Related Academic Research Research Articles

How Successful Are the Teams of the European Football Elite off the Field?-CSR Activities of the Premier League and the Primera División.

In the past two decades the sports sector has turned its attention to understanding the idea of sustainability, particularly to the practical steps related to this. The purpose of this study is to investigate the nature of CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities carried out by teams playing in the Premier League and the Primera División in the 2018/2019 season, and how these CSR actions serve environmental protection and society, manifesting the concept of sustainable development. We applied comparative analysis based on secondary databases. We examined the available reports regarding all the 40 teams, focusing on information about their CSR aspirations and related academic research results, and we worked out specific criteria to evaluate environmentally and socially related CSR activities. Arsenal and Real Madrid were chosen to show good practices that can serve as examples for the other members of the sports sector. At Premier League clubs, the practical application of the CSR activities has been intensively developed. Clubs share detailed statistical information about their actions, while some of the clubs even publish their future plans. The quantity and detail of the information found with Primera División clubs is rather varied. Some clubs introduce their CSR activities in full detail; however, in the case of most clubs, the accessible information is rather superficial and lacks any exact descriptions. The findings clearly show that the sports world is consciously shifting towards the realization of sustainable development, which requires a comprehensive reconnection of sporting society and an increase in awareness in order to achieve the efficient and successful integration of CSR activities into sport.

State-of-the-Art Analysis and Perspectives for Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading

As a promising solution to address the “energy trilemma” confronting human society, peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading has emerged and rapidly developed in recent years. When carrying out P2P energy trading, customers with distributed energy resources (DERs) are able to directly trade and share energy with each other. This paper summarizes and analyzes the global development of P2P energy trading based on a comprehensive review of related academic papers, research projects, and industrial practice. Key aspects in P2P energy trading are identified and discussed, including market design, trading platforms, physical infrastructure and information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, social science perspectives, and policy. For each key aspect, existing research and practice are critically reviewed and insights for future development are presented. Comprehensive concluding remarks are provided at the end, summarizing the major findings and perspectives of this paper. P2P energy trading is a growing field with great potential and opportunities for both academia and industry across the world.

Climate risk assessments and science‐based targets: A review of emerging private sector climate action tools

AbstractWith the retreat of the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, the campaign to enroll corporations and other private sector actors into the climate governing arena has accelerated. The tools used by such actors in addressing climate change are similarly expanding. While carbon footprints and carbon offsets have been previously underscored as the chief climate action tools to date, climate risk assessments and science‐based targets have been proposed as new quantitative tools to mobilize corporate action against climate change. This article presents a review of these two tools, arguing for more comprehensive and sustained scholarly investigation into each. Following overviews on the early developments of each tool, related academic research is considered in an effort to point toward future research priorities. These priorities emphasize generating empirical data around each tool's origins, diffusion, and impacts (social, economic, and environmental) so that more robust academic debates might occur on the role of science‐based targets and climate risk assessments in advancing effective polycentric climate governance.This article is categorized under: Social Status of Climate Change Knowledge > Knowledge and Practice Policy and Governance > Private Governance of Climate Change

Exploration of Research Trends in The Journal of Distribution Science Using Keyword Analysis

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to find out research directions for distribution and fusion and complex field to many domestic and foreign researchers carrying out related academic research by confirming research trends in the Journal of Distribution Science (JDS). Research Design, Data, and Methodology - To do this, I used keywords from a total of 904 papers published in the JDS excluding 19 papers that were not presented with keywords among 923. The analysis utilized word clouding, topic modeling, and weighted frequency analysis using the R program. Results - As a result of word clouding analysis, customer satisfaction was the most utilized keyword. Topic modeling results were divided into ten topics such as distribution channels, communication, supply chain, brand, business, customer, comparative study, performance, KODISA journal, and trade. It is confirmed that only the service quality part is increased in the weighted frequency analysis result of applying to the year group. Conclusion - The results of this study confirm that the JDS has developed into various convergence and integration researches from the past studies limited to the field of distribution. However, JDS's identity is based on distribution. Therefore, it is also necessary to establish identity continuously through special editions of fields related to distribution.

