scholarly journals No children, no DSS, no students: online adverts and “property guardianship”

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-229
Author(s):  
Jed Meers ◽  
Caroline Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Social Security ◽  
Search Engine ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Legal Understanding ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Do So ◽  
Rented Sector

PurposeThose seeking a new place to live – especially in the private rented sector – now head online to do so. The platforms they use and adverts they see are an important source of information about the properties they will occupy and how their owners’ seek to project them. This paper aims to argue for the importance of property adverts as a source of data, using “property guardianship” to illustrate the value in the approach.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on an analysis of 503 advertisements published on SpareRoom.co.uk – a leading property search engine – in July 2018.FindingsThe authors put forward four key areas of findings. The first two look at legal understanding, dealing with the context, the advertisement provides for eventual occupation (the “process of construction”) and any indications they provide of legal elements of occupation (“diagnostics”). The final two deal with the broader positioning of the sector, analysing the practice of excluding prospective occupiers, such as the widespread inclusion of “no Department of Social Security” seen elsewhere in the private rented sector, and how the adverts project a certain lifestyle to their viewer.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings demonstrate that further research into property advertisements would be valuable, particularly into other sub-markets in the private-rented sector, such as student accommodation and “professional” lets.Originality/valueThis study is the only analysis of property guardian advertisements and the first dedicated study of private rented sector advertisements in the UK.

International evidence of changing assurance practices for carbon emissions disclosures

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rina Datt ◽  
Pranil Prasad ◽  
Connie Vitale ◽  
Krishan Prasad
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
North America ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Evidence ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Intensive Growth ◽  
Do So

Purpose The market for the assurance of carbon emissions disclosures is showing intensive growth. However, due to the largely voluntary nature of carbon reporting and assurance, there are currently no clear standards or guidelines and little is known about it. The purpose of this paper is to examine the reporting and assurance practices for carbon emissions disclosures. Design/methodology/approach This study provides evidence on this market, with a sample that includes 13,419 firm-year observations across 58 countries between 2010 and 2017 from the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) database. Findings The results show that the demand for carbon emissions reporting comes mainly from North America, the UK and Japan. Recently, markets such as South Africa have also shown increased demand for carbon reporting. The data also shows that more firms are seeking assurance for their carbon emissions reports. Legitimacy, stakeholder and institutional theories are used to explain the findings of this study. Research limitations/implications The results have important implications for firms that produce carbon emissions disclosures, assurance service providers, legislators, regulators and the users of the reports and there should be more specific disclosure guidelines for level and scope of reporting. Originality/value Amongst the firms that do provide assurance on their carbon emissions reports, a majority do so using specialist assurance providers, with only limited assurance being provided. The results further show that a myriad of assurance frameworks is being used to assure the carbon emissions disclosures.

scholarly journals Perceptions of growth-impeding constraints acting upon SMEs’ operations and the identification and use of transitionary paths to elevate them

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 756-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Clegg
Keyword(s):  
Operations Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Theory Of Constraints ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Case Data ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Do So

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to know which growth-impeding constraints are perceived to act upon operations of small- to medium-sized (SME) companies by their owner-managers and to recommend transitionary paths to elevate constraints and increase contribution levels made by SMEs’ operations. To do so, this research has been primarily founded upon Hayes et al.’s (2005) operations contribution model for differentiating between different levels of operations’ contribution, and secondarily on the theory of constraints philosophy to explain the perceptions of constraints found at each level – current and future. Design/methodology/approach An open-ended survey and a series of group workshops have gathered new empirical data about these perceptions, which were coded using the relational content analysis to identify a parsimonious set of perceptual growth-impeding constraint categories. The most popular transitions were identified and a correlation of frequency rank orders between “perceived current” and “perceived future” constraints categories was calculated, and likely transitionary paths for growth are discussed. Three SME case studies were documented in related action research to contextualise survey findings. Findings The most popular transition was from “neutral” to “leading”. A lack of people capability was perceived to be the most commonly reported growth-impeding constraint category, followed by a combined lack of process competence and product and service innovation, further followed by a lack of skills in information technology automation. In addition, a new conceptual model has been generated inductively to address shortcomings found in the original operations contribution model (Hayes et al., 2005) during its application to UK SMEs. The new model is referred to in this paper as the “Operations Growth Rocket”. Research limitations/implications This research only used data from UK SMEs. Practical implications This work should help SME owner-managers to overcome growth-impeding constraints that act upon their operations and assist them to develop more effective actions and paths to increase the contribution levels made by their operations. This in turn should support growth of their organisations. Findings will also inform teaching about more effective operations management in SMEs. Social implications This work should help UK SMEs to grow, which in turn will strengthen the UK economy. Originality/value A novel approach and new data from 208 SMEs modify a classical operations contribution model (Hayes et al., 2005). This is achieved by considering transitionary paths to be meta-categories continua abstracted from constraint categories combined with case data for moving towards higher levels of operations contribution, rather than using discrete growth-impeding and growth-constraining “levels”. This research has inductively generated a new version of the classical contribution model that should be more suitable for stimulating growth in (UK) SMEs.

