Outcomes Of Such Projects Research Articles

Drained peatlands rewetting as a promising trend for carbon offsets in Russia: legal and economic aspects

“Zero” greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is one of the most pressing climate protection goals worldwide. The most important questions for the Russian Federation are about the significance and role of the country’s ecological systems in achieving “carbon neutrality”: creating conditions to reduce emissions and increase the GHG absorption by ecosystems, the implementation of natural climate projects to protect the climate in the country, and recognition climate outcomes of such projects at the national and international levels. This article analyzes legal and economic aspects of the emerging trend of Russian drained temperate peatlands rewetting as a new carbon offset strategy. We discuss the regulatory context and evaluate non-climate benefits. Drained peatlands rewetting holds promise for substantial GHG reduction in the country. However, further development of the methodology and alignment with relevant international standards is required for international recognition of the national carbon offset projects focused on drained peatlands rewetting.

Assessing the Outcomes of Digital Transformation Smartization Projects in Industrial Enterprises: A Model for Enabling Sustainability

Digital transformation and smartization projects in industrial enterprises have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, aiming to enhance operational efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. Assessing the outcomes of such projects is crucial to determine their effectiveness in enabling sustainability. In this context, a model for evaluating digital transformation smartization projects (DTSP) outcomes can be developed to provide a comprehensive assessment framework. This study aims to develop and test a model for diagnosing the results of implementing digital transformation smartization projects for industrial enterprises. The methodology presented in this article involves using statistical tests to detect multicollinearity and heteroskedasticity in regression models. It also proposes an economic–mathematical model with three objective functions to optimize the implementation of smartization projects, considering cost minimization, deviations from planned business indicators, and production rhythm disruptions. The most important results of the survey are (1) a proposed matrix for the selection of indicators for diagnosing the results of the implementation of digital transformation smartization projects for industrial enterprises, (2) a two-level model for the economic evaluation of diagnosed digital transformation smartization projects, which can be used at any stage of the digital transformation smartization project and based on it, conclusions can be drawn regarding the effectiveness of the implementation of both the entire project and its individual stages, objects, or elements. The advantage of the model is the possibility of its decomposition, that is, a division into separate parts with the possibility of introducing additional restrictions or, conversely, reducing the level of requirements for some of them. The results were tested at industrial enterprises in Ukraine and proved their practical significance.

To join or not to join? Insights from coopetitive RD&I projects

Multipartner research, development and innovation (RD&I) projects are increasingly used to achieve complex innovation goals and keep pace with today's technological imperatives. The involvement of both competing and noncompeting partners increases the complexity of the relationships and poses a challenge to the outcomes of such projects. Therefore, the right choice of partners is particularly important in this context. Although previous research has mainly examined how focal firms deliberately select collaborative partners, this study demonstrates how non‐focal firms evaluate invitations to participate in RD&I projects with multiple partners and direct competitors. Going beyond the coopetitive dyad, we qualitatively examine six multipartner RD&I projects in mature industries involving competitors and noncompetitors. The findings suggest that the evaluation process differs between exploration and exploitation projects. We identify critical factors that guide direct competitors' process of deciding whether to participate in both types of projects, and we provide new insights into the attractiveness of coopetitive RD&I collaborations for firms in mature industries. The study's propositions advance theory and can be tested in future empirical studies. This study also provides valuable guidance for practitioners considering embarking on a coopetitive journey.

State-facilitated Industrial Parks in the Belt and Road Initiative: Towards a framework for understanding the localization of the Chinese development model

Industrial parks are a cornerstone of Chinese infrastructure development, both domestically and overseas. We examine how they are localized through negotiations and contestations by host country stakeholders using the cases of Indonesia’s Morowali Industrial Park and the Malaysia China Kuantan Industrial Park. Negotiations involving Chinese and host country goals, norms, and agendas co-produced those parks. Both were sited in relatively undeveloped areas. Chinese firms brought in new technology and built infrastructure, albeit not without socio-environmental impacts. In Indonesia, the political elites’ goals of achieving import substitution industrialization resulted in their bartering access to high-grade nickel ore for better extraction technology and upgraded smelting capacity. In Malaysia, a market-oriented government insisted on bringing investments to the underdeveloped state of Pahang, resulting in a park that imports ore, manufactures steel products, and exports goods to the rest of the world. The analysis produced a framework that shows how the state-led model of Chinese industrial parks exported through the Belt and Road Initiative is an example of “directed improvisation,” an adaptive model that is localized through two levels of host country processes – negotiations and contestations, which in turn produce feedbacks towards corporate governance and the host country environment. This model, however, gives host country actors enormous influence over the outcome of such projects.

