The impact of an innovative human resource function on firm performance: the moderating role of financing strategy

The current study examined the impact of the human resource function and financing strategy on the financial performance of 104 UK manufacturing firms. Hypotheses are drawn from a resource-based perspective on human resource management and a financial theory perspective on capital structure. Results show that an innovative HR function is significantly related to economic performance. However, the relationship between an innovative HR function and economic performance was moderated by the firm¿s financing strategy. Firms obtained higher returns from an innovative HR function when pursuing a low leveraging (debt) financing strategy, a finding consistent with modern finance theory notions that firmspecific strategic assets provide greatest value when financed primarily through equity as opposed to debt

Expression, purification and initial characterization of Halobacterium proline dehydrogenase

Abstract only availableNature recycles proline by converting it to glutamate. This 4-electron oxidation process is catalyzed by two catabolic enzymes, proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) and Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (P5CDH). Inborn defects in PRODH and P5CDH result in the disorders hyperprolinemia I & II, respectively. These conditions are often associated with mental retardation, convulsions, and brain disorders. PRODH has also been implicated in schizophrenia susceptibility, cancer and P53-mediated apoptosis. Despite their importance in human health and disease, these enzymes have not been extensively studied. Thus, the goal of this research is to characterize the structure and function of PRODH. The work presented here focuses on a newly discovered homologue of PRODH found in archaea, which we identified by bioinformatics analysis of genome sequence data. Archaea are also genetically more closely related to eukaryotes than bacteria, so study of their proteins may provide insights into homologous eukaryotic enzymes. Archaea are some of the Earth's oldest life forms and are known for living in extreme environments. The PRODH researched here is from the Halobacterium (salt-loving), which can be found in places such as the Dead Sea and the Great Salt Lake. Preliminary results so far include testing the expression of Halobacterium PRODH, known as YusM, in two different E. coli expression systems, BL21(DE3)pLysS and Rosetta2. The latter strain was used to account for rare codon usage by Halobacterium. Parameters varied in these expression tests included time and temperature of induction as well as IPTG concentration. After expression, the cells were broken in a French pressure cell and the cell debris was pelleted with centrifugation. YusM was found to be largely associated with the cell pellet; therefore protein purification under denaturing conditions was investigated. The use of urea as a denaturing reagent has been successful for purifying YusM. Once the protein was renatured it showed improved kinetic activity. We believe the improved activity is due to disruption of improperly folded protein by the denaturant, followed by re-folding into the native, or near-native, state. Further studies will need to be done to determine the cause of misfolding in the E. coli cell.Stevens' Chemistry Progra

Effects of the Minimum Wage on Employment Dynamics

The voluminous literature on minimum wages offers little consensus on the extent to which a wage floor impacts employment. We argue that the minimum wage will impact employment over time, through changes in growth rather than an immediate drop in relative employment levels. We conduct simulations showing that commonly-used specifications in this literature, especially those that include state-specific time trends, will not accurately capture these effects. Using three separate state panels of administrative employment data, we find that the minimum wage reduces job growth over a period of several years. These effects are most pronounced for younger workers and in industries with a higher proportion of low-wage workers

Make It Better: How Universal Design Principles Can Have an Impact on Healthcare Services to Improve the Patient Experience

The delivery of frontline healthcare services has traditionally been framed by clinical considerations and viewed predominantly from the perspective of the medical professions involved in care of patients. But what if a broader approach was adopted in which the patient experience was placed at the centre of the process and services were framed by design thinking as well as clinical considerations? This paper explores an alternative patient-centred approach to healthcare – both in the hospital and in the community – that draws on universal design principles. The paper examines the Seven Principles of Universal Design (as defined by Ron Mace, North Carolina State University, 1997) and evaluates which of those principles are relevant to the complex demands of healthcare today, using case studies from The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, RCA. The paper concludes by reflecting on the implications of a more inclusive approach for both clinical and design practice

Examining the Indirect Effects of Perceived Organizational Support for Teamwork Training on Acute Health Care Team Productivity and Innovation:The Role of Shared Objectives

