scholarly journals Sustainable development: a developmental evaluation of logistics higher education in the Sultanate of Oman based on two innovation approaches (the triple helix of innovation and innovation competencies)

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Nikolaou
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Inductive Reasoning ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Developmental Evaluation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Collaborations ◽  
Innovation Capacity ◽  
Low Theory ◽  
Industry Experience

PurposeThis research seeks to identify evidence of innovation elements in the implementation of a sustainable development ecosystem in the HE environment. For the purposes of this investigation, the use of developmental evaluation has been deemed appropriate to fully explore the depths of the topic.Design/methodology/approachThe research follows a qualitative approach of inductive reasoning. For the purpose of this developmental evaluation, the collection of information from several stakeholders has been pursued in the study. Both a semi-structured interview and documents analysis were used.FindingsDifferent awareness levels among logistics faculty members, while the incentives given are minimal. Availability of grants and lack of tenure are some of the reasons raised. Industry is not cooperative in providing placements/internships restricting students of industry experience. Internationalisation is slow and international collaborations limited. Limited freedom in topical discussions and their implications to learning.Research limitations/implicationsThe research has considered possible limitations and used other methods for triangulation of the findings.Practical implicationsLow awareness on the implementation of pedagogical approaches for innovation. Not all faculty can be innovative (owing to current practice) neither they are incentivised to be so. Government spending is very low on R&D – 0.136 of the GDP in 2016. The industry is not ready for University-Business Collaborations, therefore achieving a low theory to practice ratio for students.Originality/valueIn the context in which the research has taken place (HE in Oman), there has been no evaluation (and more so developmental evaluation) previously implemented. Additionally, a longitudinal study, integrated as part of an ESD system targeted to innovation could increase the innovation capacity of the country on the international innovation index.

Level of awareness of formwork design in the Ghanaian construction industry; enabling future technology application

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clement Boakye Danquah ◽  
Alex Acheampong ◽  
Theophilus Adjei-Kumi
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Inductive Reasoning ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technology Application ◽  
Code Of Practice ◽  
Future Technology ◽  
Interview Guide ◽  
Specific Regulation

Purpose In the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI), the option for stakeholders to adopt formwork design as a building construction requirement is uncommon place. This is due to the low level of awareness and practice of formwork design. As a result of this, there have been formwork accidents, cost and time overruns in construction. This paper aims to solicit the view of stakeholders on the awareness of formwork design practices in the GCI. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopted the interpretivism research philosophy and inductive reasoning. Through a semi-structured interview guide, data was collected. The data (interview) recorded was transcribed using the Amberscript web application. This study used thematic analysis in analyzing the data collected using Nvivo 10 software. Findings The data collected from the 22 professionals indicated that the respondents were unaware of the concept of formwork design and its practice, neither could they speak to the existence of any specific regulation nor code of practice. However, the respondents established that there was a need to design formwork and stated some benefits of it. Originality/value From the literature, little research has been done on formwork design and its context in the GCI is yet to be explored. This research attempts to fill this gap. The findings indicate that to practice formwork design, there must be education and training of human resources for formwork design, there must be a code of practice to guide the design process and legal backing through policies and regulations to mandate the design.

Addressing the higher education for sustainable development agenda at the College of Open and Distance Learning, St. Mary’s University, Ethiopia: opportunities and challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wondwosen Tamrat
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Development Agenda ◽  
Open And Distance Learning

Purpose This study aims to assess the extent to which sustainable development practices are prevalent at the College of Open and Distance Learning (CODL), St. Mary’s University, Ethiopia. The assessment focused on identifying the college’s inclusion of the sustainable development agenda in its policy statements, various functions and practices. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a mixed-method approach and used a case study in its design. Data were generated from a standard survey questionnaire, adopted from the unit-based sustainability assessment tool (Togo and Lotz-Sisitka, 2009), a semi-structured interview and documentary evidence. Findings The findings revealed that CODL has limited involvement in sustainability issues despite relevant policy directions set at national and institutional levels. Current engagement patterns are limited to teaching, course provision and a few areas of operations and management while a serious gap has been noted as regard the two core functional areas of research and community service which happen to be neglected. Research limitations/implications This study was based on a single CODL, albeit an institution with a long history of offering distance education in Ethiopia. Despite its contribution to an understanding of how sustainability issues are addressed in the context of Africa in general and Ethiopia in particular, the generalizability of the findings to other similar institutions is limited. Originality/value There is very little research in Africa as regard the involvement of higher education institutions in promoting the issues of sustainability in general and distance education providers in particular. In addition to addressing this gap, the study suggests the need for distance education institutions to improve their mapping strategies and respond to the greater concerns of sustainable development.

