Short-term Projects Research Articles

The role of digital technologies in increasing the competitiveness of branded products

In the conditions of increasing market competition and standardization of product offerings, the problem of forming the companies’ competitiveness remains urgent. The purpose of the study is to develop practical recommendations for improving the competitiveness of branded products through the introduction of digital technologies. To achieve the goal, a behavioral and active approach to competition is applied. Competitiveness is considered as the result of actions that strengthen the company’s competitive position in the market. The possibility of using digital technologies in the process of creating additional consumer value as the basis for the competitiveness of the product offer is investigated. The results of the analysis of scientific publications and best practices in the field of development and implementation of digital technologies in the economic activities of market relations entities are presented. The novelty of the research lies in identifying the role of the use of digital technologies in increasing the competitiveness of branded products and determining the conditions for their successful implementation to achieve the objectives of forming the competitive advantages of the company. The results of the analysis allowed us to draw the following conclusions: companies, when forming competitive advantages with the help of digital tools, need to develop purposefully comprehensive digitalisation programs, and not be limited to the implementation of short-term projects for the introduction of a particular technology; identify and implement a strategy for creating value for consumers that would be inaccessible to competitors; coordinate the resources and efforts available to the organization in terms of the formation of digital competencies of employees.

Thirty Years of Nutrient Biogeochemistry in the Barents Sea and the adjoining Arctic Ocean, 1990–2019

This dataset contains biogeochemical samples from the Barents Sea and Arctic region analyzed by the Plankton Chemistry Laboratory at the Institute of Marine Research (IMR). Number of surveys and stations visited in the Barents Sea and Arctic has varied over the last 30 years. One major effort is the annual Ecosystem Survey in the fall, with multiple trawl surveys, net tows and CTD water sampling. Additionally, two transects are visited multiple times each year (Fugløya-Bjørnøya and Vardø-North). Only samples collected from water bottles are reported here. Bottle samples from each CTD cast were collected for dissolved inorganic nutrients (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate) and phytoplankton chlorophyll-a and phaeopigments (ChlA, PHAEO) at predetermined depths and for later analysis at IMR. On occasion, short-term projects have performed Winkler dissolved oxygen titrations (DOW) and particulate organic carbon and nitrogen (POC, PN) determinations. This unique data set has seen limited use over the years but is a great contribution towards global ocean research and climate change investigations.

Can We Picture Equity? Critically Examining Cross-Cultural Short-Term Project Collaborations

This paper explores equity challenges common to short-term cross-cultural research partnerships. We focus on a project-based activity in which U.S. undergraduate students and college faculty taught middle-school students in Goa, India how to make podcasts about complex environmental problems. Project team members conducted a collaborative auto-ethnography focused on questions of power, leadership, collaboration, and equity, and examined exit-interview photo elicitation data to identify the core challenges of ethical and equitable short-term cross-cultural research and programming. Our use of photographs as conversation prompts helped to highlight contradictions and asymmetries along axes of power, cultural imperialism, knower-knowledge, age, race/ethnicity, social class, and gender. We reflect on possibilities for educational research that rejects a “voluntourism” model and moves, if imperfectly, toward more equitable international collaborations.

Surveillance for Sickle Cell Disease - Sickle Cell Data Collection Program, Two States, 2004-2018.

Surveillance for Sickle Cell Disease - Sickle Cell Data Collection Program, Two States, 2004-2018.

Learning, adaptation and resilience: The rise and fall of local food networks in Denmark

Across the world, network organizations have been established with the aim of promoting the production, distribution and consumption of food with local qualities. Public authorities have encouraged these ‘local food networks’ as potential vehicles for growth in rural and peripheral areas, but in practice some networks have succeeded while others have struggled and disappeared. This article adds to the literature on local food networks by undertaking a systematic comparison of the development of ten local food networks in Denmark in order to identify key factors that affect the resilience of local food networks. The analysis shows that networks which were dependent on temporary public funding and focused on marketing initiatives were less successful than those that were able to mobilize private sector resources and engage customers directly; for example, through markets or other food experiences. Those networks which have proven most resilient over time are those which have been able to learn and adapt their activities, and reduce their dependence on short-term project funding. Furthermore, there is evidence of learning from network failure at a regional scale as unsuccessful networks have been replaced by more resilient organizations. In terms of public policy this implies that long-term strategic commitment and in-kind support appears to be more conducive to the development of resilient local food networks than short-term project funding.

