Management Capacity Research Articles

Performance controls and accountability in African transport infrastructure megaprojects: A systematic literature review

Poor performance is common in the delivery of large-scale transport infrastructure. Despite previous studies examining the management of transport megaprojects, there is a lack of systematic reviews on performance Controls and Accountability in Megaprojects (CAMP). We analyze research on CAMP in Africa. Out of the 947 records retrieved, 35 articles published between 1980 and 2022 meet our inclusion criteria. We identify four main research themes: “project governance,” “performance management,” “project conceptual management,” and “complexity management.” Our findings indicate significant weaknesses in project governance and a lack of proper project conception. Practical implications involve restructuring project governance policies and implementing a multi-level project governance model. The research supports recognizing corruption as a characteristic of megaprojects, implementing project governance as a standard management practice, and improving governance in public-private partnerships. Additionally, future research should prioritize integrating and developing policies, strengthening institutions, implementing participatory governance mechanisms, and building capacity for project management.

Strategy Management Analysis in Carrying out VLR by BAPPEDA Lampung Province in Efforts to Report SDGs Achievements

The strategy of a business organization or company involves directing the organization's efforts in utilizing the environment and managing the company's internal capabilities to achieve the desired goals and objectives. This research aims to evaluate and develop management strategies implemented by the Regional Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA) of Lampung Province in conducting Voluntary Local Review (VLR) to report the achievement of SDGs in Lampung province. The type of research used is qualitative with informants in this study, namely the head of government planning and human development (1 person), young expert planning staff (2 people), and Lampung Province SDGs secretariat staff (2 people). This research seeks to provide an in-depth understanding of the factors that influence the success of the VLR, as well as the opportunities and challenges faced in achieving SDGs targets at the regional level. The originality of the research lies in the application of Soft System Methodology (SSM) as a systemic approach in the context of SDGs reporting at the provincial level and contributes to the understanding of strategic management in supporting sustainable development. Research using Soft System Methodology (SSM) on Lampung Province Bappeda's strategy in implementing Voluntary Local Review (VLR) of SDGs achievements resulted in recommendations, including increased coordination, management capacity, data quality, actor empowerment, and transparency and accountability.

Boarding in the emergency department: challenges and mitigation strategies.

Herein, we conducted a review of the literature to better understand the issue of prolonged emergency department (ED) boarding by providing an overview of the current evidence on the available causes, consequences, and mitigation strategies. Severely ill patients awaiting transfer to intensive care units (ICU) imposes additional burdens on the emergency care team from both a clinical and management perspective. The reasons for prolonged ED boarding are multifactorial. ED boarding compromises patients' safety and outcomes, and is associated with increased team burnout and dissatisfaction. Mitigation strategies include the optimization of patients' flow, the establishment of resuscitative care units, deployment of mobile critical care teams, and improvements in training. Staffing adjustments, changes in hospital operations, and quality improvement initiatives are required to improve this situation, while active bed management and implementation of capacity command centers may also help. Considering the characteristics of healthcare systems, such as funding mechanisms, organizational structures, delivery models, access and quality of care, the challenge of ED boarding of critically ill patients requires a nuanced and adaptable approach. Solutions are complex but must involve the entirety of the hospital system, emergency department, staff adjustment, and education.

Cocoa agroforestry in Brazil through a public-private partnership

Historically, Brazil was a significant cocoa producer, primarily in the Amazon region, but since the 1970s, cocoa production became increasingly replaced by extensive livestock farming. What production remained, was halted by a fungal epidemic, resulting in Brazil becoming a net importer of cocoa beans. Thanks to recent sustainable development programmes and the emergence of the bioeconomy, Brazil has since experienced renewed interest in cocoa cultivation, especially in cocoa agroforestry. Initiatives such as Mondelez's Sustainable Cocoa Production project aim to promote sustainable cocoa production, with a focus on environmental regulations and good agricultural practices. The project focuses on two regions, Bahia and Pará. In Bahia, efforts are directed towards rejuvenating cocoa crops in cabruca systems, a traditional agroforestry system where cocoa is cultivated beneath native tree canopies. Small-scale farmers received training and experimental plots demonstrated that proper management practices could control fungal disease and increase cocoa production significantly, generating increased income. In Pará, cocoa agroforestry systems are promoted as an alternative to cattle ranching, which destroyed forests to create, now degraded, pasturelands. While restoration efforts are challenging, agroforestry systems showed promising financial returns compared to cattle ranching. Local farmer organisations also benefitted from workshops and ongoing mentoring regarding their management and business capacities. A failure of the project was that in some instances, agroforestry systems were promoted more as a way to produce cocoa than as an opportunity to diversify, which must be the priority. New due diligence initiatives in Europe have also highlighted the importance of traceability and sustainability in cocoa production, posing new challenges for Brazil’s small-scale farmers. The cocoa agroforestry systems in Bahia and Pará have, nonetheless, shown potential for sustainable local development in Brazil. To ensure their success and sustainability in the long term, there must be continued support systems for farmers and value must be ascribed to the immense product diversity of cocoa agroforestry.

