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This paper examines the location choice of families when education is available through local public schools and private schools. According to the theoretical model, families who use public schools sort into communities that offer their desired education quality. Families who choose private schools, on the other hand, locate in communities with low quality public schools because of the low cost of occupying a standardized unit of housing in such areas. This difference in sorting causes the income and rent differentials across communities to be lower when private education is available. A multinomial logit model is estimated to test whether the factors that influence community choice vary between families that use public and private schools. The results indicate little difference with respect to public school quality but a difference with respect to distance from the central business district (CBD). In this sample, it appears that families who use public schools are more likely to locate further from the CDB as income rises compared to families that choose private schools.

This paper seeks to explore the roles that different measures of housing stock and socio‐economic diversity have on the value of residential homes in San Diego, California.

This paper employs a hedonic pricing model to estimate the effects of different measures of diversity on housing prices based on a sample of approximately 6,500 houses in San Diego County, California. The measures of diversity can be classified broadly as either socio‐economic diversity (racial and ethnic diversity, variation in income, education, age, etc.) or diversity in housing stock (variability in housing and lot size, the age of structures, the mix or single family and multiple family, etc.).

The results suggest that home prices increase with greater diversity in the size of homes in a neighborhood, but tend to decrease with higher levels of diversity in the age of homes. In addition, there is evidence that smaller than average houses on smaller than average lots command a premium over other houses in the neighborhood.

The role of socio‐economic diversity on housing prices has been studied extensively. This paper explores the role of housing stock diversity in explaining variation in housing prices.

This paper aims to analyze the effect of floor level on condominium prices in San Diego, California. The authors determine whether “higher‐floor premiums” exist in the condominium market for a large California city. Further, they investigate how the floor premium varies throughout a building, particularly whether it is quadratic and whether there is a “penthouse premium” for top‐floor units.

The paper utilizes a data set of 2,395 condominium sales occurring in San Diego between 2006 and the second quarter of 2011. Using hedonic pricing analysis, the authors model the housing price as a function of condominium, building and neighborhood characteristics.

The results suggest that there is a higher‐floor premium for condominiums in San Diego. Specifically, an increase in the floor level is associated with about a 2.2 percent increase in sale price. The higher‐floor premium appears to be quadratic in price, suggesting that price increases at a decreasing rate above the mean floor level. The authors also find evidence for a penthouse premium, though this effect disappears once “floor” is controlled for in the model.

There has been little direct research on the floor effect in condominium prices. The studies that have used floor level as an explanatory variable have been predominately in Southeast Asia. The results suggest that the floor effect is more complex than previously modeled.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to scholarly work on the role of sell-side financial analysts in corporate governance (CG). It examines the more recent work products pertaining specifically to CG that analysts based in the USA and UK have generated in the past two decades, namely, their CGCG reports. Specifically, this paper focusses on analysing how analyst CG reports constitute a comparative space in which the governance procedures of companies are evaluated and “best practices” are created.

This study involves a social constructivist textual analysis of 48 CG reports produced by analysts based in the USA and UK between 1998 and 2009.

Analyst CG reports textually construct a comparative space comprising four dimensions. First, the space is constructed for some carefully edited users to evaluate the governance of companies. Second, the construction of this space requires the selection of “building materials”, i.e., governance issues included in the space that render companies amenable to evaluation and comparison. Third, by linking the range of governance issues chosen to formal regulations, firms are rendered governable and regulatory requirements reinterpreted. Lastly, by using different types of inscriptions, such as narratives and tables, the space highlights “winners”, i.e., those companies which do better than others, and constructs their governance procedures as “best practices”.

This research provides a first step towards an in-depth understanding of analyst CG reports. The insights from this paper generate a range of areas for future research, including how these reports are produced and used.

This paper adds to the existing literature focussing on the role of analysts in CG. It extends previous studies by examining the more recent and debatable work products generated by analysts, namely, their CG reports, and suggests an extended CG role for them. Theoretically, analyst CG reports are conceptualised as “inscriptions” that construct “documentary reality”. The notion of “editing” is also drawn upon, to analyse a particular way in which documentary reality is constructed. Accordingly, this paper broadens the theoretical perspectives used in CG research.

This exploratory case study evaluates the impact of an executive development program at Standard Chartered Bank, and identifies the contribution of the different program phases to its impact.

A holistic evaluation framework was designed, based on a mixed-method research approach. It involves extensive data collection and application of multiple analysis techniques incorporating quantitative, qualitative and blended approaches.

The program has a positive impact, with many objectives transforming into outcomes. The core program is the main contributor to outcome delivery. Improvements to the pre and post program phases could increase effectiveness and recommendations have been made to achieve this.

The findings have direct practical implications for organizations, as they show critical success factors and specific areas for consideration in maximizing leadership program effectiveness.

The case study uses a holistic evaluation framework to evaluate executive development program impact. This approach enables capturing of the dynamic of transforming objectives into outcomes, and gives a comprehensive view of which areas to enhance.

High‐frequency transducer arrays that can operate at frequencies above 30 MHz are needed for high‐resolution medical ultrasound imaging. The fabrication of such devices is challenging not only because of the fine‐scale piezocomposite fabrication typically required but also because of the small size of arrays and their interconnects. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of research to develop solutions for several of the major problems in high‐frequency ultrasound array fabrication.

Net‐shape 1‐3 piezocomposites operating above 40 MHz are developed. High‐quality surface finishing makes photolithographic patterning of the array electrodes on these fine scale piezocomposites possible, thus establishing a fabrication methodology for high‐frequency kerfless ultrasound arrays.

Structured processes are developed and prototype components are made with them, demonstrating the viability of the selected fabrication approach. A 20‐element array operating at 30 MHz is patterned and characterised. Furthermore, an electrode pattern suitable for a 20‐element array operating at 100 MHz is created to demonstrate the state of the art of photolithography processing directly on piezocomposite.

The work reported suggests that ultrasound arrays for real‐time biomedical imaging will be viable at higher frequencies than presently available commercially or previously reported in the research literature.

The main elements of a novel, fully mask‐based process for high‐frequency ultrasound transducer array fabrication are presented in outline in this paper.

“Best practice” is currently being used to enable modernisation within the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. One element of this is the Beacon programme where examples of hospitals that exemplify local “best practice” are supported to develop and disseminate learning across the wider NHS. The aims of this research were to map public health‐related Beacon hospital initiatives and then to identify opportunities and barriers in this context. This was achieved by seeking the views of a range of relevant national and local stakeholders. The work suggests that whilst Beacon hospital projects have some potential in developing relatively innovative activity they are not perceived to be stepping‐stones to wider public health action. Five possible ways forward are suggested.

The purpose of this paper is to share the knowledge and lessons learned about the process of developing an institutional repository (IR) using a hosted solution, Digital Commons from bepress, and to make the case that Digital Commons is still the best IR solution for smaller university libraries.

This is a case study based on Rowan University Libraries developing an IR using the Digital Commons platform.

To implement a hosted solution successfully, key actions include defining the repository’s scope and mission early in the process, including a variety of stakeholders in promoting the repository, integrating the repository with a faculty profile system and being able to effectively work collaboratively with both internal and external professionals in developing the system.

This paper will be valuable to academic librarians considering implementing an IR on, or migrating an existing repository to, the Digital Commons platform.