The myth of self-managing teams: A reflection on the allocation of responsibilities between individuals, teams and the organisation

Concepts that include the participation and empowerment of workers are becoming \ud increasingly important nowadays. In many of these concepts, the formal responsibility is delegated to teams. Does this imply that the normative responsibility for the actions of teams is also delegated? In this article we will reflect on the difference between holding a person accountable and bearing responsibility. A framework is elaborated in order to analyse the accountability and responsibility of teams. In this framework, the emergence of a collective mind, and the organisational factors that influence the extent to which teams have the possibility of acting in a responsible way play an important role. It shows that teams can bear responsibilities that could never be carried by a group of individuals. The framework is used to analyse two sample cases with self-managing teams in production facilities. The authors discuss the implications for the theory and practice of self-managing teams and the allocation of responsibility between individuals, teams and the organisation

Partnerships on Development

In this thesis, emphasise is on the positive impact companies that can have on the fulfilment of human rights. Regarding human rights and business, one can mainly read about companies' violations of human rights. In my opinion, this negative approach will not stimulate them to improve their policies and performances. A more positive approach can be a motivation for companies to take the opportunity to try to have a positive impact on society. Therefore, this thesis demonstrates how a company can contribute to the fulfilment of human rights through a partnership between business, civil society and governments. Furthermore, the advantages for companies to engage in a partnership will be highlighted. Besides the implementation of a Code of Conduct, 'the partnership model' proves to be an effective approach to tackle pressing human rights issues. These multi-stakeholder partnerships can achieve goals, which one actor alone is not able to do. To create sustainable community development it is essential to let the local people participate in the partnership and let them be responsible for their own development. Therefore, this thesis focuses on capacity enhancement and meaningful participation of local people, which contributes to the empowerment of local communities. The process of empowerment requires changes of attitude and for this reason, a long-term planning is essential in a partnership on development. Empowerment starts with making people aware of their rights and opportunities, and ends when they are able to claim their rights effectively. Through the empowerment of local communities, a partnership can have a positive impact on society and indirectly contributes to justice and the fulfilment of human rights. The main case study in this thesis is the partnership between IKEA and UNICEF on the elimination of child labour in Northern India. In cooperation with all partners, I formulated indicators in order to measure the empowerment of the local community and in order to see whether the partnership contributes to the fulfilment of human rights, especially children's rights

Rate-controlled rectal drug delivery in man with a hydrogel preparation

Cylindrical hydrogels of hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as crosslinking agent were prepared by radical polymerization at 70°C. After washing they were soaked in an aqueous drug solution of antipyrine or theophylline. The in vitro drug release experiments were performed in 100 ml isotonic glucose at 37°C. Rectal administration of a hydrogel preparation containing antipyrine was performed in two subjects for 72 h. With a theophylline-containing hydrogel preparation rectal drug administration was performed in six volunteers for 24 h. Plasma and saliva samples were taken regularly and the in vivo drug release was determined by means of a deconuolution procedure. In vitro 1.12g antipyrine had been released according to a matrix-type profile for 72 h, whereas it was calculated that this was 1.13 and 1.09 g in vivo in the two subjects. The release profile in vivo was very similar to that in vitro. The theophylline hydrogel preparation released in vitro a total of 288 ± 6 mg of drug in 24 h and in vivo this amount was calculated to be 288 ± 11 mg (mean ± s.d.). Near-constant plasma theophylline concentrations were obtained after administering the hydrogel preparation. In all six subjects the cumulative drug profile was in almost perfect agreement with that observed in vitro. Hydrogels offer interesting perspectives as rate-controlled rectal drug delivery systems because of the predictable release profile in vivo on the basis of observations in a simple in vitro model

HRM, ICT en sociale innovatie

In deze uitgave wordt in verschillende bijdragen vraagtekens geplaatst bij de positie en effectiviteit van het Human Resource Management. Het is goed om ook binnen het vakgebied kritisch te blijven. Maar daar staan ook positieve beschouwingen tegenover. In dit artikel maken we zichtbaar hoe HRM kan bijdragen aan sociale innovaties in verschillende sectoren en arbeidsorganisaties en tevredenheid, effi ciëntie en effectiviteit bevordert. En het vernieuwt zichzelf daarbij ook regelmatig. Deze bijdrage laat op basis\ud van literatuur en onze eigen praktijkervaring zien hoe ICT hierbij een belangrijke factor was en ook de komende jaren zal blijken te zijn