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Value co-creation through digital technology in developing economies : reflections from Indonesian agri-food E-commerce chain
Full text linkPhD ThesisValue co-creation (VCC) has supported the expansion of research in marketing by embracing
service innovation within the digital-driven era. However, a small number of studies provide a
comprehensive examination of VCC through digital technology from the perspective of
multiple local market actors at developing economies at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP)
market. This research explores the role of digital commerce in VCC with the empirical focus
on the Indonesian horticulture industry, moving towards e-commerce for marketing innovation.
This research aims to: (1) explore VCC manifestation within the local BOP market, (2) discover
the role of e-commerce in the exchange process of co-creation at the local BOP market, (3)
explore the dimensions of VCC of engagement amongst the local e-commerce supply chain
actors of BOP, and (4) investigate the causes and effects of customer engagement to VCC of
using e-commerce in this marketplace. This research adopted a mixed-method approach of
qualitative semi-structured interviews and a quantitative survey. VCC identified as occurring
in a newly emerging e-commerce marketing channel via the interaction amongst channel
members. Inclusive, collaborative, and empowerment ideology contribute to market scripting
scenario by local entrepreneurs who identify as ‘socio-entrepreneurs’. This research argues that
the exchange logic underpinning this new transformative business approach of digitally
enabled VCC in local BOP markets is akin to a ‘social justice logic’. For consumers, digital
technologies create online ‘consumption communities’ where information is exchanged
concerning product provenance and food preparation opportunities supporting online
purchases and innovation in value chain ‘pull’ strategies. The research indicates that customer
VCC behaviour was influenced by the significant effects of customer-related VCC resources
of social expertise and openness, customer motivation, and its effects on value-in-use,
willingness-to-engage, positive emotions, and behavioural intentions. Finally, the results
highlight the moderating role of customer age and the length of engagement in VCC processes
on these relationships.Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP
Realistic evacuation simulation through micro and macro scale agent-based modelling including demographics, agent patience and evacuation route capacities
Full text linkPhD ThesisDisasters affect millions of people annually, causing large social impacts, and detrimental
economic impacts. Emergency professionals recurrently tackle these impacts, therefore they
require assessment methods to understand potential consequences and enable the delivery of
resilient resolutions. One method of achieving this is through numerical modelling, specifically
agent-based modelling. However, current models simulating human behaviours and movement
are bespoke in nature and non-transferable. It has also been found that current modelling tools
have either focused on the microscale (e.g. individual confined spaces) or macroscale (e.g. city
scale), without considering how the two scales may be interlinked. Further to this, the inclusion
of human behaviour has been over-simplified and generic, lacking the inclusion of unique
populations with varied characteristics.
The aim of this research is to develop a modelling framework, utilising agent-based modelling,
to form a more robust representation of human behaviour within an enhanced evacuation model
environment. This will allow emergency planners to be better prepared, reduce the interruption
after an event (thereby reducing social and economic impacts) and potentially reduce the
mitigation required beforehand. The individual agents within the framework capture a range
of robust human behaviour indicators (e.g. walking speed, obedience, and patience), allowing
the accurate replication of an emergence scenario response. Initially, the research focused on
creating a macroscale evacuation model for a test city, to assess whether the inclusion of varied
population characteristics and groups of people affected evacuation time. The varied
characteristics included a range of ages, gender, and mobility in the form of walking speed. It
was then possible to compare this with the parameters of existing evacuation models. This
research has found that by enhancing the representation of human behaviour within a model
environment more accurate predictions of evacuation time can be produced. To produce more
robust human behaviour, models must include a range of population characteristics (such as
age, gender and mobility), the grouping of agents and walking speed ratio. When all the
variables are included in the model, there is an average increase of 70% in the time to evacuate
Newcastle city centre. Even with less variables, i.e. only considering population characteristics,
there has been an average increase of 45% in the time to evacuate Newcastle city centre
compared with existing models.
To further examine human behaviour and the more intricate and detailed behaviours such as
patience, a microscale model was created to consider the capacity of the pathways and to
introduce congestion. The two microscale models were created of a pavement and a crossroads,
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to replicate people passing and waiting behind slower people, whilst still including the varied
population characteristics. When capacity is captured at the microscale, there is an average 61%
increase in the time to exit the pavement and when on a crossroads there is an average 87%
increase in the time to exit compared to 1.34m/s (3mph) models.
