First, Do Less Harm: Confronting the Inconvenient Problems of Patient Safety

[Excerpt] This book is an exploration of why patient safety is advancing at what seems to be an almost glacial pace, despite the often vast and determined efforts of health care workers and managers. A collection of essays from prominent researchers, scholars, and even patients, this book aims to identify some of the gaps in the patient safety movement, the disconnected dots that do not coalesce despite decades of hard work and billions of dollars. It also identifies concerns that have not been integrated into the patient safety discourse or agenda of more established groups

Scottish government equality outcomes:pregnancy and maternity evidence review

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Crowded out: how crowdsourcing for startups turned into business as usual

Crowdfunding has been hailed by some as the “democratisation of finance”. To many, it is viewed as a key alternative source of finance where we can all get involved in backing new companies through either donations or the purchase of equity. Unfortunately, it hasn’t quite worked out like that.  Access article on The Conversation website: https://theconversation.com/crowded-out-how-crowdsourcing-for-startups-turned-into-business-as-usual-5202

Entrepreneurial ecosystems and public policy in action : a critique of the latest industrial policy blockbuster

The authors wish to acknowledge the funding received from the University of St Andrews Knowledge Exchange Impact Fund.Efforts to develop entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) have proliferated in recent years, marking it out as the latest industrial policy ‘blockbuster’. This paper reports the findings from a comprehensive empirical analysis of policy approaches deployed under this conceptual umbrella, enabling us to posit a basic typology of different EE policy frameworks. The findings suggest the concept is fraught with conceptual ambiguity and is predominantly (and rather crudely) used to promote ‘more’ entrepreneurship. The research suggests the concept is a “messy metaphor” open to wide-ranging misinterpretation and misuse by policy makers. Eradicating network failures, avoiding crude policy isomorphism and tailoring bespoke interventions are suggested policy recommendations.PostprintPeer reviewe

Mergers and Acquisitions, Open Innovation and UK High Growth SMEs

This paper examines the dynamics of entrepreneurial acquisitions undertaken by UK high growth small and medium enterprises (S M E s). While entrepreneurial acquisitions are increasingly deployed by S M E s, little is known about their antecedents, motivational drivers and organisational outcomes. Drawing on detailed case study evidence from Scotland, the key factor found to be driving these acquisitions was the desire to augment and exploit technological complementarities between the acquiring an d acquired firms. Acquisition can therefore be conceptualised as an advanced stage of the outside-in ‘open innovation’ strategies proactively used within these innovative S M E s. Firms executing this strategy typically have an acute propensity for risk , a desire for close customer engagement, effective business models and strong external orientation . The work suggests that greater attention should be paid within M & A theory to the dynamics of these types of smaller scale entrepreneurial acquisitions

An International Benchmarking Analysis of Public Programmes for High-Growth Firms

First paragraph: Scotland's business base, like those of many other European countries, is dominated by micro businesses. Only a small proportion of Scotland's businesses employ more than ten employees and there are few indigenously-owned, larger-scale companies. Indeed, Scotland, in common with the rest of the UK economy, has struggled to grow small businesses into larger businesses of "scale" that can be major contributors to economic growth through their role as large scale employers, large scale exporters, generators of supply chains for other local companies and incubators for new spin-offs (CBI, 2011)

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: A Critique of the Latest Industrial Policy Blockbuster

Efforts to develop entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) have proliferated in recent years making it the latest industrial policy ‘blockbuster’. This paper critiques the concept and reviews its application within public policy. It reports the findings from a comprehensive comparative analysis of policy approaches deployed under this conceptual umbrella. Empirically, the findings suggests it is fraught with conceptual ambiguity and is predominantly (and rather crudely) used to promote ‘more’ entrepreneurship. Genuine systemic policy instruments to aid the functioning of ecosystems are extremely rare. The paper suggests the concept is a ‘chaotic’ one open to wide-ranging misinterpretation and indeed misuse by policy makers