Management Of Social Issues Research Articles

Social impacts arising from road infrastructure projects in Sub-Saharan Africa: better management of social issues is needed in road construction, upgrading and rehabilitation

ABSTRACT Despite the use of environmental and social impact assessments for road projects, severe social impacts continue to occur. We discuss the social impacts associated with the construction, upgrading, widening and/or rehabilitation of roads in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to a literature review, we analysed 10 road projects in Uganda by examining project planning documents, and undertaking in-depth interviews, group interviews and field visits. While there were some benefits from these road projects, especially dust reduction where roads became sealed, the significant land acquisition necessary for these linear projects has led to physical displacement, economic displacement, and disruption to the livelihoods of local people. Other issues included: inadequate community engagement; delayed payment of compensation and inadequate compensation; gender-based violence; poor road construction practice causing community safety concerns; project-induced in-migration or influx; sexual harassment; impacts on children; and issues around sex work. The lack of local community acceptance (social licence to operate) of the projects resulted in construction delays and increased costs. For more acceptable road projects, better community engagement, improved planning and management, and adequate funding for resettlement and compensation are essential.

Toward sustainable governance with participatory budgeting

PurposeSustainability is a pressing challenge of governance and public financial management. One key element of sustainable governance is the role of citizens. Participatory budgeting (PB) is a participatory tool with which citizens can influence public administration. PB is a democratic process that grants people real power over real money and it has spread around the world. This special issue explores the role of PB in the context of sustainable governance. In this editorial, the authors aim to approach PB as a form of sustainable governance.Design/methodology/approachIn this editorial, the authors collaborate in the analysis of how PB is implicated in the public management of complex social, economic and ecological issues. The authors identify key dimensions of internal and external sustainability based on prior research. The authors approach these dimensions as an internal–external nexus of sustainable governance in which organizational and financial sustainability are the internal dimensions and socio-political and environmental sustainability are the external dimensions.FindingsEven though PB can be seen as one tool for citizen participation, it has the potential to foster sustainability in multiple ways. PB, as a form of sustainable governance, requires a financially and administratively sustainable organizational process that results in the institutionalization of PB. It also includes thorough consideration of socio-political and environmental sustainability impacts of PB.Originality/valueAcademics are actively studying PB from various perspectives. However, most of this work has approached PB from the viewpoints of design and results of PB, and less is known about its institutional settings. PB has not yet been adequately studied in the context of sustainability, and there is a need to scrutinize PB as a form of sustainable governance.

Структурные изменения в управлении медицинским делом восточносибирских окраин как результат ревизионной поездки генерал-губернатора Н. Н. Муравьёва-Амурского

This article examines the transformations that followed the inspection of Governor General N. N. Muravyov in the entrusted territories. Against the backdrop of the global task of restructuring the administrative-territorial system, changes have occurred in the management of social issues, in particular, medical affairs. Thus, the simplified management system of the Yakut, Kamchatka, Transbaikal regions, providing for the independence of governors, contributed to the introduction of the positions of medical inspectors and the formation of a staff of medical officials. The most significant changes took place in the medical sphere of the Trans-Baikal region, where medical care for the military contingent began to form.

Role of E-Governance amid the Pandemic in Providing Healthcare, Education, and Social Services (HESS) in Bangladesh

COVID-19 has imposed a severe impact on health, economics, society, trade & commerce, administration, and all aspects of human existence. In this regard, digital governance, i.e., electronic governance (e-governance), is now playing a significant role in tackling the drastic effects of COVID-19 in Bangladesh. E-governance refers to the process of using information and communication technology in the field of delivering public services. The principal aim of this study was to figure out what role e-governance plays in health, education, and social services (HESS) in Bangladesh during the pandemic. This research, in precise, focused on the impact of e-governance on the government's decision-making, emergency health care management, education management, and social welfare in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was done using a qualitative method. The findings of the study reveal the significant implications of e-governance in the management of health issues, education issues, and social issues during the pandemic. In particular, the findings of the study demonstrate the contribution of electronic learning, telemedicine, one-stop service centers, and emergency helpline services (999) in terms of addressing the devastating effects of the pandemic in Bangladesh. Moreover, the study incorporated both practical and managerial contributions. As a result, the authors believe that this study's contribution is crucial and practical for determining what the actual effects of e-governance were in Bangladesh during the pandemic.

