scholarly journals A Conceptual Model of Forces Driving the Introduction of a Sustainability Report in SMEs: Evidence from a Case Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Caputo ◽  
Stefania Veltri ◽  
Andrea Venturelli
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Organizational Capability ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Critical Dimensions ◽  
Sustainability Report

The paper aims to depict the forces responsible for an effective introduction of a sustainability report within SMEs. The paper’s aim is addressed employing the case study methodology. In detail an SME considered a best practice in introducing sustainability innovations has been selected and analyzed. The main outcome of the paper is to use the case study evidence to construct a conceptual model highlighting the forces that drive companies to introduce innovative sustainable management tools. The conceptual model emphasizes as driving forces the capability of the firm to engage with its stakeholders, together with some relevant managerial and organizational features. The adoption of sustainable management tools is the outcome of a strategic alignment of corporate and sustainable strategy, and of the organizational capability to carry on effectively social and environmental responsibility (SER) activities based on the firm’s SER critical dimensions.

scholarly journals Mapping the Disaster Competency Landscape in Undergraduate Nursing - A Case Study of Nursing Educators in British Columbia, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (s1) ◽  
pp. s51-s51
Author(s):  
Wendy Mckenzie
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Undergraduate Nursing ◽  
Starting Point

Introduction:In British Columbia (BC), Canada, it is increasingly commonplace for communities to experience yearly disaster events such as floods, forest fires, avalanches, and mudslides. Nurses are known to be one of the largest groups of healthcare workers and are often challenged to care for members of the public during these events. Many nurses have stated that they do not have enough education to provide quality care in a disaster role, as they received no education in their undergraduate nursing degrees.Aim:The aim of this study was to explore how and what nurse educators are teaching undergraduate nursing students regarding the disaster nursing role within Schools of Nursing in BC, Canada. Understanding the current practice of teaching will serve as a starting point for shaping future best practice undergraduate nursing disaster educational frameworks.Methods:This study used a qualitative case study methodology guided by Merriam’s procedural approach with a theoretical framework of adult teaching and learning.Results:The findings indicate that disaster nursing knowledge is taught either within existing global health courses or rarely is leveled throughout the program. Many challenges exist for educators, which include lack of current resources, workload restrictions, and lack of personal disaster knowledge. Content is determined by the educator. However, there is no specific model or link to disaster nursing competencies or assessment strategies. Most content is delivered didactically by the educator with some expert guest speakers or collaborative simulation events.Discussion:The identified priority challenge is to obtain clarity and understanding around just what knowledge is required and how it should be evaluated. Some suggestions for a specific undergraduate disaster nursing model will be presented in order to ensure that students have the foundational knowledge that they require and that our educators are prepared to teach them.

Towards a Better Understanding of Organizational Adoption and Diffusion of RFID Technology

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faouzi Kamoun ◽  
Sami Miniaoui
Keyword(s):  
Business Processes ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Diffusion Pathway ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Exogenous Factors ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Adoption And Diffusion ◽  
And Diffusion

This paper aims to acquire underlying knowledge about the dynamics of RFID adoption and diffusion and explore the drivers that shape the RFID diffusion pathway. The paper uses a case study methodology to conduct and present the research and its findings. The paper presents an RFID adoption/diffusion model that can guide enterprises to transition from standalone RFID deployments towards new RFID systems that are deeply integrated with business processes. The diffusion process follows a three-stage model with isomorphic feedback mechanisms. The first stage is an isolated/sensing phase, the second stage is an absorptive phase, while the last stage is an integrative phase. The proposed model suggests that a combination of endogenous and exogenous factors constitute the driving forces behind each phase of the diffusion pathway. Our research reveals that some congruence between organizational and individual aims is plausible during the adoption phase and that RFID adoption can be initiated through organizational free-will as opposed to coercive pressures from influencing organizations.

scholarly journals Get prepared for an emergency: An infographic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Blake ◽  
A Miller ◽  
A Rampton
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Best Practice Guidelines ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Study Methodology

