Strategic Domain Research Articles

Strategy Committees on European Public Boards: Characteristics and Tasks

Purpose: Despite the extensive debate over the years about the involvement of boards in strategy, little is known about special committees dedicated to strategy. This paper aims to enhance understanding of strategy committees (SCs) within European public boards by addressing two key questions: What are the characteristics of SCs, and what tasks do they undertake? Design/Methodology/Approach: Document analysis from 81 SCs established by boards of directors and supervisory boards in companies listed on nine major European stock exchanges. Findings: We find that SCs predominantly focus on tasks aligned with the board’s strategic role. These tasks involve shaping the content, context, and implementation of the strategy, as well as influencing strategic decisions. Furthermore, SCs actively engage in strategic control at both the company and decision/ activity levels. They engage in tasks that are closely tied to the advising role of the board rooted in resource-based theories and the control role within the strategic domain that emerges from agency theory. Research Limitations/Implications: Using publicly available corporate documents introduces potential biases, as companies selectively disclose information while legally obligated to publish annual reports. The voluntary nature of revealing information about SCs implies that reported characteristics and tasks may not fully represent the actual state. Originality/Value: It is the first study to explore SCs in various European countries by showing their scale, structures, compositions and especially the tasks they declare and handle.

Achieving research impact in medical research through collaboration across organizational boundaries: Insights from a mixed methods study in the Netherlands

BackgroundIn the Netherlands, university medical centres (UMCs) bear primary responsibility for conducting medical research and delivering highly specialized care. The TopCare program was a policy experiment lasting 4 years in which three non-academic hospitals received funding from the Dutch Ministry of Health to also conduct medical research and deliver highly specialized care in specific domains. This study investigates research collaboration outcomes for all Dutch UMCs and non-academic hospitals in general and, more specifically, for the domains in the non-academic hospitals participating in the TopCare program. Additionally, it explores the organizational boundary work employed by these hospitals to foster productive research collaborations.MethodsA mixed method research design was employed combining quantitative bibliometric analysis of publications and citations across all Dutch UMCs and non-academic hospitals and the TopCare domains with geographical distances, document analysis and ethnographic interviews with actors in the TopCare program.ResultsQuantitative analysis shows that, over the period of study, international collaboration increased among all hospitals while national collaboration and single institution research declined slightly. Collaborative efforts correlated with higher impact scores, and international collaboration scored higher than national collaboration. A total of 60% of all non-academic hospitals’ publications were produced in collaboration with UMCs, whereas almost 30% of the UMCs’ publications were the result of such collaboration. Non-academic hospitals showed a higher rate of collaboration with the UMC that was nearest geographically, whereas TopCare hospitals prioritized expertise over geographical proximity within their specialized domains. Boundary work mechanisms adopted by TopCare hospitals included aligning research activities with organizational mindset (identity), bolstering research infrastructure (competence) and finding and mobilizing strategic partnerships with academic partners (power). These efforts aimed to establish credibility and attractiveness as collaboration partners.ConclusionsResearch collaboration between non-academic hospitals and UMCs, particularly where this also involves international collaboration, pays off in terms of publications and impact. The TopCare hospitals used the program’s resources to perform boundary work aimed at becoming an attractive and credible collaboration partner for academia. Local factors such as research history, strategic domain focus, in-house expertise, patient flows, infrastructure and network relationships influenced collaboration dynamics within TopCare hospitals and between them and UMCs.

Politics of France for obtaining European strategic autonomy in outer-space exploration

The development of such an immense strategic domain as an outer-space is based upon two pillars – civil and military. Space is a subject of competition between the most influential world powers, with the participation of state and inter-state structures, as well as private companies. Areas of panEuropean cooperation in the space sector are analyzed, including the participation of France and the EU and ESA, and the key and in some cases the leading role of France in these processes. The geopolitical significance of the outer-space in global competition and the evolution of the position of European powers and specifically of France in relation to the military component of space exploration are studied. Outer-space and cyber-space now are interpreted in Western military strategies as the fourth and the fifth “domains” of military operations, together with land-, sea- and air-domains. Western powers are coordinating and integrating their military-space activities. France and the governing structures of the European Union place an emphasis on assuring the strategic independence of Europe from the USA and from the technologies of “third countries” in space exploration, the military exploration of space included. The EU pays great attention to the formation and development of the “space economy” and the links between the state space programs with the private sector and private investments. The outer- space in the third decade of the XXI century has become a domain of everyday and constant activities of “space powers”, and because of the role of space technologies in the areas of communications, internet and cell communications, geo-positioning, TV-broadcasting, etc. widely interfere in the life of all other states on the planet. The militarization of the outer-space in different formats is actively progressing and requires active political efforts to ensure its peaceful use.

