Inclusion Of Stakeholders Research Articles

Agri-Food Value Chain Performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Empirical Study of Chu-mango Business Linkages in Dong Thap, Vietnam

This study aims to identify important factors that directly influence value chain performance (quality, responsiveness, flexibility and efficiency), which are explained by value chain integration (collaboration, commitment, coordination and joint decision-making) in the case of unexpected risk (the COVID-19 pandemic). This study contributes to maintaining the business linkage model among farmers – cooperatives – enterprises in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly recovering after the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used for data analysis following an iterative process based on theoretical and empirical analyses to obtain a structural model fit and test the research hypothesis. The findings indicate that the VCI positively influenced the VCP of Chu-mango business linkages at the 1% significance level through coordination (Beta = 0.345; construct reliability (CR) = 3.272), collaboration (Beta = 0.289; CR = 3.128), and joint decision-making (Beta = 0.324; CR = 3.245). This study provides empirical data on the relationship between VCI and VCP through the Chu -mango value chain in Dong Thap Province during the COVID-19 pandemic to raise awareness from stakeholders and encourage value chain thinking to improve performance. This result may pave the way for relevant policymakers to look for policies and strategies for better inclusiveness of stakeholders to show the importance of the VCI in improving the performance. Moreover, the study is an empirical case contributing to the agribusiness value chain in a developing country; it applies the agribusiness value chain of the tropical fruit domain and can be used for other agricultural products in other cases of unexpected risks.

PSII-B-23 Implementation of a design thinking approach to problem-based learning in an animal science capstone

The objective is to present a strategy for attainment of capstone course objectives using design thinking. Problem based learning has long been incorporated into STEM, and yet inclusion of a formalized design thinking strategy is a novel approach for student-led cooperative learning. Relevancy of content and potential student impact upon the industry was established via the inclusion of stakeholders representing state livestock commodity groups who, via Zoom, met with students to present an overview of challenges facing their respective industries. Students, working in teams, used these conversations to formulate complex problems as the basis of their design thinking process. Subsequent steps of convergent and divergent thinking and low and high-fidelity prototyping led to creation of prototype solutions, which were continuously revised based upon feedback received after deployment. Solutions were prepared for dissemination to varied audiences using multiple communication strategies. Students were required to develop a technical report, scientific poster, infographic, narrated video, and oral presentation. The necessary buy-in from instructors, guest lecturers, students, and stakeholders is significant and a potential challenge to be addressed from the onset of the course. Further, use of design thinking typically requires students to transition from traditional course delivery and assessments to real world situations in which they receive process guidance, but must develop problem solutions themselves. Students required both prompting and restraint to follow the design thinking process. Frequent and transparent communication are helpful in ameliorating student frustration. The student group dynamic was heavily influenced due to covid-19, as teams contained a mix of students physically attending classes and those working remotely. Preliminary feedback suggests that all students engaging remotely via a Zoom meeting helps to create a more equitable and productive working environment. In its first iteration, students are engaged in design thinking and achieving capstone course objectives on schedule.

Integrating the urban planning process into energy systems models for future urban heating system planning: A participatory approach

For local governments and municipalities, both urban and energy planning are required to make the transition to more energy efficient cities with lower carbon emissions. However, energy planning and urban planning are usually under the responsibility of different departments and have their own planning processes. When dealing with energy plans, this separation could lead to a less effective impact on cities in reaching climate goals since a lack of coordination may result in different strategies set out by the two plans. In consideration of the fact that space heating dominates the energy use in buildings, this study has a focus on urban heating systems in the building sector. We propose an integrative municipal heat planning methodology investigating which features of the urban planning process that could be integrated into a spatially explicit energy systems model and how. The proposed methodology is then applied to a specific case: the heating system in the municipality of Lyngby-Taarbæk, Denmark. The inclusion of stakeholders from both the heat and urban planning departments in the case study enabled us to reflect on their preferences and expectations for the future heating system. Finally, the applicability of the methodology and the application results are discussed and compared to other methods.

