Third sector organisations and social welfare : a study of the role of social service and charitable organisations in Taiwan

This study is about the role and operation of ‘third sector’ organisations (TSOs) within the Taiwanese social welfare context. TSOs have increased dramatically and become actively involved in social service provision. This phenomenon has not only had significant impact on the development and operation of TSOs in Taiwan but it is also of increasing interest to public policy academics. The latter are especially interested in the implications for the government-third sector relationship. This research examines the reasons why TSOs have been established, why they actively participate in social service provision, and their role and operation within the social welfare context of Taiwan. The study has both quantitative and qualitative data. It sampled ‘social service’ and ‘charitable’ organisations (SSCOs), which are the main type of TSOs in Taiwan, to examine their role, operation and interaction with government. Questionnaires were mailed to collect quantitative data first. After the quantitative data were collected and analysed, semi-structured interviews were undertaken to collect qualitative data. The study found that TSOs in Taiwan exist in a highly institutionalised environment, which is affected by traditional Confucian ideas and contemporary Western ideas such as social justice and civil rights. The rapid growth of TSOs has a strong connection with the desire to fill social service gaps left by government and family. TSOs mainly play the role of service provider rather than that of advocate. They cooperate with government in social service provision and have developed different types of symbiotic relationships with government. A ‘resonance effect’ between government and TSOs was also found as they implement social policy.

Strategic positioning in voluntary and non-profit organizations in the UK : exploring the experiences of British charitable organizations:Exploring the experiences of British Charitable Organizations

This thesis explores the strategic positioning [SP] activities of charitable organizations [COs] within the wider sector of voluntary and non-profit organizations [VNPOs] in the UK. Despite the growing interest in SP for British COs in an increasingly competitive operating environment and changing policy context, there is lack of research in mainstream marketing/strategic management studies on this topic for charities, whilst the specialist literature on VNPOs has neglected the study of SP. The thesis begins with an extended literature review of the concept of positioning in both commercial [for-profit] and charitable organizations. It concludes that the majority of theoretical underpinnings of SP that are prescribed for COs have been derived from the commercial strategy/marketing literature. There is currently a lack of theoretical and conceptual models that can accommodate the particular context of COs and guide strategic positioning practice in them. The research contained in this thesis is intended to fill some of these research gaps. It combines an exploratory postal survey and four cross-sectional case studies to describe the SP activities of a sample of general welfare and social care charities and identifies the key factors that influence their choice of positioning strategies [PSs]. It concludes that charitable organizations have begun to undertake SP to differentiate their organizations from other charities that provide similar services. Their PSs have both generic features, and other characteristics that are unique to them. A combination of external environmental and organizational factors influences their choice of PSs. A theoretical model, which depicts these factors, is developed in this research. It highlights the role of governmental influence, other external environmental forces, the charity’s mission, organizational resources, and influential stakeholders in shaping the charity’s PS. This study concludes by considering the theoretical and managerial implications of the findings on the study of charitable and non-profit organizations.

DesaLink:solar powered desalination of brackish groundwater giving high output and high recovery

Desalination of groundwater is essential in many arid areas that are far from both seawater and fresh water resources. The ideal groundwater desalination system should operate using a sustainable energy source and provide high water output per land area and cost. To avoid discharging voluminous brine, it should also provide high recovery. To achieve these aims, we have designed DesaLink, a novel approach to linking the solar Rankine cycle to reverse osmosis (RO). To achieve high recovery without the need for multiple RO stages, DesaLink adopts a batch mode of operation. It is suited to use with a variety of solar thermal collectors including linear Fresnel reflectors (LFR). For example, using a LFR occupying 1,000m of land and providing steam at 200°C and 15.5 bar, DesaLink is predicted to provide 350m of fresh water per day at a recovery ratio of 0.7, when fed with brackish groundwater containing 5,000ppm of sodium chloride. Here, we report preliminary experiments to assess the feasibility of the concept. We study the effects of longitudinal dispersion, concentration polarisation and describe a pilot experiment to demonstrate the batch process using a materials testing machine. In addition, we demonstrate a prototype of DesaLink running from compressed air to simulate steam.

Hypercapnia induces cleavage and nuclear localization of RelB protein, giving insight into CO2 sensing and signaling

Carbon dioxide (CO(2)) is increasingly being appreciated as an intracellular signaling molecule that affects inflammatory and immune responses. Elevated arterial CO(2) (hypercapnia) is encountered in a range of clinical conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and as a consequence of therapeutic ventilation in acute respiratory distress syndrome. In patients suffering from this syndrome, therapeutic hypoventilation strategy designed to reduce mechanical damage to the lungs is accompanied by systemic hypercapnia and associated acidosis, which are associated with improved patient outcome. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of hypercapnia and the relative contribution of elevated CO(2) or associated acidosis to this response remain poorly understood. Recently, a role for the non-canonical NF-?B pathway has been postulated to be important in signaling the cellular transcriptional response to CO(2). In this study, we demonstrate that in cells exposed to elevated CO(2), the NF-?B family member RelB was cleaved to a lower molecular weight form and translocated to the nucleus in both mouse embryonic fibroblasts and human pulmonary epithelial cells (A549). Furthermore, elevated nuclear RelB was observed in vivo and correlated with hypercapnia-induced protection against LPS-induced lung injury. Hypercapnia-induced RelB processing was sensitive to proteasomal inhibition by MG-132 but was independent of the activity of glycogen synthase kinase 3ß or MALT-1, both of which have been previously shown to mediate RelB processing. Taken together, these data demonstrate that RelB is a CO(2)-sensitive NF-?B family member that may contribute to the beneficial effects of hypercapnia in inflammatory diseases of the lung.

Asking, giving, receiving:friendship as survival strategy among Accra's street children

This article considers friendship among street children in Accra. Drawing upon the findings of a three-year qualitative research project, the article argues that friendship is a neglected element of research yet cooperation, mutuality and exchange between friends are essential to street children's survival. Living within the extremities of the urban informal sector, the article considers the existence of a strong ethos of 'help' between friends and how street children go about the (re) creation of friendship around those aspects of their lives essential for their daily survival. © The Author(s) 2010.

Is the French model giving way to a new 'Logic of Appropriateness'? Lessons from urban waste management

Processes of European integration and growing consumer scrutiny of public services have served to place the spotlight on the traditional French model of public/private interaction in the urban services domain. This article discusses recent debates within France of the institutionalised approach to local public/private partnership, and presents case study evidence from three urban agglomerations of a possible divergence from this approach. Drawing on the work of French academic, Dominique Lorrain, whose historical institutionalist accounts of the French model are perhaps the most comprehensive and best known, the article develops two hypotheses of institutional change, one from the historical institutionalist perspective of institutional stability and persistence, and the other from an explicitly sociological perspective, which emphasises the legitimating benefits of following appropriate rules of conduct. It argues that further studying the French model as an institution offers valuable empirical insight into processes of institutional change and persistence. © 2004 Taylor & Francis Ltd.

Giving whistleblowers greater protection:improving quality of care

This year, an independent review of whisleblowing in the NHS made recommendations as to how whistleblowers could be given greater protection. The review, chaired by Sir Robert Francis, intended to improve the quality of patient care and safety in the health service. But with many practitioners remaining unregulated, there are unanswered questions as to how reports of mistakes can be properly investigated and the necessary action taken against incompetent or negligent practitioners. Amanda Casey, Chair of the Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists, makes the case for regulation of professionals whose work poses potential risks to patients and can place healthcare managers in an invidious position.