Entrepreneurial universities in two European regions: a case study comparison

An entrepreneurial university is a natural incubator that tries to provide a supportive environment in which the university community can explore, evaluate and exploit ideas that could be transformed into social and economic entrepreneurial initiatives. Entrepreneurial universities are involved in partnerships, networks and other relationships to generate an umbrella for interaction, collaboration and co-operation. Rapid developments in science, the multidisciplinary nature of frontier research, legislative changes such as the Bayh–Dole Act and demands from business and society have shaped knowledge-based entrepreneurship within universities. Despite sharing similar historical backgrounds, economic conditions and cultural and social structures, entrepreneurial universities in most countries remain distinct from one another by their institutional arrangements, traditions and characteristics unique to each organization. Interestingly, no comparative research has been conducted to understand the similarities and differences of the conditioning factors and the outcomes/outputs of entrepreneurial universities in different regions that share similar social, economic and political conditions. This paper addresses this research deficit, adopting institutional economics and resource-based view. We compare entrepreneurial universities in two European regions (Spain and Ireland) using an in-depth qualitative approach based on multiple case studies (two Spanish universities and two Irish universities) between 2006 and 2010. The findings provide organizational practices and approaches relevant to the transformation process of other regional universities seeking to become entrepreneurial.     

The case of two trials: Father-son incest

Although efforts for investigating and prosecuting child abuse cases have increased little attention has been paid to juror response to child testimony. This paper, developed as part of a pilot study to test a questionnaire for polling jurors' opinions in child sexual abuse cases, analyzes a case in which there was a reversal of outcome at retrial. Poll results of the jurors' opinions suggest the need for testimony from law enforcement and child sexual abuse experts to explain children's perception, memory, and recall of a reported experience.     

Fatal falls from a height: two case studies

Two case studies are presented involving fatal falls of adult females from a height. One involved a launch at low speed from a balcony, and one involved a launch at high speed from the top of a cliff. Crime scene evidence obtained on the balcony itself provided a strong indication of homicide, but subsequent investigation showed that the fall was accidental. No crime scene evidence was obtained for the cliff fall since the fall initially appeared to be just another suicide from a popular suicide spot. Subsequent investigations indicated homicide based on measurements of cliff height, horizontal distance to the impact, and available runup distance, plus measurements of possible run, jump, and throw speeds. It was found that a female weighing 61 kg (134 lb) can be thrown at speeds up to 4.85 m/s by a strong male, more than enough to account for the estimated launch speed (4.5 m/s). Given the available 4.0 m runup distance, it was found that women of better than average rather than elite athletic ability can dive at speeds of about 3.5 m/s or jump feet first at speeds of about 4.0 m/s, both being less than the estimated launch speed. The decedent had no athletic ability and landed head first after falling through a height of 29 m.     

The urban anti-crime patrol phenomenon: A case study of a student effort

During the past decade Americans have engraved property, joined block watch organizations, and organized anti-crime patrols, often because they believed crime was out of control. In general such efforts tend to be short-lived, progressing from initial enthusiasm to a relatively brief period of operation and eventual death. What are the key factors in this natural history of citizen anti-crime actions? Drawing on interviews of patrol leaders and members, participant observation, an analysis of campus newspaper stories, and responses to open-ended survey items, this paper tries to answer this question by examining a student patrol at Drake University. The research reveals that the campus crime “problem” was largely the product of student newspaper emphasis, the patrol was able to function because the university provided the necessary resources, and participants joined for a variety of motives. The patrol eventually declined, however, because the student newspaper no longer emphasized the crime problem; student participation decreased because of the monotony associated with surveillance and the existence of organizational problems, especially the lack of strong leadership.     

The use of human skin in the fabrication of a bite mark template: two case reports

Comparison of a suspected biter's dental arches with the patterned injury of a bite mark is especially difficult when the bite occurs in an anatomic location with a small radius of curvature or with complex or compound curves. The authors present two case reports in which human skin was used as a template for the reproduction of a bite. In one case the victim's skin was used; in the other, the skin of a anatomically similar person was used. The use of inked dental casts, photography, and transparent overlays significantly reduced the errors common to analysis of bite marks in these highly curved areas.     

The efficacy of international regulation of uranium mining: Malawi as a case study

This article explores the basis for an international law framework for the adoption of binding minimum standards to govern the exploitation of uranium mining within States. By focusing on international environmental law, the following discourse exposes, a) the inimical impact of State sovereignty over natural resources to effective regulation of uranium mining; and b) the practical ramification of the impreciseness and wooliness of international regulation of uranium mining. This article suggests a need to re‐evaluate the extent to which States may be subject to standards imposed under international law in their exploitation of natural resources.     

