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This paper examines the impact of a citizen initiated public participation process on preparers and presenters of digital visualizations for spatial design decision making. Visualization for public participation enables communication between professionals and laypeople to occur with far greater success than through conventional methods. Further, visualization utilizing real-time immersive technology allows for far more effective communication of the spatial impact of design proposals than conventional media offer, facilitating negotiation and interaction with space by providing the means to virtually walk around a digital model. In addition, the effectiveness of real-time immersive visualization in bridging the public-professional communication gap can empower the public, offering the opportunity to confront professionals and to force engagement in a process of public participation on the public's terms.

Through discussion of a case study from the University of Toronto's Centre for Landscape Research (CLR), this paper examines the impact on the visualization process when the public are able to invert the conventional model of public participation by initiating the dialogue with professionals. This paper argues that a citizen initiated public participation process increases the necessity for a sound methodology and code of ethics of visualization for public participation. When the public are able to utilize technology to invert the conventional public-professional role, issues of validity, reliability and ethics are placed at the forefront of the discussion greatly increasing the scrutiny placed on both the technology and those preparing and presenting the visualization.

The purpose of this paper is to present an experimental setup for the verification of coupled electromagnetic field‐circuit simulation, called TESTCASE. By means of simple and well‐defined geometries, the comparison of different coupling approaches among each other and with measurements should be possible.

The physical setup consists of a C‐core in conjunction with a reluctance rotor. The TESTCASE is designed to work in static operation and with motion induced voltage.

Simulation results using different approaches as well as measurement results are presented. Practical issues in measurement and simulation are discussed. It was found that particular care has to be taken concerning the modeling of the air around the TESTCASE structure.

With the proposed approach, it is possible to evaluate the coupled field circuit problem on a defined and well‐known geometry. Simulation results can be compared to measurements.

This paper aims to test the effectiveness of communication platforms in conveying the importance of sustainability messages focusing on electronic waste (e-waste) recycling. While corporate communication has been explored well, this research explores the influence of communication medium on the shift in attitude and behavioural intention of higher education students.

An experimental design approach was used with quantitative data analysis to address the research questions.

The results revealed that the text form of communication was more effective in conveying the e-waste recycling message. Students demonstrated a significant shift in attitude and call for action when they read the sustainability article instead of watching a video with the same message.

With several universities trying to integrate sustainability in their curriculum, this research provides guidelines on effective communication methods for students. It also sheds light on the choice of platforms that can be used by organisations to reach out to their employees to convey sustainability-related messages.

The paper addresses sustainability communication in a university by exploring the best method of communication. The results open up new conversations on the media richness theory in the context of sustainability.

It is widely believed that the construction industry is more volatile than other sectors of the economy. Accurate predictions of the level of aggregate demand for construction are of vital importance to all sectors of this industry (e.g. developers, builders and consultants). Empirical studies have shown that accuracy performance varies according to the type of forecasting technique and the variable to be forecast. Hence, there is a need to gain useful insights into how different techniques perform, in terms of accuracy, in the prediction of demand for construction. In Singapore, the residential sector has often been regarded as one of the most important owing to its large percentage share in the total value of construction contracts awarded per year. In view of this, there is an increasing need to objectively identify a forecasting technique which can produce accurate demand forecasts for this vital sector of the economy. The three techniques examined in the present study are the univariate Box‐Jenkins approach, the multiple loglinear regression and artificial neural networks. A comparison of the accuracy of the demand models developed shows that the artificial neural network model performs best overall. The univariate Box‐Jenkins model is the next best, while the multiple loglinear regression model is the least accurate. Relative measures of forecasting accuracy dealing with percentage errors are used to compare the forecasting accuracy of the three different techniques.

The chapter investigates factors shaping convenience orientation in the 21st century as well as present-day barriers to the consumption of food and non-food convenience products.

A qualitative research approach with two kinds of data triangulation is used. Multiple key informants (marketing managers and consumers) allow a consideration from different angles and multiple methodologies (in-depth and focus group interviews) help to gain deeper insights into the topic.

Convenience orientation comprises dimensions that were previously not considered in marketing research. In addition to the known factors time and effort saving, consumers buy convenience products because of the flexibility they provide. Moreover, concerns for health, environment, and quality are important barriers that prevent consumers from buying and consuming convenience products.

Our results suggest that factors increasing and decreasing convenience consumption depend at least partly on the product category. Future research should integrate various other product groups to further explore domain-specific convenience orientation.

The conceptualization of convenience orientation offers important implications for new product development as well as for the design of the marketing mix. For instance, existing barriers could be overcome by improving transparency or meeting environmental concerns.

The chapter reveals the factors shaping the consumption of convenience products. The presented findings are important to academics researching convenience consumption and practitioners producing and distributing convenience products.

