scholarly journals The Quest for Innovation: Addressing User Needs and Value Creation

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Hugo Campos
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
End Users ◽  
User Needs ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Agricultural Innovation ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Safe Food ◽  
Successful Innovation

Abstract In agricultural and agrifood systems, like in many other economic sectors, the main innovation drivers have traditionally been (1) technological advances and (2) research and development. When innovation fails to address the actual needs of clients and end-users, however, satisfaction gaps are created. The result is that investors receive insufficient returns and end-users receive less than expected value. The consequences of failure can be deeper than just financial, however. Successful innovation in agriculture and agrifood systems is critical to secure affordable, nutritious, and safe food for all people. Rapid innovation is needed to address the serious challenge of climate change and to reduce agriculture’s global environmental footprint. The overarching goal of agricultural innovation should be to deliver high value to end-users and improve their quality of life and well-being. To achieve this goal, organizations must first understand the jobs to be done concept for their end-users. They must take into account user satisfaction gaps and frustrations. Understanding user needs is as important as producing technology to finding innovative solutions. This is true around the globe; in industry and public sectors, and in both developed and developing countries. This chapter explains why investing in innovation is very different from succeeding at it. Ultimately, the examples, ideas, and guidelines in this chapter can be brought to bear on agricultural innovation efforts (and any other economic sector), to make them more productive and worthwhile for end-users and investors/funders. The information herein is meant to increase the likelihood of successful innovation efforts at both profit-seeking firms and nonprofit organizations.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Children’s Well-Being: A Rapid Research Agenda

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca N. Dudovitz ◽  
Shirley Russ ◽  
Mary Berghaus ◽  
Iheoma U. Iruka ◽  
Jessica DiBari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Research Partnerships ◽  
Data Infrastructure ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
National Measurement ◽  
Resilient Response

Abstract Purpose Understanding the full impact of COVID-19 on U.S. children, families, and communities is critical to (a) document the scope of the problem, (b) identify solutions to mitigate harm, and (c) build more resilient response systems. We sought to develop a research agenda to understand the short- and long-term mechanisms and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s healthy development, with the goal of devising and ultimately testing interventions to respond to urgent needs and prepare for future pandemics. Description The Life Course Intervention Research Network facilitated a series of virtual meetings that included members of 10 Maternal and Child Health (MCH) research programs, their research and implementation partners, as well as family and community representatives, to develop an MCH COVID-19 Research Agenda. Stakeholders from academia, clinical practice, nonprofit organizations, and family advocates participated in four meetings, with 30–35 participants at each meeting. Assessment Investigating the impacts of COVID-19 on children’s mental health and ways to address them emerged as the highest research priority, followed by studying resilience at individual and community levels; identifying and mitigating the disparate negative effects of the pandemic on children and families of color, prioritizing community-based research partnerships, and strengthening local, state and national measurement systems to monitor children’s well-being during a national crisis. Conclusion Enacting this research agenda will require engaging the community, especially youth, as equal partners in research co-design processes; centering anti-racist perspectives; adopting a “strengths-based” approach; and integrating young researchers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). New collaborative funding models and investments in data infrastructure are also needed.

Research End-User Perspectives about Using Social Work Research in Policy and Practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Tilbury ◽  
Mark Hughes ◽  
Christine Bigby ◽  
Mike Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
End Users ◽  
Research Translation ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Research Engagement ◽  
Engagement Strategies ◽  
User Perspectives

Abstract Research funding and assessment initiatives that foster engagement between researchers and research end-users have been adopted by governments in many countries. They aim to orient research towards achieving measurable impacts that improve economic and social well-being beyond academia. This has long been regarded as important in social work research, as it has in many fields of applied research. This study examined research engagement and impact from the perspective of research end-users working in human services. In-person or telephone interviews were conducted with forty-three research end-users about how they used research and interacted with researchers. Content analysis was undertaken to identify engagement strategies and thematic coding was employed to examine underpinning ideas about research translation into practice. Participants were involved in many types of formal and informal research engagements. They viewed research translation as a mutual responsibility but indicated that researchers should do more to improve the utility of their research for industry. The findings highlight the iterative nature of engagement and impact and raise questions about the infrastructure for scaling up impact beyond relationships between individual researchers and their industry partners.

scholarly journals The University of Iowa Libraries’ Undergraduate User Needs Assessment

1998 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 571-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leo Clougherty ◽  
John Forys ◽  
Toby Lyles ◽  
Dorothy Persson ◽  
Christine Walters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
User Needs ◽  
Service Needs ◽  
University Of Iowa ◽  
Resource Needs ◽  
The University ◽  
University Setting ◽  
Library User ◽  
Satisfaction With Services

The university community is not a static environment but, rather, one fraught with change and adjustment to change. How do academic libraries within a university setting effectively address the evolving service and resource needs of a diverse patron community? One method that has received increasing attention is the development and implementation of internal instruments specifically designed to assess user satisfaction with services and resources. This study assesses undergraduate resource and service needs, identifies librarywide unmet needs, and gives both library user and librarian an opportunity to engage in proactive dialogue.

