US Case Study Research Articles

Trip and parking generation at transit-oriented developments: Five US case studies

Guidelines for trip and parking generation in the United States come mainly from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). However, their trip and parking manuals focus on suburban locations with limited transit and pedestrian access. This study aims to determine how many fewer vehicle trips are generated at transit-oriented developments (TODs), and how much less parking is required at TODs, than ITE guidelines would suggest.Our sample of TODs is small, which limits our ability to generalize. However, the five cases selected for this study are more or less exemplary of the D variables, at least in comparison with US norms. They are characterized by land-use diversity and pedestrian-friendly designs. They minimize distance to transit, literally abutting transit stations. They have varying measures of destination accessibility to the rest of the region via transit. Three have progressive parking policies, which fall under the heading of demand management. Two have high residential densities, and one has a high intensity of commercial development.Simply put, our case study TODs create significantly less demand for parking and driving than do conventional suburban developments. With one exception, peak parking demand in these TODs is less than one half the parking supply guideline in the ITE Parking Generation manual. Also, with one exception, vehicle trip generation rates are about half or less of what is predicted in the ITE Trip Generation Manual. Automobile mode shares are as low as one quarter of all trips, with the remainder being mostly transit and walk trips.

Sino-US film coproduction: A global media primer

This China–US case study describes the negotiation between Chinese consumer demand and the growing Chinese market for cinema, the Chinese film industry’s aspiration for international success and domestic development, the Chinese government’s soft power ambitions and the largest and most successful film industry in the world – Hollywood. This article gives a brief look at the Sino-US film coproduction history, examines the root reason for the phenomena of ‘fake’ coproduction and analyses the challenges that hurdle the deep cooperation (‘real’ coproduction) process.

Intuitive Thinking and Misconceptions of Independent Events: A Case Study of US and French Pre-Service Teachers

In this article we study the conceptions of an American and a French group of undergraduate pre-service teachers regarding the concept of independent events. Specifically, we study the role that intuition plays in their answers, ascertain the presence of probabilistic biases, and compare the findings with previous results collected on a different population. Participants were asked to provide essay-type answers to a three-part questionnaire that asked them to solve problems, react to hypothetical students’ answers, and answer direct questions. The concept of independent events was problematic for most participants as was the distinction between mutually exclusive and independent events. In addition, representativeness bias and the Falk Phenomenon were observed among several participants.

Using macroinvertebrate assemblages and multiple stressors to infer urban stream system condition: a case study in the central US

Characterizing the impacts of hydrologic alterations, pollutants, and habitat degradation on macroinvertebrate species assemblages is of critical value for managers wishing to categorize stream ecosystem condition. A combination of approaches including trait-based metrics and traditional bioassessments provides greater information, particularly in anthropogenic stream ecosystems where traditional approaches can be confounded by variously interacting land use impacts. Macroinvertebrates were collected from two rural and three urban nested study sites in central Missouri, USA during the spring and fall seasons of 2011. Land use responses of conventional taxonomic and trait-based metrics were compared to streamflow indices, physical habitat metrics, and water quality indices. Results show that biotic index was significantly different (p < 0.05) between sites with differences detected in 54 % of trait-based metrics. The most consistent response to urbanization was observed in size metrics, with significantly (p < 0.05) fewer small bodied organisms. Increases in fine streambed sediment, decreased submerged woody rootmats, significantly higher winter Chloride concentrations, and decreased mean suspended sediment particle size in lower urban stream reaches also influenced macroinvertebrate assemblages. Riffle habitats in urban reaches contained 21 % more (p = 0.03) multivoltine organisms, which was positively correlated to the magnitude of peak flows (r2 = 0.91, p = 0.012) suggesting that high flow events may serve as a disturbance in those areas. Results support the use of macroinvertebrate assemblages and multiple stressors to characterize urban stream system condition and highlight the need to better understand the complex interactions of trait-based metrics and anthropogenic aquatic ecosystem stressors.

