The EDEM methodology for housing upgrade analysis, carbon and energy labelling and national policy development

The ESRU Domestic Energy Model (EDEM) has been developed in response to demand from policy makers for a tool to assist in analysis of options for improving carbon and energy performance of housing across a range of possible future technologies, behaviours and environmental factors. A major challenge is to comprehend the large variation in fabric, systems (heating, hot water, lighting and appliances) and behaviours across the housing stock as well as uncertainty over future trends. Existing static models have limited ability to represent dynamic behaviour while use of detailed simulation has been based on modelling only a small number of representative designs. To address these challenges, EDEM has been developed as an easy to use, Web based tool, built on detailed simulation models aligned with national house survey data. From pragmatic inputs, EDEM can determine energy use and carbon emissions at any scale, from individual dwelling to national housing stock. EDEM was used at the behest of the Scottish Building Standards Agency and South Ayrshire Council to quantify the impact of upgrades including new and renewable energy systems. EDEM was also used to rate energy/carbon performance of dwellings as required by the EU Directive (EU, 2002). This paper describes the evolving EDEM methodology, its structure and operation then presents findings from applications. While initial EDEM projects have been for the Scottish housing stock the methodology is structured to facilitate project development and application to other countries

International collaboration and innovation: Evidence from a leading Chinese multinational enterprise

Copyright © 2022 The Authors. This paper investigates the impact of international collaboration and its characteristics on the quality of the innovation of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in emerging markets. Using a unique dataset of 1428 international and comparable domestic collaboration projects over the 2010–2016 period, it finds that while international innovation collaborations are associated with high innovation quality, cultural distance has a negative effect on collaboration outcomes. Moreover, proximity to the focal firm's overseas R&D centres and the size of expenditure budgets play significant moderating roles in overcoming cultural barriers. Based on the RBV and dynamic capabilities theory, we investigate how firms from emerging markets can acquire these two crucial requisites for innovation. The characteristics of partners and intellectual property (IP) arrangements are also found to have a significant impact on the quality of innovations.Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences for financial support, Grant/Award Number: 2018-I2M-2-002

Performance as a classification criterion of tourist origins and destinations

The definition of performance variables, which can be used as indicators of the results obtained/to be obtained, is a fundamental prerequisite in the carrying out of any evaluation process. Portfolio analysis has been used as a tool for the study of market segments, namely of tourist destinations. However, a review of the literature did not identify a single case where the performance variable is adjusted to the nature of the object. In fact, contrary to many other situations, the use of performance variables in absolute terms does not appear to be the most recommendable solution given that the total volume is conditioned by the size of the territory and, above all, by the number of inhabitants. In other words, for a certain level of socio-economic development, larger countries (in terms of size and number of inhabitants) will tend to have higher absolute values. Besides this, the empirical studies reviewed contain little, or no, information about competition, being temporally static. Although in some cases growth rate is used as a variable, thus presupposing the consideration of two magnitudes in two different moments in time, more than one register per object is never considered, meaning that evolutive analyses are not viable. Consequently, a performance proxy was developed which enables a direct comparison between generating countries (origins) and between destinations, regardless of the number of inhabitants. The selection of the performance proxy can depend on the object of study. In any case, it should always permit the evaluation, in general terms, of the results obtained by the destination for the set of origins under analysis and the results generated by the origin for the set of destinations under study. The proposed tool is a component of a model for the identification of priority market segments, and is constituted by a system of orthogonal axes which produces four quadrants that are distinct in terms of intensity (axis OY) and growth (axis OX) of tourist flows. The tool, like the model, can be applied to any type of destination (city, region or country) and to any market segmentation criterion (geographic, demographic, behavioural, psychographic or other). In the study reported here, the instrument is applied to the 15 Member States of the European Union (before its expansion on May 1st 2004), for the period from 1996 to 2001. Eurostat was the sole source of data for the study. The UK and Ireland are the countries classified as ‘Progressing Origins’. With 16.8% of the population, they increased their contribution from 17.7% to 21.9% and are responsible for 38.7% of the growth that occurred between 1996 and 2001. Spain, Greece and Ireland are the countries classified as ‘Progressing Destinations’. With 14.4% of the population, they increased their share of the market from 21.5% to 24.2%, capturing 35.1% of the growth that occurred between 1996 and 2001

Playing in the academic field: Non-native English-speaking academics in UK business schools

This paper draws on Bourdieu's concepts of field, habitus and capital to explore the ways in which working in English as a non-native language influences foreign academics' performance of academic habitus and the level of their symbolic capital necessary for the achievement of success within UK higher education. Empirically, it is based on interviews with 54 non-native English-speaking academics employed in UK business schools. Our findings point to advantages and disadvantages associated with being a non-native English-speaking academic, to strategies deployed by individuals to enhance their linguistic capital, and to the importance of language not merely as a tool of communication but as a key factor enabling individuals to perform academic habitus in the UK academic field. We reflect on whether, and if so, how, the UK academic field is changing as a result of the increased presence within it of non-UK-born academics and, in particular, the fact of their professional functioning in English as a non-native language

In direct breach of managerial edicts: A practice approach to creative deviance in professional service firms

