Toward sustainable development in post-flood relocation of rural settlements in Iran

Author(s):  
Seyed Amirhossein Garakani ◽  
Azadeh Lak ◽  
Masoomeh Niyasati

Purpose Man has always faced natural hazards and thus attempted to reduce their financial and loss-of-life damages. Assuring sustainable development in the post-disaster reconstruction of areas requires predictive measurements (i.e. vulnerability assessment). This study aims to assess the outcomes of relocating villages after the 2005 flood in the east of Golestan Province in Iran through sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach This study is an applied research combining qualitative content analysis and quantitative cross-sectional surveys. The statistical population comprises the inhabitants of Faraghi New Town (formed by aggregating 11 villages) and the villagers returning to their former rural settlement. The independent samples t-test was used to compare the outcomes of reconstruction for the samples. Data were collected using a questionnaire and in-depth interviews with the residents. The gathered data were analyzed by content analysis. Findings The results indicate that building new settlements – while reducing physical vulnerability – cannot be classified as a step toward sustainable development in economic and social aspects because the increasing trend of migration to urban areas, return to former villages, tribal disparities, reduced production, increased bank debts and increased urban insecurity are among the primary adverse social and economic consequences of rural relocations. This finding helps to assist planners and post-disaster designers to reconstruct more sustainable societies. Originality/value This study tries to investigate the effects of post-disaster reconstruction in rural settlement in Iran through sustainable development aspects for the first time. It would benefit for policymaking and urban planners and designers to make more resilient societies after disasters.

Author(s):  
Pablo Collazzo Yelpo ◽  
Livia Kubelka

Purpose This study aims to contribute to fill in the gap identified in the literature at the interplay of clusters and shared value creation (CSV), by mapping out and assessing CSV clusters in Austria. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory, cross-sectional and multiple case study research with data generated through semi-structured interviews carried out with a sample of Austrian cluster managers. The collected data were assessed through a qualitative content analysis following Mayring (2010). Findings The analysis of the data suggests that there are five main categories that shape Austrian clusters’ CSV practices, namely, cluster context, cluster purpose, CSV context, development of CSV and types of CSV. Applying Mayring’s content analysis technique to the proposed CSV cluster definition results in one third of the networks labeled as CSV clusters. The lack of a clear understanding of CSV and its strategic value emerged as a barrier for Austrian clusters to further embed shared value in their operations. Research limitations/implications This cross-sectional, exploratory study adds empirical evidence to the theoretical appeal of the CSV construct. Being CSV firm-specific and context-dependent, the relevance of the findings is limited to the current state of play of Austrian clusters. Practical implications The cases revealed the opportunity to reinforce the message on the business case for CSV. Social implications By raising CSV awareness, social value creation is likely to increase. Originality/value This paper aimed at contributing to the buildup of empirical evidence on shared value creation. Deviating from the mainstream literature that typically portrays multinationals as CSV champions, this research looks at clusters as unit of analysis.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeniffer Fonseca Zanitt ◽  
Izabela Simon Rampasso ◽  
Osvaldo Luiz Gonçalves Quelhas ◽  
Milena Pavan Serafim ◽  
Walter Leal Filho ◽  
...  

Purpose This study aims to analyse how the materials selection courses of engineering undergraduate programmes can be better aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach Initially, a content analysis was performed in 39 materials selection course descriptions from 40 engineering undergraduate programmes of Brazilian higher education institutions, and subsequently, Delphi method procedures were conducted with professors that teach or have taught the course and are knowledgeable in the subject of sustainability. Findings Considering the analysed course descriptions, it was shown that most of the materials selection courses do not consider or present little emphasis on sustainability aspects. Regarding the Delphi method, eight items were evidenced to consider sustainability aspects in the analysed courses. Originality/value This study contributes to the debates about sustainability insertion in engineering undergraduate programmes. More specifically, the findings presented consolidated information that professors and coordinators can use to align materials selection courses with the SDGs better.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastien Royal ◽  
Nadia Lehoux ◽  
Pierre Blanchet

