College of Business and Law - Doctoral Theses
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Item The role of e-leadership on remote decision making: key learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic(University College Cork, 2024) Alsqeah, Latifah; Adam, Frederic; Treacy, Stephen; Saudi Electronic UniversityThis thesis investigates the role of e-leadership competencies in decision-making processes within private businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic forced a rapid transition to remote work, necessitating a deeper understanding of how leaders adjust to virtual environments and employ e-leadership practices. Despite the growing relevance of remote work, empirical studies on e-leadership remain scarce, particularly in the context of decision-making—a core leadership responsibility. This research addresses this gap by exploring the importance and impact of e-leadership competencies on remote decision-making and the value propositions these competencies present. The primary objective of this study was to investigate how e-leadership competencies influenced decision-making among private-sector leaders in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 crisis. A qualitative field study was conducted through interviews with 19 leaders from various private sectors, including software development, logistics, oil mining, and training services. These interviews provided in-depth insights into how leaders faced the challenges of remote decision-making during the pandemic. The findings indicated that leaders recognised two key e-leadership competencies, e-communication and e-technology, as crucial for facilitating remote decision-making. These skills enabled managers to maintain clear and consistent communication with their staff, utilising advanced technology to manage remote work successfully. Critical competencies such as e-trust, e-team, and e-change were also recognised as essential, highlighting their significance in building trust, managing teams, and supporting change in a remote environment. Interestingly, 70% of participants considered e-social competency crucial, yet not all leaders agreed, indicating differing viewpoints on the role of social skills in e-leadership. Through this analysis, two theoretical models emerged from the findings: i. A preliminary model of e-leadership competencies’ impact on remote decision-making processes. ii. A preliminary model of the value propositions of remote decision-making. These models identified seven key impacts influencing decision-making in a remote work environment, alongside five primary value propositions related to remote decision-making. This research makes several significant contributions to the IS field and practice. Firstly, it empirically validates and extends Roman et al.'s (2019) e-competency framework by applying it to the context of remote decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. This application resulted in the development of two preliminary models that explain the impact of e-leadership competencies on decision-making processes in remote work environments. Secondly, the study fills a significant gap in the literature by identifying new value propositions associated with remote decision-making. Lastly, the research broadens the understanding of e-leadership in the context of private businesses, offering practical implications for managing remote work during disruptions and contributing valuable insights to the literature on business continuity and e-leadership. This thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of how e-leadership competencies influence remote decision-making in a disrupted remote work environment. The findings highlight the essential role of e-competencies in navigating the challenges of remote work, offering both theoretical advancements and practical guidance for leaders facing similar situations in the future. As organisations continue to adapt to the evolving landscape of remote working, the insights from this study will prove valuable in understanding and enhancing the effectiveness of remote decision-making.Item Rethinking strategies for regulation of cross-border online gambling in the EU: an examination of legal and policy frameworks(University College Cork, 2024) Leahy, Deirdre; White, Fidelma; Irish Research CouncilWhen is an activity a ‘gambling’ activity? This question troubles law, time and again. Gambling is not a static concept, and the internet has fuelled rapid changes in the delivery of gambling services as well as enabling creation of new gambling formats. A volatile gambling environment is nothing new, and despite ingenuity as to format, framework and structure, gambling has always been an activity of change. It tends to be pursued by law, which must find the vernacular and normative means to capture and control new gambling formats. Why should this question concern the EU? When the EU adopted its policy for online gambling in 2012, legislative competence for the gambling sector, both land-based and online, was left to the Member States. In the interim, with development of novel sui generis online gambling and near-gambling formats, new challenges are emerging for gambling law. One of these formats, the loot box, an in-game purchasing structure built on randomised game architecture, blurs traditional boundaries between gambling and games and is proving difficult to regulate. Some Member States have attempted to capture it within existing legal definitions of gambling, and the EU has been called on to act, but there