Research Guides: X-Culture: Company Analysis

2018 Companies

Place-Making and Policies for Competitive Cities by Sako Musterd (Editor); Zoltán Kovács (Editor); Zoltn Kovcs (Editor) Urban policy makers are increasingly striving to strengthen the economic competitiveness of their cities. Currently, they do that mainly in the field of the creative knowledge economy - arts, media, entertainment, creative business services, architecture, publishing, design; and ICT, R&D, finance, and law. This book is about the policies that help to realise such objectives: policies driven by classic location theory, cluster policies, 'creative class' policies aimed at attracting talent, as well as policies that connect to pathways, place and personal networks. The experiences and policy strategies of 13 city-regions across Europe have been investigated: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Birmingham, Budapest, Dublin, Helsinki, Leipzig, Milan, Munich, Poznan, Riga, Sofia and Toulouse. All have different histories and roles: capital cities and secondary cities; cities with different economies and industries; port-based cities and land-locked cities. And all 13 have different cultural, political and welfare state traditions. Through this wide set of contexts, Place-making and Policies for Competitive Citiescontributes to the debate about the development of creative knowledge cities, their economic growth and competitiveness and advocates the development of context-sensitive tailored approaches. Chapter authors from the 13 European cities rigorously evaluate, reformulate and test assumptions behind old and new policies. This solidly-grounded and policy-focused study on the urban policy of place-making highlights practices for different contexts in managing knowledge-intensive cities and, by drawing on the varied experiences from across Europe, it establishes the state-of-the-art for both academic and policy debates in a fast-moving field.
ISBN: 9781118554425
Publication Date: 2013-02-25

Place marketing, place branding and foreign direct investments: Defining their relationship in the frame of local economic development process Attracting foreign direct investments (FDI) constitutes one of the primary aims of the regions and cities, globally. In the new internationalized environment, places are characterized by a plurality of efforts to create their images based on their distinctive characteristics, and through this way to attract investments and specialized human resources. Traditional economic factors, such as agglomeration economies, access to the European and national markets, urban infrastructure, but also qualitative 'soft' factors, such as the quality of life, urban aesthetic and local development policies, were considered as location criteria for business establishment in potential places. In this framework, the role of strategic planning, place marketing and branding has been increasingly important in Europe and all over the world. The aim of this article is to present, using a conceptual model, the FDI attraction through the use of place marketing process in order to provide answers in three critical points. First, how important and effective is place marketing as a tool in FDI. attraction? Second, what are the prerequisites for place marketing implementation so that FDI attraction becomes successful? Third, how important is branding on overall place marketing effectiveness?
Metropolitan statistical area definitions
These definitions of statistical areas can help you find similar regions that are competing with Nashville for investment and growth; which could help in researching Nashville's MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) and other similar MSAs.
ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the U.S. 2018 Online Edition
The statistical analysis can provide you with data for your research
Nation branding for foreign direct investment: an Integrative review and directions for research and strategy This study aims to address a heretofore neglected area in research, nation branding, for the purpose of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). It compares and contrasts the well-established literature on decision-making and location choice in FDI with studies in the nascent field of nation branding, with a view to developing directions for future research that result from the identification of research gaps at the intersection point between the two areas.
Atlanta, Charlotte and Nashville versus the state of Florida
There are 13 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) within the Southeast Region that can boast of resident populations exceeding one million individuals each. (MSAs include city cores and integrated suburbs.) Economy at a Glance will focus on only seven of those cities - Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and the four 'biggies' in Florida - Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville.
Glasgow hailed for best inward investment strategy in Europe
This article sites come of the areas that helped Glasgow (UK) achieve high investment.
New role to put region in global shop window: REGENERATION
This article sites some success strategies that boosted employment for Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (UK).
Rev up Nashville's mass transit, study says The Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, analyzed 371 transit systems in the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas -- Part of that is making mass transit more convenient for workers, said Paul Ballard, head of the Nashville city bus and regional transportation systems.