Value-Added Services at Dry Ports: Balancing the Perspectives of Different Stakeholders

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate which dry port services generate the greatest positive impact on stakeholders and their objectives. Stakeholders identified from the literature are the dry ports, the dry port’s municipality/region, the seaport, shippers, shipping lines, rail operators, and road operators. A method based on multi-actor multi-criteria analysis is applied to allow the evaluation of different scenarios considering the objectives and opinions of multiple stakeholders. The findings show that the basic services of the dry ports studied are crucial to establishing initial operations. Expanding the service portfolio by adding a wider range of customer-oriented value-added services generates extra economic and environmental benefits for stakeholders. The results expand the understanding on stakeholder benefits from the diversified range of dry port services, while the inclusion of multiple stakeholders in the analysis acknowledges the heterogeneity in stakeholder perceptions. Finally, this methodology enables the creation of an extensive set of criteria and indicators for dry port evaluations.

Stakeholders’ perspectives on energy related Smart City technologies: POCITYF’s standpoint

POCITYF - a H2020 smart-city project - supports cities with historical and cultural heritage districts, by developing innovative solutions and technologies to be applicable in cities with an architecture characterized by historic and/or cultural protected buildings and districts. To harmonise the innovative solutions with cultural heritage, the inclusion of relevant stakeholders’ opinions in decision-making and implementation of the project is crucial, as stakeholders are not only affected by the solutions, but also influence their successful implementation. To identify their needs and interests in relation with the list of innovations proposed, three (3) types of surveys were carried out among different stakeholder groups: Impact & Readiness of the solutions; Power & Interest of the local Stakeholders; Citizens’ Knowledge & Acceptance of the solutions. These surveys facilitate the selection, deployment and replication of the smart city solutions as well as strategies for social engagement, ensuring they are appropriate for the cultural heritage of cities and its citizens’ requirements.

Stakeholder engagement in the health policy process in a low income country: a qualitative study of stakeholder perceptions of the challenges to effective inclusion in Malawi

BackgroundInclusive engagement in healthcare policies and decision-making is essential to address the needs of patients and communities, reduce health inequities and increase the accountability of the government. In low income countries such as Malawi, with significant health challenges, stakeholder inclusion is particularly important to improve performance and service delivery. The 2017 National Health Plan II (NHP II) and accompanying Health Sector Strategic Plan II (HSSP II) aimed to improve the functioning of the healthcare system. The Ministry of Health for Malawi intended to involve all key health sector stakeholders in their development. This study explores the extent of stakeholder engagement in the health policy process through local level stakeholders’ perceptions of their involvement in the NHP II and HSSP II.MethodsA qualitative study design was used. Interviews were conducted with 19 representatives of organisations operating at the local level, such as CSOs and local government. Open questions were asked about experiences and perceptions of the development of the NHP II and HSSP II. Inductive content analysis was performed.ResultsStakeholders perceived barriers to inclusive and meaningful engagement in the health policy process. Five categories were identified: tokenistic involvement; stakeholder hierarchy; mutual distrust; preferred stakeholders; no culture of engagement.ConclusionsSerious challenges to the meaningful and equitable engagement of local level stakeholder groups in the health policy process were identified. Issues of trust, accountability and hierarchy in donor-citizen-government relations must be addressed to support stakeholder engagement. Engagement must go beyond tokenism to embed a range of stakeholders in the process with feedback mechanisms to ensure impact from their contributions. Local level stakeholders can be empowered to advocate for and participate in consultation exercises alongside greater top-down efforts to engage stakeholders via diverse and inclusive methods. These issues are not unique to Malawi or to health policy-making.

Unraveling the politics of \u2018doing inclusion\u2019 in transdisciplinarity for sustainable transformation

Transdisciplinary research and innovation (R&I) efforts have emerged as a means to address challenges to sustainable transformation. One of the main elements of transdisciplinary efforts is the ‘inclusion’ of different stakeholders, values and perspectives in participatory R&I processes. In practice, however, ‘doing inclusion’ raises a number of challenges. In this article, we aim to contribute to re-politicizing inclusion in transdisciplinarity for transformation, by (1) empirically unraveling four key challenges that emerge in the political practice of ‘doing inclusion’, (2) illustrating how facilitators of inclusion processes perform balancing acts when confronted with these challenges, and (3) reflecting on what the unfolding dynamics suggests about the politics of stakeholder inclusion for societal transformation. In doing so, we analyze the transdisciplinary FIT4FOOD2030 project (2017–2020)—an EU-funded project that aimed to contribute to fostering EU R&I systems’ ability to catalyze food system transformation through stakeholder engagement in 25 Living Labs. Based on 3 years of action-research (including interviews, workshops and field observations), we identified four inherent political challenges to ‘doing inclusion’ in FIT4FOOD2030: (1) the challenge to meaningfully bring together powerful and marginalized stakeholders; (2) combining representation and deliberation of different stakeholder groups; (3) balancing diversities of inclusion with directionalities implied by transformative efforts; and (4) navigating the complexities of establishing boundaries of inclusion processes. We argue that by understanding ‘doing inclusion’ as a political practice, necessitating specificity about the (normative) ambitions in different inclusion settings, facilitators may better grasp and address challenges in transdisciplinarity for transformation.

