Specific Stakeholders Research Articles

Factors affecting unitized curtain wall system adoption for Hong Kong's high-rise residential buildings: a multi-stakeholder perspective

PurposeThe unitized curtain wall system (UCWS), one of the prefabricated technologies, is increasingly attracting attention in the Hong Kong construction industry. However, this innovative technology still lacks on-site implementation in high-rise residential buildings. To promote its development, this study aims at identifying the influential factors of UCWS adoption in Hong Kong's high-rise residential buildings from a multi-stakeholder perspective.Design/methodology/approachFactors were first selected through an in-depth literature review and a semi-structured interview. Then the factors were validated through a questionnaire survey using Cronbach's Alpha Reliability Test. Next, the factors were ranked regarding their importance using mean-score ranking and standard deviation. Meanwhile, different stakeholders were clustered using an experimental factor analysis (EFA) model to find the shared preferences (namely common factors).FindingsThe result shows that reduction of construction time (B1) and insufficient site storage area (C1) are the most important factors. The six stakeholder groups were clustered into two segments. B1 and improved quality control are the shared interests. While C1 and the need of specification change are the common concerns.Originality/valueThere are two major breakthroughs in this study. First is the novelty of research objects. UCWS, particularly its application preference in high-rise residential buildings, has rarely been studied, yet it is urgently required. Second is the novel research perspective. The influential factors were studied from a multi-stakeholder perspective. Not only the significant factors for six specific stakeholders but also the shared preference for stakeholder groups was identified. The findings contribute to promoting UCWS more targeted, efficient and comprehensive, as well as demonstrating the collaborative possibilities of multi-stakeholders.

Impact and implications for practice

Impact and implications for practice

Communicating about plant breeding and genome editing in plants: Assessment of European stakeholders, sources, channels and content

AbstractGenome editing helps to develop plant varieties that address future agricultural challenges such as climate change adaptation, resource efficiency and sustainable productivity. Nevertheless, associated aspects relating, besides others, to the regulation of genome editing, intellectual property rights and potential environmental and health aspects lead to fierce discussions within the European Union. In these discussions, values and moral aspects play a decisive role. To support and set the stage for an open‐minded dialogue, the communication behaviour and needs of specific stakeholder groups has been analysed by means of two online surveys. The surveys considered sources and channels used for information sourcing and dissemination, conveyed content and relevant target audiences. In addition, the degree of trust of stakeholders in different information sources was assessed. Stakeholders included representatives from academia, civil society organisations (including environmental and consumer organisations), journalists, the farming community, the seed and plant breeding sector and policymakers across Europe. Our analysis suggests that, in general, a high level of trust is associated with representatives from academia, and that safety‐related aspects, transparency and sustainability are considered very important topics across the different stakeholder groups. In addition, social media seem to play a subordinate role for inter‐stakeholder communication but is of higher relevance for reaching out to the public.

Urban logistics stakeholder priority assessment to improve urban planning policy

Urban logistics plays an important role in competitive markets. However, this activity has negative repercussions on urban life if it is not planned in a systematic way. For the best effective solutions, it’s imperative to assess the opinions of all stakeholders associated with urban logistics. In this research, perceptions of all stakeholders on different urban logistics policies have been gathered and quantified. To analyse the perceived level of efficiency of each stakeholder for a given policy or practice, a survey research methodology was adopted to assess and test the perceptions of stakeholders. Through literature review and survey analysis, it is clear that a few policies have a high level of efficiency for a specific stakeholder but can have contrasting effects on another set of stakeholders. This further establishes the need to engage stakeholders to collectively improve urban logistics planning. The findings of this paper will help administration personnel to understand the perspective of all stakeholders and take everyone's views into account before coming up with a new policy. Furthermore, the research is a part of efforts to improve the type of urban logistics policies implemented by the local authorities.

