The vegan shift in the Australian animal movement

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Pendergrast
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
Animal Movement ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Critical Animal Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Resource Mobilisation

PurposeThis article explores the different ways in which the vegan turn within the animal advocacy movement in Australia has played out for two organisations, Animal Liberation Victoria (ALV) and Animals Australia. Previous research has found that this promotion of veganism has occurred to varying degrees for different organisations and this article will analyse some of these variations in greater depth, drawing on the sociological theory of resource mobilisation.Design/methodology/approachThis article provides a case study on the campaigning of ALV and Animals Australia on the issue of the dairy industry, as well as an overview of their histories, with a focus on the changing level of vegan campaigning over time. In order to explore this issue, this article will draw on the campaigning materials of the organisations studied, a wide range of academic literature and interviews with key figures from both of these organisations.FindingsLarger organisations have a limited ability to regularly promote a vegan message due to their need to bring in a large amount of resources to sustain costs such as their office costs and paid staff. It is more grassroots organisations that have far greater scope to consistently and strongly promote a vegan message, although they reach fewer people.Social implicationsThe increasing uptake of veganism will have important implications for animals as well as for human health and the environment. The environmental benefits of veganism become even more significant in light of the urgent need to tackle the substantial threat of climate change.Originality/valueThis article is a contribution to the expanding field of critical animal studies as well as to the literature on sociology and animals. It builds on the limited amount of existing sociological literature on vegan activism and contributes an analysis in Australian context.

Managing integration in infrastructure alliance projects

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Maija Hietajärvi ◽  
Kirsi Aaltonen ◽  
Harri Haapasalo
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Complex Projects ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Project Organizations ◽  
Integration Mechanisms ◽  
Organizational Integration ◽  
Time Critical

Purpose The effective management of inter-organizational integration is central to complex projects. Such projects pose significant challenges for integration, as organizations struggle with constantly changing inter-organizational interdependencies and must develop and adapt integration mechanisms to meet new demands. The purpose of this paper is to understand what kinds of integration mechanisms are used and how they are developed and adjusted during the infrastructure alliance projects. Design/methodology/approach This study provides empirical evidence of integration dynamics in project alliancing by analyzing two infrastructure alliance projects – a complex tunnel construction project and a railway renovation project. The research approach is an inductive case study. Findings This paper identifies integration mechanisms adopted in two case projects and three central triggers that led to changes in the integration mechanisms: project lifecycle phase, unexpected events and project team’s learning during the project. Practical implications Integration capability should be a precondition for alliance project organizations and requires the adoption of a wide range of integration mechanisms, as well as an ability to adjust those mechanisms in response to everyday dynamics and emergent situations. Originality/value Although unplanned contingencies and the responses to them represent important influences in organizations, there is limited amount of research on the dynamics of integration. The findings will be of value in supporting the management of inter-organizational integration in complex, uncertain and time-critical construction projects.

Deterrents to the adoption of green walls: a hybrid fuzzy-based approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanaz Tabatabaee ◽  
Mojtaba Ashour ◽  
Saeed Reza Mohandes ◽  
Haleh Sadeghi ◽  
Amir Mahdiyar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Architectural Design ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Maintenance Cost ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fuzzy Delphi ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Green Walls ◽  
Hierarchy Process

PurposeGreen walls (GWs), comprising living walls and green facades, have been touted as environmentally friendly products in architectural design. GWs can be viable in every aspect of sustainability; they provide residents of buildings with a wide range of economic, social and environmental benefits. Despite this, the adoption rate of GW is still in its infancy stage, and the existing literature concerning the hindrances inhibiting GW adoption is very limited. To address these gaps, the aim of this paper is to identify and prioritize the hindrances to GW adoption in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachAfter identifying 17 hindrances through an in-depth review of literature, the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) is employed to refine the hindrances based on the local context with the help of 21 qualified experts in the field. Subsequently, Fuzzy Parsimonious Analytic Hierarchy Process (FPAHP) is exploited as a recently developed technique to prioritize the identified hindrances.FindingsResults reveal that the most significant hindrances to the adoption of GW are maintenance cost, high installation cost, difficulties in maintenance, sophisticated implementation and inducement to fire. Findings call for scholars to address ways to improve GW installation practices and methods in order to eradicate the hindrances and provide lessons for policymakers, assisting them in facilitating the larger-scale adoption of GW.Originality/valueConsidering the dearth of studies on hindrances to the adoption of GWs, this paper provides a comprehensive outlook of the issue, providing knowledge that can be used as a building block for future scholars within the field. It also provides valuable insights for stakeholders within the construction industry about the hindrances to the adoption of GWs which could direct their efforts toward better implementation of it.

