An evaluation of the stimulants and impediments to innovation within PFI/PPP projects

This paper identifies the theoretical stimulants and impediments associated with the implementation of PFI/PPP (Private Finance Initiative/Public Private Partnership) projects. A current defect of this procurement approach is the unintentional constraint upon the innovations incorporated into the development of PFI projects. A critical evaluation of the published literature has been utilized to synthesize a theoretical model. The paper proposes a theoretical model for the identification of potential innovation stimulants and impediments within this type of procurement. This theoretical model is then utilised to evaluate four previously completed PFI projects. These project case-studies have been examined in detail. The evaluation demonstrates how ineffective current procedures are. The application of this model before project letting could eliminate unintentional constraints and stimulate improved innovation within the process. The implementation of the model could improve the successful delivery of innovation within the entire PFI/PPP procurement process

Definition of a crowdsourcing innovation service for the european SMEs

Based on literature review and on the study of the most known and referred Crowdsourcing brokers, there's a clear trend to implement this model by large companies and mainly within the North American context. Our research team is focused in bringing this approach closer to the European culture, more specifically the cultural factors underlying the dynamics and motivation of communities available to solve the innovation challenges of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), that we call Crowdsourcing Innovation. We believe that, due to the common lack of resources for innovation in these companies, a service capable of involving them in large networks filled with useful and reachable knowledge, and capable of supporting these companies through all the innovation process, is crucial to the future competitiveness of the European SMEs. Although our team is focusing on several aspects related to Crowdsourcing, my main research focuses the information services and supporting applications to create a web platform adapted to the key economical, organizational, legal and cultural differences that make current Crowdsourcing Innovation businesses less popular among European SMEs than in North America.- (undefined

Clustering dynamics of Lagrangian tracers in free-surface flows

We study the formation of clusters of passive Lagrangian tracers in a non-smooth turbulent flow in a flat free-slip surface as a model for particle dynamics on free surfaces. Single particle and pair dispersion show different behavior for short and large times: on short times particles cluster exponentially rapidly until patches of the size of the divergence correlation length are depleted; on larger times the pair dispersion is dominated by almost ballistic hopping between clusters. We also find that the distribution of particle density is close to algebraic and can trace this back to the exponential distribution of the divergence field of the surface flow.Comment: 5 pages, 5 Postscript figure

Manageable creativity

This article notes a perception in mainstream management theory and practice that creativity has shifted from being disruptive or destructive to 'manageable'. This concept of manageable creativity in business is reflected in a similar rhetoric in cultural policy, especially towards the creative industries. The article argues that the idea of 'manageable creativity' can be traced back to a 'heroic' and a 'structural' model of creativity. It is argued that the 'heroic' model of creativity is being subsumed within a 'structural' model which emphasises the systems and infrastructure around individual creativity rather than focusing on raw talent and pure content. Yet this structured approach carries problems of its own, in particular a tendency to overlook the unpredictability of creative processes, people and products. Ironically, it may be that some confusion in our policies towards creativity is inevitable, reflecting the paradoxes and transitions which characterise the creative process

Semileptonic decays of Bs1B_{s1}, Bs2∗B_{s2}^*, Bs0B_{s0} and Bs1′B_{s1}'

Stimulated by recent observations of the excited bottom-strange mesons $B_{s1}$ and $B_{s2}^*$, we calculate the semileptonic decays $B_{s0}, B_{s1}^{\prime}, B_{s1}, B_{s2}^*\to [D_s(1968), D_{s}^*(2112), D_{sJ}(2317), D_{sJ}(2460)]\ell\bar{\nu}$, which is relevant for the exploration of the potential of searching these semileptonic decays in experiment.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, 9 tables. More discussion added, some descriptions changed. The version to appear in EPJ

Investigating the social value of the Ripon rivers flood alleviation scheme

This paper argues for an approach to flood alleviation design that considers the need not only for technical knowledge, but also a social perspective. It is predicted that more intense rainfall and rising sea levels will result in a greater number of people vulnerable to flood events. Flood alleviation design in the UK is often focused upon technical and cost-effective solutions, and consideration of social impact is seen as secondary. This paper examines how the social value of a UK flood alleviation scheme is perceived and discussed, by the local community and by those responsible for the design of the scheme, and exposes differences in perceptions both between and within these two groups. It recommends a future approach in which an understanding of the social value of a flood alleviation scheme is first co-produced with the community affected, enabling the design of a socially acceptable and successful project.The research presented in this paper is part of a larger study. The research is conducted with the aid of funding from an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) iCASE doctoral award. Ove Arup and Partners also provide sponsorship as part of the award.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.1217

Constructing ‘exceptionality’: a neglected aspect of NHS rationing

The principle of exceptionality involves assessing whether a patient is sufficiently different from the generality of patients to justify providing a treatment, such as an expensive cancer drug, not approved for routine funding. In England, individual requests for certain high-cost treatments are considered by funding request panels that examine exceptionality alongside treatment efficacy and cost as the main criteria for funding. This was also the case in Wales until September 2017. Our paper draws on audio recordings of panel meetings and interviews in a Welsh Health Board to investigate how exceptionality was constructed in discussions. It focuses on the combination of different decision criteria in meeting talk, particularly regarding the discourses associated with efficacy and exceptionality. Exceptionality is a malleable category that raised questions about the evidence-based nature of panel decision making. For example, the paper discusses the use of subgroup data from trials and the difficulty of deciding how small a subgroup of patients should be before it is deemed exceptional. Determining exceptionality has been a key mechanism for deciding that a minority of NHS patients can still receive high-cost treatments not routinely provided for all. As a neglected rationing mechanism

Electromagnetic coupling to an enclosure via a wire penetration

Abstract: The paper presents results which demonstrate that radiated emissions from heatsinks are reduced by an amount that depends upon the distribution and impedance of the grounding structure. Results are also presented which show the effect on radiated emissions of the presence of conductors (e.g. PCB tracks) passing under the heatsink. The presence of conductors reduces the effectiveness of the heatsink grounding but, in most case, emissions at high frequencies do not exceed those without conductors attached

New games, new rules: big data and the changing context of strategy

Big data and the mechanisms by which it is produced and disseminated introduce important changes in the ways information is generated and made relevant for organizations. Big data often represents miscellaneous records of the whereabouts of large and shifting online crowds. It is frequently agnostic, in the sense of being produced for generic purposes or purposes different from those sought by big data crunching. It is based on varying formats and modes of communication (e.g., texts, image and sound), raising severe problems of semiotic translation and meaning compatibility. Crucially, the usefulness of big data rests on their steady updatability, a condition that reduces the time span within which this data is useful or relevant. Jointly, these attributes challenge established rules of strategy making as these are manifested in the canons of procuring structured information of lasting value that addresses specific and long-term organizational objectives. The developments underlying big data thus seem to carry important implications for strategy making, and the data and information practices with which strategy has been associated. We conclude by placing the understanding of these changes within the wider social and institutional context of longstanding data practices and the significance they carry for management and organizations