Research and Regions. a KWIC Indexed Bibliography

Computerized techniques applied to economics to produce bibliography of related materia

Review of Funding and Management Structures of Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) and International Search and Rescue (ISAR) Teams

When disasters exceed the capacity of the affected country to cope within its own resources, assistance from external source teams is required and typically requested (Bartolucci et al., 2019). Assistance can be Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs - also known as Disaster Medical Teams [DMTs] or Disaster Medical Assistance Teams [DMATs]) and/or International Search and Rescue (ISAR) teams. However, as the structures of these teams differ greatly, their management is paramount to success. Also, the cost of international relief, and the belief that such deployment is cost-effective, has been questioned by the international community. Although overall management and centrally pooled funding is available for EMTs and ISAR teams, this rapid review focuses on organisation and funding at the country and/or regional level. As requested, EMT examples are taken from Australia, China, India, Israel, Malaysia, and the Caribbean. Data on ISAR teams is from Brazil, China, Germany, Indonesia, Scandinavia, and the United States (USA). The assessed ‘grey’ literature included: (i) external evaluations commissioned by funding agencies and/ or humanitarian EMT providers; (ii) institutional reviews of lessons learned; (iii) after-action reports, and (iv) formal reviews commissioned by the authorities of some of the sudden onset disaster (SOD) affected countries. Findings from response to natural disasters (de Ville de Goyet et al., 2003), and conclusions of five Tsunami Evaluation Coalition (TEC) thematic evaluations (de Ville de Goyet, 2007) were used extensively. However, since these publications, there still are few detailed data and evaluations available on EMTs and ISAR teams (Gerdin et al., 2013; Bartolucci et al., 2019). Experts consulted for this rapid review also confirmed this

The European Union’s Multi-Level Cultural Diplomacy vis-à-vis the United States of America. Working Paper Series W-2018/7

This paper examines how, to what extent and why the EU engages in cultural diplomacy vis-à-vis the US. While providing an empirical review of and conceptual reflection on the current state of the EU’s (including key member states’) efforts at employing cultural diplomacy vis-à-vis the US, the paper also strives to explain the forms of this activity. It argues that a multi-level EU cultural diplomacy in the US does exist, but that its potential is currently underused. As could be expected, the EU Delegation to the US seems to be most willing to pursue EU cultural diplomacy, whereas the extent of EU cultural diplomacy at the level of coordinated activities between the EU and the member states, as well as at the member state level remains low. This finding can be explained primarily with a latent competition between member states. While the general motivation to engage in cultural diplomacy can be interest- or value-driven – and is in the case of EU cultural diplomacy vis-à-vis the US arguably both –, it is undeniable that, in a country like the US, the interest-driven soft power competition that is often a key incentive for actors to engage in cultural diplomacy activities at all plays out negatively inside the EU. These findings are corroborated by a brief discussion of the potential acceptance of EU cultural action in the US, which highlights how, despite positive perceptions of European culture as such, the EU is hardly recognized as an actor in the field of culture

Search without rescue? Evaluating the international search and rescue response to earthquake disasters

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Developing a creative cluster in a post-industrial city: CIDS and Manchester

This paper takes the establishment and demise of Manchester’s Creative Industries Development Service as an exemplary case study for the ways in which creative industry policy has intersected with urban economic policy over the last decade. It argues that the creative industries required specific kinds of economic development agencies which would be able to act as ‘intermediary’ between the distinct languages of policy makers and ‘creatives’. The paper discusses the tensions inherent in such an approach and how CIDS attempted to manage them. It suggests that which particular circumstances might have intervened the main reason for the demise of the CIDS was the domination of the ‘economic’ over the ‘cultural logic’ both of which are embedded within the creative industries policy discourse

Role of Social Networking in Disaster Management: An Empirical Analysis

Disasters, be it natural or technological, are usually unpredictable and managing disasters needs to be timely. The development of social media, in particular social network such as Facebook and Twitter, since the past two decades has enabled people to interact and share information through the internet. Furthermore, it helps transforming people from content consumers to content producers. Data collected was analysed using smartPLS 2.0 statistical software. The findings indicate that teachers perceived role of social media in supporting disaster management on the five-dimensional constructs: Collectivity (CT), Connectivity (CN), Completeness (CS), Clarity (CS), and Collaboration (CB). The findings serve as a foundation of knowledge for future planning of disaster management education towards improving the teaching and learning of disaster management with social networking

#PawnderAdoption Creating a Public Relations Campaign to Increase Adoption Rates Among Shelters in the United States

