International entrepreneurship education: postgraduate business students experiences of entrepreneurship education

Objectives The study aims to enhance understanding of the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in meeting the expectations and motivations of international postgraduate students participating in UK business & management education. Specifically, it explores within sample groups of learners: RQ1. What is the typical profile of the international students’ prior education and work experience? RQ2. What do students expect from studying an entrepreneurship PG course in the UK? RQ3. What are their experiences of, and learning outcomes from, the entrepreneurship course? RQ4. What benefits regarding their skills and knowledge do they perceive result from participation? Prior Work International Postgraduate education has grown substantially in the last decade (UUK, 2010). There has been significant growth in international postgraduate student participation in UK business related subjects, involving both MBA and other Masters’ programmes such as MSc in Management and a range of specialist awards, which increasingly offer Entrepreneurship as a core or option. Prior research focuses on transnational comparisons between France, Germany and Poland (Packham et al, 2010) USA, Spain and China (Pruett et al, 2009) Africa and Europe (Davey et al, 2011) China (Millman et al, 2010) and Poland (Jones, et al, 2011) with relatively little research specifically addressing entrepreneurship for international students on postgraduate courses in the UK (Hall and Sung, 2009, Liu, 2010). Approach This article originates in the authors’ experiences in running postgraduate entrepreneurship modules for international students in UK Business Schools. They found that students often experienced concerns about a ‘mismatch’ between their expectations of UK business and management education and their actual experiences, with experiences of cultural tensions between prior learning experiences and their acculturation to the requirements and norms of UK business education. The study is a microcosm of a wider issue as these concerns are shared more generally by international Postgraduate students. Results The results confirmed that career development was a major motivator for international study in the UK. Interest in entrepreneurship is increasing but there are tensions between the expectations of the postgraduate experience and the experienced reality. Entrepreneurship was in some cases seen as a distinctive ‘peak experience’, but cultural factors, learning effectiveness and linguistic capability need to be addressed in designing learning programmes. Implications The study contributes new evidence and ideas to the debate on entrepreneurship education in meeting the career expectations and motivations of international postgraduate students participating in entrepreneurship education, especially in the light of new curricular guidance (QAA, 2012) and UK government regulation. Value It offers suggestions for educators on the effective design and delivery of entrepreneurship for international students in the rapidly changing and competitive postgraduate market

How does enterprise & entrepreneurship education influence postgraduate students’ career intentions in the new era economy?

Purpose Enterprise & Entrepreneurship Education (EEE) is seen as a major contributor to economic growth and development in the post-2008 environment we term the ‘New Era’. The role of EEE in enabling graduates to develop entrepreneurial intentions and career plans is therefore of major importance. This paper explores how EEE can influence postgraduate entrepreneurship and career initiation in the context of the New Era economy at an international level. Methodology/Approach The paper explores the learning experiences of a group of 60 postgraduate international students who completed an Entrepreneurship programme at the University of Lincoln which included the development of personal learning narratives and career plans. The students were exposed to the Opportunity-centred entrepreneurship approach and the ‘Entrepreneurial Effectiveness’ model in the QAA guidelines (2012). Their narratives were analysed to assess: - Prior career intentions - Proposed career intentions resulting from the EEE programme - Application of learning arising from the EEE programme - A survey of students was used to validate the narratives Findings EEE has a wider influence on personal development and career planning than simply the intention to create new ventures. This paper builds on a prior study of international postgraduate students’ orientation to entrepreneurship education in their expectations of UK Higher Education, which confirmed that career development is a major motivator for international study in the UK (Rae & Woodier-Harris, 2012). The paper contributes new understanding of the relationships between EEE and graduate career intentions, especially at PG and international levels. The paper explores personal growth, confidence and identity development, formation of new career intentions and the application of learning. The international dimension is considerable and this is discussed. Implications The paper has implications for the marketing, design and delivery of EEE at international and HE institutional levels, as well as for the practices of educators in designing, validating and delivering programmes for entrepreneurial career development, at national and international levels. Originality/Value The paper contributes new understanding to the role of EEE in postgraduate career initiation at international level in a period of significant and complex economic transformation

Securing Singapore/Managing Perceptions: From Shooting the Messenger to Dodging the Question

The citizens of Singapore have been in thrall to the governing People's Action Party (PAP) and its senior figure Lee Kuan Yew for almost 45 years. Served by a pliant media brought to heel by a combination of legislative and ownership controls, the PAP has been effective in limiting the space for debate while successfully conveying its own internal messaging aimed at securing the state and its own political longevity. It has done this by creating the image of a Singapore as a fortress Chinese-led stability and prosperity, ever under threat from more restive neighbours. But, in the face of the emerging threats to this control posed by new information technology and the exigencies of the global economy, the government has been forced to become increasingly ophisticated at managing perceptions and minimizing controversy. This paper will examine how the government has successfully met these challenges in a public relations triumph, effectively winning the battle for the hearts and minds of its internal audience, as well as shoring up the image of 'Fortress Singapore' and appeasing external allies in the 'war against terror', thus keeping Singapore critics in check and neutralizing any external political support for domestic political movements

