Raising awareness about technology transfer projects for environmental sustainability

I wanted to understand how developing countries utilize the opportunity of technology transfer, as per under clean development mechanism (CDM. To clarify: The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a mitigation mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol that aims to finance emissions reduction in developing countries. Although the CDM has no explicit technology mandate, it is expected to facilitate technology transfer (TT). Technology Transfer has the potential to help developing countries reduce emissions effectively through introducing low carbon technologies, development of local know-how on modern technologies and stimulating sustainable development. Within the current CDM design and process, the TT agenda is driven mainly by the Designated National Authority (DNA) of a CDM host country rather than the CDM Executive Board (EB) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). A CDM Project Design Documents (PDD) needs to be approved first by the DNA of a host country before it is submitted to the UNFCCC for the registration of the project and grant of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs). Some DNAs, such as that of China and 5 India, have stronger requirements than others for meeting their approval criteria for technology transfer through CDM projects. Overall, 30% of all projects in the pipeline, accounting for 48% of estimated emission reductions, involve technology transfer while 24% of the projects in the pipeline do not indicate TT. If the sample of analysis consisted only of projects that explicitly refer to TT, 40% of projects in the pipeline would contribute to TT, accounting for 59% of emission reductions (UNFCCC 2010). Definition of Technology Transfer: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2000) defines technology transfer: “as a broad set of processes covering the flows of know-how, experience and equipment for mitigating and adapting to climate change amongst different stakeholders such as governments, private sector entities, financial institutions, non governmental organisations (NGOs) and research/education institutions”. Now the truth of the matter is, although EU has committed to TT, developing countries have not taken this opportunity which will help to reduce the accelerated rate of global warming and the related damning effects. This is a concern for me as a global citizen and as an environmentalist. So I decided to do a bit of digging to understand the extent that developing countries have taken advantage of TT in relation to trade and industries because industries are the highest polluters. The following is a summary which shows that Africa has made a total of 229 requests for technology transfer. Reference: Formal requests for UNCTAD technical cooperation | UNCTAD Now out of 229 technology transfer requests from within low income countries and low-middle income countries. Tanzania has made 4 requests and managed to implement the following 3: 2014 : Tanzania investment center requested technology transfer to invest in investments guidelines with a budget of 60,000 USD (Funds required) 2015: ‘’Tanzania’’ requested technology transfer and innovation to help build competitiveness of local pharmaceutical industries for a budget of 20,000 USD (implemented) 2016: Fair competition commission requested technology and knowledge transfer for voluntary peer reviews on competition law and policy with a budget of 36,000 USD (implemented) 2017: Ministry of industries, trade and investments requested technology and knowledge transfer for etrade readiness assessment of Tanzania and development of a strategy with a budget of 80,000 USD (implemented). Kenya made 5 requests and managed to implement 1. Uganda made 6 requests and managed to implement 2. Burundi made 2 requests, and is in the process of implementing 1. Rwanda made 8 requests, implemented 2 and is in the process of implementing 1. Malawi made 6 requests and managed to implement 1. South Africa made 3 requests and has secured funds to implement 1 The list can continue, but it is best to investigate for yourself on: Formal requests for UNCTAD technical cooperation | UNCTAD UNCTAD states that ‘ Globalization, including a phenomenal expansion of trade, has helped lift millions out of poverty. But not nearly enough people have benefited. And tremendous challenges remain. We support developing countries to access the benefits of a globalized economy more fairly and effectively. And we help equip them to deal with the potential drawbacks of greater economic integration. To do this, we provide analysis, facilitate consensus-building, and offer technical assistance. This helps them to use trade, investment, finance, and technology as vehicles for inclusive and sustainable development. Working at the national, regional, and global level, our efforts help countries to: • Comprehend options to address macro-level development challenges • Achieve beneficial integration into the international trading system • Diversify economies to make them less dependent on commodities • Limit their exposure to financial volatility and debt • Attract investment and make it more development friendly • Increase access to digital technologies • Promote entrepreneurship and innovation • Help local firms move up value chains • Speed up the flow of goods across borders • Protect consumers from abuse • Curb regulations that stifle competition • Adapt to climate change and use natural resources more effectively Together with other UN departments and agencies, we measure progress by the Sustainable Development Goals, as set out in Agenda 2030. We also support implementation of Financing for Development, as mandated by the global community in the 2015 Addis Ababa Agenda, together with four other major institutional stakeholders: the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, and the United Nations Development Programme. While we work mainly with governments, to effectively deal with the magnitude and complexity of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, we believe that partnerships and closer cooperation with the private sector and civil society are essential. Ultimately, we are serving the citizens of the 195 countries that make up our organization. Our goal is prosperity for all.’ The question is, has developing countries taken this commitment seriously enough? Is Tanzania taking this opportunity serious enough? Is there a wide spread awareness of this opportunity within developing countries? Can business within industrial countries play a role by forming ‘’business to business’’ global partnerships for development under the umbrella of Technology Transfer? What role should embassies play? What role can citizens play? Because in the end, we as a global community will continue to suffer from climate change impacts if countries are not equipped to act in the interest of sustainable environmental management.