Continuous earned value management with singularity functions for comprehensive project performance tracking and forecasting

Earned value management (EVM) is a classical project monitoring technique that is widely used in construction projects. Due to its simplicity, this technique suffers from limitations due to its discrete nature – activity durations, costs, and progress are gathered only at update points with no information in between. These limitations preclude EVM from being easily implemented on some project types (e.g. repetitive projects) and in conjunction with some planning techniques (e.g. linear scheduling), where information continuity is both possible and desired. Therefore, in EVM is reformulated based on singularity functions (SF). SF are a type of expressions that can be easily concatenated to model continuous inputs at the activity-level. SF are also additive so as to immediately yield project-level performance information. It is demonstrated how the complete theory of EVM is newly expressed in SF. This offers several advantages: (1) EVM metric axes can be easily swapped (allowing exact calculation of modern metrics such as Earned Schedule or the p-factor); (2) activity progress data can be inserted at any frequency as the available data allow; and (3) short-term project duration and cost forecasts are directly possible for the first time. These advantages are exemplified on a real construction project. Finally, it is discussed how the new formulation with SF produces more accurate project duration and cost estimates compared to the former discrete EVM on real construction projects.

Оценка эффективности инвестиционных проектов, генерирующих непрерывные денежные потоки

A methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of investment projects that gen-erate continuous cash flows, which are typical for the service sector and retail trade, has been developed and substantiated. Models of discounted cash flow (DCF) for projects that generate continuous cash flows are obtained and presented. The use of models illus-trated with a concrete example are given. It is shown that in short-term projects, with a high cost of capital and, accordingly, a high discount rate, the net present value of the discounted continuous cash flow is significantly higher than the net present value of the cash flow obtained under the assumption of a discrete flow. In some cases, this may lead to errors in assessing the effectiveness of investment projects and errors in the se-lection of projects, since their implementation leads to cash flows that do not belong to the end of each period, as is assumed in well-known methods, but are distributed in the course of periods.

Making Change Happen: How HRM Professionals Deal with Tensions in Times of Organizational Change

This paper is an ethnographic study of HRM professionals who were engaged in organizational-change projects that conflicted with each other. I explore tensions that arose for HRM professionals when they were required to simultaneously attend to multiple projects—both short-term change projects and long-term strategic-change projects. Applying a practice-theory lens, this paper helps us better understand how HRM professionals make change happen. This paper looks at change management from the view of HRM professionals to investigate the resourcing practices they use to work through short-term–long-term-tensions that arise under conditions of resource scarcity. The first contribution is extending our knowledge of the HRM profession by identifying resourcing practices to deal with tensions during change-management projects. In investigating these conflicts, I identify three resourcing strategies that HRM professionals use to navigate and work through these tensions - situational reframing, organizational preframing and institutional deframing. The second contribution is adding to the HRM-as-practice literature by helping to bridge HRM practices with HRM practitioners (in this paper: professionals) and HRM praxis. By highlighting the everyday practices that HRM professionals engage in, I add to a better understanding of the intersecting elements and the situated social activities enabling HRM praxis. In doing so, I add to a more practice-oriented approach of HRM research with an increased focus on actors and their agency.

