Resource Mobilization Research Articles

The intersection of TB and health financing: defining needs and opportunities

TB is an airborne public health threat, so the reponse to TB has been defined mainly through the lens of vertical, public-sector national TB programs (NTPs). However, TB exists within a broader health systems and health financing context. Here, we examine the intersection between the particular needs of TB programs and the broader health financing landscape. This includes the strategies needed to finance both the clinical and public health aspects of the TB response. In high-burden countries, the resource mobilization and strategic purchasing approaches described here will be critical if we are to maximize the reach and impact of the TB response.

School inspectors’ perspectives of their instructional leadership support to schools in Zimbabwe

Over the past 2 decades, worldwide research has established that the district office of education matters. Various policy initiatives are directing district offices to shift from limited managerial functions and begin to directly support learner instruction. The intention of this article, therefore, was to tease the question: How do school inspectors provide instructional leadership support to schools in Zimbabwe? Guided by the instructional leadership conceptual framework, we employed a qualitative research methodology in which we used 2 case studies focusing on 6 officers purposively drawn from 2 district offices in the Masvingo province of Zimbabwe. Data collection tools used were document analysis and semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that school inspectors carried out school staffing; spearheaded need-driven circuit-level and district-level professional development; instituted supervision of schools; supported school development efforts; and ensured stakeholder and partner engagement. But school inspectors provided limited support to scaffold learner instruction. To improve district instructional leadership support at school level, we recommend strategic human and material resource mobilisation and utilisation. Inevitably, more research is needed to allow deeper insight into the observed inadequacies of the current district office in Zimbabwe.

Mobile Learning and Resource Sharing Mode of College English Translation Based on 5G Mobile Communication Technology

The application of 5G and other mobile communication technologies to education and teaching, and the construction of College English Translation mobile learning and resource sharing model and related models have important scientific value and significance for the effective organization and management of learning resources and the improvement of the speed and efficiency of college english translation resource retrieval. This research mainly combines the characteristics of complementarity and expansion of mobile learning technology for traditional online learning technology. Based on Moodle online teaching platform, this research develops a mobile learning and resource sharing mode for college english translation based on 5G mobile communication technology, designs and implements a mobile learning model based on Moodle platform, and designs the system architecture, functional modules, learning mode and learning process, Finally, the main functional modules of the system model are implemented and tested. To promote mobile learning in the teaching field to play a helping role in a wide range. The experimental results show that the AKAZE algorithm is used to optimize the model, and the overall accuracy rate reaches 74.7%, and the test probability value P (siq)=0.00, which is significantly less than the significant level of 0.05. Therefore, we believe that the application of mobile learning instructional design mode will help students improve their academic performance.

Clarifying new urban mobility services based on a threefold business model framework

Market entrants have brought a variety of new urban mobility services over the past years, which are rooted in the sharing economy and have their origin in digitalization. Digital data serve as key resource of a business model and, accordingly, digital technologies are the basis of key activities. Building our analysis on the resource-based view and on the business model debate, we ask: what degrees of digitalization do urban mobility service business models exhibit? We perform a systematic literature review and a qualitative content analysis. As a result, we identify a continuum of highly and lowly digitalized business models. We derive a threefold business model framework, substantiated in conventional mobility, hybrid, and data-driven business models. (1) Conventional mobility business models are dominated by mobility as a key resource, digitalization is low and performed by key partners, (2) hybrid models contain both conventional mobility and data-driven key resources, and (3) data-driven models take digital data as key resources, while conventional mobility is carried out by key partners. As a first main contribution, we conceptualize conventional versus purely data-driven business models along the continuum of data-driven business model components. New urban mobility services are the group of both hybrid and data-driven business models, while conventional urban mobility stands on its own. As a second contribution, we clarify the Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) concept by corroborating it as a purely data-driven business model with key partners provisioning mobility.

Strategies to Improve Employee Engagement and HR Quality at M Educational Institution Jakarta

The development of education is no less important than the economic and social world. However, in recent years the workforce in the world of education has experienced significant turnover which has hampered the development of teaching. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze and discuss the level of employee engagement and the quality of human resource management using the example of the educational institution M Educational Institution Jakarta. This research was conducted by conducting interviews and distributing questionnaires to educational personnel as subjects. In this study, we identified the core concepts of employee engagement in educational institutions, designed an engagement questionnaire and a satisfaction questionnaire, and conducted a survey. Getting the results from this research, there are problems such as incomplete human resource development mechanism, high human resource mobility, serious exit of high-quality human resources, unbalanced faculty staffing structure, and incomplete performance evaluation and incentive mechanism. Analyzing the problems and their causes, it is necessary to propose constructive solutions and countermeasures, identify common problems in employee participation and human resource management in educational institutions, and improve strategy development and policy adjustment depending on the problems. The result of this research is that increasing employee engagement and the quality of human resources is very important. In the development of the M Educational Jakarta institution, it requires the implementation of a scientific and rational human resource management mechanism, with the concept of project management as a systematic implementation framework, which can also be a guide in managing HR in educational institutions, and ensuring the effectiveness of HR operations.

