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Effective Emergency Response Management (ERM) system evaluation is vital to the process of continual improvement within emergency response organizations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate if an entire ERM system can be captured and encoded within a standardized framework.

Employing an exploratory approach the authors apply a mixed methods case study design and inductive reasoning to analyse documentary evidence provided during the inquest into the London Bombings 2005. The authors use content analysis to investigate the nature of ERM system data availability and apply principals of Network Theory to iteratively develop a framework within which data can be encoded.

The authors find that complex ERM system data can be captured and stored within a standardized framework. The authors present a conceptual framework and multi-stage mixed methods process, the Standardized Emergency Response Incident Evaluation System (SERIES) model, to support data collection, storage and interpretation. The findings demonstrate that ERM system evaluation can benefit from the adoption of a standardized mixed-methods approach employing data transformation and triangulation. The authors also demonstrate the potential of the proposed standardized model, by integrating qualitative and quantitative data, to support interpretation and reporting through the use of appropriate data visualization.

The SERIES model provides a practical tool and procedural guidelines to capture and share vital ERM system data and information across all emergency services. It also presents an opportunity to develop a large comprehensive multi-incident dataset to support academic inquiry and partnership between academics and practitioners.

This study aims to examine the use of data visualization as a tool to support practitioner-led organizational learning within the emergency services. The authors investigate how data visualization can support visual communication and the analysis of emergency response data to promote system improvement.

The authors investigate if communication data, presented as node-link diagrams, can be understood and evaluated by firefighters. Objective understanding of the communication network is measured quantitatively, while subject judgement of the emergency response system is measured qualitatively and compared to prior system evaluation outcomes. The authors compare different data visualization layouts and assess their value in supporting practitioner evaluation of emergency response systems.

The authors find that while firefighters are largely unfamiliar with their use, data visualizations function as a tool for visual communication and analysis. The authors identify the importance of visualization design and the difficulty in representing characteristics of a dynamic network within static diagrams. The authors also find some correlation between layout design and how respondents interpret visual data.

Results demonstrate the value of data visualization to support practitioner-led organizational learning and suggest future work to support the development of emergency response management.

Young people’s choice of higher education institution and subject are often assumed to take place in a social vacuum, ignoring the influence of family and friends. Despite a shift away from state funding of undergraduate higher education towards a cost-sharing model (Johnstone, 2004), little research has been carried out on family attitudes to debt, particularly in Scotland where home students do not pay tuition fees. This chapter explores how higher education decisions are made by Scottish domiciled students in the context of their families and the ways in which such decisions are mediated by social class.

This study examines the role of personality and work experience in predicting two measures of job performance: Proficiency on the job tasks assigned to employees (task performance) and discretionary behaviors (e.g., helping) that may or may not be performed by employees (contextual performance). The two types of performance measures were shown to have different patterns of association with work experience and personality dimensions, such that personality was more predictive of contextual performance, while job experience was more predictive of task‐based performance. Noticeably, conscientiousness did not predict task‐based performance. Implications and limitations of the present study, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the following choice issues among young consumers (Generation Y): how cultural values influence a student's decision on study destinations, and how cultural values influence student's preferred sources of information for university choice?

High school students from Singapore and Malaysia, intending to study in New Zealand were surveyed with an instrument based on Schwartz's Value Survey and the understanding that cultural values are a powerful force shaping consumers' motivations, lifestyles and product choices.

The results of this research suggests that cultural values have an impact on student's intended choice of international tertiary education and their preferred sources of information for university enrolment. The results have important implications for marketers of export education.

There are few studies which try to understand how cultural values influence a student's decision on study destinations and their preferred sources of information for university choice.

Aims to conduct research on consumer willingness to buy genetically modified (GM) foods with a price advantage and other benefits, compared with organic and ordinary types of foods, employing a robust experimental method. The importance of this increases as the volume and range of GM foods grown and distributed globally increase, as consumer fears surrounding perceived risk decrease and consumer benefits are communicated.

In contrast with survey‐based experiments, which lack credibility with some practitioners and academics, customers chose amongst three categories of fruit (organic, GM, and ordinary) with experimentally designed levels of price in a roadside stall in a fruit‐growing region of New Zealand. Buyers were advised, after choosing, that all the fruit was standard produce, and the experiment was revealed. Data were analysed with multi‐nomial logit models.

Increasing produce type and price sensitivity coefficient estimates were found in order from organic through ordinary to spray‐free GM produce, requiring market‐pricing scenario simulations to further investigate the pricing implications.

The real market experimental methodology produced robust, useful findings.

