Public Procurement of Innovation Diffusion: Exploring the Role of Institutions and Institutional Coordination

The role of the public agency as a pacer of private sector innovation has been emphasised over the recent years, especially in the context of the EU. The general ambition has been to encourage public agencies to actively stimulate private sector innovation by requesting innovation instead of procuring currently existing products. This has also triggered an increased interest among researchers and practitioners to identify examples of best practice where public agencies have successfully procured innovation. Rather than addressing this demand-oriented perspective this paper focuses on the public agency as an adopter of private-sector innovation, and how this mechanism can contribute to innovation in general. The theoretical point of departure is diffusion theory, with an emphasis on the role of institutions as identified in systemic approaches to innovation studies. A particular concern of this paper is those institutions that hinder or enable adoption of an innovation in an organisational context. The paper draws on an explorative case study looking at the introduction of a new catheter into the English National Health Service supply chain and its diffusion among NHS trusts in England. Different institutional factors are identified which have had an affect on the adoption and diffusion.public procurement; innovation diffusion; institutions; England

A brief report on an action learning group exploration of how older people adapt to change in later life

In collaboration with Age Concern UK, older people were invited to participate in action learning groups to explore how they adapt to change. Themes for discussion were initially identified using a nominal focus method. Discussions identified actual and desired methods of coping with changes in later life. A series of weekly meetings with three cohorts of urban, rural and sheltered accommodation participants with an average age of 81 years revealed that they were concerned with having to cope with and adapt to a wide range of experiences. These included the loss of sharing and reduced sociability, reduced mobility, bereavement, physical changes, having to move house order to cope with these experiences, participants engaged in a range of activities that centred on aspects of communication and social networking. Participants talked to each other socially and informally, exchanging information and advice. When able, they also participated in more structured but non-specific social events during which time they also had the opportunity more formal social networking and information exchange opportunities

Shifting logics: Limitations on the journey from 'state' to 'market' logic in UK higher education

© Policy Press 2018. Our study of UK higher education institutions (HEIs) offers insights into the role of institutional logics in the adoption of organisational practices - specifically outsourcing. We identify two logics prevalent within HEIs: a public service 'state logic' and a 'market logic'. While adherence to the market logic supports commercial-based practices such as outsourcing, organisations enact competing logics in complex ways. Outsourcing is mainly limited to peripheral activities segmented from the core while a nascent cooperative solution is emerging as HEIs co-opt practices and discourse of outsourcing to justify hybrid relationships that marry competing logics in a process of selective coupling

Television sitcom production at the BBC 1973-1984 : an integrated approach

Between 1973 and 1984 BBC Television produced and transmitted a number of popular situation comedies. These were designed to be light-hearted, inoffensive entertainment, but they nevertheless explored, reflected and reinforced changing public attitudes to private sexual behaviour. Central to the emergence of these series at this time was the ethos of the BBC's Light Entertainment Department under the successive leadership of Bill Cotton and James Gilbert. They espoused and developed attitudes of creative excellence, competitive success and benevolent patronage, and took a liberal, non-polemical, middle-brow approach to material. The thesis adopts a multi-faceted approach to reveal the relationships between the individual contributors and the public feedback for four of the most successful series: Are You Being Served (1973-1985), The Good Life (1975-1978), Butterflies (1978- 1983) and The Young Ones (1982-1984). It concludes that their central creative impulse initially came from the four writer-producer teams: David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd; John Esmonde, Bob Larbey and John Howard Davies; Carla Lane, Sydney Lotterby and Gareth Gwenlan; and Rik Mayall, Lise Mayer, Ben Elton and Paul Jackson. These four series offered audiences a range of comedic situations, namely: a fading department store, an ecologically-aware suburban household, a more traditional suburban household and a student flat in a large metropolitan city. Audiences had several points of identification with the various characters and were able to adjust their own individual attitude to the private sexual behaviour of the characters, thus allowing the public as a whole to reach a new consensus about emerging changes in public attitudes. Particularly noticeable was the positive public response to the portrayal of two characters who challenged traditional gender norms: Mr Humphries (John Inman) and Margo Leadbetter (Penelope Keith), which for a short while gave both actor and character a life beyond each series. Other notable developments were the public acceptance of a more open portrayal of sexual desire in women, the decline of innuendo and a more public discussion of deviant sexual behaviour, the open acceptance of pre-marital sexual relationships and the tentative recognition of extra-marital sexual relationships.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Past to Future: Self-Compassion Can Change our Vision