Travel Time Estimation Based on Fused Traffic State Data: Case Studies in US and South Korea

The goal of Advance Traveler Information System (ATIS) is to improve traffic flow and safety by providing up-to-date information of traffic network. In this paper, traffic information (travel time) estimation based on fused traffic state data is presented. A centralized architecture is used to fuse the traffic sate data from different sensors based fusion by averaging and fusion by median and to estimate the travel time based on the simultaneous travel time estimation model accordingly. Two case studies are selected to investigate the performance of fusion models based on freeway data in the United States of America (USA) and the arterial road data in South Korea. The results show that the fusion by median performs best. The model is able to eliminate outliers in the data with less effort of complex mathematical process. It can be used as a benchmark for comparison with other advanced fusion models.

The assessment of water use and reuse through reported data: A US case study

Increasing demands for freshwater make it necessary to find innovative ways to extend the life of our water resources, and to manage them in a sustainable way. Indirect water reuse plays a role in meeting freshwater demands but there is limited documentation of it. There is a need to analyze its current status for water resources planning and conservation, and for understanding how it potentially impacts human health. However, the fact that data are archived in discrete uncoordinated databases by different state and federal entities, limits the capacity to complete holistic analysis of critical resources at large watershed scales. Humans alter the water cycle for food production, manufacturing, energy production, provision of potable water and recreation. Ecosystems services are affected at watershed scales but there are also global scale impacts from greenhouse gas emissions enabled by access to cooling, processing and irrigation water. To better document these issues and to demonstrate the utility of such an analysis, we studied the Wabash River Watershed located in the U.S. Midwest. Data for water extraction, use, discharge, and river flow were collected, curated and reorganized in order to characterize the water use and reuse within the basin. Indirect water reuse was estimated by comparing treated wastewater discharges with stream flows at selected points within the watershed. Results show that during the low flow months of July–October, wastewater discharges into the Wabash River basin contributed 82 to 121% of the stream flow, demonstrating that the level of water use and unplanned reuse is significant. These results suggest that intentional water reuse for consumptive purposes such as landscape or agricultural irrigation could have substantial ecological impacts by diminishing stream flow during vulnerable low flow periods.

Expatriate Cultural Antecedents and Outcomes

This field note is based upon a case study of US expatriates working for a multinational nonprofit organization in North and Central Africa. The purpose of this study was to examine expatriate culture adjustment from two vantage points. First, the study tested the impact of three organizational conditions on expatriate culture adjustment. Second, the study examined the relationship between an expatriate's culture adjustment and (1) their intention to prematurely leave the international assignment and (2) their effectiveness in host country relationships. In the first phase of analysis, the study found that the expatriate's alignment with organizational mission and values, level of team esprit‐de‐corps, and job satisfaction were significant predictors of national cultural adjustment. In the second phase, the study found that higher levels of expatriate cultural adjustment (1) yielded lower levels of employees’ premature turnover intention and (2) enhanced the expatriate's ability to work with host country nationals and their organizations. The validated survey instrument in this study provides managers with a tool to measure the organizational conditions, expatriate's level of cultural adjustment, turnover intention, and relationships with host ‐country nationals. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Concordance Theory in Pakistan

In Zulfiqar Ali’s article regarding concordance theory in Pakistan, Dr. Ali asserts that concordance theory does not explain domestic military intervention in Pakistan. He also suggests that concordance theory superimposes a Western theoretical model on Pakistan, like Huntington’s theory of objective civilian control. In response to Dr. Ali’s claims, this article reiterates how concordance theory can in fact explain why Pakistan has suffered from domestic military intervention—the alienation of the Bengali community and subsequent lack of agreement among the three concordance partners being one significant factor. Additionally, Huntington’s theory focuses on institutional and dichotomous civil–military relations, grounded in the post–World War II US case study. By contrast, concordance theory views the relationship between military and society from both cultural and institutional perspectives and embraces those indigenous qualities that may encourage or discourage domestic military intervention.