PurposeThe housing construction industry is one of the most lucrative sectors for developed countries. However, homebuyers are often vulnerable when left with latent building defects in their new-build house. Many nations have thus implemented new home warranty schemes to protect consumers and stimulate residential production. These warranty programs vary excessively from state to state given the distinct nature of environments. Previous studies have attempted to compare one with another but did not apply a consistent comparative method when doing so. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics defining a new home warranty and to develop a standardised comparative framework.Design/methodology/approachAfter evaluating the characteristics outlined in multiple home warranty programs, a qualitative content analysis method was used to establish coding, categories and themes in order to create the framework. The methodology relied mostly on cross-referencing from academic papers, methodical reviews, government documents and professional consultant reports.FindingsThis paper reviewed warranty schemes from six countries: Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, France and Malaysia. The findings suggest that home warranty programs are defined by five main themes: political involvement; homeowner protection; financial sustainability; quality management; and dispute resolution. At the end, the research created a comparative framework of 101 codes that could be used to accurately measure the efficiency of a home warranty scheme.Originality/valueGathering all defining characteristics of new housing warranties into a unique comparative framework rectifies a gap in the literature. Such a flexible tool will aid future practitioners in the field to undertake comparative case study analysis through qualitative research methods.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1593
Author(s):  
Kyoko Yoshioka-Maeda ◽  
Yuka Sumikawa ◽  
Noriha Tanaka ◽  
Chikako Honda ◽  
Riho Iwasaki-Motegi ◽  
...  

This cross-sectional study aimed to (1) describe the unclassified contents of telephone consultation services provided by a public health center during the first wave of COVID-19 in Japan and (2) examine whether the contents required assistance from public health nurses (PHNs). We analyzed a total of 207 calls in which the purpose of the call was unclassified into pre-set categories. PHNs transcribed the exact text of the consultation conversations recorded from 25 March to 20 April 2020 in City A. Approximately half of the calls were from residents. Seven categories were extracted through a qualitative content analysis. The most common topic was infection control measures, where the presence of COVID-19 infection was assumed (n = 62); the second most common was extreme anxiety and fear of infection (n = 50). Questions about the COVID-19 response system (n = 30), discrimination and misunderstandings about COVID-19 (n = 24), and response measures for COVID-19 outbreaks within organizations (n = 18) were also included. The unclassified consultations included various topics, several of which required the expertise of a PHN. Each local government should consider sharing and task-shifting telephone consultation services among PHNs and other staff to reduce their burden and allow them to concentrate on conducting infection control more effectively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66
Author(s):  
Oleksandr Kapranov

Abstract This article introduces and discusses a study that aims at illuminating discursive representations of education for sustainable development (henceforth – ESD) by means of compiling and analysing a corpus of policy documents written by English medium instruction (EMI) secondary schools in Estonia and Norway, respectively. Informed by the constructivist approach (Foucault, 1981), discursive representations of ESD in the study were operationalised as discursive strategies that were employed in naming, referring to, and providing an evaluative perspective to ESD-related topics. In this study, the corpus of policy documents published by EMI secondary schools in Estonia and Norway was collected in order to analyse discursive representations of ESD by means of applying a qualitative content analysis. The results of the analysis indicated that the discursive representations of ESD were similarly construed in policy documents written and communicated by EMI secondary schools in Estonia and Norway. Those findings were further discussed in the article in conjunction with their didactic implications.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Moore ◽  
Helen Lynch

Purpose Play occupation has been identified as an essential part of children’s lives, and it subsequently features in paediatric occupational therapy. However, few studies address the current place of play and play occupation in occupational therapy practice. This study aims to address this gap in knowledge by exploring paediatric occupational therapists’ perspectives on the place of play and play occupation in occupational therapy practice in Ireland. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional online survey was conducted to gather data about the current use of play in the occupational therapy for children under 12 years. Convenience sampling and snowball recruitment techniques were used to recruit paediatric occupational therapists. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. Findings In total, 65 therapists responded to the survey (estimated response rate, 32%). Results are organised into four sections: demographics and practice context, play assessment practices, use of play in practice and perceived barriers to play-centred practice. Respondents reported that they valued play as a childhood occupation. However, the survey findings identified that the primary focus was on play as a means to an end. Lack of education on play (research, theory and interventions) and pressures in the workplace have been identified as barriers to play-centred practice. Research limitations/implications Findings indicate that there is a mismatch between therapists valuing play as an occupation and how play is used in occupational therapy practice. Unless clarifications are made about play occupation as being different to skills acquisition in childhood, play occupation will continue to get overlooked as an authentic concern of occupation-centred practice. Thus, play as occupation deserves further attention from educators, researchers and practitioners as a means of strengthening occupation-centred practice, in particular play-centred practice in the paediatric context. Originality/value Play has been described as an important occupation in childhood, and consequently, it features in paediatric occupational therapy. However, little is known about the current place of play in occupational therapy practice. This study addresses this gap by considering the current place of play in occupational therapy practice in Ireland.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Lindström ◽  
Minna Janhonen

PurposeBy adopting a paradox lens, the purpose of this study is to explore paradoxes in relation to work organization, recruitment and competence development in growth-oriented companies.Design/methodology/approachThe study is a qualitative content analysis based on research interviews of managers responsible for human resource management (HRM) in Finnish small and medium-sized growth enterprises (SMEs).FindingsThe results show four themes, namely, (1) individualized work, (2) cultural cohesiveness, (3) experimental organization and (4) personal closeness. These identified themes are interpreted as mutually enabling, active responses to the underlying paradoxes of individualism – community and stability – change.Originality/valueThe results contribute to research on tension and paradox in HRM by taking the still unexplored opportunity to apply paradox theory to HRM in SMEs.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. e024367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Larsson ◽  
Maria L E Andersson

