Promprylad.Renovation: impact investing in emerging markets

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes of this paper is as follows: to structure the impact investing phenomenon and distinguish it from traditional investing or philanthropy, including the motivation of investors in impact investing projects; to analyse stakeholders in impact investing projects according to four main categories; to structure the implementation model of the theory of change in the context of impact investing; to build managerial decisions concerning the development of impact investing projects in crisis situations. Case overview/synopsis The case describes the development path of the Promprylad.Renovation project from its concept to the critical moment at the end of 2018. Yuriy Fyliuk – the case protagonist, acts as the main ideologist and leader of the project, the essence of which is the establishment of an innovation centre on the area of the old Promprylad plant in Ivano-Frankivsk. Impact investing was selected as the main project development tool, as it allows for attracting investors who share the aspiration for positive change of the city and potential financial benefit. The project is implemented in several stages as follows: partner involvement (Insha Osvita, MitOst, Pact Ukraine and LvBS), vision finalisation and research (together with Stanford Research Institute, Zotov & Co, FORMA Architects, Moris Group, etc.), the launch of the pilot floor (attracting more than $683,000 from allocated grants and more than $590,000 of private investments). Open equity crowdfunding and the purchase of the entire plant, with its subsequent renovation, should be the next stage. As of 2017, agreements have been reached to pay fully for the purchase of the plant by the end of 2019. After a successful pilot and lengthy negotiations, it was agreed that $1,000,000 should be paid by the end of 2018 and $2,000,000 by the end of 2019 to complete the buyout. However, as of the end of 2018, martial law was proclaimed in Ukraine. Hence, considering the risks, a major US investor refuses to contribute. The main dilemma is either to find a suitable solution to complete the buyout of the plant or to stop the project. Complexity academic level This case can be used in the master’s programmes of business schools (MBA, Executive MBA, Entrepreneurship, etc.), as well as in training programmes for public and state sector managers. The case study will be particularly useful for mixed groups with representatives from different sectors of the economy. This case study might be taught in the following disciplines: social entrepreneurship, social investing, leadership and crisis management. The subject of impact investing allows recognition of the benefits of combined cross-sectoral efforts over joint projects. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 7: Management science.

NECESSARY COMPETENCES OF STUDENTS AND UNIVERSITY GRADUATES FOR SUCCESSFUL EMPLOYMENT

Since 2000, the focus of employers’ attention in recruiting personnel for a company has been gradually shifting from hard skills towards soft skills. The results of a study carried out by Harvard University and Stanford Research Institute show that the contribution of hard skills to the professional success of an employee accounts for only 15 %, while soft skills add up to the remaining 85 %. Today, it is not enough for a graduate to acquire special knowledge and expertise – they are required to have soft skills to succeed in a job search. The paper discusses the issue of transformation of the qualifying requirements to the job seekers claimed by employers when hiring personnel. The objective of the work is to identify the structure of the key skills and competencies of university students and graduates essential for their successful employment. The analysis of the requirements of employers to graduates of one of the universities was carried out in 2017–2021. The empirical base was a sociological survey of the heads of Russian companies on the issues of the important soft and hard skills of young specialists. The results of the analysis prove that the rapidly changing economic conditions affect the pool of soft skills that are significant in the labor market. The paper presents the structure of soft skills, describes the pool of important skills and competencies that encourage an employer’s decision to hire an inexperienced university graduate. Thus, the results of the study confirm the importance of the development of soft and hard skills of university students and graduates.

