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Ensuring Access to Safe and Nutritious Food for All Through the Transformation of Food Systems
A Design Science Research Approach to Smart and Collaborative Urban Supply Networks
Urban supply networks are facing increasing demands and challenges and thus constitute a relevant field for research and practical development. Supply chain management holds enormous potential and relevance for society and everyday life as the flow of goods and information are important economic functions. Being a heterogeneous field, the literature base of supply chain management research is difficult to manage and navigate. Disruptive digital technologies and the implementation of cross-network information analysis and sharing drive the need for new organisational and technological approaches. Practical issues are manifold and include mega trends such as digital transformation, urbanisation, and environmental awareness.
A promising approach to solving these problems is the realisation of smart and collaborative supply networks. The growth of artificial intelligence applications in recent years has led to a wide range of applications in a variety of domains. However, the potential of artificial intelligence utilisation in supply chain management has not yet been fully exploited. Similarly, value creation increasingly takes place in networked value creation cycles that have become continuously more collaborative, complex, and dynamic as interactions in business processes involving information technologies have become more intense.
Following a design science research approach this cumulative thesis comprises the development and discussion of four artefacts for the analysis and advancement of smart and collaborative urban supply networks. This thesis aims to highlight the potential of artificial intelligence-based supply networks, to advance data-driven inter-organisational collaboration, and to improve last mile supply network sustainability. Based on thorough machine learning and systematic literature reviews, reference and system dynamics modelling, simulation, and qualitative empirical research, the artefacts provide a valuable contribution to research and practice
Subsidiary Entrepreneurial Alertness: Antecedents and Outcomes
This thesis brings together concepts from both international business and entrepreneurship to develop a framework of the facilitators of subsidiary innovation and performance. This study proposes that Subsidiary Entrepreneurial Alertness (SEA) facilitates the recognition of opportunities (the origin of subsidiary initiatives). First introduced by Kirzner (1979) in the context of the individual, entrepreneurial alertness (EA) is the ability to notice an opportunity without actively searching. Similarly, to entrepreneurial alertness at the individual level, this study argues that SEA enables the subsidiary to best select opportunities based on resources available. The research further develops our conceptualisation of SEA by drawing on work by Tang et al. (2012) identifying three distinct activities of EA: scanning and search (identifying opportunities unseen by others due to their awareness gaps), association and connection of information, and evaluation and judgement to interpret or anticipate future viability of opportunities. This study then hypothesises that SEA leads to opportunity recognition at the subsidiary level and further hypothesises innovation and performance as outcomes of opportunity recognition. This research brings these arguments together to develop and test a comprehensive theoretical model.
The theoretical model is tested through a mail survey of the CEOs/MDs of foreign subsidiaries within the Republic of Ireland (an innovative hub for foreign subsidiaries). This method was selected as the best method to reach the targeted respondent, and due to the depth of knowledge the target respondent holds, the survey can answer the desired question more substantially. The results were examined using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The study’s findings confirm two critical aspects of subsidiary context, subsidiary brokerage and subsidiary credibility are positively related to SEA. The study establishes a positive link between SEA and both the generation of innovation and the subsidiary’s performance. This thesis makes three significant contributions to the subsidiary literature as it 1) introduces and develops the concept of SEA, 2) identifies the antecedents of SEA, and 3) demonstrates the impact of SEA on subsidiary opportunity recognition. Implications for subsidiaries, headquarters and policy makers are discussed along with the limitations of the study
Exploring Potential Domains of Agroecological Transformation in the United States
There is now substantial evidence that agroecology constitutes a necessary pathway towards socially just and ecologically resilient agrifood systems. In the United States, however, agroecology remains relegated to the margins of research and policy spaces. This dissertation explores three potential domains of agroecological transformation in the US. Domains of transformation are sites of contestation in which agroecology interfaces with the industrial agrifood system; these material and conceptual spaces may point to important pathways for scaling agroecology. To explore this concept, I examine formal agroecology education (Chapter 1), extension services and statewide discourses around soil health (Chapter 2), and models of farmland access not based on private property (Chapter 3). While these constitute three distinct topics, I seek to demonstrate that they are linked by similar forces that enable and constrain the extent to which these domains can be sites of agroecological transformation.
