Institutional factors as criteria for business environment identification

OpenAIRE

Klovienė, Lina

2012-01-01

The paper focuses on the analysis of business environment in the context of performance measurement. Performance measurement is useful for an organization when it fits into the external and internal environment of the organization. The first requirement is to identify the business environment in order to analyze performance measurement. Institutional theory identifies internal and external environmental factors as institutional factors, according to which the behaviour of an organization coul...

Аsymmetry of Structural Institutional and Technological Changes in Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katkovа Marina Andreevna

2014-12-01

to innovations (scepticism, nihilism, disinclination to risk, disinclination to changes, “problems evasion”, demotivation of subjects’ innovative behavior, incompetence in the system of macroeconomic policy, non- complementarity of the institutional environment of innovative activity which appeared on the joint of institutional and technological changes, and maintaining institutional inertia in the Russian economy. It is proved that the asymmetry of institutional and technological structures of economy is generated by the nature of institutional and technological dynamics.

Conceptual apparatus of analysis of the national economy institutional environment

OpenAIRE

Ляховець, О. О.

2017-01-01

In the paper the sense of the notions «institutional environment», «institutional framework», «institutional structure» is revealed. The difference between these notions is determined. The structural elements of institutional environment classified by the theoretical approaches criterion are considered. The origins of approaches are: 1) the scientific direction of economic theory (institutional economics, neoinstitutionsl economic theory, evolutionary economic theory, political economy); 2) t...

Institutional Churn: Institutional Change in United Kingdom Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Tight, Malcolm

2013-01-01

This article considers how higher education institutions change over time, using the United Kingdom system as an exemplar, and focusing on the 15-year period between 1994/95 and 2009/10. While there are many aspects of institutional change worthy of study, the focus here is on how institutions appear to others. Thus, the article examines the…

DOES THE INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT AFFECT CSR DISCLOSURE? THE ROLE OF GOVERNANCE

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María del Mar Miras Rodríguez

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to analyze whether the institutional environment has a direct effect on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR reporting practices or if this effect is explained by the influence of the institutional environment on Corporate Governance (CG mechanisms. To conduct our study, we focused on two countries that reflect different types of institutional environment: relation-based (Brazil and rule-based (Spain. Based on our results, we can affirm that the institutional environment influences CG mechanisms (Board Size and Reference Shareholder as well as companies’ CSR disclosure. Additionally, the CG mechanisms affected by the institutional environment also help to explain differences in CSR reporting practices. As relation-based societies evolve into rules-based environments, the information disclosed about CSR becomes more complex due to a strengthening of CG mechanisms.

Changing institutions of knowing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koch, Christian; Bertelsen, Niels Haldor

2014-01-01

paper is to analyze enablers and barriers for this institutional change. The vocational education system in Denmark is strongly institutionalised with unions, employerÕs associations and the schools in central roles. Drawing on institutional theory contributions on labour market -, educational......In order to reach the EU 2020 goals for the climate, Danish vocational training units are currently in a process of institutional change triggered by the need of providing energy, and new process competences for the skilled and semiskilled workforce active in construction. The aim of the present...... - and professional institutions, the paper presents a study of institutional work inside and across schools and craft disciplines working in SMEs involved in new building and renovation with an energy aspect. Collaboration between four education committees for carpenters, masons, electricians and plumbers...

Frames, agency and institutional change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Grane Mikael Gregaard; Jensen, Per Langaa; Gottlieb, Stefan Christoffer

2017-01-01

This study examines change and the sources influencing the formulation and diffusion of policies in construction. The change examined is the introduction of a benchmarking policy initiative in the Danish construction industry. Using institutional theory with emphasis on the concepts of frames...... and framings, we show how strategically motivated actors are able to frame policy problems in ways that disclose the mixture of motives, interests and institutional mechanisms at play in change processes. In doing so, we contribute to the literature on the role of agency in institutional change and the framing...

Commitment or Compliance? Institutional Logics of Work Environment Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Christian Uhrenholdt; Hasle, Peter

2017-01-01

and where it differs from the traditional organizational approach to work environment management. In this paper, we use the ‘institutional logics’ perspective to propose heuristic ideal types of two institutional logics of work environment management: The logic of compliance as the ideal type...... of the ‘traditional’ approach to work environment management and the logic of commitment as the human resource informed approach. Through a side-by-side comparison of key characteristics, we analyze the two ideal types as instantiations of institutional orders on the societal level with the compliance logic being...... rooted in the orders of the state and the corporation, and the commitment logic as based on the orders of the corporation. The paper ends with a discussion on the how the two logics can influence concrete work environment practices and approaches to management in organizations....

Discrete Institutional Alternatives of Public Administration Reforms in Countries with Developed and Developing Institutional Environment

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Evgeny A. Kapoguzov

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The paper presents an approach to evaluation the impact of the level of development of institutional environment on the success of the reforms of public administration. The indicators that characterize the degree of development of the institutional environment, in particular, the level of protection of property rights, the development of political competition, civil society, corruption, and trust in society are shown. Depending on the elements of the political-administrative system, socio-economic features, that determine the trajectories of reforms, showing alternative purposes and characterized some indicators, that characterizing the results of reforms for the OECD-counties. Showing institutional problems is implementing reforms in the transition countries, depending on the elements of the political and administrative systems, and socio-cultural factors that determine the path of reform, showing alternative purposes and characterized by individual indicators characterizing the results of the OECD reform. From the point of view of the classification results, the emphasis is made on quantitative results of the operational type, in particular, the dynamics of the general government expenditure and the level of employment of civil servants in relation to employment in the economy as a whole. Showing institutional problems in the implementation of reforms in the transition countries, in particular the gap of development of the bureaucratic ethos, the weakness of the market environment and the insufficient level of external pressure on the quality of public services. The significance for the success of reform and systemic cultural change within the state apparatus, which affects the quality of citizens' satisfaction with public services is observed. It is noted that the preliminary formalization of the public sector, the formation of Weberian bureaucracy type is essential for successful implementation of the New Public Management. The factors that

Burnout and nursing work environment in public health institutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Nogueira, Lilia de Souza; Sousa, Regina Márcia Cardoso de; Guedes, Erika de Souza; Santos, Mariana Alvina Dos; Turrini, Ruth Natalia Teresa; Cruz, Diná de Almeida Lopes Monteiro da

2018-01-01

to identify associations between the Burnout domains and the characteristics of the work environment. cross-sectional study with 745 nurses from 40 public health institutions in São Paulo. Nursing Work Index-Revised (NWI-R) and Maslach Burnout Inventory were used. Similar institutions according to NWI-R were grouped by clustering and the Anova and Bonferroni tests were used in the comparative analyzes. there was significant and moderate correlation between emotional exhaustion and autonomy, control over the environment and organizational support; between reduced personal accomplishment, autonomy and organizational support; and between depersonalization and autonomy. The group that presented the worst conditions in the work environment differed on emotional exhaustion from the group with most favorable traits. emotional exhaustion was the trait of Burnout that was more consistently related to the group of institutions with more unfavorable working conditions regarding autonomy, organizational support and control over the environment.

The impact of the institutional environment on the development of the rural economy in the Belgorod region of Russia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dorofeev, A.; Sazonov, S.; Heijman, W.J.M.

2014-01-01

This article deals with the problems in the development of agriculture in Russia caused by an imperfect institutional environment. The characteristics of institutional conditions and their influence on the development of agriculture is discussed. The main institutional changes which have taken place

Changing Professional autonomy in the Context of Institutional Change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jespersen, Peter Kragh; Houlberg Salomonsen, Heidi

The Changing autonomy of doctors and civil servants  in Denmark in different institutional contexts......The Changing autonomy of doctors and civil servants  in Denmark in different institutional contexts...

Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI)

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI) is dedicated to understanding the problems of global climate change and their potential solutions. The Institute...

Institutional transformation: An analysis of change initiatives at NSF ADVANCE institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Plummer, Ellen W.

The purpose of this study was to examine how institutional culture promoted or impeded the implementation of round one and two NSF ADVANCE initiatives designed to improve academic climates for women in science and engineering. This study was conducted in two phases. In phase one, 35 participants from 18 institutions were interviewed to answer three research questions. Participants identified a policy, process, or program designed to improve academic cultures for women in science and engineering fields. Participants also identified strategies that promoted the implementation of these efforts, and discussed factors that impeded these efforts. In phase two, site visits were conducted at two institutions to answer a fourth research question. How did institutional culture shape the design and implementation of faculty search processes? Policies, processes, and programs were implemented by participants at the institutional, departmental, and individual levels and included family friendly and dual career policies at the institutional level, improved departmental faculty search and climate improvement processes, and mentoring programs and training for department heads at the individual level. Communication and leadership strategies were key to the successful implementation of policies, processes, and programs designed to achieve institutional transformation. Communication strategies involved shaping change messages to reach varied audiences often with the argument that change efforts would improve the climate for everyone not just women faculty members. Administrative and faculty leaders from multiple levels proved important to change efforts. Institutional Transformation Institutional culture shaped initiatives to improve faculty search processes. Faculty leaders in both settings used data to persuade faculty members of the need for change. At one site, data that included national availability information was critical to advancing the change agenda. At the other site

Sustainability of Biomass Utilisation in Changing operational Environment - SUBICHOE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soimakallio, S.; Hongisto, M.; Koponen, K. (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland)), e-mail: sampo.soimakallio@vtt.fi (and others)

2011-11-15

Sustainability is a multi-faceted and challenging target, but at the same time a crucial issue to assess when setting policies and targets for the future. The main objective of the SUBICHOE project is to assist public administration and companies in strategic decision- making in the most sustainable use of biomass, by taking into account the changing operational environment. The project aimed to assess how the sustainability criteria, in particular those set by the EC, ensure the sustainability of biofuels from short and long term perspectives. The project is carried out jointly by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla) and The Government Institute for Economic Research (VATT). The work plan of the project is divided into four Work Packages. In this article, a summary of main findings of the project is presented. (orig.)

Petroleum privatization and institutional environment: the Russian example

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Locarelli, C.; Finon, D.

2003-09-01

This paper treats of the reform of the Russian hydrocarbons industry using an institutionalistic approach. The theoretical objective of the privatization is the installation of a growth scheme based on important productivity gains, through large scale re-structuration, investments for the reproduction of oil and gas reserves, and big infrastructures development. The choice of this sector is justified because it represents an extreme case of inadequateness of the measures preconized by the Washington consensus with respect to the institutional environment. Stress has been put on the modification of the property rights of companies. The introduction of market institutions in a transition economy has led to an opportunistic adaptation of the behaviour of private and government actors. There is a clear correlation between the insecurity of property rights in general and the abundance of exploitable and exportable natural resources. Then, the privatization and the limited performance of the hydrocarbons sector in Russia is analyzed in terms of efficiency and long-term strategy, essential for a resources industry to make reserves. The unexpected results of this privatization are explained using an analysis of the market institutions applied to the very specific institutional environment of the Russian economy. Finally, the inadequateness of these institutions with the initial informal institutions has led to adaptations fully dependent of the institutional path with the necessity of preserving a minimum inter-industrial consistency. (J.S.)

Bringing ideas back in to historical institutionalism to explain endogenous institutional change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carstensen, Martin B.; Schmidt, Vivien

The problem of how to theorize endogenous institutional change remains the ‘holy grail’ of historical institutionalism. Particularly important advances have been made within scholarship on gradual institutional transformation th at has deployed concepts like institutional ambiguity and interpreta...... in relation to two key issues: Interpretive battles over compliance and enforcement; and the role of ideas in forming, maintaining and changing the coalitions of actors that support a specific institutional setup....

Commitment or Compliance?—Institutional logics of work environment management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Christian Uhrenholdt; Hasle, Peter

2017-01-01

and where it differs from the traditional organizational approach to work environment management. In this paper, we use the ‘institutional logics’ perspective to propose heuristic ideal types of two institutional logics of work environment management: The logic of compliance as the ideal type...... of the ‘traditional’ approach to work environment management and the logic of commitment as the human resource informed approach. Through a side-by-side comparison of key characteristics, we analyze the two ideal types as instantiations of institutional orders on the societal level with the compliance logic being...... rooted in the orders of the state and the corporation, and the commitment logic as based on the orders of the corporation. The paper ends with a discussion on the how the two logics can influence concrete work environment practices and approaches to management in organizations....

Biofuels are (Not the Future! Legitimation Strategies of Sustainable Ventures in Complex Institutional Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neil A. Thompson

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Sustainable ventures often lack legitimacy (perceived to be desirable and appropriate because various stakeholder groups use contradictory institutions (rules and norms to make their judgements, which leads to there being fewer resources available and higher failure rates. Using an institutional theory framework and a multi-case research design with 15 biofuel ventures operating in the Netherlands, this study asks how sustainable entrepreneurs attempt to gain legitimacy in these circumstances. Analysis reveals that the entrepreneurs use a combination of rhetorical, reconciliatory and institutional change strategies to obtain legitimacy from different stakeholder groups. These findings further our understanding of sustainable entrepreneurial behavior by revealing how and why different legitimation strategies are used in complex institutional environments.

Workshop in political institutions - institutional analysis and global climate change: Design principles for robust international regimes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGinnis, M.

1992-01-01

Scientific evidence suggests that human activities have a significant effect on the world's climate. Political pressures are growing to establish political institutions at the global level that would help manage the social and economic consequences of climate change. Disagreements remain about the magnitude of these effects, as well as the regional distribution of the detrimental consequences of climate change. In this paper we do not wish to enter into the complexities of these technical debates. Instead, we wish to challenge a seemingly widespread consensus about the nature of the political response appropriate to this global dilemma. Specifically, we question the extent to which the open-quotes answerclose quotes can be said to reside primarily in the establishment of the new global institutions likely to emerge from the first open-quotes Earth Summitclose quotes - the United Nations (UN) Conference on Environment and Development - scheduled for June of 1992 in Rio de Janeiro

Institutional Quality of the Business Environment: Some European Practices in a Comparative Analysis

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Cosmin Marinescu

2013-02-01

Full Text Available In contemporary economic literature, we can find plenty of theoretical and empirical approaches which seek to highlight the most appropriate factorial variables that are associated with the institutional quality of the business environment. This study presents, in a summarised version, the institutional logic of transaction costs that was substantiated within a scientific research project. In essence, the economic performances of the business environment are circumscribed by the institutions that facilitate or constrain the entrepreneurial initiatives and the economic activity in general. In terms of empirical analysis, the comparative approach of the EU business environments illustrates various exemples of (good or bad practices with respect to the institutional quality of the business environment. By selecting certain relevant institutional variables, the original character of this research resides in developing an indicator – The Institutional Quality of the Business Environment (hereafter IQBE which offers a dynamic perspective upon the business environments that characterise both Romania and other EU countries.

Institutional change on the frontlines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerregaard, Toke

2011-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed light on how actors within, on the surface, similar organizations cope and work with imposed institutional changes. Design methodology/approach – This research is based on an ethnographic field study addressing why, despite being exposed to the same...... institutional demands, organizational actors respond by developing diverging institutional orders of appropriate organizational conduct. This research examines how middle managers and frontline staff in two similar Danish social care organizations respond to demands to adopt a New Public Management (NPM...... organizational changes. The findings illustrate how differential institutional orders are maintained by middle managers and frontline staff despite exposure to the same demands. Research limitations/implications – There are different limitations to this ethnographic field study due to the character...

Exploring the utility of institutional theory in analysing international health agency stasis and change.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez, Eduardo J

2013-10-01

Of recent interest is the capacity of international health agencies to adapt to changes in the global health environment and country needs. Yet, little is known about the potential benefits of using social science institutional theory, such as path dependency and institutional change theory, to explain why some international agencies, such as the WHO and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, fail to adapt, whereas others, such as the World Bank and UNAIDS, have. This article suggests that these institutional theories can help to better understand these differences in international agency adaptive capacity, while highlighting new areas of policy research and analysis.

Institutional Change and Firm Adaptation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M. Carney (Michael); E.R. Gedajlovic (Eric)

2001-01-01

textabstractWe develop a typology of organizational forms found in Southeast Asia that contains four major archetypes, Colonial Business Groups, Family Business Groups, Government Linked Enterprises, and New Managers. We explain how the institutional environment prevailing at their founding

Preparing for climate change impacts in Norway's built environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robert Lisoe, K.; Aandahl, G.; Eriksen, S.; Alfsen, K.

2003-01-01

This paper provides an overview of the Norwegian climate policy and of the practical implications of preparing Norway for climate change, with special emphasis on the challenges confronting the built environment. Although the Norwegian government has been relatively proactive in instituting measures aimed at halting global climate change, less attention has been paid to the challenge of adapting to climate change. The global climate system is likely to undergo changes, regardless of the implementation of abatement policies under the Kyoto Protocol or other regimes. The full range of impacts resulting from these changes is still uncertain; however, it is becoming increasingly clear that adaptation to climate change is necessary and inevitable within several sectors. The potential impacts of climate change in the built environment are now being addressed. Both the functionality of the existing built environment and the design of future buildings are likely to be altered by climate change impacts, and the expected implications of these new conditions are now investigated. However, measures aimed at adjustments within individual sectors, such as altering the criteria and codes of practice for the design and construction of buildings, constitute only a partial adaptation to climate change. In order to adapt effectively, larger societal and intersectoral adjustments are necessary. (author)

Quality of institution and the FEG (forest, energy intensity, and globalization) -environment relationships in sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Amuakwa-Mensah, Franklin; Adom, Philip Kofi

2017-07-01

The current share of sub-Saharan Africa in global carbon dioxide emissions is negligible compared to major contributors like Asia, Americas, and Europe. This trend is, however, likely to change given that both economic growth and rate of urbanization in the region are projected to be robust in the future. The current study contributes to the literature by examining both the direct and the indirect impacts of quality of institution on the environment. Specifically, we investigate whether the institutional setting in the region provides some sort of a complementary role in the environment-FEG relationships. We use the panel two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) technique to deal with the simultaneity problem. Data consists of 43 sub-Saharan African countries. The result shows that energy inefficiency compromises environmental standards. However, the quality of the institutional setting helps moderate this negative consequences; countries with good institutions show greater prospects than countries with poor institutions. On the other hand, globalization of the region and increased forest size generate positive environmental outcomes in the region. Their impacts are, however, independent of the quality of institution. Afforestation programs, promotion of other clean energy types, and investment in energy efficiency, basic city infrastructure, and regulatory and institutional structures, are desirable policies to pursue to safeguard the environment.

Institutional Inertia and Institutional Change in an Expanding Normal-Form Game

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Torsten Heinrich

2013-08-01

Full Text Available We investigate aspects of institutional change in an evolutionary game-theoretic framework, in principle focusing on problems of coordination in groups when new solutions to a problem become available. In an evolutionary game with an underlying dilemma structure, we let a number of new strategies become gradually available to the agents. The dilemma structure of the situation is not changed by these. Older strategies offer a lesser payoff than newly available ones. The problem that agents have to solve for realizing improved results is, therefore, to coordinate on newly available strategies. Strategies are taken to represent institutions; the coordination on a new strategy by agents, hence, represents a change in the institutional framework of a group. The simulations we run show a stable pattern regarding such institutional changes. A number of institutions are found to coexist, with the specific number depending on the relation of payoffs achievable through the coordination of different strategies. Usually, the strategies leading to the highest possible payoff are not among these. This can be taken to reflect the heterogeneity of rules in larger groups, with different subgroups showing different behavior patterns.

How sustainable entrepreneurs engage in institutional change : insights from biomass torrefaction in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thompson, N.A.; Herrmann, A.M.; Hekkert, M.P.

2015-01-01

Sustainable entrepreneurship often requires a purposeful change to the existing business environment, market regulations, and societal norms and values (institutions) to ensure sustainable products and services become legitimate and competitive. Yet, how sustainable entrepreneurs alter or create

Family control, institutional environment and cash dividend policy: Evidence from China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhihua Wei

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Using a sample of 1486 Chinese A-share listed companies for the period 2004–2008, this study empirically tests the impact of family control, institutional environment and their interaction on the cash dividend policy of listed companies. Our results indicate that (1 family firms have a lower cash dividend payout ratio and propensity to pay dividends than non-family firms; (2 a favorable regional institutional environment has a significant positive impact on the cash dividend payout ratio and propensity to pay dividends of listed companies; and (3 the impact of the regional institutional environment on cash dividends is stronger in family firms than in non-family firms. Somewhat surprisingly, we find that controlling family shareholders in China may intensify Agency Problem I (the owner–manager conflict rather than Agency Problem II (the controlling shareholder–minority shareholder conflict, and thus have a significant negative impact on cash dividend policy. In contrast, a favorable regional institutional environment plays a positive corporate governance role in mitigating Agency Problem I and encouraging family firms to pay cash dividends.

LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE, A MUST FOR CRISIS PERIOD IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

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MIRCEA REMUS SABAU

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Leadership is always a matter of focus for both scholars, private and public institutions, especially nowadays when the whole planet is suffering from a worldwide financial crisis, which has lead to an international uncertainty. The present drastic changes of the social environment forced higher education institutions to respond and this conducted to the appearance of the leadership change issue. Current times can be considered as very difficult ones for educational leaders, especially since they are continuously faced with shifting environments, new provocations, new stakes and in the same time, new threats. In order to remain competitive in the global market and also in order to become prepared for the changing international environment, academic leaders must change. The present financial crisis is shaped by a sense of urgency and reality. Due to the fact that it affects plenty of people and various countries, it is also characterized by transboundary effects. Taking into consideration these circumstances, the necessity for quick crisis solution occurs. Accordingly, the aim of this project is to investigate the leadership problem in the academic education area during the present financial crisis. The researcher found it appealing to study the effects of external circumstances on higher education leadership. The conducted analysis discusses possible guidelines for a higher education leader to use especially in crisis situations as nowadays. The researcher plans to answer the following question: what must be analyzed when developing a model or method that can be used as guidance when leading in crisis times?

THE FORMATION OF INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF AGRICULTURAL LAND CONSOLIDATION IN UKRAINE

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Andriy Popov

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Every theory requires an application tool. Land consolidation is the multidisciplinary tool for sustainable rural development with its dynamic structure that gives possibilities getting the best solutions for land management decision. That is why the main purpose of the article is a theoretical study and development of scientific and practical recommendations concerning the formation of institutional environment of agricultural land consolidation in Ukraine. The subject of study is the formation of agricultural land consolidation. Methodology. The study used the following methods: dialectical, logical and abstract, system analysis (theoretical and methodological generalizations, defining the essence of the content of institutional environment of agricultural land consolidation. This paper identifies the role of the institutions in economic development and characterised the regulatory, procedural, distributive, informational, development and accumulation functions of agricultural land consolidation institution. As a novelty items offered and provided the detailed description of the main components of the institutional environment of agricultural land consolidation such as: traditional and mental, legal, causal, organizational and structural, and procedural. The essence of institutions of each of these components and their meaning and relationships are presented. Theoretically investigated that the formation of institutional mechanism of consolidation should be a symbiosis of both traditional and market institutions based on democratic principles under community participation. The article focuses on the feasibility of the formation of mechanism for monitoring the effectiveness of institutions. As the result of the study the author proposed to consider the institutional environment of agricultural land consolidation as a regulatory system harmonizing relations of the agricultural production, social and natural resources, designed to optimize the

Recruitment Practices And Institutional Change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holm, Anna; Ulhøi, John Parm

Up to now, there has been little research on recruitment practices from an organizational perspective, and in part it lags behind practice. This paper attempts to rectify this by studying recent changes in the recruitment practices of Danish organizations. We employ new institutional theory......, and individuals’ social cognition. Among other things, this is reflected in the use of online recruitment and employer branding. The study concludes that the recruitment field has transformed and reviewed its practices due to institutional changes in how individuals search for employment and expect to be hired....

THE INTERACTION BETWEEN INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN UKRAINE

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I. Prylutska

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The paper evaluates the interaction between institutional environment and innovative entrepreneurship in Ukraine. The factors which effect on its development are revealed. The study substantiates the most effective institutions on the development of the innovative entrepreneurship in Ukraine.

INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE AGRICULTURAL MARKET FORMATION PROCESS

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S. Revenko

2013-11-01

Full Text Available This article considers institutional aspects of the organized agricultural market formation process. Theoretical base to distinguish institute and institutes is given. In order to find out main influential institutes of the “organization” phenomenon author analyses Ukrainian institutional environment that is under construction process. Author considers main processes which are running during the organized market formation. Author researches theoretical approaches to the institutional staff. In order to structure the most common approaches and theoretical knowledge of this problem author proposes few schemes. Author’s points of view for many questions of the organized market formation process are proposed. Researcher analyzes effectiveness of the institutes and governmental regulation of the agricultural market. Readers can find strategically new approach to the agricultural market formation policy from the governmental point of view. Essence of the socioeconomic formation of agricultural market is considered. Main factors of agriculture market formation are outlined. Agricultural market structural parts consideration systematic approach is proposed. Ineffectiveness of the agriculture market relations without regulation process is proved. The most unfavorable reasons of the agricultural market formation are determined.

Faculty development projects for international health professions educators: Vehicles for institutional change?

Science.gov (United States)

Burdick, William P; Friedman, Stacey R; Diserens, Deborah

2012-01-01

Projects are an important tool in faculty development, and project emphasis may offer insights into perceived education priorities. Impact of projects has been focused on individuals, not institutions or health. Education innovation projects of Fellows in an international faculty development program were examined to better understand perceived needs in health professions education and institutional impact of projects. Four hundred and thirty-five projects were analyzed to identify focus areas. Fellows were asked to identify changes in their schools and communities resulting from their projects. New education methods and curriculum change were common project focus areas. Regional differences were evident with a higher percentage of education methods projects by Fellows residing in India (52%), compared with South Africa (25%) and Brazil (24%). Fifty-six percent of projects were incorporated into the curriculum and/or incorporated as institutional policy. One-third to two-thirds of respondents noted improved teaching quality, collaboration, education research interest, assessment, student performance, and curriculum alignment with community health needs. National differences in project focus may offer insight into local conditions and needs. High rates of diffusion of projects and impact on faculty, students, and curriculum suggest that faculty development projects may be a strategy for institutional change in resource limited environments.

Institutional Change, Strategic Orientation and Dynamic Capabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Ming Hua

2012-01-01

research streams including the resource-based view, institutional and organizational theory frameworks, as well as the dynamic capabilities perspective, we suggest that institutional change in China serves a formative role in the development of firm strategic orientation and dynamic capabilities leading......The phenomenon of systematic institutional change in many developing countries can produce enduring transformations in the strategic orientation and organization of domestic firms. Such changes may impact the formation of their dynamic capabilities and adaptive learning which can translate...... into visible differences in their internationalization strategies and pathways. Using China as an illustrative example of a transitioning economy experiencing upsurges in outward FDI, this study develops a theoretical framework to explain how institutional transformation at various levels of government led...

Sustainability of biomass utilisation in changing operational environment - SUBICHOE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soimakallio, S.; Hongisto, M.; Koponen, K.; Sokka, L. (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland)), Email: sampo.soimakallio@vtt.fi; Antikainen, R.; Manninen, K. (Finnish Environment Inst. SYKE, Helsinki (Finland)); Thun, R.; Sinkko, T. (MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Jokioinen (Finland)); Pasanen, K. (Finnish Forest Research Inst., Joensuu (Finland))

2010-10-15

Sustaibability is a multi-faceted and challenging target, but at the same time a crucial issue to assess when setting policies and targets for the future. The main objective of the SUBICHOE project is to assist in strategic decision- making of public administration and companies, as regards the most sustainable use of biomass, by taking into account the changing operational environment. In the project the sustainability of biofuels and the criteria, in particular those set by the EC, for ensuring that set requirements can and will be fulfilled are being assessed from short and long term perspectives. The project is carried out jointly by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla) and The Government Institute for Economic Research (VATT). The project started in June 2009 and it is scheduled to be finalised in June 2011. The work plan of the project is divided into four Work Packages. In this article, a summary of a critical view on the requirements and challenges related to the implementation of the RES Directive is also provided based on the main findings of the WP1. (orig.)

Institutional actorhood

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Christian Uhrenholdt

In this paper I describe the changing role of intra-organizational experts in the face of institutional complexity of their field. I do this through a qualitative investigation of the institutional and organizational roles of actors in Danish organizations who are responsible for the efforts...... to comply with the Danish work environment regulation. And by doing so I also describe how institutional complexity and organizational responses to this complexity are particular important for the changing modes of governance that characterizes contemporary welfare states....

From Attitude Change to Behaviour Change: Institutional Mediators of Education for Sustainable Development Effectiveness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ismael Velasco

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we explore the way in which institutional contexts mediate values-focused behaviour change, with potential design implications. We use concepts taken from training research, where “learning transfer” refers to the translation into practice of the learning acquired during training: it is considered necessary to generalize it for the job context and for it to be maintained over a period of time on the job. In this paper, we analyse the example of one education for sustainable development (ESD intervention that is already established as pedagogically effective when it is deployed in diverse institutional environments worldwide—the Youth as Agents of Behaviour Change program of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC. This allows an opportunity to consider variations in learning transfer due to distinctive moderating institutional features, which can now be understood in terms of varying transfer climates, levels of leadership support and opportunities to practice. Additional barriers of tokenistic consultation, lack of role clarity and perverse effects of increased distance between trainees and their colleagues on return were also seen. ESD programs intending to bridge the values-action gap could benefit from not focusing only on the training content, but pre-planning organisational support for returning trainees and including in the training ways for them to assess and plan to overcome such difficulties.

Institutional policy changes aimed at addressing obesity among mental health clients.

Science.gov (United States)

Knol, Linda L; Pritchett, Kelly; Dunkin, Jeri

2010-05-01

People with mental illness often experience unique barriers to healthy eating and physical activity. For these clients, interventions should focus on changes in the immediate environment to change behaviors. The purpose of this project was to implement and evaluate policy changes that would limit calorie intake and increase calorie expenditure of clients receiving mental health services. This intervention was implemented in a rural mental health system in the southeastern United States. Clients live in small group homes, where they are served breakfast, dinner, and a snack, and attend outpatient day treatment programs, where they are served lunch and can purchase snacks from vending machines. This intervention included institutional policy changes that altered menus and vending machine options and implemented group walking programs. Primary outcome measures were changes in clients' weight at 3 and 6 months after policy implementation. At the 3-month follow-up, the median weight loss for overweight/obese clients (n = 45) was 1.4 kg. The 33 overweight/obese clients who were still in the group homes at the 6-month follow-up either maintained or continued to lose weight. Institutional policy changes aimed at improving dietary intake and physical activity levels among clients receiving mental health services can promote weight loss in overweight clients.

The Effect of Organizational Learning Patterns on Leading Strategic Change among Higher Education Institutions of Ethiopia

Science.gov (United States)

Olla, Woyita W.

2013-01-01

Innovations and reforms are crucial for both public and Christian higher education institutions in order to survive and thrive in an increasingly complex and turbulent today's environment. Although there is a plethora of literature on strategic change, the effect of organizational learning on leading strategic change has been barely investigated…

Institutions, Technological Change and Economic Growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Corderí Novoa

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Theories of economic growth try to explain variations in per capita income across countries by differences in capital accumulation and productivity. However, many scholars consider that integrating institutions into economic theory and economic history is an essential step in improving explanations of why some societies are richer than others. This paper develops the empirical and theoretical case that differences in institutions are the fundamental cause of differences in technological change (productivity, hence in economic growth. First, I give a definition of institutions and how they influence economic performance, from a New Institutional Economics point of view. Then, I introduce the theoretical framework based on the economics of ideas and endogenous growth models. Finally, I argue that R&D expenditures -a proxy for technological change- will vary across countries depending on some measures of institutional quality. In the end, this paper finds that stronger institutions (measured by an aggregate of institutional quality encourage greater R&D expenditures. At a disaggregate level, the rule of law is positively correlated and the regulatory burden is negatively correlated with R&D expenditures. Human capital level (measured by the tertiary and primary school enrolment rates has also a significant positive impact in R&D expenditures.

THE CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING. AN INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE FOR ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel JINGA

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to present the process of change in management accounting in Romania, a former communist country from Eastern Europe. In order to explain this process, we used the institutional theory. We focused on the presentation of the scientific context and motivation of this research from a national perspective. We also described the evolution of management accounting in Romania in the context of economic and political changes. An important moment was the fall of communism in 1989. This represents a starting point for a new economic environment and for a new management accounting system. We described the creation of the new rules and routines based on the results of a questionnaire.

Institutional Contradictions and Change of Organisations and Accounting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thrane, Sof; Balslev, Lars

2017-01-01

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyse how contradictions between institutional pressures shape accounting and organisational change within Air Greenland. Design/methodology/approach - The paper applies document analysis and retrospective interviews to trace accounting and organisational...... change spanning 50 years and analyses developments on multiple levels: societal, governance and micro levels. Findings - The paper illustrates the didactical development of the organisation and management accounting. The contradictory impetus from the institutional level generates a space where actors...... are able to affect development and change management accounting systems. Actors at the company level further acted on the institutional level to affect change in governance and institutions. Research limitations/implications - The case differs from case studies in emerging countries owing to the low number...

Business Groups, Internationalization and Institutional Change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kumar, Vikas; Stucchi, Tamara; Kundu, Sumit K.

2012-01-01

Business group affiliation is an important determinant of firm economic performance in the context of emerging economies. However, relationship between business group affiliation and internationalization of firms remains unclear. In the context of internationalizing emerging economy firms, many...... of which are affiliates of larger business groups, the question of whether such an affiliation serves as a boon or bane in firm internationalization is one of critical importance. We argue that institutional changes play an important role in shaping the relationship between business group affiliation...... and the degree of internationalization. Our results, based on empirical analysis of Indian firm data, indicate a negative relationship between business group affiliation and the degree of internationalization during the initial period of major institutional change. In the latter period with greater institutional...

A Comparison of the Water Environment Policy of Europe and South Korea in Response to Climate Change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heejung Kim

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Climate change not only increases the atmospheric temperature, but also changes the precipitation conditions and patterns, which can lead to an increase in the frequency of occurrence of natural disasters, such as flooding and drought. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC has reported fluctuations in the precipitation levels for each country from 1900 to 2005, based on global climate change, suggesting that environmental changes due to climate change manifest very differently based on the region. According to the results of studies that have been carried out recently, changes in the precipitation patterns based on climate change result in changes in the water environment, including alterations to the vegetation, land use, and river flow, while considerably influencing the rate of development of groundwater as well. In this study, the 3Is, which are the important variables of Ideas, Institutions, and Interests that are universal to the international field of political science, were used to comparatively analyze the water environment policies of South Korea and Europe. The first variable, Ideas, examined the influence of awareness on establishing the water environment policy in response to climate change. In particular, differences in the conceptual awareness of the water environment with regard to hyporheic zones were studied. The second variable, Institutions, examined the differences in the water environment policy within the national administration in response to climate change. The South Korean administration’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and the Ministry of Environment were used in a case study. Finally, the results drawn from the third variable, i.e., Interests, for South Korea appear to differ from those of Europe, in terms of water environment policy. In this study, the water environment policy of South Korea was analyzed and compared to that of Europe in order to identify problems in South Korea�

The strategic management of sudden changes in the competitive environment: The case of the French dairy industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulette Robic

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The thesis defended is that sudden changes in the competitive environment constitutes more an opportunity than a constraint for pro-active companies. A neo-institutional framework is chosen to analyse the strategic management of such sudden changes. We focus on the sudden change in regulation the dairy industry experienced in 1984 (i.e. the restriction of raw materials by the fixing of milk quotas in 1984. The longitudinal study of a family dairy business – the Laconie society- complemented by a sectorial analysis has allowed us to analyse the effects of milk quotas on the strategy of these businesses. A phenomenon of coercive isomorphism is noted, as all the dairy firms launched into diversification. Simultaneously, we notice an obvious interaction between quotas (coercive institution- and abilities and organizational identity (cognitive institution. Confronted to sudden changes in the competitive environment the firms have, of course, been forced to evolve. However, the firms which had based their preceding development on their ability to anticipate, innovate, and change their organizational identity have been able, in a later stage, to transform these constraints into opportunities. The interaction between the environment and the strategic policy of the firms is obvious. It originates, in particular, from the permanent involvement of the firm in the social and economic sphere, as well as its organizational identity and the manager’s family. The concepts of involvement, isomorphism and interaction between the environment and strategic policy are called upon to conduct this research.

INSTITUTIONAL Change as Cultural Change. An Illustration by Chinese Postsocialist Transformation

OpenAIRE

EL KAROUNI, Ilyess

2007-01-01

Culture of a society reflects its social values. So, through Chinese experience, we want to show that institutional change is not only an economic or a political process but fundamentally a cultural one. It is therefore based on a change in values and mentalities. Like in a chemical reaction, we discern initial conditions, factors which triggered the reaction, catalysts and elements of synthesis. Chinese institutional change per se derived from a cultural shock induced by the Chinese economic...

Reconstruction of Nanoindustry Institutes in the Russian Federation in the Unfavorable Global Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oleg Vasilyevich Inshakov

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Nanoindustry evolution is caused by the global extension of new technological mode, which requires the construction of effective institutes and mechanisms of regulating its subjects’ relations. In the conditions of unfavorable external environment and unsolved internal problems of Russian nanoindustry development, not only the role of basic nanoindustrialization institutes increases, but the problem of reconstructing their activity and prospective updating of institutions arises. Regardless of level and scale, forms and content, the institutional reconstruction will become a part of a rapid response to external changes and a component of strategic programming of Russian nanoindustry. The Russian government acted as a main institute of national nanoindustry development and support. New special-purpose/universal, financial/nonfinancial, formal/informal institutes, which make up the structure of target investment and resource supply of nanoindustry at various stages of its formation, become active agents of state policy in this sphere. This institutional system should reflect the level and type structure of nanoindustry, corresponding to its strategic perspective. An important role in overcoming negative trends in nanoindustry now belongs not to formal and corporate development institutes but to associative, initiative and complementary ones partially replacing the state as its substitutes. The authors describe the options of international financial funds and integration-type institutes’ reconstruction for Russian nanoindustry in current situation. The feasibility of orienting the construction of nanoindustry institutes to basic relationships of its subjects that ensures their relevance and effectiveness, is argued. The authors’ version of nanoindustry institutes classification is suggested for applying as a testing analyzer of institutes functioning in order to determine their reconstruction directions, identify and supplement missing links

An Empirical Study on Green Innovation Efficiency in the Green Institutional Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Gao

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Previous studies have found that reverse technology spillover effects can promote industrial technology modernization in developing countries. However, it is still unknown whether reverse technology spillover effects can improve green innovation efficiency in developing countries. In particular, institutional uncertainties characteristic of transition economies have a significant impact on industrial modernization. Therefore, researching the impact of the institutional environment on the relationship between reverse technology spillover effects and green innovation efficiency is of great significance. In this paper, we use data from G20 countries as well as China’s foreign direct investment (FDI data to measure the effects of reverse technology spillovers and adopt the threshold effect model to explore the relationship between reverse technology spillover effects and green innovation efficiency as well as the influence of the institutional environment on this relationship, based on China’s provincial panel data from 2003 to 2015. The empirical results show that the reverse technology spillover effects can effectively improve green innovation efficiency. There is a threshold for the influence of the institutional environment on the relationship between reverse technology spillover effects and green innovation efficiency. When the institutional development level surpasses the threshold value, an acceleration effect is generated. In addition, we find that the legal system is the key bottleneck in terms of improving green innovation efficiency. How to improve and perfect the path of institutional construction in China and how to enable institutions to gain threshold speed-up effects have become the major problems the Chinese government faces in institutional construction. The research results of this paper offer a reference to developing countries in regard to improving their institutions and enhancing their green innovation efficiency.

Adaptive institutions? Peasant institutions and natural models facing climatic and economic changes in the Colombian Andes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feola, Giuseppe

2017-01-01

In the Colombian Andes, peasants have co-evolved with their environment for centuries, but it is uncertain whether traditional informal institutions and natural models are adapting to current and possibly unprecedented economic and climatic disturbances. This study investigated institutional

Institute for Environment, Health and Safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loos, M.