A Review of Farmland Soil Health Assessment Methods: Current Status and a Novel Approach

Healthy soils are vital for food production as 95% of global food production directly or indirectly depends on soils. To ensure the food security of the burgeoning world population, it is necessary to evaluate soil health (SH) with a potential soil health index (SHI). Although there are several reputable methods for SH assessment at present, the connotations of and evaluation methods for SH are still unclear and such indexes are targeted at specific stakeholders or problems. In this study, we reviewed the fundamental steps in current attempts to develop SHIs, SH assessment methods and proposed a unified SHI based on the priorities of stakeholders. The proposed approach was designed as “three sets of dual index systems”, including the soil function (i), nutrition (j), and output (k) index systems, as well as the current (C) and expected (E) values of the respective index systems. The indicators included in index-i, index-j, and index-k reflect the soil regulatory functions, nutrient status, and quality and quantity of the output, respectively. The E values are used as a reference for the C values, and the health status is obtained, by using the ratio (R) of C to E for the respective index systems and their degree of deviation from “1” (R-1). For any evaluated soil, the farther the number of attributes and their ratios deviate from “1”, the unhealthier it is. This approach can provide a unified and comprehensive SH assessment method by diagnosing the most significant, healthy as well as unhealthy indicators. This method can be applied easily, not only by scholars but also by farmers and land managers.

How argumentation theory can inform assessment validity: A critical review.

Many health professions education (HPE) scholars frame assessment validity as a form of argumentation in which interpretations and uses of assessment scores must be supported by evidence. However, what are purported to be validity arguments are often merely clusters of evidence without a guiding framework to evaluate, prioritise, or debate their merits. Argumentation theory is a field of study dedicated to understanding the production, analysis, and evaluation of arguments (spoken or written). The aim of this study is to describe argumentation theory, articulating the unique insights it can offer to HPE assessment, and presenting how different argumentation orientations can help reconceptualize the nature of validity in generative ways. The authors followed a five-step critical review process consisting of iterative cycles of focusing, searching, appraising, sampling, and analysing the argumentation theory literature. The authors generated and synthesised a corpus of manuscripts on argumentation orientations deemed to be most applicable to HPE. We selected two argumentation orientations that we considered particularly constructive for informing HPE assessment validity: New rhetoric and informal logic. In new rhetoric, the goal of argumentation is to persuade, with a focus on an audience's values and standards. Informal logic centres on identifying, structuring, and evaluating arguments in real-world settings, with a variety of normative standards used to evaluate argument validity. Both new rhetoric and informal logic provide philosophical, theoretical, or practical groundings that can advance HPE validity argumentation. New rhetoric's foregrounding of audience aligns with HPE's social imperative to be accountable to specific stakeholders such as the public and learners. Informal logic provides tools for identifying and structuring validity arguments for analysis and evaluation.

CSR, credibility, employees' rights and legitimacy during a crisis: a critical analysis of British Airways, WizAir and EasyJet cases

PurposeUsing legitimacy and impression management theories, this study examines whether there is evidence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) decoupling by critically analysing the cases of three Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 350 airline companies (British Airways, WizAir, and Easyjet). The study focusses on three CSR aspects: community, customer, and employee support.Design/methodology/approachUsing the case study method, the authors critically analysed the content of the three companies' websites and verified Twitter accounts between March 2020 and August 2020. The authors also reviewed news media sources tied explicitly to COVID-19 and the airline industry.FindingsThe study finds evidence of CSR decoupling due to inconsistencies between the three airline companies' communication about the companies' commitment to customers' health and safety and their actions. The study also uncovers that the three airline companies have violated employee rights by imposing unjustifiable and excessive redundancies and pay cuts, freezing planned pay rises, forcing unpaid leaves, and in some cases, suspending free meals during the crew shifts and exploiting the financial pressure and lack of jobs resulting from the pandemic by offering employees inferior contracts.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper responds to He and Harris's (2020) call for research to explore the impact of the global pandemic on CSR practices and Crane and Matten's (2020) call for research investigating how specific stakeholders get unvalued during the pandemic. The authors' study argues that the social responsibility of organisations, especially during crises, should not only focus on voluntary and charitable deeds but also on supporting employees, putting employees' well-being at the forefront of employees' operations, and maintaining credibility and sincerity in employees' communication and actions.Practical implicationsThe findings in this paper provide insights and policy implications for managers, stakeholders, and regulators. The paper sheds light on violations of employee rights, indicating that employees in the airline sector are amongst the under-appreciated stakeholders during the pandemic. Such knowledge is essential for practitioners and policymakers who are charting paths forward to address the needs of vulnerable categories of employees. The paper also elucidates the impact of CSR decoupling on an organisation's legitimacy and the significance of maintaining credibility in CSR communications and actions, especially during a crisis.Originality/valueAlthough exploring and analysing CSR practices in organisations has already attracted considerable interest in recent years, there is minimal knowledge about organisations' genuine commitment to CSR during the pandemic, and there is a dearth of relevant studies in the aviation industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study addresses this gap by exploring the CSR practices of three airline companies and the companies' genuine commitment to CSR during the pandemic.

