Facilitators and Inhibitors of Supply Chain Innovation-prospects for Supply Chain Managment in the Irish Grocery Sector

Supply chain management is one of the most significant strategic challenges currently facing the Irish grocery sector. The UK grocery market with its emphasis on composite deliveries via regional distribution centres is extremely sophisticated; the Irish grocery sector, however, is in the embryonic stage of implementing central distribution. The potential to develop innovative supply chain systems is mediated by both national logistic-related variables and company characteristics. In addition to competitor activity and market forces, drivers and inhibitors such as economic growth, consumer preferences, the regulatory environment and physical and technological infrastructure influence the evolution of supply chain systems. This paper presents a profile of the Irish grocery market and a framework within which to analyse the facilitators and inhibitors of supply chain innovation based on international trends mediated by national characteristics

The impact of bereavement support on wellbeing: a comparative study between Australia and Ireland

Background: There is a dearth of national and international data on the impact of social support on physical, mental, and financial outcomes following bereavement. Methods: We draw from two large, population-based studies of bereaved people in Australia and Ireland to compare bereaved people’s experience of support. The Australian study used a postal survey targeting clients of six funeral providers and the Irish study used telephone interviews with a random sample of the population. Results: Across both studies, the vast majority of bereaved people reported relying on informal supporters, particularly family and friends. While sources of professional help were the least used, they had the highest proportions of perceived unhelpfulness. A substantial proportion, 20% to 30% of bereaved people, reported worsening of their physical and mental health and about 30% did not feel their needs were met. Those who did not receive enough support reported the highest deterioration in wellbeing. Discussion: The compassionate communities approach, which harnesses the informal resources inherent in communities, needs to be strengthened by identifying a range of useful practice models that will address the support gaps. Ireland has taken the lead in developing a policy framework providing guidance on level of service provision, associated staff competencies, and training needs

Residue contacts predicted by evolutionary covariance extend the application of ab initio molecular replacement to larger and more challenging protein folds

For many protein families, the deluge of new sequence information together with new statistical protocols now allow the accurate prediction of contacting residues from sequence information alone. This offers the possibility of more accurate ab initio (non-homology-based) structure prediction. Such models can be used in structure solution by molecular replacement (MR) where the target fold is novel or is only distantly related to known structures. Here, AMPLE, an MR pipeline that assembles search-model ensembles from ab initio structure predictions (`decoys'), is employed to assess the value of contact-assisted ab initio models to the crystallographer. It is demonstrated that evolutionary covariance-derived residue–residue contact predictions improve the quality of ab initio models and, consequently, the success rate of MR using search models derived from them. For targets containing β-structure, decoy quality and MR performance were further improved by the use of a β-strand contact-filtering protocol. Such contact-guided decoys achieved 14 structure solutions from 21 attempted protein targets, compared with nine for simple Rosetta decoys. Previously encountered limitations were superseded in two key respects. Firstly, much larger targets of up to 221 residues in length were solved, which is far larger than the previously benchmarked threshold of 120 residues. Secondly, contact-guided decoys significantly improved success with β-sheet-rich proteins. Overall, the improved performance of contact-guided decoys suggests that MR is now applicable to a significantly wider range of protein targets than were previously tractable, and points to a direct benefit to structural biology from the recent remarkable advances in sequencing

Addressing ethical issues in the design of smart home technology for older adults and people with disabilities.

Unique ethical, privacy and safety implications arise for people who are reliant on home-based smart technology due to health conditions or disabilities. In this paper we highlight a need for a reflective, inclusive ethical framework that encompasses the life cycle of smart home technology. We present key ethical considerations for smart home technology for older adults and people with disabilities and argue for ethical frameworks which combine these key considerations with existing models of design and development

Towards an ethical framework for the design and development of inclusive home-based smart technology for smart spaces for older adults and people with disabilities

Unique ethical, privacy and safety implications arise for people who are reliant on home-based smart technology due to health conditions or disabilities. As a result we need to carefully reflect on our approaches to ethical issues over the life cycle of smart home technology design and the wider living context for end users and relevant stakeholders. In this position paper we highlight a need for a reflective, inclusive ethical framework for the design of inclusive smart spaces. We present key ethical considerations in the design, development and deployment of smart home-based technology for older adults and people with disabilities. We propose a novel ethical framework for the development of inclusive home-based smart technology which combines these key considerations with existing models of design

Global Software Innovators Strengthening the Software Innovation Capacity of Europe and Korea

Global entrepreneurial talent management is a key challenge for the software sector internationally where competition for high-end skills is intense. SMEs are at a significant disadvantage when competing with major multinationals to access these skills. The Information and Communications Technology sector accounts for 5% of all employment in the EU and there are 900,000 vacancies in this sector in 2017 [1], however over 50% of senior ICT managers believe graduates lack the necessary combination of technical, business and interpersonal skills [2]. In addition, only 4 in 1000 women work in the ICT sector [3]. To address these challenges, HubLinked, an EU-funded Knowledge Alliance partnership of 11 industry and HE partners in the EU and Korea, is developing an integrated curriculum for industry-oriented, internationalised, innovation focused and interdisciplinary Computer Science degrees (“CSI4”). CSI4 features Global Labs, where teams of students work across timezones to prototype software, an internationalization-at-home experience which mimics working in a global ICT campany

The World is Our Classroom: Developing a Model for International Virtual Internships - the Global Innovations Project

In the aftermath of COVID-19, remote working has become the norm, and graduates now need an even wider range of skills, which traditional classrooms and internships do not always provide. Working in multiple time zones, within global multi-cultural teams, and only ever meeting colleagues through online technology are just some of the challenges, which require a new type of global graduate. Transversal skills including leadership, collaboration, innovation, digital, green, organization and communication skills are critical. The disruption from COVID-19 also presents unprecedented opportunities to develop more inclusive approaches to internships and international experiences, to level the playing field for students with special needs, from underrepresented groups or with caring commitments. In this position paper, we present a new Global Innovation internship model that has the aim of allowing students to complete technology internships and projects by working together virtually on real world challenges, guided by experienced industry and academic mentors. The model is being developed as part of an Erasmus+ funded project, and the partnership includes seven Higher Education Institutions from six different countries around the world. This position paper describes the design and development of a pilot programme of the Global Innovations internship model