Strategy Transition Processes and Practices in Public Sector Organisations

Strategy processes and internal actors’ practices are crucial for organisations given their dynamic environment. Strategy processes including formulation, implementation, and evaluation have been treated as mutually exclusive, making how strategy is actually transitioned between them a matter of major concern (Whittington, 2007; Sorooshian and Dodangeh, 2013; Leonardi, 2015). Equally, particular groups of internal actors and their strategic practices have previously been researched in isolation from one another without expressing how they collectively interact to ultimately give strategy processes (Vaara and Whittington, 2012; Engen and Magnusson, 2015; Friesl and Kwon, 2016). These processes and practices have barely been researched in the public sector, and this in turn contextualises this research to study strategy transition processes and practices enacted in public sector organisations. Drawing on strategy-as-practice and Social Practice theory as meta-theoretical lenses, this research explores the dynamics of the strategy transition process stage by revealing the social practices of internal actors and other influential factors. A pragmatism approach was adopted for this research. The primary data collection was obtained through 27 semi-structured interviews with respondents from a single case study followed by survey of 381 respondents across five case organisations in Kuwait. The research identified four factors that interact and contribute to the complexity of the strategy transition process and practices of actors in the process. These are in order of significance; process design, actors’ social interactions, strategic awareness, and role of leadership. In relation to the social interaction and leadership factors, the research found that strategy practices can be influenced by the societal culture inherited by actors. Equally, it was revealed that the control mechanism adopted for the strategy transition process contributed to the enhancement of the strategy transition process design and strategic awareness between actors. Additionally, the dynamic interaction between these factors was found to affect strategy practice, which in turn either enables or impedes the smooth transition of organisational strategies from the formulation to implementation phases. The research also contributes to the understanding of Social Practice theory by introducing the interactivity as a cognitive construct to its boundary. Hence, the study and its findings extend our understanding of the contextual social practices that could help to enhance the strategy transition process among internal actors

07421 Executive Summary -- Formal Protocol Verification Applied

Security protocols are a core part of distributed computing systems, and are part of our everyday life since they are used in web servers, email, mobile phones, bank transactions, etc. However, security protocols are notoriously difficult to get right. There are many cases of protocols which are proposed and considered secure for many years, but later found to have security flaws. Formal methods offer a promising way for automated security analysis of protocols. While there have been considerable advances in this area, most techniques have only been applied to academic case studies and security properties such as secrecy and authentication. The seminar brought together researchers deploying security protocols in new application areas, cryptographers, and researchers from formal methods who analyse security protocols. The interaction between researchers from these different communities aims to open new research topics, e.g., identify new security properties that need verification and refine abstractions of the abstract models of crytpographic primitives

Senior executives' role in the computer-based information systems (CBIS) implementation process : the case of Malaysian government agencies

Senior executives often infuse their organisations with the values that they haveinherited from prior socialisation as well as from their work experience. Because oftheir role as leaders at a critical juncture in an organisation's development, they are ableto model an organisation's culture in unique ways. Thus, their support (or lack of it)will affect the impact of any major structural or procedural change in the existingorganisation such as implementing a computer-based information system (CBIS). Yetthe focus of most Information Systems Practitioners is mainly towards technical tasks,so that they pay inadequate attention to and are lacking in their appreciation of thesocial (organisational, cultural, political, and personal) aspects of the senior executive'srole.The objectives of the research are to study and understand the social andtechnical phenomena that occur within a CBIS's implementation processes. The studyseeks to identify the factors that cause these phenomena, their relationships, and thedegree to which they influence practices, procedures, and outcomes during CBISs'implementations. The "multiple perspective" framework, adopted in the study,provides a total systems rationale, allowing due scope for both the formal-rationaltechnical approach and the social parameters. It incorporates the multiple(organisational, technical, and personal) perspectives of stakeholders, and multilevel (context, process, and linkage) perspectives apparent within the processes itself. Theresearch, therefore, focuses on the question, "What is going on in the CBISimplementation process?" rather than on the question "How should it beimplemented?"Research data were collected using empirical research methods based on anexploratory pilot study through survey questionnaires and two in-depth case studies ofMalaysian government organisations. A framework using the Multiview methodologyis proposed to enhance the analysis of the role of senior executives in the CBISimplementation process. The study concludes that CBIS implementation can neither beunderstood nor undertaken independently of the multiple perspectives of itsstakeholders and multilevel processes that affect its implementation, use, anddevelopment

Towards a circular economy: fabrication and characterization of biodegradable plates from sugarcane waste

Bagasse pulp is a promising material to produce biodegradable plates. Bagasse is the fibrous residue that remains after sugarcane stalks are crushed to extract their juice. It is a renewable resource and is widely available in many countries, making it an attractive alternative to traditional plastic plates. Recent research has shown that biodegradable plates made from Bagasse pulp have several advantages over traditional plastic plates. For example, they are more environmentally friendly because they are made from renewable resources and can be composted after use. Additionally, they are safer for human health because they do not contain harmful chemicals that can leach into food. The production process for Bagasse pulp plates is also relatively simple and cost-effective. Bagasse is first collected and then processed to remove impurities and extract the pulp. The pulp is then molded into the desired shape and dried to form a sturdy plate. Overall, biodegradable plates made from Bagasse pulp are a promising alternative to traditional plastic plates. They are environmentally friendly, safe for human health, and cost-effective to produce. As such, they have the potential to play an important role in reducing plastic waste and promoting sustainable practices. Over the years, the world was not paying strict attention to the impact of rapid growth in plastic use. As a result, uncontrollable volumes of plastic garbage have been released into the environment. Half of all plastic garbage generated worldwide is made up of packaging materials. The purpose of this article is to offer an alternative by creating bioplastic goods that can be produced in various shapes and sizes across various sectors, including food packaging, single-use tableware, and crafts. Products made from bagasse help address the issue of plastic pollution. To find the optimum option for creating bagasse-based biodegradable dinnerware in Egypt and throughout the world, researchers tested various scenarios. The findings show that bagasse pulp may replace plastics in biodegradable packaging. As a result of this value-added utilization of natural fibers, less waste and less of it ends up in landfills. The practical significance of this study is to help advance low-carbon economic solutions and to produce secure bioplastic materials that can replace Styrofoam in tableware and food packaging production