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The article highlights a community collaborative community portrait archive created in the aftermath of the mass shooting at the King Soopers in Boulder, Colorado in 2021. It describes the project's methodology which aimed to establish the idea of an archive with a journalistic approach and partnership with the Boulder Strong Resource Center. It outlines factors and motivations behind the project that include avoidance of parachute journalism, collective memory and assist with healing.

The present research analyzes the determinants of the technological impact of the innovations developed by R&D collaborations between universities and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Specifically, by adopting a multilevel approach, this study reveals the significant role played by SMEs' absorptive capacity, as well as by social and geographical proximity between the partnering organizations. In addition, this article shows the positive impact of the regional knowledge spillovers that are close to the technological fields of the innovations developed. The findings provide a better understanding of interactive learning in R&D collaborations between universities and SMEs, explaining how it may be further nurtured by knowledge spillovers available in SMEs' Regional Innovation Systems (RIS). The article may also support SME managers in the definition of these collaborations, university managers in the orientation of their technology transfer effort, as well as policy makers interested in the development of a more effective RIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the Punjabi Canadian Legacy Project (PCLP), a partnership project between the Royal British Columbia Museum and the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley, as a case study of heritage from below. The project is based on community action research and practices, joining forces of memory, research, and community institutions, organisations, and groups. Considering 'heritagisation' as a process of heritage building, and drawing on their experience as practitioners on this project, the authors argue for the need to consider the vast diversities within and among communities, and the need to work on 'heritagisation' through ongoing dialogic engagement. Through a myriad of continuous dialogues and inherent challenges, the process and progress of the PCLP is shaped by this dialogic engagement. As an ongoing project, the PCLP demonstrates how a network extended to diverse participants with shared goals can emerge through the organically developed heritagisation process encouraged by the partners' collaborative efforts in an experimental model for community work by memory and research institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread use of information technology (IT) to create electronic linkages among supply chain partners with the objective of reducing transaction costs may have unintended adverse effects on supply chain flexibility. Increasing business dynamics, changing customer preferences, and disruptive technological shifts pose the need for two kinds of flexibility that interenterprise information systems must address--the ability of interenterprise linkages to support changes in offering characteristics (offering flexibility) and the ability to alter linkages to partner with different supply chain players (partnering flexibility). This study explores how enterprises in supply chains may forge supply chain linkages that enable both types of flexibility jointly, and allow them to deal with ubiquitous change. Drawing on March and Simon's coordination theory, we propose two design principles: (1) advance structuring of interorganizational processes and Information exchange that allows partnering organizations to be loosely coupled, and (2) IT-supported dynamic adjustment that allows enterprises to quickly sense change and adapt their supply chain linkages. This study reports on a survey of 41 supply chain relationships in the IT industry. For design principle, our empirical investigation of factors shows (I) that modular design of interconnected processes and structured data connectivity are associated with higher supply chain flexibility, and (2) that deep coordination-related knowledge is critical for supply chain flexibility. Also, sharing a broad range of information with partners is detrimental to supply chain flexibility, and organizations should instead focus on improving the quality of information shared. For Industry managers, the study provides clear insights for information infrastructure design. To manage their interdependencies, enterprises need to encapsulate their interconnected processes in modular chunks, and support these with IT platforms for... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a growing body of literature on program implementation networks, most studies have focused on understanding the network structures involving the implementation of initial or inceptive public programs. Little attention has been paid to what network structures actors create to pursue spinoff effects. Spinoff effects are defined as offshoot projects that take place ex-post the completion of the initial public projects or programs. Framing postproject collaboration between communities (villages) and organizations for spinoff projects as social networks, this research examines the network structures that drive postproject collaboration. The network data on postproject collaboration came from a field survey of 62 communities from Nepal that were engaged in building ties with organizations to mobilize resources for spinoff projects. The results from bipartite exponential random graph models applied to the network data show that postproject collaboration ties are influenced by network centralization around communities, or a greater variance among communities in the number of ties with organizations, reflecting differences in the communities' needs for spinoff projects. In addition, communities use network bridging, or indirect ties to other communities through the partner organizations, to access new information valuable to spinoff projects. Given the widespread use of public programs, these findings provide important insights to communities and managers as they advocate postproject collaboration to realize spinoff effects and thereby to sustain the impact of public programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the importance of social media to contemporary Chinese feminism, in the process introducing two important groups, Feminist Voice and Women's Awakening, who have used social media platforms for their activism in the past few years. Various online strategies have been taken up by their young members to ensure the best outcome for their advocacy. In particular, these feminists use social media to articulate a specific presence, or voice, that would be more difficult to sustain using more traditional modes of Chinese feminism. And they also