Ecological modernisation and citizen engagement

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 302-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Praveena Rajkobal
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Environmental Movement ◽  
The State ◽  
Citizen Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Desalination Plant ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Ecological Modernisation

Purpose – Modern environmental governance, especially in developed nations, increasingly embraces ecological modernisation (EM) as a framework for managing environmental resources. EM proposes a political modernisation programme that brings the four institutions the state, private sector, experts and the environmental movement together in addressing challenging environmental issues. The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of the political modernisation programme on citizen engagement. The paper argues that while citizen engagement through the integration of the environmental movement in decision-making processes is promoted, the prominence given to the state, and science and technology results in a number of issues concerning citizen engagement and more deliberative forms of decision making. Design/methodology/approach – The paper inquires into these issues by building up on the prominent literature in the areas of EM, administrative state, technologically oriented decision making and the case study of the Wonthaggi desalination plant. Findings – While citizen engagement through the integration of the environmental movement in decision-making processes is promoted by some EM theorists, other aspects of EM theory give prominence to the state, and science and technology. The paper asserts that citizens’ voices tend to be overwhelmed in governance projects where the main focus is on capitalist values and scientific knowledge and a main role is played by the state and experts. Originality/value – The paper is an original work done based on the reviews of literature conducted in the relevant areas and research on the Wonthaggi desalination plant to address the question of the realisability of citizen engagement in EM-based environmental governance spaces.

Service decision-making processes at three New York state cooperative public library systems

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 418-432
Author(s):  
Xiaoai Ren
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
New York ◽  
New York State ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
York State ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
And Cluster Analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look at the organizational structure and service provisions of cooperative public library systems in New York State. The study also seeks to ask questions of how cooperative public library systems decide what services to provide. Design/methodology/approach – Descriptive statistics, factor analysis and cluster analysis were applied on New York State public library systems’ 2008 annual reports to generate quantitative profiles of public library systems and their service transactions. Three cooperative public library systems displaying different service features were purposefully selected for further study of their service decision-making processes. The face-to-face and phone interviews were adopted in the study. Findings – Research findings from this study provide information on specific service variations across cooperative public library systems. The findings also provide differences of service decision-making processes in addition to the factors that might cause these differences. Originality/value – This study adds knowledge of public library systems’ management and organizational structures, therefore fills a knowledge gap on public library systems. It can also serve as the baseline for future studies using newer annual report data and therefore to study the changing roles and services of cooperative public library systems in New York State.

scholarly journals Governance and socio-political issues in management of acid mine drainage in South Africa

Water Policy ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-89
Author(s):  
Charles Mpofu ◽  
Thabiso John Morodi ◽  
Johan Petrus Hattingh
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Acid Mine Drainage ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Acid Mine ◽  
Black Economic Empowerment ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Abstract The water resources in South Africa are threatened by current and past mining practices such as abandoned and closed mines. While mining is considered valuable for its contribution to this country's gross domestic product, its polluting effects on water and land resources have been criticised as unsustainable. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one specific public health and ecological issue that has stirred debates in political and social circles in this country. This paper examines the scalar politics and other related dimensions of water and AMD governance, thereby revealing evidence of deep-rooted challenges regarding the governance of water and mineral resources. The specific focus is on the socio-political context of labour laws and Black Economic Empowerment and the decision-making processes adopted by government. Thus, this paper has implications for the improvement of environmental governance and decision-making strategies and the adoption of a national strategy for adequately addressing AMD and related policy issues.

scholarly journals The voice of dwellers – developing a place brand by listening to its residents

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulla Hakala
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Place Branding ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
E Mail

Purpose Listening to the customers has long been a key phrase and success element in product branding. This paper aims to highlight the importance of listening to residents during the branding of a place. The study explores ways of listening to residents to ensure they are heard and also discusses the challenges and benefits related to place branding flowing from having residents participate in decision-making processes. Design/methodology/approach Listening to residents and offering opportunities to participate requires place branders to fully attend to, comprehend and respond to residents’ comments, requests, ideas and feedback. This study reports on how two Nordic cities – Turku and Helsinki – listen to their residents. The data used comprise face-to-face interviews, telephone and e-mail conversations and documentary material. Findings Residents should not be considered as one homogeneous target; participation options and channels should be adapted to the demographics and geographic issues of the different regions and resident groups. Research limitations/implications The role of residents and the importance of listening are crucial features in the emerging concept of inclusive place branding (Kavaratzis et al., 2017); its future conceptual development could benefit from the case examples at hand. Practical implications City authorities should listen to residents and provide them with opportunities to actively contribute to decision-making. Other cities could learn from the examples introduced in the paper. Originality/value This paper documents two Nordic examples of cities putting into practice a policy of listening to the residents, a previously neglected research area.

scholarly journals Hierarchical Decision-Making Problems – Modeling and Solutions

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 311-324
Author(s):  
Tadeusz Krupa ◽  
Teresa Ostrowska
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
The State ◽  
Hierarchical Decision Making ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
Hierarchical Decision ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Key Issues

Abstract Article illustrates the state of the work conducted at the Faculty of Management Warsaw University of Technology on the issue of modeling hierarchical decision-making problems in the context of administrative and infrastructural conditions of the various forms of public safety. The aim is to develop a universal methodology of conduct for the management needs of the public administration, whose powers are focused on maintaining the continuity of the critical infrastructure of the State. The key issues covered by the article are: modeling of hierarchical issues and decision-making processes in the multi-layered organizational structures; harmonization of scales significance of decisionmaking areas with significance weights of elementary decisions in these decision areas; and a priori contradictions of elementary decisions from different decision areas and value assessments of taken problem decisions.