Human Benefits of Road Improvements: A Case Study

This study evaluates human benefits of a road improvements, in terms of safety, vehicle operating costs, travel time and jobs, through a case study of a highway US 550 in New Mexico. This highway is a 118-mile road, which was reconstructed from a two-lane highway to a four-lane highway over a period of three years from 1998 to 2001. It is shown that the reduction in travel time occurs on the rural portions of the road. The vehicle operating costs has reduced due to mainly less fuel consumption. Using US 550 crash data for 1996-1998 (before) and 2002-2008 (after), it is shown that the crash increased from 85 per year in the before period to 116 per year in the after period, an overall increase of 36 percent. The situation certainly would have been worse if the road had remained in its former two-lane configuration. In an effort to develop a better understanding of the crashes on US 550 before and after the reconstruction, comparisons were conducted of selected crash characteristics, specifically severity, day of the week, and crash class. It is shown a five percent increase in crash on Sundays and a 5 percent decrease on Saturday. The reconstruction of NM44/US 550 was intended to make some areas connected by this road more attractive to business, industry, and tourists. Though this reconstruction has increased tourist attractions to the local area, job growth was not proportionate to the population growth in the area.

An Empirical Comparison of the Corporate Financing Behavior: The Case Study of the Major US and Japanese Firms in the Electrical-related Industries

This paper explores the corporate financing behavior of four large electrical-related industry firms in the US and Japan. The interesting findings from our case study are as follows. (1) First, as for Apple Inc. (Apple), our results can be interpreted that the firm raises funds by equity when its market value is high. Further, our empirical results also show that the Apple is considered to finance the funds for R&amp;D and tangible assets mainly by debt rather than equity. (2) Second, regarding International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), the firm is considered to finance the funds for R&amp;D mainly by equity rather than debt; however, the debt ratio of this firm is generally high. (3) Third, as for Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic), the firm is considered to finance the funds for property, plant, and equipment mainly by debt rather than equity, and the rapid increase of its debt ratio is seen in the recent period. (4) Finally, as to Sony Corporation (Sony), the company is considered to finance the funds for property, plant, and equipment and R&amp;D expenses mainly by equity rather than debt whilst its debt ratio is also generally high.

Can Consumers Understand Sustainability through Seafood Eco-Labels? A U.S. and UK Case Study

In the United States and the United Kingdom, over the last decade major retail chains have increasingly publicized their efforts to supply sustainably sourced and eco-labelled seafood. Debate exists over the extent of consumer demand for this product. Seafood eco-labels purportedly resolve the information asymmetry between producer and consumer, allowing consumers who care about sustainability to easily find and purchase these products. This paper discusses the idealized model of seafood eco-labelling in promoting sustainability and presents results of US and UK case studies based on consumer interviews and surveys, which found that consumers had often seen one or more seafood eco-labels. Two well-established eco-labels, dolphin-safe and organic, drove these rates of sustainable seafood awareness. These rates are interpreted in the context of consumer’s understanding of sustainable. The Sustainable Seafood Movement’s efforts to increase the supply of eco-labelled seafood and elaborate corporate buying policies for sustainable seafood are influencing consumer’s recognition and purchase of certified sustainable seafood products. However, eco-labels are a means to communicate messages about sustainable fisheries to consumers, not an end. Efforts to educate consumers about eco-labels should be a component of ocean literacy efforts, which educate the public about the need for sustainable fisheries.