Designing a talent-based model for recruiting faculty members at Iranian regional comprehensive universities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Unes Romiani ◽  
Khodayar Abili ◽  
Javad Pourkaremi ◽  
Saeid Farahbakhsh
Keyword(s):  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Comprehensive Universities ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Regional Universities ◽  
Research Population ◽  
Applied Fields

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to design a talent-based model for recruiting faculty members at regional comprehensive universities in Iran.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the purpose, grounded theory approach was used. The research population consisted of all experts in the field of higher education in Iran. Nineteen experts were selected through purposeful sampling by Snowball method and based on theoretical saturation. To collect the data, a semi-structured interview was used and for the data analysis, a thematic analysis technique was applied.FindingsThe findings showed that the model for recruiting the faculty members in Iranian regional universities included four components: Personal Characteristics, Professional Capabilities, Behavioral Capabilities and Cognitive Capabilities.Practical implicationsThis research identified the recruiting components and its results can be used to recruit capable faculty members purposefully and in accordance with the Iranian academic strategic plan. The method of this study can be applied in other applied fields as well.Originality/valueThis study adds to the authors' knowledge about recruiting of the faculty members and also the factors that can be helpful in a talent-based selection. Therefore, in order to have capable faculty members, universities should make an effort to identify relevant components and design a comprehensive model to recruit more capable faculty members.

Barriers and challenges to international interactions of the faculty members in Iran

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 652-668
Author(s):  
Mohsen Nazarzadeh Zare ◽  
Javad Pourkarimi ◽  
Sahba Rezaeian
Keyword(s):  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Purposeful Sampling ◽  
Research Population ◽  
Barriers And Challenges ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological ◽  
International Interactions ◽  
Applied Fields

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the barriers and challenges to international interactions of the faculty members in Iran.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the purpose, a qualitative phenomenological approach was used. The research population was all experts in the field of higher education in Iran, it included 17 experts who were selected through purposeful sampling by snowball method and based on theoretical saturation. To collect the data, a semi-structured interview was used and for the data analysis, an inductive content analysis was applied.FindingsThe findings showed that the barriers and challenges to faculty members’ international interactions can be defined through three main barriers: inside university barriers, outside university barriers, and individual barriers.Practical implicationsThis research identified the barriers and challenges of faculty members’ international interactions in Iran. The method of this study can be applied in other applied fields as well.Originality/valueThis study adds to the authors’ knowledge about international interactions of the faculty members and also the barriers and challenges of these interactions, so to have more interactions of faculty members at the international level, universities should make an effort to identify barriers and eliminate them, more than ever.

Financial capabilities development: essential discourse in social work

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1234-1246
Author(s):  
Lambert K. Engelbrecht ◽  
Abigail Ornellas
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Vulnerable Households ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose Within a neoliberal environment, financial vulnerability of households has become an increasing challenge and there is a requirement of financial literacy education, a necessary activity to facilitate sustainable development and well-being. However, this is seldom a mainstream discourse in social work deliberations. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach First, introducing the neoliberal impact on financial well-being and capability for vulnerable households, the authors’ postulation is substantiated on a seven-point argument. The contexts of financially vulnerable households are sketched. Second, a conceptualisation of financial literacy is offered, and third, perspectives on and approaches to financial literacy as a fundamental capability are presented. This is followed by a theoretical foundation of community education as a practice model in social work to develop financial capabilities. In the fifth place, prevailing practices of Financial Capabilities Development (FCD) programmes are offered. Subsequently, the implications of a neoliberal environment for social work practice are examined. Findings The revised global definition of social work encourages the profession to understand and address the structural causes of social problems through collective interventions. As a response, it is argued that community education towards FCD of vulnerable households within a neoliberal environment should be an essential discourse in social development. Originality/value The authors reflect on the significance of FCD, highlighting its contribution towards human security and sustainable development. Although this paper draws on Southern African contexts, the discourse finds resonance in other contexts across the world.

Correlation between sustainability education and engineering students’ attitudes towards sustainability

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuok Ho Daniel Tang
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Sustainability Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fundamental Knowledge ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Development Course ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of a sustainable development course on the beliefs, attitudes and intentions of a cohort of engineering students in a university in Miri, Malaysia, towards sustainability. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaire survey was conducted among the cohort of students encompassing the three facets mentioned. Findings The respondents expressed low to medium agreement towards all the survey items related to beliefs, attitudes and intentions. A sense of moral obligation towards sustainability is linked to higher sustainability awareness, willingness to safeguard sustainability and a sense of responsibility towards sustainable development. The respondents were generally perceived to have fundamental knowledge of sustainable development. Research limitations/implications This study shows that a sustainable development course called Engineering Sustainable Development offered in a university in Miri, produced positive impacts on the beliefs, attitudes and intentions of the engineering students towards sustainable development. Sustainable development courses are generally instrumental to impart the value and practices of sustainability among university students. Originality/value As limited correlational studies on whether sustainable development courses effectively shape the beliefs and attitudes of students have been previously conducted, this study provides insight into the effectiveness of one of such courses and how the course can be further improved to enhance its effectiveness.

