Societal Goals Research Articles

Identifying practices of inclusive biobased value chains: Lessons from corn stover in Iowa, sugar cane in Jamaica, and sugar beet in the Netherlands

• A framework of inclusion, as means and goals, in biobased value chains allows for broadening the scope of practices relevant to inclusion. • Means of inclusion encompass practices such as feedstock selection, learning practices, biorefinery design, contracts, communication, and certificates. • Institutional arrangements and the design of technologies can shape inclusive value chains more so than participation. • The relationship between biomass producers and the biorefinery is the most essential part of inclusive biobased value chain. Including local producers of biomass in the process of developing global biobased value chains offers a way to ensure sustainable and reliable production of biomass while also promoting economic fairness. However, many contextual factors influence the design of inclusive bio-based value chains because their technology and feedstock are diverse. Inclusion is therefore not one-size-fits-all, but rather an approach demanding different strategies depending on the value chain. Given such diversity, how can the development of inclusion strategies in bio-based value chain design be supported? Responding to that question, this articles examines and analyzes the practices of biorefineries in the United States, Jamaica, and the Netherlands. We propose a means/goals approach to inclusion that can accommodate a variety of value chains. Moreover, we suggest that the concept of inclusion can realize several societal goals ranging from economic justice to managing uncertainties via various institutional arrangements and design means.

Designing locally-appropriate conservation incentives for small-scale fishers

Large, long-lived marine animals (‘marine megafauna’) are amongst the world's most threatened taxa, primarily due to overfishing. Reducing fisheries' impacts on marine megafauna is particularly challenging in small-scale fisheries (SSFs), where endangered species can have important consumptive use values. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) have been proposed as a potential solution, but there is a lack of empirical data on if and how they might work in this context. We present a novel combination of methods – scenario interviews with contingent valuation (CV) – for exploring and designing locally-appropriate PES schemes; and apply these methods to investigate how different types of incentives might influence fisher behaviour and mortality of Critically Endangered taxa in two case study SSFs in Indonesia. Fishers almost unanimously supported positive conditional incentives: 98 % and 96 % of fishers would stop landing hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna spp.) and wedgefish (Rhynchobatus spp.), respectively, in contrast to 1 % and 6 % under a business-as-usual scenario, and 52 % and 46 % in response to a negative incentive (fine). CV results showed that an incentive-based scheme for catch mitigation of all hammerheads and wedgefish across both sites could cost US$71,408–235,927 annually, and save up to 18,500 and 2140 individuals, respectively. This study provides empirical evidence that PES could offer a cost-effective and socially-just approach for marine conservation in SSFs; and offers a scalable method for designing locally-appropriate investment-ready schemes, which could support the delivery of societal goals such as net positive outcomes for marine biodiversity and a sustainable and equitable blue economy.

Training process in a hierarchical organization

Purpose: This paper investigates the training process within a hierarchical organization, focusing on the effectiveness of professional training for officers in the Polish Prison Service. The primary purpose is to identify factors influencing training outcomes and propose directions for improvement, considering the concept of sustainable development. Methodology: The study employs a combination of survey data, interviews, and analysis of training participants, educational staff, and experts. By examining various elements, such as instructor knowledge, teaching methods, and curriculum content, the research aims to understand the determinants of practical training. Results: The study reveals that instructor expertise, active involvement in training, and the quality of teaching materials significantly impact training effectiveness. Additionally, the paper suggests several measures to enhance the training process, including increased instructional hours, revised organization and content, and active learning methods and simulations. Theoretical Contribution: This research contributes to the field by emphasizing the importance of sustainable development principles in shaping effective training practices. Organizations can better prepare their officers for professional challenges by aligning training processes with broader societal goals. Practical Implications: For practitioners, the findings offer helpful insights into optimizing training programs, fostering skill development, and ultimately enhancing the performance of officers within the hierarchical structure of the Prison Service.

