Local governments' participation in intergovernmental e-government projects: a comparative network analysis of two case study's

Both the Belgian federal and Flemish regional government have framed the development of a series of authentic information sources as a key solution to reduce administrative burden for companies and citizens as these crossroads banks allow the sharing of information between different government agencies at different levels of government. The ultimate goal is to realize a more integrated, efficient and effective government service delivery towards citizens and companies. In our paper, we will compare the results of two case studies that elaborated on the participation of local governments within these intergovernmental data sharing projects. In the first case study (Snijkers, 2006a, 2006b), the connection of Flemish local welfare agencies on to the Crossroads Bank for Social Security (CBSS) was analysed. The second case study provides insights in the disclosure of the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE) towards Flemish cities and municipalities. Both case studies made use of network literature to explain the participation of local governments agencies within the projects. In particular, the authors (Snijkers, 2004; Snijkers, 2005; Vander Elst, Rotthier & De Rynck, 2011) mainly made use of Snellen’s (2003) theoretical framework complemented with other theoretical insights about how networks function (see Kumar & van Dissel, 1996; Schermerhorn, 1975). Following Snellen, networks consist of three different dimensions: a strategic, a power and an institutional dimension. The power dimension refers to the dependencies between the network’s stakeholders (e.g. money, expertise, information, …). The strategic dimension refers to the degree to which the objectives of the different members of the network con- or diverge to each other. Finally, the institutional dimension concerns the degree to which the interaction between the different stakeholders has been institutionalized. Both studies offers us the opportunity to conduct a reliable comparison as they are conducted based on a similar research design in terms of the research strategy (case study), the research method ((semi structured) interviews with key actors) and the theoretical framework being applied (Snellen’s framework). Moreover in both studies, the same variables were operationalized: conflict, cooperation, dependency, independency and the con- and divergence of the stakeholders’ objectives. In particular, our comparison will focus on how these variables have influenced local welfare agencies and municipalities to connect on to respectively the CBSS and the CBE. Next, we will identify the similarities and differences between both cases and explain these differences based on the network features that characterize both intergovernmental data sharing projects. The objective of this comparative analysis is to generate new empirical findings in how governments are setting up intergovernmental data sharing projects as insights in this phenomenon have remained rare (see for example Yang & Maxwell, 2011; Gil-Garcia, Ae Chun & Janssen, 2009). Next to our ‘empirical objective’, we also want to elaborate on the surplus of using network theories when analysing the development of intergovernmental eGovernment projects and the participation of local government agencies within these projects. In this way, this paper proposal also meets the call for papers in which an appeal is made to elaborate on “which theoretical lenses could be used to help us understand and explain what is happening and it relationships with citizens, business (…)” and to drew attention on to the “the nature and impact of ICT-enabled changes in the public sector and its external relationships.”

Life Cycle Assessment of electricity production from refuse derived fuel: A case study in Italy

Biomasses and bio-waste have an important role in decarbonizing the European energy mix, the latter contributing to the transition towards a circular economy. In particular, Refuse Derived Fuel (RFD) - a biofuel obtained from dry residue of waste – appears a really interesting energy option. In this framework this study aims at assessing the environmental profile of electricity generation from RDF in Italy, comparing two different kinds of RDF production and combustion plants. The functional unit is 1 kWh of net electricity from RDF delivered to the grid. Two Italian plants are examined: one located in Ravenna (RDF is produced in a direct flow treatment plant) and the other one in Bergamo (RDF is produced in a unique flow treatment plant and electricity is generated in a cogenerator). Results show that, comparing the plants, it is not possible to identify an option for RDF production or electricity generation characterized by lowest impacts for all the examined impact categories. However, cogeneration process and the avoided burdens due to the valorisation of ferrous metals and dry fractions during RDF production can reduce most of the environmental impacts. A dominance analysis reveals that chimney direct emissions generated during RDF combustion significantly contribute to some impact categories, as well as electricity consumption during RDF production. Furthermore, disposal of incineration wastes is a relevant contributor to human toxicity and freshwater eutrophication. The eco-profile of electricity from RDF is compared with electricity from the Italian grid and from multi-Si PV. The comparison highlights that electricity from RDF performs worse for relevant environmental impact categories such as climate change, human toxicity and photochemical oxidant formation. On the other hand, electricity from RDF performs better than electricity from the grid and from photovoltaic for resource depletion, an impact category of growing importance in the framework of circular economy

Bibliometric Analysis on Sustainability Assessment Methods in the Bioeconomy

Sustainability is meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability assessment is a complex process because it needs to cover multidisciplinary aspects – environmental, economic, and social. The sustainability assessment is created by combining different indicators, and the resulting single holistic value can be used as an indicator for comparison. A successful economic transition towards a bioeconomy can contribute to the achievement of many sustainability goals. In this paper, a bibliometric analysis method is used to analyse Open Access articles from the Web of Science database using bibliometric VOSviewer software. The relationship between sustainability assessment methods and associated keywords is explored through a biometric analysis. A literature review is conducted on the methods and tools of assessing the sustainability of bioresources. The authors have summarised the use of sustainability assessment methods and tools, and their characteristics. The obtained results show that keywords' sustainability assessment methods, in publication have become particularly popular since 2015, as the number of publications increases by more than 100 publications every year. The biggest connection with keywords are keywords 'life-cycle assessment', 'performance', 'management', 'framework', 'model', and 'impact'. Life-cycle assessment, material flows analysis, multi-criteria decision analysis, system dynamics and modelling are popular for assessing sustainability. Each method has advantages and disadvantages; however, it is possible to combine several tools to improve the assessment

Psychological Attitude of Medical Students towards Course-book Modification: A Case of Text Simplification in ESP Courses