Online stimulation of the prefrontal cortex during practice increases motor variability and modulates later cognitive transfer: a randomized, double-blinded and sham-controlled tDCS study

The benefits of learning a motor skill extend to improved task-specific cognitive abilities. The mechanistic underpinnings of this motor-cognition relationship potentially rely on overlapping neural resources involved in both processes, an assumption lacking causal evidence. We hypothesize that interfering with prefrontal networks would inhibit concurrent motor skill performance, long-term learning and associated cognitive functions dependent on similar networks (transfer). We conducted a randomised, double-blinded, sham-controlled brain stimulation study using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in young adults spanning over three weeks to assess the role of the prefrontal regions in learning a complex balance task and long-term cognitive performance. Balance training combined with active tDCS led to higher performance variability in the trained task as compared to the sham group, impacting the process of learning a complex task without affecting the learning rate. Furthermore, active tDCS also positively influenced performance in untrained motor and cognitive tasks. The findings of this study help ascertaining the networks directly involved in learning a complex motor task and its implications on cognitive function. Hence, opening up the possibility of harnessing the observed frontal networks involved in resource mobilization in instances of aging, brain lesion/injury or dysfunction.

Achieving project performance goals in extreme resource-constrained environments: the role of bricolage in social enterprise projects

PurposeAchieving project performance goals in extremely resource-constrained environments, such as those of social enterprises, is challenging. These organizations often employ bricolage – making the most of available resources – to navigate challenging landscapes. This study aims to understand how bricolage capabilities enhance or attenuate organizational project outcomes in resource-constrained social enterprises.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory survey was conducted to understand project management practices in Canadian social enterprises. Established scales were used to measure constructs with confirmatory factor analysis, and linear regression was employed to analyze relationships.FindingsThe study provides empirical evidence of the positive influence of bricolage on organizational project performance, with a crossover interaction observed for moderators – entrepreneurial leadership and project management capabilities. While project capabilities strengthen the positive impact of bricolage capabilities on project performance, entrepreneurial leadership has the opposite effect.Practical implicationsThe insights from this study offer an initial roadmap for project managers for effective resource acquisition and utilization through bricolage, ultimately enhancing project management effectiveness in resource-constrained environments.Originality/valueDespite the crucial role of bricolage capabilities in resource-constrained environments, the project management literature has largely neglected this concept. It is unclear how organizations use bricolage to manage projects. This lack of understanding challenges organizations, hindering their ability to apply bricolage consistently and thoughtfully in managing projects. Our study provides a deeper understanding of how bricolage facilitates project performance and enriches our understanding of it as an effective resource mobilization strategy within social enterprises.

Seeing the whole: Configurational cognition and new venture resource mobilization

AbstractResearch SummaryResearch is scant on how multiple venture attributes combine as “whole packages” of signals (or cognitive configurations) in resource holders’ eyes, shaping a venture's ability to mobilize resources. Drawing on a qualitative comparative analysis of 1,395 crowdfunding campaigns, we identified different configurations of signals for high and low resource mobilization, theorizing abductively their underlying mechanisms through the analysis of case‐level qualitative data. Our results explain some past mixed findings, such as the contradictory effects of social value and entrepreneurial narratives, showing that these narratives can instead be successfully combined in the presence of signals of venture quality and community embeddedness. We show that there is no single best way to impress resource holders, but multiple recipes to holistically communicate a venture's value.Managerial SummaryAnalyzing Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns, we examine how entrepreneurs combine four signals to raise money: 1) the venture's underlying quality; 2) social networks; 3) narratives; 4) embeddedness in the crowdfunding community. We identified four successful configurations of these signals (500% above the funding goal) and two failing configurations (4% of the funding goal). Narratives per se are not sufficient to mobilize resources, unless backed by signals of quality and community embeddedness. A simpler narrative is supported by cheaper quality signals (product images). More complex narratives (combining social value, entrepreneurial orientation, positive psychology) are supported by more costly signals (videos). Our results encourage entrepreneurs to look beyond “silver bullet” solutions and think holistically how to communicate their ventures as “whole packages”.