2007-01-01

The article describes the key activities of the Institute for Environment, Health and Safety of the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK-CEN. Through the performance of experiments, the development of models and the integration of human sciences in our R and D, propose new durable methods, computer codes and measuring instruments for radiation protection, management and disposal of radioactive waste and dismantling of nuclear installations. These developments belong to the disciplines environmental chemistry, radiobiology and radioecology and include the transfer of radio nuclides in the geosphere and biosphere, as also the behaviour of micro-organisms in space

Precarious opportunity: Canada's changing nuclear energy policies and institutional choices. Chapter 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doern, G.B.; Dorman, A.; Morrison, R.W.

2001-01-01

This article (Chapter One) discusses the two main scenarios typically advanced for Canada's nuclear energy future. The first view is that the nuclear energy industry can prosper and make an important contribution to energy and the environment in this age of climate change policy. This view is supported by some recent international studies which also express cautious optimism. A somewhat different view is the perception by some that the nuclear industry is economically in decline and environmentally questionable. These views have emerged as a result of recent serious safety concerns that have been raised about British nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL) regarding MOX fuel, where it has been alleged that data on safety were faked by BNFL workers. This article also provides an overview of how nuclear policy ideas, policy institutions, and policy interests have changed. Second, it draws out in more detail key policy and institutional choices confronting Canada's nuclear policy makers

Waves of change - the dynamics of institutional pressures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klein Woolthuis, R.J.A.; Taminiau, Yvette

2017-01-01

This article coins additional explanations for organizations’ room for agency and institutional change by bringing all institutional and competitive pressures back into institutional theory, and by introducing theory on how the interaction between these pressures leads to novelty, contradictions,

The Climate-G testbed: towards a large scale data sharing environment for climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Aloisio, G.; Fiore, S.; Denvil, S.; Petitdidier, M.; Fox, P.; Schwichtenberg, H.; Blower, J.; Barbera, R.

2009-04-01

The Climate-G testbed provides an experimental large scale data environment for climate change addressing challenging data and metadata management issues. The main scope of Climate-G is to allow scientists to carry out geographical and cross-institutional climate data discovery, access, visualization and sharing. Climate-G is a multidisciplinary collaboration involving both climate and computer scientists and it currently involves several partners such as: Centro Euro-Mediterraneo per i Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC), Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace (IPSL), Fraunhofer Institut für Algorithmen und Wissenschaftliches Rechnen (SCAI), National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), University of Reading, University of Catania and University of Salento. To perform distributed metadata search and discovery, we adopted a CMCC metadata solution (which provides a high level of scalability, transparency, fault tolerance and autonomy) leveraging both on P2P and grid technologies (GRelC Data Access and Integration Service). Moreover, data are available through OPeNDAP/THREDDS services, Live Access Server as well as the OGC compliant Web Map Service and they can be downloaded, visualized, accessed into the proposed environment through the Climate-G Data Distribution Centre (DDC), the web gateway to the Climate-G digital library. The DDC is a data-grid portal allowing users to easily, securely and transparently perform search/discovery, metadata management, data access, data visualization, etc. Godiva2 (integrated into the DDC) displays 2D maps (and animations) and also exports maps for display on the Google Earth virtual globe. Presently, Climate-G publishes (through the DDC) about 2TB of data related to the ENSEMBLES project (also including distributed replicas of data) as well as to the IPCC AR4. The main results of the proposed work are: wide data access/sharing environment for climate change; P2P/grid metadata approach; production-level Climate-G DDC; high quality tools for

Institutional change to support regime transformation: Lessons from Australia's water sector

Science.gov (United States)

Werbeloff, Lara; Brown, Rebekah; Cocklin, Chris

2017-07-01

Institutional change is fundamental to regime transformation, and a necessary part of moving toward integrated water management. However, insight into the role of institutional change processes in such transitions is currently limited. A more nuanced understanding of institutional frameworks is necessary, both to advance understanding of institutional change in the context of transitions toward improved water management and to inform strategies for guiding such processes. To this end, we examine two contemporary cases of transformative change in Australia's urban water sector, exploring the evolution of institutional change in each city. This paper offers insights into regime transformation, providing guidance on types of institutional structures and the ways structure-change initiatives can be sequenced to support a transition. The results reveal the importance of regulation in embedding regime change and suggest that engagement with structural frameworks should begin early in transition processes to ensure the timely introduction of supporting regulation. Our findings also highlight the inextricable link between culture-based and structure-based change initiatives, and the importance of using a diverse range of institutional change mechanisms in a mutually reinforcing way to provide a strong foundation for change. These findings provide a foundation for further scholarly examination of institutional change mechanisms, while also serving to inform the strategic activities of transition-oriented organizations and actors.

Ecological economics and institutional change.

Science.gov (United States)

Krall, Lisi; Klitgaard, Kent

2011-02-01

Ecological economics remains unfinished in its effort to provide a framework for transforming the economy so that it is compatible with biophysical limits. Great strides have been made in valuing natural capital and ecosystem services and recognizing the need to limit the scale of economic activity, but the question of how to effectively transform the economy to limit the scale of economic activity remains unclear. To gain clarity about the institutional changes necessary to limit the scale of economic activity, it is essential that ecological economics understands the limitations of its neoclassical roots and expands its theoretical framework to include how markets are embedded in social and institutional structures. This has long been the domain of institutional economics and heterodox political economy. © 2011 New York Academy of Sciences.

Bright environments vision of the Intelligent Lighting Institute (ILI)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Özçelebi, T.

2014-01-01

The Bright Environments research program of the Eindhoven University of Technology Intelligent Lighting Institute aims to find new methods of intelligent lighting control and human interaction. We present a summary of the institute’s work on this research field and the research vision of the Bright

Institutional Theory and Educational Change.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Mark

2001-01-01

Integrates three key segments of research literature (organizational memory, organizational learning, and institutional theory) into an overall conceptual framework. Argues that the framework lends insight into three progressively comprehensive types of educational change: homogenization, evolution, and reform. (Contains 1 figure and 32…

Academic Training: Climate change and challenges for the environment

CERN Multimedia

Françoise Benz

2005-01-01

2005-2006 ACADEMIC TRAINING PROGRAMME LECTURE SERIES 14, 15, 16 November from 11:00 to 12:00 - TH Auditorium, bldg. 4 Climate change and challenges for the environment by C. Schlüchter / Institut für Geologie, Univ. Bern, CH Climate change as seen by a geologist Glaciers are an integrated part of the high altitudes and the high latitudes of our planet. They are sensitive to temperature and moisture changes and adjust their mass balances accordingly. By doing so they interact with their substratum, the geological basement and they produce characteristic imprints of their presence, their variability and their disappearance. In glacial geology and paleoglaciology such imprints of former glaciers are carefully recorded, mapped and, hopefully, dated in order to obtain amplitude and periodicity records of their changes - as forced by changing climate, as we believe. In the upcoming lectures three aspects will be discussed: the last glaciation in the Swiss Alps. A reconstruction is shown based on fieldwor...

A comparative assessment of endogenous water institutional change

Science.gov (United States)

Pande, Saket; Ersten, Maurits

2013-04-01

This paper builds the theory of endogenous institutional change, first proposed by Greif and Laitin (2004), for water scarce regions in context of water institutions. The current emphasis on environmental change, including hydrological change, largely ignores the adaptation of human societies to change. Humans have mostly been considered as boundary conditions or parameters of the dynamics of hydrological change and are not considered as conduits of feedbacks. Nonetheless, the dynamical representation of hydrological change with feedbacks between various components of a system is assuring since it is reminiscent of processual ecological anthropology(Orlove, 1980), except that individual decision making is absent. This paper proposes to consider selected dryland basins of the world, to conceptualize proxies of water relevant socio-economic organisation, such as spatial scales of upstream-downstream cooperation in water use, synthesized over time and then proposes a comparative assessment to test regularities predicted by an extension of river game theory (Ambec and Ehlers, 2008; van der Brink et al, 2012) to endogenous institutional change. References: Orlove, B. S. (1980). Ecological Anthropology. Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 9 (1980), pp. 235-273. Greif. A. and D. D. Laitin (2004). A Theory of Endogenous Institutional Change. American Political Science Review, Vol. 98, No. 4 November 2004. Ambec, S. and L. Ehlers (2008). Sharing a river amongst satiable agents. Games and Economic Behavior, 64, 35-50. Van der Brink, G. van der Laan and N. Moes (2012). Fair agreements for sharing international rivers with multiple springs and externalities. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 63, 388-403.

National Institute for Global Environmental Change

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Werth, G.C.

1992-04-01

This document is the Semi-Annual Report of the National Institute for Global Environmental Change for the reporting period July 1 to December 31, 1991. The report is in two parts. Part I presents the mission of the Institute, examples of progress toward that mission, a brief description of the revised management plan, and the financial report. Part II presents the statements of the Regional Center Directors along with progress reports of the projects written by the researchers themselves.

National Institute for Global Environmental Change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werth, G.C.

1992-01-01

This document is the Semi-Annual Report of the National Institute for Global Environmental Change for the reporting period July 1 to December 31, 1991. The report is in two parts. Part I presents the mission of the Institute, examples of progress toward that mission, a brief description of the revised management plan, and the financial report. Part II presents the statements of the Regional Center Directors along with progress reports of the projects written by the researchers themselves

Writing for publication: institutional support provides an enabling environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kramer, Beverley; Libhaber, Elena

2016-04-18

Due to the excessive service delivery loads in public hospitals supported by academic institutions in developing environments, researchers at these institutions have little time to develop scientific writing skills or to write up their research. It is imperative to expand the writing skills of researchers and train the next generation of health sciences academics in order to disseminate research findings. This study reports on the implementation of approaches for writing and publication and the extent of support to staff suffering from the overload of service delivery and of heavy teaching duties. Workshops in scientific writing and writing retreats were initiated and were offered to all staff. Feedback from participants of the writing skills workshops indicated that the workshops provided an injection of confidence and proficiency. Protected writing time resulted in 132 papers submitted to journals and 95 in preparation from 230 participants of the writing retreats over a two year period. Staff commended the off-site, collegial environment, which also supported future collaboration with new-found colleagues. This enabling environment facilitates not only the development of writing skills per se, but also the dissemination of the generated scientific knowledge. In addition, the training in writing skills of this generation will be of value in the training of future cohorts in countries with similar health care deliverables.

Features of state industrial policy under imperfect technological and institutional environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denisov Igor Vladimirovich

2011-07-01

Full Text Available For all countries with imperfect technology and the institutional environment (low culture and organization of production, high levels of corruption, the small middle class, not necessarily the execution of laws, etc., even such strong measures to support the economy like a direct financing of firms and territories, protectionism, stimulation of demand, etc. does not give significant effect. For Russia, which objectively have to be attributed to such countries, extremely relevant management system development, capable of overcoming difficulties, starting with the knees and the resistance of the imperfect (bad technological and institutional environment. Several theoretical solutions recently obtained through the development of the theory of economic-technological development of civilization, can create the mechanism and conditions of such a system.

Marketing activities of higher education institutions

OpenAIRE

Varađanin Vladimir

2017-01-01

Public sector marketing is a modern-day scientific discipline which is getting more and more attention. Institutions of higher education provide a specific kind of services to their users, which makes these institutions a part of the public sector. Due to dynamic changes in the environment, the demands and needs of higher education institution's users change, which makes it necessary to monitor these changes through certain marketing activities and adjust to them in order to satisfy the users...

Legitimacy Gaps and Everyday Institutional Change in Interwar British Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seabrooke, Leonard

be legitimated by non-elites and how their everyday actions alter policy paths established in crisis. This is illustrated by re-examining a case frequently associated with punctuated equilibrium theories of crisis and institutional change: interwar Britain. In contrast to conventional explanations, I argue......Who drives domestic institutional change in the face of international economic crisis? For rationalists the answer is powerful self-interested actors who struggle for material gains during an exogenously generated crisis. For economic constructivists it is ideational entrepreneurs who use ideas...... as weapons to establish paths for institutional change during crisis-driven uncertainty. Both approaches are elite-centric and conceive legitimacy as established by command or proclamation. This article establishes why domestic institutional change in response to international economic constraints must...

An Empirical Study on Green Innovation Efficiency in the Green Institutional Environment

OpenAIRE

Yang Gao; Sang-Bing Tsai; Xingqun Xue; Tingzhen Ren; Xiaomin Du; Quan Chen; Jiangtao Wang

2018-01-01

Previous studies have found that reverse technology spillover effects can promote industrial technology modernization in developing countries. However, it is still unknown whether reverse technology spillover effects can improve green innovation efficiency in developing countries. In particular, institutional uncertainties characteristic of transition economies have a significant impact on industrial modernization. Therefore, researching the impact of the institutional environment on the rela...

Perspectives on Instituting Change Management in Large Organisations

Science.gov (United States)

Lawler, Alan; Sillitoe, James

2010-01-01

Australian universities are currently undergoing significant and deep-seated change to their funding models through their relationship to Federal government social development and research agendas. Consequently, changes are being instituted at all levels of university activity. Such changes are often accompanied by considerable disruption to…

Understanding organization and institutional changes for management of environmental affairs in the Brazilian petroleum sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, J.A.P. de

2003-01-01

This article analyzes how governments and an oil company adapted their institutional and organization frameworks to manage actual and potential environmental impacts of oil-related activities in Brazil. Two major factors are important for understanding these changes. First, the monopoly of the state to explore and produce oil is over. Foreign companies have entered Brazil and increased the competitiveness of the oil sector. Second, major oil spills into waterways in recent years resulted in severe fines and an increasing outcry from government and civil society representatives for greater control over oil activities. These two factors raised a debate about what are, or should be, the roles of various stakeholders involved in controlling oil activities and their impacts on the environment. Legislative changes assigned different roles to the state oil company, to a newly created regulatory agency, to the Navy and to federal and state environmental agencies. Because many of the legal changes were not well defined, accountability among institutional actors remained unclear and institutional conflicts about who is accountable for what were likely to occur. As well, government organizations, public prosecutors, media and civil society increasingly influenced the regulation of both government agencies and companies. As a result, these responded to regulatory change and market forces by changing their relations with external stakeholders and their organizational arrangements for environmental management. This article identifies some of the institutional conflicts in selected case studies from the oil industry, the difficulties in clarifying regulatory roles within the industry, and responses in terms of the environmental strategies of regulatory bodies and oil companies, specifically the Brazilian state company, Petrobas. (author)

Promoting Institutional Change through Bias Literacy

Science.gov (United States)

Carnes, Molly; Devine, Patricia G.; Isaac, Carol; Manwell, Linda Baier; Ford, Cecelia E.; Byars-Winston, Angela; Fine, Eve; Sheridan, Jennifer

2012-01-01

The National Science Foundation and others conclude that institutional transformation is required to ensure equal opportunities for the participation and advancement of men and women in academic science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). Such transformation requires changing the habitual attitudes and behaviors of…

Common Property Resource Management, Institutional Change and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Common Property Resource Management, Institutional Change and ... Most contemporary discussions on African development since independence forty ... theories on CPR Resource Management in a specific ecological and political setting.

Organizational Adaptation to the Rapidly Changing External Environment: A Case Study of Strategic Marketing at Notre Dame College in Ohio

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Shawn M.

2012-01-01

This thesis examined the role of strategic marketing in organizational adaptation to a rapidly changing and competitive external environment among institutions of higher education. Colleges and universities adapt to external pressures as open systems operating within a broader external environment (Bess & Dee, 2008; Keller, 1983). How does…

A Meta-Analysis of Institutional Theories

Science.gov (United States)

1989-06-01

GPOUP SUBGROUP Institutional Theory , Isomorphism, Administrative Difterpntiation, Diffusion of Change, Rational, Unit Of Analysis 19 ABSTRACT (Continue on... institutional theory may lead to better decision making and evaluation criteria on the part of managers in the non-profit sector. C. SCOPE This paper... institutional theory : I) Organizations evolving in environments with elabora- ted institutional rules create structure that conform to those rules. 2

Climate change consequences for the indoor environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ariës, M.B.C.; Bluyssen, P.M.

2009-01-01

Scientists warn us about climate change and its effects on the outdoor environment. These effects can have significant consequences for the indoor environment, also in the Netherlands. Climate changes will affect different aspects of the indoor environment as well as the stakeholders of that indoor

The FEMP Awards Program: Fostering Institutional Change and Energy Management Excellence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McDermott, Christa; Malone, Elizabeth L.

2014-05-20

This report assesses the use of institutional change principles and the institutional impact of award-winning projects through interviews with 22 Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program (DOE FEMP) award winners. Award winners identified institutional facilitators and barriers in their projects and programs as well as factors in their implementation processes, thus providing information that can guide other efforts. We found that award winners do use strategies based on eight principles of institutional change, most frequently in terms of making changes to infrastructure, engaging leadership, and capitalizing on multiple motivations for making an energy efficiency improvement. The principles drawn on the least often were commitment and social empowerment. Award winners also faced five major types of obstacles that were institutional in nature: lack of resources, constraints of rules, psychological barriers, lack of information, and communication problems. We also used the seven categories of Energy Management Excellence (EME) as a lens to interpret the interview data and assess whether these categories relate to established institutional change principles. We found that the eight principles reflect strategies that have been found to be useful in improving energy efficiency in organizations, whereas the EME categories capture more of a blend of social contextual factors and strategies. The EME categories fill in some of the social context gaps that facilitate institutional change and energy management excellence, for example, personal persistence, a culture that supports creativity and innovation, regular engagement with tenants, contractors, and staff at all levels. Taking together the use of principles, EME criteria, and obstacles faced by interviewees, we make recommendations for how FEMP can better foster institutional change in federal agencies.

Institutions in the Mexican coffee sector : changes and responses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rodriguez Padron, B.

2012-01-01

Keywords: Cooperation, contract arrangements, traders´ performance, market uncertainty, diversification, coffee, Mexico.

The main aim of this thesis is to investigate the institutional environment prevailing in the Mexican coffee sector and its effect on the producers, traders and

Leading Change: How Boards and Presidents Build Exceptional Academic Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

MacTaggart, Terrence

2011-01-01

In a time of transformation in higher education, "Leading Change: How Boards and Presidents Build Exceptional Institutions" fills a significant void in leadership literature and focuses on the changing level of board engagement. This book examines 18 institutions, across the spectrum of higher education, at which the board played a…

Institutional Change as the Determinant of Adoption of E-recruitment Practices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holm, Anna Borisovna

Most of available research contributions on adoption of e-HRM and e-recruitment focus on organizational factors, such as company size and efficiency goals, and do not employ macro-level theoretical perspectives. By using institutional theory and institutional logics perspective as the theoretical.......g. size or ownership type. The research concludes that recruiters in Denmark employ e-recruitment techniques due to changes in the recruitment field, changes in the field logics, and the institutional change of the society in which they operate....

Development of the virtual research environment for analysis, evaluation and prediction of global climate change impacts on the regional environment

Science.gov (United States)

Okladnikov, Igor; Gordov, Evgeny; Titov, Alexander; Fazliev, Alexander

2017-04-01

Description and the first results of the Russian Science Foundation project "Virtual computational information environment for analysis, evaluation and prediction of the impacts of global climate change on the environment and climate of a selected region" is presented. The project is aimed at development of an Internet-accessible computation and information environment providing unskilled in numerical modelling and software design specialists, decision-makers and stakeholders with reliable and easy-used tools for in-depth statistical analysis of climatic characteristics, and instruments for detailed analysis, assessment and prediction of impacts of global climate change on the environment and climate of the targeted region. In the framework of the project, approaches of "cloud" processing and analysis of large geospatial datasets will be developed on the technical platform of the Russian leading institution involved in research of climate change and its consequences. Anticipated results will create a pathway for development and deployment of thematic international virtual research laboratory focused on interdisciplinary environmental studies. VRE under development will comprise best features and functionality of earlier developed information and computing system CLIMATE (http://climate.scert.ru/), which is widely used in Northern Eurasia environment studies. The Project includes several major directions of research listed below. 1. Preparation of geo-referenced data sets, describing the dynamics of the current and possible future climate and environmental changes in detail. 2. Improvement of methods of analysis of climate change. 3. Enhancing the functionality of the VRE prototype in order to create a convenient and reliable tool for the study of regional social, economic and political consequences of climate change. 4. Using the output of the first three tasks, compilation of the VRE prototype, its validation, preparation of applicable detailed description of

The Woman Engineering Academic: An Investigation of Departmental and Institutional Environments.

Science.gov (United States)

McKendall, Sherron Benson

2000-01-01

Interviewed women engineering faculty at two universities to determine their experiences and perceptions of departmental and institutional environments. Most participants had experienced some type of isolation or singling out due to gender. Some questioned whether they were overreacting. Many had difficulty balancing home and work lives.…

Institutional framework in relation to climate change in West and ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2010-12-16

Dec 16, 2010 ... This paper maps the institutions working in West and Central Africa on issues related to climate change, vulnerability, and adaptation, and assesses a range of institutional strengths and weaknesses. Representatives of 16 institutions in the sub region were surveyed and interviewed.

Emerging Diseases in a Changing European Environment (EDEN – general presentation and DDNI team’s contribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MARINOV Mihai

2006-09-01

Full Text Available . In recent years, several vector-borne, parasitic or zoonotic diseases have (re-emerged and spread in Europe with major health, ecological, socio-economical and political consequences. Most of these outbreaks are linked to global and local changes resulting from climate change, human-induced landscape changes or the activities of human populations. Since 2004, Danube Delta National Institute has joined to a very ambitious project, what tries to understand the mechanism of the viruses’ transmission, to know which environment factors induce the emergence of viruses. The project will develop and co-coordinate at the European level a set of generic methods, tools and skills such as predictive emergence and spread models, early warning, surveillance and monitoring tools and scenarios, which can be used by decision makers for risk assessment, decision support for intervention and public health policies both at the EU and at the national or regional level. EDEN project integrates research in 47 leading institutes from 24 countries with the combined experience and skills to reach the project’s common goals. Danube Delta National Institute is involved in EDEN – West Nile Virus sub-project, where, together with Cantacuzino Institute, represents Romania in EDEN consortium.

Government regulation of business in a changing institutional barrier

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Novikova I.

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The article examines the domestic experience in government regulation of business in a changing institutional barrier.Compared the degree of economic freedom in Ukraine. The emphasis is on the need to develop a national strategy of institutional development of domestic entrepreneurship.

Path Dependence and Institutional Change in Brazilian Development

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Kleber Chagas Cerqueira

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The left turn in Latin American politics has been associated to a new consensus over the role of the state in fostering development. Brazil historically stands as one of the most socially and economically unequal countries in the world. However, data on poverty reduction and social mobility in the country in the last decade have brought back the recognition of Brazilian government's ability to conduct a development process, which was strongly questioned since the fiscal crisis of the 80s. Drawing on the literature of path dependency and institutional change, the paper presents an analysis of these changes, focusing on the central question: to what extent the rise of a left-wing party to power and mentioned changes represent a break with the legacy of institutional development of the country and to what extent are them conditioned by this legacy?

Governance Change and Institutional Adaptation: A Case Study from Harenna Forest, Ethiopia

Science.gov (United States)

Wakjira, Dereje T.; Fischer, Anke; Pinard, Michelle A.

2013-04-01

Many common pool resources have traditionally been managed through intricate local governance arrangements. Over time, such arrangements are confronted with manifold political, social, economic and ecological changes. However, the ways in which local governance arrangements react to such changes are poorly understood. Using the theoretical concept of institutional adaptation, we analyse the history of Harenna forest, Ethiopia, to examine processes of institutional change over the last 150 years. We find that the traditional institutions that governed Harenna's resources persisted, in essence, over time. However, these institutions were modified repeatedly to address changes caused by varying formal, supra-regional governance regimes, the development of markets for forest products, increasing population pressure and changes in formal property rights. A key mechanism for adaptation was combining elements from both informal and formal institutions, which allowed traditional rules to persist in the guise of more formal arrangements. Our findings also highlight several constraints of institutional adaptation. For example, by abolishing fora for collective decision-making, regime changes limited adaptive capacity. To conclude, we argue that such insights into traditional resource governance and its adaptability and dynamics over time are essential to develop sustainable approaches to participatory forest management for the future, both in Harenna and more generally.

Continuity and Change in Social-ecological Systems: the Role of Institutional Resilience

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Elke Herrfahrdt-Pähle

2012-06-01

Full Text Available In recent years recurring political, economic, and environmental crises require questioning and re-evaluating dominant pathways of human development. However, political and economic frameworks seem to encompass deeply rooted resistance to fundamental changes (e.g., global financial crisis, climate change negotiations. In an effort to repair the system as fast as possible, those paradigms, mechanisms, and structures that led into the crisis are perpetuated. Instead of preserving conventional patterns and focusing on continuity, crises could be used as an opportunity for learning, adapting, and entering onto more sustainable pathways. However, there are different ways not only of arguing for sustainable pathways of development but also of conceptualizing continuity and change. By focusing on institutions, we illustrate the tension between the concepts of continuity and change, how they interact, and how they build or degrade institutional resilience. The analysis draws on empirical research in South Africa and Uzbekistan, which were locked in persistent regimes over decades. Faced with the challenge to transform, Uzbekistan chose a pathway of institutional continuity, while South Africa opted for comprehensive reforms and a high level of change. Based on these case studies, we illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of institutional continuity and change. Elements of institutional continuity during times of transformation include preserving key institutions, which define how the rules are made; maintaining social memory; providing transparency of reform processes and allowing them time to take effect. Elements of institutional change required during phases of consolidation include flexible legislation; regular reviews; and adaptation of legislation during and after implementation.

MODELING OF INNOVATION EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF GENERAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION: THE SCIENTIFIC APPROACHES

OpenAIRE

Anzhelika D. Tsymbalaru

2010-01-01

In the paper the scientific approaches to modeling of innovation educational environment of a general educational institution – system (analysis of object, process and result of modeling as system objects), activity (organizational and psychological structure) and synergetic (aspects and principles).

Action Research’s Potential to Foster Institutional Change for Urban Water Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimitrios Zikos

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The paper discusses the potential of action research to meet the challenges entailed in institutional design for urban water management. Our overall aim is to briefly present action research and discuss its methodological merits with regard to the challenges posed by the different conceptual bases for extrapolating the effects of institutional design on institutional change. Thus, our aim is to explore how Action Research meets the challenge of scoping the field in an open fashion for determining the appropriate mechanisms of institutional change and supporting the emerging of new water institutions. To accomplish this aim, we select the Water Framework Directive (WFD as an illustrative driving force requiring changes in water management practices and implying the need for the emergence of new institutions. We employ a case of urban water management in the Volos Metropolitan Area, part of the Thessaly region in Greece, where a Pilot River Basin Plan was implemented. By applying action research and being involved in a long process of interaction between stakeholders, we examine the emergence of new institutions dealing with urban water management under the general principles of the major driving force for change: the WFD.

BUSINESS STRATEGIES IN UNSTABLE INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT – CASE OF BRIC COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Branko Rakita,

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The visionary idea of BRIC1 countries and their leading position in the development of globaleconomy, conceived by the leading investment bank Goldman Sachs more than a decade ago, cameunder heavy skepticism. However, what many doubted came true. At the end of 2011 BRIC countriesgenerated approximately 26% of global GDP, and their share in the growth of global GDP was morethan 50%. The impressive growth of BRIC countries has been in large measure due to FDI inflow2.Intensive FDI inflow and economic development have not been followed by improved institutionalefficiency. This article will show that inefficient institutions in BRIC countries have not beendiscouraging to MNCs3, who were predominantly led by the extent and the growth dynamics of themarket. Modifications to business strategies applied in developed countries by MNCs, in order tomanage unstable institutional environment in BRIC countries, will be analyzed. The conclusion isthat the key modification is establishment of strong relationships with local stakeholders, in order forMNCs to gain necessary knowledge of the new business environment and create a sound basis forinstitutional efficiency improvement.

Pilot Institute on Global Change on Trace Gases and the Biosphere, 1988

Science.gov (United States)

Eddy, J. A.; Moore, B.

1998-01-01

Table of Contents: Summary; Background; General Framework for a Series of Institutes on Global Change; The 1988 Pilot Institute on Global Changes: Trace Gases and the Biosphere; Budget; List of Acronyms; and Attachments.

Digital governance and institutional change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schlæger, Jesper

2010-01-01

Coal allocation in China is a seminal case of e-government in the political economy. The empirical phenomenon of market supporting e-government has not been systematically analysed. By developing and applying a digital governance model this article examines institutional change in a case of coal...... allocation reform in China. The case shows how the central state used e-government to get rid of planning overload. Coal allocation meetings were abolished in favour of an ecology of online market solutions. The findings suggest that further research on Chinese e-government would benefit from attention...

Institutional "transition" and "post-communist" changes in Romania: Notes for an anthropology of transparency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihailesku Vintila

2004-01-01

Full Text Available "Transition" and post-communist change in European countries may be approached mainly as an oriented institutional change. We may thus get an important insight in a post-communist country’s state of art looking at the way theses mandatory institutional changes have been mastered. The very fact of social life is rooted in mutual expectations (Mauss, 1934. In a broad sense, even institutions were considered to concern all the mutual and stable expectations between actors involved in interaction (Parsons, 1960. In a more analytical sense, one has to distinguish different layers of expectation mastering, from the general categorization of symbolic systems to the legal level of institutional conventions (Douglas, 1986. This institutional legal (not necessary in the modern juridical sense mastering of people’s expectations provides (more or less assurance, as different of trust, more likely to be (more or less developed in interpersonal mastering of expectations via social networks. According to this theoretical scheme one may look at the way and degree institutional change has produced complementary change in people’s expectations, internalized as assurance concerning the institutional functioning. In order for this to succeed institutional change has to be sufficiently "transparent", meaning that the expectations linked to institutional change have to be as much as possible comprehensive, stable and to "make sense" for the population. It turns out that, in the case of Romania, there is a high lack of: - legal transparency (concerning the very legal stake of the institutional change - moral transparency (concerning the truthfulness of the promoters of this change - strategic transparency (concerning the lasting strategies of this change - cognitive transparency (concerning the "sense" of this change The main outcomes may be considered the following ones: - structural corruption ("cleptocracy" - very low rate of trust ("assurance" - short term

Institutional and pedagogical criteria for productive open source learning environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svendsen, Brian Møller; Ryberg, Thomas; Semey, Ian Peter

2004-01-01

In this article we present some institutional and pedagogical criteria for making an informed decision in relation to identifying and choosing a productive open source learning environment. We argue that three concepts (implementation, maintainability and further development) are important when...... considering the sustainability and cost efficiency of an open source system, and we outline a set of key points for evaluating an open source software in terms of cost of system adoption. Furthermore we identify a range of pedagogical concepts and criteria to emphasize the importance of considering...... the relation between the local pedagogical practice and the pedagogical design of the open source learning environment. This we illustrate through an analysis of an open source system and our own pedagogical practice at Aalborg University, Denmark (POPP)....

1988 Pilot Institute on Global Change on trace gases and the biosphere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eddy, J.A.; Moore, B. III

1998-07-01

This proposal seeks multi-agency funding to conduct an international, multidisciplinary 1988 Pilot Institute on Global Change to take place from August 7 through 21, 1988, on the topic: Trace Gases and the Biosphere. The institute, to be held in Snowmass, Colorado, is envisioned as a pilot version of a continuing series of institutes on Global Change (IGC). This proposal seeks support for the 1988 pilot institute only. The concept and structure for the continuing series, and the definition of the 1988 pilot institute, were developed at an intensive and multidisciplinary Summer Institute Planning Meeting in Boulder, Colorado, on August 24--25, 1987. The theme for the 1988 PIGC, Trace Gases and the Biosphere, will focus a concerted, high-level multidisciplinary effort on a scientific problem central to the Global Change Program. Dramatic year-to-year increases in the global concentrations of radiatively-active trace gases such as methane and carbon dioxide are now well documented. The predicted climatic effects of these changes lend special urgency to efforts to study the biospheric sources and sinks of these gases and to clarify their interactions and role in the geosphere-biosphere system.

Climate change, environment and development

OpenAIRE

Okereke, Chukwumerije; Massaquoi, Abu-Bakar S.

2017-01-01

Climate change, a quintessential environmental problem, is generally recognised as the most important development challenge in the 21st century (IPCC, 2014). In addition to acknowledging its many significant direct consequences, climate change is increasingly used to frame discussions on other important global challenges, such as health, energy and food security. This chapter provides understanding of the intricate and complex relationship between climate change, environment and development.

INTEGRATION OF AN INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORY ON INFORMATION AND EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olessia R. Oleksyuk

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The authors of article analyze the concepts associated with the processes of integration of software for the learning. The article contains ways of the integration institutional repository into educational environment of the universities. Authors are describing the experience of integration of DSpace system with the popular learning tools such as CMS Joomla!, LMS Moodle, UFD «Library». Integration of the specified tools is possible at the level of content and unification of access for users. The article contains opportunities of the integration DSpace and documents flow systems (based on Microsoft SharePoint. It is provided effective use of DSpace system at scientific and research work of students.

EU-China Cooperation In the Field of Energy, Environment and Climate Change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pietro De Matteis

2010-11-01

Full Text Available The evolution of the energy market and the intrinsic worldwide scope of environmental threats, such as climate change, are two elements that have pushed the world towards shared approaches to global governance via bilateral institutions and international regimes. This article, with the aid of an institutionalist approach, presents the current status of the EU-China relationship, which is characterised by high institutionalisation, and it underlines how their bilateral cooperation has progressively focused on energy and climate change-related issues. In particular, the article sheds some light on the linkages between energy, environment and climate change and how these have created the basis for the upgrade of the EU-China bilateral relationship to its current level. To do so, it underlines some of the tools, the main frameworks and some of the key outcomes of their bilateral cooperation in these fields.

The Workplace Environment for African-American Faculty Employed in Predominately White Institutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitfield-Harris, Lisa; Lockhart, Joan Such

2016-01-01

Diversity in academia requires attention, especially with the expected increase in minority populations in the United States (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, (AACN) 2014). Despite theoretical papers that suggest that several challenges are encountered by minority faculty employed in predominately White institutions, a dearth of research on this topic has been published. The purpose of this literature review was to analyze the published research that addressed the workplace environment of African-American faculty employed in predominately White institutions. In utilizing the keywords in various combinations, 236 articles were retrieved through multiple databases. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 15 studies were reviewed with only three related to nursing. Two themes were extracted from the review: 1) the cultural climate of the workplace environment and, 2) underrepresentation of African-American faculty. It is apparent from this review that additional research is needed to understand the experiences of this group of faculty to target effective recruitment and retention strategies.

Why institutional environments for agroforestry seed system matters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lillesø, Jens-Peter Barnekow; Harwood, C.; Derero, Abayneh

2018-01-01

Rethinking the logic of institutional environments aiming to facilitate agroforestry smallholders in economic development, this paper compares smallholder input supply systems for crop and tree seeds in Sub-Saharan Africa and reflects on two basic challenges: (i) how to develop a large number...... of relevant tree crops for different agroecologies; (ii) how to reach smallholders in rural areas. Policy options for improving agroforestry input supply systems are discussed, whereby our article concludes with suggestions how sectoral approaches for crop seed systems can be modified to agroforestry seed......-seedling systems. Biophysical differences have practical implications for how the logic of the ‘African green revolution’ would be translated into a corresponding revolution for agroforestry....

Revisiting climate change adaptation through proactive policy designing and institutional mechanism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashish K. Chaturvedi

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Climate change is a foremost challenge for agricultural productivity. The vulnerability is predominantly located in tropical regions with marginal farmers of developing countries. Enhancement of the adaptive capacity to climate change could be possible through revisiting the policy options with institutional reforms for adapting to the climate risks and sustaining the resilience in India. Innovative win-win approaches with key policy framework include innovative institutions, technologies, management systems and necessary financing mechanisms. Areas for utmost importance comprise agricultural research, irrigation, information technologies, market support, rural roads and extension services. Support from stakeholders to ensure effective adaptation/ mitigation strategy implementation and to provide financial support for addressing climate change issue is very essential. Along with these principles, a strong public-private partnership with successful institutional mechanisms may lead to the formulation of climate change adaptation strategies.

Innovation and institutional change. The transition to a sustainable electricity system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hofman, P.S.

2005-12-02

Central to this book is the understanding that transformation of systems of production and consumption involves a process of co-evolution of institutional and technological change and involves changes in institutions at different levels and between those levels. At the micro level it involves the development of a new product, technology or concept, made possible as a variety of actors, such as firms, policy-makers, customers, change their way of doing things. At the meso-level it involves changes in practices at the level of sectors, and at the macro-level it involves changes in systems of innovation and regulation. Systems change slowly occurs as changes at different levels start to connect and synchronise, leading to the emergence of new institutional fabric that creates linkages between the different levels. The aim of this book is to specify this perspective by analysing patterns of change in the electricity system. Scientifically, the relevance of the book is in its analysis and explanation of fundamental processes of change, a topic relevant for a range of scientific disciplines, from economics, sociology, technology studies, to policy science. Its societal relevance lies mainly in its use for gaining insight in the way systems change can be directed towards the normative goal of sustainable development. The overall research questions by which this research is guided are: To what extent can the dynamics of transformation in the electricity system be understood as the interaction between technological and institutional change?, applied more specifically to: (a) how does this dynamics take place at and between different levels?; (b) when and how does this dynamics reinforce the existing system, representing processes of lock-in, or destabilise the existing system, representing processes of escaping lock-in?; and, (c) how can these insights be utilised to direct systems change in a more sustainable direction? Chapter two presents an overview of theoretical work

Innovation and institutional change. The transition to a sustainable electricity system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofman, P.S.

2005-01-01

Central to this book is the understanding that transformation of systems of production and consumption involves a process of co-evolution of institutional and technological change and involves changes in institutions at different levels and between those levels. At the micro level it involves the development of a new product, technology or concept, made possible as a variety of actors, such as firms, policy-makers, customers, change their way of doing things. At the meso-level it involves changes in practices at the level of sectors, and at the macro-level it involves changes in systems of innovation and regulation. Systems change slowly occurs as changes at different levels start to connect and synchronise, leading to the emergence of new institutional fabric that creates linkages between the different levels. The aim of this book is to specify this perspective by analysing patterns of change in the electricity system. Scientifically, the relevance of the book is in its analysis and explanation of fundamental processes of change, a topic relevant for a range of scientific disciplines, from economics, sociology, technology studies, to policy science. Its societal relevance lies mainly in its use for gaining insight in the way systems change can be directed towards the normative goal of sustainable development. The overall research questions by which this research is guided are: To what extent can the dynamics of transformation in the electricity system be understood as the interaction between technological and institutional change?, applied more specifically to: (a) how does this dynamics take place at and between different levels?; (b) when and how does this dynamics reinforce the existing system, representing processes of lock-in, or destabilise the existing system, representing processes of escaping lock-in?; and, (c) how can these insights be utilised to direct systems change in a more sustainable direction? Chapter two presents an overview of theoretical work

Institutional Level Identity Control Strategies in the Distance Education Environment: A Survey of Administrative Staff

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Amigud

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Physical separation of students and instructors creates the gap of anonymity and limited control over the remote learning environment. The ability of academic institutions to authenticate students and validate authorship of academic work at various points during a course is necessary for preserving not only perceived credibility but also public safety. With the growing scope of distance education programs that permeate critical areas such as healthcare, airspace, water management, and food solutions, universities have a moral obligation to employ secure measures to verify learning outcomes. This study examines the measures universities with large distance education programs employ to align identity of learners with the academic work they do, as well as the effectiveness of and challenges and barriers to their implementation. The research was undertaken using a multiple case approach and examined survey responses from five academic administrators at five officially accredited post secondary institutions in three countries. The cases examined in the study include: Athabasca University, Open University UK, Penn State University World Campus, University of Maryland University College, and eConcordia, Concordia University’s distance learning facility. This study is not an exhaustive attempt to examine all aspects of academic integrity, but rather to create awareness about various learner authentication strategies. This study confirms that secure learner authentication in the distance education environment is possible. However, with greater pressure to enhance security of learner authentication, the openness of open learning is challenged and may change as we know it.

Origins of institutional change: Brazilian alcohol fuel program between 1975 and 2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ollinaho, O.I.