Development status of the digitization of intangible cultural heritages

Alongside the rapid development of digital technology in recent years, digitalization has emerged as a main technique for protecting and disseminating intangible cultural heritages. The digitization of intangible cultural heritages encompasses a range of activities throughout the digital technology environment, involving both technological practices (recording, preservation, and display) and related academic research and policy formulation. In detail, this paper reviews the developmental status of heritage digitalization. After defining an intangible cultural heritage and its digitization, it discusses the collection, recording, preservation, protection, display, and dissemination of digitized intangible cultural heritages, the technical methods for digitizing an intangible cultural heritage, and the digital operation (digital museums and databases) of intangible cultural heritages. Finally, this paper discusses existing problems and deficiencies, summarizes the current research needs, and forecasts the developmental trends of this research field based on the latest research directions.

Research on sustainability of building materials

Sustainable development is one of the most important topics in construction industry. Building materials largely determine the buildings’ energy consumption and environmental impacts, and have a significance impact on the sustainability of buildings. Based on the analysis of the environmental impacts of building materials and related academic research conclusions, this research proposes the selection criteria of sustainable building materials for reference.

Open Access in Vocational Education and Training Research

The article presents a research project at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training in Germany and reflects the perspective of researchers in the field of vocational education and training (VET). It investigates the technical and structural, policy-related, and normative and inherent academic research conditions exerting an influence on the acceptance, dissemination, and use of Open Access (OA). The research project focuses on the German-speaking countries. VET research represents an interlinking of various related academic research areas, rather than comprising a stand-alone discipline. Therefore, the assumption must be that the results of the project will be at least partially transferable to other fields within the social sciences and the humanities and will thus contribute towards findings with regard to OA across the whole of the latter domain. The background to the project is underpinned by science communication and by media theory. The empirical basis of the study has its foundations in a Sequential Mixed Method Design with a qualitative strand, followed by a quantitative strand. The qualitative exploration via focus groups will lead to hypotheses for the online survey. The online survey will be aimed at academic researchers from various disciplines who share common ground in that they address topics that are related to VET research. The realisation of the research project is planned for 2018–2020.

Prolonging working life in Japan: Issues and practices for elderly employment in an aging society

ABSTRACTAs a result of the rapidly aging society, Japan’s public policies and related academic research have sought to address issues related to the employment of older workers. However, these efforts do not sufficiently consider how human resources management practices might facilitate effective policies. In response, this study investigates both the challenges and the solutions that employers have adopted to deal with an aging workforce. In particular, the authors argue that practices developed mainly by smaller enterprises might offer insights for larger companies that attempt to support the employment of elderly workers. An empirical analysis of the human resources management practices employed by 27 Japanese companies provides novel insights into how companies can ensure the prolonged employment of older workers while also motivating their work performance.

