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What is known about women’s career progression to STEM research leadership in Indonesia? A systematic review
No full textThis article comprises a systematic review of the literature on women leaders’ career progression to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) research leadership in Indonesia published from 2000–2024. It aims to map the field and summarise the evidence base to date and provides a ‘go to’ reference point for a broad range of stakeholders to fill a gap in the literature around women’s career progression to STEM research leadership in Indonesia. There are 18 items included in the review which includes peer reviewed and grey literature, with the majority from the grey literature such as reports, conference proceedings and theses, rather than journal articles. The reviewed items highlight how, despite government initiatives to strengthen girls’ participation in STEM, there remains an under-representation in higher education. This is due to macro, meso and micro influences, including stereotypes and systemic barriers that discourage girls and women from pursuing STEM careers. Even when they do not slip through the ‘leaky pipeline’ and pursueSTEM careers, they often face limited opportunities, lower-level roles, and institutional challenges hindering their advancement to leadership roles. There are responses and enablers to support women with these barriers, including networks, training and mentoring which are part of a bottom-up movement to change mindsets. However, these enablers need to be part of a multi-level response which includes national infrastructure, funding, local development plans, institutional policies and commitments in addition to shifting mindsets of where women can work and what they can achieve in STEM leadership careers in Indonesia.This article comprises a systematic review of the literature on women leaders’ career progression to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) research leadership in Indonesia published from 2000–2024. It aims to map the field and summarise the evidence base to date and provides a ‘go to’ reference point for a broad range of stakeholders to fill a gap in the literature around women’s career progression to STEM research leadership in Indonesia. There are 18 items included in the review which includes peer reviewed and grey literature, with the majority from the grey literature such as reports, conference proceedings and theses, rather than journal articles. The reviewed items highlight how, despite government initiatives to strengthen girls’ participation in STEM, there remains an under-representation in higher education. This is due to macro, meso and micro influences, including stereotypes and systemic barriers that discourage girls and women from pursuing STEM careers. Even when they do not slip through the ‘leaky pipeline’ and pursueSTEM careers, they often face limited opportunities, lower-level roles, and institutional challenges hindering their advancement to leadership roles. There are responses and enablers to support women with these barriers, including networks, training and mentoring which are part of a bottom-up movement to change mindsets. However, these enablers need to be part of a multi-level response which includes national infrastructure, funding, local development plans, institutional policies and commitments in addition to shifting mindsets of where women can work and what they can achieve in STEM leadership careers in Indonesia
Developing an Adaptive Design of Financial Training for uptake in Small Enterprises
No full textThe research’s overall aim was to investigate whether a methodical training development process could improve the uptake of financial management training aimed at non-specialists working in small enterprises.
Invitations were issued to non-financial specialist members of small enterprises to take part in financial management training and provide relevant feedback over an extended period on the impact of the training. The training course was adapted and developed in later versions through an iterative adaptive process based on feedback, resulting in a successive approximation training model that improved uptake of the training programme’s key learning aims. The feedback process allowed a grounded methodical approach to find recurrent themes and match these with key underlying theories that are associated with training development and management accounting applicability. These relevant theories were incorporated into the build process to aid the improvement of the uptake of the training.
The research concludes that when a successive approximation of a financial management training model is developed using an adaptive iterative design process, the result will be that the subsequent financial training will enhance self-assessments of financial competency. Furthermore, there will be improved adoption of the training when key applicable theories are incorporated into the model design maximising the effectiveness of the financial management training aimed at small enterprises.
This research is informative as it contributes to the process needed to build a perceived effective financial management training programme for non-finance specialists working in small enterprises
Entrepreneurship of Ordinary Places: SME Adaptation in Resource-Limited Contexts
No full textThis thesis examines the adaptive forms of small meat processing firms and their ability to thrive within resource-limited contexts. The primary aim of the research was to investigate how small meat processing firms in the West Midlands, UK, adapt to resource constraints by identifying various forms of adaptation and exploring the relationship between adaptive strategies and environmental limitations. The central research question addressed was: How do small firms adapt in a resource-limited context? The study was grounded in multiple theoretical frameworks, including the Resource-Based View (RBV), Dynamic Capabilities Theory (DCT), organisational adaptation frameworks, Strategic Contingency Theory, and Environmental/Institutional Theory. These perspectives collectively emphasised that adaptive behaviour is closely linked to a firm’s internal resource base and the conditions of its external operating environment. Given the heterogeneous nature of small firms, the thesis adopted a qualitative multiple case study approach, which involved twelve small meat processing firms in the West Midlands. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and documentary evidence and analysed thematically using NVivo software. Cross-case analysis was conducted to identify both similarities and variations in adaptive forms across firms. The findings revealed that small firms adopted different adaptive forms, broadly categorised as conservative, reactive, and strategic adaptation. However, these forms were not sustained individually over time. Instead, firms exhibited a composite form of adaptation, integrating multiple adaptive strategies simultaneously or sequentially, as a response to persistent resource constraints and a dynamic business environment. This thesis makes a significant contribution to the fields of organisational adaptation, dynamic capabilities, and resource-based theories by providing new insights into how small firms in resource-limited contexts develop composite adaptive strategies. A key limitation of the study is its geographic and sectoral focus, which may affect the generalisability of the findings beyond the small meat processing sector in the West Midlands