2012-07-01

In this dissertation, I study the origins of institutional change. In organizational institutionalism institutional change is seen as being triggered either by exogenous shocks or by endogenous factors. I propose to see the origins of change instead through the dichotomy of cognitive versus material. One rationale for this is that, when addressing more broadly dispersed societal practices, the distinction between endogenous and exogenous loses its meaning. Another reason is that without taking materiality into account in a more comprehensive manner, institutional theory is toothless against the vast material fluxes that human activity, patterned as established practices, produces and consumes. Human activity is transforming the very basis of its foundation: raw material sources, ecosystems and even the climate of the planet. Not only does human activity have an impact on the planet, but the materiality in which we live, has its impact on our activity. I argue that changes in materiality affect our habitualized activities depending on how these changes are produced. This setting requires a more comprehensive relating of material and cognitive processes, something that I attempt to elucidate in this dissertation. I ground my conceptual development in the German sociology of knowledge, foremost in the writings of Alfred Schuetz and Thomas Luckmann. Established practices related to fossil fuels are central with regard to the adverse impacts of human activity. I study arguably the most successful attempt to deviate from these patterns: Proalcool. This ambitious Brazilian biofuel program was launched in 1975. Although alcohol was generally argued to be the definitive Brazilian solution and alcohol cars dominated the scene in the 1980s, by the end of the 1990s the program had lost its legitimacy and was seen as baggage to be done away with. I reconstruct the evolution of the program from 1975 to 2000 as a detailed narrative based on some 4000 news articles published in a

Stories of change in drug treatment: a narrative analysis of 'whats' and 'hows' in institutional storytelling.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, Ditte

2015-06-01

Addiction research has demonstrated how recovering individuals need narratives that make sense of past drug use and enable constructions of future, non-addict identities. However, there has not been much investigation into how these recovery narratives actually develop moment-to-moment in drug treatment. Building on the sociology of storytelling and ethnographic fieldwork conducted at two drug treatment institutions for young people in Denmark, this article argues that studying stories in the context of their telling brings forth novel insights. Through a narrative analysis of both 'the whats' (story content) and 'the hows' (storying process) the article presents four findings: (1) stories of change function locally as an institutional requirement; (2) professional drug treatment providers edit young people's storytelling through different techniques; (3) the narrative environment of the drug treatment institution shapes how particular stories make sense of the past, present and future; and (4) storytelling in drug treatment is an interactive achievement. A fine-grained analysis illuminates in particular how some stories on gender and drug use are silenced, while others are encouraged. The demonstration of how local narrative environments shape stories contributes to the general understanding of interactive storytelling in encounters between professionals and clients in treatment settings. © 2015 The Author. Sociology of Health & Illness published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. on behalf of Foundation for Sociology of Health & Illness.

Changing business environment: implications for farming

OpenAIRE

Malcolm, Bill

2011-01-01

The natural, technological, economic, political and social environment in which farmers farm constantly changes. History has lessons about change in agriculture and about farmers coping with change, though the future is unknowable and thus always surprising. The implication for farm operation is to prepare, do not predict.

Japan's Orientation towards Foreign Investments: Inertia Effects and Driving Force of Institutional Changes

OpenAIRE

Nir Kshetri; Ralf Bebenroth

2012-01-01

We use an institutional perspective to develop a framework for understanding the contexts, mechanisms and processes associated with institutions and institutional changes related to foreign investment in Japan. We examine power dynamics and relational boundaries between diverse actors and analyze why and how some components of institutions have changed and others have not. Also explored in this paper are the conflicting discourses that have been raised in regards to the participation of forei...

Local knowledge, science, and institutional change: the case of desertification control in Northern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Lihua

2015-03-01

This article studies the influence of local knowledge on the impact of science on institutional change in ecological and environmental management. Based on an empirical study on desertification control in 12 counties in north China, the study found the following major results: (1) although there was a cubic relationship between the extent and effect of local knowledge, local knowledge significantly influenced the impact of science on institutional change; (2) local knowledge took effect mainly through affecting formal laws and regulations, major actors, and methods of desertification control in institutional change but had no significant impact on the types of property rights; and (3) local knowledge enhanced the impact of science on the results of desertification control through affecting the impact of science on institutional change. These findings provide a reference for researchers, policy makers, and practitioners, both in China and in other regions of the world, to further explore the influence of local knowledge on the impact of science on institutional change and the roles of local knowledge or knowledge in institutional change and governance.

The General Picture of Supportive Health Environments for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities among 121 Disability Welfare Institutions in Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, J.-D.; Yen, C.-F.; Loh, C.-H.; Chwo, M.-J.; Lee, J.-T.; Wu, J.-L.; Chu, C. M.; Tang, C.-C.

2006-01-01

Background: Little information is available on the provision of supportive health environments for persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) in institutions. The aim of this study was to present an overview of supportive environments for health in institutions in Taiwan. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to examine the perceptions…

Academic Entrepreneurship and Institutional Change in Historical Perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wadhwani, R. Daniel; Galvez-Behar, Gabriel; Mercelis, Joris

2017-01-01

This article provides a historical perspective on academic entrepreneurship and its role in institutional change, and serves as an introduction to a special issue devoted to the subject. Unlike approaches that define academic entrepreneurship narrowly as the commercialization of academic research...

Change in the family food environment is associated with positive dietary change in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendrie, Gilly; Sohonpal, Gundeep; Lange, Kylie; Golley, Rebecca

2013-01-07

The family food environment is an important influence in the development of children's dietary habits. Research suggests that influences of current dietary behaviour and behaviour change may differ. The aims of this paper were to: (1) investigate the association between the food environment at baseline and change in children's saturated fat intake; and (2) to explore whether a change in the food environment was associated with a change in children's saturated fat intake. Secondary analysis of a 12 week cluster randomised controlled trial in 133 4-13 year old children. Families were randomly allocated to parental education regarding changing to reduced-fat dairy foods or a comparison non-dietary behaviour. The interventions were family focused. Parents received education from a dietitian in 3x30 minute sessions to facilitate behaviour change. Parents completed a comprehensive questionnaire capturing three domains of the food environment--Parent knowledge and attitudes; shaping practices; and behaviours and role modelling. Children's dietary intake was assessed via multiple 24-hour recalls at baseline and week 12. Changes in the family food environment and primary outcome (saturated fat) were calculated. Hierarchical linear regression models were performed to explore the association between baseline and change in food environment constructs and change in saturated fat intake. Standardised Beta are presented (pchange in saturated fat. An increase in nutrition knowledge (β=-0.2), perceived responsibility (β=-0.3) and restriction (β=-0.3) from baseline to week 12 were associated with greater reduction in saturated fat intake. The present study was one of the first to quantify changes in the family food environment, and identify a number of factors which were associated with a positive dietary change. Because interventions focus on behaviour change, the findings may provide specific targets for intervention strategies in the future. Australia New Zealand Clinical

Energy, environment, and policy choices: Summer institutes for science and social studies educators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marek, E.A.; Chiodo, J.J.; Gerber, B.L.

1997-06-01

The Center for Energy Education (CEE) is a partnership linking the University of Oklahoma, Close Up Foundation and Department of Energy. Based upon the theme of energy, environment and public policy, the CEE`s main purposes are to: (1) educate teachers on energy sources, environmental issues and decisionmaking choices regarding public policy; (2) develop interdisciplinary curricula that are interactive in nature (see attachments); (3) disseminate energy education curricula; (4) serve as a resource center for a wide variety of energy education materials; (5) provide a national support system for teachers in energy education; and (6) conduct research in energy education. The CEE conducted its first two-week experimentially-based program for educators during the summer of 1993. Beginning at the University of Oklahoma, 57 teachers from across the country examined concepts and issues related to energy and environment, and how the interdependence of energy and environment significantly influences daily life. During the second week of the institute, participants went to Washington, D.C. to examine the processes used by government officials to make critical decisions involving interrelationships among energy, environment and public policy. Similar institutes were conducted during the summers of 1994 and 1995 resulting in nearly 160 science and social studies educators who had participated in the CEE programs. Collectively the participants represented 36 states, the Pacific Territories, Puerto Rico, and Japan.

Getting reforms done in inhospitable institutional environments: untying a Gordian Knot in India's power distribution sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tankha, Sunil; Misal, Annasahed B.; Fuller, Boyd W.

2010-01-01

When grand institutional reforms based on idealized models are stalled by the poor institutional environments and difficult politics which often surround large infrastructure systems in developing countries, partial reforms whose design and implementation take into account the different interests of the key stakeholders can provide valuable and immediate benefits while moving these systems from low- towards higher-level equilibria. Strategically negotiated, experimentally partial and purposefully hybrid, these reforms are based on careful stakeholder analysis and strategic coalition building that avoid rigid positions based on idealized models. Our findings are based on a study of power sector reforms in India, where we performed a micro-level and in-depth analysis of a partial and innovative experiment which has allowed private sector participation in electricity distribution within a hostile institutional environment.

Creating Institutional Space for Business Model Innovation

Science.gov (United States)

Sheets, Robert; Crawford, Stephen

2013-01-01

From college campuses to the halls of Congress, there is broad agreement that higher education is experiencing a major wave of innovation. This article holds that the changes are significant, but that the resulting threats to existing institutions are manageable if key leaders understand them and if institutions adapt to the new environment. The…

The drivers of corporate environment inputs: Based on neo-institution theory evidence from Chinese listed biological and other companies.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Rui; Tao, Lan; Yan, Liang; Chen, Lianfang; Wang, Haijun

2014-09-01

From corporate internal governance structure and external institutional environment, this study uses a legitimacy perspective of intuitional theory to analyze the main influence factors on corporate environmental protection inputs and propose some hypotheses. With the establishment of empirical models, it analyzes the data of 2004-2009 listed biological and other companies in China to test the hypotheses. The findings are concluded that in internal institutional environment, the nature of the controlling shareholder, the proportion of the first shareholder in the ownership structure, the combination of chairman and general manager in board efficiency and the intensity of environmental laws and regulations of the industry in external institutional environment have an significant impact on the behaviors of corporate environmental protection inputs.

Preface. Forest ecohydrological processes in a changing environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiaohua Wei; Ge Sun; James Vose; Kyoichi Otsuki; Zhiqiang Zhang; Keith Smetterm

2011-01-01

The papers in this issue are a selection of the presentations made at the second International Conference on Forests and Water in a Changing Environment. This special issue ‘Forest Ecohydrological Processes in a Changing Environment’ covers the topics regarding the effects of forest, land use and climate changes on ecohydrological processes across forest stand,...

Marketing activities of higher education institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Varađanin Vladimir

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Public sector marketing is a modern-day scientific discipline which is getting more and more attention. Institutions of higher education provide a specific kind of services to their users, which makes these institutions a part of the public sector. Due to dynamic changes in the environment, the demands and needs of higher education institution's users change, which makes it necessary to monitor these changes through certain marketing activities and adjust to them in order to satisfy the users' needs. Each higher education institution sets its own goals which, broadly speaking, are to meet their own needs, the needs of students and the society as a whole. Therefore, when formulating a strategy for achieving the objectives of higher education institutions, it is necessary to have timely information from the environment. The modern approach to business puts forward the service users' needs. When it comes to institutions of higher education, the users are primarily students, who thus get the most attention. Keeping this in mind, we have conducted a research among students in order to identify the choice factors influencing their higher education institution selection process. The results obtained should provide guidelines for creating an adequate marketing mix in order to gain competitive advantage on the market for higher education. In the research descriptive and comparative methods were used. In the practical part of the research, survey technique was applied by means of a non-standardized questionnaire. The research results imply that the analysis of the factors influencing the process of selecting the higher education institution enables the creation of an adequate combination of instruments in a marketing mix which can then be used as an instrument for gaining competitive advantage.

Understanding Indian Institutional Networks and Participation in Water Management Adaptation to Climate Change

Science.gov (United States)

Azhoni, A.; Holman, I.; Jude, S.

2014-12-01

Adaptation to climate change for water management involves complex interactions between different actors and sectors. The need to understand the relationships between key stakeholder institutions (KSIs) is increasingly recognized. The complexity of water management in India has meant that enhancing adaptive capacity through improved inter-institutional networks remains a challenge for both government and non-governmental institutions. To analyse such complex inter-actions this study has used Social Network and Stakeholder Analysis tools to quantify the participation of, and interactions between, each KSI in the climate change adaptation and water discourse based on keyword analysis of their online presence. Using NodeXL, a Social Network Analysis tool, network diagrams have been used to evaluate the inter-relationships between these KSIs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-five KSIs to identify the main barriers to adaptation and to triangulate the findings of the e-documents analysis. The analysis found that there is an inverse relationship between institutions' reference to water and climate change in their web-documents. Most institutions emphasize mitigation rather than adaptation. Bureaucratic delays, poor coordination between the KSIs, unclear policies and systemic deficiencies are identified as key barriers to improving adaptive capacity within water management to climate change. However, the increasing attention being given to the perceived climate change impacts on the water sector and improving the inter-institutional networks are some of the opportunities for Indian water institutions. Although websites of Union Government Institutions seldom directly hyperlink to one another, they are linked through "bridging" websites which have the potential to act as brokers for enhancing adaptive capacity. The research has wider implications for analysis of complex inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional issues involving multi stakeholders.

Benign or malignant? The effects of institutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Mortimore, J; Mortimore, P

1985-01-01

The institutions discussed in this paper are those which most children attend for some (and in a few cases, most) of their time. It is argued that, not only are there differences in institutions ostensibly performing the same function, but that, with rare exceptions, differences in organization, philosophy and ethos can exert an influence on inmates in both the long and the short term. The question of what attempts have been made to alter the influence of institutions is then addressed in terms of changing structure, organization and attitudes. The agents of change include government committees, a local education authority, researchers, pressure groups and/or staff of the institutions. Whilst the enduring nature of institutions is recognized, some suggestions for strategies of change are made. These draw on research evidence indicating the kinds of institutional environments most suitable for children's development, the need for a coherent unified policy on child care, and for effective parent involvement, all of which could make the influence of institutions more positive--benign rather than malignant.

Stock index adjustments, analyst coverage and institutional holdings: Evidence from China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Song Zhu

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Using 231 pairs of matched firms from 2009 to 2012 in Chinese stock market, we find that the stock index adjustment significantly affects the analyst coverage, which in addition to the stock index leads to more analyst coverage, while deletion from the stock index has no significant effect, indicating that stock index adjustment can significantly change the information environments of firms that are added to the index. An index adjustment also affects institutional holdings in consideration of new information (e.g., changes in fundamentals and information environments. Changes in institutional holdings are partially due to changes in analyst coverage, and both index funds and other types can change their portfolios in response to changes in the target firms’ informativeness.

Climate change, uncertainty, and resilient fisheries: Institutional responses through integrative science

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Miller, K.; Charles, A.; Barange, M.

2010-01-01

This paper explores the importance of a focus on the fundamental goals of resilience and adaptive capacity in the governance of uncertain fishery systems, particularly in the context of climate change. Climate change interacts strongly with fishery systems, and adds to the inherent uncertainty...... that understanding these aspects of fishery systems and fishery governance is valuable even in the absence of climate-induced processes of change, but that attention to climate change both reinforces the need for, and facilitates the move toward, implementation of integrative science for improved fishery governance....... and processes – to support suitable institutional responses, a broader planning perspective, and development of suitable resilience-building strategies. The paper explores how synergies between institutional change and integrative science can facilitate the development of more effective fisheries policy...

Making Sense of Partnering: Discourses, Governance and Institutional Change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gottlieb, Stefan Christoffer; Jensen, Jens Stissing

2012-01-01

a perspective of institutional theory, however, the development of partnering can also be understood as a strategic intervention that has destabilized the established regulative context in which the traditional contractual mode of project governance takes place. Drawing on a historical document study and data...... from an ethnographic case study of a public partnering project, it is shown that rather than providing a well-defined alternative to the traditional form of project governance, the institutional destabilization has cultivated an organization field offering a legitimate frame for local sense making....... Thus, as a project governance mechanism, partnering emerges as a collective sense-making process directed at (re-)creating a new form of rational behaviour under changing institutional conditions....

Changes in Climate Driving Changes in Architectural Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maibritt Pedersen Zari

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Sustainability issues, in particular climate change, have become significant drivers of change in architectural education. It is posited that engaging in the reduction and offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions in academic institutions, particularly those responsible for the education of new generations of built environment professionals, could become an important part of creating built environments that can more effectively contribute to mitigating the causes of climate change.

Knowledge-driven institutional change: an empirical study on combating desertification in northern China from 1949 to 2004.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Lihua; Wu, Jianguo

2012-11-15

Understanding institutional changes is crucial for environmental management. Here we investigated how institutional changes influenced the process and result of desertification control in northern China between 1949 and 2004. Our analysis was based on a case study of 21 field sites and a meta-analysis of additional 29 sites reported in the literature. Our results show that imposed knowledge-driven institutional change was often perceived as a more progressive, scientific, and rational type of institutional change by entrepreneurs, scholars, experts, and technicians, while voluntary, knowledge-driven institutional change based on indigenous knowledge and experiences of local populations was discouraged. Our findings also demonstrate that eight working rules of imposed knowledge-driven institutional change can be applied to control desertification effectively. These rules address the issues of perception of potential gains, entrepreneurs' appeals and support, coordination of multiple goals, collaboration among multiple organizations, interest distribution and conflict resolution, incremental institutional change, external intervention, and coordination among the myriad institutions involved. Imposed knowledge-driven institutional change tended to be more successful when these rules were thoroughly implemented. These findings provide an outline for implementing future institutional changes and policy making to combat desertification and other types of ecological and environmental management. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Change in the family food environment is associated with positive dietary change in children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hendrie Gilly

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The family food environment is an important influence in the development of children’s dietary habits. Research suggests that influences of current dietary behaviour and behaviour change may differ. The aims of this paper were to: (1 investigate the association between the food environment at baseline and change in children’s saturated fat intake; and (2 to explore whether a change in the food environment was associated with a change in children’s saturated fat intake. Method Secondary analysis of a 12 week cluster randomised controlled trial in 133 4-13 year old children. Families were randomly allocated to parental education regarding changing to reduced-fat dairy foods or a comparison non-dietary behaviour. The interventions were family focused. Parents received education from a dietitian in 3x30minute sessions to facilitate behaviour change. Parents completed a comprehensive questionnaire capturing three domains of the food environment – Parent knowledge and attitudes; shaping practices; and behaviours and role modelling. Children’s dietary intake was assessed via multiple 24-hour recalls at baseline and week 12. Changes in the family food environment and primary outcome (saturated fat were calculated. Hierarchical linear regression models were performed to explore the association between baseline and change in food environment constructs and change in saturated fat intake. Standardised Beta are presented (p Results After adjustments for child and family demographics, higher levels of perceived food availability (β=-0.2 at baseline was associated with greater reduction in saturated fat intake, where as higher perceived responsibility (β=0.2, restriction (β=0.3 and pressure to eat (β=0.3 were associated with lesser change in saturated fat. An increase in nutrition knowledge (β=-0.2, perceived responsibility (β=-0.3 and restriction (β=-0.3 from baseline to week 12 were associated with greater reduction in

Site acceptability and power availability: needed institutional changes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haggard, J.E.

1975-01-01

Timely assurance of power plant site availability is threatened by institutional inabilities to resolve often competing environmental/energy requirements. Institutional changes are needed. The issue of site approval should be separated from that of plant approval. A ''one-stop'' forum for site approval, modeled after Washington State's Thermal Power Plant Siting Act, is needed. The one-stop process utilizes one forum composed of officials drawn from all agencies involved in site related issues. A joint Federal/State Siting Council, with sole jurisdiction over site approval, is recommended. The State Council would have a determinative vote on all issues not otherwise preempted by federal legislation. 21 references. (U.S.)

Keeping patients safe: Institute of Medicine looks at transforming nurses' work environment.

Science.gov (United States)

2004-01-01

In November 1999, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System, which brought to the public's attention the serious--and sometimes deadly--dangers posed by medical errors occurring in healthcare organizations. Exactly 4 years later, an IOM committee released a new report that focuses on the need to reinforce patient safety defenses in the nurses' working environments.

Cluster Policy in the Light of Institutional Context—A Comparative Study of Transition Countries

OpenAIRE

Tine Lehmann; Maximilian Benner

2015-01-01

The business environment in transition countries is often extraordinarily challenging for companies. The transition process these countries find themselves in leads to constant changes in the institutional environment. Hence, institutional voids prevail. These institutional voids cause competitive disadvantages for small and medium enterprises. Cluster policy can address these competitive disadvantages. As cluster policy generally aims at supporting companies’ competitive advantage by spurrin...

Exploring Institutional Transformations to Address High-End Climate Change in Iberia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joan David Tàbara

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Either meeting the UNFCCC Paris agreement to limit global average warming below the 2–1.5 °C threshold, or going beyond it entails huge challenges in terms of institutional innovation and transformation. This research describes a participatory integrated assessment process aimed at exploring the options, opportunities, necessary capacities and implications for institutional co-operation and innovation in the Iberian Peninsula under High-End Climate Change (HECC. Using in-depth interviews and a novel participatory research approach, different scenario narratives and pathways about the future of Iberia have been identified using Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs. Special attention is given to the knowledge and policy options needed to implement cross-border organizational changes and co-operation mechanisms that would support the Integrated Climate Governance of the Tagus and Guadiana river basins. We show that a wealth of institutional innovation pathways and specific options and solutions exist not only to reduce GHG emissions (mitigation and the negative impacts of climate change (adaptation, but, above all, to generate new forms of social-ecological system interactions aligned with sustainability (transformation. In particular, and depending on which scenario contexts unfold in the future in Iberia, different kinds of institutional and governance capacities and clusters of solutions may be needed in order to achieve transformation.

Institutional Change and Governance Indexes in Transition Economies: the case of Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pasquale Tridico

2006-12-01

Full Text Available In the former communist countries, institutional change, i.e. transition towards market economy, is affected not only by introduction of law and formal institutions (change "by design", but also by social norms, old values and habits (informal institutions. I present an empirical paper focusing on transition of the Polish Economy. I used a questionnaire which was administered to a sample of about 1000 Polish firms in order to verify the impact of economic institutions on the "residual productivity". Throughout the questionnaire I built six governance indexes. Then I tested the impact of the governance indexes on the productivity of firms. I observed that the economic performance of the eastern regions of Poland, where governance indexes are worse than western, are poorer than that of the western regions of Poland

Petroleum privatization and institutional environment: the Russian example; Privatisation petroliere et environnement institutionnel: l'exemple russe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Locarelli, C.; Finon, D

2003-09-01

This paper treats of the reform of the Russian hydrocarbons industry using an institutionalistic approach. The theoretical objective of the privatization is the installation of a growth scheme based on important productivity gains, through large scale re-structuration, investments for the reproduction of oil and gas reserves, and big infrastructures development. The choice of this sector is justified because it represents an extreme case of inadequateness of the measures preconized by the Washington consensus with respect to the institutional environment. Stress has been put on the modification of the property rights of companies. The introduction of market institutions in a transition economy has led to an opportunistic adaptation of the behaviour of private and government actors. There is a clear correlation between the insecurity of property rights in general and the abundance of exploitable and exportable natural resources. Then, the privatization and the limited performance of the hydrocarbons sector in Russia is analyzed in terms of efficiency and long-term strategy, essential for a resources industry to make reserves. The unexpected results of this privatization are explained using an analysis of the market institutions applied to the very specific institutional environment of the Russian economy. Finally, the inadequateness of these institutions with the initial informal institutions has led to adaptations fully dependent of the institutional path with the necessity of preserving a minimum inter-industrial consistency. (J.S.)

Adaptation to climate change in agriculture in Bangladesh: The role of formal institutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, Md Torikul; Nursey-Bray, Melissa

2017-09-15

Bangladesh is very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and adaptation is emerging as a key policy response. Place based programs that build adaptive capacity are needed. This paper explores the effectiveness of formal institutions in climate change adaptation for agriculture from the perspectives of farmers and institutional communities of practice within two drought-prone areas in Bangladesh. Our findings show that formal institutions via their communities of practice play an important role in building place based capacity for mitigation and adaptation strategies in agriculture. Over-emphasis on technology, lack of acknowledgement of cultural factors and a failure of institutional communities of practice to mediate and create linkages with informal institutional communities of practice remain barriers. We argue that in order for formal institutions to play an ongoing and crucial role in building adaptive agriculture in Bangladesh, they must incorporate cultural mechanisms and build partnerships with more community based informal institutions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Several Learning Environment Variables at Secondary Institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Murat Tuncer

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Health is an issue whose importance needs to be focused in the learning environment and learning activities in education. The level of teaching and learning is known to effect health of learners. Learning environments are teeming with many variables. Ambient temperature, noise, humidity and illumination are a few of them. If these variables are outside the specified limits for ambient levels this may need to a loss of learning and adversely affect the health of learners. This research was conducted to evaluate this aspect at institutions of secondary education in Turkey. The literature discusses the findings of various measurements that were taken with a variety of devices such as the Environment Meter-DT 8820, GMI PN 66094 and AARONIA AG SPECTRAN at randomly selected schools and classes. The temperature and carbon dioxide values in the classrooms were outside the defined limits according to research findings. In addition, many classrooms had noise levels above limits which could impair human health and some color selections in classrooms were made incorrectly. When the results of the findings are analyzed, we find the learner’s metabolism is negatively affected; attention loss and serious health problems may be experienced in the long run. It is highly recommended that laws and regulations regarding school construction and settlement be enacted and that precise limits be defined in those laws. In addition, it is thought establishing electromechanical systems to measure indoor and outdoor air quality in classrooms would bring benefits

Institutional Embeddedness of Search Strategies and the Implications for Innovation Performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grimpe, Christoph; Sofka, Wolfgang

2013-01-01

to experience the negative performance effects of oversearch. Based on a comprehensive sample of almost 8,000 firms from ten European countries, we find that institutions matter considerably for firms’ search activity. Higher market orientation of institutions increases the effectiveness of firms’ search...... ignored the institutional context that provides or denies access to external knowledge at the country level. Combining institutional and knowledge search theory, we suggest that the market orientation of the institutional environment and the magnitude of institutional change influence when firms begin...... for external knowledge while higher magnitudes of institutional change decrease it. Our results provide important insights for management on how to adapt search strategies to the institutional context....

Partnerships for Sustainable Change in Cotton: an Institutional Analysis of African Cases

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bitzer, V.C.; Glasbergen, P.

2010-01-01

This article examines intersectoral partnerships formed to promote sustainable cotton production and the extent to which such partnerships are facilitated or constrained by their institutional environment. Based on an analysis of five partnerships in sub- Saharan Africa, this article shows that

The Role of Institutional Environment in International Trade. The Case of Spanish Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Márquez-Ramos

2016-12-01

Full Text Available We move beyond the nation-state as the unit of analysis and use subnational spatial variation to study the effect of the institutional environment on international trade. Additionally, we address the heterogeneous effect of trade agreements on different regions within a country. Employing a gravity model approach, we use a region-to-country dataset to estimate the determinants of Spanish regional exports and we apply quantile regressions for panel data. We find that better institutional quality of trade agreements leads to an increase in both the intensive and the extensive margins of trade. The institutional quality of trade agreements exerts a differential effect on regional exports at different locations within a country, although differences across Spanish regions seem to be larger for the intensive margin than for the extensive margin. We do, however, find a common trend: for the relatively more important exporting regions, the institutional quality of TAs is less relevant for trade margins. Therefore, our results posit that subnational spatial variation should be added to the analysis of the determinants of international trade flows.

The System-Supplementing Effect of the Interaction between Innovative Capacity and Institutional Environment Factors of a Region

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Viktor Nikolayevich Ovchinnikov

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In the article, the effect of interaction between the development level of regional innovative capacity and its innovative and institutional infrastructure is traced. The research objective is to prove the hypothesis of the essential impact of the regional institutional and information environment on its innovative capacity, the identification of the effect of their systemsupplementing interaction. From the standpoint of the methodology of system-structural research its components are allocated within the innovative capacity of the regional innovative system (RIS, they are presented by a corporate sector, the structures of small and medium business, and also by the subjects of ethnic economy. The use of essential-analytical and functional approaches has revealed the leading role of intangible assets of the corporate sector of the economy in region’s innovative development. The correlation and regression analysis has confirmed the essential dependence of the innovative activity of the region on the systemic completeness of the development of its institutional and infrastructure environment. The results of the research have shown that to ensure the system-supplementing effect of the interaction between innovative capacity and the factors of its activation in the sphere of institutional infrastructure, it is necessary to consistently develop its operational base — the institutions of RIS. The recommendations reasoned in the article may be used for the development of regional innovation strategies, the formation of innovation clusters. The three-component structure of the innovation cluster of the region is offered; its integrating function in relation to the innovative components of the regional sectoral clusters is determined. The factors constraining the growth of innovation activity of the regional economic subjects are revealed and the recommendations on the development of the institutional and infrastructural environment of the Rostov

CHANGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES RELATED TO THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT COMPLEXITY

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Elena DOVAL

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The changes in organizations appear as a reaction to the organizational environment changes. In order to manage these changes successfully, the managers need to anticipate and design alternative strategies by preparing different options.  Nevertheless, the complexity of the global environment forces the managers to adopt strategies for their organizations that are facilitating the creation of new strategic competences and competitive advantages to face the environmental rapid changes. In this context, this paper is aiming to illustrate the main directions the change management may consider to change the organization strategies in order to harmonize them to the external environment, such as: integration versus externalization, flexible specialization and flexible organization, standardization versus adaptation, market segmentation, relationship building and maintaining and communication integration.  However, the new strategies are based on a changed attitude of the managers towards the competitive advantage that is dynamic and focused on creation rather then to operations.

Evidence Accumulation and Change Rate Inference in Dynamic Environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Radillo, Adrian E; Veliz-Cuba, Alan; Josić, Krešimir; Kilpatrick, Zachary P

2017-06-01

In a constantly changing world, animals must account for environmental volatility when making decisions. To appropriately discount older, irrelevant information, they need to learn the rate at which the environment changes. We develop an ideal observer model capable of inferring the present state of the environment along with its rate of change. Key to this computation is an update of the posterior probability of all possible change point counts. This computation can be challenging, as the number of possibilities grows rapidly with time. However, we show how the computations can be simplified in the continuum limit by a moment closure approximation. The resulting low-dimensional system can be used to infer the environmental state and change rate with accuracy comparable to the ideal observer. The approximate computations can be performed by a neural network model via a rate-correlation-based plasticity rule. We thus show how optimal observers accumulate evidence in changing environments and map this computation to reduced models that perform inference using plausible neural mechanisms.

Public Agility and Change in a Network Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tom van Engers

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Preparing for change is increasingly core business for governmental organizations. The networked society and the increasing connectedness of governmental organizations have as much impact on the complexity of the change process as the complexities of the corpus of law. Change is not only driven by changes in the law; changes in the organization’s environment often create a need to redesign business processes, reallocate roles and responsibilities, and reorder tasks. Moreover, preparations for change are not limited to the internal processes and systems of these organizations. Propagation of changes to network partners and redesign of network arrangements can be an enormous challenge. In the AGILE project, we develop a design method, distributed service architecture, and supporting tools that enable organizations - administrative and otherwise - to orchestrate their law-based services in a networked environment. This paper explains the Agile approach and describes some of its key principles.

31 CFR 370.7 - How can my financial institution change my designated deposit account?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How can my financial institution... Entries § 370.7 How can my financial institution change my designated deposit account? If your financial.... The financial institution's request will be deemed an agreement by the institution to indemnify us and...

Do Community-based Institutions Build Resilience to Climate Change in Mongolia?

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Gimenez, M.

2012-12-01

Climate change impacts are inherently local, yet relatively little is known about the role of local people and institutions in adapting to climate change. Mongolia has experienced one of the strongest warming trends on Earth over the past 40 years, associated declines in streamflow, and increases in the frequency of extreme winter weather events. Environmental changes are compounded by rapid political, economic and social transformations beginning in 1990. We investigate the complex interactions of social, ecological and climate changes across multiple levels from local to regional to national. We hypothesize that community-based institutions increase resilience by strengthening self-regulating feedbacks between social and ecological systems through development and enforcement of formal management rules, implementation of innovative management practices, strengthening of social networks and information exchange within and across levels of social organization, and enhanced monitoring. These result in better ecological and socio-economic conditions and greater adaptive capacity in areas under formal community-based management compared to adjacent areas without formal community management institutions. Evaluation of this hypothesis involves integrated collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative ecological, social and hydro-climatic data at household, community and regional levels of spatial and social organization. Here, we present preliminary results evaluating these hypotheses from 10 counties (soum) in 3 provinces (aimag) in the Gobi desert-steppe of southern Mongolia based on household-level social data and plot-level ecological data representing. Our initial findings support the hypothesis that community-based institutions are associated with greater household adaptive capacity and healthier pasture ecological conditions, characterized by greater perennial vegetation cover and biomass, especially in the functional group most important for livestock

Learning to listen. Institutional change and legitimation in UK radioactive waste policy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mackerron, G. [SPRU Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex, Brighton (United Kingdom); Berkhout, F. [Institute for Environmental Studies IVM, VU University, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2009-04-15

Over the course of 50 years, UK radioactive waste policy change has been coupled with institutional change, without much progress towards the ultimate goal of safe, long-term stewardship of wastes. We explain this history as a search for legitimacy against a shifting context of legitimation needs and deficits. Following Habermas, we argue that legitimation is derived from a process of justificatory discourse. In principle, there must be a reasonable exchange of arguments between diverse parties in society, based on common norms, for legitimacy to be achieved. We show that the work of legitimation in UK radioactive waste policy has moved from a focus on factual validity claims towards an increasing emphasis on deliberative processes. This reframing of legitimation needs explains institutional and policy changes in UK radioactive waste policy. The most recent phase of policy and institutional change, which placed public deliberation about long-term management and disposal options centre-stage, represents a new step towards bridging legitimation deficits. Plans to build new nuclear reactors in the UK based on a more closed 'streamlined' decision process risk reversing the legitimacy gains that have been achieved through growing openness on radioactive waste management.

Institutional change in European natural gas markets and implications for energy security: Lessons from the German case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westphal, Kirsten

2014-01-01

This article focuses on institutional change in the German gas market driven by EU internal market and climate policies. It argues that institutional change has functional externalities for energy security. The German gas market provides a useful case study, as Germany is the biggest continental gas market, a major hub and transport country which has largely privatised, unbundled and separated its natural gas undertakings. Transition is ongoing, tending towards an internal market. Inter/national natural gas economics is in flux. Institutional evolution has repercussions for corporate and market structures, the operating of the system and the realization of transactions. Changes in the institutional framework crucially affect energy security, which is often associated with institutional stability. On the basis of this case study, it is argued herein that the security of natural gas supplies should be reexamined in the context of the developments described above, since overall the institutional changes in natural gas security lag behind the EU’s internal natural gas market development. - Highlights: • EU natural gas market regulation primarily aims to establish competitive markets. • German/EU regulatory approach has externalities for supply security. • Institutional changes and breaks with path dependencies take place in Germany/the EU. • Institutional change results in increasing uncertainty and complexity. • Subsequent change in perceptions and expectations may destabilise trade relations

Questioning the "big assumptions". Part II: recognizing organizational contradictions that impede institutional change.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowe, Constance M; Lahey, Lisa; Kegan, Robert; Armstrong, Elizabeth

2003-08-01

Well-designed medical curriculum reforms can fall short of their primary objectives during implementation when unanticipated or unaddressed organizational resistance surfaces. This typically occurs if the agents for change ignore faculty concerns during the planning stage or when the provision of essential institutional safeguards to support new behaviors are neglected. Disappointing outcomes in curriculum reforms then result in the perpetuation of or reversion to the status quo despite the loftiest of goals. Institutional resistance to change, much like that observed during personal development, does not necessarily indicate a communal lack of commitment to the organization's newly stated goals. It may reflect the existence of competing organizational objectives that must be addressed before substantive advances in a new direction can be accomplished. The authors describe how the Big Assumptions process (see previous article) was adapted and applied at the institutional level during a school of medicine's curriculum reform. Reform leaders encouraged faculty participants to articulate their reservations about considered changes to provided insights into the organization's competing commitments. The line of discussion provided an opportunity for faculty to appreciate the gridlock that existed until appropriate test of the school's long held Big Assumptions could be conducted. The Big Assumptions process proved useful in moving faculty groups to recognize and questions the validity of unchallenged institutional beliefs that were likely to undermine efforts toward change. The process also allowed the organization to put essential institutional safeguards in place that ultimately insured that substantive reforms could be sustained.

Antarctic climate change and the environment

Science.gov (United States)

2009-11-01

This volume provides a comprehensive, up-to-date account of how the physical and biological : environment of the Antarctic continent and Southern Ocean has changed from Deep Time until : the present day. It also considers how the Antarctic environmen...

Aspen Global Change Institute Summer Science Sessions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katzenberger, John; Kaye, Jack A

2006-10-01

The Aspen Global Change Institute (AGCI) successfully organized and convened six interdisciplinary meetings over the course of award NNG04GA21G. The topics of the meetings were consistent with a range of issues, goals and objectives as described within the NASA Earth Science Enterprise Strategic Plan and more broadly by the US Global Change Research Program/Our Changing Planet, the more recent Climate Change Program Strategic Plan and the NSF Pathways report. The meetings were chaired by two or more leaders from within the disciplinary focus of each session. 222 scholars for a total of 1097 participants-days were convened under the auspices of this award. The overall goal of each AGCI session is to further the understanding of Earth system science and global environmental change through interdisciplinary dialog. The format and structure of the meetings allows for presentation by each participant, in-depth discussion by the whole group, and smaller working group and synthesis activities. The size of the group is important in terms of the group dynamics and interaction, and the ability for each participant's work to be adequately presented and discussed within the duration of the meeting, while still allowing time for synthesis

Climate change adaptation of the built environment – an examination

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Majgaard Krarup, Jonna

2014-01-01

phenomena. This is why the term 'environmental changes' might be more accurate than climate change. ‘Environmental changes’ suggests that climate changes ought to be understood as extensive environmental changes, with an impact on the built environment. Following this, it is no longer sufficient only...... to assess for example a building, and anthropogenic impacts on the environment, also the impact of the environment on installations, and on the human activities must be included in the analysis and assessments. Based on observations and investigations into climate change adaptation in DK and abroad......In a Danish context, climate changes are primarily manifested in an interaction between modified wind and precipitation patterns, increasing temperature and a rising sea level. The individual factors often act together and are reinforced in interaction with already known natural and cultural...

Critical success factor (CSF) service delivery for tahfiz institution teaching & learning environment

Science.gov (United States)

Ridza, B. H.; Jalil, R. A.; Sipan, I.; Nukman, Y.

2017-11-01

The exceptional existence of tahfiz institutions (TI) by a government and the private sector in Malaysia indicates that tahfiz education at par to fill mainstream education. Nevertheless, the level of TI facilities management (FM) provided is unstandardized since its infrastructure and establishment is initiated by the varied background of TI organizer. Thus, the effectiveness of TI education system is immeasurable. The significance of this research is to explore the critical success factor (CSF) of service delivery for TI teaching and learning environment. This research adopts both qualitative and quantitative method through survey instrument in order to review and analyze to achieve the research goal. The findings showed several important criteria for a transformation of TI education teaching and learning environment such top management of TI needs to be more responsible in providing better FM practice to achieve efficiency of manpower in providing a conducive learning environment for students for producing excellent huffaz. Thus, TI education system needs to have clear standard guidelines in operating their activities in producing huffaz that capable implement Islamic knowledge to the development of the country.

Designing institutions for climate change: Why rational design involves technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coninck, H. de [Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, Petten (Netherlands)

2008-09-30

This paper aims to explore how to augment the institutional solutions offered by current political theory for addressing the unprecedented problem of climate change. Although steering directly at emission reductions in an international treaty has benefits in terms of cost-effectiveness, the paper arrives at the conclusion that considerations around technological development should be drawn into the treaty equation in order to generate sufficient reciprocity to have a politically feasible international regime. It then argues that the benefits of technology agreements for climate change mitigation may be larger than commonly assumed, as they - if properly designed - could lead to real emission reductions and provide more flexibility to reach agreement in post-2012 negotiations than proposals modelled exclusively on the Kyoto Protocol or other types of absolute emission targets. Based on rational design of international institutions for environmental governance, and attempting to take into account considerations of technological dynamics and the 'sociotechnical system', contours of a possible environmentally effective and politically feasible international climate change agreements are sketched.

