Initial Framework Research Articles

Understanding project resilience: Designed, cultivated or emergent?

This paper combines insights from complexity and resilience research with a process view of project organizations to advance our understanding of project resilience. We propose the concept of evolving resilience as the dynamic interaction between perturbations and processes of anticipatory shaping, regular becoming and exceptional organizing in project networks. Adopting a theory elaboration approach, we apply an initial conceptual framework on data regarding four complex projects. This enables us to identify a typology of emergent responsiveness patterns, namely reinforce trajectory, bounce back to trajectory, and jump to alternative trajectory. This typology provides the building blocks for elaborating an integrative process model of evolving project resilience. Results contribute to research on project resilience, and on the complexity of front-end shaping and ongoing organizing processes, and sheds light on the debates surrounding agile methods and allocational versus relational contracts.

Applying the framework to study climate-induced extremes on food, energy, and water systems (C-FEWS): The role of engineered and natural infrastructures, technology, and environmental management in the United States Northeast and Midwest

Change to global climate, including both its progressive character and episodic extremes, constitutes a critical societal challenge. We apply here a framework to analyze Climate-induced Extremes on the Food, Energy, Water System Nexus (C-FEWS), with particular emphasis on the roles and sensitivities of traditionally-engineered (TEI) and nature-based (NBI) infrastructures. The rationale and technical specifications for the overall C-FEWS framework, its component models and supporting datasets are detailed in an accompanying paper (Vörösmarty et al., this issue). We report here on initial results produced by applying this framework in two important macro-regions of the United States (Northeast, NE; Midwest, MW), where major decisions affecting global food production, biofuels, energy security and pollution abatement require critical scientific support. We present the essential FEWS-related hypotheses that organize our work with an overview of the methodologies and experimental designs applied. We report on initial C-FEWS framework results using five emblematic studies that highlight how various combinations of climate sensitivities, TEI-NBI deployments, technology, and environmental management have determined regional FEWS performance over a historical time period (1980–2019). Despite their relative simplicity, these initial scenario experiments yielded important insights. We found that FEWS performance was impacted by climate stress, but the sensitivity was strongly modified by technology choices applied to both ecosystems (e.g., cropland production using new cultivars) and engineered systems (e.g., thermoelectricity from different fuels and cooling types). We tabulated strong legacy effects stemming from decisions on managing NBI (e.g., multi-decade land conversions that limit long-term carbon sequestration). The framework also enabled us to reveal how broad-scale policies aimed at a particular net benefit can result in unintended and potentially negative consequences. For example, tradeoff modeling experiments identified the regional importance of TEI in the form wastewater treatment and NBIviaaquatic self-purification. This finding, in turn, could be used to guide potential investments in point and/or non-point source water pollution control. Another example used a reduced complexity model to demonstrate a FEWS tradeoff in the context of water supply, electricity production, and thermal pollution. Such results demonstrated the importance of TEI and NBI in jointly determining historical FEWS performance, their vulnerabilities, and their resilience to extreme climate events. These infrastructures, plus technology and environmental management, constitute the “policy levers” which can actively be engaged to mitigate the challenge of contemporary and future climate change.

Intentions and donations: monetary charity in Kuwait during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the intentions of individuals’ monetary charity during the COVID-19 crisis in Kuwait. The new conditions of COVID-19 enhanced both the theoretical as well as empirical importance of understanding how charities canalize monetary donations toward those in need.Design/methodology/approachAn initial framework is developed based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to conceptualize how an individual’s intention of donating money to charitable organizations is realized in their behaviors. A cross-sectional study of 276 donors is conducted.FindingsExplained variance gained is 0.73% suggesting that during the pandemic, donors are financially able to donate and prioritize easily accessible channels to transfer monetary charity. Donor attitudes towards charitable organizations were found to be insignificant regardless of the mismanagement reported.Practical implicationsThis study importantly discusses public behavior toward charities during the pandemic and suggests policies for managing such charities during a pandemic for optimizing their effectiveness.Originality/valueThis paper used a contemporary context to measure behavioral intentions including attitude (attitude toward making a financial donation, attitude toward charitable organizations and the attitude toward helping others), perceived behavioral control, descriptive norms, moral norms, injunctive/prescriptive norms and past behavior and thus enhance the empirical base of the TPB.

