RELATIONSHIPS OF JOB CATEGORIES AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEVELS TO USE OF COMMUNICATION CHANNELS,INCLUDING ELECTRONIC MAIL: A META-ANALYSIS AND EXTENSION*

This study tests hypotheses derived from information processing theory concerning relationships between individuals' job category, organizational level, and levels and patterns of media usage. Media studied include face-to-face, meetings, memos/letters, telephone and electronic mail. In the meta-analysis of over 40 studies, usage of different media was significantly different for managers/executives versus others, and was highly correlated with organizational level. In the individual-level analyses of four organizations, the majority of respondents were classified into their actual job categories, and according to distances between organizational levels, by a discriminant function involving only relative extent of media use, especially participation in meetings. Contrary to information richness theory, upper-level respondents (managers) did not necessarily use electronic mail less than did lower-level respondents (clerical workers). The article concludes by discussing implications for theories of organizational media use and implementation of electronic mail systems.     

生物质能发电厂烟气余热回收技术应用与效益

文章根据湖南省内生物质能发电厂的实际情况,阐述了生物质燃料含水量对发电效益的影响,降低生物质燃料的含水率是提高发电效益的重要途径之一。通过回收发电厂排放的烟气余热,利用低品位的能源,将生物质燃料的含水量干燥至25%左右,大大提高了发电厂的经济效益。     

Improving the response rate and quality in Web-based surveys through the personalization and frequency of reminder mailings

Internet shares some characteristics of survey making with traditional media, especially postal mail. However, there are considerable differences that justify a different focus on administration and make existing knowledge of the traditional media not directly applicable to Internet. Research is therefore necessary to discover how Web-based surveys operate under different conditioning factors, so that general behavioral patterns can be established in order to improve the administration and results of such surveys. This study thus centers on two of the parameters that can influence responses to Web-based surveys, which are personalization and the frequency of reminder mailings distributed among the sample population. The results obtained show a positive influence of personalized e-mail messages on response rate and the need to use a lower frequency for studies aiming at increasing the response rate in the shortest possible time; and longer frequency (and personalized) when the aim is to have the respondents complete the full questionnaire.     

干冰去污在核电站换料相关设施中应用方案的初步研究

干冰技术的去污效率高、基材损伤小、二次废物量少,在核设施的去污实践中越来越多的受到重视。由于核电站反应堆换料系统的去污比较常见,通过对反应堆换料水池、乏燃料贮存运输容器的去污需求分析,设计一套干冰去污装置,实现对核设施的有效去污,满足人员操作和设备运输的要求;其去污过程和最终二次废物产量也遵循了废物最小化的原则,且环保高效,是未来放射性去污的重要发展方向。     

The impact of environmental information on professional purchasers' choice of products

Professional food purchasers are an important group of people since they influence what alternatives of a food product consumers will have the possibility to choose between. The aim of the present study was to investigate the inclination among professional purchasers to choose food products associated with more benign environmental consequences. Information about product price, total use of energy, emission of greenhouse gases and use of pesticides associated with production and consumption of one kilogram of minced beef and fresh apples was varied systematically in order to study the relative influence on product preference. Product price was found to influence product preference more than any of the three environmentally related factors. Introduction of a labeling system that indicated whether the environmental impacts associated with a food product during its life cycle were ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than an average product partly increased the effect of environmental information. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Producing Localized Commodity Frontiers at the End of Cheap Nature: An Analysis of Eco‐scalar Carbon Fixes and their Consequences

There is no single ‘great’ commodity frontier whose exploitation under current socio‐technical conditions could fuel capital accumulation at the global scale. According to Jason Moore, this represents the ‘end of Cheap Nature’ and signals a terminal crisis for capitalism as we know it. In this article we complicate this assertion by showing how, in the context of global environmental governance frameworks of carbon control, a diverse range of actors situated at multiple scales are intensifying the use of cities and their hinterlands for the production/transgression of localized commodity frontiers. We draw on scholarship on uneven geographical development, state‐led restructuring and eco‐scalar fixes to present two case studies from different segments of the carbon cycle in the global South. The first case demonstrates how the introduction of waste‐to‐energy technology in Delhi facilitated the generation of ‘carbon credits’ while waste matter itself became a commodity. The second discusses attempts by the Brazilian state of Amazonas (Amazônia) aspiring to shift from rainforest exploitation to financialized conservation supported by the ‘green global city’ functions of metropolitan Manaus. These cases demonstrate that although the global carbon‐control regime may enable accumulation, implementation remains speculative, and localized commodity frontiers provoke social resistances that jeopardize their durability.     

Designing randomized response surveys to support honest answers to stigmatizing questions

Review of Economic Design - Randomized response survey methods use noise to mask respondents’ answers to stigmatizing questions in an attempt to elicit honest responses. Respondents weigh the...     