Essay Review. The Star Gate Archives

For your consideration, two fragments of Twilit history (as Rod Serling might have put it), a dimension as time-stung as eternity, unnerving as a grating laugh at three in the dark chilly morning. One: In 1946, a would-be suicide named George B. J. Stewart attracted the interest of a beefy, bearded wingless angel named Santa Claus, and discovered how to shift into mirror universes. The post-Second World War US Congress quickly established a research center to contact other angels, especially those with working wings, and subsidized the program until 1974, when President Nixon’s resignation caused funding to dry up. Despite top-secret classification masking the CLARENCE program, Stewart is rumored to be alive and still active at the North Pole at the age of 111. Two: In 1972, three Scientologists and the brother in law of the third best chess grandmaster in history were invited by the US military to launch what would become a $19.933 million program devoted to psychic powers. The initial emphasis was operational, with trained clairvoyants casting their attention into far lands and even the future. Many branches of the intelligence community sought specific double- or triple-blind tasking, alarmed by rumors that the Soviets were making advances in this domain. Despite popular rumors, CIA were not heavily involved; the major funder was DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency). Along with NASA, DARPA, US Army Medical Research and Development Command, Foreign Technology Division and others, DIA repeatedly contracted this espionage methodology. Which, if either, of these ludicrous accounts is true? Well, it turns out that CLARENCE is merely a tall story (one I just concocted). By contrast, military research programs into psychic phenomena became public after long-hidden secret documents surfaced. Most recently, four immense volumes have been published by McFarland—dubbed collectively The Star Gate Archives—providing an opportunity to track government-funded scientific research into psi (purported mental abilities able to reach beyond limits established by canonical sciences). Despite those limits, for two decades the science edge of the program was situated on the West Coast at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) and then Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). A 2017 summary paper states: “In July 1972, Russell Targ, as principal investigator, submitted a grant application on Research on Techniques to Enhance Extraordinary Human Perception to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, with Dr. Harold Puthoff as co-investigator. This started the SRI program in psi research, which eventually closed in 1995 at SAIC.”[1] Its two most effective founding viewers were Ingo Swann and Pat Price, now deceased, both devotees of L. Ron Hubbard’s cult. For internal-security reasons, the success or failure of individual efforts were rarely revealed. But since the psi operatives were sometimes called back for further clandestine tasking, it seems evident that the results were often sufficiently effective and accurate in support of more conventional intelligence activities. There’s ample evidence for this in the various volumes. [1] https://www.academia.edu/38006378/THE_STAR_GATE_ARCHIVES_REPORTS_OF_THE_US_GOVERNMENT_SPONSORED_PSI_PROGRAM_1972-1995._AN_OVERVIEW

The Star Gate Archives : Reports of the United States Government Sponsored Psi Program, 1972–1995. Volume 3: Psychokinesis compiled and edited by Edwin C. May and Sonali Bhatt Marwaha

The remote viewing research conducted at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) and later at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) was covered in The Star Gate Archives Volumes 1 and 2, both reviewed in this journal (see Mörck, 2018, 2019). Less well-known is the fact that much psychokinesis (PK) research was also carried out. This research “ . . . was never intended to be an academic exercise typical of most laboratories. Rather, the only interest was to determine the degree to which PK might be used as part of a defensive or even offensive weapon system” (p. 12). This sounds dramatic. To U.S. intelligence agencies, a proper threat assessment was deemed necessary due to research conducted in the Soviet Union. The research in America, at SRI, was initially directed by Harold Puthoff from 1972 on, and later, for about ten years, by one of the volume’s editors, Edwin May. In addition to research reports and reviews, Volume 3, like its predecessor volumes, includes nine appendixes, a list of abbreviations, an extensive glossary, an author index, and a subject index. The papers are arranged chronologically, but it is not necessarily a good idea to read them in that order.

Where Soul Meets Technology

The chapter examines how the visionary dream of connecting people’s minds wavered between religious cosmologies, media theories, and researches into human–computer interaction. It focuses on a series of historical case studies: the writings of Ramon Llull, a fourteenth-century Catholic lay missionary from Spain; the concept of noosphere as described by the Jesuit anthropologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin; Marshall McLuhan’s characterization of media as “extensions of man”; and research on telepathy or clairvoyance conducted at the Stanford Research Institute, a center where pioneering research into interactive computing led to the invention of the computer mouse in 1968. The authors argue that the beliefs, expressions, discourse, and spiritual framework that supported the development of digital media and the internet have been and still are largely religious, mythological, and enchanted.

The Use of Robotic Assisted Surgery; the Current and Future Challenges

Background: Living with robots has always been regarded as a science fiction theme, however due to rapid advances in technology it is becoming more of a reality. The use of robots in surgery dates back to more than 25 years, and has previously been of great assistance to humans in the fields of Aeronautics and Armed forces. An evolutionary step was made after collaboration between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Stanford Research Institute in the field of robotic-assisted surgery. Thereafter, more surgical specialties incorporated this technology in surgical procedures. The objective of this article is to review different applications, challenges, and the future of robotic surgery. Methods: We have used a systematic approach to look at the most relevant published articles regarding robotic-assisted surgery. This review has taken 26 articles into consideration that have met the inclusion criteria of using of robotic- assisted technology in surgical procedures. Conclusion: Robotic surgery is being used in numerous surgical fields such as pediatrics, urology, cardiovascular surgery, gynecology, otolaryngology, general surgery and orthopedics. It has resulted in a reduction in length of stay, post-operative complication and scarring. However, for achieving optimal outcomes, further development in improving the sensory feedback and reducing the lag time during the transmission of long-range telesurgery is required.