is still a lack of clarity about the role of gambling law in the context of an EU intervention. This triggers many questions: How does gambling law define ‘gambling’? What is gambling law and what are its objectives? What is the ‘fit’ of gambling law with EU law? What are the rationales for conferral of legislative competence for online gambling as between the EU and its Member States? Is there some quality to gambling law that makes it exceptional in this context? What are the legal obstacles to harmonisation? What is the role of the principle of subsidiarity in this debate? These questions are the subject of this thesis, which takes the loot box phenomenon to examine interrelationships between gambling law and EU law. It explores the discipline of gambling law to investigate whether gambling/gaming convergence creates an environment where a conceptualised approach to the principle of subsidiarity in EU law and policy for online gambling can be developed. It undertakes this task by means of a dual enquiry: first it investigates gambling law to unpack its conceptual foundations and normative context, and then it considers these findings against EU legislative competence for the internal market. The objectives of gambling control are weighed against the goals and objectives of the internal market to explore gaps between EU market aims and the public interest rationales that motivate gambling law. This enquiry demonstrates an unmet need to unravel the normative complexity of gambling law as a precursor to EU policy formation affecting the sector. Lessons learned from EU law and policy for tobacco control are explored to understand how the EU can frame its meta-regulatory functions in issues that impact on personal choice, and the nature of the EU’s sectoral regulatory role. Recognising the function of the principle of subsidiarity, this thesis argues that the discipline of gambling law creates a rebuttable presumption in favour of Member State legislative competence for the sector and pleads for normative sensitivity in the debate on gambling/gaming convergence. It concludes that the solution for EU digital policy with impacts on Member State legislative competence for online gambling is to take a structured approach, acknowledging that the challenge is one of diagonal competences. This should accept that the path towards a solution must first respect the polycentric objectives of gambling law, from which the primacy of Member State legislative competence can also be inferred.Item The language rights of Indigenous Peoples within the Russian Federation(University College Cork, 2024) Kavanagh, Elena; Ó Conaill, Seán; Poustie, Mark; University College Cork; Irish Research CouncilThe Russian Federation is one of the world's most multinational and heterogeneous countries. There are 47 officially recognised Indigenous Peoples. The current decrease in Indigenous language speakers in Russia in the last decade threatens Indigenous Peoples' language and cultural identity. This work seeks to assess whether legislation relating to Indigenous Peoples’ language rights in Russia lacks the mechanisms necessary for effective implementation and protection. Furthermore, we will propose solutions to further improve the protection of language rights for Indigenous Peoples in Russia. The thesis will consist of four analytical strands. In the first analytical strand, we examine the development of the international legal system regarding Indigenous Peoples’ rights, originating from the League of Nations. Then, we focus on the main contemporary mechanisms for protecting Indigenous languages and possible future developments with a special emphasis on the United Nations and the Council of Europe systems. In the second strand, we will outline the historical background of Indigenous rights and linguistic diversity in Russia. The historical analytical strand is invaluable for the complete analysis of the Indigenous Peoples’ rights in Russia, as current policy and legislation are largely influenced by Soviet legislation. The third analytical strand is an examination of policies and legislation in Finland that aim to protect Saami Indigenous language rights, with a comparative perspective of existing and potential challenges in Russia. The fourth and main analytical strand seeks to review the contemporary legislative and political situations relating to Indigenous Peoples' language rights in Russia. We examine the status of Indigenous language rights in Russia, identifying the content of State obligations also highlighting the current state of state legislation and implementation of human rights standards within the Russian Federation. The final section of this strand is informed by a comparative analysis of implementation measures taken by Finland in the area of language rights. However, throughout all chapters, we focus on identifying possible legislative suggestions which can effectively improve the level of Indigenous language protection.Item Evaluating the impacts of precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies on the sustainability of pasture-based dairy systems(University College Cork, 2024) Palma Molina, Paula; Hennessy, Thia; Onakuse, Stephen; Shalloo, Laurence; Science Foundation Ireland; TeagascDairy farmers are currently facing several conflicting challenges. Projections of global food demand have suggested that the demand for dairy products will increase by 74% by 2050. In conjunction, European policy-makers have established ambitious environmental targets through policy initiatives (Farm to Fork and the Biodiversity strategy) that aim to improve the sustainability of agricultural systems. In order to increase productivity while complying with environmental commitments, dairy farms must improve the efficiency and sustainability of their systems. Pasture-based dairy systems, such as those present in Ireland, New Zealand and some parts of Australia are characterized by having distinct advantages in terms of sustainability compared to indoor dairy systems. They have the potential to be highly productive and economically efficient, have a lower carbon footprint than high input dairy systems, while being socially sustainable (Kelly et al., 2020). However, changes in the scale and complexity of dairy farming are pressuring pasture-based dairy farmers to become more efficient and sustainable. A sustainable production system requires farms to be profitable, minimize its environmental impacts while securing the wellbeing of farmers and animals (the three pillars of agricultural sustainability). Precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies are being promoted to improve the sustainability of dairy systems. They are expected to improve sustainability by increasing pasture use, lengthening the grazing season, improving dairy herd fertility, health, and welfare while reducing workload. Despite the numerous potential benefits, there are still uncertainties about how effective these technologies are in reaching these outcomes. Using nationally representative farm-level data from the 2018 Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS) and econometric techniques, this thesis contributes to address this knowledge gap by considering three main research questions: 1) what does the published research to date tell us about the sustainability impacts of adopting PLF technologies in global pasture-based dairy settings?; 2) what is the rate of adoption and the factors associated with adoption of PLF technologies in Irish pasture-based dairy settings?; 3) once adopted, what are the impacts of PLF technologies on the sustainability performance of pasture-based dairy farms? The thesis findings on the basis of the literature review show there is a lack of empirical studies investigating the sustainability impacts of PLF technologies in pasture-based dairy settings, and the studies that have been published present contradictory results that make it difficult to synthetize and identify clear positive or negative effects. The empirical assessment of PLF technology adoption presented here shows that adoption rates of PLF technologies are still low in Ireland, ranging from 7.7% of farmers adopting rising plate meters to 58% adoption of automatic parlour feeders. Additionally, findings show that factors such as herd size, proportion of hired labour, agricultural education, and discussion group membership were positively associated with PLF technology adoption, whereas age of farmer and number of household members were negatively associated with adoption. This findings vary depending on the PLF technology cluster being investigated. In terms of empirical impacts of PLF technologies, findings show that adopters of PLF technologies tend to have superior performance outcomes. However, when controlling for selection bias the results were able to only attribute a positive causal effect of grass management technology adoption on grass use, length of the grazing season, milk yield and milk solids, with a broader set of indicators for 2019 (net margin and carbon footprint). Significant effects of adopting milking management technologies were found on milk yield, milk solids and gross margins; and there were no significant effects of adopting reproductive management technologies on any indicator of performance. This suggests that from the group of PLF technologies investigated in this study, grass management technologies show the greatest potential to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of pasture-based dairy farms. Future research should include updated ancillary and technology adoption data that captures more recent adopters of PLF technologies, in addition with new technologies that build on the findings of this thesis.Item The economic and social burden of population loss across Irish regions(University College Cork, 2024) O'Driscoll, Josh; Doran, Justin; Crowley, Frank; O'Shaughnessy, Mary; Meredith, David; University College CorkIn recent years, academics and policymakers have increasingly focused on population dynamics, particularly the issues of population loss and demographic shrinkage. Considering this renewed interest, it is important to examine population changes and identify the underlying processes that drive or influence them. Population change is a complicated process that is multi-faceted and can be examined from several different perspectives. The work of this thesis aims to examine population shrinkage and growth using a multi-disciplinary approach, incorporating theories and methods of cartography, economics, and geography. Ireland is a country which has experienced a unique population journey over time. Following decades of decline from 1841 to 1961, the population sharply rose over the period 1986 to 2016, making Ireland an interesting case to examine population change dynamics. Using Geographical Information Systems frameworks and regression analysis, this thesis examines population change at a small area level (specifically the Electoral Division level) across Ireland for a generational period of 30 years. By doing so, three key research