The BP Deepwater Horizon débâcle and corporate brand exuberance

This article is available to download from the publisher’s website at the link below.No abstract available (Editorial)

Heritage branding orientation: The case of Ach. Brito and the dynamics between corporate and product heritage brands

The notion of heritage branding orientation is introduced and explicated. Heritage branding orientation is designated as embracing both product and corporate brands and differs from corporate heritage brand orientation which has an explicit corporate focus. Empirical insights are drawn from an in-depth and longitudinal case study of Ach. Brito, a celebrated Portuguese manufacturer of soaps and toiletries. This study shows how, by the pursuance of a strategy derived from a heritage branding orientation Ach. Brito – after a prolonged period of decline – achieved a dramatic strategic turnaround. The findings reveal how institutional heritage can be a strategic resource via its adoption and activation at both the product and corporate levels. Moreover, the study showed how the bi-lateral interplay between product and corporate brand levels can be mutually reinforcing. In instrumental terms, the study shows how heritage can be activated and articulated in different ways. For instance, it can re-position both product and/or corporate brands; it can be meaningfully informed by product brand heritage and shape corporate heritage; and can be of strategic importance to both medium-sized and small enterprises

An estimate of change in a sub-population of Lomatia tasmanica (Proteaceae) between 1993 and 2008

A decline in ramet (plant stem) numbers was observed within a sub-population of Lomatia tasnumira WM. Curtis between 1993 and 2008. The mortality was mainly among the small ramets. This resulted in a shift from population dominated in density by recent suckers and young ramets to one dominated by more mature ramets. There was possibly an increased survival rate among ramets cut for genetic sampling in 1993 compared with those that were not pruned. lt is suspected that a combination of reduced rainfall and declining light availability has resulted in an increased mortality among young ramets. Although this species is entirely reserved within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area it is still vulnerable to random events and climate change and its status as critically endangered remains appropriate

A novel approach to neutron dosimetry

Purpose: Having been overlooked for many years, research is now starting to take into account the directional distribution of neutron workplace fields. Existing neutron dosimetry instrumentation does not account for this directional distribution, resulting in conservative estimates of dose in neutron workplace fields (by around a factor of 2, although this is heavily dependent on the type of field). This conservatism could influence epidemiological studies on the health effects of radiation exposure. This paper reports on the development of an instrument which can estimate the effective dose of a neutron field, accounting for both the direction and the energy distribution. Methods: A 6Li-loaded scintillator was used to perform neutron assays at a number of locations in a 20 × 20 × 17.5 cm3 water phantom. The variation in thermal and fast neutron response to different energies and field directions was exploited. The modeled response of the instrument to various neutron fields was used to train an artificial neural network (ANN) to learn the effective dose and ambient dose equivalent of these fields. All experimental data published in this work were measured at the National Physical Laboratory (UK). Results: Experimental results were obtained for a number of radionuclide source based neutron fields to test the performance of the system. The results of experimental neutron assays at 25 locations in a water phantom were fed into the trained ANN. A correlation between neutron counting rates in the phantom and neutron fluence rates was experimentally found to provide dose rate estimates. A radionuclide source behind shadow cone was used to create a more complex field in terms of energy and direction. For all fields, the resulting estimates of effective dose rate were within 45% or better of their calculated values, regardless of energy distribution or direction for measurement times greater than 25 min. Conclusions: This work presents a novel, real-time, approach to workplace neutron dosimetry. It is believed that in the research presented in this paper, for the first time, a single instrument has been able to estimate effective dose

The vegetation and higher plant flora of the Cradle Mountain-Pencil Pine area, northern Tasmania

The Cradle Mountain-Pencil Pine area, northem Tasmania, has a highly varied vegetation and a rich and highly Tasmanian endemic flora. The distributions of the synusae and floristic plant communities in the region are strongly influenced by geology, the altitudinal environmental gradient drainage conditions and fire history

Corporate identity: definition and components

This chapter provides a systematic review of the identity literature and reviews a range of literature in order to establish the domain of corporate identity and the related concepts. Then, the intrinsic nature of identity and background is shown by examining the growing interest in the evolution of perspectives in the corporate identity field. Also, it examines corporate identity in relation to a number of different strands of established studies and identify the key concepts related to corporate identity management by drawing insights from the main theoretical paradigm

China’s Brands, China’s Brand development strategies and Corporate Brand Communications in China

The main contributions of the article include (a) the identification of different modes of brand development with five dimensions being identified: home-grown, corporate heritage, acquisition, association, joint-venture, alliance) and (b) the introduction of a distinct Chinese corporate brand total communications framework (this comprises primary, secondary, tertiary, family, gaunxi, and party [communist party] communications). This article identifies seven reasons why there has been a growth of interest in brands in China and also provides an overview of the main themes contained in the literature on China’s brands and brand management in China. Taking an historical perspective, it examines the use and significance of brands in China; identifies similarities with the importance accorded to China and the situation which existed in Great Britain during the industrial revolution. It notes the factors which have led to the exponential growth of interest in brands in China

Defence research and genetic engineering: Fears and dissociation in the 1970s

This paper examines the implications for British defence research of the discovery of techniques to genetically engineer organisms in the early 1970s. While we argue that there is no evidence that the UK in the 1970s exploited genetic engineering techniques as a source of new weapons or defences, there were two consequences, which we call disassociations. First, the Microbiological Research Establishment, at Porton Down, was divorced from direct military patronage. In doing so, the governance of genetic engineering was influenced. Second, the concerns about the military potential of genetic engineering were subject to publicity management, and were dampened by invoking the provisions of the Biological Weapons Convention

The vegetation and flora of Three Hummock Island, western Bass Strait

A survey of the vegetation of Three Hummock Island Nature Reserve recorded 289 vascular higher plant species, 60 of which were introduced. Of the native flora, six are classified as rare or vulnerable. Clarke Island, at a similar latitude in Eastern Bass Strait, has a significantly richer flora, including an element of Mainland Australian/Bassian flora for which the island is the southernmost limit. In contrast, there are no species known from Three Hummock Island that do not occur on mainland Tasmania. The greater length of time during which the land bridge at the eastern end of Bass Strait was exposed is, therefore, reflected in the flora. Three Hummock Island was cut off for a much longer period with no land connections to the north, therefore has a more insular Tasmanian flora. Climatic differences may have exacerbated the contrast. Nine vegetation mapping communities are defined, the largest proportion of the island being covered by Myrtaceae-dominated scrub. The main changes in the vegetation since the time of European discovery have been the clearing of much of the relatively fertile calcareous sands for grazing and the consequent loss of most of the Eucalyptus viminalis forests, an increased fire frequency and the introduction of exotic plants. Fire and weeds are the major vegetation management issues on the island