Search results

The purpose of this paper is to analyze two studies pertaining to the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington DC, to gain a better understanding of risk management perceptions and processes as applied to urban cores that consistently host tourists and special events.

The first study is a qualitative analysis of open‐ended commentary that addresses issues pertaining to safety and security to garner an overarching sense of risk management perceptions that National Mall visitors have when considering these parklands. The second study involves participant observation, quantitative documentation and analysis of specific risk management processes utilized during the 2007 National Independence Day Celebration.

The findings of the first study suggest that personal safety is viewed as paramount and that visitors are not overly worried about the threat of terrorist activity, as illustrated by the strong feelings of displeasure towards access obstructions and barricades. The results of the second study demonstrate how separate areas of event risk management, including security checkpoints, public information provision and law enforcement, merge during times of crisis.

The combined findings of the two studies suggest a level of psychological disconnect in terms of acceptance of safety measures that protect people versus those that protect facilities, even though these measures are often synchronized. The sensibility to risk management aesthetics that emerged is a valuable contribution that merits additional study.

The aim of this study was to develop a multi‐professionally agreed list of adverse events, which may act as a prompt for clinical incident reporting in trauma and orthopaedics and to determine what healthcare professionals understand by the term adverse event. A modified Delphi process with healthcare professionals working in trauma and orthopaedics (242) in three NHS trusts was performed. The process involved initial brainstorming sessions, a two‐round Likert‐style postal questionnaire and final focus group discussion. The initial brainstorming sessions generated a list of 224 adverse events to be included in the first round of the postal questionnaire. They included 83 causes of adverse events, 36 health and safety related adverse events and 105 clinical adverse events. Following the second round questionnaire and focus group discussion, a final list of 20 adverse events was produced. There were variations between professional groups in terms of validity scoring of individual adverse events. Overall, medical staff gave a lower rating to the adverse events than the other two professional groups. There were also variations between professional groups in terms of response rates. The modified Delphi process proved to be a successful tool for generating a multi‐professionally agreed list of adverse events and for understanding what healthcare professionals understand by the term adverse event.

The first phase of this study developed a multi‐professionally agreed list of adverse events for clinical incident reporting in Trauma and Orthopaedics. This follow‐up study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the adverse event list.

Two follow‐up questionnaires were sent to healthcare professionals working in Trauma and Orthopaedics in two of the participating National Health Service (NHS) Trusts (n=247 for the first questionnaire and n=240 for the second questionnaire). Trends in routine incident reporting data were also monitored over a two‐year period to determine the impact of the adverse event list on levels of adverse event reporting.

The questionnaires indicated that awareness about the adverse event list was good and improved between questionnaires. However usage of the adverse event list appeared to be poor. Multiple regression analysis with the dependent variable count of orthopaedic incidents suggested that the adverse event list had little, if any impact on levels of reporting in Trauma and Orthopaedics.

The results of this study suggest that a practical tool, such as the adverse event list has little impact on incident reporting levels.

The purpose of this paper is to identify factors that contribute to the development of an effective conservation management plan (CMP).

The approach was based on a literature review from which key issues and concerns were identified. This was followed by in-depth interviews with a number of creators and users of CMPs.

CMPs have developed as an identifiable process with the key stages having a logic and synergy with each other. The research found that undue emphasis was placed on some stages at the expense of others which lead to ineffective management tools often being produced. The reasons for this are related to the interests and background of the creators and a lack of interaction with organisational culture and processes – and importantly a failure to engage with frontline staff. In addition, there were also resource and skill constraints within the client organisation.

Interviews were conducted with six creators (consultants) and seven users. These were mostly from national heritage organisations and specialist heritage consultants. A wider range of user organisations and consultants could be identified for follow-up research. Also those who actually deliver CMPs “on the ground” and day to day could form an important part of the development of this research.

CMPs should be practical working management tools which have to be used by the heritage organisation in order to be effective. This research will hopefully help practitioners focus on what needs to be done in order to produce an effective plan.

The conservation of built heritage is essentially concerned with the protection of a social good. CMPs have the potential to provide effective protection of that which is seen as valuable and significant to individuals, groups and society at large.

The management of heritage is an area that is generally under-researched. This work will hopefully be engaged with by academics and practitioners in order to help establish and promote a wider interest in the field.

MOST days, newspapers and TV tell us how yet more plants are closing down with a stated loss of jobs. There is another side to the picture that unfortunately is often lost in small paragraphs tucked away in a corner or to be found only in the columns of trade journals. They are the stories of the new factories opening, of new opportunities for those who are ready to seize them.

A sample of twenty‐six Mexican and fifty‐nine Canadian equities listed on the New York Stock Exchange are examined to determine whether these foreign equities outperform the S&P 500 as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement of 1994. Data are tested for significant differences in performance before and after the introduction of NAFTA during the period 1980‐2000. Findings show no significant post‐NAFTAdifference in the three‐year performance of the Mexican equities. However, the post‐NAFTA sample of Canadian equities significantly outperformed the S&P 500 by 28.8 percent, perhaps suggesting a NAFTA‐related wealth effect for the Canadian firms.