attempt to cultivate relationships with mainstream journalists, building alliances they hope will encourage more gender-conscious reporting and more positive representations of feminism. While social media does not overcome all the obstacles to feminism that is becoming more visibly influential in China, these media groups stand out as key voices in Chinese feminist and youth activism today, with implications for how we understand contemporary feminism on an international scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this editorial, we reflect on how the Journal of Sustainable Tourism can contribute towards sustainable tourism researchers achieving more impact with their research. We propose some changes that can be tested in, and introduced gradually and collaboratively with, the community of the editorial board and authors. To support impactful mind sets, we will promote research that reflects diverse academic communities. To promote impactful research topics, we will encourage authors to frame their submitted articles against the Sustainable Development Goals, while research that is time sensitive will be fast tracked so it can contribute to current debates. To promote impactful methodologies, we shall favour articles that use mixed methods and action research, and those that conduct longitudinal, experimental, and evaluative research. To promote impactful partnerships, we will favour multidisciplinary approaches and research that has been co-created with stakeholders. To promote impactful communication and dissemination, we will continue to build an online community on social media for sustainable tourism researchers, we will promote articles in social media to raise their visibility, and we will provide free access to those articles that are deemed to have the greatest potential to impact positively on society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buyers are transforming their relationships with suppliers. For example, instead of playing off dozens or even hundreds of competing suppliers against one another, many firms are finding it more profitable to work closely with only a small number of "partners." In this paper we explore some causes and consequences of this transformation. We apply the economic theory of incomplete contracts to determine the optimal strategy for a buyer. We find that the buyer firm will often maximize profits by limiting its options and reducing its own bargaining power. This may seem paradoxical in an age of cheap communications costs and aggressive competition. However, unlike earlier models that focused on coordination costs, we focus on the critical importance of providing incentives for suppliers. Our results spring from the need to make it worthwhile for suppliers to invest in "noncontractibles" such as innovation, responsiveness, and information sharing. Such incentives will often be stronger when the number of competing suppliers is small. The findings of the theoretical models appear to be consistent with observations from empirical research which highlight the key role of information technology in enabling this transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the author's insights regarding the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) which promotes innovation through university-industry partnerships. Topics include the new strategic plan by NSF adopted in February 2018, NSF's Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships, and its Partnerships for Innovation program.

Our research takes as its starting point that society faces complex social, environmental and economic problems and that supra-organisational, cross-sector collaborations will increasingly be the vehicles for addressing those problems. The increased use of such supra-organisational collaborations requires collaboration practitioners who design and facilitate projects. However, cross-sector collaborations present new challenges for HRM. This exploratory study collected data from 15 interviews to create new understandings of work of cross-sector collaboration practitioners. An interpretive analysis of the practitioners' perspectives reveals that aspects of voice are considered essential for the success of cross-sector collaborations, and that voice is improvementoriented in these contexts. Voice creates an understanding of the different perspectives among cross-sector collaborators and establishes trust. Voice forms a platform from which the differing objectives of the collaborators can be met, it engages multiple parties from very different organisations and professions, and it maximises the potential of the collaboration. Membership and representativeness of governance groups are closely linked to voice and its benefits in cross-sector collaborations. Our findings emphasise the importance of collaborators understanding each other's motivations and ways of thinking, and the need to give voice to diverse identities that come together in cross-sector collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article aims at providing a comprehensive overview of the Partner Relationship Management (PRM) domain through an exhaustive literature survey. Current scenario, definitions/perspectives, breakdown of studies by nation, PRM as a software application, the need for PRM, the process of developing partner relationships, and major models, along with major defining constructs and other major insights, have been summarized in the area of partner relationship management using content analysis. The focus is on bridging the gap in the existing academic literature by providing a comprehensive compilation of partner relationship management literature inclusive of B2B and B2C scenarios for future researchers. A list of select premier academic databases has been used to identify the relevant research papers in the domain. This article will help in reducing the time and efforts of researchers by quickly providing a comprehensive view of the PRM literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses how the spatial vision of the Loop City for the Øresund Region has played an important persuasive role in legitimizing and mobilizing local and national political support for a light rail link along the outer ring road in the Greater Copenhagen Area. The paper discusses the persuasive power of spatial concepts and supportive storylines in bringing transport infrastructure projects onto the national policy agenda. In conclusion, the paper calls for critical attention to the rationalities underpinning practices of persuasive storytelling in contemporary strategic spatial planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasingly diverse range of theories have been used to examine organizational change in sport. The methodological techniques used have revealed much, but are increasingly routine. Here, a novel use of organizational ethnography is used to examine change, both within and between two partners within an inter-organizational partnership. A