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Kiosks in retailing: the quiet revolution

Kiosks have the potential to be a significant application of IT in retailing, information provision and service delivery. This article discusses and analyses the application of kiosks as a channel for in-store service delivery. For these kiosks a taxonomy that characterises kiosks by their function: inform, interact, transact and relate is proposed. Eight case study examples of in store kiosks are analysed in using a framework that includes environment, task, audience, and technology. Included are: kiosks used by Halifax, Daewoo, Argos, Ikea, Debenhams, GNER, Sainsbury’s. and Boots. Both the taxonomy and the framework provide a basis for further analysis of the role of kiosks in service delivery, by allowing analysis and discussion of individual kiosks to be contextualised within a wider framework. </p

What is the future for undergraduate dissertations?

This article argues that the changing nature of the dissertation experience, and its associated supervision calls for more detailed attention to the development of dissertation supervisors. Dissertations have always played a major role in student learning. The following themes constitute the kernel of the article: the role of the dissertation in the student’s learning experience, managing the link between theory and practice, digitization of information resources, research methodologies and design, and finally, the implications for the role of the supervisor. It is suggested that without an awareness of the changing nature of the dissertation experience, and a more proactive approach to supervisor development, there may be serious degradation of the dissertation experience and outcomes.</p

Online kiosks: the alternative to mobile technologies for mobile users

Online kiosks have the potential to be a significant alternative to mobile technologies in retailing, information provision and service delivery. This article describes the development and use of different types of online kiosk in contexts where users are on the move and away from fixed technologies. A case study of a major UK airport terminal is used to illustrate different types of kiosk applications. Comparisons are made with mobile phone technologies. Online kiosks have a niche in allowing access to information, services and e-commerce technologies for all potential consumers. However, they also have a much wider role in self-managed, self-service delivery of information, services, goods and relationships to consumers on the move.</p

Parenting Programmes for preventing tobacco, alcohol or drugs misuse in children under 18 : a systematic review

This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Health Education Research following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version [Petrie, J. ,Bunn, F. and Byrne, G. (2007) 'Parenting Programmes for preventing tobacco, alcohol or drug abuse in children under 18:a systematic review'. Health Education Research 22 (2) pp.177-191] is available online at: http://her.oxfordjournals.org/archive/index.dtl --Copyright Oxford University PressWe conducted a systematic review of controlled studies of parenting programmes to prevent tobacco, alcohol or drug abuse in children under 18. We searched Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, specialised Register of Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group, Pub Med, psych INFO, CINALH, and SIGLE. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data and assessed study quality. Data were collected on actual or intended use of tobacco, alcohol or drugs by child, and associated risk or antecedent behaviours. Due to heterogeneity we did not pool studies in a meta-analysis and instead present a narrative summary of the findings. Twenty studies met our inclusion criteria. Statistically significant self-reported reductions of alcohol use were found in six of 14 studies, of drugs in five of nine studies and tobacco in nine out of 13 studies. Three interventions reported increases of tobacco, drug and alcohol use. We concluded that parenting programmes can be effective in reducing or preventing substance use. The most effective appeared to be those that shared an emphasis on active parental involvement and on developing skills in social competence, self-regulation and parenting. However, more work is needed to investigate further the change processes involved in such interventions and their long-term effectivenessPeer reviewe

'Like-With-Like’: A Comparison of Natural and Synthetic Stitching Threads used in Textile Conservation

This paper reports research undertaken to investigate thread types used in textile conservation by quantitatively evaluating tensile strength and damage to conserved samples. A literature review and questionnaire sent to textile conservators were used to establish the most commonly used threads for laid-thread couching treatments and the rationale behind thread choice. Most common threads found were two-ply hair silk and polyester Tetex as well as other fine polyester, silk and cotton varieties. Three natural fibre plain-weave artefact samples conserved by laid-thread couching with five different thread types (lace cotton, hair silk, organsin, Skala and Tetex) were subjected to either tensile strength testing or a fixed-load experiment for two weeks. The tensile strength tests determined that the conservation treatment provided effective support and different thread types did not give statistically different results. The fixed-load experiment determined that longer time periods created more damage, even with lighter loads

Exploring the Effectiveness of Transit Security Awareness Campaigns in the San Francisco Bay Area, Research Report 09-19

Public involvement in alerting officials of suspicious and potentially harmful activity is critical to the overall security of a transit system. As part of an effort to get passengers and the public involved, many transit agencies have security awareness campaigns. The objective of this research is to learn how transit agencies seek to make security awareness campaigns effective and explore how they measure the effectiveness of such campaigns, if at all. This research project includes data from case studies of five major agencies that provide transit service in the San Francisco Bay Area region. The case study data are comprised of descriptions of the types of security awareness campaigns the agencies have implemented, the goals of the campaigns, and how they seek to make their campaigns effective, as well as whether and how these agencies measure and determine the effectiveness of their campaigns. A positive finding of this research is the consistency with which Bay Area transit organizations address the need for passenger awareness as part of their overall security program. However, none of the five agencies analyzed for this study measures the effectiveness of their campaigns. Whereas they all have a similar goal—to increase passenger awareness about security issues—little evidence exists confirming to what extent they are achieving this goal. The paper concludes with suggestions for using outcome measurements to provide a reasonable indication of a campaign’s effectiveness by capturing the public’s response to a campaign

Foreign Direct Investment in Ireland: Policy Implications for Emerging Economies

The increasingly important role of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the global economy is linked to questions of how the foreign direct investment (FDI) they control impacts on overall economic activity in the recipient countries. Of specific interest is the policy context in which such FDI flows into the developing country and how a government can influence the impact of those flows. This paper reviews some of the literature in two key contextual areas, namely, when the host country policy regime promotes FDI selectively, and secondly, where it promotes the creation of industrial clusters. It explores the insights of this literature for the development of the strong MNE sector in the Irish economy and draws lessons from the Irish experience for emerging economies.Note: Length:

Sundual characterizations of the translation group of R

We characterize the first three sundual spaces of C-0(R), with respect to the translation group of R

Mechanical properties of wool and cotton yarns used in twenty-first century tapestry: preparing for the future by understanding the present

The conservation of historic tapestries is a complex and highly skilled task. Tapestries now being woven will need conservation in years to come. Can we, by understanding the properties of these contemporary works, assist the conservators of the future? The recreation of the Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries being undertaken by the West Dean Tapestry Studio offers a unique opportunity to access the materials being used and to create a body of data on their initial properties. This study uses tensile testing of the warp and weft materials to determine their maximum load at break, extension at maximum load, and specific stress (tenacity). Wool weft yarns from two different sources and of two thicknesses were examined. These wools were dyed ‘in house’ and the effect of the different dyes used was also assessed. These parameters all showed some significant (P &lt; 0.05) differences. Cotton warp yarns of differing thickness and a gold thread were also tested. The comparison of how cotton and wool break demonstrates that when a tapestry is put under sufficient stress the cotton will snap but the wool may only stretch. However, this could often be beyond its recovery range resulting in a failure to return to shape