Resource prioritization and allocation in fog computing using hybrid optimization

With the rapid proliferation of IoT devices, the volume of data generated has reached unprecedented levels, necessitating efficient management strategies. Fog computing, complemented by 5G technologies, offers promising solutions to reduce service latency and enhance Quality of Service (QoS). However, allocating resources effectively remains challenging due to factors such as uncertainty, mobility, heterogeneity, and limited resources in fog computing environments. Traditional resource allocation (RA) algorithms often fall short of addressing these complexities. This study proposes a novel approach to RA in fog computing, utilizing a non-linear function to optimize resource allocation. An objective function is introduced, incorporating multi constraints such as resource utilization, service response rate, makespan, migration cost, and communication cost. The methodology emphasizes efficient resource allocation in crucial scenarios, facilitating rapid resource distribution where needed. The novel Coati Integrated Beluga Whale Optimization (CI-BWO) strategy is proposed to achieve optimal resource allocation in fog computing environments. By leveraging CI-BWO, this research aims to overcome the limitations of traditional RA methods and enhance the performance and scalability of fog computing applications. Finally, the superiority of the suggested strategy is assessed by comparison with many existing methods. When the task count is 200, the developed CI-BWO attained less migration cost of around 1.287, while existing models have acquired higher migration costs.

Immunity through technification? A critical review of water governance discourses in Tunisia

AbstractAfter Tunisia's independence from France in 1956, the country was engaged in what has been termed the “supply management policy”, that is, a maximum mobilization of water resources through large‐scale modern hydraulic infrastructure. Towards the beginning of the 1980s, the country entered a crisis and had to adopt in 1986, under pressure from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, a “Structural Adjustment Program” (SAP) that prioritized measures to improve economic efficiency and liberalize the economy. Since then, Tunisian water policy has progressively shifted towards “Integrated Water Resources Management” (IWRM). This review critically analyzes the water governance discourses that have framed these policy interventions. I will draw on academic research and official and civil society reports to suggest that these discourses have been “rendered technical”, stripping issues of any political (and therefore conflicting) character. When rendered technical discourses raise development projects and policies above the terrain of political contestation, the possibilities of action available to those opposed to them become limited. This depoliticization of development interventions through technical discourses narrows the public space of democratic debate. I will also argue that the “technification” (rendering technical) process is reversible. Opposition groups can challenge technical discourses with a critical approach that can reconfigure and alter the trajectory of governmental programs. However, critical discourses can, in turn, be rendered technical.This article is categorized under: Human Water > Water Governance Human Water > Rights to Water

Community Participation in Development Planning: A Socio-Historical Analysis of Its Strengths and Weaknesses

Numerous studies and development theorists have identified the potential of community participation (CP) in development planning. However, limited studies have synthesised existing literature to compare its strengths and weaknesses. This article, therefore, fills this knowledge gap by synthesising critical academic perspectives to (a) contrast the case for and against the promotion of CP theory in development planning and (b) detail its historical effects and contributions to the water service delivery sector. Overall, findings on the weakness reveal that (a) participation at times overrides existing legitimate decision-making processes, (b) reinforces the interest of the already powerful through knowledge acquisition and manipulation, (c) drives out those advantages participation cannot provide, and (d) leads to opportunistic behaviours, that is, free-rider syndrome. On the strengths, participation can lead to the realisation of (a) improved project design, (b) increased project acceptability, (c) a more equitable distribution of benefits, (d) increased resource mobilisation, and (e) improvements in sustainability parameters. Taken together, the authors premise that unless these strengths and weaknesses are fully documented and appreciated from a historical standpoint, efforts to take full advantage of CP as a theory in development planning will remain futile.

Resistance Across Borders: Belarusian Civic Activism in Exile under (Trans-)National Repression

The mass protests following the rigged 2020 presidential elections in Belarus led to unprecedented repression, resulting in the liquidation of over 1,600 NGOs, the imprisonment of hundreds of activists, and the displacement of thousands. After relocating, these activists continued to mobilize resources and use digital platforms to sustain and expand their support networks across borders. Urban activists played a pivotal role in this transformation, though they acutely felt the challenges of relocation due to their dependence on physical urban spaces and their ties to support networks and governmental bodies. This paper investigates the challenges faced by urban activists, post-relocation, as well as their resource mobilization strategies, utilizing surveys of 47 Belarusian NGOs and conducting 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews with urban development experts. It contributes to the understanding of civic activism in exile, emphasizing the strategic use of resources to reorganize activity and resist transnational repression of authoritarian regimes.

