Mark Taylor, Hulya Francis, John Fielding and Emma Dean
The study aims to apply catastrophe theory to the analysis of accidental dwelling fire injuries in terms of age band, gender and contributory factors in order to inform fire…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to apply catastrophe theory to the analysis of accidental dwelling fire injuries in terms of age band, gender and contributory factors in order to inform fire prevention activities.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employed a case study in a UK Fire and Rescue service concerning analysis of the circumstances of accidental dwelling fire injuries, and the characteristics and behaviours associated with utilising frequency analysis, percentages, ratios and catastrophe theory modelling.
Findings
Overall, males were more likely to be injured in an accidental dwelling fire compared to females by a ratio of 1.68 to 1, and those in the age band 50–64 appeared to be at maximum risk. A total of 15.4% of the accidental dwelling fire injuries involved consumption of alcohol or drugs, and 5.9% involved falling asleep.
Research limitations/implications
The circumstances of accidental dwelling fire injury can be analysed to identify patterns concerning when a catastrophic change relating to ordinary use of domestic objects results in an accidental dwelling fire injury.
Practical implications
A catastrophe theory view can aid the understanding of how ordinary use of domestic objects results in an accidental dwelling fire injury.
Social implications
Since fire injuries have both a social and economic cost, understanding how such fire injuries occur can aid fire prevention through appropriately targeted fire prevention activities.
Originality/value
The study made use of a catastrophe theory view to analyse the circumstances under which accidental dwelling fire injuries occurred using fire injury data from a UK fire and rescue service.
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Mark Taylor, Deb Appleton, John Fielding and Gary Oakford
The study examines alcohol and drug related accidental dwelling fire injuries during 2006–2016 in Merseyside in England.
Abstract
Purpose
The study examines alcohol and drug related accidental dwelling fire injuries during 2006–2016 in Merseyside in England.
Design/methodology/approach
The study carries out an examination of alcohol and drug related fire injuries from 2006 to 2016 in Merseyside, including analysis of injuries by age group, gender, level of deprivation and housing type.
Findings
Deprivation was a significant factor in alcohol and drug related fire injuries over the period studied, with 70% of such injuries occurring in areas with the highest level of deprivation. Males appeared roughly twice as likely to be injured in an alcohol and drug related fire incident than females. The majority of those injured were in the age range 35–59.
Research limitations/implications
There were limitations on the generalizability of the research findings to other fire and rescue services, as Merseyside has some of the highest levels of alcohol consumption and deprivation in UK.
Practical implications
An understanding of those vulnerable to alcohol and drug related fire risks can support more targeted fire prevention strategies and aid referrals to partner health agencies to help to reduce underlying alcohol and drug misuse issues.
Originality/value
The study provides a detailed analysis of the circumstances associated with alcohol and drug related fire injuries over a ten-year period covered by a UK fire and rescue service, in particular, in terms alcohol and drug related fire injury risk differences between different groups.
Mark Taylor, Vince Kwasnica, Denis Reilly and Somasundaram Ravindran
The purpose of this paper is to use the game theory combined with Monte Carlo simulation modelling to support the analysis of different retail marketing strategies, in particular…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to use the game theory combined with Monte Carlo simulation modelling to support the analysis of different retail marketing strategies, in particular, using payoff matrices for modelling the likely outcomes from different retail marketing strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
Theoretical research was utilised to develop a practical approach for applying game theory to retail marketing strategies via payoff matrices combined with Monte Carlo simulation modelling.
Findings
Game theory combined with Monte Carlo simulation modelling can provide a formal approach to understanding consumer decision making in a retail environment, which can support the development of retail marketing strategies.
Research limitations/implications
Game theory combined with Monte Carlo simulation modelling can support the modelling of the interaction between retail marketing actions and consumer responses in a practical formal probabilistic manner, which can inform marketing strategies used by retail companies in a practical manner.
Practical implications
Game theory combined with Monte Carlo simulation modelling can provide a formalised mechanism for examining how consumers may respond to different retail marketing strategies.
Originality/value
The originality of this research is the practical application of game theory to retail marketing, in particular the use of payoff matrices combined with Monte Carlo simulation modelling to examine likely consumer behaviour in response to different retail marketing approaches.
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Mark J. Taylor, David England and David Gresty
Web site development work is a growing aspect of the IT activities within many organisations. However, the skills and knowledge required by IT practitioners for successful Web…
Abstract
Web site development work is a growing aspect of the IT activities within many organisations. However, the skills and knowledge required by IT practitioners for successful Web site development are still largely uncertain. In this paper we examine the results of a research exercise involving case studies in 20 UK organisations aimed at investigating: the skills and knowledge that are required for Web site development work, how such skills and knowledge are used in actual practice, and the mechanisms by which such skills and knowledge can be acquired and improved.
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This paper aims to present the application of situation calculus for knowledge representation in missing persons investigations.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present the application of situation calculus for knowledge representation in missing persons investigations.
Design/methodology/approach
The development of a knowledge representation model for the missing persons investigation process based upon situation calculus, with a demonstration of the use of the model for a missing persons example case.
