COVID-19 complicates global humanitarian aid response

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Low Profile ◽  
Humanitarian Crises ◽  
Competing Priorities ◽  
Slow Onset

Subject COVID-19's impact on the global humanitarian system. Significance The COVID-19 pandemic is generating immense new humanitarian needs at the same time as negatively affecting the quantity and quality of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, countries with existing humanitarian crises are highly vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic and ill-equipped to prevent its spread. Impacts Funding for responses to ongoing emergencies, particularly slow-onset and low-profile ones, may suffer amid competing priorities. Even large-scale and high-profile emergencies, such as the conflicts in Yemen or Syria, may struggle for funding. Unmet humanitarian needs will increase vulnerability to the effects of climate change and fuel ongoing conflicts.

Societal discontent will increase in Bahrain

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Social Protest ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Arab Uprisings ◽  
Base Level

Significance Although large-scale social protest in Bahrain has been cowed over the ten years since the ‘Arab uprisings’, small-scale demonstrations recur, reflecting a base level of discontent. Mobilising issues include economic pressures, limited political representation (especially of the Shia majority) and, most recently, ties with Israel. Impacts Despite protests, Israel’s and Bahrain’s respective ambassadors will keep up high-profile activity and statements. The authorities are likely to exaggerate the role of Iranian interference in order to deepen the Sunni-Shia divide. If Riyadh manages to extricate itself from the Yemen war, that could partly reduce the pressure on Manama.

scholarly journals HWN* Mobility Management Considering QoS, Optimisation and Cross Layer Issues

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chong Shen
Keyword(s):  
Mobility Management ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Routing Algorithm ◽  
Cross Layer ◽  
Cross Layer Design ◽  
Relay Nodes ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Low Profile ◽  
Avoidance Control

In this paper, we address mobility management for 4th generation heterogeneous networks from a quality of service (QoS), optimisation and cross layer design perspective. Users are classified as high profile, normal profile and low profile according to their differentiated service requirements. Congestion avoidance control and adaptive handover mechanisms are implemented for efficient cooperation within the mobile heterogeneous network environment consisting of a TDMA network, ad hoc network and relay nodes. A previous proposed routing algorithm is also revised to include mobility management.

An examination of the quality of social and environmental disclosures by Nigerian oil companies

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 400-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Odhiambo Odera ◽  
Albert Scott ◽  
Jeff Gow
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
Environmental Disclosures ◽  
Oil Company ◽  
A Company ◽  
Tests For Normality

Purpose This study seeks to examine the quantity and quality of social and environmental disclosures (SEDs) of Nigerian oil companies. The study aims to analyse SED activities as reported by the oil companies in their annual reports. Design/methodology/approach The study analyses annual reports through content analysis. SED quantity is measured by alternative two units: number of sentences and number of pages. A two-point scale system to assess SED quality is used as follows: 1 = if SED is quantitative and reports specific activities of a company concerning its social and environmental responsibility; 0 = otherwise. Correlation analysis is performed among the different SED categories to identify the relationships among them. Kolmongrov–Smirnov and Shapiro–Wilk tests for normality are utilised. Findings SED activities are reported by most of the companies, and by quantity, employee information is found to be the most common type of disclosure. SED quantity and quality in the environment category is found to be overwhelmingly low despite the large-scale public concern expressed about the levels of the environmental degradation caused by oil company operations. Research limitations/implications The data collected for this study are based on one country, which controls diversity but limits the generalizability of the findings. The study is limited by the sample which includes mainly quoted companies, as they are believed to make improved disclosures because of their investor orientation and statutory obligations. Originality/value The study extends SED research by focusing on social disclosures such as employee-, community- and health- and safety-related disclosures. The study also investigates the motivations of SED providers and establishes a link between stakeholder demands/engagement and the level of disclosure.

