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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1992

Søren P. Nielsen

Describes Denmark′s new strategies, designed to cope with andovercome long‐term unemployment. Since the long‐term unemployed (LTU)lack formal education and training, a retraining…

Abstract

Describes Denmark′s new strategies, designed to cope with and overcome long‐term unemployment. Since the long‐term unemployed (LTU) lack formal education and training, a retraining and temporary job creation scheme has been in operation for the last two years. Reports on research and development in education and training of adult LTUs. Concludes that wider vocational and educational courses, catering for the specific needs of the target group, must be established.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Open Access
Book part
Publication date: 1 May 2019

Søren Møller Kæseler, Hasse H. Neve and Søren Wandahl

User-driven innovation has been proven to successfully increase the value of products and services in companies with direct linkages to the end-user. The construction industry…

Abstract

Purpose

User-driven innovation has been proven to successfully increase the value of products and services in companies with direct linkages to the end-user. The construction industry demonstrates low productivity and innovation performance. In refurbishment the end-users are very visible and can either be seen as an innovation potential or burden. The purpose of this study was (1) examine the level of UDI in refurbishment, (2) develop UDI framework suitable for refurbishment and (3) mapping of UDI enablers.

Method

The research design is a case study of renovation within social housing associations, and where user involvement processes have been the primary scope of analysis. The data analysis consisted of the mapping of user-related activities regarding the level of involvement and the extent of power allocated to the end-user in influencing the end product. Additionally, a literature review on UDI has been carried out.

Findings

This research validated a possible theoretical implementation of UDI on refurbishment projects. In addition, the research identified present barriers related to the current form of procurement and incentive structures.

Limitations

The research was only based on Danish refurbishment projects.

Implications

This exploratory research has resulted in the development of a potential new paradigm of applying UDI in the construction industry. This research takes the initial steps towards creating a body of knowledge within UDI in the context of refurbishment projects.

Value

This research is pointing towards higher degree of user-driven innovation in refurbishment and in the construction industry in general.

Book part
Publication date: 5 December 2018

Willy Legrand and Robert Schønrock Nielsen

In this paper, we investigate the connection between ethics and aesthetics with a supporting case from the international tourism industry. Researchers in sustainable tourism have…

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the connection between ethics and aesthetics with a supporting case from the international tourism industry. Researchers in sustainable tourism have ignored, resisted or simply been reluctant to include the aesthetic perspective in the analysis of sustainable development, social responsibility or climate adaptation. The consequence is that we know very little about the ways aesthetic affects ethical considerations among guests and travellers. A more comprehensive reconciliation of the ethical and aesthetic dimensions may lead to the recognition that a stronger emphasis on aesthetics can enhance the guest’s experience of sustainable tourism within a responsible experience economy. We argue that this economy can thrive under sophisticated capitalism.

Details

Advances in Hospitality and Leisure
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78769-303-6

Keywords

Open Access
Book part
Publication date: 1 May 2019

Søren Wandahl, Louise Lund, Hasse Neve and Stina Rask Jensen

The aim of this study is to develop a framework that incorporates social aspects of housing refurbishment when evaluating the sustainability of refurbishment projects. The…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to develop a framework that incorporates social aspects of housing refurbishment when evaluating the sustainability of refurbishment projects. The research examined whether the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) certification yields a holistic approach to social sustainability.

Approach

A framework for social sustainability was established from values identified through reviews of certification systems, published literature and from interviews. The target is to better assess and value holistic and soft parameters like social sustainability when assessing the overall value creation of projects.

Findings

The result was a more transparent and systematic structure, which revealed that the DGNB certification had shortcomings in a holistic approach to social sustainability. Counteractions for these shortcomings are discussed.

Research Limitations

Researchers are still discussing how to include more soft aspects like social aspects with the more hard measures like energy consumption and initial cost in the same equation for addressing sustainability in a more holistic framework. This research contributes to this.

Practical Implications

Considering the current climate situation and the amount and the state of existing European building stock, sustainable renovation is inevitable. In Europe, the DGNB certification is one of the most applied certification systems of sustainability. It approaches all parts of sustainability. Yet, social sustainability has been criticised for being neglected.

Originality/Value

A review of literature concerning the concept suggests that it is a concept in chaos. There have been a number of attempts to impose some order to this; however, the attempts have all been made differently and with limited success.