An Analysis of Influential Factors on Tourism Destinations Competitiveness Tourism destinations of physical environment include tourism products such as support services, tourist attractions, and tourism resources, which are available in various scales. These locations are in active competition to raise tourism rate of income. This research uses a model suggesting that destination competition should be evaluated not only by its potential in improving life style and social development, but also through proficiency in resource allocation resulting in long-term economic prosperity. Accordingly, the present study for the first time seeks to analyze the influential factors on the tourism destinations competitiveness in Anzali Special Economic Zone. Required data obtained by a 36-item questionnaire through which the views of 40 tourism experts and specialists selected from Gillan Province Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organization as well as Gillan University. To determine the influential factors, the Factor Analysis Tests were used, while Friedman test was applied to prioritize the effect of components in tourism destination competitive advantage of Anzali Special Economic Zone. The results of this study revealed a crucial importance of tourism attractions and planning components
The Economic Impact Of Sports And Sporting Events On The Charlotte Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Economy The sports economy in the Charlotte MSA has grown dramatically in the past twenty-five years. In 1980, attendance was less than 500,000 and total revenue was less than $15 million. In 2011, Charlotte hosted a National Basketball team, a National Football team, two major NASCAR Cup events, several college teams, and a number of other important events. This study calculated the economic impact of sports and sports events in the Charlotte MSA in 2011. NAICS data cannot be readily recast to isolate the sports industry, so this study used primary and secondary data. The data were divided into four categories: Professional and College Sports, Teams Special Events (PGA, NASCAR, etc), Major Amateur and Youth Events (including TEAM Charlotte Swimming, BASS/ESPN Outdoors), Sports Video and Media Productions Once data on the direct output from sporting activities are assembled, the IMPLAN 382 by 382 multiplier matrix was used to calculate the indirect effects and the induced effects of the sporting activities and the employment supported by the estimated economic activity. In 2011, sports and sporting events contributed over $1 billion directly to the regional economy and a total of more than $2 billion when indirect and induced effects are considered. The direct effect amounts to 0.7% of the MSA GDP and the total effect is 1.7%. This economic contribution supports nearly 14,000 jobs directly and more than 23,000 when indirect and induced effects are taken into account. This corresponds to 0.6 percent and 0.8 percent of total employment, respectively.
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development

Supply Chain Metrics That Matter by Lora M. Cecere How to Conquer the Effective Frontier and Drive Improved Value in Global Operations Growth has slowed. Volatility has increased and the world is more global. Brands are defined by innovation and services. Supply chain excellence matters more than ever. It makes a difference in corporate performance. One cannot snap their fingers and deliver supply chain success. It happens over the course of many years. It is measured in inches not miles. In this book, the author evaluates the progress of over a hundred companies over the period of 2006-2013. Success drives value. The effective supply chain makes a difference in winning a war, saving a patient, and driving commerce; but it also makes a difference in a community having clean air, potable water, and a standard of living. Mistakes are hard to overcome. Supply Chain Metrics that Matter tells this story. The book links corporate financials to supply chain maturity. In the book, the author analyzes which metrics matter. The author Lora M. Cecere is a supply chain researcher as well as an authority in supply chain technology. She helps companies gain first mover advantage. In the book, Cecere provides concrete, actionable steps to align and balance the supply chain to drive value. The book explores the crossover between supply chain efficiency and financial growth with topics such as: Outlining the metrics that matter, the metrics that don't Progress in industry sub-segment in improving inventory, cash, productivity and margin The management techniques that improve performance Sharing insights on how metrics change as the supply chain matures The roadmap to improve performance. Today, supply chains are global and dynamic. They are rapidly evolving. Companies that constantly seek out new solutions and opportunities for improvement drive differentiation. In a market where growth is stalled and many companies are stuck in driving supply chain performance, this book provides a clear, concise framework for a more modern, effective supply chain.
ISBN: 9781118938980
Publication Date: 2014-12-08
The Small Business Online Marketing Handbook by Annie Tsai The small business marketing experts at Demandforce help owners kick off their online strategy Small business owners are exceptional at delivering on their product or service. Many, however, don't know where to start when it comes to online marketing. The Small Business Online Marketing Handbook will show you how to effectively leverage email, social, online, and network marketing to get new customers and keep existing customers coming back. Author Annie Tsai shows you how to refocus just a small percentage of an offline marketing budget and create exponential return for your business. Author Annie Tsai is a popular blogger and Chief Customer Officer for Demandforce, an automated Internet marketing and communication company specializing in small- to medium-sized businesses, recently acquired by Intuit Features spot interviews and "do this now" advice from resident experts at Demandforce, including the founders With the proliferation of social media and the consumer voice on the web, small business owners need to take a deliberate approach to leveraging this new marketing channel to effectively convert online conversations into offline sales. The Small Business Online Marketing Handbook shows you how.
ISBN: 9781118770153
Publication Date: 2013-10-08

Developing a strategic framework for efficient and effective optimisation of information in the supply chains of the UK clothing manufacture industry
Check out this article about UK companies with similar challenges to S-Cape.
Outdoor performance apparel 2016: a broader perspective: A MID-LIFE CRISIS?
A report from 2016 that covers the strengths and weaknesses of the industry that S-Cape is a part of.
Men's Clothing Manufacturing - Quarterly Update 12/18/2017
Women's Clothing Manufacturing - Quarterly Update 12/4/2017
Clothing Boutiques in the US
This IbisWorld report could benefit a small clothing company seeking to expand.
Hiking & Outdoor Equipment Stores
An IbisWorld market report about the industry.
Patagonia Works; Hoover's Company Records
Patagonia makes similar products on a much larger scale and shares the market.
L.L. Bean, Inc.: Retailing - Company Profile & SWOT Analysis
This SWOT analysis could act as a framework for S-Cape since it's part of the same market.
