Cross-country report:a first cross-country analysis and profiling of social enterprises prepared by the SEFORÏS research consortium

This cross-country report shares first insights from the World's Largest Panel Study of Social Enterprises, which covers seven European Countries (Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom), China and Russia. It captures the behavior and characteristics of representative samples of social enterprises in these countries who are employers. The report covers a range of topics from profiling social enterprise directors and their social enterprises, to innovation activities and barriers, their entrepreneurial orientation, social missions, social impact metrics to summarizing policy recommendations that social entrepreneurs would like to see being implemented in their countries. Who should read this report? The report is written for social enterprises, social enterprises support organisations and policy makers who want to get an overview of social enterprise in the UK. Thank you to all the social entrepreneurs who made this report possible by participating in our study!

Harnessing diversity and collective action in the top management team

Diversity has become an important issue at all levels of the company from the boardroom to the back office. It is increasingly apparent that diversity is vital to productivity, with academic research indicating an important link between diverse top management team (TMT) composition and corporate performance. However, the nature of this link remains elusive, as there is little accessible research that can help top teams to evaluate how diversity impacts on their strategic capacity. This paper seeks to fill this gap by developing a conceptual framework, illustrated with case examples, to explain the relationships between TMT diversity and TMT collective action. As collective action is difficult to attain from top teams that are high in diversity, six practical processes are developed from this framework for establishing and exploiting top team strategic capacity. The paper concludes by outlining the theoretical implications of the framework. © Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mechanism of action of the tetraflex accommodative intraocular lens

PURPOSE:To investigate the mechanism of action of the Tetraflex (Lenstec Kellen KH-3500) accommodative intraocular lens (IOL). METHODS:Thirteen eyes of eight patients implanted with the Tetraflex accommodating IOL for at least 2 years underwent assessment of their objective amplitude-of-accommodation by autorefraction, anterior chamber depth and pupil size with optical coherence tomography, and IOL flexure with aberrometry, each viewing a target at 0.0 to 4.00 diopters of accommodative demand. RESULTS:Pupil size decreased by 0.62+/-0.41 mm on increasing accommodative demand, but the Tetraflex IOL was relatively fixed in position within the eye. The ocular aberrations of the eye changed with increased accommodative demand, but not in a consistent manner among individuals. Those aberrations that appeared to be most affected were defocus, vertical primary and secondary astigmatism, vertical coma, horizontal and vertical primary and secondary trefoil, and spherical aberration. CONCLUSIONS:Some of the reported near vision benefits of the Tetraflex accommodating IOL appear to be due to changes in the optical aberrations because of the flexure of the IOL on accommodative effort rather than forward movement within the capsular bag.

The effects of persistent articholinesterase action at the neuromuscular junction

The effects of organophosphorus compounds which form a rapidly-ageing complex with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) (e.g. pinacolyl S-(2- trimethylaminoethyl)methylphosphonothioate (BOS)) and hence exert a persistent anticholinesterase (anti-ChE) action have been compared with other compounds with a shorter time course of inhibition (e.g. ecothiopate iodide (ECO)). Although the inhibition of AChE produced by BOS lasted longer than that seen with ECO, the time course of the myopathy appeared very similar. BOS also possessed a number of properties which have been seen with other anti-ChEs. BOS and ECO produced significant increases in neuromuscular "jitter" 5 days after injection, not only in the diaphragm but also in the soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscles. Increases in "jitter" produced by ECO could be prevented by pyridostigmine prophylaxis or rapid treatment with pyridine-2- aldoxime methiodide. Some protection from the BOS-induced increases in "jitter" could be gained by repeated treatment with pyridine-2-aldoxime methiodide, an effect which could not be accounted for simply by enzyme reactivation. From experiments performed in Rej 129 mice it was determined that increases in "jitter", although demonstrated in some dystrophic muscles, could not be used as an early diagnostic tool. Because sequalae of inhibition were present some time after intoxication, by which time AChE appeared biochemically normal, experiments were performed to investigate inactivation of physiologically important AChE. The time course of extracellular MEPPs was utilised as an indicator of physiologically important AChE and compared with the AChE activity measured by the technique of Ellman et al. (1961). It was concluded that the degree of persistence of anti-ChE action was unimportant for the induction of myopathy with a time course of 3-24 hours, but had some importance in events of longer duration.

Parabolic optical pulses under the action of the third-order dispersion

Recent developments in nonlinear optics reveal an interesting class of pulses with a parabolic intensity profile in the energy-containing core and a linear frequency chirp that can propagate in a fiber with normal group-velocity dispersion. Parabolic pulses propagate in a stable selfsimilar manner, holding certain relations (scaling) between pulse power, width, and chirp parameter. In the additional presence of linear amplification, they enjoy the remarkable property of representing a common asymptotic state (or attractor) for arbitrary initial conditions. Analytically, self-similar (SS) parabolic pulses can be found as asymptotic, approximate solutions of the nonlinear Schr¨odinger equation (NLSE) with gain in the semi-classical (largeamplitude/small-dispersion) limit. By analogy with the well-known stable dynamics of solitary waves - solitons, these SS parabolic pulses have come to be known as similaritons. In practical fiber systems, inherent third-order dispersion (TOD) in the fiber always introduces a certain degree of asymmetry in the structure of the propagating pulse, eventually leading to pulse break-up. To date, there is no analytic theory of parabolic pulses under the action of TOD. Here, we develop aWKB perturbation analysis that describes the effect of weak TOD on the parabolic pulse solution of the NLSE in a fiber gain medium. The induced perturbation in phase and amplitude can be found to any order. The theoretical model predicts with sufficient accuracy the pulse structural changes induced by TOD, which are observed through direct numerical NLSE simulations.