Education Policy on Operational Assistance Management at the Local Level: A Challenge and Recommendations

This research discusses the Implementation Operational Assistance Program (BOP) at the local level as a fund management mechanism to support educational activities in schools, provide equitable access to education, encourage educational inclusion, and reduce disparities between regions. This study uses a qualitative approach with a focus on thematic analysis. This approach was chosen to guide researchers to find sources of analysis directly from the government by identifying several official government documents. This study's findings indicate several challenges in managing BOP locally, such as a need for more resources, infrastructure and technical capabilities. Several policy recommendations are suggested to overcome these challenges, namely by increasing monitoring and evaluation, transparency, management capacity, use of technology, and collaboration. With the implementation of the right policies, BOP management at the local level can be improved so that education can become a more inclusive, quality and sustainable means for all parties.

Wicked problem of improving fishery livelihoods through capacity building

Development programs can train fishers in value-adding but factors influencing who is likely to benefit are not well understood. Small-scale fishers worldwide often fall short increasing the value of their catch and wellbeing benefits from their harvests. Here, we sought to improve technical capacity of sea cucumber fishers in postharvest processing and examine intrinsic and extrinsic factors that shape long-term livelihood impacts. Manuals, videos and village-based workshops were used to train hundreds of fishers in 29 villages across seven island regions in Fiji. Our linear mixed models found that trained fishers spent more time processing their catch and were more likely to report increased sale prices. However, the fishery was in decline and so fishers’ weekly incomes did not improve overall. The capacity building led to gender-transformative outcomes by motivating women to increase catch rates and it improved their weekly fishery income. Perceived changes in trading prices and economic dependence on the fishery varied regionally, implying inconsistent trader behaviour. Our study reveals that improving fishery livelihoods can be a “wicked problem” involving a complexity of external factors that hinder livelihood impacts. Capacity-building of fishers was insufficient on its own to markedly improve wellbeing. Income also depended on the fishery stocks, equitable behaviour of traders and access of fishers to raw materials for postharvest processing. Development programs should consider a holistic approach through partnerships with institutions to improve the management of natural resources, value chains and technical capacity of fishers.

Learning from COVID-19: A roadmap for integrated risk assessment and management across shocks of pandemics, biodiversity loss, and climate change

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the fragility of international, national, regional, and local risk management systems. It revealed an urgent need to improve risk planning, preparedness, and communication strategies. In parallel, it created an opportunity to drastically re-think and transform societal processes and policies to prevent future shocks originating not only from health, but also combined with those related to climate change and biodiversity loss. In this perspective, we examine how to improve integrated risk assessment and management (IRAM) capacities to address interconnected shocks. We present the results from a series of workshops within the framework of the University of Zurich and University of Geneva. Initiative "Shaping Resilient Societies: A Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Create a Responsive Society". This initiative gathered experts from multiple disciplines to discuss their perspectives on resilience; here we present the key messages of the "Pandemics, Climate and Sustainability” thinking group. We identify a roadmap and selected research areas concerning the improvement of IRAM analysis capacities, practices, policies. We recommend the development of robust data systems and science-policy advice systems to address combined shocks emerging from health, biodiversity loss and climate change. We posit that further developing the IRAM framework to include these recommendations will improve societal preparedness and response capacity and will provide more empirical evidence supporting decision-making and the selection of strategies and measures for integrated risk reduction.