Levelling the Playing Field: The Role of Workshops to Explore How People With Parkinson's Use Music for Mood and Movement Management as Part of a Patient and Public Involvement Strategy.

From a humanistic perspective, participatory processes in research find support on both ethical and moral grounds. In practical terms however, it is often difficult to establish protocols that best honour (i.e., elicit, capture, and integrate) the opinions of individuals and groups that represent the various specific stakeholders (e.g., from allied health, scientific, and academic disciplines) needed to investigate complex phenomena. Here, we describe a consultation process (funded by Parkinson's UK) devised to explore use of music among people with Parkinson's in relation to potential applications to enhance quality of life. People with Parkinson's were paired with researchers in order to discuss music on an equal footing so as to enable participant empowerment. We describe outcomes that demonstrate avenues of success as a result of this approach and additional insights gained through these processes in the hope of informing future practise. It has been our experience that researchers must establish a balance between (a) ensuring methodological rigour within an appropriate framework, and (b) facilitating informal “playtime” that develops connectivity between participants and enables both creative thinking and reflexive practise amongst stakeholders. We encourage researchers not to underestimate “playtime” as an important vehicle to foster this social interactivity and fuel the good will required to conduct inclusive and relevant research.

Gautrain: contextualising strategic leadership of African rapid rail

Learning Outcomes After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following: • Analyse the aspects of strategic leadership and evaluate effectiveness of the leadership in the case study. • Identify stakeholders in a large-scale project and differentiate between their needs and sources of power. • Establish what behavioural mechanisms can be used by leaders to gain support from stakeholders with seemingly divergent pro-poor and pro-growth development orientations for expansion in an emerging market context. • Generate recommendations to communicate the benefits of expansion plans. Case overview/synopsis On November 8, 2019, Jack van der Merwe, the chief executive officer of the public rapid rail organisation, Gautrain Management Agency (GMA), was considering how to influence stakeholders to support the pace of the expansion planning phase, without alienating the surrounding communities and balancing the various and sometimes opposing stakeholder interests. The case highlights the background to this dilemma in offering the financial background of the Gauteng province and the evolution of the Gautrain project in the context of an emerging market country characterised by institutions at different development levels and how the unique characteristics of the protagonist could influence stakeholder orientations. The case illustrates how the Gautrain is at the centre of a complex transport conflagration in the South African transport ecosystem. Specific stakeholders and their needs are exposed in the case to enable students to analyse their several levels of influence on the project and proposed expansion. The differences between pro-poor and pro-growth development orientations are also highlighted in this case as input to describe the dilemma Van der Merwe faced in his influencing role in this particular South African context. Students will gain insight into how to manage the tensions between pro-poor and pro-growth orientations. Complexity academic level The case is suitable for a graduate-level course on strategy; organisational behaviour; or leadership. The case is also suitable for a post-graduate-level course on an MBA or MPhil program on strategy and leadership. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 7: Management Science.

