Explaining the Generation and Performance of Intersector Technology Cooperation: A Survey of the Literature

Pharmaceutical companies are facing several major interrelated challenges, the most strategic being the decline in R&;D productivity resulting in empty product pipelines to replace products nearing patent expiry. A common response has been mergers and acquisition of competitors and biotechnology firms, but rather than resolving the problems, this has created new ones. While biotechnology promises to reshape the pharmaceutical industry, it too faces challenges: the industry as a whole is unprofitable and there is uncertainty regarding market acceptance of its products. This paper examines the current issues in the two industries, and describes a scenario process resulting in the development of a set of scenarios depicting four possible future paths along which the pharmaceutical industry may develop over the next 15 years.     

Scenario-based design of cooperative systems

Over the past few years, scenario-based design has attained a growing interest as a way to incorporate a focus on the future use of an application into the construction of software. Scenarios have, however, mostly been used in the design of user-interfaces and hence focused on single-user situations. Based on experiences from applying scenarios in the re-design of an Hospital Information System in the Danish healthcare sector, this paper describes how collaborative scenarios can be used in the design of cooperative computer systems and what such col-laborative scenarios should contain. The paper concludes that such scenarios were useful in bridging the gab between understanding collaborative work practices and designing collaborative computer systems.     

Exploring social structures and agency in backcasting studies for sustainable development

This paper examines how social structures and agency have been included in backcasting studies for sustainable development. For this purpose an analytical framework was developed, based on what objects of change (whats), measures (hows) and change agents (whos) are included in the scenario, and to which extent these are approached in an explorative way. Through reviewing a number of backcasting studies it was found that these typically are built upon and elaborated with a predominant focus on the questions of what and how physical/technical aspects could change. Social objects of change and explicit representation or analysis of the question of who could change is rarely included in the analysis. This unbalance brings a number of implications. Firstly, not including social structures and agency obstructs developing socio-technically consistent and comprehensive scenarios. Secondly, through not addressing the questions of how to change and change by whom in an explicit and explorative way, social structures and agency become represented only implicitly and/or are maintained according to the status quo.     

Speaking of allergies: Communication challenges for restaurant staff and customers

Managing customer allergies is an essential job task for restaurant workers. The present study catalogs common work features and challenges involved in the verbal communication of food allergies. Allergy communication is approached as a form of risk communication occurring within a socio-technical work system. Critical incidents and qualitative surveys of restaurant staff (n = 138; 3400 statements), along with qualitative surveys of customers with allergies (n = 61; 795 statements), are subject to thematic analysis to examine those practices most likely to improve customer safety and subjective experience. Key findings suggest improved outcomes when staff prompt customers to disclose their allergies at first contact, when fewer staff are involved in allergy communication and management, and when double-checking/check-ins are integrated throughout the communication process. These can serve as provisional best practice recommendations, and should be studied more thoroughly in combination with written communication strategies, restaurant resources, and environmental demands.     

In search of future alternatives for family business: Family law contributions through Civil and Common Law comparison

One of the major issues in family business field is the understanding of what makes family businesses different. Despite an increasing development of research during the last 30 years, little attention has been paid to the legal component of the family. The aim of this article is to explore the way legal attributes of the family, comparing Civil Law and Common Law, foresight the heterogeneity and the future of family business. The identification of a Civil Law specificity, No Exit Option, and the Common Law specificity, Exit Option, supports the formulation of different alternatives for family business futures.     

Socio-technical analysis of Korea's broadband convergence network: Big plans,big projects,big prospects?

The goal of this study is to investigate the policy objectives of the broadband convergence network (BcN) and the realization of objectives. The Korean government launched the BcN project with the objective of converting Korea into an information society with ubiquitous broadband convergence for the advancement of growth and productivity. Based on content analysis of the policy documents and the literature related to BcN, this paper draws on the socio-technical framework for interpreting the data. Findings in this study suggest that, despite excellent technological innovation and proactive drive, uncertainty still remains with respect to how the BcN has evolved and its impact on the new telecom ecology to date.     