longitudinal, dual-sited, organizational ethnography was performed between 2008 and 2012. This internal perspective gathered data on the structures, practices and relationships impacted by a common external stimulus (national sport initiative). One organization's values moderated their responses to the implantation of quality control systems and their attitudes to program expansion. This resistance created tensions between the partners, resulting in the deterioration of organizational relationships. This paper provides both a case of organizational change in sport management, while demonstrating some opportunities and challenges for using this dual approach. Both theoretical and methodological implications for practice are discussed and further research opportunities presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on a partnership between a Liaison Librarian and an Academic Developer working in a large tertiary institution. Working as outsiders to the discipline, we examine the synergies between the roles of Academic Developer and Liaison Librarian. In light of the rapidly changing nature of higher education, we examine the implications for our roles within the hierarchical nature of the academy and disciplinary tribalism. In doing so, we consider the ways our partnership enabled us to draw upon tacit knowledge to deepen our understandings of identity and how to negotiate change from the outside. We explore some of the shared issues and challenges we face as we endeavour to implement positive change in a continually evolving and complex environment. Such issues include the role of gender. We apply the concepts of ‘outsiderness’ and ‘unhomeliness’ as developed by Manathunga to critically reflect on our practice, and explore the challenges and potential of Academic Development and Library partnerships to enable continuous improvement in teaching and scholarship. Our experiences highlight the importance of collegiate conversations as enablers of critical reflection on practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since 1972, the Australian College of Optometry has worked in partnership with Vision Australia to provide multidisciplinary low-vision care at the Kooyong Low Vision Clinic. In 1999, Wolffsohn and Cochrane reported on the demographic characteristics of patients attending Kooyong. Sixteen years on, the aim of this study is to review the demographics of the Kooyong patient cohort and prescribing patterns.Methods: Records of all new patients (n = 155) attending the Kooyong Low Vision Clinic for optometry services between April and September 2012 were retrospectively reviewed.Results: Median age was 84.3 years (range 7.7 to 98.1 years) with 59 per cent female. The majority of patients presented with late-onset degenerative pathology, 49 per cent with a primary diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration. Many (47.1 per cent) lived with their families. Mean distance visual acuity was 0.57 ± 0.47 logMAR or approximately 6/24. The median spectacle-corrected near visual acuity was N8 (range N3 to worse than N80). Fifty patients (32.3 per cent) were prescribed new spectacles, 51 (32.9 per cent) low vision aids and five (8.3 per cent) were prescribed electronic magnification devices. Almost two-thirds (63.9 per cent) were referred for occupational therapy management and 12.3 per cent for orientation and mobility services.Conclusions: The profile of patients presenting for low-vision services at Kooyong is broadly similar to that identified in 1999. Outcomes appear to be similar, aside from an expected increase in electronic devices and technological solutions; however, the nature of services is changing, as treatments for ocular diseases advance and assistive technology develops and becomes more accessible. Alongside the aging population and age-related ocular disease being the predominant cause of low vision in Australia, the health-funding landscape is becoming more restrictive. The challenge for the future will be to provide timely, high-quality care in an economically efficient model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents and analyses the findings of a research project on power relations in the context of development partnerships with civil society on HIV/AIDS in Mozambique, Rwanda and South Africa, and engages in a critical dialogue with governmentality analysis. It argues that contemporary neoliberal government needs to be understood as context-specific articulations of three forms of power discussed by Foucault – sovereignty, discipline and biopower –and, in the global domain, a fourth form of power – (new) imperialism. Further, the analysis demonstrates how the introduction of a ‘package of (de-)responsibilisation’ shapes CSOs’ activities so that they become competitive service providers, use evidence-based methods and produce measurable results. Addressing the issue of resistance, it shows how the transfer of responsibilities may involve tension and struggle – a politics of responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Partnerships involving NGOs and academic researchers (NGO–R partnerships) are increasing in global health research. Such collaborations present opportunities for knowledge translation in global health, yet are also associated with challenges for establishing and sustaining effective and respectful partnerships. We conducted a narrative review of the literature to identify benefits and challenges associated with NGO–R partnerships, as well as approaches that promote successful partnerships. We illustrate this analysis with examples from our own experiences. The results suggest that collaborations characterised by trust, transparency, respect, solidarity, and mutuality contribute to the development of successful and sustainable NGO–R partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The value of critical dialogic reflexivity is demonstrated through analysis of interview conversations between academic and practitioner partners in Circles® USA, a national nonprofit organization working to ameliorate poverty. The partnerships include the academic/practitioner author with six others: Circles founder and CEO, a lead trainer and codeveloper of training curriculum, and four individuals working to move out of poverty. The analysis features examples of critical dialogic reflexivity related to negotiating macro-, meso- and microcontextual structures, cultural identifications, status locations, privilege, and ideologies that impact their relationships and work to end poverty. Caveats and implications for critical community engagement, intercultural alliances and engaged scholarship are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the challenges related to space encountered by the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library (EHSL) at the University of Utah. Topics include the identification of meaning partnerships, the strategies in ensuring inclusion and the importance of facilitating collaborations for innovation.

