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Considering the economically, socially, and culturally vital character of olive growing in Tunisia, and the very significant proportion of small farmers operating in this sector, especially in rural areas of this country, there is a strong case to examine the performance of small olive farmers in such regions. To do so, this paper uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to assess small Tunisian olive farmers' efficiency and combines symmetric techniques (OLS and Tobit regressions) with asymmetric technique (Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)) to identify the main antecedents that might explain the gaps in efficiency among them. The results reveal that there is substantial room for improvements of the technical efficiency of these farmers. Moreover, the regression models show that four determinants individually explain gaps in efficiency among farmers: age, education, access to agricultural credit, and ownership status. The fsQCA results provide four different combinations of conditions leading to high levels of olive farmers' efficiency. They also highlight the strong causal relationship (core conditions) between olive farmers' efficiency and two antecedents in particular: farmer's level of education and ownership status of the land devoted to olive-tree cultivation. This study also provides some valuable policy and managerial implications for farmers, central and regional government agencies promoting and supporting agriculture, and policy-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic consulting is a form of knowledge and technology transfer largely under-documented and under-studied that raises ethical and resources allocation issues. Based on a survey of 2,590 Canadian researchers in engineering and natural sciences, this paper explores three forms of academic consulting: (1) paid consulting; (2) unpaid consulting for companies and; (3) unpaid consulting for government agencies. The results of this study show that academics tend to engage simultaneously in paid and unpaid consulting. Two patterns of consulting emerged from the results: a first pattern regarding engagement in paid consulting for companies and government agencies, and unpaid consulting for companies is positively associated with industry funding, size of research laboratories, large-sized research universities, technical validation of knowledge, protection of IP, and strong ties with people in companies. By comparison, a second pattern regarding engagement in unpaid consulting services provided to government organizations is positively associated with size of research laboratories, teaching, large-sized research universities, technical validation of knowledge, and with strong ties with people in government organizations. Knowledge and technology transfer policy should pay more attention to the contribution of academics engaged in consulting activities because they likely significantly contribute to help companies and government agencies solve practical problems that improve their productive and innovative capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many university inventions and discoveries originating from academia are at a stage beyond basic research, they are yet insufficiently developed to be transformed into innovations without additional research designed to establish proofs of principle (POP) at many levels: technical proof, intellectual property control proof, safety proof, value proof, economic proof and attractiveness proof. Based on the data of a large survey of Canadian academics in natural sciences and engineering, the results of this study show that about 20% of the surveyed respondents engaged in different forms of POP despite the absence of incentives to do so. The results also suggest the presence of interdependence (complementarities) between the different forms of POP. Finally, the results show that funding from industry, strong ties with industry and use of services provided by university technology transfer offices are positively associated with the different forms of POP. These results are used to derive policy implications and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to investigate activities of research transfer, the extent of the use of these activities, and the research transfer determinants. This study is based on a population of more than 400 researchers in the field of occupational safety and health (OSH) in Canada, who completed an electronic questionnaire. The results show notably that there is no significant statistical difference between fields for the four activities of research transfer and that several factors have a significant impact on research transfer. Researchers in OSH constituted a rather homogenous unit and can improve the research transfer notably by the adaptation of knowledge, by focusing the research on users’ needs and by improving their link with users. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The study presents original evidence on the characteristic features and innovation activities of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). Based on a wide-scale survey of 1,124 KIBS firms in Quebec (Canada), we explore empirically the extent to which KIBS from various sectors and regions differ in their characteristics and their uses of innovation practices. The results from the sectoral analysis reveal that KIBS display different characteristic features and innovation behaviours across sectors, thus suggesting that inter-sectoral differences are important when explaining innovation activities in KIBS. The comparison between KIBS in large, medium, central, and resource regions shows that the characteristic features and the innovativeness of KIBS are rather similar, and little or no significant statistical differences were found between the different regions in the province of Quebec. Thus, overall, the results of our study seem to suggest that a location does not tend to make a difference in respect to characteristic features and innovation performance of KIBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision making in Health sector is affected by a several elements such as economic constraints, political agendas, epidemiologic events, managers’ values and environment ... These competing elements create a complex environment for decision making. Research-Based-Decision-Making (RBDM) offers an opportunity to reduce the generated uncertainty and to ensure efficacy and efficiency in health administrations. We assume that RBDM is dependant on decision makers’ behaviour and the identification of the determinants of this behaviour can help to enhance research results utilization in health sector decision making. This paper explores the determinants of RBDM as a personal behaviour among managers and professionals in health administrations in Canada. From the behavioural theories and the existing literature, we build a model measuring “RBDM” as an index based on five items. These items refer to the steps accomplished by a decision maker while developing a decision which is based on evidence. The determinants of RBDM behaviour are identified using data collected from 942 health care decision makers in Canadian health organizations. Linear regression is used to model the behaviour RBDM. Determinants of this behaviour are derived from Triandis Theory and Bandura's construct “self-efficacy.” The results suggest that to improve research use among managers in Canadian governmental health organizations, strategies should focus on enhancing exposition to evidence through facilitating communication networks, partnerships and links between researchers and decision makers, with the key long-term objective of developing a culture that supports and values the contribution that research can make to decision making in governmental health organizations. Nevertheless, depending on the organizational level, determinants of RBDM are different. This difference has to be taken into account if RBDM adoption is desired. Decision makers in Canadian health organizations (CHO) can help to build networks, develop partnerships between professionals locally, regionally and nationally, and also act as change agents in the dissemination and adoption of knowledge and innovations in health services. However, the research focused on knowledge use as a support to decision-making, further research is needed to identify and evaluate effective incentives and strategies to implement so as to enhance RBDM adoption among health decision makers and more theoretical development are to complete in this perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the use of research by managers and professionals in Canadian health service organizations (ministries, regional authorities, and hospitals). The results of the analysis of the 928 responses underlined the important role that the absorption, learning, culture, and linkage mechanism variables played in determining utilization. General linear regression and regression by organizational type confirmed the importance of the linkage mechanisms, research experience, unit size, and research relevance for the users. The emphasis could thus be put, according to the organization type, on research experience. linkage mechanisms, unit size, research culture, research relevance for the users, and research activities, The article also underscores the individual and organizational contextual factors' high degree of significance by expressing these contextual factors us organizational variables and by adopting a more organizational perspective of knowledge utilization analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article briefly discusses knowledge translation and lists the problems associated with it. Then it uses knowledge-management literature to develop and propose a knowledge-value chain framework in order to provide an integrated conceptual model of knowledge management and application in public health organizations. The knowledge-value chain is a non-linear concept and is based on the management of five dyadic capabilities: mapping and acquisition, creation and destruction, integration and sharing/transfer, replication and protection, and performance and innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National and regional differences are more and more frequently explained by differences in milieux . This type of explanation raises three questions: Can we identify milieux ? What are the determinants of milieux ? Are there differences between industries in the matter of determinants of milieux ? Most studies on milieux innovateurs are based on case studies and qualitative data. This paper is quantitative and comparative in nature. It attempts to identify milieux and their determinants by using data from the 1999 Statistics Canada Innovation Survey. Based on two synthetic indicators of interactions (weak/strong) and learning (weak/strong), four categories of milieux innovateurs are differentiated which become the dependent variables. In order to see what the determinants of the various milieux innovateurs are and to see in what ways the most favorable milieux innovateurs compare to the others, binomial logit models have been estimated for four industries using the following independent variables: competitive pressures, barriers to knowledge exchange, use of government support, number of employees, collaborative arrangements, R&D activities, regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses three questions: What is the extent of instrumental, conceptual, and symbolic use of university research in government agencies? Are there differences between the policy domains in regard to the extent of each type of use? What are the determinants of instrumental, conceptual, and symbolic use of university research? Based on a survey of 833 government officials, the results suggest that (1) the three types of use of research simultaneously play a significant role in government agencies, (2) there are large differences between policy domains in regard to research utilization, and (3) a small number of determinants explain the increase of instrumental, conceptual, and symbolic utilization of research in a different way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the Knott and Wildavsky stages of knowledge utilization are considered separately and compared with the previous stage to find factors explaining why researchers are able to climb up the ladder of knowledge utilization from the echelon of no transmission to transmission, then to cognition, reference, effort, influence, and application. The results suggest that there are barriers to climbing and that these barriers are primarily located between the stage of no transmission and the stage of transmission. These results carry theoretical and policy implications that are explored in the last part of the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the expanding knowledge base in cancer genomics, risk-based screening is among the promising avenues to improve breast cancer (BC) prevention and early detection at the population level. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the perceptions of healthcare professionals (HPs) regarding the implementation of such an approach and identify tools that can support HPs. After undertaking an in-depth thematic content analysis of the responses, 11 themes were identified. These were embedded into a logical model to distinguish the potential eligible participants (who?), the main clinical activities (how?) and associated tools (what?), the key factors of acceptability (which?), and the expected effects of the strategy (why?). Overall, it was found that the respondents positively welcomed the implementation of this strategy and agreed on some of the benefits that could accrue to women from tailored risk-based screening. Some important elements, however, deserve clarification. The results also highlight three main conditions that should be met to foster the acceptability of BC risk stratification: respecting the principle of equity, paying special attention to knowledge management, and rethinking human resources to capitalize on the strengths of the current workforce. Because the functioning of BC risk-based screening is not yet well defined, important planning work is required before advancing this organizational innovation, and outstanding issues must be resolved to get HPs on board. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Organizational Innovation (OI) are seen as the miracle of post-modernity in organizations. In this way, they are supposed to resolve most organizational problems, efficiently and rapidly. OI is highly dependent on the capacity and the investment in knowledge management (internal and external) to support decision making process and to implement significant changes. We know what explains ICT utilization (ICTU) and what determines OI development (OID) in healthcare services. Moreover, the literature tends to link ICTU to OID and vice versa. However, this dependency has never been explored empirically through the lens of roles combination. To identify the existing combined roles profiles of ICTU and OID among healthcare decision makers and determine factors of the shift from a profile to another. We did the following: (1) a structured review of the literature on healthcare management by focusing on ICTU and OID which allowed us to build two indexes and a comprehensive framework; (2) a copula methodology to identify with high precision the thresholds for ICTU and OID; and (3) a cross-sectional study based on a survey done with a sample of 942 decision makers from Canadian healthcare organizations through a multinomial logit model to identify determinants of the shift. ICTU and OID are correlated at 22% (Kendal’s Tau). The joint distribution (combination) of ICTU and OID shows that four major profiles exist among decision makers in Canadian healthcare organizations: the traditional decision maker, the innovative decision maker, the technologic decision maker and the contemporary decision maker. We found out that classic factors act as barriers to the shift from one profile to the desired profile (from 1 to 4, from 2 to 4 and from 3 to 4). We have identified that the attitude toward research and relational capital are transversal barriers of shift. We have also found that some factors have a specific impact such as engaging in activities of research acquisition, the administrative position (being a manager), the preference for applied research results as source of information, the degree of novelty of research results, and the gender. Modern Canadian healthcare organizations need contemporary decision makers who use ICT and develop OI, if performance is the target. Our results let us suggest that the isolated administrative agents profile is no more effective in a dynamic and changing world. Contemporary decision makers need to be more active intellectually and to take risks in their decisions. Relying exclusively on research results and on their social network is no more helpful for a real shift. Moreover, the traditional factors, i.e. organization size, time, experience...are no more effective, especially when we consider combined roles. We