VF Corp 10K -- 2007
10k reports offer good incites into how a company works and how it responds to market changes. VF is the parent company of The North Face; one of the largest companies in the industry.

Sport and Adventure Tourism by Simon Hudson Discover the secrets to success in sport-related tourism and adventure travel This essential handbook of sport-related travel provides an in-depth look at an international industry growing by leaps and bounds. Sport and Adventure Tourism serves as a unique reference resource for sports and tourism professionals, educators and students, presenting an invaluable overview of a niche market that's rapidly outgrowing its niche. Covering every aspect of sport tourism from historical, economic, and sport-specific starting points, the book features thoughtful and incisive commentary from the foremost experts in the field.Presented in a concise, easy-to-read format, Sport and Adventure Tourism provides an unrivaled orientation to all facets of sport-related tourism and leisure management. Sports travel (both participatory and spectatorial) and adventure tourism are examined in terms of size and growth of the market, marketing and management strategies, and future prospects. The book includes international, up-to-date case studies, links to relevant Websites and an extensive roster of references.Sport and Adventure Tourism examines all aspects of sport-related tourism, including: planning, developing, and marketing an event skiing and snowboarding boating, sailing, and fishing the "phenomenon" of golf tourism mountain-based adventure tourism the growing spa industry virtual sports tourism-an alternative to travelThis one-of-a-kind primer presents an informative study of sports, leisure, and adventure travel, covering everything from golf tourism to heli-skiing to sports event and spa tourism. A handbook for professionals, a textbook for academics, and a highly readable introduction for anyone interested in sport-related travel, Sport and Adventure Tourism is an essential guide for anyone who takes a not-so-leisurely approach to leisure time.
ISBN: 9781136393846
Publication Date: 2012-11-12

CIA World Factbook: Peru
The CIA World Factbook has data and analysis on factors such as infrastructure, government, economy, and energy.
THE ANALYSIS OF THE DEGREE OF PRACTISING THE ADVENTURE TOURISM - AN OPPORTUNITY OF ATTRACTING TOURISTS IN DAMBOVITA COUNTY Taking into account the constraints imposed by the global economic crisis, which had a strong negative impact on the tourism in general, and the adventure tourism, in particular, the study offers a multitude of possibilities that could lead to alternative scenarios, which adds new values of this form of tourism, giving thus the opportunity to overcome the obstacles imposed by the current contradictory economic context. INTRODUCTION Adventure tourism is a form of tourism to encompass the aspects of sustainable development, environmental protection and the development of entrepreneurship, both in related businesses and direct practicing this form of tourism. Adventure tourism includes activities such as: navigation on rivers (rafting), diving, hiking, mountain biking, ATV and Quad, climbing, skiing, bungee-jumping, parachuting, crossing with flying fox, hunting, equitation, paintball [1]. "For the past twenty years, there were two forms of adventure travel: extreme adventure (is characterized by activities with a high degree of challenge requires high power, energy and skill as they are risky and are interested only in a small number of tourists) and easy adventure (of interest to a large number of tourists, especially if we add walking, hiking, cycling, hunting, rafting, boating on the lakes, swimming, yachting, archery, horseback riding and skiing on the mild or moderate slopes) [2]. According to the purpose of the research theme, the survey took as objectives: c) to determine the place of adventure tourism among forms of tourism in the counties surveyed; d) to identify the level of sportsmanship and the reasons for the...
ADVENTURE TOURISM FEATURES IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Tourism is one of the forms of use of the time available for leisure and recreation. Appears as a phenomenon of the period we live and work together in social and economic environment, with various forms of manifestation and development. Adventure travel is associated with the fact that tourist can discover new things. Therefore, they travel the world to be so large that it knows the existence of other people, to discover continents, people customs. Adventure tourism has grown rapidly in recent years as outdoor recreation has become increasingly commercialized. The actual commercial products offered by adventure tourism operators do not seem to have been subject to any coherent and comprehensive review. This paper aims to explore this form of tourism as a vector in tourism development, especially in natural areas and not only.