When We Unite, Not Divide: Status Homophily, Status Group, and Group Pperformance in the Korean Film

This study sheds light on status conflicts as a mechanism behind the negative effect of status homophily on group performance. In a short-term project group without a well-established local status hierarchy, status homophily among group members may cause status conflicts and reduce group performance. However, we argue that the intensity of status conflicts may vary by the average status of group members, that is, status group. A middle-status group, composed of middle-status members on average, focus on both global and local status attainments, so they may suffer less from status conflicts than high- and low-status groups whose members mainly focus on local status attainments. We test our hypotheses in the South Korean film industry from 2004 to 2017. The statistical results suggest that status homophily among actor/actress was negatively correlated with commercial performance, but this negative effect was the weakest for films with middle-status performers.

‘Squat City’: Dublin’s temporary autonomous zone. Considering the temporality of autonomous geographies

‘Squat City’ was an autonomous social centre and squat that was open for nearly three years in Dublin, Ireland, and the space played a key role in the development of autonomous and anarchist politics in the city. In framing my research, I began with the concept of ‘temporary urbanism’, a well-developed area in urban studies, cultural geography, and planning, that focuses on the temporal aspects of short-term places and spaces. I noted that the concept of autonomous geographies was important to understanding the politics and culture of short-term uses of space like squats, direct actions, protests, and social centres, but that temporary urbanism was not discussed in tandem with autonomous geographies. Using Squat City as the case study, I bring these two ideas together, to create a meaningful discussion based on the similarities between them. The reasons why urban actors are motivated to create these short-term projects can vary greatly, including the urban actors involved in squats, autonomous social centres, direct actions, and protests. What can we learn about city residents’ motivations and politics, how urban spaces are used in the city, and how can we consider the timeframes of autonomous geographies? By focusing on the everyday scale and use value of cities, how do alternative urban practices challenge what we may understand as the normal workings of cities? In this article, I discuss Squat City as a temporary autonomous zone to think about the temporality of radical practices.

재정지출 성과에 대한 만족도 연구

In January 2021, the Local Autonomy Act was completely amended, and the era of 'decentralization 2.0' came into operation. The core of local autonomy can be said to be resident autonomy and fiscal decentralization, and the key to securing the soundness of local autonomy can be said to reflect the preferences of the residents well. This can be shown by how satisfied the residents are with the budget organized through the resident participation in the budget making process. The purpose of this study is to examine the satisfaction of residents in Chungcheongnam-do with respect to the direction of fiscal expenditure and next year's investment in the Chungcheongnam-do participation budgeting. As a result of a survey on fiscal expenditure satisfaction and future investment directions for budgeting in Chungcheongnam-do, it was found that social welfare, general public administration, public order, and safety were generally dissatisfied. As a result of a survey on the direction of future fiscal expenditure investment adjustment, it was found that an increase in public order and safety and environmental fields was needed, and cuts were needed in general public administration and social welfare fields. In addition, it is also necessary to present a direction for seeking mid- to long-term and sustainable policy projects rather than one-time short-term projects in future fiscal expenditure investments.

Role of Uganda Police Land Desks on Conflict Management in Wakiso and Mukono Districts

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the role of Uganda police land desks in conflict management in Wakiso and Mukono districts. Methodology: The research adopted a cross sectional and descriptive survey research designs which involving both qualitative and quantitative studies. The study population consisted of community members in Wakiso and Mukono districts who were affected by (victims of) land conflicts; Police land desks officials and the district land boards with purposive and stratified sampling used to select them. A sample of 385 respondents was used and questionnaires, interview guides, focus group discussion and documentary review were used to collect data with both SPSS and content analysis was used to analyze the field data. Findings: According to the findings from the field, respondents agreed that police land desk in Mukono and Wakiso district carried out sensitizing of communities on crimes associated with land wrangles and their penalties as represented with 26.75% of respondents. In addition, police land desk in Mukono and Wakiso districts expressed hearing of crimes associated with land wrangles as represented with 30.65% of respondents. Also to note, police land desk controls eviction of people from their land as represented with 27.27% of respondents. Police land desk department authorizes the protection of sites where land wrangles are taking place in the district of both Mukono and Wakiso, this was represented with 27.79% of respondents. Police land desk in their role in conflict management, majority of 70% of the respondents believe that the police are ineffective. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: findings from the study would shed light on how police land desks are developing and identify the determinants of this development, and the implication of the development processes on land conflict management. Further findings would offer different experiences of the land desks both in Uganda police and elsewhere in the world and validate the need for long-term processes to address some of the critical barriers to achieving justice especially women, children among others trying to enforce their land rights, as opposed to short-term projects or work on individual cases.