Social sustainability in the gig economy era

The rise of the gig economy, also known as the platform economy, has compelled businesses to reconsider their relationships with their various stakeholders, including gig workers that are sometimes referred to as independent contractors. This has been especially noticeable in the on-demand delivery sector. This article examines how stakeholders in this sector are addressing social supply chain sustainability issues. We investigated measures taken by companies in the on-demand delivery sector between 2016 and 2020 using documentary research and content analysis. Based on stakeholder theory, we show that the perceived influence (or lack thereof) of gig workers is crucial in addressing social sustainability challenges. Our findings also indicate that delivery businesses are more concerned with working conditions than with equal rights issues, which we believe should be addressed equally. The paper sheds light on the management of social issues within the gig economy and opens a branch of opportunities for further studies on supply chain sustainability in the platform economy. Ultimately, this paper provides guidance to gig stakeholders on how to better contribute to social sustainability.

Management and information disclosure of electric power environmental and social governance issues in the age of artificial intelligence

This paper explores the key issues of environmental and social governance (ESG) issues and identifies the main ESG themes for companies in the power industry: sustainable development of green and clean energy, energy conservation and emission reduction, physical and mental safety of professionals, global climate change mitigation, supply chain management, community relationships, responsible governance. In-depth research and comparison are carried out on the related issues of sustainable development. Through validation, it is shown that these issues can have further solutions on ESG issues. Compared to other industries, the number of companies working on AI clean energy has increased by about 25%. In the artificial intelligence management of exhaust emissions, it will be reduced by about 20% than before. After using artificial intelligence, the health index of employees increased by about 4% year-on-year. Enterprise management efficiency has also increased by about 6%. This also shows that in the age of artificial intelligence, everything will be improved.

Psychological Distress and Quality of Life Among Childless Couples Undergoing Infertility Treatment: A Narrative Review

Childless couples who are struggling to conceive face the risk of mental health issues, due to increased psychological distress in the form of stress, anxiety, and depression. This would adversely impact their quality of life in terms of mind-body (physical, psychological, and behavioural), emotional (tension, frustration, anger, and guilt), sociological (stigmatization, self-isolation, and social withdrawal) and relational (marital and sexual relationship) aspects. The aim of this review is to learn more about psychological distress and the quality of life among childless couples undergoing infertility treatment. The literature search was conducted using SCOPUS, EBSCOHOST, ProQuest, Ovid, and Science Direct databases for the period from 2016 to 2022, with a total of 6,001 articles retrieved. However, only six articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria applied in this review. The search was limited to studies published in the English language with cross-sectional study design only. The following medical subject heading terms were used: infertility, childless couple, psychological distress, and quality of life, with (“AND,” and “OR,”) used to narrow and widen the search. Overall, the findings show that childless couples do experience psychological distress in the form of depression, stress, anxiety, stigmatisation, low self-esteem, and social isolation; they also face psychosocial problems and thus their quality of life are impacted. Further research should focus on psychosocial aspects, such as developing effective care programs that can contribute towards the effective management of psychological and social issues faced by couples struggling with infertility.

What are the respiratory health research priorities in Alberta, Canada? A stakeholder consultation

ObjectiveThe Respiratory Health Strategic Clinical Network (RHSCN) was launched to facilitate respiratory and sleep health through implementation of innovative, patient-centred, evidence-informed coordinated services in Alberta. In collaboration with project partners,...

A comprehensive model of vessel anchoring pressure based on machine learning to support the sustainable management of the marine environments of coastal cities

The increased utilization of marine areas represents a significant challenge to the sustainable eco-environmental management of coastal cities. Machine learning, specifically the support-vector machine classification algorithm, was used to preprocess the massive Automatic identification System (AIS) dataset and extract anchoring vessels. Then, a comprehensive indicator evaluation model for anchoring pressure (CAPI) was constructed to evaluate the potential marine ecological pressure associated with anchoring vessels in the Bohai Sea. Spatial analysis was performed by geographic information system (GIS) to identify improper anchoring areas with high CAPI values. Finally, anchorage management in various coastal cities was assessed. The results showed that: (1) machine learning technology accurately identified anchoring vessels, (2) improper anchoring in the Bohai Sea is common, and (3) the management of anchoring activities is generally poor at boundaries between administrative regions. This study provides a rapid, feasible, and effective visualization method for marine environmental managers both theoretically and practically. The data mining method and CAPI model proposed here facilitate the management of vessel-related social issues in coastal cities, and they will help decision makers to quickly formulate targeted management measures to support the sustainable economic and environmental development of coastal cities.

