Samuel Lindén and Per‐Erik Josephson
The purpose of this paper is to discover whether on‐site materials handling should be performed in‐house or out‐sourced. This is done by studying visible and hidden costs related…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discover whether on‐site materials handling should be performed in‐house or out‐sourced. This is done by studying visible and hidden costs related to materials handling and of the managers' awareness of these costs.
Design/methodology/approach
The data have been gathered through 15 interviews, a number of short discussions on construction sites, and direct observations on six occasions in four housing projects in Scandinavia.
Findings
Indirect and waste costs for materials handling on construction sites are unknown and are often underestimated during budgeting, planning, scheduling and organizing construction projects.
Practical implications
The short case‐studies indicate that the benefits of out‐sourcing on‐site materials handling outweigh the costs.
Originality/value
The solution for materials handling in practice studied in the paper is undergoing rapid development in Scandinavia.
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Pattanapong Tiwasing, Yoo Ri Kim and Sukanlaya Sawang
This paper aims to examine the relationship between being members of social media business networks and SME performance by comparing business performance between family-owned SMEs…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the relationship between being members of social media business networks and SME performance by comparing business performance between family-owned SMEs that are members and non-members of social media business networks.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis empirically draws on cross-sectional data of 9,292 English and Welsh family-owned SMEs from the UK's Government Small Business Survey 2015. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) is applied to control for selection bias and differences in firm characteristics before comparing business performance, measured in terms of annual turnover, sales-growth intention and innovation between family-owned SMEs that are members and non-members of social media business networks.
Findings
The findings show that family-owned SMEs that are members of social media business networks are more likely to have higher prior turnover and to grow their sales than non-members. Also, they are more likely to report being innovative in products and processes than non-members. The empirical results acknowledge the importance of online business networks and digital social capital on enhanced family-owned business performance.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to explore the comparative analysis of business performance between family-owned SMEs that are members and non-members of social media business networks. This paper is important for the development of family business research by providing a comprehensive evidence-based analysis regarding the importance of online business networks to improve family-owned business performance, given the significant contribution of digital business activities to the UK economy.
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James M. Kauffman, Shanna Eisner Hirsch, Jeanmarie Badar, Andrew L. Wiley and Brian R. Barber
Special education in the USA is, in most respects, a 20th century phenomenon and is now governed primarily by federal legislation first enacted in 1975. The federal law in its…
Abstract
Special education in the USA is, in most respects, a 20th century phenomenon and is now governed primarily by federal legislation first enacted in 1975. The federal law in its most recent reauthorization (2004) continues to require a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for all students with disabilities, a full continuum of alternative placements (CAP) ranging from residential or hospital care to inclusion in general education, an individual education plan or program (IEP) for each student identified as needing special education, and placement in the least restrictive environment (LRE) that is thought best for implementing the IEP. Parents must be involved in the special education process. Approximately 14 percent of public school students were identified for special education in 2004–2005, but the number and percentage of students identified in most high-incidence categories as needing special education have declined in recent years (the total for all categories was about 8.5 percent of public school students in 2010). A variety of evidence-based interventions can be used to address the wide range of instructional and behavioral needs of students with disabilities and their families, including transition to further education or work, family services, and teacher education. Special education in the USA may find new sources of support and thrive or may become less common or be abandoned entirely due to criticism and withdrawal of support for social welfare programs of government.
Eugene Asola and Samuel R. Hodge
This chapter is structured for teaching young learners with physical (orthopedic) disabilities in special education. Orthopedic impairments encompass a range of disabling…
Abstract
This chapter is structured for teaching young learners with physical (orthopedic) disabilities in special education. Orthopedic impairments encompass a range of disabling conditions. Orthopedic impairments are typically grouped into three main categories: (1) congenital anomalies (CA) such as absence of a member or clubfoot, (2) impairments caused by disease such as bone tuberculosis (TB) or poliomyelitis, or (3) impairments for other causes to include amputations, fractures, cerebral palsy (CP), burns, or fractures. In the chapter, the authors present definitions of various orthopedic impairments and discuss their respective etiologies followed by discussions of specific disabling conditions. Students with orthopedic impairments present both challenges and opportunities to special education teachers as is evident in the following case of Amira, a girl with asthma and CP.
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Novi Amelia and Harriman Samuel Saragih
In addition to being one of the most commonly purchased items by infant caretakers, disposable baby diapers (DBDs) are among the most detrimental products to the environment…
Abstract
Purpose
In addition to being one of the most commonly purchased items by infant caretakers, disposable baby diapers (DBDs) are among the most detrimental products to the environment. Shifting to a diapering method that is less harmful to the environment is an example of pro-environmental conduct. Hence, this study aims to examine how motivation, subjective norms, perceived benefits and perceived threats influence pro-environmental behavior (PEB) intention.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses a two-stage disjoint approach of partial least squares structural equation modeling to examine the data. In the conceptual model, a combination of reflective-reflective second-order constructs is used in the motivation, perceived benefits and perceived threats. A total of 233 respondents from a developing economy in Southeast Asia provide the data.
