Graham Bullock and Nicholas Wilder
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the comprehensiveness of competing higher education sustainability assessments. Higher education institutions (HEIs) have been increasingly…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the comprehensiveness of competing higher education sustainability assessments. Higher education institutions (HEIs) have been increasingly communicating their sustainability commitments to the public. To assist the public in evaluating these claims, a broad range of actors have assessed the sustainability of HEIs.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses an evaluation framework (the GRI-HE) consisting of criteria developed by the Global Reporting Initiative and the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future to analyze the comprehensiveness of nine publicly-available frameworks that have been used to assess HEI sustainability.
Findings
While finding that in general these assessments are not comprehensive and particularly lack coverage of the social and economic dimensions of sustainability, the paper identifies the Pacific Sustainability Index and Sustainability Tracking and Assessment Rating System (STARS) as the most comprehensive assessments in the sector.
Research limitations/implications
This study does not assess the quality of the match to the GRI-HE’s criteria, only whether they match to a reasonable degree. The analysis highlights areas where each HEI sustainability assessment framework can add criteria and improve their comprehensiveness and validity. Future research should explore the causes and relative importance of the gaps in these frameworks.
Originality/value
The paper provides a valuable discussion and demonstration of the use of comprehensiveness as a proxy metric for the validity of sustainability assessments. This analysis is the first detailed, comprehensive and transparent analysis of HEI sustainability assessments based on a broad-based and widely accepted set of criteria.
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Graham Bullock, Christopher Johnson and Brian Southwell
The purpose of this paper is to examine different strategies for an increasing adoption of “environmentally friendly” products. Scholars have consistently shown that consumers…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine different strategies for an increasing adoption of “environmentally friendly” products. Scholars have consistently shown that consumers with strong biospheric and altruistic beliefs are more likely to purchase these products, while marketers are increasingly appealing to consumers’ self-interest in their efforts to sell their “green” products. This paper explores this divide and offers a potential explanation for it, using the concept of value activation.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents results of two survey experiments that test this explanation in the context of organic food advertisements. In a simulated trip to a grocery store, participants were exposed to advertisements designed to activate the six different values in Schwartz’s framework. After viewing the advertisements, participants were asked to select among organic and non-organic options in six product categories – milk, bread, eggs, spinach, potatoes and chocolate.
Findings
The study’s results suggest that while advertisements designed to activate values may have limited effect on consumer intentions, those that relate to protecting the health of oneself and one’s family are most likely to increase organic purchases.
Originality/value
This paper is one of the first of its kind to explicitly test whether advertisements designed to activate a range of human values can increase consumers’ intention to engage in pro-environmental behaviors. The two studies reveal that value-based advertisements may have a stronger effect on the organic purchasing intentions of specific demographic groups (e.g. consumers who are aged under 40, lack a college degree and do not identify as liberal).
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TONY WARSHAW, JANE LITTLE, EDWIN FLEMING, ALLAN BUNCH and WILFRED ASHWORTH
Continuing education for library and information management Ealing College of Higher Education is using a grant from BLR&DD to examine two main areas: para‐professional education…
Abstract
Continuing education for library and information management Ealing College of Higher Education is using a grant from BLR&DD to examine two main areas: para‐professional education and the coordination of external course provision. The present project, which runs from October 1985 to March 1986, is building on past work at Ealing. Ealing has developed a substantial database of short courses in librarianship and information science with details of cost, duration, location and subject. The work on para‐professional education will assess staff needs and will note experience in other countries, including the United States. The study of coordination will involve surveying course providers to see how they decide what courses to arrange, and how to price and market them. Further details are available from Dr Stephen Roberts, Ealing College of Higher Education, School of Library and Information Studies, St Mary's Road, Ealing, London W5 5RF (Tel: 01–579 4111 ext.3337).
Union leader, Clive Jenkins, says that management should acknowledge the “historic inevitability” of the Bullock Committee's proposals and confidently predicts that legislation…
Abstract
Union leader, Clive Jenkins, says that management should acknowledge the “historic inevitability” of the Bullock Committee's proposals and confidently predicts that legislation will lead to the appearance of employee representatives in company boardrooms by January, 1979. While there may be those who disagree with both this assumption and forecast, it would be a mistake to believe that the committee's recommendations will fade into oblivion. Here, the issue is debated by British Home Stores and former ICI chief, Sir Jack Callard, and author and industrial consultant, Graham Turner. Both were speaking at a recent British Institute of Management conference on the Bullock report.
Emilia Filippi, Loris Gaio and Marco Zamarian
This study aims to analyze how the interplay between hard and soft elements of total quality management (TQM) produces the conditions for sustaining success in the quest for…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyze how the interplay between hard and soft elements of total quality management (TQM) produces the conditions for sustaining success in the quest for quality.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative analysis (Gioia method) was carried out on an original dataset collected through both direct and indirect methods (i.e. archival sources, interviews and observations) to generate a new interpretive framework.
Findings
The interpretative framework identifies four categories of elements: trigger elements create the starting conditions for a quality virtuous cycle; benchmarking tools set the standards of performance; improvement tools enable exploration of the space of possible alternative practices and finally, catalytic forces allow the institutionalization of effective techniques discovered in this search process into new standards.
Research limitations/implications
The findings the authors present in this paper are derived by a single case study, limiting the generalizability of our results in other settings.
Practical implications
This study has three implications: first, the design of trigger elements is critical for the success of any TQM initiative; second, the interplay of improvement and benchmarking tools at several levels should be coherent and third, to exploit the potential of TQM, efforts should be devoted to the dissemination of new effective practices by means of catalyzing elements.
