The economic impact of consumer copyright exceptions: a literature review

Advances in the technology available to consumers have fundamentally altered the relationship between authors, rights-holders and consumers with regard to copyrighted creative works. The copyright system in the UK is undergoing a gradual process of reform to reflect this new reality. In 2006, Andrew Gowers, a former editor of the Financial Times, presented a report into the state of intellectual property in the U.K. Among his policy recommendations were three proposed changes to the copyright exceptions system which alter the way in which consumers can interact with copyrighted works. Gowers proposed introducing copyright exceptions for: - Format shifting, for instance the transfer of a piece of music from a CD to an mp3 player. - Parody, caricature and pastiche. - Creative, transformative or derivative works. In our context, this definition includes user-generated content. Our review examines the existing literature on the possible economic effects of these proposed changes to the copyright exceptions system, specifically whether the introduction of these proposed changes would cause economic damage to rights-holders. Whilst the economic issues surrounding copyright infringement via file-sharing and commercial "mash-ups" are interesting and important, our review is focused solely on copyright

Superintendent and School Board Relations: Impacting Achievement through Collaborative Understanding of Roles and Responsibilities

One of the most important and influential persons in the governance structure of the local school district is the Superintendent of Schools. Functioning as the CEO of the district, the superintendent is responsible for a myriad of functions. Examples include daily operations inclusive of transportation and finance, curriculum and policy implementation, media relations, and empowering leaders. However, as Meador (2014) contends, a crucial role is that of board liaison. The Superintendent is responsible for keeping the board informed, making recommendations regarding district operations, and setting the board agenda. It is interesting to note that the superintendent does participate in board meetings, but in an advisory capacity. Finally, the superintendent is responsible for enacting all mandates approved by the school board

Crumbling Foundations: The Case for Prioritizing Self-Care Among Educational Leaders

There is a potentially dangerous disassociation between human behavior, decision-making, and ethics and the notion that these fundamental aspects of what it means to be human originate simply as the functions of an organ. A deeper knowledge of the operation and limitations of the brain suggests biological input could possess the ability to unknowingly alter human behavior and effectiveness. This study utilizes a research-based understanding of the implications of human health and self-care habits on neurological, psychological, and behavioral function to examine the current practices of educational administrators across Arkansas while exploring systemic and job-based factors within the profession that could be competing with the establishment of good health. A mixed method design employing a statewide survey distributed in conjunction with the Arkansas Department of Education asked principals and assistant principals questions intended to uncover the current reality of administrative self-care. Qualitative data designed to identify commonalities in personal experiences was collected through open-ended questions in the survey and focus groups specifically constructed to hear from participants with diametrically opposed self-reported habits. At the convergence of the data representing the state of self-care and the qualitative experiences from practitioners is the potential for education and change that could promote healthier, more effective educational leaders

Development of an Organizational Hardiness construct: Examining configurations of Sensemaking, Organizational Identity, and Enactment.

The purpose of this study is to develop the construct of organizational hardiness which is thought to distinguish organizations that thrive under conditions of turbulence and uncertainty from organizations that whither under these same conditions. This new construct is based on individual hardiness which is a constellation of personality dispositions that a large body of empirical work has suggested supports individual performance under conditions of turbulence and uncertainty. Paralleling the individual hardiness dispositions of challenge, commitment, and control, organizational hardiness is posited to consist of the organizational level constructs of sensemaking, organizational identification, and enactment. The development of organizational hardiness is supported by literature reviews of individual hardiness, organizational stress, sensemaking, organizational identification, and enactment. To support the theoretical development of this construct, this study includes a content analysis of the CEO letters to shareholders for the 20 largest commercial banks in the United States during the years 2000-2009. Using generalized least squares estimation techniques, the current study demonstrates a positive relationship between organizational hardiness, sensemaking, organizational identification, and enactment and multiple measures of organizational performance. Furthermore, organizations demonstrating higher levels of organizational hardiness demonstrate higher levels of organizational performance on three out of four measures. The study concludes with a discussion of theoretical and managerial implications concerning the development of this new construct

Exploring a Training Facility for Elite Athletes with Physical Disabilities: The Case of Lakeshore Foundation

In 2003, Lakeshore Foundation became the first facility to be designated a U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site and is a training destination of choice for elite athletes with disabilities. The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) explore how an organization became a U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site; and (2) explore why elite athletes and coaches are attracted to Lakeshore Foundation’s Paralympic training facility. Lakeshore Foundation was examined through systems theory and stakeholder theory, whereas social construction theory was used in the examination of elite athletes training at Lakeshore Foundation. Case study methodology was used in this study, with semi-structured interviews with 15 participants, observations, and document analysis as the data collection methods of choice. Findings revealed that Lakeshore Foundation’s training site proposal to the USOC offered specific business, facility, and service plans of how it would alleviate the crowded training facilities at other locations and provide a unique service for U.S. Paralympic athletes to train in preparation for international competition. Accessible facilities created an international reputation for Lakeshore Foundation, but Paralympic teams chose to train at Lakeshore Foundation primarily due to the employees’ personal attention and focus toward Paralympic sport. This study revealed that environmental attributes of service quality such as facilities may influence consumer participation, but the functional attributes of service quality are essential to consumer retention. The service quality attributes offered by Lakeshore provided a comfortable and consistent environment for Paralympic teams as they trained, removing the typical daily barriers of access and social acceptance that may have been present at other training sites and centers. Implications from this study with regard to inclusion and integration shed light on how people with disabilities may feel in environments that were designed for an able-bodied population as well as how social acceptance may impact the experiences of people with disabilities

Field efficacy evaluation and post-treatment contamination risk assessment of an ultraviolet disinfection and safe storage system.

Inconsistent use of household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) systems reduces their potential health benefits. Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection is more convenient than some existing HWTS systems, but it does not provide post-treatment residual disinfectant, which could leave drinking water vulnerable to recontamination. In this paper, using as-treated analyses, we report on the field efficacy of a UV disinfection system at improving household drinking water quality in rural Mexico. We further assess the risk of post-treatment contamination from the UV system, and develop a process-based model to better understand household risk factors for recontamination. This study was part of a larger cluster-randomized stepped wedge trial, and the results complement previously published population-level results of the intervention on diarrheal prevalence and water quality. Based on the presence of Escherichia coli (proportion of households with ≥ 1 E. coli/100 mL), we estimated a risk difference of -28.0% (95% confidence interval (CI): -33.9%, -22.1%) when comparing intervention to control households; -38.6% (CI: -48.9%, -28.2%) when comparing post- and pre-intervention results; and -37.1% (CI: -45.2%, -28.9%) when comparing UV disinfected water to alternatives within the household. We found substantial increases in post-treatment E. coli contamination when comparing samples from the UV system effluent (5.0%) to samples taken from the storage container (21.1%) and drinking glasses (26.0%). We found that improved household infrastructure, additional extractions from the storage container, additional time from when the storage container was filled, and increased experience of the UV system operator were associated with reductions in post-treatment contamination. Our results suggest that the UV system is efficacious at improving household water quality when used as intended. Promoting safe storage habits is essential for an effective UV system dissemination. The drinking glass appears to represent a small but significant source of recontamination that is likely to impact all HWTS systems