Details

10th Nordic Conference on Construction Economics and Organization
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-051-1

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 December 2023

Hatice Nuriler and Søren S.E. Bengtsen

Institutional framings of doctoral education mostly do not recognize the existential dimension of doctoral experience. This paper aims to offer an expanded understanding of…

Abstract

Purpose

Institutional framings of doctoral education mostly do not recognize the existential dimension of doctoral experience. This paper aims to offer an expanded understanding of experiences of doctoral researchers in the humanities with the concept of entangled becoming. This concept is developed through an existential lens by using Søren Kierkegaard’s philosophy – particularly his emphasis on emotions such as passion, anxiety and despair – and Denise Batchelor’s derived concept of vulnerable voices.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual framing is used for an empirical study based on ethnographic interviews with 10 doctoral researchers and supplementary observational notes from fieldwork at a university in Denmark. Two of the interview cases were selected to showcase variation across lived experiences and how doctoral researchers voice their entangled becoming.

Findings

Common experiences such as loneliness, insecurity(ies), vulnerability(ies) or passion for one’s research were identified across the interviews. On the other hand, this study shows that each doctoral journey in the humanities envelops a distinct web of entanglements, entailing distinct navigation, that makes each case a unique story and each doctoral voice a specific one.

Originality/value

Combining an existential philosophical perspective with a qualitative study, the paper offers an alternative perspective for doctoral education. It connects the humanities doctoral experience to the broader condition of human existence and the sophisticated uniqueness of each researcher’s becoming.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2011

Søren Wandahl, Alexia Jacobsen, Astrid Heidemann Lassen, Søren Bolvig Poulsen and Henrik Sørensen

User‐driven innovation (UDI) has been proven to successfully increase the value of products and services in single companies with direct linkages to the end‐user. The construction…

1465

Abstract

Purpose

User‐driven innovation (UDI) has been proven to successfully increase the value of products and services in single companies with direct linkages to the end‐user. The construction material industry often has no direct linkages to the end‐user, due to supply networks through builder merchants. Moreover, a lack of user knowledge is common in such networks, and companies rarely have explicit knowledge on how their products and services are in fact used and valued by their end‐users. Thus, it is clear that UDI is not directly applicable to the construction material industry without further developments. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that a network perspective is essential when adapting and implementing UDI in the construction material industry and to let the advantages of doing so surface.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design includes a number of different approaches and types of interaction between the researchers and industry. Additionally, an extensive literature review on UDI is carried out to identify variables necessary for successful adaptation to a network perspective.

Findings

The conclusion of this research validates that a network approach to adapting UDI in the construction material industry is a precondition for a successful innovation journey. In addition, it was concluded that by adapting the network perspective new value‐adding potentials became visible, which could have a huge impact on innovation, effectiveness, efficiency, etc. in the construction material industry.

Originality/value

The paper adds to the body of knowledge on how to implement UDI in a supply network by developing a framework for such an innovation process. The framework has its outset in any given generic new product development model with a logical sequence of steps. However, the framework is further developed into defining the networks activities, the internal activities, and the user‐oriented activities needed.

Details

Construction Innovation, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 31 January 2022

Lars Qvortrup

The idea of Evidence-Informed Practice (EIP) was introduced in Denmark at a national policy level with the 2013 national school reform. After 10 years of gradual development…

Abstract

The idea of Evidence-Informed Practice (EIP) was introduced in Denmark at a national policy level with the 2013 national school reform. After 10 years of gradual development towards an output-oriented, accountability-based school system, the school reform fully realized the idea of a school system, which was oriented towards learning objectives and based on capacity building and supporting professional capital. One element of professional capital was EIP, and this idea was supported financially both by the parliament and large private foundations (e.g. the Maersk Foundation). However, for different reasons, the national reform created a lot of resistance among teachers and the national teacher union, including a number of pedagogical researchers. Partly, the reform was underfunded, and partly it represented a qualitative change from understanding teaching as craft to observing it as a rational, research-informed professional practice. The result was that EIP was met with scepticism among many teachers. After 6–7 years of EIP development, the current status is that one can identify a small, yet statistical significant positive correlation between teachers' professional, evidence-informed collaboration, and their job satisfaction. However, there have been no significant changes to student achievement, well-being and teaching experiences. Part of the explanation seems to be that EIP has been introduced with a combination of high social regulation and low social cohesion, pointing towards a fatalist system approach. However, this is not an expression of an intentional approach, but rather the result of a lack of teacher acceptance. One important reason for this was that the reform was underfunded. Consequently, it was combined with a labour market conflict followed by an increase of teachers hours without an increase of salary. This resulted in a legitimation crisis, which negatively influenced the teachers' acceptance of the school reform, including the idea of EIP.