Overall, this research has found that there is a need to provide more robust representation of
human behaviour characteristics within evacuation models. This must be carried out not only
at the macroscale in terms of enhancing population demographics but also at the microscale by
capturing intricate behaviours such as taking over and giving way. Without an ability to exhibit
these characteristics evacuation simulations cannot effectively capture human behaviour and
therefore produce robust simulation times. The inclusion of more representative human
behaviour in simulations and the continual need to improve provides the opportunity to reduce
the likelihood of increased fatalities and injuries caused by those unable to evacuate in time due
to current underestimations. The improvement of computational simulation of evacuations
alongside existing simulation techniques allows emergency professionals to plan and prepare
better for a range of events to protect global communities
Investigating Problem-Orientated Patient Pathways, Toothache to Treatment: ImPacT Study
Full text linkPh. D. ThesisAlmost one-third of adults will only seek professional dental care when suffering with
acute dental pain rather than engaging in routine preventive dental care, so called
problem-orientated dental attenders. These individuals can wait a long time before
seeking care resulting in: greater impacts on everyday activities, and greater
potential for serious adverse events. They can present to a range of services
including emergency dental services, medical emergency departments, and general
medical practitioners (GMPs). The reasons for this attendance pattern and care
pathway are under-researched. To encourage these patients to engage in routine
dental care it is important to build an understanding of: (1) why they only attend when
symptomatic, (2) where they present and why. The aim of this thesis was to build an
understanding of problem-orientated attendance to subsequently develop an
intervention to encourage regular dental attendance.
This thesis involved four studies. The first was a retrospective observational study
examining dental attendances at Welsh GMPs. The second and third were
qualitative studies exploring: (1) problem-orientated attenders’ perspectives and
experiences of seeking repeated emergency dental care (2) adolescents’
experiences of dental care and their future plans for dental attendance. The final
study co-designed an intervention to prevent problem-orientated dental attendance.
Dental attendance rates at GMPs varied over the study period and appeared to relate
to key policy change dates. Predictors of being a repeat dental attender included
deprivation, residential area, and appointment outcome. Reasons for problemorientated
attendance were complex and multifactorial, with overarching reasons
related to knowledge and dentist characteristics. Adolescents faced multiple barriers
to dental care-seeking as they transitioned to independence subsequently affecting
decision-making to continue to seek regular care. Finally, an intervention was
developed targeted at adolescents and young adults to encourage continued regular
dental attendance as they transitioned to independence, hence preventing problemorientated
attendance.National Institute for Health
Research (NIHR), European Society of Endodontolog
A holistic study of the sustained impact of non-standard refined diesel fuel on the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria
Full text linkPh. D. ThesisThe non-standard refining of crude oil in the creeks of the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria has come to be a profitable business. The monetary benefits this brings to the refiners are obvious, nevertheless the host communities are relentlessly hit by their activities. This research investigates the sustained impact of the activities of the non-standard crude oil refiners on their host communities. The research will take a social study approach, with result from the social study fed into a scientific study, which will in turn be fed into an engineering study. This approach involves all stakeholders and makes for necessary feedback.
The results revealed that farming areas and fishing routes have been impacted by the activities of the non-standard refiners. The usage of the non-standard refined diesel fuel oil was found to be damaging to engines contributing to huge expense in their maintenance. The physiochemical properties of the non-standard refined diesel fuel oil revealed that the pour point, flash point, and water content showed differences to ASTM designated standard D975. The Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed significant differences in the BTX concentration of the non-standard refined diesel fuel oils as compared to the control sample. The engine performance and emission analysis revealed high levels of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and carbon monoxide emissions from the non-standard refined diesel fuel oil coupled with high peak cylinder pressure.
This study provides evidence-based recommendations that the government should do more to discourage the citizens from establishing non-standard refineries. It also suggests that government agencies like the military given the responsibility of destroying the non-standard refineries must do so in a sustainable manner. The National Orientation Agency must do more to enlighten the public on the dangers of establishing non-standard refineries and purchasing refined products from non-standard refineries.Niger Delta University, Linkages and Advancements and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund
Integrated topological representation of multi-scale utility resource networks
Full text linkPhD ThesisThe growth of urban areas and their resource consumption presents a significant global
challenge. Existing utility resource supply systems are unresponsive, unreliable and costly.
