Stakeholder Framework Research Articles

A Framework for Stakeholders’ Involvement in Digital Productions for Cultural Heritage Tourism

This paper proposes a new framework for the production and development of immersive and playful technologies in cultural heritage in which different stakeholders such as users and local communities are involved early on in the product development chain. We believe that an early stage of co-creation in the design process produces a clear understanding of what users struggle with, facilitates the creation of community ownership and helps in better defining the design challenge at hand. We show that adopting such a framework has several direct and indirect benefits, including a deeper sense of site and product ownership as direct benefits to the individual, and the creation and growth of tangential economies to the community.

Analysis of the Adult Education Policy Initiatives in Ethiopia: Implications for Policy Reconsideration

Using a qualitative research approach, this article analyzes the adult education policy initiatives in Ethiopia as of 1994. The data were collected from nine adult education professionals/officers who are working at regional-, zonal-, and district-level education offices through in-depth interviews and official documents. The results indicated that the adult education initiatives of the country lack consistency and clarity and affected the practice of adult education. The National Adult Education Strategy (NAES) and its implementation guideline lack a clear framework for stakeholders to collaborate effectively in the provision of the program. Moreover, different policy issues such as partnership, coordination mechanisms, communication strategy, funding, innovation, and monitoring and evaluation were rarely considered in the implementation of the policy. Therefore, for effective adult education provision, a clear adult education policy and greater synergy between policies and practices must be in place.

Exploring the social acceptability for the desalination plant project: Perceptions from the stakeholders

Owing to the extreme climate and growing water demand, water shortage problem has become a new norm. Desalination fills the gap in the water supply, and the daily capacity of desalinated water is increasing. However, desalination projects may be delayed due to the conflicts from stakeholders and the public. Therefore, it is crucial to explore social acceptability to understand social risks in desalination development. This study employed semi-structured interviews and grounded theory to summarize the qualitative factors and conceptual framework of stakeholders' perceptions on desalination. Additionally, quantitative questionnaires were conducted to survey the general trend in public perception. The interview results clarify five emerging themes regarding stakeholders' opinions on desalination. A conceptual framework of interplay among the five themes is also established to elaborate on the stakeholders' perceptions. According to the questionnaire results, 66.7% of the respondents believed problems of water scarcity in the future, 63.4% supported the implementation of desalination, 75.1% considered that the location and time of public hearings should accommodate the residents' needs. Most respondents (81.8%) agreed that desalination plants use green energy to reduce environmental impacts. Furthermore, it was found that the public's occupation is correlated with the acceptance of the desalination plant project.

Challenges and Learning Needs of Nurse-Patients' Family Communication: Focus Group Interviews With Intensive Care Unit Nurses in South Korea.

Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses are expected to facilitate effective day-to-day communication with patients and family members at the bedside. To date, communication training for ICU health care professionals has targeted mainly intensivists-in-training, but there is limited data on communication experience and needs to be evaluated among ICU nurses. This qualitative study used focus group interviews to explore daily communication experiences with patients' families and communication training needs and preferences among ICU nurses in South Korea. Five focus group interviews were conducted with 27 ICU nurses (4-6 nurses per group). The results of inductive qualitative content analysis highlighted four main categories: "Perceived difficulties during communication," "burden from working conditions," "endeavors to promote communication skills," and "strategies for cultivating effective communication." Regarding suggestions for future communication training, nurses preferred interactive learning with peer-support over traditional methods (e.g., lectures). Nurses also suggested that communication training for ICU nurses should include learning skills appropriate for difficult situations (e.g., angry family members). Findings from this study can serve as a framework for stakeholders in ICU care and healthcare education (e.g., hospital and nursing administrators, nurse educators) when designing communication training to support ICU nurses with their practical knowledge and communication skills.

Building a Super Smart Nation: Scenario Analysis and Framework of Essential Stakeholders, Characteristics, Pillars, and Challenges

Globally, countries are increasingly facing challenges regarding their national future post the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to decreasing and aging populations; dwindling workforces; trade wars due to restricted movement of goods, people, and services; and overcoming economic development and societal problems. Accordingly, we identify the challenges and corresponding solutions that act as pillars for a framework to build a super smart nation. We analyze 73 peer-reviewed research papers from Scopus index databases and use the Delphi methodology to identify the challenges, which include people and society, robots, technology, research and innovation, digital infrastructure, data, politics, governance, and sustainability. Further, we discuss the relevant solutions, including top leadership motivation and commitment; proactive steps from the government, development of policies; legal frameworks and laws; creation of awareness programs; use of advanced technologies (such as robotics and semantic technologies); and development of interoperable infrastructure; innovation ecosystem; sustainable energy sources; and global standards for education system through transformation of the education system. These novel insights have valuable practical and theoretical implications for guiding policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers in building a super smart nation.