The Challenge of the Heritage of Protest Movements

This article analyses the challenge of collecting the heritage of present-day global protest movements, which are shaped and influenced by digital practices. In focus of the analysis are the mass-street demonstrations which took place in cities all over Poland in 2020 and 2021 to denounce the ruling of the Constitutional Tribunal imposing a near-total ban on abortion (the “women’s rebellion”). Considered as the largest social protests since the fall of communism in 1989, they have engendered several spontaneous documenting and collecting initiatives. The aims and outcomes of such projects, launched by Polish museums, NGOs, artistic collectives, etc. will be juxtaposed in this article with similar ventures aimed at collecting and archiving the global social movements of the twenty first century and examined as the first Polish examples of Rapid Response Collecting (RRC). This article, by analysing the recent RRC projects of the 2020/21 protests against the abortion ban in Poland, aims to inscribe them in the current discussions on the preservation of digital heritage. While pointing out definitional issues with digital heritage, my analysis also demonstrates the need to integrate and interrelate digital heritage within the wider framework of cultural heritage, its preservation and institutionalisation.

Creating a symbol of hope for 2021

The idea behind our project was to encourage nursing and midwifery teams to create artistic symbols of hope amid the challenges posed by the global Covid-19 pandemic. Our experiences working with teams using arts-informed approaches have shown us that they offer a space for deeper reflection and a change from more traditional reflection models. The outcome of such projects are unique visual representations of what a subject or event means to the team, and of their emotions and experiences. These are displayed in individual wards and units for all staff, patients, relatives and other visitors to see, often becoming a focal point for conversation. In November 2020, our practice development unit invited teams from across the local health district to create a symbol of hope for 2021. This was inspired by reading an article in AI Practitioner, the international journal of appreciative inquiry, entitled ‘Hope and appreciative inquiry during a pandemic’ (Houston, 2020). The author describes hope as something that is ‘an inescapable part of being a human. Both aspiration, belief in our future and reflection, how we view our past’ (p 49). The importance of finding reasons to ‘live, share, cry, sing, laugh, love, be fearful’ (p 51) is also expressed, with the contention that embracing these as our strengths is where hope lies. One aspect of the work of the practice development unit is inspiring nurses and midwives to capture the essence of experiences that occur in everyday practice using creative approaches. Arts-informed approaches provide a way for individuals and teams to express their experiences, thoughts and feelings visually and creatively (McCormack and Titchen, 2006; Horsfall and Titchen, 2009). Creative approaches such as painting, photo elicitation, creative writing, music and dancing can be used to engage our senses, helping us to access, pay attention to and express feelings and experiences, that might initially be difficult to put into words (Horsfall and Titchen, 2009; Sullivan, 2012; Weber, 2012). This is referred to as embodied knowledge, in which the body is the source of knowing rather than the mind (Weber, 2012).

Citizen science and community action provide insights on a threatened species: nest box use by the brush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa)

Context Landscape management and restoration in rural environments is frequently driven by community groups, who often use ‘flagship’ species to generate broader engagement. In south-eastern Australia, installation of nest boxes for hollow-dependent fauna is undertaken by many groups. Monitoring the outcomes of such projects offers opportunities for citizen science. Aims The aim of the present study was to report on a community-led project to install and monitor nest boxes to enhance the conservation of a threatened species, the brush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa), and to investigate the extent of nest box use, factors influencing use, changes in use through time, and the effectiveness of nest boxes as a monitoring tool. Methods A community group installed 450 nest boxes across 150 sites to monitor and provide habitat for the brush-tailed phascogale. Of these, 102 sites were stratified in relation to: (1) geographic sub-region; (2) forest patch size; and (3) topographic position. Nest boxes were inspected five times over 8 years. We modelled factors influencing nest box use at the tree, site, and landscape level. We compared nest box data with data from camera traps at 50 sites to assess their value as a monitoring tool. Key results In any given survey, up to 6% of nest boxes had individuals present and up to 22% had evidence of use by the brush-tailed phascogale. There was greater use of nest boxes when installed on ‘stringybark’ type trees than ‘box’ and ‘gum-barked’ species. Nest box use was greater for sites on forest slopes than in gullies, and use varied between years. Surveys using remote cameras were more effective at detecting phascogales than monitoring nest boxes. Conclusions Nest box monitoring can provide insights into the distribution and habitat requirements of hollow-dependent species, and engage the community in citizen science. Elements that enhance community-led monitoring include scientific input to project design, collecting data in a consistent manner, allocating sufficient time for data curation, engaging people invested in project outcomes, maintaining good relationships with stakeholders, and sharing data for analysis. Implications Collaboration between scientists and community groups can be of benefit to both parties. However, to maximise scientific and conservation outcomes there must be effective engagement and adequate resourcing for project coordination.

