Main Lenses Research Articles

Organisation design in megaprojects: A systematic literature review and research agenda

Megaprojects have a complex and evolving web of organisations arranged in a multilevel and multiphase structure, with intra- and inter-organisational boundaries evolving during the life cycle. This systematic review explores organisation design in megaprojects, identifying the processes for designing temporary megaproject organisational systems. The review analyses 141 full articles from a sample of 10,078 papers and presents three main contributions: the main theoretical lenses used to develop organisation design research in megaprojects, eight decision dimensions influencing organisation design choices, and the most common organisational capabilities. We present the Megaproject Organisation Design (MegaOD) Framework, as a structure to design organisational boundaries, and to identify the organisational dynamics (design, development, and redesign). We suggest four research streams to advance the design of complex organisations: 1. Design of megaproject ecosystems, 2. Degree of organisational interdependence, 3. Design for integration of product and organisational architectures, and 4. The role of organisational designers.

Castle and the Seasons

This article develops the concept of the “geometaphor” by considering the life and work of Loris Jacopo Bononi, poet-doctor-collector-inventor, through two elements of his landscapes: the castle of Castiglione del Terziere with its contents (a desire of eternity) and the fleeting seasons in the surrounding woods (the astonishment of the ephemeral). Two are the main lenses: Bononi’s relationship with his castle in Lunigiana and with specific objects preserved there (the contents of his bedroom and library, especially the incunabula collection); and his poetic production spanning the last years of his life, in the first decade of the XXI century. This is the first article that deals with Bononi’s poetic production in English.

At the intersection of climate justice and reproductive justice

AbstractClimate justice and reproductive justice are distinct scholarly and activist frameworks that have received significant attention in recent years—particularly with respect to how they might be linked together. In this overview, I survey the main lenses through which various actors have linked climate justice and reproductive justice in the United States. First, I review the literatures: on climate justice, the perspective that those who are least responsible for the conditions causing climate change are disproportionately impacted by it; and on the reproductive justice, which focuses on rejecting reproductive oppression to achieve comprehensive reproductive autonomy for individuals and communities. Next, I analyze frameworks that seek to reframe reproductive justice through a populationist, climate‐centered lens. I contrast these framings with new approaches focused on racial health disparities and intergenerational justice. The article ends with questions about the next directions in climate justice and reproductive justice linkages: in particular, the role of eco‐anxiety in shaping reproductive futures. In so doing, I argue for approaches that challenge mainstream framings focused on population size and growth, and instead foreground the embodied reproductive outcomes of climate‐impacted communities.This article is categorized under: Climate, Nature, and Ethics > Ethics and Climate Change Climate, Nature, and Ethics > Climate Change and Human Rights Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Values‐Based Approach to Vulnerability and Adaptation

Toward a holistic approach to EdTech effectiveness: Lessons from Covid-19 research in Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, and Sierra Leone

During school closures prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic, educational technology (EdTech) was often used to continue educational provision. In this article, we consider EdTech effectiveness using a holistic framework, and synthesise findings from 10 primary research studies of EdTech interventions conducted in low- and middle-income countries during the pandemic. The framework includes five main lenses: learning outcomes, enhancing equity, implementation context, cost and affordability, and alignment and scale. While in-person schooling has largely resumed, there continues to be further integration of EdTech into education systems globally. This analysis provides evidence-based insights and highlights knowledge gaps to shape holistic analysis of both EdTech mainstreaming and future research into the effective use of EdTech to strengthen learning.

В поисках глобальной памяти: куда ведет транснациональный поворот в Memory studies?

The article is devoted to the transnational turn in the research of collective and cultural memory in the 21st century, reflecting the desire of scientists working within Memory studies to go beyond “methodological nationalism” and explore the formation and circulation of historical memory across borders. Based on the English-language literature of the 2000s—2020s, the author analyzes the emerging field of Transnational Memory studies from the point of view of the categorical apparatus, disciplinary features and research approaches. Having documented that discussions about the transcultural dimension of collective memory are present even in the works of the classics of Memory studies, the author shows that the efforts of their modern critics are driven by the attempts to conceptualize the memory of the Holocaust, World War II, colonialism and other events of the “difficult past”. The abundance of closely related concepts elaborated in recent years creates an illusion of competition in this field, but these concepts are often based on fundamentally different ideological and methodological settings, and if some of the concepts possess a certain empirical potential, others are completely normative. The author identifies six main research lenses within the current state of Transnational Memory studies — international, supranational, diasporic, mediatized, digital and, finally, global, associated with the problem of memory synchrony/simultaneity. At the same time, according to his conclusion, getting rid of the national perspective in understanding transnational memory is still far from complete, and the very fact that scientists look beyond borders indicates that such borders still exist.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi: A Master of the House

