114 research outputs found
Tradition and Innovation in Construction Project Management
This book is a reprint of the Special Issue 'Tradition and Innovation in Construction Project Management' that was published in the journal Buildings
Development of an integrated framework for constructive dispute resolution in infrastructure public-private partnership projects
Despite wide international acceptance of infrastructure public-private partnerships (PPPs), they are fertile ground for disputes because of their unique features such as numerous stakeholders with differing organisational values and lifecycle arrangement for project delivery, among others. At the same time, dispute resolution (DR) in infrastructure PPPs is inadequately addressed and inefficient DR systems are prevalent. This study therefore developed a framework for constructive DR in infrastructure PPPs by embedding behaviour of PPP project parties through the lens of the Dual Concern Theory (DCT). The research employed a mixed methods approach and found that some of the sources of disputes in infrastructure PPPs include unbalanced allocation and under-pricing of risks, political interference, breakdown of commercial relationships, among others. In addition, some of the issues affecting DR in infrastructure PPPs were highlighted as inadequate information sharing, poor communication and collaboration, inadequate monitoring and evaluation systems, among others. Some critical success factors for DR in infrastructure PPPs were determined such as neutrality of the mediator, flexibility of PPP project parties, confidence in the DR system, fairness by all parties, and speed of DR. As a step towards improving DR in infrastructure PPPs, collaborative means of DR were suggested. These can be achieved through exploring solutions that are acceptable to all parties, transparency and open communication, among others. A framework for constructive DR in infrastructure PPPs was also developed. Among other theoretical contributions, this research clarified the occurrence of disputes and their resolution in infrastructure PPPs through the lens of DCT. From a practical perspective, an empirical framework that can serve as a customisable reference point when issues arise on infrastructure PPP projects, was developed.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Adelaide Business School , 202
Explaining US Cybersecurity Policy Integration Through a National Regime Lens
This research uses the Policy Regime Framework to analyze which of two policy ‎problems, US-China rivalry or IT/OT convergence, better explain degrees of coherence ‎and integration in the US cybersecurity regime. It explains how regime actors address and ‎negotiate these problems across the ICT and energy sectors. A process-tracing ‎methodology was used to track outcomes and explanatory factors, linking causal ‎mechanisms through an analysis of the Congressional record and in-depth stakeholder ‎interviews. The results indicate how the idea of Chinese ICTs as a Trojan horse for the ‎Chinese Community Party’s strategy was more effective than IT/OT convergence at ‎mobilizing interests and advancing coherent cybersecurity policy. Trade and ICT policies ‎were successfully integrated to achieve cybersecurity goals as regime interests bargained ‎to 'weaponize' critical trade interdependencies through the US competitive advantage in ‎the semiconductor industry. This research lends further validity to the Policy Regime ‎Framework in researching cross-sector-spanning policy problems in the ICT space ‎especially given recent calls for whole-of-government approaches to address emerging ‎strategic technologies.‎Ph.D
Proceedings of the 11th Toulon-Verona International Conference on Quality in Services
The Toulon-Verona Conference was founded in 1998 by prof. Claudio Baccarani of the University of Verona, Italy, and prof. Michel Weill of the University of Toulon, France. It has been organized each year in a different place in Europe in cooperation with a host university (Toulon 1998, Verona 1999, Derby 2000, Mons 2001, Lisbon 2002, Oviedo 2003, Toulon 2004, Palermo 2005, Paisley 2006, Thessaloniki 2007, Florence, 2008). Originally focusing on higher education institutions, the research themes have over the years been extended to the health sector, local government, tourism, logistics, banking services. Around a hundred delegates from about twenty different countries participate each year and nearly one thousand research papers have been published over the last ten years, making of the conference one of the major events in the field of quality in services
Assessment of Drought in Grasslands: Spatio – Temporal Analyses of Soil Moisture and Extreme Climate Effects in Southwestern Mongolia
Soil moisture plays an essential key role in the assessment of hydrological and meteorological droughts that may affect a wide area of the natural grassland and the groundwater resource. The surface soil moisture distribution as a function of time and space is highly relevant for hydrological, ecological, and agricultural applications, especially in water-limited or drought-prone regions. However, gauging soil moisture is challenging because of its high variability. While point-scale in-situ measurements are scarce, the remote sensing tools remain the only practical means to obtain regional and global-scale soil moisture estimates.
A Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) is the first satellite mission ever designed to gauge the Earth’s surface soil moisture (SM) at the near-daily time scales. This work aims to evaluate the spatial and temporal patterns of SMOS soil moisture, determine the effect of the climate extremes on the vegetation growth cycle, and demonstrate the feasibility of using our drought model (GDI) the Gobi Drought Index. The GDI is based on the combination of SMOS soil moisture and several products from the MODIS satellite. We used this index for hydro-meteorological drought monitoring in Southwestern Mongolia.
Firstly, we validated bias-corrected SMOS soil moisture for Mongolia by the in-situ soil moisture observations 2000 to 2015. Validation shows satisfactory results for assessing drought and water-stress conditions in the grasslands of Mongolia. The correlation analysis between SMOS and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) index in the various ecosystems shows a high correlation between the bias-corrected, monthly-averaged SMOS and NDVI data (R2 > 0.81). Further analysis of the SMOS and in situ SM data revealed a good match between spatial SM distribution and the rainfall events over Southwestern Mongolia. For example, during dry 2015, SM was decreased by approximately 30% across the forest-steppe and steppe areas. We also notice that both NDVI and rainfall can be used as indicators for grassland monitoring in Mongolia.