A Critical Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Care of Transgender and Gender Diverse Children and Youth for Use by Primary Care Practitioners.

To examine and critique international clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) related to transgender and gender diverse children and youth and to assess the applicability of the guidelines to ethical and affirming primary care practice. A review was conducted to obtain English language clinical guidelines. Guidelines were obtained from electronic databases, medical associations, government agencies, and community organizations. Guidelines were critiqued by all authors using the AGREE II instrument. Nine documents were reviewed. Overall, there was agreement among reviewers that the scope, purpose, and clarity of presentation of the guidelines was carried out well. Areas identified for improvement in all guidelines included clarity/rigor of methodologic development, inclusion of community stakeholders, and transparency of editorial independence. The Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline scored highest overall. Despite lower overall scores, other guidelines were identified as having strengths of practical utility within primary care and/or in the discussion of specific social, ethical, and cultural considerations of transgender care in differing contexts worldwide. The use of specific, high-quality CPGs can support primary care practitioners to provide gender-affirming care to children and youth. Methodologic improvement in the development of these CPGs is needed to ensure the best possible quality of care is being outlined.

From Law to Policy and Practice – Collaborative Research Amidst a Pandemic: The Creation of the Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation

How can mass graves be protected to safeguard truth and justice for survivors? This was the question motivating the research project to produce international protection and investigative standards for mass graves, which resulted in the creation of the Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation. The research was premised upon broad and inclusive stakeholder consultation to ensure suitability, completeness and sustainability of project outcomes as well as to generate acceptance, endorsement and implementation. To realise the project we used a combination of desk-based research, round-table discussion with expert-participants from a variety of disciplines and cultural backgrounds and anonymous external consultation.
 In this paper, we reflect on the methods and processes used for the purpose of international standard setting based on legal norms. We discuss the choices made along the way in facilitating this cross-disciplinary, international, inclusive and collaborative project. In doing so, we explore the function of the research process in light of the need to ensure that the Protocol reflects the different and possibly conflicting needs and sensitivities of survivors vis-à-vis the demands of criminal justice, capacity, resources and scientifically robust practices. We outline the challenges experienced and anticipated in evaluating approaches, agreeing definitions, identifying commonalities, negotiating differences and adapting to Covid-19 as part of the process of translating legal norms into policy and practice for achieving effective impact.

Transformative or Tokenistic?

Transformative or Tokenistic?

Sharing knowledge to improve ecological restoration outcomes

Ecological restoration efforts are likely to be more successful when project components are informed by relevant stakeholders. However, key stakeholders are often not included in restoration design and deployment. This is largely driven by a lack of practitioner knowledge of and experience with stakeholder relations. However, inclusion of stakeholders across the entire restoration process can be accomplished by practitioners with no formal social science training. Here, we describe several easy (and usually inexpensive) ways to formally cultivate relationships among restoration practitioners, researchers, and stakeholders to improve restoration outcomes. These include: how to identify and work with stakeholders; how to recognize the unique needs and contributions of stakeholder groups, and how to provide information back to stakeholders through outreach. Although how this practice occurs is dependent on restoration context, integrating these approaches more regularly into ecological restoration projects will likely result in more successful, relevant, and community‐supported management outcomes.