© The Author(s) 2017. Effective preparedness messages increase human capacity to prepare, respond and minimise harm during an emergency. The purpose of this study was to highlight the development of a pictorial infographic resource for earthquake and other emergencies for older people, people with mobility issues and people with literacy concerns in Aotearoa/New Zealand. A case study methodology was used to enable an in-depth description of the processes involved in designing, developing and disseminating the infographic. Case studies provide a medium to represent communitysituated knowledge and expertise. They value context, specificity and lived experience. The second two authors drove the initiative, and project managed the production of the infographic. The first author conducted a semi-structured interview with the other two authors to garner details of the process. This interview was transcribed and the case study outline was crafted. The authors went on to produce this paper collectively. The outcomes of this case study include recommending that a multidisciplinary approach be used to engage a range of stakeholders, to produce suitable preparedness messages for a range of audiences. Designing preparedness resources necessitates an iterative method and collective decision-making by relevant stakeholders. International best-practice guidelines provide evidence to ensure suitable resources are produced and gaps in knowledge identified, so that emergency preparedness is accessible for all.

scholarly journals Conceptual Model for the Vulnerability Assessment of Springs in the Indian Himalayas

Climate ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Denzil Daniel ◽  
Aavudai Anandhi ◽  
Sumit Sen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Western Himalayas ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Indian Himalayas

The Indian Himalayan Region is home to nearly 50 million people, more than 50% of whom are dependent on springs for their sustenance. Sustainable management of the nearly 3 million springs in the region requires a framework to identify the springs most vulnerable to change agents which can be biophysical or socio-economic, internal or external. In this study, we conceptualize vulnerability in the Indian Himalayan springs. By way of a systematic review of the published literature and synthesis of research findings, a scheme of identifying and quantifying these change agents (stressors) is presented. The stressors are then causally linked to the characteristics of the springs using indicators, and the resulting impact and responses are discussed. These components, viz., stressors, state, impact, and response, and the linkages are used in the conceptual framework to assess the vulnerability of springs. A case study adopting the proposed conceptual model is discussed for Mathamali spring in the Western Himalayas. The conceptual model encourages quantification of stressors and promotes a convergence to an evidence-based decision support system for the management of springs and the dependent ecosystems from the threat due to human development and climate change.

Strategising stakeholder empowerment for effective co-management within fishery-based commons

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (11) ◽  
pp. 2631-2644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Robert Freeman ◽  
Chiara Civera ◽  
Damiano Cortese ◽  
Simona Fiandrino
Keyword(s):  
Low Power ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Stakeholder Management ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurial Skills

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to link empowerment to the engagement of low-power stakeholders in the context of marine protected areas (MPAs) to suggest how empowerment-based engagement can be strategised to prevent and overcome management crises within a natural common good and ultimately achieve effective co-management.Design/methodology/approachThis research employs a longitudinal case study methodology. The subject of the study is Torre Guaceto MPA, a natural common good, internationally recognised as a best practice of co-management.FindingsThe case study illustrates specific empowerment areas and actions that help move low-power stakeholders to higher levels of engagement to achieve effective co-management. It also suggests that the main strategic implication of empowerment-based engagement is the creation of empowered stakeholders who can serve as catalysts for sustaining the common through the development of entrepreneurial skills that satisfy joint interests.Research limitations/implicationsThe applied methodology of a single case and the peculiar conditions intrinsic to this case can be overcome via the inclusion and comparison of other similar commons.Practical implicationsThe study provides a stakeholder management model of empowerment-based engagement that offers concrete evidence of empowerment strategies that can be adopted and adapted by the management of similar natural common goods.Originality/valueThe research fills the literature gaps related to understanding the antecedents of engagement and its strategic implications within natural common pool resources.

Corporate universities as knowledge management tools

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 538-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Scarso
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Corporate Universities ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Corporate universities (CUs) are particular educational arrangements that are established in companies to provide specific training to employees. This paper aims to examine the place of CUs in the knowledge-management (KM) field. Particularly, it discusses on how CUs are seen in the KM literature, analyses relevant KM aspects that emerge in CU implementation and management and proposes preliminary classifications based on some fundamental KM notions. Design/methodology/approach Given the novelty of the research, the case study methodology was adopted. In particular, a multiple case-study investigation of CUs implemented in medium-sized companies mainly operating in the northeast of Italy was conducted. The analysed companies were selected according to “maximum variation sampling” approach, which aims at generating maximum meaningful heterogeneity within the chosen sample, to highlight similarities and differences between the cases. Data collection was conducted by means of interviews to key observers, interviews to company managers and analysis of documentary materials. Findings The empirical investigation proves that KM concepts can be pertinent and useful in understanding the design and functioning of CUs. In particular, the study proposes a classification of CUs based on KM notions. Research limitations/implications The study shows that there is a need to conduct further studies to better understand educational arrangements like CUs under a KM viewpoint. Practical implications The analysis and the proposed classification can be of help for CU design and management. In addition, it is suggested that companies must achieve better awareness of the importance of CUs as an effective KM tool. Originality/value The study contributes to deepen our understanding of an issue that, even if is strictly connected with the cognitive aspects of companies, has not been sufficiently analyzed by the knowledge management literature.