Role of personal values in investment decisions

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 940-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otuo Serebour Agyemang ◽  
Abraham Ansong
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Investment Decision ◽  
Personal Values ◽  
Investment Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Investment Decision Making ◽  
Recent Emergence ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Purpose This paper aims to examine the role personal values play in investment decision-making processes among Ghanaian shareholders. Design/methodology/approach In consequence of the recent emergence of the issue of corporate governance practices in Ghana, and the kind of the research objective of this paper, a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods was used. These methods were used in two stages. The first stage was qualitative, which purposively selected 20 individual shareholders to solicit their perspectives on how personal values influence investment decisions. Their responses were used to construct the content of this enquiry. The second stage, which was quantitative, used stratified sampling technique to select 503 individual shareholders to confirm the responses obtained from stage one of the enquiry. Findings The findings of the study reveal that individual shareholders in Ghana hold value priorities and that honesty, a comfortable life and family security play a significant role in their lives and their investment decision-making processes, and the kind of companies they choose to invest in. Also, to Ghanaian individual shareholders, there is a clear distinction between a comfortable life and a prosperous life in the sense that they are not incentivized more by the latter but by the former in their investment decisions. Practical implications The results can inform corporate directors and managers what values are considered in investment decisions, and that it is not purely financial. With these results, they can be informed that while some financial values are important, it is just to live a comfortable life and not a prosperous life. This may influence these directors and managers to have a more long-run focus and to have more of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) focus by putting implementable measures in place to tackle corporate responsibility issues and to take up a responsibility for their CSR feat. Also, the results can be used for public policy in that if regulators find out that more CSR-type information is important to investors, they might require additional CSR-type disclosures in financial statements. Originality/value This paper contributes to the knowledge on the stakeholder perspective of corporate governance that individual shareholders’ personal values have influence on their investment decisions and the choice of companies they invest in.

A multiple criteria group decision-making approach for the assessment of small and medium-sized enterprise competitiveness

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 480-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joana M. Gonçalves ◽  
Fernando A.F. Ferreira ◽  
João J.M. Ferreira ◽  
Luís M.C. Farinha
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Evaluation System ◽  
Cognitive Mapping ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Constructivist Epistemology ◽  
Study Context

PurposeSmall- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have become increasingly important in national and international markets because they contribute to the development of local and national economies. SMEs often face serious challenges when competing with multinational companies. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method for assessing SMEs’ competitiveness.Design/methodology/approachBased on a constructivist epistemology, this study makes an integrated use of cognitive mapping and the measuring attractiveness by a categorical-based evaluation technique (MACBETH). To this end, face-to-face sessions were conducted with a panel of entrepreneurs and senior managers who deal with the challenges of maintaining SME competitiveness every day. The proposed assessment system was tested and validated by the panel members.FindingsThe methodological processes adopted in this study provide promising results for decision makers seeking to identify the most competitive SMEs. Specifically, the results emphasize, among other points, the importance of innovation and the human dimension to gaining competitive advantages.Research limitations/implicationsThe evaluation system developed in this study is extremely versatile and confirms the usefulness of integrating cognitive mapping and MACBETH to facilitate evaluations of SME competitiveness. However, due to its idiosyncratic and process-oriented nature, generalizations need to be done with caution.Practical implicationsThe proposed method can be valuable to researchers seeking to develop mechanisms for evaluating SMEs’ entrepreneurial performance and include specialized know-how and sensemaking in organizational decision-making processes.Originality/valueThe integrated use of cognitive maps and MACBETH contributes to a better understanding of how to assess SMEs’ competitiveness. No prior work reporting the use of this dual methodology in this study context has been found.

Thinking styles, gender, and decision making in Latin American management

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camelia Ilie ◽  
Guillermo Cardoza
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Thinking Styles ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Purpose Many studies have analyzed how gender diversity and local culture condition the cognitive styles of managers and affect decision-making processes in organizations. Gender diversity has been defended from an equality perspective; it has been argued to improve decision-making processes and to have a positive impact on companies’ return on investment. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the differences between the thinking styles of men and women, in Latin America and the USA that support decision-making processes. An argument is given in favor of gender diversity in management teams, because of its positive implications in decision making. Design/methodology/approach The measurement instrument used was the Neethling Brain Instrument, developed based on recent neuroscience discovery. The sample comprised 1,216 executives from the USA and several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, who have participated in executive training programs. Findings The results show differences in thinking styles by gender, but no differences were found in thinking styles or decision making between men and women at the same managerial level in either of the two regions. Similarly, results suggest that executives in the USA tend to base their management models on strategic thinking styles that focus on interpersonal relations and involve risk taking, while executives in Latin American countries tend to prefer thinking and management styles focusing on data analysis, execution, planning, and process control. Originality/value The results of the present study show that, in all regions, men score higher in rational thinking styles associated with the cortical areas, while women gravitate toward thinking styles where emotional schemes prevail, related to subcortical areas. These results could be useful for organizational leaders in charge of allocating roles and tasks to people, based on their thinking style strengths. The results can also be very valuable for Latin American organizations to design specific training and development programs for men and women accordingly with their individual needs and their managerial roles. They can also support the argument that diverse gender teams will guarantee complete decision-making processes.

