49 research outputs found
Public Sector Innovation: Case Study of e-government Projects in Pakistan
This study analyses and examines in detail the impact of
public sector innovation to improve public satisfaction level, it is
about changing the traditional government into a more integrated and
efficient one. Innovation is actually the engine of economic growth.
Innovation in the public sector is an under-researched area. It deals
with governance, political and human issues which are very difficult to
solve. Since much of the topic and studies on innovation are focusing on
the private sector, it is the aim of this study to analyse the process
of innovation, mainly in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
in the public sector. This study will eventually be able to give
e-government model/ guidelines that encapsulates the reality of
innovation by the government. Innovation in government is not only about
bringing a new breakthrough product to the people, but also to bring in
changes to the culture in the organisation, the way a decision is made,
and perhaps more importantly, how it can use technology to strengthen
its role as the provider of social and economic welfare to the people.
This study has also compared the findings of the e-government case study
to the literature of innovation mainly in the area of process
innovation. There is SWOT analysis with weight rating to judge the
e-governance challenges, which Pakistan is facing as a developing
nation. The study concludes that the public sector needs to overcome its
traditional characteristics of poor agenda setting, unclear objectives,
lack of transparency, and bureaucratic layers of decision-making
processes. Keywords: Citizens, e-government Projects, ICT, Public
Satisfaction, Public Sector Innovatio
IMPACT OF PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CONTEXT ON EMPLOYEES’ JOB OUTCOMES
The research focuses to investigate the various unique aspects that may have impact on job outcomes during change implementation in a public sector organization. The study has two prime objectives. First objective is to study the association between employees’ withdrawal behavior and personality traits. Second objective is to find factors of organizational context that may have impact on employees’ job outcomes. Data have obtained from 345 employees of State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC). These selected employees are working in top business zones. Data collected by using simple random sampling technique and self-administered questionnaire. The result revealed a positive association between employees’ withdrawal behavior and personality traits. Another significant connection has also found in between employees job outcomes and organizational contextual factors. The paper contributes in existing literature of organizational change implementation, personality traits, employees’ job outcomes, and organizational contextual factors in the perspective of a developing country
Seasonal variation in phytoplankton and aquatic plants in floodplain lakes (lower Vistula River, Poland)
Algal mats transport diaspores and carpological remains in shallow lakes
Algal mats in lakes and reservoirs can transport diaspores and carpological remains of plants, and thus may influence the creation of taphocoenoses. In 2012, I quantified carpological remains in two types of algal mats from a small reservoir in southern Poland. Mats formed by filamentous algae participate primarily in the original transport of diaspores, and can influence their concentration and facilitate their migration, mainly between the shores of the reservoir. Diatom mats partake primarily in diaspore redeposition, but can also cause their dispersal between the shore zone and the central part of the reservoir. This research demonstrates that mats built by diatoms contain far more remains and are more biologically diverse than filamentous algal mats. Movement of carpological remains observed in both types of algal mats points to their role in the formation of taphocoenoses and suggests that algal mats must be considered when interpreting macrofossil records
Fostering coastal resilience to climate change vulnerability in Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon and Uruguay: a cross-country comparison
© 2017, Springer Science+Business Media B.V. This paper describes a comparative study of four different cases on vulnerability, hazards and adaptive capacity to climate threats in coastal areas and communities in four developing countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon and Uruguay. Coastal areas are vulnerable to sea-level rise (SLR), storm surges and flooding due to their (i) exposure, (ii) concentration of settlements, many of which occupied by less advantaged groups and (iii) the concentration of assets and services seen in these areas. The objective of the paper is twofold: (i) to evaluate current evidence of coastal vulnerability and adaptive capacity and (ii) to compare adaptation strategies being implemented in a sample of developing countries, focusing on successful ones. The followed approach for the case evaluation is based on (i) documenting observed threats and damages, (ii) using indicators of physical and socioeconomic vulnerability and adaptive capacity status and (iii) selecting examples of successful responses. Major conclusions based on cross-case comparison are (a) the studied countries show different vulnerability, adaptive capacity and implementation of responses, (b) innovative community-based (CBA) and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and (c) early warning systems are key approaches and tools to foster climate resilience. A recommendation to foster the resilience of coastal communities and services is that efforts in innovative adaptation strategies to sea-level rise should be intensified and integrated with climate risk management within the national adaption plans (NAPAs) in order to reduce the impacts of hazards
