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Digitalization of supply chain in the offshore wind sector.
Get PDFThe offshore wind sector (OSWS) has flourished in recent years generating 68 Giga Watts (GW) of electricity globally in 2024. However, this is incommensurate with the net zero target set by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRNEA) in conjunction with the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) to generate 380GW of energy from offshore wind in 2030 and 2500 GW of energy in 2050. Meeting the set target requires taking measures that will cut costs and enhance greater efficiency. Digitalizing the offshore wind supply chain is one measure that will encourage greater collaboration amongst supply chain participants, enhance visible logistics and unified planning which will lead to reduced costs and increased investment. This research aims to create a workable and functional supply chain digitalization framework that can be applied in the offshore wind sector across different geographical regions and political climates across the globe. The methodology adapted for this study is the sequential multiphase design where various methods were used to examine the research problem. Firstly, exploratory studies which involved pilot interviews were deployed to explore the current state of the offshore wind supply chain and analyzed using content analysis. Secondly, a questionnaire survey (quantitative research) was deployed, establishing the rate of deployment of digital technologies and supply chain digital maturity, this was analyzed using statistical analysis and relative importance index. Thirdly a semi-structured in-depth interview (qualitative research) was deployed to examine the culture of the industry, supply chain processes and in-depth investigation of the questionnaire survey, this was analyzed using thematic analysis. The exploratory study constituted 4 professionals involved in the offshore wind supply chain. The quantitative section of the research entailed a survey constituting 93 respondents from 30 countries, the data was fetched from across supply chain practitioners, project managers, engineers and contracts/procurement personnel in the offshore wind sector. The qualitative section of the research which involved semi-structured interviews from 12 participants was analyzed using thematic analysis. Based on the findings of the study, a workable and functional supply chain digitalization framework for the offshore wind sector was created
Adoption of digital tools as an enabler: a study of women entrepreneurs in south-east Nigeria.
Get PDFAdoption of digital tools is suggested in the literature to eliminate the constraints that previously hindered traditional entrepreneurs such as market restriction and opportunity to scale up, thus changing the process of entrepreneurship and facilitating the growth of home-based businesses (Ongo et al., 2023; Emembolu et al., 2022; Neumeyer et al., 2021; Nambisan, 2017). Entrepreneurs are no longer limited to their local markets and digital platforms have provided growth opportunities and access to a wider market base (Emembolu et al., 2022). This thus reinforces Ge et al. (2022) suggestion that the combination of entrepreneurship and technological advancements reduces inequality improves skillsets, creates opportunities for new ventures and employment. These opportunities associated with the adoption of digital tools have also been observed in the case of women entrepreneurs (von Briel et al., 2018; Kraus et al., 2018). Digital platforms, and internet-enabled innovations have been adopted to improve entrepreneurial activities (Kuester et al., 2018), thus accelerating women entrepreneurship (Pergelova et al., 2019). Adoption of digital tools has also been highlighted to reduce entry barriers to entrepreneurship in male-dominated contexts (Ughetto et al., 2020) and promote innovation among women entrepreneurs as it facilitates women empowerment (Chatterjee et al., 2020). The Nigerian context is quite unique as it is considered to be one of the largest markets in Sub-Saharan Africa (World Bank, 2021), having over 250 ethnic groups with the three main groups being Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Reed and Mberu, 2015). Despite the potential for firms to thrive, there are some constraints plaguing entrepreneurship in Nigeria such as access to finance, access to skills training and an underdeveloped regulatory environment (World Bank, 2021). These constraints are even more profound among rural women entrepreneurs due to the patriarchal nature of Nigeria (Onoshakpor et al., 2023) and the challenges associated with rural Nigeria (Peter and Orser, 2024). These constraints have been suggested to marginalise women and widen the gender gap (Makama, 2013; Okpokwasil and Ikea, 2023). The question is thus posed whether the adoption of digital tools can help women entrepreneurs in rural south-east Nigeria overcome exclusion and help them collaborate and cooperate (Nambisan et al., 2017) to improve entrepreneurial activities. This research focuses on the Southeastern part of Nigeria as this region is known to have a strong entrepreneurial culture, with women dominating the small enterprise sector (Okolie et al., 2021; Obi et al., 2017). This study employs a quantitative approach to explore the experiences of these women and how the adoption of digital tools can improve the opportunities available to them, including a reduction in the discrimination instances and improved access to entrepreneurial resources
Antimicrobial stewardship interventions involving community pharmacy teams: a scoping review. [FIP 2025 poster]
Get PDFThe aim of this scoping review is to synthesise the available evidence in relation to the current involvement of community pharmacists in antimicrobial stewardship-related interventions involving community pharmacy team members
Strategic CSR and profitability: leveraging private and voluntary sector partnerships.