Abstract This article analyzes the record of Nancy Pelosi’s four terms as Speaker of the House of Representatives. It evaluates her performance through three main lenses: as a party leader, institutional leader, and major policy-maker. Ultimately, it concludes Pelosi should be considered one of the most skilled and accomplished legislators in the history of the United States.

The historiography of education in the modern Middle East

ABSTRACT This review outlines the historiography of education in the Middle East, focusing on events from the nineteenth century through the 1980s, and on Bilad al-Sham, mainly Jordan, Palestine and Israel, Iraq, and Northern Africa, including Egypt and Türkiye. Modernisation and nationalism were the main lenses through which educators, researchers, and students viewed the significance of their schooling in the late nineteenth- and twentieth-century Middle East. Scholars likewise take these frameworks as key to understanding the importance of education in the region’s history. This review suggests that historians ought to recognise the saliency of previous frameworks for the actors who lived them while analysing the region beyond those limits. It advocates incorporating education more consistently into other fields, such as histories of the environment and race. It recommends that historians of education include those fields in their own work, while following historical actors, texts and ideologies across regimes and borders.

Business incubators in Brazil: realities and challenges

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe five business incubators in Brazil through the Triple Helix model, their realities and challenges. Theoretical framework – A discussion of Business incubators, Triple Helix and the use of Information and Communication Technologies in incubators are the main lenses used to support the research. Design/methodology/approach – For this purpose, five case studies of incubators in the Northern and Southern Regions of Brazil were used. The paper uses a qualitative approach and collects data through semi-structured interviews. To analyze the results, the theory was compared to the findings from the field research. Findings - The results showed that most incubators are in public universities, the majority focus on technology, and some are diverse (social and cultural). Some internal and external partners help them with financial support. One of the challenges (maybe the most important) is a set of constraints because some lecturers cannot understand how to use academic knowledge in consultancy. Research, Practical & Social implications – The differences found between incubator categories are in the results that lead to this business model being more complex than it is in reality. The presentation of different incubator realities and challenges focusing on the discussion of ‘selling’ knowledge, the use of public resources by private enterprises, are the practical and social implications. Originality/value - The main contribution is to show the reality of these incubators, the empirical results, adding a new perspective to the discussion. Keywords - Business incubators; Challenges; Triple Helix; Information and Communication Technology.

MÚLTIPLAS LENTES DE ESTUDO E ABORDAGEM DA LIDERANÇA

Abstract This article discusses the multiple forms of studying and approaching leadership with a particular interest in recent theoretical and empirical studies from Brazilian scholarship on the topic. The article reviews what we denote as the three main lenses of leadership: individual leader(ship), followership, and collective leadership. The article's typology epitomises the essential view of each lens and its historical treatment. We use this discussion about the three lenses to analyse the scientific literature on leadership in Brazilian scientific journals from 2016 to 2021. The systematic literature review of 32 articles reveals emphasis on the first lens, the focus on individual leaders, normally those in positions of authority, and the idea that leadership is a vertical and hierarchical activity rather than a collectivistic phenomenon. The article concludes by highlighting opportunities for empirical inquiry into more contemporary collective leadership research in Brazilian organisations.

Sergio Caruso. Curiositas as a Passion

The essay explores the work of Sergio Caruso, whose work moved from theories of justice to citizenship, from the notion of ideology to the role of intellectuals. I will retrace some of the fils rouges of Caruso’s production and adopt two main lenses of observation. First, his work will be presented as an example of immanent critique, and secondly, it will be analysed in the light of its more or less explicit normative outcomes.

Legal personhood of Latin American rivers: time to shift constitutional paradigms?

