Measuring resilience: by whom and for whom? A case study of people-centred resilience indicators in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Loïc Le Dé ◽  
Karl Wairama ◽  
Monynna Sath ◽  
Anthony Petera

PurposeResilience has become a priority of most agendas for disaster risk reduction at different scales leading to an increase demand for measurement of resilience. However, resilience is mostly defined, assessed and measured by outsider experts rather than by those primarily concerned – local people. This article presents the development of people-centred indicators of resilience in New Zealand. It details both the process and outcomes of these indicators.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws from participatory methods to develop a six-step tool kit for people-centred indicators of resilience. The people-centred indicators were implemented with four communities in New Zealand in 2019 and 2020.FindingsThe paper highlights that people are capable at defining and assessing their own resilience. The indicators enabled people identify and measure areas of low resilience and foster dialogue between locals and practitioners to strengthen it.Research limitations/implicationsPeople-centred indicators also have limitations and pose challenges. Their development requires strong facilitation skills; it limitedly enables comparison across communities and implies downward accountability.Practical implicationsThe findings should stimulate discussions about who should measure resilience and for whom such measurement is it for. It provides a tool kit that can be used by practitioners and policy makers to measure and strengthen community resilience.Originality/valueMost resilience indicators is outsider-driven and limitedly involves local people. This study uses a radically different approach placing people at the centre of resilience measurement.

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Hanley ◽  
David Marsland

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance and nature of relationships of trust in care settings. The paper addresses the central question of what is it about these kinds of relationships that is associated with harm and abuse? Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes a discursive approach, based, implicitly, on an ecological framework of analysis. Findings – The conclusion is that the relationships between staff and service users in residential care settings are characterised by non-mutual dependency, isolation and unequal decision-making powers. Therefore such relationships deserve special focus and attention in order to safeguard and protect the people concerned. Practical implications – The paper implies that practitioners and policy makers should find ways to ensure that they listen more closely to people living in residential settings. Practitioners should ask more about the quality of relationships that people enjoy with the staff that support them. Originality/value – The paper suggests that in order to safeguard people more effectively, practitioners and policy makers should reconsider the central focus of their energies and revisit issues such as isolation, in the lives of disabled and older people living in residential care.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charl De Villiers ◽  
Sile Chen ◽  
Chenxing jin ◽  
Yiner Zhu

Purpose – The authors aim to investigate the ability of a New Zealand university to rely on the CO2 sequestered in the trees on campus to mitigate the CO2 emissions caused by operations. Design/methodology/approach – The authors count and measure the trees on the university's 68 hectare main campus, ignoring smaller trees that sequester very little CO2. Findings – The authors estimate that the 4,139 trees the authors count contain 5,809 tonnes of CO2. The authors further estimate the additional CO2 sequestration over the next ten years to be 253 tonnes per year. The university's annual CO2 emissions were 4,086 tonnes in 2011. More than 70 per cent of this amount relates to overseas travel. Therefore, CO2 sequestration in trees promises to mitigate only about 6 per cent of total emissions over the next ten years. Practical implications – This suggests that other initiatives will be needed if the university is serious about reducing its greenhouse gas emissions impact. An obvious avenue appears to be to reduce overseas travel, e.g. by finding different ways for academic staff to network and obtain feedback on their research. Other universities and other organisations starting to investigate their environmental impact are likely to similarly find that CO2 sequestration in trees can only provide limited mitigation opportunities. Originality/value – The authors contribute to the ongoing debate around carbon emissions, exploring avenues to mitigate CO2 emissions.


2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Broad ◽  
Andrew Goddard

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the internal performance management of UK universities.Design/methodology/approachSemi‐structured interviews were undertaken with numerous staff within each university, attendance at key meetings and reviews of documentation. Grounded Theory was adopted to analyse the information obtained to understand how the strategy and accounting interacted with performance systems in the universities studied.FindingsAn amorphous, decoupled system was identified with poor feedback loops resulting in a lack of accountability and ownership of the system.Research limitations/implicationsThe research reported on the experiences of two universities through case study analysis. Further research is required to understand the extent to which the issues reported here are more widespread and the implications of such.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests that the challenge for policy makers/university management is to facilitate a change in the managerial weltanshauung to one where the environment is more conducive to performance management in a constructive mannerOriginality/valueThe notion of managerial weltanshauung in universities is developed and discussed in relation to nurturing performance management. The paper will be of interest to university managers and policy makers.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Holm-Petersen ◽  
Sussanne Østergaard ◽  
Per Bo Noergaard Andersen

Purpose Centralization, mergers and cost reductions have generally led to increasing levels of span of control (SOC), and thus potentially to lower leadership capacity. The purpose of this paper is to explore how a large SOC impacts hospital staff and their leaders. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a qualitative explorative case study of three large inpatient wards. Findings The study finds that the nursing staff and their frontline leaders experience challenges in regard to visibility and role of the leader, e.g., in creating overview, coordination, setting-up clear goals, following up and being in touch. However, large wards also provide flexibility and development possibilities. Practical implications The authors discuss the implications of these findings for decision makers in deciding future SOC and for future SOC research. Originality/value Only few studies have qualitatively explored the consequences of large SOC in hospitals.


