scholarly journals Perceptions of Biosecurity-Based Accreditation in the Plant Trade: A UK Example

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1741
Author(s):  
Mariella Marzano ◽  
Michael Dunn ◽  
Sarah Green
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Plant Health ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Tree Health ◽  
Growing Media ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
Biosecurity Practices ◽  
Plant Biosecurity

It is widely acknowledged that a major threat to tree health biosecurity comes from trade, particularly through the importation of containerised live plants and associated growing media. Nurseries can collectively play a key role in mitigating pests and diseases through attention to their daily practices (e.g., procuring plants, storage and management). More widespread adoption of best practices in the sector could be promoted through the introduction of a UK-wide accreditation scheme. However, the success of such a scheme would depend not only on its uptake by nurseries but also on the attitudes of key consumers in the plant supply chain. To date, the perspectives of the nursery sector on the feasibility of plant biosecurity, as well as the sensitivity of these sectors to consumer opinion, have remained under-researched. Using the COM-B [Capability, Opportunity, Motivation—Behaviour] model as a framework, we draw on qualitative results to assess the appetite for a hypothetical accreditation scheme amongst UK nurseries and the capability, opportunities and motivations to enhance their biosecurity practices. Nineteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with plant nurseries and 22 with their consumers. Overall a plant health accreditation scheme should have actions that are: (1) viable within the confines of the site and supply chain; (2) affordable where the benefits of changes/improvements outweigh the costs; (3) beneficial in that they promote biosecurity; (4) attractive to consumers looking to purchase products from accredited nurseries; (5) fair and inclusive where everyone has responsibility for biosecurity; (6) transparent with the scheme involving a strong monitoring and auditing component. This study provides important insights that will feed into the development of plant biosecurity-focussed accreditation or certification.

scholarly journals The role of passive surveillance and citizen science in plant health

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Brown ◽  
Ana Pérez-Sierra ◽  
Peter Crow ◽  
Stephen Parnell
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
Plant Health ◽  
Passive Surveillance ◽  
Tree Health ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Surveillance Programs

Abstract The early detection of plant pests and diseases is vital to the success of any eradication or control programme, but the resources for surveillance are often limited. Plant health authorities can however make use of observations from individuals and stakeholder groups who are monitoring for signs of ill health. Volunteered data is most often discussed in relation to citizen science groups, however these groups are only part of a wider network of professional agents, land-users and owners who can all contribute to significantly increase surveillance efforts through “passive surveillance”. These ad-hoc reports represent chance observations by individuals who may not necessarily be looking for signs of pests and diseases when they are discovered. Passive surveillance contributes vital observations in support of national and international surveillance programs, detecting potentially unknown issues in the wider landscape, beyond points of entry and the plant trade. This review sets out to describe various forms of passive surveillance, identify analytical methods that can be applied to these “messy” unstructured data, and indicate how new programs can be established and maintained. Case studies discuss two tree health projects from Great Britain (TreeAlert and Observatree) to illustrate the challenges and successes of existing passive surveillance programmes. When analysing passive surveillance reports it is important to understand the observers’ probability to detect and report each plant health issue, which will vary depending on how distinctive the symptoms are and the experience of the observer. It is also vital to assess how representative the reports are and whether they occur more frequently in certain locations. Methods are increasingly available to predict species distributions from large datasets, but more work is needed to understand how these apply to rare events such as new introductions. One solution for general surveillance is to develop and maintain a network of tree health volunteers, but this requires a large investment in training, feedback and engagement to maintain motivation. There are already many working examples of passive surveillance programmes and the suite of options to interpret the resulting datasets is growing rapidly.

SCOR Implementation in Oil and Gas Company from an Emerging Market

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jibran Hafeez ◽  
Rameez Khalid ◽  
Shahid Mir
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Business Success ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Scor Model ◽  
Oil And Gas Sector

Measuring supply chain performance is an important business success factor in today's competitive environment and continuous improvement culture. Several models have been developed for this purpose, however, such models lack standardized language and are not well known in the developing countries. Supply Chain Council (SCC) developed Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model. This paper presents a case-based action-research for a step-by-step implementation of SCOR model. The case company belongs to oil and gas sector in a developing country. As-Is model was developed and analyzed for gaps. Reasons were identified using company documents and semi-structured interviews. To-Be model was then developed along with recommendations keeping into account the challenges faced by companies operating in emerging markets. The step-by-step SCOR implementation was found to be effective. It is further found that adapting the SCOR model for developing countries is a time-intensive effort and adapting the best practices can be a better option.

scholarly journals Using citizen science for early detection of tree pests and diseases: perceptions of professional and public participants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidhi Gupta ◽  
David D. Slawson ◽  
Andy J. Moffat
Keyword(s):  
Early Detection ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Health Surveillance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Tree Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
And Training

