scholarly journals Farmer adoption of sustainable intensification technologies in the maize systems of the Global South. A review

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliot Jones-Garcia ◽  
Vijesh V. Krishna
Keyword(s):  
Global South ◽  
Sustainable Intensification ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Adoption Studies ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Socioeconomic Analysis ◽  
Farmer Adoption

AbstractThis paper reviews the empirical literature on the determinants of farmer adoption of sustainable intensification technologies in maize agri-food systems of the Global South. The attributes of the technology and the dissemination institutions interact with farm/farmer-specific variables, leading to heterogeneous impacts, making the prediction of technology adoption challenging. However, most empirical studies oversimplify the adoption process and examine only the farm/farmer-specific variables as the determinants of adoption, thereby limiting the scope of learning on how the attributes of the technology and the dissemination system could have been altered to realize a more efficient and more inclusive technological change. We argue for a realignment of empirical adoption analysis for better implications through a conscious rejection of the assumption that the onus of technology performance rests solely with the farmer. Here we review the studies published between 2007 and 2018 on the adoption of sustainable intensification technologies in maize systems of the Global South to examine how the adoption models are currently dependent on the farm/farmer attributes vis-à-vis the attributes of technologies and disseminating institutions. The main findings from a synthesis of 137 adoption studies are threefold. (1) Limited information access and technologies not suitable for the small landholdings were the major constraints of farmer adoption of technologies. (2) The criticisms on the conventional adoption analysis concerning oversimplification and decontextualization of the decision-making process are reaffirmed. (3) The empirical adoption research needs to incorporate the attributes of technologies and the socio-institutional context to develop better research strategies toward inclusive agrarian development. We examine how the framework of the socioeconomic analysis can be reconstructed to facilitate the research and development (R&D) institutions to overcome the major hurdles of rapid and inclusive dissemination. Evaluation of the degree to which the attributes of technology favor its adoption requires increased research attention.

scholarly journals Consequences of mandated usage of innovations in organizations: developing an innovation decision model of symbolic and forced adoption

AMS Review ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 279-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Heidenreich ◽  
Katrin Talke
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Decision Model ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Negative Outcomes ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Advance Theory ◽  
Mandated Adoption

AbstractIn organizations, mandated adoption contexts are the rule rather than the exception. Individuals, who are denied the choice between adopting and rejecting an innovation, are more likely to engage in opposition behavior, particularly if the innovation conflicts with their held beliefs. Interestingly, neither the construct of forced adoption nor its consequences have received much research attention. To address this gap, we conduct a systematic literature review and provide theoretical rationales for the emergence of innovation resistance and opposition behaviors in organizations. We then develop an innovation decision model of individual adoption behavior that localizes negative outcomes of the secondary adoption process along the different process stages, providing insights into their emergence and potential consequences for the organization. Furthermore, we identify important avenues for future research and show how our innovation decision model can be used to advance theory development on forced adoption.

Modelling the adoption of sustainable procurement in construction organisations

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 461-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwaku Agbesi ◽  
Frank D. Fugar ◽  
Theophilus Adjei-Kumi
Keyword(s):  
Decision Process ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Adoption Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adoption Decision ◽  
Sustainable Procurement ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Adoption Model

Purpose The adoption of sustainable procurement in construction clients’ organisation remains a difficult concept. Current research of sustainable procurement adoption studies fails to focus on a multi-stage adoption process. The purpose of this paper is to develop an organisational adoption model in a multi-stage process for the adoption of sustainable procurement in construction. Design/methodology/approach The paper developed an organisational adoption model. The model was tested against data obtained from survey administered to 193 respondents of central and local government institutions with a response rate of 63.7 per cent. Structural equation modelling using the partial least squares was employed to determine and confirm the factor structure of the model, and to measure the relationships between the model constructs. Findings An organisational adoption model is developed, tested and is robust to aid the adoption decision process of sustainable procurement within construction organisations. Research limitations/implications The study is limited in scope affecting generalisation of the results. Future study should expand the scope to include consultants, contractors and suppliers. Practical implications The adoption model will assist policy makers and top managers to understand the adoption decision process and prioritise on the technological, organisational and environmental factors that significantly affect sustainable adoption decision process within construction organisations. Originality/value This study appears to be among the first to empirically develop an organisational adoption model to aid the adoption of sustainable procurement in construction.