Findings
This study suggests that perceived benefits (i.e. environmental, monetary and symbol) and threats (i.e. susceptibility and severity) are significant determinants of PEB. Surprisingly, motivation and subjective norms had no significant relationship with consumers' adoption of non-DBD alternatives.
Research limitations/implications
To persuade caretakers to act in an environmentally responsible manner, the findings of this study imply that, where relevant, considerations for a wide variety of benefits and health risks should be made apparent. Environmental, financial and symbolic benefits should be shared with prospective target audiences. Caretakers should be warned of probable health effects of not being environmentally friendly. This study argues that caretakers' lack of information of non-DBD options may explain the insignificance of subjective norms and motivation.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the social marketing literature by examining the influence of motivation, subjective norms, perceived benefits and perceived threats on the intention to use more-environmentally friendly alternatives to DBDs as a manifestation of PEB.
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The paper explores authentic places, personalities and products from a range of academic and professional frames.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper explores authentic places, personalities and products from a range of academic and professional frames.
Design/methodology/approach
Authentic pop culture texts and tourist sites – and their associated web sites – are analyzed via three perspectives: Gilmore and Pine's notion of authentic placemaking, Peterson's notion of socially constructed and determined authenticity, and Holt's notion of the authentic slacker‐rebel archetype.
Findings
Perceived authenticity plays an important role in driving the consumption of certain types of pop culture and associated touristic sites.
Originality/value
The article explores three major perspectives related to authenticity which have not been discussed together previously and is of value to marketing academics as well as stewards of authentic sites.
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Beatrix Potter is best remembered as the creator of the notoriously naughty bunny, Peter Rabbit. Peter and his circle of friends grace the pages of the little books, so called…
Abstract
Beatrix Potter is best remembered as the creator of the notoriously naughty bunny, Peter Rabbit. Peter and his circle of friends grace the pages of the little books, so called because they measure less than six inches tall. These children's classics have been delighting readers since The Tale of Peter Rabbit was first published in 1901. During Potter's lifetime the little books were read in the United Kingdom, America, and Canada. Foreign language translations of her work introduced her characters to children of other nations. Note the 1987 publishing event, the “new editions from the original watercolors,” which Warne used to great advantage! A flurry of books accompanied this event, by biographer Judy Taylor plus reprints (e.g., Linden). Today sales of the little books show no sign of abating. An industry of Peter Rabbit spinoff products has existed for almost as long as Peter has. Toys, games, videos, and collectibles of the Potter characters can be found on store shelves worldwide.
This chapter presents the personal perspectives of the author on issues related to methodology in teaching children with learning disabilities and to the role of methodology in…
Abstract
This chapter presents the personal perspectives of the author on issues related to methodology in teaching children with learning disabilities and to the role of methodology in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Additionally, problems schools have had in implementing IDEA are highlighted and proposals offered to alleviate those difficulties.
∗ Indicates books which are especially recommended.
A review essay on Ronald Findlay, Lars Jonung and Mats Lundahl, eds. Bertil Ohlin: Centennial Celebration (1899–1999). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002. Pp. xvi, 546. $60.00.The…
Abstract
A review essay on Ronald Findlay, Lars Jonung and Mats Lundahl, eds. Bertil Ohlin: Centennial Celebration (1899–1999). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002. Pp. xvi, 546. $60.00. The Swedish economist Bertil Ohlin was born in 1899 and died in 1979. Less than half of his professional life he spent as a full time academic scholar in economics. He was a student at the University of Stockholm and was supervised by his teachers, Gustav Cassel and Eli Heckscher. In 1922, Ohlin presented his licentiat thesis where he set out the ideas later conceptualised as the Heckscher-Ohlin model. Two years later, in 1924, he took his doctoral degree under Cassel with a dissertation simply called Handelns teori (The Theory of Trade). A longer version of this dissertation was later published in English as Interregional and International Trade (1933). This work made him a famous trade theorist in a line of tradition going back to Ricardo and Torrens. Paul Samuelson in 1941 coined and immortalised the term “the Heckscher-Ohlin theorem” which he and Wolfgang Stolper developed further in a famous article in the Review of Economic Studies (1941) entitled “Protection and Real Wages.” Already at the age of 26 the bright young man Ohlin became a professor in economics at the University of Copenhagen and five years later he was appointed to a chair in the same subject at Handelshogskolan (The Stockholm School of Economics) in Stockholm.