Contemporary entrepreneurial ecosystem models and frameworks advocate that culture is a criterion for entrepreneurial intention and central to entrepreneurship discourse. However, there is limited research from resource-constrained economies, such as sub-Saharan Africa and at a sub-national level. Responding to calls for bottom-up perspectives hinged on local context and heterogeneous nature, this paper aims to provide an in-depth understanding from multiple perspectives about the effect that culture and entrepreneurial intention have on the entrepreneurship process and performance in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa.

A mixed-method research design followed a sequential independent process consisting of two phases. Phase 1 included the dissemination of questionnaires to economically active participants, and 300 responses were statistically analysed. In Phase 2, 15 semi-structured interviews with influential economic development agents were conducted.

The results indicated that social legitimacy towards entrepreneurship existed and self-employment was viewed positively. However, self-employment endeavours were mainly necessity driven, and the systemic low levels of innovation, poor business competitiveness and the inability to scale were highlighted. The findings indicated that individuals venturing into business had a culture of being dependant on the government, lacking a risk appetite, fearing failure, with disparate groups suffering from a poor legacy of entrepreneurship.

Despite research done on the role of culture and entrepreneurial intention on entrepreneurial ecosystems, there are few case studies showing their influence at a sub-national level. This study responds to calls for studies on a sub-national level by exploring the influence that culture and entrepreneurial intention have on entrepreneurship in a resource-constrained metropole.

This paper aims to explore ethical purchasing behaviours and attitudes, relating to the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and their brand‐extension “Freedom Food”.

A mixed methodology was adopted. This involved both in‐depth interviews with 30 consumers and a postal survey of 1,000 consumers. Beliefs, attitudes, normative and control issues were measured within the context of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Structural equation modelling was used to explore a series of dependence relationships simultaneously.

Overall, consumers' moral obligations towards food‐animals as well as consumer location are confirmed as influencing ethical brand choice. Both variables provide additional predictive capability improvements, raising the percentage of explained variance by 28 per cent to 80 per cent. The RSPCA's brand extension is clearly successful in terms of the positive, association value between the parent brand and the extended brand. However, market opportunities to increase market potential exist. These opportunities are discussed.

Despite the plethora of brand extensions amongst conventional fast‐moving consumer goods, the success of the brand extension concept remains unexplored amongst ethical products. Similarly, within the ethical consumption literature the majority of ethical research focuses either on environmental issues or Fair Trade purchasing behaviour, with much less attention given to societal concern for animal welfare. Additional originality is gained by exploring consumer purchase activities of “Freedom Food” branded meat by adopting the TPB as a theoretical framework.

This paper aims to explore the dynamics of entrepreneurial ecosystems with both rural and urban features, as well as the varied system requirements of differing types of entrepreneurs within such an ecosystem.

Using a mixed-methods case study approach, the study examined the Roanoke–Blacksburg region in western Virginia. Researchers conducted quantitative analysis of entrepreneurial metrics and network relationships, as well as qualitative analysis of data collected through entrepreneur surveys and stakeholder interviews.

Findings suggest entrepreneurs of different types faced disparate challenges and uneven access to resources and networks. Innovation-driven “gazelle” enterprises (IDEs) had numerous growth-related resource needs, including angel, venture and scale-up funding; prototyping equipment and facilities; and translational research by local universities. Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) required more entrepreneurial education programming, subsidized main street office space and clearer pathways through the government regulatory system. A key finding was also concerned with the different ways by which IDEs and SMEs accessed key resources within the ecosystem, illustrated through social network analysis, and supported through qualitative feedback.

Study findings were limited by a relatively low survey response rate from some entrepreneur demographic segments, particularly minorities.

The study represents an in-depth, multi-methods approach that offers insight into two under-researched areas in the ecosystem literature: the dynamics of urban – rural ecosystems and the varied system requirements of different entrepreneur types. The paper includes three overarching recommendations for policy and practice: improved collection and sharing of regional metrics; differentiated approaches to entrepreneurial support based on entrepreneur type; and enhanced efforts to advance inclusive entrepreneurship.

We issue a double Souvenir number of The Library World in connection with the Library Association Conference at Birmingham, in which we have pleasure in including a special article, “Libraries in Birmingham,” by Mr. Walter Powell, Chief Librarian of Birmingham Public Libraries. He has endeavoured to combine in it the subject of Special Library collections, and libraries other than the Municipal Libraries in the City. Another article entitled “Some Memories of Birmingham” is by Mr. Richard W. Mould, Chief Librarian and Curator of Southwark Public Libraries and Cuming Museum. We understand that a very full programme has been arranged for the Conference, and we have already published such details as are now available in our July number.