Camelia May Li Kusumo, Ken Ying Cho and Robert Powell
Five-footways are an important feature in historical urban centres of tropical South East Asian cities. These colonnades along the rows of commercial shop houses provide…
Abstract
Purpose
Five-footways are an important feature in historical urban centres of tropical South East Asian cities. These colonnades along the rows of commercial shop houses provide comfortable pedestrian walkways. In spite of the decline of the liveability in many historical urban centres, the “kaki-lima” or five-footways in Klang Valley Malaysia are bustling and alive. Many studies have been done on kaki-lima, however it focuses mostly on historical and cultural context. There is lack of understanding on how the physical attributes of kaki-lima facilitate the liveliness of urban life. The paper aims to investigate the five-footway as the generator of public realm and to analyse the physical attributes of the five-footways that contribute to the “stickiness” of the public space.
Design/methodology/approach
The study utilized behaviour mapping to identify the sticky activity, then subsequently used Roger Barker's theory of Behaviour Settings to observe different stationary activities along the five-footways of the historical centres of Kuala Lumpur and Klang.
Findings
The findings show that all the identified behaviour settings along the five-footways are strongly characterised by tropical climate and local diverse culture. Additionally, the small architectural detail provides an important physical setting for informal activities to take a place in the five-footways.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited only to two urban heritage districts in Malaysia, namely Kuala Lumpur and Klang.
Practical implications
The findings have the implication for the public space policy of the local municipalities, specifically for urban design policy of the five-footways. Firstly, the inclusion of five-footways should be encouraged in any new shophouse development and secondly, the policy maker should consider to retain certain physical features of the five-footways that support not only the informal economy activities but also the creation of third places in the neighbourhoods.
Originality/value
This study will contribute to the discourse of urbanism, especially in understanding the public realm in South East Asian cities. Additionally, the outcomes will assist the local municipality in developing urban design policy of the five-footways.
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Adekunle Sabitu Oyegoke, Robert Powell, Saheed Ajayi, Godawatte Arachchige Gimhan Rathnagee Godawatte and Temidayo Akenroye
This paper aims to identify and analyse the factors affecting the selection of effective cost control techniques in the UK construction industry and assess their importance. The…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify and analyse the factors affecting the selection of effective cost control techniques in the UK construction industry and assess their importance. The study examines these key areas; the factors that have significant impacts on cost overruns, the most effective cost control techniques and the factors for selecting cost control techniques for a project.
Design/methodology/approach
The study relies on a mixed-method research approach; a qualitative exploration of the most effective cost control techniques and the factors affecting the selection of cost control techniques, followed by a questionnaire survey and follow-up interviews. Relative importance index (RII) is used for ranking the factors.
Findings
The budgeting technique is ranked first with-0.821RII, followed by cost forecasting-0.800RII and cashflow monitoring-00.733RII, as the most effective cost control techniques. On factors that influenced the choice of the techniques used, cost information/cost-related factors are ranked first with-0.611RII, followed by the size of the company-0.509RII and the effectiveness of the technique-0.572RII.
Research limitations/implications
Although the scope of the study was limited to the UK construction industry, the results could be interpreted for critical learning in other developed/developing countries.
Originality/value
Identifying and ranking the factors affecting the selection of effective cost control techniques in the UK construction industry has been the focal point of this study. The study also proposes a simple but effective model which can be used for critical learning on mitigating cost overruns and the effective use of cost control techniques in the construction industry.
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The third International Conference on Data Bases in the Humanities and Social Sciences was held on June 10–12, 1983, at Rutgers University, sponsored by the Rutgers University…
Abstract
The third International Conference on Data Bases in the Humanities and Social Sciences was held on June 10–12, 1983, at Rutgers University, sponsored by the Rutgers University Libraries, with financial support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Rutgers University.
To explore the advice given by the British Girl Guides Association, a popular girls' youth organisation, to urban members in the period from 1930 to 1960.
Abstract
Purpose
To explore the advice given by the British Girl Guides Association, a popular girls' youth organisation, to urban members in the period from 1930 to 1960.
Design/methodology/approach
This article is based on an analysis of the Girlguiding publications The Guide and The Guider in 30 years spanning 1930–1960.
Findings
The article shows that, although rural spaces maintained symbolic position in the education and training of the British Girl Guides Association throughout the mid-twentieth century, the use of urban spaces were central in ensuring that girls embodied Guiding principles on a day-to-day basis. While rural spaces, and especially the camp, have been conceptualised by scholars as ‘extraordinary’ spaces, this article argues that by encouraging girls to undertake nature study in their urban locality the organisation stressed the ordinariness of Guiding activity. In doing so, they encouraged girls to be an active presence in urban public space throughout the period, despite the fact that, as scholars have identified, the post-war period saw the increased regulation of children's presence in public spaces. Such findings suggest that the organisation allowed girls a modicum of freedom in town Guiding activities, although ultimately these were limited by expectations regarding the behaviour and conduct of members.