Pet overpopulation has been a national issue for years. With thousands of unwanted stray cats and dogs found on the streets annually, local shelters are doing their best to rehabilitate and rehome animals. However, funds and resources are limited, and communication efforts are poor. Animal shelters need to begin to focus on public relations efforts in order to boost identity within their local communities. The purpose of this research was to discover what inherently goes into developing a comprehensive, successful public relations campaign. This study specifically focused on the following research questions (a) what makes a public relations campaign successful? (b) how do public relations efforts change and/or affect nonprofit organizations? and (c) how can animal shelters better utilize public relations to promote their mission? This was accomplished through two methods. First, research of previous successful nonprofit campaigns along with an analysis of the current state of the adoption process (related to public relations efforts) in animal shelters across the United States was conducted. Second, the implementation of an integrated app, which will enable easier accessibility to the adoption process directly to the consumer, is to be created. The app is called PAWNDER, and is inspired by the dating app, Tinder, in format. Consumers are matched with adoptable animals based off of preferences inputted into the app. The app’s goal is to make the process easier and provide more accessibility to animals in need

The design of a database of resources for rational therapy

The purpose of this study is to design a database of resources for rational therapy. An investigation of the current health situation and reorientation towards primary health care (PHC) in South Africa evidenced the need for a database of resources which would meet the demand for rational therapy information made on the Helderberg College Library by various user groups as well as make a contribution to the national health information infrastructure. Rational therapy is viewed as an approach within PHC that is rational, common-sense, wholistic and credible, focusing on the prevention and maintenance of health. A model of the steps in database design was developed. A user study identified users' requirements for design and the conceptual schema was developed. The entities, attributes, relationships and policies were presented and graphically summarised in an Entity-Relationship (E-R) diagram. The conceptual schema is the blueprint for further design and implementation of the database.Information ScienceM.Inf

Environmental reporting disclosure in South Africa, a comparative study of the expectations of key stakeholder groups.

Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.Part A of this dissertation, represents the literature review and project outline for this study, and includes the definition of the research problem, aims, objectives and the proposed methodology. The literature review considers the emergence of environmental accounting and reporting in the context of the escalating environmental crisis. It reviews the role of accounting prior to the development of the concept of sustainable development, and subsequently focuses specifically on the rise to prominence of environmental reporting and accounting thereafter. It reviews major academic works in this field as well as major international guidelines, standards, protocols and charters on environmental reporting. In addition, the study also reviews the limitations and problems associated with traditional and environmental accounting, and environmental reporting. It proposes a framework that considers the forces influencing environmental reporting, and briefly examines the previous evidence of the contrasting attitudes and perceptions of both preparers and users of such environmental reports. Arising out of this literature review, a study was developed that would measure and compare the expectations of three key stakeholder groups with regard to environmental accounting and reporting, namely: • The companies responsible for preparation • Environmental professionals, who assist in the preparation of these reports or attest as to their validity, and • Environmental activists, pressure groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that rely on such reporting to assess the impact of a company's activities. The study would look at the perceived importance of environmental reports, the areas that are reported on, and the levels of disclosure. It would then contrast the expectations of the above three groups and compare these to the minimum reporting levels required by the only officially endorsed international reporting guideline in South Africa, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The second part of this dissertation (Part B), is presented in the form of a research paper, and is presented in the specific format required by the academic journal Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, a Wiley InterScience publication, to which it will be submitted for publication, (after final editing to reduce its overall length). This second part includes a brief review of key literature, the aims, objectives and hypothesis of the study. It then details the methodology and the findings, which are discussed in depth. These findings include significant differences that were found between the expectations of the three groups, and differences between these expectations and the reporting specifications of the GRI. The environmental activists and pressure groups were found to expect greater levels of disclosure than professional environmental consultants, who in turn expected higher levels of disclosure than companies and their representatives. There were also significant differences between the responses of the three groups with regards to the importance of specific areas of environmental disclosure. The responses were more skewed towards considering most specific areas of disclosure as very important or extremely important, by the environmental activists and pressure groups. This was more so than for the environmental professionals or company respondents who also considered most of these areas as important or very important

Social media platforms and its applications in natural disaster and crisis events – the case of Bosnia & Herzegovina

Social media platforms are providing opportunities for people to easily engage in warning and informing others in response to natural disaster and crisis events. They are considered more effective and faster to spread among people than traditional media do, and as such make them very important for governments’ civil protection authorities to consider using social media in a framework that will help people to better prepare and response to threats. The importance of this study is that it brings attention to the case of crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina and it enriches the literature with current status and trends of effective using of SM to early prepare for and mitigate the consequences of disaster impact. This paper discusses some of the major challenges identified during the May 2014 flood in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the public use of social media that enabled the exploitation of new opportunities for facing flood threats and mitigate its effects. Keywords: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Flood Crisis, Flood Challenges, Natural Disaster, Social Medi