중국 宋代 梅花詩에 나타난 시어 ‘鐵腸石心’ 연구

This study focuses on the usage of poetic diction ‘Tie Chang Shi Xin’ in the plum blossom poems of the Song Dynasty of China. To this, the transform usage phenomenon of the related poetic diction ‘Tie Chang Shi Xin’ in the Song Dynasty of China’s plum blossom poems is investigated according to the ≪Quan Song Poems≫. With the rise of plum blossom’s aesthetic activities and the demand of artistic expression, the allusions on plum blossom become the material of the plum blossom poetry, and these allusions go towards deeper meaning and bigger impacts. The ‘Plum Blossom Fu’ was written by Song Jing who was a famous prime-minister in Tang Dynasty, which becomes a hot topic from ancient times to the present. Especially, when Pi Rixiu mentioned that the Song Jing with ‘Tie Chang Shi Xin’ was not suitable for reciting the morbidezza ‘Plum Blossom Fu’, which received more attention. The poetic diction ‘Tie Chang Shi Xin’ mentioned here does not refer to the body parts of Song Jing, but artistically refer to the character of Song Jing.<BR> Based on the statistics of the table that I counted, the usage of the ‘Tie Chang Shi Xin’ has three characteristics. Firstly, the poetic diction is used in various ways, such as ‘Tie Shi Xin Chang’, ‘Tie Xin Ren’, ‘Xin Ru Tie’, ‘Shi Xin Ren’, ‘Tie Shi Guang Pin Xin’, and so on. Secondly, the classical poems and seven-syllable poems have the most forms. Thirdly, the reply poems are the most amounts. Finally, most of these poems related to plum blossom poems appeared in the Southern Song Dynasty. Because the late Northern Song Dynasty was chaotic and the Southern Song Dynasty was a time of turbulence, many poets had the numb attitude to the countries. Therefore, the intellectuals separated from the chaotic social, taking the nature as friend, expressing the solitary personality and moral integrity and patriotism through the natural plum blossom.<BR> Then, the transform usage phenomenon of the ‘Tie Chang Shi Xin’ related poetic diction is investigated according to the ≪Quan Song Poems≫. Three categories are studied, which includes self-respect and praising other’s personality and revealing political ambition. Because of the chaotic politics and separating from the social, the image of the poets who reacquainted with the society and had the self-visualization through the plum blossom has become apparent. Also, we can understand another kind of a state of mind from these poets. In the ‘Plum Blossom Fu’ of Song Jing, the plum is connected with Song Jing’s character, indicating his character like iron-stone. In addition, we are able to see the poem’s political stand in the chaotic politics.<BR> Since ancient times, the intellectuals have liked to write poems using plum blossom, and quite a number of poems have been passed down. The related academic research is also very active. Most studies are just investigating the whole content of plum blossom poems, however, the studies on words of plum poems are very little. The plum blossom poems with a long history have many allusions. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the plum blossom poems based on the special poetic diction. The author hopes that it can make a little contribution to studies on plum blossom poetry in the future work.

International Real Estate Review

Although real estate investment trusts (REITs) in Korea (K-REITs) have a history of over a decade, little related academic research exists due to many constraints, including the lack of available data. This research is the first attempt to examine a total of 74 REIT companies by using data from the Korea Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts. In this study, we explore the economies of scale of both private and public REITs in Korea. Initially, we construct an equivalent baseline measure for growth prospects, revenue and expenses, and profitability, and thereby compare private and public K-REITs. This study further explores the return determinants for K-REITs with a range of firm-specific and property-specific variables. The results show that the asset size of K-REITs matters in determining growth prospects, wherein revenue and expenses and profitability are interrelated. Furthermore, the ownership structure of K-REITs influences the return measure.

AnnSwidler and Susan CottsWatkinsA Fraught Embrace: The Romance and Reality of AIDS Altruism in AfricaPrinceton University Press, 2017. 304 p. $35.00.

AnnSwidler and Susan CottsWatkinsA Fraught Embrace: The Romance and Reality of AIDS Altruism in AfricaPrinceton University Press, 2017. 304 p. $35.00.

Research on the energy absorption properties of aluminum foam composite panels with enhanced ribs subjected to uniform distributed loading

A new design of aluminum foam composite panels with enhanced ribs was proposed, and the energy absorption property of it was analyzed by combining dynamic testing and numerical simulation. The optimization of aluminum foam composite panels with enhanced ribs was investigated assuming that the panels had the same total mass. An Instron drop hammer test machine was used to study the dynamic compressive behavior of the new composite panels and the impact deformation characteristics of the components. Finite element method (FEM) software was employed to simulate the loading process, and the simulation results were compared with the experimental data for validating the reliability of the model. The effect of rib-mass ratio on the energy absorption property was investigated, and the energy absorption capacities of the new composite panels and conventional sandwiches were compared at different impact velocities. The analysis shows that, compared with conventional sandwich panels, aluminum foam composite panels with enhanced ribs have better energy absorption subjected to uniform distributed loading; and both rib-mass ratio and impact velocity have an effect on the normalized energy absorption. The results of this study can be a reference for related academic research and engineering application.

National Deployment of Domestic Geothermal Heat Pump Technology: Observations on the UK Experience 1995–2013

Uptake of geothermal heat pump technology in the UK and corresponding development of a domestic installation industry has progressed significantly in the last decade. This paper summarizes the growth process and reviews the research that has been specifically concerned with conditions in the UK. We discuss the driving forces behind these developments and some of the supporting policy initiatives that have been implemented. Publically funded national trials were completed to assess the performance and acceptance of the technology and validate design and installation standards. We comment on both the technical and non-technical findings of the trials and the related academic research and their relevance to standards development. A number of technical issues can be identified—some of which may be particular to the UK—and we suggest a number of research and development questions that need to be addressed further. Current national support for the technology relies solely on a tariff mechanism and it is uncertain that this will be effective enough to ensure sufficient growth to meet the national renewable heat target in 2020. A broader package of support that includes mandatory measures applied to future housing development and retrofit may be necessary to ensure long-term plans for national deployment and decarbonization of heat are achieved. Industry needs to demonstrate that efficiency standards can be assured, capital costs reduced in the medium-term and that national training schemes are effective.

