Causes of Mode Effects: Separating out Interviewer and Stimulus Effects in Comparisons of Face-to-Face and Telephone Surveys

We identify the causes of mode effects in comparisons of face-to-face and telephone surveys, by testing for differences in the extent of satisficing and social desirability bias due to differences in the stimulus (visual vs. aural presentation of response options) and the presence vs. absence of the interviewer. The stimulus did not lead to differential measurement error; the presence or absence of the interviewer however did. Telephone respondents were far more likely to give socially desirable responses than face-to-face respondents when the stimulus was the same for both modes

Fa\u27amatagi: From Whence the Wind Blows

Fa’amatagi: From Whence the Wind Blows is a love letter to the people and culture of my parents. This is a documentary poetics project that draws upon research of the Mau Movement, archives from the New Zealand government, and personal ethnographies with my own parents who are both of Samoan descent. I curated several pieces of art from book collector Alexander Turnbull and photographer Alfred J. Tattersall. This project delves into the effects of colonialism on a previously isolated people. It explores the act of civil disobedience and what comes of it versus the long-lasting damage of compliance towards a more dominant society. The importance of women in society becomes a concern for the project as I reclaim and retell an absent center, an obscured archive of women’s lives in Samoan history. In the 1930’s, the tide of the Movement turned towards victory, in part, due to mothers, daughters, sisters and wives of the Mau and their efforts to aid the ones who defied and evaded capture of the New Zealand government. My project enters into dialogue with recent work on Caribbean and Pacific Island cultures. The use and preservation of native language is also examined and gives rise to my project’s engagement with linguistics and its relationship to the erasure of indigenous populations, one “yes” at a time

Utilizing Parent and Educator Self Efficacy and Grit Training to Encourage the Pursuit of STEM Careers for Elementary Students from Traditionally Underrepresented Groups

In the United States, there is an increased demand for professionals in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Research indicates that individuals with higher levels of self-efficacy and grit have higher levels of academic achievement. Traditional research has focused on the self-efficacy and grit of students. Realizing the impact that parents and educators have in the lives of students, the purpose of this model is to determine the effect that parent and educator self-efficacy and grit training has on the pursuit of STEM careers for elementary students from traditionally underrepresented groups. The data gathered, will examine the impact that professional development has on student career choice. This model has implications for curriculum development, professional development, instruction and policy articulation

Changes in Manufacturing Linkage Patterns in Scotland and Wales: Hollowing Out and Foreign Direct Investment?

Trends in inward investment in Scotland and Wales have influenced manufacturing’s inter-linkages with the local economy in different ways. The paper shows that there could be a hollowing out of the manufacturing sector in these regional economies which is linked to trends in inward investment.

Medium-sized businesses and Welsh business structure

This report examines business structure in Wales and the role of medium-sized firms in particular. It seeks to study whether Wales has ‘enough’ medium-sized firms and whether these companies should be a focus for financial interventions as SME support is strongly focused on micro-small firms and start-up

Equity clusters in Wales

The report examines SME access to equity finance in Wales,andthe extent to which Cardiff is a developing equity cluster,in order to potentially develop more clusters across Wales. An equity cluster can be understoodas a placethat has tangible organisational procedures and structures that bringsinvestors and investees close together and experiences a high concentration of equity deals. The British Business Bank defines equity clusters as regions where various types of equity deals are made, since ‘equity deals tend to be grouped into geographic clusters where innovative companies, skilled labour and equity investors locate close together’

Inward investment, transaction linkages and productivity spillovers

The article examines the extent to which foreign manufacturing firms in the UK promote productivity growth in the domestically owned manufacturing sector through their buying and supplying relationships. Evidence for intra- and inter-regional externalities from the presence of foreign manufacturing, and intraand inter-industry effects is brought to light. Externalities in the domestic sector are most noticeable where foreign manufacturing sells to domestic manufacturing. These externalities are, however, not wholly robust to different specifications of spatial dependence. The findings are positioned in a debate, which has tended to view backward (as opposed to forward) linkages from multinationals to domestically owned supply bases as a critical driver of indirect economic benefits. © RSAI 2004

Pilot study on the reliability of the coach\u27s eye: Identifying talent throughout a 4-day cadet judo campp

