Gavin Dennehy, Bobby Kennedy and John Spillane
The purpose of this study is to identify the factors relating to the integration and compliance of Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (BC(A)R 2014) in large Irish…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify the factors relating to the integration and compliance of Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (BC(A)R 2014) in large Irish construction organisations.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve the aim, a mixed method approach is adopted, initially, providing a critique of the literature review, followed by a combination of 7 semi-structured interviews and 30 questionnaires from industry practitioners.
Findings
Findings demonstrate that BC(A)R has had a significant positive effect on the industry, eliminating previous bad practice, by increasing the accountability for professionals signing-off on new buildings, and highlights the emphasis on certification in successfully achieving practical completion on projects.
Practical implications
The findings provide further justification on the need for compliance, and integration, of BC(A)R in the Irish construction sector, offering further evidence, where needed, on the benefit of its adoption.
Originality/value
The originality and value of this research lies in the limited number of studies in the area, particularly in the context of large Irish construction projects, which this study aims to fulfil.
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Nelson Barber, D. Christopher Taylor and Sandy Strick
The purpose of this study is to segment the respondents using their location, gender and age as well as their statements about environmental involvement, knowledge and attitudes…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to segment the respondents using their location, gender and age as well as their statements about environmental involvement, knowledge and attitudes as the basis for selective marketing classification.
Design/methodology/approach
A URL link was sent to the 2,000 members of the Society of Wine Educators. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to analyze the main and interaction effects of the independent categorical variables on multiple dependent interval variables.
Findings
The results offer insights when considering selective marketing. First, a distinct, measurable, substantial market segment for ecological products was identified, namely: the Millennial male with strong environmental attitudes. Second, residence has an influence on the strength of respondents' environmental attitudes.
Research limitations/implications
Although the sample represents most of the states, members of the Society of Wine Educators are individuals that are highly involved with wine as a product and thus may not represent the entire population of the USA.
Practical implications
Consumers bring to the purchasing decision varying types of attitudes and beliefs. Understanding how environmental knowledge and attitude, when consumers are segmented by location, gender and age, can be used in selective marketing in the service industry to aid in designing promotional plans; whether the product of choice is a vacation resort, hotel or tourism destination such as a winery.
Originality/value
The contribution of the research is to broaden the understanding of environmental concerns and the role location, gender, and age play for marketers when considering the selective marketing concepts discussed by Inskeep and Dolnicar and Leisch.
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Looking back, I remember the moment, as a graduate student many moons ago (or, perhaps, it just seems like it), going to a football game my first semester at the University of…
Abstract
Looking back, I remember the moment, as a graduate student many moons ago (or, perhaps, it just seems like it), going to a football game my first semester at the University of Illinois and witnessing the much talked about halftime spectacle of its “embodied mascot” (King, 2007), Chief Illiniwek, performing (fake) “traditional” war dances. It was altogether too easy to get caught up in the pomp and circumstance of the moment: swaying back and forth with fellow students and alums alike as the marching band played the traditional “Three-In-One”; experiencing the crescendo of emotion; joining in the sense of collective membership in some grand idea – school spirit, or whatnot. A sense of community prevailed throughout. At the same time, it was also really, really, unsettling, recalling the mesmerizing, unified, pride-in-nation imagery running rampant throughout Leni Riefenstahl's (2006[1936]) Olympia. And this was only the first time I had experienced the ritual performance in person.
Janine Pierce and Benjamin Pierce
The themes of love, commitment and honour are explored within the context of the American Mafia. In most capitalist-focussed conventional organizations managers acquire assets and…
Abstract
The themes of love, commitment and honour are explored within the context of the American Mafia. In most capitalist-focussed conventional organizations managers acquire assets and income through exchanges, through wages, direct operations and build cultures and cultural norms (Friedman, 1970). The authors argue the Mafia organization has similarities and differences to conventional organizations, differences being in how money is acquired and in ethical behaviours which could be described as counter to what is the expectation of conventional organizations. Parallel to the Christian Ten Commandments, baptism and initiation rituals existing within the Mafia are drawn that provide insights into Mafia values that guide behaviours. Honour as a key Mafia value is argued in this article as being a misnomer, being more reflective of dishonourable values of revenge, fear and punishment. Love and commitment within Mafia families1 including roles of women are examined. It appears that love for family appears secondary to primary commitment to the Mafia Family. This paper contributes to literature on the Mafia in highlighting how ‘love’ and virtues are relative terms from which unethical acts can be justified within Mafia codes of behaviours. Also highlighted is that organizations valuing vice can survive and sustain if shrouded in secrecy rather than transparency. In the Mafia organization as in conventional organizations, codes of behaviours and commitment central to all money-making organizations are a key to survival.
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Craig Volden and Alan E. Wiseman
The field of nonmarket strategy has expanded rapidly over the past 20 years to provide theoretical and practical guidance for managers seeking to influence policymaking. Much of…
Abstract
The field of nonmarket strategy has expanded rapidly over the past 20 years to provide theoretical and practical guidance for managers seeking to influence policymaking. Much of this scholarship has built directly on spatial and “pivotal politics” models of lawmaking. While extremely helpful at identifying crucial targets for lobbying, these models treat all policymakers as identical in their abilities to advance legislative agenda items through various policymaking hurdles. We build upon these earlier models, but include policymakers who vary in their relative effectiveness at advancing measures through the legislative process. We identify how the implications of our model deviate from those of conventional (pivotal politics) analyses. We then present an empirical strategy for identifying effective Lawmakers in the United States Congress, and illustrate the utility of this approach for managers developing nonmarket strategies in legislative institutions, relying on the case of banking and financial services reforms between 2008 and 2011.