Business Commons^™

Motorists Will Have To Pay For The Cost Of Congestion, Thomas Power

Articles

The available road space (the scarce resource) is currently allocated by one’s willingness to sit in traffic jams. The costs incurred in sitting in traffic jams benefits no one – it is pure deadweight loss. The solution is to get the motorist to pay the social cost (marginal congestion cost). By pricing the cost of this traffic congestion in euro, this money could be collected and put to good use, perhaps on improving public transport.

Exploring Paradox In Marketing Strategy: Managing Ambiguity Towards Synthesis, Aidan O'Driscoll

Articles

The objective of this paper is to explain a conceptual framework of paradox and marketing. The paper adopts a theoretical approach. It outlines marketing’s current and limited interest in the notion of paradox and highlights the difference between a classic paradox, the tension between transactional and relational marketing, and the Contemporary Marketing Practice (CMP) research program. A future research agenda for paradox and marketing is speculated on, addressing issues such as likely domains for exploration, methodology, as well as the type of organizational structures and marketing leadership required. Finally, there is reflection on how paradox engineers a strong bridge between …

Structural Equation Modelling: Guidelines For Determining Model Fit, Daire Hooper, Joseph Coughlan, Michael Mullen

Articles

The following paper presents current thinking and research on fit indices for structural equation modelling. The paper presents a selection of fit indices that are widely regarded as the most informative indices available to researchers. As well as outlining each of these indices, guidelines are presented on their use. The paper also provides reporting strategies of these indices and concludes with a discussion on the future of fit indices.

Study On Safety And Liability Issues Relating To Package Travel, Frank Alleweldt, Klaus Tonner, Marc Mcdonald

Articles

This study on safety and liability issues relating to package travel, package holidays and package tours highlights some of the gaps in the EU package travel law by answering a number of specific questions related to statistical evidence, Community legislation, and US legislation. It also suggests possible solutions to fill these gaps. The study was prepared by Civic Consulting and is based on a legal analysis, a literature review, an evaluation of statistical data, and on interviews with European and national travel and tour operator associations, individual tour operators, European and national associations of insurers, individual insurance companies, and European …

Supply Chain Management Diffusion Among Firms In The Republic Of Ireland, Edward Sweeney, Claudia-Maria Wagner, Bernd Huber

Articles

The changing business environment has sharpened the focus on the need for robust approaches to supply chain management (SCM) and the improvement of supply chain capability and performance. This is particularly the case in Ireland, which has the natural disadvantage of a location peripheral to significant markets and sources of raw materials which results in relatively high transport and distribution costs. Therefore, in order to gain insights into current levels of diffusion of SCM, a survey was conducted among 776 firms in the Republic of Ireland. The empirical results suggest that there is a need for more widespread adoption of …

Control And The Protean Career: A Critical Perspective From The Multinational’S International Assignees, Marian Crowley-Henry, David Weir

Articles

Mainstream management literature and research regarding the international career has long focused on the traditional expatriate experience. In this discourse the tendency has been to outline the benefits and issues to be considered for organizations and individuals embarking on international assignments. In contrast this chapter focuses on a special group whose positioning in the structures of employment and organization is in some ways exemplary of developing trends in the global labor force. They are the highly educated permanent expatriates who remain in the host country indefinitely (that is without a pre-determined organizational option of repatriation to their initial home country). …

Entrepreneurs With Disabilities: Profile Of A Forgotten Minority., Thomas Cooney

Articles

The hosting of the Special Olympics in Ireland in 2003 compellingly brought to the forefront of public consciousness the capacity of people with disabilities to significantly contribute economically and socially to the nation. However, a body of research now exists highlighting that people with disabilities are less likely to be gainfully employed and will have lower earnings than non-disabled people. These differentials are caused by a variety of factors, including perceived and actual discrimination. An alternative career option for people with disabilities is to become self-employed, which has the benefits of the freedom, flexibility, and independence associated with self-employment, as …