First, I use case study methodology to explore the evolution of an advanced undergraduate agroecology course at the University of Vermont. I examine how course content and pedagogy align with a transformative framing of agroecology as inherently transdisciplinary, participatory, action-oriented, and political. I find that student-centered pedagogies and experiential education on farms successfully promote transformative learning whereby students shift their understanding of agrifood systems and their role(s) within them. In my second chapter, I zoom out to consider soil health discourses amongst farmers and extension professionals in Vermont. Using co-created mental models and participatory analysis, I find that a singular notion of soil health based on biological, chemical, and physical properties fails to capture the diverse ways in which farmers and extension professionals understand soil health. I advocate for a principles-based approach to soil health that includes social factors and may provide a valuable heuristic for mobilizing knowledge towards agroecology transition pathways. My third chapter, conducted in collaboration with the national non-profit organization Agrarian Trust, considers equitable farmland access. Through semi-structured interviews with 13 farmers and growers across the US, I explore both farmer motivations for engaging with alternative land access models (ALAMs) and the potential role(s) these models may play within broader transformation processes. I argue that ALAMs constitute material and conceptual ‘third spaces’ within which the private property regime is challenged and new identities and language around land ownership can emerge; as such, ALAMs may facilitate a (re)imagining of land-based social-ecological relationships.
I conclude the dissertation by identifying conceptual and practical linkages across the domains explored in Chapters 1-3. I pay particular attention to processes that challenge neoliberal logics, enact plural ways of knowing, and prefigure just futures. In considering these concepts, I apply an expansive notion of pedagogy to explore how processes of teaching and (un)learning can contribute to cultivating foundational capacities for transition processes
On the Mechanism of Building Core Competencies: a Study of Chinese Multinational Port Enterprises
This study aims to explore how Chinese multinational port enterprises (MNPEs) build
their core competencies. Core competencies are firms’special capabilities and sources
to gain sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) in marketplace, and the concept led
to extensive research and debates. However, few studies include inquiries about the
mechanisms of building core competencies in the context of Chinese MNPEs.
Accordingly, answers were sought to three research questions:
1. What are the core competencies of the Chinese MNPEs?
2. What are the mechanisms that the Chinese MNPEs use to build their core
competencies?
3. What are the paths that the Chinese MNPEs pursue to build their resources bases?
The study adopted a multiple-case study design, focusing on building mechanism of
core competencies with RBV. It selected purposively five Chinese leading MNPEs
and three industry associations as Case Companies.
The study revealed three main findings. First, it identified three generic core
competencies possessed by Case Companies, i.e., innovation in business models and
operations, utilisation of technologies, and acquisition of strategic resources. Second,
it developed the conceptual framework of the Mechanism of Building Core
Competencies (MBCC), which is a process of change of collective learning in
effective and efficient utilization of resources of a firm in response to critical events.
Third, it proposed three paths to build core competencies, i.e., enhancing collective
learning, selecting sustainable processes, and building resource base.
The study contributes to the knowledge of core competencies and RBV in three ways:
(1) presenting three generic core competencies of the Chinese MNPEs, (2) proposing
a new conceptual framework to explain how Chinese MNPEs build their core
competencies, (3) suggesting a solid anchor point (MBCC) to explain the links among
resources, core competencies, and SCA. The findings set benchmarks for Chinese
logistics industry and provide guidelines to build core competencies
Political Islam and grassroots activism in Turkey : a study of the pro-Islamist Virtue Party's grassroots activists and their affects on the electoral outcomes
This thesis presents an analysis of the spectacular rise of political Islam in Turkey. It has two aims: first to understand the underlying causes of the rise of the Welfare Party which -later became the Virtue Party- throughout the 1990s, and second to analyse how grassroots activism influenced this process. The thesis reviews the previous literature on the Islamic fundamentalist movements, political parties, political party systems and concentrates on the local party organisations and their effects on the party's electoral performance. It questions the categorisation of Islamic fundamentalism as an appropriate label for this movement. An exploration of such movements is particularly important in light of the event of 11`x' September. After exploring existing theoretical and case studies into political Islam and party activism, I present my qualitative case study. I have used ethnographic methodology and done participatory observations among grassroots activists in Ankara's two sub-districts covering 105 neighbourhoods. I examined the Turkish party system and the reasons for its collapse. It was observed that as a result of party fragmentation, electoral volatility and organisational decline and decline in the party identification among the citizens the Turkish party system has declined. However, the WP/VP profited from this trend enormously and emerged as