Engagement with a diverse Stakeholder Advisory Council for research in dementia care

BackgroundThe inclusion of stakeholders throughout the research process has been gaining recognition as an approach that can improve the quality and impact of research. Stakeholder engagement for dementia care research has been identified as a national priority, though evaluation of engagement strategies and their impact has been limited. In dementia care research, stakeholders can include individuals living with dementia, family care partners, and health and social care professionals in dementia care. A Stakeholder Advisory Council (SAC) was established to identify priorities for dementia care research that are most important to stakeholders. Strategies to build capacity for research and facilitate engagement among the SAC were used to identify the research priorities. This study describes the experiences of SAC members engaged in the research process.MethodsTo evaluate stakeholder engagement, semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of the SAC to understand their experiences and perspectives on the strategies used to facilitate engagement and build capacity for research. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed using a mixed inductive and deductive approach. Findings were presented to members of the SAC to determine whether they felt their perspectives and experiences were accurately represented. Final domains and themes presented here were approved by the SAC.ResultsInterviews (N = 11) were conducted with members of the SAC representing each stakeholder group; persons living with dementia (n = 2); family care partners (n = 4), and health and social care professionals in dementia care (n = 5). Ten themes were categorized into four overarching domains: accessibility, council infrastructure, values and environment, and benefits of involvement.ConclusionsFindings from this qualitative study are a resource for researchers seeking to collaborate with diverse stakeholder groups to represent their perspectives in research, including individuals living with dementia. The domains and themes identified here support the inclusion of diverse stakeholders in the research process, centering engagement and capacity building strategies around individuals living with dementia.

Implementation, Stakeholders` Participation and Sustainability of Public Projects in Kenya: A Conceptual Framework

Many public organizations are faced with numerous constraints that limit optimum and sustainable realization of their long-term aspirations. Similarly, implementation of public projects is often hampered by rigid bureaucracies that often edge out good opportunities for public and stakeholders to contribute to sustainable decisions. In response, most of innovative public organizations are quickly formulating guidelines and procedures for integrating stakeholders in project decisions making for greater responsiveness and sustainability. However, many public projects never live to full realization of sustainable changes. Questions arise on the strategies employed to ensure inclusive stakeholder participation in sustainable project implementation. Whereas the conceptualization of project sustainability is abstractly defined in literature, studies have linked implementation strategies to sustainability outcomes. But projects are implemented in very dynamic contexts. Hence the need for case-based evaluation of how project implementation connects to sustainability. Despite the indications that stakeholder participation can play a dualistic role in project sustainability, past empirical studies have assessed stakeholders` participation from linear perspective. This study seeks to fill the knowledge gaps by investigating the interaction between stakeholders` participation and the relationship between implementation and sustainability of public projects in Kenya.

Adaptive Management in Urban Stream Governance: A Review and an Urban Commoning Scenario-Building Exercise

One environmental solution proposed by scholars since the 1980s is to manage our common natural resources adaptively with emphasis on feedback, the inclusion of multiple stakeholders and the flexibility to change accordingly. By focusing the analysis on the understudied topic of urban river systems in adaptive governance, a systematic literature review and a scenario-building exercise were conducted. Whereas the bibliometric analysis aims to improve our collective knowledge on many aspects of the adaptive management in urban stream governance, the urban commoning scenario-building exercise is to simulate alternatives beyond conventional top-down management approaches and to explore different opportunities of engaging multiple stakeholders throughout the adaptive management cycle. Our investigations recommend that although there is a trend of considering the “human” or “soft” perspective as part of the integrated solution approach, future researches need to ground their studies in more empirical cases in order to identify a few contextual variables such as ICT or public-private collaboration arrangement to leverage the complex inputs of soft power as benefits and added value in the management of urban river as a social-ecological system.

Towards a global list of accepted species III. Independence and stakeholder inclusion

A global consensus list of the world’s species must be based on the best available taxonomic research, and its contents should not be biased towards certain political or social aims. At the same time, users of any global list must be involved or consulted in its establishment to ensure that the list meets their needs. This paper argues that while these two desiderata— independence and inclusion—might seem to be in conflict, they are in fact compatible. More precisely, it suggests the roles taxonomists and users could play in establishing and maintaining a global consensus list to make sure that this list is both inclusive and independent.

Implementation of the Australasian Teletrial Model: Translating ideas into action using implementation science frameworks

Background: Despite Government investment, disparity in access to clinical trials continue between metropolitan and regional & rural sectors (RRR) in Australia and around the world. To improve trial access closer to home for RRR communities and rare cancer patients even in metro settings, the Australasian Teletrial Model (ATM) was developed by Clinical Oncology Society of Australia and implemented in four states. Aim of this paper is to describe the steps and processes involved in the development and implementation of ATM guided by implementation science frameworks. Method: Two implementation science frameworks namely iPARIHS and Strategic Implementation Framework were chosen to guide the project. Details of steps and processes were extracted from COSA final report. Results: ATM met the criteria for worthy innovation. For the development and implementation of the ATM, stakeholders were at national, statewide and clinical levels. A co-design with end-users and inclusion of key stakeholders in steering committees and advisory groups made the implementation smoother. Clinician levers including advocacy were useful to overcome system barriers. During the project, more patients, and clinicians at RRR participated in trials, more primary sites collaborated with RRR sites and more RRR sites gained trial capabilities. Conclusion: Pilot project achieved its objectives including improved access to patients locally, creation of linkages between metro and RRR sites and enhanced capabilities of and access to RRR sites. Implementation science frameworks were useful for identifying the necessary steps and processes at the outset. Ownership by governments and creation of streamlined regulatory systems would enable broader adoption.