Research Challenges and Opportunities in Conducting Quantitative Studies on Large-Scale Agile Methodology

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-73
Author(s):  
Dinesh Batra
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Adoption Studies ◽  
Agile Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Balanced Approach ◽  
Research Challenges ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

This research note suggests five research challenges when conducting quantitative studies on large-scale agile methodology (LSAM). First, the LSAM empirical literature, which is mainly characterized by qualitative studies primarily focusing on coordination issues, provides limited background. Second, the notion of “large” in LSAM needs to be clarified because the existing research seems to have focused on “very large” or outlier projects. Third, the popular LSAM methods suggest broad and general maxims that may result in difficulty in operationalizing dependent variables, especially in innovation adoption studies. Fourth, the researcher may get overwhelmed when selecting independent variables from the plethora of suggested constructs. Finally, some of the problems associated with large-scale agile are mostly challenges of using conventional agile during a time-period when LSAM had not formally emerged. Researchers should take a balanced approach considering both benefits and challenges of using LSAM and focusing on project-level dependent measures such as success and acceptance.

Abduction of Children

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Mitchell Miller ◽  
Stephanie M. Koskinen
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Rare Event ◽  
Lightning Strike ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Professional School ◽  
Child Victims ◽  
Social Constructions ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Child Abduction

Few crime topics elicit as much fear and concern as child abduction, which is also commonly known as child kidnapping. Child abduction, or kidnapping, is a criminal offense that entails the wrongful taking of a minor by force or violence, manipulation or fraud, or persuasion. There are basically two types of child abduction; familial-parental and the much-exaggerated stranger abductor. Parental abductions are heavily contextualized in child custody and involve far less physical danger to child victims than stranger abductions, which include the majority of violence and sexual violence associated with more extreme abduction events. Despite the popular culture myth of “abduction waves” and pedophiles lurking in the shadows, child abduction is actually a rare phenomenon, as indicated by Shutt, et al. 2004 (cited under Social Constructions), which likened abduction likelihood to the rarity of a lightning strike. Nonetheless, media hype and sensationalism have framed both popular culture and social-legal constructions of abduction frequency, risk, and offender and victim stereotypes, most notably stranger/pedophile abductors and abduction epidemics. The extant academic literature on child abduction can be observed as a three-pronged typology of 1) historical works, more so accounts of well-known US child kidnappings such as the Lindbergh baby, Adam Walsh, and, more recently, Elizabeth Smart, and international research on abduction for ransom, custody, vice work, and military servitude; 2) legal overviews and opinions, both domestically and internationally, with the latter especially focused on abduction legislation initiatives within Hague Conference; and 3) the focus of this article, empirical scientific works primarily appearing in refereed journal articles. The majority of this literature originates from the behavioral (psychology) and social sciences (criminology and criminal justice, sociology, and political science) and, to a lesser degree, from professional school orientations (social work, nursing, and public health). As a rare event and relatively myopic, though seriously consequential, phenomenon, there isn’t a discernable number of reference works, anthologies, or established published bibliographies informing the child abduction knowledge base. Fortunately, there is a sizeable body of empirical works on child abduction to characterize the nature of the offense, its perpetrator and victim participants, and responses by juvenile and criminal justice as well as other stakeholder agencies. While substantial research attention has addressed child abduction in Africa, Latin America, and parts of Europe, this coverage is based on American research over the last few decades. This empirical literature on child abduction is presented in annotated form as a thematic taxonomy comprised of the following: 1) General Overviews, 2) Offense, Offender, and Victim Characteristics, 3) Familial Abduction, 4) Stranger Abduction, 5) Awareness and Prevention, 6) AMBER Alert and Other Official Responses, and 7) Social Constructions.