propose some practical and theoretical recommendations to support these changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper addresses three questions: What is the extent of clinical guideline utilization by decision-makers in provincial health ministries, regional health authorities and hospitals in Canada? Are there differences between these work settings in regard to the extent of clinical guideline utilization? What are the determinants of clinical guidelines utilization in health ministries, regional health authorities and hospitals? Based on a survey of 899 decision-makers from Canadian provincial health ministries, regional health authorities and hospitals, the results indicate that there are large differences between work settings in regard to clinical guideline utilization. Not surprisingly, work settings like hospitals rely more intensively on clinical guidelines than the other work settings (health ministries or agencies and regional health authorities). The results of the regression models indicate that cognitive factors, social factors, technological factors, organizational factors and individual attributes significantly predict the utilization of clinical practice guidelines by decision-makers. However, the results of the regression models also indicate that some factors that predict clinical guideline utilization by decision-makers in hospitals do not predict clinical guidelines utilization by decision-makers working in ministries or in regional health authorities. Therefore, these results suggest that customized interventions would be appropriate in order to efficiently increase the utilization of clinical practice guidelines in different work settings. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Models of research systems increasingly emphasize collaborations between networks of heterogeneous actors, to both produce knowledge and formulate interdisciplinary responses to societal challenges and market needs. In this context, researchers' goals and practices are required to satisfy professional requirements for new scientific findings and societal demand for relevant knowledge. Researchers may need also to find ways to reconcile tensions between these two missions. This article proposes an analytical and operational framework that incorporates individual, organizational and process-context factors to explain distinct configurations of scientific and societal impacts from research. The framework emphasises the role of productive interactions with different nonacademic actors as a mechanism for reconciling the scientific and societal missions of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing social expectation regarding the joint realisation of scientific and societal impact from publicly funded research. Achieving this goal involves facing important challenges, which affect individual researchers, research performing organisations, and the science governance system as a whole. This special section includes conceptual, methodological, and empirical papers that aim to contribute to the building of an improved appreciation of the factors and dynamics shaping the intertwined quest for scientific quality and societal impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This paper aims to identify relevant potential predictors of medical genetic counseling for breast cancer (MGC-BC) in primary care and to develop a comprehensive questionnaire to study MGC-BC. Methods: A scoping review was conducted to identify the predictors of MGC-BC among primary care physicians. Relevant articles were identified in selected databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, ISI Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Cochrane CENTRAL) and 4 selected relevant electronic journals. Results: An inductive analysis of the 193 quantitatively tested variables, conducted by 3 researchers, showed that 6 conceptual categories of determinants, namely (1) demographic, (2) organizational, (3) experiential, (4) professional, (5) psychological, and (6) cognitive, influence MGC-BC practices. Conclusion: There is a scarcity of literature addressing the medical behavior determinants of MGC-BC. Future research is needed to identify effective strategies put into action to support the integration of MGC-BC in primary care medical practices and routines. However, our results shed light on 2 levels of actions that could improve genetic counseling services in primary care: (1) medical training and educational efforts emphasizing family history collection (individual level), and (2) clarification of roles and responsibilities in ordering and referral practices in genetic counseling and genetic testing for better healthcare management (organizational level). © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation policy instruments in OECD countries are developed from different streams of policies related to the suppliers and the users of knowledge. They are also integrated into different levels of implementation (supranational, national, regional and local). Such complexity leads policy actors and stakeholders to experience a lack of coordination in their innovation efforts. This paper, based on a broad cross-country analysis of 844 innovation policy instruments implemented in 27 OECD countries, aims to contribute to the advancement of knowledge on this issue by: 1) validating a conceptual framework as a tool of policy instrument coordination; 2) conducting an innovation policy instrument framework based both on the conceptual framework and a on diversity of instruments. The innovation policy instrument framework has been devised to be used as a roadmap to link innovation policy instruments and innovation functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]