Employment in European high tech manufacturing SMES during the recovery (2009-2011)

ABSTRACTThe industrial policy debate in the EU is mostly centred on the importance of high-tech manufacturing in the recovery from the 2008/2009 crisis and for the future prosperity of Europe. This paper looks at employment in European high-tech manufacturing Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) during the recovery from the global financial and economic crisis: 2009 - 2011. Its aim is to study the relations between employment in said sector and macroeconomic, policy and structural factors. A simple regression is used to ascertain the influence of these factors on employment in high-tech manufacturing SMEs. Policy implications are also drawn.  ABSTRACT The industrial policy debate in the EU is mostly centred on the importance of high-tech manufacturing in the recovery from the 2008/2009 crisis and for the future prosperity of Europe. This paper looks at employment in European high-tech manufacturing Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) during the recovery from the global financial and economic crisis: 2009 - 2011. Its aim is to study the relations between employment in said sector and macroeconomic policy and structural factors. A simple regression is used to ascertain the influence of these factors on employment in high-tech manufacturing SMEs. Policy implications are also drawn.  RESUMENEl debate sobre la política industrial en la UE está fundamentalmente centrado en la importancia que deben tener los sectores manufactureros de alta tecnología en la recuperación de la crisis del 2008/2009 y para la prosperidad futura en Europa. Este artículo analiza el empleo en pequeñas y medianas empresas (SME en sus siglas en inglés) europeas que trabajan en sectores de alta y media tecnología y se centra en el periodo de recuperación de la crisis global y financiera del 2009-2011. El objetivo es estudiar las relaciones entre el empleo en dicho sector y la política macroeconómica y los factores estructurales. Se hace uso de una regresión simple para comprobar la influencia de dichos factores sobre el empleo en SME en sectores de alta tecnología. A partir de este análisis se extraen recomendaciones en materia de política económica.   &nbsp

Laboratory evaluation of Drawtex Hydroconductive Dressing with LevaFiber technology

Good wound bed preparation is an essential aspect of wound care and effective wound healing. Removal of dead and necrotic tissue either through autolytic or interventional debridement, followed by good exudate management, inhibition of matrix metalloproteases and bacterial bioburden control should allow the chronic wound to process to closure. It is known, still, that wound healing in these circumstances is not a simple process and that maintaining a healthy wound bed is central to the process. Many practitioners rely on the TIME (Tissue, Infection/Inflammation, Moisture balance and wound Edge) framework to help them with wound bed preparation and there are a variety of dressings available to help with debridement, exudate management, reduction of bacterial bioburden and inhibit metalloproteases. The sequence of application of the various dressings will depend upon their function. This study describes the function of a dressing, Drawtex, a hydroconductive dressing, which can be used to assist with wound bed preparation through its absorption, sequestration and retention properties. The absorption over time, ability to sequester and retain bacteria were assessed in the laboratory using a variety of methods. Drawtex was shown to absorb eight times its own weight in fluid over time and it showed a 90% reduction in bacterial numbers over a 24hr period in sequestration experiments. Utilisation of direct observation by scanning electron microscopy demonstrated bacterial retention in the fibres

Environmental, social and governance disclosure, integrated reporting, and the accuracy of analyst forecasts

The International Integrated Reporting Council advocates that integrated reporting (IR) should become the worldwide norm for corporate reporting aimed at serving the needs of investors. Nonetheless, only in South Africa has IR been mandated. We study the impact of the reporting regime change in South Africa on analyst forecast accuracy over the period 2008 to 2012, as a way of evaluating users’ perceptions of the usefulness of IR. We theorise that any effects of IR will be greater the greater is the level of disclosures of environmental, social and governance performance. We find results consistent with those who support IR and our theory that the level of environmental, social and governance disclosures is a mediating variable in determining the effectiveness of IR. The results are driven by the levels of environmental disclosure and, to a lesser extent, governance disclosure. Our results provide some support for those who advocate the virtues of integrated reporting

Learning to give in a network context: applying theories of the gift to examine reciprocal exchanges in learning networks

In this paper, we draw on theories of the gift and gift exchange (Mauss, 1954, Bourdieu and Wacquant, 1992) to examine how network participants learn to become generous with one another in three learning network contexts. In this paper, we offer fresh theoretical insights as to how the concept of the gift and gift exchange can enhance our understanding of the mechanics of learning networks. From a practical standpoint, this paper also promises valuable insights into how network participants can reflect on their participation to maximise the benefits reaped from learning networks