Co-producing the nature-based adventure tourism experience: Tourist, environment and management contributions This dissertation research explored factors and processes that influence tourists' experience and satisfaction, guided by the view that the tourist experience and satisfaction is co-produced by tourist, environment, and management. A review of the satisfaction research in marketing, tourism, and recreation found that the existing satisfaction models were based on the performance of product or service or destination attributes, which are managerial or environmental determinants. This research proposed and empirically tested three models of satisfaction and examined the role of the tourist in the context of nature-based adventure tourism and recreation. First, the Norm Disturbance Model proposed that visitors compare their perceptions of backcountry conditions to their backcountry recreation norms. The comparison results in a sense of disturbance, which in turn influences satisfaction. This model synthesized research on the influences of different backcountry conditions that have been separately addressed in the outdoor recreation literature, including environmental impacts, social encounters (crowding), and diverse activities. Further, tourist trip motives were modeled as moderators of the impact of these conditions on tourist experience. Second, the Basic Psychological Needs Expression Model proposed that tourist trip motives influence satisfaction depending on whether the motives express the basic psychological needs specified in Self-Determination Theory. This model added to the literature on tourist motivation and satisfaction by providing a theoretical explanation for their relationship. Third, the Risk-Competence Balance Model proposed that how tourists combine their risk taking tendency and their competence, (1) at the motivational level, and (2) as objectively assessed, influence the attainment of optimal experience and then satisfaction. These three models were empirically tested in one multiple regression model using a dataset from the Grand Canyon Backcountry Visitor Study (N = 1021) and were generally supported by the results. The research thus broadened the theoretical understanding of the factors and processes that influence tourist experience and satisfaction, and clarified the role of the tourist therein. The practical implications are that satisfactory experience may be co-produced by tourists and tourism managers (1) by eliminating disturbances in the tourism environment, (2) by encouraging tourist motives that express the basic psychological needs, and (3) by optimally combining situational risks and tourist competence.
CENTRAL AMERICA: Tourism development gap set to grow Southern Central America's preparations to invest more in tourism. The countries of Central America are experiencing mixed fortunes in attracting international tourism, with Costa Rica and Panama benefiting from well-established and dynamic tourist sectors, while the less developed countries to the north of the isthmus -- El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua -- trail behind. The countries look set to continue diverging over the medium term, as Costa Rica and Panama diversify their tourist sectors and develop new tourism infrastructure.
OECD Territorial Reviews: Peru 2016 Foreword Policies for economic growth, jobs, human capital and environmental sustainability have greater impact when they recognise the different economic and social realities where people live and work. The Secretariat would like to acknowledge the valuable co-operation of the peer reviewers that were involved in this report: * Lillian Salerno, Department of Agriculture, United States * Elena Martin Cordova, Minister of Finance and Public Administration, Spain * Elizabeth Arciniegas Muñoz, National Planning Department, Colombia * Manuel Fernando Castro, National Planning Department, Colombia * Alessandro Alasia, Statistics Canada, Canada * Carman Schlotfeldt, Ministry of Interior and Public Safety, Chile. Executive summary The economic performance of Peru in recent times has been impressive. Since 2000, gross domestic product (GDP) growth has averaged 5% per annum compared to the Latin American average of 3.2% per annum and the OECD average of 2% per annum.
Securing the future development of Peru: geopolitics, integration and participation
Peru is currently working on implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Adventure Tourism Benchmark - Analyzing the Case of Suesca, Cundinamarca Adventure tourism is a growing sector within the tourism industry and understanding its dynamics is fundamental for adventure tourism destinations and their local authorities. Destination benchmarking is a strong tool to identify the performance of tourism services offered at the destination in order to design appropriate policies to improve its competitiveness. The benchmarking study of Suesca, an adventure tourism destination in Colombia, helps to identify the gaps compared with successful adventure tourism destinations around the world, and provides valuable information to local policy-makers on the features to be improved. The lack of available information to tourists and financial facilities hinders the capability of Suesca to improve its competitiveness.
ATTRACTIVE ADVENTURE TOURISM ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE A STRONG IMPACT ON THE YOUNG GENERATION This study aims to present a personal point of view on the adventure tourism activities that lately recorded an increase in popularity, mostly among children and adolescents. We are talking about climbing on artificial structures, via ferrata, Tyrolean traverse, tree climbing, activities united under the name "Adventure Park," but also about fast water sports, called "whitewater sports," to which we add canyoning, at the border of the above mentioned sports. This touristic athletic activities that are performed in nature have appeared and developed. They attract more and more people through the adventure, action, and thrills they offer. Although they are addressed to a large segment of the population, they are more attractive to the younger generation, who want to test and develop their skills. Adventure tourism gives another dimension to self-knowledge, being the exponent of courage, motor intelligence, of certain predominantly physical qualities.
Sustainable and Value Based Tourism in Nepal - A Perspective
Although this article is about Nepal, it could offer incites as to how Vertical Journey could beneficially impact whichever region it expands to.
Marketing the adventure: utilizing the aspects of risk/fear/thrill to target the youth traveller segment Purpose - This research aims to investigate the importance of emotional appeals like risk/fear/thrill as main motivation to take part in adventure activities, and their possible utilisation in viral marketing. Design/methodology/approach - Quantitative and qualitative research methods have been applied. Findings - The results confirm that facing fear or challenge, leading to being intrinsically rewarded, is a main motivator. However, the aspect of fun is still fundamentally important to each activity. The youth traveller market is generally extremely responsive to viral marketing, which (through wording and visuals) creates an image of a "life-changing experience", "thrilling adventure", and similar. Originality/value - Adventure tourism continues to be a fast growing and popular form of tourism. Marketing the adventure, however, can present a challenge to small businesses with a limited budget. Viral marketing may present a cost-effective opportunity to reach the youth traveller segment. This research investigates importance of emotional appeals like risk/fear/thrill as main motivation to take part in adventure activities, and their possible utilisation in viral marketing.