2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 7-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Moffatt

Purpose – This case example looks at how Deloitte Consulting applies the Three Rules synthesized by Michael Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmed based on their large-scale research project that identified patterns in the way exceptional companies think. Design/methodology/approach – The Three Rules concept is a key piece of Deloitte Consulting’s thought leadership program. So how are the three rules helping the organization perform? Now that research has shown how exceptional companies think, CEO Jim Moffatt could address the question, “Does Deloitte think like an exceptional company?” Findings – Deloitte has had success with an approach that promotes a bias towards non-price value over price and revenue over costs. Practical implications – It’s critical that all decision makers in an organization understand how decisions that are consistent with the three rules have contributed to past success as well as how they can apply the rules to difficult challenges they face today. Originality/value – This is the first case study written from a CEO’s perspective that looks at how the Three Rules approach of Michael Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmed can foster a firm’s growth and exceptional performance.


2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-109
Author(s):  
Ylva Gavel

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe how systems automating the local document supply process (such as integrated library systems and ILL management systems) can be integrated with systems automating regional document requesting (interlending). This is illustrated with a case study of DocFlow, an ILL management system developed in-house at Karolinska Institutet and its integration with Libris, the national interlending system in Sweden. Design/methodology/approach – The present paper describes how system integration between Libris and DocFlow was accomplished in practice. It also discusses various aspects of integration between systems offering automation of document supply. Findings – Integration between local document supply workflows and regional document request flows may involve techniques such as import of outgoing and incoming interlending requests, synchronization of status values between systems, exchange of messages between systems and quick links to the native interfaces of external systems. Practical implications – The paper brings up various aspects to consider when developing or procuring a system for the local management of ILL workflows. Originality/value – The paper may provide a deeper understanding of system integration, as it applies to the document supply process.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 444-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Shepherd ◽  
Shintaro Hamanaka

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify major challenges that Asia-Pacific policy makers face in drawing up international logistics policies, and to seek possible solutions to the problems. Design/methodology/approach – Case study method: the paper includes seven case studies that attempt to address various types of logistics challenges. The paper introduces both intra- and extra-regional examples of the ways in which those challenges have been overcome in particular contexts through concerted action by government and the private sector. Findings – There are a lot of interesting experiences of overcoming logistics challenges, both inside and outside the Asia-Pacific region. Good practice experiences can be replicated by other countries in the region. Originality/value – While there have been a lot of discussions on logistics policy reforms, this paper is one of the first attempts that clearly link challenges with concrete case experiences where those are overcome. The paper discusses very practical issues in an analytically sound manner, using case method.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-106
Author(s):  
Radhika Pandey ◽  
Amey Sapre ◽  
Pramod Sinha

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the changes in the new 2011-12 base year series of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) to determine whether the new series has improved the understanding of the growth in the manufacturing sector. Design/methodology/approach This paper develops a simple framework to separately estimate the contribution of value- and volume-based commodities in the growth of the manufacturing index. The authors present a case study by analysing the growth performance of IIP drugs and pharmaceuticals sector by comparing it with real net sales of a common sample of firms in this segment. Findings The authors find that growth in value-based commodities contributes significantly in moving the index in either direction, and that high growth in value-based commodities coincides with periods of low inflation. On comparability, using real net sales as an alternate indicator of industrial output for the pharmaceuticals sector, the authors find that IIP and real net sales show contrasting trends, thereby raising issues of reliability. The authors also find that the IIP shows a disconnect with growth rates from Annual Survey of Industries for several industries. Practical implications The divergence between two measures of industrial activity raises crucial questions on the representativeness of the IIP. Originality/value The study builds a framework to separately estimate the contribution of value- and volume-based commodities in the growth of the manufacturing index.


2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inari Aaltojärvi ◽  
Maija Kontukoski ◽  
Anu Hopia

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse how Finnish customers at the pop-up restaurant event Trip to Province, which took place in South Ostrobothnia, Finland, make sense of the locality. Design/methodology/approach The data consist of 3 group interviews and 18 respondents, whose responses were analysed using a frame analysis. Findings Locality is discussed in the context of three frames: the immediate surroundings, the Finnish national ethos and the global discourses of food enthusiasts. The results show that, in terms of local food events, locality comprises not only food, but also place, people and cultural context conveying national and global elements. Research limitations/implications The data of this study are limited in size, and limited to the Finnish context. Practical implications Local food events could be promoted to locals and nearby residents, not just to tourists. With the design of the eating environment (music and visuals), the local food experience can be enhanced. Social implications Local food events strengthen the residents’ regional identity. Originality/value The research setting for this paper is original; the study takes part in the scarce discussion about gastronomic tourism in Finland. The study broadens the view that local food is just about food; regarding local food events, locality also entails place, people, nationality and globality.


2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Button ◽  
Chris Lewis ◽  
David Shepherd ◽  
Graham Brooks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges of measuring fraud in overseas aid. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on 21 semi-structured interviews with key persons working in the delivery of aid in both the public and voluntary sectors. It uses the UK Department for International Development as a case study to applying more accurate measures of fraud. Findings – This paper shows there are significant challenges to using fraud loss measurement to gauge fraud in overseas aid. However, it argues that, along with other types of measures, it could be used in areas of expenditure in overseas governments and charities to measure aid. Given the high risk of such aid to fraud, it argues helping to develop capacity to reduce aid, of which measuring the size of the problem is an important part; this could be considered as aid in its own right. Research limitations/implications – The researchers were not able to visit high-risk countries for fraud to examine in the local context views on the challenges of measuring fraud. Practical implications – The paper offers insights on the challenges to accurately measuring fraud in an overseas context, which will be useful to policy-makers in this context. Social implications – Given the importance of as much aid as possible reaching recipients, it offers an important contribution to helping to reduce losses in this important area. Originality/value – There has been very little consideration of how to measure fraud in the overseas aid context, with most effort aimed at corruption, which poses some of the same challenges, as well as some very different challenges.


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