Dissemination and implementation strategies for physical activity guidelines among adults with disability, chronic conditions, and pregnancy: a systematic scoping review

BackgroundPhysical activity guidelines for adults with disability, chronic conditions, and pregnancy (i.e., specific populations) have been developed to provide guidance for engaging in physical activity. However, specific populations remain considerably less physically active compared to the general population, presenting a knowledge-practice gap.PurposeThe purpose of this systematic scoping review was to identify and evaluate strategies for disseminating and implementing physical activity guidelines among specific populations and/or stakeholders (e.g., healthcare professionals) in Canada.MethodsFive search approaches (peer-reviewed literature databases, grey literature database, custom Google search engines, targeted web-based searches, and content expert consultation) identified records documenting and/or evaluating strategies that had been used to disseminate or implement guidelines from a predetermined list. Systematic and scoping review protocols were followed. Risk of bias assessments were conducted for all studies that evaluated strategies.ResultsEighty-one records reported dissemination strategies (n = 42), implementation strategies (n = 28), or both (n = 11). Twenty-two studies reporting on 29 evaluated strategies were deemed “serious” or “high” risk of bias. Common guideline dissemination and implementation strategies are deliberated and recommendations for future practice are made.ConclusionsFindings may inform future dissemination and implementation efforts for physical activity guidelines in Canada or similar countries.

Managing stakeholder concerns associated with releases of imported stock in insect control programmes.

A commitment to reducing pesticide use and the development of novel technologies are driving a renewed interest in insect-mediated pest and vector control programmes. Such programmes, along with conservation and pollination applications, lead to an increased transport volume of live insect stock. At release sites, concerns surrounding imported insects can be reduced by using local genotypes that have been mass-produced elsewhere. Remaining plausible concerns are likely to be centred on human factors (vector behaviour or capacity) and ecological factors (interacting species) and should be anticipated in the design of communication materials. Well-designed, locally relevant communication and engagement material is an important part of programme success. Stakeholder engagement is thus critical to reducing risks of perceived and plausible concerns affecting programme outcomes in an increasingly electronically connected world. Experience at release sites can help inform the design of accessible information useful at all stages of the transportation pathway. For transnationally transported insects, providing such information to specific stakeholders (e.g. courier companies and border authorities) will reduce the likelihood of delays, which can, in turn, affect the quality and mortality of the transported insects.

A BIM-GIS-IoT-Based System for Excavated Soil Recycling

The increasing excavated soil from construction projects has become a big problem in the sustainable development of megacities worldwide. Even though excavated soil management concerns are receiving increased attention, low rates of excavated soil recycling remain a barrier to the continuous improvement of the construction industry. Nowadays, Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology has gained popularity for construction and demolition (C&D) waste management purposes. However, few studies and cases of recycling excavated soil using BIM technology have been found. This paper gives a BIM-GIS-IoT-based excavated soil recycling system to effectively integrate BIM and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies into a geographic information system (GIS) to achieve scientific and reasonable recycling for excavated soil. The system mentioned above could collaboratively manage information from the government, developers, construction enterprises, transportation companies, and recycling facilities to meet the requirement for the specific communication, analysis, decision-making, and recycling plan preparation of the excavation project. In addition, it provides a systematic method and applies relevant information technology required to recycle the excavated soil effectively in the excavation project. The system is intended to provide a fundamental digital construction model for excavated soil recycling, regardless of whether it is invoked by the existing application software or a program tailored to the demands of a specific organization or stakeholders. It makes excellent use of the rich information stored in digital information models, may create a mapping to the input data required by the application, or automatically convert the basic model to facilitate the specific analysis. This system can not only serve as an excavation project simulation tool before construction, but also serve as a tool to recycle the excavated soil and cost evaluation. The developed model is applied via case studies within an excavation project. Different plans are described and compared in detail in several aspects of the schedule, revenue, and contract, finding that actual benefits will differ depending on the project’s limiting conditions. The result indicates ample opportunity for the advantages of the BIM-GIS-IoT-based excavated soil recycling system in the excavation project.

The International Criminal Justice Marketplace of Ideas

Abstract The field of international criminal justice is supported and legitimized by a distinct marketplace of norms and ideas. Within this marketplace, stakeholders compete to define dominant norms, conceptual frames and the practical direction of international criminal justice. Building on the relational sociology of Bourdieu, this article examines how this competition plays out by studying the relational agenda-setting practices of central stakeholders. To this end, the analysis draws on an original dataset of annual reports produced by international criminal tribunals, academic articles and non-governmental organization reports published between 1994 and 2018. Employing Structural Topic Modelling, the article contributes a data-driven and empirically informed analysis of core developments and agenda-setting in the marketplace of ideas in international criminal justice. Zooming in on the topic of sexual violence which was placed on the agenda by NGOs in the early 2000s before becoming prevalent in the outputs of academics and international criminal tribunals, the article illustrates how normative agendas spearheaded by specific stakeholders can have broader effects in the field.