This article seeks to contribute to the institutional history of the discipline of history of education by examining the publication strategies and the associated institutional practices of the International Standing Conference for the History of Education, the international organisation representing those working in the field, and Paedagogica Historica, the most significant journal in the discipline internationally, as well as illuminating the interactions and interrelationships between the two institutions. It will focus on the early 1990s, due to the fact that, at the end of the 1980s, both institutions found themselves facing crises which led to profound and far-reaching processes of reform, which in their turn engendered a rapprochement and, eventually, cooperation between the two institutions. After providing brief overviews of the development of both ISCHE and Paedagogica Historica up to and into the 1980s, the article will concentrate in its third part on the long-lasting – commencing after ISCHE’s foundation in 1979 – and multi-faceted relationship between the two, both of which made significant contributions to the emergence of an international academic community of those working in history of education. The article will additionally explore the range of strategies used by the two institutions in relation to the publication of findings in the field and the institutional practices of cooperation with and demarcation from one another exercised by ISCHE and Paedagogica Historica. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Decision-making in community-based, interorganizational collaboration often influences educational, environmental, and other civic policies thereby constituting it as politically and socially consequential. As such, we rethink collaboration through the lens of participative democracy rather than as a neutral organizational structure or process. We sought to understand how participative democracy was hindered and accomplished in an interpretive case study of two community collaborations. Data indicate the normative processes and structures of communication practiced by stakeholders primarily deterred voice and participation by prioritizing information exchange, practicing invisible decision-making, and emphasizing harmonious relationships. These findings: (1) add to theories of interorganizational collaboration by establishing voice as both a discursive and political feature of shared decision-making; (2) provide empirical exemplars that extrapolate political and social implications from specific communication practices; and (3) inform the development of a heuristic to improve collaborative participation and increase political accountability. Flowing from these data, we recommend practitioners utilize the heuristic of VOICE—promoting visibility and ownership of decision-making processes, less emphasis on informing, and purposeful fostering of gracious contestation—ultimately delimiting expressive modes of communication that decrease participative democracy and political accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last decade has seen shifts in both practice and research regarding client–supplier relationships. Cooperative project client–supplier relationships have become increasingly common, and have spurred a stream of vivid research on for example alliances and partnering. Despite increased attention, an insufficient understanding of the relationship dimension is identified, described as a ‘black box’. Here it is suggested that a key to unlock this ‘black box’ is to focus on the everyday practice and the role of the mindset of involved actors throughout the project. We argue that running partnering projects involves more deeply rooted changes than previously recognized. Changes relate to the mindset among involved actors, where service (instead of merely products or production) becomes the core denominator. First we aim to illustrate that a partnering project, if well functioning, can be understood as an engagement platform, and second we aim to discuss the consequences if this is acknowledged in practice. The case, a successful Swedish partnering project, is explored from a service-dominant logic perspective and it is suggested that successful partnering projects are to be defined as engagement platforms. A refined categorization of the components of partnering is provided and the implications of a shift in mindset discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the major and recurring problems in designing cost incentive contracts is related to setting target cost and a risk-sharing ratio. With the standard sharing formula, contractors or alliance partners are incentivized to artificially inflate their target cost in order to maximize profit and minimize risk. Knowing that, owners attempt to pressure contractors by using various mechanisms, which are time-consuming and may jeopardize collaborative relationships afterwards. A fair risk-sharing formula is suggested that incentivizes the contractors or alliance partners to truthfully submit their target cost. The main tangible benefit is in removing suspicion and fostering trust and collaborative relationships between the contracting parties. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Climate change impacts challenge artificially imposed administrative boundaries and expose the need for improved collaboration across borders. However, jurisdictional boundaries represent one of the major obstacles to an integrated response to climate change impacts. Overcoming this barrier is particularly challenging in cases requiring collaboration between institutions operating under different jurisdictions. This paper focuses on the challenges to cross-border institutional arrangements and the subsequent implications for climate change adaptation in the planning sector. Drawing on empirical insights, the paper identifies the key challenges for cross-border arrangements at both local and state levels. It then uses the example provided by the Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypassing Project operative in the Gold Coast (Queensland) and Tweed (New South Wales) border region to discuss the complexity of planning for climate change adaptation across borders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Institutional logics have been the focus of researchers' interest as a means of comparing and contrasting groups within organizations and their influence and impact on each other. The findings often suggest that these groups may collaborate, compete, comingle or coexist. The interest for researchers is how such interaction between logics takes place and what the final outcome of their interaction is. But not all logics compete or collaborate in the ways suggested. This article examines how one logic dominates to the detriment of another during a merger between two government departments. Two questions underlie this research into merging institutional logics: how does a logic uphold its dominance when confronted by an alternative or competing logic and what is the wider influential institutional context? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latin American firms are moving from narrow philanthropy to broader engagement with development priorities. We examine this shift with data fromAlianzas, a development programme promoting private contributions to health and education in Guatemala. We use Solomon's (2010) dimensions of proliferation, professionalisation, and partnering to compare firms' pre-Alianzasefforts with programme activities. Both firms with established and new philanthropic programmes engaged withAlianzas(proliferation). Most participants were willing to steer efforts towards public priorities (professionalisation) and collaborate with government (partnering). Given chronic underfunding of health and education priorities in Guatemala, we suggest that private contributions to public programmes be institutionalised. De la philanthropie à la responsabilité sociale des entreprises au Guatemala : évaluer les changements obtenus à travers les Alianzas Les entreprises latino-américaines sont en passe de s'éloigner de la philanthropie étroite et choisissent plutôt une approche large du travail sur les priorités de développement. Nous examinons cette évolution à partir de données émanant des Alianzas, un programme de développement qui favorise les contributions privées à la santé et à l'éducation au Guatemala. Nous employons les dimensions de Solomon (2010) de prolifération, professionnalisation et établissement de partenariats pour comparer les efforts des entreprises pré-Alianzas aux activités de programme. Des entreprises dotées de programmes philanthropiques établis ainsi que nouveaux ont collaboré avec des Alianzas (prolifération). La plupart des participants étaient disposés à orienter les efforts vers les priorités publiques (professionnalisation) et à collaborer avec le gouvernement (établissement de partenariats). Étant donné le sous-financement chronique des priorités en matière de santé et d'éducation au Guatemala, nous proposons que les contributions privées aux programmes publics soient institutionnalisées. De filantropia à responsabilidade social corporativa na Guatemala: avaliando mudanças através do programa Alianzas Empresas latino-americanas estão mudando de filantropia limitada para engajamento mais amplo com prioridades de desenvolvimento. Examinamos esta mudança com dados doAlianzas, um programa de desenvolvimento que promove contribuições privadas para a saúde e educação na Guatemala. Utilizamos as dimensões de Solomon (2010) de proliferação, profissionalização e parceria para comparar os esforços das empresas pré-Alianzascom atividades do programa. Tanto as empresas com programas filantrópicos estabelecidos quanto as empresas com programas filantrópicos novos engajaram-se com aAlianzas(proliferação). A maioria dos participantes desejava dirigir esforços para prioridades públicas (profissionalização) e colaborar com o governo (parceria). Tendo em vista o baixo investimento crônico nas prioridades da saúde e educação na Guatemala, sugerimos que contribuições privadas para programas públicos sejam institucionalizadas. De la filantropía a la responsabilidad social corporativa en Guatemala: cómo se evalúan los cambios a través de Alianzas Las empresas latinoamericanas están abandonando sus prácticas exclusivamente filantrópicas para asumir un mayor compromiso con las prioridades del desarrollo. Los autores analizan esta transición a través de la información obtenida deAlianzas, un programa de desarrollo que promueve el financiamiento privado en las áreas de salud y educación en Guatemala. Utilizan las categorías de Solomon (2010) –difusión, profesionalización y construcción de acuerdos– para comparar las actividades de las empresas antes y después de participar en el programaAlianzas. En el programaAlianzasparticiparon tanto las empresas con experiencia en actividades filantrópicas como las que no la tenían (difusión). La mayoría de las empresas que participaron encaminó sus esfuerzos hacia las prioridades públicas (profesionalización) y hacia la colaboración con el gobierno (construcción de acuerdos). Dada la escasez crónica de financiamiento para la salud y la educación en Guatemala, los autores sugieren que se institucionalicen las donaciones privadas para los programas públicos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than a decade, partnering has been pursued as a promising way of overcoming the drawbacks of the building process. Despite intense and repeated efforts, promises have only to some extent been satisfied. Based on an example case study of a partnering project, activity theory is applied in an analysis of how project outcomes are shaped mutually by the underlying dynamics of construction and innovative initiatives like partnering. The case was studied through a combination of questionnaire surveys, interactive workshops, semi-structured qualitative research interviews and onsite observations. Three main findings are presented. First, that the dynamics of construction can be understood as the interrelation of three activity systems on production, values and interests. Second, partnering as a change strategy is overlaid on existing practice rather than substituting it. Third, partnering may reduce some contradictions but induces others simultaneously. In conclusion, the potential of partnering as a change strategy depends on the ability to understand and manage contradictions in and between existing institutionalized activity systems in construction of production, values and interests. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines the potential for private sector organizations to contribute to public sector innovation. Specifically, the study explores how partnering with the private sector can go beyond delivery and extend to development of new services and new markets. The term ‘commercialization partnership’ is coined for such partnerships and the article describes an exploratory investigation of this emerging form of innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding to the growing body of literature on outcomes for children living in orphanages and children's homes, this qualitative study explored the perceptions of institutional personnel – caregivers, staff members, supervisors, and administrators – about organizational factors affecting their ability to care for orphaned and vulnerable children living in institutions in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The participants in this study consisted of 59 caregivers, 7 supervisors, 10 administrators, 4 cooks, 4 teachers, 1 social worker, 1 security guard/driver, and 6 women classified as house helpers. Individual interviews were conducted using an English-written and stated semistructured interview guide the researchers had created. The data from the 92 interviews were transcribed and coded using inductive methodologies. The results revealed concerns from the personnel about their institutions' lack of adequate funding