Assessing residents’ perceptions of urban placemaking prior to hosting a major cultural event

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Wise ◽  
Jelena Đurkin Badurina ◽  
Marko Perić
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Local Quality ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Level Of Agreement

PurposeMore research is needed to consider residents’ perceptions prior to hosting large-scale events. This paper contributes new insight on residents’ perceptions of placemaking analysed by considering awareness, enthusiasm and participation prior to hosting a large-scale event. Placemaking is becoming increasingly important and this insight can help planners understand how locals perceive change and event planning preparations.Design/methodology/approach454 residents of Rijeka, Croatia completed a survey (seven-point Likert scale) of 17 placemaking principles, asked in three ways: (1) how you feel; (2) how you believe people near you feel and (3) if you feel that planning/preparing for ECoC 2020 has made a difference. The data analysis considers socio-demographics and the significance of awareness, enthusiasm and participation as factors affecting residents’ perceptions of placemaking.FindingsThe study found respondents originally from Rijeka expressed statistically significant higher level of agreement. Where statistically significant differences exist, female respondents expressed statistically significant higher levels of agreement. For six statements, the distribution of results was not similar for all age groups. Awareness and enthusiasm seems to influence placemaking principles to a greater extent than participation in this study, but all have proven to have statistically significant positive impacts on the placemaking principles assessed.Practical implicationsPlanners need to focus on effective promotional activities aimed at awareness and enhance enthusiasm to help increase perceptions of placemaking and increase local quality of life.Originality/valueexplores perceptions of “self” and “how others feel” by assessing principles of placemaking associated with the case of Rijeka. This allows researchers to explore understandings of how people perceive the attitudes of their fellow residents.

Environment and technology dominate the WEF agenda

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
The People ◽  
Impact Risk ◽  
Trade Deals ◽  
First Time

Significance For the first time in the eleven-year history of the survey, no economic risk makes the list of the top five most likely or biggest impact risks. In contrast, large-scale terrorist attacks make the top five most likely risks for the first time and weapons of mass destruction are cited as the highest impact risk. All five environment-related risks are ranked among the top ten highest impact risks for the first time -- four in the top five: extreme weather events; water crises; major natural disasters; and failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation. The survey cites strengthening global cooperation systems as a top five challenge, and says these environmental risks will be exacerbated if cooperation diminishes. Impacts Nearly a third of respondents think that increasing polarisation will be an underlying trend over the next ten years. More must be done to include the people left behind by technological change -- more than 4 billion lack internet access. The United States may withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement, and a number of free trade deals are at risk.

Qatar could become a low-profile mediator

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Conflict Resolution ◽  
Muslim Brotherhood ◽  
Energy Prices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Low Profile ◽  
Bomb Attack ◽  
The Muslim Brotherhood

Significance This followed Qatar's December 14 rejection of Egyptian charges that it had assisted the Islamist perpetrator of a bomb attack on a cathedral in Cairo. The accusation is the legacy of a pre-2013 era of activist foreign policy and support for the Muslim Brotherhood. Under pressure from Saudi Arabia and others, the country has since returned to the Gulf Arab fold, but relations with Egypt remain tense. Impacts Even if recovering energy prices ease the fiscal situation in 2017, foreign policy is likely to be cautious. The legacy of previous unsuccessful mediation efforts in Yemen could compromise Qatar’s role in conflict-resolution efforts. Qatar is not as strongly involved in Libya as before, but maintains low-profile ties with Tripolitanian, Islamist-leaning groups. Ties with Riyadh could strengthen further after a high-profile visit by King Salman on December 5.

