Electricity bill savings and the role of energy efficiency improvements: A case study of residential solar adopters in the USA

2019 ◽  
Vol 106 ◽  
pp. 124-132
Author(s):  
Mahelet G. Fikru
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Electricity Bill ◽  
The Usa

scholarly journals A review of challenges and benefits of integration of CHP plant into the grid: a case study in Serbia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rade M. Ciric ◽  
Sasa N. Mandic
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Increase Energy Efficiency ◽  
High Voltage Supply ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Technical Solutions ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe Republic of Serbia must make significant efforts to promote and exploit renewable energy sources and increase energy efficiency in all energy sectors to ensure energy security and economic competitiveness, reduce the negative impact on the environment from energy production and use, and contribute to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. Within the paper several issues of integration of recently realized CHP plant are introduced and discussed. Firstly, the legal and energy policy issues in the Republic of Serbia regarding connecting CHP to the grid are presented. The challenges and technical solutions for CHP connection to the grid, as well as power quality issues and the role of the CHP plant during the restoration of power supply during the maintenance of the substation and unplanned loss of high voltage supply, are presented and discussed. Finally, the impact of prospective massive integration of CHP on the energy balance and CO2 emission reduction in the province of Vojvodina in Serbia is investigated and discussed. Since it is the first CHP plant realized in Serbia, it is crucial that experience be shared to all potential stakeholders in the future energy efficiency projects.

Employee resource groups as learning communities

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 634-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy M. Green
Keyword(s):  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Employee Resource Groups ◽  
Executive Level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of employee resource groups (ERGs) in a multi-national, for-profit corporation. The paper focuses on how ERGs facilitate learning. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study approach was used to examine six social identity based ERGs in one multi-national for-profit organization headquartered in the USA. Findings The study found that ERGs facilitate learning and development activities in order to support their membership. ERGs, operating as communities of practice, also engaged in informal learning opportunities that were designed to shift perspectives of non-members and executive-level leaders in the organization. Originality/value There is a growing body of literature on ERGs across organizations and higher education that examine how these groups engage in activism, advocacy, recruitment, retention and education. This study examines the processes by which these groups facilitate learning and development activities and the benefits perceived by the membership. The paper provides value to human resources professionals and others who are interested in how ERGs function as learning communities and outcomes the membership perceive as most important.

scholarly journals The Role of Structural Context in Making Business Sense of Investments for Sustainability–A Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 7006
Author(s):  
Josefine Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Investment Decision ◽  
Sustainable Manufacturing ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Improve Energy Efficiency ◽  
Structural Context ◽  
Investment Decision Making

Energy efficiency is an important means for sustainable manufacturing. One action for manufacturing companies to improve energy efficiency is through investments. While these investments often are profitable, opportunities remain unexploited. This paper explores the structural context of the investment decision-making process by examining the associated activities, procedures, and the role of information. While the structural context may limit complex investments that do not fit predefined rules and controls, such as energy efficiency and other sustainability-related investments, it remains a scarcely studied aspect of investment decision-making for energy efficiency investments. Method-wise, the paper is based on a case study of a major investment at a pulp and paper company, motivated and justified based on productivity, strategic, energy, and sustainability rationales. The paper contributes with illustrating how configurations of internal investment activities and procedures may be crucial for sustainability-related investments to pass through the investment process. Moreover, the configuration of activities and procedures is also indicated as influential for the way in which an investment is executed. Hence, for energy efficiency and other sustainability-related investments to make business sense constitutes more than achieving desirable payback periods; the structural context should be considered.