Proof-of-concept approach to assess the impact of thermal disinfection on biofilm structure in hot water networks

Temperature-based strategies are commonly applied to control microbial growth, but the impact of those procedures on biofilm structure is usually not evaluated. This study investigates how thermal disinfection procedures affect pre-established Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms, formed in a Center for Disease Control (CDC) biofilm reactor. It also assesses the biofilm regrowth potential over 24 h, under 125 and 225 rpm. Biofilms structure was compared at the mesoscale (thickness) and at the microscale (biovolume and surface coverage). Results showed that the impact of the thermal disinfection on the biofilm structure depends on the hydrodynamic conditions, which are also critical to the biofilm structural rearrangement upon regrowth. A thickness reduction of 80 % was found after the shock for biofilms formed under 125 rpm, however there was no significant biofilm sloughing off for the 225 rpm. Surface coverage was reduced by 65 % and 6 % after the thermal shock for 125 and 225 rpm, respectively. Furthermore, results seem to indicate that regardless the biofilm structural characteristics, bacteria recovered their culturability and viability to similar values to the ones before the thermal shock. This work provides an initial framework to develop more sustainable and effective thermal disinfection procedures in engineered water networks.

Designing a library of lived experience for mental health (LoLEM): protocol for integrating a realist synthesis and experience based codesign approach

IntroductionPeople with lived expertise in managing mental health challenges can be an important source of knowledge and support for other people facing similar challenges, and for carers to learn how...

Development of contextual learning models through collaboration between lecturers, students, and village governments in nursing education.

This study aims to develop a contextual learning model through a collaboration between lecturers, students, and the village government for nursing education. This study used a qualitative design. The process of collecting the data was done through focus group discussions with 12 informants representing four stakeholders. There were four focus groups, namely universities, village governments, community health centers, and students. The discussion used open-ended questions that were developed through two parameters, the learning outcomes and learning activities. The data analysis undertaken used thematic analysis specifically. There were 11 grouped concepts found in this study which were able to be divided into three categories. The learning outcome category was formed of four concepts, including attitudes, mastery of knowledge, skills, and values. The learning process category was formed of five concepts, namely learning resources, learning methods and forms, learning media, learning time, and learning subjects. The main sources of contextual learning were found to be programs and maternal and child health (MCH) issues in the village. Techniques and instruments were the two concepts in the assessment category. A collaboration between lecturers and the village government to help students and to provide learning resources in the village integrates the program (MCH) with the learning outcomes. These concepts are the initial framework to help the head of the study program to integrate the MCH programs and cases in the curriculum and to facilitate the contextualization of the knowledge from the nursing students.

Sustainability study of electric vehicles performance in the UAE: moderated by blockchain

PurposeThe UAE has set an ambitious target to become one of the most sustainable countries in the world. In addition, the country's infrastructure is playing a pivotal role in terms of electric vehicle (EV) usability with regard to its roads, power generation capacity, availability of charging stations and the drive towards customer adoption. The readiness for EVs in the UAE is assessed in this study as part of its development towards its sustainable target. This research aims to study EV readiness among the UAE car users from a sustainability perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed methodology follows with a comprehensive literature review to identify the various drivers of EV readiness and their contribution to sustainability. A list of hypotheses was developed based on the identified drivers to EV readiness. A questionnaire survey was designed to validate the hypothesis, and data were collected from consumers in the UAE. In total, 140 complete responses were received across different consumers and the results were studied using partial least square based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method.FindingsAn initial framework for EV readiness was developed, and analyses of the variables that are driving the relationships was done. The analysis confirmed that quality of service, power quality and infrastructure are positively linked to EV readiness in the UAE. However, the role of blockchain as a moderator to enhance the relationship between power quality, infrastructure and sustainability is not significant, indicating blockchain adoption in the UAE is still nascent in nature. However, its adoption has some potential to save energy.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited to the UAE region in terms of sample collection and respondents' profile. Further, research on EV readiness seemed to be early at present and therefore this research on EV readiness and its associated variables could set future research directions.Originality/valueLogistics industry and automotive industries will benefit from the outcomes of the study especially while operating in the UAE. Also, the research recommends EV makers to understand the relationship between quality of service, power quality, infrastructure, EV readiness and sustainability in order to move towards a more sustainable transportation future.