Constructing Assessment for Evaluating Critical Thinking and Creative Problem-Solving Skills in the Lesson on Soundwave

The objective of this article is to develop an instrument that can be used to assess the ability to solve creative problems (CPS) and critical thinking (CT) in the context of sound waves. This work is a component of our research on developing a teaching material that includes assessment as a component of the final product. The objective of this instrument is to evaluate students' critical thinking (CT) and critical problem-solving (CPS) abilities both before and after implementing the recently developed mobile learning teaching resources. To construct the instrument, we adhere to the Facione and Osborn-Parness frameworks for CTs and CPSs. Validity testing and reliability testing comprise this instrument development process. We utilize Cronbach's Alpha to assess reliability and the content validity index to assess validity. According to the content validity index results, four of the six items in the CT instrument were determined to be valid. Conversely, the empirical validation test of the creative problem-solving skills instrument demonstrated that the results were valid and suitable for use. The Cronbach's Alpha results also indicated that both tools accurately evaluated students' creative problem-solving and critical reasoning abilities.

Optimizing mobility resource allocation in multiple MaaS subscription frameworks: a group method of data handling-driven self-adaptive harmony search algorithm

Optimizing mobility resource allocation in multiple MaaS subscription frameworks: a group method of data handling-driven self-adaptive harmony search algorithm

Preparedness of Lab School Middle School Students Towards Earthquakes for Disaster Risk Reduction

The primary objective of this research is to observe and analyze the preparedness of Labschool Middle School students in Palu City for Disaster Risk Reduction. The population in this study consisted of all students at Palu City Labschool Middle School, using a total sampling technique, resulting in a sample size of 100 students. Data was collected using structured questionnaires that were directly filled out by the students. The questionnaires were designed to cover all aspects of the research variables and provide a comprehensive assessment of the student's preparedness. Data processing in this study utilized a computerized system via MS Excel. Knowledge: 95% of respondents rated their knowledge on the subject as not good. This indicates that the majority of respondents have a poor understanding of the topic. Early Warning System: 57% of respondents rated the early warning system as not good. Resource Mobilization: 73% of respondents rated resource mobilization as not good. This indicates significant issues in resource mobilization, with the majority of respondents feeling that improvements are needed in this area. The findings indicate a significant gap in disaster preparedness among Labschool Middle School students. The majority lack basic knowledge about natural disasters and have minimal exposure to disaster-related training or education. Despite the availability of disaster warning tools in schools, awareness and understanding of their use remain limited. An effective early warning system is crucial for community safety, yet many students exhibit low awareness and preparedness levels

Age assessment of unaccompanied foreign minors: an analyses of knowledge and practices among Italian pediatricians

BackgroundIncreases in migration patterns in the recent years have led to a continuously growing number of unaccompanied foreign minors (UFMs) entering Italy. As part of processing and integration, age assessment is performed by pediatricians upon request of regulatory bodies. Updated guidelines for age estimation procedures were published in 2020 in order to prioritize the well-being of the minors and the accuracy of the assessment. Nonetheless, literature suggests that the recently established multidisciplinary approach has not yet been widely adopted by physicians.MethodsA cross-sectional exploratory survey was distributed to pediatricians in Italy in order to gauge their range of experience with UFMs and age assessment protocols.ResultsIn total 344 pediatricians participated in the survey, originating from varied regions in Italy. Out of pediatricians who reported conducting age assessment procedures (38.9%), only a small fraction (14.2%) confirmed being knowledgeable about the methodology. Instead, a significant portion (28.8% and 56.4%) either had partial awareness or lacked knowledge of these procedures. These responses significantly differed when comparing hospital and outpatient pediatricians or according to their geographical area of work (p <0.05).ConclusionSurvey responses suggest that a gap in awareness and experience regarding a multidisciplinary approach to age estimations still exists, likely in part due to a lack of resources, especially at the regional level. In the future, efforts towards the education of professionals and mobilization of resources for investment in the field will be crucial for the improvement of work with UFMs and other migrant populations.