Cross-disciplinary synergy: First-year students’ experiences of learning academic writing through integrated writing support at a University of Technology

An important role in socialising first-year students into universities is initiating them into different conventions of academic writing. Support programmes, such as writing centres, have been established in several South African universities to help students with this objective and the broader issue of academic literacy. The assumption is that such interventions bridge the articulation gap between basic and higher education phases and expedite academic success. This article draws from a larger PhD study that explored nursing students’ experiences of developing their academic writing skills at the writing centre. The focus of this article is on understanding first-year nursing students’ experiences of learning academic writing through the integrated writing interventions of language and discipline practices at a writing centre based at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). These students were regarded as relevant because their curriculum incorporates a more structured academic writing component with the writing centre. The study adopted the Academic Literacies Model (ALM), which fosters a social view of academic writing and advocates for integrated support to the teaching and learning of academic writing. Guided by the qualitative constructivist paradigm, phenomenography was adopted as a research methodology. Data were analysed according to phenomenographic categories. Whilst the study uncovered various factors influencing the development of academic writing amongst the target population, there was a clear need for shifting from interdisciplinary (at least two disciplines) to a transdisciplinary (more than two disciplines) academic literacy approach to students’ learning experiences. As such, the article recommends the intentional inclusion of various stakeholders (writing centre practitioners, discipline lecturers, clinical and academic support staff) to mitigate students’ writing challenges and develop sustainable and relevant academic literacy practices.

It Starts With a Journey: Global Learning as Holistic, Interdisciplinary Curricular and Co-Curricular Framework at a Liberal Arts College

This article introduces Agnes Scott College’s model for a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to global (service) learning and leadership in the liberal arts. We outline strategic perspectives and a specific toolkit for developing holistic global learning frameworks and we detail how this approach integrates local community-campus partnerships, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration between the humanities, social sciences, and STEM disciplines, and foregrounds an intentional and inclusive approach that provides access to global learning experiences for traditionally under-represented groups. The authors share their experiences in the co-construction of programs with full participation and inclusion of diverse and diffuse stakeholders.

Systematic Stakeholder Inclusion in Digital Agriculture: A Framework and Application to Canada

This study provides a model that supports systematic stakeholder inclusion in agricultural technology. Building on the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) literature and attempting to add precision to the conversation around inclusion in technology design and governance, this study develops a framework for determining which stakeholder groups to engage in RRI processes. We developed the model using a specific industry case study: identifying the relevant stakeholders in the Canadian digital agriculture ecosystem. The study uses literature and news article analysis to map stakeholders in the Canadian digital agricultural sector as a test case for the model. The study proposes a systematic framework which categorises stakeholders into individuals, industrial and societal groups with both direct engagement and supportive roles in digital agriculture. These groups are then plotted against three levels of impact or power in the agri-food system: micro, meso and macro.

National parks best practices: Lessons from a century's worth of national parks management

While the importance of ecological conservation and encouraging public recreation in national parks is widely recognized, challenges to achieving these goals persist. With over a century of national park management experience, the institutional knowledge of national park systems in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States can offer a valuable insight into management best practices. Twelve open-ended semistructured interviews with national park experts representing the four systems revealed valuable lessons learned in major facets of national park management. Overall, our results suggest that effective and sustainable national park management requires federally-based organizational framework with deference to local institutions at park-level, stakeholder inclusion in park management decision-making, public engagement encouraged by information-sharing and education, clarity on boundaries to improve relations with adjacent land owners, and prioritizing improved indigenous relations. Interviews highlighted that better park governance is rooted in education to raise awareness of the importance of national parks and park systems to the public. Tourism and climate change were widely anticipated to increasingly pose challenges to park management, underscoring a shared urgency to address these issues.