Providing persuasive feedback through interactive posters to motivate energy-saving behaviours

The behaviour of building occupants can have a significant impact on in-use energy performance. In these pilot studies, based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model, interactivity was incorporated in the design of behavioural interventions to assess its effectiveness in promoting energy-saving behaviours. An interactive poster and an interactive prompt were designed to ‘nudge’ occupants’ behaviours towards energy-saving. The poster was installed in an office building and was intended to encourage occupants to save energy by taking the stairs, rather than the lifts, by providing them with cumulative metaphorical feedback. The prompt was installed in student halls of residence and intended to act as a reminder to the occupants to turn the lights off by providing them with an immediate playful reward. The results showed that interactivity can ‘nudge’ occupants’ behaviours when it is combined with a clear message/feedback. The results also suggest that simple immediate feedback can be effective in encouraging energy-efficient behaviours.

An experiment on energy-saving competition with socially responsible consumers: opening the black box

We present results from experimental price-setting oligopolies in which green firms undertake different levels of energy-saving investments motivated by public subsidies and demand-side advantages. We find that consumers reveal higher willingness to pay for greener sellers’ products. This observation in conjunction to the fact that greener sellers set higher prices is compatible with the use and interpretation of energy-saving behaviour as a differentiation strategy. However, sellers do not exploit the resulting advantage through sufficiently high price-cost margins, because they seem trapped into “run to stay still” competition. Regarding the use of public subsidies to energy-saving sellers we uncover an undesirable crowding-out effect of consumers’ intrinsic tendency to support green manufacturers. Namely, consumers may be less willing to support a green seller whose energy-saving strategy yields a direct financial benefit. Finally, we disentangle two alternative motivations for consumer’s attractions to pro-social firms; first, the self-interested recognition of the firm’s contribution to the public and private welfare and, second, the need to compensate a firm for the cost entailed in each pro-social action. Our results show the prevalence of the former over the latter.

Economic experiments used for the evaluation of building users’ energy-saving behavior

Different treatments that could be implemented in the home environ-ment are evaluated with the objective of reaching a more rational and efficient use of energy. We consider that a detailed knowledge of energy-consuming behaviour is paramount for the development and implementation of new technologies, services and even policies that could result in more rational energy use. The proposed evaluation methodology is based on the development of economic experiments implemented in an experimental economics laboratory, where the behaviour of individuals when making decisions related to energy use in the domestic environment can be tested.

Filmljudets funktioner i krigsfilm : En audio-visuell analys av Apocalypse Now och Saving Private Ryan

I denna uppsats har filmljudet i krigsfilmerna Apocalypse Now och Saving Private Ryan undersökts. Detta har gjorts för att försöka bidra med ökad förståelse för filmljudets användningsområde och funktioner, främst för filmerna i fråga, men även för krigsfilm rent generellt. Filmljud i denna kontext omfattar allt det ljud som finns i film, men utesluter dock all ickediegetisk musik. Båda filmerna har undersökts genom en audio-visuell analys. En sådan analys görs genom att detaljgranska båda filmernas ljud- och bildinnehåll var för sig, för att slutligen undersöka samma filmsekvens som helhet då ljudet och bilden satts ihop igen. Den audio-visuella analysmetod som nyttjats i uppsatsen är Michel Chions metod, Masking. De 30 minuter film som analyserades placerades sedan i olika filmljudzoner, där respektive filmljudzons ljudinnehåll bland annat visade vilka främsta huvudfunktioner somfilmljudet hade i dessa filmer. Dessa funktioner är till för att bibehålla åskådarens fokus och intresse, att skapa närhet till rollkaraktärerna, samt att tillföra en hög känsla av realism och närvaro. Intentionerna med filmljudet verkade vara att flytta åskådaren in i filmens verklighet, att låta åskådaren bli ett med filmen. Att återspegla denna känsla av realism, närvaro, fokus samt intresse, visade sig också vara de intentioner som funnits redan i de båda filmernas förproduktionsstadier. Detta bevisar att de lyckats åstadkomma det de eftersträvat. Men om filmljudet använts på samma sätt eller innehar samma funktioner i krigsfilm rent genrellt går inte att säga.I have for this bachelor’s thesis examined the movie sound of the classic warfare movies Apocalypse Now and Saving Private Ryan. This is an attempt to contribute to a more profound comprehension of the appliance and importance of movie sound. In this context movie sound implies all kinds of sounds within the movies, accept from non-diegetic music. These two movies have been examined by an audio-visual analysis. It's done by auditing the sound and picture content separately, and then combined to audit the same sequence as a whole. Michel Chion, which is the founder of this analysis, calls this method Masking. The sound in this 30 minute sequence was then divided into different zones, where every zone represented a certain main function. These functions are provided to create a stronger connection to the characters, sustain the viewers interest and bring a sense of realism and presence. It seems though the intention with the movies sound is to bring the viewers to the scene in hand, and let it become their reality. To mirror this sense of realism, presence, focus and interest, proves to be the intention from an early stage of the production. This bachelor’s thesis demonstrates a success in their endeavours. Although it can’t confirm whether the movie sound have been utilized in the same manner or if they posess the same functions to warefare movies in general.