Possibilities for changing to resource recovery in Kampala's on-site sanitation regime

Pressure is growing to develop innovative decentralized sanitation systems that protect public health and recover resources. This study evaluates the opportunities for niche technologies focusing on nutrient resource recovery to enter the market in Greater Kampala, Uganda. It applies methodology from sustainability transition studies in a novel way to provide new insights into possibilities for change in the on-site sanitation sector. The study 1) characterizes the existing socio-technical regime for on-site sanitation, 2) identify stress points in the regime and 3) possible advantages for the niches. Assessment of the regime covers technology, epistemic practice, sector values, organisational modes, policy and financing. The niches include urine diversion toilets, on-site resource recovery, and container-based models. The on-site sanitation regime is under performing and the niches all offer advantages for improved service and resource use. However, it will be difficult for the niches to break into a sector in which epistemic practice, organisational modes and financing are heavily dominated by the sewage regime. Recommendations for creating a more open environment for innovation are provided for specific stakeholders.

Barriers to business model innovation in the Swedish urban freight transport sector

Business model innovation (BMI) is an important but challenging process that is potentially hampered by obstruction and confusion. Despite its significance, BMI is an underexplored topic in research on urban freight transport. By studying two examples of technological innovations, namely electrified freight vehicles and digitalisation, this paper reviews the existing literature and reinterprets five cases of attempted BMI in the Swedish urban freight transport sector. Three key issues are suggested to impede innovation. First, BMI and technological development are two closely related processes that influence each other. Thus, they are part of a complex context that is difficult for project participants to assess. Second, decision makers confront difficulties in deciding the specific stakeholders to prioritise and may thus unintentionally exclude important groups. Third, as BMI is a novel approach to business development, it presents participants with considerable uncertainty about the responsibilities that they and other actors have toward each other. These issues indicate that in the urban freight transport sector, the theoretical dichotomy of barriers emanating from either obstruction or confusion must be expanded to include a third barrier, strategic misalignment, which arises due to diverging interests and organisational incentives.

DESIRE:Disseminating Educational Science, Innovation and Research in Europe

The paper illustrates the research activities carried out by the European DESIRE project dealing with dissemination strategies of European projects outcomes and results and takes into account specific stakeholders in the projects life cycle. Preliminary findings are given and commented and some recommendations are drawn based on data collected so far.

Strategic responses to sustainability reporting regulation and multiple stakeholder demands: an analysis of the Spanish EU non-financial reporting directive transposition

PurposeThis paper aims to study companies’ strategic responses to regulative institutional pressures on sustainability reporting. Particularly, it investigates the role of multiple stakeholder demands in shaping corporate responses to Law 11/2018 that transposes the EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive in Spain.Design/methodology/approachInformed by Oliver’s framework, the study analyzes the 2018 non-financial information of Spanish listed companies mandated to report under Law 11/2018 to explore the relationship between adopting a particular strategic response and companies’ stakeholder configuration.FindingsCompanies facing multiple stakeholder pressures tend to use a compromise strategy favoring the disclosure of relevant topics to a specific stakeholder type. Specifically, environmentalists are the most influential stakeholder in determining the coverage of sustainability topics to the detriment of other stakeholders when companies suffer from regulatory pressures.Research limitations/implicationsThe study contributes to disentangling the factors determining how companies respond to sustainability reporting regulation. Future research could perform longitudinal and large multinational analyses to study the evolutionary process of corporate responses.Practical implicationsThe study is relevant to managers and policymakers as it highlights that sustainability reporting regulation should promote the coverage of relevant topics to less influential stakeholders.Social implicationsThe study explores the extent to which current sustainability reporting regulation can increase transparency on sustainability issues for all stakeholders.Originality/valueIn contrast to previous literature exploring the extent to which firms comply with regulation, the study considers that companies can respond more actively to mandatory sustainability reporting requirements.