The Therapeutic Environment Screening Survey for Nursing Homes (TESS-NH): an observational instrument for assessing the physical environment of institutional settings for persons with dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sloane, Philip D; Mitchell, C Madeline; Weisman, Gerald; Zimmerman, Sheryl; Foley, Kristie M Long; Lynn, Mary; Calkins, Margaret; Lawton, M Powell; Teresi, Jeanne; Grant, Leslie; Lindeman, David; Montgomery, Rhonda

2002-03-01

To develop an observational instrument that describes the ability of physical environments of institutional settings to address therapeutic goals for persons with dementia. A National Institute on Aging workgroup identified and subsequently revised items that evaluated exit control, maintenance, cleanliness, safety, orientation/cueing, privacy, unit autonomy, outdoor access, lighting, noise, visual/tactile stimulation, space/seating, and familiarity/homelikeness. The final instrument contains 84 discrete items and one global rating. A summary scale, the Special Care Unit Environmental Quality Scale (SCUEQS), consists of 18 items. Lighting items were validated using portable light meters. Concurrent criterion validation compared SCUEQS scores with the Professional Environmental Assessment Protocol (PEAP). Interrater kappa statistics for 74% of items were above.60. For another 10% of items, kappas could not be calculated due to empty cells, but interrater agreement was above 80%. The SCUEQS demonstrated an interrater reliability of.93, a test--retest reliability of.88, and an internal consistency of.81--.83. Light meter ratings correlated significantly with the Therapeutic Environment Screening Survey for Nursing Homes (TESS-NH) lighting items (r =.29--.38, p =.01--.04), and the SCUEQS correlated significantly with global PEAP ratings (r =.52, p TESS-NH efficiently assesses discrete elements of the physical environment and has strong reliability and validity. The SCUEQS provides a quantitative measure of environmental quality in institutional settings.

SOCIAL INSTITUTION OF EDUCATION AND COMPUTER VIRTUAL REALITY: POINTS OF INFLUENCE

OpenAIRE

Tarakanov Sergey Anatolevich

2012-01-01

This article discusses the impact of computer virtual reality to education as a social institution. Author gives a description of education as a social institution. Outlines the main changes of the institute of education under the influence of a virtual online-environment. Author makes the following conclusions: 1. Computer virtual reality expands sphere of activity of social institution of education. 2. Computer virtual reality deletes status and role differences. It influences on the system...

Climate Change: Science, Health and the Environment

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

Climate Change: Science, Health and the Environment Howard Frumkin, MD, DrPH, Director of CDC's National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, discusses the science of climate change, the potential for shifts in the natural world to affect our wellbeing, and the challenges of emerging issues in environmental health.

Are political institutions resistant to changes?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vranić Bojan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available To what extent is the New institutionalism capable of explaining why implementations of public policies in political institutions may engender resistance? The author believes that political institutions are endogenous and not exogenous entities. The author first tries to demonstrate what constitutes the autonomy of a political institution by recognizing the elements of a specific political culture which becomes source of formation of political identities to political actors. Subsequently, the author examines the assumption that a political institution and actors are not tolerant to public policies authoritatively imposed from the exterior. The result of this collision is the resistance of a political institution. In the end, the author analyzes certain possible forms of resistance and their effect on preventing the implementation of public policy.

An Examination of Organizational Change through Nevada's Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez, Magdalena

2015-01-01

There is limited research on how postsecondary institutions prepare to become HSIs. This chapter examines organizational change through a group of emerging HSIs and their governance, policy, and leadership.

PROSPECTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODERN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS' LEARNING AND RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT: TO THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND LEARNING TOOLS OF NAPS OF UKRAINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. P. Shyshkina

2014-05-01

Full Text Available During 15 years the Institute of Information technology and training of NAPS of Ukraine carries out research work aimed at solving actual problems of the creation, implementation and use of ICT in education, construction and development of computer-based learning environment of open education and e-learning, electronic educational resources, managing and supporting of the researches, technologies of cloud computing. The article considers the main activities of the Institute of Information Technologies and Learning Tools of NAPS of Ukraine. The experience of actual pedagogical issues developing, cooperation among research institutions and universities within activities of joint research laboratories, are reflected. The prospective research directions that will contribute to the modernization and further development of modern learning and scientific environment of educational institutions of Ukraine, in particular, the introduction of cloud oriented tools and technologies, the learning e-resources quality assurance, are outlined. The aim of the paper is to outline the main activities of the Institute of Information technology and training of NAPS of Ukraine during last 15 years and reflect the experience and perspectives of scientific and pedagogical cooperation of national research institutions and universities.

Sudden transition and sudden change from open spin environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Zheng-Da; Xu, Jing-Bo; Yao, Dao-Xin

2014-01-01

We investigate the necessary conditions for the existence of sudden transition or sudden change phenomenon for appropriate initial states under dephasing. As illustrative examples, we study the behaviors of quantum correlation dynamics of two noninteracting qubits in independent and common open spin environments, respectively. For the independent environments case, we find that the quantum correlation dynamics is closely related to the Loschmidt echo and the dynamics exhibits a sudden transition from classical to quantum correlation decay. It is also shown that the sudden change phenomenon may occur for the common environment case and stationary quantum discord is found at the high temperature region of the environment. Finally, we investigate the quantum criticality of the open spin environment by exploring the probability distribution of the Loschmidt echo and the scaling transformation behavior of quantum discord, respectively. - Highlights: • Sudden transition or sudden change from open spin baths are studied. • Quantum discord is related to the Loschmidt echo in independent open spin baths. • Steady quantum discord is found in a common open spin bath. • The probability distribution of the Loschmidt echo is analyzed. • The scaling transformation behavior of quantum discord is displayed

Empowering Nurses to Lead Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Environments Through a Nurse Leadership Institute.

Science.gov (United States)

Embree, Jennifer L; Wagnes, Lisa; Hendricks, Susan; LaMothe, Julie; Halstead, Judith; Wright, Lauren

2018-02-01

A year-long Nurse Leadership Institute (NLI) for emerging leaders in primary care clinics and acute care environments was developed, implemented, and evaluated. The NLI's goal was to foster empowerment in interprofessional collaborative practice environments for nurses in the three cohorts of NLIs. The NLI was framed around the Five Leadership Practices of modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart. To create a professional learning environment, foster community, and enhance leadership skills, the Lean In Circle materials developed by Sandberg were adapted for content reorganization and discussion. Minimal literature exists specifically addressing nursing leadership professionals' development based on Sandberg's Circle materials. The findings of the three NLI cohorts reported in this article begin to fill this existing knowledge gap. Participants reported a significant increase in leadership skills. Recommendations for refinement of future NLI offerings are provided. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2018;49(2):61-71. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Strategic Institutional Change to Support Advancement of Women Scientists in the Academy: Lessons from a Study of ADVANCE-IT Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Laursen, S. L.; Austin, A. E.; Soto, M.; Martinez, D.

2011-12-01

While women's representation among undergraduate and graduate degree-earners has grown steadily in most science fields, progress at the faculty level has been slow to realize, especially in upper academic ranks and in higher status institutions. This is only partly explained by the slow turnover of faculty positions. While some efforts to address this issue have aimed to support individual women and foster their career success, the National Science Foundation's ADVANCE program has taken a different approach, calling for institutions to take a systemic and organizational approach to enhance women's representation in the academy. Since 2001, some 50 institutions have received ADVANCE Institutional Transformation (IT) awards to develop such systemic approaches. Most ADVANCE-IT projects have attended to structures (e.g. committee and departmental leadership roles), processes (e.g. hiring), policy (e.g. family leave), attitudes and awareness (e.g. training for chairs), and workplace climate, as well as interventions that focus on faculty members as valuable human resources. Our research team is studying ADVANCE institutions' approaches to organizational change, by identifying and categorizing individual change interventions, examining how they combine to build an overall change portfolio, and considering how change interventions are selected or adapted to fit a specific institutional context. Because universities are complex organizations composed of multiple, loosely coupled, interconnected sub-systems, an overall change strategy cannot depend on a single type of intervention. Yet any particular intervention might be deployed on behalf of multiple goals and in a variety of forms that may depend on the context, or institutional system, in which it is introduced. We will discuss some common types of strategic intervention used in ADVANCE-IT projects, categorized by Bolman and Deal's (1991) four main perspectives or "lenses" for understanding organizational issues. The

Globalization and Institutional Change : Are Emerging Market Economies in Europe and Asia Converging?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoen, Herman W.

2014-01-01

It is often stated that globalization leads to a smaller world by institutional convergence. Politico-economic orders become alike across the world. The article analyzes institutional change triggered by the global financial crisis of 2008/2009 and compares developments in emerging markets in Europe

The context of discrimination: workplace conditions, institutional environments, and sex and race discrimination charges.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirsh, C Elizabeth; Kornrich, Sabino

2008-03-01

This article explores the organizational conditions under which discrimination charges occur. Drawing on structural and organizational theories of the workplace, the authors demonstrate how organizational conditions affect workers' and regulatory agents' understandings of unlawful discrimination. Using a national sample of work establishments, matched to discrimination-charge data obtained from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the authors examine how characteristics of the workplace and institutional environment affect variation in the incidence of workers' charges of sex and race discrimination and in the subset of discrimination claims that are verified by EEOC investigators. The findings indicate that workplace conditions, including size, composition, and minority management, affect workers' charges as well as verified claims; the latter are also affected by institutional factors, such as affirmative action requirements, subsidiary status, and industrial sector. These results suggest that internal workplace conditions affect both workers' and regulatory agents' interpretations of potentially discriminatory experiences, while institutional conditions matter only for regulatory agents' interpretations of those events.

How institutional theory speaks to changes in organizational populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Wells, R

2001-01-01

In this issue, Begun and Luke note striking variation in organizational arrangements across local health care markets and probe how characteristics of those markets affect shifts in organizational populations over time. This article contributes to this FORUM by focusing on how institutional theory's emphasis on the culturally mediated nature of organizational change speaks to the evolution of local market structures over time.

Facilitating Geoscience Education in Higher-Education Institutes Worldwide With GeoBrain -- An Online Learning and Research Environment for Classroom Innovations

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, M.; di, L.

2006-12-01

Higher education in geosciences has imminent goals to prepare students with modern geoscience knowledge and skills to meet the increased demand on trained professionals for working on the big challenges faced by geoscience disciplines, such as the global environmental change, world energy supplies, sustainable development, etc. In order to reach the goal, the geoscience education in post-secondary institutes worldwide has to attract and retain enough students and to train students with knowledge and skills needed by the society. The classroom innovations that can encourage and support student investigations and research activities are key motivation mechanisms that help to reach the goal. This presentation describes the use of GeoBrain, an innovative geospatial knowledge system, as a powerful educating tool for motivating and facilitating innovative undergraduate and graduate teaching and research in geosciences. Developed in a NASA funded project, the GeoBrain system has adopted and implemented the latest Web services and knowledge management technologies for providing innovative methods in publishing, accessing, visualizing, and analyzing geospatial data and in building/sharing geoscience knowledge. It provides a data-rich online learning and research environment enabled by wealthy data and information available at NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Data and Information System (EOSDIS). Students, faculty members, and researchers from institutes worldwide can easily access, analyze, and model with the huge amount of NASA EOS data just like they possess such vast resources locally at their desktops. The online environment provided by GeoBrain has brought significant positive changes to geosciences education in higher-education institutes because of its new concepts and technologies, motivation mechanisms, free exploration resources, and advanced geo- processing capabilities. With the system, the used-to-be very challenging or even impossible teaching tasks has

Organizational change, psychosocial work environment, and non-disability early retirement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Breinegaard, Nina; Jensen, Johan Høy; Bonde, Jens Peter

2017-01-01

Objective: This study examines the impact of organizational change and psychosocial work environment on non-disability early retirement among senior public service employees. Methods: In January and February 2011, Danish senior public service employees aged 58–64 years (N=3254) from the Capital...... psychosocial work environment contribute to non-disability early retirement among senior public service employees, measured at work-unit level....... Region of Denmark responded to a survey assessing psychosocial work environment (ie, social capital, organizational justice, and quality of management). Work-unit organizational changes (ie, change of management, merging, demerging, and relocation) were recorded from January 2009 to March 2011. Weekly...

Land use, environmental change, and sustainable development: The role of institutional diagnostics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oran Young

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Although the “tragedy of the commons” is common currency in popular accounts of problems arising in human-environment relations, empirical research has shown that common-property systems do not always lead to tragic outcomes. Moreover, systems of private property or public property, often proposed as solutions to the tragedy of the commons, can generate tragedies of their own that are equally severe. The challenge we face is to develop strategies for avoiding these tragedies featuring structures of property rights that are most likely to lead to sustainable outcomes in specific situations ranging from local communities reliant on the harvest of renewable resources to the global system facing the prospect of climate change. Successful governance systems typically involve regulatory, top-down strategies, normative, bottom-up strategies, or some combination of the two. What is needed to achieve sustainable results is a­ diagnostic approach that matches institutions to specific biophysical and socioeconomic conditions in contrast to an ideological approach that advocates the application of one system of property rights to all situations.

Asymmetric competition impacts evolutionary rescue in a changing environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Den Elzen, Courtney L; Kleynhans, Elizabeth J; Otto, Sarah P

2017-06-28

Interspecific competition can strongly influence the evolutionary response of a species to a changing environment, impacting the chance that the species survives or goes extinct. Previous work has shown that when two species compete for a temporally shifting resource distribution, the species lagging behind the resource peak is the first to go extinct due to competitive exclusion. However, this work assumed symmetrically distributed resources and competition. Asymmetries can generate differences between species in population sizes, genetic variation and trait means. We show that asymmetric resource availability or competition can facilitate coexistence and even occasionally cause the leading species to go extinct first. Surprisingly, we also find cases where traits evolve in the opposite direction to the changing environment because of a 'vacuum of competitive release' created when the lagging species declines in number. Thus, the species exhibiting the slowest rate of trait evolution is not always the most likely to go extinct in a changing environment. Our results demonstrate that the extent to which species appear to be tracking environmental change and the extent to which they are preadapted to that change may not necessarily determine which species will be the winners and which will be the losers in a rapidly changing world. © 2017 The Author(s).

FEATURES OF FORMATION AND TRENDS OF USING OF COMPUTER-ORIENTED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT OF AN INSTITUTE OF POSTGRADUATE PEDAGOGICAL EDUCATION IN UKRAINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kateryna Kolos

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, characterized quick reforms makes identifying promising new educational trends in the training of teaching staff, which take account of the organization and implementation of teaching and educational process in institutions of postgraduate education will intensify the development of pre-school, secondary, higher and non-formal education systems. Research findings of Ukrainian scientists point to the reasonability of ICT and e-learning resources during the training courses and the need for up to date ICT training of teaching staff as an important part of their professional competence. System effective implementation of this is the implementation of computer-oriented learning environment of an Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education and building effective methods of its use in courses of teaching staff training. As a result of the analysis of practices on the use of advanced information and communication technologies in the institutions of postgraduate education in Ukraine article highlighted the features of formation and development trends of computer-oriented learning environment of an Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education, for example: publication on official websites of institutions of information of the results of their activities; establishing electronic communication via email and forum; implementation of electronic registration and diagnosing students before the courses begin; construction and implementation of practical realization of individual educational trajectories of training teaching staff; publication of electronic timetable; accumulation of professional experience teaching staff in the region by means of web-technologies; publication of the results of applied research on problems of education in educational electronic media or duplicate free publications in electronic versions and more. According to this in the design contributes to the formulation of advanced theoretical and methodological principles

Modeling higher education attractiveness to stand global environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonel Cezar Rodrigues

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Inabilities to deal with the changing environment may lead Higher Education Institutions (HEI to loose institutional attractiveness. Digital transformation requires global insertion as essential feature to institutional attractiveness. Processes for international education seem to lack the links between real environmental trends and the internal capabilities to global education. HEI managers may approach endeavors to internationalize education combining ambidextrous strategy supported by consolidated resilience capabilities. The latest ones refer to building internal value attributes to increase institutional attractiveness assuring solid standing in the global environment. In this article, a theoretical essay, we approach the problem of creating resilience as a way of backing up ambidexterity to generate institutional attractiveness. The set of value attributes, on the other hand, may originate strategic routes to strengthen internal competences and to make the institution more attractive, as a dynamic capability.

How has the extent of institutional mental healthcare changed in Western Europe? Analysis of data since 1990.

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Winnie S; Priebe, Stefan

2016-04-29

It has been suggested that since 1990, de-institutionalisation of mental healthcare in Western Europe has been reversed into re-institutionalisation with more forensic beds, places in protected housing services and people with mental disorders in prisons. This study aimed to identify changes in the numbers of places in built institutions providing mental healthcare in Western Europe from 1990 to 2012, and to explore the association between changes in psychiatric bed numbers and changes in other institutions. Data were identified from 11 countries on psychiatric hospital beds, forensic beds, protected housing places and prison populations. Fixed effects regression models tested the associations between psychiatric hospital beds with other institutions. The number of psychiatric hospital beds decreased, while forensic beds, places in protected housing and prison populations increased. Overall, the number of reduced beds exceeded additional places in other institutions. There was no evidence for an association of changes in bed numbers with changes in forensic beds and protected housing places. Panel data regression analysis showed that changes in psychiatric bed numbers were negatively associated with rising prison populations, but the significant association disappeared once adjusted for gross domestic product as a potential covariate. Institutional mental healthcare has substantially changed across Western Europe since 1990. There are ongoing overall trends of a decrease in the number of psychiatric hospital beds and an increase in the number of places in other institutions, including prisons. The exact association between these trends and their drivers remains unclear. More reliable data, information on the characteristics of patients in different institutions, long-term pathway analyses and effectiveness studies are required to arrive at evidence-based policies for the provision of institutional mental healthcare. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited

Accounting Change and Institutional Capacity: The Case of a Provincial Government in Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haryono P. Kamase

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This study examines a reporting system change of a provincial government in Indonesia. The study also draws attention to the institutional capacity of the provincial administration andimplementation problems it encountered in adopting an accrual accounting system. Following the work of Lapsley and Pallot (2000, this study uses economic and institutional perspectives in conceptualising how an accounting change has been undertaken. The study shows that from an economic based perspective, the adoption of the new reporting system was stimulated by the wish to improve government organisations’ performance in the country. It is also found that the change of the reporting system was not accompanied by the separation of the roles of elected local officials (i.e. the governor and local parliamentary members as politicians and decision-makers in the allocation of funding and budget formulation in theprovincial government. This situation undermines the instrumental roles of accounting for decision making. Moreover, drawing upon institutional theory, the adoption of the new reporting system at provincial level in the country is indicated by the presence of coercive pressure as local administrations in Indonesia are required to comply with rules imposed by the central government. However, based on the experience of a provincial government in implementing the new accounting system, the policy to adopt the new accounting regime fails to recognise a low level of institutional capacity of local administrations. As a consequence, the institutionalisation of the new accounting system has yet to bring intended outcomes. Inthis vein, the role of accounting as a political tool for controlling people overshadows its roles for efficiency and performance improvement. As the study demonstrates the use of mixedmethodological perspectives (i.e. economic and institutional theories is useful to fully capture and understand the dynamic process of accounting change in a

Institutional entrepreneurship:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gretzinger, Susanne

2018-01-01

Institutional entrepreneurship pays specific attention to the process and outcomes of agents who are willing and capable of changing institutions. It has some common ground with the political entrepreneur, a concept that proposes change in norms and institutions because of commitment and activities...... of agents or organisations in the policy arena. The present chapter understands institutional entrepreneurship as the process of changing institutionalised practices. Based on a literature review, it describes the triggers, activities and potential effects of institutional entrepreneurs. The chapter...... concludes by tentatively arguing that political entrepreneurs can be institutional entrepreneurs, but institutional entrepreneurship can be considered as the broader concept that incorporates strategies and visions as well as interpretative-discursive power into the conceptual framework....

Evolving information systems: meeting the ever-changing environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oei, J.L.H.; Proper, H.A.; Falkenberg, E.D.

1994-01-01

To meet the demands of organizations and their ever-changing environment, information systems are required which are able to evolve to the same extent as organizations do. Such a system has to support changes in all time-and application-dependent aspects. In this paper, requirements and a conceptual

Changing Institutional Culture through Peer Mentoring of Women STEM Faculty

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Nicole; Bystydzienski, Jill; Desai, Anand

2015-01-01

Higher education institutions often use mentoring to socialize faculty members into their academic disciplines and to retain them. Mentoring can also be used to change organizational culture to meet the needs of historically marginalized faculty members. In this article we focus on peer mentoring circles for women STEM faculty at a large,…

Hypoxia in the changing marine environment

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, J.; Cowie, G.; Naqvi, S. W. A.

2013-03-01

The predicted future of the global marine environment, as a combined result of forcing due to climate change (e.g. warming and acidification) and other anthropogenic perturbation (e.g. eutrophication), presents a challenge to the sustainability of ecosystems from tropics to high latitudes. Among the various associated phenomena of ecosystem deterioration, hypoxia can cause serious problems in coastal areas as well as oxygen minimum zones in the open ocean (Diaz and Rosenberg 2008 Science 321 926-9, Stramma et al 2008 Science 320 655-8). The negative impacts of hypoxia include changes in populations of marine organisms, such as large-scale mortality and behavioral responses, as well as variations of species distributions, biodiversity, physiological stress, and other sub-lethal effects (e.g. growth and reproduction). Social and economic activities that are related to services provided by the marine ecosystems, such as tourism and fisheries, can be negatively affected by the aesthetic outcomes as well as perceived or real impacts on seafood quality (STAP 2011 (Washington, DC: Global Environment Facility) p 88). Moreover, low oxygen concentration in marine waters can have considerable feedbacks to other compartments of the Earth system, like the emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, and can affect the global biogeochemical cycles of nutrients and trace elements. It is of critical importance to prediction and adaptation strategies that the key processes of hypoxia in marine environments be precisely determined and understood (cf Zhang et al 2010 Biogeosciences 7 1-24).

Power rather than path dependency? The dynamics of institutional change under health care federalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Rico, Ana; Costa-Font, Joan

2005-01-01

Proposals for government decentralization rank high on the political reform agenda of health systems worldwide. Their impact on welfare state performance and change, however, is still under theoretical scrutiny. This article examines the impact of devolution on the construction of the Spanish National Health Service (NHS) in an attempt to shed some light on this debate. Against widespread claims of path dependency, we argue that the specific nature of the devolution model developed in Spain, given the more egalitarian sociopolitical structure that resulted from democratization, fostered policy innovation and institutional change. Consolidation of an NHS system was compatible with some regional diversity and apparently prevented the rise of significant territorial inequalities. The Spanish case also suggests that policy change depends more on the distribution of social power than on institutions. It underlines the key role of financial and knowledge transfers vis-à-vis institutional reforms in effecting social change as well as the potential for state intervention in supporting the development of collective action resources by social groups.

Institutional Motivation and Policy Change Associated with Land Grant Institutions' Involvement in Economic Development. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Cote, Lawrence S.; And Others

A study investigated: (1) the degree of land grant institution involvement in economic development activity, defined in terms of 17 selected cooperative research and technology exchange activities; (2) changes in selected academic policies (patents, consulting, conflict of interest, conflict of commitment, and extra compensation); and (3) the…

Climate Change: Science, Health and the Environment

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2007-04-10

Climate Change: Science, Health and the Environment Howard Frumkin, MD, DrPH, Director of CDC's National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, discusses the science of climate change, the potential for shifts in the natural world to affect our wellbeing, and the challenges of emerging issues in environmental health.  Created: 4/10/2007 by CDC National Center for Environmental Health.   Date Released: 4/13/2007.

The Role of the Institutional Environment in the Relationship between CSR and Operational Performance: An Empirical Study in Korean Manufacturing Industries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio K. W. Lau

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Few studies have been conducted to explore the role of the institutional environment on the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR and operational performance in Korea’s manufacturing industry. Therefore, this study investigates the moderating effects of four institutional uncertainties—law enforcement, regulatory uncertainty, market turbulence and competition intensity—on the relationship between CSR and operational performance. Empirical survey data from 209 Korean manufacturers was collected online and then analyzed through moderated multiple regression analyses. The results show that CSR can significantly affect operational performance, positively moderated by law enforcement and competition intensity, but not by regulatory uncertainty and market turbulence. These results advise that the different institutional environments in which CSR is implemented are particularly important to consider for optimal business operations.

The Changing Role of ENGOs in Water Governance: Institutional Entrepreneurs?

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Seanna L.; de Loë, Rob C.

2016-01-01

The changing role of the state in the last quarter century has been an important contemporary concern for policy makers, scholars, and the public. Equally, there is increasing recognition among governance scholars that nongovernment actors are exerting new kinds of influence over governance systems and contributing in novel ways to governance processes. The role of environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) is particularly pertinent given the continued involvement of ENGOs within collaborative, adaptive, and co-management governance, across several contexts and regions. This paper uses an analytical framework derived from recent studies on institutional entrepreneurs, to examine the skills ENGOs are applying in order to orchestrate change. An empirical case of governance for water in Canada's Lake Simcoe region provides the foundation for the research. Drawing on a mixed methods approach, the research finds that ENGOs in Lake Simcoe have taken on a role as an institutional entrepreneur, and thereby have altered the relationship between governance actors in this setting. A key outcome of their actions is a more dominant, engaged, and influential role for ENGOs in a critical, regional governance system.

Adaptation, plasticity, and extinction in a changing environment: towards a predictive theory.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis-Miguel Chevin

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Many species are experiencing sustained environmental change mainly due to human activities. The unusual rate and extent of anthropogenic alterations of the environment may exceed the capacity of developmental, genetic, and demographic mechanisms that populations have evolved to deal with environmental change. To begin to understand the limits to population persistence, we present a simple evolutionary model for the critical rate of environmental change beyond which a population must decline and go extinct. We use this model to highlight the major determinants of extinction risk in a changing environment, and identify research needs for improved predictions based on projected changes in environmental variables. Two key parameters relating the environment to population biology have not yet received sufficient attention. Phenotypic plasticity, the direct influence of environment on the development of individual phenotypes, is increasingly considered an important component of phenotypic change in the wild and should be incorporated in models of population persistence. Environmental sensitivity of selection, the change in the optimum phenotype with the environment, still crucially needs empirical assessment. We use environmental tolerance curves and other examples of ecological and evolutionary responses to climate change to illustrate how these mechanistic approaches can be developed for predictive purposes.

Analyzing Katana referral hospital as a complex adaptive system: agents, interactions and adaptation to a changing environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Karemere, Hermès; Ribesse, Nathalie; Marchal, Bruno; Macq, Jean

2015-01-01

This study deals with the adaptation of Katana referral hospital in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in a changing environment that is affected for more than a decade by intermittent armed conflicts. His objective is to generate theoretical proposals for addressing differently the analysis of hospitals governance in the aims to assess their performance and how to improve that performance. The methodology applied approach uses a case study using mixed methods ( qualitative and quantitative) for data collection. It uses (1) hospital data to measure the output of hospitals, (2) literature review to identify among others, events and interventions recorded in the history of hospital during the study period and (3) information from individual interviews to validate the interpretation of the results of the previous two sources of data and understand the responsiveness of management team referral hospital during times of change. The study brings four theoretical propositions: (1) Interaction between key agents is a positive force driving adaptation if the actors share a same vision, (2) The strength of the interaction between agents is largely based on the nature of institutional arrangements, which in turn are shaped by the actors themselves, (3) The owner and the management team play a decisive role in the implementation of effective institutional arrangements and establishment of positive interactions between agents, (4) The analysis of recipient population's perception of health services provided allow to better tailor and adapt the health services offer to the population's needs and expectations. Research shows that it isn't enough just to provide support (financial and technical), to manage a hospital for operate and adapt to a changing environment but must still animate, considering that it is a complex adaptive system and that this animation is nothing other than the induction of a positive interaction between agents.

Coevolution of economic behaviour and institutions: towards a theory of institutional change

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Bergh, J.C.J.M.

2003-01-01

Traditionally, economics has regarded institutions, notably norms and regulations, as fixed or exogenous. Surprisingly few insights on institutional evolution from natural and social sciences have made their way into economics. This article gives an overview of evolutionary theories of institutions

Institutional investors' involuntary trading behaviors,commonality in liquidity change and stock price fragility

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Guojin Chen; Aihuan Xu; Xiangqin Zhao

2013-01-01

Purpose-The aim of this paper is to empirically analyze the source of commonality in liquidity change in China's stock market.Design/methodology/approach-This paper used two-step test method in Coughenour and Saad and empirically tested the relationship between institutional investors' involuntary trading behaviors and commonality in liquidity change in China's stock market.Findings-The results showed that to take the open-end fund as a representative of institutional investors,their involuntary trading behaviors were an important source of commonality in liquidity change in China's stock market.Originality/value-For a long time,the domestic researchers have ignored the study about the source of commonality in liquidity change in China's stock market.But,this study's conclusion expanded the explanation about the source of commonality in liquidity change in China's stock market from a new point of view that the demand-side explanation.Because there is no market-maker trading behaviors in China's stock market,the paper cannot explain the source of commonality in liquidity change in China's stock market from the point of view of the supply-side explanation.

Federalism, Bicameralism, and Institutional Change: General Trends and One Case-study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Arretche

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The article distinguishes federal states from bicameralism and mechanisms of territorial representation in order to examine the association of each with institutional change in 32 countries by using constitutional amendments as a proxy. It reveals that bicameralism tends to be a better predictor of constitutional stability than federalism. All of the bicameral cases that are associated with high rates of constitutional amendment are also federal states, including Brazil, India, Austria, and Malaysia. In order to explore the mechanisms explaining this unexpected outcome, the article also examines the voting behavior of Brazilian senators constitutional amendments proposals (CAPs. It shows that the Brazilian Senate is a partisan Chamber. The article concludes that regional influence over institutional change can be substantially reduced, even under symmetrical bicameralism in which the Senate acts as a second veto arena, when party discipline prevails over the cohesion of regional representation.

Preparing culture change agents for academic medicine in a multi-institutional consortium: the C - change learning action network.

Science.gov (United States)

Pololi, Linda H; Krupat, Edward; Schnell, Eugene R; Kern, David E

2013-01-01

Research suggests an ongoing need for change in the culture of academic medicine. This article describes the structure, activities and evaluation of a culture change project: the C - Change Learning Action Network (LAN) and its impact on participants. The LAN was developed to create the experience of a culture that would prepare participants to facilitate a culture in academic medicine that would be more collaborative, inclusive, relational, and that supports the humanity and vitality of faculty. Purposefully diverse faculty, leaders, and deans from 5 US medical schools convened in 2 1/2-day meetings biannually over 4 years. LAN meetings employed experiential, cognitive, and affective learning modes; innovative dialogue strategies; and reflective practice aimed at facilitating deep dialogue, relationship formation, collaboration, authenticity, and transformative learning to help members experience the desired culture. Robust aggregated qualitative and quantitative data collected from the 5 schools were used to inform and stimulate culture-change plans. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods were used. Participants indicated that a safe, supportive, inclusive, collaborative culture was established in LAN and highly valued. LAN members reported a deepened understanding of organizational change, new and valued interpersonal connections, increased motivation and resilience, new skills and approaches, increased self-awareness and personal growth, emotional connection to the issues of diversity and inclusion, and application of new learnings in their work. A carefully designed multi-institutional learning community can transform the way participants experience and view institutional culture. It can motivate and prepare them to be change agents in their own institutions. Copyright © 2013 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on CME, Association for Hospital Medical

Creating a flexible learning environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, B A; Jones, S; Winters, P

1990-01-01

Lack of classroom space is a common problem for many hospital-based nurse educators. This article describes how nursing educators in one institution redesigned fixed classroom space into a flexible learning center that accommodates their various programs. Using the nursing process, the educators assessed their needs, planned the learning environment, implemented changes in the interior design, and evaluated the outcome of the project. The result was a learning environment conducive to teaching and learning.

Hypoxia in the changing marine environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, J; Cowie, G; Naqvi, S W A

2013-01-01

The predicted future of the global marine environment, as a combined result of forcing due to climate change (e.g. warming and acidification) and other anthropogenic perturbation (e.g. eutrophication), presents a challenge to the sustainability of ecosystems from tropics to high latitudes. Among the various associated phenomena of ecosystem deterioration, hypoxia can cause serious problems in coastal areas as well as oxygen minimum zones in the open ocean (Diaz and Rosenberg 2008 Science 321 926–9, Stramma et al 2008 Science 320 655–8). The negative impacts of hypoxia include changes in populations of marine organisms, such as large-scale mortality and behavioral responses, as well as variations of species distributions, biodiversity, physiological stress, and other sub-lethal effects (e.g. growth and reproduction). Social and economic activities that are related to services provided by the marine ecosystems, such as tourism and fisheries, can be negatively affected by the aesthetic outcomes as well as perceived or real impacts on seafood quality (STAP 2011 (Washington, DC: Global Environment Facility) p 88). Moreover, low oxygen concentration in marine waters can have considerable feedbacks to other compartments of the Earth system, like the emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, and can affect the global biogeochemical cycles of nutrients and trace elements. It is of critical importance to prediction and adaptation strategies that the key processes of hypoxia in marine environments be precisely determined and understood (cf Zhang et al 2010 Biogeosciences 7 1–24). (synthesis and review)

Institutional Support : African Institute for Applied Economics (AIAE ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

The African Institute for Applied Economics (AIAE), Nigeria, is an independent policy research organization created in 2000. The Institute's mission is to promote evidence-based decision-making in the area of economic and social development. AIAE's strength is research and advocacy in the area of business environment, ...

Cooperative research with the Institute of Resources and Environment Technology. Estimation and investigation of estimation method on property change accompanied with excavation. Intermediate report in 1994 and 1995 fiscal year

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-03-01

The Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PRNFDC) and the Institute of Resources and Environment Technology (IRET) of Agency of Industrial Science and Technology conducted a cooperative research on a testing study based on in-door fundamental examination on Acoustic emission (AE) original position measuring tester to catch property change due to micro elastic wave formed with generation and propagation of rock deformation and fracture and AE measurement and specific resistance tomography under 3 years plan from 1989 fiscal year. In 1994 fiscal year, survey on the specific resistance tomography for pre-research on tunnel excavation effect test and experiment on the specific resistance measurement at in-door scale for fundamental study of estimation method were conducted. And, in 1995 fiscal year, by laying a main point of the experiment at in-door scale, the estimation and investigation on the excavation effect estimation method on a base of the past study results on the fundamental experiment results were conducted. In this paper, these experiment results conducted at IRET and PRNFDC in 1994 and 1995 fiscal years were reported. (G.K.)

Change Management and its Influence in the Business Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr.Sc. Berim Ramosaj

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The changes that are happening in businesses dictate the changes in all kinds of needed resources to develop the organization. The environment in which the organizations operate is in constant change and becomes more and more unpredictable. Managing these changes is a challenge that all enterprises face. The rapid changes that are happening in business are increasing the need to manage these changes. Enterprises have to develop and use different kinds of management models so that they can grow their performance in order to ensure a competitive position in the market. The changes in enterprises sometimes are not accepted by the organization employees, and seem to have negative effects towards them (exemption from work, reduction of working hours, reduction of income. Changes have negative and positive effects. Successful and rational managers can achieve having successful changes and minimizing the negative effects that come due to changes. Changes are vital for organizations so that they can replace the old plans and models with new and successful ones. In this paper we talk about the role and importance of managing the changes, the types of changes, models of changes, the resistance against changes and also the obtained results of the paper are introduced. Literature was used to support the research in the study field, and based on that to explain the role of changes in the business environment. There are quantitative methods and an inductive analysis used in this paper.

Testing take-the-best in new and changing environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Michael D; Blanco, Gabrielle; Bo, Nikole

2017-08-01

Take-the-best is a decision-making strategy that chooses between alternatives, by searching the cues representing the alternatives in order of cue validity, and choosing the alternative with the first discriminating cue. Theoretical support for take-the-best comes from the "fast and frugal" approach to modeling cognition, which assumes decision-making strategies need to be fast to cope with a competitive world, and be simple to be robust to uncertainty and environmental change. We contribute to the empirical evaluation of take-the-best in two ways. First, we generate four new environments-involving bridge lengths, hamburger prices, theme park attendances, and US university rankings-supplementing the relatively limited number of naturally cue-based environments previously considered. We find that take-the-best is as accurate as rival decision strategies that use all of the available cues. Secondly, we develop 19 new data sets characterizing the change in cities and their populations in four countries. We find that take-the-best maintains its accuracy and limited search as the environments change, even if cue validities learned in one environment are used to make decisions in another. Once again, we find that take-the-best is as accurate as rival strategies that use all of the cues. We conclude that these new evaluations support the theoretical claims of the accuracy, frugality, and robustness for take-the-best, and that the new data sets provide a valuable resource for the more general study of the relationship between effective decision-making strategies and the environments in which they operate.

Changes in Institutional Research in Germany. AIR 1991 Annual Forum Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz-Gerstein, Hans-G.

This paper recounts the legal, political, and educational changes in former East Germany as the nation has become reunified, and considers the implications of reunification for institutional research at East German universities. After a brief sketch of legal, geographic, and demographic highlights, the decrepit conditions of East German university…

From institutional segmentation to market fragmentation: Institutional transformation and the shifting stratification order in urban China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Wei; Zhou, Xueguang

2017-03-01

Focusing on the changing roles of organizations, this study develops an institutional framework to examine the shifting stratification order since the mid-1990s in urban China. We argue that, after the mid-1990s, the Chinese state led a dual process of institutional transformation. On the one hand, the state dismantled the socialist redistributive system and broke down institutional segmentation based on organizational ownership and bureaucratic rank. On the other hand, the state developed different markets with various paces and strategies, resulting in fragmented market environments. In this context, reformed organizations interacted with heterogeneous market conditions to exert different impacts on multiple dimensions of social inequality. We draw empirical evidence from two national survey data collected in 1994 and 2003 during a critical period. Our findings show that the foundation of the stratification order has shifted from institutional segmentation to market fragmentation in urban China. This study calls for substantive institutional analysis to better understand the intricate landscape of social inequality in transitional economies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Organizing Special Operations Forces: Navigating the Paradoxical Requirements of Institutional-Bureaucratic and operational Environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dalgaard-Nielsen, Anja

2017-01-01

Increased focus on the potential of special operations has lead several countries to establish dedicated special operations organizations. Analysts have warned against bureaucratization, yet little research has explored the effect of organizational formalization or asked how best to organize....... This article draws from research into high-reliability organizations and interviews in Denmark’s Special Operations Command. It contrasts the demands of the command’s institutional-bureaucratic and operational environments and argues that the ability to straddle them is key to success. The high...

Feature Optimization for Long-Range Visual Homing in Changing Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qidan Zhu

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces a feature optimization method for robot long-range feature-based visual homing in changing environments. To cope with the changing environmental appearance, the optimization procedure is introduced to distinguish the most relevant features for feature-based visual homing, including the spatial distribution, selection and updating. In the previous research on feature-based visual homing, less effort has been spent on the way to improve the feature distribution to get uniformly distributed features, which are closely related to homing performance. This paper presents a modified feature extraction algorithm to decrease the influence of anisotropic feature distribution. In addition, the feature selection and updating mechanisms, which have hardly drawn any attention in the domain of feature-based visual homing, are crucial in improving homing accuracy and in maintaining the representation of changing environments. To verify the feasibility of the proposal, several comprehensive evaluations are conducted. The results indicate that the feature optimization method can find optimal feature sets for feature-based visual homing, and adapt the appearance representation to the changing environments as well.

Changes in the value chain of scientific information: economic consequences for academic institutions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roosendaal, Hans E.; Huibers, Theo W.C.; Geurts, Petrus A.T.M.; van der Vet, P.E.

