Critical Success Factors in Technology Transfer from Government Laboratories to Private Sector

Each year the Canadian government allocates a significant amount of money for science and technology. A major portion of this allocation goes for R& D. In order to enjoy adequate return, technologies that are developed in Canadian federal labs need to be transferred to the public effectively. There are critical factors in technology transfer which play a key role in determining the effectiveness of this transfer process. This study examines the technical, organizational, and people factors which can enhance technology transfer from government laboratories

The influence of job characteristics on IT and non-IT job professional’s turnover intentions

Purpose – Information technology (IT) professionals and their intentions to leave an organization have been studied by researchers; however, these studies do not compare the turnover intentions of IT professionals with non-IT professionals from the same institution. The purpose of this paper is to examine how IT and non-IT job professionals relate to motivational and social job characteristics and their impact on job satisfaction, job performance and turnover intentions. Design/methodology/approach – Data w

Canada’s global and business competitiveness: Competition policy reform in a changing world

Purpose – Exploration of the policy reforms necessary to strengthen Canada’s competitiveness among world trading economies. The paper aims to compare Canada’s competitiveness with two economic partners, the USA and the UK, and two emerging economies, China and India. Design/methodology/approach – Data from the annual Global Competitiveness Reports (GCRs) were used to compare Canada with the other countries. Findings – Canada requires a national strategy to create a generation of Canadian innovators, entrepreneurs and executives with a global mindset. Research limitations/implications – Although Canada has many global trading partners, the paper compares Canadian competitiveness with only two economic partners and two emerging economics. Also, only data from the GCRs are used. Other measures of competitiveness need to be taken into consideration to better understand Canada’s global and business competitiveness. Originality/value – This paper provides new insights into Canada’s lack of global competitiveness. The main reasons for this lack of competitiveness are analysed and recommendations are provided for Canadian policy makers to enhance competitiveness

The BRIC and African Countries’ Informal Economies: Differences, Similarities and Some General Observations

This study examines whether African countries can learn from the experiences of BRIC countries that have informal economies. Our analysis revealed that some characteristics of the informal economy are common in both the BRIC and the select African group. The study found that the size of the economy does not tell the full story about the informal economy, and that post-conflict economies have a higher proportion of informal economy. Countries with the largest informal economies have had the greatest decline. Further, the absolute size of the informal economy is greater in both groups, resulting in more people working in the informal sector than official records would indicate. Moreover, countries with high female labour participation registered a far greater reduction in their informal economies than those countries with low female labour participation. All in all, limited availability of quality data on the nature, structure, behavior and consequences of the informal economy and its relations with the rest of the economy and society need to be overcome for a better understanding of the informal economy and informed development policymaking

Designing governance for shared services organizations in the public service

As shared services organizations (SSO) become more popular as a service management and delivery option in government, properly defining and setting up the governance structure continues to be a key success factor. This paper explores the options and issues to consider when selecting and implementing shared services governance including topics such as oversight, accountability, culture, management of resources, and of day-to-day operations. Shared services organizations are increasingly common in private sector companies and the particular challenges involved in the governance of an SSO in a public service context are highlighted and discussed