Transport and climate change: Simulating the options for carbon reduction in London

Transport is a major user of carbon-based fuels, and it is increasingly being highlighted as the sector which contributes least to CO₂ emission reduction targets. This paper reports on the findings of the VIBAT London study (www.vibat.org) which considers the role of the transport sector in reducing CO₂ emissions in London.The analysis develops a transport and carbon simulation model (TC-SIM) for London. Within this, users are able to consider the implementation of a series of potential policy packages—low emission vehicles, alternative fuels, pricing regimes, public transport, walking and cycling, strategic and local urban planning, information and communication technologies, smarter choices, ecological driving and slower speeds, long distance travel substitution, freight transport and international air. They can select variable levels of application to help achieve headline CO₂ emission reduction targets. The roles of carbon rationing and oil prices are also considered. TC-SIM can be played in different user modes: as ‘free riders’, ‘techno-optimists’, ‘enviro-optimists’, ‘complacent car addicts’ and other typical travel market segments, including a ‘free role’. Game playing or scenario testing such as this helps to highlight perceived levels of homogeneity of views within certain cohorts, the development of entrenched positions and the likely success in achieving objectives.The paper develops various policy packages, scenarios and pathways aimed at reducing transport CO₂ emissions. It argues that strategic CO₂ emission reduction targets are very ambitious relative to current progress, and that we need to act more effectively across a wide range of policy mechanisms, with a ‘high intensity application’ of many of the options, to get near to achieving these targets. A critical issue here will be in communicating and gaining greater ‘ownership’ of future lifestyle choices with stakeholders and the public, and participation tools such as TC-SIM could become increasingly important in this area.     

Does ECO certification deliver benefits? An empirical investigation of visitors’ perceptions of the importance of ECO certification's attributes and of operators’ performance

Certification is highlighted as a key sustainable tourism management tool. Yet, very little is known about visitors’ perceptions of such schemes. This is an important gap: the success of certification schemes depends on consumers’ confidence in the quality of products and services that the schemes endorse. This paper surveyed 610 visitors to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and surrounds in Queensland, Australia about (1) the perceived importance of various attributes of the ECO certification scheme; and (2) the perceived performance of operators based on those attributes. Data analysis identified aspects of ECO certification and of operator performance that may need improvement. It found that importance of attributes varied across products and visitor groups; at accommodations, most attributes were perceived to be important, Nature (as an aesthetic experience) and Marketing being more important than others, while at attractions and on tours, visitors were indifferent. Younger visitors rated Environment and Conservation more highly than their older counterparts and females rated Conservation more highly than males. Visitors – notably at accommodations – considered that ECO certified operators were performing “better” than non-ECO certified operators on many attributes. How these visitor perceptions translate into reality remains an important topic for future research.     

Understanding ASEAN tourism collaboration — the preconditions and policy framework formulation

Intergovernmental collaboration in tourism among ASEAN nations has received little attention in the literature despite the significant contribution that tourism makes in the region. This paper helps improve our understanding of the phenomenon by providing empirical evidence that explains the preconditions that gave rise to ASEAN tourism and the formulation of its policy framework. It is suggested that, to truly realise the vision of economic integration and sustainable tourism development, continuous efforts are required to establish, promote and protect the common interests of member countries. Policy‐makers should also strive for a good balance between pragmatism and mechanism when implementing policies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measuring the social impacts of local authority events: a pilot study for a civic pride scale

• The provision of events and festivals by local government has become an expected, if non‐mandatory, service. In many regions these events are organised in order to provide mainly social, rather than economic, benefits to the community and, as a consequence, the providing organisation may have difficulty in demonstrating a return on the budget invested. This paper suggests the use of multi‐item attitude scales to quantify the intangible effects of the festival or event programme on the local community. The findings of a pilot study of one such scale are presented showing that reliable and valid methods can be developed, that they can be relatively low cost and simple to apply and that the data generated can be of great value in enhancing the evaluation of local authority service provision.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An analysis of the use and success of online recruitment methods in the UK

The use of online recruitment methods is now widespread among UK organisations, but has not dominated the recruitment market in the way that was predicted by the popular media. This may be because organisations experience mixed success in using online methods of recruitment. This article reports on the use of a large‐scale, longitudinal survey of recruitment activity to investigate the usage and perceived success of both corporate and commercial web sites by employers. In addition, 20 interviews with users and providers of online recruitment were conducted in order to provide a deeper exploration of the factors that may affect the success of these methods. The results provide valuable insights into the use and success of online recruitment in the UK and have strong implications for practitioners.     