Analysis of the Role of Information and Communication Tech-nology (ICT) in Enhancing the Managerial Capacity of SMEs for Achieving Local Economic Sustainability

Analysis of the Role of Information and Communication Tech-nology (ICT) in Enhancing the Managerial Capacity of SMEs for Achieving Local Economic Sustainability

Drivers of international fire management personnel deployed to the United States

Background The rising occurrence of simultaneous large wildfires has put strain on United States national fire management capacity leading to increasing reliance on assistance from partner nations abroad. However, limited analysis exists on international resource-sharing patterns and the factors influencing when resources are requested and deployed. Aims This study examines the drivers of international fire management ground and overhead personnel deployed to the United States. Methods Using descriptive statistics and case examples data from 2008 to 2020, this study investigates the conditions under which international personnel are deployed to the United States and their relationship to domestic resource strain. Factors such as fire weather, fire simultaneity, and the impact on people and structures are analysed as potential drivers of demand for international resources. Additionally, barriers to resource sharing, including overlapping fire seasons between countries are examined. Key results The findings indicate that international personnel sharing is more likely when the United States reaches higher preparedness levels, experiences larger area burned, and when fires pose a greater impact on people and structures. However, overlapping fire seasons can limit the ability to share resources with partner nations. Conclusions and implications Understanding the factors influencing resource sharing can help improve collaboration efforts and enhance preparedness for future wildfire seasons.

Enhancing urban emergency management: A two-stage network DEA analysis of Chinese cities

In order to scientifically evaluate the emergency management capabilities of major cities in China, this article conducts a comprehensive study on the input and output indicators of emergency response in each city. A two-stage network DEA model was used to construct an evaluation model that reflects the emergency management capacity of cities. A dataset containing emergency management data from 36 well-known cities in China was selected to effectively evaluate its performance, and the city that demonstrated the most effective input-output ratio in the field of emergency management was ultimately determined. The research results show that using a two-stage network DEA model as the foundation to construct an evaluation model that reflects urban emergency management capabilities can promote a wise combination of subjective and objective evaluations, and achieve scientific investment in urban emergency assets.

Connecting the Dots: Are the New Public Management and Policy capacity related?

Connecting the Dots: Are the New Public Management and Policy capacity related?

Implementation of Traffic System Management to Overcome Congestion at the Intersection

This study aims to determine the performance of two roads in Medan, namely Jamin Ginting Road and Dr. Mansyur Road with the change of traffic direction and to determine the application of traffic management system. After the change in traffic flow, Dr. Mansyur Road obtained the highest volume with traffic flow (Q) = 1663.4 vehicles per hour, side obstacles = 128.8 per hour, travel speed (Vs) = 6.00 m/s, Degree of Saturation (DoS) = 0.49. Then the analysis of the Jalan Jamin Ginting Road section obtained the highest volume with traffic flow (Q) = 2171.4 vehicles per hour, side obstacles = 77.6 per hour, travel speed (Vs) = 5.72 m / s, Degree of Saturation (DoS) = 0.64. As well as the application of appropriate traffic management in the area of both roads, namely applying capacity management with the application of parking space engineering for vehicles, applying priority management from minor roads to major roads, and applying traffic sign management. Keywords: Traffic management, PKJI2014.

Who Wants to Pay More? Exploring Citizen Willingness to Pay for Supporting Local Emergency Management

Local emergency managers play a significant role in mitigating, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. However, the fiscal stress that local governments often face limits their ability to hire and retain emergency managers within their jurisdiction. In this article, we aim to investigate public demand and support for hiring full-time, paid local emergency managers, a critical step to enhancing local emergency management capacity. We utilize the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to examine the average amount of additional local taxes that citizens are willing to pay in order to have a full-time, paid emergency management professional in their local government. Our analysis indicates that the average willingness to pay (WTP) for hiring a full-time, paid emergency manager ranges from $24 to $28 per household in extra local tax dollars. The estimated cost-benefit ratio suggests that hiring full-time paid emergency managers could be a cost-effective option for enhancing local emergency management capacity. Furthermore, our findings show that public willingness to pay for this policy change is correlated with social trust, political beliefs, and income level.

Exploring the role of big data analytics and dynamic capabilities in ESG programs within pharmaceuticals

Achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs in the pharmaceutical industry. Using the Millennium Development Goals, the 2030 agenda aims to transform European Union companies toward sustainability. In pharmaceuticals, in particular, ESG programs come with complexities such as employee skills, corporate goals, and management expectations. Managing these programs effectively requires advanced technologies such as big data analytics (BDA) and dynamic capabilities (DC). In this study, DC theory is used to develop an architecture for managing ESG criteria, focusing on provenance, traceability, and availability. BDA’s role in ESG programs is explored, along with its use cases and benefits, and how DC drives success in ESG implementation. The study examined five pharmaceutical companies in Germany, Portugal, and Switzerland, all consulting the same firm for BDA systems, to identify the characteristics of effective BDA implementation. The research explores how BDA and DC jointly enhance ESG efforts, the essential skills needed, and how DC aids in real-time decision-making in BDA projects aligned with ESG standards. It highlights the BDA system’s accuracy and effectiveness in managing ESG programs, with DC as a pivotal facilitator. Findings reveal BDA’s value in operational efficiency and aligning business models with ESG goals, underscoring the need for diverse skills in BDA implementation and DC’s importance in integrating various managerial capacities into effective strategies. The study promotes a dynamic, data-driven approach in the pharmaceutical industry for managing complex ESG initiatives. It stresses continuous learning, adaptation, and integrating technological advances with ethical business practices. The research concludes by emphasizing BDA and DC’s vital roles in advocating ethical, socially responsible, and environmentally sustainable practices in the pharmaceutical sector, marrying technology with ethical business strategies.

GPDminer: a tool for extracting named entities and analyzing relations in biological literature

PurposeThe expansion of research across various disciplines has led to a substantial increase in published papers and journals, highlighting the necessity for reliable text mining platforms for database construction and knowledge acquisition. This abstract introduces GPDMiner(Gene, Protein, and Disease Miner), a platform designed for the biomedical domain, addressing the challenges posed by the growing volume of academic papers.MethodsGPDMiner is a text mining platform that utilizes advanced information retrieval techniques. It operates by searching PubMed for specific queries, extracting and analyzing information relevant to the biomedical field. This system is designed to discern and illustrate relationships between biomedical entities obtained from automated information extraction.ResultsThe implementation of GPDMiner demonstrates its efficacy in navigating the extensive corpus of biomedical literature. It efficiently retrieves, extracts, and analyzes information, highlighting significant connections between genes, proteins, and diseases. The platform also allows users to save their analytical outcomes in various formats, including Excel and images.ConclusionGPDMiner offers a notable additional functionality among the array of text mining tools available for the biomedical field. This tool presents an effective solution for researchers to navigate and extract relevant information from the vast unstructured texts found in biomedical literature, thereby providing distinctive capabilities that set it apart from existing methodologies. Its application is expected to greatly benefit researchers in this domain, enhancing their capacity for knowledge discovery and data management.

Facility capacity and provider knowledge for cholera surveillance and diarrhoea case management in cholera hotspots in the Democratic Republic of Congo – a mixed-methods study

ABSTRACT Background Wider healthcare-strengthening interventions are recommended in cholera hotspots and could benefit other types of diarrhoeal diseases which contribute to greater mortality than cholera. Objective Describe facility capacity and provider knowledge for case management of diarrhoea and cholera surveillance in cholera hotspots in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) among health facilities, drug shops, and traditional health practitioners. Methods We conducted a sequential exploratory mixed-method study, using focus group discussions, facility audits, and provider knowledge questionnaires during September and October 2022 in North Kivu and Tanganyika provinces, Eastern DRC. Content analysis was used for qualitative data. Quantitative data were summarised by facility level and healthcare provider type. Audit and knowledge scores (range 0–100) were generated. Multivariable linear regression estimated association between scores and explanatory factors. Qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated during interpretation. Results Overall, 244 facilities and 308 providers were included. The mean audit score for health facilities was 51/100 (SD: 17). Private facilities had an −11.6 (95% CI, −16.7 to −6.6) lower adjusted mean score compared to public. Mean knowledge score was 59/100 (95% CI, 57 to 60) for health facility personnel, 46/100 (95% CI, 43 to 48) for drug shop vendors and 37/100 (95% CI, 34 to 39) for traditional health practitioners. Providers had particularly low knowledge concerning when to check for low blood sugar, use of nasogastric tubes, and dosing schedules. Knowledge about case definitions for cholera was similar between groups (range 41–58%) except for traditional health practitioners for the definition during an outbreak 15/73 (21%). Conclusions Increasing awareness of cholera case definitions in this context could help improve cholera surveillance and control. Increased support and supervision, especially for private providers, could help ensure facilities are equipped to provide safe care. More nuanced aspects of case management should be emphasised in provider training.