2003-01-01

The economic impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on the academic library and on the academic institution are discussed in terms of changes in the value chain of scientific information induced by the use of ICT. Argues that ICT is a very strong engine for change as it has the

The slow pace of institutional change in the Italian food system.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferretti, Maria Paola; Magaudda, Paolo

2006-09-01

Recent surveys show that Italians have little trust in the food they eat. This seems at odds with the world-wide popularity of Italian food, and the very prominent role that the agro-food sector has in the national economy and culture. This paper aims to explain this apparent contradiction by examining recent political and economic changes in the food sector. From the analysis it emerges that, facing institutional crises and food scandals, Italian politicians have left the task of reassuring consumers to the market. However, the market actors' strategy has been to prioritise the discourse of food quality, but give little weight to some other important preoccupation of consumers, such as safety. To address these concerns a more proactive role of the State would be required. An actual concern of public institutions with consumer needs, institutional efficiency, transparency and accountability emerges as a crucial factor in restoring and maintaining trust.

Organizational Adaptation: Managing in Complexly Changing Environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Zammuto, Raymond F.

A model of strategic adaptation that focuses on how organizations adapt to both conditions of growth and decline is presented. The theoretical structure underlying the model is considered, with attention to organizations, niches, and environments, as well as environmental change and evolving niches. The model attempts to reconcile the perspectives…

How institutional change and individual researchers helped advance clinical guidelines in American health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Nigam, Amit

2013-06-01

Clinical guidelines are important tools for managing health care quality. Research on the origins of guidelines primarily focuses on the institutional causes of their emergence and growth. Individual medical researchers, however, have played important roles. This paper develops knowledge of the role of individual medical researchers in advancing guidelines, and of how researchers' efforts were enabled or constrained by broader institutional changes. Drawing on an analytical case study focused on the role of Kerr White, John Wennberg, and Robert Brook, it shows that guidelines were a product of the interplay between institutional change in the medical field and actions by individual researchers, acting as institutional entrepreneurs. Increased government involvement in the health care field triggered the involvement of a range of new actors in health care. These new organizations created a context that allowed individual researchers to advance guidelines by creating job opportunities, providing research funding, and creating opportunities for researchers to engage with the policy process. Individual researchers availed of this context to both advance their ideas, and to draw new actors into the field. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The DIII-D Computing Environment: Characteristics and Recent Changes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McHarg, B.B. Jr.

1999-01-01

The DIII-D tokamak national fusion research facility along with its predecessor Doublet III has been operating for over 21 years. The DIII-D computing environment consists of real-time systems controlling the tokamak, heating systems, and diagnostics, and systems acquiring experimental data from instrumentation; major data analysis server nodes performing short term and long term data access and data analysis; and systems providing mechanisms for remote collaboration and the dissemination of information over the world wide web. Computer systems for the facility have undergone incredible changes over the course of time as the computer industry has changed dramatically. Yet there are certain valuable characteristics of the DIII-D computing environment that have been developed over time and have been maintained to this day. Some of these characteristics include: continuous computer infrastructure improvements, distributed data and data access, computing platform integration, and remote collaborations. These characteristics are being carried forward as well as new characteristics resulting from recent changes which have included: a dedicated storage system and a hierarchical storage management system for raw shot data, various further infrastructure improvements including deployment of Fast Ethernet, the introduction of MDSplus, LSF and common IDL based tools, and improvements to remote collaboration capabilities. This paper will describe this computing environment, important characteristics that over the years have contributed to the success of DIII-D computing systems, and recent changes to computer systems

Bureaucracy, institutional theory and institutionaucracy: applications to the hospital industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Bolon, D S

1998-01-01

The health care industry is experiencing rapid change and uncertainty. Hospitals, in particular, are redesigning structures and processes in order to maximize efficiencies and remain economically viable. This article uses two organizational theory perspectives (bureaucracy and institutional theory) to examine many of the trends and transitions which are occurring throughout the hospital industry. It suggests that many of the key tenets of bureaucracy (rationality, efficiency, productivity, control, etc.) have been incorporated into the institutional environment as normative expectations. This synthesis or blending of these two perspectives is labeled institutionaucracy, implying that, as productivity and efficiency considerations become institutionalized, hospitals conforming to such operational standards will gain legitimacy and additional resources from their environment.

Changes in Tax Legislation and Social Responsibility of Taxpayers and Legislative Institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Štager Vesna

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the cost of tax compliance which arises for taxpayers from tax complexity and the constant changes in tax legislation. A socially responsible institution for the fiscal aggression is the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia, as its powers and responsibilities creates the tax position of individuals, businesses and the entire economy. The aim of our research is to encourage socially responsible behaviour of legislation institutions in adopting the tax legislation, which will help to improve the social responsibility of taxpayers and increase tax compliance.

Human activities and climate and environment changes: an inevitable relation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez, Aretha

2009-01-01

The human interference in the environment and the consequent climate change is today a consensus. The climate change can be local, regional and global. The global climate change is mainly caused by the greenhouse gases, and consequently the climate change intervenes in the environment. The interference cycle emerges in several forms and results in several consequences. However, the Global Warming has certainly the most import global impact. The main cause of the increase in the temperature (Greenhouse Effect) is the intensive use of the fossil fuels. Thus, to minimize the climatic changes actions are necessary to reduce, to substitute and to use with more efficient the fossil fuels. Looking at the past, the old agriculturists may have released greenhouse gases since thousand years ago, thus, modifying slowly but in significant form the earth climate much before the Industrial Age. If this theory is confirmed, its consequences would be decisive for the man history in the planet. For example, in parts of the North America and Europe the current temperatures could be even four Celsius degrees smaller. This change in temperature is enough to hinder agricultural used of these regions and consequently to diminish the human development. The main focus of this work is to perform a retrospective in some of civilizations who collapse due to environmental problems and make a historical description of the human activities (agriculture and livestock) since the primordium of the man up to the Industrial Age, aiming at the man interference on the natural dynamics of the global climate and the environment. This work will show through data comparisons and inferences that the gases emissions from these activities had a significant magnitude comparatively by the emissions after the Industrial Age. It is also demonstrated that the climate and environment interference was inevitable because the human evolution was caused by these activities. Another important point of this work is to

Evolutionary institutionalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Fürstenberg, Dr Kai

Institutions are hard to define and hard to study. Long prominent in political science have been two theories: Rational Choice Institutionalism (RCI) and Historical Institutionalism (HI). Arising from the life sciences is now a third: Evolutionary Institutionalism (EI). Comparative strengths and weaknesses of these three theories warrant review, and the value-to-be-added by expanding the third beyond Darwinian evolutionary theory deserves consideration. Should evolutionary institutionalism expand to accommodate new understanding in ecology, such as might apply to the emergence of stability, and in genetics, such as might apply to political behavior? Core arguments are reviewed for each theory with more detailed exposition of the third, EI. Particular attention is paid to EI's gene-institution analogy; to variation, selection, and retention of institutional traits; to endogeneity and exogeneity; to agency and structure; and to ecosystem effects, institutional stability, and empirical limitations in behavioral genetics. RCI, HI, and EI are distinct but complementary. Institutional change, while amenable to rational-choice analysis and, retrospectively, to criticaljuncture and path-dependency analysis, is also, and importantly, ecological. Stability, like change, is an emergent property of institutions, which tend to stabilize after change in a manner analogous to allopatric speciation. EI is more than metaphorically biological in that institutional behaviors are driven by human behaviors whose evolution long preceded the appearance of institutions themselves.

Institutional Barriers to Climate Change Adaptation in U.S. National Parks and Forests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lesley C. Jantarasami

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Climate change will increasingly challenge ecosystem managers' ability to protect species diversity and maintain ecosystem function. In response, the National Park Service and the United States Forest Service have promoted climate change adaptation as a management strategy to increase ecosystem resilience to changing climatic conditions. However, very few examples of completed adaptation plans or projects exist. Here, we examine managers' perceptions of internal and external institutional barriers to implementing adaptation strategies. We conducted semi-structured interviews (n=32 with regional managers and agency staff in six park and forest units in Washington State. We found that internal barriers, including unclear mandates from superiors and bureaucratic rules and procedures, are perceived as greater constraints than external barriers related to existing federal environmental laws. Respondents perceived process-oriented environmental laws, such as the National Environmental Policy Act, as enablers of adaptation strategies, and prescriptive laws, such as the Endangered Species Act, as barriers. Our results suggest that climate change adaptation is more often discussed than pursued, and that institutional barriers within agencies limit what can be accomplished.

Institutional Problems and Development Perspectives Innovative Entrepreneurship in Resource Economics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rutskiy Vladislav, N.

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The paper justifies the necessity to transit towards the mobilization model "triple helix" (strategic partnership of science and education organizations, business and government, the public. Innovation as a product of entrepreneurship permeate the system of relations from top to bottom – from more efficient ways of doing home Ho households, and to design mechanisms of state regulation of the economy. However, at the theoretical level, the relationship remains poorly studied in-novations as a function of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship as social phenomenon in the system of institutional relations "business-authorities-society". Modern Russian economy has features of "dual enclave economy" with isolated more productive export-oriented resource sector. Innovative entrepreneurs do not become actors of change because of weak protection of property rights, manipulated state, weak sanctions for rent-seeking. The transition from innovative system "technology push" (fundamental knowledge on demand of state towards innovation system "market pull" (innovations on demand of business is complicated within Y-matrix of competitive institutional environment. It could turn out to be more effective to transit to the mobilization model "triple helix" (strategic partnership of science and education organizations, business and government, the public in compliance with X-matrix of cooperative institutional environment of redistribution. This will allow to create the necessary mechanisms for the exchange of missing codified knowledge (for those who imitate innovations and tacit knowledge (for pure innovators in the cross-sectoral technological chains. The design of institutional change in compliance with real needs of participants of innovative processes requires formal analysis of the region economic development type through assessing its key spheres, revealing and modeling prevailing type of entrepreneurship as well as identifying the relationship between

Institutional Policy Changes Aimed at Addressing Obesity Among Mental Health Clients

OpenAIRE

Knol, Linda L.; Pritchett, Kelly; Dunkin, Jeri

2010-01-01

Background People with mental illness often experience unique barriers to healthy eating and physical activity. For these clients, interventions should focus on changes in the immediate environment to change behaviors. The purpose of this project was to implement and evaluate policy changes that would limit calorie intake and increase calorie expenditure of clients receiving mental health services. Context This intervention was implemented in a rural mental health system in the southeastern U...

Analyzing Local Institutional Change : Comparing small farmer participation in high value export chains in Uganda and Peru

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A.H.J. Helmsing (Bert)

2013-01-01

textabstractInstitutional development has attracted more attention in the past two decades. However, institutional theory finds itself in a pre-consolidated phase and there are various theoretical and methodological challenges. One is to respond to the question whether institutional change is a

Changes seen in the environment report from Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enckell, E.; Airola, H.; Tornivaara-Ruikka, R.; Villa, L.; Salasto, R.

2002-05-01

This publication describes the environmental changes and the influencing factors occurring within the administrative regions of the Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre. The quality of the environment can be judged as satisfying in regards to both the mental and physical health of humans. Areas have a steady trend of a relatively high growth in population density, while the efficiency of land use in new settlements is low. Traffic and the travel distances are on the rise. A considerable part of the population lives in areas where the noise standards are violated, despite control measures. Waste management, water distribution and sewage networks are under continuous development. In regards to the nature, the situation in some parts is of great concern. The manifold of the nature, cultural landscapes and culturally valuable buildings and sites are threatened. The living space of flora and fauna is continuing to decrease and change. The risks caused by human activities in groundwater areas are increasing. For these reasons the implementation of protection programs is important. Emissions from point sources to the water and air have significantly decreased. Yet, the impacts of air quality deprivation can still be seen in some cities and in the vicinity of some industrial sites. The eutrophication have essentially changed the ecology and fishstocks; however, the water quality has improved in many places. Regarding the above issues, as well as some other topics, included in the report are 16 theme maps 66 pictures. However, the report states that the monitoring and reporting of the environmental quality should be improved. (orig.)

Institutional failures and transaction costs of Bulgarian private research institutes

OpenAIRE

Nozharov, Shteryo

2016-01-01

The paper analyses the reasons for poor performance of private research institutes in Bulgaria. In this regard the Institutional Economics methods are used. A connection between smart growth policy goals and Bulgarian membership in EU is made. The gaps in the institutional environment are identified as well as measures for their elimination are proposed. The main accent of the study is put on the identification of transaction costs, arisen as a result of the failures of the institutional envi...

A Faculty Development Program for Change and Growth. [and] Leadership Institute for Continuing Professional Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Wheeler, Daniel W.; Queeney, Donna S.

1993-01-01

The purpose of the Nebraska University Program for Renewal of Faculty is to foster systematic, planned change benefiting the individual and the institution. Penn State and Harvard Universities initiated the Leadership Institute for Continuing Professional Education to enable participants to discuss issues common to professional continuing…

International financial institutions and health in Egypt and Tunisia: change or continuity?

Science.gov (United States)

Ismail, Sharif

2013-01-01

The revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia appeared to herald a re-casting of International Monetary Fund and World Bank policy across the region. Public pronouncements by the heads of both institutions in the months following February 2011 acknowledged flaws in their approach to macroeconomic advice, against a background of worsening socioeconomic indicators, widespread youth unemployment, and widening health inequalities. Evidence on the ground, however, suggests continuity rather than change in international financial institution policies in Egypt and Tunisia, notwithstanding the emergence of a powerful new player-the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. In the long term, new electoral realities and hardening public opposition in both countries seem likely to force a fundamentally different relationship between regional governments and the major international financial institutions than existed before 2011.

The challenge to reposition three divergent higher education institutions as a new comprehensive institution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nerine Bresler

2013-04-01

Full Text Available This study was designed to assist three higher education institutions that were forced into a merger to develop an identity, based on the unknown. A new type of organisation needs to be constructed in a changing environment. The paper presents the results of a survey of 654 stakeholders who were asked to indicate whether they associate any of the institutions with a list of 19 statements.The results are presented in a perceptual map to facilitate decision making. It depicts the merger partners as very different. This was confirmed by what the respective names triggered in respondents’ minds. The findings suggest issues management needs to address during the post-merger procedural integration to create and communicate value, through combined synergies, and to avoid some of the possible negative consequences of mergers.

Higher Education Institution Leaders' Identity Constructions in Times of Changing Structures and Legislation

Science.gov (United States)

Tigerstedt, Christa

2016-01-01

The focus in this paper is on the leadership of higher education institutions (HEI) in Finland and more specifically on the rector's leadership. The higher education sector is undergoing many changes and has been so for a long time. How, then, do the current changes become visible from a leadership perspective? The leadership discourse is here…

The Social Change Experiences of College Students at an Institution of Higher Learning

Science.gov (United States)

New, Kuwihoi; Ghafar, Mohamed Najib Abdul

2011-01-01

The sociology of education provides the most effective means to look into in the dynamics of education and the changes it produces in the individual. This research uses in-depth field interviews to study the social change experienced by a group of college students at a private higher learning institution in Malaysia. The results reveal that there…

Confronting the Consequences of a Permanent Changing Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raluca Ioana Vosloban

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Businesses and governments choose how they wish to deal with change. Whether this change is organizational, technological, political, financial etc or even individual pursuing actions as usual is likely to lead to a downward path. The authors of this paper are giving a set of tools for confronting and understanding the consequences of this era of permanent changes by building strengths and seeking opportunities within organizations (private or public and within family (including friends. The work environment and the personal life of the individual have a common point which is adaptability, coping efficiently with changes, a demanded ability of the 3rd millennium human being.

Change in ocean subsurface environment to suppress tropical cyclone intensification under global warming

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ping; Lin, I. -I; Chou, Chia; Huang, Rong-Hui

2015-01-01

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are hazardous natural disasters. Because TC intensification is significantly controlled by atmosphere and ocean environments, changes in these environments may cause changes in TC intensity. Changes in surface and subsurface ocean conditions can both influence a TC's intensification. Regarding global warming, minimal exploration of the subsurface ocean has been undertaken. Here we investigate future subsurface ocean environment changes projected by 22 state-of-the-art climate models and suggest a suppressive effect of subsurface oceans on the intensification of future TCs. Under global warming, the subsurface vertical temperature profile can be sharpened in important TC regions, which may contribute to a stronger ocean coupling (cooling) effect during the intensification of future TCs. Regarding a TC, future subsurface ocean environments may be more suppressive than the existing subsurface ocean environments. This suppressive effect is not spatially uniform and may be weak in certain local areas. PMID:25982028

Institutional change and the incorporation of Muslim populations: religious freedoms, equality and cultural diversity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maussen, M.; Burchardt, M.; Michalowski, I.

2015-01-01

The incorporation of Muslim populations in West Europe, largely but not exclusively due to immigration, has resulted in a variety of changes. This chapter proposes a framework to think about the dynamics and politics of "host society" institutional changes in response to Islamic presence.

[Institutional changes for the future of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine in Italy].

Science.gov (United States)

Faggioli, Antonio

2011-01-01

Following a brief overview of the initiatives undertaken since 2005 by the Italian Society of Hygiene (SitI) regarding he future of Hygiene and Public Health in Italy, the authors examine the latest proposals for renewing the organizational structure of the departments of Prevention, as well as for training programs and function of public health physicians. These changes, however, may be insufficient for a real renewal of public health, in the absence of institutional changes which would allocate administrative management of healthcare functions to local government, with community participation in health promotion. The planned establishment of "metropolitan cities" in 2012 is an opportunity for the SItI to show that the management of health administrative functions by the new local government organs is compatible with the institutional framework, is useful for achieving the objectives of health promotion and disease prevention, and facilitates health policy in local governments.

Which Membership Matters? External vs. Internal Determinants of Institutional Change in Transition Countries

OpenAIRE

Thorsten Drautzburg; Inna Melnykovska; Rainer Schweickert

2008-01-01

This paper analyses potential internal and external determinants of institutional change as measured by the World Bank Governance Indicators (WBGI) based on a panel of 25 transition countries for the period from 1996 to 2005. We show that natural resources and capital inflows exert an insignificant or negative influence and that economic policy allows to break path-dependency. Most importantly, however, we are able to show that incentives provided by NATO membership are important for institut...

Isomorphic pressures, institutional strategies, and knowledge creation in the health care sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Chen-Wei; Fang, Shih-Chieh; Huang, Wei-Min

2007-01-01

Health care organizations are facing surprisingly complex challenges, including new treatment and diagnostic technologies, ongoing pressures for health care institutional reform, the emergence of new organizational governance structures, and knowledge creation for the health care system. To maintain legitimacy in demanding environments, organizations tend to copy practices of similar organizations, which lead to isomorphism, and to use internal strategies to accommodate changes. A concern is that a poor fit between isomorphic pressures and internal strategies can interfere with developmental processes, such as knowledge creation. The purposes of this article are to, first, develop a set of propositions, based on institutional theory, as a theoretical framework that might explain the influence of isomorphic pressures on institutional processes through which knowledge is created within the health care sector and, second, propose that a good fit between isomorphic pressures factors and health care organizations' institutional strategic choices will enhance the health care organizations' ability to create knowledge. To develop a theoretical framework, we developed a set of propositions based on literature pertaining to the institutional theory perspective of isomorphic pressures and the response of health care organizations to isomorphic pressures. Institutional theory perspectives of isomorphic pressures and institutional strategies may provide a new understanding for health care organizations seeking effective knowledge creation strategies within institutional environment of health care sector. First, the ability to identify three forces for isomorphic change is critical for managers. Second, the importance of a contingency approach by health care managers can lead to strategies tailoring to cope with uncertainties facing their organizations.

The Changing Fiscal Environment for Academic Veterinary Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmel, Dana N; Lloyd, James W

2015-01-01

The fiscal environment for academic veterinary medicine has changed substantially over the past 50 years. Understanding the flux of state and federal government support and the implications for student debt, academic programs, and scholarly work is critical for planning for the future. The recent precipitous decline in public funding highlights the urgent need to develop and maintain an economically sustainable model that can adapt to the changing landscape and serve societal needs.

Why do policies change? Institutions, interests, ideas and networks in three cases of policy reform.

Science.gov (United States)

Shearer, Jessica C; Abelson, Julia; Kouyaté, Bocar; Lavis, John N; Walt, Gill

2016-11-01

Policy researchers have used various categories of variables to explain why policies change, including those related to institutions, interests and ideas. Recent research has paid growing attention to the role of policy networks-the actors involved in policy-making, their relationships with each other, and the structure formed by those relationships-in policy reform across settings and issues; however, this literature has largely ignored the theoretical integration of networks with other policy theories, including the '3Is' of institutions, interests and ideas. This article proposes a conceptual framework integrating these variables and tests it on three cases of policy change in Burkina Faso, addressing the need for theoretical integration with networks as well as the broader aim of theory-driven health policy analysis research in low- and middle-income countries. We use historical process tracing, a type of comparative case study, to interpret and compare documents and in-depth interview data within and between cases. We found that while network changes were indeed associated with policy reform, this relationship was mediated by one or more of institutions, interests and ideas. In a context of high donor dependency, new donor rules affected the composition and structure of actors in the networks, which enabled the entry and dissemination of new ideas and shifts in the overall balance of interest power ultimately leading to policy change. The case of strategic networking occurred in only one case, by civil society actors, suggesting that network change is rarely the spark that initiates the process towards policy change. This analysis highlights the important role of changes in institutions and ideas to drive policymaking, but hints that network change is a necessary intermediate step in these processes. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. All rights reserved. For

Obesity and the built environment: changes in environmental cues cause energy imbalances.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, D A

2008-12-01

The past 30 years have seen dramatic changes in the food and physical activity environments, both of which contribute to the changes in human behavior that could explain obesity. This paper reviews documented changes in the food environment, changes in the physical activity environment and the mechanisms through which people respond to these environments, often without conscious awareness or control. The most important environmental changes have been increases in food accessibility, food salience and decreases in the cost of food. The increases in food marketing and advertising create food cues that artificially stimulate people to feel hungry. The existence of a metabolic pathway that allows excess energy to be stored as fat suggests that people were designed to overeat. Many internal mechanisms favor neurophysiologic responses to food cues that result in overconsumption. External cues, such as food abundance, food variety and food novelty, cause people to override internal signals of satiety. Other factors, such as conditioning and priming, tie food to other desirable outcomes, and thus increase the frequency that hunger is stimulated by environmental cues. People's natural response to the environmental cues are colored by framing, and judgments are flawed and biased depending on how information is presented. People lack insight into how the food environment affects them, and subsequently are unable to change the factors that are responsible for excessive energy consumption. Understanding the causal pathway for overconsumption will be necessary to interrupt the mechanisms that lead to obesity.

Links between the built environment, climate and population health: interdisciplinary environmental change research in New York City.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenthal, Joyce Klein; Sclar, Elliott D; Kinney, Patrick L; Knowlton, Kim; Crauderueff, Robert; Brandt-Rauf, Paul W

2007-10-01

Global climate change is expected to pose increasing challenges for cities in the following decades, placing greater stress and impacts on multiple social and biophysical systems, including population health, coastal development, urban infrastructure, energy demand, and water supplies. Simultaneously, a strong global trend towards urbanisation of poverty exists, with increased challenges for urban populations and local governance to protect and sustain the wellbeing of growing cities. In the context of these 2 overarching trends, interdisciplinary research at the city scale is prioritised for understanding the social impacts of climate change and variability and for the evaluation of strategies in the built environment that might serve as adaptive responses to climate change. This article discusses 2 recent initiatives of The Earth Institute at Columbia University (EI) as examples of research that integrates the methods and objectives of several disciplines, including environmental health science and urban planning, to understand the potential public health impacts of global climate change and mitigative measures for the more localised effects of the urban heat island in the New York City metropolitan region. These efforts embody 2 distinct research approaches. The New York Climate & Health Project created a new integrated modeling system to assess the public health impacts of climate and land use change in the metropolitan region. The Cool City Project aims for more applied policy-oriented research that incorporates the local knowledge of community residents to understand the costs and benefits of interventions in the built environment that might serve to mitigate the harmful impacts of climate change and variability, and protect urban populations from health stressors associated with summertime heat. Both types of research are potentially useful for understanding the impacts of environmental change at the urban scale, the policies needed to address these

Motion direction estimation based on active RFID with changing environment

Science.gov (United States)

Jie, Wu; Minghua, Zhu; Wei, He

2018-05-01

The gate system is used to estimate the direction of RFID tags carriers when they are going through the gate. Normally, it is difficult to achieve and keep a high accuracy in estimating motion direction of RFID tags because the received signal strength of tag changes sharply according to the changing electromagnetic environment. In this paper, a method of motion direction estimation for RFID tags is presented. To improve estimation accuracy, the machine leaning algorithm is used to get the fitting function of the received data by readers which are deployed inside and outside gate respectively. Then the fitted data are sampled to get the standard vector. We compare the stand vector with template vectors to get the motion direction estimation result. Then the corresponding template vector is updated according to the surrounding environment. We conducted the simulation and implement of the proposed method and the result shows that the proposed method in this work can improve and keep a high accuracy under the condition of the constantly changing environment.

Institutions for adaptation to climate change: comparing national adaptation strategies in Europe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Termeer, C.J.A.M.; Biesbroek, G.R.; Brink, van den M.A.

2012-01-01

In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, societies worldwide have to cope with the potential impacts of climate change. The central question of this paper is to what extent our historically grown institutions enable actors to cope with the new challenges of climate adaptation. We present

Changing the Environment Based on Empowerment as Intrinsic Motivation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph Salge

2014-05-01

Full Text Available One aspect of intelligence is the ability to restructure your own environment so that the world you live in becomes more beneficial to you. In this paper we investigate how the information-theoretic measure of agent empowerment can provide a task-independent, intrinsic motivation to restructure the world. We show how changes in embodiment and in the environment change the resulting behaviour of the agent and the artefacts left in the world. For this purpose, we introduce an approximation of the established empowerment formalism based on sparse sampling, which is simpler and significantly faster to compute for deterministic dynamics. Sparse sampling also introduces a degree of randomness into the decision making process, which turns out to beneficial for some cases. We then utilize the measure to generate agent behaviour for different agent embodiments in a Minecraft-inspired three dimensional block world. The paradigmatic results demonstrate that empowerment can be used as a suitable generic intrinsic motivation to not only generate actions in given static environments, as shown in the past, but also to modify existing environmental conditions. In doing so, the emerging strategies to modify an agent’s environment turn out to be meaningful to the specific agent capabilities, i.e., de facto to its embodiment.

Psychosocial work environment factors and weight change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gram Quist, Helle; Christensen, Ulla; Christensen, Karl Bang

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle variables may serve as important intermediate factors between psychosocial work environment and health outcomes. Previous studies, focussing on work stress models have shown mixed and weak results in relation to weight change. This study aims to investigate psychosocial...... factors outside the classical work stress models as potential predictors of change in body mass index (BMI) in a population of health care workers. METHODS: A cohort study, with three years follow-up, was conducted among Danish health care workers (3982 women and 152 men). Logistic regression analyses...... predicted weight loss among men. Associations were generally weak, with the exception of quality of leadership, age, and cohabitation. CONCLUSION: This study of a single occupational group suggested a few new risk factors for weight change outside the traditional work stress models....

Institutional Change as Scholarly Work: General Education Reform at Portland State University

Science.gov (United States)

Tetreault, Mary Kathryn; Rhodes, Terrel

2004-01-01

A feature article in the "Chronicle of Higher Education" reported a campus controversy over an innovative general education program that received praise and attention nationally. In this essay, two administrators, prompted by that article, both tell the story of institutional change and raise theoretical questions about what the…

The Dynamics of Multicultural NPD Teams in Virtual Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Fain, Nusa; Kline, Miro

2013-01-01

Changes in the business environment, responses of companies to these changes and the available information and communication technologies (ICT) pose a number of challenges to present and future product developers, as well as to educational institutions. An appropriate response to these challenges is to create a solid basis for strategies to combat…

Development policy for non-grid-connected wind power in China: An analysis based on institutional change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Yong; Li Jing; Wang Mingming

2012-01-01

Government policy continues to play a crucial role in the development of wind power industry in China. The 2005 “Renewable Energy Law” and related policies have driven the rapid increase in wind power installed capacity in China over the past half-decade, with capacity doubling annually since 2005. However, a large number of wind farms generate electricity well below their installed capacity, resulting in considerable wastage of resources. Non-grid-connected wind power theory proposes that large-scale wind power output does not necessarily have to be fed into the grid, but can be used directly in industrial production. Thus, the use of the theory can promote the sustainable development of the wind power industry by obviating the need for power grid. In this paper we analyze the influence of government policy on wind power industry from the perspective of institutional change, by employing the basic theories of new institutional economics. A development model for non-grid-connected wind power is proposed in order to implement institutional change in accordance with the specific characteristics of wind power industry in China. This model requires the government to play an active role in institutional development by increasing economic efficiency in order to promote the sustainable development of wind power. - Highlights: ► New institutional economics-based analysis paradigm for wind power policy proposed. ► Policies for China's wind power industry analyzed according to the paradigm. ► Hybrid development mode of institutional change is the best pathway for wind power. ► Potential development policy for China's wind power industry recommended.

An ontological framework for requirement change management in distributed environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khatoon, A.; Hafeez, Y.; Ali, T.

2014-01-01

Global Software Development (GSD) is getting fame in the software industry gradually. However, in GSD, multiple and diverse stakeholders are involved in the development of complex software systems. GSD introduces several challenges, i.e. physical distance, time zone, culture difference, language barriers. As requirements play a significant role in any software development. The greatest challenge in GSD environment is to maintain a consistent view of the system even if the requirements change. But at the same time single change in the requirement might affect several other modules. In GSD different people use terms and have different ways of expressing the concepts for which people at remote sites are unable to get uniformity regarding the semantics of the terms. In a global environment requires effective communication and coordination. However, to overcome inconsistencies and ambiguities among the team members and to make the team members aware of the consistent view, a shared and common understanding is required. In this paper an approach beneficial to software industry has been proposed, focusing on changing requirements in a Global Software Development environment. A case study has been used for the evaluation of the proposed approach. Therefore, Requirements change management process has been improved by applying the approach of the case study. The proposed approach is beneficial to the software development organizations where frequent changes occur. It guided the software industry to provide the common understandings to all the development teams residing in remote locations. (author)

Agents of Institutional Change in EU Policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de la Porte, Caroline; Natali, David

2018-01-01

Social Investment package (SIP) through issue-framing, institutional alignment and consensus-building. Despite this, the SIP of 2013 ended as a ‘social investment moment’ that rapidly lost momentum because no additional measures such as indicators or funds were integrated with SIP. Furthermore......The contribution addresses – through actor-centred historical institutionalism – why and how social investment (SI) emerged at the European Union (EU) level. SI policies built on the institutional basis of the policy co-ordination processes in employment and social inclusion, which originated...

Evaluation of the Teaching Standards at Institutions of Higher Education Looks Forward to "Five Changes"

Science.gov (United States)

Zhentian, Liu

2009-01-01

In order to promote the sustained and healthy development of teaching evaluation work, five changes should be brought about in the evaluation of the level of undergraduate teaching at China's institutions of higher education: Change teaching evaluation from a specific item of work to a system of a long-term and normative nature; change teaching…

Historical Context, Institutional Change, Organizational Structure, and the Mental Illness Career

OpenAIRE

Walter, Charles Thomas

2013-01-01

This dissertation demonstrates how patients' mental illness treatment careers depend on the change and/or stability among differing levels of social structure. Theorists of the mental illness career tend to ignore the role that higher levels of social structural change have on individuals' mental illness career. Researchers using an organizational perspective tend to focus on the organizational environment but ignore the treatment process from the individual's point of view. Both perspectives...

The role of academic institutions in leveraging engagement and action on climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, T. M.; Palca, J.

2016-12-01

Growing global concern over the impact of climate change places climate scientists at the forefront of communicating risks, impacts, and adaptation strategies to non-scientists. Academic institutions can play a leadership role in providing support, incentives, and structures that encourage scientific engagement on this, and other, complex societal and scientific issues. This presentation will focus on `best practices' in supporting university scientists in communicating their science and engaging in thoughtful dialogue with decision makers, managers, media, and public audiences. For example, institutions that can provide significant administrative support for science communication (press officers, training workshops) may decrease barriers between academic science and public knowledge. Additionally, financial (or similar) support in the form of teaching releases and institutional awards can be utilized to acknowledge the time and effort spent in engagement. This presentation will feature examples from universities, professional societies and other institutions where engagement on climate science is structurally encouraged and supported.

The failure of introducing market institution in a rent sector into an economy in transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Locatelli, C.; Finon, D.

2003-07-01

Privatisation is at the heart of the structural reforms for economies in transition. In theory, the main aim of privatisation is to change the structures of corporate governance in order to improve the efficiency of the enterprises and to assure their long-term future in a competitive environment. The adoption of formal market institutions would be sufficient to secure the new property rights, in particular because the new holders of the rights to control assets would have a great incentive to encourage the definition of new judicial rules that would guarantee their rights of ownership. In Russia that did not happen. The paper discusses the narrowed vision of institutional change, without consideration of the previous environment of formal and informal institutions, and the need to put together the institutional infrastructure that is needed for the market institutions to function. It offers explanations of the 'unexpected' results of the reforms in a capital-intensive natural resource industry, namely the hydrocarbons industry characterized by the opportunity of rent extraction by the exportation. It demonstrates right holders' interest for the weakness of the 'rule of law'. It demonstrates that the incompatibility of these institutions with the initial informal and formal institutions has led to adaptations that are strongly path-dependent, under the need to preserve a minimum of inter-industrial coherence. (authors)

The failure of introducing market institution in a rent sector into an economy in transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Locatelli, C.; Finon, D

2003-07-01

Privatisation is at the heart of the structural reforms for economies in transition. In theory, the main aim of privatisation is to change the structures of corporate governance in order to improve the efficiency of the enterprises and to assure their long-term future in a competitive environment. The adoption of formal market institutions would be sufficient to secure the new property rights, in particular because the new holders of the rights to control assets would have a great incentive to encourage the definition of new judicial rules that would guarantee their rights of ownership. In Russia that did not happen. The paper discusses the narrowed vision of institutional change, without consideration of the previous environment of formal and informal institutions, and the need to put together the institutional infrastructure that is needed for the market institutions to function. It offers explanations of the 'unexpected' results of the reforms in a capital-intensive natural resource industry, namely the hydrocarbons industry characterized by the opportunity of rent extraction by the exportation. It demonstrates right holders' interest for the weakness of the 'rule of law'. It demonstrates that the incompatibility of these institutions with the initial informal and formal institutions has led to adaptations that are strongly path-dependent, under the need to preserve a minimum of inter-industrial coherence. (authors)

Factsheets for the (eco)toxicological risk assessment strategy of the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luttik R; Raaij MTM van; CSR

2001-01-01

Eight fact sheets describing risk assessment methods used at the Centre of Substances and Risk assessment (CSR) of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) are presented here with the main aim of promoting greater transparency in the risk assessment methods used at the

Perceptual classification in a rapidly-changing environment

OpenAIRE

Summerfield, Christopher; Behrens, Timothy E.; Koechlin, Etienne

2011-01-01

Humans and monkeys can learn to classify perceptual information in a statistically optimal fashion if the functional groupings remain stable over many hundreds of trials, but little is known about categorisation when the environment changes rapidly. Here, we used a combination of computational modelling and functional neuroimaging to understand how humans classify visual stimuli drawn from categories whose mean and variance jumped unpredictably. Models based on optimal learning (Bayesian mode...

The cricket and the ant : Organizational trade-offs in changing environments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Peli, Gabor; Bruggeman, Jeroen

2007-01-01

Organizations face trade-offs when they adopt strategies in changing resource environments. The type of trade-off depends on the type of resource change. This paper offers an organizational trade-off model for quantitative resource changes. We call it the "Cricket and Ant" (CA) model, because the

Understanding Institutional Adaptation to Climate Change: Social Resilience and Adaptive Governance Capacities of the Nature Based Tourism Institutions in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal

OpenAIRE

Lama, Anu Kumari

2016-01-01

The global-local sustainable development and climate change adaptation policy, and the emerging political discourse on the value of local Adaptation, have positioned the local institutions and their governance space within the strategic enclaves of multilevel governance system. Such shifts have transformed the context for sustainable Nature Based Tourism (NBT) development and adaptation in Nepal in general, and its protected areas, in particular. The emerging institutional adaptation discours...

The Process of Change in Higher Education Institutions. AAHE-ERIC/Higher Education Research Report, No. 7, 1982.

Science.gov (United States)

Nordvall, Robert C.

Conditions that inhibit change in higher education institutions and various models of the change process are described. Attention is also directed to: organizational character, structural features, planning procedures, key individuals in the change process, and practical advice about change. The major change models for higher education…

Integration of health and environment through health impact assessment: cases from three continents.

Science.gov (United States)

Negev, Maya; Levine, Hagai; Davidovitch, Nadav; Bhatia, Rajiv; Mindell, Jennifer

2012-04-01

Despite the strong linkage between environment and health, institutions responsible for these fields operate in largely fragmented ways with limited interaction. As illustrated in the recent engagement between health and urban planning institutions, inter-institutional cooperation could support more effective and politically acceptable solutions for both local and global problems. Analysis of three case-studies, from three different continents, shows that HIA might serve to promote synergies among health and environmental disciplines in different local contexts, and could lead to institutional and procedural changes that promote health. Case examples provided supportive evidence for these effects, despite differences in approaches to HIA and governance levels. Obstacles to the use of HIA for inter-institutional integration also differed between countries. Lessons learned could support cooperation in other common interests of health and environment disciplines such as research, training and preparedness, and mitigation of public health emergencies related to the environment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aid, Environment and Climate Change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arndt, Thomas Channing; Tarp, Finn

2017-01-01

Aid and aid institutions constitute an important element of the global response to interlinked global developmental and environmental challenges. As such, these institutions are now being drawn into new arenas beyond the traditional focus on improving the livelihoods of poor people in low-income ...

Strategic Renewal in Regulatory Environments. How inter- and intra-organisational institutional forces influence European incumbent energy firms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stienstra, M.

2008-01-01

How do incumbent firms strategically renew in regulatory environments? Assuming that regulation can both constrain and enable a firm's strategic renewal opportunities, we investigate how and to what extent incumbent firms undertake exploitative and explorative strategic renewal actions in order to remain competitive. Exploitative strategic renewal involves those actions that strengthen or optimise a firm's current resource deployments, whereas explorative strategic renewal relates to actions that generate new sources of value creation for the firm. Based on old institutional theory, new institutional theory, neo-institutional theory and institutional entrepreneurship literature, a multi-level framework that combines selection and adaptation arguments has been developed and applied to investigate strategic renewal behaviour of a sample of European energy incumbents. At industry level of analysis, results show how inter-organisational institutional forces significantly impact firms' choices of exploitative and explorative strategic renewal actions through regulative, normative and cognitive forces. At organisational unit level of analysis, we find that the extent of intra-organisational regulative forces is positively related to exploitative strategic renewal actions. In addition, entrepreneurial proclivity appears to be a catalyst of both exploitative and explorative strategic renewal actions. Finally, our results provide insights how environmental selection and firm level adaptation are interrelated in the context of regulation. The extent of inter-organisational regulative forces positively moderates the relationship between intra-organisational regulative forces and exploitative strategic renewal actions.

National Institute for Global Environmental Change, July 1, 1994-- June 30, 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-12-31

This document contains the report from the National Institute for Global Environmental Change for the period July 1, 1994 to June 30, 1995. Separate sections for the Great Plains, Midwestern, Norhteast, South Central, Southeast and Western regions are present. Each section contains project descriptions and abstracts for projects managed by the respective regional offices.

[Animals' clever adaptation strategy for seasonal changes in environment].

Science.gov (United States)

Ikegami, Keisuke; Yoshimura, Takashi

2015-08-01

Organisms living outside of tropical zones experience seasonal changes in environment. Organisms are using day length as a calendar to change their physiology and behavior such as seasonal breeding, hibernation, migration, and molting. A comparative biology approach revealed underlying mechanisms of vertebrate seasonal reproduction. Here we review the current understanding of vertebrate seasonal reproduction. We Aso describe the involvement of tissue-specific post-translational modification in functional diversification of a hormone.

The Nitrogen Footprint Tool for Institutions: Comparing Results for a Diverse Group of Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Castner, E.; Leach, A. M.; Galloway, J. N.; Hastings, M. G.; Lantz-Trissel, J.; Leary, N.; Kimiecik, J.; de la Reguera, E.

