Using explicit knowledge models and best practice guidelines to improve humanitarian outcomes through the development of a knowledge tool for international health workers

This study attempts to improve Red Cross health workers’ access and use of information to improve decision making processes through understanding the deficiencies and limitations that currently exist within the Red Cross movement around knowledge management. The development of mobile computing and communication devices is transforming how aid organisations collect, use and transform data into actionable knowledge. A portable reference resource has been developed for humanitarian health workers along with a proposed modified decision-making framework

Mobile technology in complex emergencies: A study of digital data collection in the Norwegian relief sector.

Master's thesis in Societal Safety and Risk ManagementThis thesis presents a study of digital data collection amongst the five largest humanitarian relief organizations in Norway – with data from each actor. More specially, it examines the potentials and challenges in the implementation and diffusion of mobile technologies for the Norwegian NGO relief sector. The term mobile technology is used to describe the various mobile devices used for data collection including mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, and so on. Within the confines of this study, social media was largely excluded. In this thesis, an integrated diffusion/implementation model is presented and applied in the analysis of how mobile technology spread (diffusion) and are applied (implementation). Integrated into this model, are components of sensemaking (ambiguity & uncertainty) and different images of decision making in relief work. The purpose of this model is to explore and highlight the uses and experiences of mobile technology for data collection amongst the different organizations in presenting the matters of diffusion and implementation. The findings suggest that mobile technology is a recognized humanitarian innovation that is diffusing within the Norwegian relief sector. Data collection is becoming faster, cheaper, more efficient, and is providing higher quality data with better oversight. At the same time, with the ease of data collection presents the challenges of data overload, competing solutions, administrative constraints and making sense of the data that is collected. In conjunction with these findings, the thesis concludes that mobile technology is improving the efficiency for collecting information but is not a solution that is effective in all situations and all places

Do Internal or External CSR Strategies Yield Higher Social and Financial Returns?

In the last decade, there has been a revolution in the perception of businesses as entities whose sole goal is to yield returns for their shareholders to the belief that they have a responsibility to mitigate their negative impacts on communities and the environment by voluntarily taking actions to improve those entities. Though there is an increased emphasis among businesses on corporate social responsibility (CSR), there is limited research examining how companies can maximize the positive impact of their strategies and whether or not investing in doing so will make them more successful. To address this gap, my thesis will attempt to answer the question: Do internal or external CSR strategies yield higher ROIs for both companies and the causes they seek to support? By analyzing eight hundred and thirty-nine CSR strategies from ten companies, the study found that internal strategies are significantly more effective than external strategies. The researchers were unable to come to a conclusion regarding the financial ROI of strategies due to limitations in the available financial data and difficulty in comparing data between companies of different industries

No soldiers left behind: An IoT-based low-power military mobile health system design

© 2013 IEEE. There has been an increasing prevalence of ad-hoc networks for various purposes and applications. These include Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) and Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN) which have emerging applications in health monitoring as well as user location tracking in emergency settings. Further applications can include real-Time actuation of IoT equipment, and activation of emergency alarms through the inference of a user\u27s situation using sensors and personal devices through a LPWAN. This has potential benefits for military networks and applications regarding the health of soldiers and field personnel during a mission. Due to the wireless nature of ad-hoc network devices, it is crucial to conserve battery power for sensors and equipment which transmit data to a central server. An inference system can be applied to devices to reduce data size for transfer and subsequently reduce battery consumption, however this could result in compromising accuracy. This paper presents a framework for secure automated messaging and data fusion as a solution to address the challenges of requiring data size reduction whilst maintaining a satisfactory accuracy rate. A Multilayer Inference System (MIS) was used to conserve the battery power of devices such as wearables and sensor devices. The results for this system showed a data reduction of 97.9% whilst maintaining satisfactory accuracy against existing single layer inference methods. Authentication accuracy can be further enhanced with additional biometrics and health data information

The Journal of Mine Action Issue 5.2 (2001)