Research Relevance

At every research stage process andespecially at the end, some reader might say ‘that is quite interesting, but so what?’ How does this contribute to problem solving? What difference will the researchl make to the organisation? What does this mean for a wider theoretical understanding of the topic? Because the ‘so what’ question is so important, it is necessary to look at the different impacts that the research might make – looking at the ‘so what?’ question at an earlier stage may also help to identify the problem which needs researching. Impact on strategy: The research could look at a problem which could lead to a shift towards strategic thinking within the organisation. This might mean that management uses the findings to look at new products or markets or seek to make changes on the organization’s objectives. It is necessary to be realistic but it is also important to realize that research may not achieve strategic impact directly, but has the potential to contribute to changes on the highest level. Impact on operational change or process development: A second form of impact might be related to how the organisation or the department functions or operates. This might emerge from research which explores how a key management process is working and how to make it more efficient or effective. Usually the main desired impact here is to establish the need for the change to take place or to identify factors which should be considered if the change is taken forward. Impacts from project evaluation: A related impact may emerge from researching a problem seeking to examine the outcomes of a specific project or initiative. For example, the research might focus on the extent a new software has led to identified outcomes, or perhaps the organisation has just implemented a large management development programme and an evaluation can be made to determine the extent managers are using the introduced ideas. The desired impact here is to make recommendations about how the specific types of projects might proceed in the future. Employee Engagement impacts: Another impact one could develop to answer the question of ‘so what’ is by looking at how far employees engage with their work. This can be a broad impact but identifying methods to improve employee experiences could lead to changes in a number of areas. However, one may be working for an organisation that runs an annual staff satisfaction survey and so one may not want to simply duplicate this. But one can use the surveys of this nature to discover specific topics which can be positively might impacted. Theoretical and conceptual impacts: Regardless the impact areas one focuses on, a fundamental part of producing a research is to show that it does more than simply solve an organisational problem – as important as that is. Additionally one has to demonstrate how she/he is drawing on theories and concepts with wider implications and which in some way one can contribute. For a great deal, this is the main research impact because the goal is to gain a better understanding of theories to better explain natural and social phenomenon. A research may not be able to deliver a new theory or re-imagine a way of understanding a feature of organisational practice, but it should still be focused on how findings relate to what is already know about the topic. Finally, these different impacts are not mutually exclusive, a topic might link to more than one or there might be further impacts than what currently makes sense at your position (your current role).

