Critical factors that affect the functioning of a research and evaluation capacity building partnership: A causal loop diagram

Introduction Public health policy and practice is strengthened by the application of quality evidence to decision making. However, there is limited understanding of how initiatives that support the generation and use of evidence in public health are operationalised. This study examines factors that support the internal functioning of a partnership, the Western Australian Sexual Health and Blood-borne Virus Applied Research and Evaluation Network (SiREN). SiREN aims to build research and evaluation capacity and increase evidence-informed decision making in a public health context. Methods This study was informed by systems concepts. It developed a causal loop diagram, a type of qualitative system model that illustrated the factors that influence the internal operation of SiREN. The causal loop diagram was developed through an iterative and participatory process with SiREN staff and management (n = 9) via in-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 4), workshops (n = 2), and meetings (n = 6). Results Findings identified critical factors that affected the functioning of SiREN. Central to SiREN’s ability to meet its aims was its capacity to adapt within a dynamic system. Adaptation was facilitated by the flow of knowledge between SiREN and system stakeholders and the expertise of the team. SiREN demonstrated credibility and capability, supporting development of new, and strengthening existing, partnerships. This improved SiREN’s ability to be awarded new funding and enhanced its sustainability and growth. SiREN actively balanced divergent stakeholder interests to increase sustainability. Conclusion The collaborative development of the diagram facilitated a shared understanding of SiREN. Adaptability was central to SiREN achieving its aims. Monitoring the ability of public health programs to adapt to the needs of the systems in which they work is important to evaluate effectiveness. The detailed analysis of the structure of SiREN and how this affects its operation provide practical insights for those interested in establishing a similar project.

Business Ethics

Chapter 12, the last applied ethics chapter, considers some controversies in business. How should a firm’s owners, and related agents such as managers or state bank directors, engage with others, particularly workers and consumers? The chapter argues that the communal ethic does a better job of accounting for intuitions about who counts as a stakeholder and how to prioritize amongst competing stakeholder interests than does utilitarianism or Kantianism. Roughly, rightness as friendliness entails that not all duties of beneficence are a function of need or voluntary assumption of obligation to aid; a firm can also have pro tanto moral reason to help parties because it has related on friendly terms with them in the past. The chapter also takes up the question of how the production process ought to be structured, arguing that while the Western moral theories could well allow an unconstrained managerialism, the communal ethic probably does not.

Towards Insect-Friendly Road Lighting—A Transdisciplinary Multi-Stakeholder Approach Involving Citizen Scientists

(1) The project “Tatort Streetlight” implements an insect-friendly road light design in a four year before–after, control–impact (BACI) approach involving citizen scientists. It will broaden the stakeholder interests from solely anthropogenic perspectives to include the welfare of insects and ecosystems. Motivated by the detrimental impacts of road lighting systems on insects, the project aims to find solutions to reduce the insect attraction and habitat fragmentation resulting from roadway illumination. (2) The citizen science approach invites stakeholders to take part and join forces for the development of a sustainable and environmentally friendly road lighting solution. Here, we describe the project strategy, stakeholder participation and motivation, and how the effects of the alternative road luminaire and lighting design can be evaluated. (3) The study compares the changes in (a) insect behavior, (b) night sky brightness, and (c) stakeholder participation and awareness. For this purpose, different experimental areas and stakeholders in four communities in Germany are identified. (4) The project transfers knowledge of adverse effects of improperly managed road illumination and interacts with various stakeholders to develop a new road lighting system that will consider the well-being of street users, local residents, and insects.

Dismantling obstacles impeding better governance in companies: Affirming the expansion of the interpretation of "shareholder and director" under section 163 of the 2008 Act

Impediments to corporate accountability have over the recent years manifested in diverse forms. What took place in Peel v Hamon J&C Engineering (Pty) Ltd is a case in point. The aim of this article is in two forms. First, from the commentaries and cases consulted, it is clear that the character of who must qualify in terms of the section 163 criterion is not settled. Moreover, this can be gleaned from the criticisms against Moshidi J's judgment in Peel for having extended/expanded the section 163 remedy to afford relief to shareholders and directors whom the legislature may not have contemplated to cover under the relief. The aim here is to argue in support of this expansion as promoting accountability. Secondly, it is to make some comments on the criterion that it is only a shareholder and a director who are accorded locus standi to invoke the remedy. From the discussion, the paper makes numerous commendable observations. First, the complaint raised in Peel was not an abuse of process; it was a genuine complaint/application seeking to address genuine and novel issues which often arise between the parties in company law. Second, Moshidi J's judgment demonstrates evolution/progress for its contextual approach to the section 163 remedy's interpretation. The judgment heralds/foreshadows colossal principles/practices within company law aimed at balancing stakeholder interests. Third, the judgment potently disentangles hurdles which normally impede accountability by company directors. Lastly, the paper recommends that other stakeholders be considered for relief under the remedy.