No full textThis study explores the transformative potential of Strategic Corporate Sustainability Responsibility (SCSR) as a profit-enhancing strategy for businesses, contrasting traditional CSR's focus on reputation. To achieve the aim of this study, a qualitative case-study analysis method was adopted. The research analyzes partnership dynamics between leading companies such as Unilever, Microsoft, and Coca-Cola with organizations like Oxfam and the World Wildlife Fund, utilizing case studies and annual reports to assess the impact of SCSR initiatives. Key findings reveal that SCSR initiatives align closely with corporate objectives, fostering stronger stakeholder relationships, uncovering new revenue streams, and enhancing profitability while integrating social responsibility; and that partnerships between the private sector and the voluntary sector is a critical strategy central to achieving the foregoing. The study's limitations include a focus on specific case studies, suggesting that further research could enhance the generalizability of the findings across diverse industries. This research not only reinforces the profitability of SCSR but also highlights its transformative potential in addressing pressing global challenges. It establishes a clear roadmap for businesses aiming to lead in social impact, sustainability and profitability; and emphasises on the role of voluntary sector partnerships as integral to the success of SCSR initiatives
An instrument-based and contract-coordinated approach to selecting accurate, impartial and acceptable delay assessment techniques.
Get PDFAlthough the pros and cons of delay analysis methods (DAMs) have been the subject of investigations over the past decades, the appropriateness of DAMs remains at the core of disagreements over delay assessments as experts continue to disagree on the suitability of DAMs, scholars are critical of the existing approaches to the assessment of construction delays, and law courts refuse to deal with this issue while insisting that it is for the parties to agree on those matters in the construction agreements and indicating that DAMs should be harmonised with contracts. However, the actors in the construction sector are heavily reliant on expert advice and use model agreements which do not currently offer delay analysis terms, although contract terms are not only well-established contractual instruments but a prerequisite in such legal systems. While the need for an effective DAM selection model in this context is obvious, such a model has not been offered to date. Instead, guidance is provided on a set of ‘endorsed’ DAMs, but the current system continues to generate disputes over delay assessments because it fails to offer ‘best’ or ‘good’ practice guidance. This paper evaluates published literature and contributes to the fulfilment of this knowledge gap by offering a DAMs Selection Model that is based on six recognised DAMs and is instrument-based, impartial, effective and coordinated with dispute resolution systems and construction contracts. This model of work is likely to improve the acceptability of DAMs and delay assessments by parties, experts and law courts
Immersive innovations for the communication of heritage, handcraft and sustainability.
Get PDFTextile and fashion brands convey core values through marketing, and in slow-fashion heritage brands this often includes skilled craftsmanship, authenticity, sustainability and provenance. As industry digitalisation continues, brands are employing immersive technologies – virtual (VR) or augmented (AR) reality – however there is scarce evidence of these being used to communicate craftsmanship or provenance. To explore this potential, survey participants were shown immersive and traditional marketing content and perceptions of brand image were sought. The immersive content elicited new brand associations compared with the traditional content, which may be desirable if targeting a younger or more fashion-forward demographic. However, the immersive content was less effective at inspiring participants to make a purchase, with many participants overwhelmed by the virtual environment. The research concludes that effective immersive content should incorporate a streamlined representation of brand identity and core values, utilising an accessible platform while the adoption of VR headsets remains limited
Towards explainable metaheuristics: feature extraction from trajectory mining.