Measuring the impact of steroid therapy on health-related quality of life in patients with rheumatic diseases: international development of a glucocorticoid treatment-specific patient-reported outcome measure.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) ('steroids') are used to treat rheumatic diseases but adverse effects are common. We aimed to explore the impact of GC therapy on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), to inform the development of a treatment-specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for use in clinical trials and practice. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with patients from the UK, USA and Australia, treated for a rheumatic condition with GCs in the last two years. Purposive sampling was used to select participants with a range of demographic and disease features. An initial conceptual framework informed interview prompts and cues. Interviews elicited GC-related physical and psychological symptoms and salient aspects of HRQoL in relation to GC therapy. Interview data were analysed inductively to develop initial individual themes and domains. Candidate questionnaire items were developed and refined. Sixty semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted (UK n = 34, USA n = 10, Australia n = 16). Mean age 58 years; 39/60 female; 18 rheumatic diseases were represented. 126 individual themes were identified and organised into six domains: physical symptoms; psychological symptoms; psychological impact of steroids; impact of steroids on participation; impact of steroids on relationships; and benefits of steroids. Candidate questionnaire items were tested and refined by piloting with patient research partners, iterative rounds of cognitive interviews, and linguistic translatability assessment, informing a draft questionnaire. We describe an international qualitative study to develop candidate items for a treatment-specific PROM for patients with rheumatic diseases. A future survey will enable the validation of a final version of the PROM.

A framework for designing interactive mobile training course content using augmented reality.

Because mobile technology and the widespread usage of mobile devices have swiftly and radically evolved, several training centers have started to offer mobile training (m-training) via mobile devices. Thus, designing suitable m-training course content for training employees via mobile device applications has become an important professional development issue to allow employees to obtain knowledge and improve their skills in the rapidly changing mobile environment. Previous studies have identified challenges in this domain. One important challenge is that no solid theoretical framework serves as a foundation to provide instructional design guidelines for interactive m-training course content that motivates and attracts trainees to the training process via mobile devices. This study proposes a framework for designing interactive m-training course content using mobile augmented reality (MAR). A mixed-methods approach was adopted. Key elements were extracted from the literature to create an initial framework. Then, the framework was validated by interviewing experts, and it was tested by trainees. This integration led us to evaluate and prove the validity of the proposed framework. The framework follows a systematic approach guided by six key elements and offers a clear instructional design guideline checklist to ensure the design quality of interactive m-training course content. This study contributes to the knowledge by establishing a framework as a theoretical foundation for designing interactive m-training course content. Additionally, it supports the m-training domain by assisting trainers and designers in creating interactive m-training courses to train employees, thus increasing their engagement in m-training. Recommendations for future studies are proposed.

Developing, evaluating, and validating a nonprofit board performance framework

AbstractIn this research note, we describe a sequential mixed‐methods research study used to uncover the factors contributing to nonprofit board performance, which we conducted in the context of Singapore. A qualitative study generated an initial framework for board performance that was evaluated but deemed unsuitable. A second framework was then developed through a quantitative survey administered to a nationally representative sample of board members and managers, derived via stratified random sampling. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, this second framework was evaluated and validated for its ability to explain the performance of nonprofit boards.

Corporate social responsibility performance among listed non-financial firms in Nigeria

The extent of involvement in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by companies in Nigeria is required in order to know the level of acceptance and actual performance of CSR demands on the companies. This descriptive research design study was carried out using data from the annual reports (2010-2019) of listed non-financial companies in Nigeria. Social and environmental disclosures based on the Global Reporting Initiative framework (GRI-4) were used. Social disclosure is measured as an index score generated from the score of 1 or 0 for disclosures or otherwise on community, donation, employee, health and safety, and customer/complaints. Environmental disclosure represents an index score generated from the score of 1 or 0 for disclosures or otherwise on material, energy, water, biodiversity, emission/greenhouse gas, waste management, product services, and compliance with laws. The companies are involved in activities that contribute more to social sustainability than environmental sustainability, accounting for an aggregate average performance score of 0.71 (71%) and 0.03 (3%) for social and environmental responsibility respectively. The firms contributed significantly to social responsibility and very little with no significant performance in environmental responsibility. The very low environmental responsibility performance among these firms is worrisome and calls for investigation into the existing national environmental regulatory frameworks.