Improving patient safety by learning from near misses – insights from safety-critical industries

Background Patients are at risk of being harmed by the very processes meant to help them. To improve patient safety, healthcare organisations attempt to identify the factors that contribute to incidents and take action to optimise conditions to minimise repeats. However, improvements in patient safety have not matched those observed in other safety-critical industries. One difference between healthcare and other safety-critical industries may be how they learn from near misses when seeking to make safety improvements. Near misses are incidents that almost happened, but for an interruption in the sequence of events. Management of near misses includes their identification, reporting and investigation, and the learning that results. Safety theory suggests that acting on near misses will lead to actions to help prevent incidents. However, evidence also suggests that healthcare has yet to embrace the learning potential that patient safety near misses offer. The aims of this research, in support of this thesis, were to explore how best healthcare can learn from patient safety near misses to improve patient safety, and to identify what guidance non-healthcare safety-critical industries, which have implemented effective near-miss management systems, can offer healthcare. As this research progressed the aims were updated to include consideration of whether healthcare should seek to learn from patient safety near misses. Methods This research took a mixed-methods approach augmented by scoping reviews of the healthcare (study 1) and non-healthcare safety-critical industry (study 3) literature. A qualitative case study (study 2) was undertaken to explore the management of patient safety near misses in the English National Health Service. Seventeen interviews were undertaken with patient safety leads across acute hospitals, ambulance trusts, mental health trusts, primary care, and national bodies. A questionnaire was also used to help access the views of frontline staff. A grounded theory (study 4) was used to develop a set of principles, based on learning from non-healthcare safety-critical industries, around how best near misses can be managed. Thirty-five interviews were undertaken across aviation, maritime, and rail, with nuclear later added as per the theoretical sampling. Results The scoping reviews contributed 125 healthcare and 108 non-healthcare safety-critical industry academic articles, published internationally between 2000 and 2022, to the evidence gained from the qualitative case study and grounded theory. Safety cultures and maturity with safety management processes were found to vary in and across the different industries, and there was a reluctance for healthcare to learn about safety and near misses from other industries. Healthcare has yet to establish effective processes to manage patient safety near misses. There is an absence of evidence that learning has led to improvements in patient safety. The definition of a patient safety near miss varies, and organisations focus their efforts on reporting and investigating incidents, with limited attention to patient safety near misses. In non-healthcare safety-critical industries, near-miss management is more established, but process maturity varies in and across industries. Near misses are often defined specifically for an industry, but there is limited evidence that learning from them has improved safety. Information about near misses are commonly aggregated and may contribute to company and industry safety management systems. Exploration of the definition of a patient safety near miss led to the identification of the features of a near miss. The features have not been previously defined in the manner presented in this thesis. A patient safety near miss is context-specific and complex, involves interruptions, highlights system vulnerabilities, and is delineated from an incident by whether events reach a patient. Across healthcare and non-healthcare safety-critical industries the impact of learning from near misses is often assumed or extrapolated based on the common cause hypothesis. The hypothesis is regularly cited in safety literature and is used as the basis for justifying a focus on patient safety near misses. However, the validity of the hypothesis has been questioned and has not been validated for different patient safety near miss and incident types. Conclusions The research findings challenge long-held beliefs that learning from patient safety near misses will lead to improvements in patient safety. These beliefs are based on traditional safety theory that is unlikely to now be valid in the complexity of modern-day systems where incidents are the result of multiple factors and can emerge without apparent warning. Further research is required to understand the relationship between learning from patient safety near misses and patient safety, and whether the common cause hypothesis is valid for different types of healthcare safety event. While there are questions about the value of learning directly from patient safety near misses, the contribution of near misses to safety management systems in non-healthcare safety-critical industries looks to be beneficial for safety improvement. Safety management systems have yet to be implemented in the National Health Service and future research should look to understand how best this may be achieved and their value. In the meantime, patient safety near misses may help healthcare’s understanding of systems and their optimisation to create barriers to incidents and build resilience. This research offers an evidence-based definition of a patient safety near miss and describes principles to support identification, reporting, prioritisation, investigation, aggregation, learning, and action to help improve patient safety

Improving patient safety by learning from near misses – insights from safety-critical industries