Diverse existing legal paradigms have dealt with the interaction of humans and Nature in different ways. We identify three main lenses through which current constitutional systems in Latin America have operated to resolve conflicts. We focus on rivers as emblematic elements of Nature that offer concrete possibilities to operationalize an emerging paradigm that recognizes legal personhood for Nature. The objective is to examine, from a critical interdisciplinary perspective, the existing paradigms, describe their limits and open the debate to alternative jurisdictional venues for favouring the coexistence of humans and natural systems. Through the comparative analysis of three case studies in Chile, Colombia and Ecuador, we outline the challenges and opportunities offered by an emerging legal tradition, ‘The New Latin American Constitutionalism’, and question what would effectively be different with a change of paradigm towards the recognition of Nature’s rights.

The Early Global Vocation of Rome. Worship, Culture and Beyond

In all likelihood, Rome was the first global city, holding such primacy for around two thousand years since the time when the Empire built strong integration and interdependence relationships with the whole oecumene. Against the backdrop of long-term beliefs powered by the Papacy, this paper highlights the main features of the global Rome as the very core of Christianity and, after several disruptive events from the Early Renaissance onwards, as a main destination of the Grand Tour. Making use of primary and secondary literature sources as well as of a substantial iconography, the paper investigates the interplay between power strategies and urban morphology—permanence/change—through two main lenses: (i) the ‘inertia’ over time of the radiocentric pattern of the Forma Urbis citywide, according to the old saying all roads lead to Rome; and, (ii) the relentless reuse processes over built-up areas and sense-making dynamics coupling tangible and intangible assets. Accordingly, the Città Antica and the Città Moderna would be intertwined in residents’ and visitors’ everyday experiences until the Age of Enlightenment, when a new sense of history was to require protection measures setting antiquities apart from city life. However, this is another story.

Research and Technology Organizations as Super Intermediaries: A Conceptual Framework for Policy and a Case Study From Tanzania.

Research and Technology Organizations (RTOs) have key roles in stories of national industrial development in many countries, and in various contexts they have transformed according to changes in their surrounding economic and policy environments. This paper proposes a conceptual framework of ‘RTOs as super intermediaries’ as they play multiple intermediary roles in the triple helix (government, research and industry), the overlap of industrial policy and research policy, and research-industry frontiers. The framework helps in understanding and advancing the role of RTOs in industrial development, particularly in developing countries. For a case study, the paper showcases research in Tanzania that explored possibilities of revamping RTOs and whether investing in them would help in spurring Tanzania's industrial development. Through key informant interviews and systemic literature review, a case study on the challenges and opportunities of RTOs was designed to examine their role and potential in industrial development and technology innovation processes. The study findings were overall in-line with two main lenses of inquiry: 1) that for RTOs to play their key roles in Tanzania, industrial policies shaped by the command economy era before the 1990s need to be reviewed and modified; and 2) that more investment in revamping RTOs will take place if policymaking processes acknowledge RTOs as super intermediaries. To organize policy lessons drawn, a multi-level policy map—micro, meso and macro—was utilized as an analytical tool.

Ore mineralogy and trace element (re)distribution at the metamorphosed Lappberget Zn-Pb-Ag-(Cu-Au) deposit, Garpenberg, Sweden

Qualitative and quantitative mineralogical and textural investigations were undertaken for the different sulfide minerals in the 1.89 Ga Lappberget deposit, with a focus on sphalerite and pyrite. Three sphalerite types were identified and associated with: (1) main massive sulfide mineralization, (2) Fe-Mn skarn ore, and (3) Ag-rich fissure veins. Sphalerite-1 contained a relatively higher amount of trace elements (Fe, Co, Ge, Cu, Sn, and Au) but is lower in Mn/Fe, Ga, and Hg compared to sphalerite-2. Evidence of tectono-metamorphic modification of sulfides is observed throughout the deposit, such as the formation of growth twins and deformation twins in sulfides, the development of high-angled triple-point junctions in recrystallized pyrite and sphalerite, and the formation of ‘ball ore’ or ‘durchbewegung’ textures within mineralized shear zones. The recrystallization of pyrite and galena may have led to the re-distribution of fluid-mobile elements (As, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ag, and Au), some of which were deposited in discordant Ag-rich fissure veins peripheral to the main massive sulfide lenses. Trace element signatures of sulfides in Lappberget are compatible with the other metamorphosed and deformed, subseafloor volcanogenic carbonate replacement (SVALS)-type deposits in the Bergslagen mining district.