Applying Principles of Public Governance to Enhance the Performance of the Court of Accounts of the State of São Paulo


 
 
 Purpose: This study aimed to assess the application of Governance principles and recommendations suggested by Study 13 of the PSC/IFAC in the management of the Court of Auditors of the State of São Paulo.
 Theoretical framework: The initial framework discussed corporate governance in the public sector, followed by an in-depth discussion of public governance according to the PSC/IFAC. This reference informed the construction of a quantitative research instrument.
 Methodology: This qualitative and quantitative research employed field research based on a case study of the Court of Auditors. Data collection was performed through a questionnaire adapted from the Checklist for Governing Bodies of study 13 PSC/IFAC.
 Findings: Results showed that the Court of Auditors met the minimum and satisfactory norms required for compliance with the governance principles addressed in the study. However, the study also identified exceptions in some areas, which can be viewed as opportunities for improvement in the application of Public Governance in the respective body. Therefore, this research can be relevant for implementing corrective measures and public control policies.
 Research, practical & social implications: This study's findings can be used to improve the Court of Auditor's governance practices and contribute to the implementation of public control policies. This research can also serve as a reference for other public institutions seeking to implement best practices in governance.
 
 

Teaching & Learning guide for: An initial framework for the study of internalized racism and health: Internalized racism as a racism‐induced identity threat response

<b>Teaching &amp; Learning guide for:</b> An initial framework for the study of internalized racism and health: Internalized racism as a racism‐induced identity threat response

Foundations as sustainability partners: climate philanthropy finance flows in China

ABSTRACT Despite substantial efforts being made through public and private sources, funding for climate change mitigation falls far short of what is needed. Meanwhile, philanthropic sources have begun to emerge as important sustainability partners by connecting multiple sectors and guiding funding flows. This study provides a comprehensive overview of climate-related philanthropic foundation financing and funding in China. Using a classification framework for climate change initiatives through co-word analysis and text segmentation techniques, we conduct visualization analysis to depict the changing pattern of climate philanthropy in China by analyzing donors, subfields, and flow of funds between 2008 and 2019. We conclude by providing suggestions for funders, charities, and policymakers seeking to enhance the value of collaborative governance in addressing climate change.

Service Design Handover to user experience design – a systematic literature review

Knowledge transfer plays an important role in digital Service Creation Projects where information should flow through service design, Agile UX, and software implementation phases. One context for these handovers exists in projects where the service designers participate in the early phases of exploring and scoping the service, while agile user experience specialists take over the digital parts of service design and programmers the software implementation. The purpose of this study is to summarise scientific knowledge into best practices for effective information flow in real world Service Creation Projects. Special attention is paid on an important and understudied project phase, knowledge handover from service design to software implementation, which is referred as Service Design Handover in this study. A systematic literature review was conducted to analyse the current scientific knowledge on knowledge transfer in digital Service Creation Projects. PRISMA 2020 statement was used for reporting the review, which also influenced planning and execution of the systematic review process. SCOPUS search brought up 773 publications, and the full content analysis was done for the 41 most relevant publications. Based on the literature analysis, the best practices for effective knowledge transfer are related to communication quality and quantity, circumventing the need for communication, and verifying successful communication. To provide an overview of effective knowledge transfer, frameworks of Service Creation Project information flow and Service Design Handover are proposed. The existing knowledge transfer literature is voluminous, but this literature review is the first to study knowledge transfer in Service Creation Project context. The framework, best practices, and list of potential problem sources in knowledge transfer provide new knowledge for managing the information flow in service creation. The research gaps found in this literature review show the need for future research, such as empirical studies on service creation practice. • First systematic literature review on Service Design Handover. • Information flow framework for Service Creation Projects. • Initial framework for Service Design Handover to Agile UX. • Service vision, user stories and prototype are the most critical boundary objects for the Service Design Handover.

