Feeding Patterns and Attachment Ability of \u3ci\u3eAltica Subplicata\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) on Sand-Dune Willow

To investigate feeding patterns of a specialist herbivore, Altica subplicata, larvae and adults were caged separately on host plants, Salix cordata, and leaf damage was estimated. Young, relatively more pubescent leaves near the tops of the shoots were consumed more than older leaves. Larvae clearly preferred the young, pubescent leaves and avoided the oldest leaves. Adults showed a stronger preference for the first five young leaves, but amount of consumption did not differ among the older leaves. Attachment ability on smooth and pubescent leaves was examined as a possible factor influencing feeding patterns. Scanning electron microscopy of tarsal adhesive structures and leaf surfaces was conducted to investigate how A. subplicata attaches to its host. Adhesive setae on the tarsi of adults may be effective for attachment on the older, smooth leaves and their tarsal claws are likely used to cling to trichomes of pubescent leaves. Larvae have fleshy adhesive pads for attachment. Laboratory experiments on attachment of larvae and adults to smooth and pubescent leaves under various wind conditions showed that wind caused difficulty in attachment and movement, but leaf pubescence did not affect the number of beetles that fell off leaves. However, larvae fell off more quickly when placed on pubescent leaves. Thus, other factors such as nutritional quality and microclimate provided by trichomes may be responsible for the preference for pubescent leaves exhibited by A. subplicata

The impact of National Vocational Qualifications on library and information services

National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) were introduced in the UK in the 1980s as part of a drive to improve the skills of the workforce. Within the Information and Library Services sector, S/NVQs are now widely accepted and have contributed to the broadening of access and policies of diversification in educational establishments at all levels. This Briefing traces the history and development of S/NVQs in the profession, outlines the benefits to both the organisation and the individual, and discusses some of the criticisms that remain

DYNAMIC KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT CAPABILITY FOR THE SMALL TOURISM FIRM

Strategic management theory has largely and traditionally focused on the external environment in which a firm can achieve competitive advantage (Bounfour, 2003). Increasingly literature has redirected their focus towards the more controllable internal resources within the firm (Barney, 1991). An increasing amount of literature has recognised that the potential for competitive advantage arises from Intellectual Capital (IC) in the form of human, social and structural resources (Teece, 1998). Previous IC literature has tended to focus mostly on the measurement of individual components of IC and IC components collectively (Mayo, 2000; Tsai and Ghoshal, 1998; Stewart, 1997). Essentially IC amalgamates to a firm’s knowledge assets. Although it makes sense to redirect IC theory towards Knowledge Management (KM) thinking, it has traditionally remained as two distinct areas (Bounfour, 2003). The scant literature that does link KM with IC has been produced purely on a theoretical basis (Moustaghfir, 2008) and the tendency has been to focus on larger firms with case studies and little research has taken place in the tourism industry (Engstrom et al, 2003; Roos and Roos, 1997b) or SME sector. Key authors in the area are calling for the integration of academics and management practitioners to form a practice based model (Grant, 1997). This article therefore seeks to create this link between IC and KM in the Irish tourism sector, by identifying the IC resources of importance, and leveraging these resources through knowledge management capability. Further this paper identifies and distinguishes between the cognitive based aspects of knowledge management and the action based area of organisational learning that will enhance the tourism firm’s competitive advantage

What do we know about demand, use and outcomes in primary care out-of-hours services? A systematic scoping review of international literature

This study was funded by the Scottish Government through the Primary Care Division and Health Improvement Scotland.Objective To synthesise international evidence for demand, use and outcomes of primary care out-of-hours health services (OOHS). Design Systematic scoping review. Data sources CINAHL; Medline; PsyARTICLES; PsycINFO; SocINDEX; and Embase from 1995 to 2019. Study selection English language studies in UK or similar international settings, focused on services in or directly impacting primary care. Results 105 studies included: 54% from mainland Europe/Republic of Ireland; 37% from UK. Most focused on general practitioner-led out-of-hours cooperatives. Evidence for increasing patient demand over time was weak due to data heterogeneity, infrequent reporting of population denominators and little adjustment for population sociodemographics. There was consistent evidence of higher OOHS use in the evening compared with overnight, at weekends and by certain groups (children aged 65, women, those from socioeconomically deprived areas, with chronic diseases or mental health problems). Contact with OOHS was driven by problems perceived as urgent by patients. Respiratory, musculoskeletal, skin and abdominal symptoms were the most common reasons for contact in adults; fever and gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common in the under-5s. Frequent users of daytime services were also frequent OOHS users; difficulty accessing daytime services was also associated with OOHS use. There is some evidence to suggest that OOHS colocated in emergency departments (ED) can reduce demand in EDs. Conclusions Policy changes have impacted on OOHS over the past two decades. While there are generalisable lessons, a lack of comparable data makes it difficult to judge how demand has changed over time. Agreement on collection of OOHS data would allow robust comparisons within and across countries and across new models of care. Future developments in OOHS should also pay more attention to the relationship with daytime primary care and other services.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