‘Pretending to favour the public’: how Facebook’s declared democratising ideals are reversed by its practices

This paper reconsiders the claim made by mainstream internet platforms that they inherently foster a democratic public sphere, offering reasons why the opposite may be true. It surveys past studies that have supported both views, showing how the position taken by scholars tends to depend on their disciplinary perspectives. Historically, scholarly approaches to the public or political impacts of the internet and social media have been characterised by four main interpretative lenses: technodeterminism, behaviourism, and the prioritising of either ideology, or the economics of media ownership. This article pays particular attention to the last two, and to Facebook, which among mainstream internet platforms has notably associated itself with democratic ideals. The article describes how many of the democratic ideals associated with Facebook’s impacts on society are in fact reversed by the platform’s practices, with effects that directly contradict the platform’s stated principles. The article ends by suggesting that Facebook consciously pretends to favour the public sphere, and that such Orwellian doublethink is a deliberate attempt to divert attention away from its augmentation of private and personal issues at the expense of collective engagement and empowerment. designed differently, Facebook could have had favourable impacts.

Finding true north: Design and implementation of a strategic sourcing framework

This study investigates the evolution of the design, development and implementation of a strategic sourcing framework able to support decision-makers in formulating differentiated, rather than generic supplier base strategies. These strategies are in turn implemented through specific action plans, assuring the coherence and alignment between the different strategic hierarchical levels, beginning with business strategy, through category strategy to specific tactical sourcing levers. The proposed framework is the result of a longitudinal study executed through two action research cycles engaging in a strategic sourcing project in a leading European specialty steels manufacturer. By integrating and refining in our framework three dominant purchasing portfolio models - i.e. Kraljic, Olsen & Ellram, and Scott & Westbrook - we highlight the importance of adopting multiple perspectives to manage the complexity of formulating a purchasing strategy and its related implementation decisions. The proposed framework has been designed to facilitate dynamic learning mechanisms through a feedback loop to continuously update the three integrated models and in turn allow managers to gain a strategic perspective of the evolution of buyer-supplier relationships, the influence of previous decisions and external factors. A critical discussion explores the proposed solution through the main theoretical lenses emerged throughout the research process.

Realising a climate-resilient UK electricity and gas system

The risks presented by climate change mean that there is a need to future-proof the UK's energy (electricity and natural gas) infrastructure. The scale of investment required is estimated at more than £200 billion by 2030. Although there are a variety of funding sources available, increasing proportions of infrastructure investment are now being funded by the private sector. Therefore, it will be necessary to find ways to incentivise private investors to accommodate for adaptation requirements in their decision-making processes. Research was undertaken to explore the UK energy infrastructure under the following three main lenses. (a) What technical aspects of energy infrastructure need to consider the effects of climate change? (b) What investment is required in the near future to adapt to climate change? (c) What types of policy could create reliable signals for investment in climate change adaptation? This paper presents key findings and considerations for policy covering the three questions above: (a) there are data gaps, interdependencies not effectively assessed and techniques available but not yet adopted; (b) the investment community suffers from a lack of climate change expertise and a short-term mindset; and (c) there is a need for a clearer policy vision and greater collaboration.

The Glacier Creek Cu-Zn VMS Deposit, Southeast Alaska: An Addition to the Alexander Triassic Metallogenic Belt

