In today’s upstream oil and gas industry, employees are encouraged to develop digital competencies to support their organisations’ digital transformation initiatives. However, there is limited understanding from the employee viewpoints, of what influences their motivation to support digital workforce transformation in the context of upstream oil and gas companies’ organisational culture. This study proposes the need to comprehend the relationship between organisational culture and employees’ motivation to develop and use digital competencies from the employees’ viewpoints rather than from managers and business leaders only. Building on the digital workforce transformation and employee-driven innovation literature, the aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of employees who are required to develop and use digital competencies in their companies. Specifically, the guiding principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis were adapted in a qualitative approach to explore the employees’ experiences. Data was collected from sixteen employees selected from across four of the five international oil and gas companies in Nigeria. The findings show that three core modalities of the organisational culture (Digital Transformation Messaging & Resource Availability; Leadership and Management Styles; and Employee Mindsets & Change Management Inertia) are important considerations for the motivation of employees to develop and use digital competencies. The findings contribute to understanding the dynamics of employee mindsets regarding digital workforce transformation and highlight the relevance of incorporating employee viewpoints in the planning and implementation of change management initiatives required for digital transformation. Theoretically, the contribution from this study is a demonstration of the use of a qualitative interpretive approach to update the digital workforce transformation body of knowledge.

Developing new methods to control the size and shape of the helical structures adopted by foldamers is highly important as the secondary structure displayed by these supramolecular scaffolds often dictates their activity and function. Herein, we report on a systematic study demonstrating that the helical pitch of ortho‐azobenzene/2,6‐pyridyldicarboxamide foldamers can be readily controlled through the nature of the terminal functionality. Remarkably, simply through varying the end group of the foldamer, and without modifying any other structural features of the scaffold, the helical pitch can be over doubled in magnitude (from 3.4 Å–7.3 Å). Additionally, crystallographic analysis of a library ten foldamers has identified general trends in the influence of a range of terminal functionalities, including carboxylbenzyl (Cbz), diphenylcarbamyl (N(Ph)2), ferrocene (Fc) and tert‐butyloxycarbonyl (Boc), in controlling the folding behaviour of these supramolecular scaffolds. These studies could prove useful in the future development of functional foldamers which adopt specific sizes and shapes. A crystallographic study into the influence of varying the terminal functionality on the helical pitch of a series of foldamers is reported. Herein, we show that through systematic modification of the terminal functionality in the foldamer, from carboxylbenzyl (Cbz), diphenylamide (N(Ph)2), ferrocene to tert‐butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) helical pitches between 3.4–7.3 Å can be readily accessed in these supramolecular scaffolds.

This thesis examines three issues about European SMEs. Chapter Two examines how sustainable growth firms obtain external finance during and after the 2008 financial crisis. Although sustainable growth firms have past growth records and future growth aspirations; however, those firms may face challenges in obtaining external finance. We find that those firms increase their demand for external finance after the financial crisis and obtain finance from suppliers during this period to implement their growth activities. In contrast, firms are less likely to secure loans from banks during this period. Chapter Three examines how SMEs can reduce information asymmetry and increase the probability of obtaining a bank loan. SMEs can easily establish a lending relationship with suppliers, which may improve firms’ creditworthiness and reduce information asymmetry. We show that SMEs that suffer information asymmetry can obtain bank finance if these firms establish a significant relationship in the past with suppliers. This finding is more prominent for small firms as banks refuse their loan applications due to information asymmetry. Chapter Four examines financially constrained SMEs for increasing sales growth through innovation activities. As innovation has a positive effect on sales growth; therefore, conducting innovation activities can improve cash flows to constrained firms. We find that financially constrained SMEs can obtain sales growth if they conduct innovation activities. Our results suggest that product and process innovation are significant for financially constrained SMEs as those innovations provide additional cash flow in firms to reduce the adverse effect of the constrained condition.