Developing a conceptual framework for the application of digital twin technologies to revamp building operation and maintenance processes

Globally, the Architecture Engineering Construction (AEC) industry has seen a rise in the adoption of digital twin (DT) technologies due to their potential to enhance collaboration and information communication throughout the project lifecycle from the design to operation and maintenance (O&M) phase. However, empirical evidence on such adoption is fragmented, particularly for facility management (FM) activities during the O&M phase. Considering this gap, an illustrative case study approach is performed to analyze and compare the traditional practices of FM with DT-driven FM during the O&M phase using four geospatially representative cases. The findings show that DT technologies enable efficient and responsive planning and control of FM activities by providing real-time status of the building assets. However, barriers such as the misalignment of the data integration and data standards hamper their future implementation. To address this, a bottom-up conceptual framework is proposed to facilitate a wider implementation of DT technologies and support FM during the O&M phase of buildings. As such, this paper’s contribution is twofold: (1) it provides an aggregate landscape of DT application to manage facilities during the O&M phase, and (2) it develops an evidence-induced conceptual framework for stakeholders who are grappling with their FM decision-making processes.

“Tax Discrimination District”

Problem, research strategy and findings Recent efforts to promote land value capture as a solution to the fiscal crisis of local governments have gained traction, increasing the use of value capture tools across a variety of contexts. This research provides a case study examining how the politics of transit value capture district designation intersect with racialized patterns of disinvestment. Using the case of Kansas City (MO), I illustrate how the attempts of planners and policymakers to expand transit value capture were met with resistance from both low-income and wealthy neighborhoods. I explore how differentiated response to neighborhood concerns by planners combined with stakeholder frameworks about social equity and perceptions of historical domination to produce results exactly counter to the stated purpose of “not building transit purely for the White people.” The case illustrates the importance of considering racial inequities and historic patterns of marginalization in transit value capture to achieve racial equity and challenge existing patterns of segregation. Takeaway for practice Designating value capture district boundaries is a sociotechnical process that interacts with and potentially reinforces existing patterns of domination and oppression. To ensure that value capture implementation does not reproduce and exacerbate existing inequities, urban planning professionals should centralize issues of race, segregation, and marginality in their efforts to create, capture, and distribute land value. Value capture schemes need to be tailored to the local built environment, sociodemographic history, and the needs of specific communities to be effective at addressing spatial inequities.

Developing a framework for stakeholders collaboration in the management and mitigation of oil pipeline disasters in Nigeria

<abstract> <p>Multi Stakeholders collaboration becomes imperative when a single agency such as the NNPC or the Oil Companies alone cannot adequately address a recurring menace such as oil pipeline disasters. Thus, agencies such as National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), NOSDRA, FMHDSD, Fire Service, Oil Companies, Health and Security agencies, the Media and Academia, as well the Community must seek to promote cooperation in order to achieve successful oil pipeline disaster policy implementation. To achieve this goal efficiently and effectively, a framework for stakeholders* collaboration in the management and mitigation of oil pipeline disasters in Nigeria was developed in this study, following a logical path and adopting the use of interviews conducted among the main stakeholders and with industry experts. In a bid to achieve an un-biased opinion, questionnaires and document analysis of data obtained from secondary sources was carried out.</p> <p>A framework for the mitigation of oil pipeline disasters before, during and after disaster occurrence was developed. The framework captures the relevant stakeholders as well as their roles in disaster mitigation.</p> </abstract>

Cost-benefit analysis of demolition waste management via agent-based modelling: A case study in Shenzhen.

The economic instrument is an effective approach to encourage demolition contractors to conduct low-impact waste management. It is essential for project managers and decision-makers to better understand the cost-benefit of demolition waste (DW) management, to promote development of an effective waste management plan. This study explores the interactive dynamics and adaptive nature between stakeholders, where the cost-benefit of DW management is analysed through the agent-based modelling approach. Shenzhen, a leading city in China in the management of DW, was selected as the study area. It was revealed that if the traditional demolition method is adopted as the primary choice, the net benefit of demolition of buildings in the study case will reach -131.4 billion yuan, i.e. the cost will surpass the revenue. If the selective demolition method is widely used by demolition contractors, simulation results indicate that the net benefit will reach 33.3 billion yuan, an increase of 125.34%, compared to the situation in which the traditional demolition method is widely implemented. Based on the simulation, an optimal management framework for DW management stakeholders was constructed. The research results can provide a decision-making basis for the government and relevant departments to formulate DW management measures.

