Business strategy and firm performance: the British corporate economy, 1949-1984

There has been considerable and ongoing debate about the performance of the British economy since 1945. Empirical studies have concentrated on aggregate or industry level indicators. Few have examined individual firms’ financial performance. This study takes a sample of c.3000 firms in 19 industries and identifies Britain’s best performing companies over a period of 35 years. Successful companies are defined as a) those that survive as independent entities, b) that outperform peer group average return to capital for that industry, and c) that outperform other firms in the economy according to return on capital relative to industry average. Results are presented as league tables of success and some tentative explanations offered concerning the common strategies of successful firms. A broader research agenda for British business history is suggested

The Cannon Hall Muscat grape

The Canon Hall Muscat table grape grown for export in Western Australia is consistent with the early descriptions and the present appearance of the original  Cannon Hall Muscat vine, and is clearly the same variety. It has the diploid number of chromosomes and the use of its name for tetraploid sports of Muscat of Alexandria is not justified.Die Rebensorte Cannon Hall MuscatDie Tafeltraube Canon Hall Muscat, die in Westaustralien zum Export angebaut wird, gleicht der ursprünglichen Cannon-Hall-Muscat-Rebe, da die erstgenannte eindeutig den alten Beschreibungen und dem heutigen Aussehen der letzteren entspricht. Canon Hall Muscat ist diploid, und deshalb sollte dieser Name nicht für tetraploide Mutanten von Muscat of Alexandria gebraucht werden

Developing your own graduate employees: Employer perspectives on the value of a degree apprenticeship

The purpose of this paper is to offer an employer perspective on the value of degree apprenticeships (DAs) less than a year after the first apprentices commenced their studies for a bachelor's degree in September 2015. Design/methodology/approach - This case focusses on one of the first DAs in the UK. It draws on evidence from interviews with HR professionals responsible for the DA in two contrasting companies, an international PLC and a smaller, fast growing enterprise. Findings - Both employers consider that the DA meets recruitment needs in ways that other options do not. They particularly value the ability of apprentices to make an immediate contribution in the workplace. For the smaller employer the university support structures are a significant advantage. Only the larger employer formally input into the curriculum prior to validation but both feel they can tailor content to suit their needs. Both see investing in the DA as excellent value for money. Practical implications - The value of strong relationships, trust and ongoing dialogue between partners emerges as a key component in fulfilling the need of employers. Originality/value - The DA model recasts employers as the purchasers of higher education and affords them a key role in developing provision tailored to their needs. Implications of this new model for employers, universities and learners are potentially profound and hard to predict. This case study is based on part of the early stage of a three-year research programme. It provides a unique, early insight into two employers' rationales for engaging with the DA programme and their initial experiences

Short-Haul Revitalization Study Final Report

A feasibility study was performed for an advanced commercial short-haul aircraft to evaluate the potential for increased service for short-haul flights that operate out of regional and community airports. An analysis of potential origin-destination markets and trip distances resulted in a seat capacity selection of 48 passengers and a design range of 600 NM. A down-select of advanced technologies resulted in a hybrid-electric propulsion system being chosen as the primary enabling technology. A conceptual design of the advanced aircraft was developed, and a mission and sizing analysis was performed, comparing variants of the advanced aircraft with different levels of electrification. Fairly aggressive levels of electrification and battery specific energy are needed for the hybridelectric architecture to realize any benefit in terms of total energy cost for the 600 NM design mission. The development and operational costs were estimated for the advanced aircraft and compared to the baseline. This analysis demonstrated the negative effect of the cost to develop the hybrid-electric technology on the eventual operating cost. A market analysis was performed to determine possible passenger demand for the advanced shorthaul aircraft. According to the market analysis, there is potential demand for such an aircraft, but not necessarily in many of the smaller regional and community airports that were the intended beneficiaries of this new aircraft concept

United Kingdom Diabetic Retinopathy Electronic Medical Record (UK DR EMR) Users Group: report 4, real-world data on the impact of deprivation on the presentation of diabetic eye disease at hospital services.