Cochlear Implant Microphone Location Affects Speech Recognition in Diffuse Noise

Background: Despite improvements in cochlear implants (CIs), CI recipients continue to experience significant communicative difficulty in background noise. Many potential solutions have been proposed to help increase signal-to-noise ratio in noisy environments, including signal processing and external accessories. To date, however, the effect of microphone location on speech recognition in noise has focused primarily on hearing aid users. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to (1) measure physical output for the T-Mic as compared with the integrated behind-the-ear (BTE) processor mic for various source azimuths, and (2) to investigate the effect of CI processor mic location for speech recognition in semi-diffuse noise with speech originating from various source azimuths as encountered in everyday communicative environments. Research Design: A repeated-measures, within-participant design was used to compare performance across listening conditions. Study Sample: A total of 11 adults with Advanced Bionics CIs were recruited for this study. Data Collection and Analysis: Physical acoustic output was measured on a Knowles Experimental Mannequin for Acoustic Research (KEMAR) for the T-Mic and BTE mic, with broadband noise presented at 0 and 90° (directed toward the implant processor). In addition to physical acoustic measurements, we also assessed recognition of sentences constructed by researchers at Texas Instruments, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Stanford Research Institute (TIMIT sentences) at 60 dBA for speech source azimuths of 0, 90, and 270°. Sentences were presented in a semi-diffuse restaurant noise originating from the R-SPACE 8-loudspeaker array. Signal-to-noise ratio was determined individually to achieve approximately 50% correct in the unilateral implanted listening condition with speech at 0°. Performance was compared across the T-Mic, 50/50, and the integrated BTE processor mic. Results: The integrated BTE mic provided approximately 5 dB attenuation from 1500–4500 Hz for signals presented at 0° as compared with 90° (directed toward the processor). The T-Mic output was essentially equivalent for sources originating from 0 and 90°. Mic location also significantly affected sentence recognition as a function of source azimuth, with the T-Mic yielding the highest performance for speech originating from 0°. Conclusions: These results have clinical implications for (1) future implant processor design with respect to mic location, (2) mic settings for implant recipients, and (3) execution of advanced speech testing in the clinic.

The Intention to Share: Psychological Investigation of Knowledge Sharing Behaviour in Online Communities

This research aims to provide an understanding of knowledge sharing behaviour through the adaptation of two major theories, the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TpB) which were developed by Martin Fishbein and Icek Ajzen from social psychology. Exploring knowledge sharing from a social psychological perspective provides an understanding of the process an individual goes through to make the decision to share his/her knowledge with others as well as the different psychological factors facilitating or hindering knowledge sharing behaviour. Research findings are based on a web-survey of 158 group members of one online community of educators, Tapped In (TI). TI is a professional online community developed and supported by the Stanford Research Institute (SRI International), and directed to enhancing the quality of teaching by developing web-based opportunities of learning and engaging. Proposing an extended theoretical model of knowledge sharing behaviour in online community, this research tested the predictive power of five major variables on the individuals' intention to share expertise and knowledge. Variables included attitude, subjective norms, descriptive norms, controllability and knowledge sharing self-efficacy (KSSE). The study found that normative pressures, including subjective norms and descriptive norms, had a strong influence on the formation of the individual's intention to share in this specific online community. Knowledge sharing self-efficacy also was found to significantly account for explaining the individual's motivation to share his/her knowledge with other members. Attitude and controllability were not found to have significant impacts on the formation of intention.

La mesure des comportements dans un système d’enseignement individualisé

Cet article présente la nature et les résultats d’une étude dont le but était de juger de la pertinence de l’utilisation de l’instrument d’observation de la classe (Stanford Research Institute Classroom Observation Instrument) pour évaluer, dans un système individualisé d’enseignement, les variables suivantes : indépendance, coopération et persistance au travail de l’étudiant. En un premier temps, trois observateurs se sont entraînés à maîtriser l’instrument pour arriver à un niveau d’entente suffisant et pour apprécier la validité de l’instrument. En un second temps, l’instrument a été utilisé pour mesurer les variables indiquées ci-dessus en comparant deux groupes d’étudiants, l’un situé dans un contexte d’enseignement collectif, l’autre dans un contexte d’enseignement individualisé.