Details

The Emerald Handbook of Evidence-Informed Practice in Education
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-141-6

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 22 March 2021

Søren Rud Kristensen and Kim Rose Olsen

In this chapter, we focus on the major reforms intended to ensure the sustainability of health care in Denmark between 2000 and 2020 and the evidence for the effectiveness of…

Abstract

In this chapter, we focus on the major reforms intended to ensure the sustainability of health care in Denmark between 2000 and 2020 and the evidence for the effectiveness of these reforms. We take a broad definition of sustainability and include reforms that aimed to improve the productivity of the health care sector both in terms of increasing activity for the same set of inputs and in terms of improving the quality of care. A characterisation of the Danish health care system as having gone through evolution rather than revolution (Pedersen, Christiansen, & Bech, 2005) is, with one exception, still true today, and reforms have been relatively few. As we demonstrate there is a relative lack of formal evaluations of these reforms.

In the first decade of the period, the majority of new policy measures aimed to increase the quantity of care provided by the health care sector. With the introduction of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) to measure hospital activity, a wave of reforms created a stronger link between activity and hospital reimbursement, and introduced additional incentives for increasing activity, alongside requirements for increased technical efficiency. A centralisation reform in 2007 reduced the number of administrative units and saw the beginning of a development that would also lead to fewer hospital units. Procurements of medicines were professionalised, and a national council was established to consider the use of expensive hospital medicine.

In the second-half of the period, policy makers began questioning whether increased activity was always for the better, and slowly began experimenting with initiatives that would shift the focus to the quality and appropriateness of care. As in many other countries, this move occurred in the light of a realisation of a shift in the demographic structure of the country and the change this was expected to create for the future demand for health care.

Although some empirical evidence exists, it is striking that few of the changes to the health care sector has been subject to formal academic evaluation – especially when considering the availability of high quality nationwide micro data. We point to a number of important lessons that could be drawn from the Danish experiences.

However, the greatest potential for research into the sustainability of health care in the Danish setting is probably still to be realised by taking advantage of the possibilities of linking micro data on individuals' health care utilisation, schooling outcomes and labour supply, with the possibility of following individuals across decades. For example, Danish micro data make it possible to follow newborns in 1990 until they reach adulthood and simultaneously follow their parents from adulthood until they reach 60 years of age where the prevalence of chronic diseases begins to show.

Details

The Sustainability of Health Care Systems in Europe
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83909-499-6

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1974

The Institute dates back to 1952 when Torben Agersnap started at the Copenhagen School of Economics and Social Sciences. By 1969 it had a staff of three researchers, but in the…

Abstract

The Institute dates back to 1952 when Torben Agersnap started at the Copenhagen School of Economics and Social Sciences. By 1969 it had a staff of three researchers, but in the following years it has grown rapidly. Today the Institute comprises a staff of two full professors, seven associate professors and nine research fellows all on the payroll of the School. In addition there is a staff of about five researchers on various grants and projects.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 3 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Book part
Publication date: 11 October 2022

Juliana Alves and Mansour Ghanian

This chapter provides the results of the motivations and the profile of the creative tourist. Results originate from the major studies done worldwide, concerned with the different…

Abstract

This chapter provides the results of the motivations and the profile of the creative tourist. Results originate from the major studies done worldwide, concerned with the different types of activities. This analysis is essential to design new products based on Creative Tourism and sustainability. Also, because at an international level, including South Europe, the profile of the creative tourist has not been characterised, especially the one that visits medium-sized cities and rural areas. This chapter intends to answer the following questions: Who is the participant in Creative Tourism activities? Is he/she mainly domestic or an international tourist? Why does this type of tourist participate in these creative experiences? What type of information sources do these tourists use to find the experiences in which he/she participates? This chapter uses primary and secondary data. The secondary data follow a content analysis approach of activities offered by Airbnb Experiences Platform. Regarding the primary data, 595 questionnaires applied in 45 creative experiences in the Northern region of mainland Portugal were analysed. The creative experiences were divided into seven categories: ‘creative festivals’, ‘nature and creativity’, ‘photography workshop’, ‘gastronomy experience’, ‘industrial experience’, ‘technology and creativity’ and ‘art and crafts’. The methods used were quantitative in nature. The questionnaire used consisted of 31 closed questions aimed at the profile and the motivations of the creative experience participants. Descriptive statistical analysis was used. The main results showed that participants in the seven categories of Creative Tourism experiences have relatively large differences in terms of demographic and socio-economic characteristics. These differences were also evident in their motivations for participating in Creative Tourism experiences.

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