Moderate Fields, Maximum Potential: Achieving High Records with Temperature-Stable Energy Storage in Lead-Free BNT-Based Ceramics

HighlightsAchieving ultrahigh energy-storage density (7.19 J cm−3) and outstanding storage efficiency (93.8%) at 460 kV cm−1 in BNT-based relaxor ferroelectric ceramics under a moderate electric field.Superior energy-storage performance accomplished through meticulous regulation of permittivity, enhancement of insulation quality, and strategic domain engineering via chemical formula optimization.The intricate structure–property relationship elucidated with precision using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.

CONNECTED: leveraging digital twins and personal knowledge graphs in healthcare digitalization.

Healthcare has always been a strategic domain in which innovative technologies can be applied to increase the effectiveness of services and patient care quality. Recent advancements have been made in the adoption of Digital Twins (DTs) and Personal Knowledge Graphs (PKGs) in this field. Despite this, their introduction has been hindered by the complex nature of the context itself which leads to many challenges both technical and organizational. In this article, we reviewed the literature about these technologies and their integrations, identifying the most critical requirements for clinical platforms. These latter have been used to design CONNECTED (COmpreheNsive and staNdardized hEalth-Care plaTforms to collEct and harmonize clinical Data), a conceptual framework aimed at defining guidelines to overcome the crucial issues related to the development of healthcare applications. It is structured in a multi-layer shape, in which heterogeneous data sources are first integrated, then standardized, and finally used to realize general-purpose DTs of patients backed by PKGs and accessible through dedicated APIs. These DTs will be the foundation on which smart applications can be built.

Standard Assessment Model for Scientific Integration-Interconnection as Material for Evaluation of Vision and Mission Achievement

This study aims to develop a standardized assessment model of scientific integration-interconnection, which begins with conducting a literature review and needs assessment, setting goals, developing initial products, validating contents, testing readability, testing instruments, analyzing results, and ending with an interpretation of the results of the assessment. The method used is Research and Development. Testing of the assessment instruments was carried out for each element of the Tridharma of Higher Education, namely 76 lesson plans, 139 research and development works, and 41 community service works. The scientific integration-interconnection assessment model has characteristics according to the structure of the second order model, with the first order being 4 scientific integration-interconnection domains (philosophical domain, material domain, methodological domain, and strategic domain) and the second order is 15 aspects of scientific integration-interconnection. Data analysis techniques using Aiken-V, Exploratory Factor Analysis/EFA and Confirmatory Factor Analysis/CFA, Omega, Item Response Theory approach of polytomous scoring, and descriptive statistics. The assessment model is feasible, fulfilling the criteria of content validity, construct validity (p-value = 0.11949 and RMSEA = 0.027), estimated instrument reliability (α = 0.816), and construct reliability (ɷ =0.939). The scoring used the GRM approach with good quality in terms of the results of the 94% item fit test with an item discrimination index of 0.655 < DISCi < 1.153 and the average item difficulty level of -1.965 < DIFFi < -0.662.

Still Lost in Space? Understanding China and India’s Anti-Satellite Tests through an Eclectic Approach

ABSTRACT One of the most notable aspects of contemporary security policy has been the growing interest in counterspace capabilities, including the testing of destructive anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, by major space powers at a time when space is becoming an increasingly complex strategic domain. In this reconfigured context, the rise of China and India as space powers has a significant impact on overall space security activities and policies. As a result, China and India have assumed crucial importance in debates about space security and military uses of space. This article examines the ASAT tests of China and India that were carried out in 2007 and 2019, respectively, by offering a synthetic analysis that combines structural imperatives, domestic influences, and national identity. It argues that such an eclectic approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of the drivers behind the development and testing of their ASATs.