College students and HR professionals: conflicting views on information available on Facebook

Increasingly employers are using social media as a mechanism to screen potential job candidates. This study examined college students' perceptions of the amount and degree of information available to potential employers who use social media. The study employed a survey of college students to determine how much information they felt someone could learn about them through their Facebook page. Results indicated that participants did not perceive much information about key job categories could be derived from their pages and they planned very few changes even though many believed it highly likely an employer would review their page. A subgroup also had their pages reviewed by HR professionals. A comparison analysis revealed that in several key job‐related areas, such as potential unethical behaviours and communication skills, HR personnel felt that they were able to learn significantly more about the participants than the participants believed themselves.     

Appraising world energy prospects

The authors begin by outlining a multi-scenario technique for coping with future uncertainty in assessments of the business environment for energy planning. The discussion then leads to a quantification of world energy demand under two exploratory scenarios, whose results are compared with published forecasts. Analysis of the components of demand highlights the importance of the Third World. After a review of the world's fossil fuel resources, the likely effective availability of oil and other energy sources (including nuclear power and the renewables) is set against the scenario levels of energy demand. The paper ends with a summary of the implications for action in the field of energy.     

Exploring social media usage in the public sector: Public employees' perceptions of ICT's usefulness in delivering value added

The present paper explores the effectiveness of the implementation and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the public sector, with a specific focus on the role of social media in improving both public decision-making processes and the quality of public services. We sought to deepen knowledge on this issue by disseminating structured questionnaires to Italian public servants, questioning them about the potentialities and criticalities of social media use in the public sector. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the data.The paper has two main goals. First, we aim to explore public servants' evaluation of social media's impact on public decision-making processes. Second, we are interested in understanding the main socio-demographic variables affecting public servants' perceptions about the importance of social media in these processes. This paper enriches the literature on public sector use of ICT and advances topical discussion on organizational change and decision-making processes in public administrations. In so doing, the paper reveals interesting practical and policy implications by highlighting the key aspects affecting social media's effectiveness and usefulness in the decision-making process and its impact on the public services delivered to the citizenry.     

ALCOHOL MARKETING,ADOLESCENT DRINKING AND PUBLICATION BIAS IN LONGITUDINAL STUDIES: A CRITICAL SURVEY USING META‐ANALYSIS

Abstract This paper presents a meta‐analysis of prospective cohort (longitudinal) studies of alcohol marketing and adolescent drinking, which accounts for publication bias. The paper provides a summary of 12 primary studies of the marketing–drinking relationship. Each primary study surveyed a sample of youth to determine baseline drinking status and marketing exposure, and re‐surveyed the youth to determine subsequent drinking outcomes. Logistic analyses provide estimates of the odds ratio for effects of baseline marketing variables on adolescent drinking at follow‐up. Using meta‐regression analysis, two samples are examined in this paper: 23 effect‐size estimates for drinking onset (initiation); and 40 estimates for other drinking behaviours (frequency, amount, bingeing). Marketing variables include ads in mass media, promotion portrayals, brand recognition and subjective evaluations by survey respondents. Publication bias is assessed using funnel plots that account for ‘missing’ studies, bivariate regressions and multivariate meta‐regressions that account for primary study heterogeneity, heteroskedasticity, data dependencies, publication bias and truncated samples. The empirical results are consistent with publication bias, omitted variable bias in some studies, and lack of a genuine effect, especially for mass media. The paper also discusses ‘dissemination bias’ in the use of research results by primary investigators and health policy interest groups.     

Fundraising communications: the role of experience in perceptions of media risk

This paper examines fundraising communications for charities in respect to their use of media. The questions posed were the extent to which knowledge and experience affect the perceptions of risk in media decision-making, and to what extent direct marketing reduces risk owing to its measurability. Based on a mail survey, direct mail was perceived as less risky than advertising. However, less risk was generally perceived when using familiar media. Managerially, the implications are that fundraisers may be lulled into a false sense of security by their familiarity with the media that they are using. The research emphasises the importance of perceptions in risk-taking and the need continually to re-evaluate positions on media choice. Copyright © 1999 Henry Stewart Publications     

The process of embedding new information technology artifacts into innovative design practices

The design and creation of anything innovative requires knowledge creation, which in turn often depends upon the introduction of innovative information technology (IT). Since design-related practices are deeply integrated with particular IT artifacts, it is no trivial task to migrate practice-based knowledge to unfamiliar IT artifacts. To explore the challenges associated with such migration, we develop the concept of embeddedness of IT artifacts by drawing on research that highlights the critical role of representational artifacts in knowledge, design, and distributed cognition. We then inductively analyze interview data from an in-depth case study of Frank Gehry, a world-renowned and radically innovative architect known for his use of sophisticated 3D computer-aided design (CAD) technology. By studying construction firms' transition from 2D CAD to 3D CAD, we identify four relevant themes associated with embedding new artifacts into knowledge-creating practice: (1) motivating the new artifact; (2) anchoring the new artifact in the old; (3) experimenting with the new artifact; and (4) confidence in using the new artifact. Through the generation of a process theory of embedding, we elaborate on how this perspective complements and extends research on IT adaptation and assimilation, and discuss the relevance of continuing to develop the IT embeddedness perspective given the continuing need for increased levels of IT-enabled innovation.     

How should heavy-duty trucks be taxed?

