•Lawn is the most powerful symbol of global modern urban landscapes.•We discuss concept and methodology of ongoing transdisciplinary project in Sweden.•The importance is stressed of researching ...social, symbolic, ecological and aesthetic values of lawns.•Opportunities are identified for lawns in sustainable urban planning, design and management.
Globalisation and urbanisation are driving the worldwide homogenisation of urban landscapes. The flora and fauna of cities in different parts of the world are very similar, irrespective of geography and climate. One of the most powerful symbols of modern urban landscapes is the lawn. There are just a few management options for urban lawns, regardless of how they are used and where in the city they are situated. Today, lawns occupy much of the green open spaces in cities (70–75%) and are located in private front and rear gardens, public parks, cemeteries, golf courses and along roads. Most people in the Western world view lawns as a ‘natural’ and even compulsory element of the urban landscape, without questioning their social, symbolic, ecological or aesthetic values. In this article we discuss the conceptual framework and methodological approaches being used in an ongoing transdisciplinary collaboration project including stakeholders to study lawns in Sweden as a social and ecological phenomenon. The overall aim is to understand the role of lawns in sustainable urban planning, design and management. The transdisciplinary approach allows us to exchange knowledge between scientific disciplines in order to influence the studies within each subject throughout the project and to achieve a multi-dimensional understanding of the lawn as a phenomenon. The involvement and close collaboration of stakeholders in the project allows us to obtain first-hand information on planning issues connected to lawns and existing planning data from cities and to focus on true implementation aspects rather than just theoretical recommendations.
Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to present a review of the existing research themes in the area of retail branding, and note how these have developed as the conceptualisation of "branding" in ...retailing has itself evolved.Design methodology approach - This paper reviews existing research themes within retail branding. There is a vast body of academic literature on branding, or aspects of branding in retailing. The initial focus of academic work was upon the product perspective via studies of the store brand. This body of work is summarised under five broad themes - the characteristics of store brand prone consumers and the product attributes which attract consumers; the growth of and motivations for retail brand development; the role of changing channel relationships and behaviours on store brand development; intra-category brand relationships; and the concept of copycat brands. From this initial, rather narrow, perspective research has evolved, taking on a wider view the brand in retailing which in turn has encompassed the store and the organisational perspectives.Findings - The evolution of branding in retailing from studies of store brands to the exploration of the retail-er as a brand has been matched with a widening of the conceptualisation of the brand in retail research: from the product as a brand to the store as a brand and most recently to the organisation as a brand. This has implications for future research in terms of the themes under investigation, research design, and the research methodologies employed.Originality value - The paper summarises the themes in existing retail branding research, notes the evolution of thought in retail brand research and suggests areas for future research.
The work is devoted to the problem of improving the current legislation of Ukraine, in particular, in the area of organisation of contractual scientific research, financing of scientific activities, ...and testing the results of these activities for further implementation in the work of enterprises, institutions and organisations subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. The current legal framework on this issue has been analysed. Attention has been paid to the main practical problems and the main ways of solving them have been proposed, taking into account the use of mathematical calculations to establish criteria based on the proposed parameters. The statistics of trends in the development of publication activity of the institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the Scopus database have been considered. Despite a significant number of domestic publications on the main directions of development and prospects of science in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the relevance of funding scientific activities, improving material and technical support, and social protection of researchers of higher education institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine has at most been merely mentioned among the problems of modern Ukrainian science. Regarding the research of foreign scholars in the field of mechanisms of organisation and financing of scientific activities, it can be noted that the most common type of funding is grants, and therefore most studies are devoted to grant applications and their impact, as well as the problems of filling the funding budget, innovations in equitable funding, etc. Thus, the central issue of this article has not been studied. The solutions to several problematic issues in this area have been proposed, including: introduction of a new funding mechanism, in particular, under the conditions of contractual research; organisation of special research competitions for institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine; creation of the Unified State Register of Scientific Research in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine; development of the online platform “Science in the MIA System” to allow customers to submit applications for research and development work, monitor data by potential contractors and hold a transparent competition; introduce a new mechanism for testing and obtaining acts of implementation in scientific activities. The ideas and proposals for the introduction of new organisational and legal frameworks for scientific research in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine are an attempt to introduce a practical mechanism for the rational and most productive use of the scientific potential of departmental institutions and establishments to ensure the security of the State, protection of human rights and freedoms, combating crime, maintaining public safety and order, applying positive foreign experience in these areas, as well as the creation of innovative methods and technologies that can compete with similar achievements in the international scientific space.
Purpose - This paper reviews 20 years (1988-2008) of research on the SERVQUAL scale for measuring service quality.Design methodology approach - A range of studies that have applied the SERVQUAL scale ...in this 20-year period are examined in a non-exhaustive review of the literature. These studies are selected from well-known databases - such as "ABI Inform", "ScienceDirect", and "EBSCOhost".Findings - The paper identifies and summarizes numerous theoretical and empirical criticisms of the SERVQUAL scale. Despite these criticisms, the paper concludes that SERVQUAL remains a useful instrument for service-quality research.Originality value - The paper provides a useful source of information on SERVQUAL and its applications. In particular, the paper summarizes a selection of 30 applications of SERVQUAL.
