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1 – 10 of 128David S. Timmons and Benjamin Weil
Many institutions of higher education have committed to carbon neutrality. Given this goal, the main economic issue is minimizing cost. As for society as a whole, dominant…
Abstract
Purpose
Many institutions of higher education have committed to carbon neutrality. Given this goal, the main economic issue is minimizing cost. As for society as a whole, dominant decarbonization strategies are renewable electricity generation, electrification of end uses and energy efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to describe the optimum combination of strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
There are four questions for eliminating the primary institutional greenhouse gas emissions: how much renewable electricity to produce on-site; where and at what price to purchase the balance of renewable electricity required; how to heat and cool buildings without fossil fuels; and how much to invest in energy efficiency. A method is presented to minimize decarbonization costs by equating marginal costs of the alternates.
Findings
The estimated cost of grid-purchased carbon-free energy is the most important benchmark, determining both the optimal level of campus-produced renewable energy and the optimum efficiency investment. In the context of complete decarbonization, greater efficiency investments may be justified than when individual measures are judged only by fossil-fuel savings.
Practical implications
This paper discusses a theoretically ideal plan and implementation issues such as purchasing carbon-free electricity, calculating marginal costs of conserved energy, nonmarginal cost changes, uncertainty about achieving efficiency targets, and dynamic pricing. The principles described in this study can be used to craft a cost-minimizing decarbonization strategy.
Originality/value
While previous studies discuss decarbonization strategies, there is little economic guidance on which strategies are optimal, on how to combine strategies to minimize cost or how to identify a preferred path to decarbonization.
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Pauline Gill, Paul McKenna, Helen O'Neill, Johnny Thompson and David Timmons
The Central Mental Hospital in Ireland is one of the oldest forensic mental health units in Europe. The hospital is currently in the process of transforming from a single…
Abstract
The Central Mental Hospital in Ireland is one of the oldest forensic mental health units in Europe. The hospital is currently in the process of transforming from a single inpatient site to a modern national forensic mental health service. Central to this transformation is the need to move from the traditional security‐focused model of care to a model of recovery. The challenge incumbent within this transformation is to incorporate a sophisticated amalgamation of the patients' needs while recognising the broad range of security requirements in a forensic setting. This paper considered that adopting an integrated care pathway (ICP) approach would provide the service with a vehicle to re‐engineer our principles and systems of care. Likewise we hypothesised that the ICP would enable us to consolidate best practices such as multi‐ disciplinary working, structured professional judgement and the involvement of the patient and their carers. Thus far it has afforded us the opportunity to examine many aspects of the care delivered within the service. It has provided a shared understanding of key standards among clinicians, service users and carers that are necessary to implement a quality care pathway. It has certainly not been a stagnant process, and the initial work often bears no resemblance to the current process. In turn, we expect that it will continue to change as the path travelled is as important as the outcome and the ICP becomes a dynamic part of the organisation.
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Greenko, a renewable power generating company investing in biomass, small and medium hydro power and wind power projects, had projected to achieve 1GW (Giga Watt = 1000 Mega Watt…
Abstract
Greenko, a renewable power generating company investing in biomass, small and medium hydro power and wind power projects, had projected to achieve 1GW (Giga Watt = 1000 Mega Watt) of installed capacity by March 2015. The company had been financing its projects with debt from Indian banks and financial institutions on a project finance basis and it had to now decide whether to refinance the project finance debt with an international bond issue of USD 550 million. The case provides an opportunity to discuss the public policy and financing aspects of renewable energy in India.
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David J. Brophy and Michael R. Haessler
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how probabilistic simulation can be used to assist prospective general partners (GP) and limited partners (LP) of a venture capital…
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how probabilistic simulation can be used to assist prospective general partners (GP) and limited partners (LP) of a venture capital limited partnership fund to evaluate alternative investment strategies for the proposed fund. The model presented in the paper is based upon observed characteristics of the venture capital market reported in the finance, economics, and management science literature. The body of the paper is organized as follows. In Section II we review the structural characteristics of the model. In Section III we present the results, in terms of ending wealth, obtained from simulating the fund's operations over its life under selected alternative investment strategies. In Section IV we show evaluations of the fund's simulated results under expected return, mean/variance and four moment approaches. In Section V, we present conclusions and implications of the results for financial management.