2015-12-01

Anthropogenic production of reactive nitrogen (Nr) has drastically altered the nitrogen cycle over the past few decades by causing it to accumulate in the environment. A nitrogen footprint (NF) estimates the amount of Nr released to the environment as a result of an entity's activities. The Nitrogen Footprint Tool (NFT) for universities and institutions provides a standardized method for quantifying the NF for the activities and operations of these entities. The NFT translates data on energy use, food purchasing, sewage treatment, and fertilizer use to the amount of Nr lost to the environment using NOx and N2O emission factors, virtual nitrogen factors (VNFs) for food production, N reduction rates from wastewater treatment, and nitrogen uptake factors for fertilizer. As part of the Nitrogen Footprint Project supported by the EPA, seven institutions (colleges, universities, and research institutions) have completed NFT assessments: University of Virginia, University of New Hampshire, Brown University, Dickinson College, Colorado State University, Eastern Mennonite University, and the Marine Biological Laboratory. The results of these assessments reveal the magnitude of impacts on the global nitrogen cycle by different activities and sectors, and will allow these institutions to set NF reduction goals along with management decisions based on scenarios and projections in the NFT. The trends revealed in early analysis of the results include geographic differences based on regional energy sources and local sewage treatment, as well as operational differences that stem from institution type and management. As an example of the impact of management, the amount and type of food served directly impacts the food production NF, which is a large percentage of the total NF for all institutions (35-75%). Comparison of these first NF results will shed light on the primary activities of institutions that add Nr to the environment and examine the differences between them.

Knowledge Sharing Mechanism: Enabling C2 to Adapt to Changing Environments

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Harvie, David P

2007-01-01

.... The common nemesis to successfully developing solutions in these environments is change. The challenge of any complex problem solving process is the balance of adapting to multiple changes while keeping focused on the overall desired solution...

Precision Security: Integrating Video Surveillance with Surrounding Environment Changes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenfeng Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Video surveillance plays a vital role in maintaining the social security although, until now, large uncertainty still exists in danger understanding and recognition, which can be partly attributed to intractable environment changes in the backgrounds. This article presents a brain-inspired computing of attention value of surrounding environment changes (EC with a processes-based cognition model by introducing a ratio value λ of EC-implications within considered periods. Theoretical models for computation of warning level of EC-implications to the universal video recognition efficiency (quantified as time cost of implication-ratio variations from λk to λk+1, k=1,2,… are further established. Imbedding proposed models into the online algorithms is suggested as a future research priority towards precision security for critical applications and, furthermore, schemes for a practical implementation of such integration are also preliminarily discussed.

The Changing Information Needs of Users in Electronic Information Environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Kebede, Gashaw

2002-01-01

Focuses on the information needs of users that are changing as a results of changes in the availability of information content in electronic form. Highlights the trend and nature of the physical form in which information content is currently being made available for users' access and use in electronic information environments. (Author/LRW)

Business environment change and decision making mechanism of nuclear generators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamashita, Hiroko

2010-01-01

Change magnitude of business environment for Japanese nuclear generators is significant. It is rapidly growing in the last several years. There are possibilities that the change might impact to management model of nuclear generators. In the paper, the impact to management model, especially, decision making mechanism of the generators is discussed. (author)

Effect of climatic change on surface environments in the typical region of Horqin Sandy Land

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2010-01-01

The town of Agura,a typical region in Horqin Sandy Land,was selected as the study area in this paper.Using 12 remote sensing images and climatic data from the past 20 years,the effects of climate change on surface environments were analyzed.The impact indices of climatic factors,along with their corresponding ranks,were used to characterize the responses of different types of surface environments to climate change.Results show that in the past 20 years,the surface environments of the study area have been deteriorating.Furthermore,there is a positive relationship between the changes in surface environments and those in climatic factors.Various climatic factors influence surface environments in different ways and at different levels.The most sensitive factor is relative humidity,followed by precipitation and evaporation.Overall,moisture is the key factor that affects the changes in surface environments of arid and semi-arid areas.

A case study: Integrated work environment and organizational change

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heubach, J.G.; Montgomery, J.C.; Weimer, W.C. [Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States); Heerwagen, J.H. [Battelle Seattle Research Center, WA (United States)

1995-02-01

The failure to integrate environmental and organizational interventions may help explain the lack of success of many change efforts. The high rate of failure for change efforts (50% to 90% failure rates) has been noted by many writers. While specific causes of failure are diverse, a common theme has been failure to consider the organization as a system. That is, either significant aspects of the organization were ignored during the intervention or potential impacts of changes on the elements were overlooked or underestimated. Our own training, technical literature, and professional culture lead us to limited understandings of complex organizations. Change agents must consider all relevant components of organizational performance if interventions are to be meaningful and successful. This study demonstrated the value of an integrated organizational intervention involving redesign of the physical environment, introduction of a new information system, work process improvement, and extended organizational development intervention. The outcomes were extremely positive. The cost of improvement efforts was found to be recaptured within a short time, easily justifying the expenditures. One conclusion from the study is that integrated interventions are very powerful. Integrating improvement of the physical environment with organizational development and technological innovation greatly enhances the likelihood of achieving a successful intervention.

Changes in School Competitive Food Environments after a Health Promotion Campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Sarah H.; Mallya, Giridhar; Brensinger, Colleen; Tierney, Ann; Glanz, Karen

2018-01-01

Background: Schools can reduce student access to competitive foods and influence healthy food choices by improving the school nutrition environment. This study describes changes in competitive nutrition environments in 100 K-8 schools participating in the Philadelphia Campaign for Healthier Schools. Methods: Interviews with school staff were used…

The Natural Science Institute for Teachers of Minority Students: Performance report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ervin, C.J.

1995-02-01

The purpose of the Natural Science Institute for Teachers of Minority Students is to enhance the science knowledge and skills of grades four through twelve science teachers in the District of Columbia Public Schools. The Institute brings school teachers together with practicing scientists and experienced science educators who are currently doing or involved in research and publication, especially in the area of global change. Special emphasis is placed on the interdisciplinary nature of science and the part played by the understanding and teaching about the dynamics of the environment and global change. In addition to these goals, teachers will learn a number of successful alternate strategies for teaching science to minority, disabled and non-English speaking students.

Climate change on arctic environment, ecosystem services and society (CLICHE)

Science.gov (United States)

Weckström, J.; Korhola, A.; Väliranta, M.; Seppä, H.; Luoto, M.; Tuittila, E.-S.; Leppäranta, M.; Kahilainen, K.; Saarinen, J.; Heikkinen, H.

2012-04-01

The predicted climate warming has raised many questions and concerns about its impacts on the environment and society. As a respond to the need of holistic studies comprising both of these areas, The Academy of Finland launched The Finnish Research Programme on Climate Change (FICCA 2011-2014) in spring 2010 with the main aim to focus on the interaction between the environment and society. Ultimately 11 national consortium projects were funded (total budget 12 million EUR). Here we shortly present the main objectives of the largest consortium project "Climate change on arctic environment, ecosystem services and society" (CLICHE). The CLICHE consortium comprises eight interrelated work packages (treeline, diversity, peatlands, snow, lakes, fish, tourism, and traditional livelihoods), each led by a prominent research group and a team leader. The research consortium has three main overall objectives: 1) Investigate, map and model the past, present and future climate change-induced changes in central ecosystems of the European Arctic with unprecedented precision 2) Deepen our understanding of the basic principles of ecosystem and social resilience and dynamics; identify key taxa, structures or processes that clearly indicate impending or realised global change through their loss, occurrence or behaviour, using analogues from the past (e.g. Holocene Thermal Maximum, Medieval Warm Period), experiments, observations and models 3) Develop adaptation and mitigation strategies to minimize the adverse effects of climate change on local communities, traditional livelihoods, fisheries, and tourism industry, and promote sustainable development of local community structures and enhance the quality of life of local human populations. As the project has started only recently no final results are available yet. However, the fieldwork as well as the co-operation between the research teams has thus far been very successful. Thus, the expectations for the final outcome of the project

The Changing Research Context: Implications for Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

Billot, Jennie

2011-01-01

Within the changing tertiary environment, research activity and performance are coming under greater pressure and scrutiny. External policy and funding directives are resulting in revised institutional objectives, requiring variations to organisational structures and processes. These changes have an impact on the relationship between the…

Thermal sensation and thermal comfort in changing environments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Velt, K.B.; Daanen, H.A.M.

2017-01-01

It is the purpose of this study to investigate thermal sensation (TS) and thermal comfort (TC) in changing environments. Therefore, 10 subjects stayed in a 30 °C, 50% relative humidity for 30 min in summer clothes and then moved to a 20 °C room where they remained seated for 30 min (Hot to Reference

Factsheets for the (eco)toxicological risk assessment strategy of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Part VI

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen PJCM; Burg W ter; Pelgrom SMGJ; Fleuren R; SIR; SEC

2007-01-01

This report contains four factsheets describing risk assessment methods used at the Centre for Substances and Integral Risk Assessment (SIR) and the Expert Centre for Substances (SEC) of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). The first three factsheets concern human

Political institutions since 1820

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Foldvari, Peter; Buzasi, Katalin

2014-01-01

Political institutions determine the degree of freedom people enjoy and their capacity to influence their social and political environment. This chapter provides historical evidence on the evolution of political institutions drawing upon two major research projects: the PolityIV dataset and the

Creating a Suitable Physical Environment at the Institutions of Higher Education Considering the Needs of Students with Disabilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dalė Pilipavičiūtė

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of this work is to develop a model for meas­uring the suitability of a physical environment at the institu­tions of higher education considering the needs of students with disabilities. The article examines the progress in this field under regulations made by the system of indicators and carried out expert survey employing the ranking method. To establish the significance of the developed programs, the importance of calculated indicators and their groups has been determined thus making a model for evaluating the physical environment suitable for the needs of students with disabilities at any institution of higher education in Lithuania.Article in Lithuanian

Institutional Investors as Minority Shareholders

OpenAIRE

Assaf Hamdani; Yishay Yafeh

2013-01-01

We examine the link between minority shareholders' rights and corporate governance by studying institutional investors' voting patterns in a concentrated ownership environment. Institutions rarely vote against insider-sponsored proposals even when the law empowers the minority. Institutions vote against compensation-related proposals more often than against related party transactions even when minority shareholders cannot influence outcomes. Potentially conflicted institutions are more likely...

Cluster Policy in the Light of Institutional Context—A Comparative Study of Transition Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tine Lehmann

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The business environment in transition countries is often extraordinarily challenging for companies. The transition process these countries find themselves in leads to constant changes in the institutional environment. Hence, institutional voids prevail. These institutional voids cause competitive disadvantages for small and medium enterprises. Cluster policy can address these competitive disadvantages. As cluster policy generally aims at supporting companies’ competitive advantage by spurring innovation and productivity, it can help to bridge institutional voids. This article’s research question aims at analyzing and comparing cluster policies in the institutional context of two transition countries (Serbia and Tunisia and analyzes to what extent cluster policies in these two countries are adapted to institutional voids prevailing there. The case studies offer insights into apparent difficulties of clusters in bridging formal institutional voids, as well as, notably, into the informal void of skill mismatches in the labor market. Still, for some specific voids, clusters do at least implicitly assume a bridging role. While the cluster policies examined do not explicitly target the institutional voids identified, cluster management can—in the course of time—align its service offering more closely with these voids. Bottom-up designed cluster policies can play an especially important role in such an evolution towards bridging institutional voids.

Strategic Renewal in Regulatory Environments. How inter- and intra-organisational institutional forces influence European incumbent energy firms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stienstra, M.

2008-11-20

How do incumbent firms strategically renew in regulatory environments? Assuming that regulation can both constrain and enable a firm's strategic renewal opportunities, we investigate how and to what extent incumbent firms undertake exploitative and explorative strategic renewal actions in order to remain competitive. Exploitative strategic renewal involves those actions that strengthen or optimise a firm's current resource deployments, whereas explorative strategic renewal relates to actions that generate new sources of value creation for the firm. Based on old institutional theory, new institutional theory, neo-institutional theory and institutional entrepreneurship literature, a multi-level framework that combines selection and adaptation arguments has been developed and applied to investigate strategic renewal behaviour of a sample of European energy incumbents. At industry level of analysis, results show how inter-organisational institutional forces significantly impact firms' choices of exploitative and explorative strategic renewal actions through regulative, normative and cognitive forces. At organisational unit level of analysis, we find that the extent of intra-organisational regulative forces is positively related to exploitative strategic renewal actions. In addition, entrepreneurial proclivity appears to be a catalyst of both exploitative and explorative strategic renewal actions. Finally, our results provide insights how environmental selection and firm level adaptation are interrelated in the context of regulation. The extent of inter-organisational regulative forces positively moderates the relationship between intra-organisational regulative forces and exploitative strategic renewal actions.

Why Nations Fail? Daron Acemoglu: The Role of Inclusive and Extractive Institutions on Shaping Technological Change, Innovation, and Prosperity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shlair Abdulkhaleq Al-Zanganee

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Professor Daron Acemoglu argues in his book Why Nations Fail? The Origin of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty (2012, coauthored with James A. Robinson that the role played by inclusive and extractive institution is the main reason behind the huge gap in the standards of living between poor and rich nations. Such institutions emerge within the contextual political, economic, and social environment and they shape technological progress and innovation. By taking the United States as an example, Acemoglu argues that extractive institutions are enabling both economic and political inequality and contribute to the negative consequences of such types of inequality.

Adaptive Rationality, Adaptive Behavior and Institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volchik Vyacheslav, V.

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The economic literature focused on understanding decision-making and choice processes reveals a vast collection of approaches to human rationality. Theorists’ attention has moved from absolutely rational, utility-maximizing individuals to boundedly rational and adaptive ones. A number of economists have criticized the concepts of adaptive rationality and adaptive behavior. One of the recent trends in the economic literature is to consider humans irrational. This paper offers an approach which examines adaptive behavior in the context of existing institutions and constantly changing institutional environment. It is assumed that adaptive behavior is a process of evolutionary adjustment to fundamental uncertainty. We emphasize the importance of actors’ engagement in trial and error learning, since if they are involved in this process, they obtain experience and are able to adapt to existing and new institutions. The paper aims at identifying relevant institutions, adaptive mechanisms, informal working rules and practices that influence actors’ behavior in the field of Higher Education in Russia (Rostov Region education services market has been taken as an example. The paper emphasizes the application of qualitative interpretative methods (interviews and discourse analysis in examining actors’ behavior.

Latest Achievements on Climate Change and Forest Interactions in a Polluted Environment

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Carriero, G.; Tuovinen, J.-P.; Clarke, N.; Matteucci, G.; Matyssek, R.; Wieser, G.; Mikkelsen, J. D.; Fischer, R.; Cudlín, Pavel; Serengil, Y.; Boscaleri, F.; Calfapietra, Carlo; Feng, Z.; Paoletti, E.

2014-01-01

Roč. 4, č. 3 (2014), s. 197-207 ISSN 2163-0429 Institutional support: RVO:67179843 Keywords : air pollution * climate change * forests * supersites * COST * FP0903 Action Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour

Agency Costs, Institutional Environment Changes and Corporate Charitable Donation：Empirical Evidence from China’s Manufacturing Industry%代理成本、制度环境变迁与企业慈善捐赠--来自中国制造业的经验证据

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

黄送钦

2017-01-01

Based on the principal-agent theory, this paper makes an empirical research on the motivation of corporate donation from the perspective of institutional environment changes. It finds that the higher the agency costs are, the greater the sizes of corporate donations are, showing the existence of the agency problem in corporate charitable donation behavior. In addition, the optimization of the external system environment like formal institutions measured by marketization degree and informal institutions measured by trust environment can ease the agency problem in corporate donation behavior. It shows that the external system environment can play a certain role in corporate governance, weaken the impacts of corporate agency costs on the donation sizes, and ease the agency problem of corporate donations. The further research also indicates that corporate state-controlled nature and traditional business group culture have significantly enhanced the agency problem of corporate donations, but political connections have no significant impact on the agency problem of corporate donations. The above conclusions are supported by the evidence from Shanghai A-share manufacturing from 2008 to 2013. This paper provides empirical evidence for the agency problem of corporate donations, and also a reference basis for standardizing and guiding corporate donation behavior from the perspective of institutional environment changes, thereby being beneficial to a more comprehensive understanding of corporate agent problem and donation behavior in the overall institutional environment.%基于委托代理理论，文章从制度环境变迁视角对企业捐赠的动机进行了实证研究。研究发现：代理成本越高，企业捐赠规模就越大，表明企业慈善捐赠行为存在委托代理问题；而外部制�

Institutional Bricolage in Times of Crisis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carstensen, Martin B.

2017-01-01

How may we understand the occurrence of gradual but significant change following economic crisis? Theories of gradual institutional transformation offer important insights to analyses of long-term institutional change, but have so far shied away from dealing with institutional change during...... and following crisis, leaving the issue to more traditional critical juncture models. Instead of seeing gradual institutional change originating only in the efforts of rule takers to circumvent existing institutions – potentially leading to gradual change over longer periods of time – the paper suggests...... create new institutional setups through the re-ordering of existing institutional elements. The empirical relevance of these arguments is demonstrated with a study of post-crisis special bank insolvency policies in Denmark and the United States, showing how in both polities new institutions were created...

Greenhouse policy studies by ECON and the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. 13 abstracts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roland, Kjell; Sydnes, Anne Kristin

1991-07-01

The main focus of the programme is the relationship between energy, environment and development in the Third World and international co-operation in relation to global climate change. A series of working papers and reports will primarily review and analyse energy strategies in developing countries and the political, institutional and economic factors which have an impact on current and future energy supply and demand. Energy market structures and energy policies of selected countries will be studies in light of global environmental problems and the recommendations from the World Commission on Environment and Development. Attention will be given to North/South conflicts in relation to the challenge of global climate change. Institutional and financial mechanisms to promote transfer of resources to developing countries will be discussed. EED is a professionally independent research programme, financially supported by the Norwegian Research Council for Applied Social Science (NORAS), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Environment and Statoil. The project titles are: 1) The North/South dimension in global greenhouse policies. Conflicts, dilemma, solutions. 2) Energy - a growth limiting factor. 3) Environment, security and politicians., Do they really mean (and know) what they are saying. 4) The Soviet Union and climatic changes: Heading for the eternal summer. 5) EC greenhouse policy. 6) Brazilian energy policy. Self-sufficiency and states intervention. 7) Mexico - a country in economic and ecological crisis. 8) Energy, environment and development in China. 9) Energy, environment and economic growth in a developing country perspective. 10) Stabilising CO{sub 2} emissions by carbon taxes- a viable option. 11) Developing countries in global climate negotiations. 12) US greenhouse policy: Reactionary or realistic. 13) Effective verification of international greenhouse agreements: Technically feasible, but politically complicated. Report abstracts are

Greenhouse policy studies by ECON and the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. 13 abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roland, Kjell; Sydnes, Anne Kristin

1991-01-01

The main focus of the programme is the relationship between energy, environment and development in the Third World and international co-operation in relation to global climate change. A series of working papers and reports will primarily review and analyse energy strategies in developing countries and the political, institutional and economic factors which have an impact on current and future energy supply and demand. Energy market structures and energy policies of selected countries will be studies in light of global environmental problems and the recommendations from the World Commission on Environment and Development. Attention will be given to North/South conflicts in relation to the challenge of global climate change. Institutional and financial mechanisms to promote transfer of resources to developing countries will be discussed. EED is a professionally independent research programme, financially supported by the Norwegian Research Council for Applied Social Science (NORAS), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Environment and Statoil. The project titles are: 1) The North/South dimension in global greenhouse policies. Conflicts, dilemma, solutions. 2) Energy - a growth limiting factor. 3) Environment, security and politicians., Do they really mean (and know) what they are saying. 4) The Soviet Union and climatic changes: Heading for the eternal summer. 5) EC greenhouse policy. 6) Brazilian energy policy. Self-sufficiency and states intervention. 7) Mexico - a country in economic and ecological crisis. 8) Energy, environment and development in China. 9) Energy, environment and economic growth in a developing country perspective. 10) Stabilising CO 2 emissions by carbon taxes- a viable option. 11) Developing countries in global climate negotiations. 12) US greenhouse policy: Reactionary or realistic. 13) Effective verification of international greenhouse agreements: Technically feasible, but politically complicated. Report abstracts are included in

Yearbook of International Co-operation on Environment and Development 2002/2003; an independent publication from the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stokke, Olav Schram; Thommessen, Oeystein B.

2002-07-01

The Yearbook of International Cooperation on Environment and Development aims to demonstrate the status of collaboration, the main obstacles to effective international solutions, and how to overcome them. The Yearbook assesses the achievements and the shortcomings of international co-operation, and helps the reader to distinguish between rhetoric and reality. The combination of independent, high-quality analysis and updated reference material makes this Yearbook an indispensable guide for decision-makers in government, international organizations, NGOs, and industry, as well as an essential source book for academic institutions, students, and libraries serving the concerned public. Current Issues and Key Themes in this edition focus on: (1) how effective environmental mega-conferences are in global environmental governance; (2) how the climate change regime can achieve its objective by addressing the very real concerns about climate-change impacts on human beings as much as on healthy ecosystems; (3) how the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme has been an effective regional agent for environmental protection and how it should cope with the challenges ahead; (4) how the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty has contributed to strengthening international cooperation within the Treaty, but nevertheless is hampered by the vagueness of some core requirements and by the unresolved issues of jurisdiction, control, and enforcement in the Antarctic; (5) how the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands-neither rigorous nor extensive in its obligations-has acted as a vehicle for the development of a reasonably detailed policy framework for wetland conservation; (6) how Friends of the Earth International-among the world's largest, most diverse, and most influential environmental NGOs-has such internal diversity, in addition to its geographic spread and lack of agreed political ideology, that it risks its external profile becoming blurred and its internal

Does curricular change improve faculty perceptions of student experiences with the educational environment? A preliminary study in an institution undergoing curricular change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Ilyas Shehnaz

2014-04-01

Conclusion: The study showed that the faculty perceived the organ system-based integrated curriculum as providing a better educational environment for the students than the discipline based curriculum.

[Penal institutions in Porto Azzuro].

Science.gov (United States)

Ciccotti, R

1976-01-01

Prior to describing the environmental and human situation of the Porto Azzurro penal Institutions, the Author devotes a chapter to the historical part and gives an outline of the most important events that, in 1600 or thereabouts, led to the construction of the Fort S. Giacoma (where the penitentiary is presently sited), which, after a number of vicissitudes and transfers of title, was finally destined for use, in 1900, as a prison establishment. The subsequent and, in particular, the recent building re-structurations, have radically changed the penitentiary in order to make it more in line with the functions required by the present prison policy. After describing the establishment's setup, which includes many institutes, the Author passes on to consider the problems of personnel and, in particular, of the military staff. In the central chapter on intramural life, he makes an in-depth review of the methods and means of treatment, some of which are proper of this particular environment. In illustrating such convicts' activities, as working, leisure time, education, relationship with the extramural world, the Author lays stress on the always present objective: that directed at helping convicts re-enter social life. In conjunction with health services and religious services, the Author deals at length with the delicate moment of the "audience", viewed as a therapeutic means indispensiable for establishing a valid re-educational contribution. The discipline and discharges conclude the description of the Porto Azzurro penal Institutions, whose environment and various treatment methods in use before the implementation of the new penitentiary System, are dealt with in detail by the Author.

"Aggiornamento" and the American Catholic Bishops: A Rhetoric of Institutional Continuity and Change.

Science.gov (United States)

Jablonski, Carol J.

1989-01-01

Analyzes 140 pastoral letters issued by the American Catholic bishops before, during, and after Vatican II (1947 through 1981). Suggests that doctrinal rhetoric has a tremendous capacity to endure accelerated social and institutional change, and that the rhetorical impact of Vatican II was quickly institutionalized in the public communications of…

40 CFR 26.1112 - Review by institution.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Review by institution. 26.1112 Section 26.1112 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GENERAL PROTECTION OF HUMAN... Exposure of Non-pregnant, Non-nursing Adults § 26.1112 Review by institution. Research covered by this...

Climate Change Potential Impacts on the Built Environment and Possible Adaptation Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Quattrochi, Dale A.

2014-01-01

The built environment consists of components that exist at a range of scales from small (e.g., houses, shopping malls) to large (e.g., transportation networks) to highly modified landscapes such as cities. Thus, the impacts of climate change on the built environment may have a multitude of effects on humans and the land. The impact of climate change may be exacerbated by the interaction of different events that singly may be minor, but together may have a synergistic set of impacts that are significant. Also, mechanisms may exist wherein the built environment, particularly in the form of cities, may affect weather and the climate on local and regional scales. Hence, a city may be able to cope with prolonged heat waves, but if this is combined with severe drought, the overall result could be significant or even catastrophic, as accelerating demand for energy to cooling taxes water supplies needed both for energy supply and municipal water needs. This presentation surveys potential climate change impacts on the built environment from the perspective of the National Climate Assessment, and explores adaptation measures that can be employed to mitigate these impacts.

National institute for Food and Agriculture: novel and changing funding strategies and mechanisms in response to changes in budgets, legislative authorities and scientific culture

Science.gov (United States)

Cavallaro, N.; Melnick, R.

2017-12-01

Farm Bill legislation establishes different funding mechanisms managed by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), which have changed over the years through reauthorization. Other legislation and executive initiatives, as well as recognition by both funders, funding recipients, private organizations, and non-government organizations have stressed the need for multi-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary research and outreach. This presentation will discuss how changes to NIFA legislative authority as well as changing needs and culture in the government and the scientific research community have led to new mechanisms and strategies for types of funded projects, eligibility for NIFA funding, interagency funding, and iterative changes in direction in research solicitations. For example, limited funding for important topics has prompted a need for interagency collaborations in research funding solicitations and jointly funded projects. New legislative authorities and requirements have led to new modes of collaboration with private industry, NGOs and commodity boards along with international alliances. Unlike most funding agencies, NIFA funds education and extension or outreach projects in addition to research projects. New authorities together with increased recognition of scientific research needed to inform societal challenges has led to new thinking and greater flexibility in funding for long-term research projects and larger regional, multi-institutional and multi-national projects. This, in addition to a shifting culture among researchers and research institutions, has aided in new policies, requirements and initiatives among research institutions and government agencies involving information, data sharing and public access. Examples of new mechanisms and programs and their successes along with their drawbacks will be presented.

3. Neural changes in different gravity and ecophysiological environments - A survey

Science.gov (United States)

Slenzka, K.

Neural changes or neuronal plasticity occur after and during different stimulations and inputs in general. Gravity is one major input to the brain transferred from the vestibular system. However, often also direct effects of gravity on the cellular level are discussed. Our group was investigating the influence of different gravity environments on a large variety of neuronal enzymes in the developing fish brain. Long-term space travel or bases on Moon and Mars will have to deal not only with neural changes based on the different gravity environment, but also with potential negative or even toxic changes in the respective life support system. Our goal is now to identify reported enzyme activity changes in the brain based for example on potential toxic drugs or endocrine disruptors in combination with gravity induced changes. In this paper a survey will be undertaken discussing recent results obtained in ecotoxicology, gravitational biology combined with new data from our group regarding potential differences in brain glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase of medaka and zebrafish.

Revising the formal, retrieving the hidden: Undergraduate curricular reform in medicine and the scientific, institutional, & social transformation of the clinical training environment

Science.gov (United States)

Jagosh, Justin J.

2009-12-01

In 2004, members of the McGill University Faculty of Medicine began implementing a new curriculum for undergraduate medical education entitled, Physicianship: The Physician as Professional and Healer. The initiative underscores the idea that physician training entails cultivating not only scientific knowledge and technical skill, but a mindset guided by intrinsic principles of doctoring. Although the McGill case exemplifies a wide-spread paradigm shift in medical teaching, there is a dearth of analysis concerning the degree of congruency between the objectives of formal undergraduate curricular revision and the so-called 'hidden curriculum' of the hospital training environment. With Physicianship as a point of departure, this dissertation maps evolutionary patterns in clinical medicine and, using qualitative methods, analyzes the perspectives of twenty physician-educators on curricular reform and the transforming clinical training environment. Physicians interviewed were generally supportive of the new curricular initiative. Concerns were raised, however, that many recent changes within the teaching hospital environment interfere with students' cultivation of professional and healer attributes. These changes were organized into three main themes: scientific, institutional, and social. Physicians expressed concern that what is often considered beneficial for patients is often detrimental for medical training. For example, increased use of diagnostic technologies has improved patient care but reduces opportunities for trainees' clinical skill development. Concern was raised that the concept of selfless service has been undermined through recent shift-work regulations and a culture gap between older and younger generation physicians. Alternatively, some perceived new policies of the clinical environment to be more conducive to physicians' self-care and quality of life. Younger trainees were often described as more competent in managing medical information, more open

Health, Wealth, and the Role of Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Hurd, Michael; Kapteyn, Arie

2003-01-01

A positive relationship between socioeconomic status and health has been observed over many populations and many time periods. One of the factors mediating this relation is the institutional environment in which people function. We consider longitudinal data from two countries with very different institutional environments, the United States and…

The Representation of Human-Environment Interactions in Land Change Research and Modelling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verburg, P.H.; Manfredo, M.J.; Vaske, J.J.; Rechkemmer, A.; Duke, E.A.

2014-01-01

Land change is the result of multiple human-environment interactions operating across different scales. Land change research needs to account for processes ranging from global trade of food and energy to the local management of land resources at farm and landscape level. Land change has a pronounced

MIDWESTERN REGIONAL CENTER OF THE DOE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CLIMATIC CHANGE RESEARCH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burton, Andrew J. [Michigan Technological University

2014-02-28

The goal of NICCR (National Institute for Climatic Change Research) was to mobilize university researchers, from all regions of the country, in support of the climatic change research objectives of DOE/BER. The NICCR Midwestern Regional Center (MRC) supported work in the following states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. The MRC of NICCR was able to support nearly $8 million in climatic change research, including $6,671,303 for twenty projects solicited and selected by the MRC over five requests for proposals (RFPs) and $1,051,666 for the final year of ten projects from the discontinued DOE NIGEC (National Institute for Global Environmental Change) program. The projects selected and funded by the MRC resulted in 135 peer-reviewed publications and supported the training of 25 PhD students and 23 Masters students. Another 36 publications were generated by the final year of continuing NIGEC projects supported by the MRC. The projects funded by the MRC used a variety of approaches to answer questions relevant to the DOE’s climate change research program. These included experiments that manipulated temperature, moisture and other global change factors; studies that sought to understand how the distribution of species and ecosystems might change under future climates; studies that used measurements and modeling to examine current ecosystem fluxes of energy and mass and those that would exist under future conditions; and studies that synthesized existing data sets to improve our understanding of the effects of climatic change on terrestrial ecosystems. In all of these efforts, the MRC specifically sought to identify and quantify responses of terrestrial ecosystems that were not well understood or not well modeled by current efforts. The MRC also sought to better understand and model important feedbacks between terrestrial ecosystems, atmospheric chemistry, and regional

National Institute for Global Environmental Change. Semi-annual report, July 1, 1991--December 31, 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Werth, G.C.

1992-04-01

This document is the Semi-Annual Report of the National Institute for Global Environmental Change for the reporting period July 1 to December 31, 1991. The report is in two parts. Part I presents the mission of the Institute, examples of progress toward that mission, a brief description of the revised management plan, and the financial report. Part II presents the statements of the Regional Center Directors along with progress reports of the projects written by the researchers themselves.

Systems approach to regional energy/environment management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Foell, W K

1980-08-01

Energy and environmental systems have become a well-established component of national and regional planning and management. The University of Wisconsin, in collaboration with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and other institutions, has over the past several years conducted a number of case studies in which a family of energy/environment models was developed and applied to the assessment of alternative policies. This linked set of models, which treats energy demand, energy supply, and environmental impacts, has provided long-term planning information to a spectrum of public and private institution in the regions studied. The philosophy has been to maintain the flexibility to handle rapid change with innovation. 17 references, 7 figures, 1 table.

The role of institutions in driving economic change: Comparing the thoughts of Ibn Khaldūn and Douglass C. North

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haniza Khalid

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This article compares various elements of Ibn Khaldūn’s and Douglass C. North’s thoughts on the role of institutions in influencing or forcing economic change. There are a number of interesting similarities in ideas, thoughts, approaches, and methodologies, which prove that New Institutional Economics may actually mirror much of (and can benefit from Ibn Khaldūn’s fourteenth century ideas than was previously thought. Both Ibn Khaldūn’s continuum of badāwah to ḥaḍārah and North’s theory on changes from informal to formal institutions lead to the same fundamental conclusions: (i change is incremental as it is a result in small cumulative changes in the cost-benefit outcomes of the market agents over time, and therefore (ii economic performance inevitably depends on the existence and effectiveness of formal institutions that alter those outcomes. It is also noted that ‘aṣabiyyah or group feeling, another cornerstone of Ibn Khaldūn’s thought, corresponds perfectly to North’s treatise that social cohesion and institutional efficiency are more important than the amount of resource endowment in bringing about economic development and change. In addition, Ibn Khaldūn’s views on the government’s commercial activities are reviewed in the study in light of North’s transaction costs and property rights framework.  

Review: The impact of changing human environment and climate ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The impact of human-induced climate change through industrialization with the consequent depletion of the ozone layer of the environment is now observed to compromise the sustainability of human development as it threatens the ecological support system on which life depends in addition to encouraging the emergence ...

Climate Change Impacts on the Built Environment in Nigeria ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The populations, infrastructure and ecology of cities are at risk from the impacts of climate change which affect urban ventilation and cooling, urban drainage and flood risk and water resources. Built areas exert considerable influence over their local climate and environment, and urban populations are already facing a ...

The Emergence of a Proto-institution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boxenbaum, Eva

2004-01-01

of inter-organizational networks, and actors embedded in multiple fields. The making of the proto-institution is intentional, yet the institutional building blocks and the apparent interests of actors are institutionally embedded. The results from this micro-dynamic analysis suggest revisions to current...... conceptualizations of institutional change processes. Keywords: Institutional change, proto-institution, cognition, institutional entrepreneurship, innovation, collaborative networks....

Triggering regime change: A comparative analysis of the performance of innovation platforms that attempted to change the institutional context for nine agricultural domains in West Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hounkonnou, Dominique; Brouwers, Jan; Huis, Van Arnold; Jiggins, Janice; Kossou, Dansou; Röling, N.G.; Sakyi-dawson, Owuraku; Traoré, Mamoudou

2016-01-01

The article synthesises the experiences of innovation platforms (IPs) that engaged in open-ended experimental action to improve the institutional context for smallholder farm development in West Africa. The IPs sought change at the level of the institutional regime covering an entire agricultural

New type of Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors for Environments with Rapidly Changing Temperature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tykhan Myroslav

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The theoretical aspects of a new type of piezo-resistive pressure sensors for environments with rapidly changing temperatures are presented. The idea is that the sensor has two identical diaphragms which have different coefficients of linear thermal expansion. Therefore, when measuring pressure in environments with variable temperature, the diaphragms will have different deflection. This difference can be used to make appropriate correction of the sensor output signal and, thus, to increase accuracy of measurement. Since physical principles of sensors operation enable fast correction of the output signal, the sensor can be used in environments with rapidly changing temperature, which is its essential advantage. The paper presents practical implementation of the proposed theoretical aspects and the results of testing the developed sensor.

Institutional Awareness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahlvik, Carina; Boxenbaum, Eva

Drawing on dual-process theory and mindfulness research this article sets out to shed light on the conditions that need to be met to create “a reflexive shift in consciousness” argued to be a key foundational mechanism for agency in institutional theory. Although past research has identified...... in consciousness to emerge and argue for how the varying levels of mindfulness in the form of internal and external awareness may manifest as distinct responses to the institutional environment the actor is embedded in....

Behavioral Change and Building Performance: Strategies for Significant, Persistent, and Measurable Institutional Change

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wolfe, Amy K.; Malone, Elizabeth L.; Heerwagen, Judith H.; Dion, Jerome P.

2014-04-01

The people who use Federal buildings — Federal employees, operations and maintenance staff, and the general public — can significantly impact a building’s environmental performance and the consumption of energy, water, and materials. Many factors influence building occupants’ use of resources (use behaviors) including work process requirements, ability to fulfill agency missions, new and possibly unfamiliar high-efficiency/high-performance building technologies; a lack of understanding, education, and training; inaccessible information or ineffective feedback mechanisms; and cultural norms and institutional rules and requirements, among others. While many strategies have been used to introduce new occupant use behaviors that promote sustainability and reduced resource consumption, few have been verified in the scientific literature or have properly documented case study results. This paper documents validated strategies that have been shown to encourage new use behaviors that can result in significant, persistent, and measureable reductions in resource consumption. From the peer-reviewed literature, the paper identifies relevant strategies for Federal facilities and commercial buildings that focus on the individual, groups of individuals (e.g., work groups), and institutions — their policies, requirements, and culture. The paper documents methods with evidence of success in changing use behaviors and enabling occupants to effectively interact with new technologies/designs. It also provides a case study of the strategies used at a Federal facility — Fort Carson, Colorado. The paper documents gaps in the current literature and approaches, and provides topics for future research.

Institutions for Asian Integration : Innovation and Reform

OpenAIRE

Giovanni Capannelli; See Seng Tan

2012-01-01

The formation of regional production networks in East Asia has occurred mainly through market forces, without much help from regional institutions in promoting the creation of a single Asian market. While this approach has served the region well in the past, the drastic changes experienced since the 2008–2009 financial crisis and the challenges Asian countries are facing—growing inequalities and competition, on the one hand, and enhanced threats to the environment and people’s health on...

Science-policy interaction in the global greenhouse. Institutional design and institutional performance in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skodvin, Tora

1999-08-01

This paper explores the science-policy interaction and the extent to which and how institutional arrangements may be used as instruments for enhancing the effectiveness of the dialog. The first part develops the theory. The point of departure of the analysis is the internal dynamics of science and politics in their pure forms and the nature of the dynamics that are generated when these two distinct systems of behaviour meet. On this basis, then, the question of which functions the institutional apparatus should be able to serve in order to enhance the effectiveness of science-policy dialogue is addressed. This approach is then applied to an empirical case study of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from its establishment in 1988 to the provision of the Second IPCC Assessment Report in 1995. 53 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.

Resistance to Change: Overcoming Institutional and Individual Limitations for Improving Student Behavior through PLCs

Science.gov (United States)

Maag, John W.

2009-01-01

Many public schools currently have organizational structures that form barriers for dealing more effectively with students' challenging behaviors even though positive school-wide approaches exist and provide empirical support for their use. Nevertheless, resistance to change occurs at both institutional and individual levels. Improving student…

Stakeholder Analisys of Higher Education Institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivana Maric

2013-04-01

Full Text Available In recent years, knowledge, the human capital, and learning organizations have become the key determinants of current global progress. Higher educational sector has been faced with globalization and strong competition. Therefore, the need has arisen for professional management structures and more entrepreneurial style of leadership. Organizations have been transformed to learning organizations by the life long learning concept, while the knowledge management has become the leading tool in building competitive advantages. High education organizations are being pushed forward by competitiveness. That pressure requires continuous improvement emphasizing the need for measuring outcomes and building excellence. The paradigm of stakeholder analysis, applied to specific determinations of the system of higher education institutions, could be a good way for comprehending and predicting interests, needs and requirements of all key players in the environment. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the possibility of understanding the connection between higher education institutions and its environment in context of stakeholder analysis. The paper uses literature as a basis in identifying critical parameters for stakeholder analysis and its implementation to higher education sector. The findings of the paper reveal that the concept of stakeholders is critical and difficult to implement everywhere and to everything. There is a clear attempt of all organizations, especially those that create and encourage knowledge, to understand the actions of all participants and predictions of interests and requirements of the changing environment.

A report on the climate change and investment risk workshop : best practices for Canadian pension funds and institutional investors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boshyk, A.