scholarly journals Get prepared for an emergency: An infographic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Blake ◽  
A Miller ◽  
A Rampton
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Best Practice Guidelines ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Study Methodology

© The Author(s) 2017. Effective preparedness messages increase human capacity to prepare, respond and minimise harm during an emergency. The purpose of this study was to highlight the development of a pictorial infographic resource for earthquake and other emergencies for older people, people with mobility issues and people with literacy concerns in Aotearoa/New Zealand. A case study methodology was used to enable an in-depth description of the processes involved in designing, developing and disseminating the infographic. Case studies provide a medium to represent communitysituated knowledge and expertise. They value context, specificity and lived experience. The second two authors drove the initiative, and project managed the production of the infographic. The first author conducted a semi-structured interview with the other two authors to garner details of the process. This interview was transcribed and the case study outline was crafted. The authors went on to produce this paper collectively. The outcomes of this case study include recommending that a multidisciplinary approach be used to engage a range of stakeholders, to produce suitable preparedness messages for a range of audiences. Designing preparedness resources necessitates an iterative method and collective decision-making by relevant stakeholders. International best-practice guidelines provide evidence to ensure suitable resources are produced and gaps in knowledge identified, so that emergency preparedness is accessible for all.

Modernisation of Higher Education – Willful Action or Wishful Thinking? The Case of Bulgaria

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-17
Author(s):  
Elena Blagoeva
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
National Level ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

The impact of the last global economic crisis (2008) on the European economy put a strain on higher education (HE), yet it also pushed the sector towards intensive reforms and improvements. This paper focuses on the “Strategy for the Development of Higher Education in the Republic of Bulgaria 2014-2020”. With a case study methodology, we explore the strategic endeavours of the Bulgarian government to comply with the European directions and to secure sustainable growth for the HE sector. Our research question is ‘How capable is the Bulgarian HE Strategy to overcome the economic and systemic restraints of Bulgarian higher education?’. Because the development of strategies for HE within the EU is highly contextual, a single qualitative case study was chosen as the research approach. HE institutions are not ivory towers, but subjects to a variety of external and internal forces. Within the EU, this is obviated by the fact that Universities obtain their funds from institutions such as governments, students and their families, donors, as well as EU-level programmes. Therefore, to explore how these pressures interact to affect strategic action on national level, the case method is well suited as it enabled us to study the phenomena thoroughly and deeply. The paper suggests the actions proposed within the Strategy have the potential to overcome the delay, the regional isolation and the negative impact of the economic crisis on the country. Nevertheless, the key elements on which the success or failure of this Strategy hinges are the control mechanisms and the approach to implementation. Shortcomings in these two aspects of strategic actions in HE seem to mark the difference between gaining long-term benefits and merely saving face in front of international institutions.

Merger regulation in Central and Eastern Europe: Evidence from Hungary, Romania and Slovenia

2002 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Kravtseniouk
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
Merger Control ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
Economic Competition ◽  
Close Link ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Domestic Markets ◽  
Study Methodology

This paper shows the principal features of merger control in selected transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), namely Hungary, Romania and Slovenia, by applying case study methodology. The presented findings are based on the analysis of Hungarian, Romanian and Slovenian competition law and merger rulings reached by the Competition Offices of these countries. A substantial part of the conclusions is drawn from a sample of 42 merger applications processed by the Office of Economic Competition of Hungary between 1994 and 2000. The results of empirical analysis demonstrate the considerable flexibility of merger control in the studied countries, its orientation towards the future of domestic markets and a close link with industrial policy. The paper also highlights the areas of interdependence of competition policy and transition and argues that merger control in the studied CEE countries may be regarded as currently adequate to the requirements imposed by transition.

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