AbstractEarly detection of new tree pests and diseases is a vital element of national strategies to prevent their establishment and spread into a country or region, based on the rationale that it increases the chances of successful eradication. Given the limited capacity and financial resources of most national plant protection authorities, the use of public participants has recently been explored in a range of citizen science projects for its ability to supplement official surveillance. However, little is known about the motivations, expectations and experiences of members of the public involved in such activities and even less about the views of professionals and officials. In this study, evidence was obtained from structured interviews with professionals and volunteers engaged in five projects related to tree health surveillance. Some differences were noted between the two groups with a greater focus on personal aspects by members of the public and on strategic and institutional aspects by professionals. A striking feature was the agreement of the two groups that the projects had met or exceeded their expectations, and provided the proof of concept that tree health surveillance capacity can be increased by engaging and training citizens. Many participants shared concerns about the importance of securing both project longevity and volunteer participation over the long term. The paper discusses ways in which the motivations of tree health surveillance participants can be sustained over long periods with particular attention to recognition and reward.

scholarly journals Mapping domain characteristics influencing Analytics initiatives: The example of Supply Chain Analytics

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
Tino Herden
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: Analytics research is increasingly divided by the domains Analytics is applied to. Literature offers little understanding whether aspects such as success factors, barriers and management of Analytics must be investigated domain-specific, while the execution of Analytics initiatives is similar across domains and similar issues occur. This article investigates characteristics of the execution of Analytics initiatives that are distinct in domains and can guide future research collaboration and focus. The research was conducted on the example of Logistics and Supply Chain Management and the respective domain-specific Analytics subfield of Supply Chain Analytics. The field of Logistics and Supply Chain Management has been recognized as early adopter of Analytics but has retracted to a midfield position comparing different domains.Design/methodology/approach: This research uses Grounded Theory based on 12 semi-structured Interviews creating a map of domain characteristics based of the paradigm scheme of Strauss and Corbin.Findings: A total of 34 characteristics of Analytics initiatives that distinguish domains in the execution of initiatives were identified, which are mapped and explained. As a blueprint for further research, the domain-specifics of Logistics and Supply Chain Management are presented and discussed.Originality/value: The results of this research stimulates cross domain research on Analytics issues and prompt research on the identified characteristics with broader understanding of the impact on Analytics initiatives. The also describe the status-quo of Analytics. Further, results help managers control the environment of initiatives and design more successful initiatives.

scholarly journals 3031 Facilitators and Barriers in Screening Sexually Active Female Adolescents for Chlamydia Infection in the Suburban Practice Setting

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. 144-144
Author(s):  
Ashaunta Tumblin Anderson ◽  
Barbara Frankowski ◽  
Paul J. Chung ◽  
Judith Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Female Adolescents ◽  
Chlamydia Infection ◽  
Pediatric Care ◽  
Chlamydia Screening ◽  
Practice Setting ◽  
Sexually Active ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Pediatric Providers

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: 1) Describe strategies pediatric providers perceive improve chlamydia screening of sexually active female adolescents (SA), and 2) describe barriers to regular screening of SA for chlamydia METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Using qualitative methods, 14 general pediatric providers across 7 clinical sites in Vermont were interviewed to ascertain best practices and remaining challenges. Semi-structured interviews lasting 30-45 minutes were audiotaped and transcribed. Chlamydia screening rates provided by BCBS-VT were used to categorize participant responses across three performance tiers, data were coded, and themes identified within these tiers. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Facilitators: When asked to describe facilitators of chlamydia screening, providers in the top tier of chlamydia screening emphasized the importance of adequate insurance to cover the cost of testing. Providers in the middle performance tier cited use of pre-visit questionnaires, and those in the bottom performance tier identified no best practices. Other strategies included improving physician confidence and awareness, establishing practice- and individual-level routines, and providing strong leadership and communication of local screening rates. Barriers: Across the 3 performance tiers, the most common challenges to consistent chlamydia screening were threats to patient confidentiality, cost of the screening test, and requirement for patient disclosure of sexual activity. Less commonly, providers were concerned that adolescent patients were not reliable to obtain screens off-site, or fill treatment prescriptions without the help of a parent. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The need for systematic, confidential, and inexpensive means for screening SA for chlamydia was highlighted in both the best practices and challenges described by providers of pediatric care in the suburban practice setting. Policy and practice interventions may target these needs to improve the reproductive health of female adolescents.

Categorising on-site problems

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micael Thunberg ◽  
Martin Rudberg ◽  
Tina Karrbom Gustavsson
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Construction Project ◽  
Internal Validity ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
The Body ◽  
Construction Project Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge

Purpose This study aims to identify and categorise common on-site problems from a supply chain management (SCM) perspective and to trace the origin of these problems in the construction project process, the supply chain or in the intersection between these processes. This allows for identification of how on-site problems affect SCM in construction projects and how they can be mitigated. Design/methodology/approach A literature review in combination with semi-structured interviews was used to identify on-site problems. This enabled triangulation and strengthened both construct validity and internal validity. Findings On-site problems can be categorised in one of the four following categories: material flows, internal communication, external communication or complexity. The first category has its origin in the supply chain, the second in the construction project process, the third in the supply chain-construction process intersection on site and the fourth in the construction project as a whole. The findings conclude that on-site problems often originate from construction companies’ lack of supply chain orientation. Research limitations/implications It is suggested that supply chain planning (SCP) can facilitate on-site problem mitigation in construction project management. This extends the body of knowledge of SCP in construction project management and supports the development of effective on-site construction project management. Practical implications The results show that SCP can aid construction project management in handling on-site problems earlier in the project process. Originality/value The main value lies in extending the body of knowledge in construction project management research by applying an SCM perspective and by introducing SCP to support more effective construction project management.

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