Self-compassion is known to heighten our ability to manage past or present negative life events. This study investigated whether self-compassion also influences future-outlook, by examining its effects on optimism, savouring-anticipating, balanced time perspective, use of future oriented words, and use of positively oriented affective words. Australian students (Mage= 34.81, SD = 10.14) either wrote self-compassionately about a recent negative experience (n = 169) or completed a control writing task (n = 167). Participants in the self-compassion condition generally reported a brighter future-outlook than control participants, but effects varied according to baseline trait self-compassion. Participants with low trait self-compassion reported a more balanced time perspective and used more positively oriented affective words and future oriented words; whereas participants with high trait self-compassion scored higher only on savouring-anticipating and experienced decrements in balanced time perspective. Unexpectedly, the self-compassion induction did not influence optimism. This study is among the first to demonstrate that self-compassion can influence future-outlook. As future-outlook has been associated with many positive health outcomes, these findings suggest that increases in positive future-outlook may represent another mechanism through which self-compassion conveys its positive effects on well-being

Transcriptome analysis of a cnidarian – dinoflagellate mutualism reveals complex modulation of host gene expression

BACKGROUND: Cnidarian – dinoflagellate intracellular symbioses are one of the most important mutualisms in the marine environment. They form the trophic and structural foundation of coral reef ecosystems, and have played a key role in the evolutionary radiation and biodiversity of cnidarian species. Despite the prevalence of these symbioses, we still know very little about the molecular modulators that initiate, regulate, and maintain the interaction between these two different biological entities. In this study, we conducted a comparative host anemone transcriptome analysis using a cDNA microarray platform to identify genes involved in cnidarian – algal symbiosis. RESULTS: We detected statistically significant differences in host gene expression profiles between sea anemones (Anthopleura elegantissima) in a symbiotic and non-symbiotic state. The group of genes, whose expression is altered, is diverse, suggesting that the molecular regulation of the symbiosis is governed by changes in multiple cellular processes. In the context of cnidarian – dinoflagellate symbioses, we discuss pivotal host gene expression changes involved in lipid metabolism, cell adhesion, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress. CONCLUSION: Our data do not support the existence of symbiosis-specific genes involved in controlling and regulating the symbiosis. Instead, it appears that the symbiosis is maintained by altering expression of existing genes involved in vital cellular processes. Specifically, the finding of key genes involved in cell cycle progression and apoptosis have led us to hypothesize that a suppression of apoptosis, together with a deregulation of the host cell cycle, create a platform that might be necessary for symbiont and/or symbiont-containing host cell survival. This first comprehensive molecular examination of the cnidarian – dinoflagellate associations provides critical insights into the maintenance and regulation of the symbiosis

Global Value Chain Reconfiguration and COVID-19:Investigating the Case for More Resilient Redistributed Models of Production

The COVID-19 pandemic shocked the global economy, laying bare the coordination challenges and vulnerabilities of global value chains (GVCs) across sectors. Governments, consumers, and firms alike have called for greater GVC resilience to ensure critical products are delivered to the right place, at the right time, and in the right condition. This article investigates whether GVC reconfiguration through the adoption of redistributed manufacturing (RDM) in local production can deliver greater resilience against unexpected, disruptive global events. It proposes actionable steps for managers to ensure more resilient GVCs in the face of global shocks