University-industry collaboration as a driver of digital transformation: Types, benefits and enablers.

University-Industry collaboration as a driver of digital transformation ultimately depends on the engagement and relationship between individual academics and industry practitioners as partners in a trust relationship. This paper describes the personal ('lived') experiences of academics and industry practitioners. The types, benefits, and enablers of the collaboration were investigated during semi-structured face-to-face interviews with industry partners and academic staff from the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) unit at the University of Enterprise in Australia. The types of collaboration included research activities, sharing facilities and equipment, innovation and commercialisation, collaboration involving students projects, collaborative teaching and learning, and sharing facilities and equipment. The benefits of the collaboration include access to valuable resources, validation of work, learning and teaching opportunities, financial benefits, improved reputation and career progression. The enablers of collaboration have been clustered into institutional, output, framework, and relationship factors. In this paper we focus on relationship factors and institutional enablers such as stakeholder engagement. The research is represented in a UA-IP Collaboration Model indicating the types (what), benefits (why), and enablers (how) of academic-practitioner collaboration. Universities and businesses from a variety of industries can benefit from the results of the presented research.

Environmental sustainability disclosures in annual reports of mining companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX).

Mining companies use environmental sustainability reporting to inform their stakeholders about their position in relation to environmental sustainability. This paper explores how these companies include topics related to the environment and its protection in their annual reports. The 100 largest mining companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) were included in the research sample, using market capitalisation as the size indicator. The investigation was performed by means of quantitative and qualitative content analysis of annual reports to identify relevant keyword occurrences. Results revealed that topics related to protection of the environment, emissions, carbon footprint, and climate change are addressed in companies' annual reports. In line with research in other industries, this study confirmed that the intensity of communication about these topics varies with company size. A new methodology was developed to assess the extent to which mining companies inform the stakeholders about their environmental protection initiatives and to address the limited applicability of the GRI G3 disclosure checklist for sustainability reporting, thereby enhancing the theory of social licence to operate.

A preliminary evaluation of a client-centred prompting tool for supporting everyday activities in individuals with mild to moderate levels of cognitive impairment due to dementia.

OBJECTIVES: Technology-based prompting has the potential to support people with dementia to complete multistep tasks in the home. However, these devices can be complex to use. This paper reports a feasibility trial of a personalised touchscreen digital prompter designed for home use.Methodology: A tablet-based prompter suitable for people living with dementia was developed, along with a detailed guidance manual. Carers loaded instructions for completing the task onto the prompter, and the person with dementia then used the tablet independently to complete a task. Eleven couples used the prompter 'out-of-the-box' with no support other than a guidance manual. RESULTS: The majority of participants with dementia could follow the steps on the prompter, and carers were able to breakdown and load tasks onto the prompter. Eight couples used the prompter successfully to complete goals that they had identified in advance. These included preparing simple snacks and using a TV remote control. Successfully achieving goals was associated with more frequent use of the prompting screen on more days, but not higher levels of editing or previewing of tasks. CONCLUSION: The study provides the preliminary evidence that family caregivers can use a touchscreen tablet, software and manual package to identify specific tasks and break these down into steps and that people living with dementia can then follow the prompts to complete the tasks. This potentially represents an important advance in dementia care. Further testing is required to establish efficacy and to identify any factors that impact on outcomes.

Reaching out to stakeholders: The use of knowledge terminology on the websites of Australian public hospitals.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study described in this article was to examine whether, and to what extent, Australian public hospitals use knowledge terminology, i.e. a body of knowledge-related terms, on their websites. The paper also discusses the difference in the level of such communication between large and small hospitals, the factors affecting the use of the knowledge-related terms in the communication and the similarities/differences between the use of knowledge terms in Australian public hospitals and large/small companies in Australia. METHODS: 151 Australian public hospitals were included in the research sample: 51 large and 100 small hospitals. Using the method of content analysis, websites mentioning knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, knowledge implementation, and knowledge retention were identified, along with the number of these mentions. Descriptive statistics and chi square test of independence were used to provide answers to four research questions. RESULTS: Of the 151 hospitals included in the sample, 30 had no website and 62 (50 small and 12 large) had a single page website. The study found that there are differences between Australian public hospitals regarding the level of their knowledge communication on their websites, both between small and large hospitals and between the individual hospitals within the large and small hospital groups. CONCLUSIONS: A well-known saying goes "For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of". Effective communication of knowledge-related terminologies to both internal and external stakeholders, i.e. the parties who access the websites, is therefore an indication of a knowledge focus in the public hospitals. Large hospitals are generally more active in communicating knowledge terms, although there are some exceptions. Some of the small hospitals can lead by example, but most of them do not include knowledge terminology in their communication on websites.

