Catalogue Search | MBRL
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
{{itemTitle}}
111
result(s) for
"Michigan Intellectual life."
Sort by:
Ink Trails
Long revered as the birthplace of many of the nation's best-known authors, Michigan has also served as inspiration to countless others. In this entertaining and well-researched book-the first of its kind-the secrets, legends, and myths surrounding some of Michigan's literary luminaries are explored. Which Michigan poet inspired a state law requiring teachers to assign at least one of his compositions to all students? Which young author emerged from the University of Michigan with a bestselling novel derided by some critics as \"vulgar\"? And from what Michigan city did Arthur Miller, Robert Frost, and Jane Kenyon draw vital inspiration? The answers to these questions and more are revealed in this rich literary history that highlights the diversity of those whose impact on letters has been indelible and distinctly Michiganian.
eBook
Academic patents and materials transfer agreements: substitutes or complements
U.S. universities and academic medical centers long have been important performers of research in the life sciences, but their role as a source of patented intellectual property in this field has changed significantly in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The expanded presence of formal intellectual property rights within the academic biomedical research enterprise has occasioned numerous expressions of concern from scholars, policymakers, and participants. One widely expressed fear involves the effects of patenting on the conduct of the scientific research enterprise. There is also considerable concern over the possible role of Materials Transfer Agreements (MTAs) in raising research “transaction costs”. On the other hand, others suggest that the contractual structure provided by MTAs may reduce transaction costs and facilitate exchange. This paper undertakes a preliminary analysis of the role of MTAs in the biomedical research enterprise at the University of Michigan, a significant patenter and licensor of biomedical intellectual property. We examine the relationship among invention disclosures, patenting, licensing, and the presence or absence of an MTA. Although data limitations make any conclusions tentative, our analysis suggests that the increased assertion of property rights by universities through MTAs does not appear to impede the commercialization of university research through patenting and licensing.
Journal Article
The Adoption of Innovation in Collective Action Organizations
This study used a quantitative/qualitative methodology to explore how collective action organizations (CAOs) remain open to organizational change and innovation. It examined the adoption of inclusion—a recent innovation in the field of disabilities—by local chapters of The Arc Michigan (a disabilities CAO). We found considerable variability in the adoption of inclusion by local Arc chapters. This variability was significantly related to the ecology surrounding these chapters. Local Arc chapters that had adopted an inclusion philosophy had significantly different internal and external environments from those that had not adopted inclusion. Our qualitative findings make it clear, however, that innovative Arc chapters were not the passive recipients of these internal and external influences. These chapters were proactive players in defining and shaping the nature of their internal and external environments. Strategies that were related to a chapter's ability to remain open to innovation included (a) a change orientation, (b) a conscious philosophy or vision, (c) a proactive strategy for achieving chapter goals and overcoming barriers to change, (d) the creation of a supportive organizational network, and (e) avoidance of resource dependencies that required them to engage in activities that were inconsistent with the innovation. These findings provide a framework by which CAOs can maintain an openness to innovation and remain on the forefront of social change.
Journal Article
Parents’ perspectives on quality in family support programs
Support services for families who have a member with developmental disabilities are a growing component of many state mental health systems. Family empowerment is a key principle of these programs, but parents and the staff who work with them are often challenged in their efforts to have parents participate in policy development, program management, and evaluation of programs. The use of nominal group techniques is described as a means of identifying factors parents believe characterize quality family support programs. Parents' identified factors are then compared with factors from a theoretical framework for quality. Parents stressed access to information, adherence to empowerment philosophy, and the importance of interpersonal relationships with staff. Parents placed less emphasis on factors generally found in accreditation criteria.
Journal Article
Enhancing Social Support at the Workplace: Assessing the Effects of the Caregiver Support Program
Although the health-enhancing effects of social support have been well documented, little is known about how to increase the flow of social support among network members. This article describes and evaluates the Caregiver Support Program, a worksite program that attempts to improve the quality of work relationships among house managers and direct care staff who work in group homes for the developmentally disabled. The progam incorporates three strategies for increasing social support: (1) adding a new person or group of persons to the employee's social network, (2) enhancing existing relationships by improving the focal employee's skills for maintaining strong networks and mobilizing support, and (3) enhancing existing relationships by training members of the employee's social network in ways to be more supportive. The Caregiver Support Program was evaluated in a randomized field trial. Results indicate that the program was effective in improving the relationships between direct care staff participants and their house managers. However, other work relationships remained unaffected. The relationship between direct care staff and their house managers was the only work relationship for which both members of the interpersonal dyad participated in the program. The implications of these findings for health education practice and future research are discussed.
Journal Article