New Adventure Scorecard Reveals Global, Regional Trends The 2016 Adventure Tourism Development Index (ATDI) is now available to the industry in time for the 2016 Adventure Travel World Summit in Anchorage, Alaska, September 19-22. The ATDI is an annual ranking from the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA, www.adventuretravel.biz) and The George Washington University (GWU) that assesses adventure tourism competitiveness of countries around the globe. This year's ATDI report reveals that worldwide safety indicators remain high despite a tumultuous global environment.
New Adventure Tourism Report Reveals $263B Market, Up 65% Per Annum Since 2009 Growth in the adventure travel market has accelerated at a 65 percent yearly rate since 2009 according to the newly released Adventure Tourism Market Study - a consumer report by The George Washington University (GW) conducted in partnership with the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA)
Tourist Potential on Example of Rural Settlement Gnjili Potok (Montenegro) The rural settlement Gnjili Potok, located in the southeastern part of Andrijevica in Montenegro, has not developed tourism. It has very favorable natural and social resources for tourism development. The more so, and tourism has become imperative his further development, especially if we consider its effect on the economy multiplied as a whole. Most of the appeal has yet to be involved in further development projects in this rural village, and of Andrijevica, then in all of contemporary tourism development in Montenegro. An important role in this has to have the concept of sustainable development, which is the basis and precondition of any further planning of any future activities
Study on the Image Supporting System and Propagation Mechanism of Rural Tourism Destination Abstract: In this paper, the author analyzed the rural tourism brand building and dissemination, which based on the basic concept and implementation path from the tourism destination image building, image support system and image propagation mechanism. For example in Anhui rural tourism destination, through field investigation of rural tourism for empirical research, we found in the northern Anhui rural tourism is still in its primary stage, image positioning is not accurate enough, brand communication channel is single, also awareness is not high, resulting in rural tourism destination brand competitiveness is not strong, restricted the development of rural tourism seriously. Based on rural tourism development present situation of northern Anhui, we proposed that strengthen government guidance, the regional unified planning, combination of media, spread consistent image, using emerging technologies, and rooted in brand culture, to achieve sustainable development of Anhui rural tourism.

NewSchool: Studying the Effects of Design Fiction through Personalized Learning Scenarios We present two design fictions about future online learning environments, inspired by future scenarios presented in the learning analytics literature. The design fictions explore specific aspects of this future technology, its adoption and social consequences. We use Symmetry Theory to analyze the design fictions in terms of the relationship between the readers of the fictions on the one hand, and the fictional characters and technology, on the other. We argue that these relationships determine to what extent a design fiction can stimulate the reader to reflect on the future technology. As such, we present Symmetry Theory as a useful tool to analyze how an existing design fiction can stimulate reflection, and to plan the writing process of design fiction.
6 Key Insights: RAND Corp. Researchers Talk Personalized Learning
This article could help in a SWOT analysis of Capti-Voice
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No one has studied personalized learning more closely than the RAND Corporation. The group's researchers are in the midst of two big studies: an ongoing look at 40 personalized-learning schools that have received grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and an examination of 10 high schools that have been redesigned, in part to focus on greater personalization, with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
8 'Red Flags' to Look for in Products
This article could help in a SWOT analysis of Capti-Voice
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Educators are asking tougher questions to sort the real personalized learning potential from the empty promises of some ed-tech products and services.
The Case(s) Against Personalized Learning
This article could help with some portions of the SWOT analysis.
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Critics say personalized learning isn't supported by evidence, leads to bad teaching, and depends on data-mining students. What do educators and policymakers need to know?
'Personalized Learning' Can Help Rural Schools Address Their Unique Needs and Challenges, Says New Report To prepare all students for college and a career, many schools and districts nationwide have turned to "personalized learning," a student-centered approach that tailors instruction to students' unique strengths and needs while engaging them in challenging, standards-based academic content. Largely an urban phenomenon, personalized learning can also address the unique challenges facing rural schools, and a new publication released today by Future Ready Schools(R) (FRS) offers them a step-by-step guide for how to do so.
Strategies for Implementing Personalized Learning in Rural Schools [...]many teachers in rural areas take on multiple subjects and grades, resulting in a lower likelihood that teachers have certification in all of their subjects.While there are unique considerations for each gear, two strategies are critically important across all gears: * District leaders must de- velop and communicate a clear vision and plan of action for transitioning to a personalized learning model.Because rural schools often serve as the heart of their communities, changes to long-standing norms and traditions and trade-offs tied to investments in innovation and change must be vetted and embraced by the community.[...]the leap to systematically collecting data on student learning and customizing instruction may not be as big as it may first seem.Rural schools tend to pay about two and a half times more for bandwidth than urban schools.[...]many rural school facilities need significant infrastructure upgrades to handle new technology.