Restoring macrophyte diversity in shallow temperate lakes: biotic versus abiotic constraints
Sensitized luminescence from water-soluble LaF3:Eu nanocrystals via partially-capped 1,10-phenanthroline: time-gated emission and multiple lifetimes
Water dispersible citrate-capped LaF3:Eu(5%) nanocrystals (NCs) have been partially surface-functionalized by 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) via a ligand exchange method to produce novel water dispersed citrate/phen-capped LaF3: Eu(5%) NCs in which citrate ligands preserve the water dispersibility of the NCs and phen ligands act as sensitizers of surface Eu3+-dopant sites. The partial ligand exchange and the formation of water dispersed NCs have been monitored by H-1 NMR spectroscopy, as well as luminescence measurements at different time intervals during the reaction. These NCs display a distinct phen-sensitized Eu3+-emission profile with enhanced intensity in water as compared to the emission profile and intensity obtained upon direct excitation. Time-resolved (or time-gated) emission spectroscopy (TRES) has been used to probe PL dynamics of Eu3+-sites of LaF3: Eu(5%) NCs by taking advantage of selectively sensitizing surface Eu3+-dopant sites by phen ligands as well as by exciting all the Eu3+-sites in the NCs upon direct excitation. TRES upon direct excitation of the citrate-capped LaF3: Eu(5%) NCs reveals that Eu3+-dopants occupy at least three different sites, each with a different emission profile and lifetime, and emission from purely interior Eu3+-sites has been resolved due to their long lifetime as compared to the lifetime of purely surface and near surface Eu3+-sites. In contrast, the phen-sensitized emission from citrate/phen-capped LaF3: Eu(5%) NCs displays similar emission profiles and lifetimes in TRES measurements, which reveal that phen truly sensitizes purely surface dopant sites of the NCs in water, all of which have nearly the same local environment. The phen-sensitized Eu3+-emission of the NCs in water remains stable even upon addition of various buffer solutions at physiological pH, as well as upon addition of water-miscible organic solvents. Furthermore, the two-photon excitation (lambda(ex). = 720 nm) of these water-soluble phen-capped NCs produces bright red Eu3+ emission, which reveals that these NCs are promising for potential applications in biological imaging
Europium-doped LaF3 nanocrystals with organic 9-oxidophenalenone capping ligands that display visible light excitable steady-state blue and time-delayed red emission
Visible light excitable and color tunable similar to 5% Eu3+-doped LaF3 nanocrystals (NCs), containing 9-oxido-phenalenone ligands bound to the surface as visible light sensitizers for Eu3+ dopants, have been synthesized by a facile solution-based method. The crystalline phase structure, size, composition, morphology and luminescence properties of the NCs are characterized using X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and steady-state and time-resolved emission spectroscopy. The results show that these NCs are very small in size (c1 space group. The visible light excitation of the capping ligands triggers an alternate display of steady-state, short-lived blue emission (tau Eu3+ energy migration from surface-sensitized Eu3+ sites of the NCs
Assessment of Citizen Perception: A Case Study of Municipal Solid Waste Management System in Guimaraes, Portugal
This study explores a new method of service delivery in the public sector in Guimaraes, which is the UNESCO Heritage Centre. The primary reason for this effort is the paradigm shift in the public service sector, which has resulted in improved services in terms of quality and performance. The study was to evaluate the level of satisfaction citizens derive from the services provided to them. Innovative project for Solid waste management system was investigated in Guimaraes, Portugal. Data collection was done using a convenience sampling technique. Questionnaires were distributed to collect primary data from citizens of Guimaraes. Quantitative techniques were used to analyze data. The findings of the study indicated that citizens of Guimaraes are more satisfied with the new and innovative method of service delivery as compared to the old conventional method. The study also revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between Public Service Delivery and Citizen Satisfaction. Findings may help improve public service delivery projects success rates