The head and neck cancers (HNC) are a group of cancers that begin in the squamous cells that line the mucosal surfaces of the head and neck. Therefore, they are commonly known as squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary sinus (MC) is a rare type of HNC, and it is a very aggressive tumour. This cancer is typically diagnosed at a very advanced stage and most patients have a poor survival rate and prognosis. This study is based on the synthesis and applications of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) conjugated with hesperidin (Hsp) as a targeted drug delivery system. AuNPs are ideal for loading different drugs and delivering them to targets sites due to their stability, small size, substantial surface area, non-cytotoxic and inert nature. Hsp is a naturally occurring substance with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capabilities. The main aim of this research was to develop a highly efficient and safer method to deliver Hsp to the target sites. The Hsp with poor solubility and bioavailability render it only slightly absorbed, requiring a delivery system to reach its therapeutic target. This study focused on the effects of 15μg/ml Hsp loaded on gold nanoparticles (Hsp-AuNPs) on 20 healthy individuals’ lymphocytes as compared to 20 HNC patients’ lymphocytes using the alkaline Comet assay. While enzyme-based Comet repair was performed on 5 healthy individuals’ lymphocytes as compared to 5 HNC patients’ lymphocytes. The Hsp-AuNPs reduced the DNA damage in HNC patients’ lymphocytes compared to the healthy lymphocytes (***p<0.001). Furthermore, the 15μg/ml of Hsp-AuNPs significantly reduced the oxidative stress caused by H2O2 and appeared to be effective in both groups using the Comet and Comet repair assay. Results from Comet and Comet repair assay were consistent. The human squamous cells of maxillary sinus (MC) were also treated with 5μg/ml of Hsp-AuNPs. The alkaline Comet assay results showed that Hsp-AuNPs induced DNA damage in MC cells (***p<0.001). Therefore, Hsp-AuNPs demonstrated the most substantial genotoxic effects and confirmed a possible anticancer agent. The Hsp was also used to treat lymphocytes from healthy individuals as compared to HNC patients’ lymphocytes they reduced the DNA damage, but they were less effective as compared to Hsp-AuNPs. Published data shows that using the AuNPs as a drug carrier has a more potent therapeutic effect against different diseases including cancer. Also, this study investigated the gene protective and genotoxic impact of bulk Hsp in Maxillary sinus carcinoma cells. The data obtained indicated that Hsp-AuNPs might possibly be effective for the treatment of MC and demonstrated the ability of Hsp-AuNPs to increase the DNA damage more than the bulk form of Hsp (***p<0.001). The outcomes of this study are consistent with the viewpoint that the Hsp-AuNPs might have a substantial role in cancer treatment, including MC. The concentration of 5μg/ml Hsp-AuNPs was used to treat the MC cells in Western blotting, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was based on a preliminary test for the optimal dose. The data obtained indicated that Hsp-AuNPs might potentially be effective for the treatment of HNC and showed the ability of Hsp-AuNPs to reduce DNA damage more than the bulk form of Hsp. Hsp-AuNPs has also shown anti-cancer potential in the MC cells by up-regulating the expression of p53, p21, PPAR gamma, and Caspase 3, at mRNA and protein levels by up-regulating the p53, PPAR gamma, Caspase 3, and p21 to mediate apoptosis and DNA repair in MC cells. The findings of this study are consistent with the view that the Hsp-AuNPs could have a significant role in cancer treatment, including HNC and MC.

Burn injuries are a common presentation to the accident and emergency department in the UK and account for a significant cost to the NHS. The accurate assessment of these injuries by determining area and depth can ensure the patient receives the most appropriate treatment. If these assessments are incorrect, it can result in inadequate treatment or unnecessary transfer to specialists' centres causing distress to the patient and a significant cost to the NHS. The accuracy of the initial assessment can vary depending on the experience of the assessor. This study explores if machine learning methods can aid in a more accurate diagnosis of these burn injuries which may in future help to develop models that can be used in clinical practise to aid clinicians. The initial stage will assess how accurately specialists can assess burn injuries compared to a true calculated body surface area. The second stage will assess if a new model can be created to determine the difference between images of normal skin and a burn injury. This will be through a deep learning approach. The third stage will assess if a model can be created to determine the difference between full thickness burns, partial thickness burns and normal skin. Finally, we will determine if a code can be created to extract the burn from an image of burn and normal skin. Initial results have shown that specialist burn surgeons have a tendency to overestimate burns. We have also been able to develop a model that is able to accurately place a burn into the correct category 97% of the time when compared to images of normal skin.

Introduction This process evaluation was conducted in parallel to the randomised controlled feasibility trial of NIDUS-Professional, a manualised remote dementia training intervention for homecare workers (HCWs), delivered alongside an individualised intervention for clients living with dementia and their family carers (NIDUS-Family). The process evaluation reports on: (i) intervention reach, dose and fidelity; (ii) contexts influencing agency engagement and (iii) alignment of findings with theoretical assumptions about how the intervention might produce change. Methods We report proportions of eligible HCWs receiving any intervention (reach), number of sessions attended (dose; attending ≥4/6 main sessions was predefined as adhering), intervention fidelity and adherence of clients and carers to NIDUS-Family (attending all 6–8 planned sessions). We interviewed HCWs, managers, family carers and facilitators. We integrated and thematically analysed, at the homecare agency level, qualitative interview and intervention recording data. Results 32/141 (23%) of eligible HCWs and 7/42 (17%) of family carers received any intervention; most who did adhered to the intervention (89% and 71%). Intervention fidelity was high. We analysed interviews with 20/44 HCWs, 3/4 managers and 3/7 family carers, as well as intervention recordings involving 32/44 HCWs. All agencies reported structural challenges in supporting intervention delivery. Agencies with greater management buy-in had higher dose and reach. HCWs valued NIDUS-Professional for enabling group reflection and peer support, providing practical, actionable care strategies and increasing their confidence as practitioners. Conclusion NIDUS-Professional was valued by HCWs. Agency management, culture and priorities were key barriers to implementation; we discuss how to address these in a future trial.