Workplace wellness using online learning tools in a healthcare setting The aim was to develop and evaluate an online learning tool for use with UK healthcare employees, healthcare educators and healthcare students, to increase knowledge of workplace wellness as an important public health issue. A 'Workplace Wellness' e-learning tool was developed and peer-reviewed by 14 topic experts. This focused on six key areas relating to workplace wellness: work-related stress, musculoskeletal disorders, diet and nutrition, physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption. Each key area provided current evidence-based information on causes and consequences, access to UK government reports and national statistics, and guidance on actions that could be taken to improve health within a workplace setting. 188 users (93.1% female, age 18-60) completed online knowledge questionnaires before (n = 188) and after (n = 88) exposure to the online learning tool. Baseline knowledge of workplace wellness was poor (n = 188; mean accuracy 47.6%, s.d. 11.94). Knowledge significantly improved from baseline to post-intervention (mean accuracy = 77.5%, s.d. 13.71) (t(75) = -14.801,p< 0.0005) with knowledge increases evident for all included topics areas. Usability evaluation showed that participants perceived the tool to be useful (96.4%), engaging (73.8%) and would recommend it to others (86.9%). Healthcare professionals, healthcare educators and pre-registered healthcare students held positive attitudes towards online learning, indicating scope for development of further online packages relating to other important health parameters.
Student-Driven Personalized Learning Is Trending in Higher Education According to Morrison, personalized leaming-in all its forms-is still on the rise, changing the landscape of learning. According to Christina Murphy, the executive education program manager at Rutgers Business School, student-driven personalized learning can be particularly useful considering its ability to prepare students for today's working world.
An Innovative Approach to Scheme Learning Map Considering Tradeoff Multiple Objectives An important issue in personalized learning is to provide learners with customized learning according to their learning characteristics. This paper focused attention on scheming learning map as follows. The learning goal can be achieved via different pathways based on alternative materials, which have the relationships of prerequisite, dependence, and sequence. Besides, owing to distinct learner characteristics, different learning materials with various forms have distinct effects on learners, such as learning performance (benefit objective), learning time (cost objective), and so forth. Accordingly, scheming learning map is not only the NP-hard combination problem, but also the tradeoff multiple objectives optimization. More importantly, it is not only impossible for instructors to scheme the fitting learning maps for learners, but also difficult and time-consuming for learners to scheme their fitting learning maps by themselves. Hence, this paper first proposed an innovative approach based on enhanced genetic algorithm (GA) with Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), to facilitate the search for the near-optimal solution of learning map. Moreover, a web-based learning management system based on the proposed approach was developed to help instructors facilitate the customized learning itineraries for learners. The experimental results from simulations showed that, not only in terms of search effectiveness and solution quality the proposed approach significantly is superior to a genetic algorithm and a Random method, but also in terms of search efficiency the proposed approach significantly is superior to a genetic algorithm. That is, the developed system with the proposed approach is able to efficiently scheme the learning map with reliable and high quality. Consequently, the instructors and learners can concentrate on their tasks.
Investments in Personalized Learning Rise, But Research on Its Impact Is Lacking The U.S. Department of Education has given half a billion dollars to districts that embrace the trend, but little research exists on its impact.
Development and Effectiveness Analysis of a Personalized Ubiquitous Multi-Device Certification Tutoring System Based on Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives In recent years, with the gradual increase in the importance of professional certificates, improvement in certification tutoring systems has become more important. In this study, we have developed a personalized ubiquitous multi-device certification tutoring system (PUMDCTS) based on "Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives," and applied it to help students obtain HTML certificates. The system can help students learn more effectively and acquire certificates more successfully through the mechanism of personalized strengthening practice and the function of the learning diagnostic light table. The experimental results show that, compared with the control group, the experimental group has significantly better cognitive test scores. Meanwhile, from the interviews, it was also found that the students generally believed that the multi-device design makes it more convenient for them to use the system, and the learning diagnostic light table can make them more aware of their learning status.
The role of affective and motivational factors in designing personalized learning environments In this paper, guidelines for designing virtual change agents (VCAs) are proposed to support students' affective and motivational needs in order to promote personalized learning in online remedial mathematics courses. Automated, dynamic, and personalized support is emphasized in the guidelines through maximizing interactions between VCAs and individual students. The strategies that VCAs convey throughout the interactions are constructed to support emotion regulation and motivation based on theories and prior research on emotions and motivation. The availability and customizability of VCAs enable the strategies to be implemented in real-time and customized for individual students. Implications of the design guidelines for personalized, online learning contexts are discussed and future research directions are recommended as well

Engagement Marketing by Gail Goodman; Gail F. Goodman
ISBN: 9781118223789
Publication Date: 2012-04-02
A definitive guide to growing your small business through "Engagement Marketing". As a small business owner, you've always relied on word-of-mouth referrals to grow your business. Thanks to social media--and its nimble partner, mobile technology--it's now easier than ever to turn customers and clients into engaged fans who spread the word about your business across a variety of online platforms.
