Drawing the case studies together: synthesis of case studies and group discussions

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry David Gibson ◽  
Aka Festus Tongwa ◽  
Sarwar Bari ◽  
Guillaume Chantry ◽  
Manu Gupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Disaster Reduction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Local Populations ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Underlying Risk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to individually examine the findings from eight case studies presented in this special issue and comparatively identify the findings regarding local learning and action. Design/methodology/approach Underlying research questions regarding power and powerlessness in regard to addressing underlying risk factors affecting local populations form the basis for the discussion. Proceedings of a collaborative workshop conducted with the contributing authors are analysed qualitatively to identify learning relating to the research questions emerging from the case studies individually and collectively. Findings A number of strategies and tactics for addressing underlying risk factors affecting local populations were identified from the case studies, including collaboration and cohesion. Campaigning, lobbying, communications and social mobilisation in an attempt to bridge the gap between local concerns and the decision-making of government and other powerful actors. Innovation and local mobilisation to address shortcomings in government support for disaster reduction and development. Communications as a first base to influence behaviour of both communities and government. Social change through empowerment of women to act in disaster reduction and development. Research limitations/implications The outcomes of the action research conducted by the authors individually and collectively highlight the necessity for bridging different scales of action through a range of strategies and tactics to move beyond local self-reliance to influence on underlying risk factors. The action research process employed may have wider applications in gathering and formalising local-level experience and knowledge. Practical implications The case studies and their analysis present a range of practical strategies and tactics to strengthen local resilience and address underlying risk factors which are replicable in other contexts. Originality/value Practitioners are activists and do not often engage in critical reflection and analysis. The method presented here offers a means of achieving this in order to generate learning from local-level experience. The findings contribute to the consideration of cross-scale action to address underlying risk factors which impact local communities.

Local voices and action: concluding discussion

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry David Gibson ◽  
Festus Tongwa Aka ◽  
Ruiti Aretaake ◽  
Sarwar Bari ◽  
Guillaume Chantry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
The Body ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Local Populations ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Underlying Risk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the findings from the body of case studies offered in the issue, combined with three external perspectives on local voices and action. Design/methodology/approach Using as its basis the eight key case studies and three external contributions to the special issue, the paper offers a theoretical framework as a basis for discussion of this material. Through this, it identifies possible modes of action understood through the theoretical framework and elaborated through the specific cases. It concludes with proposals for further work. Findings The discussion finds that from a local perspective, the ambitions of local populations and local NGOs to achieve emancipatory change depend on the scope for local collaboration and partnerships to exercise influence on underlying risk factors. It resolves the suggested tension between operating within, and outside the system through the concept of “legitimate subversion”. Originality/value It is felt that the original recording of case studies of local level action combined with the process of iterative critical reflection on the part of the contributors offers a novel approach to knowledge creation from practice, and offers insights bridging theoretical and practitioner perspectives into means of addressing underlying risk factors affecting local populations.

Key risk factors affecting renewable energy independent power producer (IPP) set-up projects in developing countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1340-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Nii Addy ◽  
Stephen Akunyumu ◽  
Barbara Simons
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
The Body ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Set Up ◽  
High Level ◽  
Survey Approach

Purpose Sustained access to efficient electricity plays an essential role in improving living conditions of people and contributes to the economic development of the nation as a whole. Volta River Authority (VRA) mainly manages the generation plants (hydropower sources and thermal plants) alongside independent power producers (IPPs). Power generation in the country has been influenced by myriads of factors. Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess the key risk factors affecting renewable energy of IPPs set-up project in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative approach was adopted for the study. Empirical investigation was carried out using the survey approach. The likelihood of occurrence of the risk and the degree of impact of same motivated the use of risk significance index to analyze the data and make deductions from the results. Findings From the study, three key risk factors have high level of severity, which include long and complex procedures for authorization of project activities, stability of the policy environment and ease of obtaining rights to land. These risks could be found in the business/strategic risks and policy/regulatory risks categories, respectively. A total of 25 key risk factors had moderate level of severity and 12 key risk factors have low level of severity on renewable energy IPP set up projects. Practical implications Top-ranked risk factors require maximum attention. The identified risks should be alleviated with strategies to reduce levels of severity by targeting either the likelihood of occurrence or the level of impact. This will serve as a catalyze to promoting renewable energy IPP set-up projects in Ghana. Originality/value Key contribution of the paper to the body of knowledge is demonstrated by the empirical evidence of the risks IPPs are likely to encounter in setting up renewable energy plants in Ghana. The distinctive attribute of this study is further demonstrated by the fact that it focused on the set-up stage, which is a critical stage in the renewable energy provision value chain.