scholarly journals Secrecy, spies and the global South: intelligence studies beyond the ‘Five Eyes’ alliance

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 1313-1329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zakia Shiraz ◽  
Richard J. Aldrich
Keyword(s):  
Arab Spring ◽  
Global South ◽  
Development Studies ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Area Studies ◽  
Intelligence Studies ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
The Arab Spring

Abstract The study of secrecy and spies remain subjects dominated by Anglo-American experiences. In recent years there has been some effort to refocus the lens of research upon ‘intelligence elsewhere’, including the global South. This is partly because of intense interest in the Arab Spring and ‘managed democracy’, placing a wider range of secret services under the spotlight. However, the approach to research is still dominated by concepts and methods derived from studying the English-speaking states of the ‘Five Eyes’ alliance and their European outriders. This article calls for a re-examination of research strategies for Intelligence Studies and for those theorizing surveillance, suggesting that both fields have much to learn from area studies and development studies, especially in the realm of research practice and ethics. If the growing number of academics specializing in intelligence genuinely wish to move forward and examine the global South they will need to rethink their tool-kit and learn from other disciplines. We suggest there is a rich tradition to draw upon.

scholarly journals Studentification in Stellenbosch, South Africa

Urbani izziv ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol Supplement (30) ◽  
pp. 158-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustav Visser ◽  
Dene Kisting
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Urban Geography ◽  
Developing World ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Global South ◽  
Social Character ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Student Enrolment ◽  
Academic Record

Globally, studentification has emerged as a prominent urban process, fast becoming entrenched in geographical discourse. Since the early 1990s, in both developed and developing world countries, an expansion in student enrolment has outstripped the ability of higher education institutions to provide adequate accommodation. These trends have been noted in South Africa too. The extent and impact of studentification on the urban geography of those places in which it has taken root is still poorly understood in both South Africa and the global South at large. This paper investigates studentification as experienced in one of South Africa’s secondary cities – Stellenbosch. An overview of generic studentification impacts is provided and the development of this process tracked. Thereafter, the motivation for living in these developments and the impacts of this process comes into view. It is argued that the areas affected by studentification have fundamentally changed in their physical and social character. Interestingly, a range of findings in the academic record were not present in the Stellenbosch context. Finally, it is suggested that studentification in South Africa requires greater research attention in a range of other urban settings in which this process has emerged. This is particularly urgent as it would appear that studentification can radically and very rapidly transform the geography of the areas in which it takes hold.

scholarly journals Linkboost: A Link Prediction Algorithm to Solve the Problem of Network Vulnerability in Cases Involving Incomplete Information

Complexity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Chengfeng Jia ◽  
Jie Ma ◽  
Qi Liu ◽  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Hua Han
Keyword(s):  
Incomplete Information ◽  
Complete Information ◽  
Prediction Algorithm ◽  
Network Vulnerability ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Network Information ◽  
Imbalanced Class Distribution ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Attack Strategy

The vulnerability of network information systems has attracted considerable research attention in various domains including financial networks, transportation networks, and infrastructure systems. To comprehensively investigate the network vulnerability, well-designed attack strategies are necessary. However, it is difficult to formulate a global attack strategy as the complete information of the network is usually unavailable. To overcome this limitation, this paper proposes a novel prediction algorithm named Linkboost, which, by predicting the hidden edges of the network, can complement the seemingly missing but potentially existing connections of the network with limited information. The key aspect of this algorithm is that it can deal with the imbalanced class distribution present in the network data. The proposed approach was tested on several types of networks, and the experimental results indicated that the proposed algorithm can successfully enhance the destruction rate of the network even with incomplete information. Furthermore, when the proportion of the missing information is relatively small, the proposed attack strategy relying on the high degree nodes performs even better than that with complete information. This finding suggests that the nodes important to the network structure and connectivity can be more easily identified by the links added by Linkboost. Therefore, the use of Linkboost can provide useful insight into the operation guidance and design of a more effective attack strategy.