Kick Ass Social Commerce for E-Preneurs by John Lawson; Debra Schepp
ISBN: 9781939529459
Publication Date: 2014-03-04
In Kick Ass Social Commerce for E-Preneurs, award-winning digital media strategist John Lawson gives you a straight-shooting, no-holds-barred guide to social commerce. In other words, he shows you how to make money online using social media.

The Effectiveness of E-tailers' Communication Practices in Stimulating Sales of Niche versus Popular Products Using sales data from 30,008 books from Amazon.de, this article studies the effects of four distinct online communication practices that e-tailers increasingly use: presenting product networks(recommendersystems),socialfeatures(electronic word of mouth and varioustypes of user-generated content), free trials, and vivid content. These practices vary greatly in their effectiveness in influencing consumers’ purchase decisions. The author also provides insights into the sales frequencies of popular versus niche products, in response to the selective use of these communication practices. Long-tail theory argues that consumers are particularly attracted to buying niche products, because these products match their personal preferences better than mainstream products do. In contrast, superstar theory predicts increased sales frequencies for popular goods. However, the results from this large sample reveal that both popular and niche products gain sales. The findings specify how different communication practices relatively and differentially affect sales of popular and niche products, which has notable implications for managers’ selective uses of these tools.
Opportunities in the international textile and apparel marketplace for niche markets With the present transient status of many countries' economies, the international textile industry faces considerable challenges. There are many uncertainties surrounding the global textile market, exacerbated by the foreboding that in 2005, quotas will be eliminated, resulting in "free" trade flows. There is no doubt that manufacturers who have created niche markets will be better positioned to compete in the global marketplace and achieve higher margins for products while yielding greater profitability. This paper is an introduction of a larger study that will examine how niche market definitions are being recast, owing to changing global patterns. This paper addresses what role niche markets will play in 2005. Specific objectives are: to give a broad overview of various trade theories, including classical, neo-classical, post-neo-classical, and modern, in order to determine what, theoretically, the future holds for the US textile and apparel industry. Specifically, focus will be given to the issue of specialization as a result of trade; to explain how the specialization advocated by trade economists relates to niche markets in the US textile and apparel industry; to illustrate how traditional marketing methods differ from niche marketing; and to examine what role niche markets will play in the US textile and apparel industry in 2005. The results of this research study will aid in the formulation of a business strategy that can by utilized to capitalize on niche markets and will provide a research framework for global textile researchers.
Standing out from the crowd: niche product choice as a form of conspicuous consumption
This paper aims to define the niche market concept and to investigate the extent to which purchasing niche products represents a form of conspicuous consumption. Consumers increasingly seek products that differ from the mainstream, and companies regard niche markets as a promising opportunity beyond saturated mass markets.
Design of Consumer Review Systems and Product Pricing Consumer review systems have become an important marketing communication tool through which consumers share and learn product information. Although there is abundant evidence that consumer reviews have significant impact on consumer purchasing decisions, the design of consumer review systems and its impact on review outcomes and product sales have not yet been well examined. This paper analyzes firms' review system design and product pricing strategies. We formally model two design features of consumer review systems - rating scale and disclosure of specific product attribute information. We show that firms' optimal strategies critically depend on contextual characteristics such as product quality, product popularity, and consumer misfit cost. Our results suggest that firms should choose a low rating scale for niche products and a high rating scale for popular products. Firms should disclose specific product attribute information to attract the desired consumer segment when product quality is low relative to misfit cost, and the resulting optimal size of the targeted consumer market increases in product popularity and product quality. Different pricing strategies should be deployed during the initial sale period for different product types. For niche products, firms are advised to adopt lower-bound pricing for high-quality products to take advantage of the positive word of mouth. For popular products, firms are advised to adopt upper-bound pricing for high-quality products to enjoy the direct profit from the initial sale period, even after taking into account the negative impact of high price on consumer reviews.
ALL IN THE FAMILY
It's not far from the truth. Marula, the company's foray into the luxury market, was her concept, part of a long-term strategy to create niche products without the Paul Mitchell name on them.

How is research publishing going to progress in the next 20 years? On March 20th 2013, a one-hour session for Editors, Associate Editors, Publishers and others with an interest in scientific publishing was held at the IADR International Session in Seattle. Organised by Kenneth Eaton and Christopher Lynch (Chair and Secretary, respectively, of the British Dental Editors Forum), the meeting sought to bring together leading international experts in dental publishing, as well as authors, reviewers and students engaged in research. The meeting was an overwhelming success, with more than 100 attendees. A panel involving four leading dental editors led a discussion on anticipated developments in publishing dental research with much involvement and contribution from audience members.