An Integrated Safety, Health and Environmental Management Capability Maturity Model for Construction Organisations: A Case Study in Ghana

Safety, health and environmental (SHE) management is becoming a priority as construction companies (i.e., contractors) strive to reduce construction accidents and negative environmental impacts, conform to regulatory requirements, and sustain their competitiveness. Consequently, construction firms are expected to adopt and implement innovative SHE management systems to mitigate SHE risks effectively and efficiently. For construction firms to effectively do this, they need to have the adequate capability in respect of integrated SHE management. However, there is limited empirical insight regarding the integrated SHE management capabilities of construction companies. Furthermore, there is limited insight regarding the mechanisms for ascertaining the integrated SHE management capability of construction companies to guide such organisations towards SHE management excellence in their operations. Drawing on the capability maturity model integration (CMMI) concept, this study, by applying expert reviews (i.e., Delphi technique and the design methodology for capability maturity grids), developed an integrated Safety, Health and Environmental Management Maturity Model (iSHEM-CMM). The model offers capability maturity assessment on a five-level scale within five thematic categories and 20 integrated SHE management capability attributes. Based on an industrial validation by construction professionals, it is concluded that the maturity model is a useful assessment framework or tool for industry stakeholders, particularly construction firms, to evaluate the status of their current SHE management capabilities, identify strengths and improvement areas, and accordingly prioritise strategies/actions for improving their SHE management. Furthermore, clients who appoint construction companies could use the model as part of prequalification arrangements in selecting construction companies with an adequate SHE management capability.

Does the country’s religion affect the financial performance of conventional and Islamic banks? Comparative study in the international framework

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to compare the impact of religion on the financial performance of conventional and Islamic banks in the framework of stakeholders’ theory.Design/methodology/approachFew studies have focused on studying the impact of religion on banking performance. Although religion represents an external governance mechanism for financial institutions, by using the generalized method of moments (GMM), this topic constitutes a research opportunity. The already modeled variables are collected from 76 countries located on 5 continents. The data were collected from DATASTREAM, banks’ annual reports, WIKIPEDIA and World Bank. It concerns 210 banks of each type during the period (2010–2020).FindingsThe author retained that religion negatively affects the financial performance of both conventional and Islamic banks. More specifically, results showed that religion affected the liquidity and solvency of two bank types. It also affected conventional banks’ profitability and efficiency.Research limitations/implicationsI summarized the theoretical contribution in the integration of a new original governance category to enhance its presence with impacts directly affecting the banks’ financial performance. Empirically, the study can be seen as a compass for all stakeholders to consider environmental, behavioral and doctrinal factors in studying the financial performance evolution and to become more competitive in the banking market.Originality/valueAlthough conventional banks located in developed countries are different from those existing in emerging countries and Islamic banks located in developed countries are different from those existing in emerging countries, I carried out a diversified study in the global context. Referring to the comparative literature review between conventional and Islamic banks, the study was the first conditional research that compared the impacts of religion on the financial performance of conventional and Islamic banks.

Restrictive or expansive? European Investment Bank's challenge to equipoise climate finance with post-pandemic boost

PurposeUnique among European Union (EU) economic governance entities and multilateral banks, the European Investment Bank (EIB) possesses a dual nature, as an EU body and a bank. The EIB has been ever evolving to adapt to policy and market developments and to reflect the geo-economic landscape. In 2019, in association with the EU's Green Deal, the bank announced its metamorphosis into a “Climate Bank,” ending its fossil fuel lending after 2021. Additionaly, upon the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its attendant health and economy crisis, EU decision-makers have solicited the bank to support both urgent needs for tackling and countering the spread of the disease and the post-pandemic economic recovery. Nevertheless, devastated economic actors in need of assistance fall within many sectors, including some less green ones.Design/methodology/approachThis article is grounded on agency theory for developing a generic stakeholder framework, which is then subsequently applied in investigating the EIB, in interaction with its main stakeholders.FindingsThis article investigates the EIB stakeholders in pursuing these two seemingly contradictory objectives of exclusively restricting its activity to green funding and expanding its action for achieving a broad impact in the real economy. By exploring this tension, the article argues that by prioritizing the post-COVID restart, the EIB risks to deviate from its strict green commitment.Practical implicationsThe analysis of the EIB's divergent stakeholder stances demonstrates some ambivalence in future EIB activity in an effort to equipoise climate finance with a post-pandemic boost. The same ambivalence might equally occur with other major economic governance actors. The stakeholder framework developed and applied in the case of the EIB can be useful for studying also the stakeholder dynamics of other organizations.Social implicationsThe analysis demonstrates a tension between selective climate-related funding for “building back better” and the need for a wide broaching of countercyclical stimulus, with implications for economic and social actors alike.Originality/valueThe approach is novel, as it develops a new analytical framework for understanding stakeholder dynamics and tests it empirically on the EIB. This constitutes the first study of EIB stakeholder management.