The iAnimal Film Series

Screen Bodies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-61
Author(s):  
Holly Cecil
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
Documentary Film ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Short Film ◽  
Film Festival ◽  
Embodied Experience ◽  
Critical Animal Studies ◽  
Advocacy Organizations ◽  
Film Series

This article explores the innovative use of virtual reality (VR) technology in nonfiction documentary film formats by animal-advocacy organizations. I examine the potential of the VR medium to communicate the living and dying environments of factory-farmed animals, and to generate viewer empathy with the animal subjects in their short, commodified lives from birth to slaughterhouse. I present a case study of the iAnimal short film series produced by Animal Equality, which made its public debut at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Employing a critical animal studies framework, I engage Kathryn Gillespie’s work on witnessing of the nonhuman condition as a method of academic research, and apply to it the embodied experience of virtual witnessing through virtual realty.

The institutional challenges of scaling-up housing retrofit: the Swiss cities of Basel and Sion

Facilities ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 780-798
Author(s):  
Arian Mahzouni
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
Housing System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the nexus between two societal (sub) systems of housing and energy supply to shed new light on the key institutional barriers to socio-technical energy transition in the built environment. The key research question is to explore if and how key patterns of institutional elements associated with energy retrofit and energy supply are combined, co-evolved and played out in the housing system, leading to an alternative energy transition pathway in the built environment. Design/methodology/approach A comparative case study of residential buildings in the Swiss cities of Basel and Sion is conducted to map retrofitting policies and practices in a wide range of buildings (e.g. multi-family and single family) that each requires a particular constellation of institutions, actors and artefacts. Findings The key finding is that the regulative institutions support energy transition in each urban form/housing type. However, the co-evolution with normative and cultural-cognitive institutions does not play out very clearly in the housing system. One reason is that the norms and cultures are deeply rooted in the practices exercised by business community and households and therefore they need a longer time frame to adapt to a new regulation. Research limitations/implications The policies and actions to increase the rate of housing retrofit are discussed in the specific socio-political context of Switzerland. Therefore, the results of this study might not be applied in other contexts with different conditions, limiting the possibility for analytical generalization. The case study can generate only context-specific knowledge, which might be valuable only to cities with similar conditions. This paper addresses theoretical, methodological and policy challenges in scaling-up retrofit projects by taking a holistic and integrated approach to the systems of housing and energy supply. Practical implications It would have been necessary to find out how the introduction and enforcement of new energy policies and regulations (regulative institutions) have changed the norms and building practices (normative institutions) used by actors from housing industry and the attitudes and energy consumption behaviour of the households (cultural-cognitive institutions). Nevertheless, information about normative and cultural-cognitive institutions require more primary data in the form of interviews with organizations and households, respectively, which goes beyond the scope and resources of this study. Originality/value Insights from different strands of literature (institutions and sustainability transition) are combined to understand if and how retrofitting practices go along with other elements of urban sustainability including architectural, technical, socio-cultural and economic factors.

Knowledge transfer in Hero Motor Corp Ltd.