How to stop plagiarism we rely on a high-level peer-review process and careful editing to spot such plagiarism. Since 2009, we have checked all submitted manuscripts using eTBLAST and CrossCheck, a plagiarism-detection service from the publishing-technology company CrossRef.
The New Cheating Economy Business is booming right under colleges' noses. It's not just papers and assignments anymore. Now it's the whole course.
Trick photographer
RADIO Trick photographer Trending BBC World Service "This is a cautionary tale," warned the presenter Megha Mohan during a report about the 32-year-old Brazilian war photographer Eduardo Martins (10 September, 10.20am).For several years (until a journalist in the Lebanon started asking questions) Martins passed off other photographers' work as his own, using chasteningly basic mirror-imaging techniques to elude plagiarism software.
Image manipulation and image plagiarism - what's fine and what's not? While it would be perfectly alright to make minor alterations in these parameters to improve the overall quality of the image, it would be unethical to do the same in situ ations such as pre-post images, where consistency is key to interpretation (A good example in this context is seen in the "instructions to authors" mentioned in the Journal of Cell Biology which mentions that they specifically screen for "whether any specific feature within an image has been enhanced, obscured, moved, removed, or introduced" (https://jcb.rupress.org/editorial-policies#data-integrity). Give clear guidelines on image manipulation and adhere to strict practice of policies related to scientific misconduct in case of image manipulation and plagiarismAsk authors to submit original images (which automatically comes with the metadata related to the image file, which is normally seen in the direct output file from all digital cameras) along with the edited ones whenever significant editing has been done [Figure 5]. In the United States, provisions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mention the following as "identifying information," which should be removed to be consider "safe"[3]{Figure 5}Patient's facePatient's name/initialsPatient's date of birthDate of the medical service/visitOther obvious identifiers - birthmarks, moles, tattoos.
WIPO PUBLISHES PATENT OF BEIJING QIHOO TECHNOLOGY AND QIZHI SOFTWARE (BEIJING) FOR "IMAGE-BASED IMAGE IDENTIFICATION METHOD, SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT AND DEVICE" (CHINESE INVENTORS)
US Patent Issued to Microsoft Technology Licensing on Aug. 30 for "Anchor image identification for vertical video search" (Washington Inventor)
US Patent Issued to Princeton Technology on Jan. 29 for "Image Identification Apparatus and Method for Comparing an Image Frame with a Predetermined Image" (Taiwanese Inventor)
Can the impact of scholarly images be assessed online? An exploratory study using image identification technology
The web contains a huge number of digital pictures. For scholars publishing such images it is important to know how well used their images are, but no method seems to have been developed for monitoring the value of academic images. In particular, can the impact of scientific or artistic images be assessed through identifying images copied or reused on the Internet? This article explores a case study of 260 NASA images to investigate whether the TinEye search engine could theoretically help to provide this information. The results show that the selected pictures had a median of 11 online copies each. However, a classification of 210 of these copies reveals that only 1.4% were explicitly used in academic publications, reflecting research impact, and the majority of the NASA pictures were used for informal scholarly (or educational) communication (37%). Additional analyses of world famous paintings and scientific images about pathology and molecular structures suggest that image contents are important for the type and extent of image use. Although it is reasonable to use statistics derived from TinEye for assessing image reuse value, the extent of its image indexing is not known. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
Perceptual image hashing using center-symmetric local binary patterns Perceptual image hashing finds increasing attention in several multimedia security applications such as image identification/authentication, tamper detection, and watermarking. Robust feature extraction is the main challenge in hashing schemes. Local binary pattern (LBP) is a new feature which is due to its simplicity, discriminative power, computational efficiency, and robustness to illumination changes has been used in various image applications. In this paper, we propose a robust image hashing scheme using center-symmetric local binary patterns (CSLBP). In the proposed image hashing, CSLBP features are extracted from each non-overlapping block within the original gray-scale image. For each block, the final hash code is obtained by inner product of its CSLBP feature vector and a pseudorandom weight vector. Furthermore, singular value decomposition (SVD) is combined with CSLBP to introduce a more robust hashing method called SVD-CSLBP. Performances of the proposed hashing schemes are evaluated with two groups of popular applications in perceptual image hashing schemes: image identification and image authentication. Experimental results show that the proposed methods are robust to a wide range of distortions and attacks such as additive noise, blurring, brightness changes and JPEG compression. Moreover, the proposed methods have this capability to localize the tampering area, which is not possible in all hashing schemes.
Intel acquires artificial intelligence start-up in tech expansion
The set of technologies being developed around machine learning and AI were shaping up to become a significant new computing platform in their own right, said Patrick Moorhead, a US chip analyst. It is needed to support a growing range of applications, from self-driving cars and robotics to text-to-speech systems and image identification, he added.

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