An exploration of livestock-development policies in western China

Limited agricultural land potential, poorly integrated markets and low rural incomes are all interrelated problems for agricultural households in western China. Within the wide range of development options available, this paper focuses on the impact of forage-growing subsidies and reducing livestock feed trade barriers on agricultural household incomes and enterprise mixes in the Qingyang Prefecture of Gansu Province, China. A heterogeneous-agent model is used to assess the local consequences of these two policies. Data from a survey conducted in 2009 are used as inputs into the model. The results indicate that a simultaneous reduction in livestock feed trade barriers and an introduction of forage-growing subsidies lifts net household incomes by approximately 10%. Different scenarios have different impacts on incomes, land allocation decisions and grain purchases, with heterogeneity also found among household income responses. Livestock-development policies have the potential to lift household incomes however there are tradeoffs between income and grain self-sufficiency.     

Farm-scale ecological and economic impacts of agricultural change in the uplands

Recent decades have witnessed substantial losses of biodiversity in Europe, partly driven by the ecological changes associated with intensification of agricultural production. These changes have particularly affected avian (bird) diversity in marginal areas such as the uplands of the UK. Future trends for upland birds will likely be impacted by changes in agricultural support regimes, such as those currently envisaged in on-going reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy. We developed integrated ecological-economic models, using seven different indicators of biodiversity based on avian species richness and individual bird densities. The models represent six different types of farms which are typical for the UK uplands, and were used to assess the outcomes of different agricultural futures. Our results show that the impacts of these future agricultural scenarios on farm incomes, land use and biodiversity are very diverse across policy scenarios and farm types. Moreover, each policy scenario produces un-equal distributions of farm income changes and gains and losses in alternative biodiversity indicators. This shows that generalisations of the effects of policy and pricing changes on farm incomes, land uses and biodiversity can be misleading. Our results also suggest that a focus on umbrella species or biodiversity indicators (such as total species richness) can miss important compositional effects.     

Land use scenario development as a tool for watershed management within the Rio Mannu Basin

The Rio Mannu River Basin (Sardinia, Italy) is undergoing a process of agricultural intensification. Like many Mediterranean areas, this basin is characterized by water shortages and diffuse pollution from agricultural sources. Hence the objective of this study was to develop possible land use and land management scenarios that could constitute an alternative to the current watershed management. Several land use and land management scenarios were formulated and analyzed with local stakeholders, and two were selected and simulated as realistic in consideration of the socio-economical aspects of the study area. Scenario 1 involves agricultural practices that include a reduction in fertilizer use to meet the Water Framework Directive requirements for “good” status of water bodies. Scenario 2 introduces rapeseed cultivation, replacing durum wheat in a small area, to investigate the impact of biofuel plant cultivation on water quality. Each option was assessed by considering the effects on water quality, crop yields and economic benefits. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was applied to simulate hydrological processes and evaluate current and future nutrient loads. This model requires adequate streamflow data for calibration and validation. However, as is the case for many Mediterranean basins, insufficient data were available. Therefore, a methodology was developed and tested to calibrate hydrological processes based on the transposition of a parameter set from a gauged catchment located in the same region. This study suggests that a sound use of fertilizers could substantially reduce the amount of nutrients flowing into surface waters, although the effects of such a policy on crop yield and farm income would be negative in some cases. Moreover, the results clearly predict that the replacement of durum wheat with rapeseed (a biofuel crop), could offer a margin of profit, but would have a negative impact on water quality due to increased nutrient losses. Consequently, this option is unsuitable for this area. Furthermore, it can be inferred from these results that the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources may have a negative impact on the objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive. Clearly, this process needs to be regulated, taking into account environmental and socio-economical aspects.     

基于STIRPAT模型的西安市碳足迹预测和情景分析

基于STIRPAT模型,构建西安市碳足迹的预测模型。通过岭回归分析后发现,人口规模、人均GDP、单位GDP二氧化碳排放量和第二产业占比每变化1%,西安市碳足迹量将发生0.536%、0.21%、0.44%和0.457%的变化。人口规模、人均GDP是西安市碳足迹的驱动因素,碳足迹强度下降和第二产业占比下降对西安市碳足迹的抑制作用不明显。设置发展情景,测算西安市2020—2030年的碳足迹量。结果表明,保持人口和经济适度增长,降低碳足迹强度和优化产业结构,可以控制西安市碳足迹量过快增长。根据西安市碳足迹趋势的情景分析,提出发展政策建议。