This study examines the relationship between a specific type of team climate for perceived organizational support, team perceived organizational support for teamwork training (team POS-TT), and its effects on the productivity and innovation of acute health care teams. Drawing on organizational support theory, we examine how this relationship emerges via the mediating mechanism of shared objectives. Using survey data from 88 teams based in 13 health care organizations across the United Kingdom, we found support for the indirect effects of team POS-TT via shared objectives, but not for the direct effect of team POS-TT, thus indicating a mediated relationship with team productivity and innovation. As predicted, through the satisfaction of important esteem and affiliation needs of team members, team POS-TT compelled teams to engage in the process of generating shared objectives, which, in turn, positively predicted team productivity and innovation. These findings contribute to the scant literature on perceived organizational support (POS) as a form of team climate, and respond to recent calls to consider different types of POS by focusing on perceived support for teamwork training, an area which has particular relevance in the context of health care. Furthermore, the study serves to extend understanding regarding exactly how team POS-TT affects team outcomes via the specific process of shared objectives. We conclude with a discussion of these contributions to the literature and delineate several practical implications for leaders and managers in health care organizations

Vital Signs Trolley, Designing Out Medical Error (DOME) - Prototype design (2008-2011)

West was the lead researcher (PI, Myerson) on a multidisciplinary project with partners from Imperial College London to improve patient safety in the hospital bed space. West conducted and coordinated research between RCA designers (West and Davey) and clinicians, psychologists, patient safety experts and process management academics in Imperial College London. West led on drawing evidence from how analogous industries manage risky processes such as mining, chemical, oil exploration, shipping and construction, to find new ways of reducing systemic error on surgical hospital wards. This research developed a number of design interventions in the hospital bed space. West developed the Vital Signs Trolley as a direct result of the analogous industries study and collaboration with clinical partners. He found that the main problem with the trolley, which measures vital signs such as blood pressure and temperature, is that data is not captured accurately, the unit is hard to clean and its trailing wires spread infection. West’s new trolley has an easy-clean design, an improved cable management system and a digital transcription system to avoid errors. The design was refined for manufacture in collaboration with an industrial partner, Humanscale. The thinking behind the Vital Signs Trolley built on West’s previous work on the award winning Resus-Station (2006-2008), a resuscitation trolley that is now in clinical trials. West presented the DOME interventions, including the Vital Signs Trolley, at the ‘World Congress on Design and Health’ (USA, 2011) and published ‘Taking ergonomics to the bedside – A multi-disciplinary approach to designing safer healthcare’ in Applied Ergonomics, October 2013 (West REF Output 1)

High Value Assets (HVA) Lessons Learned for Small Government Agencies and Small to Mid-sized Organizations

Cyberattacks are a persistent threat to organizations across all sectors, and over the past decade, attackers have increasingly been targeting municipalities. Protecting the most critical information and systems or high value assets (HVAs) from a cyberattack is essential to reduce the risk of impacting critical services that make day-to-day activities possible. Identifying HVAs is a process that assists organizations in recognizing which assets are most critical and therefore require the most significant protective measures. An HVA process was developed for State, Local, Tribe, and Territory (SLTT) jurisdictions of any size, capability, and cybersecurity maturity to assist them in identifying assets that are vital to community operations. The SLTT HVA Process aligns with the Federal HVA Program developed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Four jurisdictions are piloting the SLTT HVA Process and, through this initiative, are generating vital lessons learned to successfully incorporate the process into their cybersecurity program

Teams, HRM and innovation:an organisation-level analysis

For organizations to survive and prosper they have to develop new and improved products, services and ways of working. Innovation is vital for organizational survival. Much research and managerial attention is therefore devoted to understanding the factors that predict innovation in organizations. This paper describes a research study of product innovation in manufacturing organizations and explores the extent to which team based working and team working effectiveness in these organizations predict product innovation. It also considers whether combinations of good HRM systems and practices, extensive team based working and effective team working are associated with product innovation