External factors with impact on research

Another way of identifying issues and/or research problems is by looking at the wider social, economic, political, legal, technology and environmental situation to decide whether any of the categories can be a foundation for a research project. This is what is called PESTEL analysis. PESTEL includes: • Political category: Internally this may include tax policies; environmental regulations; trade restrictions and reform; tariffs; political stability and other. • Economic category: Internally this may include economic growth/decline; interest, currency exchange, inflation and wage rates; minimum wage; working hours; unemployment (local and national); credit availability; cost of living; purchasing power and other. • Social category: Internally this may include cultural norms and expectations; health consciousness; population growth rates; age distribution; career attitudes; health and safety; religions; customs and other. • Technology category: Internally this may include innovations; continuous emerging technologies (for example, robotics and artificial intelligence); the speed of adapting to new technologies; the rate of technology change; the impacts of technologies and other. • Legal category: Internally this may include changes to legislation impacting employment, access to materials, quotas, resources, imports/exports, and taxation and other. • Environmental category: Internally this may include global warming; livelihoods; natural resources; depletion of resources; the increased need to switch to sustainable resources; ethical sourcing (supply chain intelligence on local and national level). Within PESTEL categories, you may also want to consider some specific trends and/or events which impacts organisations and which managers may have to consider. Equality and diversity Sustainable development have to incorporate diversity. More and more organizations have to adapt to expectations for greater diversity in ethnicity, religion , gender and other. COVID-19 The Covid-19 global pandemic has highlighted challenges to organisations. For example, how to implement remote working(RW) possibilities; how to allow employees flexibility to support productivity; to maintain health expectations and other. Technology automation and artificial intelligence (AI) There have been many debates around increasing greater automation at work and the use of artificial intelligence. This have diverse implications for organisations and employment. Gig-economy This trend of employment have workers employed via ‘’arms-length’’ contracts. For example; companies like Uber view their employees as independent contractors with limits to certain employment rights. These employment trend offers increasing competition to organisations using traditional practices. Data management Organisations are now required to explain how they manage and retain data privacy of their customers. But at the same time, this data has become more valuable for targeting marketing activities. This conflict may impact organisations practices in a technical, social or/and ethical manner. Sector-specific issues Just as every sector influences the external environment, the external environment influences each sector. Therefore it is worth investigating any sector-specific issues which may have impact on your specific organisation. For example; one might examine how the materials your organization is using for production are produced by reading professional publications. It is important to remember the main focus of research is to address a management problem related to one’s organisation, but linking different types of issues can help with reflecting on the wider implications of the topic.

Key Stakeholders in research management

Previously I suggested that one way of identifying a research problem was by considering the level at which the problem resonates – is it a more localised or a more strategic issue? Once that is done the next step is to consider who is involved in the problem and who might be affected by addressing it – in other words, who are the stakeholders? We perform a stakeholder analysis to identify problems and to determine how to establish a clear focus for researching. Stakeholder theory suggests that organizations must consider all groups and individuals who have an interest (or a stake) in what they do. This gives managers a better understanding of how they can create value and an acceptance that they play a wider role in society than just making profit. Stakeholder theory can be applied at different levels – meaning that it can be used to explain not just how a company as a whole operates but how departments of that organisation function, therefore it is helpful for research. For example, if you are an HR manager and you know that there is a problem with the hiring and selection process, where, despite attempts to increase the employees diversity in management there is still under representation in relation to the local community. To define how you might approach this subject, you can conduct a stakeholder analysis to think through who might be involved. In this case, you might say directors, human resources, business partners, local community groups and employment agencies, regulators, senior managers and customers may all have a legitimate voice in analysing this problem. Stakeholder influence: Not all of these stakeholders will have the same level of understanding and not all will be impacted in the same way but from a research perspective this approach widens your research. This means you need to think about how you can differentiate between your stakeholders and the role that they might play in your research. For example, some stakeholders will be gatekeepers – meaning that they will allow you access to other groups or relevant data. For example, the HR business partner might be able to support your research and contact line managers. You might also identify a director who chairs an equality and diversity committee, who, as a stakeholder, could be a sponsor of your research. This means that they would give you some authority to complete the research and would also help with publication of the findings. Other stakeholders might be beneficiaries. For example, could an increase in diversity have a positive impact on existing employees? Analysing the role of stakeholders in this way is not just about marketing the idea of your research to different groups. Stakeholders offer different perspectives and regardless of their role they can help to better define the problem and to think about different angles of approach. If I continue with the example of the HR manager trying to address diversity issues, line mangers might feel that the focus should be on the processes around hiring, while existing employees might feel that the problem is attitudes of senior managers. This is critical for developing a research questions, but in terms of establishing a research focus, a stakeholder analysis helps to avoid approaching a research based on personal interests and experiences.