Developing a public-private partnership framework for managing the adverse health effects of environmental disaster (a case study of Lake Urmia – Iran)

Abstract The present study aimed to develop a Public-Private Partnership framework for managing the Adverse Health Effects of Environmental Disasters using the drying lake Urmia case study in Iran. This is a qualitative study with grounded theoretical approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using content analysis. To formulate the initial framework, an expert panel was formed. Delphi methodology was used to determine the validity of framework. The most critical infrastructure for private sector participation was designing a legal framework and providing adequate resources and facilities. Pollutant assessment and public education are among the essential areas in which the private sector can participate. To evaluate the performance of the private sector, periodic and short-term reports, and documentation should be used. Payments to the private sector should be for periodic objectives based on performance. Reimbursement should combine service fees, allocation per capita, and performance quality. One of the significant difficulties and challenges in the managing of AHEEDs is lack of resources, poor management and inter-departmental coordination. Policymakers can consider PPP as an effective policy for reducing the AHEEDs. To this end, the framework presented in this study can be used as a guide by national and local authorities and policymakers.

Applying Inclusive Design and Digital Storytelling to Facilitate Cultural Tourism: A Review and Initial Framework

This article aims to review and identify key challenges and opportunities in the interrelationship between cultural tourism, inclusive design, and digital storytelling fields. The literature review included searching Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar for three main field keywords, drawing 421 articles between 1990 and 2022. Content analysis was applied to literature findings and five categories with twenty-three themes emerged accordingly: (1) issues in cultural tourism; (2) diversity in museums; (3) inclusive design in museums; (4) motivation in museums; and (5) digital storytelling in museums. The article further discusses the nuanced relationship between these three fields and proposes an initial framework to help future growth of cultural tourism through increasing visitors’ motivation and diversity. As such, the work aims to facilitate cultural tourism as an activity that better reflects the diversity of its potential audiences and proactively addresses their needs, requirements and interests.

Crystallization and Solidification of Poikilitic and Granular Rocks in the Ultramafic Sequence of the Xinjie Layered Intrusion (SW China): Constraints from Complex Growth Zoning of Clinopyroxene and Spatial Variation of Dihedral Angles

AbstractCrystallization and solidification pathways in crustal magma chambers control the chemical and textural evolution of igneous rocks. However, deciphering these codes from completely solidified cumulates is challenging and requires a full understanding of growth processes of minerals and textures of rocks. In this study, we collected samples from a ca. 380-m-thick drill core intersecting the ultramafic sequence of the Xinjie layered intrusion in SW China, which is composed of wehrlite with poikilitic clinopyroxene (Cpx), and clinopyroxenite and olivine clinopyroxenite with euhedral to subhedral Cpx grains. Using micro-X-ray fluorescence and electron probe micro-analyzer mapping techniques, we found that the Cpx grains in clinopyroxenite and olivine clinopyroxenite are characterized by sector-zoned, Cr-rich cores, whereas the Cpx oikocrysts in wehrlite only show Cr-rich cores without sector zoning. The sector-zoned cores of the Cpx grains are widespread in clinopyroxenite and olivine clinopyroxenite and consist of Si–Mg-rich hourglass sectors and Cr–Al–Ti-rich prism sectors, indicating rapid growth of the Cpx grains due to moderate degrees of undercooling, which may be induced by fast cooling during initial emplacement of Cpx-saturated magma into cold country rocks. The sector-zoned Cpx grains thus likely constructed the initial crystal framework in the magma chamber. In contrast, the absence of sector zoning in Cr-rich cores of the Cpx oikocrysts indicates that an olivine-saturated magma may have intruded a high-temperature, Cpx-laden crystal mush so that magma undercooling was significantly reduced or eliminated and no sector zoning developed in the Cpx oikocrysts. Such a process may also result in the spatial variation of the medians of Cpx–Cpx–plagioclase dihedral angles (Θccp) in clinopyroxenite, which shows a significant reduction from an original impingement angle of ~60° in the middle and upper parts to ~40° in the basal part of the sequence. The reduction of Θccp could be attributed to melt-present textural equilibration in the Cpx-laden mush that was sustained by additional heat supplied by massive olivine-saturated melt input in the ~40-m-thick basal part. Here, we propose that the ultramafic sequence of the Xinjie layered intrusion may have formed by the intrusion of primitive, olivine-saturated magma into an early-formed Cpx-laden mush in a manner of sill-like sheets. This study provides new perspectives on the early history of a magma chamber and emphasizes the role of sill intrusion of primitive magmas into crystal mush in the formation of ultramafic sequences in layered intrusions, which has been relatively overlooked in previous studies.