Changes and Continuities of Land Conflicts in Wakiso and Mukono Districts

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the changes and continuities of land conflicts in Wakiso and Mukono districts. Methodology: The research adopted a cross sectional and descriptive survey research designs which involving both qualitative and quantitative studies where both purposive and stratified random sampling methods were used in selecting respondents (Police land desk officers, district land board for purposive) and stratified sampling for community/victims of land conflict. Sample of 385 respondents was used whereas SPSS was used for data analysis. Findings: From the field findings, it was found out that 23.90% of respondents from Mukono and Wakiso district a number of land conflicts have successfully been resolved by Police land desks as one of the changes and continuities of land conflicts in Wakiso and Mukono districts. After analysis from the field, it was found out that 30.65% that police land desks when resolving land disputes they hear cases to give advice and opinion which was an indicator of changes and continuities of land conflicts taking place in both districts. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The findings would offer different experiences of the land desks both in Uganda police and elsewhere in the world and validate the need for long-term processes to address some of the critical barriers to achieving justice especially women, children among others trying to enforce their land rights, as opposed to short-term projects or work on individual cases. To governments of Uganda and others, these findings would offer ideal situations to share experiences and advocate collectively for equity in access to land, use and distribution among beneficiaries.

Corporate occupiers’ attitude to flex space in the post-Covid environment

PurposeThis paper investigates how large UK corporate occupiers perceive the potential role of flexible office space in their office portfolios in a post-pandemic context.Design/methodology/approachThe research methodology is qualitative and applied. For a longitudinal survey, convenience sampling was used to obtain co-operation from 11 corporate real estate managers with responsibility for managing large corporate real estate portfolios spread across a range of business sectors and countries. Semi-structured interviews were selected as the core research method to seek and to optimise the balance between discovery and generalisability.FindingsAlthough the pandemic has led corporate occupiers to fundamentally re-appraise where and when different work tasks are performed, it is not yet clear whether this has major implications for the flex space sector. The flex space model, with its blending of various occupiers and activities, is perceived to be poorly aligned with an increasing emphasis on the office as a core corporate hub facilitating connection, collaboration, enculturation, learning and creativity. Since most flex space is concentrated in central locations, it is also not well positioned to benefit from any decentralisation of office functions. However, as the flex space sector evolves in response to structural shifts in employment and working practices and business change, its various products are likely to be a continuing requirement from corporate occupiers for short-term solutions to demand shocks, the need for rapid market entry, accommodation for short-term projects and access to desk space in multiple locations.Practical implicationsUnderstanding occupiers' drivers in their decision-making on selecting the method of occupation will assist investors in how they might adjust what they offer in the marketplace.Originality/valueWhilst there has been a substantive number of surveys of corporate occupiers' perceptions and intentions regarding their office portfolio, this paper focusses on a specifically on the flex space sector. Whilst previous research has mainly been extensive, this research study is intensive.

