51 research outputs found
Production of biogas - a manner of manufacturing
Advertising is commonly criticised for being pervasive, offensive, manipulative, harmful
and irresponsible. This thesis focuses on the subjective criticisms and complex issues
related to taste, decency, morality and offence, particularly as applied to, and
understood within, the public and non-profit contexts. It is positioned at the intersection
of marketing communications, marketing ethics, and social and non-profit marketing
and explores how shocking, offensive and/or controversial (SOC) advertising appeals
are interpreted, regulated and contested, by divergent groups of people. The approach
taken is inspired by stakeholder theory and its focus on ethical decision-making for the
betterment of all stakeholders. A mixed methods research design was adopted, resulting
in three studies and these are presented as three discrete articles.
Article I maps the field of existing research into SOC advertising and identifies gaps in
our knowledge by means of a systematic literature review. It offers a critical appraisal
of the field by highlighting definitional tensions, limited interdisciplinary work and an
overdependence on student samples, on quantitative analysis and on non-longitudinal
methodologies. It then proposes a series of remedies to these shortcomings. The second
and third papers continue this reparative work by conceptualising and analysing actual
SOC advertising interpretations and contestations.
Article II explores the interpretations and experiences of SOC advertising within the
regulatory context by analysing evidence from complainants, advertisers and regulatory
bodies. It then proposes and develops an interpretation of the implicit power dynamics
through which their contradictory interests overlap. The methodology underpinning
this chapter combines a thematic content analysis of a substantial archive of complaints
submitted to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) with an interpretation of case
adjudication reports influenced by the work of Michel Foucault. The findings suggest
that the regulation of SOC advertising prioritises the interests of firms and advertisers
by relegating the role of complainant to that of merely registering complaints.
The focus of Article III moves from the regulatory framework to the complained-about
advertisements themselves. It provides an innovative theoretical and methodological
approach to analysing SOC advertisements, rooted in the classic Aristotelian notion of
rhetorical appeals and figuration, by developing and analysing a carefully selected
example in detail. The analysis reveals an implicit NFP sector-specific appeal to ethos
and the importance of a complex appeal to pathos.
Each of the papers offers a different level of analysis of the often-contradictory
viewpoints represented by stakeholder groups involved in, or affected by, the use of
SOC advertising tactics. These viewpoints include academics, general consumers, the
vocal minority of complainants, the advertisers including the non-profit and public
organisations and the advertising creatives, and the advertising regulator. Taken
together, the papers amount to a thesis that makes an important contribution to debates
about the appropriateness, ethics, and application of SOC themes, formats and imagery
in social and non-profit advertising. By exploring the regulatory processes of the ASA,
an exemplary advertising self-regulatory body, it further contributes to the discourse
on self-regulatory practices and highlights an NFP sector-specific consequentialist
approach that appears to stifle the voice of the offended complainant. On a practical
level, this work has implications for advertising practitioners and advertising regulators
who are involved in producing and regulating advertising that uses SOC tactics
The outlook of building information modeling for sustainable development
As human needs evolve, information technologies and natural environments require a wider perspective of sustainable development, especially when examining the built environment that impacts the central of social-ecological systems. The objectives of the paper are (a) to review the status and development of building information modeling (BIM) in regards to the sustainable development in the built environment, and (b) to develop a future outlook framework that promotes BIM in sustainable development. Seven areas of sustainability were classified to analyze forty-four BIM guidelines and standards. This review examines the use of BIM in sustainable development, focusing primarily on certain areas of sustainability, such as project development, design, and construction. The developed framework describes the need for collaboration with the multiple disciplines for the future adoption and use of BIM for the sustainable development. It also considers the integration between “BIM and green assessment criteria”; and “BIM and renewable energy” to address the shortcomings of the standards and guidelines
Synthesis of Sustainable Biofuel Production Processes: A Generic Methodology for Superstructure Optimization and Data Management
Energy demand and emissions are rising steadily, and are forecast to double by 2050 (IEA 2012). In fact, energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have reached historic highs (IEA 2012). Moreover, the reliance on a narrow set of technologies and fossil fuels is a threat to energy security, which raises concerns (IEA 2012). It is therefore clear that current trends in energy supply are unsustainable—economically, environmentally and socially (IEA 2011)
Examining destinations’ personality and brand equity through the lens of expats: moderating role of expat’s cultural intelligence
Process synthesis with simultaneous consideration of inherent safety-inherent risk footprint
Branched-chain alpha-keto acid catabolism via the gene products of the bkd operon in Enterococcus faecalis: a ne, secreted metabolite serving as a temporary redox sink.
Recently the bkd gene cluster from Enterococcus faecalis was sequenced, and it was shown that the gene products constitute a pathway for the catabolism of branched-chain α-keto acids. We have now investigated the regulation and physiological role of this pathway. Primer extension analysis identified the presence of a single promoter upstream of the bkd gene cluster. Furthermore, a putative catabolite-responsive element was identified in the promoter region, indicative of catabolite repression. Consistent with this was the observation that expression of the bkd gene cluster is repressed in the presence of glucose, fructose, and lactose. It is proposed that the conversion of the branched-chain α-keto acids to the corresponding free acids results in the formation of ATP via substrate level phosphorylation. The utilization of the α-keto acids resulted in a marked increase of biomass, equivalent to a net production of 0.5 mol of ATP per mol of α-keto acid metabolized. The pathway was active under aerobic as well as anaerobic conditions. However, under anaerobic conditions the presence of a suitable electron acceptor to regenerate NAD+ from the NADH produced by the branched- chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase complex was required for complete conversion of α-ketoisocaproate. Interestingly, during the conversion of the branched- chain α-keto acids an intermediate was always detected extracellularly. With α-ketoisocaproic acid as the substrate this intermediate was tentatively identified as 1,1-dihydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone. This reduced form of α- ketoisocaproic acid was found to serve as a temporary redox sink.Articl
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