Development of a Definition for Medical Affairs Using the Jandhyala Method for Observing Consensus Opinion Among Medical Affairs Pharmaceutical Physicians.

Background: There is currently no standard definition of medical affairs, despite its increasing importance to the pharmaceutical industry. The evolution of medical affairs necessitated the development of a standardised definition to guide policy and practice to ensure that patients’ interests remain central amid shifts that have, in the past, created fertile ground for ethical violations. Objectives: The aim of this study was to use an empirical method to observe a consensus of expert opinion on the definition of medical affairs to guide policy and practice within this function. Methods: In total, 11 medical affairs pharmaceutical physicians (MAPPs) completed a qualitative online survey to identify a list of key items to define medical affairs using the Jandhyala method for generating a consensus of expert opinion. Responses were coded and scored, and aggregated responses were presented to participants in a consensus round. Participants rated their agreement with each item on a 5-point Likert scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Indicators that reached a consensus index of >50% (CI > = 0.51) were retained. Items were categorised per previously defined medical affairs functions to determine the scope of the definition. A comparative content analysis using a previous definition identified in the literature was conducted to determine the utility of the definition generated here. Results: In total, 11 MAPPs generated 15 unique items to define medical affairs. Item awareness indices ranged from 0.24 (‘communication/education’) to 1.00 (‘design/strategy’). All items had a CI of more than 0.5 and were included in the final definition. All items could be categorised per previously defined medical affairs functions. Comparative content analysis showed that our definition varied in four ways: the designation of medical affairs as a medical specialty (and its primary aim, therefore, is to protect patients), the leadership of medical affairs in medicine adoption, the generation of real-world evidence and the specification of distinct stakeholders who benefit from medical affairs. Conclusion: A standard definition of medical affairs that incorporates the key principles of medical affairs as a medical specialty that leads medicine adoption and generates real-world evidence for specific stakeholders may protect and further the interests of patients by governing practice and policy.

Blockchain Adoption Factors, Enablers, and Barriers in Fisheries Supply Chain: Preliminary Findings from a Systematic Literature Review

Technological adoption has become a key goal of digital transformation within firms, affecting many facets of an organisation such as attaining competitive advantage, increased revenue, reduction of operational costs, and improving operational efficiency. Blockchain as a decentralised peer to peer technology appears uniquely suited to being deployed within complex food supply chains such as the fisheries industry, which is the focus of this study. In this context, blockchain technology can be used for a variety of purposes such as providence authentication, handling and storage, transparency, counterfeit prevention, food forensics, and enhanced supply chain resilience. The purpose of this study is to synthesize existing research on the interrelationship between Blockchain technology and the factors that determine adoption, as well as identifying the enablers and barriers. This preliminary work identified key themes emerging from the blockchain literature suggesting that adoption factors are wide ranging, encompassing aspects including organisational readiness, security, complexity, partnerships, competition, governmental influence, and transparency. The thematic analysis of enablers and barriers to blockchain adoption identified the broad theme of resources as the key enabler and integration as the key barrier. These preliminary findings add to the growing body of research including increased understanding of the current state of academic research in the areas of blockchain adoption factors, blockchain adoption in supply chains, blockchain adoption in the fisheries industry and the enablers and barriers to adoption. This study is the initial step in a large scale study with the next phase comprising case studies of specific fishery supply chain stakeholders.

Value of corporate social responsibility for multiple stakeholders and social impact – Relationship marketing perspective

Despite extensive corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature most of research has examined corporate performance as its only outcome. We aim to fill this gap by assessing companies' perceptions of their CSR activities’ benefits for society and specific stakeholders. We discuss societal trends such as diversity and inclusion embedded in employee-focused CSR conceptualization as a prerequisite for the perception of CSR’s societal impact. We bring together CSR and relationship marketing theories to test a conceptual model on a sample of 411 business-to-business (B2B) companies. The results confirm a positive relationship between employee-oriented CSR and the perceived usefulness of CSR actions for society, customers and employees (but not suppliers). In order to maximize relationship quality, CSR activities should be targeted at specific stakeholders (customers and employees) and not at society at large. Finally, differences are observed between SMEs and large B2B firms with opposite perceptions of antecedents and outcomes of relationship quality.