The Policy Dystopia Model:an interpretive analysis of tobacco industry political activity

BACKGROUND: Tobacco industry interference has been identified as the greatest obstacle to the implementation of evidence-based measures to reduce tobacco use. Understanding and addressing industry interference in public health policy-making is therefore crucial. Existing conceptualisations of corporate political activity (CPA) are embedded in a business perspective and do not attend to CPA's social and public health costs; most have not drawn on the unique resource represented by internal tobacco industry documents. Building on this literature, including systematic reviews, we develop a critically informed conceptual model of tobacco industry political activity. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We thematically analysed published papers included in two systematic reviews examining tobacco industry influence on taxation and marketing of tobacco; we included 45 of 46 papers in the former category and 20 of 48 papers in the latter (n = 65). We used a grounded theory approach to build taxonomies of "discursive" (argument-based) and "instrumental" (action-based) industry strategies and from these devised the Policy Dystopia Model, which shows that the industry, working through different constituencies, constructs a metanarrative to argue that proposed policies will lead to a dysfunctional future of policy failure and widely dispersed adverse social and economic consequences. Simultaneously, it uses diverse, interlocking insider and outsider instrumental strategies to disseminate this narrative and enhance its persuasiveness in order to secure its preferred policy outcomes. Limitations are that many papers were historical (some dating back to the 1970s) and focused on high-income regions. CONCLUSIONS: The model provides an evidence-based, accessible way of understanding diverse corporate political strategies. It should enable public health actors and officials to preempt these strategies and develop realistic assessments of the industry's claims.

designing + (dis)assembling disputes: an ethnography of disputes & lawyers in the construction industry

The UK construction industry is notorious for the sheer amount of disputes which are likely to arise on each building and engineering project. Despite numerous creative attempts at “dispute avoidance” and “dispute resolution”, this industry is still plagued with these costly disputes. Whilst both academic literature and professional practices have investigated the causes of disputes and the mechanisms for avoidance/resolution of these disputes, neither has studied in any detail the nature of the construction disputes and why they develop as they do once a construction lawyer is engaged. Accordingly, this research explores the question of what influences the outcome of a construction dispute and to what extent do construction lawyers control or direct this outcome? The research approach was ethnographic. Fieldwork took place at a leading construction law firm in London over 18 months. The primary focus was participant observation in all of the firm’s activities. In addition, a database was compiled from the firm’s files and archives, thus providing information for quantitative analysis. The basis of the theoretical framework, and indeed the research method, was the Actor‐Network Theory (ANT). As such, this research viewed a dispute as a set of associations – an entity which takes form and acquires its attributes as a result of its relations with other entities. This viewpoint is aligned with relational contract theories, which in turn provides a unified platform for exploring the disputes. The research investigated the entities and events which appeared to influence the dispute’s identity, shape and outcome. With regard to a dispute’s trajectory, the research took as its starting point that a dispute follows the transformation of “naming, blaming, claiming…”, as identified by Felstiner, Abel and Sarat in 1980. The research found that construction disputes generally materialise and develop prior to any one of the parties approaching a lawyer. Once the lawyer is engaged, we see the reverse of the trajectory “naming, blaming, claiming…” this being: “claiming, blaming, naming…” The lawyers’ role is to identify or name (or rename) the dispute in the best possible light for their client in order to achieve the desired outcome – the development of which is akin to the design process. The transformation of a dispute and the reverse trajectory is by no means linear, but rather, iterative and spatial as it requires alliances, dependencies and contingencies to assemble and take the shape it does. The research concludes that construction disputes are rarely ever completely “resolved” as such. Whilst an independent third party may hand down a judgment, or the parties may reach a settlement agreement, this state is only temporal. Some construction disputes dissipate whist others reach a state of hibernation for a period of time only to pick up momentum and energy some years later. Accordingly, this research suggests that the concept of “dispute resolution” does not exist in the UK construction industry. The ultimate goal should be for parties to reach this ultimate and perpetual state of equilibrium as quickly and as cost effectively as possible: “dispute dissolution”, the slowing down of the dispute’s momentum. Rather than focusing on the design and assemblage of the dispute, the lawyers’ role therein is, or should be, to assist with the “disassembling” of the dispute.