Developing a decision-making dependency (DMD) model for nurse managers.

Decision making is an inherent, complex and vital component of the work of managers. Its importance and role in operationalizing the activities of an organisation are well-evidenced in management literature. Yet, there is a dearth of literature about the processes used by nurse managers to make decisions. The principal aim of this paper is to identify the different types of decisions made by nurse managers and explore the related decision-making processes. A 'dependency model' is proposed, which illustrates the factors affecting the art of decision making. Structured interviews were conducted to identify types of decisions made by nurse managers in different health-care settings and the factors underpinning these decisions. The research focused on an intensive study of a small group of nurse managers working in rural and regional health institutions in South Australia. The sample included nurse unit managers, after-hours coordinators and directors of nursing. Hermeneutic principles and interpretive research were used to conduct interviews with nurse managers who make numerous and varied types of decisions, though often without following a step-by-step approach. The study identified dependency factors that influence how decisions are made, and developed a model based on eight key variables: (1) the situation to be addressed; (2) the time period in which the decision has to be made; (3) required inputs from colleagues; (4) complexity of the task and the environment, (5) the duration and time it takes to make a decision, (6) availability of resources, (7) the decision-making environment, and (8) personal characteristics. These eight variables are interrelated and have both direct and indirect impacts on how decisions are made. Nurse managers make pragmatic decisions reflecting the complexity of their roles and responsibilities. Awareness of the factors on which decisions depend helps understanding of how they navigate through decision-making processes. The findings are presented as a model that can be used to support decision making by nurse managers in various health settings.

The cross-sectional relationships between consumption of takeaway food, eating meals outside the home and diet quality in British adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to evaluate the association of frequency of consuming takeaway meals and meals out with diet quality of UK adolescents. DESIGN: The Diet Quality Index for Adolescents (DQI-A) tool was used to assess diet quality, where adolescents' food intake was based on 4d diary records obtained from the UK cross-sectional National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) rolling programme Years 1-6. Models included confounders. SETTING: The DQI-A relies on three components, specifically diet quality, diversity and equilibrium, which reflect the degree of adherence of an adolescent's diet with food-based dietary guidelines.ParticipantsBritish (n 2045) adolescents aged 11-18 years. RESULTS: Mean diet quality score for all adolescents was 20·4 % (overall DQI-A score range: -33 to 100 %). After adjusting for age, gender and equivalised household income, DQI-A% score was higher for low and moderate takeaway consumers by 7·4 % (95 % CI 5·5, 9·2; P<0·01) and 3·5 % (95 % CI 1·9, 5·1; P<0·01), respectively, v. frequent consumers. Significant differences were also observed between low, moderate and frequent takeaway consumers among all DQI-A components and sub-components (P<0·05), except for the diet adequacy sub-component (DAx). Results for frequent consumption of meals out were similar but attenuated and not statistically significant for individual components before or after adjusting for confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Frequent consumption of takeaway meals may have a negative impact on adolescents' diet quality and therefore policies to reduce the intake of takeaways should be considered in this age group.

Nurse managers and the sandwich support model.

AIM: To explore the interplay between the work of nurse managers and the support they receive and provide. BACKGROUND: Support is the cornerstone of management practices and is pivotal in employees feeling committed to an organisation. Support for nurse managers is integral to effective health sector management; its characteristics merit more attention. METHODS: The experiences of 15 nurse managers in rural health institutions in South Australia were explored using structured interviews, observation and document review. RESULTS: Effective decision making requires adequate support, which influences the perceptions and performance of nurse managers, creating an environment in which they feel appreciated and valued. An ideal support system is proposed, the "sandwich support model," to promote effective functioning and desirable patient outcomes via support "from above" and "from below." IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The need to support nurse managers effectively is crucial to how they function. The sandwich support model can improve management practices, more effectively assisting nurse managers. Organisations should revisit and strengthen support processes for nurse managers to maximize efficiencies. CONCLUSION: This paper contributes to understanding the importance of supporting nurse managers, identifying the processes used and the type of support offered. It highlights challenges and issues affecting support practices within the health sector.

