R&D cooperation between Spanish firms and scientific partners: what is the role of tertiary education?

This paper explores the factors that determine firm’s R&D cooperation with different partners, paying special attention on the role of tertiary education (degree and PhDs level) in facilitating the connection between the firms and the to scientific bodies (technology centres, public research centres and universities). Here, we attempt to answer two questions. First, are innovative firms that carry out internal and external R&D activities more likely to cooperate on R&D projects with other partners? Second, do Spanish innovative firms with a high participation of researchers with degrees or PhDs tend to cooperate more with scientific partners? To answer both questions we apply a three-dimensional approach on a firm level Panel Data with a sample of 4.998 manufacturing and services Spanish firms. First, we run a complementary test between external R&D acquisition and skilled research workers and find that firms which carry out external R&D activities obtain a greater return on R&D cooperation when they have skilled workers in R&D, especially in high-tech manufactures and KIS services. Second, we carry out a 2-step tobit model to estimate, in the first stage, the determinants that explain whether Spanish innovative firms cooperate or not; and in the second stage the factors that affect the choice of partners. And third, we apply an ordered probit model to test the marginal effects of explanatory variables on the different partners. Here we contrast some of the most interesting empirical hypotheses of previous studies, and which emphasize the role of employees with degrees and PhDs in facilitating cooperative R&D between firms and scientific partners.

R&D cooperation between Spanish firms and scientific partners: what is the role of tertiary education?

This paper explores the factors that determine firm’s R&D cooperation with different partners, paying special attention on the role of tertiary education (degree and PhDs level) in facilitating the connection between the firms and the to scientific bodies (technology centres, public research centres and universities). Here, we attempt to answer two questions. First, are innovative firms that carry out internal and external R&D activities more likely to cooperate on R&D projects with other partners? Second, do Spanish innovative firms with a high participation of researchers with degrees or PhDs tend to cooperate more with scientific partners? To answer both questions we apply a three-dimensional approach on a firm level Panel Data with a sample of 4.998 manufacturing and services Spanish firms. First, we run a complementary test between external R&D acquisition and skilled research workers and find that firms which carry out external R&D activities obtain a greater return on R&D cooperation when they have skilled workers in R&D, especially in high-tech manufactures and KIS services. Second, we carry out a 2-step tobit model to estimate, in the first stage, the determinants that explain whether Spanish innovative firms cooperate or not; and in the second stage the factors that affect the choice of partners. And third, we apply an ordered probit model to test the marginal effects of explanatory variables on the different partners. Here we contrast some of the most interesting empirical hypotheses of previous studies, and which emphasize the role of employees with degrees and PhDs in facilitating cooperative R&D between firms and scientific partners. JEL classification: O31, O33, O38. Key words: Determinants R&D cooperation, industry-university flows, PhD research workers.

Influenza A virus infection of healthy piglets in an abattoir in Brazil: animal-human interface and risk for interspecies transmission

Asymptomatic influenza virus infections in pigs are frequent and the lack of measures for controlling viral spread facilitates the circulation of different virus strains between pigs. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the circulation of influenza A virus strains among asymptomatic piglets in an abattoir in Brazil and discuss the potential public health impacts. Tracheal samples (n = 330) were collected from asymptomatic animals by a veterinarian that also performed visual lung tissue examinations. No slaughtered animals presented with any noticeable macroscopic signs of influenza infection following examination of lung tissues. Samples were then analysed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction that resulted in the identification of 30 (9%) influenza A positive samples. The presence of asymptomatic pig infections suggested that these animals could facilitate virus dissemination and act as a source of infection for the herd, thereby enabling the emergence of influenza outbreaks associated with significant economic losses. Furthermore, the continuous exposure of the farm and abattoir workers to the virus increases the risk for interspecies transmission. Monitoring measures of swine influenza virus infections and vaccination and monitoring of employees for influenza infection should also be considered. In addition regulatory agencies should consider the public health ramifications regarding the potential zoonotic viral transmission between humans and pigs.

