7,962 research outputs found

    Graduate Catalog of Studies, 2023-2024

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    UMSL Bulletin 2023-2024

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    The 2023-2024 Bulletin and Course Catalog for the University of Missouri St. Louis.https://irl.umsl.edu/bulletin/1088/thumbnail.jp

    Graduate Catalog of Studies, 2023-2024

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    UMSL Bulletin 2022-2023

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    The 2022-2023 Bulletin and Course Catalog for the University of Missouri St. Louis.https://irl.umsl.edu/bulletin/1087/thumbnail.jp

    Evaluating the sustainability and resiliency of local food systems

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    With an ever-rising global population and looming environmental challenges such as climate change and soil degradation, it is imperative to increase the sustainability of food production. The drastic rise in food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic has further shown a pressing need to increase the resiliency of food systems. One strategy to reduce the dependence on complex, vulnerable global supply chains is to strengthen local food systems, such as by producing more food in cities. This thesis uses an interdisciplinary, food systems approach to explore aspects of sustainability and resiliency within local food systems. Lifecycle assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate how farm scale, distance to consumer, and management practices influence environmental impacts for different local agriculture models in two case study locations: Georgia, USA and England, UK. Farms were grouped based on urbanisation level and management practices, including: urban organic, peri-urban organic, rural organic, and rural conventional. A total of 25 farms and 40 crop lifecycles were evaluated, focusing on two crops (kale and tomatoes) and including impacts from seedling production through final distribution to the point of sale. Results were extremely sensitive to the allocation of composting burdens (decomposition emissions), with impact variation between organic farms driven mainly by levels of compost use. When composting burdens were attributed to compost inputs, the rural conventional category in the U.S. and the rural organic category in the UK had the lowest average impacts per kg sellable crop produced, including the lowest global warming potential (GWP). However, when subtracting avoided burdens from the municipal waste stream from compost inputs, trends reversed entirely, with urban or peri-urban farm categories having the lowest impacts (often negative) for GWP and marine eutrophication. Overall, farm management practices were the most important factor driving environmental impacts from local food supply chains. A soil health assessment was then performed on a subset of the UK farms to provide insight to ecosystem services that are not captured within LCA frameworks. Better soil health was observed in organically-farmed and uncultivated soils compared to conventionally farmed soils, suggesting higher ecosystem service provisioning as related to improved soil structure, flood mitigation, erosion control, and carbon storage. However, relatively high heavy metal concentrations were seen on urban and peri-urban farms, as well as those located in areas with previous mining activity. This implies that there are important services and disservices on farms that are not captured by LCAs. Zooming out from a focus on food production, a qualitative methodology was used to explore experiences of food insecurity and related health and social challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fourteen individuals receiving emergency food parcels from a community food project in Sheffield, UK were interviewed. Results showed that maintaining food security in times of crisis requires a diverse set of individual, household, social, and place-based resources, which were largely diminished or strained during the pandemic. Drawing upon social capital and community support was essential to cope with a multiplicity of hardship, highlighting a need to develop community food infrastructure that supports ideals of mutual aid and builds connections throughout the food supply chain. Overall, this thesis shows that a range of context-specific solutions are required to build sustainable and resilient food systems. This can be supported by increasing local control of food systems and designing strategies to meet specific community needs, whilst still acknowledging a shared global responsibility to protect ecosystem, human, and planetary health

    Challenges facing small and medium enterprises at the Lephalale Local Municipality of Limpopo Province in South Africa