Shaping strategic action through the rhetorical construction and exploitation of ambiguity

This paper extends existing understandings of how actors' constructions of ambiguity shape the emergent process of strategic action. We theoretically elaborate the role of rhetoric in exploiting strategic ambiguity, based on analysis of a longitudinal case study of an internationalization strategy within a business school. Our data show that actors use rhetoric to construct three types of strategic ambiguity: protective ambiguity that appeals to common values in order to protect particular interests, invitational ambiguity that appeals to common values in order to invite participation in particular actions, and adaptive ambiguity that enables the temporary adoption of specific values in order to appeal to a particular audience at one point in time. These rhetorical constructions of ambiguity follow a processual pattern that shapes the emergent process of strategic action. Our findings show that (1) the strategic actions that emerge are shaped by the way actors construct and exploit ambiguity, (2) the ambiguity intrinsic to the action is analytically distinct from ambiguity that is constructed and exploited by actors, and (3) ambiguity construction shifts over time to accommodate the emerging pattern of actions.

Dynamic learning as entrepreneurial action in the context of open innovation:an instrumental case from a communities-of-practice perspective

Recent scholarly discussion on open innovation put forward the notion that an organisation's ability to internalise external knowledge and learn from various sources in undertaking new product development is crucial to its competitive performance. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to how growth-oriented small firms identify and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities (i.e. take entrepreneurial action) related to such development, in an open innovation context, from a social learning perspective. This chapter, based on an instrumental case-firm, demonstrates analytically how learning as entrepreneurial action takes place, drawing on situated learning theory. It is argued that such learning is dynamic in nature and is founded on specific organising principles that foster both inter- and intracommunal learning. © 2012, IGI Global.

Parabolic optical pulses under the action of the third-order dispersion

Recent developments in nonlinear optics reveal an interesting class of pulses with a parabolic intensity profile in the energy-containing core and a linear frequency chirp that can propagate in a fiber with normal group-velocity dispersion. Parabolic pulses propagate in a stable selfsimilar manner, holding certain relations (scaling) between pulse power, width, and chirp parameter. In the additional presence of linear amplification, they enjoy the remarkable property of representing a common asymptotic state (or attractor) for arbitrary initial conditions. Analytically, self-similar (SS) parabolic pulses can be found as asymptotic, approximate solutions of the nonlinear Schr¨odinger equation (NLSE) with gain in the semi-classical (largeamplitude/small-dispersion) limit. By analogy with the well-known stable dynamics of solitary waves - solitons, these SS parabolic pulses have come to be known as similaritons. In practical fiber systems, inherent third-order dispersion (TOD) in the fiber always introduces a certain degree of asymmetry in the structure of the propagating pulse, eventually leading to pulse break-up. To date, there is no analytic theory of parabolic pulses under the action of TOD. Here, we develop aWKB perturbation analysis that describes the effect of weak TOD on the parabolic pulse solution of the NLSE in a fiber gain medium. The induced perturbation in phase and amplitude can be found to any order. The theoretical model predicts with sufficient accuracy the pulse structural changes induced by TOD, which are observed through direct numerical NLSE simulations.

Footballers and social media ‘Faux Pas’:the Football Association’s cash cow?

Reflects on the increasing scope for irresponsible comments made on social media sites to attract civil or criminal penalties, and how such remarks by professional footballers have generated significant amounts of revenue for the Football Association (FA). Reviews the range of social media "faux pas" committed by footballers, the large fines imposed by the FA Regulatory Commission and why these constitute a useful "cash cow".

Corporate social responsibility reporting in the mining sector of Tanzania:(Lack of) government regulatory controls and NGO activism

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the ongoing debate on governance, accountability, transparency and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the mining sector of a developing country context. It examines the reporting practices of the two largest transnational gold-mining companies in Tanzania in order to draw attention to the role played by local government regulations and advocacy and campaigning by nationally organised non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with respect to promoting corporate social reporting practices. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes a political economy perspective to consider the serious implications of the neo-liberal ideologies of the global capitalist economy, as manifested in Tanzania’s regulatory framework and in NGO activism, for the corporate disclosure, accountability and responsibility of transnational companies (TNCs). A qualitative field case study methodology is adopted to locate the largely unfamiliar issues of CSR in the Tanzanian mining sector within a more familiar literature on social accounting. Data for the case study were obtained from interviews and from analysis of documents such as annual reports, social responsibility reports, newspapers, NGO reports and other publicly available documents. Findings – Analysis of interviews, press clips and NGO reports draws attention to social and environmental problems in the Tanzanian mining sector, which are arguably linked to the manifestation of the broader crisis of neo-liberal agendas. While these issues have serious impacts on local populations in the mining areas, they often remain invisible in mining companies’ social disclosures. Increasing evidence of social and environmental ills raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the regulatory frameworks, as well as the roles played by NGOs and other pressure groups in Tanzania. Practical implications – By empowering local NGOs through educational, capacity building, technological and other support, NGOs’ advocacy, campaigning and networking with other civil society groups can play a pivotal role in encouraging corporations, especially TNCs, to adopt more socially and environmentally responsible business practices and to adhere to international and local standards, which in turn may help to improve the lives of many poor people living in developing countries in general, and Tanzania in particular. Originality/value – This paper contributes insights from gold-mining activities in Tanzania to the existing literature on CSR in the mining sector. It also contributes to political economy theory by locating CSR reporting within the socio-political and regulatory context in which mining operations take place in Tanzania. It is argued that, for CSR reporting to be effective, robust regulations and enforcement and stronger political pressure must be put in place.