Home Testing of a Digital Prompter for People with Dementia.

This technology evaluation study assessed a personalised digital prompter designed for people with dementia, by trialling its use in the home by people with dementia and their carers. Technology based prompting may be used to support people with dementia to complete multi-step tasks in the home, provided that suitable tasks can be chosen and that a carer is able to load appropriate task steps onto the prompter. A prompter was developed specifically for this purpose, along with a detailed guidance manual. Twelve participants with mild or moderate dementia carried out cognitive tests and their carers completed carer burden and carer competence scales. Each pair attended a training session with a researcher and were provided with the prompter and instruction manual. The prompter was trialled at home for four weeks after a one-week familiarisation period, for use with a simple set task and one or two tasks chosen by the participants. Semi-structured interviews were used to capture the views of the participants at the start and end of the home testing, and to set and evaluate goals. Chosen tasks included preparing simple food and drinks, and using home appliances including coffee machines and television remote controls. There was a weak correlation between greater goal success for the participants and the carer goal success, number letter switching within the D-KEFS and ACE-III score. A thematic analysis of the interviews revealed three core themes relating to familiarity with technology, utility of the prompter and the cost versus benefit in terms of the effort required to set up the prompter. Factors influencing success could be grouped into: participants' motivation and capability; the design of the prompter; and the details of the task being carried out. Barriers to success included the difficulty of choosing a suitable task and the effort required to break down a task in to appropriate steps. All of the participants with dementia could follow the steps on the prompter, and all of the carers were able to choose, breakdown and load at least one task onto the prompter during the training session, but successful use in the home was varied because of the increased complexity of the home context. Changes to the hardware, software and manual were made in response to the data gathered during the study, in readiness for the planned further testing.

Using simple technology to prompt multistep tasks in the home for people with dementia: An exploratory study comparing prompting formats.

Objectives To investigate the relative effectiveness of different prompts for people with dementia during multistep tasks in the home, to inform prompting technology design. Methods Nine pairs of participants (one with dementia and a partner or relative) participated at home. The participants with mild to moderate dementia (5M/4F, aged 73-86 years) functioned at the Planned or Exploratory levels of the Pool Activity Level instrument. A touchscreen computer displayed different prompts during two set tasks: "card-and-envelope" and "CD player." The trials were scored to establish the relative effectiveness of the prompts. Individual tasks were also explored. Results Text and audio prompts were each more effective than video or picture prompts for a card-and-envelope task, but this was not seen in a CD player task. The differences may be related to the type of actions within the tasks; the card-and-envelope actions were easier to convey verbally; the CD player actions lent themselves to visual prompts. Conclusions Designers of technology-based prompts for people with dementia should consider that the effectiveness of different prompts is likely to be task dependent. Familiar, unambiguous language can increase the success of tailored prompts. There are significant practical challenges associated with choosing and deconstructing everyday tasks at home.

Personal message cards: An evaluation of an alternative method of delivering simulated presence therapy.

Simulated presence therapy is a technique which utilises a familiar recorded voice to calm and reassure people with dementia who are agitated or anxious. Although simulated presence therapy has shown potential benefits in small-scale studies, practical limitations in making and playing the recordings have restricted its use. An alternative method of delivering a message from an attachment figure is through a personal message card. This was one of seven products used within the Bath Memory Technology Library which was made available free of charge to people affected by dementia and their carers. This paper provides an evaluation of the personal message cards. Although feedback was received on only 10 of the 24 cards that were distributed, for nine people there was evidence that the cards met the goals that had been set either fully or in part, and that people affected by even quite severe levels of dementia could benefit from them.

Safe and sound? Night-time checking in care homes.

Current research into sleep in care homes indicates that care-giving processes at night disturb vital sleep-a key element in the everyday wellbeing of older people. This article considers the use of technology to support the provision of relationship-centred care at night. Within the context of a large study on sleep in later life, research was carried out to gain an understanding of care staff's acceptance of technology. The findings indicate a hesitancy to rely on technology. To fulfil a professional duty of care at night, the personal assessment of a resident's wellbeing is perceived as best when performed by care-home staff. However, in night-time care, a relationship-centred approach supported by technology has the potential to improve the sleep of older people living in care homes, which in turn could improve their active participation in everyday life.