Man the Interpreter - From Natural Science to Hermeneutics in Swedish Archaeology

The epistemological principles of natural science dominate the archaeological discourse. Methods and theories developed exclusively for natural science are used in archaeology without further ado. Archaeological institutions employ experts on scientific methods. University departments, scholarship foundations and other institutions spend large amounts of money on projects and education with an explicit connection to natural science. The significance and outcome of such projects are hardly ever questioned. In this article the background of the present situation is analysed. It is also argued that archaeologists should pay more attention to life. It is in the ontology of life that we as archaeologists seek a significant meaning in history, not in explanations of present conditions constructed with methods developed for natural science. It is stated that archaeologists should tum to the first science —philosophy —if our mission, which is to explore the ontological aspects of life, shall become explicit in the discourse of archaeology.

Political Ecologies of Participation

This paper presents an unexpected story about the outcomes of a civic project. CSCW and HCI scholarship has argued for a long-term perspective to assess civic projects and to understand how local communities appropriate - or maybe disregard - the material outcomes of these types of interventions. Nevertheless, it is still unclear how to interpret the outcomes of such projects and how to make sense of their social impact on the wider contexts they are bound to. This article draws on the notion of "political ecologies of participation" to illustrate: i) how outcomes of socially engaged projects circulate through communities and can be appropriated independently of the research inquiries they stem from; and ii) how, through such processes, impact is reconfigured as issues are added to shared concerns. The paper sets out by analyzing the entanglement of actors, meanings (e.g., values, narratives, opinions) and forms of participation that were configured throughout the transformation observed. Attention is then drawn to their political qualities, including their inherent openness and their capacity to produce change locally. The paper introduces four analytical sensitivities illustrating how thinking with political ecologies of participation can help CSCW research focus on the longer processes whereby impact can be configured.

Defining Data Migration Across Multidisciplinary Ambulatory Clinics Using Participatory Design.

This study aimed to develop an institutional approach for defining data migration based on participatory design principles. We outline a collaborative approach to define data migration as part of an electronic health record (EHR) transition at an urban hospital with 20 ambulatory clinics, based on participatory design. We developed an institution-specific list of data for migration based on physician end-user feedback. In this paper, we review the project planning phases, multidisciplinary governance, and methods used. Detailed data migration feedback was obtained from 90% of participants. Depending on the specialty, requests for historical laboratory values ranged from 2 to as many as 145 unique laboratory types. Lookback periods requested by physicians varied and were ultimately assigned to provide the most clinical data. This clinical information was then combined to synthesize an overall proposed data migration request on behalf of the institution. Institutions undergoing an EHR transition should actively involve physician end-users and key stakeholders. Physician feedback is vital for developing a clinically relevant EHR environment but is often difficult to obtain. Challenges include physician time constraints and overall knowledge about health information technology. This study demonstrates how a participatory design can serve to improve the clinical end-user's understanding of the technical aspects of an EHR implementation, as well as enhance the outcomes of such projects.

Recommendations from a James Lind Alliance priority setting partnership - a qualitative interview study

BackgroundThe James Lind Alliance (JLA) offers a method for research priority setting with patients, clinicians and carers. The method is increasingly used but publications primarily discuss the outcome of such projects, rather than reflecting on the JLA method itself. Scrutiny of the method is crucial in order to understand and correctly interpret its outcomes.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative interview study with people involved in a JLA project into Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) (n = 30) to better understand the mechanisms, procedures and decisional processes during such a project and to formulate recommendations for those who consider starting a JLA project in the future.ResultsFour main themes were identified: 1) motivations, goals and expectations 2) inclusivity, roles and representation 3) procedures and decision-making 4) outcomes and future steps.ConclusionWhile the top 10 of ‘evidence uncertainties’ seems to take the centre stage in JLA projects, the ways in which these priorities are determined may be influenced by ‘process uncertainties’. We have formulated ten specific recommendations for future JLA projects. Reflection on and reporting of these process uncertainties would contribute to the improvement of JLA projects and increase the validity of the outcome of such projects.

The NASSS-CAT Tools for Understanding, Guiding, Monitoring, and Researching Technology Implementation Projects in Health and Social Care: Protocol for an Evaluation Study in Real-World Settings.

