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

Medical Errors: Causes, Cures, and Capitalism

This article explores the causes of medical error, the medical profession\u27s responses to errors, and how the legal system responds to medical error through litigation and legislation. Part II discusses the definition of medical error, the frequency and pervasiveness of the problem, and the causes at the individual and system level. Part III considers how the culture of medicine has largely failed to address medical errors as a systems-based problem, and how the legal culture discourages admitting errors due to the threat of litigation. Focusing on systems, data must be collected and analyzed, and legal guidelines developed to encourage error reporting and develop standards, preferably at the state level. Part IV examines how both the legal and medical cultures might be reformed in order to reduce the rate of medical error, which would promote the ultimate goal of better quality healthcare. Legal barriers against error reporting need to be removed and liability theories reevaluated, with appropriate legislation to foster these changes. Part V discusses the role of economic incentives which promoted the current state of affairs, and how these forces might effectively be employed to shape medical, legal, and legislative responses to medical error. It is clear that if medical error rates are unacceptably high, new approaches by doctors, lawyers, patients, and legislators are needed

Promoting Student Growth in Supervision and Remediation Using Motivational Interviewing

It is common for students to experience resistance or ambivalence when a supervisor or faculty advisor requests they change their behaviors or perspectives to be a more effective counselor. Motivational interviewing (MI) is used to cultivate motivation for positive change within the context of a helping relationship, and is applied to counselor supervision. Implementing this approach can help improve the effectiveness of supervision and remediation, including students achieving desired outcomes, even if students are initially ambivalent or appear disengaged. In this roundtable, we will describe MI applied to clinical supervision and student remediation. Attendees will be encouraged to apply the material presented in interactive activities, and case examples will illustrate specific applications of MI in supervision and remediation

Political and technical verification issues of limitations on sea-launched cruise missiles

This paper examines the political and technical verification issues associated with proposals to place quantitative and/or qualitative limits on the deployment of nuclear armed sea-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs). Overviews of the arms control relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, the development of the SLCM, and Soviet and American concepts of verification are presented. The views of the American arms control and defense communities regarding the SLCM is discussed in depth, accompanied by a detailed examination of the various methods which have been proposed to verify a SLCM limitation agreement. The conclusion is that there are no technological barriers, per se, to SLCM verification, but as the decision on an agreement's verifiability is a political one, the U.S. Navy should concentrate its arguments against SLCM limitations on the weapon's operational utility rather than argue that such an agreement is unverifiable. Keywords: Theses. (FR)http://archive.org/details/politicaltechnic00myerNAU.S. Navy (U.S.N.) author

Mystical orientation and the perceiving process : a study among Anglican clergymen

This study examines the hypothesised link between mystical orientation and the perceiving process within the Jungian model of psychological type. Data were provided by 232 Anglican clergymen serving in the Church in Wales who completed both the Francis-Louden Mystical Orientation Scale and the Francis Psychological Type Scales. The data demonstrated that intuitive types recorded significantly higher scores than sensing types on the index of mystical orientation, supporting the hypothesis based on Ross' thesis