Building peace by supporting post-conflict electoral processes

Les élections post-conflit ou élections de sortie de crise organisées sous l’égide de la communauté internationale en vue de rétablir la paix dans les pays sortant de violents conflits armés ont un bilan mixte caractérisé par le succès ou l’échec selon les cas. Ce bilan mitigé représente le problème principal auquel cette recherche tente de répondre à travers les questions suivantes : l’assistance électorale étrangère est-elle efficace comme outil de rétablissement de la paix dans les sociétés post-conflit? Qu’est ce qui détermine le succès ou l’échec des élections post-conflit à contribuer efficacement au rétablissement de la paix dans les sociétés déchirées par la guerre? Pour résoudre cette problématique, cette thèse développe une théorie de l’assistance électorale en période post-conflit centrée sur les parties prenantes à la fois du conflit armé et du processus électoral. Cette théorie affirme que l’élément clé pour le succès des élections post-conflit dans le rétablissement de la paix est le renforcement de la capacité de négociation des parties prenantes à la fois dans le processus de paix et dans le processus électoral post-conflit. Dans les situations post-conflit, une assistance électorale qui se voudrait complète et efficace devra combiner à la fois le processus électoral et le processus de paix. L’assistance électorale sera inefficace si elle se concentre uniquement sur les aspects techniques du processus électoral visant à garantir des élections libres, transparentes et équitables. Pour être efficace, l’accent devra également être mis sur les facteurs supplémentaires qui peuvent empêcher la récurrence de la guerre, tels que l’habilité des individus et des groupes à négocier et à faire des compromis sur les grandes questions qui peuvent menacer le processus de paix. De fait, même des élections transparentes comme celles de 1997 au Liberia saluées par la communauté internationale n’avaient pas réussi à établir des conditions suffisantes pour éviter la reprise des hostilités. C’est pourquoi, pour être efficace, l’assistance électorale dans les situations de post-conflit doit prendre une approche globale qui priorise l’éducation civique, la sensibilisation sur les droits et responsabilités des citoyens dans une société démocratique, le débat public sur les questions qui divisent, la participation politique, la formation au dialogue politique, et toute autre activité qui pourrait aider les différentes parties à renforcer leur capacité de négociation et de compromis. Une telle assistance électorale fera une contribution à la consolidation de la paix, même dans le contexte des élections imparfaites, comme celles qui se sont détenues en Sierra Leone en 2002 ou au Libéria en 2005. Bien que la littérature sur l’assistance électorale n’ignore guère l’importance des parties prenantes aux processus électoraux post-conflit (K. Kumar, 1998, 2005), elle a fortement mis l’accent sur les mécanismes institutionnels. En effet, la recherche académique et professionnelle est abondante sur la réforme des lois électorales, la reforme constitutionnelle, et le développement des administrations électorales tels que les commissions électorales, ainsi que l’observation électorale et autres mécanismes de prévention de la fraude électorale, etc. (Carothers & Gloppen, 2007). En d’autres termes, les décideurs et les chercheurs ont attribué jusqu’à présent plus d’importance à la conception et au fonctionnement du cadre institutionnel et des procédures électorales. Cette thèse affirme qu’il est désormais temps de prendre en compte les participants eux-mêmes au processus électoral à travers des types d’assistance électorale qui favoriseraient leur capacité à participer à un débat pacifique et à trouver des compromis aux questions litigieuses. Cette approche plus globale de l’assistance électorale qui replace l’élection post-conflit dans le contexte plus englobant du processus de paix a l’avantage de transformer le processus électoral non pas seulement en une expérience d’élection de dirigeants légitimes, mais aussi, et surtout, en un processus au cours duquel les participants apprennent à régler leurs points de vue contradictoires à travers le débat politique dans un cadre institutionnel avec des moyens légaux et légitimes. Car, si le cadre institutionnel électoral est important, il reste que le résultat du processus électoral dépendra essentiellement de la volonté des participants à se conformer au cadre institutionnel et aux règles électorales.

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Los procesos de diseño y construcción tradicionales de la industria de la construcción que se han conservado inalterados durante años, han impedido vislumbrar los impactos positivos que se pueden dar al trabajar en conjunto con las tecnologías de información -- El miedo al cambio hace que las empresas del sector denominen “normal” a la fragmentación del proceso constructivo, y presupuesten desde el inicio de la obra atrasos por incompatibilidades en los diseños causados principalmente por la falta de comunicación y coordinación entre los diferentes participantes del proyecto -- La implementación de tecnologías de información busca no sólo ayudar como una herramienta a los diseños del proyecto, sino que también ofrece elementos para integrar a los participantes y contratistas del proyecto en un equipo de trabajo donde exista mayor interoperabilidad entre las áreas implicadas en el planteamiento, diseño y ejecución del proyecto, y se pueda disminuir de sobremanera la fragmentación que vuelve tan poco competitiva esta industria a nivel mundial -- En el presente trabajo de grado se realizó un estado del arte de la tecnología de información BIM con el fin de sintetizar las enormes cantidades de información disponibles y de posibilitar una mejor comprensión de este -- Con la teoría y los manuales estudiados a profundidad de los software que componen esta tecnología, se procedió a desarrollar un ejercicio exploratorio confrontando los conocimientos adquiridos teóricos con la parte práctica, parte en donde se pudieron vislumbrar las ventajas y desventajas al implementar este software en la industria de la construcción de nuestro país -- Finalmente se exponen los requerimientos y limitaciones que trae consigo la aplicación de esta tecnología a los proyectos de construcción

Construction Innovation Futures - Industry and Environmental Opportunities.