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 260-263
Author(s):  
Geeta Rana ◽  
Alok Kumar Goel ◽  
Ajay Kumar Saini
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Influencing Factor ◽  
Transfer Of Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Us ◽  
Cross Country

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the issues of knowledge transfer in international strategic alliance within Hero Moto Corp. Ltd., an Indian multinational company. International Strategic alliances have been increasing in numbers in the past decades and transfer of knowledge and its transfer in multinational companies is wider debate. The case explores the complex issues involved in cross-organization and cross-country transfer of knowledge. The company has forged a strategic alliance with the US-based Erik Buell Racing for accessing technology and design inputs. Design/methodology/approach – It presents a structured case study that examines a wide range of knowledge transfer issues of international strategic alliance. Findings – It reveals that a major influencing factor is the national culture of the parents and that of the host country which provides the context with in which alliances are operate. It is also explored the ways in which the multi-parentage of strategic alliances influences their Human Resource Management (HRM) policies and practices. Originality/value – It provides plenty of useful information on an issue that affects virtually every employee and organization.

Autism spectrum mixed neurodevelopmental disorder associated with 6q27 deletion and multiple copies within 20q11.23: a case study

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-215
Author(s):  
Stephen Hopkins ◽  
Jeremy Turk ◽  
Adeniyi Daramola ◽  
Marinos Kyriakopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Copy Number Variations ◽  
Comparative Genomic Hybridisation ◽  
Comparative Genomic ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Multiple Copies

Purpose – Copy Number Variations (CNVs) are not infrequently observed in aberrant neurodevelopment. CNVs can alter gene expression and have been linked to a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders. The purpose of this case study is to report the association of CNVs with a mixed neurodevelopmental disorder. Design/methodology/approach – Array-Comparative Genomic Hybridisation analysis was carried out in a case of an eight-year-old boy presenting with a mixed neurodevelopmental disorder including autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, tic disorder, anxiety and severe aggression. The child's parents also underwent the same investigation. Findings – A 6q27 deletion and multiple copies within 20q11.23 were identified. The boy's father shared the 6q27 deletion and his mother also had multiple copies within 20q11.23. Originality/value – This is the first report linking the combination of 6p27 and 20q11 CNVs with a mixed neurodevelopmental presentation. Identifying CNVs that may underlie aberrant neurodevelopment is likely to assist in unravelling the aetiology of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders and lead to more effective strategies for their characterisation and management.

Sustainability performance assessment of an aircraft manufacturing firm

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 1500-1527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alok Raj ◽  
Samir K. Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Composite Index ◽  
Noise Emission ◽  
Manufacturing Firm ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Quantitative Measurements ◽  
Aircraft Manufacturing ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a composite index (CI) to evaluate the sustainability performance of an aircraft manufacturing firm using Fuzzy Best Worst Multi Criteria (FBWM) decision-making approach. It identifies a wide range of sub-dimensions and their attributes to measure sustainability in a multi-echelon supply chain. Design/methodology/approach FBWM, a hybrid multi-criteria decision making method, relies on multiple sub-dimensions and attributes for assessment of sustainability. Sub-dimensions and attributes are identified from a detailed literature review and inputs from 17 experts. The weights are evaluated using best worst method (BWM). Quantitative measurements are very difficult for attributes like living conditions, noise emission, etc., so the performance of attributes are assessed using Fuzzy logic. The proposed methodology is validated with the case study of a single unit of an Indian aircraft manufacturing firm. Findings Economic concerns emerge as the most influential dimension of sustainability in the aerospace sector. The results reveal that the firm considered in the case study is “Very Sustainable.” Firm’s performance ratings are excellent in three out of 79 attributes considered for the study. Further, 24 weaker (least performing) attributes are identified with the help of fuzzy performance index. These require managerial action for improvements. Research limitations/implications The present study is based on inputs from a small group of managers in a single firm in India. It can be extended to a large group of executives in other firms like Boeing, Airbus, etc. for testing the validity of the proposed methodology and generalization of the findings. Practical implications Managers, consultants and audit agencies can use the proposed CI developed in this paper for evaluating the sustainability performance of a firm. It assists managers to identify weaker attributes for which they may plan and prioritize their activities for improvements. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to measure sustainability in an aircraft manufacturing firm. The paper proposes a novel framework based on fuzzy BWM, for assessing sustainability performance.