Complexity theories and ethnographies in planning for leisure-led regional development

ABSTRACT Leisure-led regional development refers to leisure as a mechanism to achieve broad societal goals within a region: economic revenue, employment and service levels but also cultural or conservationist ambitions. Engaging in such leisure-led regional development proves a complex matter. Based on ethnographies of leisure in the Dutch province of Fryslân conducted over a five-year period between 2013 and 2018, this paper argues that combining theoretical understanding of complexity theories with analyses based on both evolutionary and discursive approaches results in enhanced understanding of the interactions shaping uncertainty in leisure development. Results of field observations, interviews, participation and document analysis show that planning for leisure-led regional development should consider autonomous and evolutionary processes, whilst focusing on purposefully influencing the interactions and perspectives of actors in leisure. More precisely, this means shaping the narratives and practices in these institutions which make specific interactions more likely to develop. This can be undertaken by including in planning efforts the individual perspectives and emotions among actors in the regional leisure sector. To cope with uncertainty at the heart of leisure-led regional development, an adaptive strategy should be adopted, both in the planning efforts taken and in how such efforts are monitored and evaluated.

Development of a Taxonomy of Performance for Moroccan Sports Federations

In recent years, we have witnessed the establishment of a professionalization process in Morocco. Thus, the multiple problems of the Federations push the managers to raise questions relating to management. However, the interest of Moroccan researchers in management sciences has not been focused on this type of organization. Having said that, performance management is a powerful lever for companies’ success. It is based on the establishment of a comprehensive evaluation system via measurement indicators. This makes it possible to evaluate the activity and trigger corrective measures in the event of failure of the strategies laid down, ineffectiveness and non-achievement of goals. Nevertheless, measuring the organizational performance of Sports Federations is complex because of their thorny and paradoxical nature. Based on this observation, we consider it useful to go through an intermediate analysis which will subsequently simplify the establishment of a performance measurement system by these organizations. Thus, we adopt a classification study. The latter allows us a simpler presentation of the profiles of the organizations studied, by bringing together, on the one hand, those seeking to achieve financial, sporting or societal goals. And on the other hand, those who have the necessary resources allow it to achieve these objectives, which guides us to adopt this study of hierarchical classification through the use of Ward’s method. Keywords: performance, taxonomy of performance, sports federations, sport organizations, Morocco

On the Role and Assessment of Research at European Universities of Applied Sciences

The relevance of the Universities of Applied Sciences (UASs) is growing in a world where practice-based learning and research are essential to meet societal development goals. Public policies for science, technology, and innovation must, therefore, account for an increasingly complex context where higher education institutions of varied shapes co-evolve. On the other hand, the increasing influence of international ranking systems and of bibliometric indicators calls for a critical revision of their adequacy to account for UASs’ key characteristics such as the importance of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches when tackling context-based challenges. This paper examines the roles of UASs in contemporary knowledge-intensive societies and critically addresses dominant research evaluation approaches. It is argued that i) qualitative approaches based on the visualization of bibliometric data can provide useful perspectives on interdisciplinarity, ii) the assessment of stakeholder engagement should be incorporated in rankings such as U-Multirank, and iii) knowledge dissemination at large could be assessed using Altmetrics indicators.

Impacts of Competitive Seabed Allocation

Impacts of Competitive Seabed AllocationOffshore wind is an important part of the transition to green energy sources. The industry relies on access to economical seabed, which is a scarce and valuable resource controlled and managed by governments. In this paper we analyse the impacts of the fees embedded in the seabed lease agreements for the economics of offshore wind. We describe the allocation schemes for seabed including pre-qualification, fees, and method of competition for the examples of UK (England, Wales, and Northern Ireland), UK (Scotland), the United States and the Netherlands. Then, we use a discounted cash flow analysis to assess and compare the timeline and magnitude of the fees. Finally, we describe the incentive structures that these fees create for wind farm design. We show that the costs embedded in the seabed lease agreements can be extensive and have been trending upward over time. We also find that the incentive structures are varied and not necessarily aligned with societal goals.

Can MaaS change users’ travel behaviour to deliver commercial and societal outcomes?