the main beneficiary of this process. Empirical data is analysed in four chapters, dealing with the different aspects of the Virtue Party's local organisations and grassroots activists. They deal with change and continuity in the party, the patterns of participation, the routes and motives for becoming a party activist, the profile of party activists and the local party organisations. I explore what they do and how they do it. The analysis reveals that the categorisation of Islamic fundamentalism is misplaced and the rise of political Islam in Turkey cannot be explained as religious revivalism or the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. It is a political force that drives its strength from the urban poor which has been harshly affected by the IMF directed neoliberal economy policies. In conclusion, it is shown that the WP/VP's electoral chances were significantly improved by its very efficient and effective party organisations and highly committed grassroots activists
The new age of fear: an analysis of crisis framing by right-wing populist parties in Greece and France
From the 2009 Eurozone economic downturn, to the 2015 mass movement of forcibly displaced migrants and the current COVID-19 pandemic, crises have seemingly become a ‘new normal’ feature of European politics. During this decade, rolling crises generated a wave of public discontent that damaged the legitimacy of national governments and the European Union and heralded a renaissance of populism. The central message of populist parties, which helped them rise in popularity or enter parliament for the first time, is simple but very effective: democratic representation has been undermined by national and global elites. This has provoked a wealth of studies seeking to explain the rise or breakthrough of populist fringe parties, without adequate consideration of how crises transform, not only the demand side, but also the supply of populist arguments, which has received scarce attention.
This thesis seeks to address this imbalance by synthesising insights from the crisis framing literature, which facilitates an understanding and operationalisation of populism as a style of discourse. To assess how far-right parties employ this discourse, and the implications of this for their electoral prospects, a comparative case-study design is employed, exploring the discourse of parties, the National Rally (NR) in France and Golden Dawn (GD) in Greece. Their ideologically similar profile but differential electoral performance, allows for a more nuanced analysis of their respective framing strategies.
The thesis examines the discourse of the two parties MPs on month by month basis over a four year period, 2012-2015 for GD and 2012-2013 and 2016-2017 for NR, via the use of the NVivo software. Their respective discourses are quantified and broken down into four key areas associated with Foreign Policy, the Economy, the Political System and Society, analysing the content, frequency and salience of key crisis frames. Discourse analysis of excerpts adds a qualitative element to the analysis that showcases the substantial differences between the two case studies. The analysis demonstrates that references to ‘the people’ and anti-elitism were the centrepieces of each case study’s discourse with strong nativist and nationalist elements.
The two parties were extremely similar in the diagnostic stage of their framing and the way which they attribute blame for the crises. However, their discursive strategies diverge regarding their proposed solutions to the crises. Golden Dawn remained a single issue party in terms of discourse, since it never presented a comprehensive plan for ending the crises. As a result, Golden Dawn’s discourse remained one-dimensional throughout its brief period of success, being centred solely on attributing blame and attacking its political opponents and the European Union. On the other hand, National Rally’s framing was more elaborate and ambitious both in terms of the variety of issues raised and, especially, the proposed solutions if advocated. This, it is argued, contributed to the evolution of RN into a mainstream competitor that is no longer dependent on a niche part of the electoral market, while the inability of GD to develop equally successful crisis frames offers a unique understanding as to why the party failed electorally and was unable to enter Parliament in the 2019 elections. The overall analysis produces a rich framework that maps out the key elements of populist crisis discourse by far-right parties, which has implications for electoral politics and for our understanding of populism, more broadly
Nonunion of the clavicle: novel use of clinical recovery and ultrasound to improve our ability to predict fracture healing
The aim of this thesis was to progress our understanding of clavicle nonunion and the ability
to accurately predict fracture healing in order to improve the current management of these
injuries.
Although only one in seven fractures go onto nonunion, these are challenging to predict. It is
unclear if the recent widespread increase in the use of acute plate fixation for displaced
fractures is justified on current evidence. It is unknown whether the early accurate prediction
of fractures at high risk of nonunion is advantageous. Currently the perceived risk of nonunion
is largely based on factors available at time of injury alone. The evaluation of clinical recovery
following non-operative management and the novel use of ultrasound may advance our ability
to accurately predict fracture healing for these injuries.
The cost-effectiveness of acute clavicle plate fixation versus non-operative treatment was
estimated from randomized controlled trial data that had been previously published. This was
completed prior to the start of this thesis and the author was not involved in the original trial.