scholarly journals “The UK is not innocent”: Black Lives Matter, policing and abolition in the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Remi Joseph–Salisbury ◽  
Laura Connelly ◽  
Peninah Wangari-Jones
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
The United States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Police Contact ◽  
Black Lives Matter ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Stop And Search ◽  
Do So

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to show that racism is not only a US problem. Rather, racism is endemic and pervasive in the UK context, manifesting at every level of policing. From stop and search, to deaths after police contact, the authors highlight long-standing and widespread racist disparities in UK policing. The authors therefore pierce through any delusions of UK “post-racialism” in order to show that, as protesters have reminded us, “the UK is not innocent”.Design/methodology/approachIn this piece, the authors reflect on the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. Whilst the catalyst was the death of George Floyd in the United States, the authors explore what the protests mean in the UK context. To do so, the authors draw upon recent high-profile examples of police racism, before situating those events within a wider landscape of racist policing.FindingsDemonstrating that UK policing has to be understood as institutionally racist, the authors suggest that responses to police racism need to be radical and uncompromising – tweaks to the system are not enough. The authors therefore look towards defunding and abolition as ways in which one can begin to seek change.Originality/valueThe piece takes up the challenges set by this Black Lives Matter moment and offers a critical take on policing that seeks to push beyond reformism whilst also highlighting the realities of UK racism.

scholarly journals How to reinvent the High Street: evidence from the HS2020

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 380-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Costas Theodoridis ◽  
Nikos Ntounis ◽  
John Pal
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Discussion Paper ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Street ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Do So

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to present and critically discuss the findings of the ESRC-funded HS2020 project. The aim is to discuss the retail-led change that has happened to the High Streets that participated to the project that, in some cases, is revolutionary and is leading to the reinvention of the place. To do so reference is made to various retail change theories discussing both institutional and consumer-led change. Design/methodology/approach This is a discussion paper on the findings of the HS2020 project. Findings The major finding reported in this paper is that the reinvention is a natural learning process that involves the comprehension of change and the development of knowledge that will lead to the reinvention of the High Street. Research limitations/implications The findings of the research are based on data that were collected from a total of ten towns across the UK. Practical implications The paper suggests that to reinvent the High Street the stakeholders that are involved in the place decision-making processes they should embrace the change as a natural development and try to understand and learn from it rather than resisting to it. The HS2020 project provides a comprehensive guide of the areas that change can be managed and if it happens it can facilitate the reinvention. Originality/value The paper is relevant to the academic community, as it offers insight to the theories of retail change, and to the practitioners, as it provides evidence as to how to deal with the change that happens to the High Streets.

scholarly journals Evaluating competing public policy approaches towards the informal economy

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin C Williams ◽  
Ioana Alexandra Horodnic ◽  
Lynda Burkinshaw
Keyword(s):  
Informal Economy ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Actor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Economic Actor ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Do So

Purpose – Conventionally, participation in the informal economy has been explained by viewing citizens as rational economic actors participating when the pay-off is greater than the expected cost of being caught and punished, and thus tackled by raising the sanctions and risks of detection. Given that many citizens do not engage even when the benefits outweigh the costs, a new social actor approach has begun to emerge which explains the informal economy as arising when tax morality is low and seeks to foster commitment to compliance. The purpose of this paper is to provide an evidence-based evaluation of these competing policy approaches. Design/methodology/approach – To do so, the results are reported of 1,306 face-to-face interviews undertaken during 2013 in the UK. Findings – The finding is that raising the sanctions and risks of detection has no significant impact on the likelihood of participation in the informal sector. However, participation in the informal economy is significantly associated with tax morality. Indeed, the only time that increasing the sanctions and risks of detection reduces the level of participation in the informal economy is amongst citizens with very low tax morality. Practical implications – Rather than continue with the current rational economic actor approach of increasing the penalties and risks of detection, this case study of the UK reveals that a new policy approach is required that seeks to improve tax morality by introducing measures to reduce the acceptability of participating in the informal economy. Whether this is more widely applicable now needs to be tested, given the dominance throughout the world of this punitive rational economic actor approach. Originality/value – This paper provides evidence supporting a new social actor approach towards explaining and tackling participation in the informal economy.

scholarly journals Survey of knowledge of legal highs (novel psychoactive substances) amongst London pharmacists