Application of Big Data Information System in the Field of Public Utilities Management

With the continuous development of information technology, the management of social issues has entered a new era, and a series of management activities in the field of public service management are also facing new issues. Based on the above background, the purpose of this article is the application of big data information system in the field of public utilities management. This article first discusses the relevant theories of public information resources, including the concepts of public information resources, public information resource integration, public information big data platform, etc., and summarizes and summarizes them; secondly, it focuses on the current status of the integration and application of public information resources And the existing problems, and analyzed the advantages of using big data technology to promote the integration and application of public information resources; then, combining the current status of the integration and application of public information resources and the actual needs of the construction of public information big data platforms, the positioning of the public information big data platform is explained. And the construction content, built the overall construction framework of the public information big data platform, and carried out the functional analysis and design of the various subsystems of the platform; finally, discussed the performance evaluation index system of the public information big data platform, using the analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy The comprehensive evaluation method builds a public information big data platform performance evaluation model. When the number of folds is 2, its prediction accuracy is the highest, reaching 96.91%, which evaluates the construction and operation of the platform.

Decreasing Emergency Room Utilization in High Risk Geriatric Patients

Background: The Acute Life Interventions Goals & Needs Program (ALIGN) at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City aims to work closely with high risk geriatric patients for short term intensive management of acute medical and social issues. Quantitative measures for determining success of the program is comparing emergency room visits and hospitalizations prior to and after enrollment with ALIGN. The Community Paramedicine service allows a paramedic, the ALIGN provider, and an emergency room physician to assess and triage patients in their home via video conference thereby avoiding ED visits for non-urgent services. Method: We reviewed the utilization of the Community Paramedicine service (from July 2017-February 2020) and its impact on ALIGN’s efforts to reduce unnecessary ED visits and hospitalizations. Results: 36 patients were evaluated with the Community Paramedicine service (from July 2017-February 2020). 19 or 52.8% avoided an ED visit and 17 or 47.2% were transported to the ED. 12 or 70.6% were admitted to the hospital of those that were transported to the ED initially. Top reasons for transport to ED included generalized weakness, acute mental status change (AMS), and shortness of breath (SOB). Conclusions: A Community Paramedicine program utilized by a high risk geriatrics team like ALIGN is effective in reducing ED visits and hospitalizations for the elderly population who incur greater expenses to the health care system and traditionally have poorer health outcomes.

Study Assesses Incentives, Development Strategies for Peruvian Mature Heavy Oil

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 196217, “Assessment of Government Incentives and Development Strategies To Revitalize Mature Heavy-Oil Fields in the Peruvian Jungle,” by Nosser A. Jurado, SPE, National Bank Financial, and Victor A. Huerta, SPE, Universidad Nacional de IngenerÍ​​​​​​​a, prepared for the 2019 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Calgary, 30 September–2 October. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Mature heavy-oil fields in the northern Peruvian jungle have produced oil for more than 40 years under primary recovery mechanisms (cold methods). The complete paper explores technical and economic development options to produce heavy-oil resources at commercial rates and showcases three optimization scenarios of higher recovery efficiency aimed at increasing net present value at the basin level. Introduction The constant decline of medium- and light-oil production in most Peruvian fields in recent years, along with the increase in domestic demand, indicates that innovative redevelopment strategies should be implemented for recent large heavy-oil discoveries in the Marañon Basin. The Norperuano pipeline in its current condition and egress capacity allows exploitation of proved developed producing volumes of Blocks 64, 192, 8, and 95 but constrains the commerciality and development possibilities for Block 67 (Piraña, Dorado, and Paiche fields) and Block 64 (Situche field), which jointly could pro-duce up to 70,000 B/D between 2027 and 2029. The main issue is the present constraint for transportation and blending of heavy oil and diluents. Therefore, an infrastructure revamp is necessary. The authors believe that capital expenditure (CAPEX) to carry out these improvements and expansions is necessary and must be addressed between the operators in the area and the Peruvian government while considering all social and current environmental issues. Analysis of Production Performance and Recovery Most Peruvian heavy-oil fields have been discovered in the Marañon Basin. Production history indicates a strong water-drive mechanism by which oil production declines as water rate increases, while reservoir pressure is sustained with a less than 20% pressure decrease. Generally speaking, Marañon wells have been drilled following slant trajectories and are only completed with slotted liners without a selective completion. Consequently, no method exists to isolate water zones or encroachment, and oil productivity and relative permeability to oil decrease rapidly as water cut increases. Horizontal wells have been proposed for the Bretaña heavy-oil field in Block 95. This field is similar to the Jibaro and Jibarito fields in Block 192, with completions featuring autonomous inflow-control devices (AICDs) to delay water breakthrough while improving production performance and increasing oil recovery. Another alternative suggested to increase recovery factor and prevent water breakthrough is dual completion with electrical submersible pumps (ESPs). This completion type has been envisioned for Block 192. On a well-by-well basis, increasing the recovery factor by implementing new technologies is possible. On a transportation-and-gathering basis, however, issues remain in the basin. A production deferment of at least 7% has been the result of several factors, including a lack of appropriate well-service programs to replace ESPs and clean boreholes, inadequate infrastructure, deteriorating roads accessing the fields, the lack of a supply-change-management program, and a lack of appropriate management of social and environmental issues. CAPEX allocations to the Norperuano pipeline would minimize this problem at the basin level and might solve delay issues at the field level for all blocks.