AIM: To assess the impact of deprivation on diabetic retinopathy presentation and related treatment interventions, as observed within the UK hospital eye service. METHODS: This is a multicentre, national diabetic retinopathy database study with anonymised data extraction across 22 centres from an electronic medical record system. The following were the inclusion criteria: all patients with diabetes and a recorded, structured diabetic retinopathy grade. The minimum data set included, for baseline, age and Index of Multiple Deprivation, based on residential postcode; and for all time points, visual acuity, ETDRS grading of retinopathy and maculopathy, and interventions (laser, intravitreal therapies and surgery). The main  outcome measures were (1) visual acuity and binocular visual state, and (2) presence of sight-threatening complications and need for early treatment. RESULTS: 79 775 patients met the inclusion criteria. Deprivation was associated with later presentation in patients with diabetic eye disease: the OR of being sight-impaired at entry into the hospital eye service (defined as 6/18 to better than 3/60 in the better seeing eye) was 1.29 (95% CI 1.20 to 1.39) for the most deprived decile vs 0.77 (95% CI 0.70 to 0.86) for the least deprived decile; the OR for being severely sight-impaired (3/60 or worse in the better seeing eye) was 1.17 (95% CI 0.90 to 1.55) for the most deprived decile vs 0.88 (95% CI 0.61 to 1.27) for the least deprived decile (reference=fifth decile in all cases). There is also variation in sight-threatening complications at presentation and treatment undertaken: the least deprived deciles had lower chance of having a tractional retinal detachment (OR=0.48 and 0.58 for deciles 9 and 10, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.90 and 0.29 to 1.09, respectively); in terms of accessing treatment, the rate of having a vitrectomy was lowest in the most deprived cohort (OR=0.34, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.58). CONCLUSIONS: This large real-world study suggests that first presentation at a hospital eye clinic with visual loss or sight-threatening diabetic eye disease is associated with deprivation. These initial hospital visits represent the first opportunities to receive treatment and to formally engage with support services. Such patients are more likely to be sight-impaired or severely sight-impaired at presentation, and may need additional resources to engage with the hospital eye services over complex treatment schedules

Small is Beautiful? Evidencing the Social Value of Micro-Providers in Social Care

Objectives This paper is about the characteristics and contribution of (social) entrepreneurs or micro-enterprises with fewer than five workers in the context of changing markets for adult social care. Our objective is to meet some of the challenges of evidencing the social value such ‘micro-providers’ bring. Prior Work Micro-providers do not fit neatly into established categories. They include ‘social businesses’ voluntary groups, and co-operatives as well as micro-businesses of the kinds sometimes dismissed as ‘lifestyle’. Many are run by family carers or people themselves needing care. Theories and frameworks relevant to understanding them therefore span micro-business households and the ethic of care as well as social enterprise/entrepreneurship. In terms of evidencing economic and social impact there are numerous management systems and toolkits but none are scalable for microproviders. Approach This paper reports research funded by an ESRC placement in partnership with Community Catalysts CIC, a social enterprise that champions micro-providers, and assists local authorities to develop the social care market by stimulating enterprise. Community Catalysts are under pressure to evidence the impact of micro-providers. The placement utilised an action research approach intended to build resources that will help Community Catalysts to do so. Results Micro-providers themselves, and Community Catalysts’ local organisers who work with them, generate information through their everyday activities and interactions. Collating and recording it however can be perceived as a burden with unclear benefits. In dialogue with Community Catalysts, we co-created a four-part framework for capturing added value: Sustainable Businesses; Social Participation; Diverse Markets; Local Work Opportunities. This framework supports the collection of information that is meaningful on the front-line and proportionate to the capacity of organisers and providers. Most importantly, it facilitates building local knowledge capable of being deployed to demonstrate impact and social value in a fast changing, competitive environment. Implications Our research supports Community Catalysts in their quest to demonstrate value at a local authority level as well as a national scale. The framework utilises records made as part of everyday practice to inform local authorities tasked with shaping the future of a market economy for social care. Further research is called for in order to explore the potential to adapt it for social and third sector microenterprises outside of the care sector. Value This paper advances understanding of how one kind of small enterprise - the micro-provider of care - can be shown to harness local energy. Social entrepreneurship is a growing field of study and within it there is a small but expanding literature on impact and value, yet no academic research to date has focussed on the micro-provider