Can qualitative methods support the development of more flexible and energy saving thermal comfort?

This paper uses examples from a Swedish study to suggest some ways in which cultural variation could be included in studies of thermal comfort. It is shown how only a slight shift of focus and methodological approach could help us discover aspects of human life that add to previous knowledge within comfort research of how human beings perceive and handle warmth and cold. It is concluded that it is not enough for buildings, heating systems and thermal control devices to be energy-efficient in a mere technical sense. If these are to help to decrease, rather than to increase, energy consumption, they have to support those parts of already existing habits and modes of thought that have the potential for low energy use. This is one reason why culture-specific features and emotional cores need to be investigated and deployed into the study and development of thermal comfort.

November 1999: Saving the Appearances

http://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/deanscorner/1007/thumbnail.jpg

Economic growth with foreign saving?

Highly indebted countries, particularly the Latin American ones, presented dismal economic outcomes in the 1990s, which are the consequence of the ‘growth cum foreign savings strategy’, or the Second Washington Consensus. Coupled with liberalization of international financial flows, such strategy, which did not make part of the first consensus, led the countries, in the wave of a new world wide capital flow cycle, to high current account deficits and increase in foreign debt, ignoring the solvency constraint and the debt threshold. In practical terms it involved overvalued currencies (low exchange rates) and high interest rates; in policy terms, the attempt to control de budget deficit while the current account deficit was ignored. The paradoxical consequence was the adoption by highly indebted countries of ‘exchange rate populism’, a less obvious but more dangerous form of economic populism.

Saving-capm: uma proposta de solução para o equity premium puzzle do consumption-capm

Em 1985, Mehra e Prescott levantaram uma questão que até hoje não foi respondida de forma satisfatória: o prêmio de risco das ações americanas é muito maior do que poderia ser explicado pelo “paradigma neoclássico de finanças econômicas” (financial economics) representado pelo modelo C-CAPM. E, a partir de então, este problema não resolvido ficou conhecido como o “Equity Premium Puzzle” (EPP) ou o “Enigma do Prêmio (de risco) das Ações”. Este enigma estimulou a produção de uma série de artigos, dissertações e teses que tentaram ajustar os modelos intertemporais de utilidade esperada aos dados dos mercados financeiros. Dentro deste contexto, esta tese busca (i) revisar a evolução histórica da teoria dos modelos de maximização da utilidade intertemporal dos agentes, (ii) analisar os pressupostos e conceitos chaves desses modelos, (iii) propor um novo modelo que seja capaz de solucionar o EPP, (iv) aplicar este modelo proposto aos dados históricos anuais entre 1929 e 2004 e (v) validar a lógica deste modelo através das metodologias Mehra-Prescott e Hansen-Jagannathan. Esta tese faz uma crítica de que os estudos até aqui desenvolvidos tentaram explicar a dinâmica de um mercado financeiro altamente sofisticado, através de um modelo de economia não-monetária e de subsistência. Assim, a sua contribuição consiste na alteração desse pressuposto de uma economia de subsistência, considerando que a renda disponível do setor privado não seja integralmente consumida, mas que também possa ser poupada. Assumindo que as pessoas obtêm satisfação (utilidade) tanto pelo consumo atual como pela poupança atual (que será o consumo futuro), será deduzido que a utilidade marginal de consumir é igual à de poupar, em todo e qualquer período. Com base nisso, a utilidade marginal a consumir é substituída pela utilidade marginal de poupar dentro do modelo básico do C-CAPM. Para reforçar a idéia de que o modelo desta tese usa dados de poupança em vez de consumo, ao longo do trabalho ele será chamado de Sanving-CAPM, ou S-CAPM. Este novo modelo mostrou-se capaz de solucionar o EPP quando submetidas às abordagens Mehra-Prescott e Hansen-Jagannathan.

Saving and investment under external and fiscal constraints

Includes bibliography

Pension system reforms, the capital market and saving

Includes bibliography

Seminario Ahorro y Financiamiento": resumen y conclusiones = Saving and Financing Seminar: summary and conclusions"

El seminario analizó cuatro estudios sobre ahorro y tres sobre asignación de recursos financieros, preparados por expertos de distintos países latinoamericanos.

Saving of bagasse by improved boilder house operations

Includes bibliography

The retirement outlook for Chile's independently employed workers: a case study of attitudes and saving behavior

Includes bibliography