David Rush, Greg Bankoff, Sarah-Jane Cooper-Knock, Lesley Gibson, Laura Hirst, Steve Jordan, Graham Spinardi, John Twigg and Richard Shaun Walls
Globally, over 95% of fire related deaths and injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries. Within informal settlements, the risk of fire resulting in injury or death is…
Abstract
Purpose
Globally, over 95% of fire related deaths and injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries. Within informal settlements, the risk of fire resulting in injury or death is particularly high. This paper examines fire risks in informal settlements in New Delhi and Cape Town, and tented informal settlements in Lebanon.
Design/methodology/approach
Our analysis draws on primary sources, secondary literature, statistical data and qualitative interviews.
Findings
The distribution of fire risk across urban societies is a fundamentally political issue. Residential fire risk can be tackled by accessible, affordable, safety-compliant housing. That said, important interim measures can be taken to mitigate fire risk. Some of the risks requiring attention are similar across our case studies, driven by high population densities; flammable housing materials; unreliable or inaccessible access to safe power sources; and – in the case of Cape Town and New Delhi particularly – the inability of fire services to reach sites of fire. However, these common risks are embedded in distinct social, economic and political contexts that must be placed at the center of any intervention. Interventions must also be aware that the risk of fire is not spread evenly within informal settlements, intersecting as it does with factors like gender, age, health and disability.
Originality/value
Informal settlement fires have been under-studied to date. The studies that do exist tend to operate within disciplinary silos. This paper represents an important interdisciplinary approach to fire within informal settlements, which grounds technical data, modeling and experiments in political, social and economic realities.
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President Bill Clinton has had many opponents and enemies, most of whom come from the political right wing. Clinton supporters contend that these opponents, throughout the Clinton…
Abstract
President Bill Clinton has had many opponents and enemies, most of whom come from the political right wing. Clinton supporters contend that these opponents, throughout the Clinton presidency, systematically have sought to undermine this president with the goal of bringing down his presidency and running him out of office; and that they have sought non‐electoral means to remove him from office, including Travelgate, the death of Deputy White House Counsel Vincent Foster, the Filegate controversy, and the Monica Lewinsky matter. This bibliography identifies these and other means by presenting citations about these individuals and organizations that have opposed Clinton. The bibliography is divided into five sections: General; “The conspiracy stream of conspiracy commerce”, a White House‐produced “report” presenting its view of a right‐wing conspiracy against the Clinton presidency; Funding; Conservative organizations; and Publishing/media. Many of the annotations note the links among these key players.
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Although much has been written about the challenges facing businesses in the 21st century, perhaps most daunting is the notion that if a company is to excel, it needs to…
Abstract
Although much has been written about the challenges facing businesses in the 21st century, perhaps most daunting is the notion that if a company is to excel, it needs to continuously develop and nurture its knowledge‐based workforce. To do so, the company's fundamental work resources — information technologies, organizational policies and practices, and places of work — need to be fully synchronized to incent and support the knowledge work specific to the company's vision and goals. As technology and the forces of a global economy have changed the way business is done, so has the very nature of work changed. New work realities have created a new environment in which people and processes succeed only when barriers of time and distance are overcome. When a company's employees, customers, and facilities are widespread, establishing a reliable, cost effective support infrastructure that keeps people connected to needed resources and to colleagues and customers is essential. Real estate continues to play a key role in this new work environment, but an effective infrastructure design must integrate all of the key people, place and technology aspects. To do this, a true “systems”approach for providing work infrastructure is required.
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Geoff Bick and Jeanné Odendaal
The learning outcomes are as follows: to understand how technology can be used to create innovative entrepreneurial opportunities; to develop analytical and critical thinking…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes are as follows: to understand how technology can be used to create innovative entrepreneurial opportunities; to develop analytical and critical thinking skills to understand organisations, industries and their dynamics; to analyse strategic options for an entrepreneurial organisations and motivate a proposed strategic direction; and to assess the inter-functional requirements for an entrepreneurship to successfully implement a strategy.
Case overview/synopsis
UCOOK, a successful emerging economy SME, is confronted with the threat of retail giants (e.g. Checkers and Woolworths) entering the meal kit space. No longer the only “new kid on the block”, UCOOK has to consider a sustainable growth strategy to remain competitive. The case provides the reader with a snapshot of experiences of a meal kit entrepreneurial venture and what it entails for them to grow in the South African milieu. Principally, this case is designed to impart knowledge and stimulate a practical understanding of entrepreneurship and strategic decision-making in the meal kit industry. Additionally, the purpose is to serve as inspiration for business students to see the opportunities that lie within strategically astute emerging market ventures.