IC Management

2011 ◽  
pp. 205-221
Author(s):  
Paula Kujansivu
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
General Management ◽  
Management Models ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Empirical Material

The objective of this chapter is to understand why companies do not apply models that are commonly known in the IC literature i.e. to explain the gap between the theory and practice. The general research objective is divided into four research questions taking different perspectives on the same phenomenon: the importance of IC and its management, the applicability of IC management models, the suitability of typical general management approaches for IC management and factors affecting the application of IC management models. The research questions are studied adopting diverse research methods. The empirical material includes interviews, a large amount of quantitative data from the financial statements of companies, and case studies in which action research was used.

Restoration of historical timber building: a Malaysian case study

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 309-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umi Kalsum Zolkafli ◽  
Zahiriah Yahya ◽  
Norhanim Zakaria ◽  
Farid Wajdi Akashah ◽  
Azlan Shah Ali
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Unesco World Heritage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
World Heritage Sites ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Restoration Cost

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the most influential buildings elements in term of the cost for timber restoration works. Design/methodology/approach – The research employed the case studies methods with questionnaires surveys. Two case studies were chosen and questionnaire surveys were distributed to contractors and consultation companies. The cost was identified based on the elemental cost analysis of historic timber buildings. Findings – The restoration of historic timber buildings in Malaysia has grown rapidly, especially in the UNESCO world heritage sites, Melaka and Penang. Data obtained on the restorations of timber buildings show that the most influential elements were upper floors, roofs and walls. Termites’ invasions and the lack of building analysis were found to be the major issue in timber restoration works. In addition, the availability of timber material contributed significantly to the increase of cost for restoration works. Originality/value – The cost for every element was identified and was used as a reference for new restorations projects of historical, timber buildings. This paper also highlighted the causes for the problems and the factors affecting the cost of timber restoration works. These data are useful information, especially for surveyors and contractors who are involved in the restoration of historic timber buildings. Maintaining or replacing these elements with other material can help to minimise the restoration cost of timber buildings in Malaysia.

Improving the social performance of flash flood early warnings using mobile services

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia Cumiskey ◽  
Micha Werner ◽  
Karen Meijer ◽  
S.H.M. Fakhruddin ◽  
Ahmadul Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Flash Flood ◽  
Interactive Voice Response ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Mobile Services ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Flood Warning ◽  
The Social

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to provide recommendations for improving the social performance of warnings using mobile services in flash flood prone communities. A warning cannot be considered effective until it is received, understood and responded to by those at risk. This is defined as the social performance of warning communication techniques. Mobile services offer opportunities for improving this, particularly in Bangladesh, but have been underutilised. In this research, characteristics of the warning, mobile services and community are found to influence the social performance. Design/methodology/approach – A framework on the factors affecting the social performance was developed and applied using data collected through interviews at the national and regional level along with focus-group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews at the local level in the Sunamganj District, Bangladesh. Findings – The study demonstrated that mobile services are the preferred means of warning communication. Communities strongly preferred voice short messaging service (SMS) and interactive voice response (IVR) because of easier accessibility and understanding of the message. Text-based services [SMS and cell broadcasting service (CBS)] were still found to be acceptable. These should be simple, use symbols and refer to additional sources of information. Further recommendations include mixing push (e.g. SMS and CBS) and pull-based (e.g. IVR) mobile services, utilising local social networks, decentralising the dissemination process and raising awareness. Research limitations/implications – A limited sample of interviews and FGDs were used. Practical implications – Concrete recommendations are made for overcoming obstacles related to the effective use of mobiles services. Social implications – The suggestions made can contribute to improving the social performance of flood early warning communication. Originality/value – The conceptualisation of mobile services’ contribution to social performance of flood warning and field-level application.