for essential items, including food and medicine for the children. The personnel were also concerned about the lack of appropriate workplace standards to ensure the sustainability of a viable workplace environment, including inadequate training, supervision, communication procedures, and staffing patterns, and collaborative partnerships and associations with other public or private community-based institutions. The findings from this study have considerable policy, practice, and research implications for social workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing attention to alliancing in the construction industry has led to a number of studies in recent years. It is time to present the state of the art of the existing studies on alliancing, identify research gap and opportunity and provide suggestions for future research. This article launches a review and analysis of more than 70 alliancing literatures produced in the last decade, which is organized and synthesized following a five-stage knowledge progression framework. In this way, the limitations of previous studies and knowledge gaps can be identified. Despite the fact that previous studies on alliancing offered various degrees of value to the alliancing practice, some limitations and debates remain awaiting further investigation. In addition, the significant changes associated with alliancing also provide opportunities for future research. Drawing upon transaction cost economics, the article concludes that (i) the efficiency of alliancing in the construction industry needs to be examined, and (ii) the cost management and control practices used in alliancing are worth being explored. Possible research methods are also proposed for carrying out future studies. The information presented in this article may guide scholars and practitioners' endeavour in new alliancing research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the collaboration between the International Water Resources Association and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s International Hydrological Programme (UNESCO-IHP) on transboundary groundwater resources. It explores the International Shared Aquifer Resources Management (ISARM) initiative by UNESCO-IHP in 2000. Moreover, the collaboration aims to provide water professionals, cooperation over transboundary aquifers, and decision-makers.

The alliance between the United Steelworkers and the Mondragon Cooperative Complex-to develop industrial jobs oriented toward a green economy-represents an important proposal for solving the problem of unemployment in the United States while addressing the issue of environmental degradation. Still, this alliance in the context of the United States poses interesting questions regarding issues that go beyond joblessness. This article seeks to present some of the issues that relate the complexity of subjectivities to how the crisis is articulated via the nation-state lens of economic representation. The main aim is to open up the discussion about the possibilities of nonexploitative class structures existing alongside subjectivities that are not informed by or do not reflect anticapitalist and anti-imperialist affiliations, and how this might relate to the concrete situation of the United States in times of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we present a study on collaborative capability of teams in three networked organisations in Austria and Switzerland. So far, collaborative capability has mostly been conceptualised on an organisational or individual level as a set of attributes that actors employ to collaborate successfully. We found that this view of collaborative capability needs to be enlarged. Collaborative capability of teams is characterised by at least two components: an attribute-based perspective that focuses on capabilities of single actors or organisations, and a perspective on group dynamics which describes how teams successfully develop collaborative capability. We examined collaborative work processes and task requirements and the way critical incidents in different project stages influenced the development of collaboration. We discuss our findings with regard to the different organisational settings of the networks analysed and the current literature on collaborative capability and networked organisations. Moreover, we identify six critical success factors for collaboration and discuss the role of network management in co-innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the steps usually undertaken in the formation of partnerships is the assessment of organisations' competencies. The typical notion of competencies, which have a functional or technical nature and provide specific outcomes, refers, in fact, to what can be considered as hard competencies. However, the very act of collaboration has its specific requirements, for which the involved organisations must be apt to exercise other types of competencies that affect their own performance and the success of the partnership. These competencies are more of a behavioural nature, and can be named as soft competencies. This study aims at addressing the effects of the soft competencies on the performance of the hard ones. An extended competencies model is thus proposed, allowing the construction of adjusted competencies profiles, in which the competency levels are dynamically determined according to the requirements of collaboration opportunities. The idea of competencies fitness arises from this adjustment, allowing better selection of partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the authors propose a model that extends current knowledge of firm interaction within new product alliances while identifying factors that influence the success of such relationships. Much work focused on market orientation in the 1990s, but recent research in marketing management and strategy shifted to other topics, thus, important issues have been neglected by the research community. Theoretical foundations drawn from social exchange theory and the dynamic capabilities view offer a framework for examining the influence of organizational factors, joint alliance factors, and relational factors on interfirm relationships under various external and internal environmental contexts relevant to current and emerging environmental conditions. Alliance market orientation is introduced as a key variable that moderates the relationship between the alliance factors and new product alliance performance, external environmental factors moderate the relationships between organizational factors and joint alliance factors, and relational factors moderate both sets of relationships. The proposed conceptual model offers a foundation for investigating the patterns of influence between firm- and alliance-level variables on new product alliance performance. The authors conclude with recommendations for empirically testing and extending this model in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the good effect of science and engineering inputs from