WASPAS based MULTIMOORA method under IVIF environment for the selection of hub location

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 1233-1256
Author(s):  
Nezir Aydin ◽  
Sukran Seker
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Airline Industry ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Hub Location ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Product Assessment ◽  
The City

PurposeLow cost carriers (LCCs) have become one of the most significantly growing parts of the airline servicing market. This new player has redesigned the whole airline industry, which was previously led by the national/international full-service airline companies. Considering such advancements, the hub locations of LCCs became an important issue than ever before. Within this concept, a guiding framework is developed for an LCC company, which is in search of a new hub airport location within Turkey to satisfy the demand and attract new passengers.Design/methodology/approachAn interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy (IVIF) sets based weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) and multi-objective optimization by ratio analysis (MULTIMOORA) methods are developed for decision-making processes.FindingsFive airport locations are evaluated using the developed method. Results showed that in determining hub locations for LCCs, potential number of passengers of the city, airport quality and the number of hotels within the city are obtained as the three most important criteria among 12 evaluation criteria. The best location for the LCC company is determined as Antalya Airport.Research limitations/implicationsTo apply the proposed method to a different set of alternatives, data gathered on comparing location of alternatives from experts should be updated.Originality/valueProposed hybrid framework is presented as the first time in the literature as a decision-making tool. In order to validate framework's applicability, efficiency and effectiveness, a comparison and a sensitivity analysis are conducted at the end of the study.

scholarly journals Pathways to Implementation: Evidence on How Participation in Environmental Governance Impacts on Environmental Outcomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas W Jager ◽  
Jens Newig ◽  
Edward Challies ◽  
Elisa Kochskämper
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Latent Variables ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Social Outcomes ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Environmental Standard ◽  
Stakeholder Perspectives ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Modes Of Governance

Abstract There is much enthusiasm among scholars and public administrators for participatory and collaborative modes of governance as a means to tackle contemporary environmental problems. Participatory and collaborative approaches are expected to both enhance the environmental standard of the outputs of decision-making processes and improve the implementation of these outputs. In this article, we draw on a database of 307 coded published cases of public environmental decision-making to identify key pathways via which participation fosters effective environmental governance. We develop a conceptual model of the hypothesized relationship between participation, environmental outputs, and implementation, mediated by intermediate (social) outcomes such as social learning or trust building. Testing these assumptions through structural equation modeling and exploratory factor analysis, we find a generally positive effect of participation on the environmental standard of governance outputs, in particular where communication intensity is high and where participants are delegated decision-making power. Moreover, we identify two latent variables—convergence of stakeholder perspectives and stakeholder capacity building—to mediate this relationship. Our findings point to a need for treating complex and multifaceted phenomena such as participation in a nuanced manner, and to pay attention to how particular mechanisms work to foster a range of social outcomes and to secure more environmentally effective outputs and their implementation.

The Balancing Act

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki Park ◽  
Elise St John ◽  
Amanda Datnow ◽  
Bailey Choi
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Data Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Student Placement ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Classroom Placement ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how data are used in classroom placement routines. The authors explore educators’ assumptions about the purposes of the classroom placement routine, detailing the ostensive (i.e. structure and template) and performative aspects of the routine itself, and the implications of data use for equity and leadership practices. Design/methodology/approach Using a multi-site case study involving in-depth interviews of teacher and school leaders and observations of meetings, the authors examined the role that data played in classroom placement routines in three elementary schools in the USA. Findings Findings show that educators across schools collected similar types of multi-dimensional data; however, analysis and decision-making processes varied based on their assumptions and goals. Assessing student needs holistically and balancing students across classes based on academic diversity, behavioral or socio-emotional needs, gender and teacher workload were consistent patterns. There was a distinct difference between collecting data and actually using it as a basis of decision making. Research limitations/implications These findings highlight the importance of using in-depth observations to understand data use in schools. Educators’ assumptions and philosophies about classroom placement contributed to the pattern of discussion and decisions made throughout the routines. Delving deeper into how data are used in specific routines and organizational contexts can illuminate how data use is socially constructed and enacted for equity. Practical implications Educators who guide school routines have the power to maintain taken-for-granted assumptions about students, or to create counter-narratives. Originality/value This study provides insights into classroom and student placement processes by emphasizing the social and interactional dimensions of data use as they unfold in practice. It also extends empirical knowledge about the purposes, dimensions, and uses of data-driven decision making models.

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