The trilogy of distance, speed and time

Over the recent past there has been a dramatic increase in travel, mainly driven by the desire to move faster and over ever greater distances. This growth is unsustainable, and the continued growth in levels of mobility needs to be reassessed through substantially reducing the levels of consumption (energy and carbon) in transport. This means that travel activities should be based on shorter distances and slower speeds, with a more flexible interpretation of time constraints. Transport geographers should have a strong and instrumental role to play in this debate. This paper outlines the changing patterns of movement, before concentrating on urban areas where most daily travel takes place, and it examines the trilogy of distance, speed and time. The focus of the paper is on distance, and the role that land use planning and development, and technology can play in encouraging new forms of travel in cities, but there are strong implications on the ways in which speed and time are conceptualised. The conventional transport paradigm is heavily embedded in the belief that travel time needs to be minimised and consequently speeds need to be increased. The resulting impacts on travel distances have not been part of that debate, but reducing travel distances is central to sustainable transport.     

Political Risk Assessment and the Arab Spring: What Can We Learn?

Whether dealing with debt issues in the Eurozone, investment prospects in emerging markets, or potential disruptions in patterns of global trade, the identification, assessment, and measurement of political risk (PR) are recurring issues for businesses and governments today. In the past few years, abrupt social and political change has become the rule in international relations. A prominent instance of this is the “Arab Spring,” the massive and unexpected wave of social and political turmoil that, starting in the winter of 2010‐2011, swept across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The Arab Spring has significantly affected the business climate of the countries involved. In doing so, it has also exposed the shortcomings of the extant approaches to PR assessment. This article discusses the performance of five different approaches to PR assessment (OECD, ONDD, EIU, PRS, SACE) vis‐à‐vis the Arab Spring, providing some specific suggestions on how to improve PR assessment and analysis. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Who is responsible for rehabilitating the poor? The case for church-based financial services for the poor

This article is a qualitative study, the first part of an ongoing empirical study on the role of churches in providing financial access to the poor. It begins with the question of whether Christian Churches should be involved in providing financial services for the poor. Drawing on the teachings of the Bible, Catholic Social Teachings (CSTs), it concludes that providing such a service is consistent with Christian principles. It then uses the theory of people's psychological sense of a community, the Bible, CST and the extant literature to develop a number of propositions that could form a framework for church-based micro-finance institutions (MFIs).     

The role of Ghanaian churches in the financial rehabilitation of the poor: Implications for re-visiting the social mission of religious institutions

The article examines the role of Ghanaian churches in the financial rehabilitation of the poor. It offers a critical analysis of the biblical mandate of the Church to promote social justice, and highlights the efforts made by selected Ghanaian churches in alleviating poverty through their social programs. The article examines the potential of the Church, particularly its untapped resources that could be used to promote alternative development programs, such as micro-financing. The article recommends that the state form strategic alliance with the Church to promote micro-financing in Ghana. It concludes that despite some of the criticisms leveled against the Church, it is an institution with untapped potential to assist the poor, regardless of political, ethnic, gender, religious or class distinction.     

Are the Mediterranean countries competitive in fresh fruit and vegetable exports?

For many of the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, fruit and vegetables are very important products. In light of the increasing trade liberalization and thus increasing competition between countries, this paper aims to investigate the competitiveness of ten Mediterranean countries with respect to fresh fruit and vegetables. The analysis rests on two foundations. First, a set of indicators are calculated to give a general impression of trends and potentials. Second, a constant market share analysis is performed where the countries' competitiveness in world trade is investigated. The results show that the competitiveness of the investigated countries has deteriorated over the period.