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1 – 10 of 201Provides an overview of mechanical and electrical services as theyapply to modern museums, and the means of controlling and monitoring thesystems in use. Discusses…
Abstract
Provides an overview of mechanical and electrical services as they apply to modern museums, and the means of controlling and monitoring the systems in use. Discusses air‐conditioning, lighting, fire detection and alarms, monitoring, building energy management systems, estate management, and engineering facilities management. Concludes that maintenance of the correct environment is essential, and there is a continuing need to check effective operation of all systems.
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Considers the nature and importance of intelligent buildings.Examines why intelligent buildings are important in terms of occupants,managers, owners, and developers, how the…
Abstract
Considers the nature and importance of intelligent buildings. Examines why intelligent buildings are important in terms of occupants, managers, owners, and developers, how the benefits are realized, and the components of intelligent buildings in facilities management, information management, connectivity and overall control. Concludes that the definition of an intelligent building is changing with technology and consumer understanding, with the possibility of techniques becoming outmoded within five years.
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Jiuchang Wei and Yang Liu
– This paper aims to examine the effect of government support on the innovation performance of firms in the Chinese context.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the effect of government support on the innovation performance of firms in the Chinese context.
Design/methodology/approach
We divided government support into vertical support and horizontal support, and adopted an empirical research approach in this study. We collected the data of 343 enterprises in China that had been identified as innovative enterprises, including their characteristic data, government support data and patent data. Negative binomial regression was used to quantitatively examine the relationship between government support and the innovation performance of firms.
Findings
Both vertical support in the form of direct research and development (R&D) subsidies and horizontal support in the form of regional innovation policy positively influence the innovation performance of firms. In addition, direct R&D subsidies are more likely to experience the enhanced benefits of carrying out tax credit policy on the innovation performance of firms.
Originality/value
This study contributed to the innovation literature by distinguishing two types of government support, namely, vertical support and horizontal support, and assessing the effects of government support on firm innovation in the Chinese context.
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Edward J. Oughton, Zoraida Frias, Mischa Dohler, Jason Whalley, Douglas Sicker, Jim W. Hall, Jon Crowcroft and David D. Cleevely
Public policy requires effective identification of the current and emerging issues being faced in industry and beyond. This paper aims to identify a set of key issues currently…
Abstract
Purpose
Public policy requires effective identification of the current and emerging issues being faced in industry and beyond. This paper aims to identify a set of key issues currently facing digital communications and reviews their relevance for the strategic provision of infrastructure, particularly within the UK context.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology focusses on taking a horizon-scanning approach to obtaining current information from a range of authoritative decision makers across industry, government and academia. After structuring the issues identified, these areas are explored by a multi-disciplinary research team covering engineering, economics and computer science.
Findings
Five key categories were identified including future demand; coverage and capacity; policy and regulation; economics and business models; and technology. The results are reported for both fixed and wireless networks. Shared issues affecting the wider digital ecosystem are also identified including Brexit, connecting remote areas and the degree to which the economics of infrastructure allows for building multiple overlapping infrastructures. The authors find that future demand uncertainty is one of the major issues affecting the digital communications sector driven by rigid willingness-to-pay, weak revenue and an increasing shift from fixed to wireless technologies. Policy must create the market conditions that encourage the entry of new competitors with innovative thinking and disruptive business models.
Research limitations/implications
A limitation of the analysis is that it is quite UK-focussed; hence, further research could broaden this analysis to assessing issues at a continental or global scale.
Originality/value
The value of this paper originates from the breadth of the expert elicitation exercise carried out to gather the initial set of issues, followed by the analysis of this data by a multi-disciplinary team of researchers. The results direct a future research agenda, as many issues are indicative of a lack of existing evidence to support effective decision-making.
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The purpose of this paper is to generate additional insight into how the Triple Helix approach can be practiced in a regional context.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to generate additional insight into how the Triple Helix approach can be practiced in a regional context.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper describes an attempt to develop innovation in a Swedish region, using the Triple Helix approach. The case study is based on a variety of data sources, including a number of semi‐structured interviews.
Findings
In implementing the Triple Helix approach, a key role was that of boundary spanners who scanned and pooled ideas for, and interest in, specific projects, building relevant networks and bridging the various involved cultures by semantically translating domain‐specific knowledge. The case also illustrates institutional entrepreneurship as the actors changed the system in which they acted.
Research limitations/implications
The data come from one country and one region only. The use of other data and other research methods would shed more light on the studied issues.
Practical implications
The driving and integrating role of boundary spanners in the case highlights the importance of this role in Triple Helix approaches.
Originality/value
The Triple Helix approach does not offer detailed advice on how to support development and innovation. This study fills a gap by analyzing how theory can be transformed into practice.