Introduction: The current study sought to investigate the impact of linguistic modification of medical textbooks on reading comprehension ability of medical students and their attitude towards text simplification.Materials and Methods:  150 male and female medical students coming from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences participated in this study. The homogeneity of the participants was attained through passing a placement test, followed by completing the pre-requisite and general English courses.  For the purpose of modifying the texts, the framework proposed by Van Den Branden (2000) was adopted. Moreover, the questionnaire developed by Saito, Horwitz, and Garza (1999) called Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) was used.Results: Data analysis was conducted, using one-way analysis of variances (ANOVA). Concerning the major research question, analysis of the data indicated that there were significant differences between the participants’ performance on the four reading tests. Thus, the major null-hypothesis as “lexical modification, grammatical modification, and lexical and grammatical modification in comparison with no modification of input do not significantly affect the reading comprehension ability of Iranian medical students differently” was rejected. The last research question deals with medical students’ perceptions towards different types of input modifications Conclusion: The overwhelming majority of the interviewees chose lexically and grammatically modified texts. However, “not modified text” was regarded as the most boring one. Also, the participants believed that grammatically modified texts were best for improving students’ work knowledge. Moreover, the interviewees mentioned that grammatically modified texts with fewer complicated structures were more straightforward for them.

Inventory drivers in a pharmaceutical supply chain

In recent years, inventory reduction has been a key objective of pharmaceutical companies, especially within cost optimization initiatives. Pharmaceutical supply chains are characterized by volatile and unpredictable demands –especially in emergent markets-, high service levels, and complex, perishable finished-good portfolios, which makes keeping reasonable amounts of stock a true challenge. However, a one-way strategy towards zero-inventory is in reality inapplicable, due to the strategic nature and importance of the products being commercialised. Therefore, pharmaceutical supply chains are in need of new inventory strategies in order to remain competitive. Finished-goods inventory management in the pharmaceutical industry is closely related to the manufacturing systems and supply chain configurations that companies adopt. The factors considered in inventory management policies, however, do not always cover the full supply chain spectrum in which companies operate. This paper works under the pre-assumption that, in fact, there is a complex relationship between the inventory configurations that companies adopt and the factors behind them. The intention of this paper is to understand the factors driving high finished-goods inventory levels in pharmaceutical supply chains and assist supply chain managers in determining which of them can be influenced in order to reduce inventories to an optimal degree. Reasons for reducing inventory levels are found in high inventory holding and scrap related costs; in addition to lost sales for not being able to serve the customers with the adequate shelf life requirements. The thesis conducts a single case study research in a multi-national pharmaceutical company, which is used to examine typical inventory configurations and the factors affecting these configurations. This paper presents a framework that can assist supply chain managers in determining the most important inventory drivers in pharmaceutical supply chains. The findings in this study suggest that while external and downstream supply chain factors are recognized as being critical to pursue inventory optimization initiatives, pharmaceutical companies are oriented towards optimizing production processes and meeting regulatory requirements while still complying with high service levels, being internal factors the ones prevailing when making inventory management decisions. Furthermore, this paper investigates, through predictive modelling techniques, how various intrinsic and extrinsic factors influence the inventory configurations of the case study company. The study shows that inventory configurations are relatively unstable over time, especially in configurations that present high safety stock levels; and that production features and product characteristics are important explanatory factors behind high inventory levels. Regulatory requirements also play an important role in explaining the high strategic inventory levels that pharmaceutical companies hold

The role of Framework Programmes in commercialisation and innovation growth shown through research results – evaluation research of the Polish effects

The article presents the results of evaluation research whose aim was the assessment of the effects of completed projects implemented by Polish research departments within the European Union Framework Programmes. This evaluation is the first attempt at a comprehensive analysis of the effects of Polish projects backed by this type of financial support. The research was conducted on the basis of three evaluation structuring criteria: effectiveness, utility and sustainability. The analysis considers three consecutive Framework Programmes which enable the assessment of participation effects and evolution of experiences of Polish beneficiaries over time. The results of the research was juxtaposed with the results of similar evaluation research in other countries, which increased the objectivity of the conclusions. The research pointed to the high effectiveness of achieving strategic goals at institutional level and the career development of individual scientists, as well as low effectiveness in economic output, meaning the impact on innovation is low. Such results are not only a features of Polish participation in framework programmes, but they also correspond to international research which highlights the implementation of other non-innovation geared research objectives.Preparation and printing funded by the National Agency for Research and Development under project “Kreator Innowacyjności – wparcie dla Przedsiębiorczości akademickiej

Framework for Program Assessments

For the past two years, we've been collaborating with our assessment partners to establish a benchmark against which the performance of any student, school or region can be mapped. The scale leverages a nationwide, representative sample of learning competencies prevalent across different school systems. And yet our commitment to evolving and implementing rigorous learning assessment frameworks has never been an end in itself: our primary goal is to use the data and insights to improve learning outcomes.Our work in education assessments—and the benefcial work being done by others in the field—will be most useful if communicated to the broader education community in India. Our assessment partners have prepared reports and conducted workshops to share their findings and explain how our investees can best bring about change in the classroom to enhance academic outcomes

Migration to next generation access networks: a real option approach

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The impact of national culture on e-government implementation: A comparison case study

Over the past decade there has been increasing interest in the IS research literature on the impact of cultural differences on the development and use of information and communications technologies (Ives & Jarvenpaa, 1991; Shore & Venkatachalam, 1995; Tractinsky & Jarvenpaa, 1995, Myers and Tan, 2002, Ali and Brooks, 2008). In this paper the authors explore the influence of national culture on eGov implementation. The authors have conducted a comparative case study in two different countries the UK as a developed country and Sari Lanka as a developing country. The research findings highlight the potential influence of cultural differences on eGov implementation