This paper develops and implements an analytical framework for estimating optimal taxes on the fuel use and mileage of heavy-duty trucks in the United States, accounting for external costs from congestion, accidents, pavement damage, noise, energy security, and local and global pollution. The analysis allows for endogenous fuel economy, increased auto travel in response to reduced truck congestion, and distinguishes driving by truck type and region. We estimate the optimal (second-best) diesel fuel tax at $1.12 per gallon and implementing it increases welfare by $1.34 billion per annum. Optimizing over both fuel and mileage taxes, and differentiating mileage taxes by vehicle type and region, yields progressively higher welfare gains. The most efficient tax structure involves a diesel fuel tax of 69 cents per gallon and charges on trucks that vary between 7 and 33 cents per mile; implementing this tax structure yields estimated welfare gains of $2.06 billion.     

Contaminant,Commodity and Fuel: A Multi-sited Study of Waste's roles in Urban Transformations from Italy to Austria

This article traces the flow of municipal solid waste from southern Italy through a waste-to-energy facility and district heating system in Austria, examining the roles that waste's transformation from contaminant to commodity to fuel plays in interconnected, distributed, and contested urbanization processes. It contends that, while metabolic circulation hides socioecological costs in one place to facilitate valorization in another, specific spatial configurations emerge through territorialization—of waste economies, in this case—providing the spatial base to realize metabolic flows and to anchor political narratives. A decisive effect is that certain patterns of urbanization become locked-in, impeding alternative metabolic transitions and spatial configurations. Attending to the coproduction of three sites—Naples, Italy; Zwentendorf, Austria; and St Pölten, Austria—through the circulation and transformation of waste and energy the article provides an empirical multi-sited case study of a political ecology of urbanization.     

基于熵权的乏燃料公路运输选线模型

由于核电站的特殊性，乏燃料的运输在核电供应体系中占据重要地位。核电站乏燃料具有辐射性，运输过程中对工作人员、沿途公众和环境等可能会产生危害，又属于公路超限货包运输，所以对公路运输线路要求非常高。本文在利用层次分析法构造乏燃料公路运输线路优选系统的综合评价指标体系的基础上，结合熵权和模糊数学理论，构造基于熵权的乏燃料公路运输选线模糊层次分析模型，为确保核电供应链中乏燃料物流的安全、降低其对环境的影响提供决策依据，以达到安全、可靠和经济合理地完成核电站乏燃料运输的目的。     

The packaging industry is not carried away by public opinion

The size and composition of our bin has changed over the years, as a result of the evolution of our way of living and our consumption habits. The wider range of goods now offered to consumers has resulted in significant augmentation of waste discarded in the form of packaging. The latter is estimated to represent about 30% by weight of total domestic waste. More than ever concerned about environmental issues, the public, alarmed by the media, has shown a strong interest in the problem of waste and waste management. Packaging is now felt as excessive, wasteful and bad for the environment, in particular plastic packaging since plastics are not as easily recycled as other materials. This paper, which includes the results of a consumer survey, brings to light the attitude and misconception of European consumers towards packaging and packaging materials and gives another insight into the problem.     

Handling Missing Data by Re-approaching Non-respondents

When handling missing data, a researcher should be aware of the mechanism underlying the missingness. In the presence of non-randomly missing data, a model of the missing data mechanism should be included in the analyses to prevent the analyses based on the data from becoming biased. Modeling the missing data mechanism, however, is a difficult task. One way in which knowledge about the missing data mechanism may be obtained is by collecting additional data from non-respondents. In this paper the method of re-approaching respondents who did not answer all questions of a questionnaire is described. New answers were obtained from a sample of these non-respondents and the reason(s) for skipping questions was (were) probed for. The additional data resulted in a larger sample and was used to investigate the differences between respondents and non-respondents, whereas probing for the causes of missingness resulted in more knowledge about the nature of the missing data patterns.     

航空生物燃油生产和使用的可持续性

随着传统能源价格不断上涨,各国对温室气体排放要求更加严格,近年来,航空生物燃料得以快速发展。然而,使用生物燃料并不意味着它的生产、转化和使用就是可持续的。生物燃料的发展使得不同生态系统间的矛盾不断显现。如何平衡不同生态系统成为生物燃料发展中值得关注的问题。本文综述了航空生物燃油生产和使用的可持续要求以及社会、经济和环境三个方面的判定标准。     

Web content mining for comparing corporate and third‐party online reporting: a case study on solid waste management

This study investigates the coverage of solid waste management on 1142 websites maintained by companies, news media and non‐governmental organizations to validate an automated approach to content and language analysis. First, a frequency analysis of waste management terms sheds light on the breadth and depth of their environmental discourses, revealing that corporate and media attention to waste management is small compared with that of non‐governmental organizations. Second, an investigation of their attitudes toward waste management suggests that companies avoid negative information in environmental communication, unlike news media or non‐governmental organizations. Ultimately, an automated tool for ontology building is employed to gain insights into companies' shared understanding of waste management. The ontology obtained indicates that companies conceptualize waste management as a business process rather than framing it from an ecological perspective, which is in line with findings from previous research. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.