Christopher J. Whitman, Oriel Prizeman, Pete Walker and Julie Amanda Gwilliam
The energy retrofit of the existing building stock, and specifically the thermal upgrading of the buildings’ envelopes, has been identified as a key action for both the…
Abstract
Purpose
The energy retrofit of the existing building stock, and specifically the thermal upgrading of the buildings’ envelopes, has been identified as a key action for both the decarbonisation of the built environment and the reduction in fuel poverty. When considering the energy retrofit of heritage buildings it is, however, important to recognise both the technical issues that this entails and the potential impact on their cultural value and the emotional responses to it. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the thermal upgrading of historic timber-framed buildings in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper begins by exploring the cultural significance of this form of building construction, before examining three case studies using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
Findings
The results show that whilst the application of energy retrofit actions to this emblematic typology may have limited success, the emotional connection of the buildings’ occupants often results in the work resulting in higher user satisfaction than would otherwise be expected.
Research limitations/implications
Although limited in number, the three case studies provide an insight into the complex issues surrounding the low energy retrofit of historic timber-framed buildings. Further research into this area is encouraged.
Practical implications
The paper contains the monitoring of specific retrofit details, the results of which should inform future projects.
Social implications
The review of the cultural significance of historic timber-frame buildings in the UK underlines the importance of the conservation and continuing survival of these buildings.
Originality/value
Previous heritage retrofit research in the UK has focussed on solid wall construction with little investigation into the issues surrounding the retrofit of historic timber-frame buildings. This paper explores this previously under-researched area. Additionally, this paper begins to explore the possible links between occupants’ emotional connection to historic buildings and their perceived levels of comfort.
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Michael J. Schill and Daniel Lentz
A financial analyst for Procter & Gamble must report on the prospects and implications of a new teeth-whitening product. Beyond a realistic profit-and-loss forecast and baseline…
Abstract
A financial analyst for Procter & Gamble must report on the prospects and implications of a new teeth-whitening product. Beyond a realistic profit-and-loss forecast and baseline net present value, he must determine which pricing and marketing strategy is most likely to maximize value for shareholders.
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Keywords
Christopher R. Freed, Shantisha T. Hansberry and Martha I. Arrieta
To examine a local primary health care infrastructure and the reality of primary health care from the perspective of residents of a small, urban community in the southern United…
Abstract
Purpose
To examine a local primary health care infrastructure and the reality of primary health care from the perspective of residents of a small, urban community in the southern United States.
Methodology/approach
Data were derived from 13 semistructured focus groups, plus three semistructured interviews, and were analyzed inductively consistent with a grounded theory approach.
Findings
Structural barriers to the local primary health care infrastructure include transportation, clinic and appointment wait time, and co-payments and health insurance. Hidden barriers consist of knowledge about local health care services, nonphysician gatekeepers, and fear of medical care. Community residents have used home remedies and the emergency department at the local academic medical center to manage these structural and hidden barriers.
Research limitations/implications
Findings might not generalize to primary health care infrastructures in other communities, respondent perspectives can be biased, and the data are subject to various interpretations and conceptual and thematic frameworks. Nevertheless, the structural and hidden barriers to the local primary health care infrastructure have considerably diminished the autonomy community residents have been able to exercise over their decisions about primary health care, ultimately suggesting that efforts concerned with increasing the access of medically underserved groups to primary health care in local communities should recognize the centrality and significance of power.
Originality/value
This study addresses a gap in the sociological literature regarding the impact of specific barriers to primary health care among medically underserved groups.
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Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are…
Abstract
Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.
This “masterclass” article explains how modern value investing analysis can guide corporate strategists and corporate development departments. It shows how executives can use some…
Abstract
Purpose
This “masterclass” article explains how modern value investing analysis can guide corporate strategists and corporate development departments. It shows how executives can use some key insights from the recently published book by Martin J. Whitman and Fernando Diz, Modern Security Analysis (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2013).
Design/methodology/approach
This masterclass includes an interview with the lead author of the book, value investor Martin J. Whitman.
Findings
The insights contained within Modern Security Analysis can and should be leveraged by corporate executives and strategists to create value for their firms.
Practical implications
This article supports earlier work published in Strategy & Leadership that shows Graham and Dodd-based valuation and analysis is a viable avenue of academic research and a viable method with which to assess corporate strategic initiatives (such as mergers and acquisitions, share buy-backs, risk management, etc.).
Originality/value
This analysis provides senior executives with a guide to the assessment tools used by the most successful value investors and an explanation of their relevance to corporate strategy.
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Marjaana Gunkel, Christopher Schlaegel and Robert L. Engle
The study addresses the mechanism of how cultural dimensions influence the different dimensions of emotional intelligence. Building on the cascading model described by Joseph and…
Abstract
Purpose
The study addresses the mechanism of how cultural dimensions influence the different dimensions of emotional intelligence. Building on the cascading model described by Joseph and Newman (2010), we extend our previous findings (Gunkel, Schlaegel, & Engle, 2014) by exploring the influence of cultural dimensions on a cascading model of emotional intelligence.
Methodology
We use survey data from 2,067 business students in nine countries (China, Colombia, Germany, India, Italy, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and the United States), representing 8 of the 11 cultural clusters identified by Ronen and Shenkar (2013).
Findings
We find that uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation have a positive influence on self-emotional appraisal, which in turn influence regulation of emotion, which then has a positive influence on the use of emotion. At the same time, others’ emotional appraisal mediates the relationship between all cultural dimensions except power distance and use of emotion. We also find that uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, and long-term orientation directly influence the use of emotion, suggesting a partial mediation effect.
Research limitations
Our findings have to be interpreted in the light of the limitations of our approach owing to the cross-sectional study design and the limited generalizability of the sample.
Originality
We contribute to the existing literature by examining the mechanism through which culture influences the different facets of emotional intelligence and whether and how the different facets affect each other. The proposed influence of culture on a cascading model of emotional intelligence provides a more detailed and nuanced understanding of the mechanism and the pathways in which culture affects emotional intelligence.
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Matthew Lee and Christopher Marquis
A large and growing literature examines the explicit social responsibility practices of companies. Yet corporations’ greatest consequences for social welfare arguably occur…
Abstract
A large and growing literature examines the explicit social responsibility practices of companies. Yet corporations’ greatest consequences for social welfare arguably occur through indirect processes that shape the social fabric that sustains generosity and mutual support within communities. Based on this logic, we theorize and test a model that suggests two pathways by which large corporations affect community philanthropy: (1) through direct engagement in community philanthropy and (2) by indirectly influencing the efficacy of community social capital, defined as the relationships among community members that facilitate social support and maintenance of social welfare. Our analysis of United Way contributions in 136 US cities over the 46 years from 1952 to 1997 supports our model. We find that the presence of corporations weakens the contributions of both elite and working-class social capital on community philanthropy. Our findings thus contribute to a novel view of corporate social responsibility based on how corporations influence the social capital of the communities in which they are embedded.