partnerships and applied research in promoting sustainable management of water and environmental resources in Palestine. The capacity building achieved during the past 10 years at the Institute of Environmental and Water Studies (IEWS) is reviewed. Palestine faces major constraints, and these affect everyone and everything. A problem-solving approach can be beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) use partnerships with the corporate sector as a tool to achieve their environmental objectives whilst others do not? The potential of NGOs to enter into partnerships depends on their organisational resources and structures, their values, ideas and attitudes. This hypothesis is explored in the case of Britain's NGOs and their potential for engagement with the energy industry. Empirical data on the characteristics of NGOs and their attitudes towards partnerships and existing engagement with business were collected through a questionnaire-based survey and semi-structured interviews. Three clusters of NGOs were identified and linked to different patterns of engagement. The findings are relevant for critically reviewing claims that NGO-business-partnerships offer effective solutions to environmental problems, have the potential to substitute for governmental regulation and may contribute to accomplishing a more sustainable society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the wealth of research on partnering in construction, comparatively little work has attempted to understand partnering as a socially constructed and emergent phenomenon (Bresnen, 2009). Taking a practice-based approach, this paper deploys the concept of boundary object (e.g. Star and Griesemer, 1989) to explore the mechanisms associated with partnering in the construction industry context. Building upon the observations that such objects are themselves emergent phenomena and can either enable or hinder communication/knowledge sharing, the paper uses exploratory case study research to examine the ways in which the mechanisms used to initiate and develop a partnering relationship (charters, contracts, selection mechanisms and the like) are used to achieve integration across organizational boundaries. The analysis emphasizes the highly situated and localized nature of partnering in practice and assesses the implications for attempts to develop more generic and precise definitions and guidelines for implementing partnering in the industry more widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines two competing systems of work organisation in the British construction industry and their consequences for learning. Under the traditional 'adversarial' system, conflict, hostility and litigation between contractors are commonplace. Such a climate actively militates against collective learning and knowledge sharing between parties. Conversely, under 'collaborative working', contractors share risks, pool knowledge and work together to solve problems at all stages and levels in the productive system - a process conceptualised as 'knotworking' by some theorists. The paper argues that such learning theories fail to take adequately into account the heavy hand of history and the importance of understanding the nature of the productive systems in which 'knotworking' is expected to take root. Both place limits on making 'knotworking' a habitual and commonplace activity in construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses an increasingly important topic in the field of law and finance, namely public-private partnerships (PPPs). The article examines the practical and legal challenges facing PPPs within the Egyptian market and scrupulously analyses such challenges in light of the current prevailing global trends and standards of project financing. Amongst the challenges scrutinised are: procedural issues, project permits, regulatory framework, bankability and risk allocation, availability payments and termination compensation, direct agreements, and applicable law and dispute resolution. The article provides a lucid and cogent understanding of the PPP market in Egypt, from both legal and practical perspectives, in light of the contemporary investment climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport and recreation organisations can play a key role in the development of physical activity strategies in health promotion. There is a paucity of research that has examined the engagement of a wide range of sport and recreation organisations in partnership approaches that promote active lifestyles. This research used a multiple-case study protocol to explore partnership development between a range of professional (e.g., paid recreation staff) and volunteer organisations (e.g., club-based sport). A total of 22 partnership members were interviewed from eight sport and recreation partnership programs funded by the victorian health promotion Foundation (vichealth) in Australia. Content analysis was used to analyse the interviews with reference to a public health partnership framework. In partnership formation, results showed that representatives from professional organisations shared interests in health promotion goals, while volunteer organisations focused on increases in club membership; professionals lacked organisational capacity in terms of leadership and skills while volunteers lacked human resource capacity. Engaging the sport and recreation sector in partnerships that aim to promote active lifestyles requires long-term commitment from funding agencies and partnering organisations. The design of pragmatic programs that build on the core business of each participating organisation, irrespective of whether they share a common mission, is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the recent success that India has enjoyed in the domain of outsourcing of services can be explained through the triple helix paradigm of university-industry-government networks albeit in a manner that does not conform strictly to the existing notions of triple helix. First, it presents an analytical discussion on offshore outsourcing focusing on the heightened sense of uncertainty that prevails in this particular form of procurement. It is suggested here that one of the ways of managing uncertainty is to leverage personal and social ties which are constitutive of the social capital of firms engaged in such economic exchanges. Second, it looks at the case of India through in terms of social networks and the triple helix thesis and illustrates how university-industry-government networks and the social capital of the firms involved have played a central role in India's success in the export of knowledge-intensive services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper considers changing triple helix relations in the South African context after 1994. The organisational form of university-industry partnership, stimulated by government incentives, is emerging. However, old and new organisational forms, shaped by a tension between financial and intellectual imperatives, co-exist