scholarly journals Restructuring the Out Door Spaces of Selected Public Buildings to Enhance User Satisfaction in Abuja

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Public Buildings ◽  
Open Spaces ◽  
Outdoor Spaces

The use of outdoor (open) spaces in public buildings is vast and has significant roles ranging from individual (users) perception of the development of urban centers and cities to the satisfaction of the various functions they perform. However, little research is available on the use of the outdoor spaces in these Public buildings environment and the activities that take place thereof. This study investigates the factors that take users of public buildings to the outdoor environment and the physical factors that constitute their uses within the spaces. Using both qualitative and quantitative research approach, the paper examined the importance of restructuring the outdoor spaces for quality of the surrounding of the built environment. The study adopts a purposive sampling where participants were selected based on the outdoor use only. A total of seventy (75) questionnaires were administered to the various users of public buildings within specific open spaces. Only seventy (70) representing (93.33%) of the total population were returned and subjected to data analysis using the relevant descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, Mean Weighted Score (MWS) and Relatively Important Index (R.I.I) were used to rank features obtained. The study concludes that proper restructuring of landscape elements is necessary within public buildings, in order to provide human comfort, well-being and improved productivity. It was recommended that revitalizing the environmental features of these public building necessitates the insufficiency of outdoor features in government own buildings. Therefore, the user’s satisfaction of this outdoor (open) space in public buildings should be key consideration and emphasized on right from planning and design stages to it implementation.

scholarly journals Landscape Design of University Campuses and User Satisfaction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deniz Gozde Ertin Tezgor ◽  
◽  
Beste Karakaya Aytin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
User Needs ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Art And Design ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
User Space

University campus gardens provide the integrity of the environment with educational buildings, connect the users and buildings, and provide liveable spaces for users. Campuses serve as a public space for academic, administrative and technical staff, especially students, as well as incoming visitors. As a public space, the ability of students to meet all their recreational, social and cultural needs is directly related to the content and designs of the open and green spaces of the campuses. It is essential to ensure the landscape designs of these spaces, in line with the structural and planting design principles, and with the successful composition of the user-space relationship where the user needs and desires are determined. From this point of view, it is aimed to evaluate the landscape designs of the two campuses of Trakya University, where art and design-oriented education is realised, in terms of user satisfaction. For this purpose, it was revealed by a survey that measures the satisfaction of the users of the two campuses where determined the spatial and landscape requirements of design-based education. In the survey, the users' duration and purpose of use of the campus, feelings created by various equipment on users, the usage the building and gardens and the current conditions of the campuses were determined. The frequency percentages of the data obtained in the survey study were evaluated using the SPSS 26.0 program. As a result, suggestions have been developed to improve the current use of the two campus gardens and to ensure the sustainability of the spaces.

scholarly journals User Requirements Analysis of an Embodied Conversational Agent for Coaching Older Adults to Choose Active and Healthy Ageing Behaviors during the Transition to Retirement: A Cross-National User Centered Design Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 9681
Author(s):  
Sara Santini ◽  
Vera Stara ◽  
Flavia Galassi ◽  
Alessandra Merizzi ◽  
Cornelia Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
End Users ◽  
Healthy Ageing ◽  
User Requirements ◽  
Conversational Agent ◽  
Embodied Conversational Agent ◽  
Active And Healthy Ageing ◽  
Transition To Retirement

Background: Retirement is recognized as a factor influencing the ageing process. Today, virtual health coaching systems can play a pivotal role in supporting older adults’ active and healthy ageing. This study wants to answer two research questions: (1) What are the user requirements of a virtual coach (VC) based on an Embodied Conversational Agent (ECA) for motivating older adults in transition to retirement to adopt a healthy lifestyle? (2) How could a VC address the active and healthy ageing dimensions, even during COVID-19 times? Methods: Two-wave focus-groups with 60 end-users aged 55 and over and 27 follow-up telephone interviews were carried out in Austria, Italy and the Netherlands in 2019–2020. Qualitative data were analysed by way of framework analysis. Results: End-users suggest the VC should motivate older workers and retirees to practice physical activity, maintain social contacts and emotional well-being. The ECA should be reactive, customizable, expressive, sympathetic, not directive nor patronizing, with a pleasant and motivating language. The COVID-19 outbreak increased the users’ need for functions boosting community relationships and promoting emotional well-being. Conclusions: the VC can address the active and healthy ageing paradigm by increasing the chances of doing low-cost healthy activities at any time and in any place.

scholarly journals The regions in Bulgaria and the green economy - novelty or serious experience?