There is a need to improve the configuration and management of the infrastructure networks
that carry these resources from source to consumer and this is best performed through analysis
of multi-scale, integrated digital representations. However, the real-world networks are
represented across different datasets that are underpinned by different data standards, practices
and assumptions, and are thus challenging to integrate.
Existing integration methods focus predominantly on achieving maximum information
retention through complex schema mappings and the development of new data standards, and
there is strong emphasis on reconciling differences in geometries. However, network topology
is of greatest importance for the analysis of utility networks and simulation of utility resource
flows because it is a representation of functional connectivity, and the derivation of this
topology does not require the preservation of full information detail. The most pressing
challenge is asserting the connectivity between the datasets that each represent subnetworks of
the entire end-to-end network system.
This project presents an approach to integration that makes use of abstracted digital
representations of electricity and water networks to infer inter-dataset network connectivity,
exploring what can be achieved by exploiting commonalities between existing datasets and data
standards to overcome their otherwise inhibiting disparities. The developed methods rely on the
use of graph representations, heuristics and spatial inference, and the results are assessed using
surveying techniques and statistical analysis of uncertainties. An algorithm developed for water
networks was able to correctly infer a building connection that was absent from source datasets.
The thesis concludes that several of the key use cases for integrated topological representation
of utility networks are partially satisfied through the methods presented, but that some
differences in data standardisation and best practice in the GIS and BIM domains prevent full
automation. The common and unique identification of real-world objects, agreement on a
shared concept vocabulary for the built environment, more accurate positioning of distribution
assets, consistent use of (and improved best practice for) georeferencing of BIM models and a
standardised numerical expression of data uncertainties are identified as points of development.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Ordnance Surve
The motivations and outcomes of consumer engagement with online sexual health communities
Full text linkPhD ThesisThe continuous improvement in living standards has resulted in increasing attention being paid
to personal health. The definition of health nowadays no longer refers only to physical or
mental health, it also includes sexual health. Sexual health is not only understood in a narrow
sense as Sexually Transmitted Diseases (hereafter STDs), but also the enjoyment and
satisfaction of having sex with partners. Positive sexual experiences are beneficial to both
physical and mental health (Hensel et al., 2016). Although, despite it being an important part
of our lives, sometimes sexual health is difficult to discuss due to the stigmatization and
discrimination associated with STDs, which can affect patients’ intention to seek a doctor’s
advice, leading those patients in need to ignore their illness for fear of unfair treatment which
in turn can lead to serious physical outcomes and psychological burdens.
The National Health Services (NHS) is under enormous pressure from an increasing demand
for consultation; in 2020 more than 60 million people were listed as registered with the NHS
(NHS Digital, 2020). This sometimes results in patients not being able to seek medical attention
promptly or having only a short consultation time, which is sometimes not sufficient to
properly address an individual’s health concerns, and more specifically their concerns about
STDs. By gathering users from multiple backgrounds and experiences to form a virtual online
community, Online Sexual Health Communities (OSHCs) provide a platform for information
sharing and the exchange of emotions (relating to sexual health). Combining the advantages of
a virtual environment such as unrestricted time and space, OSHCs not only provide a
convenient and effective consultation with users who may have similar health issues but also
reduce the pressure on the NHS (Nagendra et al., 2020).
Despite the relevance of health communities in today’s societies, the reasons why consumers
engage with OSHCs has rarely been studied, nor has the consequences of such engagement on
consumers’ psychological and physical wellbeing.
This study believes that learning about the motivations and outcomes of OSHC engagement is
conducive to enriching the existing engagement literature in the field. From a practical point
of view, it provides a more comprehensive guide for those establishing, or seeking to establish,
OSHCs. Accordingly, a clear understanding of a user’s motivation for engaging with an OSHC
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can better help the founders of sexual health forums in improving their online communities.
Furthermore, understanding the outcome of their engagement can help public organizations
understand their influence on individuals’ wellbeing. Scholars are calling for qualitative
research on the impact of social media on consumer behaviour and societal wellbeing (Davis
et al., 2016; Shensa et al., 2017). The present study lies within transformative consumer
research, which focuses on significant social issues and challenges (Davis and Ozanne, 2019).
