External Ventures: Why Firms Don't Develop All Their Inventions In-house

In this paper we consider why firms sometimes choose an external development path for their own inventions, despite the costs of contracting and the risks of opportunistic behaviour and expropriation. We model the probability that firms adopt an external development strategy using survey data from over 2700 Australian inventions. Our results indicate that firms pursue external development strategies in response to perceived project-level risk about the technical feasibility of the invention, especially when suported by confidence in the patent system. Our findings also confirm that small to medium size enterprises, highly leveraged large firms and firms with few co-specialized assets are more likely to pursue an external development strategy.Outsourcing R&D, managing technological risk, licensing innovation

An investigation of the problems of identifying and analysing affective interaction in an open plan classroom : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masterate of Arts in Education at Massey University

The investigation was part of a wider research into an Open Plan infant complex. Of central concern to this thesis was "The Problem of defining, locating and analysing 'Affect' in the Open Plan". Six randomly selected subjects were tape recorded on six randomly selected mornings for approximately three hours each. The tapes and subsequent transcripts provided the data for the study, The affect was deemed to be located in the wider context of the general interaction of the social milieu under analysis. This wider dimension of total environmental interaction was specified according to (a) the participants (b) the task they engaged in; and 16 categories were defined. Affective behaviour was finally analysed on the basis of approving and disapproving actions of teachers. This analysis studied affect according to (a) direction of affect i.e. positive or negative, approving or disapproving and (b) method of communication of affect i.e. verbal, non-verbal, neutral or combinations of these. The methodology was not fully conceptualized at the beginning but evolved from the literature and from experimentation, as the problem developed. When an accepted methodology was formulated the trends that the analysis would probably indicate were presented as "General Tendencies". The general interaction segments were identified, timed and numbered in terms of the defined categories. The affective incidents were located as units of affect within a defined sequence of general interaction. Results confirmed previously stated beliefs that some classrooms are basically stable social environments in that there was little variation in the patterns of general interaction. The proportion of time allocated to (a) participants (b) tasks was basically the same over the six days analysed. The most prevalent behaviours located were those associated with Task Instructional, with the difference between Task Organisation, Task Experiential and Non-Task being insignificant. The role of the teacher was central in this study. More approval than disapproval was identified with minimal variation in the tapes as to the affect dispensed. The research directed attention at the importance of non-verbal cues in an analysis of the social dynamics of the classroom. Teaching, as an increasingly interactive phenomenon will need to recognize the significance of non-verbal communication and this implies a necessary emphasis that should be given to education courses to ensure a full understanding of classroom interaction

Reflections on the Use of Autovideography in an Undergraduate Education Context

In a recent study of undergraduates' use of information and communication technologies to support their academic work, we asked students to make video recordings of their personal study sessions. Our motivation was to capture their study practice as it occurred rather than relying solely on self-reports of their perceived or remembered practice. As we worked with the participant-created videos, we recognised their uniqueness as sources of evidence and their potential to reveal situated and authentic data. In this article, we have identified some of the complex and problematic elements of this method as we trace its evolution in our research practice

The additionality of R&D tax policy: Quasi-experimental evidence

Despite the prevalence of R&D tax incentives, the amount of additional investment induced by each dollar of tax revenue forgone remains contested. It is notoriously difficult to identify the impact of R&D tax incentives because all firms are potentially eligible and because benefit and investment are jointly determined. Using comprehensive, firm-level data, we apply difference-in-difference analysis around a significant policy reform in Australia in 2012. We find that firms invest an additional $1.90 for every dollar of tax revenue forgone