Originality/value
The model provides a more specific understanding of the nature and purpose of the hard and soft elements of TQM and the dynamic interaction between the two classes of elements over time.
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This book is a policy proposal aimed at the democratic left. It is concerned with gradual but radical reform of the socio‐economic system. An integrated policy of industrial and…
Abstract
This book is a policy proposal aimed at the democratic left. It is concerned with gradual but radical reform of the socio‐economic system. An integrated policy of industrial and economic democracy, which centres around the establishment of a new sector of employee‐controlled enterprises, is presented. The proposal would retain the mix‐ed economy, but transform it into a much better “mixture”, with increased employee‐power in all sectors. While there is much of enduring value in our liberal western way of life, gross inequalities of wealth and power persist in our society.
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Benjamin A. T. Graham, Noel P. Johnston and Allison F. Kingsley
Political risk is a complex phenomenon. This complexity has incentivized scholars to take a piecemeal approach to understanding it. Nearly all scholarship has targeted a single…
Abstract
Political risk is a complex phenomenon. This complexity has incentivized scholars to take a piecemeal approach to understanding it. Nearly all scholarship has targeted a single type of political risk (expropriation) and, within this risk, a single type of firm (MNCs) and a single type of strategic mechanism through which that risk may be mitigated (entry mode). Yet “political risk” is actually a collection of multiple distinct risks that affect the full spectrum of foreign firms, and these firms vary widely in their capabilities for resisting and evading these risks. We offer a unified theoretical model that can simultaneously analyze: the three main types of political risk (war, expropriation, and transfer restrictions); the universe of private foreign investors (direct investors, portfolio equity investors, portfolio debt investors, and commercial banks); heterogeneity in government constraints; and the three most relevant strategic capabilities (information, exit, and resistance). We leverage the variance among foreign investors to identify effective firm strategies to manage political risk. By employing a simultaneous and unified model of political risk, we also find counterintuitive insights on the way governments trade off between risks and how investors use other investors as risk shields.
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J. English, T.C. Haupt and J.J. Smallwood
Construction by its very nature constitutes a challenge in terms of health and safety (H&S) and ergonomics as it exposes workers to a range of health, safety, and ergonomic…
Abstract
Construction by its very nature constitutes a challenge in terms of health and safety (H&S) and ergonomics as it exposes workers to a range of health, safety, and ergonomic hazards, manual handling included. Internationally, women constitute a minor percentage of the construction workforce. Furthermore, perceptions exist that women are not suited to construction, that construction work is too physical for women, and that the image of the industry discourages participation by women. Whether or not perceptions are just, they are important as people act on them. A study was initiated to determine perceptions relative to: participation of women in general; their role; their capacity; their impact; their potential contribution; barriers to their participation; and general and gender specific issues. The paper reports on studies conducted in South Africa and Tanzania, the salient findings being: women have a role in construction; increased participation by women will contribute to improving the image of construction; women have requirements related to their gender and roles; some construction materials constitute a manual materials handling problem to women, and current welfare facilities for women (such as medical support or child care) are inadequate. The paper concludes that endeavours are necessary to change attitudes, promote participation by women, accommodate women, and improve conditions, particularly H&S.
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Paula R. Buchanan and Chayne Sparagowski
Emerging technologies have the potential to significantly change the way people work and function, with tremendous impacts on people and the societies in which they live. For…
Abstract
Emerging technologies have the potential to significantly change the way people work and function, with tremendous impacts on people and the societies in which they live. For emergency management practice, efficient and effective use of emerging technologies can save both lives and property, while also improving the way emergency managers communicate with the populations they serve. However, the use of emerging technologies can also have negative and unforeseen consequences. Thus, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of how emerging technologies function as a communications and information-sharing tool to improve the practice of emergency management.
Furthermore, as with the emergence of any new technology, social justice issues must be considered. For example, is an emerging technology affordable enough for all to use, or does the technology add to the so-called “digital divide,” increasing the gap between the haves and have-nots? Or does the emerging technology serve as an equalizer, providing access and availability for all socio-economic status groups? This chapter serves as an introduction to these issues and how they impact emergency management practice in a discussion of how the communication process functions, how emerging technologies impact communication strategies in emergency management, and the importance of including a social justice framework in emergency management operations and plans to understand how these emerging technology tools can be used to keep people and property safe from disasters.
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Matthew H. Roy and Sanjiv S. Dugal
To introduce a conceptual model for increasing the likelihood that gainsharing plans will be successfully implemented.
Abstract
Purpose
To introduce a conceptual model for increasing the likelihood that gainsharing plans will be successfully implemented.
Design/methodology/approach
The literature on gainsharing plans is rich in descriptions of how individual cases were successful or unsuccessful owing to various situational variables. Research on the effects gainsharing plans have on organizational effectiveness is much needed. The present paper builds on current research by providing a general model of factors that determine whether a particular gainsharing effort will increase organizational effectiveness. A review of the empirical literature provides support for the model presented.
Findings
Gainsharing can be an important and successful intervention for many organizations. The keys to success are involving all stakeholders in the development of the plan, developing an easy to understand formula for sharing gains, maintaining transparency, and ensuring that the plan's goals are in line with the organization's goals.
Originality/value
Develops a conceptual model which can be used by many organizations in an attempt to use gainsharing as a means to increase organizational effectiveness. Considerations for future research are discussed.