Background Patients are at risk of being harmed by the very processes meant to help them. To improve patient safety, healthcare organisations attempt to identify the factors that contribute to incidents and take action to optimise conditions to minimise repeats. However, improvements in patient safety have not matched those observed in other safety-critical industries. One difference between healthcare and other safety-critical industries may be how they learn from near misses when seeking to make safety improvements. Near misses are incidents that almost happened, but for an interruption in the sequence of events. Management of near misses includes their identification, reporting and investigation, and the learning that results. Safety theory suggests that acting on near misses will lead to actions to help prevent incidents. However, evidence also suggests that healthcare has yet to embrace the learning potential that patient safety near misses offer. The aims of this research, in support of this thesis, were to explore how best healthcare can learn from patient safety near misses to improve patient safety, and to identify what guidance non-healthcare safety-critical industries, which have implemented effective near-miss management systems, can offer healthcare. As this research progressed the aims were updated to include consideration of whether healthcare should seek to learn from patient safety near misses. Methods This research took a mixed-methods approach augmented by scoping reviews of the healthcare (study 1) and non-healthcare safety-critical industry (study 3) literature. A qualitative case study (study 2) was undertaken to explore the management of patient safety near misses in the English National Health Service. Seventeen interviews were undertaken with patient safety leads across acute hospitals, ambulance trusts, mental health trusts, primary care, and national bodies. A questionnaire was also used to help access the views of frontline staff. A grounded theory (study 4) was used to develop a set of principles, based on learning from non-healthcare safety-critical industries, around how best near misses can be managed. Thirty-five interviews were undertaken across aviation, maritime, and rail, with nuclear later added as per the theoretical sampling. Results The scoping reviews contributed 125 healthcare and 108 non-healthcare safety-critical industry academic articles, published internationally between 2000 and 2022, to the evidence gained from the qualitative case study and grounded theory. Safety cultures and maturity with safety management processes were found to vary in and across the different industries, and there was a reluctance for healthcare to learn about safety and near misses from other industries. Healthcare has yet to establish effective processes to manage patient safety near misses. There is an absence of evidence that learning has led to improvements in patient safety. The definition of a patient safety near miss varies, and organisations focus their efforts on reporting and investigating incidents, with limited attention to patient safety near misses. In non-healthcare safety-critical industries, near-miss management is more established, but process maturity varies in and across industries. Near misses are often defined specifically for an industry, but there is limited evidence that learning from them has improved safety. Information about near misses are commonly aggregated and may contribute to company and industry safety management systems. Exploration of the definition of a patient safety near miss led to the identification of the features of a near miss. The features have not been previously defined in the manner presented in this thesis. A patient safety near miss is context-specific and complex, involves interruptions, highlights system vulnerabilities, and is delineated from an incident by whether events reach a patient. Across healthcare and non-healthcare safety-critical industries the impact of learning from near misses is often assumed or extrapolated based on the common cause hypothesis. The hypothesis is regularly cited in safety literature and is used as the basis for justifying a focus on patient safety near misses. However, the validity of the hypothesis has been questioned and has not been validated for different patient safety near miss and incident types. Conclusions The research findings challenge long-held beliefs that learning from patient safety near misses will lead to improvements in patient safety. These beliefs are based on traditional safety theory that is unlikely to now be valid in the complexity of modern-day systems where incidents are the result of multiple factors and can emerge without apparent warning. Further research is required to understand the relationship between learning from patient safety near misses and patient safety, and whether the common cause hypothesis is valid for different types of healthcare safety event. While there are questions about the value of learning directly from patient safety near misses, the contribution of near misses to safety management systems in non-healthcare safety-critical industries looks to be beneficial for safety improvement. Safety management systems have yet to be implemented in the National Health Service and future research should look to understand how best this may be achieved and their value. In the meantime, patient safety near misses may help healthcare’s understanding of systems and their optimisation to create barriers to incidents and build resilience. This research offers an evidence-based definition of a patient safety near miss and describes principles to support identification, reporting, prioritisation, investigation, aggregation, learning, and action to help improve patient safety

Response to Qian and Colvin : zinc-mediated regulation of the cardiac ryanodine receptor occurs via multiple binding sites

PostprintPeer reviewe

Modulation of the <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae </i>drug efflux conduit MtrE

