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Previous research suggests that household location choice is determined by factors, such as affordability, family life cycle, distance from work and accessibility to the city centre. The purpose of this paper is to understand other psychological factors that may influence this decision, and specifically the effects of self identity and neighbourhood identity.

A qualitative methodology using an interpretive approach is adopted, seeking to understand the complex nature of reality. In‐depth interviews were carried out with eight experienced real estate agents working in two affluent suburbs close to Auckland's central business district in New Zealand.

Findings suggest that, subject to factors such as affordability and availability of appropriate accommodation, individual identity and suburb identity play an important role in determining neighbourhood choice. In addition to these findings, the paper proposes a conceptual model of the construction and manifestation of suburb identity incorporating both the results of the study and an understanding of the extant literature.

The study is not an attempt to generalise its results and therefore further research into neighbourhood branding and how it links to suburb choice is recommended

The study also adds a further behavioural dimension to the understanding of a collective interpretation of cities. Since part of the unique character of a city is reflected through its residents, planners need to understand what attracts different types of people to a city.

Whilst preliminary, the implications of this study emphasise the importance for valuers and real estate agents of understanding the type of people who are attracted to particular neighbourhoods, how these individuals perceive themselves and why they are attracted to specific locations.

The purpose of this work was to develop a model for estimating “dry” and “wet” thermal resistance of bedding during use. The model takes into account proportions of the body covered by different bedding arrangements, and the effects of an infants sleep position and method of tucking on thickness, thermal resistance and heat loss. Predictions of thermal resistance using various published formulae are compared with those from this study.

There's hardly an association, institute or company of any real size that doesn't feel the urge to have at least one get‐together each year. More and more are catching the conference habit, which lends support for the prediction by Geoffrey Smith, director of the London Convention Bureau, that the annual growth rate will stay around five per cent.

Private sector residential property investors aiming to achieve optimal total returns need to be able to identify the best performing suburbs in a city. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the risk‐adjusted investment performance of 19 suburbs within Auckland City and provide some insight into the likely future performance of some of these suburbs.

The annual pre‐tax and unleveraged investment performance of a residential property is a function of the changes in the value of the property plus the net yield. House price data for the suburbs were taken from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand. Rental information was obtained from the Department of Building and Housing.

Surprisingly, the suburb showing the highest average yields was also the suburb recording the greatest increase in house prices. This result appears to be a consequence of government intervention in the form of increased rental subsidies for renters, tax concessions for landlords and low‐deposit home loans aimed for first home buyers.

It is all very well analysing the past performance of suburbs but investors are likely to be more interested in future performance, rather than past performance, when they make buying and selling decisions. In some cases, the characteristics of suburbs that have done well in the past can be useful in identifying suburbs likely to do well in the future.

The hypothesis advanced in this paper is that suburbs with lower than average household income to house price ratios and house income to rent ratios, combined with a trend for household incomes and rents to be increasing above the city‐wide average, are likely to be the best prospects for future residential investment.

The main social implication appears to be the unintended consequences of rental subsidies increasing rents and house prices more than the average in the lower priced suburbs.

There has been very little published work comparing total returns on investor housing within a city, by suburb. This has been made possible by the combination of real estate sales information and a comprehensive rental database. In addition, census information on households' incomes at suburban level is also integrated into the study.The study also makes a novel contribution by suggesting variables likely to influence future total returns by suburb.

The service sector is an increasingly important source of job creation and economic wealth, and accounts for more than 75 per cent of the GDP of many developed economies. Yet there has been surprisingly little research into the relationship between market orientation and service firm performance. This editorial reviews the major research themes relating to market orientation and service firm performance and suggests an agenda for future research to improve understanding of this important marketing and management issue.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the different roles and implications of a manufacturer's branded retail operations on its international strategy. The roles are analyzed through two dimensions, brand strength and the role of branded retail as a sales channel.

A multiple case study approach is used to look at the international development of branded retail in four companies, LEGO, Nokia, Iittala and H & M.

This study finds that there are at least two approaches to implementing branded retail strategy internationally that can be and often are overlapping. Emphasis on branding appears to be important in both approaches. However, the role of the branded retail as a direct sales channel differs between the case companies. The paper discusses and demonstrates the importance and role of branded retail for companies not generally seen as retailers, from both sales and brand management perspectives.

The paper contributes by narrowing the evident research gap regarding this current and seemingly global phenomenon.

Cognitive literary criticism is introduced as a bridge between cognitive approaches to the study of persuasion, and literary traditions in consumer research. As a successor to reader-response theory, cognitive literary theory focuses on the cognitive processes of interpretation, while keeping an eye on the aesthetic properties of the text. Paradigmatically cautious researchers might shy away from attempts to marry positivist cognitive constructs to interpretivist cultural theory, but this chapter argues that these qualms also conceal missed opportunities for the study of persuasion.

Insights from cognitive literary criticism are demonstrated at the hand of a LEGO ad.

Theory of mind and conceptual blending are crucial cognitive skills involved in the interpretation of persuasive texts.

Most research to date has kept literary and cognitive approaches to persuasion separate, black-boxing the processes of persuasion. This chapter argues for a revitalization of interest in aesthetic detail, informed by insights from cognitive science.

The rapid development of technology and the consequent change in working practices require a dramatically different approach towards training and development in organisations than has traditionally been the case. A review of the literature reveals a negative attitude towards training and development in SMEs, with long‐term strategy being substituted for short‐term financial gain. Our results confirm this conjecture that the same holds true in Northern Ireland, which is witnessing rapid technological advancement. This article lays the foundations for a body of work which will provide greater insights into training and development needs in SMEs.

The aims of this article are threefold. First of all, to show the concept of value to customers as a determiner of a company’s competitive advantage. Second, to explain the changing role of marketing activities toward social responsibility. Third, to assess the influence of social marketing activities on a company’s image and the resulting value to customers.

By drawing on existing corporate social responsibility (CSR) and marketing literature, the achievements and gaps of socially responsible marketing (SRM) can be demonstrated. In addition, the literature review focuses on showing the relationship between SRM and value to a customer. In order to achieve the purposes of the chapter, an analysis of market research based on secondary data as well as qualitative interviews has been conducted.

Marketing activities should accomplish both economic and social objectives as well as aim at delivering expected value to customers. Nowadays value comes not only from lower prices or a better product range. According to research, customers are becoming increasingly sensitive to evil and to social injustice, damage to the environment, as well as the increasing level of poverty. This makes companies develop new strategies for creating value for customers. These should come from socially responsible activities the company is undertaking. Thus, companies, which implement a concept of SRM, are more likely to count on increased interest and loyalty from their customers.

This chapter offers a fresh approach to the study of the evolution of marketing toward social responsibility and the impact on the value for customers.