The Evolution of Animal Law Scholarship’s Theoretical Foundations through Critical Animal Law Studies
No full textCritical animal law studies have evolved as a subfield of animal law scholarship to compliment the mainstream liberal approaches including animal welfarism and animal rights. Critical animal law studies draw from, amongst other things, critical animal studies, continental philosophy, critical legal studies, and critical theory. This chapter explores the extent to which critical animal studies now inform the theoretical basis of animal law scholarship, mapping this scholarly landscape and highlighting how researchers can contribute to critical animal law studies. This is done by collecting, organizing and assessing scholarly literature published on critical animal studies and animal law and reflecting on the future of the subfield. The scholarship of Maneesha Deckha is considered to be central in this regard. The conclusion is reached that critical animal law studies enhances animal law’s contribution to socio-legal studies and should be considered by animal law scholars when justifying their choice of theoretical framework
Multicarrier PWM Control In Modular Multilevel Converter
No full textThis paper explores the design and analysis of a Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) with a focus on Multicarrier Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and capacitor voltage balancing techniques. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of these techniques on power quality indices, specifically harmonics, within the converter. Using MATLAB/Simulink, a three-phase MMC was simulated to generate 3-level, 5-level, and 7-level voltages, assessing the effectiveness of the proposed voltage balancing and modulation methods. The results demonstrated that as the voltage levels increased, Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) decreased, confirming the efficacy of the proposed approach in improving power quality. Furthermore, the study connected a dynamic load, represented by a three-phase induction motor, to the MMC. The findings indicated that the modified Multicarrier PWM and voltage balancing techniques achieved the primary control objectives, ensuring system stability and effective motor performance. Despite these successes, the complexities inherent in MMC control suggest that further research could explore traditional control methods, such as optimal or nonlinear control, to enhance system reliability and performance
The UN’s Universal Periodic Review and FGM in Somalia: The Value of Civil Society Recommendations
No full textFemale genital mutilation (‘FGM’) is a violation of international human rights law and a public health concern. The Federal Republic of Somalia (‘Somalia’) has the highest prevalence of FGM across the world, with an estimated 97-99% of women and girls having undergone FGM. Worldwide, various strategies are being implemented seeking to eliminate FGM, including criminalisation, further education, and involvement of civil society organisations (CSOs). The role of CSOs, through the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (‘UPR’) mechanism, is the key focus of this article. Somalia's three UPR cycles to date are analysed, identifying (1) how frequently do Member States and CSOs recommend on similar themes? and (2) are CSOs’ and/or Member States’ recommendations on FGM sufficiently formulated to aid implementation by Somalia? Following this analysis, I argue that CSO recommendations do hold some value for Member States, but to achieve success in the context of eradicating FGM in Somalia, improvements must be made by both CSOs submitting stakeholder reports with recommendations included, and Member States making recommendations within the UPR. Specific proposals are made, which could be utilised by CSOs and Member States when preparing for Somalia’s fourth cycle review scheduled for 2026
Simulating Innovation Systems and STI Policy: An Agent-Based Perspective
No full textThis paper develops an Agent-Based Model (ABM) to study the impact of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) policies on innovation systems. The model, which we call the Adaptive Innovation System Model (AdaptISM), simulates the technological innovation capabilities required for knowledge and technology generation, diffusion, and utilisation, integrating decision rules that capture the emergent behaviours of agents interacting with innovation opportunities. The model is empirically validated using data from the coffee and avocado agricultural production chains (APCs) in Antioquia, Colombia, which are two sectors of regional economic and local importance. The validation process allows the evaluation of individual and combined STI policy modes, identifying which policy strategies most effectively enhance innovation performance and economic outcomes. By enabling the exploration of “what-if” scenarios, the ABM provides a tool to assess STI policy contributions systematically and offers practical insights into resource allocation in local innovation systems. This approach addresses a critical challenge in innovation policy design: understanding how STI policies influence system performance. The findings highlight the utility of combining policy approaches to improve innovation and economic growth, offering a replicable framework for policymakers and researchers seeking to optimise the performance of innovation systems
A transfer learning approach for mitigating temperature effects on wind turbine blades damage diagnosis
No full textData scarcity, coupled with environmental and operational variabilities (EOVs), poses substantial challenges to the generalisability and robustness of damage diagnostic methods for complex components such as wind turbine blades. This paper introduces a novel methodology, termed UCTRF, designed to tackle these challenges. UCTRF stands for Uniform manifold approximation and projection for dimensionality reduction, Capsule neural networks for advanced feature recognition, Transfer adaptive boosting for effective knowledge transfer, and Random Forest for nuanced instance weighting and classification. The UCTRF framework is uniquely suited to scenarios where feature distributions shift due to temperature variations, enabling robust knowledge transfer even in limited datasets. This innovative framework was rigorously evaluated on various temperature-affected datasets, achieving a 95% detection rate. These results underscore its effectiveness in preserving the structural integrity of wind turbines under challenging EOVs and constrained data availability. Additionally, the internal mechanism of the designed domain adaptation captures the alterations in instance weights between the source and target domains during the adjustment process, which can be utilised to analyse the impact of diverse instances on model performance and further refine the adaptation process
AHRC Music and Disability Networking Grant: Provocation 2: Accessible Instrument Design Beyond Techni-Solutionism
No full textThis document reflects ideas from the second event held as part of the AHRC Music and Disability Networking Grant in May 2024. This event facilitated discussions around accessible instrument design beyond techno-solutionism. The attendees consisted of early-career researchers, academics, music charities and adapted instrument users. There were three sessions throughout the day during which attendees were presented with questions to provoke discussions in small groups. The event culminated in a summarising discussion between all four groups, the ideas of which are displayed in this document