The Nasr and India’s nuclear command structure, strategy and doctrine

The deployment of the Tactical Nuclear Weapon (TNW) “Nasr” by Pakistan has led some experts in India to question the credibility of India’s nuclear deterrence. They have called for a change in India’s nuclear doctrine from the stand of “massive retaliation” to a “flexible response” to permit the use of similar weapons. This article examines Indian nuclear thinking to illustrate that the raison d’être of India’s nuclear weapons is deterrence within the strategic domain, not conventional. It further explains how India’s civil-military relations along with its nuclear command and control system have evolved to preclude the use of TNWs.

OUTLINING MARITIME CABOTAGE PUBLIC POLICIES FOR THE BRAZILIAN TRANSPORT SYSTEM

Cabotage in Brazil has not been sufficiently addressed, despite the fact that its national importance requires that it be thoroughly understood. The purpose of this research revolves around analyzing and discussing the strategic role and usefulness of cabotage in order to base the development of public policies within the scope of the Brazilian transport matrix. The study is both exploratory and descriptive. Its aim is to inductively retrieve empirical data patterns from unstructured interviews guided by a general initial script; primary data collection was grounded on the problematic contextualisation set from relevant secondary data treated with content analysis software. The ex-post literature review played a central role in the discussion of the emerging patterns of behaviour that supported the development of preliminary correlations between the proposed recommendations and the identified obstacles. The three main types of obstacles that were found could be divided and linked to recommendations to facilitate the development of cabotage based on the research findings. The resulting policy proposals are classified, as follows: i) Looking holistically at cabotage and, as a strategic domain for both development and sovereignty; ii) Monitoring the fuel price as a core cost; iii) Eliminating and simplifying useless bureaucracy; iv) Establishing a fruitful relationship with shipbuilding; v) Regulating taxation; vi) Reviewing the state’s funding requirements and, vii) Improving Port Infra- and Superstructures. Finally, it is argued that credible public policies have emerged by following a scientific method to process and organise data.

No worry, dat sick go finish small time

This study evaluates the dual role of translators and interpreters working for NGOs involved in the health sector in developing countries. Given the crucial importance of public health in a nation’s development, we assess the way grassroots participation in healthcare projects and activities is enhanced through the translation of healthcare information into low-resource languages. This study, epistemologically grounded in the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), adopts a qualitative and quantitative methodological approach to correlate the TPB and the target-language choices of translator-interpreters and the translation strategies they adopt working with low-resource languages. The survey responses and audio recordings analysed are those of translators or interpreters working in a rural context in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. The target language in question is Pidgin English, a low-resource oral language. The evidence gathered leads to the finding that various de-terminologization strategies are employed to ensure that messages are adequately disseminated and that the local community members are involved in healthcare activities. The study seeks to bring together translation, interpreting, the TPB, and international development in which the involvement of NGOs underscores North–South cooperation in the strategic domain of global healthcare.

Ungovernability and ungovernable life in Palestine

This paper elaborates the notion of ungovernability as an irresolvable condition of living. It begins by identifying three distinct modes of ungovernability in current geographical work on Palestine: ungovernability as a failure to govern; as a rationale for governing; and as a technique of governing. To this we develop a further conceptualisation of ungovernability as a condition of living that, firstly, remains irreducible to the strategic domain of governing. Secondly, we argue, by drawing on prevalent geographical work on vulnerability and woundedness, that ungovernability constitutes an irresolvable origin of governing that, on the one hand, makes governing incapable of sustaining what it claims for itself, while on the other, names the starting point of a critical analysis of power. By placing the irresolvable ungovernability at the centre of analysis we offer, through examples drawn from our fieldwork in Palestine, an approach that does not reduce life at the outset to cycles of domination-resistance but instead approaches life and its spaces through those ways they remain irreducible to, and thus ungovernable for various forms of governing.