in the shifting relationship between university, industry and government. The capacity to harness the potential of research for innovation by creating new institutional interface structures is evident on a significant scale in a small number of universities, and in isolated pockets in others. Old forms tend to prevail, and may have counter-productive implications. Creating new forms of knowledge-intensive networks requires analysis of the complex inter-dependence between firms, universities and government intermediaries. The paper considers implications for universities, arguing for a strategic balance of old and new forms of partnership across more institutions, taking into account the diversity of university contexts, knowledge fields, industrial sectors and technology platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction managerial literature often argues that there are gains to be made by using partnering. Voices have however been raised to approach partnering in a more neutral perspective and with well-founded methods of evaluation. This study can be seen as an outcome of the criticisms against earlier empirical evaluations by setting out to provide more tangible data and an improved method for evaluating partnering. A quasi-experimental method has been adopted in order to control for other affecting variables and find the unique effect of partnering. This approach strives to match partnering projects with identical non-partnering projects on every relevant variable except partnering. Six hundred and twenty three site meeting minutes from 20 publicly procured projects have been analysed to extract differences between partnering and non-partnering projects concerning cost and quality. Time delays, the amount of disputes, financial outcome and contract flexibility have been used as indicators. The paper has made a first attempt in trying to push the frontier for partnering evaluations forward by providing a new type of data (site meeting minutes) and applying a well-reputed evaluation method (quasi-experiment). The main result is that no systematic or general trends can be seen in the material. This result casts a shadow over the optimistic results from earlier evaluations and suggests that the main contribution of partnering might lie in its intangible effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments increasingly see partnerships as their delivery instrument of choice. There is disagreement, however, about how the proliferation of these institutions should be understood. One interpretation sees ungovernability, instability and unaccountability in the fragmented institutions of local governance. Another maintains that the new approaches to co-ordination have allowed for the reassertion of hierarchical control. On the basis of a theoretical exposition of the logic of co-ordination and a study of 10 partnerships in Wales, this paper presents evidence which suggests that partnerships suffer principally from the dysfunctional effects of hierarchical and market co-ordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodic review and adjustment of resource allocations to construction projects is critical for subcontractors to maintain profitability under traditional unit price or lump sum contracts. Project managers strive to control subcontractors in an effort to meet budgets and schedules; subcontractors often work on multiple projects simultaneously and strive independently to allocate resources to those projects where they perceive that they will bring maximum utility. An economic game theory model is proposed as a foundation for understanding the behaviour of subcontractors in allocating resources to projects. The model describes the influence of the degree of reliability of the planned schedule on subcontractors' and project managers' behaviours under traditional unit price contracting. Unreliable plans undermine efforts to promote cooperative behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the vast interest and enthusiasm on the benefits of construction partnering, no apparent trend exists to show that it has become the dominant choice of procurement method across construction industries internationally. Rather, the implementation of construction partnering has been patchy, with varying degrees of success and, in many instances, its adoption is more an exception than the norm. This study argues and sets out to test the proposition that despite the huge advocacy for the use of partnering, its slow uptake and, more importantly, the inconsistent results it yields are due to the lack of systematic investigation into the institutional determinants of partnering. Based on data collected from 526 firms covering various industry disciplines, results show that firms' use of partnering is selective and that this selectiveness is significantly determined by the industry's level of institutional norms and not by the conventional notion that partnering increases a firm's profitability or efficiency. Findings further indicate that firms that perceive there are strong industry norms for partnering are twice as likely to use partnering as firms that do not have such perception. By empirically examining the institutional conditions under which partnering is more likely to occur, this study sheds some light on why the implementation of partnering remains at a conservative rate and suggests avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article on partnering and family-resemblance makes two contributions to the debate about the definition of partnering in construction. The first is a distinction between general prerequisites , components and goals when discussing the concept. In order to understand what is specific about partnering the focus should be on the components, which are identified through a literature review. The second contribution is to apply Ludwig Wittgenstein's idea of family-resemblance to the partnering concept. His idea is that a complex concept can be understood as a network of overlapping similarities. From the literature review it is concluded that there are two necessary components in partnering – trust and mutual understanding – and that a number of different components can be added to form a specific variant of partnering. This provides a new method to define the vague and multifaceted concept of partnering in a flexible and structured way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technical communication practices have been changed dramatically by the increasingly ubiquitous nature of digital technologies. Yet, while those who work in the profession have been living through this dramatic change, our academic discipline has been moving at a slower pace, at times appearing quite unsure about how to proceed. This article focuses on the following three areas of opportunity for change in our discipline in relation to digital technologies: access and expectations, scholarship and community building, and accountability and partnering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]