First magnetostratigraphic results in the Aïn Beni Mathar-Guefaït Basin, Northern High Plateaus (Morocco): The Pliocene-Pleistocene Dhar Iroumyane composite section

The Aïn Beni Mathar-Guefaït Basin, in the High Plateau Region (Morocco), is dissected by the Za River, the main eastern tributary of the Moulouya, which incises more than 150 m into Plio-Pleistocene sediments. The main goal of the present study is to provide an initial geochronologic framework for such basin infill based on a combination of magnetostratigraphy and electron spin resonance (ESR). The combined results have implications on the age of the paleontological record, the evolution of the Moulouya River, and the activity of the faults that delimit the basin. We have studied sedimentary rocks that are essentially flat-lying and of an alluvial and lacustrine/palustrine origin. An approximately 140 m-thick section has been sampled at an average of 2.5 m per site, allowing to build a local magnetic polarity stratigraphy that includes nine geomagnetic reversals. Although no fold test is available, the presence of dual polarities and rockmagnetic analysis give us confidence that magnetization directions are primary. We then anchored the obtained magnetozones to the Geomagnetic Polarity Timescale (GPTS) using the biostratigraphic data as well as local geological observations. Our proposed magnetostratigraphy-based chronology reveals a Plio-Pleistocene sedimentary infill spanning from Gauss to Olduvai Chrons. The lower, detrital formations mostly fall within the normal Gauss Chron, whereas the upper lacustrine and palustrine carbonates, which are almost widespread to the top of the sedimentary fill, are Olduvai in age. These results provide the first chronological constraints for the basin fill in one of the largest intermontane basins of the High Plateaus. The new magnetostratigraphy also reveals that the major environmental change that triggered a switch from alluvial to lacustrine-palustrine conditions in Northern Maghreb occurred near the Gauss-Matuyama reversal, ca. 2.6 Ma. In addition, it shows that the age of the paleontological site Guefaït-4 is approximately 1 myr older than the ESR ages obtained from the quartz grains. The possible sources for this underestimation are discussed. However, we also acknowledge and discuss other possible chronostratigraphic interpretations of the current data, although less likely.

Sustainability reporting on the websites of public and private universities in Ghana

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare the sustainability dimensions reported on the websites of public and private universities in Ghana, an emerging economy.Design/methodology/approachThe universities in Ghana were categorized under public and private universities. The top five under each category were chosen (by Edu Rank’s ratings), and data was gathered from the websites of the sampled universities. Data analysis was conducted using Global Reporting Initiative (GRI-G4) framework and sustainability tools for campus assessment. Findings were then analyzed through stakeholder theory’s lens and organizational characteristics such as ownership, students’ acceptance ratios, performance, size and age.FindingsThis study’s results show that the key aspects of sustainability disclosed on the websites of the sampled private and public universities in Ghana are more of economic and campus sustainability assessment indicators than the social and environmental dimensions. Contrary to the popular notion that private sector organizations do more sustainability reporting than those in the public sector, in the case of Ghana, the sampled public universities reported more than the privately owned universities. This study attributes the extent and variations of sustainability reporting among the public and private Ghanaian universities to the universities’ characteristics such as students’ acceptance ratios, performance, size, ownership and age.Practical implicationsThe findings from this study indicate that in improving the value of sustainability reporting, stakeholders of the educational sector in emerging economies should encourage universities to adopt the GRI-G4 framework and campus sustainability assessment indicators in disclosing their sustainability initiatives.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first study to compare the extent and variations in sustainability reporting between public and private universities in an emerging economy.