A typical assumption found in talent identification literature is that different coaches, given the same athletes and circumstances, will identify the same subset of athletes as “talented”. However, while coaches play a major role during talent identification in practical sport settings, there is limited empirical research exploring the processes which underpin this. The purpose of this study was to explore the reliability of “the coach\u27s eye” during the assessment of talent in a group of athletes. Specifically, this project compared inter-coach agreement between nine judo coaches (ages 35.8 ± 10.6 years) with varying levels of experience (12.9 ± 8.9 years) in the evaluation of 24 talented cadet judo athletes (13–15 years) at seven timepoints throughout a 4-day development training camp. Without discussion of their scores with other coaches, coaches provided a single score representing each athlete\u27s “potential for future performance” on an 11-point Likert scale at each timepoint. Scores from each coach were converted into rankings from 1 to 24 to create a normalized scale to facilitate comparison of athletes. Based on their rankings at each timepoint, athletes were placed into one of three evenly distributed groups (high, medium, and low rank). Inter-coach agreement at each timepoint was determined by the number of coaches who ranked each athlete in the same group, categorized at three levels: 50, 75 or 100% agreement. Overall results showed that at completion of the camp, coaches reached 100% agreement on only two athletes, both of whom were in the high rank group. When inter-coach agreement was set at 50%, 15 athletes (62.5%) were placed into like groups. The first timepoint at which coaches were able to differentiate between the majority of athletes was Timepoint 3 (end of day 2). The findings suggest that, in isolation, coaches do not agree on the talent or potential of athletes. This indicates that the “coach\u27s eye” is subjective and variable, and, given the same context, there is poor inter-coach agreement in the identification of talented athletes. In turn, these findings may have significant implications for both future talent identification research and athlete selection processes by sport organizations

Superfast broadband business exploitation project: Digital Maturity Survey for Wales 2019

Strengthening the efficiency of Welsh SMEs represents a vital means of improving Wales’ future economic prospects. The Digital Maturity Survey for Wales 2019 provides evidence on how SMEs are responding to this challenge by adopting and using the digital technologies enabled by broadband access. It draws on Cardiff Business School’s fourth annual survey and shows how adoption of technologies can not only influence business performance, but also produce impacts for the Welsh economy. Survey findings The Survey findings show positive trends with respect to SME adoption of superfast broadband, with some 63% of businesses reporting access through a fixed connection (up 10 percentage points on 2018). These results, the findings suggest, are set in the context of a growing number of premises now having access to superfast broadband and highlights ongoing potential to encourage more SMEs to access such infrastructure. Figure 0-1 Adoption of broadband by type (% of SMEs) Welsh Economy Research Unit 2 Use of cloud computing services continues to increase in 2019 (Figure 0-2). Here the Survey results point to more SMEs making use of foundational cloud computing services, with use above half of all businesses. While comparatively fewer business make use of more advanced cloud services, increases can also be observed over the period 2017-2019. Limited numbers of SMEs are making use of the leading-edge digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing (e.g. 3D printing) and internet of things (IoT) technologies. Figure 0-2 Proportion of SMEs using cloud computing services, by category (% of SMEs) Welsh Economy Research Unit 3 SME skills to make use of digital technologies represents an area of concern. While the majority of businesses report that they have 50% or more of their workforce with intermediate or above ICT skills, the results also show a decline from 2017 to 2019 of four percentage points to 66%. The use of digital technologies is further demonstrated in the growing number of businesses reporting e-commerce transactions This shows that one-in-three businesses now report between 76% and 100% of sales serviced online, and that had increased by seven percentage points since 2018. Nearly three in ten businesses transacted between 76% and 100% of their purchase online, also up by seven percentage points from 2018. The findings highlight greater use of digital technologies is associated with SMEs reporting increases in turnover (up by 10 percentage points). Fewer SMEs, however, reported a performance link between broadband and profit, innovation or employment than in the previous year. Figure 0-3 Performance of SMEs with superfast broadband (% indicating positive outcomes) Analysis of the Survey findings identify four groups / types of SMEs in relation to digital maturity (see Figure 0-4). The 2019 survey shows that the proportion of businesses that are in the highest groups of digital maturity – Digitally Embedded and Active Exploiters – have fallen back, with corresponding growth in the proportion of businesses that are less digitally mature. It is noted, however, that the proportion of digitally mature businesses is still higher than it was at the start of this form of analysis (in 2017). Welsh Economy Research Unit 4 Figure 0-4 Digital maturity groups in Wales (% of SMEs in 2019) Digitally Disengaged 15% Passive Exploiters 38% Active Exploiters 31% Digitally Embedded 16% Businesses tending to be standard broadband users, with a high proportion of employees with below average ICT skills. The majority do not use digital technologies and report no sales from online transactions. Businesses tending to have standard broadband, but more likely to have staff with above average ICT skills. Make use of basic cloud-based applications, but their use of online platforms to generate e-sales is low. Businesses likely to have access to superfast broadband and a high proportion of staff with above average ICT skills. Use a wide range of digital platforms and technologies. Nearly half report online channel as the main source of sales. Adopters of superfast broadband with a very high proportion of employees with above average ICT skills. Use a high number of digital applications and secure most of their sales from online transactions. Although the overall picture is one of businesses increasingly adopting and using digital technologies in Wales, the report shows once again that the transition towards digitalisation is likely to be bumpy when viewed at the regional level, with some indicators going up, while others going down. Too much should not be read into individual yearly changes. The multi-year decline in the skills indicator, alongside the composite decline of the digital maturity index is a potential cause for concern and may point to ongoing challenges for businesses to maintain their digital maturity, and for policy intervention to support this