Drawing on practice as a meta-theoretical lens, we explore creative deviance (CD): wilful violation of managerial orders by employee(s) to pursue creative ideas. Data for our inquiry comes from in-depth interviews with middle managers and employees in two professional service firms (PSFs). We argue that two distinct organising processes are necessary for the emergence of CD in practice: organising configuration and formalisation of R&D processes. We develop these dimensions to produce a typology of interrelated ideal types of outcomes when employees are explicitly instructed to stop pursuing an idea. We found three salient organising practices (technical concerns for efficiency and metrics, suppression of metistic knowledge and disjointed managerial responses to violations of sanctioned organising procedures), which may operate in combination or serially, to foster CD in practice. We conclude with some key implications for the theory and practice of creativity in PSFs. © 2018 RADMA and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

National culture and tourist destination choice in the UK and Venezuela: an exploratory and preliminary study

National culture determines consumer attitudes and behaviour. While this holds true for tourism consumption, little research has sought to better understand the effect of culture on tourist destination choice. The geographical scope of analysis has also been restricted. This study employs the Hofstede’s cultural dimensions framework to conduct an exploratory, qualitative evaluation of the influence of the tourist cultural background on destination choice. It focuses on the UK and Venezuela, the two countries with significant cultural differences and forecast growth in outbound tourism. The study shows the distinct role of culture in tourist preferences for destination choice and structure of travel groups. The effect of culture is also recorded in how tourists research destinations prior to visit and perceive travel risks, thus ultimately influencing their motivation to travel. Recommendations are developed on how to integrate knowledge on the cultural background of tourists into tourism management and policy-making practices

TRUST IN CROSS-CULTURAL B2B FINANCIAL SERVICE RELATIONSHIPS: THE ROLE OF SHARED VALUES

This is the accepted version of the following article: Houjeir, R. & Brennan, R. J, 'Trust in cross-cultural b2b financial service relationships: The role of shared values', Journal of Financial Services Marketing, June 2016, Vol 21(2): 90-102 The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/fsm.2016.4Trust in business-to-business supplier–customer relationships in financial services is an area of considerable research interest. The bulk of prior empirical research in this field has concentrated on trust in business relationships within a Western cultural context. However, shared values are acknowledged to be an important antecedent to trust. The premise of this study is that in circumstances where there are substantial cultural differences between parties to a supplier–customer relationship, these differences will be reflected in shared values, which will in turn be reflected in differences in the nature of trust. A qualitative study was conducted among business bankers and their corporate clients in the context of the United Arab Emirates. In all 170 respondents were interviewed; of these, 160 were paired respondents, that is, where a client and banker from the same business relationship were interviewed (yielding 80 interview dyads). Substantial differences with respect to trust were found between relationships that involved only Emiratis, those that involved Emiratis and non-Emiratis, and those that involved only non-Emiratis. For Emiratis mutual trust is substantially based on family and clan ties and exhibits strongly affective characteristics. For non-Emiratis trust is largely based on business considerations, and exhibits strongly cognitive characteristics.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Defining the limits of normal conjunctival fornix anatomy in a healthy South Asian population

PURPOSE: Quantifying the extent of conjunctival fibrosis for documentation of progression in conjunctival scarring disease is a clinical challenge. Measurement of forniceal foreshortening facilitates monitoring of these disorders. This study aims (1) to define the limits of the normal human conjunctival fornices and how these alter with age and (2) to provide normative data for upper and lower fornix depths (FDs) and fornix intercanthal distance (FICD) within a healthy South Asian, racially distinct population. DESIGN: Epidemiologic, cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 240 subjects with national origins from South Asia, with no known ocular history and normal adnexal and conjunctival examination, aged 20 to 80 years. METHODS: An FICD modification of a custom-designed fornix depth measurer (FDM) was validated and used for measurement of both lower and upper FDs together with FICDs in 480 healthy eyes with no ocular comorbidities. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance and presented as means with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean lower and upper FDs and FICD for the entire cohort, stratified according to age decade and sex. RESULTS: For this South Asian population, the overall upper and lower FDs were 15.3 mm (95% CI, 14.9–15.6) and 10.9 mm (95% CI, 10.7–11.1), respectively, with FICD defined as 32.9 mm (95% CI, 32.5–33.4) (upper) and 31.7 mm (95% CI, 31.3–32.1) (lower). With increasing age, a progressive reduction of all measured parameters (P < 0.001) was noted, with female subjects having significantly shallower fornices (upper FD, P < 0.001; lower FD, P < 0.001; upper FICD, P = 0.081; and lower FICD, P = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to define the limits of normal upper FD and FICDs in any population group. Our study demonstrates sex variations and progressive conjunctival shrinkage with age. Although it provides important, objective data for normal forniceal anatomy, further study is recommended in other populations to confirm the generalizability of these data or to enable normal comparative datasets for the assessment of conjunctival scarring disorders among all anthropological groups

Brexit negotiations: from negotiation space to agreement zones

Brexit is decidedly a “big question”. We agree with International Business scholars who say that such questions need to be addressed using an inter-disciplinary approach. We use bargaining theory models of rational behavior and the negotiation literature to explain various Brexit options and predict their consequences. Considering the lack of relevant experiential knowledge, and the multidimensional high-stakes negotiations underway, it is little wonder that anxiety is growing across all 28 European Union member states. Our analysis supports a coherent approach from rational bargaining model to real-life international negotiation. We position outcome scenarios in different agreement zones and explore their ramifications