurse Navigators and Improved Measurement of Trust in Health Care

Background. Black patients are less likely than White patients to receive treatment for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. Mistrust of health care providers and systems contributes to disparities in several health services use outcomes, including receipt of lung cancer treatment. Little is known about effective trust-related interventions, in part, because trust is hard to measure. This dissertation explored two areas for reducing health services use disparities: 1) evaluating an intervention to increase equitable receipt of lung cancer treatment and 2) improving trust measurement. Study 1. Nurse navigators trained to help patients overcome barriers to receiving lung cancer surgery may reduce treatment disparities, especially if they receive racial equity training (RET). RET offers a foundation for understanding barriers like medical mistrust that may be affected by patient experiences with racism. Yet, little is known about whether navigator RET increases lung cancer surgery receipt. Study 1 explored this gap using data from a trial where patients with early stage lung cancer were randomized to groups paired with navigators who did or did not receive RET (n=229). Results suggest that RET was not associated with the primary outcome. Study 2. Systematic reviews suggest the need to develop updated trust measures that are multidimensional and pilot tested using qualitative methods. In Study 2, I developed three trust measures: the Trust in My Doctor (T-MD), Trust in Doctors in General (T-DiG), and Trust in the Health Care System (T-HCS) scales. After obtaining expert feedback and conducting cognitive interviews (n=21), I used an online survey (n=801) to assess scale reliability and validity. Confirmatory factor analysis suggested acceptable model fit for second order latent factor models for each scale. Each scale required an 8th grade reading level or less, was significantly correlated with existing trust measures and perceived racism in health care, and was associated with health services use. Conclusions. Future studies should explore how RET is associated with other outcomes that affect health services use (e.g., trust in doctors). In such studies where trust is the main outcome, the T-MD, T-DiG, and T-HCS are measurement options with sound psychometric properties.Doctor of Philosoph

Iconographic Analysis of the Armadillo and Cosmic Imagery within Art Associated with the Armadillo World Headquarters, 1970 - 1980

This thesis draws upon recent, art historical scholarship in iconography and semiotics to identify and analyze key images in an iconographic program associated with murals, paintings, and posters related to the Austin, Texas music venue, the Armadillo World Headquarters, 1970-1980. Resources include South Austin Museum of Popular Culture, the Center for American History at the University of Texas, Austin, personal communications, and publications concerning the artists, music and history of Austin and the Armadillo World Headquarters. There are five chapters as follows: Introduction, History of the Armadillo World Headquarters, Analysis of the Armadillo Mural and Freddie King Painting, Analysis of Posters for the Grand Opening and the Michael Murphey Cosmic Cowboy Concert, and Conclusion

Parent Perspectives on Inclusive Education in Rural Alberta, Canada

This paper is one of a series of papers examining inclusive education in the con-text of a rural Canadian school district that has adopted a philosophy of inclusion. The results of a survey of 438 parents on their views about aspects of inclusive education at their youngest child’s school are reported. The results indi-cate that the majority of parents were generally positive in their views about and experiences with the inclusive school environment and links to the local communi-ty; however, parents were by no means unanimous in their level of comfort with inclusive education. Tensions were found to exist, and differences in the expe-rience of parents of children who had identified exceptionalities were evident. This study points to the paucity of research on parents and inclusive education and provides some direction for future work in the area

Harnessing the Four-Dimensional Ecology Education Framework to redesign an introductory ecology course in a changing higher education landscape

As higher education undergoes rapid and fundamental change, eco-educators need to be prepared to promote the inclusion of the ecological sciences in the biological sciences curriculum of the future. Here, we present an instructional alignment for an introductory ecology course, which is informed by and integrated with the Four-Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) Framework. Our instructional alignment was created collaboratively among faculty involved in teaching the course and emphasizes the relevance and utility of the ecological sciences. We believe that this approach positions the ecological sciences for continued success and inclusion in the biological sciences curriculum of tomorrow