The Glacier Creek volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit, Alaska, is hosted within Late Triassic, oceanic back-arc or intraarc, rift-related bimodal volcanic rocks of the allochthonous Alexander terrane, known as the Alexander Triassic metallogenic belt. The Alexander Triassic metallogenic belt is host to the world-class Greens Creek Zn-Pb-Ag VMS deposit near Juneau in the south and the giant Windy Craggy Cu-Co VMS deposit in British Columbia, about 250 km to the north. The Glacier Creek deposit, located ~80 km southeast of Windy Craggy, consists of four tabular massive sulfide lenses within a bimodal mafic volcaniclastic and rhyolitic sequence. The mineralization-hosting stratigraphy is folded by a deposit-scale anticline and offset by a thrust fault near the axial surface of the fold. A resource of 8.13 Mt has been inferred from drilling, with grades of 1.41% Cu, 5.25% Zn, 0.15% Pb, 0.32 g/t Au, and 31.7 g/t Ag. Six main mineralization types are recognized, dominated by massive barite-sphalerite-pyrite, which is replaced at the base and center of the main lenses by massive and semimassive chalcopyrite-pyrite-quartz. The flanks and tops of the lenses are carbonate rich and consist of interbedded calcite-dolomite, barite and sulfide, resedimented massive barite-sulfide, and mineralized massive carbonate rocks. Tuffaceous hydrothermal sediment, with a distinct positive Eu anomaly, overlies the massive sulfide. Pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite in stringers constitute the main “feeder zone.” Stringer-style sphalerite-pyrite mineralization occurs above and below the lenses. Fe-poor sphalerite is dominant throughout the lenses, whereas Fe-rich sphalerite occurs at the stratigraphic top and bottom of the lenses in pyrrhotite-rich zones. Galena, tennantite-tetrahedrite, and arsenopyrite are the most important trace minerals within massive barite-sphalerite-pyrite mineralization, which is generally enriched in Sb, Hg, and Tl. Mineralization-related gangue minerals include barite, quartz, barian muscovite, calcite, dolomite, albite, chlorite, hyalophane, and celsian. Four types of alteration are recognized in the dominantly basaltic host rocks: pervasive muscovite-rich alteration, quartz-pyrite alteration associated with sulfide stringers, stratabound carbonate-bearing alteration, and background epidote-bearing alteration. Mass balance calculations indicate gains of S, Fe, Si, and K with coincident losses of Ca, Na, and Mg in all of the alteration types. Trace elements, Tl, Sb, Hg, Ba, Zn, Cu, and As were added to the rocks, whereas Sr was lost. Short wavelength infrared (SWIR) spectroscopy shows an increase in the wavelength of the AlOH absorption feature toward mineralization at a scale of 30 to 50 m, coincident with a general decrease in the Na, K, and Al and increase in the Fe, Mg, and Ba content of muscovite. The Glacier Creek deposit is transitional in character between Greens Creek, which is more Zn, Pb, and precious metal rich, and the Windy Craggy deposit, which is more Cu and Co rich, reflecting differences in the basement rocks and depositional settings within the Alexander Triassic metallogenic belt. Mineral-chemical studies and sulfur isotope data suggest that the Glacier Creek deposit formed under initially oxidized and sulfate-rich conditions that evolved to more reduced conditions in the latest stages of mineralization. The abundant argillite and presence of hyalophane rather than barite in the immediate hanging wall of the deposit may be an indication of a deepening basin and development of local anoxia, similar to Greens Creek.

Exploration of Suitability of Situational Leadership in the Oil and Gas Sector

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether managers in Nigerian Oil and Gas companies exhibit situational leadership style, flexibility and adjustment to different situations. This study also investigated the validity of the Situational Leadership model, examining the relationship between employee maturity and leaders tolerance for autonomy. To identify a leader’s observed leadership style and a follower’s preferred leadership style, the Leadership Effectiveness and Adaptability Description (LEAD) – Other Instrument was used. The researcher used secondary sources (literature review) in order to analyze in more depth the data selected. Connections with theory and practice were made through the main theoretical lenses of leadership theory, particularly leadership style theory and situational leadership. Reference was also made to the context and nature of the oil and gas industry, as well as, to the influence of national culture on worker orientation.

Gender Differentiation in Seasonal Migration: The Case of Poland

This paper reviews seasonal migration from Poland to Germany from the perspective of gender. The main lenses used are the participation in this migration by individuals as members of families, the informal recruitment mechanisms that bring new migrants on board, and the legal environment. The paper argues that the selection of a migrant by the family depends importantly on the costs of migration for the family, and shows how this consideration bears on the choice of women as seasonal migrants. In addition, the paper argues that the patterns of recruitment are gender-specific, explains why women recruit new migrants in a manner which differs from that of men, and assesses the impact of the underlying legal environment on the differential participation of women and men.