Many publications emphasize the importance of product vision and its contribution to successful product development. However, the current literature lacks a definition. The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual model that unites and organizes the definitions of product vision, the construct’s latent components, and demonstrates the relationship of product vision to the existing theories.

The study conducted two exploratory literature reviews to find the initial key concepts, and a systematic literature review to define the product vision construct and identify its components.

This paper proposes a framework that defines product vision through two main elements (textual and visual) and four main properties (concise, challenging, aligned with strategy, and collectively obtained).

While the proposed framework constructs a more precise definition of product vision, more research is required to validate the construct in practice.

This paper reduces the ambiguity around the definitions of product vision employed in areas such as design management, project management, and product development by proposing an operational definition. This common and useful construct could support the communication and complementarity between these theories.

This chapter explores the critical role of technology in enhancing environmental accounting practices within emerging markets. Also, it examines the influence of institutional forces; regulatory mandates, normative pressures, and mimetic processes on the adoption of environmental accounting, highlighting the interplay between compliance, innovation, and organizational behavior within this region. Despite the potential of advanced technologies such as big data analytics, blockchain, Internet of Things, and cloud computing to improve environmental data accuracy, transparency, and efficiency, this chapter finds that formidable challenges persist. These hurdles encompass resource limitations, regulatory uncertainty, and the heterogeneous cultural perspectives on sustainability. Thus, by employing institutional theory as a theoretical lens, this chapter offers invaluable insights into how stakeholders can adeptly navigate these challenges to promote sustainable business practices, sustainable financial reporting, and improve environmental accountability. The chapter also highlights areas that require further research, particularly areas that scholars and practitioners can advance environmental accounting and sustainability financial reporting in emerging markets, and contribute to greater transparency, accountability, and sustainable development in this context.

In this chapter, the authors explore how the academic work on VR has defined presence to better understand what elements of that theoretical mire are practically useful for designers. The authors scope out the word ‘presence’ as distinct from related terms like immersion and embodiment. The authors unpack the layers of what it means to be present in an experience, connecting that theory to practice with case studies of three games – Assetto Corsa, Dungeons of Eternity and A Fisherman's Tale. The goal of this analysis is to integrate academic insights with practical design strategies, offering a comprehensive approach to enhancing player experience in VR. Presence in VR is a multifaceted concept encompassing self, physical and social dimensions. This chapter aims to translate these academic insights into actionable design principles. By examining how different types and layers of presence manifest in actual games, the authors provide a framework that designers can use to create more engaging and immersive VR experiences. The analysis of the selected games highlights the importance of narrative coherence, realistic interactions and player agency in fostering a sense of presence. Ultimately, this chapter bridges the gap between theory and practice, helping designers to craft VR games that not only engage but also deeply immerse players in their virtual worlds.

Special education issues and considerations often perplex and confuse many educational institutions, regardless if they are traditional or autonomous organizations such as charters. However, research indicates these issues tend to be more complicated with charters because the realm of special education is highly regulated and in many cases, in direct conflict with charter core tenets of autonomy, innovation, curriculum, and accountability. Since the emergence of charter schools in 1991, researchers have investigated the relationship between charter law and the highly regulated domain of special education. The literature has evolved as charters have become more prevalent and established. But one thing remains the same, charter law and federal regulations are often in conflict with one another and cause great tension for autonomous leaders who strive to improve educational practices and learning for all the students they serve. Thus, this chapter focuses on important leadership considerations when building, improving, and maintaining an effective charter organization with regards to working with students with special needs. Essentially, the tension between autonomous leadership and federal regulations can be eased by planning for students with special needs. The key to successful planning and implementation is through alignment that goes beyond the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standard.

In a recent quasi-experimental study, the effects of a large German public startup support measure entitled “EXIST – Business Startup Grant” (EGS) on a variety of outcomes were determined, but without examining which factors are responsible for these program effects. The present study investigates the contribution of several factors to the success of the program in promoting product development and business planning.

By means of a two-wave panel design and fixed-effects panel regressions, evidence is generated that provides unique insights into the effect mechanisms of a publicly funded startup grant. The data for the study come from the program monitoring of the startup support measure.

Several factors were identified that significantly drive the effects of the program on the product development and business planning stages, namely the program-induced improvement of the skills of the startup team, intensification of cooperation with pilot customers/users, increase in the degree of networking and advice/support from third parties and the effort put into business plan preparation.

Startup support programs are a crucial aspect of technology and innovation policies, which are often evaluated in order to find out whether they generate effects. Assessing whether a program is effective or not, however, does not usually allow specific recommendations on how to improve the measure to be developed. Further information on the mechanisms of intervention is needed for this purpose. The present study takes up on this idea and provides this information for a specific type of public startup support measure.