Urban transportation: innovations in infrastructure planning and development

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sundaravalli Narayanaswami
Keyword(s):  
Public Transportation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Urban Transportation ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Service Development ◽  
New Service Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transportation Service ◽  
Capital Intensive

Purpose New services design and development are difficult to plan, execute, measure and evaluate. Particularly, new services that are capital-intensive and involve a long gestation and development time are considered extremely risky. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a list of innovative practices in various managerial aspects in designing, planning and development of a large scale infrastructure intensive public transportation service. A contemporary new public transportation service development is discussed as evidence of proven and benchmarked criteria. Design/methodology/approach This is a technical paper, where theoretical foundations of best practices in new service development project are discussed and supported by practice-based evidences from a real-life urban transportation project. A case study approach is adopted with secondary data. Findings Worldwide during and after economic recession of 2008, several projects were stalled or abandoned. The inference through this work is that through efficient management practices, a large capital-intensive new service development project can be made successful even during a turbulent economy in a region marred by more challenges than elsewhere. Practical implications Several issues in large scale services development, such as urban transportation are domain specific. Some of the issues faced in urban transportation are common to several Gulf countries; therefore the policy guidelines, managerial practices and development strategies reported in this paper can be replicated in many of them. The commercial impact of the service project is a significant drive towards fuel conservation and to save huge amounts of productive time. Social implications Public transportation with a high quality of networked service improves the quality of life to a large extent. Unless certain measurable demands are not met, an affluent society is less likely to endorse public transportation. In addition, endorsement of public transportation is been promoted in several parts of the world as a drive towards a green, energy efficient, low-carbon emission and sustainable environment. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, new services planning and development is a key operations management topic, on which very little is written about. Particularly no other paper has presented a real-world large scale infrastructure intensive project development to this detail, and along with a theoretical background to benchmark performance and development practices.

scholarly journals A Source Like Any Other? Field and Survey Experiment Evidence on How Interest Groups Shape Public Opinion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Jungherr ◽  
Alexander Wuttke ◽  
Matthias Mader ◽  
Harald Schoen
Keyword(s):  
Interest Groups ◽  
Interest Group ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Group Communication ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
The Public ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Low Profile ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Interest groups increasingly communicate with the public, yet we know little about how effective they are in shaping opinions. Since interest groups differ from other public communicators, we propose a theory of interest group persuasion. Interest groups typically have a low public profile, and so most people are unlikely to have strong attitudes regarding them. Source-related predispositions, such as credibility assessments, are therefore less relevant in moderating effects of persuasive appeals by interest groups than those of high-profile communicators. We test this argument in multiple large-scale studies. A parallel survey and field experiment (N = 4,659) establishes the persuasive potential of low-profile interest groups in both controlled and realistic settings. An observational study (N = 700) shows that substantial portions of the public are unable to assess interest group credibility. A survey experiment (N = 8,245) demonstrates that credibility assessments moderate the impact of party but not interest group communication.

Kenya will leverage threats of camp closure

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
International Community ◽  
Humanitarian Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The Government

Significance Grandi is the latest high-profile figure to urge the government to reconsider its position. Should Dadaab close, over 340,000 refugees would in total be forced from Kenya, creating a potential humanitarian crisis with security implications. Impacts Kenya may leverage the refugees to secure greater financial and political assistance from the international community. The West's struggle to manage migration crises elsewhere will pressure donors to prevent another large-scale displacement. The UN may increase the rate of assisted returns of Somalis if conditions in Somalia improve. Kenya would remain susceptible to future al-Shabaab attacks even if Dadaab closes.

Market conditions will shape Tanzanian gas exports

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Markets ◽  
Operating Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Investor Confidence ◽  
Oil Pipeline ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Gas Market ◽  
International Power ◽  
Regional Projects

Significance Tanzania has high hopes for developing offshore gas reserves, but a combination of oversupply in global markets and a difficult domestic operating environment has lowered investors' interest. Prospects are better for the domestic gas market, but international power developers are cautious about dealing with President John Magufuli's government. Impacts Shortcomings in high-profile LNG developments will damage investor confidence in other large-scale investments. Faltering confidence could threaten financing for regional projects such as an oil pipeline from Uganda or a planned railway. Further delays in gas development carry greater consequences for Tanzania than Shell and Statoil, which can prioritise other projects.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document