The gap between science and policy: Assessing the use of nonmarket valuation in estuarine management based on a case study of US federally managed estuaries

Estuaries are among the most productive natural systems on earth, providing an array of human welfare benefits, if well managed. Non-market valuation (NMV) can be a powerful tool that can inform policies for better estuarine management. More than 30 years of research valuing estuaries around the world does not appear to have had a major impact on estuarine management if one uses the literature as evidence. Published examples of policy applications using estimates from these studies, are rare, leading to the question whether the effort and money spent on this research has been useful and worth the cost.In addition to raising public awareness of the importance of estuaries, NMV should play a wider and more influential role in estuarine management. Our research went beyond the literature to the sources, and attempted to find out if there were a gap between economic studies and their use in policy decisions by surveying the managers of US federally managed estuaries. We identified the gap, addressed the size of the gap, and sought to elicit some possible reasons for it. Our research also identified some of the underlying causes why these values are not used more in the decision making process, at least in the case of US-managed estuaries.In this paper, we review current literature, and report on a survey of key personnel from two US agencies--the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that oversee estuaries and sanctuaries, and we summarize their observations regarding why they do or don't use NMV studies. On the basis of this, some problems with NMV studies that hinder their uses in practice are presented, as well as solutions to close the gap.

Successful minority pedagogy in mathematics: US and Japanese case studies

This study examines best practices in teaching mathematics to minority students through two case studies conducted at high-minority junior high schools in the USA and Japan. Observations, interviews, and conversations with the teachers in both countries focused on the research question: how do teachers successfully teach mathematics to minority students? Moses’ Five-step Approach was used as a framework for understanding mathematics teaching. Findings from these case studies reveal that despite many differences in their educational systems, distinct similarities existed between US and Japanese pedagogy when teaching minority populations including: (1) building upon students’ prior experiences by using multisensory methods before teaching abstract concepts and rules; (2) using familiar, everyday words before introducing academic language; (3) integrating literacy throughout instruction; (4) guiding students to become critical thinkers through an inquiry process; and finally (5) developing trusting relationships with students and peers within a caring community.

Panethnicity

Panethnicity has become a significant form of identification across the globe. Categories, such as Latino and Asian American, but also identities, such as Yoruba and European, have been embraced by a growing number of individuals and institutions. In this article, we focus on three main issues: panethnic identification, the conditions under which panethnic categories are constructed, and recent directions in the field. We argue that panethnicity is characterized by a unique tension inherent in maintaining subgroup distinctions while generating a broader sense of solidarity. This tension distinguishes panethnicity as a form of ethnic expression because it places questions of subgroup diversity and cultural legitimacy at the forefront. As such, the study of panethnicity encourages researchers to take intragroup dynamics seriously and explore how conflicts between subgroups are often negotiated or muted in ethnic mobilization and categorization processes. We call for more research that moves beyond the US case study design and makes panethnic processes explicit in international research on race, ethnicity, and nationalism.

국방분야 빅데이터 분석의 활용가능성에 대한 고찰

Recently, one of the core keywords in information technology (IT) as well as areas such as business management is big data. Big data is a term that includes technology, personnel, and organization required to gather/manage/analyze collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to manage and analyze using traditional tools. The military has been accumulating data for a long period due to the organization's characteristic in placing emphasis on reporting and records. Considering such characteristic of the military, this study verifies the possibility of improving the performance of the military organization through use of big data and furthermore, create scientific development of operation, strategy, and support environment. For this purpose, the study organizes general status and case studies related to big data, traces back examples of data utilization by Korean's national defense sector through US military data collection and case studies, and proposes the possibility of using and applying big data in the national defense sector.

Containerization of bulk trades: A case study of US–Asia wood pulp transport

Containerization of bulk cargo has gradually emerged in recent decades, particularly along the US–East Asia trade route (China, Japan and South Korea). One of the background factors in the emergence of this phenomenon is an imbalance between eastbound and westbound container cargo movements along this route. Nonetheless, the factors that affect containerization have not yet been identified. We conduct an empirical analysis to understand how shippers choose transport modes, depending on the prevailing economic conditions. We aim to reveal the critical factors in choosing bulk carriers versus container vessels in hauling wood pulp, a bulk commodity that ships from the United States to East Asia. Our results can assist shippers and shipping companies in securing the most advantageous transport mode. Our main finding is that the effect of economic factors on the transport mode decision differs among the three East Asian countries. The Japan route is mostly subject to economic factors. Economic factors other than freight rates have no significant effect on the South Korea route. In the case of China, none of the economic factors was identified as being of great importance. Hence, in the latter case, rational decision making, based on prevailing economic conditions, might not take place when choosing the transport mode.