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    Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) development is significant for employment, wealth distribution, and innovation advancement. SMEs struggle to survive in the commercial world despite the availability of government programmes. This study was to identify the factors that hinder SMEs in Lephalale Local Municipality from succeeding. The phenomenological research design was used to investigate the current state of SMEs. The objectives were achieved by employing a qualitative approach and using unstructured interviews from a population of 318 participants. The data were analysed using Atlas. ti 8 software. SMEs struggle to sustain their businesses because of a lack of access to equipment and financial resources. SMEs consider attending bookkeeping training. SMEs find it difficult to compete with large businesses because they lack the resources. SMEs should consider collaborating with other businesses to acquire business skills and the government should review the current standards to help SMEs meet the requirements for business development.U bveledzwa ha mabindu maṱuku na a vhukati (dzi SME) ndi zwa ndeme kha mushumo, u kovhela lupfumo na u bvela phanḓa na vhubveledzi. Dzi SME dzo konḓelwa u bvela phanḓa kha ḽifhasi ḽa mbambadzo naho hu na mbekanyamushumo dza muvhuso. Ngudo heyi yo itwa u topola zwiṱaluli zwine zwa thivhela dzi SME kha Masipala Wapo wa Lephalale kha u bvelela. Nḓila ya ṱhoḓisiso ya zwibveleli yo shumiswa u ṱoḓisisa tshiimo tsha zwino tsha dzi SME. Zwipikwa zwo swikelelwa nga u shumisa ngona ya khwaḽithethivi na u shumisa inthaviwu dzine mbudziso dza hone dza sa thome dza dzudzanywa kha vhathu vha vhadzheneli vha 318. Data yo saukanywa hu tshi khou shumiswa sofuthiwee ya Atlas.ti 8. Dzi SME dzi a konḓelwa u bvela phanḓa na mabindu adzo ngauri dzi a konḓelwa u swikelela zwishumiswa na zwiko zwa masheleni. Dzi SME dzo dzhiela nṱha u dzhenela vhugudisi ha u vhulunga rekhodo dza masheleni. Dzi SME dzi wana zwi tshi konḓa u ṱaṱisana na mabindu mahulwane ngauri a vha na zwiko. Dzi SME dzi fanela u dzhiela nṱha tshumisano na maṅwe mabindu u wana zwikili zwa bindu, na muvhuso u fanela u sedzulusa hafhu zwilinganyo zwa zwino u thusa dzi SME u swikelela ṱhoḓea dza mveledziso ya bindu.Go hlongwa ga dikgwebopotlana le dikgwebo tša magareng (di-SME) go bohlokwa go tlhomo ya mešomo, go kabaganyo ya lehumo le go tšwetšopele ya boitlhamelo. Di-SME di swara bothata go tšwela pele ka kgwebo ka lefaseng la kgwebo le ge e le gore go na le mananeo a mmušo. Dinyakišišo tše di dirilwe ka nepo ya go tseba mabaka ao a šitišago di-SME ka Masepaleng wa Selegae wa Lephalale go atlega. Tlhamo ya dinyakišišo tša boleng bja maitemogelo di šomišitšwe go nyakišiša seemo sa bjale sa di-SME. Maikemišetšo a ile a fihlelelwa ka go diriša mokgwa wa boleng le go šomiša dipoledišano tše dipotšišo tša tšona di sego tša hlangwa peleng go bakgathatema ba 318. Tshedimošo e ile ya sekasekwa ka go šomiša softewere ya Atlas.ti 8. Di-SME di swara bothata bja go tšwetša pele dikgwebo tša tšona ka lebaka la tlhokego ya phihlelelo ya ditlabelo le methopo ya ditšhelete. Di-SME di nyaka go tsenela tlhahlo ya mabapi le go beakanya dipuku tša ditšhelete. Di-SME di bona go le boima go phadišana le dikgwebo tše kgolo ka ge di hloka methopo. Di-SME di swanetše go nagana ka go dirišana le dikgwebo tše dingwe go hwetša mabokgoni a bophelo, gomme mmušo o swanetše go lekodišiša maemo a bjale a go thuša di-SME gore di fihlelele dinyakwa tša tlhabollo ya kgwebo.Business ManagementM. Comm. (Business Management

    2023-2024 Catalog

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    The 2023-2024 Governors State University Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog is a comprehensive listing of current information regarding:Degree RequirementsCourse OfferingsUndergraduate and Graduate Rules and Regulation

    An empirical investigation of the relationship between integration, dynamic capabilities and performance in supply chains

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    This research aimed to develop an empirical understanding of the relationships between integration, dynamic capabilities and performance in the supply chain domain, based on which, two conceptual frameworks were constructed to advance the field. The core motivation for the research was that, at the stage of writing the thesis, the combined relationship between the three concepts had not yet been examined, although their interrelationships have been studied individually. To achieve this aim, deductive and inductive reasoning logics were utilised to guide the qualitative study, which was undertaken via multiple case studies to investigate lines of enquiry that would address the research questions formulated. This is consistent with the author’s philosophical adoption of the ontology of relativism and the epistemology of constructionism, which was considered appropriate to address the research questions. Empirical data and evidence were collected, and various triangulation techniques were employed to ensure their credibility. Some key features of grounded theory coding techniques were drawn upon for data coding and analysis, generating two levels of findings. These revealed that whilst integration and dynamic capabilities were crucial in improving performance, the performance also informed the former. This reflects a cyclical and iterative approach rather than one purely based on linearity. Adopting a holistic approach towards the relationship was key in producing complementary strategies that can deliver sustainable supply chain performance. The research makes theoretical, methodological and practical contributions to the field of supply chain management. The theoretical contribution includes the development of two emerging conceptual frameworks at the micro and macro levels. The former provides greater specificity, as it allows meta-analytic evaluation of the three concepts and their dimensions, providing a detailed insight into their correlations. The latter gives a holistic view of their relationships and how they are connected, reflecting a middle-range theory that bridges theory and practice. The methodological contribution lies in presenting models that address gaps associated with the inconsistent use of terminologies in philosophical assumptions, and lack of rigor in deploying case study research methods. In terms of its practical contribution, this research offers insights that practitioners could adopt to enhance their performance. They can do so without necessarily having to forgo certain desired outcomes using targeted integrative strategies and drawing on their dynamic capabilities

    Tradition and Innovation in Construction Project Management

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    This book is a reprint of the Special Issue 'Tradition and Innovation in Construction Project Management' that was published in the journal Buildings
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