• Quantify impacts of subscription bundles on travel behaviour and sustainability. • Verify MaaS potential to achieve societal and commercial outcomes. • Suggest a new commercial model for MaaS. • Quantify the net impact of MaaS on car-based use and shared-mode volume. • Perform an economic analysis of MaaS using transaction cost theory and market design. Mobility as a Service, or MaaS, is a relatively new business model that aims to disrupt the passenger transport industry by integrating existing mobility services into an intuitive smartphone app that allows everyday travellers to search, book, use, and pay for all their transport needs. In a fully integrated ecosystem, MaaS is envisaged to integrate not only travel information and payment, but also mobility services and societal goals to obtain the so-called four levels of MaaS integration. This paper empirically assesses the prospects of having a commercially viable and environmentally sustainable MaaS. Leveraging high-quality data collected by GPS-tracking technology, ticketing management systems, and survey questionnaires over the five-month in-field trial of MaaS in Sydney, this paper develops a discrete-count modelling system to quantify, for the first time, the impacts of MaaS on users’ travel behaviour and extra volume/revenue for shared modes. Based on the quantitative evidence obtained, the paper suggests a new commercial model for MaaS and identifies the likely opportunities and challenges faced by MaaS integrators.

The Role of Micro-Enterprises in the Four-Dimensional Framework of Women's Empowerment

Purpose
 This paper empirically evaluates the impact of micro-enterprises on women's empowerment. Subsequently, it assesses the mediating role of the performance of micro-enterprises on a four-dimensional model of women's empowerment.
 Design/ Methodology/ Approach
 A quantitative research approach and a cross-sectional research design were adopted in the study. Survey research and purposive sampling technique were used to select 384 individual respondents (women entrepreneurs under the Kudumbashree Mission of Kerala state in India). The data gathered from a structured questionnaire was used for confirmatory factor analysis, model fit evaluation, and making a structural equation model to test the proposed relationship in the four-dimensional model of women's empowerment. The study explicates the relationship between attributes of micro-enterprises and women’s empowerment. The field data were analysed using SPSS and AMOS software.
 Findings
 Economic development will not happen unless women are empowered. In order to establish an enterprise more successfully and sustainably, women should be taught entrepreneurial skills, technical knowledge, skill training, and marketing skills. The study discovered a strong correlation between the performance of micro-enterprises and women empowerment attributes.
 Originality/value
 This study contributes to the literature by identifying how microentrepreneurs emerging from SHGs are achieving societal goals of women empowerment. It adds to the literature by providing a conceptual framework to aid researchers and policymakers in dealing with micro-enterprises and their impact on the empowerment of women in society.
 Research Limitation/ Implication
 Micro enterprises play an important role as they can contribute to women's empowerment by providing opportunities for employment. The study offers researchers and policymakers practical insights on how multi-facets of micro-enterprises influence different dimensions of women's empowerment. The study aids the government and policymakers in better understanding and implementing strategies to boost women’s micro-enterprises, resulting in the overall empowerment of marginalised women.
 Social Implications
 The study aims to create awareness among women about the various prospects for self-help groups, their intricacies, and the performance of micro-enterprises, thereby generating revenue. This, in turn, leads to the general economic development of a society.

OER State Policy Discourse: Adding Equity to the Cost Savings Conversation

In response to rising tuition, state disinvestment, and financial uncertainty over the years, open educational resources (OER) have been introduced as a solution to address the college affordability crisis (Colvard et al., 2018). The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) sees OER as not just a way to lift the financial burden of educational materials, but also as a path to improving teaching and learning, strengthening the economy, advancing societal goals, and breaking down barriers to education (SPARC, n.d.-b). State policymakers have created grant programs or other initiatives to incentivize the creation, use, or expansion of OER in an effort to decrease costs associated with postsecondary education. This raises the question of how state policy discourse defines the problem that then informs the solutions addressed in OER legislation and how introducing an equity discourse into OER policy making can strengthen efforts to remove barriers to higher education.

A Study on Corporate Social Responsibility of Industrial Owners in Vellore District

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a form of international private business self-regulations which aims to contribute to societal goals of a philanthropic activity or charitable nature by engaging in or supporting volunteering or ethically- oriented practices. The rendering service to the society by the owner is important concept in the business scenario. They have to do social service to the society. This article explore the factor rendering service and its significance.

GI multisociety strategic plan on environmental sustainability.