Pathways to Materiality: How Sustainability Issues Become Financially Material to Corporations and Their Investors

Management and disclosure of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have received substantial interest over the last decade. In this paper, we outline a framework of how ESG issues become financially material, affecting corporate profitability and valuation. We argue that understanding this process is important both for actors driven by financial or societal motives. The former group, which includes companies and return-first investors, can use the framework to make resource allocation decisions based on expectations about future materiality thereby enhancing risk-adjusted returns. The latter group, which includes regulators, NGOs, and impact-first investors, can use the framework to design and implement interventions that create market-based incentives for companies and investors to align their behavior with social and environmental outcomes.

Social assessment and management of conflict minerals: a systematic literature review

Purpose The necessity to assess and manage supply chains to be free from social problems such as human and labour rights abuses has become particularly apparent since the introduction of conflict minerals regulations in the United States (Dodd-Frank Act) and the European Union. Similarly, stakeholders demand that products are free from social problems. Ever more companies are therefore challenged to assess and manage social issues in their supply chains. At the same time, the increasing literature on assessment and management of social issues is disperse and an overview missing. This paper aims to provide an overview of the existing literature on social assessment and management approaches relating to conflict minerals and connected to social issues in supply chains. Design/methodology/approach A review of the academic literature on social assessment and management of conflict minerals to provide an overview is currently missing. This paper addresses this gap by systematically reviewing the existing research literature on approaches for the social assessment and management of conflict minerals from a supply chain perspective. Findings The systematic literature review found 21 social assessment and 30 social management approaches with reference to conflict minerals, with the most referenced approach being the OECD guidelines. Overall, the conflict mineral related literature discusses rather general social assessment and management approaches, such as codes of conduct, while the effectiveness of the approaches is not analysed in depth. The paper finds that an analysis of the effectiveness and interlinkages of different approaches is missing. The large variety of social and human rights issues addressed in the academic literature ranges from corruption to violence, going beyond the scope of regulations focused on conflict minerals. This indicates that regulations on conflict minerals and the consequences for management are seen as a specific case with wider implications for future regulations and the necessity for management to solve social problems in supply chains in an effective way. Research limitations/implications The review paper is conceptual and develops a framework to classify social assessment and management approaches for conflict minerals, drawing on the supply chain management literature. Practical implications The overview reveals that research refers to broader social assessment and management approaches indicating wider implications for assessing and managing social issues in supply chains in general, irrespective of whether they are conflict mineral related. Research has, however, so far not addressed the effectiveness and interlinkages between social assessment and management approaches. The aim of the emerging regulations, however, is to foster more effective management of social issues in supply chains. Management is therefore challenged to develop and implement innovative approaches to effectively reduce social problems in supply chains beyond conflict minerals. Conclusions are drawn for management and research. Social implications The paper highlights the need for collaboration with NGOs, industry associations and suppliers, recommending to engage in supplier development. Originality/value The paper conducts the first systematic review of academic literature on conflict mineral related social assessment and management approaches. A framework is proposed to classify social assessment and management approaches based on supply chain management literature. While conflict minerals often represent a small fraction of components in a product, they can have huge and costly implications for companies, which require (potentially) large changes for the sourcing and supply strategy of a company. Conflict mineral regulations represent the first attempt to regulate social and human rights abuses in supply chains holding companies responsible for misconduct caused by suppliers abroad.

Cities and the politics of gamification

Gamification is widely intended as the mobilisation and implementation of game elements in extra-ludic situations, including the management of social problems and issues. By mobilising virtual rewards and playful elements, mobile apps, websites, social initiatives and even urban policies are getting more and more gamified. The aim of this viewpoint paper is to stimulate a critical discussion on the potential relationships between gamification processes and cities, particularly by reflecting on the cultures of gamification and by discussing potential lines of research for urban studies.