A large retrospective review of clavicle fracture fixations was undertaken to determine whether
delayed clavicle fixation has an increased risk of complications compared to acute operative
management. A prospective study of displaced midshaft fractures was carried out over a two-year period to determine the influence of functional recovery on the ability to predict fracture
healing. The influence of clavicle fracture management on the early functional recovery was
evaluated with data from a randomized controlled trial and second prospective cohort. Finally,
the novel use of ultrasound to detect early callus formation and determine whether this allows
accurate prediction of fracture healing was evaluated for a cohort of clavicle and tibia fractures.
The estimated cost per quality-of-life adjusted year of acute plate fixation over non-operative
treatment is £480,309.41/QALY. For a threshold of £20,000/QALY the benefit of acute
fixation would need to be present for 24 years to be cost-effective over conservative treatment.
Linear regression analysis identified nonunion as the only factor to negatively influence the
SF-6D at 12-months (p<0.001).
A ten-year cohort of 259 clavicle plate fixations found failed primary surgery requiring revision
fixation occurred in 7.7% of all patients. Smoking (p<0.001), presence of a post-operative
infection (<0.001), increasing age (p=0.018), and greater time delay from injury to surgery
(p=0.015) was identified as significant independent predictors on regression analysis. Receiver
operating curve analysis (ROC) revealed that surgery beyond 96 days from injury has an
increased rate of major complications and revision surgery. Using a matched case cohort of
cases before (n=67) and after the ‘safe window’ (n=77), the risk of post-operative infection
increased (Odds ratio (OR) 7.7, p=0.028), fixation failure (OR 3.8, p=0.017) and revision
surgery (OR 4.8 p=0.004). A delay to operative fixation beyond 3 months following injury
would appear to be associated with an increased risk of major operative complications and
revision surgery.
A large prospective cohort of 200 patients managed non-operatively with a displaced midshaft
clavicle fracture were recruited. Regression modelling found a QuickDASH ≥40 (p=0.001), no
callus on radiograph (p=0.004) and fracture movement on examination (p=0.001) were
significant predictors of nonunion. If none were present the predicted nonunion risk was 3%,
found in 40% of the cohort. Conversely if two or more of the predictors were present, found in
23.5% of the cohort, the predicted nonunion risk was 60%. The delayed assessment nonunion
model appeared to have superior accuracy when compared to the estimation of nonunion at
time of injury alone healing on ROC curve analysis (Area Under Curve analysis; 87.3% vs
64.8% respectively).
Data from a randomized controlled trial was used to compare 86 patients who underwent
operative fixation against 76 patients that united with non-operative treatment. The recovery
of normal shoulder function, as defined by a DASH score within the predicted 95% confidence
interval for each respective patient was similar between each group at six-weeks (operative
26.7% vs non-operative 25.0%, p=0.80), three-months (52.3% vs 44.2%, p=0.77) and six-months post-injury (86.0% vs 90.8%, p=0.35). The mean DASH score and return to work was
also comparable at each time point. Regression analysis found no specific patient, injury or
fracture predictor was associated with an early return of function following non-operative
management at six or twelve weeks.
From a pilot study of twenty clavicle fractures, six-week sonographic bridging callus appeared
to be the most accurate, and repeatable, predictor of fracture healing with a strong agreement
on intra class correlation (ICC) between four reviewers (ICC 0.82, 95% confidence interval
0.68-0.91). In a large prospective study of 112 patients, sonographic bridging callus was
detected in 62.5% (n=70/112) of the cohort at six weeks post-injury. If present, union occurred
in 98.6% of the fractures (n=69/70). If absent, nonunion developed in 40.5% of cases
(n=17/42). The sensitivity to predict union with sonographic bridging callus at six weeks was
73.4% and the specificity was 94.4%. Three-dimensional fracture reconstruction can be created
using multiple ultrasound images in order to evaluate the presence of bridging callus. This
imaging modality has the potential to enhance the usability and accuracy of identification of
fracture healing at an early stage following injury.
Nonunion following a displaced midshaft clavicle fractures accounts for the majority of poor
functional recovery and impaired quality of life over the first-year post-injury. Prediction of
clavicle fracture healing at six weeks following injury maybe a safe and effective strategy to
identify patients at greatest risk of nonunion. The use of functional recovery enables a more
accurate estimation of nonunion risk compared to conventional prediction at time of injury
alone. The use of ultrasound may further refine our ability to predict fracture healing
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