Anti-doping attempts in professional bodybuilding and their unintended effects: an examination of US case studies in the ‘90s

Anti-doping attempts in professional bodybuilding and their unintended effects: an examination of US case studies in the ‘90s

‘Red Storm Ahead’: Securitisation of Energy in US–China Relations

Energy is becoming more and more important to state survival and economic development, and is increasingly considered an issue of ‘national security’. In 2005, the bid by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) for US energy company Unocal was securitised by US elite actors, who called for presidential action on the grounds of ‘national security’. This article argues that securitisation of energy is problematic, as it impedes cooperation and encourages strategic and/or economic competition between states over energy supplies by tying energy to a national security ‘us vs. them’ scenario. Moreover, it limits the energy security debate. The article will use a securitisation approach to analyse the discourse of the Unocal affair, together with a smaller complementary case study of US–China cooperation on shale gas to show the possibility of dealing with energy in desecuritised terms. It argues that the current literature on energy ‘security’ analyses policy in overly simplistic competition/cooperation terms and fails to recognise the policy implications of securitising energy. In contrast, a securitisation approach to energy can explain the (re)presentation of energy as a policy issue and allows an analysis of how using particular discourse makes particular policy possible, while silencing alternative policy options. This has implications for policy-making in this area as energy policy/practice should be desecuritised.

Climate change collaboration among natural resource management agencies: lessons learned from two US regions

It has been argued that regional collaboration can facilitate adaptation to climate change impacts through integrated planning and management. In an attempt to understand the underlying institutional factors that either support or contest this assumption, this paper explores the institutional factors influencing adaptation to climate change at the regional scale, where multiple public land and natural resource management jurisdictions are involved. Insights from two mid-western US case studies reveal that several challenges to collaboration persist and prevent fully integrative multi-jurisdictional adaptation planning at a regional scale. We propose that some of these challenges, such as lack of adequate time, funding and communication channels, be reframed as opportunities to build interdependence, identify issue-linkages and collaboratively explore the nature and extent of organisational trade-offs with respect to regional climate change adaptation efforts. Such a reframing can better facilitate multi-jurisdictional adaptation planning and management of shared biophysical resources generally while simultaneously enhancing organisational capacity to mitigate negative effects and take advantage of potentially favourable future conditions in an era characterised by rapid climate change.

A perspective on cost-effectiveness of greenhouse gas reduction solutions in water distribution systems

Water distribution systems (WDSs) face great challenges as aging infrastructures require significant investments in rehabilitation, replacement, and expansion. Reducing environmental impacts as WDSs develop is essential for utility managers and policy makers. This study quantifies the existing greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of common WDS elements using life-cycle assessment (LCA) while identifying the greatest opportunities for emission reduction. This study addresses oversights of the related literature, which fails to capture several WDS elements and to provide detailed life-cycle inventories. The life-cycle inventory results for a US case study utility reveal that 81% of GHGs are from pumping energy, where a large portion of these emissions are a result of distribution leaks, which account for 270 billion l of water losses daily in the United States. Pipe replacement scheduling is analyzed from an environmental perspective where, through incorporating leak impacts, a tool reveals that optimal replacement is no more than 20 years, which is in contrast to the US average of 200 years. Carbon abatement costs (CACs) are calculated for different leak reduction scenarios for the case utility that range from −$130 to $35 t−1 CO2(eq). Including life-cycle modeling in evaluating pipe materials identified polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and cement-lined ductile iron (DICL) as the Pareto efficient options, however; utilizing PVC presents human health risks. The model developed for the case utility is applied to California and Texas to determine the CACs of reducing leaks to 5% of distributed water. For California, annual GHG savings from reducing leaks alone (3.4 million tons of CO2(eq)) are found to exceed California Air Resources Board’s estimate for energy efficiency improvements in the state’s water infrastructure.