FRAMEWORK FOR ENHANCING COMPETITIVENESS IN CULTURE AND HERITAGE ORGANISATIONS IN THE IRISH TOURISM INDUSTRY

The culture and heritage sector of the tourism industry has become a major economic sector of enterprise and of wealth creation (Failte Ireland, 2009a). However, as the National Development Plan (2007-2013) notes, the landscape is changing and the tourism industry is at a significant turning point in its evolution due to the economic downturn. Creating a stronger competitive capacity within Irish tourism companies is a challenging issue (National Development Plan, 2007-2013) and a core focus of this research. This research will particularly focus on cultural and heritage organisations where the industry is predominantly made up of micro and small to medium sized organisations. Given these organisation‟s are small they have limited resource pools. However, as outlined in the „New Horizons for Irish Tourism‟ report (Failte Ireland, 2009b), the cultural and heritage sector has „core assets‟ which if leveraged and deployed to maximum capacity, it could result in a competitive advantage. Strategic management theory has largely and traditionally focused on the external environment in which a firm can achieve competitive advantage (Bounfour, 2003). Increasingly literature has redirected its focus towards the more controllable internal resources within the firm (Barney, 1991). Indeed, an increasing amount of literature has recognised that if small cultural and tourism organisations can strategically utilise their limited resources to maximum capacity, competitiveness should increase (Sundbo et al. 2006). Drawing on the resource based (Barney, 1991) and dynamic capabilities views of the firm (Teece et al., 1997), this paper will make a unique contribution to a very significant gap in the capabilities and business strategy literature by analysing how tourism organisations are utilising and maximising their intangible resource stocks as a means of gaining competitive advantage. Due to the scarcity of research and interest in this area, it is perceived that our ongoing study will contribute substantially to academic knowledge and practice and should highlight key areas warranting investigation going forward

Dynamic Knowledge Management Capability (DKMC): From Resources to Capital (RIKON Group)

Strategic management theory has largely and traditionally focused on the external environment in which a firm can achieve competitive advantage (Bounfour, 2003). Increasingly literature has redirected their focus towards the more controllable internal resources within the firm (Barney, 1991). An increasing amount of literature has recognised that the potential for competitive advantage arises from Intellectual Capital (IC) in the form of human, relational and structural resources (Teece, 1998). However, transforming these resources in to Intellectual Capital has received scant attention within the literature and remains a central dilemma for most firms. Utilising the tourism industry as a context, this paper presents a conceptual model that details how the cultural and heritage organisation can effectively deploy and reconfigure resources to deliver sustained competitive advantage through cognitive and action orientated processes. The model proposes that the transformative process involves the integration of a firm’s knowledge and learning capability. The knowledge management capability engages the firm’s capital and transforms its inert state through the acquisition, storage, retrieval and distribution of knowledge within the firm (Crossan et al, 1999), while the application of knowledge takes place through learning within the firm (Chatzkel, 2000)

DOES SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE EXIST? AND, IF SO, HOW CAN IT BE ACHIEVED?