scholarly journals Transforming Research Excellence

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Kraemer-Mbula ◽  
Robert J.W. Tijssen ◽  
Matthew L. Wallace ◽  
Robert L. McLean
Keyword(s):  
Research Evaluation ◽  
Major Change ◽  
Global South ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
The World ◽  
Research Excellence ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Satisfactory Answer ◽  
Lower Income Countries

"Modern-day science is under great pressure. A potent mix of increasing expectations, limited resources, tensions between competition and cooperation, and the need for evidence-based funding is creating major change in how science is conducted and perceived. Amidst this perfect storm is the allure of research excellence, a concept that drives decisions made by universities and funders, and defines scientists research strategies and career trajectories. But what is excellent science? And how to recognise it? After decades of inquiry and debate there is still no satisfactory answer. Are we asking the wrong question? Is reality more complex, and excellence in science more elusive, than many are willing to admit? And how should excellence be defined in different parts of the world, particularly in lower-income countries of the Global South where science is expected to contribute to pressing development issues, despite often scarce resources? Many wonder whether the Global South is importing, with or without consenting, the flawed tools for research evaluation from North America and Europe that are not fit for purpose.This book takes a critical view of these issues, touching on conceptual issues and practical problems that inevitably emerge when excellence is at the center of science systems. Emerging from the capacity-building work of the Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa, it speaks to scholars, as well as to managers and funders of research around the world. Confronting sticky problems and uncomfortable truths, the chapters contain insights and recommendations that point towards new solutions both for the Global South and the Global North."

scholarly journals E-Commerce Adoption Research: A Review of Literature

2018 ◽  
pp. 90-99
Keyword(s):  
Future Research ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Adoption Studies ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
External Pressures ◽  
Adoption Research ◽  
Process Perspective ◽  
Limited Scope

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive literature review of the e-commerce adoption studies. This paper investigated the papers that have been published and indexed in the Scopus database for the period from 2012-2017. This study found that e-commerce adoption studies can be classified into six themes: factors affecting e-commerce adoption, barrier of e-commerce adoption, implication of e-commerce adoption, e-commerce adoption process, improvement of e-commerce adoption and e-commerce web attraction. It is found that existing literature has given considerable attention to the drivers that facilitate e-commerce adoption while other themes have received far less attention from researchers. The significant factors that influence e-commerce adoption includes management’s support, the role of government, perceived benefits, external pressures, organizational readiness, IT-related skills, capabilities and infrastructure, among others. Such limited scope of study efforts could only provide a stagnant view towards partial understanding of the dynamic diffusion process of e-commerce. Future research shall be extended to explore e-commerce adoption from the process perspective and investigate the post-adoption stages of e-commerce to observe how e-commerce adoption evolves over time.

Future directions in Antarctic psychology research

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberley Norris ◽  
Douglas Paton ◽  
Jeff Ayton
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Growth Outcomes ◽  
Social Difficulties ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractAlthough existing research regarding the experience of Antarctic employment has primarily focused on the absence period (i.e. the period of time in which the expeditioner physically works in Antarctica), it has been repeatedly demonstrated that the majority of expeditioners experience positive outcomes associated with their time ‘on the ice’ despite transient (and frequently subclinical) physical, psychological, and social difficulties. Research strategies directed towards the individual experience of the expeditioner have not been able to fully account for the processes underpinning the adjustment processes that have facilitated seemingly resilient and growth outcomes. Similarly, insufficient research attention has been given to the separate phases of Antarctic employment, nor the potential interdependence between them, which may also provide further insight into these processes. To address these issues it has been argued that an approach incorporating individual, interpersonal, and organizational factors throughout the Antarctic employment experience, from pre-departure through absence, reunion, and reintegration, be adopted.

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