Defending Innovative Theologies

Colonialism never was intended to be a short-term project, and it laid a foundation that projected itself 200 years into the future – stifling the voices, ideas, dreams and ambitions of all it touched. The church, particularly in ‘post colonies’ in the Global South, wrestles with coloniality, where such impositions influence racial, gender and class divisions, where female church groups, lay and clergy women, still struggle in reclaiming their identity, and issues of patriarchy and endemic poverty. This struggle for transformation is unfortunately waged in silence, with ways to “break down walls that divide us”. It is in this context of struggle that innovative Christian theologies can be elevated by women with the intention of transforming all of society. In order to develop a suitable theological interpretation of innovative theologies, that is capable of neutralising the insidious impacts of coloniality and its historical embedded impediments, requires that our journey of re-discovery explore very intensely our African indigenous heritage in order to find answers that free the soul from systemic oppression. New methods of using unexplored epistemologies should be investigated for their contributory value. Creating an ontology, new innovative theologies that can transform existing beliefs in order to advance, transform and contribute in a manner in which readers and hearers interpret the Bible, enhancing the embracement of their African identity requires a collective input.

Going beyond short-term, ‘reduced’ PD: Towards an encompassing typology for children’s participation in infrastructuring processes

Although child participation has been on the Child Computer Interaction (CCI) research agenda for many years, there is a lacuna in research on the roles children can play in long-term, sustained Participatory Design (PD) processes. This article explores the characteristics of an infrastructuring approach to PD that revolves around long-term and on-going socio-technical processes as opposed to the more typical short-term PD projects concerned with delivering a finished design product. Based on empirical data collected in three case studies involving both short-and long-term PD processes with children between 6 and 16 years old, we investigated different roles children can play in long-term, sustained PD. The contribution of this study is a comprehensive typology of children’s roles that goes beyond children’s participation in traditional, ‘staged’ PD. This typology offers the necessary vocabulary and analytical toolbox to account for key notions of infrastructuring, including ‘match-making’, ‘publics’, ‘agonism’, ‘attachments’, ‘shared issues’ and ‘capacity-building’.

Optimization of hydrogen-producing sustainable island microgrids

Hydrogen-based microgrids are receiving attention as critical pathways are being charted for the decarbonization of our thermal, transport, and power grids. In this article, clean, cost-effective, and reliable hybrid microgrid designs are developed to satisfy hydrogen and electricity loads in three energy-stressed islands of Eastern Canada, namely Pelee, Wolfe, and Saint Pierre. The design iterations incorporate elements of solar, wind, fuel cells, Hydrogen, and electricity storage. Real-time field irradiation, wind speed, ambient temperature, and load data over 8760 h have been used to drive the designs. Although the anticipated inflation rate in Newfoundland is higher than in Ontario, the lowest net present cost (NPC) of the hybrid solution is found in Saint Pierre Island. The hydrogen cost, in this case, is $7.5/kgH 2 and $15.8/kgH 2 lower than that of Pelee and Wolfe islands, respectively. The maximum H 2 tank capacity (≥680 kgH 2 ) on Pelee Island is 3000 h/yr and 1000 h/yr lower than optimal cases in Saint Pierre and Wolf Islands, respectively. LCOE is more sensitive to market changes in fuel cell costs than other components. The highest LCOE reduction (∼63%) is observed when the optimal case in Pelee Island increases its lifetime. Analyzing the volatility in resource assessment indicates that predicting the energy cost over a short-term project is challenging. The salvage share in the long-term project is more than that of the short-term, indicating that the long-term project can be more cost-effective taken overall. • Feasibility analysis of renewables in refuelling station and residential buildings of Pelee, Wolfe, and Saint Pierre Islands. • Simultaneous production of Hydrogen and electricity production via renewables is economically and technically feasible. • The lowest value of energy and Hydrogen cost are obtained in Saint Pierre Island. • The energy cost over a short-term project is challenging and less profitable than a long-term project.

Healthcare Simulation: A Key to the Future of Medical Education - A Review.