From silos to systems: Enabling off-grid electrification of healthcare facilities, households, and businesses in sub-Saharan Africa

Electrification gaps greatly impede healthcare service provision in sub-Saharan Africa. In a recent Joule article, Moner-Girona et al. show that electrifying unconnected healthcare facilities with solar off-grid systems is feasible and cost-effective. Here, I discuss critical design, operations, and enabling environment characteristics required to implement and rapidly scale integrated off-grid solar solutions for sustainable development. Electrification gaps greatly impede healthcare service provision in sub-Saharan Africa. In a recent Joule article, Moner-Girona et al. show that electrifying unconnected healthcare facilities with solar off-grid systems is feasible and cost-effective. Here, I discuss critical design, operations, and enabling environment characteristics required to implement and rapidly scale integrated off-grid solar solutions for sustainable development. Achieving universal electrification of rural healthcare facilities in sub-Saharan Africa with decentralized renewable energy technologiesMoner-Girona et al.JouleOctober 20, 2021In BriefEffective strategies for financing the electrification of healthcare remain a challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, Moner-Girona et al. identify a large gap in the electrification of healthcare facilities, and they show that decentralized photovoltaic systems can offer a clean, reliable, quick, and cost-effective solution. These findings provide a bottom-up geographic information system (GIS) framework for policy makers, researchers, consultants, and other stakeholders bridging two elements of the sustainable development goals: “energy for all” (SDG7) and “healthcare for all” (SDG3). Full-Text PDF Open Access

The best practices of port sustainable development: a case study in Korea

ABSTRACT This paper aims to examine the main practices that shape sustainable port development in the context of Korean ports and generalize a typology of port–stakeholder decision framework for sustainable port development. First, the main practices of sustainable port development were examined through a comprehensive literature review and a holistic conceptual framework underpinned by sustainable development and stakeholder management theories. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted with 67 port managers in Korea. Lastly, FAHP was performed based on inputs from 18 port managers to analyze the priorities of the proposed sustainable port development practices. It was found that all proposed practices should be used for evaluating sustainable port development. It was also indicated that Optimized Operation Planning is the most important factor while Internal Environment Management is the least important factor perceived by Korean port managers. A typology of port–stakeholder framework for sustainable development was also generalized to assist port managers in making phased investment decisions. This research contributes to theory building by empirically identifying and validating the sustainable port development practices considering all three aspects of sustainability. It has also generalized a typology of port–stakeholder framework for sustainable development which can be used as a guideline for sustainable development decisions.

A framework of firms' business sustainability endeavours with internal and external stakeholders through time across oriental and occidental business contexts

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to test and compare a framework of firms' business sustainability endeavours with internal and external stakeholders in an oriental business context and to verify the validity and reliability of a stakeholder framework through time and across oriental and occidental business contexts.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative approach based on a questionnaire survey in corporate Taiwan with a response rate of 68.5%. Multivariate analysis is undertaken to uncover the measurement properties of a stakeholder framework.FindingsA framework of firms' business sustainability endeavours with internal and external stakeholders appears valid and reliable through time and across occidental and oriental business contexts.Research limitations/implicationsThis study verifies and fortifies a stakeholder framework through time and across business contexts consisting of five stakeholder groups: upstream, the focal firm, downstream, market and societal.Practical implicationsThe framework of firms' business sustainability endeavours provides guidance to firms in their endeavours of business sustainability with internal and external stakeholders.Originality/valueThis study contributes to existing theory and previous studies by validating a stakeholder framework of business sustainability with internal and external stakeholders beyond occidental business context to be also valid and reliable in oriental ones.

Distributed Ledger for Cybersecurity: Issues and Challenges in Railways

The railway is a complex technical system of systems in a multi-stakeholder environment. The implementation of digital technologies is essential for achieving operational excellence and addressing stakeholders’ needs and requirements in relation to the railways. Digitalization is highly dependent on an appropriate digital infrastructure provided through proper information logistics, whereas cybersecurity is critical for the overall security and safety of the railway systems. However, it is important to understand the various issues and challenges presented by governance, business, and technical requirements. Hence, this paper is the first link in the chain to explore, understand, and address such requirements. The purpose of this paper is to identify aspects of distributed ledgers and to provide a taxonomy of issues and challenges to develop a secure and resilient data sharing framework for railway stakeholders.