Evaluation of factors affecting plate waste of inpatients in different healthcare settings.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Satisfaction of inpatients with served food within a hospital care system still constitutes one of the main attempts to modernize food services. The impact of type of menu, food category, hospital centre and timetable on the meals wastage produced in different Spanish healthcare settings, was evaluated. METHODS: Meal wastage was measured through a semiquantitative 5-point scale ("nothing on plate"; "¼ on plate"; "half on plate"; "¾ on plate" and "all on plate"). The study was carried out in two periods of three months each in 2010 and 2011. A trained person took charge of measuring plate waste classified into 726 servings belonging to 11 menus. In total 31,392 plates were served to 7,868 inpatients. A Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test (p < 0.05) was applied to evaluate significant differences among the variables studied. RESULTS: The menus were satisfactorily consumed because more than 50% of the plates were classified as "nothing on plate". Regarding food categories, 26.78% of the plates corresponded to soups and purées, while pasta and rice, and prepared foods were only distributed in 4-5% of the servings. Desserts were mostly consumed, while cooked vegetables were less accepted by the inpatients evaluated. Other factors such as hospital centre influenced plate waste (p < 0.05) but timetable did not (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Visual inspections of plate waste might be useful to optimize type and quality of menus served. The type of menu served and the food category could have a great influence on food acceptability by the inpatientsstudied.

(Endogenous) occupational choices and job satisfaction among recent PhD recipients: evidence from Catalonia

Drawing on data from two successive cohorts of PhD graduates, this paper analyses differences in overall job satisfaction and specific job domain satisfaction among PhDs employed in different sectors four years after completing their doctorate degrees. Covariate-adjusted job satisfaction differentials suggest that, compared to faculty members, PhD holders employed outside traditional academic and research jobs are more satisfied with the pecuniary facets of their work (principally, because of higher earnings), but significantly less satisfied with the content of their job and with how well the job matches their skills (and, in the case of public sector workers, with their prospects of promotion). The evidence regarding the overall job satisfaction of the PhD holders indicates that working in the public or private sectors is associated with less work well-being, which cannot be fully compensated by the better pecuniary facets of the job. It also appears that being employed in academia or in research centres provides almost the same perceived degree of satisfaction with the job and with its four specific domains. We also take into account the endogenous sorting of PhD holders into different occupations based on latent personal traits that might be related to job satisfaction. The selectivity-corrected job satisfaction differentials reveal the importance of self-selection based on unobservable traits, and confirm the existence of a certain penalisation for working in occupations other than academia or research, which is especially marked in the case of satisfaction with job content and job-skills match. The paper presents additional interesting evidence about the determinants of occupational choice among PhD holders, highlighting the relevance of certain academic attributes (especially PhD funding and pre-and-post-doc research mobility) in affecting the likelihood of being employed in academia, in a research centre or in other public or private sector job four years after completing their doctorate programme.

The use of the quality model of Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry in health services

This is an article about the theoretical model for assessing quality in health services proposed by Parasuraman, Zheitaml and Berry, in order to measure the degree of satisfaction of users. This model is based on the analysis of expectations and perceptions of users of health services, by means of five dimensions: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. From the difference between what is expected by the user and the service offered, gaps or shortcomings are derived that may be the main obstacle for users to perceive the provision of such services with quality. It was observed that the use of the psychometric scale called Service Quality (SERVQUAL) in some studies about satisfaction, obtained very favorable results in the institutions in which it was employed. The analysis revealed the need to improve the existing models of evaluation, as well as the importance of measuring user satisfaction in health institutions.

PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF ELDERLY RESIDENTS IN A NURSING HOME

The objective of this study was to evaluate the perception of the elderly residents of a long-stay nursing home on the process of institutionalization. We interviewed 14 subjects, five women and nine men, aged between 60 and 92 years. Data collection was conducted with a semi-structured sociodemographic interview, which presented the guiding question: “Tell me about how is your life, what do you do and how did you come to live here”. From the analysis, we found topics related to feelings of abandonment, loneliness, anger, ingratitude, living with chronic pain, satisfaction of property in the nursing home, productivity and social relationship. Given the thematic analysis, it was possible to group them into three categories such as: what the elderly feel, what the elderly perceive and what the elderly desire. As a result, we need public policies that addresses to the service provided by institutions regarding elderly expectations.

