Sector Focus Research Articles

Negotiating context as a survival strategy: The case of Mugambo Jwetu FM

Kenyan community radio works between international and national media paradigms, while seeking to meet the expectations of its local communities. International funding and training organizations active in the sector focus on enhancing technology for development, freedom of expression, democracy and governance. At the national level, community stations are expected to act as development-oriented media. While development is a value embraced by most stations, freedom of expression is embraced more cautiously, given the political contexts in which they exist. Drawing on fieldwork conducted between 2014 and 2016, this article explores the operational choices that community broadcasters make in view of their funding and training partnerships, all the while negotiating their local, social and political contexts in order to survive. It focuses on Mugambo Jwetu FM, a community radio station in Kenya, as a case study.

Economic Situation of Dairy Farms in Identified Clusters of European Union Countries

The economic situation of EU dairy farms is unstable and differs strongly between member countries. Most studies addressing the EU’s agricultural sector focus on selected countries or selected groups of operators. Conversely, this paper seeks to determine the economic situation of dairy farms in EU countries grouped into types according to their production potential. The analysis relied on data collected and processed in the FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network). The farms were classified based on a hierarchical clustering routine. The agglomerative technique was used. Distances between clusters were calculated using the Ward’s method. In turn, the distance between countries was calculated as the Euclidean distance. This study enabled the identification of five different types of dairy farms in the EU. On an EU-wide basis, medium and large-sized highly specialized intensive farms play a key role in milk production. Despite their profitability being somehow restricted, they report high levels of labor productivity thanks to an advantageous production potential. In turn, an insufficient potential is among the main restrictions faced by other dairy farms in the EU; their advantageous financial indicators often fail to provide satisfactory levels of income which could drive investment and consumption opportunities.

Understanding the Key Master of Construction Project Management Graduate Competencies Required to Meet Industry Needs in Australia

ABSTRACT Within Australia, the construction industry is one of the largest contributors to the Australian national economy. Yet despite the economic significance of the sector, and the need for graduates of Master’s level programmes entering the construction industry to have the skill sets and competencies required to meet industry requirements, there has been little research to date that examines the graduate competencies required to meet construction industry needs. This article examines the preliminary results from a structured survey aimed at identifying important Master of Construction Project Management graduate competencies from the perspective of key personnel in recruitment and senior managerial roles within the construction industry. From the data, it was found that within the construction industry, greater significance is placed on interpersonal skills, and competencies defined as traditionally fitting within core technical knowledge, than on business and research skills, knowledge of environmental waste management systems, and sustainability and life cycle analysis. The results highlight a need for further research examining why the industry values certain skill sets over others, and whether the skills and competencies valued when hiring graduates of Master of Construction Project Management programmes varies depending on the scale of the company and the organization’s construction sector focus.

A Framework for Designing Business-Acceleration Programs: A Case Study from Egypt

AbstractBusiness acceleration services are gaining popularity around the world. In this study, we put forward a framework and an iterative process for the design of acceleration programs. Based on literature from around the world and a case study of an acceleration program in Egypt, we develop a model that considers the process for designing, monitoring, and adjusting an acceleration program based on both internal and external considerations. In this study, we find that aspects such as the analysis of the external environment in the surrounding entrepreneurship ecosystem, and of the internal environment in the host institution’s capabilities, resources, and limitations, are important in guiding the design process. We also illustrate a comprehensive set of design parameters to be considered in the development of the acceleration program, including the program’s value proposition, sector focus, duration, service offering, resource intensity, partnerships, as well as the profile of the startups supported. In presenting this model, we aim to fill an important gap in research on how accelerators are designed and offer a framework substantiated by academic review that helps practitioners and policymakers avoid “copying and pasting” acceleration programs without careful attention to the local contexts and needs.

THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION OF DATABASE MARKETING: A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH

The competition for reaching and satisfying customers is becoming fiercer everyday. Companies are now aware that to be successful they have to obtain Information about their customers in order to build strong and long lasting relationships with them. Therefore, the understanding of database marketing, which is the gathering, saving and using the valuable customer data to the mutual benefit of the company and the customers, is becoming crucial. The article aims at defining the database marketing concept and reviewing its historical development. While discussing the phases and the driving forces leading to the development of database marketing, examples from the United States of America where database marketing is widely used are provided. Furthermore, the applications of database marketing in Turkey are investigated with a sector focus. The benefits of database marketing for involved parties are discussed in detail. Lastly, the ethical aspects related to database marketing are touched upon briefly.

THE EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN AND BARRIERS FOR CAREER ADVANCEMENT IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN A SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT

In 1994, South Africa became a democratic state and focused primarily on advancing and protecting human rights; however, these rights had to first be constitutionalised. As a result, the South African Constitution was adopted in 1996 with fundamental rights under its Bill of Rights, which ensures that government can be held accountable for the protection of citizens’ rights. One of the fundamental rights entrenched in the Constitution is gender equality, which aims at increasing access for women to the public sphere and opportunities. The right is supported by domestic legislation and binding international law instruments. There is, however, limited research on the lived experiences of women at various institutions in South Africa post the adoption of the various gender equality laws, prompting the question: are institutions implementing, practicing, and embracing gender equality? This article discusses the experiences of women and the challenges that they face in the education sector focusing specifically on tertiary institutions in the context of gender equality and women as staff. The article argues that although — legislatively — South Africa has committed to gender equality, by ensuring equal representation and access to opportunities for women, the challenges that women are facing in the higher institutions show that law is not enough to deal with gender equality: There is a need for government to focus on redressing the challenges that women still face in tertiary institutions.

Experimental study of tritium activity concentration in cooling water of heavy ion research facility in Lanzhou

Cooling water of Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou is the media of choice for absorbing heat generated by a multitude of accelerator components. During the operation, tritium is produced by the secondary neutrons in the accelerator loop of accelerator cooling water, which is uniformly distributed in the water system in the form of hydrogen tritium oxide. The purpose of this study is to establish a rigorous method to measure the low levels of tritium in the accelerator cooling water system. The cooling water samples of Sector Focusing Cyclotron and Separated Sector Cyclotron of Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou, as well as the natural levels of tritium, were measured successfully, using Quantulus1220 ultra-low-level background liquid scintillation spectrometer. The electrolytic enrichment method was employed to measure the tritium activity concentrations of the cooling water samples. Moreover, the minimum detectable activity concentration and the counting rate efficiency curve of the liquid scintillation spectrometer were obtained to ensure reliability. In this work, we provide a reference to establish the related standards and specifications for monitoring the tritium levels in heavy-ion accelerator cooling water system.

Institutions and bureaucracy in brazilian scientific and technological policy

We present an analysis of the institutional and political trajectory of Brazilian initiatives in science, technology and innovation, starting from the creation of CNPq, with emphasis on the internal dynamics of the Statedescribing the context and the institutionalization dynamics of the sector packed by the developmental diagnoses and the renewed prestige of “science” typical of those years. The purpose of the analysis is to verify known results from the literature on state, institutions and actors in Brazil and to base empirical research on the executive power in this policy field. The interpretation of the data was oriented in order to reconstruct the trajectory of the sector focusing on the internal dynamics of the decision arena and its political constraints. The results confirm theoretical generalizations of the Executive Power literature in Brazil, such as the centrality of personal contact networks in the implementation of policies in the 1960s and 1970s.

Life cycle modeling for environmental management: a review of trends and linkages.

With the dynamics in current industry-environment interaction, it has become essential to diagnose the impacts that one is leaving on the environment. The requirement of assessment has brought many changes in the analysis techniques and research methodologies. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is one such validated technique as a scientific tool in the diagnosis of environmental impacts with accuracy. Over the past few years, LCA has attracted more attention with different approaches and applications. But, there is a lack of efforts to review the LCA applications for environmental management. The aim of this study is to evaluate the trends and to address the evolution of linkages in the field of LCA modeling and environmental management. The review employs the PRISMA statement for systematic literature review amalgamated with a visualization technique using VoSviewer. The meta-analysis addressing the findings from the academic articles published until the end of May 2019 using the Scopus online database was considered. The study reveals a total of 23 eligible papers regarding LCA modeling and environmental management. Analysis of these articles and keyword visualization network depicts that most of the studies on LCA modeling application were based on waste management-related decision-making and construction sector focusing primarily on environmental impacts, environmental performance evaluations, and scenario modeling for decision support. This study not only contributes in summarizing the LCA research trends of the methods in the application areas but also attempts to identify the potential scope and research directions. LCA thus has proven to be an excellent evaluative tool for future analysis.