In this article, drawing from a feminist epistemology, we engage in an exercise of encounter and navigation as we critically reflect on the ethical practices undertaken during research with ...vulnerable people. That research comprised engaging Sri Lankan refugees in an oral and visual research method that included walking through and filming their homes, followed by an in-depth interview. The research process was an intimate and emotional exploration of home, identity, and migration, for both the participants and doctoral researcher. The research revealed ethical challenges not captured in the project's procedural ethics application. These ethical challenges were often navigated 'in the moment' and through ongoing consultation and dialogues with the doctoral supervisor. By drawing on these experiences, we underscore the importance of reflexivity and the role of the doctoral researcher-supervisor relationship in guiding an ethics of care approach.
The article discusses the activation of research work of students on the problems of health preservation as the basis for the formation of professional competence of future fitness trainers. The aim ...of the study is to scientifically substantiate one of the pedagogical conditions for the formation of health-preserving competence of future fitness trainers, which is the intensification of research work of students on health preservation problems. The experiment involved 600 students of 1 and 4 courses of study of the specialties 017 «Physical education and sport». The research methods: theoretical analysis of special and scientific literature, modeling, survey, pedagogical experiment and methods of mathematical statistics. As a result, it was revealed that not only the reorganization and improvement of higher education in Ukraine is required, but also a serious scientific and theoretical base to ensure the health-preserving competence of future fitness trainers in the process of professional training.One of the pedagogical conditions considered will help in the development of a new type of fitness trainer. ready for successful professional activity and scientific work in the field of pedagogical sciences, physical culture, sports and health.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyze the current state of the art and trends with regard to business process measurement by means of a systematic review of literature.Design methodology ...approach - The results are obtained through a systematic review carried out according to existing relevant guidelines. Additionally, a specific methodology through which to systematically obtain all the most important journals is followed. In total, 19 relevant articles are selected and later analyzed. A subsequent critical analysis of the data obtained is applied to identify the gaps in the current literature.Findings - A considerable effort has been made by researchers in the field of business process measurement, particularly in recent years. Many of the defined measures for business processes have been applied to models (approximately 77 per cent). Most of the initiatives concerning business measurement have been adapted from the software engineering field. A small percentage of the existing business process measures has been empirically validated.Originality value - The results presented contribute towards providing an updated overview of the current state of research into business process measurement, in order to identify existing research gaps and concerns on which ongoing and future research efforts on this topic can be focused.
PurposeAlthough the benefits of clinician researchers for health services are now more clearly recognised, their career development is not well understood. Hence, the purpose of this paper, a scoping ...review, is to determine what has been discussed in the literature about career opportunities for allied health (AH) clinician researchers in health services.Design/methodology/approachA structured literature search was completed in December 2020 for literature published 2010–2020 in English. A total of 2,171 unique abstracts were found and screened by two reviewers and 206 articles progressed to full text screening.FindingsForty-six studies were ultimately included; however, only two of these had aims directly related to AH clinician researcher careers, with the remainder containing only incidental data on this topic. Over half (56.5%) of the included studies were conducted in Australia, with a variety of AH professions represented. In terms of research design, 52.2% used cross-sectional survey designs, while case studies and qualitative research designs were also common. Key observations were that varying terminology and definitions were used, and there was little information about the inclusion of research in clinical positions or opportunities for formal clinical researcher positions in health services. There was some evidence to support that there are limited career opportunities after PhD completion, and that current career pathways are insufficient. There was conflicting evidence on whether engagement in research is beneficial for clinical career progression.Originality/valueThis review highlights a lack of research on this topic and outlines future directions to better support career pathways for AH clinician researchers.
The volume of research work done by general practitioners (GP) is modest compared to other specialties. In order to find out reasons for this we examined the current situation concerning research ...orientation and factors relating to them among Finnish GPs compared to other specialists.
Data from The Physician 2018 Study were used for our research. The study was undertaken in collaboration with all five medical faculties in Finland and the Finnish Medical Association. It compiled information on physicians` social background, work history and career and research plans as well as their views regarding undergraduate and specialist training, values, and professional identity.
The basic study population comprised all Finnish doctors under 70 years of age (N = 23,131). Questionnaires were sent to doctors born on even-numbered days (n = 11,336). Altogether 5,214 (45.8%) responded. Responses from GPs (n = 796) were compared with those of doctors in other specialties (n = 3,514).
The respondents were asked about their current intention to undertake a doctoral degree. Factors associated with this were analysed. Only 7.3% of GPs had completed a doctoral degree. The corresponding figure in other specialties was 32.3% (p < 0.001). In general practice the current intention to undertake a doctoral degree had only slightly increased over ten years. Most GPs had also decided not to undertake a doctorate. The main factors associated with the current intention to complete a doctoral degree were interest in attaining a senior position (OR 3.43, 95% CI 2.25-5.24), a position in a university hospital district (OR 2.89, 95% CI 1.69-4.94) or other sector than primary care (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.18-2.96), one's father being a doctor (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.09-3.72) and male gender (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.05-2.54).
Research work in primary health care has been quite sparse. In general practice there is a need to increase teaching and guidance in research work.
Key points
Research work in primary health care is not very common.
Only 7.3% of GPs had completed their doctorate compared to 32.3% in other specialties.
A main factor associated with the current intention to complete a doctoral degree was interest in attaining a senior position.
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