Public private partnerships and value creation: the role of relationship dynamics

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 162-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debadutta Kumar Panda
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Inductive Reasoning ◽  
System Structure ◽  
Public Private Partnerships ◽  
Project Implementation ◽  
Relationship Dynamics ◽  
Organizational Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Attributes ◽  
Structural Framework

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate on what is value and value creation in Public–private partnerships (PPPs)? How coordination and trust among project partners is created in PPPs? In which way coordination and trust among project partners are related to organizational governance and success? How risk management is related to the success or failure of PPP project implementation? How organizational attributes can influence the PPP project implementation? Design/methodology/approach – This study was conducted using qualitative research method. In all, 3 Indian PPPs were selected in the first phase, and then, 26 respondents were randomly chosen from the selected PPPs. One-to-one personal discussion was conducted with each respondents using predetermined set of questions. The responses were transcribed, and similar ideas were clustered together across the thematic research questions and themes. Subsequently, interlinking of themes and ideas was done through inductive reasoning and represented in the form of a causal relationship. Findings – The study found that the importance of trust and confidence among project partners; organizational attributes (system, structure and style, process) of partner organizations; and the risk reduction and control in the PPP project company have influenced the relationship dynamics among project partners. Originality/value – This study encourages future researchers to empirically test the possibility of existence of mediating and moderating effects in the link between value creation and contract management in PPPs. A structural framework was derived, which is expected to provide momentum for theoretical exploration and empirical verification.

Sustainable life cycle offers through cooperation

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Selberherr
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Business ◽  
Societal Level

Purpose – Sustainable buildings bear enormous potential benefits for clients, service providers, and our society. To release this potential a change in business models is required. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new business model with the objective of proactively contributing to sustainable development on the societal level and thereby improving the economic position of the service providers in the construction sector. Design/methodology/approach – The modeling process comprises two steps, the formal structuring and the contextual configuration. In the formal structuring systems theory is used and two levels are analytically separated. The outside view concerns the business model’s interaction with the environment and its impact on sustainability. The inside view focusses on efficient value creation for securing sustainability. The logically deductively developed business model is subsequently theory-led substantiated with Giddens’ structuration theory. Findings – The relevant mechanisms for the development of a new service offer, which creates a perceivable surplus value to the client and contributes to sustainable development on the societal level, are identified. The requirements for an efficient value creation process with the objective of optimizing the service providers’ competitive position are outlined. Research limitations/implications – The model is developed logically deductively based on literature and embedded in a theoretical framework. It has not yet been empirically tested. Practical implications – Guidelines for the practical implementation of more sustainable business models for the provision of life cycle service offers are developed. Social implications – The construction industry’s impact requires it to contribute proactively to a more sustainable development of the society. Originality/value – This paper analyzes the role for the players in the construction sector in proactively contributing to sustainable development on the societal level. One feasible strategy is proposed with a new business model, which aims at cooperatively optimizing buildings and infrastructures and taking the responsibility for the operating phase via guarantees.

Forensic learning disability nursing: what's it really like?

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 167-177
Author(s):  
Mark F Dalgarno ◽  
Sharon A Riordan
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disability ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Nursing Practice ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Forensic Nursing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emotional Challenge ◽  
Areas Of Interest

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the lived experiences of learning disability nurses working within forensic services, and their views on their practice as a speciality. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative, semi-structured interview-based design was used and participant's voices were examined through interpretive phenomenological analysis. Findings – Nurses explored a range of topics related to their practice and overall, five superordinate themes were developed. Forensic nursing as being both the same and different to generic nursing, the journey, and the emotional challenge of forensic nursing, the balancing act of everyday practice and the role of language within forensic nursing practice. Originality/value – Very little research has examined the views of learning disability nurses within the forensic field. This study gives both a voice to these nurses and suggests areas of interest both for research and for clinicians to consider in their practice.

The identity crisis of sustainable development

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalin Ratiu ◽  
Beverlee B. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Identity Crisis ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Larger Sample ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – There are many different conceptualizations to sustainable development and these different approaches may have led to confusion amongst the public. The purpose of this paper is to explore the identities of the term and how the confused identity may be leading to problems for sustainable development efforts. Design/methodology/approach – The design is exploratory, using both secondary and primary data to understand the different sustainable development concepts. Findings – There is no consistent understanding or use of the term “sustainable development” among various groups. Research limitations/implications – Future research should include a larger sample that is more representative of people from different backgrounds and geographical areas. Practical implications – The public is generally willing to support only projects that it understands. Without a clear understanding of sustainable development, the public will be less inclined to support these efforts. Originality/value – This study examines the perceptions and understandings of the term by the general public representing different generations.

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