Physician-management relationships at HCA: a case study

The questions of whether Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), a for-profit hospital company, fostered an environment detrimental to the physician-patient relationship during the period of implementation of the Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS) was explored. The transition to PPS provided an opportunity to evaluate whether hospital ownership differences affected responses to a payment system which encouraged institutional intervention in the practice of medicine. A case study approach was used to observe the influence of the then largest for-profit hospital corporation upon physicians' medical practice in four owned hospitals. Findings indicated that HCA hospital managers were most directly influenced by the local competitive environment and their own personal agendas in responding to PPS incentives. Corporate influence actually softened payment system incentives to intervene in medical practice by providing a generous supply of capital, and by fostering a corporate culture conducive to cooperative relationships with physicians. Better public understanding of the determinants of hospital behavior is needed to preserve or enhance important social goals such as the physician-patient relationship; easily measurable characteristics such as ownership or bed size explain little about hospital behavior or motivation.     

Electrocution by arcing: a nonfatal case study

Accidental electrocution during working activities account for a considerable amount of morbidity and mortality. Workers often misjudge the danger of electric wires or high-tension power cables, thereby exposing themselves to electrocution hazard. This article describes a nonfatal case of injuries by arcing from high-tension power-line cables involving a young farmer who was thrashing an olive tree by means of aluminum ladder. The circumstances surrounding the manner of electrocution and the features of electric injuries are presented and discussed.     

Infanticide in Malaysia: two case reports and a review of literature

In a strict and conservative society like Malaysia, the number of cases of infanticide has continued to occur. The authors present two typical cases of infanticide in Malaysia. Case 1 concerned a body of a fully mature newborn fetus disposed in a rubbish bin. The head was traumatically amputated by the rubbish truck's compactor. The umbilical cord was still attached to the body, with no reddening around the insertion. The severed neck showed features consistent with post-mortem amputation. The significant finding was expanded crepitant lungs, which floated in water. The histology of the lungs showed expanded alveoli. It was concluded that the baby had been born alive, but no cause of death could be elicited. Case 2 concerned a decomposed mature newborn found in a scrub forest. The internal organs showed advanced putrefaction, the lungs being collapsed, congested, and hemorrhagic, typical of decomposed lungs. No conclusion could be made about the state of birth or the cause of death because of the putrefied state of the body. The two cases illustrate the typical cases and problems faced by pathologists locally and probably elsewhere in the world. Most of the bodies are found in a putrefied state. Pathologists have to ascertain not only maturity and live birth but also the cause of death, which may be very subtle or masked by putrefaction. The problems of diagnosis of live birth are discussed.     

Methodological aspects of telephone scatologia: a case study

The present paper focuses on the sexual paraphilia of telephone scatologia. Some psychological concepts of scatologia are reviewed; their methodological aspects are examined. It is argued that telephone scatologia is only one of the forms of audio scatologia (akophilia), which together with visual and textual scatologias present interactive but remote--intermediary--forms of sexual excitation, when the function of tactile contact is delegated to the sensory specific communication device, and where the perpetrator can be safe and sexually aggressive at the same time. The main objective of this paper is to present a case of prolific telephone scatologist, with the analysis of which the author was closely affiliated. The present paper does not pretend to cover all of the issues associated with etiology and psychogenesis of scatologia, but intends to offer rarely addressed material that could be useful in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, sexology, criminology and interpersonal violence.     

The political development of the Hill-Burton program: a case study in distributive policy

The Hill-Burton program offers a rare opportunity to study a distributive health policy from its adoption to its elimination. This study reveals that the political dynamics of the policy changed over time. It concludes by observing that interest group influence on distributive health policies may only be decisive when circumstances permit. Those circumstances include the involvement of powerful elected officials and the degree of consensus among policy experts about the need for the policy and the appropriateness of its objectives.     

Explaining crime in developing countries: The need for a case study approach

The relationship between crime and development typically has been investigated within the theoretical umbrella of three dominant frameworks (modernization, underdevelopment, routine activities) and by the analysis of cross-national, statistical correlations between developed and developed countries. We outline the empirical, methodological, conceptual and theoretical weaknesses of these studies. The categories developed and developing are invalid when studying crime and change and the defects of existing approaches can only be overcome by a case study approach to the relationships of patterns of crime in different countries.