Strategists and economists have spent years studying firms and organisations that have been successful. The questions that arose back then remain unanswered today. Why are some organisations more successful than others? What is different about these successful firms? How did they achieve this competitive advantage (CA)? And is it sustainable? Many theories have been put forward in an effort to solve this matter, but not one particular theory has been acknowledged as the means of gaining this competitive advantage (Cockburn, Henderson and Stern, 2000). Strategy within the 1980s mainly focused on the management of external factors as the source of competitive advantage (Porter, 1985). In the context of tourism, this is even more apparent. Many authors within the tourism literature have researched competitiveness in relation to the external environment (Yasin, Alavi, Sobral, Lisboa, 2003; Go, Pine and Yu, 1994). However, in the early nineties there was a significant shift in focus when strategists began to recognise that CA came from resources within the firm (Mahoney and Pandian, 1992; Barney, 1991; Grant, 1991). Policy makers have recognised the significant role that the Irish tourism sector plays within the Irish economy as well as its lack of competitiveness, hence they are eager to instil competitiveness in Irish tourism organisations (Dept of Arts, Sports and Tourism, 2010; Tourism Renewal Group, 2009). However, the dynamic nature of the tourism industry has made competition difficult to sustain. The problem with Sustainable Competitive Advantage (SCA) is that nobody really knows how to achieve it or whether it can even exist (Useem, 2000). There has been significant debate about this issue in strategic literature for quite some time and is still ongoing today (Fiol, 2001; Coyne, 1986). This paper will look comprehensively at whether it is possible for a tourism organisation to attain a competitive advantage. If it is possible, then how can the tourism organisation‟s internal resources be utilised to gain this level of competitiveness. Furthermore, this paper will discuss whether tourist practitioners can transform this advantage into a sustainable competitive advantage

Towards more sustainable and inclusive development corridors in Africa

Development corridors are linear programmes of infrastructure and agriculture aiming to facilitate rapid socio-economic development. In Africa, they are a major development activity, with 88 underway or planned corridors. Drawing from extensive literature and insights gleaned from a 4-year research programme, this review scrutinizes the impacts of development corridors on people, wildlife and ecosystems in Kenya and Tanzania, proposing solutions to achieve better outcomes. The overarching goal was to discern the principle challenges emerging from the practical execution of the prevailing corridor model. The holistic approach taken, assessing the development corridors paradigm through an integrated ecological, social, and economic lens, provides novel insights that have not been possible using more traditional – siloed – research approaches. Eight key challenge areas are identified: impact assessments processes; coherence across international, national and local planning; governance; inclusivity; equality; impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services; incorporation of future climate risks; and integrated water resource management. Poorly planned and implemented corridors detrimentally impact livelihoods and ecosystems. They lack a sustainable development vision, detailed social, environmental or climate risk assessments, and develop incrementally in policy and corporate spaces. There is also often a disconnect between investors and recipient governments, with some investors funding what governments request without applying internationally-recognised safeguards, and governments lacking capacity and resources to enforce regulations. We make recommendations for addressing these challenge areas. These aim to enhance impact assessment efficacy; integrate local perspectives into effective and inclusive corridor planning; overcome siloed project development and implementation; anticipate future development projections; and prioritise landscape preservation for enhanced ecosystem services and climate resilience

Private adaptation in semi-arid lands: a tailored approach to ‘leave no one behind’

Globally, semi-arid lands (SALs) are home to approximately one billion people, including some of the poorest and least food secure. These regions will be among the hardest hit by the impacts of climate change. This article urges governments and their development partners to put SAL inhabitants and their activities at the heart of efforts to support adaptation and climate resilient development, identifying opportunities to capitalise on the knowledge, institutions, resources and practices of SAL populations in adaptation action

“Getting pregnant during COVID-19 was a big risk because getting help from the clinic was not easy”: COVID-19 experiences of women and healthcare providers in Harare, Zimbabwe

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated measures may have disrupted delivery of maternal and neonatal health services and reversed the progress made towards dual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis in Zimbabwe. This qualitative study explores the impact of the pandemic on the provision and uptake of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services from the perspectives of women and maternal healthcare providers. Longitudinal in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 pregnant and breastfeeding women aged 20–39 years living with HIV and 20 healthcare workers in two maternity polyclinics in low-income suburbs of Harare, Zimbabwe. Semi-structured interviews were held after the second and third waves of COVID-19 in March and November 2021, respectively. Data were analysed using a modified grounded theory approach. While eight antenatal care contacts are recommended by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care, women reported only being able to access two contacts. Although HIV testing, antiretroviral therapy (ART) refills and syphilis screening services were accessible at first contact, other services such as HIV-viral load monitoring and enhanced adherence counselling were not available for those on ART. Closure of clinics and shortened operating hours during the second COVID-19 wave resulted in more antenatal bookings occurring later during pregnancy and more home deliveries. Six of the 20 (33%) interviewed women reported giving birth at home, assisted by untrained traditional midwives as clinics were closed. Babies delivered at home missed ART prophylaxis and HIV testing at birth despite being HIV-exposed. Although women faced multiple challenges, they continued to attempt to access services after delivery. These findings underline the importance of investing in robust health systems that can respond to emergency situations to ensure continuity of essential HIV prevention, treatment, and care services