Blending internal and external consultancy in the NHS: towards smarter use of management expertise.

Internal management consultancy emerged as an alternative to external consulting and grew considerably in the 1990s – parallel to but with a delay in relation to external consulting growth. Looking at the often considerable expenses for external consultants, many large firms searched for less expensive sources of organizational analysis and established internal consulting functions. In some cases, internal consulting firms were newly founded as additional units or subsidiaries. In these cases, new personnel were predominantly recruited from renowned external consulting firms, offering them equally interesting analytical tasks, less traveling, and less overtime work than in external consultancies. In other cases, internal units such as “Organization,” “Corporate Development,” or “Corporate Planning” were renamed as internal consultancy departments, expanded, and given more responsibility and tasks. In these cases, most of the personnel of the former department or staff function were carried over and only a few additional consultants were hired from outside.

The use of internal consultants brings organisations significantly more value than relying on external consultants as they understand the business, raise its capability and have a vested interest in delivering sustainable results. The paper looks at an approach taken in setting up an internal consultancy, how it was implemented and how its performance was reviewed. It takes learnings from other professions such as marketing and risk management to deliver asset management knowledge and solutions to internal customers (operational team). Models used were Ishikawa to identify the needs of the business, Business Canvas to understand what the value propositions are and how they are delivered, SERVQUAL to ensure internal customer expectations are satisfied and a cultural web approach to measure the value of the service delivered. (6 pages)

BackgroundPolypharmacy can be either beneficial or harmful to children. We conducted a scoping review to examine the concept of pediatric polypharmacy: its definition, prevalence, extent and gaps in research. In this manuscript, we report our transdisciplinary scoping review methodology.MethodsAfter establishing a transdisciplinary team, we iteratively developed standard operating procedures for the study’s search strategy, inclusion/exclusion criteria, screening, and data extraction. We searched eight bibliographic databases, screened abstracts and full text articles, and extracted data from included studies using standardized forms. We held regular team meetings and performed ongoing internal validity measurements to maintain consistent and quality outputs.ResultsWith the aid of EPPI Reviewer collaborative software, our transdisciplinary team of nine members performed dual reviews of 363 included studies after dual screening of 4398 abstracts and 1082 full text articles. We achieved overall agreement of 85% and a kappa coefficient of 0.71 (95% CI 0.68–0.74) while screening full text articles. The screening and review processes required about seven hours per extracted study. The two pharmacists, an epidemiologist, a neurologist, and a librarian on the review team provided internal consultation in these key disciplines. A stakeholder group of 10 members with expertise in evidence synthesis, research implementation, pediatrics, mental health, epilepsy, pharmacoepidemiology, and pharmaceutical outcomes were periodically consulted to further characterize pediatric polypharmacy.ConclusionsA transdisciplinary approach to scoping reviews, including internal and external consultation, should be considered when addressing complex cross-disciplinary questions.

Applying disciplinary science to discipline-spanning problems faces three challenges. Staffing: Are people with the requisite expertise involved? Internal consultation: Are those disciplinary experts communicating effectively with one another? External consultation: Are those disciplinary experts communicating effectively with those they hope to serve? The chapter proposes a strategy for bonding bounded disciplines that addresses these challenges. It is organized around three graphic representations drawn from management science. For staffing, an influence diagram specifies which forms of expertise are needed. For internal consultation, a network diagram specifies which experts should be communicating with one another and how their work should be coordinated. For external communication, a process diagram provides a template for proactive, ongoing two-way communication.

BackgroundAmerican Indian communities have a high prevalence of chronic diseases including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Innovative community-based approaches are needed to identify, prioritize, and create sustainable interventions to reduce environmental barriers to healthy lifestyles and ultimately improve health.Community ContextHealthy Children, Strong Families was a family-based and community-based intervention to increase healthy lifestyles on Wisconsin American Indian reservations. This intervention arose from a long-standing partnership between University of Wisconsin researchers and 3 of these American Indian communities.MethodsIn each community, community advisory boards (CABs) were established by the residents and university partners. CAB meetings were open and held at various times and locations to increase member participation. CABs featured continual, snowball recruitment; internal and external expert consultation; and coordination with standing tribal committees. Meetings initially focused on understanding community supports for and barriers to healthy lifestyles but quickly turned toward community action for change.OutcomeCAB interventions decreased environmental barriers to health at each site and improved options for healthy lifestyle choices. Over 5 years, 71 CAB meetings occurred with a total of 1,070 participants. Successful CAB interventions included planting community gardens and an apple orchard, conducting gardening and canning workshops, instituting food-related policies and dog control regulations, building an environmentally friendly playground, and providing access to recreational facilities. The CABs are now self-sustaining.InterpretationCABs can be highly effective action teams capable of improving community environments. Our experience shows that academic researchers can partner with community residents to generate programs and policies that will expand access to local food, increase people’s choices for engaging in physical activity, and encourage local policy changes that improve overall community health.