Findings
Situation calculus is valuable for knowledge representation for missing persons investigations, as such investigations have state changes over time, and due to the complexity of the differing investigation activities applicable to different situations, can be difficult to represent using simpler approaches such as tables or flowcharts.
Research limitations/implications
Situation calculus modelling for missing persons investigations adds formalism to the process beyond that which can be afforded by the current use of text, tables or flowcharts. The additional formalism is useful in dealing with the uncertainty present in such investigations.
Practical implications
The implications are a simplification of the application of the current police guidelines, and thoroughness in the application of such guidelines for missing persons investigations via situation calculus modelling.
Social implications
This paper supports the management of missing person investigations, by using the most critical variables in a missing persons investigation to determine relevant investigation and search activities applicable to the circumstances of a given case.
Originality/value
The novelty of the knowledge representation approach is the application of situation calculus via state and action vectors and a matrix of fluents to the process of missing persons investigations.
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Mark J. Taylor, Sandi Duffy and David England
The purpose of this paper is to examine the type of adjustments to delivery appropriate for students with dyslexia in a UK higher education setting.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the type of adjustments to delivery appropriate for students with dyslexia in a UK higher education setting.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study in a UK university department was conducted over a four‐year period.
Findings
It was found that a variety of adjustments may be required for students with dyslexia in a UK higher education environment including adjustments to teaching delivery, assessment and pastoral care. In addition it is necessary to provide a managed transition from school/college/work to higher education.
Research limitations/implications
Although the case study reported here focusesd on only 22 students with dyslexia, the number of students entering UK higher education with dyslexia is likely to increase and institutions need to be aware of the adjustments that may potentially be required.
Originality/value
Previously few students with dyslexia had attended university in the UK. However, growing numbers of such students are now attending university, but thus far little, if any, research has been conducted regarding the adjustments that may need to be made for such students.
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The Howard Shuttering Contractors case throws considerable light on the importance which the tribunals attach to warnings before dismissing an employee. In this case the tribunal…
Abstract
The Howard Shuttering Contractors case throws considerable light on the importance which the tribunals attach to warnings before dismissing an employee. In this case the tribunal took great pains to interpret the intention of the parties to the different site agreements, and it came to the conclusion that the agreed procedure was not followed. One other matter, which must be particularly noted by employers, is that where a final warning is required, this final warning must be “a warning”, and not the actual dismissal. So that where, for example, three warnings are to be given, the third must be a “warning”. It is after the employee has misconducted himself thereafter that the employer may dismiss.
Panayiotis F. Diamandis, Anastassios A. Drakos and Georgios P. Kouretas
The purpose of this paper is to provide an extensive review of the monetary model of exchange rate determination which is the main theoretical framework on analyzing exchange rate…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an extensive review of the monetary model of exchange rate determination which is the main theoretical framework on analyzing exchange rate behavior over the last 40 years. Furthermore, we test the flexible price monetarist variant and the sticky price Keynesian variant of the monetary model. We conduct our analysis employing a sample of 14 advanced economies using annual data spanning the period 1880–2012.
Design/methodology/approach
The theoretical background of the paper relies on the monetary model to the exchange rate determination. We provide a thorough econometric analysis using a battery of unit root and cointegration testing techniques. We test the price-flexible monetarist version and the sticky-price version of the model using annual data from 1880 to 2012 for a group of industrialized countries.
Findings
We provide strong evidence of the existence of a nonlinear relationship between exchange rates and fundamentals. Therefore, we model the time-varying nature of this relationship by allowing for Markov regime switches for the exchange rate regimes. Modeling exchange rates within this context can be motivated by the fact that the change in regime should be considered as a random event and not predictable. These results show that linearity is rejected in favor of an MS-VECM specification which forms statistically an adequate representation of the data. Two regimes are implied by the model; the one of the estimated regimes describes the monetary model whereas the other matches in most cases the constant coefficient model with wrong signs. Furthermore it is shown that depending on the nominal exchange rate regime in operation, the adjustment to the long run implied by the monetary model of the exchange rate determination came either from the exchange rate or from the monetary fundamentals. Moreover, based on a Regime Classification Measure, we showed that our chosen Markov-switching specification performed well in distinguishing between the two regimes for all cases. Finally, it is shown that fundamentals are not only significant within each regime but are also significant for the switches between the two regimes.
Practical implications
The results are of interest to practitioners and policy makers since understanding the evolution and determination of exchange rates is of crucial importance. Furthermore, our results are linked to forecasting performance of exchange rate models.
Originality/value
The present analysis extends previous analyses on exchange rate determination and it provides further support in favor of the monetary model as a long-run framework to understand the evolution of exchange rates.
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Christopher P. Neck and Arthur G. Bedeian
In an effort to give credit where credit is due, recounts J. Maunsell White III’s role in the development of the Taylor‐White process for treating tool steel. A contemporary and…
Abstract
In an effort to give credit where credit is due, recounts J. Maunsell White III’s role in the development of the Taylor‐White process for treating tool steel. A contemporary and colleague of Frederick W. Taylor, “The Father of Scientific Management”, White offers a classic example of the so‐called Matthew Effect, in which recognition accrues to those of considerable repute and is withheld from those who have not yet made their mark.