Mandatory communication skills training for oncologists: enforcement does not substantially impact satisfaction.

PURPOSE: Even though there is evidence that both patients and oncology clinicians are affected by the quality of communication and that communication skills can be effectively trained, so-called Communication Skills Trainings (CSTs) remain heterogeneously implemented. METHODS: A systematic evaluation of the level of satisfaction of oncologists with the Swiss CST before (2000-2005) and after (2006-2012) it became mandatory. RESULTS: Levels of satisfaction with the CST were high, and satisfaction of physicians participating on a voluntary or mandatory basis did not significantly differ for the majority of the items. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of physicians' satisfaction over the years and after introduction of mandatory training supports recommendations for generalized implementation of CST and mandatory training for medical oncologists.

A Gestão da Formação na Sucursal da Mundiserviços em Cabo Verde

O presente Relatório de Estágio insere-se no âmbito da Unidade Curricular de Estágio, realizado na empresa MundiServiços, Consultoria de Gestão e Formação, Sucursal de Cabo Verde, conducente ao grau de Mestre em Ciências da Educação com especialização na área de Formação de Adultos. A Sucursal da MundiServiços em Cabo Verde centra a sua intervenção no mercado cabo-verdiano essencialmente em dois eixos: Consultoria na área de Gestão de Recursos Humanos e Formação Profissional. O meu Projecto de Estágio tem a sua incidência na área da Formação Profissional e visa responder a uma solicitação da ARFA - Agência de Regulação e Supervisão de Produtos Farmacêuticos e Alimentares - organização cliente da MundiServiços em Cabo Verde. Neste contexto, o Projecto de Estágio tem como finalidade a realização de um Estudo de Diagnóstico de Necessidades de Formação e a Elaboração de um Plano Estratégico de Formação que possa satisfazer as necessidades organizacionais, profissionais e pessoais da Agência e dos seus trabalhadores. Este trabalho enquadra-se numa medida estratégica da entidade, que passa pelo desenvolvimento de competências chave dos seus recursos humanos, como forma de responder a novos desafios estratégicos e organizacionais e de aumentar a motivação e satisfação interna dos seus trabalhadores. De acordo com os objectivos pré-estabelecidos para a execução deste estudo, tentou-se combinar as metodologias qualitativa e quantitativa, com recurso a diferentes técnicas de recolha, análise e tratamento de dados, com a principal finalidade de obter informações que permitam responder, de forma efectiva, à solicitação da agência, transformando as necessidades formativas dos trabalhadores em potencialidades.

Generating global brand equity through corporate social responsibility to key stakeholders

In this paper we argue that corporate social responsibility (CSR) to various stakeholders(customers, shareholders, employees, suppliers, and community) has a positive effect on globalbrand equity (BE). In addition, policies aimed at satisfying community interests help reinforcecredibility to social responsible polices with other stakeholders. We test these theoreticalcontentions using panel data comprised of 57 global brands originating from 10 countries (USA,Japan, South Korea, France, UK, Italy, Germany, Finland, Switzerland and the Netherlands) forthe period 2002 to 2008. Our findings show that CSR to each of the stakeholder groups has apositive impact on global BE. In addition, global brands that follow local social responsibilitypolicies over communities obtain strong positive benefits in terms of the generation of BE, as itenhances the positive effects of CSR to other stakeholders, particularly to customers. Therefore,for managers of global brands it is particularly productive for generating brand value to combineglobal strategies with the satisfaction of the interests of local communities.