Things to avoid when identifying a research problem

Avoid problems that cannot be well defined and which have no obvious boundaries. For example; Investigating the problem of why so many graduate employees leave a company within six-months has a clear focus. But researching the problem of employees retention across a whole business area has less obvious limits and will make the whole research process more complex. Researching more abstract concepts such as culture, commitment, motivation in isolation can be problematic because they are very often vague and hard to contain within the research process. For example, simply looking at a question of commitment amongst a specific department employees might be very hard to pin down as it could be caused by such a wide range of variables, and these variables could all be understood differently. A problem that has more focus includes a more tangible factor that one can explore and which might link to commitment, for example, what is likely impact of changing at work arrival times on employees of a specific department? Avoid the temptation to link something to ‘performance’. For example, does the promotion system have impact on individual performance? Any organisation wants to be able to find ways to get employees to perform better, but performance is another abstract term that can be affected by so many things that it is hard to measure accurately. If one puts these issues aside, one should be left with a core problem that is recognisable and will allow one to strip away all of the interference that is inevitable in any organisation. #Leadership #Change #OrganizationsResearch #ManagementResearch #sustainabledevelopment

Identification of research problems

The first thing to consider is the level where one wants to look for the problem. This can either be limited to one’s own team, function or department, or one may have the opportunity to address something that is pan-organisational or strategic. One might feel that a strategic problem is somehow more interesting or more appropriate, but there is often no specific advantage to either. A localised problem may mean that one is better able to collect relevant data about the issue because one is more directly involved. A strategic problem may mean that one can make a wider impact across the organisation, but it may also require a broader data set to address this and this could be hard to achieve within a critical time frame. The second consideration in identifying a problem is the extent which one should take pre-existing knowledge into account. Ideally, one should choose a problem he/she is familiar with because this will help one understand the parameters of the research. However, the more one knows about the problem the more one will have the opportunity to manage the pre-conceptions and biases. The best way to manage this conflict is to think about something where one understands the problem but not the solutions, or where one knows that something isn’t working but doesn’t know why. In short, one should be identifying a problem where there is uncertainty. For example, one might know that the business has a very small proportion of women in senior roles whereas there is more equality at other levels of management, and so the uncertainty is around why this is the case.

Research for management

For a long time concerned researchers have developed expertise on different features of organisations in order to analyse and to identify trends and improvements. The challenge for these researchers has been to ensure that knowledge and insight can be aligned to the specific (and sometimes hypothetical) concerns of managers in a wide range of different organisations. For example, sometimes management research focuses on wider theories or more specific issues (for example, how can we prove that HR practices lead to better organisational performance?) whereas managers want an answer to more immediate questions (such as, how can we make our performance management processes work more effectively?). When the concerns of researchers and managers come together, there is lots of evidence that this can have positive impacts. Sometimes a manager is in an interesting position which bridges the two roles of manager and researcher. This dual status means the manager has an opportunity to design a great research project – the management role means the research should be relevant to a current issue in the organisation, and the researcher status means having to show how this issue links to a wider framework. Management research does not have to simply focus on what managers do. Instead, it can be research that addresses an organisational issue or problem in which managers have an interest because it has the potential to negatively impact on their practice. The great researcher F.W.Taylor was obsessed with improving industrial productivity and solving the problem of systematic soldiering whereby workers would deliberately reduce their effort in order to maximise their payment rates and maintain levels of employment. By breaking down each job into specific stages and describing these, Taylor was able to show how work could be done more efficiently and more quickly – something that evolved into ‘time and motion’ or ‘stopwatch and clipboard’ studies. As a piece of management research, Taylor did not achieve immediate success (he was asked to leave the Bethlehem Steel Company where he developed his work and his ideas were famously satirised by Charlie Chaplin in his film Modern Times) but his work was voted the most influential of the 20th century and can still be seen today in many industrial production lines or call centres. Another example of management research which has resonated over many decades is the Hawthorne Studies conducted at the Western Electric Plant in the 1920s and 1930s. This research started out as a study looking at the effect of illumination on worker productivity. The findings proved to be inconclusive but then the research expanded into one of the first pieces of work which addressed the issue of employee wellbeing/happiness and its impact on productivity – something that continues to influence management research which focuses on solving the question of whether happy employees mean commitment and higher profits. These studies have given us the Hawthorne Effect, a key issue in all research which warns the researcher that the act of studying something can also influence change of its behaviour. Management research has impacted practice over many years. #Leadership #Change #OrganizationsResearch #ManagementResearch