Beyond Economics: A Behavioural Approach To Energy Efficiency In Domestic Buildings, Marius Claudy, Aidan O'Driscoll

Articles

This paper argues that the moderate success of policies aiming to stimulate the uptake of Sustainable Energy Systems (SES) in the domestic sector is grounded in a poor understanding of the ‘consumer’. The predominant economic approach behind most policies assumes that improving the cost-benefit ratio of technologies via grants and subsidies and providing sufficient information will automatically incentivise householders’ to invest into SES. Yet, policymakers often neglect behavioural determinants such as attitudes, social norms or personal capabilities. Drawing on key findings from the economics, technology and behavioural literature, this paper proposes an integrated model to identify behavioural and contextual influences …

Technology-Aided Participative Methods In Environmental Assessment: An International Perspective, Ainhoa Gonzalez, Alan Gilmer, Ronan Foley, John Sweeney, John Fry

Articles

Provisions for citizen involvement in the assessment of potential environmental effects of certain plans, programmes and projects are present in current legislation. An international survey revealed that public participation is common practice in European and some other countries worldwide. However, a number of issues are observed to affect public involvement in EIA/SEA processes and expert opinion differs when evaluating the effectiveness of existing participative methods. Results suggest that technology-aided methods can improve traditional participation processes. In particular, GIS has the potential to increase community knowledge and enhance involvement by communicating information more effectively. Variable accessibility to technology and data quality …

Exploring Children's Understanding Of Television Advertising:Beyond The Advertiser's Perspective, Margaret-Anne Lawlor

Articles

Abstract Purpose - The aim of this article is to explore children's understanding of television advertising intent. Methodology- A different perspective on advertising intent is offered in this paper, as evidenced in an interpretive study of Irish children, aged between seven and nine years. A qualitative approach was employed, involving a series of focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with fifty-two children. Findings - The findings indicate that the participating children view advertising as serving interests including, but not limited to the advertiser. The existence of other interested parties is suggested by the children, namely the agendas of viewers and …

Do Different Iindustries Report Corporate Social Responsibility Differently?: An Investigation Through The Lens Of Stakeholder Theory, Lorraine Sweeney, Joseph Coughlan

Articles

The social responsibility of business has become a major issue in recent years and the reporting of such activity is becoming more prevalent. Companies are attuning to the benefits of being seen as socially responsibly and many industries are jumping on the bandwagon of reporting CSR and using different media to communicate their activities in this arena to their stakeholders. This paper considers the content of one type of such communications, the annual report, and looks at how organisations are taking a focused stakeholder view of CSR rather than a wider view as would be expected from the ambiguity of …

Volatility Spillovers Between Equity And Currency Markets: Evidence From Major Latin American Countries, Lucia Morales

Articles

This paper investigates the nature of volatility spillovers between stock returns and a number of exchange rates in six Latin American countries and one European economy in the 1998-2006 period. We divide our sample into sub periods, prior to and after the introduction of the Euro and we apply the EGARCH methodology to model volatility. Our results show that the volatility of stock returns affects the volatility of exchange rates; however, we do not find evidence of volatility transmission in the opposite direction.

Understanding The Heat - Mentoring: A Model For Nurturing Culinary Talent, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

Should time be invested in nurturing the next generation of Culinarians in order to improve the profession? Is fear and intimidation acceptable in a professional kitchen? Can we identify the reasons behind the high levels of staff turnover? In this paper I hope to address these questions, and to discuss mentoring as a model for nurturing culinary talent.

Tax Treatment Encourages Residential Investment, Thomas Power

Articles

The economic survey on Ireland by the OECD (issue 5 2008) proposed phasing out policies that distort the housing market, which in turn could help to dampen future housing cycles and maintain competitiveness in the economy.

Specifically it suggests that tax breaks favouring owner occupation contributes to making housing expensive and that these effects could be reduced either by “limiting mortgage tax relief… or by implementing a property tax”.