GI multisociety strategic plan on environmental sustainability.

Causal Strands for Social Bonds—A Case Study on the Credibility of Claims from Impact Reporting

The study investigates if causal claims based on a theory-of-change approach for impact reporting are credible. The authors use their most recent impact report for a Social Bond to show how theory-based logic models can be used to map the sustainability claims of issuers to quantifiable indicators. A single project family (homeownership loans) is then used as a case study to test the underlying hypotheses of the sustainability claims. By applying Bayes Theorem, evidence for and against the claims is weighted to calculate the degree to which the belief in the claims is warranted. The authors found that only one out of three claims describe a probable cause–effect chain for social benefits from the loans. The other two claims either require more primary data to be corroborated or should be re-defined to link the intervention more closely and robustly with the overarching societal goals. However, all previous reported indicators are below the thresholds of the most conservative estimates for fractions of beneficiaries in the paper at hand. We conclude that the combination of a Theory-of-Change with a Bayesian Analysis is an effective way to test the plausibility of sustainability claims and to mitigate biases. Nevertheless, the method is—in the presented form—also too elaborate and time-consuming for impact reporting in the sustainable finance market.

Socially Responsible Marketing: Toward AligningDharma(Duties),Karma(Actions), andEudaimonia(Well-Being)

Laczniak and Shultz, in their recent article in the Journal of Macromarketing, provide a robust framework and a comprehensive definition of socially responsible marketing (SRM) anchored on macro-normative ethical perspectives. The explicit purpose of offering this framework and definition is to provide a roadmap to create a better world. Recognizing that marketing has a vital role in enabling the societal goal of achieving well-being and thriving, we offer some additional perspectives in this commentary. Essentially, we suggest how the SRM doctrine can be enriched and enlarged by explicitly aligning societal goals of eudaimonia (well-being) with marketing's moral duties and actions. To do so, we reconcile ethical ideas in Asian and Western philosophies as to how they may help us clarify the requisite SRM behavior. We also look at the developments in evolutionary psychology and developmental biology as to the proper criteria for evaluating the success of SRM behavior.

The Ongoing and Collective Character of Digital Care for Older People: Moving Beyond Techno-Determinism in Government Policy

In this article, we contrast policy understandings of digital care with older people’s day-to-day digital care. In doing so, we discuss problems relating to deterministic approaches in government policy. Our policy analysis shows that digital care is articulated as an individual practice, and digital technologies as static actors. This bears clear marks of techno-deterministic reasoning. Our ethnographic study demonstrates the ongoing and collective character of older people’s digital care. When policy is not aligned with everyday practice, there is a risk of excluding groups of users. We argue that a socio-technical approach in government policy could contribute to achieving important societal goals.

Policymakers Take Notice of Bioeconomy's Potential

Policymakers Take Notice of Bioeconomy's Potential

The Hospice-Care Promotion Experiences of Multidisciplinary Care Providers in Residential Long-Term Care Facilities: A Qualitative Study

In aging societies, residents of residential long-term care facilities (RLTCF) are a population that can significantly influence the success of efforts to promote hospice care and to achieve societal goals of domestic aging in place and good death. Multidisciplinary healthcare providers in RLTCF play vital roles in assessing, coordinating, and implementing the "five whole concepts" of hospice care. To explore multidisciplinary healthcare providers' experiences with implementing hospice care in RLTCF. Study results may be referenced for future research into hospice care in RLTCF. In this qualitative study, one-on-one interviews were conducted with 14 multidisciplinary healthcare providers working for three hospital-affiliated RLTCFs in Northern Taiwan from April to July 2019. Each interview lasted between 40 and 68 minutes. Data were transcribed and then analyzed using the content analysis technique. The emergent themes derived from participant experiences were "lack of hospice care literacy and multidisciplinary communication", "insufficient resources for hospice care implementation", "a dilemma between reasonability and sensibility", "quandary about and bearing from facing family dying", and "expectation of mental and physical well-being for family and residents". The experiences of the participants illuminate the importance of strengthening hospice care training for multidisciplinary RLTCF healthcare providers; establishing standard operating procedures; and increasing the manpower, environmental, and equipment resources available for implementing hospice care in RLTCF.