During the next two decades global construction investment will top $100 trillion (US). New directions in construction innovation will be driven by industry to address challenges in skills, environmental regulations and maximise the benefits of low carbon building systems. Growth productivity catalysts such as offsite construction, higher BIM levels and multi-skill operatives will be instrumental contributors in achieving some of these aims. The increasing use of timber architecture across domestic, public and commercial buildings also opens new pathways. This event will discuss some of the key changes taking place in the UK and parallels with Hong Kong’s ambitions towards delivering a sustainable legacy in this sector.

Marketing in SMEs: the sales process of SMEs on the food and drink industry.

There would appear to be varied approaches to the sales process practiced by SMEs in how they go about locating target customers, interfacing with prospects and new customers, presenting the benefits and features of their products and services, closing sales deals and building relationships, and an understanding of what the buyers needs are in the seller-buyer process. Recent research has revealed that while entrepreneurs and small business owners rely upon networking as an important source of sales, they lack marketing competencies, including personal selling skills and knowledge of what is involved in the sales process to close sales deals and build relationships. Small companies and start-ups with innovative products and services often find it difficult to persuade potential buyers of the merits of their offerings because, while the products and services may be excellent, they have not sufficiently well-developed selling skills necessary to persuade their target customers.

Megabalanus azoricus (Pilsbry, 1916) : building a scientific basis for its management

Tese de Doutoramento, Biologia (Ciências do Mar), 5 de Julho de 2013, Universidade dos Açores.

Energy Audit for an Old Industrial Building in Gävle

(English)The Swedish industrial sector has overcome the oil crisis and has maintained the energy use constant even though the production has grown. This has been achieved thanks to the development of several energy policies, by the Swedish government, towards the 2020 goals. This thesis carries on this path and performs an energy audit for an old industrial building in Gävle (Sweden) in order to propose different energy efficiency measures to use less energy while maintaining the thermal comfort. The building is in quite a bad shape and some of the areas are unused making them a waste of money. By means of the invoices provided by different companies, the information from the staff and some measures that have been carried out in-situ, the energy balance has been calculated from where conclusions have been drawn. Although it is an industrial building, the study is not going to be focused in the industrial process but in the building’s envelope and support processes, since the unit combines both production and office areas. Therefore, the energy balance is divided in energy supplies (district heating, free heating and sun irradiation) and energy losses (transmission, ventilation hot tap water and infiltrations). The results show that the most important supply is that of the DH whereas the most important losses are the transmission and infiltration. Thus, the measures proposed are focused on the reduction of this relevant parameters. The most important measures are the renovation of the windows, heating systems valves and the ventilation. The glazing of the dwelling is old and some of it is broken accounting for quite a large amount of the losses. The radiator valves are not properly working and there does not exist any temperature control. Therefore the installation of thermostatic valves turns out to be a must. Moreover, some part of the building has no mechanical ventilation but conserves the ducts. These could be utilized if they are connected to the workshop’s ventilation which is capable of generating sufficient flow for the entire building. Finally, although other measures could also be carried out, the ones proposed appear to be the essential ones. A further analysis should be carried out in order to analyze the payback time or investment capability of the company so as to decide between one measure or another. A market study for possible new tenants for the unused parts of the building is also advisable.

Building an Ontology of Product/Service-Systems: Using a Maritime Case Study to Elicit Classifications and Characteristics

Part 4: Transition Towards Product-Service Systems

Sustainability Evaluation of Green Building Certification Systems

The attention on green building is driven by the desire to reduce a building’s running cost over its entire life cycle. However, with the use of sustainable technologies and more environmentally friendly products in the building sector, the construction industry contributes significantly to sustainable actions of our society. Different certification systems have entered the market with the aim to measure a building’s sustainability. However, each system uses its own set of criteria for the purpose of rating. The primary goal of this study is to identify a comprehensive set of criteria for the measurement of building sustainability, and therefore to facilitate the comparison of existing rating methods. The collection and analysis of the criteria, identified through a comprehensive literature review, has led to the establishment of two additional categories besides the 3 pillars of sustainability. The comparative analyses presented in this thesis reveal strengths and weaknesses of the chosen green building certification systems - LEED, BREEAM, and DGNB.