scholarly journals Risk factors affecting the ability for earned value management to accurately assess the performance of infrastructure projects in Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 550-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maan Nihad Ibrahim ◽  
David Thorpe ◽  
Muhammad Nateque Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Value Management ◽  
Earned Value ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Earned Value Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Factors Influencing

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate a set of risk-related factors influencing the earned value management (EVM) concept as an assessment technique in evaluating the progress of modern sustainable infrastructure construction projects. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research approach has been adopted for identifying risk-related factors influencing EVM concept from a literature review and through interviewing industry personnel, followed by an inductive process to form sets of key factors and their measuring items. Findings EVM is a common method for assessing project performance. A weakness of this approach is that EVM assessment in its current form does not measure the impact of a number of project performance factors that result from the complexity of modern infrastructure construction projects, and thus does not accurately assess their impact in this performance. This paper discusses and explains a range of potential risk factors to evaluating project performance such as sustainability, stakeholder requirements, communication, procurement strategy, weather, experience of staff, site condition, design issues, financial risk, subcontractor, government requirements and material. In addition, their measuring items were identified. Practical implications This research assists projects managers to improve the evaluation process of infrastructure construction performance by incorporating a range of factors likely to impact on that performance and which are not included in current EVM calculations. Originality/value This research addresses the need to include in the EVM calculation a range of risk factors affecting the performance of infrastructure projects in Australia and therefore makes this calculation a more reliable tool for assessing project performance.

scholarly journals Factors affecting investors’ decision regarding investment in Islamic Sukuk

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andi Duqi ◽  
Hussein Al-Tamimi
Keyword(s):  
Financial Market ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Influencing Factor ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Expected Return ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Religious Factor ◽  
Research Questions

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the perception of UAE investors regarding their investment preference of Sukuk versus conventional bonds. Design/methodology/approach A modified questionnaire was used in this study with the objective of answering the research questions and testing the developed hypothesis. The survey was conducted on a sample of investors of the UAE Dubai Financial Market, which is one of the main exchanges where Sukuk are traded. Findings The results indicate that Sukuk features (characteristics) represent the most important influencing factor in the willingness of UAE investors to invest in Islamic Sukuk, followed by the religious factor, as strongly predicted, followed by the expected return and followed by the availability of information. Finally, the results indicate that there is no significant difference in investment in Sukuk among UAE investors based on investors’ gender. Originality/value The current study is considered the first of its kind conducted on the UAE. As far as the authors know, there are no studies that focus specifically on social and economic factors that affect the propensity of investors to trade in Sukuk.

Analysis of demand risks for the Indian automotive sector in globally competitive environment

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Girish Kumar ◽  
Rajesh Kr. Singh ◽  
Rishabh Jain ◽  
Raman Kain ◽  
Naveen Naveen
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Automotive Sector ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Suggested Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Flexible Management ◽  
Political Economic