The Green Competitiveness of Enterprises: Justifying the Quality Criteria of Digital Marketing Communication Channels

The omnichannel approach to forming marketing strategies for the development of the green competitiveness of enterprises is seen as a process for the inseparable interaction of marketing-mix elements that are aimed at promoting green competitiveness. This approach integrates traditional and digital marketing communication channels and provides consideration for stakeholder interests. The effectiveness of applying the omnichannel approach to the formation of marketing strategies to develop the green competitiveness of enterprises depends on a set of marketing communication channels, which, in various combinations, can increase or decrease the level of companies’ green competitiveness. For that purpose, this paper proposes a scientific approach to identifying the quality parameters of marketing communication channels, which involves testing the hypothesis that statistically significant relationships exist between their quality parameters and the levels of green competitiveness. The objects analyzed in the paper comprise large Ukrainian production companies that are part of the agro-industrial, mechanical engineering, and food industries, and that work in both the local and international markets. According to the results of the calculations, four relevant parameters were identified for determining the quality of the marketing communication channels: the speed of loading pages, the failure rate, image, and remarketing activities.

The Not-For-Profit Chief Executive: An Insider View

<p><b>Running a not-for-profit (NFP) organisation is not a straight-forward task. The Chief Executive (CE) must deliver on promises to the Board and members, meet the needs of funders, coordinate with partner organisations, lead staff, and ensure that services to clients are effective. The NFP CE leads her organisation through a maze of separate, overlapping and occasionally colliding stakeholder interests. In this study, I investigate in theory and practice, the ways NFP CEs work within their distinct environment of specific accountabilities to negotiate a viable strategic direction for their organisations. I argue thatnavigating the accountability landscape is a key feature of NFP leadership. This thesis looks at the question: how do NFP CEs lead effectively? Sub-questions include: what is effective not-for-profit leadership, what are some of the frameworks employed by CEs to navigate their accountabilities, and how do CEs judge the success of their leadership? I present an insider view, based on my own experience as a CE of an NFP organisation, English Language Partners New Zealand (ELPNZ). The thesis traces my research journey as I moved through cycles of theorising, data collection, and reflection. Starting with data from a pilot study, I present results of interviews with five local-level managers regarding their perceptions of accountability. There is notable variety in how the informants in the pilot study describe and rank their accountabilities. Rather than seeing this result as anomalous, I capitalise on differences and uncover multiple accountability conceptualisations. Utilising theoretical categorisations, I note where 'upward' accountabilities to funders compete with 'downward' accountabilities to clients or 'lateral' accountabilities to other sector organisations.</b></p> <p>With the accountability landscape in mind, I review literature on NFP leadership. Scholarship on leadership has moved away from a focus on great leaders' traits and towards transactional, situational and contextualised models. Borrowing from this evolution in the leadership literature, I posit that the various accountability 'orientations' uncovered in my pilot study could be considered as behaviours in context rather than personal traits; behaviours that may be adaptive within an environment of multiple accountabilities. I employ both autoethnographic techniques and interviews with other CEs to unpack different 'mindscapes' behind NFP leadership in New Zealand. A series of research journals over a two-month period notes the leadership acts I had undertaken with others, my effectiveness, reflections, and learning. Further data were gathered through interviews with four CEs of national, government-funded, membership organisations.</p> <p>The study contributes to both academic and practitioner enquiry. Findings included linkages between organisational accountabilities, and the mechanisms and processes CEs employ to lead their organisations. NFP CEs develop unique descriptions of the groups to whom they account and have individualised conceptualisations of a ranking or pattern. Mission leadership processes and organisational management (with associated hierarchies) simultaneously shape the CE's role. CEs can be effective when they implement a conscious programme of leadership and practice deliberately situational approaches to accountability.</p>

