Anterior eye health recording.

AIMS: To survey eye care practitioners from around the world regarding their current practice for anterior eye health recording to inform guidelines on best practice. METHODS: The on-line survey examined the reported use of: word descriptions, sketching, grading scales or photographs; paper or computerised record cards and whether these were guided by proforma headings; grading scale choice, signs graded, level of precision, regional grading; and how much time eye care practitioners spent on average on anterior eye health recording. RESULTS: Eight hundred and nine eye care practitioners from across the world completed the survey. Word description (p<0.001), sketches (p=0.002) and grading scales (p<0.001) were used more for recording the anterior eye health of contact lens patients than other patients, but photography was used similarly (p=0.132). Of the respondents, 84.5% used a grading scale, 13.5% using two, with the original Efron (51.6%) and CCLRU/Brien-Holden-Vision-Institute (48.5%) being the most popular. The median features graded was 11 (range 1-23), frequency from 91.6% (bulbar hyperaemia) to 19.6% (endothelial blebs), with most practitioners grading to the nearest unit (47.4%) and just 14.7% to one decimal place. The average time taken to report anterior eye health was reported to be 6.8±5.7 min, with the maximum time available 14.0±11 min. CONCLUSIONS: Developed practice and research evidence allows best practice guidelines for anterior eye health recording to be recommended. It is recommended to: record which grading scale is used; always grade to one decimal place, record what you see live rather than based on how you intend to manage a condition; grade bulbar and limbal hyperaemia, limbal neovascularisation, conjunctival papillary redness and roughness (in white light to assess colouration with fluorescein instilled to aid visualisation of papillae/follicles), blepharitis, meibomian gland dysfunction and sketch staining (both corneal and conjunctival) at every visit. Record other anterior eye features only if they are remarkable, but indicate that the key tissue which have been examined

Blended learning in tertiary education : a science perspective.

Blended learning has been suggested as having the potential to transform tertiary education through its ability to provide flexible learning options, cost reductions and high quality educational experiences. Combining the benefits of both the face-to-face and online learning environments, blended learning provides opportunities for tertiary education organisations to improve the engagement, satisfaction and achievement of students. Tertiary science is experiencing issues with student recruitment and retention due to it being complex and challenging to learn and often poorly taught. Blended learning, therefore, with its ability to support visualisation of abstract scientific processes, critical thinking and attitudes to science could provide a means to encourage students to study science. However, to date, most studies on blended learning in undergraduate science have focused on evaluating the implementation of a particular blended approach within a small number of science classes or have considered only the teacher or student perspective. This study sought to explore both lecturer and student experiences of blended learning within undergraduate science whilst also considering the institutional context within which science teaching and learning operates. A case study methodology was used to investigate blended learning in undergraduate science in a New Zealand university. Data collection methods included interviews with university management, lecturers and students. Management interviews were used to determine the university’s stage of blended learning adoption and to provide the institutional context for the study. Lecturer and student interviews provided a rich description of each group’s experiences and perspectives of blended learning in science. These were supplemented with lecturer and student surveys which provided breadth to the findings. The findings revealed both the institutional and disciplinary context influence lecturer and student perspectives of blended learning. They also highlighted the similarities between lecturer and student experiences. Lecturer perspectives and issues have long been taken into consideration by tertiary organisations when planning their blended learning implementation. However, this study suggested that student needs and support are equally as important and recommended that they receive the same attention

Open innovation management through strategic implementation

There is wide agreement about the activities that encompass open innovation. However, little attention has been given towards the extent to which firms have strategically adopted open innovation within their organisation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of corporate strategy on this emergent paradigm. This paper therefore analyses two distinct cases of open innovation in practice from the oil and gas industry. Empirical data suggests that it is possible to provide countless examples of observed open innovation activity. However, these are not necessarily a direct cause of strategic intent towards implementing open innovation. Findings also show that if open innovation is to become a professionally managed activity, research needs to be aligned towards strategy of the firm. Open innovation is a change process that requires attention and commitment levels much like Lean and Six Sigma initiatives. This paper provides empirical evidence to show that open innovation should be concerned with the strategic transformation of an organisation through a shift in organisational culture that requires a managed process

Sensing opportunities : is there a need for a managed search process in open innovation?

This paper attempts to better understand how firms can improve their open innovation capabilities. Specifically this paper focuses on the process of external searching. An in-depth literature review, combined with workshops with companies from the oil and gas sector lead the authors to conclude that firms can improve their innovation performance by having a defined and managed process for their core open innovation activities. Our research shows evidence of open innovation activity, but points to a lack of managed searching processes

Exploring open innovation maturity in a slow clock-speed context, evidence from the oil and gas industry