Originality/value
The article builds upon existing understandings of the Girl Guide organisation and mid-twentieth century youth movements. A number of scholars have recently argued for a more complex understanding of the relationship between urban and rural, outdoor and indoor spaces, within youth organisations in the 20th century. Yet the place of urban spaces in Girlguiding remains under-explored.
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It is assumed in many circles that American university libraries are tremendously rich in books and also in dollars. There are to be sure at least twenty today with holdings of…
Abstract
It is assumed in many circles that American university libraries are tremendously rich in books and also in dollars. There are to be sure at least twenty today with holdings of well over a million volumes each, and at least twenty‐five have been able recently to acquire additional books at a rate of 40,000 or more volumes each year. Moreover, there are a fair number of American universities. The figures I give you are from the annual official statistics of the Association of College and Research Libraries, which records information for 110 major universities.
Thomas M. Keck and Kevin J. McMahon
From one angle, abortion law appears to confirm the regime politics account of the Supreme Court; after all, the Reagan/Bush coalition succeeded in significantly curtailing the…
Abstract
From one angle, abortion law appears to confirm the regime politics account of the Supreme Court; after all, the Reagan/Bush coalition succeeded in significantly curtailing the constitutional protection of abortion rights. From another angle, however, it is puzzling that the Reagan/Bush Court repeatedly refused to overturn Roe v. Wade. We argue that time and again electoral considerations led Republican elites to back away from a forceful assertion of their agenda for constitutional change. As a result, the justices generally acted within the range of possibilities acceptable to the governing regime but still typically had multiple doctrinal options from which to choose.
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Gianluca Veronesi and Kevin Keasey
Purpose – The chapter aims to understand what kind of policy approach has been more successful in facilitating the involvement of patients and the public in the design and…
Abstract
Purpose – The chapter aims to understand what kind of policy approach has been more successful in facilitating the involvement of patients and the public in the design and provision of health-care services at the local level and the explanatory factors justifying the implementation outcome.Methodology – By applying Richard Matland's ambiguity/conflict policy implementation model, the chapter analyses the impact of a number of policies introduced after 1997 in the English National Health Service that targeted final users and the local population in decision-making processes.Findings – The evidence shows that policies emphasising the importance of context-specific contingencies can be more effectively implemented when room for interpretation and discretion in selecting the appropriate means for involvement is given. In this way, the overall aims/purposes of health policies can be locally reshaped by allowing the adoption of flexible strategies within the implementation process.Practical implications – A strong leadership at the top of public sector organisations and, in particular, from the board of directors is needed to steer and facilitate a consensus oriented outcome in organisational decision-making processes that aim to incorporate the views and opinions of patients and the public.Social implications – Local initiatives in increasing participation, for specific purposes, are bound to be more successful than a general initiative, expecting comparatively uniform implementation.
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Niels Neudecker, Deepak Varma, David Wright and Robert Powell
Advances in technology over recent years made it possible to use machines and artificial intelligence to develop commercially viable solutions for companies to listen to…
Abstract
Advances in technology over recent years made it possible to use machines and artificial intelligence to develop commercially viable solutions for companies to listen to consumers, decode the meaning, and respond accordingly. In parallel, solutions have been developed that are able to automatically track facial expressions of consumers when reacting to a given marketing stimulus.
The authors look at how marketing executives can apply these technologies to generate enhanced customer insights, providing a realistic context for future applications. The focus is on bringing researchers and managers closer to those moments of truth and our ability to understand customer emotions, emotional reaction, everyday language, and ultimately brand engagement.
The chapter covers the application of commercially viable use cases for (1) the automated measurement of emotions through facial coding to optimize advertizing and content, and (2) the use of voice coding technology to design interactive chatbots as an alternative to traditional surveys. In the outlook, the authors describe the potential that these technologies provide for future research and further use cases.
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James E. Rush and Robert S. Tannehill
No comprehensive set of data elements for describing computer software has previously been developed. Applications determine the need for specific data elements. This article…
Abstract
No comprehensive set of data elements for describing computer software has previously been developed. Applications determine the need for specific data elements. This article presents a comprehensive profile of data elements, and identifies their probable application in library catalogs, bibliographic references, program documentation, program front matter, program packaging, software catalogs and eye‐legible labels. The data elements are correlated with existing MARC tags, providing compatibility with current usage.