Application of the EIT testing methodology for the measurement of emotional intelligence

This paper is devoted to the creation, standardisation and application of the tool for measuring the level of emotional intelligence (EI), developed and based on the model of EI as an ability of Peter Salovey, John D. Mayer, David R. Caruso and the psychoevolutionary theory of emotions by Robert Plutchik. For psychometric testing, the data of 3 342 respondents aged 18 to 72 were used (1 172 men and 2 170 women, average age 37.4 years). Factor analysis, both exploratory and confirmatory, showed that the theoretical structure of the EIT method distinguishes 4 EI abilities, thus corresponding to the theoretical model upon which this test was developed. At the same time, the experiential EI domain is better described by factor models when compared to the strategic domain. Age and gender specificity was studied – there was a tendency for the overall level of EI development to increase with age, including the ability to use emotions in solving problems, as well as significant sex differences in the overall level and abilities of EI, which were higher in females. According to the research results, the EIT test of emotional intelligence demonstrated the fundamental psychometric indicators satisfactorily.

To Moderate, Or Not to Moderate: Strategic Domain Sharing by Congressional Campaigns

To Moderate, Or Not to Moderate: Strategic Domain Sharing by Congressional Campaigns

Investigating Undercurrents of Stationarity and Growth With Long-Term Panel Data

There have been frequent calls in the literature for a more comprehensive understanding of marketing impact on long-term firm performance. Retail scanner data has been the principal source of empirical evidence in this strategic domain, but it cannot explain the behavioural shifts that underpin the sales dynamics it reports. With the availability of far larger and extended household panels, it is now possible to observe the effects of accumulating penetration on brand and category buying over many years. This type of data nevertheless presents theoretical and methodological challenges to researchers. In this article, we discuss an approach to extending established marketing theory to long-run repeat buying and then outline the inherent constraints of long-term panels. We illustrate these challenges using one-, five- and 10-year panel datasets and present a research agenda to progress explanatory theories of long-run brand building and category growth in this new but so far mostly untapped resource.

Circular Construction Process: Method for Developing a Selective, Low CO2eq Disassembly and Demolition Plan

With the increasing focus on the construction sector (e.g., following the European Green Deal initiative) with the aim to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels), as well as achieve full decarbonisation by 2050, the built environment remains a strategic domain for the R&I (Research and Innovation) agenda. Indeed, the building and construction sector is the main contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (39% of global emissions as of 2018), highlighting the need to start a process of decarbonisation of this sector. The overall reduction in the environmental impact of building materials is achieved by establishing sustainable continuity between the end-of-life phase of the building and the production phase of individual building components. In particular, with reference to the end-of-life phase of the building (BS EN 15978: 2011), the Minimum Environmental Criteria foresee the preparation of a plan for the disassembly and selective demolition of the building, which allows the reuse or recycling of materials, building components and prefabricated elements used. According to the guidelines of a low-carbon construction design, which takes into account a circular economy, the following thesis deals with a methodological proposal to study “dry” construction systems (wood and steel). In particular, the study intends to reach the development of such an elaboration by carrying out an assessment of the environmental impact of a process of selective disassembly and demolition of steel building systems. The model is developed on the basis of a reading of the level of sustainability of emblematic case studies, appropriately identified, i.e., ‘quality’ architectures, built with ‘dry’ (steel) building systems.

Tolerance in A Plural Society: Revealing The Humility of The Sampetan Village Community

<p>The diversity of race, religion, ethnicity, art and culture in a nation is a potential for intolerance in the form of conflicts with nuances of diversity. In fact, diversity creates the value of local wisdom in the sense of diversity. The motto puts tolerance in a strategic domain. Incomplete understanding of religion and radical attitudes that are developing globally make tolerance difficult to materialize. Various studies on the development of a tolerance model have been carried out, but this model is only based on religious, educational, and cultural perspectives. Philosopische grondslag in this study is used to expose community harmony to solve problems of intolerance and radicalism. This study used a qualitative approach, beginning with collecting information from literature studies, collecting data using observation techniques, interviews, as well as documentation, reduction, presentation, and drawing conclusions or data verification. The objectives of this study are (a) to examine the praxis of tolerance based on the philosopische grondslag that has been applied in society, (b) to develop a tolerance model to prevent intolerance and religious deradicalization based on practice to increase peace in society. The results of the study found the values of the Pancasila philosopische grondslag as a habit adopted by a pluralistic society. The case study of the implementation of philosopische grondslag in Sampetan village Boyolali is manifested in the spirit of tolerance and working together to avoid anarchism and radicalism. All of these aspects are the basis for increasing order in society in general.</p>

High-quality development of ultra-deep large gas fields in China: Challenges, strategies and proposals