Interviews were chosen for data collection due to their ability to uncover underlying
motivations, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings (Rubin and Rubin, 2005), particularly in
discussions involving sensitive or embarrassing topics (for example, body image concerns and
self-esteem) (Malhotra et al., 2007). The author of this thesis conducted semi-structured
interviews with 20 participants from one of the most popular OSHCs on Facebook namely
PrEp Facts: Rethinking HIV Prevention and Sex. Data were analysed through both manual
coding and NVivo. Ten themes emerged from the interviews including eight motivations and
two consequences of engagement, which enabled the development of a conceptual framework
of engagement with OSHCs
The contributions of this study can be viewed from both a theoretical and practical perspective.
Theoretically, this study provides a conceptual framework regarding the motivations and
consequences of consumer engagement. This study sheds light on eight motivations:
information quality, information quantality, social support, fear, source credibility,
convenience, online community quality, and privacy concerns. There are two outcomes of
consumer engagement with OSHCs (health empowerment and entertainment), which
contribute to the existing literature. Specifically, this study offers a comprehensive
understanding regarding consumer engagement towards OSHCs, which can help online
community moderators develop a better virtual environment based on consumer demands.
Future research around this subject should use quantitative research methods to further verify
the model developed in this study
Crisis management, reinvention and resilience in museums : the Imperial War Museum during the Second World War Era, 1933-1950
Full text linkPhD ThesisThis thesis is about museums and crisis. Through research on the Imperial War
Museum, known today as IWM, during the Second World War era, 1933-1950,
it reveals how crises disrupt museums, and the contrasting defensive and
revolutionary strategies which museums must adopt when mitigating crisis
situations. The thesis is situated in a small but emergent literature concerning
museums and crisis. Existing work comprises contemporary case studies on
difficult museum experiences, predominantly financial difficulty, wherein crisis
has been applied to describe an institution’s general state of organisational
malaise. This thesis, by contrast, is innovative in that it comprises a historical
case study on a museum facing wholesale physical and ideological collapse, and
deploys newly developed crisis concepts to analyse different critical situations
that can impact museums and to analyse the pathology underlying them. It
draws on methodology informed by various case study, archival and historical
theorists, and is produced using data extracted principally from documentary
sources researched at the IWM museum archive and The National Archives.
Through investigating the experience of the Imperial War Museum during
the Second World War era, this thesis finds that museums can be harmed by two
crisis types. The first comprises a surface-defensive crisis, where the impacted
museum must rebut the crisis effects. This type was conceived through
considering the impact of the wartime aerial attacks against London on the
Imperial War Museum. The second type comprises a deep-revolutionary crisis,
where the museum must transition from its existing crisis-ridden state to some
new, more sustainable paradigm. This type was conceived through considering
the threats posed by cultural irrelevancy, perceived during the war, against the
Imperial War Museum after the conflict. Delivered via an original synthesis of
historical, museological and crisis research, the outcome of these findings
comprises a novel understanding of crisis in the museum context.Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Northern Bridge Doctoral Training
Partnership and Newcastle University. Administered via the Northern Bridge
Doctoral Training Partnership, the Arts and Humanities Research Counci
Real-world sustainability analysis of water and related energy saving schemes for the built environment
No full textPh. D. Thesis.Reduced mains water consumption and renewable electricity generation in the built
environment are key sustainability challenges for a rapidly urbanising global population. This
dissertation assessed the performance of various technological and management solutions for
saving mains water and generating solar electricity in the urban environment. Three student
accommodation blocks and two Green Gown Award winning buildings of Newcastle
University in the UK, and India’s first 5-star Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment
(GRIHA) campus provided unique case studies for the real-world performance assessment of
sustainability solutions such as smart sensor systems, rainwater harvesting systems,
wastewater reclamation systems, ultralow water use appliances, and photovoltaic panel
systems. The related mains water and grid electricity savings, operational and repair costs and
payback periods for capital expenditures were collated. Interviews with building managers
provided insight into asset management challenges. Recurring themes from the case studies
were the high costs of rainwater harvesting systems, and significant water savings
opportunities via better management which were revealed by consumption monitoring. In the
Indian case study, better water management to address leakage, and more drought-tolerant
landscaping in a semi-arid climate, could reduce blue water use by up to 52% and reduce
operational costs by up to 23%. In the UK student accommodation case study, up to 50% of
potable water use was caused by malfunctioning toilets. In the UK mixed use building case
study (office/teaching/laboratory), significant performance gaps of green building assets arose
from technical and social issues (pump failures, leakages, poor alignment of demand and
supply with limited storage, low photovoltaic panel efficiency, poor user acceptance, etc.), but
the consequences were exacerbated by inadequate asset management that resulted in long
system downtimes. Overall, it was concluded that better monitoring, maintenance, and
management are the most cost-effective ways of improving water use sustainability in the
built environmen
Dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients in Kuwait
Full text linkPhD ThesisIntroduction: Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) and its treatment often result in severe
functional impairments, with dysphagia and related morbidities being serious and wellrecognised complications in the acute, chronic and late stages. These complications
contribute to a decreased quality of life and decreased overall HNC survival. An active
surveillance of swallowing function using appropriate swallowing outcome measures is
needed throughout the continuum of care. HNC dysphagia has not been studied previously
in Kuwait.
