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Neil Kay's Website

 

 

A personal website intended to help share and exchange information on issues of relevance to my academic work as well as some personal interests, especially ferries and school closures in rural Scotland with special reference to dodgy dossiers and dubious prospectuses of various kinds. I live in Cowal, Argyll, where you won't find - >

 

Breakfast visitors

Contactable at

Wittgenstein's duck/rabbit

Academic

New August 2010

Ferries

This posted 6th August 2010: I have received a reply to an FoI request on the question of Operator of Last Resort for CalMac ferries and other Scottish ferry services. On top of Information that was never intended to be published but which has come to light this raises questions as to whether crucial information on these issues was withheld from Parliament and the public on this crucial public interest issue. For information and comment see today's post here and also earlier July posts here and also here.

New earlier

Academic

This posted 27th June 2010 : Have done an analysis of two of my unpublished papers which have attracted remarkable - and increasing - interest. By end-May 2010 the paper on Game Theory had been accessed by 1258 visitors in three years (54 per month in the first five months of 2010). By end-May 2010 the paper on Coase had been accessed by 3014 visitors in three years (147 per month in the first five months of 2010). The story of what has been happening is told in When it can be better NOT to publish. See my academic pages for more on other publications

This posted 27th June 2010 : Have a new article; "Dynamic capabilities as context: the role of decision, system and structure", Industrial and Corporate Change 2010 forthcoming, (Oxord University Press are publishing an advanced copy here)

Ferries

This posted 2nd July 2010: Deloitte Touche report back online (see post for 1st July below) Government says "just moving some older material to another server and so it was off for a day or so but back on now..." Yes, of course. Could be two reporters and an MSP chasing them down on this would have helped hasten the process...

This posted 1st July 2010: An error or anotther scandal? Is the Government trying to bury evidence on the Gourock-Dunoon route that has the potential to severely embarrass it? See here

Was new earlier

Ferries

I obtained several FOI responses the first 25th March, the second 10th April, and the third also 10th April that confirms that the government's statement that there are "suitable" vehicle-carrying vessels for Gourock-Dunoon available on the second-hand market is simply not true.Then the Government News Release helped reinforce my conclusion that the government has set up a passenger-only future for the Gourock-Dunoon town centre service, see this post 16th April, and this attempt to rewrite and airbrush history 18th April

 

Some stuff on my research and teaching, with emphasis on my interests in the boundaries of the firm and its determinants

CalMac Oban

Ferries

Focuses on Scottish lifeline ferry services with five blogs, a general blog, and one each for the Scottish Executive tenders for the CalMac network, Northern Isles, Campbeltown-Ballycastle and Gourock-Dunoon

My son's school when in Australia

Schools

This is mostly about rural schools in Scotland and the threat of closure faced by many in the light of the failure of public policy in these areas:

What Scottish Water left behind

Water

Scottish Water have caused considerable and permanent damage to the environment around Scotland. This is just one community's continuing story

Sailing last summer

Extras

Bits and pieces, odds and ends, what it says on the tin.

 

for BabyBoomers click here

Current Topics of Interest Include:

Ferries

The Commision Decision on Scottish ferries here

Proposal for Gourock-Dunoon see here

Answers from the EC and European Court : See here

Powerpoint presentation on Scottish Ferries see here

And PSOs (or public service obligations): see

What is a PSO? for information about PSOs

PSO Crib Sheet for a summary of the issues,

and follow with a Note on the Logic of PSOs.

Schools

School closures: see spare capacity and school closures