Devolution, not decarceration: The limits of juvenile justice reform in Texas

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 578-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Cate
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Justice ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Community Based ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
The Usa ◽  
High Level ◽  
And Control

Across the USA, a number of states have been reducing the number of juveniles sent to state-run corrections institutions. Findings from a case study on juvenile justice in Texas indicate that the effort to reduce the number of juveniles sent to large state institutions and to invest in “community-based corrections” has entrenched rather than challenged the role of the justice system in the lives of thousands of juveniles. Texas has cut the number of juveniles sent to state-run facilities, but has bolstered and expanded county probation and county detention, which is where the vast majority of juveniles have always been handled. Youth who continue to be sent to state-run facilities or who are housed in county-run institutions experience a high level of violence and are routinely subjected to solitary confinement. The popularity of deinstitutionalizing juveniles from state-run corrections institutions and increasing programming and control of offenders at the local level are animating the landscape of criminal justice policy across the country. The Texas case suggests that this narrow approach further consolidates the extensive role of the justice system in U.S. society.

scholarly journals Understanding pet scams: A case study of advance fee and non-delivery fraud using victims’ accounts

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 497-514
Author(s):  
Jack M Whittaker ◽  
Mark Button
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Online Shopping ◽  
Voluntary Organizations ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Volunteer Group

Advance fee and non-delivery frauds have become very common with the growing preference for online shopping and the new opportunities this brings for online offenders. This article uses unique access to a volunteer group’s database focused on preventing pet scams to explore this type of crime. Distances, among other factors, make the purchase of pets online common in countries such as the USA, Australia and South Africa. This modality of purchase has been exploited by organized criminals largely based in Cameroon to conduct advance fee and non-delivery frauds. The article uses data from the volunteer group Petscams.com to provide unique insights on the techniques of the offenders with particular reference to the strategies used to maximize victimization by using real accounts of victims of such frauds. It also briefly notes how the COVID-19 crisis has been used to adapt this type of scam. The article’s discussion identifies the need for a more nuanced assessment into the role of victim oriented voluntary organizations.

scholarly journals Yuan Versus United States Dollar: the Defective Bipolar China–United States Relationship

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-136
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Smagorowicz-Chojnowska
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
International System ◽  
International Economic Order ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
United States Dollar ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Distribution Of Power ◽  
The Given

The chosen currency regime places a state within the international economic order. Therefore, the exchange rate is a key to creating an internal financial system and opening it up to foreign participants. In this paper we would like to show the differences between China and the USA and examine their impact on potential changes on the distribution of power in the international system. We will also try to prove that this field is a missing link in preventing the final launching of a symmetrical bipolar system which will finally force China to accept the rules of a Washington Consen­sus instead of following its own patterns. The case study method will be used in order to compare market data and assess the role of currencies for the given model.

scholarly journals Public Libraries Worked in the Tohoku Mega-disaster

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Vårheim
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Recovery ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Local Information ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
The Usa

Public libraries play important roles during disaster recovery, even when other government actors fail. Libraries are centers of local information and have local knowledge. Patrons, as well as government agencies and NGOs, benefit from public libraries’ local grounding. Along with their local communities, many public libraries in the Tohoku region of Japan were severely damaged in the earthquake and tsunami of 3.11.2011. The nuclear accident in Fukushima following the tsunami meant that libraries in the evacuated zone were abandoned. Disaster recovery is difficult to handle and few success stories are found. Studies show that where other public services have failed, public libraries have been successful in disaster recovery. The literature on the role of libraries in disaster recovery is scant and only a few cases have been studied, all in the USA. This three-case study shows that libraries worked, that is, library services were offered and were helpful in areas where libraries had been completely demolished in the Japanese prefectures of Iwate and Miyagi.

Divergent responses to sustainability and climate change planning: The role of politics, cultural frames and public participation

Urban Studies ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 332-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Foss
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Fort Worth ◽  
Two Cities ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Change Leaders ◽  
Cultural Frames

Cities are often touted as climate change leaders in the USA and all cities across the country are affected by climate change, but little is known about climate action in politically conservative cities. Using document analysis and interviews, an in-depth case study of two cities in the conservative Dallas-Fort Worth region of Texas examines how public participation and cultural framing contribute to sustainability and climate change planning. One city successfully adopted sustainability plans, while the other city was unable to do so. Comparison of the two cases reveals that carefully designed public participation processes and locally relevant cultural frames can help cities educate residents, build support and expand discussion of sustainability. However, economic development, competition and political controversy prevent cities from addressing climate change explicitly or in meaningful ways, raising concerns about the capacity of cities to act as climate change leaders.

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