Aims: The overall aim of this thesis is to investigate HNC dysphagia in Kuwait, with a longterm view to improve quality of life and reduce morbidity.
Methods and results: Five studies were conducted using different research designs. The
first study aimed to investigate the prevalence of HNC dysphagia. The results suggest that
dysphagia is not properly assessed and therefore may be under-reported. The second study
explored the experiences and unmet needs of patients with HNC in Kuwait using qualitative
interviews. The interviews revealed that patients often experience adverse feelings as a
result of their functional and physical pain, and they employ different strategies to deal
with their symptoms. Furthermore, the findings suggest that patients have substantial
unmet informational and supportive care needs. Studies three to five aimed to further
explore swallowing outcome measures in order to develop a multi-dimensional Swallowing
Outcomes Package to systematically collect outcomes for HNC patients in Kuwait. The
Package comprises: the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI), a patient self-report
tool, which was translated and culturally adapted and showed satisfactory psychometric
properties. Diet scales, and a measure of swallowing performance (the 100mL Water
Swallow Test (WST)). Preparatory work established the factor structure of the MDADI and
the minimal clinically important difference for the 100mL WST.
Conclusion: This study identified gaps in HNC dysphagia management in Kuwait, and it
highlights the importance of the systematic collection of swallowing outcomes to
understand the impact of cancer treatments, monitor changes over time, and improve
quality of life and decrease morbidit
An investigation of the driving factors affecting children’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) behaviours in East New Delhi primary schools
Full text linkPhD ThesisSustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) addresses gaps that
persist in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) access worldwide, particularly affecting
poor communities’ opportunity to live healthy, hygienic lives.
According to the ‘Capability, Opportunity, Motivation Behaviour Model’, these three
domains must be addressed for WASH interventions to achieve sustained adoption of
targeted behaviours. Numerous factors pertaining to these three domains enable or
obstruct East New Delhi primary school children’s WASH behaviours and therefore
progress towards SDG 6. This thesis investigates these driving factors, analysing mixed
methods data gathered in three government schools and one low-fee private (LFP)
school, as well as in the communities surrounding them. The main findings indicate that:
- Children attending the LFP school practise positive WASH behaviours more
frequently than government school children and have access to superior school
WASH provision. Children at schools with higher-quality WASH facilities are more
likely to practise positive WASH behaviours.
- School principals face challenges in providing adequate school WASH facilities and
ensuring that children have the capability, opportunity and motivation to practise
positive WASH behaviours. These include insufficient funding, teachers’ obligatory
non-school commitments, unexplained teacher absenteeism and a high turnover
of students. Schools-based WASH interventions can mitigate these, particularly by
motivating school staff.
- Socio-economic status affects children’s opportunity to adopt positive WASH
behaviours. Children from lower-income backgrounds practise positive WASH
behaviours less often. Schools-based WASH interventions could mitigate this
through outreach to parents and children transferring learning into the household.
These findings reveal the driving factors affecting children’s capability, opportunity and
motivation to practise positive WASH behaviours in East New Delhi primary schools.
Secondly, they highlight action which could be taken to support children’s sustained
adoption of these behaviours, securing progress towards SDG 6 for the next generatio