This thesis was previously held under moratorium from 30th March 2016 until 22nd October 2019.Open innovation has been positioned as the new imperative for creating and profiting from technology (Chesbrough, 2003). However, there are a number of unanswered questions surrounding this new research paradigm. The theoretical issue is trying to understand what open innovation is and how this is different from other forms of innovation. There is also the industrial problem of companies wanting to become better at open innovation but do not understand enough about it to make the transition. In addition, evidence suggests that firms' strategic decisions in fast paced industries often differ from those in slow-paced industries (Noke et al., 2008).Therefore, the first stage in this research necessitated an exploration into existing literature and theory on open innovation and innovation more generally. This suitably provided the necessary knowledge to investigate how companies currently engage in open innovation, and assess whether or not there has been a paradigm shift towards open innovation as initially claimed, and to what extent industry clock-speed (Fine, 1998) impacts on an organisations strategic open innovation activity. This study adopted a deductive approach to research by developing an open innovation maturity model based on a literature review to explore how firms in slow clock-speed industries engage in open innovation. Using a mixed methods research design, this study was able to gather rich qualitative data on three core open innovation activities, as well as subjective numerical data to provide a metric towards open innovation maturity. Specifically, this research investigates open innovation maturity in the oil and gas industry. Throughout the data collection process, it became possible to gain a deeper understanding for how companies address these innovation activities. Moreover, it has ultimately enabled the ability to question the extent to which open innovation has been adopted in a slow clock-speed setting.This research finds that companies in slow clock-speed industries operate with varying degrees of openness, intuitively use external knowledge, and benefit from using many of the 'modes of open innovation' as expressed by Bianchi et al. (2010). However, there is very little evidence to suggest that this is objectively directed towards implementing open innovation as a mode of operation. Furthermore, for the firms who communicate that they engage in open innovation, they are yet to show evidence of internal organisational transformation and management of OI activities. Therefore, this thesis has shown ability for academics to observe practices of open innovation from a distance and cite that the firm is engaged in open innovation, but fail to ask how the company has transformed itself to reflect open innovation through organisational culture, business processes, individual roles, and performance measurement of key open innovation activities. Crucially, companies do not need to do open innovation to be successful; the key is in their level of maturity for innovation processes. Comparing these findings to the strategic framework proposed by Miles and Snow (1978), it is possible to see that a more closed approach to innovation prevails when adopting the Defender position, while a more open approach occurs when assuming a Prospector position (Bader and Enkel, 2014). For companies that are interested in reaching a professional level of open innovation, this study identifies a number of capabilities required for successful open innovation. In addition, the research proposes a Model of Strategic Open Innovation Adoption, highlighting open innovation as a process. This thesis contributes to academic understanding of OI by noting its difference from traditional forms of innovation by its explicit focus on communicating the complimentary nature of external knowledge on internal developments.Open innovation has been positioned as the new imperative for creating and profiting from technology (Chesbrough, 2003). However, there are a number of unanswered questions surrounding this new research paradigm. The theoretical issue is trying to understand what open innovation is and how this is different from other forms of innovation. There is also the industrial problem of companies wanting to become better at open innovation but do not understand enough about it to make the transition. In addition, evidence suggests that firms' strategic decisions in fast paced industries often differ from those in slow-paced industries (Noke et al., 2008).Therefore, the first stage in this research necessitated an exploration into existing literature and theory on open innovation and innovation more generally. This suitably provided the necessary knowledge to investigate how companies currently engage in open innovation, and assess whether or not there has been a paradigm shift towards open innovation as initially claimed, and to what extent industry clock-speed (Fine, 1998) impacts on an organisations strategic open innovation activity. This study adopted a deductive approach to research by developing an open innovation maturity model based on a literature review to explore how firms in slow clock-speed industries engage in open innovation. Using a mixed methods research design, this study was able to gather rich qualitative data on three core open innovation activities, as well as subjective numerical data to provide a metric towards open innovation maturity. Specifically, this research investigates open innovation maturity in the oil and gas industry. Throughout the data collection process, it became possible to gain a deeper understanding for how companies address these innovation activities. Moreover, it has ultimately enabled the ability to question the extent to which open innovation has been adopted in a slow clock-speed setting.This research finds that companies in slow clock-speed industries operate with varying degrees of openness, intuitively use external knowledge, and benefit from using many of the 'modes of open innovation' as expressed by Bianchi et al. (2010). However, there is very little evidence to suggest that this is objectively directed towards implementing open innovation as a mode of operation. Furthermore, for the firms who communicate that they engage in open innovation, they are yet to show evidence of internal organisational transformation and management of OI activities. Therefore, this thesis has shown ability for academics to observe practices of open innovation from a distance and cite that the firm is engaged in open innovation, but fail to ask how the company has transformed itself to reflect open innovation through organisational culture, business processes, individual roles, and performance measurement of key open innovation activities. Crucially, companies do not need to do open innovation to be successful; the key is in their level of maturity for innovation processes. Comparing these findings to the strategic framework proposed by Miles and Snow (1978), it is possible to see that a more closed approach to innovation prevails when adopting the Defender position, while a more open approach occurs when assuming a Prospector position (Bader and Enkel, 2014). For companies that are interested in reaching a professional level of open innovation, this study identifies a number of capabilities required for successful open innovation. In addition, the research proposes a Model of Strategic Open Innovation Adoption, highlighting open innovation as a process. This thesis contributes to academic understanding of OI by noting its difference from traditional forms of innovation by its explicit focus on communicating the complimentary nature of external knowledge on internal developments

Tree species evaluation using the new CITES Listing Criteria

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A framework for measuring open innovation maturity levels

This paper discusses measuring open innovation maturity levels