Impacts of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) microplastic exposure on physiology and metabolic profiles of Litopenaeus vannamei

In light of increasing concerns about microplastic pollution, it is crucial to understand the biological impacts of biodegradable PHB microplastics on marine organisms. This study included a 96-h exposure experiment to assess acute toxicity at PHB concentrations of 0 mg/L, 100 mg/L, 500 mg/L and 1000 mg/L. Additionally, a 60-day feeding trial was conducted with PHB concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg to evaluate the long-term effects on growth, physiological health and metabolic responses of Litopenaeus vannamei. Results from the exposure experiment indicated that PHB microplastics up to 100 mg/L were non-toxic to shrimp. However, the 60-day feeding trial revealed that higher concentrations led to slight reductions in survival rates and growth performance, indicating a concentration-dependent response. Analysis of antioxidant and immune enzymes showed minimal changes across most parameters. However, increases in malondialdehyde content and lysozyme activity at higher PHB levels suggested a stress response. Microbial analysis indicated higher species richness and greater community diversity in the PHB group compared to controls, as evidenced by Chao1, ACE, Shannon and Simpson indices. Linear discriminant analysis revealed that Enterobacteriales and related taxa were more prevalent in the PHB group, while Rhodobacteraceae and associated taxa dominated the control group. Pathway analysis highlighted enhanced signal transduction, cell mobility and metabolic resource reallocation in response to PHB-induced stress. Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed significant regulatory changes, especially in lipid metabolism pathways. These findings suggest that while PHB microplastics trigger adaptive metabolic responses in shrimp, they do not cause acute toxicity. Significant variations in intestinal microbiome composition reflect potential shifts in gut health dynamics due to PHB ingestion. This study enhances our understanding of the ecological impacts of microplastics and underscores the necessity for further research into the environmental safety of biodegradable alternatives.

Mobilising Practices of Human Resources During COVID-19: Application of Managerial Innovation

The health crisis caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has had a major negative impact on the human resources of companies of all sizes and in all sectors (cessation of activity, obligation to stay at home). In the absence of compensatory financial measures, company containment (closure) is not an option to avoid more serious social consequences. It is therefore preferable for companies and managers to adopt other measures to limit the impact of this pandemic on human resources. Given this destabilisation of the business community, a number of innovative management practices will emerge and become a real imperative for mobilising human resources. The aim of this article is to identify models of managerial innovation put in place by managers to mobilise human resources during the current health crisis. Based on a review of the literature on managerial innovation and strategies for mobilising human resources in times of health crisis on the one hand and, on the other, a single-site case study of 6 Cameroonian companies operating in different sectors of activity, we show that, under the prism of COVID-19, a number of managerial innovations such as teleworking, team rotation and part-time working, social communication, salary maintenance, health support and coaching can emerge and become real spurs for the mobilisation of human resources.

“Groups Are Still a Problem … but a Different One!”: Reflecting on the Role Played by Non-Violent Extremist Groups in the Radicalisation Pathways of Individuals in the UK

Non-violent (vocal) extremists are at the centre of inflamed debates in the UK as they use their freedom of speech to legally oppose key democratic values and national authorities while targeting specific groups in the society as alleged enemies. This paper aims to explore the radicalisation pathways of individuals in the UK who hold radical and extreme ideas but who have not (yet) committed any offence. More precisely, this paper aims to uncover the role (if any) played by non-violent extremist groups in pathways to radicalisation. To do so, this paper focuses on people supported by the Channel programme, the main early de-radicalisation programme within the Prevent Scheme. This paper innovatively uses first-hand data reflecting the views of Channel practitioners on radicalisation pathways. This study concludes that non-violent extremist groups (as structures) still play a role in familiarising/acculturating individuals with specific ideological concepts. However, the processes of identity building and resource mobilisation seem to be strongly agent-led when observing Channel population in the UK.

“We Have Two Engines, and We Must Keep Them Both Running”: The Combination of Institutional and Symbolic Resources in the “Socio-Emotional Organizing” of Solo Self-Employed Workers

The rise of solo self-employment has led to the emergence of increasingly broad categories of workers in search of collective representation, who find no support either in trade unions or in employer organizations. Based on the case of Redacta, an informal group founded in Italy and composed of solo self-employed (SSE) workers in the publishing industry, the article contributes to the debate on Resource Mobilization Theory and New Social Movements by showing that, along with other resources typically available to social movements and activist groups, it is mainly through the combination of institutional and symbolic-performative resources that a process of grassroots organizing—that we call socio-emotional organizing—can be successfully triggered, especially in the case of particularly underrepresented groups of workers, such as the SSE.