Activism, arenas and accounts in conflicts over tobacco control

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide theoretical and empirical insights into the effective use of external accounts by social activists in conflict arenas in order to bring about change. Design/methodology/approach - This paper presents a longitudinal case study of Action on Smoking and Health UK (ASH) and their use of external accounts and other activist practices during the period 1999-2010. The authors explore these practices from the perspective of one organisation engaged in conflict arenas concerning the (un)acceptability of tobacco production, consumption and governance. The authors conduct the exploration based upon a dynamic conflict arena framework that attends to the range of external accounting and activist practices, tactical intentions and states of conflict used by ASH to confront the tobacco industry and bring about change in tobacco governance. Findings - The study identifies the use of a diverse range of external accounts and other activist practices. This assemblage of practices was used to confront, counter-act and to co-operate with actors engaged in tobacco-related conflicts. The evidence suggests that the deployment of different types of external accounts by ASH was aligned to the context of the particular conflict arena involved, and was influenced by the strategy and engagement tactics of the activists and other actors, as well as power dynamics and acceptability of the tobacco governance in the conflict arena. Whilst ASH used different external accounts in specific episodes of activism, these individual accounts also contributed to an emerging holistic account of the unacceptable consequences of tobacco production, consumption and governance. Originality/value - This study provides new theoretical and empirical insights into how external accounts can contribute to the problematisation of governance and development of social and environmental change agendas. The dynamic conflict arena framework developed in this paper creates new visibilities and possibilities for developing external accounting practices and for researching this fast-developing area of social and environmental accounting.PostprintPeer reviewe

Clinical Use of Reproductive Tract Scoring to Predict Pregnancy Outcome

Heifers in the MACEP heifer development program were reproductive tract scored from 1993 through 1997. These heifers were born between February 1 and May 15 each year. They were brought to the MACEP heifer development program in the fall or winter and fed to attain 65% of their mature body weight at breeding time. The heifers were reproductive tract scored 30 to 60 days prior to breeding; estrus cycles were synchronized, and heifers were bred by artificial insemination (AI) 12 hours after they were observed in standing heat. Ultrasound evaluation was utilized at approximately 30 days post AI breeding to determine the AI pregnancy rate. There was a positive correlation between high reproductive tract scores and percentage conception by AI

Influence of 4-vinylbenzylation on the rheological and swelling properties of photo activated collagen hydrogels

Covalent functionalisation of collagen has been shown to be a promising strategy to adjust the mechanical properties of highly swollen collagen hydrogels. At the same time, secondary interactions between for example, amino acidic terminations or introduced functional groups also play an important role and are often challenging to predict and control. To explore this challenge, 4-vinylbenzyl chloride (4VBC) and methacrylic anhydride (MA) were reacted with type I collagen, and the swelling and rheological properties of resulting photo-activated hydrogel systems investigated. 4VBC-based hydrogels showed significantly increased swelling ratio, in light of the lower degree of collagen functionalisation, with respect to methacrylated collagen networks, whilst rheological storage moduli were found to be comparable between the two systems. To explore the role of benzyl groups in the mechanical properties of the 4VBC-based collagen system, model chemical force microscopy (CFM) was carried out in aqueous environment with an aromatised probe against an aromatised gold-coated glass slide. A marked increase in adhesion force (F: 0.11±0.01 nN) was measured between aromatised samples, compared to the adhesion force observed between the non-modified probe and a glass substrate (F: 2.64±1.82 nN). These results suggest the formation of additional and reversible π-π stacking interactions in aromatic 4VBC-based networks and explain the remarkable rheological properties of this system in comparison to MA-based hydrogels

Variability in the growth, feeding and condition of barramundi (Lates calcarifer Bloch) in a northern Australian coastal river and impoundment

Lates calcarifer supports important fisheries throughout tropical Australia. Community-driven fish stocking has resulted in the creation of impoundment fisheries and supplemental stocking of selected wild riverine populations. Using predominantly tag-recapture methods, condition assessment and stomach flushing techniques, this study compared the growth of stocked and wild L. calcarifer in a tropical Australian river (Johnstone River) and stocked fish in a nearby impoundment (Lake Tinaroo). Growth of L. calcarifer in the Johnstone River appeared resource-limited, with juvenile fish in its lower freshwater reaches feeding mainly on small aytid shrimp and limited quantities of fish. Growth was probably greatest in estuarine and coastal areas than in the lower freshwater river. Fish in Lake Tinaroo, where prey availability was greater, grew faster than either wild or stocked fish in the lower freshwater areas of the Johnstone River. Growth of L. calcarifer was highly seasonal with marked declines in the cooler months. This was reflected in both stomach fullness and the percentage of fish with empty stomachs but the condition of L. calcarifer was similar across most sites. In areas where food resources appear stretched, adverse effects on resident L. calcarifer populations and their attendant prey species should be minimised through cessation of, or more conservative, stocking practices