ObjectivesThe aims were to identify patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had stopped drinking alcohol and compare them with patients drinking alcohol, and to explore reasons for stopping drinking alcohol.DesignA sequential explanatory mixed methods design was used.SettingSix rheumatology clinics in Southern Sweden Better Anti-Rheumatic FarmacOTherapy cohort.ParticipantsA total of 1509 patients completed the questions about alcohol and were included in the study. 86 of these had stopped drinking alcohol and 72 responded to the open question and their answers were analysed with qualitative content analysis.Outcome measuresThe quantitative data were from a cross-sectional survey assessing disease severity, physical function (Health Assessment Questionnaire, HAQ) and health-related quality of life (EuroQol five dimensions, EQ5D), pain, fatigue, patient global assessment (PatGA) and lifestyle factors, for example, alcohol. The questions assessing alcohol included an open question ‘Why have you stopped drinking alcohol?’ResultsThe patients who stopped drinking alcohol were older (median (min-max) 69 (36–90) vs 66 (23–95), p=0.011), had worse HAQ (1.00 (0–2.75) vs 0.50 (0–3.00), p<0.001), worse EQ5D (0.69 (−0.02–1.00) vs 0.76 (−0.58–1.00), p<0.001) worse PatGA (5 (0–10) vs 3 (0–10), p<0.001), more pain (5 (0–10) vs 3 (0–10), p<0.001) and more fatigue (6 (0–10) vs 4 (0–10), p<0.001 compared with patients drinking alcohol. The qualitative content analysis revealed five categories describing reasons for patients with RA to stop drinking alcohol: illness and treatment; health and well-being; work and family; faith and belief; and dependences and abuse.ConclusionsThe patients who had stopped drinking had worse physical functioning and higher levels in pain-related variables. Most stopped drinking due to their illness or a desire to improve health.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 760-774
Author(s):  
Helena Francke

Purpose The activities of academic researchers are increasingly regulated by neo-liberal ideals, including expectations that researchers are visible online and actively promote their output. The purpose of this paper is to explore how researchers take on this responsibility. It uses the concepts of genre, authorship and self-writing in order to understand how the story of an academic life is constructed on academic web profiles. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative content analysis was conducted of material on 64 profiles belonging to 20 researchers on institutional and personal websites, as well as on ResearchGate, Academica.edu and Google Scholar. Findings The study shows that while institutional websites primarily contain researcher-produced material, content on commercial platforms is often co-constructed through distributed authorship by the researcher, the platform and other platform users. Nine different ways in which the profile of an “academic self” may be said to highlight the particular strengths of a researcher are identified. These include both metrics-based strengths and qualitative forms of information about the academic life, such as experience, the importance of their research and good teaching. Social implications This study of academic web profiles contributes to a better understanding of how researchers self-govern the story of their academic self, or resist such governance, in online environments. Originality/value The study furthers the knowledge of how researchers make use of and respond to digital tools for online visibility opportunities and how the story of the “academic self” is “made” for such public presentation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrian Liem

Purpose As part of a nationwide research about knowledge, attitude, experiences and educational needs towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among Indonesian clinical psychologists (CPs), the purpose of this paper is to explore CPs’ perceptions of CAM research and their interest in learning CAM. Design/methodology/approach A link to an online survey was e-mailed to all 1,045 CPs across Indonesia. At the end of the survey, two open-ended questions were asked: “What do you think about CAM research in Indonesia?” and “Why are you interested in learning about CAM?”, which were responded to by 127 participants (87 per cent of females; Mage=36.67, SD=9.02). Participants’ responses were analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis. Findings It was found that two global themes for CPs’ perceptions of CAM were to improve participants’ professionalism and as part of continuing education and development for mental health professionals. The favourable responses in this study may reflect participants’ willingness to be involved in collaborative CAM research and education. Moreover, CAM was perceived as part of Indonesian culture and participants viewed CAM research and knowledge as a chance to promote Indonesian local wisdom to complement conventional psychotherapy. Research limitations/implications These findings might call for stakeholders to integrate CAM knowledge into psychology education, facilitate CAM research in psychology settings and encourage collaborative CAM research. However, self-selection bias may limit the findings of this study. Originality/value This study explored perceptions of CAM research and interest in learning CAM that have rarely been investigated among mental health professionals and particularly, until now, have not been investigated in Indonesia.


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