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amira Guirguis ◽  
John M. Corkery ◽  
Jacqueline L. Stair ◽  
Stewart Kirton ◽  
Mire Zloh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Novel Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Legal Highs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine pharmacists’ knowledge of legal highs (novel psychoactive substances (NPS)). Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was handed out at two London pharmacist continuing education events in mid-2014. These events update pharmacists about developments of interest/relevance to the profession and to improve their practice. A total of 54 forms were returned; a response rate of 26 percent. Findings – Most pharmacists had poor knowledge of NPS and many considered that NPS were not important to their work, with few having had to advise customers in this area. Despite this, the majority thought that they had insufficient information about NPS. There was a negative correlation between the age of the pharmacist and knowledge of NPS. Research limitations/implications – The sample is a self-selected one drawn from registered pharmacists working in community pharmacies in northwest London, and thus does not include hospital pharmacies. Self-selection means that respondents may only reflect those who are interested in the NPS phenomenon and not the wider pharmacy community. The geographical area covered may not be representative of London as a whole, or indeed other parts of the UK or other EU countries. Practical implications – It is clear that pharmacists do not know much about NPS but would like to know more. This information might improve their practice. Social implications – Pharmacists, easier to see than general practitioners, could be a useful source of information for NPS misusers. Originality/value – There have been no previous attempts to gauge the level of knowledge by pharmacists of legal highs/NPS in the UK or elsewhere to our knowledge.

Profiting from innovation

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 39-42
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Success ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
The World ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Vital Component ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Do So

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – Innovation is serendipity. That is the view of Tim Berners-Lee, the UK scientist whose invention of the World Wide Web takes pride of place on his CV. But whether breakthrough developments are more down to accident than intent is the question. What really matters is that they constitute a vital component of business success. Businesses organizations naturally seek to maximize the returns from their innovation activities. Prosperity and even survival often depend on being able to do so. However, it is rarely that simple. Numerous factors typically come into play, which are outside the firm’s control. Securing the desired levels of value and profit thus demands that sophisticated commercialization strategies are in place. Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

scholarly journals Monopoly behavior of China’s manufacturing enterprises

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-179
Author(s):  
Guidong Wang
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Rent Seeking ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Enterprises ◽  
Slow Decline ◽  
State Capital ◽  
The Government ◽  
Do So ◽  
Initial Jump

Purpose With the increase of state capital, corporate total factor productivity (TFP) has a tendency to jump up at first and then slowly decrease. Generally, no significant “productivity paradox” can be observed in China’s manufacturing industry. With the increase of export density, corporate TFP also shows a trend of initial jump growth and subsequent slow decline. This paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Using the 1996–2013 China Industrial Enterprise Database, this paper studies the monopolistic behavior of Chinese manufacturing enterprises through the measurement of TFP and corporate monopoly power. Findings Results show that China’s manufacturing monopoly enterprises are generally innovation-oriented rather than rent-seeking. However, there are certain differences between diversified types of monopoly enterprises: the ones with state capital are more inclined to innovate than those without, whereas the ones with export delivery value are more inclined to seek rent than those without. Originality/value Therefore, the government should implement differentiated policies for diversified types of monopoly enterprises, and do so in a targeted manner fully reflecting the containment of rent-seeking and the encouragement of innovation.

“That's not how I see it”: female and male perspectives on the academic role

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 497-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Shaw ◽  
Catherine Cassell
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Business School ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Schools ◽  
School Context ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Role ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a piece of empirical work that examines gender differences in how academics make sense of performance within university business schools in the UK.Design/methodology/approachThe research reported draws on data collected using a life history and repertory grid methodology with male and female interviewees from two university business schools.FindingsThe findings are discussed in relation to how academics understand what is valued about their role and what they believe the organisation rewards and values when it comes to promotion. Gender differences are shown to exist in the ways women and men define the academic role and in what they think is important both to themselves and the institution.Originality/valueThe paper presents original data on gender differences within a business school context.

scholarly journals Student engagement with sustainability: understanding the value–action gap

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth Chaplin ◽  
Paul Wyton
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Sustainable Living ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Significant Barrier ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of research that aimed to determine what university students living in Unite accommodation in the UK understand about the concept of sustainable living. It considers what barriers they perceive to be standing in the way of following sustainable living practices. In particular, the research aimed to explore any value–action gap for the student population with a view to informing future actions to help close any gap. Design/methodology/approach – The study was completed through an online questionnaire survey of students living in halls of residence operated by provider The Unite Group Plc. The survey informed semi-structured interviews and focus groups that explored the issues raised in greater detail. Findings – It was found that students living in Unite properties believed sustainable living to be important, yet levels of understanding were very low and there appeared to be a wide value–action gap. Reasons for this are varied; however, an unexpected theme emerged around the association of effort and importance. There was a very strong association between sustainable living and recycling, which, therefore, saw the lack of adequate recycling facilities as a significant barrier to sustainable living. There were also issues around a lack of information, cost and respondents’ flatmates as further barriers. However, the most significant barrier was the displacement of responsibility for sustainable living to other people or organisations. Originality/value – Gaining an insight into the complexity of attitude and behaviour of students with the sustainability agenda will enable understanding that can be applied to activities that promote sustainability.

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