Natural gas from ultra-deep reservoirs has been a major contributor for reserves boost, deliverability construction, and profits growth in natural gas industry in China. As a significant strategic domain in the future development of upstream business, the high-quality development of ultra-deep gas resources has great significance for economic benefits enhancement and sustained regional supply assurance. In this paper, based on the appraisal of development characteristics and effectiveness in the developed large ultra-deep gas fields, challenges for high quality development were indicated, which include the difficulties in structure confirm, uncertainties in reserves define and production optimization, risks of aquifer water early breakthrough and high investment of deep wells. Through indoor physical simulation experiments, reservoir characterization, performance evaluation, reservoir simulation and knowledge acquisition from analogous fields at home and abroad, the connotation and requirements for high quality development were discussed, and furthermore, strategies and proposals were thus proposed as follows: to strengthen the pre-development reservoir evaluation to define movable gas reserves and quantify rational production rate so as to avoid facility waste; to optimize both well pattern and well flow rate to achieve uniform depletion and high EUR; to continuously enhance drilling & completion technologies to further reduce drilling and completion circle and cost and targeted reservoir stimulation technologies to enhance movable reserves and single-well productivity and increase the depletion of inferior reserves; and to innovate management modes to establish scientific programs and procedures for the construction, production and operation of ultra-deep gas fields and strictly control the upper limit index of production rate so as to emphasize quality benefits. In conclusion, high-quality development of ultra-deep gas fields, a hard and complex system though, will be possibly achieved only by continuous innovation of exploration and development technologies and management modes.

OVERVIEW ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION OF EARTH OBSERVATION RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS PROGRAMMES FOR AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT DURING THE LAST THREE DECADES IN ROMANIA

Abstract. Following the fall of communism in 1989, the R&D sector started a modernization process. By establishing in 1995 a structure dedicated to the space activities – Romanian Space Agency (ROSA) – the Government recognized the importance of this innovative strategic domain. The National Space Strategy defined by means of the RTD policy, with effects on both academia and industry, had three objectives since the 90’s: Participation to international space missions and programmes, Development of specific national projects and Capacity building at national level. In time, the experience acquired in the implementation of CIS, LCCS and LPIS/IACS projects offered the possibility to establish new certitudes for the evolution of the domain. The main development directions had been oriented towards the implementation of dedicated applications to answer problematics concerning smart agriculture, traceability, better agro-environmental practices and the relation with other scientific domains (e.g. cultural heritage). The partnership between a strong Governmental R&D structure – ROSA – and the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest (USAMVB) demonstrates the capacity to find solutions for promoting space EO technologies and adapt the higher education curricula in synergy with the development of the ambitious European space programme evolution.

The Fundamental Conceptual Trinity of Cyberspace

Abstract This article is based on the premise that the increasing human interaction in cyberspace elevates it to the level of a strategic domain and, as such, raises theoretical and practical challenges for International Relations. It is founded on an epistemological reflection on the fundamental assumptions of the paradigms that permeate International Relations. The main objective is to conceptualise cyberspace as the strategic domain in the 21st century, as well as to develop an analytical framework that will both provide evidence and investigate the resilience of the foundations of current International Relations, these being specifically, the following precepts: i) sovereignty based on territoriality, ii) state monopoly of power, and iii) accountability between international actors. With this in mind, the approach refers to defence documentation and scientific sources in order to reach a definition that will characterise cyberspace, considering its technical, scientific and strategic aspects. At the same time, the bibliographic work underpins the development of the analytical tool known as the Fundamental Conceptual Trinity of Cyberspace, based on the characteristics of the cyberspace domain: i) deterritoriality, ii) multiplicity of actors, and iii) uncertainty.

GenMOnto : A strategic domain ontology modelling approach for conceptualisation and evaluation of collective knowledge for mapping genomes

Knowledge representation and query generation have been important areas of interest for researchers. The rising demand for data to be characterised in a manner that is comprehensible by both humans and computers has turned their attention to ontologies. Genome mapping is a domain which currently has no ontologies, and hence the need was felt to create an ontology in this domain. The domain has been studied comprehensively, and important concepts and semantic relationships have been recognised. Protégé has been used to visualise the ontology, and it has also been depicted in OWL format. An overall reuse ratio of 0.8 was achieved for the proposed ontology.