Jon Newton and David Gary Shreeve
A study of “the relationship between the characteristics and life experiences of entrepreneurs” has just been completed at the University of Derby. The four‐fold purpose of this…
Abstract
A study of “the relationship between the characteristics and life experiences of entrepreneurs” has just been completed at the University of Derby. The four‐fold purpose of this study, was to: identify and evaluate from existing literature the personal traits and characteristics of entrepreneurs and the main factors or life experiences which may affect their characteristics; identify from the authors primary research, the personal traits and characteristics of entrepreneurs; to identify from the authors primary research which factors or life experiences affect particularly the characteristics of entrepreneurs; and, finally, to assess whether there is any correlation between the characteristics and life experiences of the entrepreneurs investigated in this study and those identified by other academic studies.
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Audrey Gilmore and David Carson
This paper advocates the merits of a holistic qualitative research method and analysis as being the most penetrative method for determining the decision making process of SME…
Abstract
This paper advocates the merits of a holistic qualitative research method and analysis as being the most penetrative method for determining the decision making process of SME owner‐managers. This holistic method is refined in use and illustrated in an example of assessing the processes and outcomes of SME decision making in respect of the “product” aspects of marketing activity. The methodology allows the range of important issues that may be expected to be inherent in how entrepreneur owner‐managers DO marketing to be identified; and to determine the quality of this decision making. This methodology could be used for other applications in a variety of marketing circumstances, and, indeed, a key feature of the methodology outlined in this paper is its flexibility and adaptability.
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Angela Hall, Stacy Hickox, Jennifer Kuan and Connie Sung
Barriers to employment are a significant issue in the United States and abroad. As civil rights legislation continues to be enforced and as employers seek to diversify their…
Abstract
Barriers to employment are a significant issue in the United States and abroad. As civil rights legislation continues to be enforced and as employers seek to diversify their workplaces, it is incumbent upon the management field to offer insights that address obstacles to work. Although barriers to employment have been addressed in various fields such as psychology and economics, management scholars have addressed this issue in a piecemeal fashion. As such, our review will offer a comprehensive, integrative model of barriers to employment that addresses both individual and organizational perspectives. We will also address societal-level concerns involving these barriers. An integrative perspective is necessary for research to progress in this area because many individuals with barriers to employment face multiple challenges that prevent them from obtaining and maintaining full employment. While the additive, or possibly multiplicative, effect of employment barriers have been acknowledged in related fields like rehabilitation counseling and vocational psychology, the Human Resource Management (HRM) literature has virtually ignored this issue. We discuss suggestions for the reduction or elimination of barriers to employment. We also provide an integrative model of employment barriers that addresses the mutable (amenable to change) nature of some barriers, while acknowledging the less mutable nature of others.
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David Carson and Pauline Maclaran
The importance of customer service to the small firm together with how small firms can maximize their inherent strengths in this respect are considered. Current customer service…
Abstract
The importance of customer service to the small firm together with how small firms can maximize their inherent strengths in this respect are considered. Current customer service theories, which have developed with larger organizations in mind, are examined to assess how they may be adapted to have relevance for the smaller business. A conceptual model of customer service for small firms is outlined and applied to findings from an empirical study of 28 small firms.
Basharat Hussain, Ada Hui, Stephen Timmons and Kennedy Nkhoma
This paper presents a thematic synthesis of mental health policies published in England from 1999 to 2020.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper presents a thematic synthesis of mental health policies published in England from 1999 to 2020.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper aims to present a thematic synthesis of mental health policies published in England from 1999 to 2020. The authors specifically focus on ethnicity-related mental health issues highlighted in policies, policy recommendations and performance measurements of policy implementation.
Findings
Findings from this synthesis demonstrate that ethnic mental health inequalities remain comparable over the past two decades. Ongoing issues include a lack of data on the ethnicity of mental health services users. Where data is available, these highlight ethnic inequalities in access to, experiences of and outcomes of mental health services, as well as a lack of cultural capability in health-care professionals. Policy recommendations have also remained the same during this time and include: collecting data on the ethnicity of service users, raising awareness of the cultural needs of Black and Minority ethnic populations amongst health-care professionals, recruiting BME staff into mental health care services and improving community engagement. The synthesis identified poor indicators of performance measurement on policy implementation and weak monitoring regimes.
Practical implications
The synthesis identified poor indicators of performance measurement on policy implementation and weak monitoring regimes.
Originality/value
This paper presents a thematic synthesis of mental health policies published in England from 1999 to 2020.
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