Resumo: Este artigo analisa a experiência coletiva que se desenvolve desde meados dos anos 1980 na comunidade rural de Lagoa dos Cavalos (Russas, Ceará), no Semiárido nordestino, cujas terras são resultantes de partilha por herança, e onde se registra uma forma peculiar de organização que garante à população certa autonomia nas decisões coletivas sobre o desenvolvimento local. O objetivo é verificar a quem são delegados poder e responsabilidade no processo de coordenação da ação coletiva, seu perfil e seus papéis. Optou-se pela pesquisa qualitativa, combinando o uso de fontes testemunhais, documentais e bibliográficas. Utilizou-se a amostragem não probabilística intencional na definição dos atores entrevistados. A conclusão aponta que poder e responsabilidade são delegados a dois tipos de lideranças locais que detêm o reconhecimento e a legitimidade para o atendimento das demandas inerentes aos trabalhos de coordenação das atividades coletivas ou para mediação entre população local, assessores externos e o mundo, conservando relativa autonomia. Os assessores externos prestam apoio técnico e político, além de facilitarem o acesso a recursos financeiros. Ambos, lideranças locais e assessores externos, têm papel importante no desenvolvimento local. Mas são dependentes da organização local, que tem criado mecanismos que permitem construir a cooperação e a coordenação da ação dos atores envolvidos.

SYNOPSIS This perspectives article reflects on fostering an informed and diverse ecosystem in qualitative accounting research, with a particular focus on promoting openness to qualitative research in North American accounting journals. Drawing on personal accounts, discussions with editors, extant literature, and published research, we offer suggestions that collectively aim to help qualitative accounting research thrive. We highlight the significant investment required for informed qualitative research and provide guidance for those new to this landscape, urging North American business schools to allocate space for qualitative research and researchers. While acknowledging positive trends in publishing qualitative research, we recognize the need for additional progress and call for increasing diversity, drawing on the critical paradigm, and promoting a broader use of methods such as focus groups, vignettes, observations, case studies, and (net)ethnographies across all paradigms. These suggestions have implications for the broader qualitative research community and, importantly, for publishing in North American accounting journals. Data Availability: Data are available upon request from the authors.

Customization is one of the most applied strategies in the implementation of ERP system in Moroccan SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises). This article examines the reasons why SME managers choose customization when implementing their ERP system, and analyzes the risks of customization in terms of stability and maintenance of the ERP system. Qualitative exploratory research was chosen because the study aims to uncover new perspectives related to the special characteristics of SMEs. A multiple case study of four SMEs from different sectors was conducted. The data collection was carried out through 28 individual interviews with several stakeholders (users, external consultants, internal IT specialists and managers) in the four cases. The analysis of the interview data showed first, what comes within the scope of customization as well as what comes within the scope of configuration. The findings also revealed the level and the type of customization of the ERP system adopted by the four organizations of this study, and observed 5 major reasons leading to the customization of the ERP system, Lastly, 3 substantial risks related to the choices of the customization of ERP system were ascertained. The study in this article is based only on four cases, in order to study the applicability of our results in other contexts, it is necessary to do additional research. The study results have significant implications for experts, managers and information technology researchers. This paper can be used to develop information technology adoption strategy for SME. The article enriches the studies done on the reasons for ERP system customization in Moroccan SMEs and the risks related to the customization in terms of stability and maintenance of the ERP system

Studying engineering mechanics is mandatory for every engineering student at Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH). The course is divided into four parts (statics, elastostatics, kinetics and kinematics, dynamics) and is taught over a period of two years at the very beginning of each study program. While students’ evaluations of our courses are good in general, we face a high failure rate in the exams, which are written once at the end of each course. In later stages of the engineering study programs, it seems hard to for us enthusing students for our research topics. Thus, finding M.Sc. or PhD students is more difficult for us than it should be. In a university funded, internal 12-month project we aim to optimize our Engineering Mechanics Tutorials, which provide a specific, relatively interactive form of teaching to the students. With internal and external consultancy by professional lecturers and didactics trainers, our project team has developed a course of actions and measures to raise the academic success of our students. In this publication we will discuss these actions as well as ways to measure and verify their success.