An Integrated Procedure for Bayesian Reliability Inference Using MCMC

The recent proliferation of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approaches has led to the use of the Bayesian inference in a wide variety of fields. To facilitate MCMC applications, this paper proposes an integrated procedure for Bayesian inference using MCMC methods, from a reliability perspective. The goal is to build a framework for related academic research and engineering applications to implement modern computational-based Bayesian approaches, especially for reliability inferences. The procedure developed here is a continuous improvement process with four stages (Plan, Do, Study, and Action) and 11 steps, including: (1) data preparation; (2) prior inspection and integration; (3) prior selection; (4) model selection; (5) posterior sampling; (6) MCMC convergence diagnostic; (7) Monte Carlo error diagnostic; (8) model improvement; (9) model comparison; (10) inference making; (11) data updating and inference improvement. The paper illustrates the proposed procedure using a case study.

Key success factor analysis for e‐SCM project implementation and a case study in semiconductor manufacturers

PurposeThe semiconductor market exceeded US$250 billion worldwide in 2010 and has had a double‐digit compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the last 20 years. As it is located far upstream of the electronic product market, the semiconductor industry has suffered severely from the “bullwhip” effect. Therefore, effective e‐based supply chain management (e‐SCM) has become imperative for the efficient operation of semiconductor manufacturing (SM) companies. The purpose of this research is to define and analyze the key success factors (KSF) for e‐SCM system implementation in the semiconductor industry.Design/methodology/approachA hierarchy of KSFs is defined first by a combination of a literature review and a focus group discussion with experts who successfully implemented an inter‐organizational e‐SCM project. Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) is then employed to rank the importance of these identified KSFs. To confirm the research result and further explore the managerial implications, a second in‐depth interview with the e‐SCM project executives is conducted.FindingsThe KSF hierarchy is constructed with two levels: a top‐level consisting of four dimensions and a detailed‐level consisting of 15 individual factors. The research shows that, in the top‐level, strategy is the most critically successful dimension followed by process, organization, and technical; whereas in the detailed‐level, the top management commitment, clear project goal and business requirements, and business process re‐engineering are the top three critical successful factors.Research limitations/implicationsResearch surveys and interviews were conducted with two leading companies: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and ASE; they are the largest front‐end and back‐end SM companies in the world, respectively. Although the data collected was primarily based on the experience of one successful e‐SCM project, the significant roles of these two companies and compelling contribution made by the e‐SCM project leading to the research resulted in valuable guidelines for the companies in the semiconductor industry and a useful reference for companies in other manufacturing industries.Originality/valuee‐SCM system has a high failure rate and there is little literature discussing the KSF of e‐SCM implementation from a holistic view for certain industries. This paper not only provides a structured and comprehensive list of KSFs but also illustrates the application of the most critical factors by examples. In addition to the contributions made to industries, the research results can also serve as a foundation for related academic research when comparing the KSFs of implementing e‐SCM by different industries.

Community Food Systems: Strengthening the Research-to-Practice Continuum

Growing public interest in links between food, health, and the environment has sparked exponential growth in local and regional food system projects. Along with local experimentation has come an accompanying surge in related academic research. Are we learning what we need to know to expand the impact of the work? This paper introduces a new community food systems bibliography as a tool to help build usable knowledge. Drawing on a set of literature reviews prepared by students in a University of California Davis graduate seminar,* we illustrate how the bibliography can facilitate literature scans to begin to identify persistent and strategic challenges facing community food system practitioners. Our analysis of the student reviews finds three interrelated challenges: (1) an economic challenge rooted in the difficulty of finding price points that work for farmers while ensuring that low-income consumers have access to healthy food and food system workers have decent wages and benefits; (2) a social challenge to confront racial and class bias while forging practical solutions; and (3) a political challenge of reconciling "insider" and "outsider" strategies, the former emphasizing incremental reform and the latter systemic change. These challenges resist simple solutions, but progress can be made if researchers and practitioners join forces. We discuss the potential for conceptual frameworks drawn from the applied fields of community development and public policy to inform the needed dialog between theory and practice.* All the bibliography files, including updates, are available at http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/sfs/CFSresources

