45,158 research outputs found
Seeking to Understand Subaru’s Turbocharged Appeal: A study of brand communities, product utility, and corporate promotion
This study attempts to analyze Subaru’s significant and unique appeal in the greater automotive market. The primary research findings are presented in a video documentary, while frameworks for existing research on certain facets of brand management and consumer groups are presented in the following paper. Based on analysis of existing data and interviews conducted with people connected to the brand, we can conclude that the phenomenon is a result of an appealing product that offers differentiated utilities at an affordable price, the formation of consumer groups around the various offerings, and insightful promotion on Subaru’s part. The degree to which each of these factors is responsible for cultivating a following varies based on the consumer group; the convergence of these three phenomena is, if not unique in the vehicle marketplace, very distinctive
Technological Solutions for Energy Security and Sustainability
This paper addresses the question: how can we minimize the expected time between now and the time when we achieve three measures of sustainability and security together -- independence from oil in cars and trucks, very deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and deep reductions in natural gas for electricity? Specific new technologies and metrics for progress are discussed, in context, linked to new information from IEEE, NSF, the State of the Future project and other sources
Governing autonomous vehicles: emerging responses for safety, liability, privacy, cybersecurity, and industry risks
The benefits of autonomous vehicles (AVs) are widely acknowledged, but there
are concerns about the extent of these benefits and AV risks and unintended
consequences. In this article, we first examine AVs and different categories of
the technological risks associated with them. We then explore strategies that
can be adopted to address these risks, and explore emerging responses by
governments for addressing AV risks. Our analyses reveal that, thus far,
governments have in most instances avoided stringent measures in order to
promote AV developments and the majority of responses are non-binding and focus
on creating councils or working groups to better explore AV implications. The
US has been active in introducing legislations to address issues related to
privacy and cybersecurity. The UK and Germany, in particular, have enacted laws
to address liability issues, other countries mostly acknowledge these issues,
but have yet to implement specific strategies. To address privacy and
cybersecurity risks strategies ranging from introduction or amendment of non-AV
specific legislation to creating working groups have been adopted. Much less
attention has been paid to issues such as environmental and employment risks,
although a few governments have begun programmes to retrain workers who might
be negatively affected.Comment: Transport Reviews, 201
Business begins at home
One of the most significant trends in the post-industrial era has been for the home to become an important focus for work. The boundaries between work and home are now increasingly blurred, reversing the forces of the industrial era in which places deemed suitable for each were clearly demarcated and physically separate. The most recent published figures available from the Labour Force Survey (2005)1 indicate that 3.1m people now work mainly from home, 11% of the workforce. This represents a rise from 2.3m in 1997 (9% of the workforce), a 35% increase. The majority of homeworkers (2.4m or 77% of the total) are 'teleworkers' – people who use computers and telecommunications to work at home. The number of teleworkers has increased by 1.5m between 1997 and 2005, a 166% increase. Clearly, it is the growth in the number of teleworkers which is driving the increase in homeworking
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