2004-01-01

Investors realize that the value of investment portfolios can be influenced by environmental risks such as climate change. This report is intended to raise awareness within the financial community of climate change risk, and to encourage greater corporate disclosure on climate change. It presents recommended best practices from the Social Investment Organization (SIO) regarding pension funds and other institutional investors for assessing and managing climate change risk. In 2003, 87 institutional investors handling $9 trillion, asked the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the world to disclose investment-relevant information concerning their greenhouse gas emissions. Nearly 800 organizations in all sectors of the Canadian economy have launched voluntary action plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The SIO recommends that Canadian institutional investors should sign the Carbon Disclosure Project, a mechanism designed to obtain carbon risk data from the largest companies in the world. Mandatory disclosure programs have been a successful tool in promoting sustainable development. 37 refs

Governance Change In Facilities Management: An Institutional Perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Kaleem Zahirul Hassan

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Governance of a specific field is shaped by not only the instrumental rationality but also the institutional rationality. In this research the instrumental rationality was manifested by the service providers and consultants who played a pivotal role in the construction of new governance in the field of facilities services in the Netherlands. Further, the role of institutional rationality was investigated wherein it was found that the logic of rationalization shaped the governance in the field of facilities services. Moreover, the implication for the explanation of practice variation by institutional theory is discussed.

Autonomous Collision-Free Navigation of Microvehicles in Complex and Dynamically Changing Environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Tianlong; Chang, Xiaocong; Wu, Zhiguang; Li, Jinxing; Shao, Guangbin; Deng, Xinghong; Qiu, Jianbin; Guo, Bin; Zhang, Guangyu; He, Qiang; Li, Longqiu; Wang, Joseph

2017-09-26

Self-propelled micro- and nanoscale robots represent a rapidly emerging and fascinating robotics research area. However, designing autonomous and adaptive control systems for operating micro/nanorobotics in complex and dynamically changing environments, which is a highly demanding feature, is still an unmet challenge. Here we describe a smart microvehicle for precise autonomous navigation in complicated environments and traffic scenarios. The fully autonomous navigation system of the smart microvehicle is composed of a microscope-coupled CCD camera, an artificial intelligence planner, and a magnetic field generator. The microscope-coupled CCD camera provides real-time localization of the chemically powered Janus microsphere vehicle and environmental detection for path planning to generate optimal collision-free routes, while the moving direction of the microrobot toward a reference position is determined by the external electromagnetic torque. Real-time object detection offers adaptive path planning in response to dynamically changing environments. We demonstrate that the autonomous navigation system can guide the vehicle movement in complex patterns, in the presence of dynamically changing obstacles, and in complex biological environments. Such a navigation system for micro/nanoscale vehicles, relying on vision-based close-loop control and path planning, is highly promising for their autonomous operation in complex dynamic settings and unpredictable scenarios expected in a variety of realistic nanoscale scenarios.

Ecotones in a changing environment: Workshop on ecotones and global change

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Risser, P.G.

1990-02-01

The Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) has organized an international project to synthesize and advance current theory on the influence of ecotones, or transition zones between ecosystems, on biodiversity and flows of energy, nutrients, water, and project is other materials between ecosystems. In particular, the entire project is designed to evaluate the influence of global climate change and land-use practices on biodiversity and ecological flows associated with ecotones, and will assess the feasibility of monitoring ecotones as early indicators of global change. The later stages of the project will recommend landscape management strategies for ecotones that produce desirable patterns of biodiversity and ecological flows. The result of the project--a comprehensive body of information on the theory and management of biodiversity and ecological flows associated with ecotones--will be part of the planning for research to be carried out under the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program.

Porter's generic strategies, discontinuous environments, and performance: a longitudinal study of changing strategies in the hospital industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamont, B T; Marlin, D; Hoffman, J J

1993-12-01

Changes in generic strategies in response to discontinuous environments have been relatively ignored in the management literature. This study reports an examination of the relationships between Porter's (1980) generic strategies, discontinuous environments, and performance. Archival data for 1984 and 1988 were collected for 172 acute care hospitals in Florida in order to test these relationships. To examine fully the performance impact of changes in strategy in a discontinuous environment, a longitudinal research design that identified a firm's strategy at two points in time, 1984 and 1988, was used. Results indicate that firms with a proper strategy environment fit performed the highest, firms that did not change their strategy had no change in performance, and firms that changed their strategy toward a proper strategy environment showed an increase in performance. Findings support the notion that hospitals with appropriate strategy-environment combinations will exhibit higher performance.

The Working Environment and Changing Role of Corporate Librarians in Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsueh-hua Chen

2003-06-01

Full Text Available Influenced by the concept of “Knowledge Economics”, knowledge management (KM is getting a lot of attention in the field of business administration recently. Corporate centers are mostly affected by KM either in their working environment or in the role of their daily operation in the field of Library and Information Science. In the United States, the Special Library Association (SLA conducted numerous studies about the working environment and the changing role of corporate librarians in the past ten years. Due to the differences in politics, economics, and culture between Taiwan and the western countries, the organizational structure and corporate culture of the enterprise will not be exactly the same. Therefore, local studies on similar topics are needed. The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of the KM on the working environment and the changing roles of the corporate librarians in Taiwan based on the result of National Science Council Research Project executed by the authors.[Article content in Chinese

European research on Climat change impact on human health and environment

OpenAIRE

Pogonysheva I. A.; Kuznetsova V. P.; Pogonyshev D. A.; Lunyak I. I.

2018-01-01

European countries have accumulated a considerable body of research that proves both direct and indirect influence of climate change on human health. The article analyses “Protecting health in an environment challenged by climate change: European Regional Framework for Action”. The article gives a detailed analysis of the work of European Office of World Health Organisation and The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe related to climate change.

Sustainability of biomass utilisation in changing operational environment - SUBICHOE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soimakallio, S. [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland)], email: sampo.soimakallio@vtt.fi

2012-07-01

The main objective of the project was to assist in strategic decision-making of public administration and companies, as regards the most sustainable use of biomass, by taking into account the changing operational environment. This project continued the work of the BIOVAIKU project by exploring in more details the most critical issues identified in sustainability assessment. These include the need to develop assessment methods and criteria in particular for land use and land-use change due to biomass cultivation and harvesting and indirect impacts due to resource competition.

The persistence of the attentional bias to regularities in a changing environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Ru Qi; Zhao, Jiaying

2015-10-01

The environment often is stable, but some aspects may change over time. The challenge for the visual system is to discover and flexibly adapt to the changes. We examined how attention is shifted in the presence of changes in the underlying structure of the environment. In six experiments, observers viewed four simultaneous streams of objects while performing a visual search task. In the first half of each experiment, the stream in the structured location contained regularities, the shapes in the random location were randomized, and gray squares appeared in two neutral locations. In the second half, the stream in the structured or the random location may change. In the first half of all experiments, visual search was facilitated in the structured location, suggesting that attention was consistently biased toward regularities. In the second half, this bias persisted in the structured location when no change occurred (Experiment 1), when the regularities were removed (Experiment 2), or when new regularities embedded in the original or novel stimuli emerged in the previously random location (Experiments 3 and 6). However, visual search was numerically but no longer reliably faster in the structured location when the initial regularities were removed and new regularities were introduced in the previously random location (Experiment 4), or when novel random stimuli appeared in the random location (Experiment 5). This suggests that the attentional bias was weakened. Overall, the results demonstrate that the attentional bias to regularities was persistent but also sensitive to changes in the environment.

The pan-European environment: glimpses into an uncertain future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

The rapidly changing nature of and increasing inter-linkages between many socio-economic phenomena - population growth and migration, globalisation and trade, personal consumption patterns and use of natural resources . are reflected in many of today's environment policy priorities: minimising and adapting to climate change; loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services; the degradation of such natural resources as land, freshwater and oceans; and the impacts of a wide range of pollutants on our environment and our health. The challenges that environmental policy makers are facing in this century are already very different from those of the last. Given the rapid change in socio.economic trends, both designing and implementing actions are becoming much more complex, and the way in which such policies deliver effective outcomes seems to be becoming increasingly uncertain. Alongside this, the time.lags between policy demands and institutional responses are often lengthening, with the institutional structures charged with designing and implementing agreed actions needing to change in order to keep up with this process. This report aims to contribute to the discussion about plausible future developments relevant to the wider European region and to stimulate medium to long-term thinking in policy-making circles. It does so by sketching some of the key environmental concerns for the pan-European region based on the EEA's Europe's environment - The fourth assessment, and by highlighting some of the many uncertainties the future holds. (au)

A Data Stream Model For Runoff Simulation In A Changing Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Q.; Shao, J.; Zhang, H.; Wang, G.

2017-12-01

Runoff simulation is of great significance for water engineering design, water disaster control, water resources planning and management in a catchment or region. A large number of methods including concept-based process-driven models and statistic-based data-driven models, have been proposed and widely used in worldwide during past decades. Most existing models assume that the relationship among runoff and its impacting factors is stationary. However, in the changing environment (e.g., climate change, human disturbance), their relationship usually evolves over time. In this study, we propose a data stream model for runoff simulation in a changing environment. Specifically, the proposed model works in three steps: learning a rule set, expansion of a rule, and simulation. The first step is to initialize a rule set. When a new observation arrives, the model will check which rule covers it and then use the rule for simulation. Meanwhile, Page-Hinckley (PH) change detection test is used to monitor the online simulation error of each rule. If a change is detected, the corresponding rule is removed from the rule set. In the second step, for each rule, if it covers more than a given number of instance, the rule is expected to expand. In the third step, a simulation model of each leaf node is learnt with a perceptron without activation function, and is updated with adding a newly incoming observation. Taking Fuxi River catchment as a case study, we applied the model to simulate the monthly runoff in the catchment. Results show that abrupt change is detected in the year of 1997 by using the Page-Hinckley change detection test method, which is consistent with the historic record of flooding. In addition, the model achieves good simulation results with the RMSE of 13.326, and outperforms many established methods. The findings demonstrated that the proposed data stream model provides a promising way to simulate runoff in a changing environment.

Changes in school environments with implementation of Arkansas Act 1220 of 2003.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Martha M; Raczynski, James M; West, Delia S; Pulley, LeaVonne; Bursac, Zoran; Gauss, C Heath; Walker, Jada F

2010-02-01

Changes in school nutrition and physical activity policies and environments are important to combat childhood obesity. Arkansas Act 1220 of 2003 was among the first and most comprehensive statewide legislative initiatives to combat childhood obesity through school-based change. Annual surveys of principals and superintendents have been analyzed to document substantial and important changes in school environments, policies, and practices. For example, results indicate that schools are more likely to require that healthy options be provided for student parties (4.5% in 2004, 36.9% in 2008; P ban commercial advertising by food or beverage companies (31.7% in 2005, 42.6% in 2008; P vending machines available during the lunch period (72.3% in 2004, 37.2% in 2008; P vending machines (83.8% in 2004, 73.5% in 2008; P changes were noted in foods and beverages offered in the cafeteria, in classrooms, and at school events, as well as in fund-raising and physical activity practices. A significant number of school districts have modified physical education requirements for elementary schools and developed policies prohibiting the use of physical activity as a punishment. We conclude that Arkansas Act 1220 of 2003 is associated with a number of changes in school environments and policies, resulting from both statewide and local initiatives spawned by the Act.

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Institutional Plan FY 1994--1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-09-01

The Institutional Plan provides an overview of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory mission, strategic plan, scientific initiatives, research programs, environment and safety program plans, educational and technology transfer efforts, human resources, and facilities needs. For FY 1994-1999 the Institutional Plan reflects significant revisions based on the Laboratory`s strategic planning process. The Strategic Plan section identifies long-range conditions that will influence the Laboratory, as well as potential research trends and management implications. The Initiatives section identifies potential new research programs that represent major long-term opportunities for the Laboratory, and the resources required for their implementation. The Scientific and Technical Programs section summarizes current programs and potential changes in research program activity. The Environment, Safety, and Health section describes the management systems and programs underway at the Laboratory to protect the environment, the public, and the employees. The Technology Transfer and Education programs section describes current and planned programs to enhance the nation`s scientific literacy and human infrastructure and to improve economic competitiveness. The Human Resources section identifies LBL staff diversity and development program. The section on Site and Facilities discusses resources required to sustain and improve the physical plant and its equipment. The new section on Information Resources reflects the importance of computing and communication resources to the Laboratory. The Resource Projections are estimates of required budgetary authority for the Laboratory`s ongoing research programs. The Institutional Plan is a management report for integration with the Department of Energy`s strategic planning activities, developed through an annual planning process.

Leading change in health-care quality with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Open School.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Eva; Nutt, Sarah L; Qureshi, Imran; Lister, Sue; Panesar, Sukhmeet S; Carson-Stevens, Andrew

2012-07-01

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement Open School for Health Professions is an international organization that provides the next generation of health-care leaders with the skills to lead improvement in health care. This article discusses how doctors can get involved and implement change at their hospital.

Institutional plan -- Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The US nuclear electric utility industry established the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) in 1979 to promote the highest levels of safety and reliability -- to promote excellence -- in the operation of its nuclear plants. After its formation, the Institute grew from a handful of on-loan personnel in late 1979 to an established work force of more than 400 permanent and on-loan personnel. INPO's early years were marked by growth and evolution of its programs and organization. The Institute now focuses primarily on the effectiveness and enhancement of established programs and activities. For INPO to carry out its role, it must have the support of its members and participants and a cooperative but independent relationship with the NRC. A basis for that support and cooperation is an understanding of INPO's role. This Institutional Plan is intended to provide that understanding by defining the Institute's role and its major programs. This plan considers the existing and projected needs of the industry and the overall environment in which INPO and its members and participants operate

Engineering: 30 years forward - the industry, the future, the engineers, the institution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walker, S C.A.; Buck, J D

1989-07-01

The authors have considered their expectations and the future of the mining industry, aspects of equipment and the future of the Institution. The future for the industry and recognition of the vital role of engineering managers within the industry is viewed with optimism. Today's young engineers are well qualified and have the breadth of experience to meet the changes of the future with confidence and will achieve success. The environment will continue to change, engineers need to adapt to new requirements and ensure professional and technical training continues throughout their careers. Equipment and the relationships between operators and equipment suppliers will need to evolve positively, flexibility in supply and contractual agreements, linked to competitive prices will allow the industry to survive and prosper. The Institution must change to remain in existence and develop its influence, many options are available, corporate plans, business objectives and financial targets must be discussed at all levels in the Institution allowing informed decisions to be taken by the majority of the members and their representatives.

Enrollment Management with Academic Portfolio Strategies: Preparing for Environment-Induced Changes in Student Preferences.

Science.gov (United States)

Paulsen, Michael B.

1990-01-01

A marketing model of enrollment management focusing on relationships between changes in the macroenvironment, target market student preferences, college marketing mix, and enrollment is presented. Application of the model illustrates how institutions can offset, enhance, or neutralize potential enrollment effects of job market changes through…

FORMATION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN THE INFORMATION TRAINING ENVIRONMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION AND THE PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alla B. Nisilevich

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In this work timeliness of use of information and computer technologies is emphasized when forming communicative competence in a foreign language in higher education institution. Besides, as a methodological basis of the information training environment the principles of social constructivism are analyzed. The training Moodle shell program entirely meets requirements of educational process and the virtual educational environment as well, and it is also the most sensible modern system of distance learning as a whole and to foreign languages in particular.

Institutional Context and E-recruitment Practices of Danish Organisations

OpenAIRE

Holm, Anna B.

2014-01-01

Purpose - Up to now, there has been little research on the impact of the external environment on recruitment practices of organizations, and in part it lags behind practice. This paper attempts to rectify this by studying recent changes in recruitment practices of Danish organizations and the adoption of e-recruitment from a macro organisational perspective.Design/methodology/approach - The study employs new institutional theory as a theoretical lens in order to understand how external pressu...

Changes in mental state associated with prison environments: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, J; Illingworth, C; Canning, A; Garner, E; Woolley, J; Taylor, P; Amos, T

2014-06-01

To develop an understanding of the stability of mental health during imprisonment through review of existing research evidence relating physical prison environment to mental state changes in prisoners. A systematic literature search was conducted looking at changes in mental state and how this related to various aspects of imprisonment and the prison environment. Fifteen longitudinal studies were found, and from these, three broad themes were delineated: being imprisoned and aspects of the prison regime; stage of imprisonment and duration of sentence; and social density. Reception into prison results in higher levels of psychiatric symptoms that seem to improve over time; otherwise, duration of imprisonment appears to have no significant impact on mental health. Regardless of social density, larger prisons are associated with poorer mental state, as are extremes of social density. There are large gaps in the literature relating prison environments to changes in mental state; in particular, high-quality longitudinal studies are needed. Existing research suggests that although entry to prison may be associated with deterioration in mental state, it tends to improve with time. Furthermore, overcrowding, ever more likely as prison populations rise, is likely to place a particular burden on mental health services. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Discovering cooperation : a contractual approach to institutional change in regional international organizations

OpenAIRE

MARKS, Gary; LENZ, Tobias; CEKA, Besir; BURGOON, Brian

2014-01-01

This paper offers a fresh perspective on institutional change drawing on recent advances in the economic theory of contracting. Contractual incompleteness enhances organizational flexibility, but only at the cost of perceptual ambiguity. We hypothesize that the willingness to engage in a highly incomplete contract depends on shared understandings which reduce the cost of perceptual ambiguity. These claims are evaluated using a new dataset on delegation of state authority to non-state actors i...

Rural Settlement Development and Environment Carrying Capacity Changes in Progo River Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Su Ritohardoyo

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Generally the broader rural settlement the heavier population pressure on agricultural land. It indicates that carrying capacity of the rural environment threatened lower. The spatial distribution of the threat in a river basin is quite important as one of the river basin management inputs. Therefore, this article aims at exposing result of research about influence rural population growth and rural settlement land changes to environment carrying capacity. This research was carried out in the rural area in Progo river basin consists 56 sub districts (34 sub districts part of Jawa Tengah Province, and 22 sub districts part of Yogyakarta Special Region. The whole sub districts are such as unit analysis, and research method is based on secondary data analysis. Several data consist Districts Region in Figure 1997 and 2003 (Temanggung, Magelang, Kulon Progo, Sleman and Bantul such as secondary data analysis. Data analysis employs of frequency and cross tabulation, statistics of regression and test. Result of the research shows that population growth of the rural areas in Progo river basin are about 0.72% annum; or the household growth about 3.15% annum as long as five years (1996-2003. Spatial distribution of the population growth in the upper part of the Progo river basin is higher than in the middle and lower part of the basin. The number proportion of farmer in every sub district area in this river basin have increased from 69.95% in 1997 to 70.81% in the year of 2003. It means that work opportunities broadening are still sluggish. However, the number proportion of farmers in the upper part of the Progo river basin is lower than in the middle and lower part of the basin. The rates of settlement land areas changes (0.32 ha/annum as long as five years (1997-2003 is not as fast as the rates of agricultural land areas changes (0.47 ha/annum. Spatial land settlement areas changes in the lower (6.1 ha/annum and middle parts (2.4 ha/annum faster than

Review of the Korean SSAC According to Changes in the Nuclear Environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Min Su; Yoon, Wan Ki; Choe, Kwan Kyoo; Jo, Seong Youn; Park, Jae Bum

2005-01-01

Korea has been maintaining efficient and systematic State System for Accounting and Control of nuclear materials (SSAC) for elevation of our nuclear transparency and reliability to international society. So far, Korean SSAC had been considered as a good example of SSAC together with Euratom, Japan, ABACC. But, owing to changing environment such as a series trial due to the KAERI's past nuclear material experiments, strengthened international nonproliferation scheme, advent of integrated safeguards and technology development in nuclear fields, voices of demand for changes in Korean SSAC are being brought up. Therefore, this study grasped and analyzed international nuclear environment and direction of changes in nuclear control regime, besides re-examine the roles of Korean SSAC and proposed the direction where Korean SSAC should be shifted

Ideas and institutions in global governance - the case of microcredit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aagaard, Peter

There is a growing demand for effective strategic problem solving in relation to a wide array of global policy problems such as AIDS, poverty, global warming, etc. This makes the introduction of new policy ideas for institutional change increasingly important in global governance. But researchers...... need a new approach in order to better grasp the complexity in global problem solving. We need to know more about how ideas emerge, spread and transform in a complex, networked global environment. New literature on institutional dynamics can inform the literature on global governance networks......, especially when it comes to the meta-governance of global networks. Based on a case study of microcredit and its emergence as a policy idea in development policy, the paper will illustrate the use of institutional dynamic conceptualisation in global governance....

MODERNIZATION OF MODERN RUSSIA: INSTITUTIONAL ASPECT (PRINCIPLE OF «EXCHANGE»

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. P. Shitov

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Basic directions of the institutional change in the process of modernization of Russia’s post-industrial society are discussed on the basis of macroand microeconomics. Institutions set a system of incentives and direct activities of the subjects to respective channel, which reduces uncertaintyand makes the socio-economic environment more predictable. «Exchange» means a balance of interests of different society groups and sectors that manifests social acceptance of the distribution of resources and social products. System achievement of this goal in Russia consists in transition of its economy from the raw material export pattern to the innovative social-oriented type of development.

The Institutional Component of the Efficient Economic Policy of the State

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mykytas Viktoriia V

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article substantiates the necessity of institutional accompanying the economic policy of the State, establishing an efficient system of institutions. Challenges of the contemporary globalization require changes in the State influence on economy, redefining quality parameters and principles of an efficient economic policy. Complexity of the State policy in a global environment is determined not only by importance of the tasks of establishing an efficient market against the background of increasing influences of exogenous uncertainty, but also by seeking ways of entering the global space, thus implementing the best interests of national economic development. The article deduces parameters of the concept of «efficient institution». The author believes that institutions precisely should act as the link through which social and economic development would become unseparated in order to form a stable efficient socio-economic development

Mathematical modeling environment as a promoter changes traditional conceptions of the math teacher

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arthur Gonçalves Machado Junior

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to present, through episodes, modifications made by the teacher during the interaction in the research environment, a state public school in the outskirts of Belem. Were analyzed four episodes, in which we see significant changes in his posture classroom. The episodes are meant to highlight these changes, which we believe are the interactions of the characters from the environment, the teacher with the teacher-researcher and it with his students

Tracking a changing environment: optimal sampling, adaptive memory and overnight effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunlap, Aimee S; Stephens, David W

2012-02-01

Foraging in a variable environment presents a classic problem of decision making with incomplete information. Animals must track the changing environment, remember the best options and make choices accordingly. While several experimental studies have explored the idea that sampling behavior reflects the amount of environmental change, we take the next logical step in asking how change influences memory. We explore the hypothesis that memory length should be tied to the ecological relevance and the value of the information learned, and that environmental change is a key determinant of the value of memory. We use a dynamic programming model to confirm our predictions and then test memory length in a factorial experiment. In our experimental situation we manipulate rates of change in a simple foraging task for blue jays over a 36 h period. After jays experienced an experimentally determined change regime, we tested them at a range of retention intervals, from 1 to 72 h. Manipulated rates of change influenced learning and sampling rates: subjects sampled more and learned more quickly in the high change condition. Tests of retention revealed significant interactions between retention interval and the experienced rate of change. We observed a striking and surprising difference between the high and low change treatments at the 24h retention interval. In agreement with earlier work we find that a circadian retention interval is special, but we find that the extent of this 'specialness' depends on the subject's prior experience of environmental change. Specifically, experienced rates of change seem to influence how subjects balance recent information against past experience in a way that interacts with the passage of time. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

National Institutions and Global Public Goods: Are Democracies More Cooperative in Climate Change Policy?

OpenAIRE

Bättig, Michèle B.; Bernauer, Thomas

2017-01-01

This article examines whether democracies contribute more to the provision of global public goods. It thus contributes to the debate on the effects of domestic institutions on international cooperation. The focus is on human-induced climate change, in Stern's words "the biggest market failure the world has ever seen.” Using new data on climate change cooperation we study a cross-section of 185 countries in 1990-2004. The results show that the effect of democracy on levels of political commitm...

Radioactive nuclides in the living environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ueno, Kaoru; Hoshi, Michio.

1993-09-01

There are several radioactive nuclides in the living environment, such as those existing since the creation of the earth, those coming from experimental nuclear explosions, and radiations of the cosmic rays. A lesson on these radioactive nuclides was considered useful for understanding the place of nuclear technology, and have been made on the title of 'Radioactive Nuclides in the Living Environment' in the general course of the Nuclear Engineering School of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. When the curriculum of the general course was modified in 1993, the lesson was left in a changed form. Thus, the textbook of the lesson is presented in this report. The contents are natural and artificial radioactive nuclides in the living environment and where they have come from etc. (author)

Role of community based local institution for climate change adaptation in the Teesta riverine area of Bangladesh

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Md. Rezaul Karim

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Climate change adaptation is one of the most crucial issues in developing countries like Bangladesh. The main objective was to understand the linkage of participation with Community Based Adaptation (CBA to climate change. Institutional framework following different types of conceptual theories (collective action, group, game and social learning theory was utilized to analyze the participatory process in local community level Village Disaster Mangement Committee (VDMC that works in collaboration with local government. Field level data was collected through interview and group discussion during 25 April to 30 May 2015 in the Teesta riverine area of northern Bangladesh. Results showed that flood and drought were the major climate change impacts in the study area, and various participatory tools were used for risk assessment and undertaking action plans to overcome the climate change challenges by the group VDMC. Participation in VDMC generated both relational and technical outcomes. The relational outcomes are the informal institutional changes through which local community adopt technological adaptation measures. Although, limitations like bargaining problem, free riding or conflict were found in collective decision making, but the initiation of local governance like VDMC has brought various institutional change in the communities in terms of adaptation practices. More than 80% VDMC and around 40–55% non-VDMC household respondents agreed that overall community based adaptation process was successful in the previous year. They believed that some innovative practices had been brought in the community through VDMC action for climate change adaptation. No doubt that the CBA has achieved good progress to achieve the government Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM strategy of climate change adaptation. But, there is still lack of coordination among local government, NGOs and civil partners in working together. Research related to socio

Natural gas -- The changing competitive environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, M.G.

1993-01-01

Owners and senior managers don't have to be reminded that the business is getting tougher. Prices aren't behaving as expected, and they are becoming more volatile. Costs are increasing. The futures market is here to stay, not to mention swaps and options. FERC Order 636 is another complicating factor. Whether you are a producer, marketer, pipeline or an LDC, the structure of the market is changing. The answer to the following questions is quite often -- no: Is your company in a position to offer your customers the services they want? Is your company comfortable using hedges? Do you always know your level of risk? Can your company easily track daily positions and P/L and thoughtfully analyze the various business lines? While not all of the above concerns stem from increased price volatility, Order 636 and complexity resulting from the use of more sophisticated risk control instruments, many of them do. There's a cultural change occurring and companies that want to be market leaders must not just ''learn to live'' with this, but install a management process that thrives in this environment. Understanding the meaning of this goal is the focus of this paper

The Long Road--How Evolving Institutional Governance Mechanisms Are Changing the Face of Quality in Portuguese Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Sarrico, Cláudia S.; Veiga, Amélia; Amaral, Alberto

2013-01-01

While a lot has been written regarding the changing management and governance arrangements in higher education, less is known about how this progression relates to quality in higher education. The purpose of this article is to describe the context of governance in Portuguese higher education institutions and how institutional governance…

Generic framework for meso-scale assessment of climate change hazards in coastal environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Appelquist, Lars Rosendahl

2013-01-01

coastal environments worldwide through a specially designed coastal classification system containing 113 generic coastal types. The framework provides information on the degree to which key climate change hazards are inherent in a particular coastal environment, and covers the hazards of ecosystem......This paper presents a generic framework for assessing inherent climate change hazards in coastal environments through a combined coastal classification and hazard evaluation system. The framework is developed to be used at scales relevant for regional and national planning and aims to cover all...... and computing requirements, allowing for application in developing country settings. It is presented as a graphical tool—the Coastal Hazard Wheel—to ease its application for planning purposes....

Chaos and the (un)predictability of evolution in a changing environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rego-Costa, Artur; Débarre, Florence; Chevin, Luis-Miguel

2018-02-01

Among the factors that may reduce the predictability of evolution, chaos, characterized by a strong dependence on initial conditions, has received much less attention than randomness due to genetic drift or environmental stochasticity. It was recently shown that chaos in phenotypic evolution arises commonly under frequency-dependent selection caused by competitive interactions mediated by many traits. This result has been used to argue that chaos should often make evolutionary dynamics unpredictable. However, populations also evolve largely in response to external changing environments, and such environmental forcing is likely to influence the outcome of evolution in systems prone to chaos. We investigate how a changing environment causing oscillations of an optimal phenotype interacts with the internal dynamics of an eco-evolutionary system that would be chaotic in a constant environment. We show that strong environmental forcing can improve the predictability of evolution by reducing the probability of chaos arising, and by dampening the magnitude of chaotic oscillations. In contrast, weak forcing can increase the probability of chaos, but it also causes evolutionary trajectories to track the environment more closely. Overall, our results indicate that, although chaos may occur in evolution, it does not necessarily undermine its predictability. © 2017 The Author(s). Evolution © 2017 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Institutional change and spheres of authority

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aagaard, Peter

institutioner. Denne tilgang bidrager til at udvikle global governance begrebet "spheres of authority" Det forklarer hvordan transnational lederskab kan bevares, selv om magten spredes i en globaliseret verden. Gennem en illustrativ case om microcredit, viser artiklen hvordan en tilgang baseret på institutional...

ASEAN plus Three (APT) As a Socializing Environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Jiuan

2012-01-01

In East Asia, several formal and informal regional institutions have been established in the last several decades to promote regional integration. However, it is difficult to identify which is the dominant institution and determine how it is working. ASEAN Plus Three (APT), representing the first...... institutionalized effort to combine Northeast and Southeast Asia and further promote integration in this institutionally undeveloped region, is central to the regionalist view of international relations. 1 Moreover, China’ s approach to the establishment of APT and changes in its regional behavior have attracted...... scholarly attention. This article combines an empirical analysis of China’s approach to APT with a theoretical discussion of APT’ s institutional design in order to illustrate how APT is working as an environment of socialization in the context of regional integration....

Universities in change managing higher education institutions in the age of globalization

CERN Document Server

Ebersberger, Bernd

2013-01-01

Universities find themselves in dynamic change. They are confronted with growing expectations from their stakeholders, increasing international competition, and new technological challenges.  Featuring insights and in-depth case studies from leading researchers and university decision makers from around the world, this book argues that institutions of higher education, in order to be successful, have to actively reflect on circumstances, visions, and strategies to master the future.    Drawing from their experiences across a diverse array of institutions in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, the authors explore the pressures on today’s universities and the opportunities for excelling in the contest for resources.  They discuss operational issues, such as strategic management, IT governance, leadership development, and entrepreneurial culture, and broader concerns, such as the roles and responsibilities of universities in promoting technology transfer and economic and social development.  The result is a ...

Leadership in Islamic Education Institution

OpenAIRE

Supriadi Supriadi

2014-01-01

Education institution may not be separated by social system. It can be formal and informal education. A formal education institution such as school, Islamic school or Islamic boarding school is in social environment and bringing a basic value and law from its institution. Meanwhile, Islamic education institution is believed as tool to reach the aim of education. The aim of education is hard to reach if there is no leadership in it. Copyright © 2014 by Al-Ta'lim All right reserved

Shaping Policy Change in Population Health: Policy Entrepreneurs, Ideas, and Institutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Béland, Daniel; Katapally, Tarun R

2018-01-14

Political realities and institutional structures are often ignored when gathering evidence to influence population health policies. If these policies are to be successful, social science literature on policy change should be integrated into the population health approach. In this contribution, drawing on the work of John W. Kingdon and related scholarship, we set out to examine how key components of the policy change literature could contribute towards the effective development of population health policies. Shaping policy change would require a realignment of the existing school of thought, where the contribution of population health seems to end at knowledge translation. Through our critical analysis of selected literature, we extend recommendations to advance a burgeoning discussion in adopting new approaches to successfully implement evidence-informed population health policies. © 2018 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Data relating to the environment 1992/93

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

This publication contains the environmentally relevant data collected by many Federal and State institutions, associations and international organisations. Data on emissions, waste, consumption of ressources and production give information on environmental pollution and hazards; data on immission, quality and efficiency describe the consequences of anthropological pollution of the environment. Data on measures, cost of environmental pollution and usefulnesss of environmental protection highlight and evaluate the reaction of society to pollution and changes of the environment. The annex of this comprehensive collection contains an overview of available reports from federal and state governments and municipalities on the situation of environment and nature as well as a literature list and a glossary. (orig.) [de

Strategic agency and institutional change: investigating the role of universities in regional innovation systems (RISs)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benneworth, Paul; Pinheiro, Rómulo; Karlsen, James

2017-01-01

Strategic agency and institutional change: investigating the role of universities in regional innovation systems (RISs). Regional Studies. Past analyses rooted in the thick description of regions successful in constructing regional innovation systems have given way to analyses more focused on the

Romania’s Membership of International Financial Institutions – a Necessary Change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doltu Claudiu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available After a 17-year transformation process from a centralized economy to a functional market economy, Romania joined the European Union on January 1, 2007. Today, 11 years after the EU accession, Romania is still looking forward to achieve many of the real convergence conditions and also to join the euro zone. Independent of these, as an upper medium income country is now the time to evaluate its role, benefits and obligations as a shareholder in various international financial institutions – multilateral development banks and multilateral regional banks – as a first step in assuming an active and positive role in the development international community. At the EU level, international development is slowly but constant evolving to a coherent and common approach. However, individual member states still have a lot of space to maneuver to use specific individual approaches in pursuing their own interests. The objective of this paper is to signal that for Romania the right time has come to change its passive and reactive approach of its membership in various international financial institutions for a new dynamic and active approach. In terms of financial resources that can be mobilized and used for international development Romania cannot realistically aspire to stay along with the big traditional donors. However, its relatively small contribution can be leveraged by its membership in such multilateral and/or regional institutions so to maximize the benefits both for the international community and for the Romanian taxpayer.

Participation and institutional Change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tofteng, Ditte Maria Børglum; Bladt, Mette; Madsen, Lisbeth

). Action research for educational change. Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press. Horton, Myles & P. Freire (1991): We make the road by walking. Conversations on education and social change: Temple University Marshall, J. (2001). Self-reflective inquiry practices. In P. Reason & H. Bradbury (Eds...

Academic Training: Climate change and challenges for the environment / POSTPONED!!!

CERN Multimedia

Françoise Benz

2005-01-01

2004-2005 ACADEMIC TRAINING PROGRAMME LECTURE SERIES 20, 21, 22 June 20, 21, 22 June, from 11:00 to 12:00 – Main Auditorium, bldg. 500 Climate change and challenges for the environment C. SCHLUECHTER / Univ. Bern, CH The Academic Training is postponed.

The healthy options for nutrition environments in schools (Healthy ONES group randomized trial: using implementation models to change nutrition policy and environments in low income schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Coleman Karen J

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Healthy Options for Nutrition Environments in Schools (Healthy ONES study was an evidence-based public health (EBPH randomized group trial that adapted the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI rapid improvement process model to implement school nutrition policy and environmental change. Methods A low-income school district volunteered for participation in the study. All schools in the district agreed to participate (elementary = 6, middle school = 2 and were randomly assigned within school type to intervention (n = 4 and control (n =4 conditions following a baseline environmental audit year. Intervention goals were to 1 eliminate unhealthy foods and beverages on campus, 2 develop nutrition services as the main source on campus for healthful eating (HE, and 3 promote school staff modeling of HE. Schools were followed across a baseline year and two intervention years. Longitudinal assessment of height and weight was conducted with second, third, and sixth grade children. Behavioral observation of the nutrition environment was used to index the amount of outside foods and beverages on campuses. Observations were made monthly in each targeted school environment and findings were presented as items per child per week. Results From an eligible 827 second, third, and sixth grade students, baseline height and weight were collected for 444 second and third grade and 135 sixth grade students (51% reach. Data were available for 73% of these enrolled students at the end of three years. Intervention school outside food and beverage items per child per week decreased over time and control school outside food and beverage items increased over time. The effects were especially pronounced for unhealthy foods and beverage items. Changes in rates of obesity for intervention school (28% baseline, 27% year 1, 30% year 2 were similar to those seen for control school (22% baseline, 22% year 1, 25% year 2 children

Where to Go for a Change: The Impact of Authority Structures in Universities and Public Research Institutes on Changes of Research Practices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gläser, Jochen; Aljets, Enno; Lettkemann, Eric; Laudel, Grit; Whitley, Richard; Gläser, Jochen

2014-01-01

In this article, we analyse how variations in organisational conditions for research affect researchers’ opportunities for changing individual-level or group-level research programmes. We contrast three innovations that were developed in universities and public research institutes in Germany and the

Creating the Strategic Learning Environment at City University London

Science.gov (United States)

Quinsee, Susannah; Bullimore, Anise

2011-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to describe the creation of a new approach to the implementation of educational technologies at a UK Higher Education Institution. Driven by changes in technology, an evaluation of the virtual learning environment (VLE) provided the opportunity to reassess the application of technology to the curriculum. However, such an…

THE INSTITUTIONAL CONTENT OF THE HUMAN CAPITAL OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viktoriia Kolomiiets

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In the current conditions of transformation of traditional institutes and institutions and formation of a new institutional state, the institutional content of human capital as the most valuable resource of the economy changes. Along with the existing research, the transformation of the old institutional system and the emergence of new institutes and institutions require an analysis of the updated institutional content of the human capital of the national economy. The purpose of the paper – to reveal the institutional content of the human capital of the national economy. In the process of work, the following tasks are set and solved: to study economic and institutional conditions of functioning of human capital, to determine the material content of human capital in the context of institutionalism and the process of institutionalization of human capital. Methodology. A methodological basis is a dialectical approach. To study the institutional content of human capital, abstract-logical and systemstructural methods are used. Results. Economic conditions for the formation and functioning of human capital are determined by the instability of the economic situation in Ukraine caused by the fall in the gross domestic product, the inappropriate growth of prices and wages, inflation, and military-political confrontation. Institutional conditions of Ukraine accumulate the following components: those that remained from the previous regimes; transformed components, imported components. The large financial capital, business structures, shadow economy, public sector of the country interact on a fundamentally different institutional basis. The main factor characterizing the institutional development of our country is the uncertainty of limits of institutionalization. The essential institutional conditions for the functioning of human capital are also the absence of a positive or negative experience of existence, coexistence of certain institutions in a

Design and management of sustainable built environments

CERN Document Server

2013-01-01

Climate change is believed to be a great challenge to built environment professionals in design and management. An integrated approach in delivering a sustainable built environment is desired by the built environment professional institutions. The aim of this book is to provide an advanced understanding of the key subjects required for the design and management of modern built environments to meet carbon emission reduction targets. In Design and Management of Sustainable Built Environments, an international group of experts provide comprehensive and the most up-to-date knowledge, covering sustainable urban and building design, management and assessment. The best practice case studies of the implementation of sustainable technology and management from the BRE Innovation Park are included. Design and Management of Sustainable Built Environments will be of interest to urban and building designers, environmental engineers, and building performance assessors.  It will be particularly useful as a reference book ...

Total Environment of Change: Impacts of Climate Change and Social Transitions on Subsistence Fisheries in Northwest Alaska

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katie J. Moerlein

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Arctic ecosystems are undergoing rapid changes as a result of global climate change, with significant implications for the livelihoods of Arctic peoples. In this paper, based on ethnographic research conducted with the Iñupiaq communities of Noatak and Selawik in northwestern Alaska, we detail prominent environmental changes observed over the past twenty to thirty years and their impacts on subsistence-based lifestyles. However, we suggest that it is ultimately insufficient to try to understand how Arctic communities are experiencing and responding to climate change in isolation from other stressors. During interviews and participant observation documenting local observations of climatic and related environmental shifts and impacts to subsistence fishing practices, we find the inseparability of environmental, social, economic, cultural, and political realms for community residents. Many of our informants, who live in a mixed economy based on various forms of income and widespread subsistence harvesting of fish and game, perceive and experience climate change as embedded among numerous other factors affecting subsistence patterns and practices. Changing lifestyles, decreasing interest by younger generations in pursuing subsistence livelihoods, and economic challenges are greatly affecting contemporary subsistence patterns and practices in rural Alaska. Observations of climate change are perceived, experienced, and articulated to researchers through a broader lens of these linked lifestyle and cultural shifts. Therefore, we argue that to properly assess and understand the impacts of climate change on the subsistence practices in Arctic communities, we must also consider the total environment of change that is dramatically shaping the relationship between people, communities, and their surrounding environments.