The changing nature of FDI inflows in Wales, 1983-2007

The paper seeks to explore the impact of inbound foreign direct investment (FDI) on employment in one UK peripheral region, Wales, during the period from 1983 to 2007 based upon a unique data base provide by the Welsh Assembly Government. The aim of the underlying study was to analyse and seek to understand the relationships between transnational corporations (TNCs) countries of origin, types of FDI (new, expansionary, merger and acquisition and joint ventures), FDI–related capital investment, and (new and safeguarded) employment in the Welsh context. A model relating inbound FDI from TNC countries of origin (outside the UK) to the resultant impact on employment is developed from the academic literature, following which, an analysis of TNC inbound FDI and its impact on employment in Wales is carried out for the period from 1983 to 2007. The paper concludes by putting forward a series of conclusions and recommendations for policymakers and for further, related academic research.

Measurable and Continuous Performance Improvement: The Development of a Performance Measurement, Management, and Improvement System

Performance management systems are widely employed in organizations, yet there are high rates of dissatisfaction among users as well as significant criticism of the quality and utility of related academic research. Poor measurement of performance indicators and, consequently, poor alignment to performance management interventions may limit the effectiveness of efforts to strategically assess and manage human performance. Following an overview of pertinent literature in human resource disciplines as well as human performance technology, we draw on relevant theories to develop a Performance Measurement, Management, and Improvement System that aligns performance measurement with strategic, tactical, and operational goals and generates meaningful data to drive performance interventions and decisions. We outline a research agenda with recommendations for research across levels and contexts of human performance as well as within different cultural settings and globally distributed organizations. Finally, we propose that empirical validation employ analytic network processing, a technique for modeling complex processes.

How to contribute research results to internet standardization

The development of new technology is driven by scientific research. The Internet, with its roots in the ARPANET and NSFNet, is no exception. Many of the fundamental, long-term improvements to the architecture, security, end-to-end protocols and management of the Internet originate in the related academic research communities. Even shorter-term, more commercially driven extensions are oftentimes derived from academic research. When interoperability is required, the IETF standardizes such new technology. Timely and relevant standardization benefits from continuous input and review from the academic research community. For an individual researcher, it can however by quite puzzling how to begin to most effectively participate in the IETF and - arguably to a much lesser degree - in the IRTF. The interactions in the IETF are much different than those in academic conferences, and effective participation follows different rules. The goal of this document is to highlight such differences and provide a rough guideline that will hopefully enable researchers new to the IETF to become successful contributors more quickly.

Socio‐economic development model based on stochastic advance‐retreat course

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reveal some basic characteristics in social and economic process, and lay the analytic foundation for advance‐retreat course (ARC).Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents the analytic model of stochastic ARC (SARC), which is based on the partial distribution and partial process (belonging to the probability theory and stochastic process), and describes some important characteristics of social and economic process in a quantitative method.FindingsThe successful socio‐economic process, including many biological process, are usually divided into three basic stages: the weak growth, the quick development and the swift decline. In general, rapid growth brings with it the weak persistence, and slow growth brings with it the strong persistence. The socio‐economic fluctuations are mainly caused by the excessive environmental pressures. The duration of the socio‐economic growth is inverse with the environmental pressure.Research limitations/implicationsAll the basic variables and parameters in an ARC model should be no less than zero.Practical implicationsBased on US GDP (chained) price index data (1940‐2005), American economic process in recent 70 years is analyzed, and the analysis indicates, American economic motivity is clearly insufficient after 2008, and the present economic recovery will be very arduous and prolonged.Social implicationsThe environmental pressures will become the main problem for future global socio‐economic development.Originality/valueSARC model in this paper presents a special way to analyze the social development and economic growth, and is helpful to related academic research and socio‐economic decision making.