The Not-For-Profit Chief Executive: An Insider View

<p><b>Running a not-for-profit (NFP) organisation is not a straight-forward task. The Chief Executive (CE) must deliver on promises to the Board and members, meet the needs of funders, coordinate with partner organisations, lead staff, and ensure that services to clients are effective. The NFP CE leads her organisation through a maze of separate, overlapping and occasionally colliding stakeholder interests. In this study, I investigate in theory and practice, the ways NFP CEs work within their distinct environment of specific accountabilities to negotiate a viable strategic direction for their organisations. I argue thatnavigating the accountability landscape is a key feature of NFP leadership. This thesis looks at the question: how do NFP CEs lead effectively? Sub-questions include: what is effective not-for-profit leadership, what are some of the frameworks employed by CEs to navigate their accountabilities, and how do CEs judge the success of their leadership? I present an insider view, based on my own experience as a CE of an NFP organisation, English Language Partners New Zealand (ELPNZ). The thesis traces my research journey as I moved through cycles of theorising, data collection, and reflection. Starting with data from a pilot study, I present results of interviews with five local-level managers regarding their perceptions of accountability. There is notable variety in how the informants in the pilot study describe and rank their accountabilities. Rather than seeing this result as anomalous, I capitalise on differences and uncover multiple accountability conceptualisations. Utilising theoretical categorisations, I note where 'upward' accountabilities to funders compete with 'downward' accountabilities to clients or 'lateral' accountabilities to other sector organisations.</b></p> <p>With the accountability landscape in mind, I review literature on NFP leadership. Scholarship on leadership has moved away from a focus on great leaders' traits and towards transactional, situational and contextualised models. Borrowing from this evolution in the leadership literature, I posit that the various accountability 'orientations' uncovered in my pilot study could be considered as behaviours in context rather than personal traits; behaviours that may be adaptive within an environment of multiple accountabilities. I employ both autoethnographic techniques and interviews with other CEs to unpack different 'mindscapes' behind NFP leadership in New Zealand. A series of research journals over a two-month period notes the leadership acts I had undertaken with others, my effectiveness, reflections, and learning. Further data were gathered through interviews with four CEs of national, government-funded, membership organisations.</p> <p>The study contributes to both academic and practitioner enquiry. Findings included linkages between organisational accountabilities, and the mechanisms and processes CEs employ to lead their organisations. NFP CEs develop unique descriptions of the groups to whom they account and have individualised conceptualisations of a ranking or pattern. Mission leadership processes and organisational management (with associated hierarchies) simultaneously shape the CE's role. CEs can be effective when they implement a conscious programme of leadership and practice deliberately situational approaches to accountability.</p>

Borehole siting and construction in rural Malawi: A sociotechnical process?

Choosing the site for a new water well in rural southern Malawi is essentially a political process with competing priorities and stakeholders. For a new well (or borehole) to be sustainably used and maintained, the relevant stakeholders must be fully engaged in the siting process and given meaningful responsibility for the final siting decision. However, without sound technical information, a siting decision based solely on stakeholder priorities such as proximity to the headman’s compound or accessibility to the center of population, may not result in a satisfactory borehole. Instead, in addition to stakeholder interests, we used a process that includes electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) as a tool to guide and constrain the local decision-making process. Within the region of the crystalline-basement aquifer, ERT profiles indicate variations in weathering thickness, hence aquifer storage. In a lacustrine setting, the ERT profile delineated a zone of moderately large resistivity associated with a deposit of fresh-water saturated sand. This ERT-derived technical information becomes one element in a comprehensive sociotechnical approach to the location of sustainable water resources. We used this sociotechnical approach to complete boreholes for all four villages in our project and have a high confidence that the villagers will be motivated to use and maintain these resources.

Stakeholders

This chapter highlights how the law gives shareholders more influence than creditors, employees, or other constituencies, but also how the interests of these stakeholders are integrated into company law. Three normative conclusions flow from the theoretical perspective advanced in this book. The first is that we should give up on the idea that financial incentives can serve interests other than those of the directors. Second, programmatic statements encouraging companies to have a purpose or encouraging directors to consider stakeholder interests in the same way as shareholder interests are unlikely to have much effect. Third, if there is a desire to further integrate non-shareholder interests into company law, this is, from the perspective of this book, best achieved through an integration of their interests into the decision-making process of the company. An example of such an intervention can be found in the UK Corporate Governance Code which recommends the integration of work-force related concerns through a director appointed from the workforce, a formal workforce advisory panel, or a designated non-executive director.