BackgroundProjects to implement health care and social care innovations involving technologies are typically ambitious and complex. Many projects fail. Greenhalgh et al’s nonadoption, abandonment, scale-up, spread, and sustainability (NASSS) framework was developed to analyze the varied outcomes of such projects.ObjectiveWe sought to extend the NASSS framework to produce practical tools for understanding, guiding, monitoring, and researching technology projects in health care or social care settings.MethodsBuilding on NASSS and a complexity assessment tool (CAT), the NASSS-CAT tools were developed (in various formats) in seven co-design workshops involving 50 stakeholders (industry executives, technical designers, policymakers, managers, clinicians, and patients). Using action research, they were and are being tested prospectively on a sample of case studies selected for variety in conditions, technologies, settings, scope and scale, policy context, and project goals.ResultsThe co-design process resulted in four tools, available as free downloads. NASSS-CAT SHORT is a taster to introduce the instrument and gauge interest. NASSS-CAT LONG is intended to support reflection, due diligence, and preliminary planning. It maps complexity through stakeholder discussion across six domains, using free-text open questions (designed to generate a rich narrative and surface uncertainties and interdependencies) and a closed-question checklist; this version includes an action planning section. NASSS-CAT PROJECT is a 35-item instrument for monitoring how subjective complexity in a technology implementation project changes over time. NASSS-CAT INTERVIEW is a set of prompts for conducting semistructured research or evaluation interviews. Preliminary data from empirical case studies suggest that the NASSS-CAT tools can potentially identify, but cannot always help reconcile, contradictions and conflicts that block projects’ progress.ConclusionsThe NASSS-CAT tools are a useful addition to existing implementation tools and frameworks. Further support of the implementation projects is ongoing. We are currently producing digital versions of the tools, and plan (subject to further funding) to establish an online community of practice for people interested in using and improving the tools, and hold workshops for building cross-project collaborations.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/16861

The 10 Cow Project: Building Mission Sustainability.

Using lessons from a modern parable about the 10-cow bride, a short-term medical missions team created a sustainable program for Ugandans, helping establish businesses for needy families by providing start-up farm animals. Christian nurses can partner with those in veterinary medicine to provide essential training related to health promotion and prevention of disease transmission in order to promote positive long-term outcomes of such projects.

The Sustainability of Post-Conflict Development: The Case of Algeria

The Algerian civil war, 1992–2002, affected all aspects of life in the country. Major development efforts were therefore initiated in the post-conflict era. Almost 20 years later, the economy remains fragile, and the country’s large hydrocarbon revenues have not been used to develop the infrastructure for sustainability, support energy transition or reduce structural vulnerabilities. This paper provides an overview of Algerian development strategies before and after the conflict, examining in particular the orientation of major development projects involving foreign financing. Two rural development programmes are described to illustrate the outcomes of such projects. The results show that the conflict stopped or hindered many ongoing and planned development projects in the country, especially in the agriculture sector, while new investments in industry started after the conflict. The review of individual development projects further revealed that many projects between 1980–2017 had doubtful benefits with respect to long-term development goals. Initiatives tended to be discontinued once the funding period closed, and the involvement of the private sector was low. It is therefore concluded that additional attention needs to be devoted to long-term and structural impacts of development projects, including considerations regarding sustainability, demographics, and climate-related future changes.

High-Impact Experiences through Commissioned Works and Composer Residencies

Music students, their teachers, composers, and school communities experience deep, long-lasting growth in music-making and artistic perspective when provided with opportunities to engage in the commissioning of new musical works in conjunction with composer residencies. Through consideration of relevant literature and case-study examination, the article defines and articulates possible formats for commissioned works projects with composer residencies. A discussion of the beneficial outcomes of such projects for student musicians, music educators, composers, and constituent communities addresses reasons for coordinating projects of this nature. The article concludes with a step-by-step guide that lays out how educators can organize a commissioned work and composer residency project for their students that is appropriate for their specific educational context.

