13,899 research outputs found
Freshwater ecosystem services in mining regions : modelling options for policy development support
The ecosystem services (ES) approach offers an integrated perspective of social-ecological systems, suitable for holistic assessments of mining impacts. Yet for ES models to be policy-relevant, methodological consensus in mining contexts is needed. We review articles assessing ES in mining areas focusing on freshwater components and policy support potential. Twenty-six articles were analysed concerning (i) methodological complexity (data types, number of parameters, processes and ecosystem-human integration level) and (ii) potential applicability for policy development (communication of uncertainties, scenario simulation, stakeholder participation and management recommendations). Articles illustrate mining impacts on ES through valuation exercises mostly. However, the lack of ground-and surface-water measurements, as well as insufficient representation of the connectivity among soil, water and humans, leave room for improvements. Inclusion of mining-specific environmental stressors models, increasing resolution of topographies, determination of baseline ES patterns and inclusion of multi-stakeholder perspectives are advantageous for policy support. We argue that achieving more holistic assessments exhorts practitioners to aim for high social-ecological connectivity using mechanistic models where possible and using inductive methods only where necessary. Due to data constraints, cause-effect networks might be the most feasible and best solution. Thus, a policy-oriented framework is proposed, in which data science is directed to environmental modelling for analysis of mining impacts on water ES
Causation and effectuation in the context of product development process in a large-sized established company
Effectuation represents entrepreneurial way of thinking and it is commonly applied to new ventures. Causation, as the inverse logic to effectuation, represents traditional way of thinking, and it is commonly used among large existing organizations. Recent research on effectuation shows that causation and effectuation are two relative logics, and effectuation can be extended to the existing organizations. The purpose of this research is to study relationship between causation and effectuation and to reveal how causation and effectuation influence each other during the product development process of Stage-Gate in the context of a large existing organization
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Designing Open and Distance Learning for Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: A toolkit for educators and planners
Everyone remembers a good teacher. Good teachers are the key to educational expansion and improvement. In many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is an urgent need to expand the number of primary and secondary teachers. In all African countries, there is an equally important need to improve the quality of teaching. To achieve this, it is clear that new approaches to teacher education are essential. Existing institutions of teacher education will continue to play an important role, but, alone, they will not meet the goals of Education for All (EFA) by 2015.
It is fortunate that, just as the twin needs to improve the quantity and quality of teachers become imperative, so new forms of education and training are becoming available. The world is witnessing a revolution in information and communication technologies (ICTs), which can offer training and support of a type and at a cost hitherto impossible to consider, and thus, must be fully explored given the scale and urgency of demand. In doing so, however, it will be necessary to build on existing and well-tested strategies, including the best models of open and distance learning.
This toolkit is the third in a series of recent publications by the Africa Region Human Development Department of the World Bank to share knowledge and experience on how distance education and ICTs can support education in Sub-Saharan Africa. It emphasizes the rigorous process by which new forms of distance-education programs for teacher education can be planned and implemented. The best models of established programs are considered along with the potential for incorporating, as the means become available, new modes of communication. Most forms of teacher education, particularly those concerned with qualification upgrading and ongoing professional development, will have to be based in schools. The authors demonstrate how school-based programs, appropriately resourced and supported, have the potential not only to raise significantly the number and quality of teachers, but also to improve classroom practice and school organization, generally. The guidance and advice, which is drawn from many years of experience in design and implementation, and embraces a range of case studies from across the region, will be of considerable value to those preparing new policies and programs of teacher education and to those seeking to improve existing programs
Report No. 28: Review of Methodologies Applied for the Assessment of Employment and Social Impacts
Joint report with ECORYS Netherlands for the DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of the European Commission, Bonn 2010 (217 pages)
Growing green money? Mapping community currencies for sustainable development
Parallel sustainable monetary systems are being developed by civil society groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), informed by ecological economics perspectives on development, value, economic scale and growth, and responding to the unsustainability of current global financial systems. These parallel systems of exchange (or community currencies) are designed to promote sustainable development by localising economic development, building social capital and substituting for material consumption, valuing work which is marginalised in conventional labour markets, and challenging the growth-based monetary system. However, this international movement towards community-based ecological economic practices, is under-researched. This paper presents new empirical evidence from the first international study of the scope and character of community currencies. It identifies the diversity, scale, geography and development trajectory of these initiatives, discusses the implications of these findings for efforts to achieve sustainable development, and identifies future research needs, to help harness the sustainability potential of these initiatives. Š 2012 Elsevier B.V
Clinical leadership in service redesign using Clinical Commissioning Groups: a mixed-methods study
Background: A core component of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (Great Britain. Health and Social Care Act 2012. London: HMSO; 2012) was the idea of devolving to general practitioners (GPs) a health service leadership role for service redesign. For this purpose, new Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) were formed in the English NHS.Objectives: This research examined the extent to which, and the methods by which, clinicians stepped