Innovation First and Foremost: The Case of Oman's Ranking in the Global Innovation Index

One of the most important reports that evaluate the degree of innovation in countries is the Global Innovation Index (GII). Oman's score has been exceptional from 2013, with experts anticipating it to ascend to the first 40 nations in GII; nevertheless, over the previous two years, the ranking of the country has significantly dropped to 80 in 2019 and is expected to remain to decline after being 57 in 2018. The study's objective is to determine the factors that led to the Oman decline in GII, analyze the involvement of public institutions in this drop in terms of policy change or reform, and explore the societal impact of this drop. Because of a lack of data on the subject, this exploratory, descriptive research used a combination of data collection methods, involving an interview with five specialists and a circulation of 204 survey questionnaires. To achieve uniformity and relevancy, participants were chosen based on the study's themes. This research focused on identifying the factors contributing to the sudden decline in the GII compared to prior years. Additionally, it layout a framework for key stakeholders to execute the major adjustments required to enhance performance in crucial innovation indicators. Finally, it will result in increasing professional and organizational awareness of policy instrumentation in Oman and will offer avenues for future research on this topic and governmental policies that will enhance several of the GII indicators, notwithstanding Oman's drop in ranking.

The Childhood Obesity Data Initiative: A Case Study in Implementing Clinical-Community Infrastructure Enhancements to Support Health Services Research and Public Health.

We describe a participatory framework that enhanced and implemented innovative changes to an existing distributed health data network (DHDN) infrastructure to support linkage across sectors and systems. Our processes and lessons learned provide a potential framework for other multidisciplinary infrastructure development projects that engage in a participatory decision-making process. The Childhood Obesity Data Initiative (CODI) provides a potential framework for local and national stakeholders with public health, clinical, health services research, community intervention, and information technology expertise to collaboratively develop a DHDN infrastructure that enhances data capacity for patient-centered outcomes research and public health surveillance. CODI utilizes a participatory approach to guide decision making among clinical and community partners. CODI's multidisciplinary group of public health and clinical scientists and information technology experts collectively defined key components of CODI's infrastructure and selected and enhanced existing tools and data models. We conducted a pilot implementation with 3 health care systems and 2 community partners in the greater Denver Metro Area during 2018-2020. We developed an evaluation plan based primarily on the Good Evaluation Practice in Health Informatics guideline. An independent third party implemented the evaluation plan for the CODI development phase by conducting interviews to identify lessons learned from the participatory decision-making processes. We demonstrate the feasibility of rapid innovation based upon an iterative and collaborative process and existing infrastructure. Collaborative engagement of stakeholders early and iteratively was critical to ensure a common understanding of the research and project objectives, current state of technological capacity, intended use, and the desired future state of CODI architecture. Integration of community partners' data with clinical data may require the use of a trusted third party's infrastructure. Lessons learned from our process may help others develop or improve similar DHDNs.

Advance Directives and Research Advance Directives

Advance Directives and Research Advance Directives

Coordinated energy-environmental-economic optimisation of building retrofits for optimal energy performance on a macro-scale: A life-cycle cost-based evaluation

Given that energy-efficiency policies focus on meso- or macro-scale interventions, it is imperative to establish a macro-scale evaluation approach for building retrofits to support policymaking in building energy conservation, management and sustainability. This study applies the generic idea of optimising the energy, economic and environmental outputs to propose a facile framework for evaluating the prospects of building retrofits on a macro-scale. Here, an extensive optimisation approach integratinglife cycle cost evaluation and an environmental assessment is formulated, involving coordinated on-site survey, modelling and data analytics. The model framework is corroborated by a case study analysis focused on identifying the optimal retrofit solution for low-rise office buildings in Shanghai. Simulation results show that modifications in occupancy regime, improvements in natural ventilation, heating and cooling systems, cool roofs insulation and installation of renewable energy systems (such as geothermal and solar/photovoltaics) are the basic retrofit measures for a macro-scale intervention to attain maximum life-cycle benefits. Individually, an estimated investment cost for each retrofit project varied within RMB 1 – 5 million with a payback period < 13 years, depending on the building characteristics. Overall, an investment estimated at RMB 1.7 billion (with a payback period of 6 years) is required to achieve ~ 80% energy reduction with a carbon dioxide savings of ~ 243 Gg-CO2/yr. In summary, this study provides a guidance framework for stakeholders to evaluate investments on retrofit projects, including existing and prospective ones.