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the different types of risks affecting the demand for the automotive sector in India. The study is further trying to illustrate an approach for analyzing the relative intensities of these risks in the present uncertain business environment. Design/methodology/approach Risk on the overall demand is assessed by a combined Bayesian – multi-criteria decision-making approach. Data related to the different factors, affecting their product demand is collected from major automobile firms. Then, weights for these factors are evaluated by applying the analytic hierarchy process approach. Further, these weights are used in the Bayesian analysis network to evaluate the risk intensity for different subgroups, namely, political, economic, social, technological and environmental. Findings From the literature and experts’ opinion, total 16 risk factors have been finalized and these are further grouped into 5 categories i.e. political, economic, social, technological and environmental. It is observed that the demand for organizations functioning in the automotive sector is more vulnerable to economic risk as compared to other risks considered in the study. Practical implications Managers and decision makers of associated organizations can use the proposed framework to assess the demand risks so as to pre-evaluate their demand corresponding to future changes. Factors can be added or removed and importance could be assigned to different risk factors according to the prevailing business environment for an organization or sector. This will also help the organizations to conduct a more effective risk management in an uncertain business environment. Originality/value The study will help in better understanding of the various demand risks prevalent in the Indian auto sector. The methodology used, provides a novel approach for assessing the macroeconomic demand risks and can be used by the firms working in the automotive sector. The proposed methodology could be used for assessing supply chain risk or any other business initiative risk. The suggested approach will help managers in devising flexible management techniques so as to mitigate the risk.

Driving local community transformation through participatory rural entrepreneurship development

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwatoyin Dare Kolawole ◽  
Kehinde Ajila
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurship Development ◽  
Community Transformation ◽  
Rural Entrepreneurship

Purpose – Rural entrepreneurship development and employment generation are fundamental to enhancing local-level progress and transformation. Achieving gainful employment in rural communities contributes immensely to the realisation of the potential of people living in remote communities. The purpose of this paper is to present a ten-stage practical approach for enhancing rural entrepreneurship development as a major driver of local community transformation and development. Design/methodology/approach – The action research was preceded by a preliminary study, which identified some crucial factors associated with the success of rural entrepreneurial activities in rural Lagos, Nigeria. The research, which is an offshoot of the earlier field survey, was designed to engage viable community-based organisations (CBOs) in Ikorodu, Epe, Badagry and Lekki communities for the implementation of context-specific rural entrepreneurship development projects through the provision of “non-serviceable” revolving loans. Findings – Successful funded rural entrepreneurs and CBOs served as veritable models for driving entrepreneurship development and employment promotion in rural Lagos, Nigeria. Projects funded included artisanal fisheries, barbering salons, piggeries and snail production. Practical implications – The projects which generated employment opportunities for rural youths and other able-bodied community members serve as a strategy for lifting people out of poverty. The action research was designed to inform rural development policy in Nigeria and other similar economies in the south. Originality/value – The study outlines a step-by-step process of entrepreneurship development project implementation.

scholarly journals Assessing off-site readiness in construction organisations: cases from India

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepthi Bendi ◽  
Muhammad Qasim Rana ◽  
Mohammed Arif ◽  
Steve Michael Lamb ◽  
Anil Sawhney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Maturity Model ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Readiness To Adopt

Purpose This paper aims to present factors affecting the Indian construction organisations in adopting off-site construction (OSC) methods. Design/methodology/approach An existing readiness maturity model has been used to assess three large organisations in different parts of India. A case study methodology has been adopted in this paper to highlight critical issues in OSC adoption in India. Findings This paper presents three case studies and concludes the Indian construction sectors readiness to adopt the OSC methods. Through the case studies, different issues related to the adoption of OSC have been identified and highlighted for the Indian construction sector. Although the three companies are large, there are several small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) operating in India's construction sector, and future research shall be needed to review these SMEs. Research limitations/implications This research study is broadly focused on developing and assessing an OSC readiness framework for Indian construction organisations. The research scope and the population for data collection are limited to large construction organisations in India only. Practical implications The proposed OSC readiness maturity model guides construction practitioners in India through a structured process to assess their OSC readiness in the market. This assessment enables them to evaluate and benchmark their processes through the strategic and operational phases. This research will add to the existing knowledge of OSC in India by mapping issues relevant to India's construction industry. The research has provided background on the status of OSC, the drivers and barriers affecting the implementation of OSC techniques in the Indian construction industry. Originality/value Through the three case studies, several factors related to the implementation of OSC methods have been identified and highlighted within the Indian construction sector. Although the model has been applied to the Indian construction sector, it can easily be modified to fit into other areas and similar dynamics and business conditions.

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