We acknowledge funding through the Wellcome Trust Interdisciplinary Research Funds (grant WT097818MF), the Scottish Universities’ Physics Alliance (SUPA), Tenovus Tayside (grant T16/30) and the Tayside Charitable Trust. O.N.V. has been funded through a BBSRC CASE award (BB/J013072/1).Widespread antibiotic resistance, especially of Gram-negative bacteria, has become a severe concern for human health. Tripartite efflux pumps are one of the major contributors to resistance in Gram-negative pathogens, by efficiently expelling a broad spectrum of antibiotics from the organism. In Neisseria gonorrhoeae, one of the first bacteria for which pan-resistance has been reported, the most expressed efflux complex is MtrCDE. Here we present the electrophysiological characterisation of the outer membrane component MtrE and the membrane fusion protein MtrC, obtained by a combination of planar lipid bilayer recordings and in silico techniques. Our in vitro results show that MtrE can be regulated by periplasmic binding events and that the interaction between MtrE and MtrC is sufficient to stabilize this complex in an open state. In contrast to other efflux conduits, the open complex only displays a slight preference for cations. The maximum conductance we obtain in the in vitro recordings is comparable to that seen in our computational electrophysiology simulations conducted on the MtrE crystal structure, indicating that this state may reflect a physiologically relevant open conformation of MtrE. Our results suggest that the MtrC/E binding interface is an important modulator of MtrE function, which could potentially be targeted by new efflux inhibitors.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

A family of Type VI secretion system effector proteins that form ion-selective pores

This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (104556/Z/14/Z, Senior Fellowship in Basic Biomedical Science to S.J.C.; 097818/Z/11/B and 109118/Z/15/Z, PhD studentships to University of Dundee), the MRC (MR/K000111X/1, New Investigator Research Grant to S.J.C.) and the Royal Society of Edinburgh (Biomedical Personal Research Fellowship to S.J.P.). We thank Roland Freudl for the gift of anti-OmpA antibody; Adam Ostrowski for construction of strains AO07 and AO08; Gal Horesh, Amy Dorward and Gavin Robertson for expert assistance; the Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting Facility at the University of Dundee; and the Dundee Imaging Facility (supported by Wellcome Trust [097945/B/11/Z] and MRC [MR/K015869/1]) awards).Type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) are nanomachines widely used by bacteria to deliver toxic effector proteins directly into neighbouring cells. However, the modes of action of many effectors remain unknown. Here we report that Ssp6, an anti-bacterial effector delivered by a T6SS of the opportunistic pathogen Serratia marcescens, is a toxin that forms ion-selective pores. Ssp6 inhibits bacterial growth by causing depolarisation of the inner membrane in intoxicated cells, together with increased outer membrane permeability. Reconstruction of Ssp6 activity in vitro demonstrates that it forms cation-selective pores. A survey of bacterial genomes reveals that genes encoding Ssp6-like effectors are widespread in Enterobacteriaceae and often linked with T6SS genes. We conclude that Ssp6 and similar proteins represent a new family of T6SS-delivered anti-bacterial effectors.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Structural insights into Ca2+-activated long-range allosteric channel gating of RyR1

Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are a class of giant ion channels with molecular mass over 2.2 mega-Daltons. These channels mediate calcium signaling in a variety of cells. Since more than 80% of the RyR protein is folded into the cytoplasmic assembly and the remaining residues form the transmembrane domain, it has been hypothesized that the activation and regulation of RyR channels occur through an as yet uncharacterized long-range allosteric mechanism. Here we report the characterization of a Ca2+-activated open-state RyR1 structure by cryo-electron microscopy. The structure has an overall resolution of 4.9 angstrom and a resolution of 4.2 angstrom for the core region. In comparison with the previously determined apo/closed-state structure, we observed long-range allosteric gating of the channel upon Ca2+ activation. In-depth structural analyses elucidated a novel channel-gating mechanism and a novel ion selectivity mechanism of RyR1. Our work not only provides structural insights into the molecular mechanisms of channel gating and regulation of RyRs, but also sheds light on structural basis for channel-gating and ion selectivity mechanisms for the six-transmembrane-helix cation channel family.Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences [XDB08030202]; National Basic Research Program (973 Program); Ministry of Science &amp; Technology of China [2012CB917200, 2014CB910700]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [31270768]; Ministry of Education of China (111 Program China)SCI(E)PubMed中国科技核心期刊(ISTIC)[email protected]; [email protected]

The Impact of Entrepreneurship Education in Higher Education: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

Using a teaching model framework, we systematically review empirical evidence on the impact of entrepreneurship education (EE) in higher education on a range of entrepreneurial outcomes, analyzing 159 published articles from 2004 to 2016. The teaching model framework allows us for the first time to start rigorously examining relationships between pedagogical methods and specific outcomes. Reconfirming past reviews and meta-analyses, we find that EE impact research still predominantly focuses on short-term and subjective outcome measures and tends to severely underdescribe the actual pedagogies being tested. Moreover, we use our review to provide an up-to-date and empirically rooted call for less obvious, yet greatly promising, new or underemphasized directions for future research on the impact of university-based entrepreneurship education. This includes, for example, the use of novel impact indicators related to emotion and mind-set, focus on the impact indicators related to the intention-to-behavior transition, and exploring the reasons for some contradictory findings in impact studies including person-, context-, and pedagogical model-specific moderator