Get PDFExplaining the decisions made by population-based metaheuristics can often be considered difficult due to the stochastic nature of the mechanisms employed by these optimisation methods. As industries continue to adopt these methods in areas that increasingly require end-user input and confirmation, the need to explain the internal decisions being made has grown. In this article, we present our approach to the extraction of explanation supporting features using trajectory mining. This is achieved through the application of principal components analysis techniques to identify new methods of tracking population diversity changes post-runtime. The algorithm search trajectories were generated by solving a set of benchmark problems with a genetic algorithm and a univariate estimation of distribution algorithm and retaining all visited candidate solutions which were then projected to a lower dimensional sub-space. We also varied the selection pressure placed on high fitness solutions by altering the selection operators. Our results show that metrics derived from the projected sub-space algorithm search trajectories are capable of capturing key learning steps and how solution variable patterns that explain the fitness function may be captured in the principal component coefficients. A comparative study of variable importance rankings derived from a surrogate model built on the same dataset was also performed. The results show that both approaches are capable of identifying key features regarding variable interactions and their influence on fitness in a complimentary fashion
Join the coalition: how pioneer journalism communities reimagine journalistic epistemology from the periphery.
Get PDFThis article examines how pioneer journalism communities reimagine journalistic epistemology from the periphery, and traces how ideas about journalism as a form of knowledge are embodied in their metadiscourses and enacted in their epistemic practice. Empirically grounded in metajournalistic discourse analysis of manifestos, event descriptions and semi-structured interviews, this cross-national multi-method study explicates: 1) pioneer journalism communities' epistemic values, found in the manifestos of 20 journalism startups from different parts of the globe and online descriptions of seven innovation-focused industry events; and 2) how pioneer journalism communities put these values into epistemic practice, based on interviews with 30 pioneer journalism producers from four startups located in different journalistic cultures – Bureau Local (UK), The Current (Pakistan), DoR (Romania) and New Naratif (Malaysia). The study findings suggest that pioneer journalism communities around the world imagine their knowledge production praxis as "relational" and "meaningful", and through their metadiscourses and storytelling practices create self-contained spaces of collective action, where publics play an equally important role in the negotiation of knowledge. Pioneer journalism communities around journalism startups/cooperatives go beyond their traditional epistemic role as facilitators of knowledge and adopt a semi-political, advocacy role, seeking to act upon their visions of "a better future" (Rappler)
We go hunting...too: experiences of people living with obesity and food insecurity in an ethnically diverse community when shopping for supermarket foods. [Preprint]
Get PDFThe United Kingdom faces complex economic and structural challenges that have disrupted food pricing, contributing to widespread food insecurity. These fluctuations diminish the affordability and accessibility of healthy, nutrient-dense foods among vulnerable groups. In high-income countries, food insecurity is associated with higher levels of obesity, and in the UK specifically, the cost of living crisis, where the cost of food has increased quicker than wages, is likely to have exacerbated existing dietary inequalities. This qualitative paper explores insights of people living with obesity and food insecurity, in an ethnically diverse community, to develop further understanding on their food shopping experiences. A secondary analysis of qualitative data from four focus groups (8–11 participants per group; 92% female) was undertaken with participants who self-reported as living with obesity and food insecurity (n=39) and were attempting to reduce their weight. Three themes and eight subthemes were generated using deductive and reflexive thematic analysis: (1) the Conscious Consumer, reflects the preparation and planning participants undertook by participants to maximise their limited resources. Subthemes include advanced meal planning, and price-comparison shopping. Despite these efforts, participants frequently encountered barriers to being able to purchase nutritionally balanced foods. (2) the Restricted Consumer highlights how structural and systemic limitations, including time pressures due to work or caregiving responsibilities, further constrained participants' food purchasing choices. and (3) Mitigating the rising cost of food, describes the actions required to manage the challenges in purchasing foods with rising costs. Subthemes include substituting affordable, less-healthy products for costlier fresh produce and bulk buying of staple items. Findings challenge societal beliefs that people living on low incomes need to budget more carefully to afford a healthy diet. People living with obesity and food insecurity often report experiencing cognitive dissonance. In this context, participants faced difficult and emotive trade-offs, as they recognised the suboptimal nutritional value of their food purchases but felt compelled by necessity to buy unhealthier food that matched their budget. Findings provide further insights to support healthy, sustainable food purchasing, as part of transforming the UK food system
You don’t know: precarious methods and life in a workers' hostel.
No full textPeople employed at sites of precarious work such as call centres or retail warehouses often live precarious lives. Drawing on ethnographic research in a London hostel for precarious workers, the book explores the political, analytical and practical limitations of using traditional methods of trying to make sense of life in these settings. Traditional methods are rooted in practices that emerge from privileged social positions and their enactment is deeply entangled with the processes that create these conditions in the first place. This book responds to this by experimenting with ‘precarious methods’ to enable greater agency to those placed in these precarious situations
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