Landmines in Central and South Americ

Military transformation on the Korean Peninsula : technology versus geography

This thesis provides an explanation of one RMA issue: the effectiveness of contemporary military technology against tough geography, based upon case studies in the Korean peninsula. The originality of the thesis is that it will provide a sound insight for potential foes’ approach to the dominant US military power (superior technology and sustenance of war). The North Korean defence strategy – using their edge in geography and skill – tried to protect themselves from the dominant US power, but it may be impossible to deter or defeat them with technological superiority alone. This research also provides a valuable example, through Stephen Biddle’s technology and skill theory, which claims that, in the future of war, the skills of the unit (tactical readiness) are as important as the technology involved. By examining three case studies, the thesis aims to reveal that technological superiority alone cannot guarantee military success against the foe that possesses the geographic advantage and the capability to use its benefits. The first case study of the Imjin Wars will examine the significance of geography and capability to using the geographic edge in the Korean peninsula. The second case study of the Korean War will examine how technology alone failed to overcome the skilled and geographically advantageous defenders in modern warfare. Finally, by examining possible conflict scenarios of US-ROK alliance and North Korea, this research will seek to prove that contemporary military technology alone would not guarantee military success and deterrence against North Korea, which is both geographically advantaged and highly skilled.Publication date not given on thesi

The Emergence of the Article 9 Association and Reorganization of Social Movements in Contemporary Japan: A Story of Network Practice for Social Change.

Ph.D. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2017

2008 October

Press releases for October of 2008

Understanding how the identity of international aid agencies and their approaches to security are mutually shaped

The objective of the thesis is to study, through a critical constructivist analysis, the conception and practice of security by humanitarian international aid agencies (IAAs), with particular reference to their relation with private military and security companies (PMSCs). The research provides a qualitative analysis of humanitarian security, which is defined as the practice of safely accessing vulnerable populations for humanitarian purposes. Its methodology relies on semi-structured interviews, including in Afghanistan and Haiti; participant observation; and a literature review. The thesis‘ critical constructivist approach implies studying the co-constitution of aid organizations‘ identity and interests. It argues that IAAs‘ identity and approaches to security are mutually shaped. It does so by first highlighting dominant discourses framing aid agencies‘ identity and processes by which particular views are reproduced. It then identifies the dominant representations in security management and reveals how they relate to IAAs‘ identity. The thesis defines three ideal–types of IAAs (Deontological, Solidarist and Utilitarian) and of PMSCs (Guarding, Unarmed, and Weaponised). This typology allows a dissecting of IAAs‘ different conceptions and practices of security, and the conditions under which each type of IAA employs PMSCs. The research reveals that an aid agency‘s identity forms the basis of its approach to security. Identity and security, are however, not stable but dynamic and in a constant process of interaction with each other. The thesis then offers a study of these dynamic processes, with a focus on agents. The thesis delves into the implications of the research for the concept of security and reveals how humanitarian security embodies IAAs‘ distinctive baggage. It suggests that IAAs require a more comprehensive understanding of how their identity and practices affect their security. The thesis‘ original contribution is two-fold: it represents the first critical constructivist study of humanitarian security practices and is the first research to study humanitarian organizations as referent objects of security

The humanitarian relief supply chain : analysis of the 2004 South East Asia earthquake and Tsunami

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (p. 84-91).Humanitarian relief supply chains are not well documented. This thesis describes humanitarian relief supply chains in general and those specifically utilized in the 2004 South East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami relief effort. A survey, created in collaboration with the Fritz Institute and KPMG, informed the analysis and establishes baseline data for a sector with little formal measurement. It was found that relief organizations share common problems regardless of size, focus, or structure. While the survey determined that relief delivery was effective, the findings illuminated deficiencies in the following areas: initial assessment, collaboration, trained logistics experts, and supply chain analysis. Finally, the thesis suggests plans to address these issues and future research.by Timothy Edward Russell.M.Eng.in Logistic