Complexity academic level
The primary target audience for this teaching case is postgraduate business students, especially students of entrepreneurship, strategy and e-commerce. This teaching case is intended to be used as case study in post graduate business programmes such as Master of Business Administration (MBA), a specialist Masters programme such as MM (Entrepreneurship), post-graduate diploma in management (PGDip), as well as selected executive education programmes.
Supplementary materials
Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
Subject code
CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.
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Mike Hart and David Rush
This paper seeks to engage in an examination of “Quality in Business Education” (the QUBE project) with a specific brief to examine student involvement in the quality process.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to engage in an examination of “Quality in Business Education” (the QUBE project) with a specific brief to examine student involvement in the quality process.
Design/methodology/approach
The work was carried out in conjunction with five partner institutions. The semantic distinctions between the terms “customer” and “consumer” subject to a detailed discussion. The paper examines the role of e‐learning in facilitating and encouraging student engagement in course delivery and evaluation.
Findings
One of the classic formulations in which consumers may react to the provision of services is provided by Hirschman's formulation of responses to the provision of services. Put simply, consumers may “vote with their feet” by choosing an alternative supplier of services that fits their need (exit). Another response is to articulate concerns vociferously in order to obtain redress or amelioration (voice). These traditional marketing concepts are then applied to the case of higher education.
Originality/value
The paper suggests an explanation why the student voice does not achieve more prominence, given the possibilities offered by recent advances in ICT, and details some of the experiences of course delivery and evaluation in their own institution.
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In September 1985, eight sets of children's books from Australia began an odyssey that will take them into all fifty states and Canada by the end of 1988. The books— and the…
Abstract
In September 1985, eight sets of children's books from Australia began an odyssey that will take them into all fifty states and Canada by the end of 1988. The books— and the resource, reference and display materials that accompany them—were chosen specifically for their value in introducing non‐Australians to Australia and her children's literature. They also provide an ideal starting point for library collection development.
P.R. CHANDY and WALLACE N. DAVIDSON
Determinants of Electric Utility Betas. One important aspect of utility regulation is the estimation of cost of equity capital of the firm. Several techniques have been used to…
Abstract
Determinants of Electric Utility Betas. One important aspect of utility regulation is the estimation of cost of equity capital of the firm. Several techniques have been used to estimate the cost of equity, including the discounted cash flow model and the capital asset pricing model (CAPM). CAPM has its foundations in modern portfolio theory and its application has generated a lot of controversy — both from academia and the professional world. Much of the problem in using CAPM in utility rate cases has centered on the issue of estimating the beta coefficient. Myers (1972) points out that problems exist in the following areas: measurement of beta; stability of beta; and incomplete description of risk and return by CAPM. There is evidence to believe that CAPM is still widely used be expert witnesses to explain risk‐return relationships in utility rate cases (Cooley, 1980).
The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to reflect on both the technological and the humanities aspects of working in the digital humanities.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to reflect on both the technological and the humanities aspects of working in the digital humanities.
Design/methodology/approach
The author completed her academic career as Professor of Digital Humanities (DH) at the University of Brighton, UK. In terms of approach, she looks back over 25 years of working in this domain, which she entered as a scientist in contrast to most of the other academics at that time who came from the humanities. She delineates her academic journey that passed through various disciplines/fields.
Findings
The author reflects upon her entire career, starting with decisions made at school, to see how they have affected her contribution to DH. She concludes that a deep understanding of technological issues is fundamental to making sense of such complex fields as Big Data and its effect on humanities research in particular and society in general. She also draws attention to the loss of several highly technical, specialised and practical DH teams, which were replaced with ones whose focus is on DH discourse.
Originality/value
The author is writing as one of the very few scientists who belonged to the new area of history and computing in the mid-1990s.
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S. Visser, S. McChlery and N. Vreken
Individuals learn in different ways, using several learning styles, but lecturers may not always present information and learning experiences that match students’ learning…
Abstract
Individuals learn in different ways, using several learning styles, but lecturers may not always present information and learning experiences that match students’ learning preferences. Mismatches between learning and teaching styles can lead to disappointment with the course of study, personal discouragement and underperformance. The learning styles of 735 undergraduate Accounting students and the teaching styles of 46 lecturers from one United Kingdom and one South African university were empirically surveyed, using the Felder‐Solomon Index of Learning Styles questionnaire to consider the students’ learning styles, and an adaptation of the questionnaire to analyse the lecturers’ teaching styles. The study compared learning and teaching styles between two universities in two different countries and then examined possible matches/mismatches between learning and teaching styles. Little mismatch was found (p‐values smaller than 0.3). Other results are discussed and recommendations are made in relation to understanding and meeting students’ learning needs and the needs of professional bodies.