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Investigates urban bias in state policy making in Mexico. Refers to literature claiming that rural poverty in developing nations is a major problem because capitalism reflects an…
Abstract
Investigates urban bias in state policy making in Mexico. Refers to literature claiming that rural poverty in developing nations is a major problem because capitalism reflects an urban bias. Examines social security coverage for the rural poor in Mexico and notes that there are great variations depending on area, suggesting that social security coverage is politically negotiable. Outlines briefly the historical development of Mexico’s welfare state and uses a power resource model to demonstrate how groups with competing interests go about securing benefits from the state. Cites literature on dependency theory, indicating that rural groups have failed to mobilize politically and have therefore not secured the same state resources (such as social security benefits and housing) as urban groups, yet argues that this does not always apply in Mexico, partially due to party politics and bureaucratic paternalism. Explains how data was collected to examine regional variations in social security coverage among the rural poor and how the data was analysed. Reveal that workers in important international export markets (such as cotton and sugar) have greater political leverage in obtaining better social security benefits. Notes also that areas supporting the political party in power obtain better benefits. Concludes, therefore, that rural workers are not powerless in the face of urban capitalism and that urban bias and dependency theories do not reflect the situation in Mexico – rather social security benefits are politically negotiable.
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Fareeha Shareef and Howard Davey
In recent years there has been increasing focus on the importance of intellectual capital disclosure. The major resources of the football industry are human ‐ the players (as…
Abstract
In recent years there has been increasing focus on the importance of intellectual capital disclosure. The major resources of the football industry are human ‐ the players (as well as coaches and management) and supporters, yet the traditional accounting framework is largely ineffective in capturing these ‘hidden’ values. This paper reviews research on the quality and extent to which 19 listed professional English football clubs are reporting intellectual capital in their annual reports for the 2002 period. A disclosure index was developed and applied, giving scores for categories of disclosure and for the football clubs. The research findings suggest that components of intellectual capital were poorly reported by listed professional football clubs. External capital reporting was the highest scoring category, followed by human capital. However internal capital reporting scored the lowest. The research findings indicated a positive significant correlation between the size of clubs, club performance and their overall intellectual capital disclosure, in line with previous research in different industries. In conclusion, the importance of intellectual capital is recognized in the football industry as evidenced by the quality and quantity of IC disclosure by some clubs. However, the variability in reporting of different components of intellectual capital suggests that there is considerable room for improvement if the key resources of the football industry are to be truly reflected in the accounting system.
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Explores attitudes towards abortion in the USA and whether or not they have changed during the period 1977‐1993 (based on data from the National Opinion Research Centre’s General…
Abstract
Explores attitudes towards abortion in the USA and whether or not they have changed during the period 1977‐1993 (based on data from the National Opinion Research Centre’s General Social Survey). Describes the research methodology used and how the data was analysed, testing for attitudinal change by age, gender and race, through a comparison of mean scale scores, longitudinal analysis, and multiple regression. Finds that younger people are more pro‐choice but that there has been an increase in pro‐life attitudes among women and pro‐choice among men. Indicates that racial differences on abortion are declining. Reveals that increased religiosity affects attitudes towards abortion, which may account for black women generally being more pro‐life. Notes, also, that respondents with higher levels of education were more pro‐choice. Refers to a particular legal decision on abortion, which, it was thought, had prompted a pro‐choice attitude, but finds that this is not actually the case.
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Jonathan Michie and Christine Oughton
The March 2000 Budget in the UK introduced tax incentives to encourage employee shareholding. The theory is that if employees feel that they have a stake in the enterprise or…
Abstract
The March 2000 Budget in the UK introduced tax incentives to encourage employee shareholding. The theory is that if employees feel that they have a stake in the enterprise or organisation in which they work, they will be more motivated and committed, with positive outcomes in terms of productivity and organisational performance. This theory has received support from research currently being conducted within the School of Management and Organizational Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London, which has found significant positive links between “progressive” human resource practices that promote participation and involvement on the one hand, and corporate performance and organisational outcomes on the other. This is in line with other recent research in the UK and internationally. The question both for business and government is how to engender such participation and involvement and, specifically, whether this can be brought about through employee shareholding, when such individual shareholdings, taken separately, are insignificant in terms of the overall share capital of the corporation. By pooling the voting rights – although not necessarily the actual ownership – of their shares, an employee shareholder trust could represent a significant voice. However, some mechanism is needed to translate individual employee shareholding stakes into a collective voice that can deliver results, both in terms of representing the interests of employees and in convincing employees that their shareholding gives them a stake in the enterprise. Such a move could have important beneficial effects for corporate performance and hence economic growth. It could also have significant welfare effects in terms of enriching the experience of working life.
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John Beech, Simon Horsman and Jamie Magraw
This paper identifies five types of insolvency in English football: clubs that have failed to cope with relegation; failed to pay monies due to the UK government; seen 'soft…
Abstract
This paper identifies five types of insolvency in English football: clubs that have failed to cope with relegation; failed to pay monies due to the UK government; seen 'soft debts' become 'hard debts'; lost the ownership of their stadium; or have been 'repeat offenders'. As the second of a three-phase research project, the paper concludes with an indication of the final phase research and implications of the findings so far for other professional sports.
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