Perceptions of climate change across the Canadian forest sector: The key factors of institutional and geographical environment

Science.gov (United States)

Parkins, John R.; Houle, Daniel; Messier, Christian; Gravel, Dominique

2018-01-01

Assessing the perception of key stakeholders within the forest sector is critical to evaluating their readiness to engage in adapting to climate change. Here, we report the results of the most comprehensive survey carried out in the Canadian forestry sector to date regarding perceptions of climate change. A total of 1158 individuals, representing a wide range of stakeholders across the five most important forestry provinces in Canada, were asked about climate change, its impact on forest ecosystems, and the suitability of current forest management for addressing future impacts. Overall, we found that respondents were more concerned about climate change than the general population. More than 90% of respondents agreed with the anthropogenic origins of climate change, and > 50% considered it a direct threat to their welfare. Political view was the main driver of general beliefs about the causes of climate change and its future consequences, while the province of origin proved to be the best predictor of perceived current impacts on forest ecosystems and its associated risks; and type of stakeholder was the main driver of perceived need for adaptation. Industrial stakeholders were the most skeptical about the anthropogenic cause(s) of climate change (18% disagreed with this statement, compared to an average of 8% in the other stakeholders), its impacts on forest ecosystems (28% for industry vs. 10% for other respondents), and the need for new management practices (18% vs. 7%). Although the degree of awareness and the willingness to implement adaptive practices were high even for the most skeptical groups, our study identified priority sectors or areas for action when designing awareness campaigns. We suggest that the design of a strategic framework for implementing climate adaptation within the Canadian forest sector should focus on the relationship between climate change and changes in disturbance regimes, and above all on the economic consequences of these changes

Complexity in organizations and environment - adaptive changes and adaptive decision-making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Fabac

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The features of complexity are ever more present in modern organizations and in environments in which they operate, trying to survive and be as competitive as possible. In the processes of, the so-called emergence, the formal organizational structure, designed purposefully and with a plan, is going through a change due to complexity and the need for adaptation. As a result, there is a variety of new informal groups. At the same time, the intended structural changes and business process changes occur because of the perception that the leadership and senior organizational management have of the strategic situation. Managers in modern organizations often use business intelligence (BI systems when making important business decisions. These systems offer support to the decision-making by gathering and processing relevant data and information about the company performance, but also about the data on conditions in close and remote environment. A modern company is characterized by the complex adaptive system, but the environment in which it operates together with other business subjects (agents is also complex. Consequently, the requirements for appropriate or optimal decisions and successfully completed activities are hard to meet. Given that expected future events and circumstances often occur in nonlinear mechanisms, the decisions made by following the models of traditional predicting and planning are not satisfactory. This calls for new approaches to decision making and acting.

Non-Equilibrium Relations for Bounded Rational Decision-Making in Changing Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jordi Grau-Moya

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Living organisms from single cells to humans need to adapt continuously to respond to changes in their environment. The process of behavioural adaptation can be thought of as improving decision-making performance according to some utility function. Here, we consider an abstract model of organisms as decision-makers with limited information-processing resources that trade off between maximization of utility and computational costs measured by a relative entropy, in a similar fashion to thermodynamic systems undergoing isothermal transformations. Such systems minimize the free energy to reach equilibrium states that balance internal energy and entropic cost. When there is a fast change in the environment, these systems evolve in a non-equilibrium fashion because they are unable to follow the path of equilibrium distributions. Here, we apply concepts from non-equilibrium thermodynamics to characterize decision-makers that adapt to changing environments under the assumption that the temporal evolution of the utility function is externally driven and does not depend on the decision-maker’s action. This allows one to quantify performance loss due to imperfect adaptation in a general manner and, additionally, to find relations for decision-making similar to Crooks’ fluctuation theorem and Jarzynski’s equality. We provide simulations of several exemplary decision and inference problems in the discrete and continuous domains to illustrate the new relations.

Distributed Research Center for Analysis of Regional Climatic Changes and Their Impacts on Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Shiklomanov, A. I.; Okladnikov, I.; Gordov, E. P.; Proussevitch, A. A.; Titov, A. G.

2016-12-01

Presented is a collaborative project carrying out by joint team of researchers from the Institute of Monitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems, Russia and Earth Systems Research Center, University of New Hampshire, USA. Its main objective is development of a hardware and software prototype of Distributed Research Center (DRC) for monitoring and projecting of regional climatic and and their impacts on the environment over the Northern extratropical areas. In the framework of the project new approaches to "cloud" processing and analysis of large geospatial datasets (big geospatial data) are being developed. It will be deployed on technical platforms of both institutions and applied in research of climate change and its consequences. Datasets available at NCEI and IMCES include multidimensional arrays of climatic, environmental, demographic, and socio-economic characteristics. The project is aimed at solving several major research and engineering tasks: 1) structure analysis of huge heterogeneous climate and environmental geospatial datasets used in the project, their preprocessing and unification; 2) development of a new distributed storage and processing model based on a "shared nothing" paradigm; 3) development of a dedicated database of metadata describing geospatial datasets used in the project; 4) development of a dedicated geoportal and a high-end graphical frontend providing intuitive user interface, internet-accessible online tools for analysis of geospatial data and web services for interoperability with other geoprocessing software packages. DRC will operate as a single access point to distributed archives of spatial data and online tools for their processing. Flexible modular computational engine running verified data processing routines will provide solid results of geospatial data analysis. "Cloud" data analysis and visualization approach will guarantee access to the DRC online tools and data from all over the world. Additionally, exporting of data

Climate change: Moving from scientific to institutional and policy questions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitchell, B.

1990-01-01

The issue of how societies, through their policies and institutional arrangements, can most effectively respond to climate change, is discussed. Four characteristics contributing to the continued failure to resolve the issue are an enormous uncertainty in every part of the problem; the long time scale of effects, ensuring that a modest amount of discounting reduces the present day cost of any future environmental impact that is less than catastrophic to minor proportions; a belief that trying to avert climate change will be very expensive no matter how it is done; and the global nature of the issues calls for an unprecedented amount of international cooperation. Strategies to deal with climate change may be grouped into three categories: preventative, curative and adaptive. The preventative or adjustment strategy involves the restriction or reduction of activities that contribute to carbon dioxide emissions. Under this approach there would be no new fossil fuel plants constructed, and some existing plants might be closed. The curative strategy focuses on addressing the carbon dioxide concentrations being produced and concentrates on neutralizing them. The adaptive or adaptation strategy assumes that carbon dioxide concentrations will continue to build and that society will eventually develop means to cope with the climatic alteration. To assist policy makers, those conducting research need to devote more effort to examining the interrelationships among climate change and other societal concerns, the aspects of uncertainty and surprise, and the range of strategies. 21 refs

Transition of the Course Programs in the 40 Years History of Hitachi Institute of Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Miura, Osamu; Katsura, Koyo; Takahashi, Masahiko

In 2010, the Hitachi Institute of Technology reached the 40th anniversary. In the beginning, the institute stood at the product-out-oriented view point and carried out extensive technical education from basis to advanced technology. After the 1990s, transition of the business environment with the globalization caused that the needs of the engineer education required by the business sections have been transformed. As the result, the changes of needs have been reflected for course program of the institute. Nowadays, in addition to the conventional course programs, the engineer education programs for the business competency and human skill have also been focused.

Approaches to Identification of Institutions in Institutional Economics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor M. Shiriaev

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the methodology for identification of institutions from institutional economics perspective. The differences between the perspectives provided by old and new institutional economics are highlighted. These differences are interpreted in the context of compared pragmatist and postpositivist methodologies. This paper applies to the post-positivist approach to the identification of institutions. One example of institution is provided by power-property institution. Identification of this institution in the historical and economic research is based on several theoretical generalizations and supported by array of historical facts. Another example is provided by identification of institution and institutional change in higher education based on discourse analysis and interviews with the main actors. In this paper, the regulatory institutions of higher education are analyzed as well. The concept of power-property institution is extended to the higher education by proposing hypotheses on the functioning of state governing-regulating institution in this sphere. This institution prescribes the actors to behave in accordance with the objectives of public policy, which can only be implemented in the form of bureaucratization of higher education. The paper describes the behavioral regularity generated by an identified institution. Functioning of the governing-regulating institution in higher education is illustrated by examples of behavioral regularities emerging from activities in accordance with this institution. The paper also shows the possibility of falsification of proposed hypothesis.

Leadership in Islamic Education Institution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Supriadi Supriadi

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Education institution may not be separated by social system. It can be formal and informal education. A formal education institution such as school, Islamic school or Islamic boarding school is in social environment and bringing a basic value and law from its institution. Meanwhile, Islamic education institution is believed as tool to reach the aim of education. The aim of education is hard to reach if there is no leadership in it. Copyright © 2014 by Al-Ta'lim All right reserved

Assessing changes in HIV-related legal and policy environments: Lessons learned from a multi-country evaluation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Ferguson

Full Text Available There is growing recognition in the health community that the legal environment-including laws, policies, and related procedures-impacts vulnerability to HIV and access to HIV-related services both positively and negatively. Assessing changes in the legal environment and how these affect HIV-related outcomes, however, is challenging, and understanding of appropriate methodologies nascent.We conducted an evaluation of a UNDP project designed to strengthen legal environments to support the human rights of key populations, in particular LGBT populations, women and girls, affected by HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. We analyzed data on activities designed to improve legal environments through a systematic document review and 53 qualitative interviews.The project made substantial strides towards legal change in many places, and examples provide broader lessons for work in this area. Two core pillars appear fundamental: a government-led participatory assessment of the legal environment, and building the capacity of those impacted by and engaged in this work. Systematic attention to human rights is vital: it can help open new spaces for dialogue among diverse stakeholders, foster new collaborations, and ensure local ownership, nuanced understanding of the political landscape, attention to marginalized populations, and accountability for (inaction. Entry points for effecting legal change go beyond "HIV laws" to also include other laws, national policies and strategies.Conducting legal environment assessments, multi-stakeholder dialogues, action planning and related activities, alongside capacity building, can contribute to changes in knowledge and attitudes directly relevant to reforming laws that are found to be harmful. Shorter-term goals along the causal pathway to legal change (e.g. changes in policy can constitute interim markers of success, and recognition of these can maintain momentum. Increasing understanding of progress towards changes in the legal

Assessing changes in HIV-related legal and policy environments: Lessons learned from a multi-country evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferguson, Laura; Nicholson, Alexandra; Henry, Ian; Saha, Amitrajit; Sellers, Tilly; Gruskin, Sofia

2018-01-01

There is growing recognition in the health community that the legal environment-including laws, policies, and related procedures-impacts vulnerability to HIV and access to HIV-related services both positively and negatively. Assessing changes in the legal environment and how these affect HIV-related outcomes, however, is challenging, and understanding of appropriate methodologies nascent. We conducted an evaluation of a UNDP project designed to strengthen legal environments to support the human rights of key populations, in particular LGBT populations, women and girls, affected by HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. We analyzed data on activities designed to improve legal environments through a systematic document review and 53 qualitative interviews. The project made substantial strides towards legal change in many places, and examples provide broader lessons for work in this area. Two core pillars appear fundamental: a government-led participatory assessment of the legal environment, and building the capacity of those impacted by and engaged in this work. Systematic attention to human rights is vital: it can help open new spaces for dialogue among diverse stakeholders, foster new collaborations, and ensure local ownership, nuanced understanding of the political landscape, attention to marginalized populations, and accountability for (in)action. Entry points for effecting legal change go beyond "HIV laws" to also include other laws, national policies and strategies. Conducting legal environment assessments, multi-stakeholder dialogues, action planning and related activities, alongside capacity building, can contribute to changes in knowledge and attitudes directly relevant to reforming laws that are found to be harmful. Shorter-term goals along the causal pathway to legal change (e.g. changes in policy) can constitute interim markers of success, and recognition of these can maintain momentum. Increasing understanding of progress towards changes in the legal environment

Yoga Therapy: Building a Holding Environment for Somatic and Psyche Change.

Science.gov (United States)

McClure, Bud

2015-01-01

Drawing on ideas from D.W. Winnicott and the work of Quaker theologian Parker Palmer, this article discusses the concept of a holding environment, its refined understanding in the literature over the years, and how it can be optimally used in yoga therapy. The evidence shows that effectively establishing a holding environment can facilitate both somatic and deep structural change in a client, facilitating healing from primal wounding as well as the potential reconnection to the true self.

Institutional framework changes in Brazil's energy industries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Almeida, E.; Queiroz Pinto JR, H.

2009-01-01

The liberalization of the Brazilian energy sector in the 1990's was meant to drastically reduce the role of the State in the sector. This reform has not had the desired results. Private investment could not guarantee the expansion of the Brazilian energy sector at the necessary speed. The first half of this decade has been marked by problems of electricity supply and a rather timid role of private investment in boosting energy supply. During the second half of the decade, liberal reform of the energy sector in Brazil has gone through major adjustments, marked by the search for a new compromise between the role of the State and the private sector. This paper highlights the institutional evolution of Brazil's energy or industries and tries to show how risk for public and private investment has been reduced by the adoption of new institutional and economic mechanisms of coordination. In the current institutional framework, the State plays an important role in coordinating the investment process for the expansion of supply. The pace of investment in Brazil in the energy sector has accelerated significantly after the adoption of the new coordination mechanisms. (authors)

Institutional forces and divestment performance of South African conglomerates: Case study evidence

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David King

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The history of South Africa serves as a natural experiment in how a changing institutional environment impacts corporate structure. Based on institutional theory, we anticipate higher performance through emulating successful strategies or through restructuring consistent with mimetic isomorphism. Conversely, coercive isomorphism results from restructuring driven by regulation, and we anticipate that they are associated with lower performance. To examine these relationships, we consider divestment by South African firms over two periods, using mixed methods. We find tentative support for our predictions, and we outline implications for policymakers, as well as for management research and practice.

The quality of political news in a changing media environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jacobi, C.A.

2016-01-01

What do ongoing changes in the media environment, notably the perceived popularization of news and the shift towards individualized online media, mean for political news quality, both in terms of what it is, as well as how we measure it? This dissertation firstly argues, based on a literature review

Institutions and development in Mexico. Are formal economic reforms enough?

OpenAIRE

Manuel Palma-Rangel

2006-01-01

This paper examines whether the current political arrangements framing the Mexican politics help in consolidating and advancing those economic reforms that have been implemented in Mexico since the 1982 severe economic crises. I will argue that these arrangements create impediments to the co-ordination required to sustain and advance those policy changes that are needed under the new economic model. Formal and informal institutional environments that do not provide for the adequate enforcemen...

Building Trust in a Guarantee Fund in a Challenging Institutional Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luciano Quinto Lanz

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Difficult access to credit is a major obstacle to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs survival, especially in emerging countries, affecting their competitiveness. Lack of guarantees is a main reason why banks do not lend to MSMEs. Guarantee schemes provide partial credit guarantees, but often fail to win trust of banks and enterprises. This study analyzes the process of building trust between the Fundo Garantidor para Investimentos (Investment Guarantee Fund, FGI, created in 2009, and banks in Brazil. This trust was hampered by the failure of public guarantee funds created in the 1990’s. This created a challenging institutional environment to the new fund. The methodology employed was a case study, based on a qualitative approach with document analysis, semi-structured interviews and descriptive statistics. The analysis used models for building and repairing trust in inter-organizational relations and international benchmark for governance and effectiveness of guarantee schemes. The analysis showed that the FGI used other emerging countries and developed countries experience to construct adequate governance and succeeded in establishing trust with the banks. The results show that by 2017, 26 banks contract more than 32,000 operations worth 1.9 billion dollars, with additionalities comparable to the international benchmark.

Utilising Benchmarking to Inform Decision-Making at the Institutional Level: A Research-Informed Process

Science.gov (United States)

Booth, Sara

2013-01-01

Benchmarking has traditionally been viewed as a way to compare data only; however, its utilisation as a more investigative, research-informed process to add rigor to decision-making processes at the institutional level is gaining momentum in the higher education sector. Indeed, with recent changes in the Australian quality environment from the…

Marketing of an Educational Institution

OpenAIRE

Šijan, Pavel

2009-01-01

The main subject of this thesis is the area of marketing for educational institutions. First part is focused on general theoretical aspects of marketing of services, specificity of marketing for educational institutions and marketing communication. The operative part attends to a selection of an educational institution, an execution of an analysis of internal and external environment of the school, an implementation of a marketing research recognizing image of the school and based on that des...

Expansion planning of brazilian electric sector: institutional changes, new policies and new instruments for planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bajay, S.V.; Silva, W.A. da; Ricciulli, D.L.S.

1990-01-01

The Brazilian power supply industry has been in crisis for many years, particularly due to financial and institutional problems. There are many reasons for that, several of them from outside the industry. In this paper a diagnosis of the main elements of this crisis is worked out, in the context of the industry's expansion planning. Following, institutional changes, new policies and new instruments are proposed for this planning. The institutional setting, the demand studies, the demand side management, the supply optimisation, the rural electrification, the decentralized generation of electricity, the tariff structure, the ways of financing the industry, the technological advances, the social and environmental impacts and the integrated planning of the industry are discussed, together with the planning of the power supply industry interactions with the other energy supply industries and the rest of the economy. (author)

Critical perspectives on changing media environments in the Global South

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Poul Erik

the changes in the media landscape continuously alter the power balance between state, civil society and market. At the meso level, these changes will be discussed in relation to the development of the different media and of a variety of new locally specific media environments, which create new spaces......The main aim of this article is to give a general overview and theoretically discuss how significant changes in the media landscapes in Global South countries alter existing spaces and create new spaces for political and socio-cultural exchange, thus changing the complex interrelationship between...... media and society. Knowing that media is only one of many aspects in current societal changes, the focus will be more on the interrelationship between media and society and less on other aspects like globalization, education and political reforms. At the macro level, the article will discuss how...

Landscape changes in the environment due to military actions and their epidemic risks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krushelnitsky A.D.

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The article considers the influence of the military-ecological and man-caused-anthropogenic factors on the environment state and natural processes. Epidemic risks and consequences resulted from landscapic changes of the environment which arise as a result of war and destruction of ecosystems are described.

Organizational climate survey: management model tool on continuous improvement promotion in Finantial Institutional Environment

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Alex Amancio da Silva

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The organizational climate survey has been an important tool in the corporate world, the way in which the institutions can assess and ascertain through the results, the degree of satisfaction of its employees and look through plan of action, achieve better results in both performance and production. Through an empirical research, exploratory qualitative research, with collection of secondary data, it was found that the implementation of the organizational climate survey, "Speak Frankly" from Itaú Unibanco, it could analyze data and make a plan of effective action aiming at continuous improvement in the organizational environment, serving as personnel management model. The results were favorable in the period from year 2012 to 2014 with an increase of the degree of satisfaction in four 4% and maintained excellent adherence to answer questions reaching 90% the number of employees.

The influence of structural and institutional change on teaching and culture in clinical settings: an exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldie, J; Dowie, A; Goldie, Anne; Cotton, Phil; Morrison, Jill

2015-02-01

Learning in clinical settings is a function of activity, context and culture. Glasgow University's Medical School has undergone significant curricular change in recent years. This has coincided with change to National Health Service consultants' contracts, the introduction of the European Working Time Directive and the Modernising Medical Careers training initiative. We wished to explore teachers' and students' perspectives on the effects of change on our clinical teachers' capacity for teaching and on medical culture. A qualitative approach using individual interviews with educational supervisors and focus groups with senior clinical students was used. Data were analysed using a "framework" technique. Curricular change has led to shorter clinical attachments in the senior clinical rotation, which combined with more centralised teaching have had adverse effects on both formal and informal teaching during attachments. Consultants' NHS contract changes the implementation of the European Working Time Directive and changes to postgraduate training have adversely affected consultants' teaching capacity, which has had a detrimental effect on their relationships with students. Medical culture has also changed as a result of these and other societal influences. The apprenticeship model was still felt to be relevant in clinical settings. This has to be balanced against the need for systematic teaching. Structural and institutional change affects learning. Faculty needs to be aware of the socio-historical context of their institutions.

Plio-Pleistocene climate change and geographic heterogeneity in plant diversity-environment relationships

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svenning, J.-C.; Normand, Signe; Skov, Flemming

2009-01-01

Plio-Pleistocene climate change may have induced geographic heterogeneity in plant species richness-environment relationships in Europe due to greater in situ species survival and speciation rates in southern Europe. We formulate distinct hypotheses on how Plio-Pleistocene climate change may have...... affected richness-topographic heterogeneity and richness-water-energy availability relationships, causing steeper relationships in southern Europe. We investigated these hypotheses using data from Atlas Florae Europaeae on the distribution of 3069 species and geographically weighted regression (GWR). Our...... analyses showed that plant species richness generally increased with topographic heterogeneity (ln-transformed altitudinal range) and actual evapotranspiration (AET). We also found evidence for strong geographic heterogeneity in the species richness-environment relationship, with a greater increase...

The trans-national corporations and the social-historical institution of climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lefevre, M.

2007-06-01

Our thesis relates to the trans-national corporations whose activities are blamed in the climate change problem. It deals with their actions in relation to the political process engaged by the states at the beginning of the 1990's, and with their influence on the definition of the solutions to be brought to the problem. More precisely, as part of a broader reflection on the social-historical institution of the problem - the fact that it is instituted, by means of the imaginary, in and by particular societies, at a certain moment of their history and for a certain time - and considering the period extending from 1989 to 2001, we wanted to elucidate two things. On the one hand, why, for (or against) what and how did these corporations act (i.e. the cause, the aim and the content of their actions) in relation to the political process. And, on the other hand, up to what point these actions (making the most of a 'relational power'), but also the sole fact that the studied corporations exist (a situation from which they derive an 'institutional power'), had effects on the process and, more especially, on the definition of the solutions. The choice of analysing these major 'non-state' actors arose from two intermingled motivations. The main motivation was to demonstrate the need to take into account these large firms (in addition to the states, the interstate institutions and the other non-state actors) to be able to understand the evolution of the political process, and thus to remedy at the lack of studies on the subject. The other motivation was to contribute, more in filigree, at the comprehension of the way capitalism - understood as a 'social regime' (i.e. a specific type of institution of the society) that can exist only in and by the corporation - face this problem which, more than any other ecological problem, deeply questions it, that means threatens it. (author)

Normative instruction in30: an analysis of the institutional change influence of environment on the pet food agribusiness system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

João Paulo Fernandes Santos

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to analyze the influence of Instruction 30 (IN30 which includes registration and labeling of food for pets, from the point of view of interpretation, assimilation and its possible impacts on agents that comprise the pet food Agribusiness System (SAG. Were interviewed institutions, represented by two major agencies: The Ministry of Agriculture, and Livestock (MAPA and the Brazilian Association of the Industry of Products for Pets (ABINPET; manufacturing firms; research centers based at Universities, retailers and owners of dogs and cats, totalizing five samples. It was observed that the institutions, the researchers and manufacturers consider the IN30 as an initiative of great importance by bringing self-control and self-regulation of the SAG, besides contemplating the desire of firms regarding agility in launching new technologies. However, the main concern of the researchers was related to quality assurance of food. Firms show up unssatisfied with the lack of consensus on the interpretation of some articles of IN30 by MAPA´s enforcement agents, with discrepancies between regional and the technical managers of companies, especially regarding labeling. Already retailers and owners of pets still seem unaware of the legal aspects of such normative.

Robust online belief space planning in changing environments: Application to physical mobile robots

KAUST Repository

Agha-mohammadi, Ali-akbar; Agarwal, Saurav; Mahadevan, Aditya; Chakravorty, Suman; Tomkins, Daniel; Denny, Jory; Amato, Nancy M.

2014-01-01

, such as the discrepancy between computational models and real physical models. In this paper, we propose a dynamic replanning scheme in belief space to address such challenges. Moreover, we present techniques to cope with changes in the environment (e.g., changes

Facilitation among plants in alpine environments in the face of climate change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabien eAnthelme

2014-08-01

Full Text Available While there is a large consensus that plant–plant interactions are a crucial component of the response of plant communities to the effects of climate change, available data remain scarce, particularly in alpine systems. This represents an important obstacle to making consistent predictions about the future of plant communities. Here, we review current knowledge on the effects of climate change on facilitation among alpine plant communities and propose directions for future research. In established alpine communities, while warming seemingly generates a net facilitation release, earlier snowmelt may increase facilitation. Some nurse plants are able to buffer microenvironmental changes in the long term and may ensure the persistence of other alpine plants through local migration events. For communities migrating to higher elevations, facilitation should play an important role in their reorganization because of the harsher environmental conditions. In particular, the absence of efficient nurse plants might slow down upward migration, possibly generating chains of extinction. Facilitation–climate change relationships are expected to shift along latitudinal gradients because (1 the magnitude of warming is predicted to vary along these gradients, and (2 alpine environments are significantly different at low vs. high latitudes. Data on these expected patterns are preliminary and thus need to be tested with further studies on facilitation among plants in alpine environments that have thus far not been considered. From a methodological standpoint, future studies will benefit from the spatial representation of the microclimatic environment of plants to predict their response to climate change. Moreover, the acquisition of long-term data on the dynamics of plant–plant interactions, either through permanent plots or chronosequences of glacial recession, may represent powerful approaches to clarify the relationship between plant interactions and

Facilitation among plants in alpine environments in the face of climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Anthelme, Fabien; Cavieres, Lohengrin A; Dangles, Olivier

2014-01-01

While there is a large consensus that plant-plant interactions are a crucial component of the response of plant communities to the effects of climate change, available data remain scarce, particularly in alpine systems. This represents an important obstacle to making consistent predictions about the future of plant communities. Here, we review current knowledge on the effects of climate change on facilitation among alpine plant communities and propose directions for future research. In established alpine communities, while warming seemingly generates a net facilitation release, earlier snowmelt may increase facilitation. Some nurse plants are able to buffer microenvironmental changes in the long term and may ensure the persistence of other alpine plants through local migration events. For communities migrating to higher elevations, facilitation should play an important role in their reorganization because of the harsher environmental conditions. In particular, the absence of efficient nurse plants might slow down upward migration, possibly generating chains of extinction. Facilitation-climate change relationships are expected to shift along latitudinal gradients because (1) the magnitude of warming is predicted to vary along these gradients, and (2) alpine environments are significantly different at low vs. high latitudes. Data on these expected patterns are preliminary and thus need to be tested with further studies on facilitation among plants in alpine environments that have thus far not been considered. From a methodological standpoint, future studies will benefit from the spatial representation of the microclimatic environment of plants to predict their response to climate change. Moreover, the acquisition of long-term data on the dynamics of plant-plant interactions, either through permanent plots or chronosequences of glacial recession, may represent powerful approaches to clarify the relationship between plant interactions and climate change.

Changing Patterns of Publication Productivity: Accumulative Advantage or Institutional Isomorphism?

Science.gov (United States)

Dey, Eric L.; Milem, Jeffrey F.; Berger, Joseph B.

1997-01-01

Investigates two competing perspectives, accumulated advantage and institutional isomorphism, on the relationship between publication productivity and institutional hierarchy. Accumulated advantage refers to the continuing attraction of students, faculty, and research dollars to prestige universities. Institutional isomorphism denotes the tendency…

The Ever Challenging Environment of Producing Knowledgeable and Skillful Graduates: Changing the Culture of Higher Education of Institutions in Teaching and Learning Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Zakaria, Sabarudin

2017-01-01

The education system of modern society can be understood as an institution whose functions include its capacity to reproduce its host society, both economically and culturally. Higher institution of learning is no more seen as a place of mass production of graduates willingly believes that they are now ready to perform their duties. The newly…

Recreation and tourism induced changes in northern boreal environments

OpenAIRE

Kangas, K. (Katja)

2009-01-01

Abstract The popularity of nature-based tourism has increased worldwide and peripheral areas with conservational value, like protected areas, are attractive destinations. The recreational use and construction of tourism facilities can cause environmental degradation and decrease the conservational and recreational value of areas if not well planned and managed. The aim of this thesis was to improve our knowledge of recreation and tourism induced changes in northern boreal environments. Dir...

Organizational resilience: Sustained institutional effectiveness among smaller, private, non-profit US higher education institutions experiencing organizational decline.

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, Kenneth A

2016-06-04

Recent changes in the United States (US) economy have radically disrupted revenue generation among many institutions within higher education within the US. Chief among these disruptions has been fallout associated with the financial crisis of 2008-2009, which triggered a change in the US higher education environment from a period of relative munificence to a prolonged period of scarcity. The hardest hit by this disruption have been smaller, less wealthy institutions which tend to lack the necessary reserves to financially weather the economic storm. Interestingly, a review of institutional effectiveness among these institutions revealed that while many are struggling, some institutions have found ways to not only successfully cope with the impact of declining revenue, but have been able to capitalize on the disruption and thrive. Organizational response is an important factor in successfully coping with conditions of organizational decline. The study examined the impacts of organizational response on institutional effectiveness among higher education institutions experiencing organizational decline. The study's research question asked why some US higher educational institutions are more resilient at coping with organizational decline than other institutions operating within the same segment of the higher education sector. More specifically, what role does organizational resilience have in helping smaller, private non-profit institutions cope and remain effective during organizational decline? A total of 141 US smaller, private non-profit higher educational institutions participated in the study; specifically, the study included responses from participant institutions' key administrators. 60-item survey evaluated administrator responses corresponding to organizational response and institutional effectiveness. Factor analysis was used to specify the underlying structures of rigidity response, resilience response, and institutional effectiveness. Multiple regression

Entrepreneurs, institutional entrepreneurship and institutional change : Contextualizing the changing role of actors in the institutionalization of temporary work in the Netherlands from 1960 to 2008

NARCIS (Netherlands)

B.A.S. Koene (Bas); S.M. Ansari (Shahzad)

2013-01-01

textabstractThe intersection of entrepreneurship research and institutional theory has begun to attract increasing scholarly attention. While much recent research has studied "institutional entrepreneurs" credited with creating new or transforming existing institutions to support their projects,

Changes in hospital nurse work environments and nurse job outcomes: an analysis of panel data.

Science.gov (United States)

Kutney-Lee, Ann; Wu, Evan S; Sloane, Douglas M; Aiken, Linda H

2013-02-01

One strategy proposed to alleviate nursing shortages is the promotion of organizational efforts that will improve nurse recruitment and retention. Cross-sectional studies have shown that the quality of the nurse work environment is associated with nurse outcomes related to retention, but there have been very few longitudinal studies undertaken to examine this relationship. To demonstrate how rates of burnout, intention to leave, and job dissatisfaction changed in a panel of hospitals over time, and to explore whether these outcomes were associated with changes in nurse work environments. A retrospective, two-stage panel design was chosen for this study. Survey data collected from large random samples of registered nurses employed in Pennsylvania hospitals in 1999 and 2006 were used to derive hospital-level rates of burnout, intention to leave current position, and job dissatisfaction, and to classify the quality of nurses' work environments at both points in time. A two-period difference model was used to estimate the dependence of changes in rates of nurse burnout, intention to leave, and job dissatisfaction on changes in nurse work environments between 1999 and 2006 in 137 hospitals, accounting for concurrent changes in nurse staffing levels. In general, nurse outcomes improved between 1999 and 2006, with fewer nurses reporting burnout, intention to leave, and job dissatisfaction in 2006 as compared to 1999. Our difference models showed that improvements in work environment had a strong negative association with changes in rates of burnout (β=-6.42%, pjob dissatisfaction (β=-8.00%, pburnout, intention to leave current position, and job dissatisfaction. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diabetes and obesity prevention: changing the food environment in low-income settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Gittelsohn, Joel; Trude, Angela

2017-01-01

Innovative approaches are needed to impact obesity and other diet-related chronic diseases, including interventions at the environmental and policy levels. Such interventions are promising due to their wide reach. This article reports on 10 multilevel community trials that the present authors either led (n = 8) or played a substantial role in developing (n = 2) in low-income minority settings in the United States and other countries that test interventions to improve the food environment, support policy, and reduce the risk for developing obesity and other diet-related chronic diseases. All studies examined change from pre- to postintervention and included a comparison group. The results show the trials had consistent positive effects on consumer psychosocial factors, food purchasing, food preparation, and diet, and, in some instances, obesity. Recently, a multilevel, multicomponent intervention was implemented in the city of Baltimore that promises to impact obesity in children, and, potentially, diabetes and related chronic diseases among adults. Based on the results of these trials, this article offers a series of recommendations to contribute to the prevention of chronic disease in Mexico. Further work is needed to disseminate, expand, and sustain these initiatives at the city, state, and federal levels. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

MIGRATION AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE: THE CASES OF SOUTHERN MEXICAN STATES AND THEIR EMIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sascha Krannich

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This paper illustrates institutional approaches of emigrant states toward emigrants abroad, and how these approaches can change over time. These can range from absolute exclusion and non-communication, over fractional collaboration in specific matters, to even permanent institutional inclusion, for instance, through representation of migrants in home parliaments or governments. The approach for institutional incorporation can not only take place on the national, but also on the subnational level. This is the case in Mexico, a federal state in which many member states conduct their own emigrant policy, partially in accord with federal efforts, and partially independently or contrary to the national attempt to address the emigrant community abroad. To highlight these different approaches, I would like to take a look at the Southern Mexican states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. Although these states show similar political and social structures, and hold relatively large emigrant populations in the United States of America, the institutional approaches toward their emigrants changed in two different ways: while the institutional opening in Oaxaca goes back to various initiatives by the Oaxacan migrant community in the United States of America, the policy change in Chiapas toward more inclusion of the emigrant community was actively promoted by the government of Chiapas.

What are Institutional Logics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berg Johansen, Christina; Waldorff, Susanne Boch

This study presents new insights into the explanatory power of the institutional logics perspective. With outset in a discussion of seminal theory texts, we identify two fundamental topics that frame institutional logics: overarching institutional orders guides by institutional logics, as well...... as change and agency generated by friction between logics. We use these topics as basis for an analysis of selected empirical papers, with the aim of understanding how institutional logics contribute to institutional theory at large, and which social matters institutional logics can and cannot explore...

Naming as Strategic Communication: Understanding Corporate Name Change through an Integrative Framework Encompassing Branding, Identity and Institutional Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmeltz, Line; Kjeldsen, Anna Karina

2016-01-01

This article presents a framework for understanding corporate name change as strategic communication. From a corporate branding perspective, the choice of a new name can be seen as a wish to stand out from a group of similar organizations. Conversely, from an institutional perspective, name change...

Transpiration of shrub species, Alnus firma under changing atmospheric environments in montane area, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Miyazawa, Y.; Maruyama, A.; Inoue, A.

2014-12-01

In the large caldera of Mt. Aso in Japan, grasslands have been traditionally managed by the farmers. Due to changes in the social structure of the region, a large area of the grassland has been abandoned and was invaded by the shrubs with different hydrological and ecophysiological traits. Ecophysiological traits and their responses to seasonally changing environments are fundamental to project the transpiration rates under changing air and soil water environments, but less is understood. We measured the tree- and leaf-level ecophysiological traits of a shrub, Alnus firma in montane region where both rainfall and soil water content drastically changes seasonally. Sap flux reached the annual peak in evaporative summer (July-August) both in 2013 and 2014, although the duration was limited within a short period due to the prolonged rainy season before summer (2014) and rapid decrease in the air vapor pressure deficit (D) in late summer. Leaf ecophysiological traits in close relationship with gas exchange showed modest seasonal changes and the values were kept at relatively high levels typical in plants with nitrogen fixation under nutrient-poor environments. Stomatal conductance, which was measured at leaf-level measurements and sap flux measurements, showed responses to D, which coincided with the theoretical response for isohydric leaves. A multilayer model, which estimates stand-level transpiration by scaling up the leaf-level data, successfully captured the temporal trends in sap flux, suggesting that major processes were incorporated. Thus, ecophysiological traits of A. firma were characterized by the absence of responses to seasonally changing environments and the transpiration rate was the function of the interannually variable environmental conditions.

How social structure changes in Chinese global cities: Synthesizing globalization, migration and institutional factors in Beijing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shi, Q.; Liu, T.; Musterd, S.; Cao, G.

2017-01-01

Recent studies on the social structural change in global cities have recognized globalization, migration, and institutional factors as three main forces underlying this process. However, effects of these factors have rarely been synthetically examined and the social structure of emerging Chinese

Cost-competitive incentives for wind energy development in China: institutional dynamics and policy changes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wenqiang Liu; Xiliang Zhang; Lin Gan

2002-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the development of wind power in China. The factors that affect the directions of wind power development are analyzed. It examines the economics of wind farm development and compares it with conventional energy sources. The major constraints in wind technology development, and defects of the current policies, are discussed. It points out that wind power development should be subject to rational policy change and institutional adjustment. It discusses the incentive mechanisms and institutional frameworks for future development. Particular importance is attributed to market incentives for wind power to reach the objectives of industrialization and commercialization. A number of cost-competitive incentive measures and policies are recommended: (i) introducing market based mechanisms through standard power purchase agreement; (ii) establishing effective investment policies and regulations to attract private investment; (iii) promoting localization of wind turbine production; (iv) adjusting tax and subsidy policies; and (v) reforming governmental institutions to make clear rules and responsibilities for policymaking, and enhancing communication/coordination between relevant government agencies in order to formulate uniform and effective policies. (Author)

Informal institutions and radical ideologies under institutional transformation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irina Starodubrovskaya

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This article questions one of the central postulates of institutional economic theory, i.e., that of the sustainability and purely evolutionary changes of informal institutions. To study the phenomenon of the destruction of informal institutions and its consequences, we use the tools of sociological theory, which acknowledge that a period of intensive urbanization is characterized by anomie, i.e., a lack of norms, in which traditional institutions are destroyed, while new urban institutions have not yet taken shape. We reviewed the possible reactions of communities and individuals to the conditions of anomie, including the compensatory mechanisms of ideologies. In the case of the Dagestan Republic, we show how the proliferation of fundamentalist Islamic ideology is associated with the state of anomie and the consequences to which it could lead from an institutional point of view. The analysis of the situation in Dagestan is based on long-term field research conducted in the region.

Individual Differences in Behavioural Reaction to a Changing Environment in Mice and Rats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benus, R.F.; Koolhaas, J.M.; Oortmerssen, G.A. van

1987-01-01

Aggressive and non-aggressive male mice differ in their reaction to a changing social environment. In order to investigate if this differentiation holds also for non-social situations male mice are trained in a standard maze task, whereafter a change (extramaze and intramaze, respectively) is

Get Active Orlando: changing the built environment to increase physical activity.

Science.gov (United States)

McCreedy, Malisa; Leslie, Jill G

2009-12-01

Active Living by Design's Get Active Orlando partnership (GAO) focused on downtown Orlando's Community Redevelopment Area, including the Parramore Heritage District, home to many low-income and ethnically diverse residents, including many seniors. The area had undergone substantial development, and GAO aimed to incorporate active living considerations into the city's changing landscape. Get Active Orlando conducted a baseline survey of all streets, sidewalks, and bicycle lanes in the project area and identified a sequence of plans and policies in which to incorporate changes identified in the assessment. To create more immediate opportunities for active living, the partnership initiated a senior walking program, a bicycle refurbishment and giveaway program, and community bicycle-riding events, and led a social-marketing campaign that emphasized simple lifestyle changes. Get Active Orlando influenced adoption of public policies supporting active living in Orlando, including the Downtown Transportation Plan, Streetscape Guidelines, Design Standards Review Checklist, and growth management policies. Establishment of the Mayor's Advisory Council on Active Living is testament to the heightened significance of active living in Orlando. Initial assessment data served as a strong platform for policy change. Creating connections across disciplines including land-use planning, transportation, public health, and economic development allowed GAO to secure substantial policy change to influence design of the built environment. Engaging community members, including youth, as leaders was an important factor in program success. The physical environment in Orlando's Community Redevelopment Area is beginning to change as a reflection of a new policy framework designed to support active living.

PREFACE: Ocean and climate changes in polar and sub-polar environments: proceedings from the 2010 IODP-Canada/ECORD summer school

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