The second part of this research, analyzed several dzud (specific type of climate winter disaster) events (2000, 2001, 2002, and 2010) related to drought, to comprehend the spatial and temporal variability of vegetation conditions in the Gobi region of Mongolia. We determined how these extreme climatic events affect vegetation cover and local grazing conditions using the seasonal aridity index (aAIZ), NDVI, and livestock mortality data. The NDVI is used as an indicator of vegetation activity and growth. Its spatial and temporal pattern is expected to reflect the changes in surface vegetation density and status induced by water-deficit conditions. The Gobi steppe areas showed the highest degree of vulnerability to climate, with a drastic decline of grassland in arid areas. We found that under certain dzud conditions, rapid regeneration of vegetation can occur. A thick snow layer acting as a water reservoir combined with high livestock losses can lead to an increase of the maximum August NDVI. The snowy winters can cause a 10 to 20-day early peak in NDVI and the following increase in vegetation growth. However, during a year with dry winter conditions, the vegetation growth phase begins later due to water deficiency and the entire year has a weaker vegetation growth. Generally, livestock loss and the reduction of grazing pressure was played a crucial role in vegetation recovery after extreme climatic events in Mongolia.
At the last stage of our study, we develop an integrated Gobi drought index (GDI), derived from SMOS and LST, PET, and NDVI MODIS products. GDI can incorporate both, the meteorological and soil moisture drought patterns and sufficiently well represent overall drought conditions in the arid lands. Specifically, the monthly GDI and 1-month standardized precipitation index SPI showed significant correlations. Both of them are useful for drought monitoring in semi-arid lands. But, the SPI requires in situ data that are sparse, while the GDI is free from the meteorological network restriction. Consequently, we compared the GDI with other drought indices (VSWI, NDDI, NDWI, and in-situ SM). Comparison of these drought indices with the GDI allowed assessing the droughts’ behavior from different angles and quantified better their intensity.
The GDI maps at fine-scale (< 1km) permit extending the applicability of our drought model to regional and local studies. These maps were generated from 2000 to 2018 across Southwestern Mongolia. Fine-scale GDI drought maps are currently limited to the whole territory for Mongolia but the algorithm is dynamic and can be transported to any region. The GDI drought index can be served as a useful tool for prevention services to detect extremely dry soil and vegetation conditions posing a risk of drought and groundwater resource depletion. It was able to detect the drought events that were underestimated by the National Drought Watch System in Mongolia.
In summary, with the help of satellite, climatological, and geophysical data, the integrated GDI can be beneficial for vegetation drought stress characterization and can be a useful tool to monitor the effectiveness of pasture land restoration management practices for Mongolian livelihoods. The future application of the GDI can be extended to monitor potential impacts on water resources and agriculture in Mongolia, which have been impacted by long periods of drought
Negotiating Climate Change in Crisis
This is the final version. Available on open access from OpenBook Publishers via the DOI in this recordClimate change negotiations have failed the world. Despite more than thirty years of high-level, global talks on climate change, we are still seeing carbon emissions rise dramatically.
This edited volume, comprising leading and emerging scholars and climate activists from
around the world, takes a critical look at what has gone wrong and what is to be done to
create more decisive action.
Composed of twenty-eight essays, this volume is organised around seven main themes:
paradigms; what counts?; extraction; dispatches from a climate change frontline country;
governance; finance; and action(s). Through this multifaceted approach, the contributors
ask pressing questions about how we conceptualise and respond to the climate crisis,
providing both ‘big picture’ perspectives and more focussed case studies
Profitability Strategies of Solar Energy Businesses in Lagos, Nigeria
Some solar energy companies in Nigeria are not profitable because of ineffective marketing and sales strategies on the part of the business leaders and challenging operating environments. The ability to craft strategies that ensure the adoption of solar energy solutions by households is pertinent to the profitability of the solar energy business. Grounded in Rogers’s diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies solar energy business leaders in Lagos, Nigeria, use to maintain a profitable business. The participants included six solar energy business leaders in two companies from Lagos, Nigeria. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and company document reviews. Data were analyzed using Yin’s 5-phase cycle, which guided the coding process, where 4 major themes emerged: create awareness for solar using personal selling, social media, and online channels; offer attractive financing options; participate in rural electrification projects; and partner with distributors and agents. The implications for positive social change include the potential reduction of energy generation and consumption on climate as more households adopt solar energy solutions. A profitable business can increase the ability of companies to financially address social issues such as electrification in rural areas, electricity instability in urban areas, job creation, and poverty reduction
Risk Management
Every business and decision involves a certain amount of risk. Risk might cause a loss to a company. This does not mean, however, that businesses cannot take risks. As disengagement and risk aversion may result in missed business opportunities, which will lead to slower growth and reduced prosperity of a company. In today's increasingly complex and diverse environment, it is crucial to find the right balance between risk aversion and risk taking. To do this it is essential to understand the complex, out of the whole range of economic, technical, operational, environmental and social risks associated with the company's activities. However, risk management is about much more than merely avoiding or successfully deriving benefit from opportunities. Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks. Lastly, risk management helps a company to handle the risks associated with a rapidly changing business environment
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