THE LINKAGE WITH THE UNIVERSITY SOCIETY UNDER THE CASE STUDY ORIENTED TO THE TECHNICAL LEGAL ANALYSIS AND ITS EFFECT IN THE LEARNING PROCESSES

The links that higher education institutions maintain with the environment or environment where they maintain a social, economic, sector or educational focus are governed by higher education policies, laws or regulations. A comparison was made of the Ecuadorian situation with Latin America and Europe in higher education, which is why it is sought to know if the legal technical foundations of higher education contribute to the learning process, through a descriptive documentary type review, through the electronic review and search of books, theses, journals, conferences and publications of congresses to the research topic since its inception and relevant publications, as well as updated information, so that it is concluded that a higher education institution intends comply in full with the regulations whether internal or external in relation to the relationship with society, thus seeking bi-directional learning, that is, both teachers and students as well as transmitting knowledge to a community or beneficiary sector.

Storing electricity as thermal energy at community level for demand side management

Direct electrical energy storage can play a pivotal role in the efficient grid integration of renewable energy resources and compensating temporary power surpluses and shortages, however it is needed to move beyond the single sector focus and electricity’s conversion to other storable forms of energy should not be neglected in efforts to find the optimal solutions for maintaining the momentary balance between electricity supply and demand. This paper discusses the benefits of storing electricity as thermal energy over direct electricity storage. A community located in a hot climate region is considered as a case study and the performance of cold thermal storage and direct electricity storage are compared for it. For this purpose, the hourly performance of the storage systems during each year is modeled and particle swarm method is used to solve the optimization problem. Results show that storing electricity as thermal energy shows a much better performance over direct electricity storage. It requires much less investment, has a higher net present value and results in a flatter load profile. The paper also investigates the effects of electricity pricing structure, economies of scale and battery cost reduction on the economic performance of both thermal and electricity storage systems.

Sustainable Public Procurement: From Law to Practice

This study aims to propose actions to improve the implementation of sustainable public procurement by identifying the problems perceived by public servants and social economy entities. Two types of questionnaires were sent to organizations in Spain and Europe and 217 complete answers were received (152 from the public sector and 65 from the social entities). In addition, 20 semi-structured personal interviews were conducted by phone with managers of social enterprises and four interviews, also by phone, were carried out with relevant people from the public sector. The results of the surveys and the interviews were structured using the analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT), which was considered consistent with the strategic nature of public procurement. The perceived opportunities for the public sector focus on more efficient use of public resources and improvement of reputation and social equality. For the social entities, more participation in procurement could lead to less dependency on public funds and more visibility. The obstacles for the public sector are related to lack of training and internal resistance to change, as well as, in the case of social entities, to their small size and the tensions with their social object that might derive from bigger competition. The proposed activities focus on two objectives, more training to increase knowledge from the public sector and the readiness of social entities. It is concluded that it is necessary to establish channels of communications between the two groups to avoid possible inefficiencies.