2021 ◽  
Vol 120 ◽  
pp. 01017
Author(s):  
Stanka Delcheva
Keyword(s):  
Regional Development ◽  
Development Policy ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Green Economy ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Regional Development Policy ◽  
Transition Readiness ◽  
Programming Period

The report presents the regional development policy in Bulgaria after 2007 with focus of the stated and implemented support for application of a green economy transition’s instruments. The green economy is defined by relevant economic sectors and themes that add value to quality of life, reducing carbon emissions and creating jobs. Objective: to review the applying of instruments for transition to a green economy in the regions as part of regional development policy and promotion of the regions’ competitiveness. Methods: Descriptive analysis and review of documents were used; review of planning documents at regional and municipal level and analysis of the type of applied instruments for the transition to a green economy; comparative evaluation of the already applied instruments with the forecasts for the new programming period 2021-2027. Results: The applied in the period 2007 - 2020 instruments for supporting the transition to a green economy and their connection with the development of the regions in Bulgaria are traced. The results correlation of the already applied instruments with the approach envisaged in the programming period after 2021 has been assessed. Elements of the connection between transition readiness and the regions’ competitiveness are considered. Conclusions: Conclusions are drawn about the Bulgarian regions experience and capacities gained to exploit the potential and opportunities to increase competitiveness and well-being.

scholarly journals The VIADUC project: innovation in climate adaptation through service design

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-205
Author(s):  
L. Corre ◽  
P. Dandin ◽  
D. L'Hôte ◽  
F. Besson
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
End Users ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Major Step ◽  
Climate Services

Abstract. From the French National Adaptation to Climate Change Plan, the "Drias, les futurs du climat" service has been developed to provide easy access to French regional climate projections. This is a major step for the implementation of French Climate Services. The usefulness of this service for the end-users and decision makers involved with adaptation planning at a local scale is investigated. As such, the VIADUC project is: to evaluate and enhance Drias, as well as to imagine future development in support of adaptation. Climate scientists work together with end-users and a service designer. The designer's role is to propose an innovative approach based on the interaction between scientists and citizens. The chosen end-users are three Natural Regional Parks located in the South West of France. The latter parks are administrative entities which gather municipalities having a common natural and cultural heritage. They are also rural areas in which specific economic activities take place, and therefore are concerned and involved in both protecting their environment and setting-up sustainable economic development. The first year of the project has been dedicated to investigation including the questioning of relevant representatives. Three key local economic sectors have been selected: i.e. forestry, pastoral farming and building activities. Working groups were composed of technicians, administrative and maintenance staff, policy makers and climate researchers. The sectors' needs for climate information have been assessed. The lessons learned led to actions which are presented hereinafter.

Food, drink and travel

1982 ◽  
Vol 82 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 37-45
Author(s):  
Francis Mackay
Keyword(s):  
Universal Access ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Food Hygiene ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Upset Stomach ◽  
Food And Drink ◽  
Safe Food ◽  
Mental Well Being

SynopsisAll travellers have recourse to food and drink either while journeying or having arrived. Either way they represent problems of quality control to caterers as any deterioration in standards can have serious effects on travellers' physical and mental well-being, albeit in the short term. The rapid expansion of travel in the last few years, which is unlikely to diminish, has probably improved standards of hygiene and nutrition as a whole but not without some curious side effects. Despite all the years of study and effort put into food hygiene in many countries, most travellers to a foreign state can still expect an upset stomach within a few days of arrival. The main problem for caterer and customer alike is the provision of safe food so this paper deals with the problems encountered in ensuring that travellers have ready and universal access to wholesome meals. In many cases satisfactory sources of supply, methods of preparation and staff training have been evolved so the problem is not of establishing standards but of ensuring continuity and development, especially in times of economic recession or after the first flush of enthusiasm has evaporated. Also considered is the problem of matching strangers demands for ‘native’ food with what they will actually eat, plus the problem of producing safe food which retains some of the original flavours, aroma and effects.

PENERAPAN AKTIVITAS FUNGSIONAL REKREASI PADA MASA NEW NORMAL UNTUK MENJAGA KESEHATAN LANJUT USIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Ipa Sari Kardi ◽  
Nasri Nasri ◽  
Ibrahim Ibrahim ◽  
Yahya Eko Nopiyanto
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Functional Change ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Functional Activities ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Normal Period ◽  
Daily Physical Activities

Background: Structural and functional change in the elderly is a process that cannot be stopped, but can be managed, so that it can inhibit the aging process. Technological advances in the digital era 4.0 coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020 make someone, especially the elderly, less mobile. One of the actions that can be taken is implementing recreational functional activities, which are physical activities that are carried out happily with other people, such as family or community. This action is one of the safe and effective ways to help maintain the health of the elderly during the new normal period, so that the elderly are still able to carry out daily physical activities, stay healthy, productive and happy. Recreational functional activities play an important role in the well-being of the elderly and in improving the quality of life of all ages, including the elderly. Purpose: This community service aims to introduce a variety of functional activities that can entertain and delight the elderly. Methods: The method used was counseling and the application of recreational functional activities. Results: Based on the results of blood pressure examinations, it was found that the elderly who had hypertension were (73%) and normal (27%), the BMI measurement showed less weight (20%), normal weight (13%), over weight (20%) , OB I (27%) and OB II (20%). After applying recreational functional activities, there is a good response from the elderly. The elderly feel happier, experience and increase knowledge about simple movements that can stimulate the physical, psychological and social health of the elderly, even if only around the place of residence.

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