Indian smart cities and cleaner production initiatives – Integrated framework and recommendations

The need to focus on smart city initiatives across the globe seems to vary, as modern cities today are identified as complex ecosystems grappling with the management of several social, economic and environmental issues. Smart city development needs to embrace cleaner production initiatives to balance the demands placed on the key sectors of health, energy, education, media and other services. Following upon document and content analyses, the present study presents a comprehensive review of the existing smart city frameworks and cleaner production initiatives in the Indian context. Smart city planning processes, cleaner production practices, cleaner production problems and associated policies in practice are outlined in the results section. The drivers and challenges in smart city development and cleaner production initiatives are discussed in detail; recommendations for closing the identified political, economic, technical, human, social, physical and ethical gaps are outlined alongside a suitable integrated framework for the development of smart cities in the Indian context. Theoretical, methodological, practical and social implications of the study are outlined, alongside the limitations of the present study and avenues for further research.

International cross-sector social partnerships between sport and governments: The World Anti-Doping Agency

This article presents the results of an in-depth case study of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), a global cross-sector social partnership (CSSP) through which governments and sport collaborate to address the social issue of doping in sport. The authors specifically explore how WADA has managed two key issues (securing financial contributions and the 2007 presidential election) using institutional and resource-dependence theories to better understand the question of why and how a sport CSSP responds strategically to its environmental and resource constraints in its precursory, establishment, and continuance phases. In doing so, the authors contribute to the sport management literature by providing new theoretical insights in the context of an international CSSP whose governance model challenges traditional management theories (Selsky & Parker, 2005) and is increasingly relevant in the current era of global management of social issues (Scherer & Palazzo, 2010). Findings suggest that for global CSSPs internal and external legitimacy is imperative through securing moral and geopolitical legitimacy, and there is value in considering resource-dependence and institutional theories as complementary rather than competing frameworks.

Co-Observing the Weather, Co-Predicting the Climate: Human Factors in Building Infrastructures for Crowdsourced Data

This paper investigates the embodied performance of ‘doing citizen science’. It examines how ‘citizen scientists’ produce scientif c data using the resources available to them, and how their socio-technical practices and emotions impact the construction of a crowdsourced data infrastructure. We found that conducting citizen science is highly emotional and experiential, but these individual experiences and feelings tend to get lost or become invisible when user-contributed data are aggregated and integrated into a big data infrastructure. While new meanings can be extracted from big data sets, the loss of individual emotional and practical elements denotes the loss of data provenance and the marginalisation of individual ef orts, motivations, and local politics, which might lead to disengaged participants, and unsustainable communities of citizen scientists. The challenges of constructing a data infrastructure for crowdsourced data therefore lie in the management of both technical and social issues which are local as well as global.Keywords: crowdsourcing, big data infrastructure, citizen science

The impact of corporate social responsibility on supply chain

In today’s business world, growing attention is being paid on the business concept; “Corporate Social Responsibility “mostly because of environmental concerns, regulatory impacts, commercial benefits and reputation in front of the society. Increasing number of companies initiates and implements practices considered as CSR activities. Concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been first introduced by Bowen (1952) and states that while implementing strategies and making their decisions, organizations should act taking into consideration society’s values. In this respect, Carroll (1979) defined CSR as sensitivity of an organization about the stakeholders’ expectations on the management of social, environmental, economic, ethic and legal issues. Towards the end of 1980s, concept of sustainable development has been introduced and has focused on economic, social and environmental factors that organizations should consider. Sustainable development emphasizes how today organizations can fulfill their needs without Jeopardizing the needs of the future generations. Therefore, MNCs interested in a green supply chain should be attempting to cut their transportation carbon emissions and those of their suppliers. This can be accomplished by using biofuel, choosing the type of transportation with the least carbon foot print (trains and ships), utilizing smaller trucks when possible, and encouraging fuel efficient driving behavior by employees.

Managing the “S” in ESG: The Case of Indigenous Peoples and Extractive Industries

Although a company's “social license to operate” is critical to its long‐run viability and success, the “social” component of corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) problems appears to be taking the longest to be integrated into the corporate business model. The authors make the case that corporate boards must assume a more direct and proactive role in identifying, measuring, and mitigating social risk.Board involvement in the management of social issues, although not a silver bullet by itself, is an important step that can help catalyze the changes needed within upper, middle, and lower management. The absence of board oversight of social performance means that the reporting chain is not reaching the highest level of management. And this in turn creates a lack of attention and accountability to social performance that is likely to permeate the rest of the company.Along with board oversight, companies need more and better information to understand the value that good social performance creates for business, and to equip them for building and maintaining positive relationships with communities. At the individual company level, this means more comprehensive and granular analysis of social risk, the full range of costs of conflicts with local communities, the benefits of having a social license, and quality baseline data for community engagement. At the macro level, these data points must be aggregated to understand their implications across industries.