Recent Advances in Technologies, Methods, and Economic Analysis for Sustainable Development of Energy, Water, and Environment Systems

Sustainability has become a broad societal goal, aiming to ensure that human beings coexist safely and harmoniously with nature over a longer time. The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy is coming to an end. The development and merits of sustainable energy supply, advanced technology, and economic features have received significant attention over the last few decades. However, significant gaps still exist with respect to how to design, construct, and implement hybrid and optimal energy systems with the lowest investment and cost. Since 2002, the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water, and Environment Systems (SDEWES) conferences have become a significant meeting venue for researchers to introduce, discuss, share, and disseminate novel concepts and ideas. This paper presents an overview of published articles in the Special Issues (SIs) dedicated by the series SDEWES conferences, especially those published in Energies recommended by the 16th SDEWES Conference, which was held on 10–15 October 2021 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. This SI in Energies focused on four main topics, including the application of renewable bioenergy, component enhancement in renewable systems, sustainable development for buildings and economic analysis and evaluation for sustainability. The collected papers provide insight into the topics related to recent advances in improving sustainable efficiency, including studies on waste-to-wealth techniques, utilization of hybrid bioenergy systems, heat exchangers and other components for performance enhancement, energy supply and demand analysis, low-temperature DHC systems, techno-economic assessment, and environmental evaluation.

Maximizing economic prosperity, strengthening military, or developing social bonds? Study protocol for research on the relationship between regulatory focus and preferences for the direction of societal development.

Recent research has pointed to cross-cultural differences with regard to preferences for the directions that societies should take in their development. From an individual’s perspective, these directions might be understood as ‘goals’, i.e., internal representations of desired end states. To date, research on individual differences that determine preferences for such directions is scarce. However, people’s motivational concerns, i.e., what they fundamentally value, may shape their views about the desired paths for their country’s future. The role of such motivational concerns has been described by regulatory focus theory, which distinguishes between promotion concerns related to advancement needs and prevention concerns linked with security needs. The overall aim of this project is to map the different pathways of societal development with regulatory focus concerns. This will be achieved in two studies. In Study 1, a group concept mapping method will be employed, and leading psychologists will assess the extent to which various societal development goals represent promotion and prevention goals. Based on these ratings, a two-dimensional map of the goals will be created and presented to the same experts, who will be asked to create goal clusters based on their proximity with regard to promotion and prevention ratings. This study will reveal which societal development directions have promotion concerns that outweigh prevention concerns (and vice versa) and which are both high (or low) on these dimensions. This initial mapping will be corroborated in correlational Study 2 with representative samples from two countries differing in dominating regulatory orientations (Poland vs. USA). Here, the roles of individual promotion and prevention orientations in preferences for specific societal development directions will be evaluated. This project will provide new insights into the roles of individual motivational systems in preferences for goals that might be pursued in country development.

Developing together: the Finnish way of promoting sustainable public procurement

PurposePublic procurement is a major driving force that can be used to advance societal goals such as sustainability. The lack of strategic management and top-level commitment have been found to be major hindrances to the promotion of sustainable public procurement (SPP). This study aims to examine the functioning of a successful Finnish SPP development programme, the KEINO Academy (2019–2020), that tackled these challenges in a holistic way.Design/methodology/approachThe article is mainly based on qualitative analysis of interviews with 24 municipal representatives.FindingsThe KEINO Academy advanced SPP management through the following functions: legitimising SPP development work, structuring SPP development work, offering expert support and facilitating peer support. The functions were mainly able to meet the key challenges experienced by the participating municipalities. However, some challenges cannot be directly solved by an intermediary such as the KEINO Academy. These challenges include, for example, a lack of resources.Social implicationsOn the basis of the study, SPP development programmes should: build a holistic working model; respect the versatility of the participating organisations; involve all the key people in the organisations, including the directors; and sustain change.Originality/valueThe main theoretical contribution is the combination of two streams of literature, those of SPP management and intermediary functions. Further, the article makes an empirical contribution by studying the KEINO Academy as a pioneering SPP development case.