Adopting Six Sigma DMAIC for environmental considerations in process industry environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1241-1261
Author(s):  
Anupama Prashar
Keyword(s):  
Six Sigma ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Process Industry ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Action Research Approach ◽  
Industry Environment ◽  
Environmental Considerations

PurposeThe aim of the study is to develop and apply a continuous improvement (CI) framework by introducing environmental considerations into the Six Sigma DMAIC (define–measure–analyze–improve–control) cycle for a continuous identification, evaluation and implementation of promising opportunities of enhancing environmental sustainability of process-based industries.Design/methodology/approachAction research approach within the research design of a single case study was used for illustrating the application of the proposed DMAIC framework for improving operational and environmental performance in the process-industry environment of a pharmaceutical manufacturing company.FindingsThe case study illustrated the implementation of DMAIC cycle for optimizing the energy consumption of pharmaceutical plants producing bulk drugs for medication. After improving the energy distribution in the cooling tower (CTW), chilled brine (CHB) and chilled water (CHW) system, the pharmaceutical plant was able to achieve an annual economic benefit of US$97,047 and environmental benefits of mitigating CO2 emissions of 807.44 t (CO2) by reducing the electricity and furnace oil consumption.Originality/valueThe framework may be adopted for environmental considerations specific to process-based industry such as chemical plant, fertilizer units, thermal power plant and food processing industry.

scholarly journals Supplier performance assessment

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 817-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Romule ◽  
Ozlem Bak ◽  
Claudia Colicchia ◽  
Sarah Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Delivery Performance ◽  
Supplier Performance ◽  
Manufacturing Company ◽  
Internal Business Process

Purpose The discussion of supplier performance assessment and implementation challenges has been evidenced well in the academic literature. However, the analysis of supplier performance assessment has been limited in terms of inclusion of suppliers’ perspective, especially in terms of what key performance indicators they deem to be relevant and aligned with their goals. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to shed light on supplier performance assessment, taking into account both manufacturing company’s and suppliers’ perspective, to evaluate to what extent the utilised performance measures are beneficial to all parties. Design/methodology/approach Based on literature review on supplier performance assessment, ten categories of performance measures were established and explored in a case study involving a UK manufacturing company and its suppliers. A questionnaire was distributed to the manufacturing company and their 30 suppliers, resulting with a total of 41 responses. Findings From the established ten categories only five categories were highly rated which were: net profits, flexibility and responsiveness, delivery performance and time and cycle time, product quality and availability, which were aligned to financial and internal business process categories. Research limitations/implications This study focused on a UK-based company and its relationship with its suppliers and how performance measures were assessed within this context. A further study needs to be conducted in terms of comparing the results of the study to other companies’ supplier performance assessment. Originality/value The research on the topic of supplier performance assessment often relates to measurement and highlights measures for assessing suppliers’ performance to a particular industry or area of performance measurement. Hence, this study embeds three distinctive angles including the academic literature on supplier performance assessment, suppliers’ and the manufacturing company’s perspectives.

How the smart governance model shapes cities? Cases from Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Demokaan Demirel
Keyword(s):  
Communication Technology ◽  
Smart City ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Governance Model ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Smart Governance ◽  
City Models

Purpose This study aims to discuss the transformational effect of the smart governance concept, which is one of the complementary elements of the smart city concept and to explain the change in governance structures according to the developments in information and communication technology. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the case study as one of the qualitative research methods is preferred, and smart city models of Barcelona, Amsterdam, Kocaeli and Ankara are examined. Findings In the research, scientific studies in the academic literature were evaluated according to the content analysis, and as a result of this analysis, the cities examined were grouped as “beginner,” “medium” and “advanced.” In the group, the characteristics of smart cities and the services they offer were taken into account. In this context, smart governance methods and their transformational effects are analyzed. Originality/value The most important contribution of this study to the literature is to identify the important characteristics of developed and successful smart city initiatives and to encourage their application to other developing world cities as a best practices model.

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