BackgroundThe provision of hospice-based support and services to children and young people should be integral to the delivery of holistic care in an adult setting. Opportunities for remembrance, social connection...

Chapter 3 - Taming the Hydra: The Need for Effective Consultation and Collaboration in Academic Libraries

BackgroundThis study aims to investigate international measures for pandemic control in the workplace based on guidelines from international organizations to learn from their experiences.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study using content analysis. The search method involved reviewing published guidelines on preventing and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in workplaces. After the screening process, ten guidelines were included in the content analysis. During the analysis, 200 meaning codes, 49 subcategories, and eleven categories were identified. Trustworthiness criteria were utilized to ensure the accuracy and strength of the findings.ResultsEleven categories of international content during the COVID-19 pandemic were legal requirements and duties of employees and employers, structural and program changes, risk assessment, risk communication, information and training, internal and external consultation and cooperation, provision of facilities and tools for workplace hygiene, special conditions, special groups, closing and reopening workplaces, reducing contact and exposure and mental health.ConclusionsProtecting employees during a pandemic requires a multifaceted approach and strong advocacy. The operational plan for pandemic control should be developed based on the level of risk, with support tailored to employees’ conditions and needs. Cooperation among international organizations is essential to develop a standardized plan and issue comprehensive guidelines in response to health emergencies with a global perspective and local implementation, drawing from the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research mainly focused on providing an alternative option to the summer training. The hypothesis has been made on the students who are not approved of the summer training and they hope to change it. For this purpose, we have created a questionnaire to achieve primary data and we gave it to the students at level 4 of university in Sulaimani Polytechnic University, in order to identify their happiness with this module. In the questionnaire, we have suggested that consultancy project can be adopted to alter the summer training. After receiving the responses, we have found that the majority of students considered that: the summer training can be changed into a better project and this somehow matched with the hypothesis given. Keywords : summer training, alternative, internal & external consultancy.

The importance and merits of greater patient involvement in medicines research and development (R&D) are commonly acknowledged and are thought to offer benefits for all involved parties. It helps to improve discovery, development, and evaluation of new effective medicines, based on the collaborative identification and understanding of unmet needs, research priorities, optimization of clinical study design, outcome measures, and endpoint development. It can result in increased transparency, trust and mutual respect between patients and other stakeholders. This applies to all stages of medicines R&D, from industry-led research, to regulation and licensing of medicines, to appraisal by health technology assessment (HTA) bodies. Integration of patients into the medicines development process needs to be structured and governed by clear rules and modes of operation to be effective and yield the best results for all stakeholders. Existing codes of practice for patient involvement with various stakeholders do not comprehensively cover the full scope of R&D, with the exception of more general statements applicable to interaction. Overarching guidance on meaningful and ethical interaction is missing. One specific aim of the European Patients' Academy on Therapeutic Innovation (EUPATI) was to close this gap through the development of guidance documents for selected stakeholders. Four separate guidance documents were developed, incorporating the results from comprehensive internal and external consultation. They cover patient involvement in: pharmaceutical industry-led medicines R&D; ethics committees; regulatory authorities; HTA. Each guidance suggests where patient involvement could be adopted or strengthened. The EUPATI guidance document for patient involvement in industry-led medicines research and development covers the interaction between patients and the pharmaceutical industry within all functions throughout the medicines R&D lifecycle in relation to medicines for human use. It relates to activities pre-approval and post approval, involving individuals and groups of patients. The guideline distinguishes between the level of expertise in a disease area that is required and the different areas where patient involvement can take place; however, this is not meant to limit involvement, and these opportunities may change and increase over time. This EUPATI guidance document is aimed at the pharmaceutical industry who want to engage patients in R&D activities, however all stakeholders involving patients in pharmaceutical-led medicines R&D should understand and use this EUPATI guidance document.

To induce innovation in the public sector, Directive 2014/24/EU encourages internal and external consultation during the procurement process. However, little is known regarding the prominence of these practices. Determining the extent of knowledge sourcing in innovation procurement across 28 European countries, this paper presents an institutional cluster analysis, examining heterogeneity across knowledge sourcing activities, procurement areas, and tender innovation outcomes for 1,505 public procurers from 2008-2010. Building upon existing taxonomies, three types of procuring agencies are identified: Large collaborative agencies practicing public procurement of innovation (31%); supplier-focused pre-commercial procurers (20%); and direct procurers at the municipal level (49%). Validation supports this heterogeneity, using innovation outcomes and policy drivers. At the country level, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and Poland are most represented in respective clusters. Findings enable predictions regarding impacts on agencies and innovation from the new public procurement directive's translation into national law by Member States.