Building environmental assessment scheme for residential building in Brunei

Building's construction activities, operation and demolition are increasingly recognised as a major source of environmental impact. One strategy for reducing such impacts is most widely known by the term Building Environmental Assessment (BEA). The research is an attempt to develop a new BEA scheme for residential buildings in Brunei which focussing on identifying BEA indicators that best suit for Brunei environment, social and economy. Studies show that Brunei residential sector needs urgent attention to transform its current consumption rate in more sustainable way. Recent launch of Brunei Green Building Council, mandatory energy efficiency guidelines and declaration of ambitious energy intensity reduction target, a new BEA scheme will help contribute sustainability target in residential sector. However the issues of developing a new BEA schemes using existing methods may face constraints in their effectiveness. In this regard, a consensus-forming technique-Delphi method-helps improve greater communication and gain consensus from experts in the construction industry through series of questionnaires. As a result, the final framework is produced comprises of 7 key categories and 37 applicable criteria that achieved high degree of consensus and importance.

Développement des bétons autoplaçants à faible teneur en poudre, Éco-BAP: formulation et performance

Abstract : Although concrete is a relatively green material, the astronomical volume of concrete produced worldwide annually places the concrete construction sector among the noticeable contributors to the global warming. The most polluting constituent of concrete is cement due to its production process which releases, on average, 0.83 kg CO[subscript 2] per kg of cement. Self-consolidating concrete (SCC), a type of concrete that can fill in the formwork without external vibration, is a technology that can offer a solution to the sustainability issues of concrete industry. However, all of the workability requirements of SCC originate from a higher powder content (compared to conventional concrete) which can increase both the cost of construction and the environmental impact of SCC for some applications. Ecological SCC, Eco-SCC, is a recent development combing the advantages of SCC and a significantly lower powder content. The maximum powder content of this concrete, intended for building and commercial construction, is limited to 315 kg/m[superscript 3]. Nevertheless, designing Eco-SCC can be challenging since a delicate balance between different ingredients of this concrete is required to secure a satisfactory mixture. In this Ph.D. program, the principal objective is to develop a systematic design method to produce Eco-SCC. Since the particle lattice effect (PLE) is a key parameter to design stable Eco-SCC mixtures and is not well understood, in the first phase of this research, this phenomenon is studied. The focus in this phase is on the effect of particle-size distribution (PSD) on the PLE and stability of model mixtures as well as SCC. In the second phase, the design protocol is developed, and the properties of obtained Eco-SCC mixtures in both fresh and hardened states are evaluated. Since the assessment of robustness is crucial for successful production of concrete on large-scale, in the final phase of this work, the robustness of one the best-performing mixtures of Phase II is examined. It was found that increasing the volume fraction of a stable size-class results in an increase in the stability of that class, which in turn contributes to a higher PLE of the granular skeleton and better stability of the system. It was shown that a continuous PSD in which the volume fraction of each size class is larger than the consecutive coarser class can increase the PLE. Using such PSD was shown to allow for a substantial increase in the fluidity of SCC mixture without compromising the segregation resistance. An index to predict the segregation potential of a suspension of particles in a yield stress fluid was proposed. In the second phase of the dissertation, a five-step design method for Eco-SCC was established. The design protocol started with the determination of powder and water contents followed by the optimization of sand and coarse aggregate volume fractions according to an ideal PSD model (Funk and Dinger). The powder composition was optimized in the third step to minimize the water demand while securing adequate performance in the hardened state. The superplasticizer (SP) content of the mixtures was determined in next step. The last step dealt with the assessment of the global warming potential of the formulated Eco-SCC mixtures. The optimized Eco-SCC mixtures met all the requirements of self-consolidation in the fresh state. The 28-day compressive strength of such mixtures complied with the target range of 25 to 35 MPa. In addition, the mixtures showed sufficient performance in terms of drying shrinkage, electrical resistivity, and frost durability for the intended applications. The eco-performance of the developed mixtures was satisfactory as well. It was demonstrated in the last phase that the robustness of Eco-SCC is generally good with regards to water content variations and coarse aggregate characteristics alterations. Special attention must be paid to the dosage of SP during batching.