forward to take up a leadership role in service redesign using CCGs as a platform.Design: The project proceeded in five phases: (1) a scoping study across 15 CCGs, (2) the design and administration of a national survey of all members of CCG governing bodies in 2014, (3) six main in-depth case studies, (4) a second national survey of governing body members in 2016, which allowed longitudinal
comparisons, and (5) international comparisons.Participants: In addition to GPs serving in clinical lead roles for CCGs, the research included insights from accountable officers and other managers and perspectives from secondary care and other provider organisations (local authority councillors and staff, patients and the public, and other relevant bodies).Results: Instances of the exercise of clinical leadership utilising the mechanism of the CCGs were strikingly varied. Some CCG teams had made little of the opportunity. However, we found other examples of clinicians stepping forward to bring about meaningful improvements in services. The most notable cases
involved the design of integrated care for frail elderly patients and others with long-term conditions. The leadership of these service redesigns required cross-boundary working with primary care, secondary care, community care and social work. The processes enabling such breakthroughs required interlocking processes of leadership across three arenas: (1) strategy-level work at CCG board level, (2) mid-range
operational planning and negotiation at programme board level and (3) the arena of practical implementation leadership at the point of delivery. The arena of the CCG board provided the legitimacy for strategic change; the programme boards worked through the competing logics of markets, hierarchy and networks; and the practice arena allowed the exercise of clinical leadership in practical problemsolving, detailed learning and routinisation of new ways of working at a common-sense everyday level.Limitations: Although the research was conducted over a 3-year period, it could be argued that a much longer period is required for CCGs to mature and realise their potential.Conclusions: Despite the variation in practice, we found significant examples of clinical leaders forging
new modes of service design and delivery. A great deal of the service redesign effort was directed at compensating for the fragmented nature of the NHS â part of which had been created by the 2012 reforms. This is the first study to reveal details of such work in a systematic way
Evaluation of the Rockefeller Foundation's work in African Agriculture Resilience and Land-based Carbon Markets for Poverty Reduction
The purposes of this evaluation are several: to learn from the experience of implementation of theAfrican Agriculture Resilience (AAR) component of the Climate Change Resilience Initiative and theLand-based Carbon Markets for Poverty Reduction Initiative (CPR); to guide the planning and designof the proposed Climate Smart Rural Development (CSRD) Initiative; accountability to the RockefellerFoundation's President and Board of Trustees; a contribution as a public good to knowledge; and toextend the learning from this evaluation to RF grantees in the fields of AAR and CPR.A total of 57 grants were reviewed, spanning the period from 2007 to April 2011. Close to four out ofevery five dollars granted under AAR went directly to work with agricultural research institutions orto support 'experimental' or innovative work. The majority of the AAR grants and money grantedwere allocated to primary implementers (PI) based in African countries. In contrast, 71% of the CPRgrants and 86% of the grant money was allocated to PI based in the USA. Over 40% of the AAR grantswere made to organizations in Kenya which had the effect of creating a greater 'critical mass' ofeffort compared with neighboring countries that received few grants
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Evaluation
The importance of evaluation has grown in recent years so that this topic has become the focus of considerable policy and research interest (Oliver, 2000). As new learning technologies emerge there is a need to evaluate how these are used to support an increasingly diverse student population. All staff are now expected to carry out evaluations to account for resources or to justify strategic initiatives. Additionally, for individuals trying to instigate change, evaluation data can be important in providing relevant information to initiate, support and empower change by the âproduction of knowledge that makes a differenceâ (Patton, 1997)
Modelling flexible manufacturing systems through discrete event simulation
As customisation and product diversification are becoming standard, industry is looking for strategies to become more adaptable in responding to customerâs needs. Flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) provide a unique capability where there is a need to provide efficiency through production flexibility. Full potential of FMS development is difficult to achieve due to the variability of components within this complex manufacturing system. It has been recognised that there is a requirement for decision support tools to address different aspects of FMS development. Discrete event simulation (DES) is the most common tool used in manufacturing sector for solving complex problems. Through systematic literature review, the need for a conceptual framework for decision support in FMS using DES has been identified.
Within this thesis, the conceptual framework (CF) for decision support for FMS using DES has been proposed. The CF is designed based on decision-making areas identified for FMS development in literature and through industry stakeholder feedback: set-up, flexibility and schedule configuration. The CF has been validated through four industrial simulation case studies developed as a part of implementation of a new FMS plant in automotive sector. The research focuses on:
(1) a method for primary data collection for simulation validated through a case study of material handling robot behaviour in FMS;
(2) an approach for evaluation of optimal production set-up for industrial FMS with DES;
(3) a DES based approach for testing FMS flexibility levels;
(4) an approach for testing scheduling in FMS with the use of DES.
The study has supported the development of systematic approach for decision making in FMS development using DES. The approach provided tools for evidence based decision making in FMS
Outcome evaluation of research for development work conducted in Ghana and Sri Lanka under the Resource, Recovery and Reuse (RRR) subprogram of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE).
This is the main report of an external evaluation of the Resource Recovery and Reuse Flagship of the Water Land and Ecosystems (WLE) CGIAR Research Program. WLE commissioned the study. The Evaluators interviewed researchers and partners in two countries, Ghana and Sri Lanka, and in Ghana visited two sites. They also interviewed key international partners and analyzed a wide range of documents, reports and publications. The evaluation was focused on understanding how and in what ways the research and other activities carried out by IWMI and supported by WLE contributed to the outcomes. In essence, the purpose was to understand the specific impact pathways from research to outputs and outcomes
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