Home care: a safe and attractive alternative to inpatient administration of intensive chemotherapies.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate feasibility, safety, perception, and costs of home care for the administration of intensive chemotherapies. METHODS: Patients receiving sequential chemotherapy in an inpatient setting, living within 30 km of the hospital, and having a relative to care for them were offered home care treatment. Chemotherapy was administered by a portable, programmable pump via an implantable catheter. The main endpoints were safety, patient's quality of life [Functional Living Index-Cancer (FLIC)], satisfaction of patients and relatives, and costs. RESULTS: Two hundred days of home care were analysed, representing a total of 46 treatment cycles of intensive chemotherapy in 17 patients. Two cycles were complicated by technical problems that required hospitalisation for a total of 5 days. Three major medical complications (heart failure, angina pectoris, and major allergic reaction) could be managed at home. Grades 1 and 2 nausea and vomiting occurring in 36% of patients could be treated at home. FLIC scores remained constant throughout the study. All patients rated home care as very satisfactory or satisfactory. Patient benefits of home care included increased comfort and freedom. Relatives acknowledged better tolerance and less asthenia of the patient. Home care resulted in a 53% cost benefit compared to hospital treatment (420 ± 120/day vs. 896 ± 165/day). CONCLUSION: Administration of intensive chemotherapy regimens at home was feasible and safe. Quality of life was not affected; satisfaction of patients and relatives was very high. A psychosocial benefit was observed for patients and relatives. Furthermore, a cost-benefit of home care compared to hospital treatment was demonstrated.

Satisfaction maternelle de la prise en charge anesthésique durant l'accouchement: une étude de cohorte rétrospective. [Risk factors associated with maternal satisfaction during childbirth: a retrospective cohort study.]

PURPOSE: Factors associated with maternal satisfaction of anesthetic management during labour and delivery are poorly known. The purpose of this study was to assess these factors. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study on parturients admitted between January 2004 and December 2008. Data on patients' demographics, comorbidities, procedures performed and various aspects of their anesthetic experience were retrieved from the anesthetic records. Maternal satisfaction was measured using a numerical scale from 0 to 10 (0 = not satisfied at all, 10 = very satisfied). A cutoff of ≤ 6 was taken as poor satisfaction. We performed a multivariate analysis to identify the different predictors of maternal satisfaction and more specifically those related to pain, overall experience with the technique, delays, and presence of anesthetic, obstetrical and neonatal complications. RESULTS: There were 15,386 parturients admitted during the study period. Of these, 10,034 had complete information in the chart and 761 (7.6%) parturients were dissatisfied with their anesthetic care. Factors decreasing patient satisfaction were high risk pregnancy [odds ratio (OR) 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59 (0.34-1.02)] and difficult delivery [OR (95% CI) 0.62 (0.52-0.74)]. Pain, a negative experience of the procedure, delays, poor coordination in management, and the presence of complications decreased patient satisfaction [OR (95% CI) 0.07 to 0.71]; P < 0.001. CONCLUSION: Maternal satisfaction with anesthesia care is largely determined by the effectiveness and correct performance of the procedure carried from the technical and human point of view. However, other factors such as a good coordination in patient management and the absence of complications also influence maternal satisfaction.

A Model for Improving the Quality of Student Internship Placements in Engineering Degrees

Work Internship Placements (WIP) is a new and transversal enterprise internships programme, which is focused on quality improvement, academic control and satisfaction of collaborating enterprises. This programme is addressed to the engineering students of the PolytechnicSchool at the University of Girona (UdG) in Spain. The fundamental WIP infrastructure combines a web-based intranet platform, that provides a complete set of WIP tools, with a protocol of procedures and tasks that are observed and followed at all internship stages by every participating agent, i.e. enterprises, students, coaching professors and administrative staff. Our new programme is centered on a broader, more holistic internship placement procedure than the traditional “career and academic goals” approach. The WIP programme has been found to be a valuable asset in addressing enterprise and student needs in the experiential project

2009-2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement Between State of Iowa and Local 893; Science Unit, July 1, 2009

This Agreement made and entered i into this 1 1st day of July 2009, at Des Moines, Iowa, pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 20 of the Iowa Code, by and between the State of Iowa (hereinafter referred to as the Employer) and UE Local 893/Iowa United Professionals, and its appropriate affiliated locals, as representatives of employees employed by the State of Iowa, as set forth specifically in Appendix A (hereinafter referred to as the Union).

2009-2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement Between State of Iowa and Local 893; Social Services, July 1, 2009

This Agreement made and entered i into this 1 1st day of July 2009, at Des Moines, Iowa, pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 20 of the Iowa Code, by and between the State of Iowa (hereinafter referred to as the Employer) and UE Local 893/Iowa United Professionals, and its appropriate affiliated locals, as representatives of employees employed by the State of Iowa.