It is concluded that, when the GM label is combined with a typical functional food benefit, GM fruit can indeed achieve significant market share amongst organic and ordinary fruit, even in a country where the GM issue has been highly controversial; GM fruit can gain a sustainable competitive advantage from any price reduction associated with production cost savings; and market shares of organic fruit are least sensitive to pricing and the introduction of GM fruit.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the elements of country image that influence gatekeepers of the European food distribution sector when making industrial purchasing decisions regarding imported food products.

In‐depth interviews were conducted with key informants of seventeen food distribution companies and industry organisations in five European countries to determine the factors that they consider important when deciding from which countries to source food products.

Confidence and trust in production systems, the integrity of regulatory systems, and the reliability of suppliers appear to be the major determinants of product‐country image as viewed by gatekeepers of the food distribution channel.

These specific factors relating to confidence, trust, integrity and reputation appear to over‐ride more general perceptions of country image based on scenic or environmental considerations.

Provides useful information for public policy makers and companies in food exporting countries.

Many countries have held back from planting genetically modified (GM) food crops due to perceived negative reaction in export and domestic markets. Three lines of research have tested the reality of this fear.

In‐depth interviews were conducted in European countries with key companies and organisations in the European food sector. Supermarket intercepts were used to ascertain purchasing intent for products from countries that do or do not produce GM crops. A purchasing experiment was conducted, where cherries labelled as GM, organic or conventional were on sale in a roadside stall.

Food distribution channel members expressed concern about possibility of contamination or mix‐up between GM and non‐GM food. However, presence of GM crops in a country does not cause negative perception of food in general from that country. Approximately 30 per cent of consumers in the purchasing experiment proved willing to purchase GM cherries when there was a defined consumer benefit – either lower price or spray‐free.

Countries that have not yet planted GM food crops need to be cautious about possible negative impacts on channel member perceptions of non‐GM versions of the same crop from the same country. However, planting GM crops does not appear likely to damage the overall reputation of a food‐supplying country. GM applications in non‐food areas seem unlikely to damage perceptions of country image in relation to supply of food products from that country.

Provides useful information for those planning to plant GM food crops.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how Chinese cultural values influence “Little Emperors'” choice of study destination; and their preferred communication sources for university choice.

University students from the People's Republic of China (PRC) in New Zealand were surveyed with an instrument based on Schwartz's “Values survey” and the understanding that cultural values are a powerful force shaping consumers' motivations, lifestyles and product choices. A central‐location (libraries, lecture theatres) sampling strategy was employed.

The results from the research suggest that Chinese cultural values have an impact on “Little Emperor's” choice of international tertiary education and their preferred communication sources for university choice. The study shows that New Zealand society appeals for its low corruption and high level of honesty and fairness which are attractive to these “Little Emperors” because these values help to reinforce group harmony, a prominent characteristic of Chinese society. The “Little Emperor's” preference for using education fairs, university open days and representative agents as sources of information for university enrolment is consistent with the high context nature of Chinese society.

Few studies have attempted to understand how cultural values influence young Chinese students' decisions on study destinations and their preferred communication sources for university choice.

This study aims to investigate perceived risk and trustworthiness in relationship to the diffusion of innovation theory to understand the determinants of behavioural intent to adopt mobile commerce among the Y Generation. It also seeks to investigate the impact of culture on mobile commerce adoption.

Five hundred and thirty randomly distributed questionnaires in six tertiary education institutions in Kazakhstan, Morocco and Singapore were used. Multivariate analysis of variance was conducted using SPSS and structural equation modelling using AMOS 7.0 to test for construct validity and for hypothesis testing.

Perceived risk, trustworthiness and Rogers' five perceived characteristics of innovation (namely, observability, trialability, compatibility, complexity, relative advantage) determined behavioural intent to adopt mobile commerce among the Y Generation. Culture had a moderating effect on these determinants in Kazakhstan and Morocco.

This study has not yet explored cost, goods offerings and payment systems that may influence users' intention to adopt mobile commerce. Differential experience of respondents with different mobile portals would have differential effect on the perceived ease of use of mobile commerce, affecting the result of this study.

This study suggested that the Y Generation are concerned about privacy violation and risk associated with mobile commerce. Mobile service providers should consider trials and permission‐based mobile marketing to imbue trust in mobile commerce.

This study integrates trustworthiness and perceived risk with Rogers' DOI innovation characteristics, resulting in greater understanding of the behavioral intent to adopt mobile commerce among the Y Generation. Further, few studies delved into the comparative impact of culture on the behaviour intent to adopt mobile commerce among the Y Generation in Asian and African countries.