The WASH Benefits and SHINE trials: interpretation of WASH intervention effects on linear growth and diarrhoea

Child stunting is a global problem and is only modestly responsive to dietary interventions. Numerous observational studies have shown that water quality, sanitation, and handwashing (WASH) in a household are strongly associated with linear growth of children living in the same household. We have completed three randomised efficacy trials testing improved household-level WASH with and without improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) on stunting and diarrhoea in Bangladesh, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. In all trials, improved IYCF had a statistically significant benefit, but WASH had no effect on linear growth. In observational analyses of data from the control groups of the three trials, baseline sanitation was a strong risk factor for stunting in the study populations, suggesting this frequently reported association might be confounded by unmeasured factors of household wellbeing. WASH interventions reduced diarrhoea in Bangladesh, but not in Kenya or Zimbabwe. Intervention promoters visited participants six times per month in Bangladesh compared with monthly in Kenya and Zimbabwe; a review of the literature shows that virtually all published studies that have reported an effect on diarrhoea through home-based water treatment and handwashing promotion achieved high adherence by visiting participants at daily to fortnightly intervals. Despite achieving substantial behavioural change and significant reduction in infection prevalence for some enteric pathogens, detection of enteropathogens among children in the WASH groups of the trials was typically at ten times higher prevalence compared with high-income countries. Considering these results, we recommend that future research in the WASH sector focus on developing and evaluating interventions that are radically more effective in reducing faecal contamination in the domestic environment than the interventions implemented in these trials.

Productivity effects of human capital: an empirical investigation of health and higher education in South Africa

The huge burden of diseases, poor higher educational outcomes in South Africa and their interaction on affecting productivity of human capital requires investigation for a context –specific policy advice. To this effect, the purpose of this paper is to investigate this relationship, alongside other factors, viewing human capital from the perspective of health, higher education enrolment (HEE) and higher education graduates (HEG). The study adopts time series autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) with data covering the period 1980 - 2015. The study has found that, while GDP grows, employment rates and HEE have a positive impact on productivity in South Africa; capital stock and life expectancy exhibited an inverse relationship with productivity. These findings support the hypothesis that widespread antiretroviral therapy and resulting survival, without corresponding school sector focus on needed skills, relate negatively to productivity. The findings further support that enrolments affect positively productivity because they comprise individuals who are partly skilled in programs needed by the economy. Finally, they support the hypothesis that graduate outputs relate negatively to productivity because of mismatch of graduation skills and the economy’s need. As a policy suggestion, combined effort at school and health sector is needed in South Africa for increased productivity.

Home care aides’ experiences of verbal abuse: a survey of characteristics and risk factors

ObjectiveViolence from care recipients and family members, including both verbal and physical abuse, is a serious occupational hazard for healthcare and social assistance workers. Most workplace violence studies in this...

A dynamic analysis of the impacts of export taxes: The case of Argentinean soy and beef markets

AbstractArgentina plays an important role in the global soy market as one of the world's leading exporters of soy products. In an effort to shift its agricultural sector's focus to value‐added exports and to raise revenue, Argentina's government has maintained a regime of differential export taxes on soy products. In addition to soy products, Argentina is a major producer, consumer and exporter of beef. However, over the last decade it has relinquished much of its world market share as its beef exports have fallen because the government has periodically imposed a ban on exports of beef along with maintaining an export tax. As the soy and livestock sectors are inextricably linked, owing to both industries’ intensive land use and the utilisation of soymeal as a feed supplement for cattle, trade policies in one sector have pronounced cross‐sectoral impacts. This study develops a theoretical model of these different sectors and trade policies, incorporating the dynamic decisions of cattle stock management. The model is calibrated to real‐world data on the Argentinean economy, and the impacts of trade liberalisation are quantified. Key results show modelling the various intersectoral linkages and the dynamic implications of cattle stock is essential for obtaining accurate estimates.

Peran Budaya Tman Penen Sebagai Modal Sosial dalam Upaya Meningkatkan Akses Pendidikan bagi Keluarga Miskin di Desa Lanaus, TTU


 This study aims to analyze the role of social capital in improving education access for poor families. The children of poor families have low education access to continue their study in college. Low access influenced by financial factors, helping parents to earn a living and high educated unemployed. In the other side, the utilization of social capital in the education sector focus on improving human quality by formal and non-formal education, and management of the school. This qualitative research by a case study approach confirms that social capital can be utilized to improve education access for poor families. And also, the social capital contain in “tman penen” culture. The “tman penen culture is a custom of Lanaus society to come together, united and support each other either financial or moral support for families and child who want to continue their study in college. “Tman penen” culture help poor families to send school their children in college and the children can make their dream come true. Thus, social capital can be optimized in improving education access for poor families.
 Keyword: Social capital, Tman Penen Culture, Education access
 