Gone are the days when a business must be a certain way and their primary objective was to generate revenue and maximize stakeholder value. Today, the aspirations and expectations of different groups have become increasingly complex; they want to attach meaning to a brand when associating themselves with it. For example, consumers, investors and employees expect organizations to speak out or take a stand on social, political and environmental issues. At the same time, today׳s leaders want to be known beyond their role. They are increasingly vocal about what they stand for and where their personal views lie. While this evolving mindset overlaps well and has the potential to form that ideal triad for all, i.e., if the management, the customer, the investor and the employee align on a value, it will have a positive impact on the organization. However, it is far from ideal because if complexity is paramount, so are the looming uncertainties of ever-changing trends and priorities, i.e., the changing preferences of consumers and investors, the changing views, inclinations and preferences of employees, and the values of executives and management. Now, organizations must understand and manage the ever-changing trends and priorities. More importantly, they must explore and define their values and ensure that they are aligned from the inside out to create value. Therefore, this book chapter aims to explore the facets of activism within the organization (i.e., corporate activism, brand activism, leadership activism, and employee activism) to explain employer brand activism, which is the interplay between employees and the organization. In doing so, we focus on employer brand activism, its short-term benefits, access to long-term effects and how these ultimately relate to other activism. This is important because if this alignment is not achieved internally, external alignment remains fragile and fraught with uncertainty. We therefore hope to shed more light on the broad discussion of how activism and business can go hand in hand and how organizations can drive value from understanding, defining, and prioritizing their values with others, be it employees, leadership, brands, consumers, or investors.

The study is grounded in the Triple Bottom Line theory, which emphasizes three dimensions of accountability: environmental, social, and economic. However, the research on which the study is based argues that developing an effective framework for adopting the Circular Economy (CE) within the building sector requires a balanced consideration across four dimensions - environmental, social and economic, and technical - as the technical dimension plays a crucial role in the advancement of the CE concept. This complements previous research into the understanding of the CE concept in the building sector, further investigating these key dimensions that capture the evolution of CE research. Focusing specifically on the building sector, the research conducted a robust literature review examining the environmental, social, economic, and technical aspects associated with the CE concept . The aim of this was to identify existing barriers and gaps that prevent the successful adoption of a CE in the building sector. Insights derived from the literature review will then serve as the foundation for a new and comprehensive circular framework appropriate for the building sector. The research and study together thus underscore the importance of a four-dimensional, balanced framework for effectively implementing CE principles within the building sector.

Bioenergy stands as the primary contributor within the realm of global renewables, offering energy security to a multitude of individuals while also fostering growth in rural areas. The emergence of fuel pellets derived from diverse feedstocks has brought forth both prospects and obstacles for current technologies. This article delivers an up-to-date examination of the production and application of fuel pellets sourced from biomass. The upcoming discourse will explore the various aspects, both positive and negative, of the production and utilization of fuel pellets obtained from biomass, with a specific focus on the circumstances in the United Kingdom (UK). Through acquiring a thorough understanding of the manufacturing procedures of fuel pellets, coupled with a detailed examination of their benefits and drawbacks, the feasibility of utilizing biomass can be greatly improved, consequently leading to a significant contribution to the progression of a sustainable bioenergy framework.

Building on the perspectives of the uses & gratification (U&G) theory and stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, this article develops and tests an integrative framework to examine the underlying factors influencing customers’ experiences with chatbots as a form of virtual conversational agent (VCA) in the UK and Vietnam. In addition to utilitarian and hedonic factors, anthropomorphism and social presence are also investigated, which are considered important experiential dimensions in a customer-machine relationship. We also explore how stimuli such as functionality, communication style similarity, and aesthetics indirectly affect outcomes like customer satisfaction and reuse intention, mediated by four types of customer experiences. Data collected from a sample of 417 and 359 participants in the UK and Vietnam respectively revealed that, in general, perceived informativeness, credibility, enjoyment, functionality, and communication style similarity are crucial for customer satisfaction in both countries. Interesting differences in the effects of customer experience between developed and developing countries were observed. For instance, the effects of anthropomorphism and social presence on satisfaction are only effective for customers from developed country, while those from developing country only need information provided by chatbots be transparent. Our findings offer a novel way to understand customer experience with chatbots and provide important theoretical and managerial implications.