Governing Through Standards: Networks, Failure and Auditing

This article seeks to understand network governance within the context of the North American automotive industry. Within this industry, original equipment manufacturers (lead firms) have outsourced a substantial portion of parts production over the last 30 years. This paper argues that in an aim to govern their supplier relations, North American lead firms imposed quality assurance standards upon their suppliers. In addition, this paper considers how nodes situated in the network are called upon to pre-emptively manage failures. Utilizing the quality assurance standards themselves, and 15 in-depth interviews with quality assurance managers at different part supplier plants, this article explores the technologies of performance used to manage failures. The focus of this paper is on the creation of part narratives, and particularly, the quality audit and its role in governing the conduct of part suppliers at-a-distance. Lastly, this paper focuses on the network prudential subject who is called upon to pre-emptively manage failures on behalf of the network.Apparatus, Networks, Standards, Failure, Auditing

Imperfect Central Bank Communication: Information versus Distraction

Much of the information communicated by central banks is noisy or imperfect. This paper considers the potential benefits and limitations of central bank communications in a model of imperfect knowledge and learning. It is shown that the value of communicating imperfect information is ambiguous. If the public is able to assess accurately the quality of the imperfect information communicated by a central bank, such communication can inform and improve the public’s decisions and expectations. But if not, communicating imperfect communication has the potential to mislead and distract. The risk that imperfect communication may detract from the public’s understanding should be considered in the context of a central bank’s communications strategy. The risk of distraction means the central bank may prefer to focus its communication policies on the information it knows most about. Indeed, conveying more certain information may improve the public’s understanding to the extent that it "crowds out" a role for communicating imperfect information.Transparency, forecasts, learning

Review of David Lewis, A World from the Lost: Remarks on James Nayler\u27s Love to the Lost and a Hand Held Forth to the Helpless to Lead Out of the Dark (Inner Light Books, 2019)

James Nayler has been an enduring enigma to historians. He’s been considered a madman and a saint. A variety of perspectives and interpretations, often conflicting, from political, sociological, psychological, theological, and literary standpoints have been offered; but one undeniable fact about Nayler that historians can agree on is that he was a charismatic figure. His charisma rivaled George Fox in the earliest period of the Quaker movement. But he was largely lost in the dustbins of Quaker history until the twentieth century, when four modern biographies were written as well as numerous scholarly articles in Quaker journals. And he continues to generate interest in many Quaker circles

GP perspectives on hospital discharge letters : an interview and focus group study

Background: Written discharge communication following inpatient or outpatient clinic discharge is essential for communicating information to the GP, but GPs’ opinions on discharge communication are seldom sought. Patients are sometimes copied into this communication, but the reasons for this variation, and the resultant effects, remain unclear. Aim: To explore GP perspectives on how discharge letters can be improved in order to enhance patient outcomes. Design & setting: The study used narrative interviews with 26 GPs from 13 GP practices within the West Midlands, England. Method: Interviews were transcribed and data were analysed using corpus linguistics (CL) techniques. Results Elements pivotal to a successful letter were: diagnosis, appropriate follow-up plan, medication changes and reasons, clinical summary, investigations and/or procedures and outcomes, and what information has been given to the patient. GPs supported patients receiving discharge letters and expounded a number of benefits of this practice; for example, increased patient autonomy. Nevertheless, GPs felt that if patients are to receive direct discharge letter copies, modifications such as use of lay language and avoidance of acronyms may be required to increase patient understanding. Conclusion: GPs reported that discharge letters frequently lacked content items they assessed to be important; GPs highlighted that this can have subsequent ramifications on resources and patient experiences. Templates should be devised that put discharge letter elements assessed to be important by GPs to the forefront. Future research needs to consider other perspectives on letter content, particularly those of patients

Spencer Dale: QE – one year on

Mr Spencer Dale, Executive Director and Chief Economist of the Bank of Englan

Governing at-a-distance: Outsourcing, network prudentialism and quality assurance standards.

Organizational research has entered into a network paradigm (Borgatti & Foster, 2003). Despite the proliferation of literature on networks, very little emphasis has been placed upon elucidating the ways in which networks are governed. This thesis moves to understand network governance within the context of the North American automotive industry. Within this industry, lead firms, specifically General Motors, Ford and Daimler-Chrysler, have outsourced a substantial portion of parts production. This thesis argues that in an aim to govern their supplier relations, North American lead firms\u27 imposition of QS 9000 and now ISO/TS 16949 quality assurance standards upon their suppliers, is a governmental programme of network standardization. Constitutive of this programme is failure. Nodes situated in the network are called upon to pre-emptively manage failures. Drawing upon the governmentality literature, particular attention is given to the centrality of probabilizing failure and the techniques used to manage failure. Utilizing the quality assurance standards themselves, and 15 in-depth interviews with quality assurance managers by the author at different Tier 1 part supplier plants, this article explores the moral rationalities and technologies of performance used to manage failures. This thesis focuses on the creation of part narratives, and particularly, on the quality audit and its role in governing the conduct of part suppliers at-a-distance. Lastly, this thesis focuses on the network prudential subject, who is called upon to pre-emptively manage failures on behalf of the network. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2005 .S667. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 44-03, page: 1247. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2005