The risk of burden shifting from embodied carbon calculation tools for the infrastructure sector

The infrastructure sector is associated with a large proportion of total greenhouse gas emissions, including the emissions from the production of materials and the construction of infrastructure assets, as well as use phase and end of life emissions. Largely due to the direct control the sector has over pre-use phase emissions, a number of carbon calculator tools for the sector focus exclusively on these sources. However, a recognised limitation with considering only parts of the whole life cycle is the risk of burden shifting, e.g. reducing material input emissions but increasing emissions in the use or end of life phases. Despite recognition of this problem in principle, there are very few empirical studies which explore the risk and impacts of burden shifting within the infrastructure sector, or construction sector more broadly. This paper addresses the gap in the existing literature by exploring the possibility of burden shifting occurring due to the use of an embodied carbon calculator. The analysis shows that burden shifting will occur for some actions aimed at reducing embodied carbon, but not others, e.g. in Decision Case 4, an initial saving of 5,810 tCO2e during construction was offset by increased use phase emissions in as little as six years. In order to support the use of embodied carbon calculators we propose a number of heuristics to identify cases where burden shifting may occur, and therefore where a whole-of-life assessment is needed. We also suggest that the infrastructure sector is in a learning process in terms of carbon measurement, and that over time there should be a transition from embodied carbon calculators to whole-of-life assessment, and from whole-of-life attributional life cycle assessment to consequential carbon assessment methods.

Data-focused managerial challenges within the hotel sector

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the managerial decision-making challenges of the use of data from online and offline customer data flooding into firms and managed through interactive dashboards. The paper provides insights into how managers within the hotel sector both manage and use the data as a core tool in discussions with finance managers/directors during negotiation on critical marketing investments. Design/methodology/approach The research design followed a multiple-case study design of five market-orientated hotels, which were selected as high performing data and dashboard users. Across each case company multiple informants were interviewed and shadowed, including marketing managers, general managers and finance managers/directors. There was also an in-depth investigation of the collection, dissemination and particularly use of traditional market research data and online data from social media sites, web sites and web and mobile analytics. This was augmented by a study of the customized, off site managed interactive databases, in use in all case companies. Findings This paper identifies managerial challenges experienced by general managers, marketing and financial managers using digital customer data. It investigated the power of the customer voice internally and found that unstructured qualitative data had greater visibility and usage once supported by a financial imperative. It also found that the use of interactive dashboards were a powerful manifestation of data technology use and increased marketing’s visibility, power and accountability within the firm. Research limitations/implications The paper provided a limited hotel perspective which impacts on generalizability. The findings should be tested quantitatively to ascertain their validity across a wider sector of businesses and operations. Though multiple site and cross-functional research adds value, one site might have provided more depth. Practical implications This paper reveals that managers need support in terms of time, resources and personnel to manage the flood of information into their organizations. It also suggested that general and marketing managers need to develop the skills to interpret the data for decision-making, so that the financial implications are understand. Originality/value Most social media studies within the hotel sector focus on the impact of social media reviews on consumer purchasing processes and/or on how managers communicate online with consumers. This paper takes an internal managerial perspective on data use for decision-making. This paper expands our understanding of marketing strategic decision-making through an in-depth exploration into how cross-functional decision-making uses contemporary customer data.

How globalisation impacted Israel and India differently in the 1990s

In both Israel and India the globalisation process of the 1990s led to the development of advanced domestic industry. This article sketches the socioeconomic impact of this development in the two countries. The analysis suggests that the unique comparative advantage of each of these countries underlies the differences in the form of development and its social impact. Where the relative advantage consisted of innovativeness (Israel), globalisation led to development of an advanced industry focusing on research and development centres and local start‐up companies. In contrast, where the relative advantage consisted of low labour costs (India), globalisation resulted in the development of an advanced industrial sector focusing on manufacturing and service centres.