AimSimulation originates from its application in the military and aviation. It is implemented at various levels of healthcare education and certification today. However, its use remains unevenly distributed across the globe due to misconception regarding its cost and complexity and to lack of evidence for its consistency and validity. Implementation may also be hindered by an array of factors unique to the locale and its norms. Resource-poor settings may benefit from diverting external funds for short-term simulation projects towards collaboration with local experts and local material sourcing to reduce the overall cost and achieve long-term benefits. The recent shift of focus towards patient safety and calls for reduction in training duration have burdened educators with providing adequate quantity and quality of clinical exposure to students and residents in a short time. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely hindered clinical education to curb the spread of illness. Simulation may be beneficial in these circumstances and improve learner confidence. We undertook a literature search on MEDLINE using MeSH terms to obtain relevant information on simulation-based medical education and how to best apply it. Integration of simulation into curricula is an essential step of its implementation. With allocations for deliberate practice and mastery learning under supervision of qualified facilitators, this technology is becoming essential in medical education.PurposeTo review the adaptation, spectrum of use, importance, and resource challenges of simulation in medical education and how best to implement it according to learning theories and best practice guides.ConclusionSimulation offers students and residents with adequate opportunities to practice their clinical skills in a risk-free environment. Unprecedented global catastrophes provide opportunities to explore simulation as a viable training tool. Future research should focus on sustainability of simulation-based medical education in LMICs.

An impact review of a Western Australian research translation program.

The translation gap between knowledge production and implementation into clinical practice and policy is an ongoing challenge facing researchers, funders, clinicians and policy makers globally. Research generated close to practice and in collaboration with end users is an approach that is recognised as an effective strategy to facilitate an improvement in the relevance and use of health research as well as building research capacity amongst end users. The Research Translation Projects (RTP) program funded by the Western Australian (WA) Department of Health facilitates clinical and academic collaboration through competitive funding of short-term research projects. Its aim is to improve healthcare practice while also finding efficiencies that can be delivered to the WA health system. A mixed methods approach was adopted to evaluate the research impact of the RTP program, at completion of the two-year funding period, across a range of impact domains through the adaptation and application of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences’ (CAHS) framework for research impact. In addition, further analysis was undertaken to address specific objectives of the RTP program more closely, in particular research capacity building and collaboration and health system Inefficiencies targeted by the program. Social network analysis was applied to assess the extent and growth of collaboration across WA health organisations over time. Results indicated that the ‘bottom up’ approach to research translation has triggered modest, yet positive outcomes across impact domains including advancing knowledge, collaboration and capacity building as well as contributing to changes in policy and practice. Additionally, the projects identified opportunities by which inefficiencies in the health system can be addressed. Further work is required to better understand the pathways by which short-term outcomes can be translated into more long-term impacts and the mechanisms that trigger this process.

Ten questions concerning positive energy districts

Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) constitute an emerging energy transition paradigm, with an ambitious timeline for rapid upscaling to match the urgency of climate mitigation and adaptation. Increasingly networked and coordinated actors aim to realise 100 PEDs across Europe by 2025. This resonates with the mission orientation turn of the European Green New Deal, to inspire and enable target-driven innovation. Yet it raises questions that have long perplexed scholars and practitioners in energy transitions: how can rapid diffusion be achieved in a sustained and replicable manner in diverse socio-technical contexts? Identifying the key questions to address and implement fit-to-purpose solutions within short-term project timescales is essential in order to mainstream PEDs. Such solutionism must be accompanied by a healthy dose of scepticism, in order to avoid undesirable outcomes such as exacerbated inequalities, societal backlash, and spatial displacement of invisible burdens. But it also requires proactive sharing of experiences, responsive learning and dissemination, and cooperation across sectors and disciplines. In this timely contribution, thirteen researchers from nine European countries flag ten questions concerning PEDs, and offer preliminary responses in line with cutting-edge insights informed by science and practice. This contribution draws on multidisciplinary competence in steering the Positive Energy Districts European Network, and aims to make emerging knowledge widely available, while also inviting constructive critique and engagement within the PED arena which features a broad range of diverse stakeholders. Authors highlight key pathways forward for a rapid, far-reaching translation of the ambitious PEDs agenda into multi-sited, district-scale beacons of sustainable energy transition.