aims are achieved: 1) to identify areas in Ireland that are experiencing population shrinkage and growth; 2) to evaluate the significance of population density and proximity to large towns on spatial patterns of population shrinkage and growth over both the long term (a generational span of 30 years), and the short term (10 years); 3) to measure the effects of proximity to motorway access points on adjacent areas, focusing on population growth, employment growth, and commuting mode choices. To carry this out, a novel dataset comprising of seven Irish Censuses of Population from 1986 to 2016 is compiled at the Electoral Division level. This enables a detailed spatiotemporal analysis of population change overtime, and at a small area level. The data to facilitate this analysis is collected from several sources including the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi), Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), and Open Street Map (OSM). This thesis makes several key contributions to existing literature. Firstly, using this data, the population change across Ireland’s Electoral Divisions are visualised producing clear spatial patterns across the country in Chapter 4. The resulting map indicates that the Irish population change story could be heavily dependent on spatio-geographic factors. The map provides both a long-term view of population change and shorter intercensal views of population change, helping to provide an in-depth analysis of population trends across time at the local level. Chapter 5 builds on this contribution by examining the role of population density and distance to large towns on population change across a 30-year period and three 10-year periods that match with the business cycle. In doing so, this contribution examines population loss across the urban-rural continuum, focusing on both urban and rural shrinkage. The core-periphery framework is incorporated into the approach in line with suggestions from existing literature. A research gap is addressed through considering the underrepresented temporal aspect of shrinkage, particularly assessing any commonalities or differences between long- and short-term shrinkage. It is carried out at a small area level to capture population change trends that might be hidden when using more aggregated spatial scales. The results for the 1986-2016 model find that distance has a positive effect on shrinkage, meaning it increases the likelihood of shrinking, albeit at a decreasing rate. Meanwhile, population density has a negative effect on shrinkage, meaning it decreases the likelihood of shrinkage at an increasing rate. These results generally remain consistent across the different time periods, except 2006-2016 where distance is insignificant. Thirdly, the role of motorway access on population growth, employment growth, and commuting mode choices is examined in Chapter 6. Through using a Propensity Score Matching Difference-in-Differences (PSM-DiD) model, the thesis finds that areas accessible to motorway access points experience higher growth rates for population and employment compared to those that are not within 10km. Additionally, these treated areas have a higher percentage of commuters who commuted to work or school in 2016 by car, while also having a lower percentage of commuters who commuted by public transport. There are several key policy implications from this research. Firstly, Chapter 4 identifies clear spatial patterns of population shrinkage. Targeted regional development policies and programmes that consider the fact that shrinking EDs tend to be found in clusters, particularly in the West and Midlands may prove effective. Shrinking EDs clustered together may indicate that the population change in the area could be impacted by localised contextual factors. Targeting the clusters may tackle the widespread regional phenomenon, rather than individual cases, allowing the polices to be more comprehensive and targeted, as they may address the overarching needs of an area due to the different policies required for shrinking areas surrounded by other shrinking areas and shrinking areas surrounded by growing areas, while more small area level place-base policies can address the specific needs of the areas. Secondly, Chapter 5 finds that shrinkage occurs in all types of places including urban, rural and peripherally based EDs. As such, a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to be successful. Place based policies that address the specific needs of rural and peripheral areas, and not just translate policies that work in the core urban areas elsewhere would be more appropriate. Chapter 6 provides insight into the impact of the motorways on surrounding areas. While the motorway causes population and employment growth in these areas, there is the trade-off of these areas having a higher percentage of commuters travelling by car. This car-centric growth can lead to several challenges, such as higher carbon emissions and pollution. It is suggested that the government should take this into consideration as they attempt to move towards more sustainable modes of transport. It is crucial that the government balance the benefits from the motorway and the need to promote more sustainable and environmentally friendly modes of commuting. Simply building motorways is insufficient to address all regional challenges; complementary policies tailored to local needs, such as land-use planning, housing strategies, and economic support, are essential for sustainable growth and reducing peripherality.