The Importance of Effective Management in Driving Economic Growth in Developing Countries

This article discusses the crucial role of effective management in spurring economic growth in developing countries. Good management is the basis for designing, implementing and optimizing economic policies that support the development of key sectors, factors such as operationally efficient human resource management, innovation and stability. proven to be a key driver in achieving sustainable growth through case study analysis and literature review. This article outlines the positive impact of effective management on company productivity and national economic growth. A comparison of successful management practices with less successful cases provides insight into the strategic importance of directed management and adaptive in facing economic challenges. Apart from that, this article highlights the importance of building managerial capacity through education and training. Improving material skills at various levels of the organization can strengthen economic foundations and open up new opportunities for innovation and investment. Based on these findings, this article concludes that effective management is not only the key to company success but also the main factor that can encourage economic growth in developing countries. Therefore, stakeholders from both the public and private sectors need to work together to strengthen managerial capacity and create an environment which supports exclusive and sustainable economic growth

Employee perspectives on risk management in a construction company

In addition to the tools and techniques available, project risk management also depends on the attitudes of people in an organisation, how the available tools are used, and how the procedures are followed. Therefore, efforts to improve the project risk management capacity of organisations may fail if the diversity of people (characters, traits etc.) involved is neglected. Based on this argument, the aim of this study is to demonstrate that companies can improve project risk management using the perspectives of their key experts. In this context, an approach was proposed based on Q-Methodology and a case study has been conducted in a construction company in the Netherlands. The quantitative output obtained through Q-Methodology application was evaluated in conjunction with the qualitative data gathered from interviews conducted with the managers of different units within the company. As a result of this evaluation, three common perspectives were identified among the respondents under the names of ‘Experience and Belief’, ‘Procedures and Management’ and ‘Culture and Communication’, respectively. Then, a number of recommendations were made to the company. First, customized management approaches that integrate and balance the identified perspectives should be adopted. Second, a mature organisational risk management culture should be promoted. Project charters that specifically target risk management culture in projects can be used for this purpose. Third, risk management should be integrated into other activities, making it a normal part of employees’ daily work. Finally, but not exclusively, the employees should be instructed on the use of risk registers and guidance should be put in place on how often they are expected to update the risk registers. This study demonstrates the benefit of considering employee diversity and leveraging perspectives in unlocking the potential of construction companies in terms of project risk management.

A Survey of the Use of Modeling, Simulation, Visualization, and Mapping in Public Health Emergency Operations Centers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed life and work patterns and reshaped the healthcare industry and public health strategies. It posed considerable challenges to public health emergency operations centers (PHEOCs). In this period, digital technologies such as modeling, simulation, visualization, and mapping (MSVM) emerged as vital tools in these centers. Despite their perceived importance, the potential and adaptation of digital tools in PHEOCs remain underexplored. This study investigated the application of MSVM in the PHEOCs during the pandemic in Canada using a questionnaire survey. The results show that digital tools, particularly visualization and mapping, are frequently used in PHEOCs. However, critical gaps, including data management issues, technical and capacity issues, and limitations in the policy-making sphere, still hinder the effective use of these tools. Key areas identified in this study for future investigation include collaboration, interoperability, and various supports for information sharing and capacity building.

Efficacy of Orthoplastic Management in the Treatment of Traumatic Popliteal Artery Injury.

Popliteal artery injury (PAI) is a challenging condition. Even with appropriate initial treatment and reconstruction of the associated injuries, extensive soft-tissue necrosis may occur, requiring lower leg amputation. There are no reports on the effectiveness of orthoplastic surgery in treating traumatic PAI. However, orthoplastic surgery is also considered very effective in PAI treatment, which requires delicate handling of soft-tissue and blood vessels. This study aimed to examine the treatment outcomes of traumatic PAI at a trauma center with the capacity for orthoplastic management. Patients with PAI who were treated at our institution between August 2013 and December 2021 were included in this study. The surgeons included multiple orthoplastic surgeons with capabilities in vascular repair, bone and ligament reconstruction, and soft-tissue reconstruction. Patient demographics, injury characteristics, degree of ischemia, and treatment were investigated. We also investigated whether soft-tissue reconstruction and lower limb amputation were necessary as outcomes of treatment. Fifteen limbs of 14 patients with PAI met the inclusion criteria. Extensive soft-tissue necrosis was observed in three limbs. Two of these limbs were covered with a free latissimus dorsi flap and could be salvaged. In the remaining limb, lower limb amputation was unavoidable because of unexplained cardiac arrest during the initial surgery, but a fillet flap was used to successfully preserve the knee joint. Orthoplastic management has the potential to improve limb salvage rates and provide good outcomes for the treatment of traumatic PAI.