Conservation challenges and benefits of multispecies reintroductions to a national park – a case study from New South Wales, Australia

Species reintroductions into predator-controlled areas are an increasingly used conservation tool. Typically, ecological outcomes of such projects (e.g. recruitment, predation) are the focus but seldom necessary legislative, policy, social and institutional processes required for establishing large projects. This particularly applies to protected areas, managed by governments for conservation. Reintroductions are recommended for a third of threatened Australian vertebrates, with the New South Wales Government boldly embarking on a 2013 initiative to return locally extinct mammals to three protected areas. We detail the legislative, policy, social and institutional processes required for one of these sites, Wild Deserts, in Sturt National Park. Seven locally extinct species, including the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis), western barred bandicoot (Perameles bougainville), golden bandicoot (Isoodon auratus), greater stick-nest rat (Leporillus conditor), crest-tailed mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda), western quoll (Dasyurus geoffroii) and burrowing bettong (Bettongia lesueur) will be reintroduced into two exclosures. The scale of the project required identification of an appropriate location, satisfaction of statutory requirements for major infrastructure in a national park, assessments of potential ecological costs and benefits, engagement of the national park agency and other stakeholders (Traditional Owners, other government agencies, neighbours), and staff training to meet government agency requirements. We outline the resourcing, costs and benefits of such a project on government-managed land along with lessons learnt for similar large-scale restoration and reintroduction projects. Future projects would benefit from understanding legislative and policy frameworks and the need for transparency, while maximising efficiencies.

Managing people and learning in organisational change projects

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the influence of people management practices on the outcomes of organisational change projects through their contributions to organisational learning. The contributions to their outcomes of particular corporate and project-specific people management practices are considered.Design/methodology/approachCase studies of two organisational change projects undertaken by Arts Council England during 2006-2007 are used to examine how far and in what ways people management practices influence the outcomes of such projects. Organisational change is considered as an instance of organisational learning, which in turn is examined in relation to the twin activities of developing new ideas and internal sense-making.FindingsEvidence is presented that certain people management practices, individually and in combination, influence the outcomes of organisational change projects significantly through their contributions to organisational learning.Research limitations/implicationsResearch into the influence of particular people management practices, and the contexts and processes through which it is exerted, is necessary to develop more generalisable conclusions. This influence is liable to be invisible to less granular research into people management as a general construct.Originality/valueResearch into the use of project management methods specifically to implement organisational change is sparse. The findings of this paper contradict findings from research into the influence of people management on project outcomes in general, which suggest that it does not have a significant effect.

Addressing digital inequalities amongst young people: conflicting discourses and complex outcomes

Despite the ongoing discourse about the constantly connected and digitally savvy youth in the UK, a growing evidence base demonstrates that there are still significant inequalities in young people’s ability to access and use the internet. There is a small, but significant, proportion of young people who do not have internet access at home, nor have sufficient digital skills to engage online in ways that are meaningful to them. This paper presents findings from a two-year school and local council-run initiative in England to provide 30 such digitally disadvantaged young people with a laptop and stable internet connection at home as well as school support. Drawing on rich qualitative data (home and school visits; parent, student, and teacher interviews), we explore the experiences of young people, parents, and teachers who were part of this digital inclusion scheme. Specifically, we examine how the long-standing essentialist discourses around ‘digital youth’ and determinist ideas of technology and social change inform how such a scheme is perceived, enacted, and experienced by the teachers, parents, and young people involved with the initiative, as well as the implications these discourses have for the ways the outcomes of such projects are judged.

The meaning of participation in school ground greening: a study from project to everyday setting

School ground greening has many acknowledged benefits for play, learning and health, but less is known about the outcomes of such projects from children’s perspectives. This study aims to investigate the process, and children’s participation, at two Swedish schools over four years of planning, planting, management and maintenance, using short interviews and observations. There was a large general interest among the children to participate in the development and maintenance of their school grounds, but different participatory and pedagogical approaches were used. The participation of children in the planning stage appears to be of specific importance for the functionality of school grounds, while long-term participation in management and maintenance can affect children’s experiences from, and perspectives on, greening areas and projects positively over time. The results point to the large impact that greening projects with continuity in participation can have on children’s activity and meaning-making.

Mental health and wellbeing of care leavers: Making sense of their perspectives

AbstractDespite considerable quantifiable data about the circumstances of care leavers in the United Kingdom, there is less qualitative data about how these circumstances are experienced. This article is underpinned by positioning theory, with a particular focus on the unfolding personal narratives of young care leavers in relation to their mental health and wellbeing and the role of a life‐skills programme in supporting them in this respect. The research illustrates that leaving care projects, such as the one in the current study, are more focused on employment and housing issues than on addressing the mental health and wellbeing needs of young people. Our analysis of interviews with young people illustrates the ambiguity of understandings of concepts such as “mental health” and “wellbeing,” and the complexity of responses to questioning around this area. This illustrates one of the major problems in evaluating the outputs and outcomes of such projects in terms of simplistic targets, where mental health and wellbeing are not clearly defined or understood by young people themselves. The current research provides a more complex picture. More research is needed that involves in‐depth and longitudinal assessment of specific mental health needs of care leavers and how they can be addressed successfully.