La construcción de sentido (‘sensemaking’) de un entorno estratégico turbulento por parte de los altos directivos: un estudio en una multinacional automotriz

Este artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación realizada al interior de dos contextos. Por un lado, el teórico, en el marco de uno de los discursos más relevantes en los campos de la estrategia organizacional, de la managerial and organizational cognition (MOC) y, en general, de los estudios organizacionales (organization studies): la construcción de sentido (sensemaking). Por el otro, el empírico, en una de las grandes compañías multinacionales del sector automotriz con presencia global. Esta corporación enfrenta una permanente tensión entre lo que dicta la casa matriz, en relación con el cumplimiento de metas y estándares específicos, considerando el mundo entero, y los retos que, teniendo en cuenta lo regional y lo local, experimentan los altos directivos encargados de hacer prosperar la empresa en estos lugares. La aproximación implementada fue cualitativa. Esto en atención a la naturaleza de la problemática abordada y la tradición del campo. Los resultados permiten ampliar el actual nivel de comprensión acerca de los procesos de sensemaking de los altos directivos al enfrentar un entorno estratégico turbulento.

Mechanical properties of adobe blocks used in building construction in Huambo Province - Angola

Despite significant advances in building technologies with the use of conventional construction materials (as concrete and steel), which significantly have driven the construction industry, earth construction have demonstrated its importance and relevance, as well as it has matched in an efficient and eco-friendly manner the social housing concerns. The diversity of earth construction techniques allowed this material to adapt to different climatic, cultural and social contexts until the present time. However, in Angola, the construction with earth is still associated with population fringes of weak economic resources, for which, given the impossibility of being able to acquire modern construction materials (steel, cement, brick, among others), they resort to the use of available natural materials. Furthermore, the lack of scientific and technical knowledge justifies the negative appreciation of traditional building techniques, and the derogatory way how are considered the earth constructions in Angolan territory. Given the country's current development status, and taking into account the environmental requirements and the real socio-economic sustainability of Angola, it is considered that one of the viable and adequate options, could be the recovering and upgrading of the ancestral techniques of earth construction. The purpose of this research is to develop the technical and scientific knowledge in order to improve and optimize these construction solutions, responding to the real problems of housing quality as well as to the current social, economic and environmental sustainability requirements. In this paper, a description of the physical and mechanical characteristics of the adobes typically used in the construction of traditional houses in some localities of Huambo, province in Angola, is carried out. The methodology was based on mechanical in-situ testing in adobe blocks manufactured with traditional procedures: i) tensile strength evaluated with the bending test and compressive strength test on earth blocks specimens; and, ii) durability and erodibility test by Geelong method adopting the New Zealand standard (NZS) procedures (4297: 1998; 4297: 1998 and 4297: 1999). The results allow the characterization of the materials used in the construction of raw earth in the Huambo region, contributing to the development of knowledge of these sustainable and traditional housing constructive solutions with a strong presence in Angola [1, 2]. This study is part of a larger project in the area of Earth Construction [3], which aims to produce knowledge which can stimulate the use of environmental friendly construction materials and contribute to develop constructive solutions with improved performance, durability, comfort, safety and sustainability.

Arricchimento semantico nel contesto dell'Existing Building Information Modelling: aspetti metodologici e applicazione al caso della Rocca Estense di San Felice sul Panaro.

(ITA) L’industria mondiale odierna nel campo dell’architettura e dell’ingegneria si esprime quasi esclusivamente mediante l’approccio BIM, Building Information Modeling. Anche se sviluppato pensando alle nuove costruzioni ed ancora in via di perfezionamento, è entrato prepotentemente nei capitoli normativi di molti stati all’urlo dell“interoperability”. Su questo tema è recente l’interesse e la possibilità di adozione per l’intervento sul costruito, ovvero di Existing Building Information Modelling, eBIM. Gli studi applicativi-sperimentali in questo ambito sono sempre più numerosi e convergono, purtroppo, sulla delicata correlazione tra la gestione del contenuto semantico e la perdita di interoperabilità. Questa tesi si incentra sull’analisi di tale correlazione valutando in particolare l’aspetto metodologico-applicativo dell’arricchimento semantico adottando come caso studio la Torre Nord della Rocca Estense di San Felice sul Panaro. (ENG)Today's global industry in architecture and engineering fields, expresses itself almost entirely focusing on BIM, Building Information Modeling. Even though it was developed taking in consideration new buildings and the ones that are in the process of improvement, it has entered the regulatory chapters of many states in the hymn of "interoperability". Concerning this topic is recent the interest and possibility of adopting a process to intervene on the already built constructions, Existing Building Information Modeling, eBIM. Application-experimental studies in this area are increasingly numerous and unfortunately converge, on the delicate correlation between the management of the semantic content and the loss of interoperability. This thesis focuses on the analysis of this correlation by evaluating in particular the methodological-applicative aspect of semantic enrichment by adopting the North Tower of the Rocca Estense in San Felice sul Panaro as a case study.